Pajamas and bathrobes are worn every night by happy campers who will not tear at the seams and demoralize you with questions like, “Does my ass look fat in this?” If all you know is that their favorite color is “blue,” you can make them dream-worthy nightclothes of satin, flannel, silk, and soft cotton. A silky nightshirt is a luxury not soon forgotten.

Now that only the very wealthy can afford to turn their heat on, blankets are going to be more prized than ever. The materials home sewers can buy today are so plush: minky with a flannel back, fake fur or suede with a flannel back, polar fleece with a ... you get the idea. You don’t need a pattern: just cut two pieces the same size and stitch them together. Put a cozy trim around the edge and you’ll have a blankie so righteous it will inspire thumb sucking. You can make one of these in a couple of hours, and your darling daughter/son/lover/best mate will be besotted with it for the rest of their lives.

But what about the daytime? Is there any surefire gift you can sew that your recipient is guaranteed to wear outside, in view of an admiring public? There are two areas where you cannot go wrong: cold weather and babies.

Hats, as long as they are simple, like a watch cap or beret — or better yet, a crown — are always a hit.

Illustration by Melinda Beck

Five-fingered gloves are a pain to sew — that’s why they’re so expensive to buy, because constructing those little finger compartments is not for the faint of heart. However, knitted or stretch-wear gauntlets are awesome, and a breeze to make. The forearm-sized tubes stop at the wrist or just before the fingers, sparing you any complexity. Make a thumbhole if you really want to be impressive.

Gauntlets have a special meaning to those who use keyboards in their daily lives. Everyone hates the feeling of a cold, hard keyboard first thing in the morning or on a chilly day. These soft protectors

We like making things
for our beloveds
and watching their
hearts melt.

around your wrists and lower palms turn a Monday hangover into a soft landing.

I’ve saved the most endearing for last: baby
clothes. To be specific, rompers. There will never be
a time when anyone looks better in a romper than
under the age of 18 months — but what a time it is!

First, you can stuff babies into anything, and they don’t even know what’s going on. They look fabulous in every color; they’re stunning in a sack. For half a yard of fabric, you can make snap-up rompers in the most hilarious prints with outlandish buttons and trims, appealing only to their parents’ egos.

The key to romper prep is this: buy snap tape, cotton tape that has embedded snaps every couple of inches, by the yard. You sew the tape onto the legs, and voila, you’re finished.

New parents are insecure, trying to be perfect in a cruel and chaotic world. When you make a romper for their newborn, they unfold the little garment and cry out with delight. The Earth rights its axis, the sun gets a little skip in its step. They will treasure this little original for their children and their great-grandchildren. The babies will wiggle their impossibly tiny fingers and toes with life, stretching your romper to its limits — and you’ll say to yourself, “Now this is what gift giving is all about.” ×

Check out Susie’s extensive resources list at craftzine.com/06/bright.