Rainbows

I had a bit of panic this time last week, having finished making the storysack and gnome which I had made as presents for a friend's children I realised I was about to start the mad season for family birthdays.  One of my siblings has four children, one had a birthday last Saturday the other three are in May in the middle of which my youngest also has a birthday.  Last year I didn't manage to make much for my youngest as I was too busy making two little cardigans for my twin nephews who were born last year.  I really wanted to make something for them for their first birthday but having to make two meant it needed to be something quick and easy.  Their mother is a child minder and having two older siblings makes it hard to come up with anything they won't already have, unless I make it that is.  I mulled over various small knitting projects that I could make including one for a knitted ball that I remembered reading about somewhere but I hadn't bookmarked or pinned it.  A search came up with something much better, a quicker project which used materials I already had, a rainbow felt ball.   Had I knitted something I would have had to buy more yarn, not that much of a hardship but it would take up time that I didn't really have.

I cut out the pieces using the seven colours of the rainbow, remembering the mnemonic Richard Of York Gave Battles in Vain for the seven colours, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.  I needed an eighth colour and chose a brown shade to sit between the red and the indigo.

A long time ago I acquired a bag of odds bits of embroidery thread at a home ed meet up which I had held onto through several decluttering missions as I felt they would come in useful some day, this was their time.  This was a great project for picking up and putting down when I had a few moments the seams were short and could be sewn in a few minutes, the most time consuming bit was untangling the threads from the messy ball they had become in their bag!

Two quick and easy presents for one year old twins!

I used this tutorial which helpfully includes a template for you to print out.  I used buttonhole stitch to sew the eight big pieces together and blanket stitch to sew the two end pieces on, there is a difference between these stitches as I discovered when looking them both up a while ago!

I embroidered their initials on one of the end pieces, I am not sure if they are possessive about their toys but just incase they are.....

I whipped up a couple of pairs of slouchy/pajama type trousers and a play cape for the older two and posted the whole lot off on Saturday I little late for the first of the birthdays but hey, at least they are all sorted now.  I felt like a whirling dervish last week.  Now I can get on with the sewing that is languishing on the back of a chair in the living room with its pins stuck in ready to catch you as you walk past.........oh and my youngest's birthday presents of course!

Joining in with Nicole for Keep Calm Craft On, head on over to see what others have been making...