How are the Christmas preparations going?  

Are you one of those super-organised people who could celebrate Christmas tomorrow?  

      Or one of those who waits till the last possible moment before doing anything?  

            Or maybe a happy medium, with some preparation done, but nowhere near everything?

Whatever level of Christmas preparedness you've reached, there's still time to make a few gifts for the special people in your life.

Here are a few to try:

• Make a Tea Towel - get the kids to draw a picture; make hand-prints of all the family; or put together some of the family's favourite recipes.  You can get help in designing a tea towel in the blog post Design a Tea Towel

• If you don't want to design your own, there are lots of designs in our Market Place which are either specially created to make tea towels, or will look good printed onto a towel.

• Make a cushion - again, this can be decorated with a child's drawing, or one of your own; or you can use a photo. (a favourite place, grandchildren, the family dog - whatever you think the recipient would like.)  There are instructions for making a cushion using a photo on the blog here or you can read about how Brownies made cushions using their own designs.

• Mug rugs make nice little stocking fillers or small gifts.  Here's how to make one: Mug Rug.  Or you could make a woven place mat.

• Make a camera case for the photographer in your family.  Instructions in this blog post: How to Make a Camera Case.

• Playmat.  You could go all out and make a playmat for a small person on your gift list. Instructions here.

• Yo-yo necklace - this is a simple make, using scraps, which is very effective.  For instructions, see the blog post Make a Yo-yo Necklace.

• Chicken Bean Bags are easy to make and popular for younger children.  Instructions here.

• Doll's Clothes.  Buying doll's clothes is expensive.  But you can make them fairly cheaply, especially if you have a supply of scraps you can use!  Some ideas on the blog post Sewing for Dolls.

There are lots more ideas on Pinterest, including quite a few on some of our Pinterest boards, including Christmas, (mostly Christmassy mug rugs) Crafty Sewing Ideas, Soft Toys and Make a Bag.

We'd love to hear about any of your makes - even better if there's a photo, especially if you use fabric we've printed!