Pillows, Snoods & Table Decorations!

Hi everyone! It's been awhile since I posted here due to some unexpected travel, but here's what I've been up to in the crafty Christmas world:

Pillows
I made these pillows for my sister from fabric she bought on our trip to Hawaii last year (Kapaia Stitchery on the island of Kaua'i, great prices!). These were supposed to be for her birthday in February (oops), but better late than never! I bought pillows from the craft store and just sewed 2 fabric pieces together and flipped them right side out. I slipstitched them closed after inserting the pillow. I bought the blue fabric to make a dress, but borrowed some of it here since I thought it made for a more complete group!

Snood Fever Continues!
This is my version of the snood made world famous by Karen from Did You Make That? I made 3! This snood is made from Merino wool that I bought at the Brooklyn General Store in Brooklyn, New York and was my first knitting project in years. I started it in New York and finished it in Virginia! This one went to my friend who is heading back to France next month. Should keep her nice and toasty.

Table Runner/Napkins

And finally, I made a table runner and napkins for my mom, as she loves decorating for the holidays. I gave them to her a bit before Christmas so she could enjoy the festiveness! For the table runner, I used sew-in interfacing to weigh down the lighter weight reindeer cotton and found that slowly ironing out the bumps in the fabric helped keep the fabric flat. I also used my walking foot which helped keep the fabric layers from shifting.

The napkins were made using the rolled hem setting on my overlocker. It's the first time I've used this feature and I love how it turned out! It looks like the edges are bound with a narrow bias tape and it was so fast and easy to make.

Happy holidays, all!

~Amanda from Sewin' in the Rain

Pillows, Snoods & Table Decorations!

Hi everyone! It's been awhile since I posted here due to some unexpected travel, but here's what I've been up to in the crafty Christmas world:

Pillows
I made these pillows for my sister from fabric she bought on our trip to Hawaii last year (Kapaia Stitchery on the island of Kaua'i, great prices!). These were supposed to be for her birthday in February (oops), but better late than never! I bought pillows from the craft store and just sewed 2 fabric pieces together and flipped them right side out. I slipstitched them closed after inserting the pillow. I bought the blue fabric to make a dress, but borrowed some of it here since I thought it made for a more complete group!

Snood Fever Continues!
This is my version of the snood made world famous by Karen from Did You Make That? I made 3! This snood is made from Merino wool that I bought at the Brooklyn General Store in Brooklyn, New York and was my first knitting project in years. I started it in New York and finished it in Virginia! This one went to my friend who is heading back to France next month. Should keep her nice and toasty.

Table Runner/Napkins

And finally, I made a table runner and napkins for my mom, as she loves decorating for the holidays. I gave them to her a bit before Christmas so she could enjoy the festiveness! For the table runner, I used sew-in interfacing to weigh down the lighter weight reindeer cotton and found that slowly ironing out the bumps in the fabric helped keep the fabric flat. I also used my walking foot which helped keep the fabric layers from shifting.

The napkins were made using the rolled hem setting on my overlocker. It's the first time I've used this feature and I love how it turned out! It looks like the edges are bound with a narrow bias tape and it was so fast and easy to make.

Happy holidays, all!

~Amanda from Sewin' in the Rain

last minute.com: fierce chutney and icy candles

Hi crafters!

Once more tis Becca from Knit Happens.  If you're anything like me (little miss last minute)  you might be panicking about those last few gifts or decoration bits.  Worry not!  There is still time!  I made fierce festive chutney in no time with this recipe from the lovely Betty Magazine.  I swapped the chilli for smoked paprika, black pepper and a pinch of chilli powder.  A bit of ribbon and a ditsy print fabric to top - Bob's your uncle (he may well be). 

I grabbed some wintry greenery from the garden for this ice candle holder.  The tutorial is here on Eden Bath. 

Phew!

last minute.com: fierce chutney and icy candles

Hi crafters!

Once more tis Becca from Knit Happens.  If you're anything like me (little miss last minute)  you might be panicking about those last few gifts or decoration bits.  Worry not!  There is still time!  I made fierce festive chutney in no time with this recipe from the lovely Betty Magazine.  I swapped the chilli for smoked paprika, black pepper and a pinch of chilli powder.  A bit of ribbon and a ditsy print fabric to top - Bob's your uncle (he may well be). 

I grabbed some wintry greenery from the garden for this ice candle holder.  The tutorial is here on Eden Bath. 

Phew!

Christmas bunting

I've got my first set of Christmas decorations finished - the Christmas bunting went up today. This is a big moment - it's the first time Christmas decorations have made an appearance in nearly four years of living in our flat. I followed the instructions from Saints and Pinners for the festive mini bunting. Well, I say followed, but after marking it out on a piece of card I realised it was smaller than I wanted. So I doubled it up to 8cm wide, and set about cutting it all up with my rotary cutter and pinking shears.

Three fat quarters has given me enough bunting to go across the main wall of my living room. I could have got even more out, but made a rookie error - my snowman fabric is directional, so doesn't work upside down.

Nevermind - lesson learnt for next time, and having a little less of the red has meant that I've had to be a little more creative when it came to setting it out. I quite like that it's not a regimented red, white and green.

Oh, and I'm so over reindeers. I've nearly finished the antlers in the Mark Darcy jumper, then it's the 'simple' task of finishing the neckline, knitting two sleeves, blocking and making up.

I'm not going to lie - I'm seriously tempted to make this into a tank top. But I'll persevere with it in the hope there's enough time left to bring it all together!

Christmas bunting

I've got my first set of Christmas decorations finished - the Christmas bunting went up today. This is a big moment - it's the first time Christmas decorations have made an appearance in nearly four years of living in our flat. I followed the instructions from Saints and Pinners for the festive mini bunting. Well, I say followed, but after marking it out on a piece of card I realised it was smaller than I wanted. So I doubled it up to 8cm wide, and set about cutting it all up with my rotary cutter and pinking shears.

Three fat quarters has given me enough bunting to go across the main wall of my living room. I could have got even more out, but made a rookie error - my snowman fabric is directional, so doesn't work upside down.

Nevermind - lesson learnt for next time, and having a little less of the red has meant that I've had to be a little more creative when it came to setting it out. I quite like that it's not a regimented red, white and green.

Oh, and I'm so over reindeers. I've nearly finished the antlers in the Mark Darcy jumper, then it's the 'simple' task of finishing the neckline, knitting two sleeves, blocking and making up.

I'm not going to lie - I'm seriously tempted to make this into a tank top. But I'll persevere with it in the hope there's enough time left to bring it all together!

A -Slightly Psychedelic- Pompom Wreath

Only 2 weeks to go...!

Elisalex here, howdy!  With the majority of my presents done and ticked off the list, I'm now turning my attention to decorating...

For some reason, traditional Christmas Wreaths have always felt a little morbid and ominous to me.  Dark, spiky and somewhat reminiscent of funerals.  Beautiful, but depressing.  But then I saw this Pompom Wreath, and this tutorial from JCasa*Handmade, and I knew what I had to do.

For the wreath's structure I used some foam tubing from the hardware store and a coat hanger to create the shape -

Then made a bunch of pompoms in my favourite reds-dusty pinks-off whites colour combination and tied them securely onto the foam tubing.  To finish I wound around some woodland mushroom fairy lights I had (which I think look a little too acid-y when switched on, but perfectly cute -and innocent- left off) and attached a grosgrain ribbon loop so it can be hung. 

But no way is this wreath getting hung outside... I've become very fond of its sweet, not at all morbid or ominous, and very soft self.  I couldn't possibly risk it getting rained on or stolen, and most of all I want it inside where I can appreciate it.

A -Slightly Psychedelic- Pompom Wreath

Only 2 weeks to go...!

Elisalex here, howdy!  With the majority of my presents done and ticked off the list, I'm now turning my attention to decorating...

For some reason, traditional Christmas Wreaths have always felt a little morbid and ominous to me.  Dark, spiky and somewhat reminiscent of funerals.  Beautiful, but depressing.  But then I saw this Pompom Wreath, and this tutorial from JCasa*Handmade, and I knew what I had to do.

For the wreath's structure I used some foam tubing from the hardware store and a coat hanger to create the shape -

Then made a bunch of pompoms in my favourite reds-dusty pinks-off whites colour combination and tied them securely onto the foam tubing.  To finish I wound around some woodland mushroom fairy lights I had (which I think look a little too acid-y when switched on, but perfectly cute -and innocent- left off) and attached a grosgrain ribbon loop so it can be hung. 

But no way is this wreath getting hung outside... I've become very fond of its sweet, not at all morbid or ominous, and very soft self.  I couldn't possibly risk it getting rained on or stolen, and most of all I want it inside where I can appreciate it.

Doily Snowflakes

Hello again lovely crafters! 

Once more tis Becca from Knit Happens.  This week we got our mini faux tree out from under the stairs (always an exciting moment) and got decorating!  I made these cute little papery snowflakes with some doilies.  You can find the tutorial here.  Now back to the knitting!

Doily Snowflakes

Hello again lovely crafters! 

Once more tis Becca from Knit Happens.  This week we got our mini faux tree out from under the stairs (always an exciting moment) and got decorating!  I made these cute little papery snowflakes with some doilies.  You can find the tutorial here.  Now back to the knitting!

Artichoke flower decorations

I've been busy with some Christmas stalls, so now they're over I can concentrate on making presents and this is the first thing I've finished today, well, I say finished I may make some more as they're rather addictive!

Artichoke shape flowers, one large in orange, burnt orange and white and the smaller one in orange and black

I found the tutorial to make these here.  They are pretty quick to make and you wouldn't believe the weight difference from start to finish!  I know it's a polystyrene ball which is really light and then cover it with folded squares of fabric held on with metal pins, but still, it's now rather heavy!

They are going to be part of a gift to my boyfriend's mother as she is very particular about colour schemes and things having to match and so thought a handmade decoration for her living room which has shades of orange would be best rather than spending lots of time hunting for something in the right colour schemes.  I can see these being a big hit with everyone else too so may need to find some more polystyrene balls to cover.  Have a go, you'll be addicted too!

Artichoke flower decorations

I've been busy with some Christmas stalls, so now they're over I can concentrate on making presents and this is the first thing I've finished today, well, I say finished I may make some more as they're rather addictive!

Artichoke shape flowers, one large in orange, burnt orange and white and the smaller one in orange and black

I found the tutorial to make these here.  They are pretty quick to make and you wouldn't believe the weight difference from start to finish!  I know it's a polystyrene ball which is really light and then cover it with folded squares of fabric held on with metal pins, but still, it's now rather heavy!

They are going to be part of a gift to my boyfriend's mother as she is very particular about colour schemes and things having to match and so thought a handmade decoration for her living room which has shades of orange would be best rather than spending lots of time hunting for something in the right colour schemes.  I can see these being a big hit with everyone else too so may need to find some more polystyrene balls to cover.  Have a go, you'll be addicted too!

Felt decoration fun!

Last year I went on a one day felt decoration workshop.  It was so much fun, it totally sparked an interest in felt and embroidery!  I went a bit nuts at home and made all of these beauties.  Some were inspired by decorations I found images of on the web, others are my own creation.

I could make a million of these things.  These two are my favourites.

 

Felt decoration fun!

Last year I went on a one day felt decoration workshop.  It was so much fun, it totally sparked an interest in felt and embroidery!  I went a bit nuts at home and made all of these beauties.  Some were inspired by decorations I found images of on the web, others are my own creation.

I could make a million of these things.  These two are my favourites.

 

Introduction and an Advent Calendar

Bonjour! I'm Kate, an American in Paris, and I blog as Mommy en France over at Two little cabbages & cie. I didn't sign up for the Crafty Christmas Club in time to be a full-fledged contributor, so I'm very thankful that Tilly so kindly set up the guest account.

I've always loved making things and over the years have played around with everything from making my own wrapping paper and cards to knitting scarves to giving people clever little packages of home baked goods. I just started sewing this year - after a 22 year break (the last time was in junior high school home economics class), so I'm looking forward to adding that to the gift mix.

At the same time, I'm trying to be realistic about my time and the circumstances of my life. I have two small children (the little cabbages, ages 3 and nearly 6), a full-time job outside the home, and I try to do my part through volunteering. For Christmas this year, I'm not going to throw myself into complicated projects (particularly as I am still grappling with a pile of UFOs from my Fall Palette Challenge). Instead, I'm focusing on smaller, more easily accomplished projects. I'll be making...

Embroidered hankerchiefs

No-sew placemats

Simple sewn scarves

Very simple "20 minute tote bags"

A couple cowls using this pattern

And possible a few other knit items like washcloths/bath mitts and this necklace/cowl

Perhaps a little zip bag or two, perhaps a few vide-poche type fabric baskets

I'm also going to be making decorations with the little cabbages. We already had a go at some pine cone and vintage paper ornaments, and we'll also be making bunting and paper snowflakes and possibly some paper chains for the tree. And of course we'll be baking lots!

The project I wanted to share today is an Advent Calendar I put together for my parents. They live so far away (in the northeastern United States) and holidays are often a little bittersweet as we don't always get to spend them together. And I know it's hard for them to be so far from their grandchildren. But this year they are coming to us for Christmas, hurrah! So I made them a very special Advent Calendar that goes from 1 December to the day that my parents leave to come here. The images are all vintage pictures of Santa that I found on various clip art sites and the last image is the Eiffel Tower!

Making this was a "learning by doing" process, involving a lot of glue and grouching. But I am happy with the end results and will probably try to make more of this kind of thing for next year. The concept does lend itself to endless fun variations... I just had a brilliant idea for one I could do for my sister - an avid Scrabble player - using 24 two-letter words allowable in Scrabble.

Happy holiday crafting!

Decorations

Here's some felt decorations I've been making today.  I've used cookie cutters as templates and then either stuffed them or sewn on extras as decoration.  I've stitched round the outside of each decoration with embroidery floss as don't like trying to turn felt right side out as don't find the results very good and like using the embroidery floss as an added part of the decoration of each piece.

I think my favourite has to be the sequinned flamingo, not very Christmassy I know but it's fun!

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!