Strawberry Butterscotch

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Just in Time for Christmas?

The good news, I finished all my Christmas crafts in time for Christmas. Yay! The bad news, it took me until now to actually post any of them. At least I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing their presents before Christmas. Anyway, time to share all fruits of my labor.

First up is the ornaments, a yearly tradition for me. I made two batches this year just like last year (see Christmas at Last?).

I got these clear ornaments last year at Walmart when they went on clearance. I thought they might come in handy, just as soon as I figured out what to actually do with them.

With a mighty wad of fabric scraps, and the help of my niece…

---I created these ornaments. Loosely filled with cute fabric scraps and then topped with holiday ribbon, also bought on clearrance last year.

For the second batch, I made use of this cute tutorial for felt coasters. I’ve always thought they would make cute ornaments if made smaller and I was right.

They are made just like the tutorial except I cut the felt squares about 2 inches by 2 inches and I added a loop of ribbon in the top corner before sewing along the edge. Finish off with a faux pearl in the center of the flowers and they’re ready for hanging.

Next up, scarves. I bought a couple of fleece blankets on sale a while back, and rather than actually using them as blankets I thought up things I could make with them. I came up with scarves, but not just any scarves. Scarves with pockets, so you can use them to either keep your hands warm or keep you phone or what not handy.

Now the circle skirt, or in this case a half circle skirt. I originally wanted to make a full circle skirt for someone, but then I went fabric shopping. I discovered this lovely asian style fabric. I thought it was perfect, but I thought because of the direction and design of the fabric it would look funny as a full circle skirt.

Then I remembered this tutorial for a half circle skirt. It is actually quicker and easier to do, and it worked great for this fabric. Yay!

Since I can’t make clothes without making matching accessories, I made a cute little kanzashi flower hair clip. I thought this style would be fitting for the fabric pattern.

Now something a little silly. I wanted to sew something cute for a couple of little boys, something that also wouldn’t seem too “girly” to at least one of them. The solution: donut plushies.

They are made of cream colored felt with blue icing and red and white sprinkles. They were pretty easy to make once I figured out how to turn the body right side out. If you look closely you will see a seam running between the legs. That’s the secret.

I opted to add eyes without a mouth. It kind of looks like the donut hole is their mouth anyway. It’s funnier that way. Hope the kids enjoy them.

Now some doll clothes. I already made a post about these here on my doll blog.

Anyway, I made my ball jointed doll a dress coat with some white fleece I also got on sale last year.

I think it came out well except for a few little things. First the way it bulges slightly at the top where it opens. I suppose if it bothers me enought I could just add another snap to keep it closed. T

he second is the way the collar sticks up, I can’t decide if I think it looks cute like that or not. Then there’s the way the hem looks uneven in the photo. It’s just the way it’s hanging though, the hem is perfect, maybe if I iron it? Hmm.

Anyway, in adition to the coat I also made two doll sized hats. A white beret to match the coat and a red stocking cap just for fun.

They both look adorable on my doll. I opted not to add a pom pom to the stocking cap both out of laziness and versatiliity. Because I used red felt to make the hat, it is stiff enought to wear pointed up or flopped down. When pointed up it looks like a little knome hat which is super cute.

I also made my doll a pair of shoes and some tights, something I haven’t shown on my doll blog yet.

The tights were made from an old pair of tights I had that got rust stains in unfortunate areas. Sad because they were only worn once by me. Anyway, now I can finally get some good use out of them.

The shoes are made from black felt with cardboard for the soles. It took a great deal of time for me to design a pattern for them, but it was worth it. I may post the pattern in the future if anyone is interested.

Now for the kit, a sewing kit. I made several little sewing items for my 5 a Week Challenge (See 5 a Week: Needle Books and 5 a Week: Mini-Pin Cushions) and I thought I could use them to assemble a cute little sewing kit as a nice gift. Just needed a pair of scissors, a measuring tape, and…

…a pretty pouch to hold it all. I used the same fabric as the half circle skirt.

Just a simple pouch with a flap and a snap to keep it closed. Came out really cute, enough to make me what to make more. Maybe another day.

Now the final project, more skirts! I enjoy sewing and wearing poufy pretty skirts and dresses, but they can be a bit chilly this time of year. I’ve heard it mention multiple places online the idea of making and wearing an underskirt made from fleece or flannel. Just the thing to keep your rear warm.

I decided to give it a try, so I whipped up these two skirts from white fleece. I decided to use the half circle skirt tutorial again. They came out great, so cute. I still haven’t tried them out outside. Hoping they will make a difference.

Here’s the updated list:

~~Donuts~~
~~Skirt~~
~~Circle Skirt~~
~~Kit~~
~~Ornaments~~
~~Scarves~~
~~Accessories~~
~~Shoes~~
~~Coat~~
~~More Ornaments~~
~~Hat~~

Eleven down and out. Now I can just relax for the rest of the year. Happy New Year!

‘Tis the Season…

Catching Up: Bags and More Bags

The last few projects on my list were bags so it seems fitting to put them all in the same post. Plus I just wanted to get them over with so I can focus on the next big project, Christmas. So here goes.

First up is this purse. Some may notice it bears a great resemblance to a certain lace covered purse I made years ago (see It All Started with Goodwill). There is a good reason for this. A certain individual I know really likes my white lacey purse and sort of requested one just like it except for a few differences. I figure it would make a excellent gift, maybe.

Second up is this pretty purple tote bag. I have been badly in need of a new everyday bag as my old one was about to kick the bucket.

I used some pretty fabrics I got from SAS (see The Biggest Craft Haul Ever) and trimmed it with the same lace as the purse which also came from SAS.

At first glance it may seem like a normal tote bag, but if you look on the sides you can see a zipper.

Two zippers running all around. These are what make this bag truly special. Because when unzipped…

…The bag is much bigger with nearly twice the capacity. That’s right, it’s a convertible bag.

I’ve found that on some days I carry considerably more stuff than others, so much so that my old bag was being overly stuffed. Plus on my “lighter” days, my bag seemed needlessly huge. Having a convertible bag solves this problem. It goes small when I travel light, and grows larger when I carry more. Much more in fact, it can hold noticeably more than my old bag.

Another problem I had with my old bag was trying to find things in it. With a big bag full of stuff it can be easy to lose important things in the void. This bag solves that problem thanks to the many pockets on the inside. Perfect places to stash my wallet, phone, lotion, pens, compacts, tiny notebooks, etc..

And there is a larger pocket for things like my tablet and such. The lining of the bag is actually made of vinyl to make it easy to clean. I frequently carry food or water bottles and other things that may spill.

My third bag project is a little pouch made to match the tote bag. It has lace along the zipper and some lace for a handle to make it both pretty and easy to grab and go.

Of course it is lined with vinyl too for easy clean up and actually has a vinyl divider inside. One side I use for makeup and the other side I use for other supplies like cough drops and tissues. Basically things that would be handy to toss together in any purse or bag.

Here’s the updated list: