Self-made? Sewed, stitched? Annoying, stressful? Excitement? Christmas shopping?
How do they feel?
For my part I do feel the same about offering presents for pretty much since I can think.
I love making and giving them, but I always do it last minute and that comes along with a very stressful moment.
By last minute I mean so. Christmas tree is set up and dinner almost ready. Everybody is sitting around the table and between the courses I hide back in a room stitching a few last details. Wrapping the presents just before dessert.
Couldn’t I start earlier? Plan the whole process?
So far, I haven’t managed. And I am still indecisive whether I need the thrill and pressure, to work. Or if I am just repeating the same mistake not able to learn from it.
It could be both.
This year I decided to start with the presents four days in advance. I had a brilliant idea and a lot of time, I thought so. Involving embroidery and sewing. There would be four people not including me. Meaning everything multiplied by four.
I thought I could do it in one day. Starting around midday.
I got some fabric from a secondhand store.
Red. Brown and forest Green.
I cut out shapes for sweaters.
While cutting I was tempted to make one for myself as well.
Seems to be another habit. As soon as things work according to plan, I invent new details to add to the process.
Not a good Idea. I learned this time. Now that means everything multiplied by five now.
Embroidery.
Beautiful threads.
Different designs for the back of the sweaters.
The first day ended with the machine getting stuck.
Some thread got caught up.
Just when I thought I almost had it and quickly wanted to finish.
Wisely I postponed for the next day.
The next day was similar. A lot of stitches. Embroidery went fine. Then on the sewing machine. Finished late but the sweaters weren’t complete yet.
But let me go through the process of the embroidery here.
....choose the subject and draw it
...choose the threads
...the colours
...framing the fabric
...let the machine do its thing
...sounds easy but takes time and patience.
One day till Christmas. I am still sewing. Now I do see an end though.
The last day was about finishing all the edges. And I finally calmed down.
It was interesting to observe my workflow once again.
And I surprisingly do learn a little bit every time of all of them.
One good thing about making presents last minute. Is that you don’t have to wait any longer to reveal them. Next day they get unwrapped. And I am surprised and glad they all fit.
Sometimes there is an attempt to free Christmas from presents all together. But I do find it such a nice thing to have. And even if it is just a cute piece of nothing wrapped up in newspaper. I still feel the same excitement then I had as a kid. Unwrapping, not knowing what is in there. Seeing others unwrap theirs.
This doesn’t even have to happen at Christmas. Could choose any moment of the year to make and receive presents.
That doesn’t happen usually.
Maybe we need the time pressure of one date to make or receive presents.
Or maybe we don't. And it is time to just make presents whenever you feel like throughout the year.
All photos are my own taken by me.
Thank you all for stopping by and have a lovely holiday!
