Recommendations to start checking off that Christmas List

It is that time of year again whether you're ready for it or not. Truth is, Christmas is really just around the corner. And, as any crafter or seamstress will tell you, if you're making your own gifts this year, you need to start now.

Yes, it's daunting. It's overwhelming. It's freaking me out just writing this. Eeeeek! But, isn't it so much fun, too? Thinking about one particular person that you love and care about and imagining the perfect gift for them is one of the best parts of Christmas. Then, add tooling away at making their gift by hand to the mix and it can be a very joyous experience.

To help you on your journey of finding the perfect hand-made gift for your loved ones, we're suggesting two books. Each of them have lots of ideas to help you check off multiple people from those Good Boy and Good Girl lists.

The first of them we've talked about quite a bit on the blog already. It's Sew What You Love by Tanya Whelan.

Sew What You Love by Tanya Whelan

Laura raved about this book during her Summer Pattern Challenge and made a few items from it to help her reach her goal of completing the 20 patterns. Laura's "Everyday Tunic," "Apple Pie Ottoman," and "Easy Sling Bag," all came from this book and if you've read the posts, you'll know how simple and easy creating each of them was for her.

As Laura explained, the book is full of a variety of project options. From clothing and home dec, to bags and baby toys. The 30 patterns in this book really do run the gamut of project ideas and you're sure to find something perfect for the one you love.

Our second recommendation for your Christmas sewing is actually a series of books. It's the One Yard Wonders books by Patricia Hoskins and Rebecca Yaker .

One-yard Wonders by Hoskins and Yaker.

One-yard Wonders by Hoskins and Yaker.

Each of these books are packed with a whopping 101 sewing projects. As you can imagine you'll find projects for everyone in the family (including Fido) as well as home dec, clothing, seasonal items, and accessories. Anyone you know up for a custom umbrella? Or what about a gym bag? Who wouldn't want a new scarf? And market totes are the rage for the eco-friendly these days.

Seriously you can't go wrong with either of these books for this Christmas and every other gift-giving holiday you can think of. They are year-round go-to guides for every home sewer.

Be sure to check out all of our sewing books as these are just three of the many that would behold your loved one's perfect Christmas gift.