A handmade gift is the perfect way to show that you love your mum, but so many craft projects can be time-consuming to make. Don't worry, our last minute DIY gift ideas are here to save the day!
Whether you're on the hunt for the perfect DIY Mother's Day gift idea, or are maybe looking for a sweet make to craft together with your mum, we've pulled together our top DIY projects that you can make yourself.
We have plenty of beautiful last minute DIY Mother's Day gifts for you to make at home. We've got everything from quick gifts to sew to speedy knitting projects. There are embroidery projects, Mother's Day card ideas and much more.
If you're looking for eco-friendly gift ideas, we've included some lovely upcycling projects too. While most of the projects are designed for adult crafters, children may be able to make some of them with a little grown-up help.
If you don't think you'll have time to make a handmade gift, you could always buy something for your mum to make herself. A craft kit or subscription box is a good option if your mum is an artist or loves crafting! Check out our craft subscription box, craft kits for adults and paint by numbers kits guides for lots of creative ideas.
Ready to get crafting? Read on to find lots of last minute Mother's Day gifts to DIY…
40 last minute DIY Mother's Day gifts
1. DIY Mother's Day card
Why not make your own card this year? We've got an easy tutorial and printable to show you how to make this MUM card (it's easily adapted to say "Mom" or "Mam" too – depending on your preferred spelling!).
How to make a Mother's Day card
2. Try Furoshiki wrapping
Gather a small piece of fabric and and try this beautiful handmade gift idea for Mother's Day - we've got a free printable and instructions from Mollie Makes magazine for you to try.
3. Make a paper flower garland
This quick and easy DIY idea is a great last-minute make to give mums a handmade gift and you won't need a fully stocked craft kit to get started either. Simply grab a few sheets of coloured paper and our free paper flowers template and you can whip up a simple garland or bouquet in a couple of hours!
Find out how to craft a papercraft floral garland
4. Make bath bombs
Grab a few ingredients and make this fun alternative to shop-bought bubble bath that's much kinder to her skin.
5. Create a macrame plant holder
You don't have to have tried macrame before to make this easy pot holder – we'll show you how!
How to make a macrame plant hanger
6. Make a fabric necklace
This quick-make necklace by Anna Alicia is easy to whip up in an evening and easy to adapt for your Mum's style by switching up the fabrics to suit her favourite shades or prints.
7. Get knitting to send your love
We've got the perfect project for you if you're short of time (and yarn!) – knit up a sweetheart keyring with our free pattern.
8. Quick-make garden apron
Reach for a few favourite fabrics and your sewing machine and treat green-fingered goddesses to a unique garden gift that's pretty and practical.
9. Craft subscription box
If your Mum likes crafting as much as you do (and you've left it a bit late to actually get a present delivered by Mother's Day itself), why not treat her to a craft subscription box?
27 of the best Craft subscription boxes in the UK
10. Make an easy origami wreath
Sticking with the floral paper theme that runs throughout this post (because let's face it, most of us have paper at home so this is a timely make at the moment if you can't get out to buy new craft supplies), fold simple paper flowers and then show them off in a Spring wreath.
DIY origami wreath tutorial – step by step
11. Crochet a bouquet
Perfect for the green-fingered goddess in your life, our free flower crochet patterns include Clematis, Dogwood, Pansies, Daisies and Forget-Me-Nots. You can crochet them from scraps of yarn from your stash and we've included a video guide to get you started.
Free crochet flower bouquet pattern
12. Embroider a flower hoop
This lovely little DIY won't take you long to make and combines embroidery stitches with small fabric scraps to create a pretty floral scene that will last longer than shop-brought blooms.
Floral embroidery hoop tutorial
13. Cross stitch ABC
We love this idea for stitching up a quick MUM message then framing it on a board to store her favourite jewellery.
Head to our free cross stitch ABC
14. Free mother's day printables
Create beautiful cards for your Mother's Day Crafts with a hand-illustrated feel with these beautiful floral watercolour papers, illustrated by Rhiannon Bull.
15. Embroidered cat pocket
Give your mum's wardrobe an adorable kitty-themed wardrobe update with these embroidered cat pockets. We have two fab feline templates for you to download and stitch, which can then be appliquéd to your mum's cardigan or jumper. Stitch the cat in the thread of your choice - why not match the colour of the cat to your Mum's own pet? Try our free cat embroidery pattern
16. Spring flowers knitted tea cosy
Make your mum’s day by knitting her this spring tea cosy from issue 38 of Knit Today. Within the pattern, you'll find daffodil and crocus patterns, and you can add as many flowers and leaves as you like to the top of the cosy - perfect for using up your odds and ends of yarn. Let the bright green yarn peek through the cream by bringing the yarn around the slipped stitches – it's an easy technique to get the hang of, but you could always practise on a swatch before you start. The result looks more elegant than stripes, and gives the tea cosy a dainty finish.
Get knitting with our floral knitted tea cosy pattern
17. Craft a bunch of paper peonies
Keep things classic with this delightful bouquet of flowers. To achieve the loose, blowsy feel of the flowers, craft the blooms with crepe or tissue paper, then pop them in an enamel jug or a vintage vase.
Download our free peony papercraft templates and give it a go
18. Easy sew headbands
All you need are a couple of fat quarters of fabric to make these quick-stitch accessories!
19. Make her a set of wax melts
Give Mum the treat of a soothing, handmade gift with our guide to how to make wax melts – it's easy and so much fun, and they smell delicious when they melt!
20. Whip up a cute coin purse
This quick-hook purse is great for using up scraps of bright yarns and lets you see results fast as it's only a small make. Craft the purse in your mum's favourite colours and don't forget to pop a coin in the purse for good luck!
How to make a crochet coin purse
21. Update a plain pair of socks with embroidery
Treat her feet to embroidered socks personalised with a dainty floral motif, stitched in Peking knots. Mollie Johanson shows you how it is done with this step-by-step embroidered sock tutorial. Begin by practising working a Peking knot on a spare scrap of fabric before you embroider on to your sock.
22. How to make paper roses
Cut and snip paper petals to shape into beautiful, realistic paper roses, with our video tutorial and step by step guide.
23. Print your own Mother's Day blooms
Our free Mother’s Day floral printables look good enough to pop into a vase and make stunning cards for mums. Download them in an instant to make your own unique cards or why not grab a simple photo frame, add a family favourite photo and embellish the frame with some of these motifs?
Head to our free Mother's Day printables
24. DIY tassel earrings
Make your mum a handmade Mothers Day craft gift this year with Anchalika O’Connell's DIY tassel earrings step-by-step guide.
25. Patchwork cushion cover
This vibrant patchwork cushion design is perfect for giving your mum's living room decor or bedspread a bright update, and is so quick to put together! Designed by Nicole Calver, the cushion can be crafted from one pattern cut into smaller squares, or a variety of your fabric scraps. It
Easy patchwork cushion pattern
26. Knit a scarf with heart pockets
Snuggle up in this cosy scarf with pockets. It's a speedy knit and a great gift for someone you love, so perfect for Mother's Day! Worked in super-chunky yarn from Lion Brand, this project is really quick to knit. If you know your knits and purls, and you've followed a colourwork chart before, you'll be casting off in no time. You can find the knitting pattern for the scarf here
27. Cross stitch a rose bookmark
Stitch your own pretty petals and turn them into this one-of-a-kind bookmark for your Mom to curl up with a good book and enjoy, or stitch individual roses to make sweet tags and cards
Free rose cross stitch pattern
28. Spruce up a plain jacket with embroidered details
This idea actually works with any plain garments that you could find and give a makeover. Use our free embroidery patterns to scatter a handful of embroidered petals and blooms to transform simple garments, me-made style.
Use our free flowers embroidery pattern to give it a go
29. More crochet flowers to hook!
Ok so we have unashamedly filled this post with floral makes, but you can never have enough, surely? We've recently added 50 of our favourite crochet flowers to this round-up so you're sure to find your mum's favourite to make in here.
30. Handmade soap
For a lovely personal twist on shop-brought toiletries, how about making Mum a DIY soap bar this Mother's Day? Try our failsafe homemade soap recipe – we've made it beginner friendly and easy to try at home for you.
31. Embroidered pendants
We've fallen in love with these adorable embroidered pendants designed by Rebecca Reid. They're tiny and detailed, but you could easily make one in an afternoon.
Learn how to make an embroidered pendant
32. Crepe paper tulips
Make your mum some beautiful blooms that won't fade after a few days! Crepe paper flowers will last much longer than a shop-bought bouquet and they're guaranteed to brighten any room.
Make crepe paper flowers
33. Easy watercolor flowers
When was the last time you gave your mother a painting that you made yourself? We bet it was when you were very small! This easy watercolor flower painting is too nice to put on the fridge and would look brilliant in a frame. It's a very quick project to do as well. Looking for more art projects to try? Check out our watercolor painting ideas.
Learn how to paint easy watercolor flowers
34. Painted mugs
Looking for a way to give your mum a fun personalised gift? Decorating a mug can be lots of fun and it's something children can do with a little help. We've got lots of creative mug painting ideas for you to try.
Try our mug painting ideas
35. Speedy beanie knitting pattern
Are you a speedy knitter? If so, you can probably whip up this cosy hat for your mother in an evening. Why not make it in her favourite colour? This is a good gift to make for someone who likes spending a lot of time outdoors.
Make the speedy beanie knitting pattern
36. Macrame keychain
These macrame feather keychains designed by Becki Clark are very quick to make. They look very professional too! You could easily make your mother a set of key chains for all of her keys. This is a good project to make if you have any cords leftover from other macrame projects.
Make your own macrame keychain
37. Naturally dyed napkins
Did you know that you can create a range of amazing colours from natural dyes? These pretty napkins can be made using strawberries, cherries, beetroot or hibiscus flowers.
Follow our eco dyeing tutorial to make your own napkins
38. Doodled vases
To make your own doodled vases, you just need some vases, paint pens and some varnish. We like Esther Curtis's abstract faces, but you can decorate your vases however you like!
Learn how to make a doodled vase
39. Quick sew sleep mask
Sleep masks are very useful, whether you use them while travelling or just for taking a nap! The good news is that sleep masks are very easy to sew, making them the perfect last minute DIY Mother's Day gift.
Find the sleep mask pattern
40. Neon mug cosy
This cute project by Samantha Stas is quick and easy for beginners to sew. It only uses one stitch, so even new sewers should be able to make these pretty mug cosies!
Learn how to make a mug cosy
We hope you've enjoyed this article! Looking for more Mother's Day crafts to make? Check out our Mother's Day wreath, free flower printables and discover the best DIY Mother's Day papercraft projects.
