Kirstie Allsopp – Dreaming of a homemade Christmas 11 December, 2009

Hello everyone and welcome to the second instalment of my homemade Christmas blog for mydeco. As part of a Kirstie’s Homemade Homes Christmas special, I returned to Meadow Gate to create a spectacular handcrafted yuletide. In episode one I found the perfect Christmas tree, so Wednesday night’s show was dedicated to crafting some lovely presents to go underneath it.

Image credit: Channel 4

This year I wanted my gifts to be extra special (and an excuse to avoid the high-street), so I decided to call on some more of Devon’s finest craftspeople to prove that creating beautiful, handmade gifts is much easier than you might think. From stocking sewing to soap-making, there are many crafts that can easily mastered from the comfort of your own home. Here are my favourites:

1. Making your own soap:

Image credit: Channel 4

Whenever anybody asks me what I want for Christmas, my answer is always the same – smelly things! I always think it’s good to give presents that you would like to receive, so I was thrilled when Jenny Elesmore invited me to her shop for a lesson in soap-making. Unlike the mind-boggling list of chemicals that goes into big-brand soaps, Jenny uses only five high-quality ingredients to make hers, and you don’t need any fancy equipment: just a whisk, a plastic container and some rubber gloves will do it! Follow the link for a step by step guide to making homemade smellies good enough to eat.

2. Sewing a unique Christmas stocking

Image credit: Channel 4

It’s really important in our house that Father Christmas has something special to greet him as he comes down the chimney, so I jumped at the chance to learn how to make a homemade stocking with Mandy Shaw at Dandelion Designs. This isn’t the easiest of the crafts I’ve learned so far, but with the help of my step by step guide. Even those of you who aren’t masters with a needle should be able to make these quilted Christmas stockings. My visit also inspired Mandy to create some kit’s including everything you need to make a small stocking similar to the one I created. Order yours from the Dandelion Designs website.

3. Making delectable Boxing Day Chutney:

Image credit: Channel 4

A store-bought Christmas hamper always seems like a bit of a clichéd gift (not to mention a pricey one). Compiling your own is a much cheaper alternative, and will really show your loved ones that you’ve put time and effort into their present. No hamper is complete without a good chutney, so I turned to Victoria Cranfield: her Boxing Day Chutney won the Taste of the West Silver Award 2009, and will go really well with all your leftover meats on Christmas day. Best of all, it’s edible straight away – so you can cook it up on Christmas Eve as a last-minute gift. Click here to see Victoria’s recipe.

Watch out for my next blog – I’ll be bringing you the best tips from the final episode of Kirstie’s Homemade Christmas, when all of my preparations come together in the ultimate homemade Christmas party.