Gifts to Sew for Dad

Gifts to Sew for Dad

Gifts to Sew for Dad

Sometimes it is hard to think of a great gift to sew for dad. It might seem like endless project options come to mind for most any other recipient, but gift ideas to sew for men don’t come quite as easy. Between the holidays, his birthday, and Father’s Day, you need a few good gift ideas each year—and that’s if you only have one dad to sew for!

Gifts to Sew for Dad

To help solve this perennial problem, here’s a long resource list of ideas to sew for men, including your dad, your children’s dad, or any other dad you might love.

Pillowcase

I seem to list pillowcases in every gift idea post I write! That’s because they are easy to make in a hurry, everyone uses them, and none are as nice as those that you make. So they make a nice gift to sew for dad, too. My dear always loves a gift of a new pillowcase, especially for his jumbo XL long pillow. Last year, I made him one with Star Trek fabric, it is covered with line drawings of the Enterprise.  I used a vintage yard I’ve been saving and some vintage trim, too, and made him a new one today.

I think he'll love this for his jumbo pillow. I love the extra bit the sparkly trim adds to this.

I think he’ll love this for his jumbo pillow. I love the extra bit the sparkly trim adds to this.

Pajamas

Simplicity and other pattern makers make super easy to follow patterns for pajama pants. Or you can trace a favorite pair to make a pattern, or you can follow an online tutorial.  Make them extra nice by adding pockets and drawstring waist. My dear prefers these cut quite loose and made from plaid flannel shirting; these look great on him, too.

Handkerchiefs

Make these from soft cotton; they are nice in flannel, or even knit.  Use a serger to finish all sides. For knit fabrics, you don’t even have to hem them at all. To save a step, buy these pre-made and make them more fun with tie-dye or personalize them with embroidery.

Handkerchief detail.

Handkerchief detail.

Quilt

A quilt is a perfect gift to sew for dad. Make him a lap sized or larger quilt in his favorite colors if you know them. If not, you know he loves his college or pro team’s colors, or go with a muted and manly collection of scrap fabrics. My favorite quilt I made for a man was a corduroy scrap quilt, with brightly colored squares alternating with khaki squares in a Streak of Lightning pattern. Choose a high quality, super soft cotton flannel for the quilt backing, and use cotton batting for maximum comfort quilts.

Streak of Lightning quilt, Ashley Van Haeften, from Flickr.

Streak of Lightning quilt, Ashley Van Haeften, from Flickr.

Bedside or chair arm organizer

Sew an organizer pocket to go over the side of his chair and hold his remotes and things, or under his mattress to keep glasses and reading material safely at hand.

Comfy his couch

Besides making a quilt, you can make his couch even cozier with custom cushions, perhaps one which includes pockets for his remote. Or make him a cuddly plush sofa blanket.

Two layers of Cuddle Plush fabric make an ultra cozy sofa blanket.

Two layers of Cuddle Plush fabric make an ultra cozy sofa blanket.

BBQ Apron / tocque / oven mitts

Use appliqué or a fun novelty fabric to make and personalize an apron just for him. I like this reversible pattern from Michael Miller fabrics best. Make the gift even nicer by pairing it with an easy-to-make, matching chef’s hat (tocque is the proper name for these) or an oven mitt.

Reversible, adjustable apron & chef hat.

Reversible, adjustable apron & chef hat.

Handyman apron

Help him around the house by sewing a full-coverage handyman apron or an easy pocketed waist apron for holding nails or a few tools.

First aid kit

Everyone needs one. You can make it roll-up style, or with a zipper.

Zip bag

Zip bags I made for guys yesterday.

Zip bags I made for guys yesterday.

Make him a small and simple zippered pouch for holding his cufflinks and jewelry, sketching pencils, or other small items. For something a bit roomier, here is a tutorial for a boxy toiletries bag that will work well to sew for dad.

You can sew an easy zip bag in 15 minutes, or less.

You can sew an easy zip bag in 15 minutes, or less.

Phone or glasses case

These are simple and easy to make. If you prefer, make a hanging charging pouch.

Tablet tote

This one is really easy to make; scroll down to see a manly looking option. The iPlaid is a good choice for a guy, or you could make one from scrap jeans.

Laptop sleeve or bag

If you can get your hands on his laptop to take measurements, then you can make this easy laptop sleeve in an hour or less. For something with a strap, make him a messenger style bag to fit his laptop.

Lunch bag

He’d probably rather not carry a cutesy lunch sack, so here’s how to sew a reusable brown bag with waxed canvas.

Wallet

Make it bifold or trifold. Or make him a simple business card wallet.

Other kits or bags

Make a tool roll or tool bag, a cord roll, a battery bandolier organizer, a monogrammed suede bag for his liquor bottle if he carries one to go, a shoe bag for travel. I’m making a patchwork quilted ukulele bag and a drumstick bag for my hubby this year. A soft padded guitar bag is a great idea, too.

This fabric is perfect for lining his ukulele case.

This fabric is perfect for lining his ukulele case.

Cup, can, or bottle cozy

Here are free tutorials to sew these for a can, a bottle, or a coffee cup.

Keychain

Lanyard type key fobs make useful gifts. You can make them with webbing, leather, even recycled jean denim. Here is a neat tutorial that includes a way to make these with a zipper for a place to stash cash. Or make something else useful to hang hang on his keychain, like a chapstick cozy or earbud or iphone pouch.

CD visor or book

Plenty of dads still keep their music on CD. If yours does, you can sew him a place to hold them on his car visor. I made one with a patchwork dive flag and ocean blue fabrics for my diver dad. You can also use felt to make pocket pages and sew a folder or book for holding CDs.

Baby carrier

Dads love to wear babies, and babies love it when they do. For a new dad, make a sling type, mei-tai, or a toddler sized soft structured carrier in a manly color or fabric.

A mei-tai style baby carrier is super easy to sew and comfy for both dad & baby.

A mei-tai style baby carrier is super easy to sew and comfy for both dad & baby.

Sporting gifts

Stadium blanket, photo courtesy Fons & Porter.

Stadium blanket, photo courtesy Fons & Porter.

Hat

There are lots of ways to sew a hat. Here are tutorials and free patterns for a few different styles:

Shorts

Buy a simple pattern, or use my 10-minute way to make shorts. You can make the bandana style shorts in that link for men using four bandanas instead of two.  Just use two bandanas instead of one for each leg, and add side seams to sew these together. Add length at the rise with a matching or coordinating fabric, or cut a couple more bandanas in half and sew these at the top. Or choose a funky fabric and whip up some board shorts for him.

Tie / bowtie

Buy some silk and make him a stylish tie with a pocket square to match. Here are tutorials for a bow tie and how to add a secret wallet pocket to the back of any tie, too.

Scarf / cowl

Unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, you probably won’t want to give dad a scarf for Father’s Day. But for winter holidays or birthdays, a scarf or cowl makes a great gift.

Do you have other ideas?

I am sewing all my Father’s Day gifts this year. What about you? Which of these ideas will you sew for dad? If you know any good gifts to sew for dad or men that aren’t on this list, please add them by commenting below.

Book Promoting for the Crafty Author

Book Promoting for the Crafty Author

I have a number of creative outlets, guys. I like to sew, quilt, bake, design floral arrangements…

I’ve of fallen in love with the idea of freelance writing.

I’ve of fallen in love with the idea of freelance writing.

But my number one creative outlet is writing. That’s one of the reasons why having this blog opportunity fits so well with my personality and interests. I get to dabble in one category of creative endeavor and learn about it while exercising my number-one creative passion by writing about it. It’s a pretty awesome system, honestly, and I’ve kind of fallen in love with the idea of freelance writing because of it.

What would be awesome though is if I could make a living as an author, which is something that I’ve been putting efforts toward. I’ve been working on and publishing books since at least 2013, and I’ve learned a thing or two about what to do in regards to marketing and such. Not enough to make me a best seller, mind you, but I’ve learned enough to be in better shape than I was when my first book was released in 2013!

I’ve learned enough to be in better shape than I was when my first book was released in 2013!

I’ve learned enough to be in better shape than I was when my first book was released in 2013!

In the Beginning…

That first book is being re-released by a publisher, and I want to do things right this time around by applying what I know. What I *do* know is that there are steps in marketing that can attract an audience, and giveaways happen to be one of those options. In fact, I recently finished a giveaway on Goodreads for this very copy of one book I wrote. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Jivin’ Tango? Oh well… 🙂

Importance of Planning

I recently finished a giveaway on Goodreads for this very copy of one book I wrote, Jivin' Tango.

I recently finished a giveaway on Goodreads for this very copy of one book I wrote, Jivin’ Tango.

The point—and this is what brings us to the theme of this blog—is that I’ve been trying to think outside of the box for things that I could create for the upcoming book releases that would make for awesome giveaway items. And I think I might actually have come up with some ideas for the process! You see, this upcoming re-released trilogy is a fantasy series that includes essences of a number of mythical creatures—fairies, dragons, vampires, mermaids, werewolves, genies, etc.—and that leaves a whole lot of territory to dive into for the world of sewing and quilting. Why? Because fantasy is a big deal these days, and it isn’t hard to come up with fabric to fit the category!

 

I figure though that one detail that I should consider is pacing and speed. It would be crazy-awesome to make a crazy-awesome quilt and give it away, but I need to consider other factors. For instance, in order to have these books available for sale next year, there’s more editing I need to go through for each and forms to finish/start filling out, not to mention other why-am-I-an-adult tasks I need to address for life in general. To put that detail plainly, I just might not have the time (or the skill at this point) to make that crazy-awesome quilt by a January release date, which I think is when the first book is scheduled to come out.

Giveaways Galore

So what are some things I would have time for before that first book’s release? Well, there are the obvious options, like totes and wall hangings that would allow for simple makes (I hope!). I could also make a set of throw pillows, scarves, place mats, table runners, oven mitts, purses, bookmarks… Thank you, Google and sites I found via Google, for the ideas!

Of all of these possibilities, for whatever reason, throw pillows and totes seem like the most intriguing options. So, I’m thinking that these could be my primary targets for the first two book releases. For the third, most delayed option, I’m thinking either a quilt or a wall hanging might suffice. If that’s the case, here’s my schedule:

January—Within the Essence (The Division: Book One)—Throw Pillows

February—Through the Ashes (The Division: Book Two)—Tote

March—Beyond the Hope (The Division: Book Three)—Quilt/Wall Hanging

It’s worth noting that I haven’t tried to make a pillow since childhood, and I’ve never done a tote before. With those things in mind, there might be some complications and project switching since I have a limited time frame to work with. If I can’t make one work, something might need to be changed!

Theme is Key

The most connected detail though is to make sure there’s that fantasy link. Otherwise, my theme is gone, and I might as well be sending out paper plate bunnies or something, no matter how impressive the final products are. For that quality, I’m thinking I’ll select three of the mythical creatures that are connected to this trilogy—one for each project. Personally, I’d love to make a quilt out of this material (I love fairies!), and I think throw pillows out of material that’s something like this could be awesome. Beyond the fairy and dragon, I could go with a mermaid concept for the tote, using scaled fabric and charms. The potential problem though would be that, if these were successful, at least two of out three of them I might want to keep!

Honestly, I’ve been looking for ways to blend in these hobbies so that I can have some crossover details, and this feels like a great opportunity! I can improve my sewing and expand my experience in the field while promoting my number-one creative endeavor of writing. How isn’t that a win-win?

I’d be interested in any tips for projects I could do for one of these book releases, if you have a different idea than what I posted! Feedback, guys!