More Shoestring Budget Gifts

Not everyone wants to make soap or oil and vinegar and that’s ok. There are other gifts that are meaningful and excellent quality gifts to make. Everyone loves homemade bread. You can make it in either large or small loaves. Nor is it as difficult as you might think. I use a simple white bread recipe and add to it.

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour (not self-rising)
• 2 Tbs. shortening, melted and cooled (yes, you can use butter)
• 1 ½ tsp. yeast (or one packet)
• 1 C hot water
• 2 Tbs. sugar (brown or white…brown is sweeter)
• 1 tsp. salt

Dissolve the yeast in the cup of water; I also add the sugar to it. Add the salt and the melted shortening after the sugar and yeast dissolve. (About a minute) Pour into large mixing bowl.

Add 2 cups flour and stir until your flour binds together in a ball. If it is sticky, (as in sticking to the spoon in glumps.) add the last ½ cup slowly until you can pick it up without it sticking to your hand.

Now you can have some fun! Put every bit of anger and frustration you feel into beating up the dough. Punch it, slap it, stretch it, and strangle it if you want. It is impossible to overwork bread dough. (Here’s a secret, making bread is the best cure for everyday anxiety I have ever found!)

Now, lightly oil your dough. I spray mine with cooking spray. Put it back in the bowl, cover it with a dishtowel, and let rise in a warm spot. (If your living space is cool and you have a light over your stove, turn on the light and put the dough underneath it. It will rise. Otherwise, turn your oven to 200 degrees; place a pan of water on the bottom rack and the bread on the top rack. Let rise for about an hour.)

After your dough rises, punch it down. Your goal here is to get rid of all the air bubbles in the dough so work with it as much as you want.

If you are making several small loaves, separate the dough into small balls and shape them to the pan. Otherwise, shape your dough to a bread pan and let rise again. This usually takes about 45 minutes.

Set your oven to 375 degrees and bake for 30 to 45 minutes. If the top of your loaves or loaf is brown and hard, it’s done. Cover your bread with a towel while it cools and it will soften.

After your dough has risen the first time, you can other ingredients like, cheese, onion, chives, or any dry ingredient. Wet ingredients need to be in the beginning. I have made cheese bread with this recipe and it is delicious. Just remember to cut your sugar back to     1 ½ teaspoons to balance the flavor.

You may want to buy gluten free flour if you are not sure about the gluten tolerance of the gift recipient. Add the bread to a basket and include a tub of butter, or cheese spread, or even sandwich meats if you want. Tie a bow around it and you have an excellent gift for your friends and family. Trust me, they will ask for seconds!

Another easy gift to make is potholders. Simply purchase quilted material, cut two even squares, and put them batting to batting and sew them together around the edges. Add some decorative cording or ribbon around the edges and finish off by making a loop in one corner. This is super easy! A little material, a couple of straight pins, and some thread and a needle are all you need for a truly beautiful gift.

Making table napkins and placemats is not difficult either. Purchase quilted material and linen or cotton material to match. Quilted material comes in both single face and double face. (Single face has exposed batting on the back.) A yard of quilted material will make 4 placemats. (If using double faced quilted material, you don’t need to sew a cover on it, simply sew the sides closed.)

For 12”x18” placemats (standard size)

• Measure 14”x20” quilted material and linen together and cut
• Pin the materials together, front to front, and draw your shape on the batting of the quilted material
• Adjust your pins to secure the shape you want
• Sew around the edges of your mat leaving about a an inch at the end to turn it right side out
• Finish off last inch of open seam and add ribbon or cording as you like

For the Napkins:

• Measure 15”x15” square
• Turn half inch under and press with an iron to flatten edges
• Fold over the other half inch and sew a hem stitch around the edges

You have just made a table setting for a gift! Easy, wasn’t it?

Making a set of 4 placemats and napkins will cost around twenty dollars, depending on the material you use. I purchased a yard and a half of double-faced quilted material for ten dollars a yard, a quilting square of common fabric, and a spool of thread.

I do not sew or cut material well. Often, my seams and cuts veer off to the right quite dramatically. I found I could make a nice placemat with my level of skill. Remember is to use a dressmaker’s pencil, chalk, or pen and draw your outline before you cut. After you pin your edges down you can use the same line as a sewing guide. I made my placemat in a couple of hours and sewing by hand.

One last thing, use sharp scissors! Dull scissors cause jagged lines when you’re cutting and they are no fun at all to work with.