Go Handmade for a Frugal Holiday
If you are a seamstress or crafter, the holidays are the PERFECT time to dust off your supplies and get creating! There is something so special about a handmade holiday! You can create decor for your home and make gifts instead of shopping for everything. It is a perfect time to focus on what really matters to you! Why not create a meaningful holiday season instead of allowing consumerism to lead the way?
Here are some ideas for projects to try! They will only cost you some elbow grease and supplies you probably already have. If you stick to using materials you already have in your stash it will be a great way to keep the holidays affordable and cut down on wasteful holiday shopping. Just about everybody is trying to save money this year with the economy the way it has been…but you can still have a special holiday season! Of course some people will want specific items from the store, but you can mix in handmade when possible to offset the costs and level up your gifting!
Decorate your home for holiday parties with handmade goods! Everything from table runners to placemats, banners and more can be sewn to add that special touch to your holiday gathering. If you are going for an elegant look, get out your collection of candles for ambiance and use neutral tones for the place settings. Or chose a pop of color like green, blue or gold for a special touch. If you have an embroidery hoop, tie scraps of fabric on it to create your own wreath!
Make Christmas ornaments! Homemade Christmas ornaments are a fun accent to tie onto gift packaging, or make a bunch to give out at work. I have a stash of eco felt that would be perfect for ornaments. Look through your craft stash and get creative.
Cut out furoshiki wrapping, or use bandanas or decorative scarves to wrap gifts. I actually love this idea so much and I have a stash of scarves and bandanas that will work great for gifting! Another neat idea is to sew drawstring bags for gift giving. You can tuck the gifts inside the bags and tie a handmade ornament on the top. If you do drawstring bags or bandanas and scarves, they will be the kind of wrapping that can serve another purpose after the holidays are done.
Sew eco kits to give to family and friends! I love this idea so much, and I’m planning on making a few to give away. Whip up some cloth napkins with a silverware pouch and lunch bag, unpaper towels with some eco friendly cleaner like Mrs. Meyers or felted wool dryer balls. For the beauty enthusiast you could do fabric face pads with a little drawstring bag and pair it with a natural facial product. (I would steer clear of sewing hankies as gifts, because ever since Covid it isn’t the most health savvy to reuse tissues.) You can pair the kits with a few eco friendly products and put them into drawstring bags or even make some handmade baskets to put items in.
A fun project for paper crafters is to create a photo album for loved ones, or even a recipe book of all your favorite recipes. Make junk journals to gift, or even create and print out a zine instead of the typical annual holiday letter.
Make your own Christmas cards! If you look on Youtube, there are tons of tutorials for card making. Some of them use intricate folding methods, and you can customize the cards to each recipient. Use paper from around the house, get out paints, markers and pens and just have fun with it. Or even do collage cards where you collage on something as simple as a note card.
Gather pinecones, acorns and stones from your yard and paint them. You can use them as is or paint them to use as a centerpiece for your table. Or even grab some foliage from your yard as everything is drying for the fall season, clean it off and use it as a neat accent in a vase or homemade wreath.
For kids, there are so many things you could create to gift! Whip up some dolls or fun decorative pillows with a secret pocket so kids can stash items in it. You can even create some wacky dolls for the groovy grown ups in your life! Look up “F*ck It Dolls” on Etsy or on the web and make some to gift to coworkers and friends.
Coasters make savvy gifts to give out! You can pair them with a bottle of wine or cider as a fun hostess gift. Making fabric coasters is a lot of fun! Just whip up a sheet of scrappy patchwork and then cut into squares. Pin to batting and backing and then zig zag stitch around the edges for a contemporary look.
Macrame ANYTHING is really hot right now! Even a simple weaving in an embroidery hoop or banner displayed on a wooden dowel would make such a chic gift! Try making your own rope with cut up t shirts. T shirt yarn is excellent for weavings and I bet it would look tres chic in a simplified macrame project.
I hope these ideas get you thinking ahead for a frugal Christmas! Get a brainstorm session going, make a list and start soonest…the holidays will be here before you know it!
