Tag / Christmas gifts

The Scraps of Christmas
by Connie Smith

The Scraps of Christmas

It’s officially Christmas week, guys! The day is just around the corner, and soon we’ll be heading into a less twinkle-lit world. Until then though, there’s still time to revel in the holiday for one more blog post! For this particular one, how about we go with a nice wrap-up idea?

You see, I’ve covered a tree skirt, ornaments, and homemade gifts, but if you chose to go all of those routes, you potentially would have collected a series of Christmas fabrics. Each project could have its own material, so there might be quite the variety. Another decent assumption would be that you didn’t have just enough material for all projects, so you could easily have scraps of Christmas fabric left over from your handmade-Christmas-extravaganza.

The Scraps of Christmas

Sure, you could stash it away for future use, but if you keep every scrap of material you ever come across, you’re treading on fabric-hoarder territory! There’s nothing wrong with keeping the pieces that would reasonably be user-friendly in the future, but I’m talking about the small bits that won’t be much use without other smaller parts to make something happen, or for a small enough project.

So, maybe this post will help keep that fabric stash a little smaller and farther from hoarder territory by answering one simple question: What projects can you do with those small parts of leftover Christmas fabric?

Answer: Plenty, and I plan to take you through a number of those options!

Possibility #1: Make a banner

This is such a simple option, but it can add a classy touch to your Christmas decorations. All you need to do is pick a shape for your fabric, cut the scraps in that shape, make sure those hems are smooth, and link them together—maybe with some ribbon or yarn. If you’re feeling particular, you can make sure that each of those shapes is two-sided by sewing two pieces together—maybe spice things up by using more than one fabric for the cause. With that method, you could have (as an example) a bell-shaped addition to your banner that has Rudolph on one side and Frosty on the other! If you’re good at embroidery, use enough shapes to embroider a message across. You could even do this laundry-line idea if you had the right fabric! The options on this idea alone are numerous!

The options on this idea alone are numerous!

The options on this idea alone are numerous!

Possibility #2: Make fabric garland

This is like the banner, but requires strips of fabric tied instead of differently shaped pieces embellished and sewn. I mean, sure, you could add gems and such, but the draping quality of the fabric is kind of its distinctive factor, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for the Merry Christmas message! Still, this is a simple, elegant idea that could add a touch of holiday cheer to your house by hanging from your mantel. And, as is the main idea of the post, it’s a great way to use that extra Christmas fabric you might have once you finish your holiday sewing projects!

This is like the banner, but requires strips of fabric tied instead of differently shaped pieces embellished and sewn.

This is like the banner, but requires strips of fabric tied instead of differently shaped pieces embellished and sewn.

Possibility #3: Make a Christmas tote

While you might not have enough material to make the entire tote in one style (then again, maybe you will!), you could create a patchwork look for a homemade Christmas tote! You can find patterns for totes here, and Sewing Machines Plus offers free patterns for bags as well. Can you imagine a patched-up Christmas tote in this design! I would definitely carry one of those!

I would definitely carry one of those!

I would definitely carry one of those!

Possibility #4: Make fabric bookmarks

Call me a literature nerd, but how awesome would it be to give someone a copy of A Christmas Carol with a hand-sewn bookmark to go along with it? In fact, this could be a thing you do next year — give out holiday classics with hand-sewn bookmarks in Christmas fabrics! These projects are small, and who knows how many you could make in one day? And they require little fabric, which is the theme of this post! Whether it’s to hold your place for your own holiday reading or for small gift-gestures to let someone know you’re thinking of them, these creations could bring a festive touch to a book-and-hot-chocolate December time!

Call me a literature nerd, but how awesome would it be to give someone a copy of A Christmas Carol with a hand-sewn bookmark to go along with it?

Call me a literature nerd, but how awesome would it be to give someone a copy of A Christmas Carol with a hand-sewn bookmark to go along with it?

Possibility #5: Make a keychain

Since childhood, I’ve had an interest in keychains. I don’t know why, but it’s true just the same. So, why not take a bit of that excess material and make a one-of-a-kind keychain? Keyrings don’t have to be expensive, and it’s possible that everything else you’d need you could find around your house—maybe even down to buttons like what you see in the picture. Given the teeny-tiny-ness of keychains, this craft would be a good way to use some of that excess fabric! You can find this possibility (and #5) here!

Given the teeny-tiny-ness of keychains, this craft would be a good way to use some of that excess fabric!

Given the teeny-tiny-ness of keychains, this craft would be a good way to use some of that excess fabric!

So, the moral of the story is that you don’t have to be a Christmas-fabric hoarder after your holiday sewing! There are plenty of avenues to expend some of that scrap material!

These will make gorgeous DIY gifts.
by Charlotte Kaufman

DIY Pom Pom Fleece Blanket

I rarely meet someone who doesn’t like pom poms or fleece. They are two great unifiers and when you put them together, magic happens. They became my inspiration recently when perusing through Pinterest for ideas for our handmade holiday gifts for the girls’ teachers. I began my search for ideas in September, well in advance of December, so I knew that I’d have time to get them done.

This DIY tutorial was my starting template. However it is a no-sew version of what I’m about to show you. Here is how to make a DIY pom pom fleece throw blanket.

Assemble your Materials

Order a bunch of fleece. I waited until Joann’s had a 50% off coupon and I ordered 9 yards. I want to make 6 blankets and each blanket will be 1.5 yards in length. 1.5 x 6 = 9. Do the math for however many blankets you need.

This is Joann’s anti-pill fleece fabric in Ivory.

This is Joann’s anti-pill fleece fabric in Ivory.

This is Joann’s anti-pill fleece fabric in Ivory. The roll arrives with the fabric doubled on the roll. Carefully measure out 1.5 yards for each blanket and then square up the sides as needed.

Carefully measure out 1.5 yards for each blanket and then square up the sides as needed.

Carefully measure out 1.5 yards for each blanket and then square up the sides as needed.

Voila, six blankets awaiting their pom poms.

Voila, six blankets awaiting their pom poms.

Voila, six blankets awaiting their pom poms.

I wanted to do an ombre, triple row of pom poms on each end of the blankets. I did the math here again. The fabric I ordered is 58” wide, by 1.5 yards (54”). I planned to add the pom poms on the shorter side, so I’d need 3 yards (1.5 yards per end) for each blanket. 3 yards time six blankets is 18 yards of EACH color of pom poms.

I got these from IchiMyLove on Etsy. Handily, they sold pom poms in bulk by 18 yards (IT’S LIKE IT WAS MEANT TO BE!) And their color selection was fantastic. They ship from Thailand but the shipping was only a little longer than the wait for a US shipped product. Plan ahead!

Their color selection was fantastic.

Their color selection was fantastic.

Know Your Fabric

A few tips when sewing fleece:

  1. Use a longer stitch length.
  2. I saw a lot of tutorials that said to use a ball point needle but I didn’t have any. I used a quilting needle, size 14, and it worked out great.
  3. Don’t mess up. It’s really difficult to rip out stitching on fleece. To prevent mess ups, practice on a bit of scrap to make sure you have stitch length and tension set correctly.
  4. Fleece doesn’t fray when cut. Because of this, you can decide to add reinforced stitching on the longer (non-pom pom) side or not.

Fleece doesn’t fray when cut. Because of this, you can decide to add reinforced stitching on the longer (non-pom pom) side or not.

Take Your Time

Stitching on the triple rows of pom poms on each side is time consuming. Put on some music or your favorite podcast and zen out.

If you have a tag to include, plan out between which layers you want to add it.

If you have a tag to include, plan out between which layers you want to add it.

If you have a tag to include, plan out between which layers you want to add it.

Take it slowly, pushing each pom pom out of the way of the foot, or you’ll end up like this, with your needle in the middle of a pom pom and your project on hold until you get yourself out of that mess. Don’t be me like me!

Take it slowly, pushing each pom pom out of the way of the foot, or you’ll end up like this, with your needle in the middle of a pom pom and your project on hold until you get yourself out of that mess.

Take it slowly, pushing each pom pom out of the way of the foot, or you’ll end up like this, with your needle in the middle of a pom pom and your project on hold until you get yourself out of that mess.

Once completed, I washed the blankets on the gentle cycle in warm, not hot, and did not use fabric softener. Tumble dry on the gentle cycle as well. I added a Shout Color Catcher just to make sure the pom poms didn’t bleed.

Here is the finished product. These will make gorgeous DIY gifts.

Do you give handmade gifts during the holidays? What are your plans for this year?

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Charlotte Kaufman is a writer and sewist in Mammoth Lakes, California. She specializes in marine and home interiors and continues to fall more and more in love with quilting. You can follow her at charlottekaufman.com.