Your 2018 Craft Gift Guide

My favorite kind of gift to give, and receive, is a beautiful craft book paired with a thoughtfully chosen supply that can be used to make the projects inside. That’s what this 2018 Craft Gift Guide is all about! I’ve selected my favorite new craft books of the year and hunted down just the right materials to go along with them. If you’ve got a crafty person (kid, teen, or adult) on your list this year, or if you’d like to treat yourself to something fun this holiday season, this list is for you.

Please note that all Amazon and Etsy links in this post are affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase I will get a small percentage at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Mending with Sashiko Stitches

• Make and Mend: Sashiko-Inspired Embroidery Projects to Customize and Repair Textiles and Decorate Your Home by Jessica Marquez +
• Tulip long sashiko needles +
• a sashiko thread pack.

Mending is all the rage this year, especially mending denim with visible stitching. Jessica Marquez has a gorgeous Instagram account full of inspiring examples and her new book shows you how to dive in with both simple and more involved projects. Tulip makes high-quality needles for hand sewing and they come in a little glass vial with a cork top which makes for a gorgeous presentation. A pack of thread completes the set. (An alternative book choice would be Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim & More by Katrina Rodabaugh. For an extra special gift, get both!)

Embroidery

• Mini Hoop Embroideries: Over 60 Little Masterpieces to Stitch and Wear by Sonia Lyne +
• Tulip embroidery needles
• mini embroidery hoop set from Dandelyne

Embroidery has been hot for several years now and there are some really fun embroidery books on the market. Sonia Lyne is the founder of Dandelyne, the company famous for its tiny embroidery hoops. Her new book features dozens of tiny embroidery projects. Cute, fast, and fun! Head over to her Etsy shop and add a pack of mini embroidery hoops to complete this set.

• Hoop Dreams: Modern Hand Embroidery by Cristin Morgan +
• Rainbow pack of size 8 Perle cotton +
• Floss Boss needle minder from Red Gate Stitchery on Etsy

Cristin Morgan brings her bright, modern aesthetic to the age-old craft of embroidery. I love her Instagram feed, Marigold and Mars, and her new book would be a joy to own and stitch from. Pair with a whole rainbow of size 8 Perle cotton and an awesome needle minder and you can’t go wrong!

Hand Lettering

• Lettering and Modern Calligraphy: A Beginner’s Guide published by Paper Peony Press +
• Extraordinary Hand Lettering: Creative Lettering Ideas for Celebrations, Events, Decor & More by Doris Wai +
• Sakura 24-piece Koi brush pen set

2018 was the year of hand lettering and I think this trend is here to stay (I hope so!). A great book to get into the craft is Lettering and Modern Calligraphy: A Beginner’s Guide published by Paper Peony Press. With step-by-step instructions and sample projects, it’s the perfect introduction. For a bit of a deeper dive, add Extraordinary Hand Lettering by Doris Wai. Learn how to work with different kinds of surfaces such as glass, wood, acrylic, and mirror and transform household objects into customized gifts. So much potential here! Several of my podcast guests have recommended the Koi brush pens for hand lettering over the years so I feel confident that these would be a good investment.

Weaving

• Weaving Within Reach by Anne Weil +
• a skein of Cast Away yarn from Knit Collage +
• Beka 20″ frame loom with stand

Anne’s new book, Weaving Within Reach, is perhaps the most beautiful and well thought out craft book I encountered this year. The projects build from simple weaving you can do with cardboard to more advanced projects using a frame loom, and every one is sophisticated. These are handmade items you’ll want to display and wear all the time, and this is a book you’ll want to keep on your coffee table.

Paper

• Handmade Houseplants: Remarkably Realistic Plants You Can Make With Paper by Corrie Beth Hogg +
• ColorBok Smooth Cardstock Paper 12″ x 12″ pad in green promenade +
• X-ACTO knife +
• Fiskars Softgrip scissors

A whole book full of paper houseplants! Super clever, accessible to everyone, and totally unique. The nice thing about making something organic like a houseplant is that even if it comes out a little wonky, it still looks great. And even I can’t kill a paper plant. Pair this book with a pack of cardstock in an assortment of greens, plus a brand new X-ACTO knife and a sharp pair of paper scissors and make any crafter happy.

Shibori

• Stitched Shibori: Technique, Innovation, Pattern, Design by Jane Callender +
• Jacquard Indigo Tie Dye Kit
• 12-pack of flour-sack kitchen towels

Jane Callender has 30 years of experience in indigo shibori and is a well-known teacher and artist. In the third edition of her well-regarded book on the subject (published in 2017), she shares her knowledge with all of us. Learn from a true master! Add an indigo kit and a pack of white flour-sack towels and you’ll have a truly lovely gift for any textile enthusiast.

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Of course, there are more book + craft supply pairings that would make terrific gifts. If you have some to recommend, please let us know in the comments. We could all use some creative gifting inspiration this time of year!