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Monday, September 8, 2014

18 great projects in “Create Handmade Gifts for All”



Fiber artist and dyeing expert Candy Glendening has a new e-book out called “Create Handmade Gifts for All.” It’s available now for $9.99 on the Quilting Daily Shop. 

 To celebrate and share, she’s holding a blog hop. I’m the first stop (see the rest at the end of this post). There are giveaways at each stop, and a chance to win the spectacular messenger bag (above) that Candy made for the cover of the e-book. 



The book contains 18 projects for home decor, bags and accessories, and holiday ornaments. 18 gorgeous projects, 77 pages of detailed instructions, all for about ten bucks? When you usually pay that for one pattern? Really, you can’t lose on this deal. 



I really love Candy’s work. She makes her projects with her fabulous hand-dyed fabrics, but they would look equally good in solid-colored cottons in bright colors. Or batiks.


Candy is a scientist and teacher (she teaches biology at the University of Redlands in Southern California), and her attention to detail shows in her precise directions and diagrams. 



Look at these darling headbands! Wouldn’t they make a great birthday present for a special teenage girl in your life?



Each project is shown with easy-to-follow diagrams and how-to photos that make them easy to put together. These contemporary designs are beautiful and functional. I know I’ll be coming back to this book again and again for gift ideas.

Here’s the blog hop schedule:

Monday, 9/8 – Susan Brubaker Knapp of Blue Moon River (me!)
Tuesday, 9/9 –  Vicki Welsh of  Field Trips in Fiber
Wednesday, 9/10 –  Deborah Boschert of Deborah’s Journal
Thursday, 9/11 – Amy Ellis of Amy’s Creative Side
Monday, 9/15 – Sue Bleiweiss of Sue Bleiweiss
Tuesday, 9/16 – Natalia Bonner of Piece N Quilt
Wednesday, 9/17  – Diane Doran of Ooh! Pretty Colors
Thursday, 9/18 – Vicki Christensen of Sew Inspired
Friday, 9/19 – Candy Glendening of Candied Fabrics

GIVEAWAY!
Leave a comment after this post, telling me about a handmade gift you made. At 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, I’ll be drawing two names at random. The first person will receive a hard copy of last year’s “Quilting Arts Gifts” magazine. The second person’s name goes into a drawing for the Grand Prize, the messenger bag Candy made that is featured on the cover of the e-book. Candy will announce the Grand Prize winner the following Monday on her blog. Make sure you leave me your e-mail address, or some way to reach you. And check back on September 22 to see if you’ve won. And be sure to visit the other bloggers listed above for more chances to win.

Note: If your comment does not show up right away, please don’t freak out. Please post only one comment. I now have to moderate/approve all comments, because I was getting a ton of Japanese porn spammers leaving comments on my blog! 


Newsflash …  
Cloud 9 and JB have been selected. Candy or I will be contacting you with details. 

61 comments:

  1. I do like to do handmake gift..so I did decorative pillows,pouches in different sizes,baskets ...thank you for the giveaway...marta...martamanole@yahoo.com

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  2. I've made several gifts for my granddaughter, and her favorite is a scrappy patchwork dog I made for her when she was a toddler. She helped picked the fabrics and still loves it! Thanks a bunch for the chance to win your giveaway! ☺

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  3. I am making pillow covers for my granddaughters college room. Thanks for the giveaways.

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  4. I love to make handmade gifts and make bags and phone cases similar to those. www.etsy.com/shop/happyquiltdesigns

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  5. I love making Yo-yo's so make lots of Christmas ornaments.

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  6. I like to make small patchwork ornaments as hostess gifts at Christmas time. I've also made wine glass coasters.
    Maureen B.

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  7. I JUST finished my third handmade gift in 3 weeks! I made a wallet that was free motion (gold colored silk thread on a subtle burnt red. Zippered pocket for coins and a place for bills. Credit card places as well. Love it so much I'm going to make myself one!

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  8. The most recent handmade gift I made was a small clasp purse for my great niece. I've made & given away a lot of crocheted bowls that I call Happy Bowls too.

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  9. I make gifts for my grandchildren to give teachers and friends.

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  10. Hi Susan! I just finished making 4 rug mugs for my daughter. Did a lot of thread stitching and quilting. It was so much fun!

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  11. I love making gifts from my sewing room. Last year I made a project bag for my artist daughter. She chose the fabric and I got to FMQ the modern fabric and make the modified This n That pattern. Such fun to see her use her gift while drawing. My latest gift was to myself ~ a backpack purse in my favorite fabric. lauraluvsloonsatymaildotcom

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  12. One gift I made was a blouse made of handwoven fabric that I also wove on my small loom. I gave it to my Nana as an early birthday present this year. (As she is 83, I don't always wait for the day to arrive.)

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  13. Most of the gifts I give are handmade, from quilts to food items and everything in between. Most recently I've been into making and giving ceramic tile coasters. Love the new season of QA TV and purchased the DVD.

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  14. I make a lot of pillowcases for gifts and of course quilts. Lots of quilts!

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  15. I've been making journal covers. The last one is a mini journal cover for those tiny composition books. Would love to win this book.

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  16. I make a lot of handmade gifts. Every year I have been choosing one or two adults in our extended family to make a laptop sized quilt for. We don't exchange gifts, and everyone is really surprised because they aren't expecting anything. When I see a pattern that reminds me of a person, I save it, and when I have the right fabrics I make it. I have been unable to work this year, so I have made quite a few to share, we'll see if I can get them backed and quilted in time. More a lack of funds, than time, but so it goes. cdahlgren at live dot com

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  17. The handmade gifts I'm most proud of were the fleece blankets made for to special little girls when their house burned down. They call them their love angel quilts. Now I design new love angel quilts to give away.

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  18. I spend most my time making quilts for the Santa Train and wounded military men and women. I recently made a cross body messenger bag for my daughter out of turquoise and purple batiks. It was a challenge with rather complicated instructions, but turned out great. My daughter was very pleased.

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  19. Last Christmas, I made handbags/totes for all my sister and nieces. This year, maybe lap quilts unless I find a neat idea in one of these blogs stops!!!

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  20. I love making (and receiving!!) handmade gifts!!
    Last Christmas I made tote bags for all my sisters and filled them with homebaked biscuits!

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  21. I made a few "sew-ply purses" from Melanie Testa to give away. Always looking for new cute things.

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  22. i recently made a quilted and embroidered elephant pillow for my daughter. I love to give handmade gifts

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  23. Great blog hop. I have been making placemats for gifts. It's a great way to practice free motion quilting.
    vdods1@gmail.com

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  24. Right now I am making hexagon pins with holiday fabrics.
    I also love to make some tissue pack holders with odd bits of fabric. They are great was to say thank you. beckybucci@gmail.com

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  25. My standard Wedding present is 6 table toppers so they have a new one to put out every 2 months.

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  26. I made a quilted laptop sleeve for my husband.

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  27. I think the most USED gift I every made anyone was a diaper bag I made my daughter when her little one was born. I made it out of upholstery remnants and it held up great!

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  28. I am making as many presents as possible for birthdays and Christmas this year, and I would love this book! sarah@forrussia.org

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  29. I love Candy's work and I am in need of inspiration to make gifts for the upcoming season of gifting.I know this book will be a great choice for helping with the gifting part :-)

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  30. I love to make handmade gifts - this looks like a great book for some new ideas! Recently I made a few first aid kits for some college kids I know who are going away to university! thanks!

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  31. I make plenty of potholders & cookbooks for family and friends.

    tushay3(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  32. I love making placemats and tablerunners as gifts.

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  33. Pillows with a child's name are always a favorite.

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  34. Hi, when I joined Dallas Fiber Artists they had a gift swap at year end. So many fabulous artists and so many fiber techniques. I was intimidated no end. I almost didn't participate. I came with a fiber doll kind of a cocoon doll. She was sp pretty I wanted to keep her. Instead I put her in a fun lovely swap. What fun each year!

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  35. I made a applique rooster wall hanging for my mom's kitchen.

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  36. I make new Jamma's for our Kiddo's at Christmas every year, and now am including the Grankiddo's! lol I make most all gifts I give....somethin' soooo Special about giving Handmade! :)

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  37. I love to make quilted postcards for gifts. I have never seen your site before and love it! I have tried art quilts a couple of times and have never been too happy with the results. I will be spending lots of time here!

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  38. I made crocheted snowflakes last year.

    jhunsberger (at) gmail (d0t) c0m

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  39. I usually make something handmade for the granddaughters for the holidays, last year it was flannel pajamas, the year before it was long patchwork skirts. I have also made them purses, backpacks, and doll clothes.

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  40. These two are my first "hops." I still don't understand the rules but know I'd like to leave a comment anyway! The greatest sewn gift I've ever made was a huge quilt for my daughter. I started with large crazy quilt blocks of her choosing, which I embellished madly each time she left home for camp or trips. We added B&W blocks she'd made in a QSDS class one memorable summer. Then I threw in everything else she chose for color and design to tie it together. No longer just a crazy quilt--it quickly morphed into what we called The Insanity Quilt... I sewed through her teens and sent her off to college with it. Now 29, she still never sleeps without it--a piece of me around her always...

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  41. I just completed and gave away my first lap quilt, thrilling!

    Ew, Japanese porn spam?!

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  42. When I was a teenager, I made cotton velour pillowcases for my nephews. I used invisible zippers for the openings so the pillows would stay put. -- soparkaveataoldotcom

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  43. Potholders are one of my favorite hand made gifts. Each one is like a small quilt!

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  44. Hey, all you Crossfit folks, a headband would be great gifts for each other!!!

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  45. I am always making gifts for family and friends... currently I am hand quilting a quilt for my SIL's 60th and also cutting and sewing pieces for a baby quilt because my very good friend is expecting her first!!!

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  46. I enjoy making stitched cards for friends along with some handmade pottery. Candy has lots of ideas for great stitched gifts!

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  47. I just sent a diaper bag to my son in Kentucky, who's a 1st time dad. He requested it be made with 49er prints.

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  48. I love making gifts for friends and relatives. Last year, friends got quilted fabric boxes. Everyone in my immediate family has received a quilt--though usually late for the occasion:)

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  49. I normally make handmade gifts for both my children and also my mum for Birthdays and Christmas. My Mum has received a Knitting Bag, Gardner's Apron, Peg Apron, Christmas Elves, Christmas ornaments, cushions and several other things over the years. My kids have received LOTS of softies, plus bags, iPod & iPad covers & cushions.

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  50. Candy's work is inspirational. One of my favourite gifts was a raggy quilt I made for my large son when he was small. He said it was like being cuddled by me every night!

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  51. Most of the gifts that I give are hand made. Last year I made hot pads that you insert fingers on one side and thumb on the other, allowing you to grab hold of the hot item easily. Little did I know how much these would be appreciated by the recipients! I had several requests for more.

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  52. Seems like I have made a zillion tote bags for gifts along with of course baby quilts. pjrquilter@msn.com

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  53. I made a great littlE bag for a friend to use as a small diaper bag. It's just the right size for all those regular visits to the doctor.

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  54. I usually do jewelry, but now I'm itching to do some totes and handbags! I also crochet and knit so there's never enough time to do it all... I try, though, I try!!!

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  55. felted green and red flower pins last Christmas.

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  56. I love to make things and after a while they become a storage problem. Then I give them away. One of the memorable things I made was a needlepoint project of 'modern' design which I framed and gave to my mother for her birthday in 1980. In 1998 I brought it back home to Australia after settleing her extate in Texas. More recently I made a mug rug for a swap. If I win you can reach me at realyusefuloptusnet[dot]com{dot}au

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  57. I love your blog Susan! Thanks for a chance to win! I love making gifts too. Most recently, I've made potholders and quilts to give away. One of the quilts was a memory quilt, another was a minky baby quilt, another was a flannel rag quilt. mind.less@comcast.net

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  58. I like to make table toppers and zipper pouches as gifts. Love the bag, beautiful colors and design - super awesome!

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  59. I'm currently sewing Christmas stockings for my grand kids. I have sewn many stuffed animals for my grandsons.

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  60. I have made t-shirt quilts for my brother and some of my nephews. I use a batch of their favorite shirts to make sure that the quilt will have special meaning for them. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  61. I made a purse for my daughter from an Amy Butler pattern. She loved it.
    kdavis1@centurytel.net

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