I found about Sew Mama, Sew’s Handmade Holidays via Supa. What a great idea. I’m sick of people wanting all these things that cost money and are readily available and unoriginal and just… ick. I’d rather not buy someone slippers or some towels for Christmas, let alone the 2GB flash drive, cell phone car charger or gift card that’s on their list. I want something original, something just for them. And of course, I can make things, so why not?

Pin cushion 2First up, wrist pin cushions for my MIL and SIL. They both sew, so what better gift? I found a tutorial at Craftybits (via SMS) and went to work. One could easily makes tons of these things; I’ve got fabric bits and buttons galore (”you need thingamabobs? I’ve got 20!”). Well, I picked out 2 nice fabrics and went to town.

Instead of the twill tape called for in the tutorial, I picked up some beige gross-grain ribbon. And instead of sew-on velcro, I happened to have some of the iron-on variety. The gross-grain ribbon worked out nicely, sort of blends in with your arm, and looks good with most all fabrics. And that iron-on velcro was nice, certainly less hassle than trying to sew some on with the machine. Pin cushion 1

The tutorial was nicely written and easy to follow. And since I’m like that, I skipped making marks on the squares, but I can totally see where the registration marks would minimize sewing “mistakes” and make the points nice and sharp. They were a breeze to sew (after I figured out the whole “right” and “wrong” sides thing, again). Even the tiny bit of hand sewing at the end was fast. And I love buttons. The tutorial has a nice way, I think, of putting on the buttons.

Go check out SMS’s Handmade Holidays for lots more crafty ideas for the whole month of November! I can’t wait to see what they’ll have tomorrow. I’m already contemplating lunch bags and some little houses.