Nothing can beat a handmade gift. I can remember staying up late with my mom to help her finish binding some of her many gifts that needed giving the next day. Sometimes we got them finished in time...other times we didn't! The people we were giving them to though were usually so excited to get a handmade gift that they didn't care it came late.

Over the years I've found a bunch of small quilting projects that make great gifts. As much as you may want to gift all of your friends and family members beautiful bed-sized quilts this holiday, quilting takes a lot of time (and money!). Here is a list I've compiled of some quick projects that you can whip up in a hurry so your beautiful handmade labor of loves can be gifted on time. Better yet, many of these projects can be created right from your stash.

Quilted Pillow

I absolutely love the texture of a quilted pillow. It's so nice to snuggle up with on a couch and can double as a cute accent, making them great gifts.

For this polar bear pillow, I made a removeable envelope pillow cover. This allows the cover to be washed AND you can swap out the covers as the seasons change. If you need the pillow done in a hurry (or if you just fall in love with one), simplify this gift by using a panel for the front.

Have a lot of scraps? Try making your own pillow form by sewing together a bit of muslin and stuffing it with cut up bits of extra batting/fabric.

I just kind of wing mine when I make them depending on the fabric I have available and the size I want it to be but if you want an official tutorial, Suzy Quilts has a fabulous free one here.

Quilted Coasters

Easy, practical, scrap-buster. Need I say more? There's nothing not to love about quilted coasters. It took me less than ten minutes to make one of these adorable winter animal coasters. You don't need much material, you can just hunt through your scrap bin that I know is overflowing just like mine. Each coaster only uses two 5" squares of fabric and a 5" square of batting.

Check out my FREE and quick tutorial here.

Reusable Make-Up Wipes

Okay, so this one isn't technically "quilted" but you can use up a bunch of your quilt scraps for this gem. They are a win-win-win: they are quick to make, use up scraps, and are eco-friendly! I've completely converted to these reusable wipes. They feel so soft on my face, wash up nicely, and keep me from buying disposables.

Check out my super simple and FREE tutorial on how to make them here.

Quilted Cosmetic Bags

Show off the versatility of quilting with a modern cosmetic bag. These bags are good for storing more than just make-up: I have friends that love to keep their essential oils in bags like these, others use them to keep larger bags organized. You really can't go wrong with this practical gift. Not one of the fastest gifts on this list, you can still make one of these in 1-3 hours (depending on how fast you sew or distracted you get if you're like me).

There are loads of free tutorials out there for quilted cosmetic bags. Personally, I like to box my corners to give them a little bit more dimension.

Want to make a scrappy bag? Check out this tutorial by Quilting in the Rain.

The Spring Star - Throw Size Quilt

If you do want to make an actual quilt for someone, consider a throw size. They are a lot less work than trying to make one to fit a bed and are small enough to be very manageable on a standard machine. Try to find a quick, easy pattern so you're not stressing yourself out over a complicated quilt.

The Spring Star pattern is a great one for gifting. It's a universal pattern that can look super modern, vintage, or traditional which makes it easily adaptable for different styles and tastes. The pattern uses only squares and half-square-triangles and are large enough to keep the piecing speedy.

You can grab a copy of this pattern in my shop! The pattern comes with instructions for two different color variations as well as instructions for a baby blanket.

If you do want to send your top in to be long-arm quilted, just remember that around the holiday's, long-arm quilters tend to get backed up so plan plenty of time to get it back to be bound.

I hope this helps you make some extra special gifts! I know I'm starting to get busy making some of these for Christmas this year.

What are your favorite quilted gifts to give?