Oliver + S Explorer Vest and a Knitting Needle Roll

Greetings, Crafty Christmas-ers!  I hope you all were able to finish up your projects before Christmas.  I completed my last Christmas gift on Christmas Eve morning thanks to a cold that decided to show up last week and knock me on my ass for a few days.

I made the Explorer Vest from Oliver + S' Little Things to Sew for my nephew.

I'm happy to report that he loves it!  He promptly shoved all of his spy gear into all of the pockets!

The pattern was really easy to follow.  I'm so excited to make more projects from the book.  More information can be found on my blog.

My last Christmas-y project was for my mom's birthday.  It is today and since she's getting back into knitting, I made her a roll to keep her knitting needles in.  I used the Tool Roll pattern from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing.  It was pretty easy to follow but I made a few modifications (more info on that can be found here).  Since I've been wanting one too, I made us matching needle rolls!  

I don't know about you guys, but I am so happy that Christmas crafting is over!  I've had a great time reading about all of your crafting adventures.  Until next year!

Cheers,

Lindsay

Oliver + S Explorer Vest and a Knitting Needle Roll

Greetings, Crafty Christmas-ers!  I hope you all were able to finish up your projects before Christmas.  I completed my last Christmas gift on Christmas Eve morning thanks to a cold that decided to show up last week and knock me on my ass for a few days.

I made the Explorer Vest from Oliver + S' Little Things to Sew for my nephew.

I'm happy to report that he loves it!  He promptly shoved all of his spy gear into all of the pockets!

The pattern was really easy to follow.  I'm so excited to make more projects from the book.  More information can be found on my blog.

My last Christmas-y project was for my mom's birthday.  It is today and since she's getting back into knitting, I made her a roll to keep her knitting needles in.  I used the Tool Roll pattern from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing.  It was pretty easy to follow but I made a few modifications (more info on that can be found here).  Since I've been wanting one too, I made us matching needle rolls!  

I don't know about you guys, but I am so happy that Christmas crafting is over!  I've had a great time reading about all of your crafting adventures.  Until next year!

Cheers,

Lindsay

I'm still technically not done, but...

If you can't tell by this post, I'm a procrastinator. Thought I'd recap what I was able to give out (and technically finish) these past couple days, though I'm still needing to finish a couple more gifts. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and that everyone enjoyed your amazing crafty gift goodness!

Another pleated clutch, with layered fabric

Ginger schnapps, in single size jars

Shortbread

Cockroach ornaments, based off of Very Purple Person's tutorial

Poorly self-drafted capes

Felt-applique t-shirt

Diaper clutch, again poorly self-drafted

Earthworm ornaments

I'm still technically not done, but...

If you can't tell by this post, I'm a procrastinator. Thought I'd recap what I was able to give out (and technically finish) these past couple days, though I'm still needing to finish a couple more gifts. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and that everyone enjoyed your amazing crafty gift goodness!

Another pleated clutch, with layered fabric

Ginger schnapps, in single size jars

Shortbread

Cockroach ornaments, based off of Very Purple Person's tutorial

Poorly self-drafted capes

Felt-applique t-shirt

Diaper clutch, again poorly self-drafted

Earthworm ornaments

A Father Christmas Pillow

Hello fellow crafters! It's Amy from Sew Well here again with another gift for my niece.

This little Father Christmas pillow perfectly sized for my niece was super easy to make.  The pattern was printed right on the fabric, so all I had to do was cut, sew, and stuff.  If only garments came preprinted like this!  Spoonflower, perhaps?

A Father Christmas Pillow

Hello fellow crafters! It's Amy from Sew Well here again with another gift for my niece.

This little Father Christmas pillow perfectly sized for my niece was super easy to make.  The pattern was printed right on the fabric, so all I had to do was cut, sew, and stuff.  If only garments came preprinted like this!  Spoonflower, perhaps?

Christmas PJ bottoms

Here's my last bit of Christmas sewing - new PJ bottoms for my two boys.  I made them from cotton flannel: digger fabric for my younger boy and tartan for my older one.  They were very easy to make, all I did was use existing PJ bottoms as a pattern as outlined in this great tutorial.

I'd planned for them to be brand new on Christmas Eve, as this has always been our family tradition.  Not so easy I'm afraid, my boys loved them so much when they were 'modelling' them, they won't take them off! Happy Christmas everybody. x

Christmas PJ bottoms

Here's my last bit of Christmas sewing - new PJ bottoms for my two boys.  I made them from cotton flannel: digger fabric for my younger boy and tartan for my older one.  They were very easy to make, all I did was use existing PJ bottoms as a pattern as outlined in this great tutorial.

I'd planned for them to be brand new on Christmas Eve, as this has always been our family tradition.  Not so easy I'm afraid, my boys loved them so much when they were 'modelling' them, they won't take them off! Happy Christmas everybody. x

Another Christmas Outfit...

Hi, Pam here from Threading My Way...

I finished my second Christmas outfit this week. The first one was for a little girl. Here's the second.

Once again I've used the 30 Minute Shorts pattern from Create HOPE Designs. This time I've sewn red topstitching along all seams, (except the inside leg) and above the cuff. I quite like the effect.

I added an appliqué of a star to the store bought t-shirt. Around the outside of the star, I've added two lines of running stitch in red and blue, to make the star stand out a little more.

Another quick and easy project. I still have lots of Christmas sewing to do. Let's hope I don't have to do a last minute dash to the shops because I don't finish all I've planned.

Another Christmas Outfit...

Hi, Pam here from Threading My Way...

I finished my second Christmas outfit this week. The first one was for a little girl. Here's the second.

Once again I've used the 30 Minute Shorts pattern from Create HOPE Designs. This time I've sewn red topstitching along all seams, (except the inside leg) and above the cuff. I quite like the effect.

I added an appliqué of a star to the store bought t-shirt. Around the outside of the star, I've added two lines of running stitch in red and blue, to make the star stand out a little more.

Another quick and easy project. I still have lots of Christmas sewing to do. Let's hope I don't have to do a last minute dash to the shops because I don't finish all I've planned.

A Wee Sparkly Christmas Top

Hello fellow crafters!  It's Amy from Sew Well again, here for another update on my holiday crafting.

I wanted my six-month-old niece's first Christmas to be special, so I made her a little red holiday top from a bit of sparkly fabric from Fine Fabrics and McCall's M5416. The fabric was three inches shy of being able to make the full length tunic, but as my niece is still a tiny baby and the pattern I cut was likely meant for a small toddler, I figure it'll be just fine with tights or over pants.

I cut the lining from a nice white cotton remnant I got from Britex the last time I was there. The pattern just calls for a facing, but I wanted a full-length lining to class up this baby holiday number. Though I hand pick stitched around the edge of the lining to keep the facing in place, it still peeks out a bit. Maybe it's a design feature to match the buttons? Next time I might use the identical fabric for the facing.

I used my narrow-hem foot for the hem on the fashion fabric but just pressed twice and stitched the lining hem. All in all it was a quick and easy project, even with the hand sewing. I hope she likes it!

A Wee Sparkly Christmas Top

Hello fellow crafters!  It's Amy from Sew Well again, here for another update on my holiday crafting.

I wanted my six-month-old niece's first Christmas to be special, so I made her a little red holiday top from a bit of sparkly fabric from Fine Fabrics and McCall's M5416. The fabric was three inches shy of being able to make the full length tunic, but as my niece is still a tiny baby and the pattern I cut was likely meant for a small toddler, I figure it'll be just fine with tights or over pants.

I cut the lining from a nice white cotton remnant I got from Britex the last time I was there. The pattern just calls for a facing, but I wanted a full-length lining to class up this baby holiday number. Though I hand pick stitched around the edge of the lining to keep the facing in place, it still peeks out a bit. Maybe it's a design feature to match the buttons? Next time I might use the identical fabric for the facing.

I used my narrow-hem foot for the hem on the fashion fabric but just pressed twice and stitched the lining hem. All in all it was a quick and easy project, even with the hand sewing. I hope she likes it!

Hobby-Reindeer

Hello, I'm Tors from Girl meets Wolf (previously Welsh Pixie) and I'm not sure about anyone else but I'm having a bit of a panic.

Wouldn't you know it, I've left it all til the last minute - a downside of my profession, no time left for anything else! And wouldn't you know it, the first thing I complete isn't even a present for my family, but for my friend's little boy! I'm sure the Law of Sod has something to do with this.

This hobby-reindeer came from Tone Finnanger's book, Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle. Tone's creations are fabulous and really very easy to make. If you're a fan of Mollie Makes you'll have seen some of her work in this month's issue.

The stick is some cheap dowling from B&Q that I've left unpainted because I prefer it and also can't be arsed with all the painting so soon after painting a new-to-me dresser that took two weeks to finish. It'll be a while before I pick up a paintbrush again I think.

The nose and eyes are drawn on rather wonkily with some fabric pens, the ribbon came from eBay (and don't I just love it!) and the head itself is stuffed with hypo-allergenic toy stuffing from Hobbycraft. All in all this was a rather cheap and not particularly time consuming (although a little fiddly) project to complete.

Hobby-Reindeer

Hello, I'm Tors from Girl meets Wolf (previously Welsh Pixie) and I'm not sure about anyone else but I'm having a bit of a panic.

Wouldn't you know it, I've left it all til the last minute - a downside of my profession, no time left for anything else! And wouldn't you know it, the first thing I complete isn't even a present for my family, but for my friend's little boy! I'm sure the Law of Sod has something to do with this.

This hobby-reindeer came from Tone Finnanger's book, Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle. Tone's creations are fabulous and really very easy to make. If you're a fan of Mollie Makes you'll have seen some of her work in this month's issue.

The stick is some cheap dowling from B&Q that I've left unpainted because I prefer it and also can't be arsed with all the painting so soon after painting a new-to-me dresser that took two weeks to finish. It'll be a while before I pick up a paintbrush again I think.

The nose and eyes are drawn on rather wonkily with some fabric pens, the ribbon came from eBay (and don't I just love it!) and the head itself is stuffed with hypo-allergenic toy stuffing from Hobbycraft. All in all this was a rather cheap and not particularly time consuming (although a little fiddly) project to complete.

X-mas Present #2 Done: Sock Monkeys

 

Hi, this is Stephanie from The Naked Seamstress with another x-mas present done! Yippee! My boyfriend and me made these cute Sock Monkeys for my boyfriend's little nieces. I did the sewing bits and my boyfriend stuffed the monkeys with ripped-up pieces of batting. We had great fun seeing how the monkeys came alive out of ordinary pairs of socks.

Hi, I'm John-Joe!

I used some buttons from my stash for the eyes and embroidery floss to put a smile on the monkeys' faces.

Hi, I'm Wallace!

There are many, many tutorials online for making Sockmonkeys. I used this tutorial combined with this cutting diagram:

Source: Making Martha Proud

The monkeys are really easy and fun to make (although the sewing on of the limbs can be a bit tricky) and I hope the little nieces will like them as much as we do.

X-mas Present #2 Done: Sock Monkeys

 

Hi, this is Stephanie from The Naked Seamstress with another x-mas present done! Yippee! My boyfriend and me made these cute Sock Monkeys for my boyfriend's little nieces. I did the sewing bits and my boyfriend stuffed the monkeys with ripped-up pieces of batting. We had great fun seeing how the monkeys came alive out of ordinary pairs of socks.

Hi, I'm John-Joe!

I used some buttons from my stash for the eyes and embroidery floss to put a smile on the monkeys' faces.

Hi, I'm Wallace!

There are many, many tutorials online for making Sockmonkeys. I used this tutorial combined with this cutting diagram:

Source: Making Martha Proud

The monkeys are really easy and fun to make (although the sewing on of the limbs can be a bit tricky) and I hope the little nieces will like them as much as we do.