Gift stitching

Like most of the rest of you, I have been beavering away to try to add some handmade pressies to the Christmas list this year.  Curiously, I started out saying I wasn't making any this year (aside from a frame purse I made back at one of Judith's workshops) to relieve the pressure of the month of December.  However, I guess I just can't help myself!

One of my beautiful nieces has shown some interest in crafty, creative, stitchy things that I think she could use a little encouragement in, so when I weighed up buying her another itunes voucher or trying to find something to encourage her leanings, guess what won?

So on Saturday morning it was out with the denim and sewing notions fabrics to make her a little starter sewing kit of her own. I started with a pouch that she can keep all her bits together in.

I found a gorgeous variegated thread in my box that just looks fab on the denim (I could make a pouch for myself with just the denim and this thread I love it so much).  It was a little bit like playtime choosing the buttons and fabrics for this decent sized pouch, but I cannot begin to tell you how many mistakes I made in the construction of this.  Just seemed to be having one of those days when I knew what I should be doing, but couldn't get it to happen!  Anyway, even if the pouch is a tad smaller than I had planned it to be, I still think it looks good.

Of course, every sewing kit needs a needle book and a pincushion so I whipped up matching ones to pop into the pouch.

I'm adding some pins and needles, thread, a retractable tape measure and some pretty polka dot scissors along with two fun beginner's cross stitch kits.  I thought hard about what sewing gift I could give her that would be contained enough that she doesn't have to go looking for and purchase a lot of extra supplies, and one that would be simple enough for her to basically teach herself in the absence of anyone else creative at home.  Cross stitching seemed the way to go.  I used to do a lot of cross stitch myself and one of the big advantages of the kits is there is no investment in expensive supplies, materials and equipment so "having a go" needn't be costly or wasteful.  My niece is 11 and smart and she will pick this up no problem after a few Boxing Day tips from me.  I will have to be careful though that when I'm showing her "how to" I don't get carried away and keep "playing" with her gift.  They just look so nice to stitch up!

Next up. the same niece and her older and younger sister will be receiving one of these sock monkeys too.

These were really just made for fun and along with Charlie (see pic below) will hopefully be well received at our Christmas Eve dinner gathering.

When I first posted the pic of Charlie, Helen left a comment to say that a lady who comes into her work had made 400 sock monkeys last year and sold them.  Well, I take my hat of to that lady!  These were fun but I have to admit that I struggled making four of them never mind 400!  It's not that they're hard but there's quite a lot of fiddling and stuffing and stitching and four was enough for me.  I used the same tutorials as Indianna Dreams for these sock monkeys, choosing the bits I liked from each. And, interesting point to note, although all of the socks I used were the same size, the boys socks were much more curved at the toe than the girls which were pointier.  I preferred the shape the boys sock gave and liked the stripes better too, though I couldn't find any girls socks with stripes on.

Sock Monkey Tutorial by Web Goddess
Sock Monkey Tutorial by Craft Passion

My next two pressies are little tote bag additions to parcels for some family members.  For these I used the tutorial by Skip to My Lou and simply added a little wrap around tab with popper button to keep it all nicely folded in your handbag.  Wish I'd thought to add that little tab to my own when I made it because I love this wee tote bag.  It's not huge but is perfect for small shopping items and ever so handy to have lurking in a handbag since the shops now charge for plastic bags here.

I have also been plugging away at the baby quilt for my cousin's new little one.  I hope to get it bound soon so I can show you.  After that there's a Secret Santa pressie to tackle (in a hurry) and then I think it might just be time to retire my machine for the holidays and start making some other Christmas preparations - you know like the ones that involve cleaning and cooking!

Last Pressies Finished!

Ssshhh......

You need to be quiet please because my sewing machine is sleeping.  She is having a well deserved rest after her pressie making fest.  The last of my presents is stitched, pressed and wrapped and here they are  in a quick sneek peek for you -

made from Artsy Craftsy Babe's Pleated Tote Bag tutorial

triple pocket inside the bag - I love this lining!

Someone has dropped lots of hints about the shape and size of a bag I made for myself earlier this year being just perfect so this one is now taped up inside festive paper with their name on the tag.  Bit nervous about my fabric choice on this one. I love it and would happily keep it for myself, just not so sure what the recipient will make of it.

I had a little play with quilting the lining on this one and really like the wavy line gridwork that I ended up with.  I would like to try this out on a quilt sometime soon (is it just me who thinks it's scary to try something different when quilting?), just have to pluck up the courage to give it a go.

And (drumroll please) as my final handmade pressies I finished up this bouquet of crocheted brooches.

A couple of these are specifically destined for some stockings but the rest are little pot luck pressies for those who would like one at our family Boxing Day gathering.  I know you don't see blue roses too many places but I think the blue/teal ones are my favourites in this bunch.

Phew!  It's been quite a month or two of making, but I do hope it'll be worth it when folks open their gifts this weekend.

Hope your gift making is going well too!

Getting there ...

Thanks to all the lovely bloggers out there who keep reminding me how many more sewing days are left until Christmas!  I could do without the pressure of knowing this, but at least it's keeping me at it and I am getting there.  The stitching list is getting smaller and my pile of wrapped pressies is getting taller - HOORAY!!!!

As a brief diversion from Christmas present production I adapted the tissue pouch pattern Judith taught us at class to re-size it as a pouch for DS's 3DS.  Worked a treat and DS is delighted with his starry choice of fabric from my Joann's FQs.

Since I made a teacher's gift and two girl gifts at the Christmas gifts class I allowed myself a little personal indulgence and stitched up the potholder project just for me.  I love that this one was whipped up with the scraps from last years projects (and it didn't even take that many)!  Not sure I'm going to have the heart to set a pan of boiled spuds on it this year but it will look pretty in the kitchen in any case.  (Note to self: learn not to be so precious about things - sure isn't it always an excuse to make another one if it did get a little worn/stained.)

for DH

for DS

Then, as a final whirl at my stitchy gifts for DH and DS I made a mug rug each to match their Secret Quilt & Cushion and Surprise Quilt & Cushion.  I love how the block from the Surprise Quilt looks in this mini version (still haven't found a name for it).  Very satisfying to finish these sets of gifts for the men in my life!  Can't wait to see how they like them on Christmas morning.

Just one more stitched gift and a few crocheted ones to go and that'll be me - hope to show you soon.

Tick tick tick

Yep three more Christmas makes checked off the list over the past few days.

As I hoped, I managed to get the little tissue pouches made at class on Thursday night.  These will be presents for two sisters who are friends of my son and are matches for the little purses I made last week.  He was very complimentary when he inspected the final makes and thinks the girls will be happy to receive these on Christmas Eve.  (He chose the fabrics himself from my stash - not bad at all!)

And for DS himself I made a cushion from the remaining Cosmo Cricket Snorkel fabrics to match his Surprise Quilt.

LOVE it!

Surprise Quilt and Cushion together

I wish I had thought to quilt the quilt itself with these wavy lines, they really appeal to me especially with the theme of these fabrics.  Hindsight would be better if it could be foresight!

So, as I say Tick Tick Tick.  The list is getting smaller (thankfully).

Surprise Quilt Finish

I promised to show you the Surprise Quilt finished, so here it is -

It washed well but I am concerned that it went a bit too wrinkly and crinkly in the dryer, but perhaps that's just my ironing OCD kicking in!

I also rustled up a couple of little coin purses for two sisters for Christmas gifts. I would like them to have been finished off a little bit better, but I think they're acceptable and I don't suppose an 8 yr old and a 10 yr old are going to inspect them too closely (she says hopefully).  Besides the tiny Lindt bears should be sufficient decoy, don't you think?

Tomorrow night at class I'm hoping to supplement each of these wee pressies with a matching tissue pouch.  Well, that's the plan anyway and then that'll be another couple of things ticked off the list.

Christmas Gift Progress

It's getting so tricky around here to get any peace and privacy to sew "surprises" that I've had to resort to this signage on the sewing room door -

Problem is that the future recipient of the "Secret Quilt" and the future recipient of the "Surprise Quilt" are each in on the other's "surprise" or "secret" respectively and therefore each think that the sign doesn't apply to them but only to the other one!  Still with me?  So "Elfette" had to have strict words and the sewing room was pronounced well and truly out of bounds when the door is closed!  It's exhausting trying to be secretive.

Anyway, thanks goodness for the mum who planned her son's birthday party this afternoon which gave me 4 blissful clear hours to get the Surprise Quilt from a pile of blocks to a pieced top, layered, basted, quilted and binding machine sewn on before being hastily hidden to await some other time to finish hand-sewing the binding.

I'm very happy how this quilt looks but should confess that it wasn't plain sailing this afternoon.  I never knew that quilting on the diagonal was such hard work!  Something about the weight of the quilt seems to change with the diagonal feeding through the machine - I hadn't expected that and struggled quite a bit with the drag it caused.  There was also sadly a moment during the penultimate quilting line when I discovered that there was a hole in one of the blocks! AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHH! Gutted does not begin to express how I felt on spotting this mistake! Couldn't I have spotted it earlier when I could have fixed it easily?  I did the best I could with a repair job and am just hoping against hope that it will hold (please, please, please).

On a positive note I think that this is my favourite binding fabric to date and I'm delighted with how it ties the quilt fabrics all together.  Note to self however:  next time I think it would be lovely to make someone a quilt for Christmas think it in July!  Nov and Dec are not good months to be spontaneous about quilt making.  You live and learn!

Hope to have a fully finished quilt to show you in a day or two.

The past few evenings have also been a flurry of activity to try to make decent headway into my Christmas makes list.

First up is the mug rug with little hostess tray which Judith cleverly amalgamated as one of her Christmas Gift Class Projects.  I made this one for my son's male school teacher who I am informed (hopefully reliably) is a huge Dr Who fan.

And then I tried out this lovely little crochet tutorial to cover some jam jars which were destined for recycling but have now met a happier fate  (I warn you making these is addictive!) -

I tried to get a decent photo of these lit up but sadly my photography
skills are much worse than my needlecraft

All in all pleasing progress.