It’s the season of love!
When I was a teen, I hated Valentine’s Day. I loathed it with a burning passion. It was because I didn’t have a boyfriend, haha! Now I’m married with two kids and I don’t see it as a romantic holiday anymore. I see it as a way to tell people how much I love them and make them feel appreciated. I love Valentine’s Day! And if you do too, I have some gift suggestions for you that you can use Ellie and Mac Patterns to help you create. Let’s go!
First up, I made these scrunchies. This is a free pattern. I love that you can switch them up and do different things with them. You can make them the standard pattern size, or you can adjust the width up or down to get different looks. My 12 year old is a fan of skinny scrunchies, if you cut a strip of fabric that is 2 inches tall instead of 3, you can get a skinnier look. The opposite is true as well, try cutting them 4 or 5 inches tall to get an oversized scrunchie. You can also free hand a bow and tie it around the scrunchie to add a little something extra! This is the perfect scrap buster and can be made with knits or wovens. You can make some specifically to match an outfit, or make basic colors to match lots of outfits. Add that to the fact that these can be whipped in about 10 minutes and this is just the best project!
Next up we have these little snack bags. I have been sewing Ellie and Mac patterns for over two years now and I have never made this bag until recently and let me tell you, I’m mad at myself. This sewed up SO quickly. I made one that is Valentine’s themed, but they are a perfect year round gift, not to mention very practical. I am planning on making some of these to give away with little gifts as prizes at a baby shower. They are great for birthday gifts or even “just because” gifts. It’s these types of little things I like to have on hand to stuff with things like hand sanitizer, prepackaged snacks, or lotion to give away when I need a quick and thoughtful gift. I think these could be very easily adapted to other uses as well. I think by enlarging the rectangles, you could make a very cute and easy slipcover for a book, Kindle, or iPad. 
I also love the little Peek a Bunny Basket. I have made this a few times and for some reason I always struggle with it! It’s not hard though, my brain likes to make things difficult, haha! I do love how this one turned out in the end. It has Valentine’s Day vibes, but could easily be used other times of year. I love how you can certainly customize this for Easter, but could be used for any holiday or basic home decor or organization. It’s also the perfect thing to put some little treats in as an inexpensive gift. I made this with scrap fabric that started out as thrift store bed sheets. These would make the absolute cutest baby gift and it comes in three different sizes. It is a pretty quick make as well…as long as you’re not me and cut the wrong corners before you sew it! There are so many possibilities for these cute little baskets. 
Did you know Ellie and Mac has cut files? I feel like they get overlooked. They are so good! I used this cut file to make this tee shirt and it turned out perfect. Seriously, it’s exactly how I envisioned it. I had this adorable printed vinyl from a local shop and it is *chef’s kiss*. I used the Day to Night pattern for this, the most basic version. I also left off the overlay of the cut file so the printed vinyl could really shine. I always get nervous when I cut into printed vinyl and was especially nervous this time. The shop just closed so I couldn’t go get more if I screwed it up. I’m happy to report it turned out fantastic! And also, life hack, if you make a shirt with a back seam you have an automatic guide for centering your vinyl. You’re welcome.
And friends, this might actually be my favorite, most underrated gift of all. The eye mask. I, like most of you, have seen this on TV and in gift aisles at the store my whole life. I always assumed they were just a boujee little gift that you give someone you don’t know well because it’s cute and fun. People don’t really wear them. I made myself one for fun last year as a scrap buster and now I’m converted FOR LIFE. It turns out that having a simple little sleeping mask that you can make out of scraps, in ten minutes, for free, is cheaper than black out curtains. I have trouble sleeping. I like to wear this any day I sleep in (because on work days I wake up at 5:15 and it’s still way dark outside) and it helps me sleep so much longer. I made one out of quilters cotton so it’s washable, breathable, light, and never bothers my skin. I also like it for headache naps. I get migraines and if you do too, you’ll know that darkness is key to recovery. When I need to lay down in the middle of the day for a migraine, these little eye masks are absolute heaven to block out all the extra light. I bet it would be amazing if you stuck it in the freezer for a few minutes too. Trust me. Make one for yourself, make one for your friends! 
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(Written by: Michelle Eisele)
