Make It Monday Week 3: Tea Cosies, Dishcloths & Pantry Wins for a Handmade Christmas

One of my favourite things about the Handmade Christmas Challenge is how plans naturally evolve as the weeks roll on. Week 3 of Make It Monday was a beautiful mix of crafting, preserving, and a little bit of bartering – the kind of gentle progress that makes handmade gifting feel joyful rather than rushed.

It all started with a simple question from my friend Wendy: “Could you make me a tea cosy?” Of course I could. I worked up a sample first, and as luck would have it, it fit her teapot perfectly. That’s always a good feeling. I then used some of Wendy’s own yarn to make a second tea cosy in deeper green tones that will suit her kitchen beautifully.

Rather than money changing hands, we traded – the finished tea cosy for some pretty yarn Wendy knew she wouldn’t use. Even better? I already have a plan for that yarn. Handmade Christmas win all round.

​Once I was in tea cosy mode, I kept going. I pulled out the prettiest soft pink cotton and made another cosy, this time adding crocheted flowers and little leaves for extra charm. I finished it off with one of my favourite wooden buttons, and honestly, I just love how it turned out and I know who it is going to, and I know she will just love it too (and no photo, but I'll a photo after it's been sent).

There was a bit of cotton left over, so I crocheted a matching dishcloth. I’m a big fan of pairing gifts like this – a main handmade item with a small, useful extra makes the gift feel thoughtful and complete.

Dishcloths became the go-to “sitting activity” this week. Joy had gifted me some gorgeous cotton yarns, and I’ve been slowly working my way through them. I found a new crochet dishcloth pattern and adapted it to suit my crochet ability (because that’s how real-life crafting works).

Once I had the rhythm, I kept going:
• Five dishcloths finished in one run
• Three more made as a gift for a friend, two in burnt orange and one in a softer orange shade. They aren’t colours I’d usually choose, but as it turned out, I had the perfect yarn in my stash. That’s the magic of using what you already have.

I also started work on the kitchen towels. I have a few to do for the present box, so starting early when I can takes the pressure off. I love the little wooden buttons, they say "handmade with love" and are so cute.

A hanging kitchen towel for the present box.

Handmade Christmas isn’t just crafts; Handmade Christmas also includes the things that fill our pantries and freezers.

This week:
• The vanilla extract that’s steeping got a good shake
• The canning mats and pot holders I’d cut out earlier were sewn and finished
• I used frozen Costco mince to can 7 quart jars of meatballs and 15 pints of mince for the pantry
• A quadruple batch of bolognaise sauce went into the freezer, giving us six easy meals ready to go

These are gifts to our future selves – and they absolutely count.

​I’ve collected a large glass jar ready to start strawberry vinegar. I’m hoping strawberries come down in price soon so I can get it underway. I already have some beautiful 500 ml dark amber bottles ready for decanting and gifting when it’s done.

And a timely reminder from Wendy: it’s time to set up my MBGS book so I can track what I actually make this year compared to what I planned. Keeping a simple record helps me stay motivated and realistic – and it’s incredibly satisfying to see progress in black and white as well as in the present box.

110 meatballs ready to go into the oven to bake before pressure canning

15 pints mince and 6 jars meatballs ready for the pantry shelf (we ate 1 jar of meatballs!)

​That’s Make It Monday Week 3 done and dusted – steady, satisfying, and very on brand for a calmer Handmade Christmas.

How are you going with your gifts?

What have you made this week?

Jump into the comments and share – your progress might be exactly the encouragement someone else needs today 💕