Go Back

 

Handmade Gifts Just In Time For Christmas

By Adrian Newby

    As Christmas is approaching, we're sure that a lot of us are thinking about gift-giving. It's always nice to get something handmade, but it's even better to give it. This past week we were at the Barberville Pioneer Settlement for their "Christmas Remembered" event. There were various craft demonstrators, including a crochet demonstrator in the schoolhouse. In one of their buildings, they even had booths set up where you could make five crafts for five dollars, all of which were simple, fun, and would make nice gifts.
    The crochet demonstrator let us try our hand at it, and it is really a lot of fun. She was knowledgeable and nice, answering all of our questions kindly. She told us about crochet hook size, kinds of yarn, techniques, and more. It made us want to learn how to crochet, because not only did it look fun, but the things that she was making looked like great gifts. It is nice to be able to learn a skill, but it is even better to share that skill. If you can learn something you can teach it, and helping someone into a new hobby is just about the best gift you can give.
    As we said, there was a barn where you could make and take five crafts for five dollars.   The first craft we got to make (which was one of our favorites) was a yarn doll. We wrapped yarn around a piece of cardboard a bunch of times, then cut the bundle through at one end. Then we tied another piece of yarn around the uncut end to make the doll's head. Next, we separated two bundles of yarn and tied them off at equal lengths with other pieces of yarn to make the arms. After the arms were done,  we separated the remaining yarn in two, and tied off the legs. The last step was to give our doll a waist with another strand of yarn. If you want to make your doll a girl instead of a boy, you can skip the leg step and go straight to the belt. This will give your doll a dress instead of pants. The finished product of your doll would make for a good toy or even a Christmas ornament.
    After that, it was on to where folks were making 3D Christmas tree Christmas cards. We started with one white, and four green pieces of paper. However, you could use any number, or color. We cut out a Christmas tree shape from all of the green pieces, and then folded them from side to side. We glued the backs of the trees together, but left two sides unattached from the rest. We glued these two unattached sides flat to the white piece of paper  This left us with a card that had a 3D tree on the outside. You could decorate the tree further if you want, or just leave it as is.
    The last craft we made was a little wall-hanger/ornament made out of a bell, two candy canes, some cedar needles, a pipe cleaner and some string. We tied the two candy canes together, hooks facing apart; then threaded the pipe cleaner in-between the candy canes, and then threaded the bell onto it. After securing the pipe cleaner and bell we tied the fresh cedar greens onto the candy canes by the bell with a bow. It came out looking good, and it would do well on a tree, mirror, or wall.
    It always feels good to give someone something handmade, it feels more personal. There are lots of simple crafts that look nice and would make good gifts. The ones we talked about here are just a few, but they are easy and work well with the season. If you are looking for a way to make a more exciting card, or to make a Christmas ornament that will be different from everybody else’s, try out one of these crafts. Just for the record you might be surprised with how fun and easy it is. Merry Christmas.