9 Craft Books to Up Your Gift-Giving Game This Season

The embroidery included in this guide is inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement that began in the 19th century. Noriko Livingstone stays true to the style. 

This book offers patterns for those looking to freshen up their embroidery skills and create beautiful pieces. 

It also includes suggestions for how to use these designs, making it a great skill to share as a gift. You can embroider on so many different things! 

For the bibliophiles on your shopping list, Kanlin Butler’s Bookish Crafts is your go-to stop. It is filled with bookmark tutorials, as well as ways to liven up a book cover. 

There’s even an idea for a book bouquet!? You’ll be covered when it comes to gifting for any book lover. You’ll probably end up wanting to make some bookmarks for yourself while you’re at it. 

For that person in your life who loves quirky things, look no further than Shitty Craft Club by Sam Reece. If your inner perfectionist tells you that handmade gifts are outside your expertise, this is the book for you. 

Your loved ones will understand the effort, love, and pizzazz that goes into making something like a corndle. It’s a candle, and it looks like corn! Get comfortable with your hot glue gun and settle in for some imperfect craft sessions.

This crafting guide will have you ready to make gifts for everyone on your list! It has over 100 crafts to keep you occupied. They cover a wide array of materials, skills, and needs. 

You could make woven pouches, hair bows from scrap fabric, accordion books, potholders, and even cloth gift wrap. Hello! You could make handmade gift wrap for your handmade gift. 

The other beautiful aspect of this book is that the materials are very accessible. You don’t need the latest and greatest tools, and the instructions encourage thriftiness. This book is a must if you plan on making gifts this year. 

If you know someone who loves Spooky Season year-round, this book has all the crafts you’ll need! Maybe they’d enjoy a barbed wire frame. Maybe they’d enjoy a spider teacup, or a cup made of teeth. 

Everyone has their quirks, right? With over 60 creepy crafts, this book doesn’t disappoint. It’s a wonderful resource for giving anyone who loves the macabre the gift of their nightmares.

If you feel anxious about trying embroidery, or any craft for that matter, start with punch needle embroidery. This is a simple technique that requires few tools. The book by Juliette Michelet provides all the answers you need. 

It includes instructions for a number of darling cushion designs, earrings, a rug, planter tags, and so much more. For those who are on the fence about fiber arts, this is fabulous for beginners. 

Speaking of punch needling, Mindful Making includes that craft, too. This activity is mixed with a variety of easy-to-enter crafts, such as slow stitching or block printing. There are 35 projects to choose from, sorted into practical categories. 

In fact, there’s a chapter of projects just for gift-giving, and one that covers gifts for kids. It’s easy to see how many of these crafts could make a thoughtful gift, however. 

Author and crafter Clare Young focuses on the mindfulness that comes from working with our hands. When we do so for those we love, isn’t that a gift in itself? 

Crochet lovers, to the front! If you have amigurumi skills, or can simply crochet in the round, you can make a doll. These dolls are cozy and have the cutest little outfits. They would make the perfect kids’ gift, or even a nostalgic gift for a friend. 

The author gets directly to the point. After a brief introduction, the materials and techniques are shared, and then it’s on to the crochet patterns! Create the perfect doll for this gift-giving season with Lulu’s Crochet Dolls. 

Paper is such a versatile material, yet we often overlook it in favor of something else. Helen Hiebert offers us a book with so many options that it’s hard to know where to start! You can use paper to make folded gift boxes, pop-up cards, and envelopes. 

What a treasure for the holiday season! Your loved ones will know how much you care from the effort put into just packaging their gift. 

Other examples of projects to make include lanterns, different types of mini books, and origami. If you love paper, this book will make you a star at the holiday party.