Gifts

I try to make as many of the presents I gift as I can.  During the year the birthdays often pile up one on top of the other leaving me frazzled at times until I remind myself that it is ok to buy some presents, I only have so much time.  At Christmas there are many presents to gift all at once, in years past I have knitted many of them.  I am not a particularly fast knitter so find myself starting projects in August to get them all done in time.  I really didn't want to continue with this as it means that for half of each year I am knitting Christmas presents and the Autumn birthdays don't get a look in, so I have turned to sewing.  Oh so much quicker and some of the bit and pieces I have made using small pieces of fabric in my stash.  Stash is perhaps giving it a status that it is not worthy of, I only buy material for specific projects my stash consists of the leftover bits.

When I visited my mum earlier in the year I noted that she was using a sturdy paper bag to carry her music and stand to her lessons and the orchestra she plays with.  Always on the look out for ideas for presents I decided to make a bag.  I measured the paper bag and used those measurements to construct something myself a lined bag with a magnetic closure to stop all the contents spilling out.  I had a dabble at a spot of appliqué on the outside it's not something I would want to do loads more of but rather adds to the bag don't you think?

I always need a few small presents to gift to the children of friends we spend New Year with, flicking through one of my sewing books I found the very thing, (a place for) everything baskets.  Small pieces of fabric, a small amount of ribbon and some interfacing and you can make something which looks lovely and is useful too.  What more could you ask for in a project.  I have ended up making six of these so far, they are so quick I can whip one up start to finish in an hour!  Perfect!  I am going to make three more for this Christmas and I can see these being the birthday present for many children next year maybe with a wee piece of treasure inside?

During my youngest's birthday party earlier this year one of the mums was finishing off a sewing project, she was making something that I knew I would want to make for myself and maybe as a gift at a later date.  I haven't got round to making them for myself but thought they would make the perfect gift for my brother and his partner.  The pattern can be found in this book which is full of projects to make reusing and repurposing fabric you have to hand, I have to confess that I bought the fabric, just enough, to make these.  These are hot pads or trivets and have padding inside, I did repurpose some old towels for that part.

I still have some bunting to make and the last two knitted projects are progressing well on the needles.  I hope that I will not have the frantic Christmas Eve finishing off and wrapping up as I have in years past.........

Linking up with Nicole

Intentions

How many times, I wonder, have you pinned or bookmarked something you have found on the web that one day you would like to make.  Somehow that day has never arrived.  Or what about if you go and buy the materials for a project, but still the day has never arrived.  I have looked through some of the ideas I have earmarked to make one day and realised that many of them are lovely but I cannot imagine them being used in our house or ever making them as a gift.  I just liked them at the time.

I was given a copy of this lovely book for my birthday last year.  I was very familiar with all the patterns as I had had a copy out the library for months.  Having my own copy rekindled my desire to make some more of the projects in the book as presents and I went out and bought some material for one of them, which languished in a drawer until this week.  Finally I cut out the pieces I needed and sewed them up.

This pattern is called a Gathering Bag and mine is not quite the same as the original.  The bag includes a pocket which is meant to be on the outside at the back.  My interpretation of the pattern was incorrect and I have ended up with a pocket on the front which the flap comes down to.  I am good with this, although it would have been better if the pattern on the pocket and flap lined up........you change some, you win some.  I think I will sew a magnetic clasp to keep the bag closed and a friend's son is making me a wooden button to sew on the front of the flap.  I had originally intended to make this to give as a present and I still will, just not sure who yet.  But it is always useful to have a present ready and waiting, right?

I have found another idea for something I want to make next and rather wonderfully I have material in my stash, leftovers from other projects, to make it.  So I am not going to leave it for months and hope to show you what it is very soon.......have you been making anything recently?  If you head over to Frontier Dreams you can see what others have been making.

Skirt

My adventures in sewing have continued this week with a skirt.  I shared a picture of the pieces along with two pairs of trousers.   This skirt was made up of fourteen pieces of material in five different fabrics, the pieces were cut into a tall trapezoid.  I arranged the fabric on the floor to get them in the order I wanted them once I had a plan I started to sew them together once they were all sewn I attached a waistband and then sewed the skirt together, the waistband is elasticated in exactly the same way as the trousers.  When competing the hem I could have just turned up a narrow edge but I decided I rather liked the bias binding tape used in pattern I was following so I did the same.  It was relatively easy to attach this to the hem, my sewing is not that even but for my first attempt I am very pleased, I expect it will only be worn for one summer as my youngest grows so fast!  I can see myself making something similar again in the future as it was much easy than it looks.

The pattern for this skirt is from a book that I currently have out on loan from the library. I have looked at many sewing books recently, online, in bookshops and in the library but could not find any that I liked or thought I would make more than one project from. This book is what I was looking for and I expect I will asking for it for my next birthday.

Joining in with Nicole for this weeks sharing on Keep Calm Craft On.