By Julie on December 27th, 2019 This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
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January is a big birthday month for us. My two daughters are exactly 2 years and two apart with both of their birthdays falling at the end of January. So now that we have wrapped up the holiday season, it’s officially birthday season. Thinking of their birthdays reminds me of years past and all of the crazy parties we hosted and party favors I’ve come up with. Usually when my kids come home from birthday party the favors they drag home include a combination of dollar store crap and candy. So, I like to do something different and make something for each kid using my embroidery machine. Here are some of my best party favors to make with an embroidery machine.
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Personalized t-shirts
There are a couple of benefits to embroidering personalized t-shirts for the party attendees. If they all put them on – it’s a lot easier to spot them and count in a public place.
Personalized headbands are a quick and easy party favor to whip out. You can buy pre-made stretch headbands and add a name to those, or you can make them yourselves. And, you can either make them with knit or woven fabrics and personalize them for your party attendees.
The downside of stitching out a name or a design on a pre-made headband is that the back of the design shows on the inside of the headband. Also, those pre-made headbands are a little bit tricky to get on the embroidery hoop if you have a standard, home embroidery machine.
Since my daughters have winter birthdays, we have done some outdoor ice-skating parties. And, for these parties, I’ve given away personalized fleece hats as party favors. I think these are one of the greatest party favors to make with an embroidery machine because the kids can actually use them at the party! And it’s super easy to embroider on fleece.
In fact, embroidering names on 15 hats went rather quickly. In short, I used a regular needle, sticky-back stabilizer and sulky on top and got great results.
One thing unique that I did was I searched the Internet for fonts and found one reminiscent of the old Frosty the Snowman titling. I installed it on my computer and then was able to render out text with this typefaces an embroidery file.
The girls loves the hats. In fact my two crazy girls slept in them for a time. And the rest of the girls seed to be generally enthused about the hats as well.
January is also a great month to buy inexpensive fleece hats at places like Old Navy. I think I bought these white fleece hats for a dollar each and then quickly stitched out all of the girls’ names on them. Once again – since they were all wearing the same hats, it was easy to spot them on the rink.
Personalized spa totes
Years back, when one of my girls had a spa themed slumber party, I came up with the idea to make personalized spa totes for each of the girls. I found some small tote bags with a clear front panel and embroidered the girls names on a small washcloth and put it inside. I made sure that the name was visible through the front panel of the tote. Then I found it filled the tote with other spy related items like nail polish, bath falls, body wash, etc. which you can usually find in the one dollar to three dollars special area at the front of Target. You can also load in items like nails clipped nail clips brushes etc. from the dollar store.
One word of caution though, letting kids lose with nail polish anywhere in your house is usually not the smartest idea so I would think twice before including that in a party favor. Unless you plan to give them the party five favor as they walk out of the door
Personalized flip flops
If you’re looking for a party favor that also doubles as a party activity consider having the girls decorate some flip-flops. You can buy cheap flip-flops at Old Navy or Walmart for about a dollar. Then get all sorts of ribbons for them to wrap around the straps of the flip-flops. You can pre-make the bows for each of the girls with their initials or name on them to top them off. Then they can do the rest of the work to put them all together.
Not sure how many flip-flops you need and what sizes? Just buy more than what you need in a variety of sizes that you think your clothes and whatever you don’t use just return. Obviously you’ll find the biggest bargains on flip flops at the end of the summer. Stock up then!
Personalized beach towel
Planning a swim party? The most obvious party favor is a personalized beach towel! You can buy beach towels in bulk. But, again, the best bargains can be had at the end of the summer. Just stitch out each of the the kids’ names onto each towel.
Personalized tote bag or draw string backpack
If you can’t find a good deal on the towels, consider a simple drawstring backpack for each of the attendees. You can usually buy them for a couple of dollars each, and they become one of the best party favors to make with an embroidery machine. Just stitch out the kids’ names on the bags, and you’re good to go.
If you really want to tie the party favor in with the theme, consider embroidering them with a design that relates to the party. For example, going go karting? Add a go kart design on the bags with the kids’ names.
My sister one time hosted a scavenger hunt birthday party for her son inspired by “The Amazing Race,” and she gave out personalized drawstring backpacks as the party favor. They were a great party favor because the kids actually had to collect items and store them somewhere during the race while they were riding their bikes. It was a great party by the way!
Personalized socks
I know this may sound like a weird idea, but a lot of kids have birthday parties at these bounce houses. And, most of them don’t allow you to bounce without socks. If you host one of these parties, inevitably you’ll have some kids show up to the party wearing flip-flops or shoes without socks, and then you’ll be forced to buy the kid a pair of socks at the front desk for an exorbitant amount of money.
So plan ahead. Personalize socks for each of the kids and bring them to the bounce place. Distribute the party favor at the location. Then there is absolutely no room for error. And, if you make the socks some weird crazy color, it’ll be easier to spot which kids you’re in charge of.
Personalized ear bud holder
Image supplied by ABC Creations and used with their permission.
Let’s face it. Our kids love their devices. And for every device there is a headphone jack. Kids always need earbuds. In fact, my kids’ schools require that they have them.
How about some personalized button covered ponytail holders? Of course, this may not work if there are kids at the party with short hair. But, if you know that all attendees have long hair, these make an adorable little party favor.
Button ponytail holders are pretty simple and inexpensive to make, but they look super high end. All you need is some scrap fabric and coverable buttons. But before you go buy fabric, consider using up some of your scarps! And – if you are really striving to be that perfect Pinterest mom – make them in colors that match the party theme.
“Hi Julie, I’m not new to sewing in any way, but brand new to embroidery. I want you to know that your [Master the Machine] course has de-mystified it SOOOO much! You are a clear, concise teacher who does an outstanding job in demonstrating and explaining. Plus, the cost of the course was an exceptional deal. Thank you!! I look forward to your Essential Essentials course!”
Personalized headbands are a quick and easy party favor to whip out. You can buy pre-made stretch headbands and add a name to those, or you can make them yourselves. And, you can either make them with knit or woven fabrics and personalize them for your party attendees.
