Handcrafted gifts
There's nothing like receiving a handmade Christmas present. Hande Renshaw gets crafty and creates covered coathangers, a pompom basket, cushions and a refreshing foot soak.
to make with love
Covered coathangers What you need
Wadding Scissors Wooden coathangers Needle and thread Fabric Tailor’s chalk Pins Ribbon
Method
1 Cut the wadding about 5cm wide and wrap it lightly around a coathanger. Secure with tacking stitches. Repeat until it’s the thickness you want.
2 Fold the fabric in half, right side together, put the hanger on top and trace around with tailor’s chalk, leaving a seam allowance of 1.5cm.
3 Cut the shape out so that you have two pieces. Pin these around the hanger to check it’s a snug fit. Remove the fabric, pin right sides facing and stitch the bottom edge, one of the short ends and halfway along the top edge.
4 Turn the fabric the right way out and insert the hanger. Sew the rest of the seams and add a ribbon.
Pompom basket What you need
Wool in two colours of your choice Pompom maker Round woven basket Hot glue gun
Method
1 Take your wool and the pompom maker and make pompoms to decorate your basket. The number of pompoms you need will depend on the size of your basket and pompoms.
2 Make the pompoms using both the coloured wools until you have enough for two or three rows.
3 Take your hot glue gun and place a spot of glue on each pompom, then quickly attach each pompom to the basket. Hold each pompom to the basket for a minute or so – it won’t take long for the wool to stick to the basket.
4 Once you have glued each pompom onto the basket, leave it to dry.
Peppermint foot soak What you need
Epsom salts Peppermint tea leaves Bowl for mixing Glass jars with lids Ribbon, tags and Christmas trinkets
Method
1 Mix the Epsom salts and peppermint tea leaves together in clean glass jars. If preferred, you could blend the ingredients in a bowl first, then pour into the jars.
2 Screw on lids, then add ribbon, tags and a trinket. >>
Pompom cushion What you need
1 metre vintage-inspired fabric Plain calico fabric for the back of the cushion Pompom fringe Cushion insert
Method
1 Cut fabric to your desired cushion size – our cushion is 50cm x 50cm. You will need one square of vintage-style fabric for the front, and two rectangular panels of calico for the cushion back – these should be the same width as the cushion front, but long enough to overlap each other on the back.
2 Stitch pompom fringe onto vintagestyle fabric – either as a decorative trim across the fabric or around outer edges.
3 Fold over and stitch one long edge of each calico panel to form a neat edge.
4 With right sides together, pin calico panels to cushion front, overlapping the neatened edges to form opening for inserting cushion (if pompom trim is on the outer edges, ensure the pompoms face inwards).
5 Sew together around outside edges. Turn the cushion cover right side out. 6 Insert cushion into the cover through the back opening.
“Believe in the magic of Christmas with these gifts made with love.”