I'm so excited because I have my two Amy Butler purses cut out and they are ready to be assembled. I think they will have to be shelved for a bit though as I work on an extremely wonderful project.
I really love sewing and when I discovered Craft Hope, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. She just announced a new project this week and I'm glad to say that I will be making some nice tote bags for these kid-os. Please check out her website and the inspiration for the current project, Project 16-Little Warriors, here. If you have time to spare to take part in this project, please do! I have 4 bags cut out and I have lots of remnants that I can use. Now, I just have to find the time! I'll let you know when they are finished!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Handmade Christmas Gifts
Well, it's a new year and I am going to try and get this blog up and running this year! Hopefully, it will help me to stay motivated to finish the piles of projects that I have lying around the house. I am going to look into Etsy finally and see if that is something I want to pursue, but for now, I just want to fill everyone in on the projects I've been working on. I can't believe that it was just last Christmas (2010) that I got my sewing machine! I have learned so much in the past year and am looking forward to more complex projects including clothes this year! We'll see how it goes! Now, on to the post...
So, we have 3 nieces and 2 nephews between our families. I love them so much...they are each so amazing! Anyway, I wanted to make them each something this Christmas just because I think it is extra special when you give someone a hand made gift. I can only hope that when they wear it or snuggle up with it that they can feel the love and care that I was feeling when I made it.
This summer, my nephew from Texas was visiting us and I had just finished a black and gold Hawkeye beach robe for my son. And, of course, I can't find a picture of him wearing it :(
Again, they are super easy to make. I would highly recommend using a beach towel that doesn't have a thick nap...they don't shed as much. These are just bath towels from Target and TJ Maxx, so they were really bad at shedding. There will forever be black specs in the carpet of the sewing room (until we get rid of it and that will hopefully be soon)!
(Beach robe pattern from Dana-easy pattern to follow with amazing step by step instructions and beautiful pictures!)
So...Texas was taken care of. Now onto Iowa.
Our nieces that live in Iowa are getting harder and harder to shop for. It used to be so easy...princess and pink. But, they are fast approaching that tween age and are "too old" for My Little Pony and Care Bears. So, with the suggestion from their Mommy, I set out to find them some sleeping bags. They are not campers, but they are starting to go to a lot of slumber parties and they wanted something more age appropriate (my words, not theirs). WOW! Have you ever looked to see how much personalized sleeping bags are! Pottery Barn Kids had some cute ones, but man...I have to buy two and I just can't afford those prices! I looked and looked and looked. Finally, I gave up. I knew what colors they liked and what their interests are. One is really into gymnastics and the other really likes dancing. Hey...I could make them sleeping bags! I looked and there was very limited information out there AND I'm afraid of zippers AND time was getting away from me! So, I decided I would just get some solid color sleeping bags and personalize them myself. My thought was to paint some silhouettes of gymnasts and dancers on their bags and maybe their names. I drug out my sleeping and did a little testing on it. I had learned this great technique called Freezer Paper Stenciling and I thought as long as I could iron the freezer paper on the sleeping bag, then I would be in the clear. It ironed on, but you know how sleeping bag material is...I got scared. If I messed up these bags, that would be money down the drain. After all of that, here is the final product!
I decided to make them their own sleeping bag bags that are big enough to put the sleeping bag and a little travel pillow into. The thought is that they will be able to put the pillow inside the sleeping bag, roll it up, put it in the bag and pull the string. I hope it works out that easily for them! :) I was inspired by this pin I had pinned on Pinterest and just modified a few things, but it is basically the same. I chose colors that each of them liked and made coordinating pillow cases (also made from one of my pins on Pinterest...I love that site!).
So, that leaves one nephew to go. He joined our family this year (was adopted from Russia) and I hadn't really made anything for him yet, so this was my chance. My first Christmas with my extended family, I asked my mom to make my nieces each a rag quilt (as seen here) because at that time, I didn't sew. Well, I didn't want to spend all of the time cutting and piecing all of those squares together, so I found a little easier version here. I pulled out some cute puppy dog flannel that I had and started piecing it together with a solid red. It was turning out really cute, but really small. So, I added two more strips and I think it turned out to be the perfect toddler size! My only modification to this one was that I didn't bind it. I just sewed a seam around the edge and then clipped it so that it would fray as well. He was so cute when we gave it to him, he kept putting it over his head and saying, "Night! Night!" And of course, I didn't take my camera that day, so I will have to wait and update with a photo the next time we go to see them.
And, don't worry...I didn't leave out my little guy! His handmade 'special mommy' present was actually supposed to be a birthday present, but it wasn't ready. So, I worked on it and got it done for Christmas-and almost forgot to wrap it for him! I made him a personalized ABC book. I had seen one done on Pinterest (of course-I'm really starting to wonder if I'll ever have an original thought again! ) and really wanted one for him. It was pretty easy. I used 5X7 divider cards and put a letter on each tab. I made a list of what I wanted each letter to stand for. I was lucky that none of his cousins have the same letter as their first names so they each got their own pages. They are all pictures from my camera that were taken...except for one! I made the letter pages in Word and the photo pages in Photoshop. Cut 'em out, glued 'em on and then laminated each divider. That part didn't work so well, so I had to go around the edges with packing tape. If I were to do it again, I think I would use clear contact paper. Then, it was just punching holes and putting them in the binder rings! Here are a few of the pages...
And of course, this is our one picture that we didn't take. It is Wall-E and Eve 'dancing' in space. He loves that movie and always says zoom when you talk about Eve.
So, that is what I was busy with around Christmas! I am working on a few projects right now that I'm so excited about! I just bought these two Amy Butler patterns...
I have the Harmony handbag (left) already cut out (it took me 2 nights and still didn't get all of the pieces I needed) and now I'm ready to sew it together. I got the perfect material for the Sophia bag the other day and am just waiting on the pattern to come in from Amazon. I have wanted this purse for a long time. I'm hoping the Harmony handbag goes together easily because I think I want to make the larger tote version, but we'll see. I will keep you posted on these plus a MILLION other projects I have waiting in line for completion!
So, we have 3 nieces and 2 nephews between our families. I love them so much...they are each so amazing! Anyway, I wanted to make them each something this Christmas just because I think it is extra special when you give someone a hand made gift. I can only hope that when they wear it or snuggle up with it that they can feel the love and care that I was feeling when I made it.
This summer, my nephew from Texas was visiting us and I had just finished a black and gold Hawkeye beach robe for my son. And, of course, I can't find a picture of him wearing it :(
Anyway, Nephew really liked it and wanted one too. Unfortunately, he is bigger than the sizes that came with the pattern, so we got inventive, got the measuring tape and freezer paper out and before long, I had a pattern for a bigger robe. I was hoping to finish it while he was here, but that didn't happen. Then, once he left, it just kind of got pushed to the back of the sewing table. When my parents were here in October, he asked if they would bring it home for him. That would have been great if I had finished it. So, no robe and I was hoping that maybe he would forget. You see...I had gotten another towel to make one for my niece (his sister) had it all cut out and accidentally threw one of the sleeves away with the scraps. Took me a long time to find the same towel again and I wanted to have both of them finished before I gave either one of them one. So, it was a perfect Christmas present! Even better...I got them both finished! I didn't take any pictures throughout the process...it's not a tutorial, I purchased that pattern (so should you!) and here are the finished products.
Again, they are super easy to make. I would highly recommend using a beach towel that doesn't have a thick nap...they don't shed as much. These are just bath towels from Target and TJ Maxx, so they were really bad at shedding. There will forever be black specs in the carpet of the sewing room (until we get rid of it and that will hopefully be soon)!
(Beach robe pattern from Dana-easy pattern to follow with amazing step by step instructions and beautiful pictures!)
So...Texas was taken care of. Now onto Iowa.
Our nieces that live in Iowa are getting harder and harder to shop for. It used to be so easy...princess and pink. But, they are fast approaching that tween age and are "too old" for My Little Pony and Care Bears. So, with the suggestion from their Mommy, I set out to find them some sleeping bags. They are not campers, but they are starting to go to a lot of slumber parties and they wanted something more age appropriate (my words, not theirs). WOW! Have you ever looked to see how much personalized sleeping bags are! Pottery Barn Kids had some cute ones, but man...I have to buy two and I just can't afford those prices! I looked and looked and looked. Finally, I gave up. I knew what colors they liked and what their interests are. One is really into gymnastics and the other really likes dancing. Hey...I could make them sleeping bags! I looked and there was very limited information out there AND I'm afraid of zippers AND time was getting away from me! So, I decided I would just get some solid color sleeping bags and personalize them myself. My thought was to paint some silhouettes of gymnasts and dancers on their bags and maybe their names. I drug out my sleeping and did a little testing on it. I had learned this great technique called Freezer Paper Stenciling and I thought as long as I could iron the freezer paper on the sleeping bag, then I would be in the clear. It ironed on, but you know how sleeping bag material is...I got scared. If I messed up these bags, that would be money down the drain. After all of that, here is the final product!
I decided to make them their own sleeping bag bags that are big enough to put the sleeping bag and a little travel pillow into. The thought is that they will be able to put the pillow inside the sleeping bag, roll it up, put it in the bag and pull the string. I hope it works out that easily for them! :) I was inspired by this pin I had pinned on Pinterest and just modified a few things, but it is basically the same. I chose colors that each of them liked and made coordinating pillow cases (also made from one of my pins on Pinterest...I love that site!).
And, don't worry...I didn't leave out my little guy! His handmade 'special mommy' present was actually supposed to be a birthday present, but it wasn't ready. So, I worked on it and got it done for Christmas-and almost forgot to wrap it for him! I made him a personalized ABC book. I had seen one done on Pinterest (of course-I'm really starting to wonder if I'll ever have an original thought again! ) and really wanted one for him. It was pretty easy. I used 5X7 divider cards and put a letter on each tab. I made a list of what I wanted each letter to stand for. I was lucky that none of his cousins have the same letter as their first names so they each got their own pages. They are all pictures from my camera that were taken...except for one! I made the letter pages in Word and the photo pages in Photoshop. Cut 'em out, glued 'em on and then laminated each divider. That part didn't work so well, so I had to go around the edges with packing tape. If I were to do it again, I think I would use clear contact paper. Then, it was just punching holes and putting them in the binder rings! Here are a few of the pages...
And of course, this is our one picture that we didn't take. It is Wall-E and Eve 'dancing' in space. He loves that movie and always says zoom when you talk about Eve.
So, that is what I was busy with around Christmas! I am working on a few projects right now that I'm so excited about! I just bought these two Amy Butler patterns...
I have the Harmony handbag (left) already cut out (it took me 2 nights and still didn't get all of the pieces I needed) and now I'm ready to sew it together. I got the perfect material for the Sophia bag the other day and am just waiting on the pattern to come in from Amazon. I have wanted this purse for a long time. I'm hoping the Harmony handbag goes together easily because I think I want to make the larger tote version, but we'll see. I will keep you posted on these plus a MILLION other projects I have waiting in line for completion!
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