The only bad thing is that in my excitement about giving all of these gifts, I managed to forget to take pictures of some of them. The good things is, a lot of them were repeats, so I already have pictures of similar items. So just to recap:
For...
my mom: Fabric. It was supposed to be a casserole carrier just like the one I posted pictures of (except green on the inside) but when she heard how stressed I was about getting all my presents done, she quickly set me at ease by asking me to please not worry about getting hers done by Christmas...she knew what it was going to be and wouldn't be able to use it right away anyway. Wasn't that just so "mom" of her? I admit, it DID relieve a lot of my pressure and so I agreed. I wrapped up the fabric that I bought weeks ago to make it, and I plan to finish it this week. =)
my stepdad: a quilted stocking, made of UGA fabric and the same Christmas fabric from the tree skirt I made. I was actually really proud of this stocking, as I didn't follow any tutorial, just used his current stocking as a pattern and the knowledge I have gained about sewing. I made the top with varying widths of the fabrics (placed horizontally) and the back was just solid. It turned out really well, and it is one of the things I am kind of sad I don't have a picture of. I think I will ask my mom to snap a photo of it and I will post it later.
my step-mom: casserole carrier. I don't have a picture of this one either and the only reason I wish I did is that I LOVE the fabric I made it with. No worries; I will be able to post a picture of the kitchen curtains I plan to make with the same fabric. =)
my grandma: a zipper pouch and a matching portable tissue holder. No pictures of these either, but the pouch was the same one I made my mom and the tissue holder was very basic. I was kind of proud of that one too though, as I just whipped it up in a few minutes, and even managed to square off the sides.
my sister-in-law: a purse. No pictures of this one either; used the same kitchen curtain fabric (have I mentioned that I love this fabric?).
my friend Wendy: luckily, I made her the same purse (in a different fabric) and I DID take a picture of it:
This is the "Phoebe purse" by Rebeka Lambert. This is a free pattern she offers - it is so cute and the pattern was easy to follow. I like it so much that I will probably purchase a couple more of her patterns to make. After making the first one (and having my cardboard pattern pieces already made), I was able to knock this one out fairly quickly and it even turned out a little better than the first one. I've already thought of a few little modifications I will make to the next one.
Wendy's son, Felton (Joseph's buddy in our neighborhood who is only three days older!): a cowboy/minky pillow just like Joseph's.
As an aside, I was especially excited to give Wendy my gifts after I opened hers...a handmade cowl scarf for me and a cross-stitch for Joseph:
I love that we were on the same page as far as gift-giving goes (not to mention, the husbands got fancy beer from the same store in our town - great minds think alike!). Although we are all too busy to spend much time together right now, I really hope we will get to be closer friends as our boys grow up.
For my niece: another pillow. This one was minky and a knit fabric with a pattern of pink and brown owls. This was my first experience working with knits, and it was definitely my last for awhile. It was a huge pain and I'm just not ready for all of that. I think I'll stick with my easy cottons for now.
I mentioned in my last post about some other gifts that I made for friends and they were all well-received. I gave baby Bear his dinosaur taggie and he spent the next little while chewing on his head, which I call success. =)
My biggest gift, in terms of both time and heart-felt effort, was for my husband. He is always complaining about the throw we have on our couch...it is not big enough to cover up his whole body and he hates it. He also complains because I have a throw that I keep on my side of the bed (only big enough for one person). So I wanted to make him his own throw that would be big enough to cover him on the couch and that he could keep on HIS side of the bed. For this one I got really brave and decided to make him a quilt.
Since I have a tendency to over-reach my abilities and patience sometimes, I decided to keep it really simple, just large squares, quilted with plain straight lines. This quilt is nothing special in terms of true quilting, but it really means something to me, as this is something I never would have thought I could attempt. Now I'm excited to try another one! I was also pretty stoked about how quickly I got it done while still keeping it a secret. I decided what I was going to make on a Saturday morning, bought the fabric during Joseph's nap that afternoon, and cut all the squares Saturday evening while Ryan was at work. I sewed the top and back on Sunday and Monday, bought the batting and pinned it together on Tuesday between the end of the school day and an evening event (our workroom floor was the perfect workspace for this!). Then I quilted it on Wednesday while Ryan was at work, and finished it Friday night (when he luckily worked an extra-long shift). He never saw it or knew what I was making, though he did know I was making him something; I made him call me each night before he left work so I could clean up before he got home.
I'm too scared to try to make my own binding yet, so I just did a foldover binding. It turned out really well.
I really like the finished product, but now I am excited to make something with prettier fabric. This fabric was chosen especially to go with the red Marvel fabric that I had previously purchased, knowing I would make something with it for my husband, the comic book nerd. It's very busy, but it was the right choice for him (and for my limited time). I am VERY proud of this quilt, and Ryan really loves it.
Now that Christmas is over, I'm excited to actually make something for myself. So far I have kitchen curtains and a quilt of some sort on the list. I'm vaguely considering creating my own purse pattern as well. Looking forward to a new year of fun projects ahead!
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