50+ DIY Mother's Day Gift Ideas & Crafts | The Polka Dot Chair (2024)

I love to create handmade gifts for Mother’s Day. I have so many wonderful Moms in my life and love to show them how much I appreciate them with a simple gift. Even if you’re short on time, you may find something to make for Mom on this list! If you like this post of 50 DIY Mother’s Craft Ideas, you may also like this post with 15 Mason Jar Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day.

If you’d like to gift your mom something a bit more original than a bouquet of flowers in a nice vase, we’ve got 50+ great suggestions for you.

Mother’s Day seems like it sneaks up on me every year! Some of my favorite things to create are handmade gifts. It seems I’m always scrolling through Pinterest looking for new ideas for gifts to make. I’ve even created a Pinterest board to collect some of the best ideas I find.

To keep things simple for you, I’ve broken the projects down into sections.

What is the best homemade gift for Mother’s Day?

What are some easy things to make for Mother’s Day?

Types of DIY Gifts in this Post

• Things to sew for Mom
• Easy no-sew gift ideas
• Things to craft for Mom – including gifts kids can make almost by themselves
• Photo gifts for Mom

If you’re looking for gifts for kids to make for Mom, then scroll down to the printables or crafts section. I tried to include many projects that are simple enough that they can be made in an afternoon!

If you’ve got the hankering to spend a bit more time making something for Mom, I’ve included a few projects like that too!

More than 50 DIY Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

If you’ve got a hankering to make something special for your Mom this year, I’ve got 50 ideas for you today! They range from simple projects completed in less than an hour to some that require a bit more time but are totally worth it!

Many of the projects are things you can sew for Mom, and a few are fun printables and other crafts that kids can make themselves. I keep this list updated regularly and love to add new DIY projects that I think Mom will LOVE.

Mother’s Day Gifts to Sew

If you love to sew and want to make something for your mom or grandmother for Mother’s Day we’ve rounded up a list of free sewing patterns and project tutorials for items that make great gifts!

1. Cute Things to Sew for the Home

DIY Fabric Storage Boxes

These baskets were designed for sewing storage, but they don’t have to be! You can add labels for Mom’s favorite things or leave the labels off and stitch up the baskets in some of her favorite colors.

Padded Storage Bins

These storage bins are a pattern for purchase in our shop. I actually made a set of these and gifted them to my mom one year for Mother’s day. She uses them as decoration in her bedroom to store items on her dresser.

Round Pot Holder Tutorial

These round pot holders are a great gift for a mom who loves to cook or bake! Tuck your favorite recipe into the pocket to make the gift extra special.

Sewing Machine Mat Tutorial

Perfect for the Mom who loves to Sew or Quilt!

Farmhouse Style Hanging Dishtowel Tutorial

This Farmhouse Style hanging dishtowel is so easy to make. You need a hot pad and a dishtowel. If you’re new to sewing, no worries; this is a beginner-friendly project!

2. Small Bags & Accessories to Sew

How to make a Simple Zip Pouch

A simple zip pouch is one of my favorite “go-to” gifts to sew. This tutorial will walk you through making a zip pouch with a flat bottom step by step.

How to Make a Frame Clutch

This little clutch is soo sweet and just the perfect size to hold Mom’s headphones or spare change.

Bow Front Clutch Sewing Tutorial

I can never get enough zippered pouches. I use them for EVERYTHING! This clutch is pretty enough for Mom to carry by itself, but it is also a great size to throw in a larger bag.

Polka Dot and Leather Fold-Over Clutch Sewing Pattern

The leather is not as hard to sew with as you might think. I walk you through the process in this clutch tutorial.

Seersucker and Leather Fold-Over Clutch

This clutch made from seersucker is perfect for summer!

Monogrammed Leather Zip Pouch Tutorial

Remember what I said about zip pouches above? Yeah, you can never have enough!

Beach Bound Straw Tote Sewing Tutorial

This bag is perfect for summer! I give you tips for sewing with the “straw” fabric in the tutorial!

Sunnies, Sunglasses Case Sewing Tutorial

One of my all-time favorite projects! Help mom stop losing her sunglasses inside of her purse!

Embellished Zippered Pouch Tutorial

“Fancy” up a zippered pouch with a bit of trim!

3. Tote Bags & Larger Accessories to Sew

Retro Travel Bag

A great travel bag for Mom! We have a video to help walk you through the steps of constructing the bag on Riley Blakes YouTube channel.

March Bag – Handbag Pattern

This bag has a fun kangaroo pocket in the front. There’s also a video to help you sew this bag as well!

Laptop Sleeve Sewing Pattern

This laptop sleeve can be easily adjusted to fit any size laptop.

Drawstring Travel Bags

I have these in several sizes and love using them when I travel. The largest size is perfect for a travel laundry bag. One of these bags gifted with a lavender sachet would be so dreamy for mom.

Busy Day Tablet Case

A padded tablet case in 3 sizes. Includes a small zippered pocket for stashing your apple pencil.

Makeup Roll Brush Bag

This is one of those projects that I keep meaning to make for myself! It would come in so handy when I’m traveling!

4. Simple Sewn Gifts for Mom

Chapstick Holder Tutorial

This chapstick holder doubles as a lanyard and keychain!

Easy Peasy Fleece Blanket

This blanket is a great one for kids to help make! They need some supervision to use the scissors and sewing machine but can contribute to the majority of the project.

Lip Gloss Case

Help Mom keep her favorite lip gloss close by with this free sewing pattern. These would also be perfect for travel-size perfume bottles, so Mom can take her favorite scent with her when she’s away.

Free DIY Mother’s Day Printables & Simple Gift Ideas

All of these projects are “no-sew.” Many of these are simple enough that kids can make the gifts for Mom themselves!

Download these “You Bake Me” Happy Gift tags and gift them to mom in some cute potholders you can buy at the store. Throw a few of her favorite baking items in the pocket for good measure!

This silly and punny gift is inexpensive, and kids can help by picking out their favorite color of nail polish. You can find the free printable on our site.

Strawberry Gift Basket

Fill a paper berry basket with some of moms favorite things! We filled ours with candy, but they would also be nice filled with berry-scented candles, scrubs or bath bombs.

DIY Polka Dot Gift Wrap

This DIY gift wrap is so cute and a great way to “fancy up” an otherwise simple gift!

Mother’s Day Mason Jar Craft Ideas (and free printable Happy Mother’s Day cards)

Who doesn’t love a good Mason jar gift? We actually have an entire post dedicated to mason jar gifts for mom! They are so versatile and can be filled with a variety of things like bath salts, soaps, home decor items, or even jewelry!

Soda Gift Idea

Attach a fun tag to mom’s favorite treat! This one says Happy Birthday, but the printable includes ones perfect for Mother’s Day. Use some decorative paper designed for paper crafts and a beautiful ribbon to make this gift extra special.

Free Printable Luggage Tags

This one is a super easy Mother’s Day gift! We all know how the “which one is my black suitcase” thing feels at the airport luggage carousel. Print out one of these luggage tags onto printable fabric, and Mom will never wonder which is her suitcase again!

DIY Mother’s Day Gifts for Moms who Love to Sew

Mason Jar Sewing Kit

Turn the top of a mason jar into a pincushion with this fun DIY!

Fabric Happiness Pillow

Need I say more?? *wink* We have a free SVG file perfect to use with your Cricut machine so you can make this cute pillow. You could also make a tote bag, or t-shirt with the same image.

DIY Embroidery Hoop Sewing Room Organizers

I’m ALWAYS losing my seam ripper! These fun embroidery hoop organizers would help me to keep my stuff in the right place!

Pocket Pincushion Tutorial

This clever pincushion has a pocket for holding your snips!

DIY Gifts Kids Can Make for Mom

Kids love to make handmade gifts for moms on Mother’s Day! From beautiful planters to mugs and more, here are some of our favorite things kids can make as the perfect gift for mom or grandma (with proper supervision, of course!)

Washi Tape Covered Letters (would be a cute monogram for Mom)

This is a super simple craft that kids can easily manage. Let them pick out the washi tape colors that they think mom would like.

Pretty Preppy Bracelets

This one is a great one for kids to tackle themselves (or with minimal help). Turn pretty trims and ribbons into bracelets for Mom!

DIY Seashell Jewelry

If you’re looking for a fun gift for Mom that kids can make themselves, these Seashell Crafts are perfect. Make mom a special seashell ring, bracelet, or necklace. This craft does use hot glue, so adult supervision is always recommended.

They can even personalize the color of the shells with nail polish. The project also includes links to free printable gift tags to hold their creations!

How to Make Felt Flowers

These felt flowers would be suitable for teens or older kids to try, given that you need sharp scissors and hot glue. But they would make a beautiful corsage for mom for Mother’s Day.

DIY Photo Gifts for Mom

Instagram Mini Scrapbook (Printable)

I don’t know about you or your Mom, but I love Instagram! Surprise Mom by printing out some of her Instagram photos and turning them into a little book that she can keep on her nightstand. This tutorial shows you how to make the book.

DIY Instagram Mini Album (purchase the album and add your own photos)

If you want to make a gift for Mom but don’t want to make a scrapbook album, simply print out the photos and put them in a purchased album.

FlipBook Mini Album

This Flip Book Album is a fun take on a traditional photo scrapbook. You can include some of Mom’s favorite photos!

Family Memory Banner

I created this Family Memory banner for Thanksgiving one year, then ended up keeping it up for a long time.

I love it so much. It’s so simple to make, just a clothesline, some index cards, and photos! Get those photos off your phone and print them!!

How to make a Photo Quilt

Use a bit of printable fabric to create this simple quilt for Mom!

Patchwork Photo Pillow Tutorial

Sweet, simple, and easy to make!