Presents, Presents and More Presents!

I have furiously been sewing these past 2 weeks since I have a huge cluster of birthdays around the same time!  It's actually been nice and I have been reminded just how much I enjoy sewing.  In true fashion I don't have pictures of everything.  I'm bad at remembering especially when working on a deadline :)  There is one yet to be received as well as a handful of other projects I hope to complete before our house (and sewing machine) get packed up for over a month!  Naturally I'd get the sewing bug 3 weeks beforehand.

Here is a round up of the gifts galore happening around here.

This first one is a repurposed dress made for my daughter.  This is actually my least favorite of the 3 that I have made, I like the top of the others better.  Thought I would try something different!  I'll get pictures of the others eventually.  I will just put out there that this was the EASIEST projects ever.  A little cutting with the scissors and 2 seams.  No measuring and no finishing!!  I discovered that you can use a girls shirt in a length that matches what you would want the dress to be (I used medium shirts).  Cut the top to look like a tank top then taper the sides down.  Easy peasy!!

 This next one is a "beach comber" bag that I came up with for my nephew (and also my kids as well).  I saw this idea in a One Step Ahead catalog but I think it retailed for something like $15!  No way was I paying that so I set out to design one.  It was fairly easy except that my thread kept breaking (you know I really HATE when that happens!).  I have changed some things about it that I didn't like and am currently putting together a tutorial on how to make one.  It you have beach babes in your house then this is a must!

 Here he was just being goofy because I asked him to be my model!

These turtles were something that I saw a tutorial for in my blog roll and instantly knew I had to make some!  They were just too darn cute not to.  I am not usually one who sets right out to make something, I'm a major procrastinator but right after I saw the blog post here, at Make It and Love It, on how to do it I went to my fabric stash and picked out the fabrics.  I made one for my nephew and my daughter for their respective birthdays and have an order from my son for one!  They really are too darn cute!!  Perhaps the best part is they are a great way to use up scraps.

 One other thing I learned from the turtle tutorial was a new stitch.  Honestly I have no idea how I have lived without it!  It's the ladder or a blind stitch and it is the best.  Now everything looks so professional!  That's what is used below to close the opening, you can't even tell.

 Finally, up last, is a purse I made for a friend of mine.  This is one of two I have made in the last month from 2 different patterns I have.  I forgot to take a picture of the other one and almost did with this one too!

That's all for now.  After the last gift has been received I'll post some pics.  It came out very well and is a very useful item.  I may be making myself one in the near future since pretty soon I'll have reasons to use it.  I have also been determined to make myself an article of clothing and have had 2 failures so far.  I'll fill you in on those real soon but first I want to have success!!

Could it Be...A Finished Project?

YES IT IS!!!!!

So I haven't done really any sort of crafting for a couple of months now.  I wanted too and had projects in mind, I just lacked the time to actually work on anything.

Well I am thrilled to be able to say I completed a project, at long last!  It was a simple, quick one but still a project.  I made a crappy CD holder you can check out Puking Pastilles for the complete tutorial.  It came together fast and was very simple aside from the binding.  I'm not good with binding anyway and this CD holder gets thicker as you go down making the binding even more difficult.

I still like it and hope my friend does too!!  It's the other part of her birthday present she is receiving a bit late but hey, better late than never right?

Finally Some Crafting!

So I have finally been able to dabble in a bit of crafting lately. About a month ago I spent a few days cutting the fabric for about 10 projects but thats as far as I got. Now that birthdays and football are coming to an end I am getting back into my projects. Good thing because I do have a handful of handmade presents I would love to make. This won't be anything like last years handmade Christmas but I would still like to make some things.


First on the agenda though was a winter hat for my daughter now thats it's starting to get cold. We haven't pulled out the snowsuit yet since I put a blanket on her while she's in the carseat or stroller but her head is still exposed and gets pretty chilly (she's an ice cube baby). I knit this in Alpaca yarn in a beautiful shade of purple although it's hard to see here. Basic 2x2 rib done big enough, I hope, to fit all winter!

Yesterday I managed to make 2 of the small sewing projects I had. This was a taggie blanket made for my daughter. I also used a few fabrics with different textures (fleece, flannel, corduroy, polka dot minky) to add to sensory aspect of it. I only did the ribbon on one side because she loves to rub burp cloths against her face so I wanted some to be smooth for that purpose. I thought this would come together real quick but ended up taking 2 hours. It's worth it though because it turns out she LOVES it!! I think I will be making a couple more for her since she likes them.

The other thing I made were a set of seat belt covers for my son. His old pair were getting quite worn and they have since marked the price up from $2.99 to $6.99!! Yeah totally not paying 6 or 7 bucks for them. I traced the set I had to make these and they are perfect. While I would have not picked this fabric for such a small project he did and he likes them so that's all that matters. I have another set for my daughter all cut out but I ran out of velcro.

Zippered Wristlet

So I was browsing for something else to make to go with the tote bag for my friends birthday and I came across the tutorial for this zippered wristlet. I have never done a zipper before but it looked pretty simple. It turns out that it took about an hour start to finish to sew. Perhaps another hour to cut and iron and put on the interfacing but it had to be one of the easiest projects I have done. I will be making a few more of these, perhaps making a few smaller ones for change purses. I found all the instructions and pattern HERE.

Some Gifts for a Baby and a Tote Bag

These are a few of my most recent projects. I have taken a break from making quilts since very soon I am going to be sewing my little girls comforter for her room. Instead I have been doing a bunch of small quick projects.


The first was a little set I made for my SIL's baby boy. He is due to arrive in a few weeks and I made these using some of the leftover fabric from the baby blanket I made her already. I appliqued the onesies with squares cut out from the flannel and I made a taggy blanket to match everything. I have heard babies love these so hopefully he will too. The shoes were a pair from the remaining 3 I finished last week.


The other thing I made Thursday night was a tote bag for my friends birthday. She was the one I was knitting the mittens for but I have admitted defeat. I have one finished but am just not into knitting right now (which stinks because I have a bunch of projects I wanted to do before my little girl arrives). I think this may be a combo of the fact it takes me forever and also it is not comfortable for me to sit still for very long which is almost required for knitting (at least me). Since I don't think I can justify to my husband why I paid someone to knit my projects for me I think I may just have to deal with the fact they won't get done.

Anyway with all that being said I needed to come up with something else for her birthday and I will be seeing her on Wednesday so I wanted to have it by then. She loves bags, really what girl doesn't, so I am hoping she will get some use out of this small tote bag. It was super easy and came together pretty quick and now I am just thinking of how to fill it! I think I will be making LOTS of these especially considering how quick and easy they are to make.

Birthday Present

The birthday present I knit a while back has finally been delivered so here is a picture. This was knit for a friend of mine's little girl who turned 2 on Easter. I used Adorabubble Knits free pattern for a Sun Hat, pattern can be found here. It knit up very quickly and easily and I will be making more of these in various sizes.

Baby Blanket

This is a blanket I put together quickly for my pregnant SIL. She is having a boy and I had a tough time finding fabric that I loved in the flannel. They live in Florida so fleece would have been too hot so I wanted flannel and the fact that it was on sale for half off was also a motivator. Well finally at the end of the row I saw this ADORABLE pattern. They also happened to have there soft, plush fabric on sale for half off and they had this vivid green that was perfect. I knew I wouldn't have time to make a true "quilt", even a simple one since I only had a handful of days before we were leaving so I just cut 2 squares the same size, sewed them together right sides facing out, and then sewed a satin quilt edging around it. The edging is actually almost the exact shade of the back but I guess since it's shiny the color didn't photograph well. Came out well and was SUPER CUTE. Best part is I got it finished in time to take with us down there. My son was a bit attached to the fabric so there may be one in a larger size in his future but we shall see.

Final Christmas Project

So the final Christmas gift has finally been delivered. This one turned out to be the project from hell but it turned out good in the end, it was just a long road to get there.

This was a large purse I made for a good friend of mine. She carries everything but the kitchen sink in her purse so it needed to be big so that it would be useful to her. Her favorite color is purple so I bought a super chunky purple yarn. It is done in an easy basket weave pattern but it gives the bag a lot of interest since the yarn is plain. Here is a picture before it was blocked, the pattern came out a lot better after blocking.

I did write the pattern down but when I was almost finished with this bag I realized a HUGE design flaw so I'm not going to post the pattern. It didn't occur to me at the time that I should make the flap smaller than the width of the bag and boy did that come back to bite me in the end. I made a thick strap (about 2 inches) and wanted to line that and the bag so it would be durable. I also knew it would be heavy when it was full and didn't want the strap to stretch over time. Also it makes it a bit more fun with the fabric. Well after I lined the bag and the strap (I also used interfacing to give the liner some body) they were pretty stiff. Good for the overall bag but then I couldn't get the strap where I wanted it. I ended up putting the strap completely on the front of the bag (which actually worked out well) but then the flap wouldn't close!! You can imagine my frustration! By then I was ALMOST DONE.

Well after discovering that I had to come up with a solution because I had put too much work into this bag to just trash it. Not to mention this was her main gift! I ended up cutting a square off each side of the flap. I hope it holds up over time but I sewed a few lines near where I cut and used some liquid seam to keep the yarn from fraying. This solved the problem of letting the flap close but as you can imagine was not appealing to look at. My next dilemma was how to cover up what I just mangled.

After a few days of brainstorming it hit me. I used double wide bias tape on the entire flap edge and it actually looked really good. It even gave it a more finished look. Inside the bag I created four pockets so it wasn't just one big open hole. At least you could have a place for the most important things.

When all was said and done the bag came out well, it looks good and sits well on your hip. Haven't gotten the verdict from her yet but I would call it a success even with all the problems I encountered. I don't foresee me ever making the "flap mistake" again.

Here is a picture of the finished bag. This one has the flap open so you can see the fabric and the next one has it closed.

Mini Felted Bag

This was another one of my Christmas projects. I only have one more Christmas present to post about after this one but it has yet to be delivered yet as it proved to be a bear and I just recently finished it.

This was made for my friends toddler. I figured what little girl didn't need a little bag so I designed this little number. It is very simple and knit all in one piece, all the finishing that needs to be done are sewing up the two side and felting it.

I must say I LOVE this bag and when I get a bit of time plan on making myself a larger version of the same thing. It would make a perfect tote bag so I may experiment with large needles and 2 stands held together.

Anyway without further adieu here it is...



Materials:

any wool worsted weight yarn (must be 100% wool in order to felt)
- I used Patons Classic Wool in the colorway Rosewood

size 10 straight needles

Pattern:

CO 40 stitches

TO FORM HANDLE:

Knit 5 rows

Row 6: K12, BO 16, K12

Place 1st 12 stitches on a spare needle or stitch holder

On 2nd set of 12 work in stockinette stitch for 6 rows (ending on knit row)

Leave those stitches on the needle

Go to 2nd set of 12 stitches and rejoin yarn

Work in stockinette stitch for 6 rows (ending on a knit row)

Next Row: P12, CO 16, P12 (rejoining the stitches so you are back to 1 complete row)

*Please don't be scared by this it is basically the same premise as making a buttonhole where you CO and rejoin the stitches. I tried to explain this the best way I could but if you have any questions please feel free to ask!

THIS FORMS THE HANDLE

Here is a picture of the finished handle. It doesn't have to look perfect since you will be felting it.


The Body:

Work in stockinette stitch until bag is 22 inches long

TO FORM 2ND HANDLE:

P12, BO 16, P12

Place 1st 12 stitches on a spare needle or stitch marker

Knit 6 rows in stockinette stitch ending on a purl row

Move to the other 12 stitches and rejoin yarn

Knit 6 rows in stockinette ending on a purl row

Next Row: K12, CO 16, K12 (the same as with the first handle)

To Finish:

Knit 5 rows (40 stitches total)

BO all stitches

Sew up the two sides to form a bag

Felt bag and block


Here is a picture of the finished bag.

The dimensions were as follows:

BEFORE - 8.75"W x 11"T (bag) 1.25"T x 4"W (strap)
AFTER - 8"W x 7"T (bag) .75"T x 3.75"W (strap)

More Christmas Presents

Felted Purse

This was another Christmas present that I made for a good friend of mine. It was first experience with felting and I like the results.


Materials:

Bernat Felting Natural Wool or any other bulky weight wool yarn
size 11 needles


Pattern:

CO 66 stitches on straight needles

work in stockinette stitch for 22 inches

(You could use circular needles and work 3 rows flat then pick up stitches along the other 3 edges and then work in the round for 11 inches)


Work for Flap:

K2tog, knit until last 2 stitches, k2tog

repeat for 6 more rows (7 rows total)

after finishing decreases knit straight until the flap is your desired length


Finishing:

Sew up the two sides to create the purse


For Strap:

CO 105 stitches (on circular or 14 inch needles)

Knit 5 rows

BO

You could also CO 7 stitches and knit until the desired length


Here is a picture if the finished purse BEFORE felting.

The finished dimensions before felting are 11"W x 11.5"T x 5" flap
The strap measured 1.5"W x 39.5" long

Here is a picture AFTER felting.

The finished dimensions were 9"W x 6.25"T x 3" flap

I think I may have let it felt a bit too long since it shrunk so much but it still looked fine, next time I may keep a better eye on it just so it would be a bit bigger. All in all I would say my first felting experience was a good one.