Genuinely wonderful gifts for crafters
I love the festive season, there’s no doubt about it. Mulled wine? Yup. Mince pies? Double yup. Excessive gifting and waste? No thank you! That’s why this year I’ve teamed up with a series of experts to bring you the ultimate low-impact gift guides. Giving presents is really fun, but it’s more important than ever that we make sure that we’re giving people gifts that they’d really love to receive, and won’t end up going straight to landfill. Let’s try to change the meaning of giving - some of the best gifts I’ve ever received have been non-traditional ones that you’d never see in the pages of a catalogue, but they’ve been absolutely perfect for me. I try to do the same when choosing gifts for other people, but it can be hard to know what to choose. I’m talking to some of the most knowledgeable people around to find out what they think are the must-haves for 2019!
Meet Mike, The Crafty Gentleman. I’ve known Mike for years now and his blog (The Crafty Gentleman) is one of the UK's top craft blogs, with hundreds of free craft projects. One of my personal favourites for this time of year is his spiced red wine chutney recipe - I’ve made dozens of batches of this over the years and it makes a great zero-waste gift for foodie pals!
Mike’s goal is to make crafting accessible to everyone; he’s been featured across The Guardian, the BBC, Channel 4, NBC and more. You might also recognise his face from Channel 4's Kirstie's Celebrity Craft Masters - he’s also a craft TV presenter and regularly appear on crafting television shows. An all-round craft champion!
Here is Mike’s selection of genuinely wonderful gifts for crafters….
A : A good paper trimmer by Cricut
I've used lots of guillotines and trimmers over the years – and this one is hands down the best one. Small and compact, with an extendable arm and space to store spare blades. And most importantly, it's extremely sharp.
The gadget you never knew you needed! The laser allows you to cut straight lines in fabric without drawing a line – just shine the light at a particular point and cut towards it.
C : Awl
My awl tool has come in handy surprisingly often! It's really useful for piercing thick materials, stitching leather or felt, threading beads etc.
D : Teflon folder
Easily create sharp, crisp folds in your paper crafts, without damaging them. It's surprising how this can elevate your projects and make them look that little bit more professional.
Keeps your yarn neat and tidy whilst you knit or crochet, so you don't end up with it rolling all over the floor (or literally tying you in knots!).
An easily accessible way to store and organise your thread (extra points if you fill it with bobbins!).
E : Laser cut ruler necklace by Cepheid Studio
Okay, I (Becky) may have added this one, but if you can’t plug your own products at Christmas, when can you?! I designed this ruler necklace to be 100% accurate so you can use it to check the size of your gauge swatch when knitting!
Thanks so much to Mike for sharing his top picks. Why not go and tell him how much you loved them on Instagram, or find out more at The Crafty Gentleman!