Tools at the ready

Whether you are an experienced crafter or someone just starting out, Christmas is the ideal time of year to spread a little handmade happiness and bestow your beautiful creations upon your dearest friends and family.

The pleasures of making gifts for loved ones far outweigh those of the purchased item. Why? Well…

• It’s usually cheaper (unless you are tempted by a one-off equipment purchase)
• It’s a whole lot more satisfying to design and make your gifts than nip into the nearest high street and rack up a nasty credit card bill for 2010 ( there are usually less crowds, too)
• It can do great things for your carbon footprint. Choose your materials carefully and handmake as much as you can. A couple of hours embroidering or knitting at home will make airmile mincemeat of a mass-produced gift flown from China.
• Each item you make will be unique.

However for crafters, experienced and new, there are a few situations to avoid:

• Enthusiasm + quantity of recipients + ambitious time-munching projects + a job/family/social life = lots of late nights, crafter’s cramp and a potential visit to the opticians
• Resolving to make a similar gift for each giftee is a good idea until you realise you need to knit 12 cable scarves, in three weeks
• Some of your recipients will be expecting high street and will not appreciate your efforts, no matter what you do. Result? One less friend or maybe a gentle nudge in the direction of handmade by buying a Fairtrade or environmentally friendly gift
• Almost every craft supply on sale in the run up to Christmas is green, gold or red. Get your material list organised as soon as you can

What is a festively challenged crafter to do?

Boring as it sounds….know your limits and plan your Christmas craft campaign with military precision:

• Decide how much time you have between now and 19 December (the last weekend before Christmas day this year) to devote to your crafting marathon
• Reduce that time available by about a third and put potential sessions in your diary/planner/Blackberry…Do not forget any shopping time that may be required
• Divide your list of giftees according to age, gender, pro-craftiness, any other preferences
• Delete any anti-homemade giftees from your list and resign yourself to choosing something else for them (I like to use Oxfam Unwrapped gifts so that, at least, someone, somewhere gets something more useful than a box of scented drawer liners)
• Review your existing supplies to see what you could incorporate into this year’s gifts. You might find you have some useful items already
• Make a list of exactly what you are going to make, how many you are going to make and when you need to have completed them by
• Choose simple but impressive items, e.g. corsage brooches made with vintage fabrics and pretty buttons, crocheted or knitted scarves with chunky yarn, simple sewing projects such as needle cases or book covers and don’t forget handmade food gifts such as toffee, preserves and chutneys
• Get googling or head off to your local library, there are 1,000s of free patterns available for everything from advent calendars to crocheted reindeers. Try www.craftzine.com or www.craftster.org as a starting point
• Choose things that you like to make and processes that you enjoy. If you choose to make jewellery but your ‘thing’ is making felt, you will feel resentful and frustrated as you try to learn a new skill at a busy time of year
• Pace yourself. If you can, try to make similar items so that you can put together a mini-production line. It will save you time and you will feel you are making bigger steps
• Pay attention to your presentation: wrap your gifts beautifully and use your design talents to make gift tags and wrapping that looks just as good as what’s inside. Try to use recycled paper or recyclable paper. I like to use brown paper and vintage ribbons, or woven paper strips to make boxes and envelopes.

Handmade (almost):

• If you love knitting or sewing or making models, treat your nearest and dearest to a handmade kit and lesson. That way, you can share your enjoyment and pass your skills on. You could put together small packs of vintage fabrics, buttons, needles and thread for your girlfriends and book a cozy night in for January where you all make something unique but as a group. Resolutions permitting, a bottle or two of organic wine would help the creative juices flow…
• If you want to give handmade but don’t feel confident enough in your skills or simply do not have the time, go to MISI (www.misi.com) or Folksy (www.folksy.com), both UK-based sites hosting thousands of independent artists, craftspeople and makers just waiting for your Christmas orders.

And finally:

• If you enjoy it this year, start a little earlier next year
• Keep a list of what you gave this year
• Make your own Christmas list of craft-related items for your delighted friends and family to help your supplies and inspiration for 2010

You can read more from Janice Botterill on her blog at www.projectforty.blogspot.com

Read our step by step guide to making a cloth shopping bag