Handmade Christmas Gifts to Sew: 7 Ideas with Free Patterns

A handmade present always stands out under the tree. And it doesn't have to be difficult. Below you'll find seven Christmas gifts to sew yourself, from a felt Christmas stocking you can make in an evening to a warm boiled wool cape. Every idea comes with a free pattern, and for most of them you won't sew a single hem.

The first three are new: a Christmas stocking, tree decorations and napkin rings made from craft felt. They come together in one full-size pattern. The other four are bigger projects, each with its own step-by-step guide.

Download the free Christmas pattern (PDF)

What do you need for the felt projects?

• 1.5 mm craft felt in red, green and white (€2.95 per metre, 90 cm wide). With 1 metre of each colour you can make 2 Christmas stockings, around 12 tree decorations and 8 napkin rings.
• 9 mm satin ribbon for the hanging loops
• Decorative thread and an embroidery needle, or ordinary sewing thread if you're using a machine
• A handful of polyester stuffing for the tree decorations

Felt doesn't fray. You cut out the shapes and sew them together on the outside, with no seam allowance and no turning. The stitches stay visible, so they're part of the design: white thread on red felt looks wonderfully festive.

1. Felt Christmas stocking

A Christmas stocking about 23 cm tall, with a white cuff and a loop to hang it up. Big enough for a couple of satsumas and a little surprise. Page 2 of the pattern has the stocking at full size.

1. Cut the stocking twice from red felt. For the cuff, trace the top of the stocking down to the scalloped line and cut that twice from white felt.
2. Place a cuff on each stocking half, lining up the top edges. Stitch it in place along the scallops.
3. Put the two halves together. Tuck a 12 cm loop of ribbon between the layers at the top of the heel side.
4. Stitch all the way round, 5 mm from the edge. Leave the top open.

Tip: embroider a name on the cuff before you attach it. In chain stitch with red thread, it takes about ten minutes.

2. Tree decorations: star, heart and tree

Three shapes of about 8 to 9 cm, lightly stuffed so they puff up a little. Lovely for your own tree, but also for tying to a present instead of a gift tag.

1. Cut each shape out twice.
2. Sew the two layers together with blanket stitch, or machine stitch 3 mm from the edge. Leave a 3 cm gap.
3. Fill with a little stuffing. A pencil helps you push it into the points of the star.
4. Tuck a 15 cm loop of ribbon into the gap and sew it closed.

3. Napkin rings with holly leaves

A 15 × 4 cm strip of felt, two holly leaves and three berries. You'll have one done in a quarter of an hour, and a set of six makes a lovely gift for whoever is cooking Christmas dinner.

1. Cut the strip from green or red felt, two leaves from green and three berries from red.
2. Overlap the ends by 1.5 cm and sew them together: now you have a ring.
3. Sew the leaves and berries over the join. It disappears underneath.

4. A felt bag as a gift (and as wrapping)

A sturdy shopper made from bag felt is a gift in its own right, but also the nicest wrapping there is: pop the other presents inside, and nobody has to throw away any paper. It's ready in an hour and has no hems.

You'll find the cutting layout and step-by-step guide in our blog sew a felt bag with a free pattern.

5. A cosy Christmas cushion

An envelope cushion has no zip, which makes it ideal as a first sewing project. For Christmas, choose a fabric with a warm feel, such as bouclé, teddy or linen in a deep colour. A cushion always fits in, and the cover can be swapped again later.

The pattern is in our blog sew an envelope cushion, with a table showing how much stuffing you need for each cushion size.

6. A teddy bear

For children, nothing beats a cuddly toy that someone made just for them. Our pattern is designed to be safe: you embroider the face or sew it on in felt, with no loose buttons or plastic eyes. In an hour and a half, he's sitting ready under the tree.

Read the step-by-step guide in sew a teddy bear with a free pattern.

7. A boiled wool cape

The biggest gift on this list, yet only an hour's work. The cape is a single half circle of boiled wool, which doesn't fray and so needs no hem. Warm, smart and just right for chilly Christmas walks.

You'll find the pattern with the neckline template in three sizes in sew a boiled wool cape.

How to plan it

Start with the bigger gifts, such as the cape, the cushion or the teddy, in the first half of December. Order your fabric by mid-December at the latest and it will arrive in plenty of time. The felt projects are small enough for the last few evenings before Christmas, and you can even make the tree decorations together with children: they cut, you sew.

Download the free Christmas pattern (PDF)