Over the River and Through the Woods

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I know that we did. :)  I always love spending time with family and extended family. Too much good food, good conversations, and people I love - what's not to like about that?

Well, I'm plugging along on my journey to Christmas.  I did not participate in Black Friday because all of my relatives are getting hand-made gifts that I expect them to at least pretend to like while we are there.  So there.  I'm sticking with the hand print theme on this one.  Remember that?  Well, here are those cute little hands again.  I saw a pillow like this that a woman had made online somewhere.  I think it was here: http://fromanigloo.blogspot.com.  Yep, it was - I just checked.  Anyways, I saw it and thought "I can do that..."  So I did.  I lucked out on this one, because a friend of mine is an Interior Decorator and had all this fabric lying around that she offered to give me.  How could I say no to that?  Free fabric is always a plus and I will find something to make with it all.  This is the first project.

I used a 12x16 inch pillow form from JoAnn Fabrics.  I just measured 1" inch extra for the material all the way around for seam allowances.  So, I wanted a middle panel with borders.  I figured I should have a 2" border all the way around so I cut 2 pieces 3" wide x 13" long for the side borders.  Then I cut 2 pieces 3" wide x 12 " long for the top borders.  The middle panel I cut 9" wide x 12" long.  I cut out enough pieces for the front and the back of the pillow.  In other words:

2 - 9x12 inch panels

4 - 3x13 inch side borders

4 - 3x12 inch top borders

Then, before I sewed them all together, I traced the girls' hands onto some poster board I had laying around.  I cut their hands out and used the poster board patterns to trace the hands onto some Steam-a-Seam double-sided fusible webbing.  That was then stuck to the blue fabric and cut out.  The paper backing was peeled off, stuck to the pink pillow fabric, and ironed on.  I used a simple zigzag stitch to secure the applique to the front panel.  I used the same fusible webbing to create the black felt letters for the girls' initials and the year.  The pieces were sewn together to form the front and back panels.  The panels were sewn together, leaving one side open for the pillow to go in.  I folded over a 1/4" seam on the open end to make closing it up easier.  The pillow was shoved in and a slip-stitch was used to sew up the pillow so that the seam is unnoticeable.  And there you have it...one hand print pillow for Nana and Grandpa (hence the title - sorry, it was the best I could come up with).

And here is the back...

One more gift ready!  Woo hoo! Have a great week everyone - can't wait to share my next one.  Here's a hint - it's AWESOME (and if you are in my immediate family, you will get this right away). ;)

Miracle of Miracles

If your name is Geoffrey Smythe, I'm going to ask that you stop reading this...pronto. Have you stopped yet? STOP - unless you want to see your Christmas gift.

Alright, now that he has left, we can all talk about what I made him for Christmas.  I've decided to go with a hand print theme this year.  No, I don't have themes every year - I'm not that organized.  It just worked out this time.  Well, except for my sister's present.  Sorry.  You know what you're getting, anyways and it would look silly with random hand prints on it.  Anyways - onward to the gift.  I was really at an impasse with my brother.  I just had no idea what I could possibly make him that he would actually want.  Couple that with the fact that he would have to get it back to Japan with him in a CARRY-ON and it really complicated things.  As a side note - I have absolutely no idea how he is going to be able to fit everything he needs for two weeks in the States into a carry-on bag and then fit in all the gifts from Christmas on the way back.  I guess he is an amazing packer.  Way better than me!

After much thought, I came up with a plan.  A messenger bag.  It's useful, manly, and he could use it to pack all his Christmas gifts in on the way home.  We have a winner!  The only problem?  I have NEVER (and I mean NEVER) made a bag that I am happy with.  But as I had no other ideas - it was going to have to do.

I started to make him a bag.  I cut out all the pieces and even put interfacing on them.  Then, I really looked at them.  Huh, they seemed a little small to me.  I asked my husband.  He took one look and said, "Becca, you're making your brother a purse."  Oops.  I'm guessing my brother really doesn't want a purse - of any kind.  Back to the drawing board.  The purse was put aside for a future project and I went back to making a much larger bag that didn't remotely look like a purse.  I used brown corduroy for the outside of the bag and lined it with a brown denim that I had laying around from who-knows-what project I had done in the past.  I also used fusible fleece for a nice, sturdy interfacing.  This is what the finished bag looks like:

I'm really happy with the way it turned out!  

Are you wondering what happened to my hand print theme?  Just lift the front flap and this is what you see:

Two big pockets.  Each pocket has a hand print on it, sewed on with orange thread for contrast and to make them a little more interesting.  The pocket is lined so you cannot see the orange thread on the inside of the pockets.

Here is the inside of the bag:

There are three pockets and a roomy interior.  The only thing missing is a clasp or closure for this bag.  I'm going to add some velcro to this one, but in the future I plan on installing a zipper at the top (or maybe a magnetic snap...).

And here is the strap of the bag.  I put a D-ring on it to make it adjustable.  Some people like it higher and some lower.

One  last finishing touch: a key ring holder on the side of the bag.

That's it!  One more Christmas present done and ready to be given!  I hope he likes it!

PS Like this bag? I just finished another one (with a zippered closure and a large pocket on the back).  It is now for sale in my Etsy shop.  Check it out!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/115668991/messenger-bag-with-adjustable-strap

To Match or Not to Match...That is the Question

I always swore that if I had two girls, I would not make them match outfits.  I always thought it was silly and to please the mother, not the child.  Obviously, this is coming from my own childhood.  I was unfairly subjected to matching outfits for a number of years, until I declared my independence and vowed I would never match my sister again.  I also very loudly proclaimed that I would "NEVER, EVER, do that to my own children!!"

Well, I lied.  I was right in one way - it's to please the mother.  Yep.  It makes me happy to see my girls in matching outfits.  Usually I make them "similar, but different." You know, same dress, but different colors.  Or the same fabrics but in different places.  Well, this time they are matchy-matchy and I think it's cute.  Very cute.  I am sorry, 8-year-old self.  So sorry.

Actually, the whole "exact match" thing was a mistake.  I wasn't going to make this pattern originally.  I had another dress all lined up.  I made my 1-year old's first.  Picture baby in a potato sack.  That's about what it was.  Ugh.  It was AWFUL.  I could not let my children be seen wearing potato sacks in their Christmas photos which were going out on Christmas cards.  "Oh, yeah, Becca, they're really...ummmm...nice..." Plan B.  Use the pattern that I had used for their Easter dresses, just change the material and the pattern to suit my needs.  I think it turned out much better. I was planning on making the girls opposites.  One with a black skirt/red bodice and one with a red skirt/black bodice, but I only had enough black fabric left for the bodices.  It worked out for the best, I think.  I really like the color combination of the red on bottom and the black on top.  I added the buttons on the straps to add a little extra flair to the dress.

Lastly, I decided to rig up some sort of hair clip for them both.  This was not high-tech, I assure you.  I am not into making hair accessories and usually buy them.  But I thought using the same white fabric as the bottom trim would look cute in a hair clip.  So I took a shot.

All I did was cut a circle (used my brown sugar canister as a pattern) and sew with a gathering stitch all the way around the circle.  Then I pulled the threads and gathered the fabric which created a poof.  I hot glued the raw edges to the bottom and to an empty hair clip.  Then I pulled out some rhinestones I had sitting around and glued them in the center of the fabric poof in the shape of a sparkly flower.  Viola!  One, not so professional, hair clip.

So now my girls will be beautiful (and matching) at Christmas.  I know you are now eagerly awaiting your amazing Christmas card!

On the first day of Christmas my Mommy made for me...

1 pair of flannel pjs!

Yes, yes, I realize it is a bit too early for Christmas.  I love Thanksgiving and don't want to jump right over it or ignore it.  However, I don't have too many Thanksgiving-themed projects going on right now and I have a MILLION Christmas ones.  So, in order to fit them all in, I've decided to start sharing them now.  Enjoy! :)

I don't really know why this is or how it happened, but for some reason I have determined my girls must have Christmas pjs every year.  This was never a tradition when I was a kid so I have no idea where this came from.  I just decided every year so far to get Christmas pjs and now that my 3-year-old can remember what Christmas is, she remembers that she HAS to have some Christmas jammies.  She still insists that she can fit into her Santa pajamas from last year.  Trust me, she doesn't.  They are the feetie pajamas and, while once cute, are no longer fit for public viewing.  Picture curled toes and a line up the bum.  Yep. I don't know how she squeezes herself into those things, but she does.  It makes for some interesting bathroom trips.

Seeing as I am on an "all homemade" kick, I decided to make the pjs this year.  I was also determined not to spend money on a new pattern.  I have no shirt or pant patterns for kids, so it was going to have to be on the fly.  I did use the crotch part of a pattern I have for some capris for her bottoms.  I never was good at making up the whole inseam thing, so I had to use an example I already had.  By the way, my favorite part of the pajama bottoms are the little ruffle on the bottom.  It turns a very plain pajama bottom into something fun and little girly. :)

For the top, I used one of her well-fitting t-shirts and made a pattern on some parchment paper.  Basically, I folded some paper in half and traced half of the shirt. Then, I measured her arms and drew the pattern for the sleeves.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take into account that I was using a knit shirt as a pattern and flannel for the finished piece.  This resulted in one tight shirt!  Again, she insisted it fit - even when it rode up her little belly.  Not really the look I was going for.  So I went back and added in an extra panel of fabric underneath each arm.  Ahh....much better!  I also put snaps into the shoulder seams so that she could easily take the shirt on and off.  My child either has an enormous head or I made the neck hole a little small.  I'm thinking (hoping) the answer is B.

They turned out cute - even with the little mishaps!  She is now free to enjoy them and anticipate the arrival of Santa.  In toddler time she has a long wait ahead of her.  Now if only I could get her to give up the ones that are too small, I'd be all set!