All the homemade Christmas people over here please, lets share our ideas :) - THIRD EDITION :)

[theancientmarinator]

Phew! For a minute I thought the thread wouldn't accept my message because I just wasn't making enough stuff for Christmas this week. And then I realised it was because we had reached 1000 posts. Thought I'd lost you all!

We were all listing what we need to finish still. I'll be back tomorrow with mine - if I do it now I will dissolve in tears but tomorrow I will have had a night's sleep and a stiff drink. Not necessarily in that order, although....

Thanks LRD. I guess at least I know where the land lies and won't go to so much trouble next year. I guess it's pretty typical of them really - their house is such a tip that we haven't been allowed to visit them there for over 6 years now so always have to meet them somewhere or at SIL's. We thought a homemade gift would be better for them as they have so much "stuff" already (clutter issues which have taken over the house), but I think they have just ceased caring about anything & probably lost it amid the filth mess

Thanks cheerful

Oh dear.

That is rotten. It sounds like there is a bigger issue than whether or not they like home-made presents.

Well, you tried ...

Oh Zeeky I really feel for you - but it definitely sounds like there is a much bigger issue here of not being able to manage their 'stuff' rather than being ungrateful for your gift. If you had bought the most expensive item in Harrods they would still have lost it. Extra points deducted for actually telling you too - they should have at least had the decency to lie! One up-cheering thing though. If I had mislaid and then found an unwanted hamper of food that might be past it's use-by I would have thrown it out immediately. The fact that they asked if it was still safe to eat, even though it meant admitting to you they had lost it temporarily, suggests to me that they actually did really want to eat what was in it. Next year buy them "CBT For Hoarders"

Zeeky, I have another take on it though, recently I have noticed how a lot of people these days have funny expectations about how perishable food should be. They're so used to supermarket long life stuff that they get miffed if fresh or home made stuff does what it's supposed to (i.e. go off!)

I honestly think that some people think home made fudge can sit there till a rainy day in 2014 like a Cadbury's fudge bar would!

Hi happy makers, I just wanted to say that my parents and PILs were thrilled with their hampers and it really made it all worth while. I have never had so much fun making cakes, puddings, mincemeat, Christmas stockings, in fact anything I could think of, and then cellophaning it etc etc! It is SO satisfying to make things, and to have them appreciated so earnestly is lovely (and I'm SO cross on behalf of those whose thought and hard work wasn't really acknowledged, let alone appreciated!) You'll be the ones on santa's good list this year, and not them!

So now Christmas is over for another year, that's a whole year to plan again!! Happy New Year x

That's fab jdub. I enjoyed making all the stuff so next year this year I will only give to the one or two who definitely appreciate it and will keep loads for ourselves, as DH was gutted that there wasn't any for him!

PIL will get the usual tat bought present to add to their piles of trash collection of goods

oH Zeeky :( Sod the lot of 'em - they can go and grumble with my big sis instead!

My FIL said he was too full of pringles to eat the Christmas lunch I'd been slaving over. Thank fuck I didn't bother too much with too many other things with him.

The spicy mustard went down very well with all though - so will be doing something similar again next year I reckon. Big sis moaned that she didn't get any of that (she lives abroad, so I'd thought I was being kind not giving her glass jars to carry on the plane alongside three kids on her own). She asked if she could swap the fudge for that. I said "of course" then conveniently forgot it >>evil and Oh So Not-in-the-whole-Christmas-spirit emoticon

Without wishing to be rude, Zeeky and Flubba, I think that some of your relatives not only lack manners but also taste. I think I can speak for many posters when I say that your creations have been utterly amazing, and I for one have been incredibly envious of your talents. Don't let them put you off for next year - you could always distribute amongst mn home made posters instead!

Thankfully my efforts were well received - even by pils who immediately opened the vodka and took huge swigs! I was quite amazed! I decorated the tops of the boxes with quilled holly/ Xmas tree/ Santa in the end and these actually went down just as well as the stuff inside.

Right then - so when are we starting the 2012 thread? Less than 12 months to go now!

Ohhh ... penny drops ... flubba that was your thread about the pringles! I was thinking 'rude twit' every time I saw in but never opened it.

What a rude twit.

I think (honestly) that patchwork does want to be a little haphazard - if it's too 'perfect' it looks wrong and machine made. The charm comes from colours that threaten to clash and a hand-sewn look, IMO. A mate was showing me photos from the quilt museum in York, and the most stunning ones were all a bit quirky, whereas just a couple were technically excellent but rather dull!

So perhaps that is encouraging?

mrstired - at 'huge swigs'. The decoration sounds so pretty, too.

Thank you mrs - I hope you're right!

LRD that's good news about my quilt then. It certainly looks far from 'perfect' :) :)

I bet it looks gorgeous, all your stuff you've shown usdoes.

Finally a good response to my homemade goodies! DS' teacher thanked me for her Christmas present this morning and said it was so delicious she ate them all in one go (Oreo truffles, vanilla fudge and cake pops)

Zeeky that gave me a wee on your behalf.

ancient on the overview, it doesn't show smilies, so it looked like zeeky's post gave you a little wee :o :o :o

LRD - all PILs needed was a brown paper bag and the scene would have been complete! (This is the couple who like to think of themselves as upper class - she even went to finishing school!)

Zeeky I'm so glad you've had a positive response - I wonder if in fact some of these people are actually jealous?

I'm going to ask a really stupid question now - do you use pre cut quilting fabric or do you cut up your own? If the former where do you buy it from?

No, I've cut up my own really rather badly

You can buy packs of 'fat quarters' which are usually 8 squares of fabric (with 4 patterns), which I assume are for quilters - John Lewis do them (hideously expensive, but rather gorgeous), and FabricLand do them too. Sure most fabric shops do them. I bought some Christmassy ones from Fabricland and made the Christmas bunting out of them.

Damn, my embarrassing problem is out in the open...

Super, thanks Flubba.

I'm so pleased to know that I can cause people to lose control of their bodily functions

A few of my friends and family have been asking me how much I would charge them to make some of my things, but I have no idea where to start with the price? I obviously would want to cover my materials costs, but don't want to take the piss. Any tips from those of you who already do this? (by the way, some of the things they're asking for are quite tricky and time consuming, like the advent calendar and aprons etc).

Now that's a compliment! Well done Flubba!

You could try telling them how much time it takes to make and asking what they are willing to pay? Or look up similar products online (eg Not On The Highstreet) to see what they would have to pay elsewhere.

Thanks ancient ~ DH also suggested looking up what they'd have to pay elsewhere, but I'm not confident that my skills are good enough. Maybe it'd give me an idea of how much things are, then I could subtract 25% or something? Hmmm.

Love this thread! I'm wanting to make stuff this year if I get organised enough so will have a good look at all the ideas on here...