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 rewn 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.

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.

How I Roll - Animal Blankets Out of Control

Hello fellow crafters! I'm Amy, and I blog over at Sew Well. I've really enjoyed keeping up with everything that everyone has been making for their family and friends this holiday season. I'm getting a late start posting over here, but I'll hopefully be able to get it all in in the next few weeks.

I figured I'd start with a few animal blankets I made for friends who just recently had babies. I used the Cotton Ginny's Animal Blanket pattern, which comes with patterns for a bear, elephant, and hippo, but I modified the patterns to better fit the recipient. Here are the results.

A pink unicorn for a little girl who's room is filled with magic and fairies.

A floppy eared dog for a little girl who's mom grew up with the greatest basset hound ever.

The blankets are simple to make and only require a sewing machine and a bit of hand embroidery at the end.

I hope everyone's having a great weekend. I'll be back soon with some more of my holiday crafting.

Until then,

Amy

How I Roll - Animal Blankets Out of Control

Hello fellow crafters! I'm Amy, and I blog over at Sew Well. I've really enjoyed keeping up with everything that everyone has been making for their family and friends this holiday season. I'm getting a late start posting over here, but I'll hopefully be able to get it all in in the next few weeks.

I figured I'd start with a few animal blankets I made for friends who just recently had babies. I used the Cotton Ginny's Animal Blanket pattern, which comes with patterns for a bear, elephant, and hippo, but I modified the patterns to better fit the recipient. Here are the results.

A pink unicorn for a little girl who's room is filled with magic and fairies.

A floppy eared dog for a little girl who's mom grew up with the greatest basset hound ever.

The blankets are simple to make and only require a sewing machine and a bit of hand embroidery at the end.

I hope everyone's having a great weekend. I'll be back soon with some more of my holiday crafting.

Until then,

Amy

Lullaby Lamb Felt Doll

Hi, everyone! I'm Amanda from Virginia, USA. I blog over at Sewin' in the Rain and this is my first time posting at Crafty Christmas Club. I credit CCC for motivating me to finish my first handmade gift of the season!

A little girl in my family is turning 1 around Christmas so I made her this cute little "Lullaby Lamb" doll out of felt, fabric and embroidery floss! The pattern is a design from Gingermelon, an Etsy shop with a bunch of adorable doll patterns available. She's based in Canada but her patterns are sent through e-mail and I got mine almost right away!

The lamb came together pretty easily and I'm very happy with how it turned out. Basic embroidery stitches are used to join the pieces. The original doll height is described as 3.5" (~9 cm) sitting down so I doubled the size of the pattern pieces to get a larger doll. Most pieces are whip stitched together and then stuffed with polyfil, including the wee snout!

Materials include:

• High quality woolen cream felt for the body from Purl Soho in New York. It doesn't pill like cheaper felts and has a smooth feel (though I admit using cheaper felt for the flower at the head and the pillow.)
• Leftover fabric from my first-ever skirt for the foot pads and inner ears.
• Seed beads at the center of the flower.
• Silk satin ribbon at the neck, also from Purl Soho.

I attached the pillow to the body of the lamb so it wouldn't get lost. As you can see, I also added a little message on the pillow! I'd love to make this again or try some of her other patterns. I know it'll go a lot faster now that I've done it once.

Have a wonderful week, and happy crafting!

~Amanda

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!

I've got a plan!

Hello Crafty Christmas Crafters! I’m Andrea and I blog over at Stitch Parade. I’m a bit late to the party but this past weekend I finally cleared a couple of UFOs from my sewing table and I’m now ready to get stated with my Christmas presents.

Here’s what I’m hoping to accomplished before December 25th:

1. A scarf for my Dad following the Extra Warm Men’s Scarf pattern by Cotton and Cloud. The fabric texture in this free Ravelry pattern is super nice and I hope my dad will like it.

2. For my step-mom I will be making a leather clutch just like this one I made this past summer (shown below), only this time I'll use a buttery cream colour.

3. I’ve been working on this quilt for a while. It’s been sandwiched and pin basted and if I get my act together and actually quilt and bind it, it will make a nice Christmas present for my mother-in-law. 4. Both my step-daughter and sister-in-law will be receiving wristlets this Christmas. I’m undecided on the pattern so if any of you have any suggestions, please let me know.

5. My little sister lives in South America where Christmas lands right smack in the middle of summer. She’ll be visiting me in Toronto this holiday season and I’m planning on sending her back home with a fabulously extra large tote bag in bright prints that she can take to the beach.

6. For my baby nephew I will be making a pair of baby pants, a hat and a larger size of the same pair of reversible baby shoes I made for him a few months ago. This time I’m using a print with tiny robots. The pattern can be purchased from this etsy shop.

7. Last but not least, I’m planning on making sewn mittens for my friends’ kids. I found this great free pattern for fully lined mitts here. They look faster to make than knitted mittens and I have a couple of fun fabric choices that will wok for these little boys. Note that the pattern comes in multiple sizes, including adults, so these would be suitable for many people on your lists. And, they get bonus points as a stash busting project.

Now that I look back at my list, I’m getting scared that I won’t finish everything – It’s November already! Better get crafting…