Image by Kerstin Riemer from Pixabay
The holiday season is upon us. There is no doubt about that. In fact, my husband and I have been seeing holiday items in the stores for weeks, and there have been Hallmark Christmas movies on non-stop for a while now.
Christmas is coming, but I haven’t even STARTED holiday shopping yet. I have one small, insignificant gift for a co-worker (I happened upon it and thought it was cute), but that it’s it.
I remember when I used to make gifts, when I was younger. I would draw pictures, paint pictures, paint ceramics or make my (lame) attempt at sewing something. My kids used to do the same thing. In fact, we still have an ornament that we hang out our tree every year that our daughter painted for my late mother-in-law.
Personally, I think homemade and handmade gifts are better than something you can find at the mall. Why? Because the gift giver clearly put a lot of thought, effort and love into creating something special just for you.
I wish I was a crafty person. I would gladly make gifts for people on my gift list. Sadly, I can’t even sew a button let alone something I could give as a gift.
Whether you are a non-crafter, or an experience crafter, you might be interested in DMC’s Gift of Stitch.
DMC sells all-inclusive kits that help you to create beautiful finished products – ideal for gift giving or for yourself. Best of all, you don’t have to be skilled in how to do it. The kits are great for novices too.
DMC’s kits include;
- Traditional Embroidery Kits
- Cross Stitch Kits
- Knitting Kits
- Crochet Kits
- Punch Needle Kits
- Macramé Kits
- Tapestry Kits
- And kit bundles.
DMC sent me one of their punch embroidery kits to check out for myself. I could have tired one of their other kits, but I suffer from sever Carpal Tunnel in both hands/wrists. I’m a right handed person, so it’s worse in my right hand than my left hand. For the record, I wear a brace on my right hand when using the computer to help my hand/wrist not hurt as bad.
Since I have a hard time doing things with my hands, I thought the punch needle would be much easier for me to create something beautiful compared to doing cross stitch the traditional way.
This is what was included in the kit I received.
To be honest, I have been wanting to try doing punch embroidery. It looks easy (and fun) to do. You literally put the punch needle (pictured above to the right), and push the tip into the fabric and pull it back out. That’s it. There is no in/out movement. It’s much easier for my Carpal Tunnel hands/wrists to do. I’m sure it would be a lot easier for someone who suffers from arthritis or another type of ailment to do.
Check out this brief tutorial on how to use the punch needle.
It looks easy. I also love how it can create a “fuzzy” (for lack of a better description) look. The adorable fox that I selected looks even more cuter “fuzzy.”
The great thing about DMC is that they provide you with so many tutorial videos, as well as an inspiration gallery. Check out their entire video tutorial gallery at @DMCOfficial on YouTube (include the @ in the name when doing a search, or click on the link “videos” above).
I love how the kit even comes with a sweet little gift tag that you can embroider too if you want (it’s pictured above as well). DMC thought of everything with this kit.
Everything is included;
- 3 x 2 m / 2.2 yd skeins Mouliné Spécial® – 100% cotton
- 4 x 8 m / 8.7 yd skeins
- 1 x Percale canvas 100% cotton – 26 x 26 cm
- 1 x 100% cotton fabric – 26 x 26 cm
- 1 x fine punch needle tool
- 1 x 15.7 cm hoop
- 1 x needle
- 1 x instructions EN / FR / SP / DE / IT / PT / NL
- 1 x ribbon
- 1 x gift tag
I’m glad they included everything, including the instructions because I would have no clue what I was doing.
I will admit that I have not started mine – YET. There are multiple reasons why.
I need an iron to make the fabric smooth (right now it has a fold crease in it). YES! I literally do not own an iron. My family and make sure we buy clothing that doesn’t wrinkle, and we hang things up as soon as it comes out of the dryer. So… I need to borrow an iron. My neighbor has one we can borrow, and I asked her twice if I could have it, but she has yet to give it to me. Ugh!
I also have been very busy lately with a multitude of “life” things.
Thankfully I have Christmas break coming up, so I’ll have more than week off from work. If I don’t get the iron by then, I’ll just go pick up a cheap one from Walmart.
I really want to make this fox because I think he is so sweet and adorable. PLUS I want to be able to take pride in something that I made. That way when friends and family come over I can show them what I made with my own two hands without any prior experience.
If you would rather gift someone something that YOU made YOURSELF, check out the variety of kits available at DMC Gift of Stitch.
These kits are also great for anyone interested in learning a new hobby. You can even gift the kits too!
DMC also has A LOT of supplies available if you are into crafts like embroidery, knitting, crochet and more.
To see all that DMC Gift of Stitch has to offer, visit DMC.com/US (make sure to include the US part). To go directly to the Gift of Stitch section click here.
You can also check out the brand on social media. Their links are found on the bottom of their website.
Kimberly
*I received a free product sample to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
