Pretty much every year, I get to November and challenge myself to make some of the most unrealistic DIY gifts of all time. I craft until Christmas Eve, miss my own deadline and then still end up panicking/sweating/crying in the Boots 3 for 2 aisle. Anyone else!?
Earlier this year, I pledged to make 2026 a no-spend craft year. And as I’m writing this, I’m still on track to spend £0 on new materials I don’t need. The thing is - and this is where I might be getting cocky - I haven’t found it that difficult. Like… at all.
So naturally, I’ve decided to up the ante. I’ve made a list, I’ve checked it twice, and I’m going to attempt to make every gift on it for £0*.The dream is to spend Christmas Day saying “Thanks, I made that. And that. Oh, and that too.” Ideally without spending Christmas Eve sobbing and sewing.
If you’ve also looked at your stash and thought, “Surely there’s a Christmas present in here somewhere,” then fear not, I’ve got a few ideas for you.
Nerrisa’s Handmade Christmas: The £0 Edition begins here.
*£0 in new spending for these gifts. I’m using materials I already own, some bought and some gifted. And if anyone wants to cost up my time, please do it somewhere I can’t hear you.
The commute craft
If you’ve been following my stories, you’ll know this one. The Sophie Scarf is beginner-friendly and easy to adapt to the yarn you already have. A few rows per trainride and suddenly you’ve got a gift.
A set of embroidered napkins
Start with a pillowcase or leftover linen, then give each napkin a tiny motif that means something to the recipient: their favourite dessert, a beloved pet or their drinks order.
A pair of proper pjs
My favourite pattern is the Carolyn Pajamas. Dig out that lovely cotton lawn you’ve been saving and make a matching set, or just the bottoms if you’d rather not be sewing a collar and cuffs on Xmas Eve.
A card that is the gift
Stitch a little illustration onto card, photograph or a special memory from your stash. Make it something they’d frame or pin up long after Christmas, bonus points if you buy them the frame too!
A woven leather card wallet
Use the small leather offcuts you’ve been saving because they’re ‘too nice to bin’. Pick a few colours that feel like the person you’re making it for and et voila - travel card coture.
A Liberty scrap toiletry bag
In my house, there’s no such thing as a Liberty fabric scrap. Piece your smallest offcuts together for the outside of a zip-up wash bag, then use leftover cotton for the lining. Finally - I knew I was keeping all of those tiny scraps for a reason!
A sentimental hot water bottle cover
A cosy one for someone who’s permanently cold. Using an old, loved piece of clothing or a charity shop save, keep a nice ribbed edge or a favourite bit of the knit so it looks deliberately designed.
Right, I’m off to see whether the fabric I’ve been saving for years is actually enough for a pair of pyjamas. I’ll share what I make as I go, but in the meantime…if you see me in the Boots 3 for 2 aisle on Christmas Eve… no you didn’t.
PS. If you’d rather put a date in the diary and make something together, have a look at the Handmade Christmas workshop tour. I’ll bring the supplies, you just bring yourself.