From the Heart

 Most years I try to give as many homemade gifts as possible.  I love when I know someone spent their time making something special for me because as a crafter I know that's much easier than ordering on Amazon (although I also love when people give me gift cards to shop at the local quilt shop guilt free!) Some years I can do a lot of hand made gifts (one year both my mom and my mother-in-law got hand quilted throws) but this year isn't shaping up to be one of those years.  

When I signed up for this blog hop I had grand intentions of making a whole list of homemade gifts-right now I have maybe two small gifts finished.  I did get a few prototypes done with items I made myself (after all I don't want to show the actual gifts yet)

First I wanted to make some soup bowl cozies.  I don't know why but these things have intimidated me for years but at the same time I'd see them at craft shows and talk myself out of buying them because I should be able to make them.  I finally made one and realized I never use that size soup bowl; so I found a pattern designed for bigger bowls, but then school started. 


Then I remembered I had started pot holders where you sew homespun fabric layers together 1/2 inch apart the entire width of the square and then cut the top layers with a chenille cutter.  I figured they would make good gifts (my mother-in-law told me she'd like one so maybe that will happen) but then I also thought I could make an oven mit the same way.  I tried it and hated it! It was so much work and I cut it too small-I'll stick to the holiday clearance ones at the dollar store! I did start several hot pad and a couple coasters.  I also finished the one that had been sitting in my sewing room just waiting for me to sew the binding down for over a year.  


The last project I found that I just had to try was a bookmark with a pen holder.  It calls for interfacing to make the outside more stiff but when I had the time to sew one I didn't have the interfacing so I made one without just to make sure it wasn't like the oven mit and I'd hate it.  I've been using it on my journal for sermon notes and it is so handy to have my pen right there on my journal-however I'm almost out of pages and the new one isn't the same size.  I do think these would be a super cute gift and since they were the quickest of my projects they might still happen for a few readers or writers in my life. 



I am sure the other hoppers have come up with some fantastic gift ideas so be sure to check them all out

October 26

Creatin' in the Sticks

Ms P Designs USA

Becky’s Adventures in Quilting and Travel

Websterquilt

Selina Quilts

Cynthia's Creating Ark

Quilting Gail

Scrapdash

Ridge Top Quilt

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

That Fabric Feeling

Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

 October 27

MooseStashQuilting

Just Because Quilts

Day Brook Designs

Karen's Korner

Quilt Schmilt

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Karrin’s Crazy World

Words & Stitches

Vroomans Quilts

Sew Many Yarns

Songbird Designs

Samelia's Mum

 October 28

Just Let Me Quilt

Quiltscapes

Beaquilter

Seams To Be Sew

Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life

Bumbleberry Stitches

Days Filled With Joy

Quilted Delights

Den Syende Himmel

Life in the Scrapatch

Storied Quilts

Kathleen McMusing

Food for Thought

Comments

  1. Grand intentions often get me in to trouble. Thanks for the ideas. I thought I should make some bowl holders rather than but finished ones and still haven't done it.

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  2. Great gift ideas, thanks for sharing.

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  3. This hop is just so fun, we are all getting great ideas already! Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Thanks for sharing your wonderful ideas. The bookmark is such a great idea.

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  5. Clever gift ideas! I've made those bowl cozies, and we use them all the time.

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  6. I love all your projects! They are so thoughtful and practical, too. These will make lovely gifts.

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  7. thank you for sharing. yah that you tried to bowl cozies. i found they were a little too big for our bowls so I just cut the pattern down. works great now. lol I love your projects especially your pen holder. Will have to try one of those.

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  8. These are some really great ideas for gifts! I love the idea of using a chenille cutter on fabric...cute pot holder! Thanks for sharing your wonderful gift ideas!

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  9. These are all great gift ideas! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  10. Great ideas for gifts. I made soup bowls last year. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  11. Thanks for sharing your gifts! I, too, am intimidated by the soup bowl holders ... one day I will make one!

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  12. A great idea to always have a pen on hand without rummaging through the bottom of your bag.

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  13. Thanks for the ideas! I really need to make some of those soup bowl holders!!

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  14. Great gifts and I love your process of thinking up ideas. I also love homemade gifts but go by the adage: It's better to give than to receive. Aren't we all lucky to have these sewing skills under our belt!?

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  15. Great gift ideas. It’s funny how some projects just beat us up. We all have those days. I really need to play with chenille sometime.

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  16. 3 great ideas for sure. I want to try all 3 too. Love the bookmark and pen gift.

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  17. Great heartfelt gift ideas. I really need to make some bowl cozies too, but seem to keep putting it off. I must try them soon. Thanks for the inspiration :)

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  18. Bowl cozies have been very popular in our friends and family circle, I hope you find a moment to give it another shot. I like to line mine with Insulbrite, which means they can't be microwaved but I feel like they work better for my purposes. And that bookmark idea is super clever! Thanks for sharing!

    Brandy

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    1. I think we would use them often if they fit our bowls

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  19. Nice gift ideas! Now I remember that my son had asked for a couple of cozies, so I need to find time to make them for him. I also like making hot pads, but not oven mitts. My husband hates oven mitts, and he's our primary cook.

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  20. Great ideas. Good luck with your actual gifts; it's always a super idea to make a prototype.

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  21. Wonderful gift ideas! I always wish I had a bowl cozy and this reminds me I need to make a few!

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  22. Your bookmark is a clever idea! I too have made a bowl cozy, but they never really got used. Or maybe they burned up in the microwave... can't remember! At any rate, I'm not sold on those either.

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