By Emily McKenna
So, you are all excited about advent conspiracy. What now? Here are a few ideas of homemade gifts that are doable for almost any level of DIYer. Proof? I have made each of them and I am no expert. You can do it!
HEX NUT BRACELET
Friendship bracelets made a strong come back this summer. In case you've missed it, layering numerous friendship-style bracelets is where it's at. This is a hex nut friendship style bracelet. If you can braid, you can make this.
Check out the original tutorial on this blog for the basics, which I tweaked a bit to make what you see above. Instead of a three-strand braid I used a fishtail braid. When I got to the hex nut section I switched to a three-strand braid. Also, taping the ends of the strings/ropes makes threading the hex nuts much less frustrating.
CANVAS TOTE
This is the best beach bag I have ever used. It's huge. There are so many colors of canvas and patterns. Oh, the options. The best part, though, is how fast it was to make. Here is a link to the tutorial I used.
REVERSIBLE TOTE
I like this bag because it has an interesting shape and you get two bags in one. Here is a link to the tutorial and free pattern I used.
A few tips:
1. Make sure the pattern prints to the correct size. Mine was a little smaller than it should have been, which I realized after I cut the fabric.
2. I added a few inches of length to the straps after reading the comments on the tutorial I used.
3. I added pockets to both sides of the bag.
RUFFLE KNIT SCARF
Love me some ruffles. I saw this scarf and thought to myself, "Self. Don't even think about it." Something about knit scares the heck out of me. With the scarf calling my mother-in-law's name for Christmas and a craft night to boost my confidence, I tackled the scarf. Everyone in the room was surprised at how easy and quickly the ruffling went. If skills were bucks you would get a lot of bang for your buck with this handmade gift. The embellishments took a little time but they really add to the ruffles. I will be making one for myself.
Here is the link to the scarf tutorial. A little warning: this specific scarf is a combination of three blogposts on the site. She links to all of them but it's not all in a nice little package like other tutorials. This scarf is totally worth the extra clicking, though.
TRAVEL BAG
I made this travel bag for my friend’s birthday. I was pretty intimidated when I set out to make it. (Zipper! Boxed shape! Lining!) It is surprisingly easy and quick. It’s for an ambitious beginner sewer and up. Here is the tutorial.
Here is a short list of other awesome gifts for ladies that I are still on my to do list:
Here is a short list of other awesome gifts for ladies that I are still on my to do list:
Braided Scarf
Wrap Bracelet Braided Layered Scarf
Turban Twisted Headband
