Yes, it’s that incredibly busy time of year again: when we count down the days we have left to create handmade presents we hope our loved ones will cherish. So what better time to ask five crafty experts about their most memorable gifts? Read on for our authors’ memories from holidays past—and remember no matter what you decide to make, giving something specially crafted for your friends or family is a pleasure all its own.

SUSAN BEAL, author of Modern Log Cabin Quilting:
My favorite handmade holiday project is a set of felt stockings I made for everyone in my family. They’re very simple: just two layers of felt cut with pinking shears, stitched together, and decorated with ribbon, rick-rack, felt embellishments, and our initials. I made one for my husband, Andrew, with a scene of Mt. Hood here in Oregon; one for myself with thread, beads, and crafting supplies; and one for our baby daughter Pearl with buttons and flowers in December 2008. When my son Everett was born two years later, I made him a new one with a colorful fall tree on it. They hang on a garland over our fireplace, and I arrange little winter wonderland terrariums I made on the mantel above them.

JODI KAHN author of Simply Sublime Gifts and Simply Sublime Bags:
I made a quilted oven mitt for my parents and in-laws when my son was little. I added an outline of his two-year-old hand along with the words “Sam’s Hand,” and the date. Both sets of grandparents still have these family keepsakes, and I love seeing the mitts hanging in their kitchens with Sam’s little hand on the front.

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LINDA PERMANN, author of Little Crochet and Crochet Adorned:
The best handmade gift I’ve ever received was a pair of wooden boxes from my boyfriend, Paul. He made the boxes, torched the tops, and carved pictures into the surface with a Dremel. One has an image of the two of us, and the other has a moose, inspired by our time in Montana. It was especially thoughtful because, surprisingly, I very rarely receive handmade gifts! I really love them because I know how much work went into them, plus they are one-of-a-kind.

JESSICA PARTAIN, author of The Polymer Clay Cookbook:
For our first Christmas together, I made a polymer clay piece for my now-husband. He’s from Colombia, so I sculpted a miniature double-sided flag from polymer clay that he could wear as a necklace. One side is the American flag, the other the Colombian, so he can always wear his love for his two homes. He still wears it!

CHRISTINE SCHMIDT, author of Print Workshop:
As a kid, I was obsessed with the grand piano-playing crooner Moon Man from McDonalds commercials airing at the time. Wanting to dazzle my grandparents with a cool gift and stand out from a sea of cousins in my giant Catholic family, I created a replica sculpture out of Das clay. It was a radical choice for grandparents whose TV only saw action when we used it to play Frogger. I fashioned the gent with an oversize blue crescent-shaped head, complete with Wayfarer sunglasses, reclined on a four-post bed. I rolled the clay very thin to get the drape on the linens right and glued 4 clear glass marbles on top of the bedposts. I haven’t seen this ridiculous thing since, but I can still remember thinking to myself, while painting stars on the air-hardened clay duvet: “Nailed it!”

Categories: Crafts-General | Holiday Gift Guide |

Tags: Christine Schmidt, Christmas gift, Christmas gift idea, Crochet Adorned, gift idea, handmade gifts, holiday craft, holiday crafts, holiday gift, holiday gift idea, jessica partain, Jodi Kahn, Linda Permann, Little Crochet, Modern Log Cabin Quilting, polymer clay cookbook, Print Workshop, Simply Sublime Bags, Simply Sublime Gifts, Susan Beal, Yellow Owl Workshop

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