Ideas for DIY Christmas Presents

We've arrived at that time of year when Christmas adverts are popping up on TV and the shops are starting to stock Advent Calendars. I love Christmas and enjoy making presents to give to family & friends. Over the years I've gifted homemade bags, clothes and accessories and I've started to think about my DIY plans for this year. If you'd like to make some gifts and are wondering where to begin I thought I'd round up some ideas to get you started!

Kindle Cover

I'd hazard a guess that the majority of people who commute to work probably own an electronic book reader. This free tutorial to make a cover isn't too complicated and only uses one fat quarter of fabric. There's a pocket to slide the Kindle into and the little fabric triangles help hold the reader in place.
http://whip-stitch.com/kindle-cover-tutorial/ I made mine using this crazy cute cat fabric from The Eternal Maker

Bags

There are lots of tutorials online for various make up bags, pouches etc. Here are a few that I've made:

• Cute boxy pouch by Three Bears: https://threebears.wordpress.com/2007/10/15/little-boxy-pouch-tutorial/

Image Copyright Three Bears blog

• I've made several of these Open Wide Zip pouches. They stand up neatly allowing you to see their contents really easily. There are lots of free tutorials for other pouches and bags on Anna's site. https://noodle-head.com/2012/06/open-wide-zippered-pouch-diy-tutorial.html

• We saw these cosmetic bags from Stoff & Still at The Knitting and Stitching Show. They were beautifully made in rich tapestry fabrics and would make great gifts. The pattern is available to buy on their site here (it includes the cosmetic bag & a pencil case) along with lots of free patterns which you can download (including this neat shopping bag). 

Image Copyright Stoff & Stil

• Another fun bag is the Stowe Bag from Grainline Studios. I made this for my mum last year in the famous Ikea cat fabric. It's a great stash bag for your current project and I can imagine knitting would sit nicely inside too. 

• Another purchase from The Knitting and Stitching Show was this fabulous Open Out Box Pouch pattern by Aneela Hoey which I bought at the Beyond Measure stand. I really like it's design and I've never used an open ended zip before so I'm looking forward to sewing this one. 

• A final bag to try is the Natsu Bag by Japan Crafts. I bought this kit at last year's Knitting and Stitching show and used 4 fat quarters of Japanese fabric I already had to make my younger sister a bag. It closes using a magnetic snap and is a great pattern to showcase pretty fabrics. 

Image Copyright Japan Crafts

If you know your intended recipient well enough to ask for their dress size then pyjamas are always a good Christmas gift. Having new cosy pyjamas at Christmas is a must for me! Last year I made my older sister some Carolyn Pajamas by Closet Case Patterns. I love this pattern as the addition of piping really takes the look up a notch. I've recently made myself some checked brush cotton pyjamas trousers using this pattern and added piping along the pockets - perfect for winter! 

If you're making pyjamas then why not go all out and make a matching eye mask? There's a free tutorial on the Tilly and the Buttons site with step by step instructions here. You could add some embrodiery if you have the skill (which I sadly lack - hand sewing is not my friend!).

I hope these ideas have left you feeling inspired to make some presents this year!