Ah the holidays! As an introvert, this time of year can be glorious - as long as I don’t have to venture outside of my house. Rather than having to go out into heavy traffic, packed parking lots, and bustling malls, wouldn’t it be nice to just avoid all that - by making hand made gifts for the season?
[Above: Myself, working at my sewing table, laying out the pattern for a holiday outfit]
You might be saying to yourself, “well of course Emily is going to be in favour of making all holiday gifts by hand - she owns Belladonna Patterns!” The thing is yes, I do think that handmade gifts are special in their own right, but I also have first hand knowledge of how stressful making gifts can be. So I’ll give you a measured opinion of what goes into holiday making, and hopefully provide some useful insights to help you achieve your dreams of avoiding holiday shoppers at all costs:
Start Early and Set a Deadline Before the Holidays
I can’t tell you how many Christmas Eves I’ve spent working on last minute touches to handmade gifts! You can never be too early to start (seriously, like Dec 26th is probably a good starting point). But if you’re low on time, try to be as realistic as possible about what you’re capable of. Is this your first time trying to make something like this? Is this something you can make assembly-line style? How much time between work, school, kids, partners, family, holiday parties, etc. do you actually have to work on gifts? Can you ask your family to give you 1 hour a day to work on your project(s)?
[Above: Last minute quilting the day before Christmas]
If you’re someone like me and good at putting things off until the last moment, try to set an earlier deadline for yourself. Say, at least two days before giving the gift, then you have some breather time in between for merry-making and enjoying the seasonal festivities!
Use Quality Materials but Don’t Feel Like You Have to Break the Bank
This may seem like an oxymoron, but I do believe in both the above statements. When making a gift for someone else - or ourselves for that matter! - we want to work with quality materials. It can be devastating to spend all that time and money on a gift that is never used because the material doesn’t breathe, or is itchy, or just doesn’t drape properly.
[Above: A pile of fabric ready to be made into gifts]
That said, getting material that is quality doesn’t mean getting material that is the most expensive in the store or online! One hundred percent linen breathes beautifully, but expensive. There are more cost effective materials such as a rayon-linen blend that breathes just as much, but is much more affordable. Alternatively, look for local places that have second hand fabric, such as sewing consignment stores or thrift stores, for even more affordable options - you might find some treasures ;)
Get Accurate Measurements
Similar to the above, it’s a huge bummer to work on a gift for someone and it doesn’t fit. If it’s too big, maybe it can be taken in. But if it’s too small…you might be SOL.
[Above: An image of hands working a festive red fabric through a sewing machine]
So how do you get measurements of someone but keep it a surprise? You have two options, one is try to get a hold of something they already own and measure that. Making a shirt for your Dad? Borrow one of his when he’s not looking and take measurements of that (I may have done exactly this, and the shirt came out perfect!) The other option is just tell them you’re making them something, but not what it is. They’ll be excited either way, and you’ll both know it’ll fit when they try it on that first time.
What If I Don’t Have Time?
While mass overconsumption can lead to large amounts of waste and carbon emissions, sometimes we just don’t have the time or means to make gifts for everyone. Sewing isn’t necessarily an expensive hobby (see more about that in my other blog post here), but it is time consuming. If you just don’t have the time to hand-make gifts, but don’t want to purchase mass manufactured things, consider getting gifts that are bought from local artisans instead. Or maybe you have a loved one who enjoys or is interested in sewing themselves - buying products like our digital sewing patterns can be a great gift for the holidays.
Conclusion
[Above: Pet ornaments I made for friends of their fur babies. Even the most simple gifts can be the most treasured]
Handmade gifts are so very special - not only are they made to last, but they’re also made with one particular person in mind, and all the love that we have for them from the year gone by. And that person knows you care about them enough to work hard on something that’s one-of-a-kind for them. In these fast moving, tumultuous times, it’s nice to get back to the cozy, heart-warming meaning of the holidays, with a special present from one person to another <3
Warm Wishes,
