To My Dad...

I was able to celebrate Christmas with my family yesterday.  We spent the lunch/afternoon hours at my brother's house, celebrating with my mom (and my brothers).  Then, in the evening we went to my dad's for dinner and gifts.

I made this throw blanket for my dad.  I just finished it up on Christmas day and didn't have a good way to take a photo.  So, I had to wait for it to be gifted.  The fabric I used is the Diggers and Dozers by Clothworks Fabric. 

I chose this fabric because my dad has his own business doing farm drainage work and has/uses different diggers and dozers.  I backed it with a fuzzy, brown, minky type fabric.  I think he really liked it, especially when he saw the images on the fabric.

Certainly, my niece and nephew did not waste any time trying to cuddle up under it with their Papa:

I also made a scarf for my dad's wife, using the Summer Scarf tutorial.  Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of it.  The scarf did turn out nicely.  I used some voile from the AMH Little Folks line  (which I see is currently on sale 50% off at Above All Fabrics!).  It took me a bit of time to sort out how to sew with the elastic thread on my sewing machine.  (Probably the most frustrating of all of my gifts I made this year!)  However, once I sorted it all out....it was awesome the way the elastic thread worked!  I think I might even make a scarf for myself!

For My Mom...

If you have been hanging around here long enough, you have already seen several versions of this bag.  It is the (pattern) My Paris Traveler's Bag by Fig Tree & Co.  This is the bag I made with the fabrics that I chose for my mom.  I should have gone ahead and made it this summer when I actually bought the fabric.

On this third trial, I made one modification to the pattern...I cut the gusset (bottom/end) piece a bit shorter ...I should have written it down because I do plan to make more of these.  When I cut it the length that the pattern specifies, it is too long.  I think I might have cut it about 3/4 of an inch shorter which worked out perfectly.

Anyway, I know my mom will love it because she saw the others I made and said she wanted one...she will especially love the hummingbird fabric, I think. 

I do have a few more gifts to finish, so off I go... 

Wrapping Gifts

...in vintage wallpaper! 

Okay, I know this is the crummiest photo ever...dark and shiny...but can you get a look at this paper?  I am just in love with it!  I thought I would wrap bunches of gifts with it, but now I'm not sure that I want to use it all up right away.

I found this wallpaper over the summer when I went to the Great American Yard Sale.  I think it was pretty much the whole roll...we also bought some used tennis balls and something else...all for $5.  How can a person go wrong?? 

I didn't even know what I would do with the wallpaper when I bought it.  Then, it struck me...wrap some gifts!!

Can you imagine wallpapering a whole room with this stuff?  I'm not sure you'd be able to turn any lights on because they would just reflect off of the paper.  Maybe I'll be able to get a better photo tomorrow, because it really is so pretty.

Gathered Clutch...Finished!

Of course, I would probably get a lot more accomplished if I didn't keep stopping to update my blog.  However, it gives me a chance to take a little break.

This is destined for a teenage niece.  They only ever want money or gift cards and that just rubs me the wrong way.  So, if I stick money or a gift card inside a little clutch or pouch, I don't feel quite so bad.

The clutch is made following Noodlehead's Gathered Clutch Tutorial.  If you have spent any time at all surfing around crafty blogs, then surely you have seen this before. The clutch went together very easily.  I did not add the pockets inside.

As you can see from the photo, my strip down the middle is a tiny bit crooked.  It's not nearly as noticeable in real life.  Next time, I will take lots of care to make sure that I line it up exactly.

A Gift Finish

Just a quick post while I take a break from my sewing.  I managed to finish up a pair of pajamas for my nephew.

It is really bright outside, cold, and a bit windy, so I didn't try to stand around too long trying to get a "perfect" photo.  The pattern is Bedtime Story Pajamas by Oliver + S.  The fabric is some Cosmo Cricket that I got on sale for $5 a yard.  The only thing left to do is put the elastic in the waistband of the pants...and I might wait to do that until after my nephew opens them. 

The pattern went together very easily and quickly.  It really didn't take much time at all.  I spent more time tracing all of the pattern pieces, since I was making a size 6 and wanted to be able to make a larger size later if I wanted.  Oliver + S rates their pattern difficulty by number of scissors and this pattern is only a one scissor pattern.  I find that the directions to the patterns are very well written and clear.

Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day

The winner is......

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 38

Carpenters said... 38

Great bag. Thanks so much for the giveaway.

December 14, 2010 2:50 AM

***This giveaway is now closed.  I will be choosing the winner soon.

Welcome Giveaway Day participants (and regular readers)!  I'm very excited to think about all of the new visitors to my blog!  I hope you might take the opportunity to poke around and read a few other posts and learn a little about me, or certainly about what has been keeping me busy in the last few months.

I am giving away a "Dharma Eco-Friendly Bag".  I bought this pattern much earlier in the year.  I just haven't gotten around to making it until now.  I decided that Giveaway Day would be the perfect opportunity to try it out. 

Here is what the bag looks like:

It is hard to tell from the photo, but this is what I would call a large bag. The pattern also carries two smaller sizes. The body of the bag measures approximately 16 in. (40.6 cm) x 18 in. (45.7 cm), not including the handles.  There are pleats in the sides which allows the bag to expand nicely.  If you follow the pattern link, you will be able to see a photo of some of the bags when they are a bit expanded.  (It was way too cold and windy outside to try to take a photo of the bag when it was stuffed)  I noticed, too, that the bag seems to be very sturdy.  I wouldn't hesitate to carry canned goods or a large bag of flour or rice in it.

As an added bonus, the bag is made all from thrifted fabric.  The exterior fabric was an amazing find, simply because I managed to get 5+ yards of it for something like a $1.59!  Plus, I think the fabric must be at least 56 in. wide.  I'm going to use the rest to make more of these bags.  The interior fabric is just a white thrifted sheet. 

Oh!  I forgot to say that this bag can be folded up and turn inside the pocket for storage:

To enter, all you need to do is comment (feel free to share something about yourself or something you love about the holidays, if you like).  Only one comment per person, please.  I will keep the giveaway open until December 17 at approximately 3:45 PM CST (whenever I arrive home from work).  As an additional IMPORTANT note, if you are a no reply, name only, anonymous blogger (duff, sorry for the direct copy here, but I though you stated it nice and clearly ), then please leave your contact information (e-mail) in your comment.  If you are not sure if this is you...go to one of the comments that you have left on another blog and click on your name in your comment.  That should bring you to your blogger profile page...and see if there is a link there to your blog or at least to your e-mail.  If that info is not there, then I can not contact you. 

Good Luck!

Some Gifts

Any itinerant teacher worth her salt knows the one person in a school that it is most important to be nice to/know the name of/have on her side....drum roll.....   Would anyone like to hazard a guess???  The SECRETARY!  She (there aren't any he's...at least not at the schools I go to) is the one who will call when a student is absent.  She is the one that will find a quiet place with a table so that an itinerant teacher can work with her student(s).  She is the one that will help with anything else that is needed.  So, it is best to be as nice to them as possible. 

Of course, this involves the occasional small gift ♥

My friend and I got together on Friday night, at her request (because she needed help and remembered I had given her one of these before), to make gifts to pass out at the different schools we travel to.

A functional gift:

You can't see this in the photo, but there are little 3x5 in. pads of notepaper inside these little "jackets".  My friend has a Cricut machine, so I cut out the little snowmen with that.  Then, I used some Spellbinders Nestabilities dies in order to cut the green and blue ovals.  I made 12, but decided to give one to my hair lady when I got my hair cut today.  So, I have 11 to pass out at the schools I go to. 

As I was finishing these up tonight, (and thinking that they are so cute) I was wondering how much buyers might pay for a little notepad like this.  I wonder if it would be worth the time that it took to stick all of the little parts together....not difficult, but takes a bit of time.  Would you guys something like this?  If so, how much would you pay/think it was reasonable to pay?   Just curious.....