It’s a week before Christmas arrives, and you still haven’t found the perfect gift for your loved ones. Because everything you’re looking for is out of stock, or hard on your wallet. If you find yourself with zero ideas and a tight budget, here are some last-minute homemade gifting ideas that will save you!
Handmade soaps
Making soaps can be messy but fun. You can gift this to your mother, grandma or your best friend. All you need is some lye (be super careful with this), herbs, some essential oils, colors, water and additives. Don’t forget to have your safety equipment and goggles on! You could use lavender, aloevera, shea butter and even coffee as the key flavor! If you want to experiment more, there are innumerable videos and blogs online that can inspire you.
Embroidered handkerchiefs
As easy as embroidered handkerchiefs sound, they can be tricky little buggers which take time to master. This can be an amazing gift for your grandma or your mother, but it doesn’t have to necessarily be just for them. If you know anyone who enjoys knitting or collecting small souvenirs, this could prove to be a meaningful gift.
Memory journal
The best part about making a memory journal for a beloved one, is that you can personalize it in the best possible way. Right from the recyclable paper, to the use of fabric as cover, to the tiny notes, everything can be well thought out and original. You can use colors, photographs, cutouts of their favorite magazines, souvenirs, old movie tickets, etc. The possibilities are infinite! It truly is a great Christmas gift, and an unforgettable memento.
Tote bag made from a T-Shirt
Making a tote bag takes less than an hour. You can choose a new or an old (make sure it’s still in a good condition) T Shirt. Cut the sleeves if it has any. Make the neckline wider by cutting away its edges and stitch the bottom. An absolute cake walk, isn’t it! You can further add a zipper or buttons to it, to give it the perfect finishing touch.
Hammered flower impressions
You always gift flowers, isn’t it? But how about immortalizing your loved one’s favorite flowers on canvas. All you have to do is pick the perfect flower, place it on the canvas carefully, cover it with paper towels and pound it with a hammer. Once you pull it away, it leaves you with an amazing impression, you can embellish it with other colorful leaves and flowers. Use a UV resistant clear coating on the canvas to avoid darkening of the colors.
Don’t know how to make your plain denim look chic? Just add some quirky embroidered patches on them and you are good to go. Embroidered patches are very much in the trend and why would they not be? Apart from being cool, they are also extremely versatile. You can put these patches on uniforms, hoodies, denim, hats, overalls, and on any clothing of your choice.
If you have decided that you want your own customized patches, then here are four simple steps in which you can get them made the right way:
Decide the correct size– The size of the patch depends on what you are planning to put the embroidered patch on. When it comes to measuring the size of the embroidered patch, you need to decide the height and the width of the patches. If you are planning to put it on your denim or your hat, then a small-sized one, roughly around 2 to 4 inches, would be an ideal choice. Whereas, if you want it for a backpatch then you will have to go for a much bigger size, like something between 8 to 12 inches.
Choose a shape– Once you know what size patch you want to make, you can decide the shape of the patch. Some of the most basic shapes that you can go for are squares, circles, and ovals. If you want to go for any of these basic shapes, then you have the luxury of buying premade patches, where you simply need to create the design and the details you want to see in the patch.
Be clear on the concept– Most of the times, the designs of the patches are brand logos, symbols, or a message that conveys an event or a cause. So, it is vital that before you go ahead and design a patch, you are clear on what you want the patch to convey. You can use photographs or text to convey the design of your embroidered patch to the designer.
Finalize the design– Less is more when it comes to the designs that you select for your embroidered patch. If you go overboard and add too many things in the patch then it might end up looking chaotic. So, stick to one idea and turn it into a simple design. It is best to have a rough sketch of what you want the design to look like so that the designer knows what you are looking for. If you are getting an embroidered patch for personal use, then you can use your favorite quotes, movie characters, or a sketch you drew yourself.
Do your homework and be clear on what you want. Once you have a vision for how you want them to look, everything else will fall in place. Be up to date with the trending designs and shapes, so that you can take inspiration from them to make your own tailormade embroidered patch.
Embroidered patches pronounce versatility. You can use them on clothing and hoodies to market your brand logo or you can simply add these patches on your denim and make your denim look edgy and quirky. Designing an embroidered patch might get overwhelming if it is your first time and you do not know how to get going. While it is a common knowledge that you need to decide the size, shape, and the design of the patches, here are four other undervalued factors to consider, while creating the perfect embroidered patch:
Choose the backing wisely– You can choose from different types of backing for your patch. One of the most popular backings is plastic. Plastic backing ensures that the shape of your patch is retained by adding stiffness. If you want to try something different, then you can consider going for a magnetic backing, in which the back of the patch is a magnet. Adhesive backings are another popular type of backing, but they don’t last long, especially if you plan to machine-wash your clothes. If you want the patches to stay for long, then consider sewing them or going for the heat-seal backing.
Determine the embroidery percentage– The percentage of embroidery on the patch decides the price of the patch. The higher the percentage of embroidery, the higher the price. Typically, an embroidered patch has around 75% of embroidery. If you go with 75% of embroidery, then the rest of the patch will be the colored background of the design.
Decide the right border– Along with deciding the shape of the patches, you must also pick a border for your patches. If you choose any of the basic shapes like an oval or a circle, then you can consider going for the most common border type, called the merrowed border. The merrowed border, also known as an overlock border, is a border that wraps the thread around the entire fabric of the patch. This type of border looks aesthetically appealing and it adds to the durability of the patch. Note that the merrowed border cannot be used if your patch has pointed edges or it has an irregular shape.
Go crazy with the colors– You are spoilt for choice when it comes to the color of the embroidery. You can choose the colors for your embroidered patch from the hundreds of threads that are available in the market. Try to go for designs that use flat colors instead of different hues or color gradients, as it is difficult to get the color gradients embroidered.
The most intriguing thing is that you don’t necessarily need to put these embroidered patches on your clothes. Today, many people don’t mind getting customized embroidered patches just to add to their collection. So, instead of sticking to the latest trending designs, experiment with the sizes and the shapes and come up with your own unique customized embroidered patches.