Handmade Gift Ideas from Made it on Monday

Today we have our first guest post for the Handmade Holidays series! If you haven't visited Jill from Made it on Monday, I think you're missing out--she's an amazing seamstress (I rarely, if ever, sew clothes completely from scratch, but Jill makes it look like a walk in the park), focuses in simple, quick projects that only look like they took forever, and always has an inspiring, optimistic, down-to-earth attitude. You'll love her.

(Before I let Jill take it away, the winner of the Sharp Crochet Hook is Rhonda from Quilter in the Gap! Congratulations to Rhonda, and thanks to everyone who entered--make sure to visit the Sharp Crochet Hook's website for ordering information!)
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Hello there! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to be here today. Rachel is seriously one of my favorite bloggers. If I have very little time (which translates to I shouldn’t even be on my computer in the first place), I’ll glance through my blog reader and if I notice a new post on Maybe Matilda, I read it first. In the bloggy bag of skittles, this one is the purple for me.

I’m Jill and I blog over at Made it on Monday. I do all sorts of crafting and sewing projects, and the bulk of them are quick and simple. Until a week ago, I’ve worked part time in addition to being a mom to an almost two year old and the wife to a civil engineer husband. Because of that (and my short attention span), my projects need to be started and finished in a day. I also have a little etsy shop called Ruffles ‘n Such. It full of fun accessories, but lately the emphasis has been infinity scarves.

All this crafting and creating has made the holidays a lot more affordable and fun. I’m really excited for this year’s gift giving. Between my husband and I we have seven siblings, five sibling spouses, and eight nieces and nephews. Handmade is a must if we want to be generous. I thought I’d break down a few categories for either what I’ve made in the past, or what’s inspiring me this year.

For the big girls…

A few years ago I made all the ladies in my husband’s family messenger bags. I chose fabrics that fit the ladies, and if she had a daughter, the little one got a small version of the bag too. You can read more about the messenger bags here.

This year I’ll be doing a lot of crocheting!

  

Thanks to Rachel’s Crochet Along, I’m HOOKED on crochet! I’ll be making head wraps and short versions of the time out cowl (from the CAL) for the girls in my husband’s family.

For the little girls…

I recently made one of my nieces Disney Princess Finger Puppets. She LOVES them. I think one of my other nieces will be needing these for Christmas.

The niece modeling the the finger puppets has a birthday right before Christmas, and she’ll be receiving felt paper dolls.

For the big boys…

Since it’s hard to come up with something the guys in our families will like, I give what every man is guaranteed to like: food! Each guy receives a can (upcycled formula cans were used last year) full of Christmas goodies.

For the little boys…

Felt books with finger puppets for the littler boys.

And I’ll be following Delia, from Delia Creates’ Lego belt buckle tutorial for the bigger boys.

For all our family friends…

Special families in our lives (pastors at church, neighbors, etc.) will be receiving a tree bread—a tradition in my husband’s family where you make a large cinnamon roll goodie in the shape of a Christmas tree. I shared a step by step tutorial on my blog here.

Wow! Now that I’ve listed all this out, I’m realizing just how much work I still have to do!

Thank you so much, Rachel, for having me. Happy crafting and Merry Christmas!
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I love seeing so many beautiful, creative ideas! The felt finger puppets are going on my Christmas to-make list for my nieces, and I want a messenger bag for myself!

Hop over and visit Jill at Made it on Monday for more great tutorials and ideas, and check out her etsy shop, Ruffles 'n Such, to find the perfect handmade accessory for someone on your list (or . . . for yourself!).

And if you're in the mood for more handmade goodness, check out my post at Simply Homemade today!