DIY Gift Idea

If you’re invited over for a get-together, it’s nice to bring the hostess a gift. Am I right? I mean, you could always just run out and buy something. Right? But, where is the fun in that? You could always buy some flowers, which would be nice. But, consider the possibility that the hostess might just love a homemade gift. After all, in my experience, a homemade gift is better received. A homemade gift shows that you really care because you took the time to make it.  

A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon this DIY project. I ended up making this project for a beautiful and talented colleague who was leaving our employer. My friend loved the gift and I believe every hostess would love this special gift. These special fortune cookies are certain to get you invited back to your hostesses’ home. In fact, I can see these being used at weddings, showers, in holiday gift bags, and for any occasion where you need an inexpensive, but handmade and unique gift. And you can make them in medium to large quantities.

Do-it-yourself gifts are often not only more fun and possibly less expensive to give, they are much more appreciated by a lot of people. Once you see how fun and easy these are to make, you will think of lots of opportunities to give them away. The best part about these lovely little fabric fortune cookies is that you don’t need a sewing machine. That’s right. These fortune cookies are made by using iron on adhesive. It’s a fun way to let the kids be involved in crafting, too. Think of all the fun you could have with the special note or “fortune” you put inside. You could create a love note, send one to a friend, create party favors, reveal you are pregnant, or use it in your business as a thank you. The list could go on.

To make this project you will need the following materials:

1. Fabric squares or use scraps of leftover fabric (for my project, I picked 4 different colors of fabrics)
2. Fusible fleece (I also purchased a yard of iron on fabric backing adhesive)
3. Fabric marker
4. Circle pattern – approx. 4-5 inches in diameter
5. Fabric scissors
6. Wire (the wire you use should be relatively thick, if it is too thin it won’t work)
7. Wire cutter (don’t ruin your scissors, use a wire cutter)
8. Iron and ironing board
9. “Fortune” strips

Now, let’s make some no-sew fortune cookies (NOTE: click the image to enlarge):

1. Cut your fabric into 4 1/2 inch squares.

2. You will pair two fabrics together. I paired the fabric into contrasting colors.

3. Cut a piece of the wire slightly shorter than the diameter of the circle you’ll be using.  (I used a standard 15 oz. size food can to trace my circles.)

4. Then sandwich a piece of fusible webbing between the two colors of fabric (right-sides out). 
5. Center the wire in the middle between the webbing and the two fabric squares.

6. Iron. By ironing, you’ll be fusing the fabric and wire together. (Every brand of backing is a little bit different. Make sure you follow the directions that are specific to your particular brand of backing.) 
7. Allow to cool and/or dry for 10-15 minutes.
8. Using something round, trace a circle.

12. Next, get out your scissors! It may seem a bit tedious to cut out all of your circles, but if you have a crafting buddy, the time will fly by.
13. Now comes the fun part. Time to write your fortunes. Make your fortunes specific to the person the fabric fortune cookies are for. You can find ideas for fortunes all over the internet.
14. Type your fortunes and print them out for a more authentic fortune cookie appearance. (But, a handwritten fortune would be quite special, as well!) Place the fortune inside the circle. 
15. Fold the circle in half and then bring the ends of the wire together to make a fortune cookie shape. The wire will hold the cookie in place. There you have it… a fabric fortune cookie!
16. Package them up however you would like and deliver! There are several creative ways to package these. You could place the fabric fortune cookies in a standard white Chinese food takeout box. (They can be found at craft shops, gourmet food shops, or restaurant supply stores.)

Nothing says good fortune like a tasty fortune cookie.  But these fortune cookies are low calorie.  In fact, they are zero calories, because they are made of fabric. Best of all, these no sew fortune cookies can be used again and again to bring smiles.