Sewing for gifts
This is a brief little post, celebrating one of my tried and true patterns, the Indigobird Sierra tote. I’ve made this project so many times now (nine I think, though there may be more I’m forgetting), and I’ve still got versions planned. It’s a perfect stash buster, needing relatively little fabric, and allowing for fun colour combos to use up remnants. It doesn’t require sizing or fitting for your intended recipient, if it’s a gift. It’s a useful little bag, with multiple pockets, meaning your giftee is likely to have some kind of use for it - as a project bag for various crafts, a tool bag, a lunch bag, for storage in a drawer or cupboard…the list goes on.
Scroll to the end for some thoughts on sewing for gifts.
I made this trio as gifts for work colleagues - one for Secret Santa, one for my boss for being a good egg, and one for a work pal who’s having a hard time. They were each made with remnants from my stash, so no additional inputs required (so satisfying).
This burgundy version is my favourite, I love the colour and design of the fabric. It was thick upholstery weight jacquard, with a polyester scrim backing. This made it tricky to sew through the heavier seams, but the resultant bag is robust and sturdy. I was planning on donating the rest of the fabric to my local charity haberdashery, but my mother-in-law has requested one first. I like it so much I might make two, one for me and one for her.
I thought this brown tartan version would be my preferred choice, but the fabric is really too soft, meaning the bag collapses slightly. It’s not a deal breaker, but it doesn’t look as smart and robust as it’s brethren. Lesson learned for the next version.
Lastly, this red and blue thin striped fabric is a heavy weight cotton upholstery fabric. It gives a nice, solid feel to the bag, but I wish in retrospect I’d lined it in a lighter coloured fabric. I still struggle with colour choice if I’m honest, no matter how much I seem to learn about colour theory.
Thoughts on sewing for gifts
I’ve been sewing (and knitting) for gifts for years now, and have collected some wisdom I’d like to share. I don’t always follow my own advice, and this was a year I’ve definitely taken on too much. I already feel burned out by crafting for other people, and I’ve still got two more gifts to go! I hope this list helps someone avoid these mistakes in the future (that person might be future Amy to be honest).
Find a balance between buying and making gifts. If you try to craft ALL the gifts, you will inevitably end up burning yourself out, or resenting the people for whom you are creating. Remember, you pay for your gift one way or another, whether it’s time or money you spend. Have a hard think before you start about which you would rather exchange.
Pick your recipient carefully. I don’t craft for my Dad any more, after a fateful year he returned me a pair of hand knit Fair Isle gloves. To be fair, the fingers were too long, but I offered to fix that for him and he admitted he probably still wouldn’t wear them. I ended up donating them to a refugee charity and chalked it up to a lesson learned. I don’t resent him, I’m thankful for his honesty, sparing me many hours in the future crafting things he won’t wear.
Start early. This is particularly true of Christmas, where you might find yourself with a long list of presents to make. I tend to start thinking about it in September and aim to start by October. Obviously more involved projects need more time. I’m currently finishing off a cardigan I’m knitting for my Mum, which I started in October. But the Sierra Tote I’ll make for my mother-in-law? I can bash that out next week.
Stick to TNT (tried and true) patterns. It makes your life so much easier to batch sew gifts from patterns you know well. No puzzling out confusing instructions, or making the same mistake twice, you’ve already worked out all those kinks previously. It also generally makes it faster for you.
This brings me nicely to my next point - batch sew! I sewed these three Sierra Totes as a batch, and although it was a bit annoying to have to change thread colour from time to time, it was satisfying to get in the zone and focus on one pattern. It makes sewing more efficient, if you can iron three sets of handles or cut out three sets of pattern pieces simultaneously.
Completely by chance (is 2024 the year I set myself up with an editorial calendar?), this post will be going live on Christmas Eve. So to those who celebrate, I hope Christmas is good to you. I will be at work on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, most likely making dogs yarf up mince pies. To make my life, and the lives of my emergency vet colleagues, a bit easier, my big tip for the holidays is to keep food up high, away from your pets! Put the bin in a cupboard or drawer, and check any floral arrangements for lilies, if you have a cat. Don’t put wrapped food under the tree and then be surprised when Rover smashes through the packaging. Oh! And don’t forget food on cocktail sticks! Your puppy will not be cautious about spitting out the stick!