Five cute gifts you can whip up this Christmas!

The festive season is upon us, and if you are hoping to sew some gifts this Christmas you should probably start now! Take it from this chaotic sewist; you do not want to be still sewing your Christmas presents on Christmas eve.

If you are new to sewing presents it might feel overwhelming of where to start. Let me guess… you’ve had every friend, aunty and co-worker asking if you’ll sew them something please! Well, remember you can always just laugh it off and mumble something like ‘ah haha you don’t want me to sew you something, I’m only a beginner’ - but if you are keen to sew presents this Christmas, I’ve got some ideas that are cute, quick and won’t become your unintended full time job!

Quilted Pouch

There’s nothing more versatile than a boxy pouch! You can use them for makeup, cosmetics, sewing tools and even as a camera pouch.

They are the perfect project to use some of your pretty scraps. You could even get super fancy and make a patch work one!

For this one I have used some cotton poplin scraps and a chunky pink zipper. The quilted batting I used was a medium loft synthetic.

If you are looking for pattern to follow, Elle Stitch has a great free pattern you can use called the Molly Makeup Pouch! You can find it via the link in her bio.

Scrunchies!

You absolutely cannot go wrong with a cute scrunchie! They are so quick to whip up and easy to customise to your recipient’s taste.

Use scrap fabric and elastic to make your classic scrunchies, or get super creative with trim and make the scrunchie of your Pinterest dreams!

Any fabric scraps will work for these. I’ve used scrap linen, cotton and thrifted lace. I like to use 0.9mm elastic in my scrunchies, but you can use whatever you’ve got in your stash!

For the classic scrunchie I love to follow the Seamwork Tutorial.

For the frilly scrunchies, Rosery Apparel has a great little tutorial.

Zipper Pouches!

Another super versatile make is a simple zipper pouch. I love to use mine for small things in bigger bags, but the uses are endless!

Again, they are perfect for scraps and random zippers in your stash. If you are new to sewing zippers, these are also a perfect place to start!

For mine I used linen and cotton scraps.

Free templates for my zipper pouches can be found here. I’ve also got an in-depth Youtube tutorial you can follow too!

We’ve also got some zipper pouch sewing kits available to purchase. These would make the perfect gift for the budding sewist in your life!

Tote Bag

Okay, I know you’re probably thinking everyone has enough tote bags - but does anybody have a perfect, boxy, well made tote bag?

Well I do! And now your lucky friends will too!

Help them them replace those flimsy, free tote bags with a gorgeous one you made.

I love to use cotton canvas, duck or drill for my tote bags. Use a contrasting fabric for the pocket for extra cuteness!

For a great tutorial, check out Rosery Apparel’s one!

Pot Holders

This would be the perfect gift for the baker or cook in your life, or really anyone who appreciates a cute kitchen item!

Super quick and easy to whip up from scraps, just make sure you only use cotton or linen for the fabrics and thread (otherwise you might end up with melted pot holders). You will also need some heat safe batting - this is one I used.

You could totally draft up a little template yourself. You’ll need to cut out two circles in the fabric, and one circle in the batting. I then sandwiched the batting between the fabrics and quilted them together. Then simply attach the binding around the outside. I used left over bias binding to make the little loop too!

If you want a little more guidance, Rosery Apparel has a great tutorial. She also makes funky wavy ones in this video which be super cute!

I hope you’ve been inspired by these projects and are ready to get busy making some cute things! Either as gifts or maybe just for yourself, because you deserve cute things too!

Happy sewing!

xx Olivia