18 Gifts You Can Sew

Use your sewing talent and your fabric stash to make some gifts.

For a certain occasion or just an “I was thinking about you” here are 18 gifts you can sew.

For The Home

Placemats

This is a gift they’ll use every day. Use a little batting to give the mats some weight and substance and be sure their washable.

Ideas:

You could pick one fabric or piece together fabrics in a pattern or randomly.
You could make them in a solid fabric and stitch flowing lines of decorative stitches in one or more colors across them
You could sew a little pocket onto the front to stuff in a napkin or a pair of chopsticks

A table runner is perfect for informal dinners or for showing off a gorgeous table but still having a safe place to put down the serving bowls. It adds color some color, and a sense of what this family table is all about this day whether it’s a mid-century modern print, a dark solid with gold binding, a hand-printed rustic linen, a holiday theme print, or upcycled flannel shirt patchwork.

Ideas:

Make two long runners for a wide table or two short runners to go across the width of the table for a modern table
Bind it with contrasting fabric or matching
Insulated it to safeguard the table from hot serving dishes and condensing ice tea pitchers.
Add tassels to the ends
Fuse on and applique motifs from a print fabric
Make it reversible

Napkins

Cloth Napkins are really the best. You save money and trees but you mostly save money because good cloth napkins will last you for years of daily use and weekly washings.

Ideas:

Use printed quilting cotton. (The print will be on only one side).
Make them large for an elegant dinner or small for a lunch box.
Embroider them, print them, stamp them, get out the fabric markers and personalize them.

Pot Holders

The size you make determines the use but these are a great project for the smaller cuts in your stash. Be sure to use insulated batting and cotton, linen or wool to avoid melting fabrics.

Ideas:

Made smaller they become coasters
Made thicker they become a protector for your table or counter
Have your child decorate solid light color fabric with handprints then sew it up as a gift for grandparents

A Very Cool Apron

This is not your grandmother’s apron but you could stencil a floral border on it if you want to. Easy on and off and no straps to tug or bind. Plus pockets and it only requires a yard of fabric to make.

Ideas:

Shorten it a bit, add a loop and a center pocket for a gardening apron

Decorative Garland

Add a little fun and color to any room on the cheap and low commitment. Great for a baby or teen’s room, or a dark corner. Sews up fast.

Ideas:

Use any shape or a mix of shapes
Choose specific colors to make it a holiday theme
Make a miniature garland to hang in a large houseplant

For Going Places

Zipper Pouches

These are pretty darn handy. And an easy way to use your had-to-have-but-not-sure-what-to-make-with-it fabric

Ideas:

Use laminated fabric for the lining
Decorate the outside with fabric markers, stencils, stamps, etc.
Make a set of three (above) or just one

Yarn Project Tote

The reason I want to learn how to knit is that it’s portable, unlike a sewing machine. Make knitting even easier to transport by turning a zipper pouch into a yarn pouch with a handle and eyelets for the yarn to be pulled through. Inside it has a collapsible yarn divider (there when you need to separate two balls of yarn and it flips to the side when you don’t).

Ideas:

Include an outside or interior pocket for a sheet of instructions
Add an inside pocket for phone and keys
Sew this from a felted wool sweater

Backpack

Sometimes a little backpack is all you need; for a day hike, for swimming sessions, the gym, or a trip to your local farmer’s market. This backpack has pockets, secure pockets, and everything needs pockets.

Ideas:

Sew it in faux leather or suede (leave off piping around top edge)
Make it any size

Shoe Bag

Where do you put your shoes when you pack your traveling bag? In with your clean clothes? Don’t do that, not unless you put them in a bag first. Upgrade their shoe bag from Safeway plastic to linen. It adds a little luxury to living out of a suitcase.

Ideas:

Piece together large scraps to make the bag
Use blocks from unfinished and abandoned quilt projects

Roll Up T ool Tote

Paint brushes, color pencils, makeup brushes, crochet hooks and knitting needles plus who knows what else could go in this type of tote.

Ideas:

Give it filled with a set of color pencils and coloring book
Fuse a piece of fabric laminating sheet to the inside for holding brushes
Make the pockets larger, and the tote longer for bulky but small tools

Drawstring Bags

These bags hold everything. They can be made any size out of almost any fabric. Great for new parents (keeps diaper bag items organized) great for kids (favorite toys ready to come along) great for traveling (socks and other small items together, and then dirties all together on the way home). Really they’re pretty handy for every one.

There are three variations written about in the blog so check them all out

Ideas:

decorate the outside to correspond to the contents. Example: applique or embroider socks on the outside for a traveler’s sock bag
Monogram it
Make it small and fill with lavender for a drawer sachet (just knot it closed as it won’t be used for other purposes)

For Kids

Finger Puppets

I made these 23 years ago to keep in the diaper bag. They made for an easy to bring along distraction if a little sweetheart needed one. When the sweeties got older they became the puppet masters

Ideas:

Any animals could be made, not just those found in the barnyard
People could be made too – and then you could add tutus, yarn hair, and/or superhero capes to the puppets
Pencils in place of fingers turn the finger puppets into puppets 😉

Road Course Play Mat

This simple project will keep any car lovin’ tike busy. Leave lots of blank spaces between the roads for block buildings and “construction sites”

Ideas:

Instead of roads, you can make floors of rooms as a house for little people
Make it a woodland setting with a lake and cave for toy animals
Make a beach and ocean (or lake) for little people, animals, and boats

Simple Quilt

Using simple rectangles or squares you can piece together a quilt for a new baby or new big brother or sister. A quilt this size is perfect to lay the baby on when she’s not in your arms or there’s a diaper to be changed.

Ideas:

Don’t quilt it, instead tie the quilt layers together every 8 inches or so (so much quicker than quilting)
It’s not just for babies, this is a good size for a lap quilt.

For Wearing

Patches

Patches are pretty popular lately and you can find them in millions of styles but you can make your own too and a lot cheaper than the $7 (or more) price tag I see on machine-made patches. This post shows eight different ways to make decorative patches for backpacks, jackets, messenger bags, laptop sleeves, and even for holes.

Ideas:

Fabric markers are an easy way to add words to any patch
Adult coloring books are a great resource for designs, or design ideas, to embroider (I suggest simplifying them but you don’t have to)
If you have a machine that does embroidery then you’re set to open up your own patch shop

Bracelets

Felt is my go-to leather substitute. Not as durable as leather but softer, and easy to sew beads onto and easy to embroider onto and therefore a great leather substitute for cuff bracelets.

Ideas:

Make a bunch in a rainbow of colors
Make three in a monochromatic color scheme to be worn as a set
Make them narrow and use a sew-on snap
Use glitter glue instead of beads

Fabric Necklaces

The more the merrier when it comes to tube necklaces so plan on making a set. A great scrap busting project especially for those extra few inches of length you had after cutting out that pattern.

Ideas: