Gifts for dudes, part 1

Like many crafters, I have a hard time making stuff for dudes. Even though all the dudes I know are pretty cool and pretty supportive of ladies in general and crafty activities specifically, I don't know what to make them. I'm a big believer that things should be useful, and I also do not like to make utilitarian gifts that are put on display and never used. That's not why I made it! 

Anyway, I have a number of dudes in my department at work and a couple of dude friends that I needed to make gifts for this year. Here is part one: stitched Moleskine Cahiers notebooks. This project comes from the wonderful Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts. I just used scraps, a paper needle that I reserve for these occasions, and a zig-zag stitch. I didn't press the scraps first, but I really should have. Oh well--next time. 

This is what the inside of the front cover looks like. Kinda cool. The notebooks seem pretty sturdy, so I hope all those holes I poked in them don't compromise the integrity of the cover too much. It probably took me as long or longer to pull the threads to the back and knot and clip them than it did to do the actual stitching. 

Here's a close-up of one of the notebooks. I probably should've stitched much closer to the edges of the fabric scraps--another thing to adjust for next time. 

In addition to the half-dozen books for the boys, I also made some for myself. This is my Dear Jane quilt journal, wherein I document everything about the making of my Dear Jane quilt (which has been stalled since July). I also stitched some scraps on a larger notebook wherein I glue pages of tips and inspiration from my quilting magazines before I pitch them. Pretty easy gifts to make in a couple of hours, though I must warn you that the thread trimming does become tedious. I'll be interested to see how these hold up over time. Anyone know? 

Dude gifts part 2 coming tomorrow...