DIY Sewing Kit in a Jar – Homemade Christmas Gift
on Dec 05, 2012, Updated Jun 27, 2024
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This DIY sewing kit in a jar is such a fun & creative gift idea for your favorite crafty person! They’ll love this simple homemade gift that only takes a few moments to make.
Simple Sew Kit in a Jar
Raise your hand if you have a crafty friend or loved one in your life! I would definitely say the majority of my creativity is expressed in the kitchen — hence: running a food blog! — but I love a good DIY project every now and then, too. That’s the fun in this DIY sewing kit in a jar! It’s a simple creative project for you, and makes a great gift for another creator in your life.
If you have sewers, knitters, cross-stitchers, or quilters in your life especially, this is such a fantastic gift. Or a mama who happens to be mending tears and seams from her on-the-go children — this gift is perfect for her, too! Sewing kits are something we’ve all wished we had on hand at one time or another, and we often don’t realize how much we need one until, well, we really need one. Know what I mean? Have fun making this cute DIY sewing jar, and keep one on hand for yourself, too!
How do you make a pin cushion for a DIY sewing kit?
The pin cushion is super simple to make. Take the round of a jar lid, and cut out a piece of fabric in a circle shape that’s 2 inches wider in diameter than the round. Grab a handful of quilt batting or fiber fill (something to stuff in the pin cushion) and press it to the top of the round. Wrap the fabric around the stuffing, and hot glue the ends of the fabric to the bottom of the jar lid bottom.
What do you put inside a DIY sewing kit in a jar?
You can add so many fun things to a DIY sewing kit! Make sure you get some thread, needles, little scissors, and bobbins. You can also add buttons, tape measure, pins, eyelets, and other notions wrapped around clothespins.
Who can you give a DIY sewing kit to as a gift?
A sewing kit makes a great gift for crafters, creatives, mamas, teachers, crafty teens, grandparents, neighbors — really and truly, anyone! We can all use a sewing kit to keep on hand.
DIY Sewing Kit Gift in a Jar
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Glass jars with a flat and ring, (the two pieces to the lid)
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Hot glue
- Quilt batting or fiber fill
- Spray paint, optional
Things to fill the jar:
- Thread
- Bobbins
- Little scissors
- Tape measure
- Eyelets
- Buttons
- Pins
- Needles
- Notions wrapped around clothespins, Ric-Rac, ribbon, yarn, elastic…
Instructions
- If you want to spray paint the ring of the lid, do that first so that it has time to dry.
- Cut a circle out of your fabric that is about 2 inches wider all the way around the flat (the flat metal part of the lid). If the flat is 3 inches across, then your circle of fabric should be 7 inches across.
- Wad a piece of batting or fiber fill in your hands until you have a hard ball just smaller than the size of your fist. Using two hands place the material circle around the stuffing/batting ball. Carefully put the wad of stuffing or batting on the shiny side of the flat so that the fabric is facing your palm, batting, and then the flat.
- Are you with me? It’s not really hard, but it was near impossible to get a picture of the process while doing it. The goal is just to hold it all together while you glue the fabric to the underside of the flat.
- Pull the fabric to the back of the lid and hot glue it in place. I found it easiest to glue a piece and then glue opposite of where you just did. So glue the top then bottom, the left then right, and work your way around like like a clock. This helped the fabric to stretch evenly.
- Now you can pop the pin cushion into the ring and screw it onto the lid. Fill the jar with your favorite sewing supplies (bonus points if the colors match the fabric), stick a few pins in the pin cushion, and you are ready to give a beautiful handmade gift. Easy!
Notes
- I would let the rings dry overnight if you choose to spray paint them. I tried to use mine after a few hours and some of the paint scratched off easily. The paint was much harder the next day.
- These are the jars I bought at Fresh Market, and I saw them at Walmart too. I think they’d be where ever you can buy Ball canning jars.
- Quilt batting was very easy to use and would recommend that. See if any quilters you know have scraps leftover from when they trim the quilt before binding.
Nutrition
Other DIY gifts you’ll love:
- DIY Bath Salts and Sugar Scrubs (Great Homemade Gifts!)
- Homemade Beeswax Lip Balm
- Simple DIY Beeswax Candles
- Hot Cocoa Gift Set
- Simple Embroidered Ornaments
This post was originally published in 2012, and has been updated and rephotographed in December 2019.
The needle threader is the handiest gadget ever invented!!! Needle eyes seem to be getting smaller! The jar is a really cute idea!
Aren’t they handy?! And I need to make some of these for teacher gifts this year, they’re always a hit!
I love your unique gift ideas and the fact that your pictures make it so easy to create.
What a pleasant surprise to find your blog (Bless this Mess) after looking for small gifts to make for family and friends during the upcoming holidays. I was going to try making the DIY sewing kit in a jar. I started reading the page and before I knew it I was downloading your e-cookbook! I’m cooking the egg dish for dinner as I type, using the last remnants of my home grown red/green peppers. Thanks for sharing, we seem to have many things in common. (I am in northern Utah.)
Long life the Utah girls! And I’m making that egg dish tomorrow to clean out the crisper before we head out of town for turkey day! Thank you so much for buying that book, that seriously made my day! I can’t wait to connect more. M.
One of the best gifts I ever received was a big box of fabric. The UPS man left it on our patio when my hubby and I were newlyweds. We saw from the return address that it was from my parents…and WOW, was it ever heavy…we could not imagine what it could be…I will never forget the thrill of opening it and seeing a box of inspiration, fulfilled dreams, quilts and more!
My favorited gift came from my friend Catherine last year. An iPhoto book of the backcountry canoe trip we. and three other fabulous women were on last fall. It was my first trip since I was engaged 20 years ago! Subsequently I took our 11 and 4 year old back this summer and they are hooked!
Hi Melissa,
What a cute project! I love it so much that I decided to feature it in our roundup of gifts in a jar! Check it out here: https://www.favecraftsblog.com/christmas-gifts-in-a-jar/
Have a great day!
My favorite gift was received 7 Christmases ago from my sister-in-law. Our very large family draws names to give gifts among adults (otherwise we wouldn’t have money for food!) and she drew my name for the first time that year. Her husband had been laid off that winter and things were very tight for them and we all helped out as much as possible.
Christmas morning came and all of us convened at the in-law’s place for breakfast and let the kids open all of their gifts (they usually immediately disperse after this to play with their new trinkets) and then it was secret Santa time for the adults. My sister-in-law was not in her usual wonderful Christmas spirit and presented me with my gift with her head down (she almost looked as if she was going to cry). I thanked her sincerely for whatever this was that I was about to open. I opened the gift which was a plain green binder you can purchase from any dollar store. When I opened it, the first page was entitled, “The Sisters-In-Law Famous Cookbook” and it also read, “from my kitchen to yours…I have scoured my cookbooks and recipes for a collection of foods that I have wanted to try or thought you would enjoy most. I would love it if when you make them, we could get together and share them so that I might know what they’re like.” Every page had been typed out by her, chosen by her and protected in plastic film sheets. All of this work for ME. It was the most beautiful gift I had ever received (and still up to this day). She poured her love into that book because that was what she had to give. My eyes swelled up (and are as I type this) and I went to her, hugged her and said the truth, “This is the best Christmas, ever. I love it. And I love you. Thank you so much.”
Yes we did share 🙂
Needless to say, I have always been and always will be a huge fan of handmade gifts!
I love this, going to make loads to sell to raise money for our local brownies and rainbows 🙂
That is a GREAT idea! My mother-in-law helps with the 8-11 year old girls at church and they made them to give to their mom’s for Christmas. You could totally have your girls help in the effort!
Love this!
I’d love to get a kitchenaid mixer!