Helping you create a home by hand.

Handmade Christmas – Gifts for Oldest Daughter

This year, each of our children received three handmade gifts.

Our oldest daughter lives and teaches in Shanghai, China.   Even before we knew that we’d be in Southern Ontario over the Christmas season, we knew that she would be flying here with her partner to spend Christmas with her partner’s family.  That meant that her gifts needed to be ones that could easily fit into her suitcase for her return flight to Shanghai.

For her first gift, I decided to make her a travel set.

Oldest Daughter's travel set

Our daughter loves to do cross-stitch so for her second gift, I designed a stitchery keeper.

Stitchery keeper

Inside left of stitchery keeper

The flap opens so that she can store her cross-stitch flat when she's not working on it.
The flap opens so that she can store her cross-stitch flat when she’s not working on it.
Down the center is a pincushion. On the right a needle keeper and pockets for embroidery scissors and hoop.
Down the center is a pincushion. On the right a needle keeper and pockets for embroidery scissors and hoop.

The third gift that each of our children received was a set of two Christmas elves.

You can see pictures of the elves and the story behind them here.

I also made a couple of little things for her partner, so that he would feel included.

A while back, I posted photos on my blog showing this little coin frame purse.  When he saw the photos, he mentioned that he could use something like that to hold all his coins, so I designed this smaller, flatter version for him.

This little coin purse is also the perfect size for business cards.
This little coin purse is also the perfect size for business cards.

He also received one of the fleece patchwork scarves pictured below.

Grey patchwork scarves

I made the scarf following my tutorial for How to Sew a Patchwork Scarf except I cut the patchwork squares 2.5″X6.5″ and the fleece 11.5″X60″.

His third gift wasn’t handmade but was something he mentioned really wanting.  He has a favourite tea that he can’t get in China, so we bought him four boxes to take back with him.

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3 Comments

  • Sandra :)
    January 3, 2012 12:06 am

    Those are fun gifts – I’m sure the kids enjoyed them! I particularly like that little coin purse … I need to master that technique!

    Along with Miss Nancy, I hope everything is going well – sending you both big snowy hugs!

  • Nancy D
    January 2, 2012 8:20 pm

    Awesome, Miss Sue!
    Did you modify the coin purse from the QAB pattern?
    I hope everything is going well!

  • Wendy
    January 2, 2012 9:21 am

    what fabulous presents! The cross-stitch keep is a great idea – I should make one of those for my own hand stitching work

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