Sewing Rewind: Gifts Edition!

It is better to give than it is to receive, right?  But for us crafters who DIY gifts, it can be a nerve-wracking to hand over a handmade present for scrutiny!

Here are a few gifts that I gave to friends and family over the past several months!

Disclaimer: These are all pictures taken with my phone, prior to the development of my still mediocre camera skills !

The first item I ever gifted to someone is the goggles case that I already blogged about here.  At least I had input prior to its creation, so I wasn't as nervous as I could have been...

Next, came an item for my cousin's kid's first birthday.  I wanted to sew something for a baby so desperately that I searched through a multitude of free baby clothes patterns.  But then I realized that I didn't know his size!

Instead, I decided to sew a monogram taggie that he could use for longer anyways!  I used a few fabric, batting, and velcro scraps along with some ribbon from my mom's stash.  I put in a lot of effort because my fabric & batting sandwich was wrong twice!  However, it ended up costing a total of $0!

For my next item, I had a request from my boyfriend to make a sleeve for his new iPhone 5 until he received his hard case in the mail.  However, he had a few specifications for his new "gift."

(1) He wanted it to add to be protective but not be so bulky that it couldn't fit in his pocket

(2) The fabrics had to be somewhat manly

(3) Preferably a button closure instead of Velcro

After one fail attempt (to be blogged about later), this is what I came up with!

Next, I made two items for my mom.  She liked my fleece jacket, and she wanted one of her own.  This was tough because I had to fit someone else's body rather than my own.  Scary!  Here's how it turned out!

Next, she wanted a blouse, so I whipped this up from some fabric that she picked out.

Now for some real tests!

It was my guy's dad's birthday, and I wanted to bring something besides a bottle of wine.  Well, why not a wine bag?  I used the same fabric choices as the phone case above, since I knew that they were already man-approved.

Since, I had missed his sister's birthday celebration, I owed her a present.  I made a zippered pouch with some fun red fabric!

I had to show the lining here because it is so Kate Spade-like, don't you think?

The last picture doesn't exist, but I made my aunt a zippered pouch for her tablet computer with the red fabric above and a fleece lining for protection.

It's funny how looking over these presents, I see soooo many mistakes...  Next year, their presents are going to be so much better, I guarantee it!

Do you gift any of your creations, or are you too nervous?  What's the best gift you've given?