Christmas PJ's

Finally, a few minutes to blog after a few busy weeks. I had several sewing projects started which I finished up two days before Christmas. That is cutting it a little too close for me. Every year, since my daughters were very small, I have made them a new pair of pajamas to open and wear on Christmas Eve. I always have trouble finding just the right fabric but this year I think I got it right!

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I went to Hancock's on Black Friday only to discover that all the flannel had juvenile designs on it. Now, I'm not opposed to a cute kitty print but it just can't look like a three year old. I was just about to give up when I spotted a bolt of solid red flannel. I have never made plain, solid PJ's for them before. I got it for about $2 a yard and bought the bolt. I also bought white piping because I had this image in my mind of tailored, monogrammed pajamas. I have used this discontinued Simplicity 5338 many times before so I stuck with what works. I was running out of time and running out of steam so I thought I would just leave off the monograms. Then, one of my daughters said, "Oh, I'm pretty sure they will be monogrammed". So, yep, they were monogrammed.

I purchased the interlocking monogram embroidery font from Herrington Design on Etsy for only $1.50!  I took a risk and embroidered the pockets without testing the design and it came out great.

Now, I know I should be on the lookout for fabric so I can start early on next year's PJ's but I'm sure I'll be writing the same story next year, and the year after, and the year after....

My Christmas Sewing Gifts

I had a very special, sewing-themed Christmas this year. I received all the sewing items that I had on my Christmas list and a few more!  My daughter hand picked these fat quarters for me and tied them up into  special little packs. She knows how much I love fat quarter packs.

She also bought the little rotary cutter that I have been wanting to try. It is a pretty nifty little gadget but it is very sharp. I nicked my finger with it the first time I took the cover off. I think it will prove to be very useful for small, detail cutting.

Now this gift was a surprise from my daughter. She makes coasters with small tiles from the home improvement store. She also featured them on her blog. She used an assortment of sewing-themed scrapbook paper which she purchased at Hobby Lobby. She told me that these coasters are to used in my sewing room to sit my sweet tea on. She knows how much I love sweet tea. By the way, my other daughter gave me an assortment of lotion, shower soap, etc. called "sleep - night time tea" from Bath and Body Works. It is supposed to calm and comfort like tea before bedtime.

My husband bought me the photo book I had ask for, a subscription to Threads, Pants for Real People by Palmer and Alto, and a cute little sewing book that he found at a local bookstore which was going out of business. (Well, actually, I pointed him in the right direction.)  I have started reading the pants fitting book. I am determined to fine tune a pants pattern soon so that I can finally have great fitting pants because I certainly cannot find any ready-made pants that fit!

The decorations and the Christmas tree have been packed away and it's time for some serious sewing! What are your sewing plans for 2012?

A Little Christmas Gift Idea

I love collecting fat quarters, charm packs, etc. I don't usually have a project in mind. I just like to admire them sitting on my shelf until I run across a project I'd like to try. I'm assuming other sewers (or sewists, I'm not sure which it is) like to collect them also. These fat quarters are for my ASG sewing friends. We meet once a month to sew and to talk about sewing.

I cut the fat quarters from the M'Liss collection at Hancock Fabrics. To make the tags, I sewed buttons onto card stock.The eyes are french knots. I glued the red card to the green tag and punched a hole at the top for the ribbon. You could add a hat or scarf but I chose to keep it simple.

What are your favorite Christmas craft ideas?

A Little Christmas Sewing

I bought a yard of Christmas fabric last year at WalMart to make this little picture frame project at our monthly ASG meeting. We used a heavy interfacing sandwiched between layers and satin stitched around the edges. I inserted a picture of my daughters and displayed the picture with their Christmas baby pictures which I bring out every year to remind me of their first Christmases.

 
A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I needed something simple for a small dining table. I pulled out the leftover WalMart Christmas fabric and made a table runner. The centerpiece is the pot which last year's amaryllis came in. The greenery is from the pine trees in my back yard and the candle I have had forever. I couldn't get a good picture of this but, hopefully, after Santa Claus brings me my new book, I'll be a better photographer.

Last night, I picked up the leftover WalMart fabric once again and cut out 6 coasters for my 6 Holly Hobbie glasses. I bought these glasses about 30 years ago at a fast food restaurant. I think it was a roast beef place similar to Arby's but was called Rax Roast Beef. I have broken a couple over the years but my sister surprised me last Christmas with replacements which she bought on ebay.

I still have a bit of that WalMart Christmas fabric left. It is the yard that never ends or maybe just enough for one more little Christmas project!

An Angel For My Christmas Tree

I've had a "cutter" quilt in my garage for some time now which was made many years ago by my grandmother. A cutter quilt is a worn, frayed, quilt which can no longer be used as a quilt. I don't like cutting into old quilts but I decided that it was the only way to keep any memory of this quilt. Since I try to make a new ornament every year for my Christmas tree,  I decided to make little quilted Christmas ornaments to share with family and friends.

Supplies:

• Small scraps from old cutter quilt
• Craft buttons - 3/8"
• Curly doll hair
• Ribbon for bow
• Jute or other ribbon/string for hanger
• Needle and thread
• Glue gun
• Fine point marker 

Cut a heart and a triangle from the quilt. Sew a running stitch around the edges to prevent the batting from falling out. Overlap the triangle on top of the heart and sew or glue in place. Draw eyes on the button face and glue to the top of the triangle. Glue curly hair to top of the button head. Add a bow and a hanger. You could also add a date or other information to the back of the ornament.

What are your favorite little Christmas tree projects?