homemade presents to sew?

[frazzled74]

I want ideas for christmas presents that i can make.Has anyone any ideas? have thought of advent calenders for nephews and neices, pretty fabric ones that can be used every year, has any one seen any articles on how to make these? all ideas welcome, i need presents for women and children and teenage girls.

I am making my sisters 15yo and 20yo aprons for xmas. Nice cotton fabric and lining worked out about £10 each.

You can also get kits to do those advent calendars in a lot of haberdashery departments at the moment too. Didn't look like it would cost more than buying fabric + patterns + filler.

You should pop over to the craftster website. LOADS of ideas and advice...iit's American but that makes no diff. People ver nice and helpful too.

How about a bag? Could be for women or children really. There was a thread not so long ago with a free pattern on it - Link here

Or a crayon/pen roll for younger children with some pens in it.

One of the magazines, Sew I think, had a slightly different take on advent calendars by having lots of tiny little bags with the date on the front strung up on a cord. Looked very cute. You could use all sorts of Christmassy fabric and decorate them however you fancied.

How about Ipod/mobile phone/game pouches? Don't have any links but I shall what I can find.

Or finally, something very simple like a bookmark? I did felt ones for my boys. Two pieces of felt, different colours, blanket stitched together with their names embroidered on the front. You can also put embelishments on them to make them personal - I have buttons on mine and kept it simple as they are boys. DS1 has a car and DS2 a football but it could be anything and probably you could get a bit more flamboyant for girls. Very cheap and quick for a stocking filler.

Thanks great ideas, thanks.

I've just posted a list of tutorials on my blog if anyone is still looking for ideas - I'm definitely going to make the knotted fabric necklace for my SIL's.

More aprons here...possibly with children's names on the front or something if it doesn't look too naff.

Had wondered about making a sort of copy of these too, bit of a bigger present and I'd have to be careful getting the size right. Not sure how much they would cost either as I haven't been on a fabric hunt yet.

You could try this flickr group for lots of ideas for advent calendars. I'm making my garlands now!!

Big squishy fleece Cushions -

you can customize them to suit their "likes",

I've just made a couple of black & beige pirate motif 1s for a 40 year old biker mate - who's never quite grown up [hsmile], & DD has put her order in for a pair of grey & purple ones with a Cat motif

back the fleece for the motif with woven fuse, to stop it stretching, you can then machine of embroider it onto the cushion, running stitch, otherwise very easy to make, -

if you stuff with a mix of poly beads & either polyester wadding or chopped up carrier bags, they can then be thrown in the washing machine & will dry over a radiator, I have cat beds made in a similar way, & they wash & dry real easy :)