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scrappy Sunday sewing

I snuck away for a while this afternoon and pulled out the scrap bins for some Christmas sewing. I tend to forget how much fun it is to sew from the scrap bins - I find all kinds of fun treasures in there from fabrics that are otherwise all used up. We can't talk about what these are for, of course. They're a Christmas surprise!

Next up (and halfway done as of now) is the sweet Semi-Fantastic Mr. Fox for little Kit. I was kind of a cheater, because I bought the kit instead of just the pattern and I'm so glad I did. It was great to just dive in and sew without gathering supplies, making fabric decisions, etc. I'm sure there are more of them in our future that will involve all of that, but using the kit is perfect for a quick Christmas project. I have enough overly ambitious projects on my plate. 

Time for some Harry Potter marathon, baby snuggling, and knitting. I hope your Sunday was as good as mine.

Christmas crafting roundup - part one

It was a whirlwind of activity around here in the last few weeks before Christmas. I spent a lot of time knitting in my spot on the couch because, frankly, that's the only place I wanted to be. However, some things just can't be knit, so I dragged my basketball belly to the sewing machine. 

About half of my Christmas sewing was inspired by the adorable pages of I Love Patchwork which arrived on my doorstep just in the nick of time. I *ahem* forgot to take a photo of my table runner, but it was red and white and linen and truly adorable. I'll need to make another for my own home. Also from the book were the stamped placemats. 

These were a group project - I sewed and the kids stamped. These were for Jeff's brother and his family. They have a 4 year old, so we thought this was ideal for him as he learns to set the table. They were really fun to sew. One caution - there is a cutting error in the pattern. The center piece should be 12.5" x 12.5" rather than the 10x12.5 that is in the instructions. We ended up making them a little smaller than originally intended, but they still worked out just fine. If you have or buy the book, do make that change before you make them. Rashida has notified the publisher, so future editions will be correct. This was a great way to use those little scraps of favorite fabrics that you can't bear to toss. A set of these will definitely be gracing our table soon. 

We also made a cosmetics bag for Lindsay. The kids filled it with goodies - fancy soaps and lip balm, nail polish and nail files, lotion. That kind of thing. 

I love this little pouch. It's just the right size and was really fun to put together. Again, it'll be a repeat project. Who doesn't need a sweet little bag to carry treasures in?

I really love working from this book - the projects are both fun and practical, and use up those small bits of stash that clutter up my space. I'm sure we'll be seeing lots more from it in the future. 

Up next: Christmas knitting

felting, part one

Apparently this is the Christmas of felting. Probably because I'd rather be sitting on the couch with my feet up and knitting than bending over a cutting table (which reminds me that I still need to raise it). 

Since my fingers need to be busy with needles rather than a keyboard, I'll just show you some of what's been on the needles. 

For the record, none of these are for Jeff, much as I would love to do that to him. I have only made elf slippers for children. They still need a non-skid surface on the bottom to prevent slipping everywhere. Pattern from here. Fun to knit and fun to wear. 

the countdown begins

Christmas crafting begins in earnest tomorrow. Actually, it started today with the cutting of 5 sets of patterns - pajama pants and robes, jumpers, tunics, a boy's dress shirt (with buttons and a collar and cuffs! oh my!) and the pillow pattern. Tomorrow is a fabric cutting day, along with embroidering numbers on advent pockets. Sunday, I'll start to sew. I guess I'd better check the thread supply in the morning and stock up on the necessary colors. 

I'm tackling this year's gift by type of gift, in the hopes that with repetition comes efficiency. How do you organize your gift making so that you're efficient, but are still entertained? I'm hoping all the pretty colors and patterns are enough. Oh, and the use of this nifty tool, which was incredibly inexpensive after the application of the Joann sale price, two coupons and a gift card. Yay! I'm having a hard time not cutting everything into 2" strips just to try it out. So long as it saves me some burned fingers and a lot of time, then I'll be a happy camper. We'll take a video of it in action tomorrow so you all can ooh and aah, like I did when I watched one demonstrated this summer. 

Have a great, and hopefully quiet weekend, friends. 

thinking about Christmas

Seeing that Thanksgiving is around the corner, my thoughts have been turning to Christmas and gifting. We started a tradition here that we give handmade gifts or creative supplies to one another, and that Santa brings the purchased bigger gift. It has worked out really well and has minimized the I-want-itis that can so easily take over Christmas. I started the making earlier, so that I won't be as overwhelmed pressed for time as I was last year. We're also giving food gifts to the local friends and neighbors, which means that the kids can help. And of course, there's knitting and sewing. 

I ordered some silhouette paper, inkjet fabric sheets, and other crafty supplies to help us in our endeavors, along with the art supplies that show up in the kids' stockings each year. Those kids go through a lot of paper, pencils and paints. Oh, and googly eyes. Where do they all go? By the way, Dick Blick has a coupon for between $15 and $60 off of your order, which was a big help to me. I find that they have great prices anyway, but I'm always looking for ways to keep it less expensive. 

I'm loving this idea by Erin, and can see some fun ways to apply it to Christmas gifts for the neighbors. I'll also be using this book and this one quite frequently. I'll be sharing sneak peeks of what we're up to, and am happy to email ideas that I can't show on the blog for spoiler reasons. Oh, and I'd really like to make a Waldorf doll for Annika but I think I should have started it a while ago and I'd be crazy to take it on now. 

What are you planning/hoping to make for the holidays? 

fraternal hats

Our sweet buddies turned 10 today, so we thought that they needed some coordinating hats for our newly chilly mornings and evenings. The hats are made of Malabrigo worsted and are my go-to hat recipe, with some stripes for interest. Those smiles made the weekend of knitting all worthwhile. 

Now I'm casting on yet another hat (yellow this time) for Gunnar and then some mitts for Annika. Hope you're not tired of the knitting yet. Looks like there's plenty more coming down the pike. 

more with the finishing

I'm feeling pretty good about myself, people. I've made 2 hats in the last 3 days, and will have a 3rd finished up tomorrow. Granted, hats on size 7 needles are not exactly complex and time consuming knitting, but I'll take what I can get. 

Finished hat #1 is Turn a Square by Jared Flood. I was working with what I had, so my hat is more stripey looking than his, but I think it turned out nicely.

Modeled by Jeff, who has an enormous head that is approximately the same size as that of the recipient (last night's birthday boy). I used Karabella Aurora 8 in chocolate brown and grass green, which is soft and squishy and warm. Hopefully it'll keep his head nice and warm while he snowboards this year. 

I will also be kind enough to mention that Jeff looks so happy here because his college football team beat spanked my college team today. He is trying very hard to not gloat, but he is a very very happy guy. Happy enough to model a hat. 

One more hat to finish, and it's on to the Christmas present making. Much to do!

more making

Now in the mail. Family members should not peek. More details on all post-Christmas.

 

 

 

 

peeking

Two sets of quilted pillows. More of this to come - it's addictive, the using up of scraps is. 

Coffee cozy - marked with caffeine. Goes with this. 

still working away on this one. It goes everywhere with me - the birthday party on Sunday was a real bonus. 

More gifts to show tomorrow. Lots of finishing happening. 

On another note, I went to the mall today. I go twice a year because that's all I can take with my aversion to crowds and to spending money on things that everyone else is buying. Once around now and once before Lindsay's birthday so I can wander around wondering what on earth she wants because her taste is so not mine. Stocked up on stocking stuffers and stuff I can't make like $1.99 socks at the Gap. I can make socks, but not for $1.99 (and let's be realistic. I can start socks. I can finish one sock. I cannot finish two socks). I went to Anthropologie for mugs and something for Lindsay and for their amazingly cute gift ribbon that comes with the boxes. Oh my gosh. I think I'm gifting the ribbon to myself this year. So freaking cute. But not as cute as this which is killing me with its cuteness. Why does Anthropologie do that to me? Why? Sigh.

I made Gunnar go to the storage room in the rain and get out the Christmas stuff so I can start putting it up and feeling festive. I'm sure that having to clear surfaces to put Christmas stuff on has nothing to do with my procrastination. Nothing at all. 

all you need is love

Yesterday I attended a baby shower for a cousin from the branch of the family that can purchase anything they want. Knowing that she would literally be showered with all of the gifts from the registry and then some, I decided to go for unique and practical. I've had the Pointy Kitty pattern all cut out and sitting in my basket for months now, so I finally decided to conquer his little pointy parts and make him for her the baby.

I amended it slightly, skipping the stripe on the back (ran out of time) and embroidering the eyes and nose since it's for a baby. I love this little kitty now that he's done, but I've never had such a hard time stuffing anything as much as that little tail. I used a chopstick to do the best I could without poking a hole in the fabric. Any tips from others who have made it? Because according to my children, I have two more of these in my near future.

Also checked off on the "try this" checklist were freezer paper stenciled t-shirts. They're not 100% sure that it's a girl, so I went more unisex with the designs and color.

This is moving from the "try this" list to the "do often" list. It was such a fun and rewarding project that I know will get a lot of use. The mommy to be was so happy with all of it.

I was astonished by all the stuff at this baby shower - all the gadgets that people think are necessary to child rearing. There are some things that definitely make life easier. After all, the bouncy seat was the only thing that allowed me to take a shower when Annika was a baby. But as I watched all of this, I wondered if those things are all on the market because people need something to give to new parents, something different and hopefully useful. Or maybe they help people who are walking into the world of babydom to feel like they're armed with the tools they need for success in something new and so different from anything they've ever done.

As we walked into the party, we filled out a card with our words of wisdom for the new parents. I filled mine out but after watching her become dwarfed and overwhelmed by all these things, I wanted to go take it back and write a new one. My real advice to the new parents?

All you need is love.