Handmade Holiday Gifts 2019

Wednesday, January 15, 2020


Happy Wednesday! Before we get too far into January I want to share the gifts that I made for the holiday season!


First up, a piece of wall art for my Brother! I dyed this piece of fabric using the ice dyeing method. I've experimented with this technique quite a bit lately, but haven't shared much. This was one of the pieces I was really happy with! I knew I wanted to stretch it like I did my Improv Pieced Wall Art that I made over the summer. I built the frame the same way, but long and narrow to fit this piece of fabric.

Interested in ice dyeing? Dharma has a great tutorial: Learn how to ice dye



Next up, I made a duffel bag for my Dad! This was actually for his birthday, which is in December too. I made him a pillow for Christmas, which I shared in my December monthly report. This is the fourth duffel bag I've made from Simplicity #2274 by Studio Cherie. You can also buy the pattern directly from the designer, here*. For this bag I made it the same size as the pattern, but with all the extras I included on the one I made for Michael (see it here) a few years ago.

I used 10oz waxed canvas (color is spiced brown) from ALFrancis*, my favorite source for waxed canvas. Long pull zippers came from Zipit*, I used a double zip for the main zipper. I used 2" black webbing instead of jute for the handles, from Online Fabric Store. I added a removable shoulder strap using buckles from Strapworks.


Finally, I made two grocery shopping totes for my Mom! She liked the style of my Workshop Tote Bag Pattern, but wanted some that were a little bit smaller. I sized the plain tote down a bit for these, and added a small loop of twill to the front and back to hook onto the bag holders at the grocery store.

For this tote I used a canvas print from my Curiosities* collection.


And for the second tote I used this sweet print from my friend Anna's new collection, Driftless*.

That's it! Nothing too crazy this year, but I did manage to leave it all until the last minute so I was rushing around the week before Christmas getting everything done. Which is also why I didn't get great photos of anything. That's just how it goes sometimes!

Happy Sewing!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

8 comments :

  1. Beautiful gifts! Love your dyed fabric and can see why you were so pleased with it. Your dad's birthday duffle is very handsome, quite manly looking actually and perfect for your dad. And those shopping bags -- LOVE! So pretty & practical. I had to laugh at your comment of scrambling around last minute -- even when I start early, I find myself scrambling last minute!

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  2. Very nice! I especially love seeing and hearing about the duffle. I really enjoy sewing with waxed canvas but haven't made anything big yet!

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  3. Wow!! I want to be on your gift list. Those are all AWESOME!

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  4. Jeni, this post is lovely and thank you for sharing once again.

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  5. Love your gifts, Jeni! They're all sew beautiful!

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  6. What do you use to get those vibrant colors?

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