Handmade Giving - Gifts KIDS Can Make!

Having your kids help make gifts for the people they care about is a great way to get them to really appreciate the gifts they are given - handmade and store bought alike! Handmade giving is something we've always believed in because we feel like it keeps the holiday from feeling too commercial and we love the chance to pass that down to our kids. Plus kids are capable of making really cool gifts! Here are just a few ideas to get you started, but be sure to read through the whole post to find a new FREE tutorial that is a great kid project.

Our new project today is a felt pencil pouch. It's a simple bag that goes together in no time, but looks impressive. Here's how we did it.

Supplies:

2 sheets of wool felt (high quality felt makes this a really nice project. We would not recommend making this with acrylic felt).

1/2 yard of Heat-n-Bond

2 buttons

Embroidery Thread

1. Heat-n-Bond the two sheets of felt together following the manufacturer's instructions. This should probably be done by an adult or with close supervision. You will have created a double sided sheet of felt that is thick and sturdy.

2. Cut the felt into one 5" x 8-3/4" rectangle and one 5" x 12" rectangle.

3. Mark the following measurements on the larger rectangle, fold and press the marked lines and trim as pictured. Sew button on the smaller rectangle.

4. Overlap the bottom 1" of the larger rectangle onto the bottom of the shorter rectangle. Top stitch in place. See photo below for stitching placemat. Top stitch about an 1/8" away from the edge, or as close as possible.

5. Fold in half to create the pencil pouch and clip in place with wonder clips.

6. Top stitch up each side. Fold down the top flap and sew on the corresponding button. Knot embroidery thread around the top button. Close the pouch by wrapping the thread around the buttons in a figure eight pattern.

Fill with cool stuff!

Adjust the pattern a bit and make a mini size for gift cards too!

We hope you have a blast making our new pencil pouch with a kid in your life! Don't forget to check out all the other amazing things going on as a part of our Handmade Giving Series!