Sewing Gifts for Grads and Newlyweds

June is a month for celebrations and for honoring happy milestones–graduations and weddings, for example. Both of these transitions often mean that loved ones are furnishing and decorating a new home or apartment without a lot of money, or traveling for job interviews or a honeymoon. As the summer weekend descends, we went back through our Stitch patterns to offer a few suggestions for sewing gifts to make these moments easy, happy, and bright.

From Stitch Winter 2008, the premiere issue, Fabricate author Susan Wasinger‘s Techno Travel Roll is an elegant way to carry all those chargers and electronic devices that keep us connected when we travel. Make it in elegant muted silks, as shown in the photographs at  below, or in black and gray for a modern man’s version.

From Stitch Spring 2010, I love the Wraparound Pot Holder–perfect for dishes that are made to serve a crowd (shown at right). It’s a great gift for newlyweds who love to cook, or a graduate with lots of potluck dinners on the calendar. Again, the fabric you choose for this design, also from Rashida Coleman-Hale, can make it sweet and traditional or bold and contemporary–or anything in between to fit your giftee’s style.

Also from the premiere Winter 2008 issue of Stitch, Rashida Coleman-Hale‘s Hexagon Place Mats & Coasters, inspired by Japanese zakka style, are perfect for a cozy kitchen in a new apartment (shown below right).

The combination of linen and brightly colored cottons looks cheerful and modern, and the hexagon coasters will help new furniture survive many a summer party.

Malka Dubrawsky‘s stellar Tuesday Pillow, our cover project from Stitch Spring 2009, shown left, is a stunning design to keep for many sewn gifts, and has that same bright, contemporary look, and will pop even in a small or dark apartment. And look for Malka’s Fresh Quilting later this year from Interweave!

Happy sewing!