Calculate ideal length of a loop scarf - Calculate Now

Giving homemade unique gifts - no problem even for beginners.

Even as a sewing beginner, it is not impossible to sew great gifts yourself, because the Internet offers a wealth of instructions and free patterns that allow even the inexperienced to create great gifts that are not only designed with love, but also become truly unique. For almost every taste, the right self-sewn gift can be found.

• A reading bone. This is not only suitable as a neck pillow, but also supports the book when reading in bed. This way, you don't have to hold the book and you save yourself from cold hands or hands that fall asleep. The link below leads to a short tutorial:http://tweetie274.blogspot.de/2010/02/wip-leseknochen.html A pattern (with instructions) can also be found here. A reading bone is sewn quickly and you don't need a wealth of sewing experience or large amounts of fabric to make it. Tip: If you don't have any absorbent cotton at hand, you can also fill the reading bone with the contents of a cheap pillow from any furniture store. For people with back problems, the pillows (possibly reduced in size) can also be filled very well with grains or cherry pits and heated in the microwave.
  
• A loop scarf. This scarf has the advantage that it is placed around the neck like a "figure eight" and can not slip down. It keeps you cozy and warm in the winter, and in the summer it makes a great accessory to spice up your outfit. Why not sew a matching handbag from the same fabric? Instructions for loops are a dime a dozen. For example, here:http://alles-selbstgenaeht.blogspot.de/2013/02/anleitung-loop-rundschal-nahen.html and here: https://farbenmix.de/1249/schlauchschal/loop-kreativ-ebook-als-geschenk
  Material recommendation: For winter, warm fabrics such as fleece/ wellness fleece, teddy, knitwear, nicky and jersey (in any combination for the inside and outside) are recommended, for summer, light fabrics such as chiffon, cotton, poplin or silk, but also jersey (possibly with viscose content, this has a cooling effect). Since the scarf is looped twice around the neck and should have a corresponding comfortable width, both firm (woven) fabrics and stretchy fabrics are equally suitable.
  
  Tip: For small children, loops pose a certain risk of strangulation, so so-called neck socks / slip scarves are more suitable for them. The child slips his head through it, it fits tightly and can not become a danger when climbing and romping. A freebook incl. pattern can be found here:http://www.olilu.de/2011/09/halsstulpe-mit-futter/ However,these should be sewn from a stretchy fabric so that the head also fits through without any problems.
  
• Very practical, easy to sew and always popular are so-called fabric baskets (also called Utensilos). These can be filled decoratively with sweets, tea, coffee, cosmetics, homemade treats, etc. and thus represent a very individual gift basket. Instructions can be found, for example, here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tunQjz3AtNI or here:https://blog.bernina.com/de/2018/07/naehprojekt-mit-anleitung-ein-utensilo-fuer-mehr-ordnung-im-auto/
  
• For first patchwork attempts, this pillow is particularly suitable:https://farbenmix.de/800/patch-mit-liebe-kissen-kreativ-ebook-als-geschenk Who does not dare to sew a zipper, should choose the so-called hotel closure. This is described very well here: https://blog.revoluzzza.com/2012/02/27/free-tutorial-kissen-mit-hotelverschlus/
  
  Tip: a simple pillow becomes a great music pillow / listening pillow: Get so-called pillow speakers/ pillow speaker, sew a tunnel into the pillow inlet through which the speaker is led into the inside of the pillow. The cable is fed through the cover to the outside and can then be connected directly to the cell phone/ MP3 player/ stereo, allowing you to enjoy music while falling asleep without disturbing your partner. A perfect gift for people who like to listen to audio books or relaxing music to fall asleep to in the evening.
• Whether for big or small: Even Frisbee discs can be sewn yourself! All you need (besides fabric, sewing machine and thread) is lead tape, which is also used to weigh down curtains. Homemade frisbee discs are not only sewn turbo fast, but can be stored very well for travel in a small bag and fly amazingly well and far. A great tutorial can be found here: https://www.handmadekultur.de/projekte/frisbee-naehen_29697
• Baking gloves are a particularly practical utensil for the kitchen. Embellish the gloves with ribbons and appliqués and they will become an eye-catcher for any cooking and baking fan. The following instructions are in English, but here pictures say more than words:http://www.sew4home.com/projects/kitchen-linens/tea-time-kitchen-appliqu%C3%A9-quilted-oven-mitts here is also one in German: https://www.pattydoo.de/blog/2016/03/ofenhandschuhe-selber-naehen/
  
• Another gift idea for kitchen fairies and hobby cooks: an apron. Here is a free pattern: https://www.stoffe.de/naehanleitung-fuer-eine-schuerze-mit-applikationen.html
  
• Table runners/ placemats can be designed, suitable for every season and are always practical. Let your creativity run wild and use decorative ribbons, serrated braid, appliqués or even decorative seams to spice things up or patch different fabrics. Two particularly clever and yet very simple instructions can be found here and here
  
• Matching such a placemat can still sew many greattable decoration elements. How about for example - at Easter - with this cute egg warmer in the shape of a bunny or - in winter - with this cutesnowman made of felt? For the fall are also suitable self-sewn mushrooms (as here) or even apples (please scroll down to the middle of the page), pumpkins, anowl, etc.. All of these decorative figures can of course also be used for window decorations, door decorations, door wreaths etc. For year-round decoration are suitable hearts, flowers, etc.
  
• Some last minute sewing ideas you can really finish just before gift giving: A sleeping mask, summer hair band, mouse pad, keychains.
  
• Not quite unpretentious, but always popular and given as a gift: cosmetic bags and handbags. They invite fabric mixing and are simply fun (both to sew and to give away). Some especially beginner-friendly instructions can be found here:
  • Cosmetic bag Susie by Pattydoo - includes great video tutorial!
  • A quick tissuebag: the perfect gift idea for sniffles. For decorative storage of handkerchiefs. Sewed in just a few minutes
  • A beautiful, yet quite easy to sew pouch bag, at the same time a real classic in the sewing world: the Gretelies.
  • Unfortunately only in English, but quite easy to understand. A pattern with instructions for a quite simple and at the same time practical handbag: Phoebe Bag
  • a smartphone case, for example according to these instructions
  • a tablet case, which can also be set up, according to this video tutorial

Making gifts from the kitchen itself

Let's now move to the kitchen: there you can conjure up countless tasty treats, even if you would not exactly call yourself a professional chef. If you are creative and want to invest some time, you can even put together a complete gift basket of homemade goodies. Actually, anything that is not perishable and can be preserved is suitable for gift-giving, so there are countless possibilities, depending on the desired time commitment and preferences of the person(s) receiving the gift:

• Baked: bread or cake - if it should be something very special, you can also bake cake wonderfully in a glass - then it is longer durable - or even in a flower pot! By the way, this is also good for a housewarming.
• Sweet spreads: Plum jam, plum jam, apple jam or strawberry jam, possibly also "with a kick", e.g. quite Christmasy with baked apple/cinnamon flavor - ideally with fruit from your own garden.
• flavored vinegars (e.g., strawberry, raspberry vinegar) or oils (e.g., with herbs, garlic, olives, lemon or orange peel)
• Sweets such as roasted almonds, cookies, muffins or chocolates.
• Baking mixes to which only butter and eggs, for example, need to be added, with appropriate instructions.
• Muesli mixtures
• dried fruits
• liqueurs
• flavored sugar or rock candy, which gives coffee, tea or cappuccino a special touch.
• homemade syrup, e.g. for lemonade, iced tea, etc.
• various antipasti: e.g. pickled feta cheese, camenbert or mozarella, pickled mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, zucchini
• pickled onions, cucumbers or pickled fruit
• preserved pasta sauces

If you do not have the necessary containers at home, you will find a wide selection in the following online store: (supplier example: www.glaeserundflaschen.de) - here you can also order decorative labels for the self-conjured delicacies - although the labels can also be quite easily tinkered with yourself - for example, paint / write on a colored cardboard with glitter pen, attach to a gift ribbon and tie around the screw cap.

The following gifts are ideal if you do not want to swing the wooden spoon, but are still looking for a homemade gift idea from the area of "food and drink":

• You write your favorite recipes in a beautiful recipe book or print them out and have them decoratively bound.
• A selection of fresh herbs are sown or planted in appropriate clay pots. In addition, one gives away different recipes as an inspiration for which dishes the herbs can be used in.

Make gifts for girlfriend yourself

Individually designed stretcher frame, embellished with napkin technique and acrylic paints.

Even outside the kitchen, many gifts can be tinkered with, with which you can please your best friend, friends and relatives:

• Who is artistically a little talented and likes to paint, should not be afraid to paint stretcher frames with acrylic paints or oil paints - so, for example, templates, which you can find in abundance on the net, can be brought to the canvas. Or you can paint abstractly and let your creativity run wild.
• If you have a talent for handicrafts, you can make small pieces of furniture such as newspaper racks, recipe book holders, a small shelf, a tea chest, etc. yourself.
• Necklaces, earrings or other jewelry can be made yourself with a little practice - starter sets consisting of beads or stones, wires and clasps are available at specialty stores.
• A beautiful glass vase or lantern is filled with a candle and decorative materials such as. Coffee beans, flower petals, in the fall with collected found objects from nature such as chestnuts, pine cones, moss, twigs, mini pumpkins, apples, nuts, in the summer with sand, shells, other maritime decoration materials and a pretty candle, in the Christmas season with Christmas tree decorations, a string of lights.
• A self-poured and decorated candle.
• A folded lantern.
• A homemade lamp or string of lights (suggestions are available in bookstores).

If you have a little baby at home, immortalize a hand and/or footprint in salt dough, bake it or let it dry, paint the dough decoratively and have a nice keepsake for the relatives. Alternatively, the footprint can be placed on a colored paper in the form of food or finger paint (wash well afterwards, of course) and then framed.