Classroom Cutie: Custom Kid Gift

These fleece stockings were delivered to students filled with candies from teacher. 

T-Shirt Quilt: Christmas Kid

Uncommon Holidays: Knut Day Celebration

Our family has been closing our Christmas festivities with a Knut Day playdate for the past few years. I encourage my boys to invite two or three friends to enjoy the last smorgasbord of the season. Then the kids undecorate the tree -- filled with edible ornaments -- and snack on the sweats. 

Seasonally Appropriate: Neighbor Gifts

This year I took to some hand-embroidered napkins to accompany mugs and cocoa for the neighbor gifts.

Run Run Rudolph Table Runner

Right now it feels like we're all over Christmas. But when I was stitching the finishing touches on this gift I was still filled with sugar plum fuel and happy thoughts. When the no-retail rule came to reside in our family gift exchanges I was in a panic. But turned out a small-ish quilt to be used on the table for Christmas feasting. Actually could be hung on the wall for decoration is you were so inclined.

For the label I embroidered right into the back piece, as I tend to do for all my quilt signatures. But this time I used metallic thread. It was actual metal. Imagine embroidering with a guitar string. Lesson learned.

Every time I finish a quilt remember how much I love hand sewing a binding.

Wild Stockings

Wild Christmas stockings in tones of aubergine, lime, cotton candy pink, vibrant blue and chocolate are made with durable and washable cotton fabrics and trims. Designed to match the ornaments Target released last year and this, these bright colors shock your traditional Christmas ideas into overdrive.

Oh, and one more thing, they are washable! Yes, I know your babies can get crunchy candy cane slobber on their stockings -- been there -- so if these get mussy just hand wash them in cold and line dry (or have dry cleaned). Use warm iron if necessary.

If this is too much punk for your family stocking set, think of these for college kids, newlyweds, and gift bags (yes a bottle of wine fits in there).

Wedding Gift of The Year

Some folks think that cutiepetutieoriginals.com is just for babies. Wrong! Sophisticated, stylish, and so so so so soft.

Look at these amazing blankets designed for a couple to snuggle under at 60"x60". They truly are the perfect wedding gift or housewarming gift for a young couple. And don't forget your college kids, this is perfect for warming up those dorm rooms!

More mature patterns, but still fun and whimsical. Get yours now!

The Leftovers Must Go Somewhere, II

I made an insane amount of bias tape for this project. I get carried away when it comes to bias tape. And it had to go somewhere, right? It's too cute not to do something with it.

Then I read this blog, African Kelli, and cringed because I knew she was somewhat speaking to me and so many others who are faithful fans but have just not sewn from the book we all bought months ago. (This is an excellent sew along, but I have been way too busy to really sew with them this year.)

So, with the freedom they "assigned" to this month's challenge I flipped through my crisp new book that has literally collected fuzz-dust. With an eye toward fulfilling my Christmas shopping/gift list I settled on pp. 83, The Sewing Tools Trio. I'm telling you right now I would have none of the trio business, because I am WAY too busy for that. But the sewing machine cover was a very good choice for me. More specifically my mother-in-law because I happened to use her machine on a recent trip and know for a fact that her current cover is disintegrating. She has the same machine that I have so I felt confident that if I made the thing to fit my machine it would fit hers and I jumped right in. I also hope she doesn't read this blog or she will know what she is getting for Christmas.

Anyway, I jumped right in to changing the pattern. I like the cover featured, but I like to have a handle hole. I also knew I needed an extra pocket for the monster instruction manual that comes with this basic machine (seriously someone needs to tell Bernina that the manual is a bit thorough.)

If you would like to sew the cover as I have sewed it: follow along for my updated pattern -- which includes the general idea of that designed by Sarah Hunter. Snaps to Sarah Hunter -- whoever she may be -- but this new and wholly different pattern is specific to fit the Bernina 1008.


Materials
To begin with let me just say that I just cut, I don't measure and I'm not exactly sure how much I started with.

- 1 yard of 44/45" fabric (I used quilted and I think a heavy-duty fabric is necessary.)
- Some matching thread, but don't panic if it doesn't match, I never do
- A shitload of bias tape

Instructions
I feel I should disclose that I am not a pattern writer, but I used to write instructions for software. This could be dry. Also I used a 1/2" seam allowance on all seams.

1. Measure and mark the following pattern pieces on the wrong side of your fabric (the fabric you intend for the body of the cover). Two pieces 15x13" (front and back panel), two pieces 16x8"(side pieces), two pieces 4x9" (top handle pieces).

2. Cut those and set aside.

3. Measure and mark the following pattern pieces on the wrong side of your pocket fabric (if you don't want contrasting pockets you don't need to.) One piece 13x13" (lateral slide pocket), one piece 10x15" (drop in pocket).

4. Cut those and set aside.

5. Get out that bias tape you're about to have some fun! Sew bias tape per generally accepted instructions (good luck with that) to one side of each of your pockets, the 13" side of the lateral pocket and the 10" side of the drop in pocket. Also sew bias tape along one of the 8" sides of the long side pieces. Lastly sew bias tape along one 9" side of each of the top handle pieces. Confused? Yeah, me too.

6. Pin pockets in place on panels lining up wrong sides of pockets with right sides of panels. Loosely stitch around edges.

7. Center the top handle pieces to the front and back panels with right sides together. Pin and then sew the top handle pieces to the center-top of both the front and back panels.

8. With right sides together, take care to line up and pin the side pieces to the bottom corners of the front panel on each side. Stitch from bottom to top along side and up around the corner so that the bias taped ends of the side panels meet and then overlap slightly on top of the top handle pieces.

9. Pin back panel to sides with right sides together and follow the same instructions of step 8.

10. With cover inside out, or not, try to pin the edges of the side panels on top of the short edges of the top handle pieces. Then sew what will appear to be a top stitch along the side of the bias tape that isn't already stitched down. This is a colossal pain in the ass and you'll feel like you're looking down a deep hole at your project while trying to sew it at the same time. Not a good time for a glass of wine.

11. With cover inside out, attach the bias tape to the bottom edge. Once you're ready to make the final stitch line of the bias tape it will be time to turn the cover right side out.

12. Iron. Now, if anyone could tell me how to get wrinkles out of pre-quilted fabric, that would be great.


copyright notice: I appreciate that these pattern instructions might suck ass, but they are not to be reproduced without my consent, nor sold without me getting a cut.

See You Next Year

I appreciate the fact that most of you have taken down your Christmas decorations. But I took the gracious words, "finish at your leisure" quite literally on my last custom order. Thankfully the client knew I needed to spend some time with my family during the holiday rush and let me finish the stocking for the pets in their family when I could get to it.


Lucky for her, that meant I scored some velvet and Christmas prints at rock-bottom prices. And with the spare time I always seem to have on Christmas day -- when all the house is playing with its new toys -- I chose to adorn this last stocking with hand beading. See, good things DO come to those who wait.


PS -- The Pièce de résistance of this project is the lining. It is little cat angels adorned in Christmas gowns. What good hunting dog wouldn't want that in their stocking?!?!?!

The Husband Factor

When I started learning to embroider, I know for a fact that my husband rolled his eyes. You know, ANOTHER crafty thingy. But when he discovered that I wanted to embroider tea towels for our home he was muy supportive. Those are his favorite kind of towels for the kitchen. In fact, he even suggested I go online and buy a case (of like 800) and start making gifts for everyone in the family.

If I'm going to do that, I'll have to start now to be ready for Christmas 2010. But, I do so like a flour-sack tea towel with a little flair. My favorite ones have gingham bias tape around the edge and a little embroidery in the corner.

Seasonally Appropriate: Christmas Stockings

I just finished a custom order for Christmas stockings. They'll be heading to Texas tomorrow. But I think I'm going to miss them. This unique project required that I use existing needlepoint stockings -- much like you might buy from Land's End or Horchow. They were rather small, so I needed to extend them while still making the needlepoint look like a natural part of the stockings. Or rather, make the addition look like part of the original stocking.

I also knew the client wanted to class up her stockings. Needlepoint stockings are classic, but I knew she wanted something with pow. Hope these are what she had in mind...







Notable notions:
vintage buckle
interior design trim that was priced $8/yard. (that's much more expensive, higher-quality than I am accustomed working with)
handmade button "believe"
stretch velvet -- to accommodate big stocking stuffers
microfiber suede, leather look

X-Mas Stocking for MSN

Gray velvet with lime green silk (with slub). And super star beaded trim.