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If you're like me, you probably like to make gifts for friends and family for the holidays. Last year most of the gifts I gave for Christmas were made by me. I have several friends that sew though, and was stumped about what to give them, when I know they could make the same things for themselves. This year, I've compiled a list of some really great gift ideas for "the girl who sews everything." I also thought it might be helpful for you to share with your friends and family who might be wondering what to get you! I also have a surprise, so keep reading!

In no particular order...

Adult coloring books are really trendy right now, and lucky for us: many fabric designers are coming out with their own coloring books! Connecting Threads has a whole section of coloring books, so you can add them to your thread order to save on shipping!

Bag of the Month Club 2016 - I joined last year and it was a blast! Why not gift a membership to a friend and sew each month's bag side by side? Right now, the website is locked until December 1st, but you can sign up to the newsletter to be the first to hear about it when registration opens. The gist of the club is that there are 6 different pattern designers, taking turns releasing a unique pattern from January to June. So by July, you'll have 6 new patterns (and depending how fast you sew, at least 6 new bags). There's an early bird discount too! Update: the website is now live! https://www.bagomc.com/

Fabric bundles! It's so fun getting surprise fabric! Many shops, like Fabric Spark, offer monthly designer bundles, and also beautiful assorted bundles.

Bag Bling! Often those extra finishing touches make our projects look much more professional. Emmaline Bags has the best quality hardware I've ever used. Any bling from there will be treasured.

If your friend loves coffee almost as much as sewing, they'll love this special sewing mug! Connecting Threads has several quilty gift ideas to check out.

I love my Thread Cutterz ring so much! I wrote a post about them here if you want to read more about them. I think they'd make a great stocking stuffer!

Show the world you're crafty! I have several of these Swoon shirts, and wear them with pride.

These thread sets from Connecting Threads are fabulous! I bet they'd even make adorable ornaments in a Christmas tree!

Stuff her stocking with little extras, like packages of piping. It's nice to have a variety on hand. Sitka Fabrics has a great assortment of colours at a great price.

Not sure which fabric to pick for her? Many shops, like Funky Monkey Fabrics, offer gift certificates.

An embroidery kit is a nice change of pace for sewists, and Flare Fabrics has several to choose from. This owl one is my favourite.

Sometimes it's fun to just pick up a project and not have to think too much about it, like having the fabric  already picked for you. Craftsy offers dozens of sewing project kits which include a pattern and all the fabric needed for the project. You usually just need to add any interfacing and/or hardware. Check out the big selection of bags and other projects. SURPRISE! I'm giving away this Noodlehead Envelope Clutch Kit!! See below to enter.

Update: Thanks to everyone who entered; the giveaway is now over.

Make your own kit! How about a paper pattern, like these from Swoon, plus all the materials needed, including interfacing, stabilizer, fabric and hardware. You could even go one step further and cut out the interfacing so your friend is really treated and just gets to sew and skip the worst part. I wouldn't suggest cutting the fabric though - I take my pattern placement very seriously ;)

A reliablefabric marker always comes in handy. Read more about fabric marker selection in this post.

I love digital patterns, so of course I need to include them in this list. Surprise your friend with a fun new PDF, like this Sew Sweetness Crimson and Clover Train Case pattern.

Finally, make her something! The gifts I've received made by fellow sewing friends are so treasured. As a maker myself, I know all the love that goes into it. This new Maker Tote from Noodlehead would be the perfect gift for a crafty friend.

What's on your wish list?
p.s. Don't forget to share this post with your friends and family so they know what to get you this year!

Check out the Rafflecopter below to enter to win the Noodlehead Envelope Clutch Craftsy Kit. Open to US and Canadian residents.

Once again, I'm amazed at all the awesomeness out there! Thank you so much to everyone who joined us in the Iris Sewalong. If you want a recap, check this post with links to each day and pattern (plus discount).

I always have a hard time choosing a winner, so I asked my friend Crystal of Cloth Albatross to pick a random winner for me. I'll show you the winner in a minute, but first, I'll share a few other finished beauties:

I love the variety of bags from the same pattern! If you want to see more, check #HappyOkapiBlueCallaSAL on Instagram.

Brinkley used those adorable Cotton + Steel sloths! I love the antique brass rings too!

Thank you so much to Blue Calla and Funky Monkey Fabrics for the great prize!

What did you think of the Sewalong? My next one will be a bit different, so stay tuned!

Look at this fancy badge I get for my site! I'm so excited about this and have been keeping it a secret until now, but I have an article in Issue 9 of One Thimble Digital Sewing Magazine!!!! I joined the blog tour for the last issue and loved it so much that I really wanted to be a part of it.

My article is an interview with some of my favourite designers: Janelle of Emmaline, Alicia of Swoon, and Samantha (Mrs. H).

I really hope you'll grab a copy and read it. I loved getting to know the designers better and I know you will too! This issue is jam-packed with goodies! It includes 14 PDF patterns!!

There are some really exciting patterns I can't wait to try! I love the variety. Here are some that will make it to my "must-do-now" list:

The Statement Clutch by Two Pretty Poppets looks like such a fun sew! I love a good purse pattern (as I'm sure you already knew)! I've yet to try one of her patterns, so I'm looking forward to this one. I also have a few turn locks that this would be perfect for.

There's also a pair of Free Motion Applique patterns I'd love to try - I haven't tried this new technique yet, and I'm itching to give it a go.

In addition to all the patterns, the issue is loaded with articles on techniques and tips, plus other project ideas.

Go get yourself a copy! It would also make a lovely gift for a sewing friend. I'd love to hear what you think of my article; after you read it, come back and leave a comment.

When I first dreamed up this post, I decided I would find the ONE marker that would do it all. So I set out looking at all the different markers out there. I use my markers mostly for tracing my pattern pieces onto my fabric, but I also use them for marking my centres and placements of straps, plus various other (often temporary) marks I need to make. I looked at what I already used and liked. I also looked at what I did and didn't like about the ones I already used.  I was thrilled when Nulagh from Stitch in the Ditch offered to send me her best selling markers to include in my review!

I love the Pilot Frixion Colors markers! They have a felt tip and I find they write equally well on fleece, foam and cotton. They erase with a quick iron. The downsides are that I find they dry up really quickly, and they don't erase properly on all fabrics, sometimes leaving behind a white line - yikes! I also use Paper Mate Replay erasable pen, and it writes really well on foam, cotton, and interfacing, but not so great on fleece, as the fine point seems to snag and catch on the fleece. This pen also vanishes with heat, but the white line from the Frixion markers has me leery of heat erasable pens.

I've also tried air erasable markers, and I found they vanished too quickly, or not quickly enough, and they dried out quickly too. I just didn't like the inconsistency and overall unreliability of them.

Nulagh from Stitch in the Ditch sent me: Clover Chaco Liner Pen in yellow, Fons & Porter Fabric Mechanical Pencil, and the Clover White Marking pen. I also picked up a Hera Marker from my local quilt shop. Did you know that a Hera Marker isn't a marker at all? I didn't...and after I couldn't figure out why it wasn't marking anything I spent some time online and discovered it really just makes creases, which makes a lot more sense. I know, you're probably laughing at me, and that's ok, because I laughed at myself too. The package it came in said it leaves a light mark that "vanishes with a quick iron" so maybe you can understand where my confusion came from. Anyway, I tried it and I think it's probably more suitable for quilting and marking quilting lines, but I found in bag making, that the creases or "marks" didn't stay on long on enough through all the handling and I would have to remark my spot or line.

I tried them all out for over a one month period while sewing mostly bags. I wanted to see how they are in a real setting. I thought about setting up sample strips of fabrics and seeing how the marks would hold up, but I thought it would be better if I just started using them, and that way I'd truly see what I liked.

I was skeptical about this one - it seemed kind of like a gimmick to me. I must admit though, I liked it right away! Because the chalk sits on top of the fabric, the yellow works on dark fabrics really well, unlike a yellow marker, which wouldn't be seen at all. The applicator has a small wheel at the tip to dispense the powdered chalk, so it writes really well on fleece and foam. The yellow shows up on the lighter coloured fabrics as well, making it pretty well rounded in terms of fabric colour. I did find it sometimes hard to get all the chalk off though, so I'm not sure I'd trust it to mark lines in places of my fabric that will be seen on the finished project.  After a month of using it, it's still going strong too, which is more than I can say for my Frixion markers. You can also get refills, making it an affordable option instead of buying a whole new pen all over again.

This pencil surprised me the most! I wasn't expecting to like it and was surprised Nulagh said this one of her best selling markers. It shows up so well though! It writes nicely on fabric, and even vinyl. It actually erases too! The pencil has an eraser at the other end, and you can use it to erase lines you don't need anymore. I expected the eraser to make my fabric loosen its weave, or not erase fully, but it left no trace! The lead in my pencil is white, but you can also get a dark lead for it, which would work on light fabrics. After using this one, I'm thinking I will order one just to have for both light and dark fabrics. I never tried it on my interfacings or stabilizers, because the white wouldn't show up anyway. I would definitely trust this marker for areas that will be visible on a finished project. In addition to erasing, you can wash out the marks. The pencil comes with 10 leads, and in the month I used it, I haven't had to replace the lead yet, so even though this pencil seems pricier than other markers, I think it has a high value.

Okay, I'm not even sure how to be diplomatic about this one. "It's not you, it's me" "Can we still be friends?" or "I'm seeing someone else" all come to mind. I tried and tried and tried to like this pen, but I just couldn't. I tried it on dark fabric and I could see that the ink was coming out: it looked like it was leaving a wet line, so I could see the line momentarily, but then it dried, and poof...nothing! I tried scribbling on some scraps, waited a bit, still nothing. I did note the next day that I could see the lines I had scribbled on my scraps - nice fine white lines! Soooo, if you have time to wait the next day for your lines to show up, then this is the marker for you! I really wondered about this, and it bugged me, so back to the internet I went. I discovered I am not the only one with this problem. I will say however, that for every person who hated this pen, was someone else who seemed to love it, although I'm not sure why.

Well, I've discovered that, for me, there isn't one marker that does it all. I also discovered that I'm alright with that.  Once I got used to the markers, I knew which one to grab for each occasion, so I didn't have to waste any time trying the wrong one first. I will say I use the Chaco Liner the most for tracing, but the other 2 I use for accuracy or smoother lines. Now I keep my PaperMate, my Chaco Liner, and my Fons & Porter all within reach. Here's a little chart I made of my results:

Special thanks to Stitch in the Ditch for sending me these to try out and share my experiences with you all. Check out their online shop. The markers I reviewed are on sale right now, and a little birdie told me there's another sale right around the corner!

As I was set to announce the winner of the Elixir Fat Quarter Bundle, I realized I haven't announced the winners of some other contests I've been a part of.

Back in August I challenged my readers to send in cheerful pillowcases to Ryan's Case for Smiles. As added incentive, my sponsor Fabric Spark offered up a prize of a pillowcase kit; each pillowcase sent in counted as one entry. Read more about the cause, and see my easy tutorial here: http://www.happyokapi.ca/blog/ryans-case-for-smiles-pillowcase-tutorial-kit-giveaway-and-challenge
Celine sent some pillowcases in right away, and also happened to be the random winner of a Tula Pink Pillowcase Kit from Fabric Spark. Thank you to everyone who sent in pillowcases! They were appreciated so very much. Pillowcases are accepted year round; right now there is a need for holiday themed pillowcases, as Ryan's Case for Smiles gears up for hospital stays over Christmastime. Please see my original post for more information about how you can help. You can also still purchase Pillowcase Kits from Fabric Spark!

The sewalong actually took place over at Mrs H's blog, and I hope you had a chance to check it out. The bags everyone came up with were simply amazing! Thank you to everyone who sent me pictures of your completed bags, or posted them on Instagram. Check out the winners: http://handmadebymrsh.blogspot.ca/2015/10/companion-carpet-bag-sew-along-winners.html

I really enjoyed reading all the comments about how everyone would use the bundle if they won. Of course many people said bags, but some mentioned pillows, or even a quilt! Congratulations to Marsha L! I'd love to see what you come up with. Thank you very much to my sponsor Stay Home Fabrics for offering up such a great prize!

Didn't win this time? There's one more contest going on right now that is finishing soon: The Blue Calla Iris Sewalong! Check out this post for all the details, including a discount and how to participate.

I'm also working on another giveaway happening very soon, so stay tuned for that!