Saturday 13 November 2010

Time to give back...

Hello all, I'm Marie from A Sewing Odyssey! After spending all this time gaining inspiration from your great ideas, I thought it was high time I gave something back..

I have to admit though, that I'm panicking slightly. Time is slipping away and I still haven't got a clear idea of who I'm making gifts for this Christmas and what they even are! Is anyone else feeling this way? I have had some abstract ideas tonight though and if I'm lucky, I may just be able to pull off in time for Christmas! 

Firstly, I have a few girly friends who I think may appreciate vintage-inspired collars to liven up plain outfits. I'm thinking along the lines of Advance 7861 or a couple of the designs featured in the wonderful One Piece of Fabric: 




For a couple of family members, I think vintage-inspired aprons could do the trick. Anyone who follows my blog will know that I kind of, maybe, like to make vintage-inspired aprons...a lot! The patterns I have in mind are below, alongside a couple of examples of what I've previously made.





Other thoughts I've had are along the stocking-filler line really. I've made cute clutch bags and flower brooches that have gone down well before. The clutch bags are from Meet Me at Mike's and I think they are a great way to use up leftover vintage fabrics, giving them a really unique look. The flower brooches are adorable, but time-consuming and fiddly to make! They are so versatile though as they can be pinned to belts, bags, jackets/tops, hairbands and they can even be glued/sewed to a hair clip instead of a pin:
 


Anyway, I hope this is food for thought for some of you, feel free to ask any questions. Personally, if I manage to make just a handful of Christmas gifts this year, I'll be very happy!

By the way, thank you Tilly for setting up this brilliant space, what a great idea that was!

6 comments:

  1. I like the collar idea! Can't wait to see what you come up with.

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  2. Love the clutch bags and flower brooches. In fact I've just bought 'Meet me at Mike's' - it looks like it has some great projects in it. x

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  3. Ooh, thanks for some lovely ideas. Meet me at Mikes has gone straight on my Christmas list, because that clutch is gorgeous!

    I love your aprons - I was looking at some in a National Trust shop yesterday and getting very excited about them. I think my husband thought I was a bit mad! Yours look fantastic, and I love the fabric of the second one.

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  4. Glad to have been of service! I hope you - Jane and madeinoxford - enjoy Meet Me at Mike's. It's full of loads of cute little projects, not all sewing either. I find the instructions are a bit confusing sometimes and there are nowhere near enough step-by-step illustrations, but the end product is good!

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  5. Ive got that book (one piece of fabric) too, I havent tried anything from it yet, but the collars are so pretty

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