5 tips for Gifting Handmade

“That's the thing with handmade items. They still have the person's mark on them, and when you hold them, you feel less alone.”
― Aimee Bender, The Color Master: Stories

​If you are a crafter, surely you are tempted whenever gifting time comes around, to gift handmade items. Surely, you have been caught thinking,  "Why spend more money on gifts when I already have all the materials I need to make my gifts." "Why face the hustle and bustle of shopping centers when I can peacefully create beautiful items from the comfort of my own craft room?"

This was the first washcloth I crocheted as a gift for my sister who was coming to visit. She said she would use it as a doily to put under her plants.

Then you remember why. Because it is very probable that the gift recipient will not value the time and effort you put into their gift. It is very common to find that people believe that hand-made gifts are second rated; that they can never meet the standards of commercially made products. For alot of people, if it isn't for sale in a major store - it is out of style or unattractive. Craftmanship is generally not valued anymore.
​
So... Mother's Day is around the corner in the US... should you gift hand-made or not? How can you determine who is worthy of your hand-made items and who is not?

This shawl was made as a gift but had been requested by the recipient who had also chosen the yarn before hand. Though it has not yet been gifted, I am sure it will be much appreciated! (Pattern is the Jessica Shawl, a free pattern found at bobwilson123.com)

I find it more difficult to gift handmade to the men in my life. My husband collects paintings, so when I took up wool painting, I decided to paint a picture of a lighthouse scene as his Christmas gift. We had recently been to Maine to visit a few lighthouses, but I was still very unsure how he would receive my amateur artwork. He liked it a lot and hung it on the center wall of our living room.

My five tips for gifting handmade are:
1) Never gift handmade to a new acquaintance. You need to throw out feelers first about how people perceive handmade. You need to know a little about a person and their preferences before gifting your art.
2) Listen in on those conversations that frequently occur around holiday time about gifts that have been received. You will soon discover who around you appreciates their gifts and who has nothing but horror stories to tell. The latter ones will be harder to please.
3) Show off your handmade items and observe the reactions to your work. You can quickly pick up on expressions of sincere appreciation and/or disinterest.
4) It is almost certain that your handmade item will be appreciated if the recipient has either requested the item or has participated in selecting the materials or colors to be used.
5) You should enjoy your crafting. If you find that making a gift feels cumbersome, this generally means that either you are not enthusiastic about the item you are working on or that you are not motivated to make a gift for this particular person.

​Wishing you all a Happy Mother's Day and lots of happy crafting!