Extreme last minute crafting

Hello again, Aleah from no time to sew with my last (last minute) crafty gifts. First up, made the night before it was gifted, a couple things for a work friend:

The first is a purse organizer and a small zipper pouch. She always wants to change her purses to match her outfits, but complains about what a pain it is to transfer all her purse contents all the time, so I thought this might help. It's basically a strip of pockets that she can fill with purse stuff, roll up and stick in one purse, then pull it out and move it to another purse easily. I just winged the construction, more details here. The zipper pouch is from this tutorial.

The second item is this super simple jersey circle scarf. This has got to be the easiest gift of all time to make. I bought a third of a yard of jersey from the bulk bin at my local fabric shop. I trimmed off the selvages, then used a ruler and rotary cutter to make the long edges nice and straight, and sewed the short ends together. Done. So if it happens to be Christmas Eve and you're one gift short, might I suggest a jersey circle scarf? I think it took me longer to buy the fabric than to make the scarf, seriously.

I also made my mom a case for the Kindle Fire my dad is getting her:

It's basically from this tutorial, resized for a Kindle (luckily, it turns out that the dimensions of the Fire are the same as my regular old Kindle, so I made this case the same size as one I made earlier in the year for myself). I lined the case with a scrap of black corduroy left over from a skirt I made last year. The lining is visible around all the edges, of course, because my lining always seems to end up bigger than my outside fabric for some reason, but I'm just going to pretend it was intentional since it kind of looks like trim. Here it is open, with my Kindle in it. The bird screen saver seemed appropriate for the fabric (it's Alexander Henry's Bird Seed, which my mom actually gave me last year because she liked it but couldn't think of anything to make with it!)

So woo-hoo, Christmas Crafting complete! Have a Merry Christmas, everyone. May it be filled with family, friends, food, and plenty of crafty gifts too!

A Very Jackie O Muslin

Hello fellow crafters! It's Amy of Sew Well yet again with another last minute handmade gift.

My mom asked for a cape for Christmas, and I was happy to oblige. In fact, I thought I could draft a cape pattern that would fit her perfectly using the simple directions in Patternmaking for Fashion Design. All I needed from her were her measurements... about a hundred of them according to the book. I recently came to my senses and decided that I should figure out pattern drafting for myself before I move on to others, and I placed an Etsy order for a vintage cape pattern.

Since the cape pattern didn't arrive in time for holiday crafting, but Daughter Fish's Simplicity 6402 did, I quickly sewed up a very Jackie O muslin as a place holder for my mom. Lucky for me, my mom is understanding.  I think the thoughtfulness of not only a handmade cape but also a gorgeous handmade dress and jacket combo sometime in the coming month will make up for the fact that she only has a muslin to unwrap on Christmas day.

Frankenstein Skirt

Hello, Crafters! This is Seeks, and I have another refashion-as-gift-for-cousin to show you. This one consists of parts from two dresses and a shirt. I only have pictures of two of the three original components, but it's construction was super easy (at least, once I got my hands on a serger).

This skirt is for another cousin, who had commented on how much she loved the blue lace dress that I didn't photograph, but how it just never fit well in the top. She especially noted a love for the material itself. I thought it'd be nice to give her something made from the material that she'd actually wear.

Two of the three original pieces.

To summarize the process, I took the skirt from the dress not shown, sewed it to the waist of the second dress, and lined it with the body of the shirt. The shirt was easily converted to a skirt by cutting off the sleeves and feather neck thing (don't ask me) and then sewing up the sides to taper to a waist.

It was totally gratifying to make with the serger. The seams were all simple, totaling only four in all. The fabrics are super super stretchy and comfy, so it will work out well for a range of body shapes. The lining does peek out a bit at the bottom, but I like how it helps to tie in the waist with the bottom of the skirt as well.

Bags, bags, bags! (and tutorial links)

Hello fellow Christmas Crafters. This is Andrea from Stitch Parade checking in with an update on my pressie making progress thus far. I must confess it’s been great reading about your own progress and I’ve been inspired by the great present ideas you’ve all had.

With less than 3 weeks to go, I’m about 80% done but it’s been raining cats and dogs in Toronto for days so I’ve not been able to get pictures of all my makes. Today I’ll show you what I’ve got so far in the bags department. First up, toiletries bags for my dad and brother:

I learned to make these bags a couple years ago at The Workroom, a local sewing studio, but the process is super easy and I even fund an online tutorial for you over here. For these bags I was able to up-cycle wool materials from hardly worn trousers I rescued from a friend’s Goodwill pile. I figured the look was manly enough. What do you think?


For the ladies I made clutches using a pattern also from The Workroom. I used some leather scraps for two of them, quilting cotton for another two, and the leftover embroidered border denim from my Ginger skirt for the last one.

All bags, except for the leather clutches, are interfaced for structure, include an internal pocket, and are also lined with contrasting cotton fabric for a fun pop of colour.

If you are interested in making similar clutches I found this handy tutorial here. As an FYI, the frames can be bought from several vendors via etsy.

Hopefully we get some sunshine this coming weekend so that I can photograph some of the other presents I’ve made. Wishing you all days of absolute present making productivity over the next couple of weeks!

Refashioned Sweater to Skirt

Hello, Holiday Crafters!  My name is Seeks, and this is my first post here for the Crafty Christmas Club. I am a blogger who's interested in a number of things, so my blog ranges in posts from sewing to art to food. I'm starting to pick up some sewing momentum of late, so I am happy to have a chance to contribute here. I just finished one of my first present projects and really need to show it off somewhere before I spoil the surprise! Thank goodness you're here to save me from blabbing!

I had a sweater that both my cousin and I loved, but just never wore. It had a few holes in key places that just didn't make it wearable to most outings.

So, for Christmas, I thought I'd refashion it into something I knew she would wear: a cute knit skirt and leg warmers. The nature of the knit and ribbing of the sweater was perfect for the refashion because it wasn't itchy, and the V-neckline stretched just enough to serve as a perfect waistband. A nice detail on the skirt, as I've not seen many v-waisted skirts.

I used the sleeves for the leg warmers, and the top curved portion of the sleeves to make the pockets (one kangaroo pouch on front, one small pocket on the back). My cousin loves pockets, so I am excited by their addition.

I used a blanket stitch on the raw edges of the leg warmers, and they stay up quite well without the addition of any ties.


They're a little loose at the top, but that doesn't seem to compromise their hug elsewhere. My hope is that they'll spring back after a wash.

The pockets were sewn with some embroidery thread "X"'s at the corners to help keep the bulk of the inner sewn edges from sticking out.

Hope you like it!

You're welcome to check out my blog for other stuff I'm working on. Most of my good stuff will be showing up here in the next month though, as most of my projects are gifts at the moment.

Turk's Head Knot Bracelets

Hi everyone!  Karen here from Renegade Homestead.  It's not even the end of November and I'm knocking out presents left and right (granted, I'm a dog walker so it could be that I have more time on my hands than most crafters).  Today I finished a few Turk's head knot bracelets for my college girl friends.  

I used this tutorial and found that each one took about 20 minutes.  Perfect for stocking stuffers and easily accomplished in front of the TV.  

And I have to share this - the funniest thing happened while I was taking pictures of the finished bracelets!  See anything out of place in the picture below?

That would be a wild turkey on the right.  A whole flock of them wandered into my photo shoot!

Happy to see there were some survivors from Thanksgiving right in my own backyard.  To anyone who celebrated it last week, I hope your holiday was as good as theirs!

OK, I admit it.

It's only a month until Christmas. And I really need to get cracking with my Christmas prep. Eek!

I'm Kerry, and I blog at Kestrel Finds & Makes. This is my first post here this year, although I have been peeking at some of the other lovely projects that have been posted. I don't have a huge list of things to make as I decided not to make things too hard for myself, but here's what I will be crafting in the next few weeks:

1. Mittens for my partner in a charity shop/handmade blog swap
2. Scarf for my sister in law
3. Cushion covers for a friend
4. Fabric-based matching game for my friend's daughter

I am also planning to post about wrapping and decorations - all homemade of course!

K x

Naughty Socks

Warning!! May not be safe for work!! Also, I apologise if anyone is offended by these socks.

This is my fourth knitted gift, and they certainly made me giggle the most! Though they were very hard on my hands, it's sport weight yarn (light DK) knitted at 8 stitches per inch on 2.25mm needles. Needless to say, there was much grumping and grouching as I got a blister from the tiny needles on my index finger. Which I then repeatedly stabbed with the needle until the blister split along my fingerprint. Ouch! Does anyone else have this problem with the smaller size needles? How can I avoid it? 

Anyway, here there are! Innocent looking at a glance, but then you get a closeup :)

*giggle* These are for a friend who has just the right sense of humour to appreciate these :) The pattern is a free one available at Ravelry here, and the yarn is Knit Picks Telemark. It's great yarn, and the choice of colours is excellent! This is also my first time using sock blockers too, I love them! So much easier than trying to make socks lie flat and be the same size. I like  making socks, so they'll see lots of use.
Also, in the time it took these to dry, I've almost finished a hat for my brother. Yay for big needles! :)
Ashley x

The Christmas Red shawl

My third finished present! :) This one is for my mum, as she never buys herself things. She's much rather buy my brothers and sisters a new scarf or a new winter coat, than keep herself warm. And her favourite colour is red! This is another Cascade 220 Heathers yarn, and there were a few different reds that I thought she'd like. I couldn't decide, so decided to check the names of the colours. This yarn was called 'Christmas Red', so that cinched it! :)

The pattern is a free one available from Ravelry. It's call Sheri and is here. 

I love this little scarf/shawl, though I think it could do with a more aggressive block. The lace edging isn't as open as I'd like, so I might re-do the blocking, depending on how it looks by Christmas.

Oh, and I remembered to take a pre-blocking photo!

It was curling like crazy! It's much better now, but still curls a little at the top edge. I don't think it'll be noticeable when worn though :)
Ashley x

A Heavenly Shawl

This is my second finished Christmas present, and it's for my friend Emma. It's a free pattern that can be found on Ravelry here. It's call 198yds of Heaven, hence the title of this blog post ;) I used Cascade 220 Heathers, in the colourway 2445. I love this yarn! 

I forgot to take pre-blocking photo's, but the shawl was half the size it is now! It was my first time blocking something so aggressively, but I did it! It's now 44 inches in width and about 24 inches in length. I still can't believe the size difference! 

So, there's my second present. And you know what the best thing is?! I saw Emma yesterday and she'd bought a new bag. . . in the exact same shade of green! Woo! :)

Ashley x

My Crafty Christmas plans

Hi, I'm Helen from Josie and May. This is my first time blogging with Crafty Christmas Club (thanks Tilly for setting this up!), but I did enjoy reading all the posts last year and I've been making presents for friends and family for quite a few years now.

I''m not making too many presents this year - partly due to the amount of time left, but mostly because I'm knitting this beauty for my brother in law -

He's been pestering me for a Mark Darcy sort of Christmas jumper for years, so last year he got the pattern for his present, with the promise of a finished jumper this year. So far I've finished the back, and am up to rudolph's nose on the front.

It's not perfect. There are a few places where I've switched yarns and it's a little loose or I've not wrapped the yarns properly, but nothing that can't be sorted once I've finished. And it's hard work having four balls of yarn on the go at once.

Last year I'd planned on making some decorations, and even got as far as buying the materials, but I was channelling my energy into finishing presents so never got round to them. (Also, as I'm don't spend Christmas day itself in my flat, I never feel like I *have* to decorate - sad, I know!).

So this year I'm determined to make lots of decorations in short bursts to fill my flat with Christmas cheer. First on the list is Christmas bunting using these fabrics (from Beyond Fabrics on Columbia Road and Seamstar).

I may need more than these three fat quarters, but I'm going to see how many triangles I can get from them before I start buying more!

And no home is complete without a wreath. I fell in love with this ribbon wreath when I spotted it last year.

http://thelongthread.com

This all black one is for Halloween, but I bought green, red and gold satin ribbon from a market stall last year (I'm hoping I don't regret not getting grossgrain ribbon, but the amount needed would cost more than I was comfortable spending). Rather than buy a foam wreath I got some wire, so I may need to pad that out a bit before I start tying the ribbon.

But then this year I spotted this on Pinterest. So if I can find the foam wreath then I'm hoping to make this one too. What? More Christmas wreaths than bedrooms is totally ok, no?

Source: domestifluff.com via Helen on Pinterest

I will be making a few make up bags using Flossie Teacake's excellent pattern for presents for friends and family. Best £3.50 I've spent on a pattern - I've made so many of these!

I've been planning on giving my Mum this shawl from a Rowan book for, oooh, probably 5 years. That's how long I've had the book and the yarn (Sirdar Wash and Wear double crepe dk). But it took me a long time to get my head round the lace pattern, and now that I have the brother in law's jumper is getting in the way! Hopefully this will be ready in time, but if not it'll make a lovely Mothers Day present.

Kashmir Shawl in Rowan classic alpaca (book 13)
Source: www.englishyarns.co.uk

So that's the crafting sorted, and I haven't even thought about baking! I'm organising and taking part in a Christmas bake-off at work, so any suggestions of Christmas themed goodness kindly accepted!

Misty Monday Morning Kit ~ mittens & cowl knitting pattern

Hello again Christmas Crafters!  Greetings from Stitch me Softly...

Herewith a super easy and lightning quick knitting pattern - a winter warmer kit complete with mittens and matching cowl...  I had every intention to give this first set away as a gift, but since trying it on, no way jose!!  I am sooooo keeping it!  

Luckily though, for the other ladies I will be Christmassing with, this kit knits up so fast with Debbie Bliss' delicious Como yarn, which has been discontinued so you can get it for pretty cheap on ebay, so I'm sure I'll be churning out a few more!

So as not to take up acres of precious screen space with lines and lines of k2 p2 k2tog...knitting morse code blah blah blah, please see this post from my blog for the pattern.

Happy knitting!

First present finished!

Yay, I finished my first Christmas present! :) My friend Becky loves Twilight, so when I saw these mittens on Ravelry way back in June I knew I had to make them for Christmas (the pattern can be downloaded here). So here they are pre-blocking:

See how they curl a little at the top of the arm? They were also a little itchy which worried me. Luckily a nice soak in some 'Soak' wool wash sorted the itchiness and also helped them lay flat at the top :) Here they are after a day and half drying time!

There's only a slight difference, I think they look smoother and a bit neater. Also, I just realised the angle of the photo makes them look different sizes! They aren't, I checked just to make sure. 

The yarn is Drops Eskimo, and I used about 3 and a half balls. This yarn is excellent value and knits up really nicely, but definitely needs to be washed in a special wool wash or some mild conditioner to make it wearable.

So, there you have it. My first ever handmade Christmas gift!

Ashley x

My Crafty Christmas List

Hello everybody! I'm Ashley and I blog over at Jellybean's Odds and Ends :) This is my first year at the Crafty Christmas Club. I wasn't confident in my skills last year, and in the end just ran out of time!

So onto the list:

For my friend Becky: Bella's mittens (pattern can be downloaded here). She's a Twilight fan!

For my friend Kirsty: A rather naughty pair of socks that suit her sense of humour ;) Do not follow the link if you're at work! The Ravelry page is here (you have to log in, sorry!) 

For my friend Emma: 198yds of Heaven shawl. Ravelry page here.

For my mum: Again, the 198yds of Heaven shawl. I think she'll like it :)

For my two little sisters, India and Ebony: A little sewn bag each using a pattern I won in a giveaway by Sarah at Rhinestones and Telephones :)

Dom's (my boyfriend) little sister: Also, a little sewn bag.

For my brother Lewis: A slouchy hat. Pattern here. He wears hearing aids, but is a little self conscious about them so he likes to wear hats in the winter to cover them up. I think it's just so he can claim he can't hear us! He'll often turn them off if he doesn't want to listen to you! ;)

For my brother Corey: A pair of fingerless mitts. Practical for a kid always on the go! Ravelry page here.

For my boyfriend Dom: No idea! But maybe a pair of socks. I made him some a while ago, but they're a little loose, so I owe him some that fit better :)

Do-able? I hope so! I've already started Becky's mittens, I'm halfway through the second one. I have the yarn for Kirsty's socks, but I need to order yarn for the other knitting projects. I think I'm going to get a Fat quarter pack of fabric for the little bags. 

So I have a plan, I'd best get crafting!

Ashley x

A new member and some inspiration

Good morning everyone,

I'm new to the Crafty Christmas Club, I'm Wendy and I blog over at The Crafter's Apprentice.  None of my in-the-flesh friends or family read my blog, or even know I've got one, but I wanted to join this blog to share the links I've found for great tutorials, and even some of my own.  I see everyone is posting their to-do lists, but I haven't made one yet so I'll post it when I have made it!  I have, however, been making Christmas presents and I thought you might want to see some of them - with links to FREE tutorials of course!


Pocket tissue cases from a tutorial on Bitty Bits and Pieces.  VERY quick and easy to whip up and they only use up scraps.



Fold up shopping bag from a tutorial on Crafty Ady's blog.  Look on the sidebar for the link to a pdf tutorial (free).  This one does take a little more patience and I would say skill, but I managed it with the minimum of skill!



Another quick and easy tutorial, this one for headbands over at KC Quilts.

This tutorial for glasses cases using a flex frame is really fast to whip up and they can be as simple or as embellished/pieced/appliqued/embroidered as you want.  It's another one from Crafty Ady and the link takes you right there.  I can't post a picture as they're showing up as those funny purple lines on my blog for some reason.


This is the Pheobe bag, it was great to sew up, I really enjoyed it.  The tutorial can be found on Artsy Crafty Babe.



Cute little baby bear hats for the babies on your gift list.  I also recently made a panda version.  These take half an hour to crochet.  The tutorial is on Alli Crafts blog.  She has patterns in a couple of sizes so you might have to check the tags on her sidebar to find the right size.

 
You've probably all seen this before - it's the Buttercup Bag by Made By Rae.  It uses tiny amounts of fabric and is fun to make.



How about some oven gloves for the cooks in your life?  This pattern from Sew4Home doesn't involve quilting or binding.

And finally, some tutorials from me that might be useful.



Lavender sachets make a great stocking filler and come in so many guises.  I posted a tutorial for these scrappy patchwork lavender hearts.

 

I also wrote a tutorial for counting bean bags for the little people in your life.

And finally...



How to make an appliqued notebook.  This one is a no-sew (apart from the cover applique of course!) version.

I will be back soon with my Christmas to-make list.