Hi! I was thinking about gifting our handmade items to other people, as I just sent a couple things off in the post to family who are far away, and am also contemplating a couple sewing projects for my husband and son who live right here with me.
This is the first year I've really had handmade things to give, so it is new to me. I sent my little cross stitched cross ornament to my aunt, and the little Dianthia mat to my father. I'm also planning to sew my husband some new curtains for his home office. We moved here last year, and all the window treatments are inherited from the last owners. Some are pretty nice, some are okay, and some are loathed -- like my husband's current office curtains. So, I found some fabric he liked better, and will probably sew up some simple curtains for him next week. I've never made curtains before, but after making a couple tops, a dress, and a jacket, I figure I can pull the task off. I'm also putting together a little stitching kit for my son so he can make his own creations, and tomorrow I'm going to make him a drawstring bag to hold all his new stitching supplies. This last gift may or may not be a hit, but I figured I'd try, since he did an art camp this summer that involved hand sewing, and he enjoyed it a lot.
Next year I hope to make an earlier start of working on things to give away, so I can give more people things I've made. I have visions of little animal ornaments made using Krista's method that I learned for the cross ornament and her Byzantine Beasts pattern.
I'm curious how many of you gift your stitched items to others, and what gifts you are putting together soon. Have you ever had any big hits, or any duds? Any of you finishing up some gifts now?
I share the concern about deadlines - they can suck the fun out of making for sure. To combat deadline dread, I prefer making a gift when the mood strikes me and gifting it when I get it finished, regardless of the date. I'm amazed how "surprise" gifts are often received with more enthusiasm than those for a birthday, Christmas, whatever.
In terms of what's been most appreciated, The Man loves his Grocery Store Pants (what the rest of the world calls pajama pants) more than anything else I ever made for him. Eight years of constant wear and they're still going strong! I'm getting so tired of looking at them, I decided to make him another pair this Christmas, despite my deadline dread. That Mammoth flannel is indestructible stuff. And I will be glad to have another pair in rotation because, um, laundry.
My biggest "dud" was the time I gifted a work colleague a basket of basic sewing tools and a sewing lesson at a local shop for our work holiday gift exchange. She expressed a strong desire to learn to sew when she admired my handmade clothes. Repeatedly. Every time I saw her. For months. Said exactly what she was dreaming of sewing. A few weeks after the gift exchange, she announced that she decided sewing was not for her! That was a dud, for sure. And all of those carefully chosen tools going to waste. Goodness, I hope they found their way to someone who will use them.