Nancy’s Notions has projects ranging from a multi-purpose tote to a Christmas quilt. There’s also some great ideas on using fabric for gift wrap and gift labels. So if you’re not a quilter and haven’t been sure what to do with those bits of fabric left over from when, say, you made your last pair of trousers, you now know!
You need to scroll down a bit on the free patterns page of Crafts and Fabrics links.com, but there you’ll find free Christmas patterns (my favourite is the Christmas cat).
By now you may be in a panic because you’ve now got too many ideas and don’t know where to start. It’s time to get back to basics: draw up a list of everyone you wish to give a present. Now re-arrange this list in order of priority. Consider whether everyone on the list really needs a gift, or whether you can remove some from the list. Now consider who you want to give a personal, handmade gift to and who you would be happy buying something for. What you’ve now got is a short list of people you want to make gifts for (and if it still looks to long to be achievable, go through the process again).
Now make a list of the patterns you’ve got then, bearing in mind how long each will take to make and whether you already have the necessary materials or would have to still purchase then, decide what to make for each person. Quilters are among the easiest people to give gifts too: buy a beautiful jar that would be useful in either a studio or the kitchen and stuff it with bits of interesting fabric from your scrap box, then add a spool or two of embroidery thread. Or tie up a few fat quarters and spools of thread in a fat quarter. As for the others on your list, get sewing ... there are only a few weeks to go!
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