More X-mas Crafts

Here are some of the other fun things I made for x-mas gifts:

Wristlets (front):

Back:

Apron for Elsie w/ elastic neck band & velcro strap so she can put it on herself:

Finished Quilt for Andie (front):
Back:

The tension was off in some places, but I really like the way it turned out, so I left it (hopefully that doesn't mean it's going to fall apart!):

And, here's one more (much smaller scale project) that I knit for myself:

T-shirt Making & X-mas Crafting

I took my first t-shirt sewing class last weekend & it was completely frustrating & an absolute bust. Although my lovely, almost brand new sewing machine can perform many tasks...sewing on jersey knit is one thing that it just cannot do. Aside from cutting out my fabric, I completed nothing else in the 2 hrs I was in the class! The lady who was instructing spent quite a bit of time with me trying to troubleshoot, but it was all for naught...I left class with one poorly sewn & puckered shoulder seam. I did a bunch of testing at home - trying different thread, changing needles, changing stitches, anything I could think of, but just couldn't get my machine to work. I did some Internet research, but wasn't able to find anything that I hadn't already tried. Yesterday was the second & last class so I decided to break out my mom's old machine...the 1970's Sears Kenmore...and it worked like a charm! Fortunately, my mom kept the manual so I was able to figure out how to adjust everything. I was such a happy girl! I got caught up to where I should have been at the end of the first class & went to class to finish everything up. So exciting!!! I'm going to have to take my new one in to get it fixed though - I really need to be able to sew on jersey with that thing.

I also realized this weekend that it's almost x-mas. I knew it was coming up, but hadn't realized how soon it was actually going to be here. So, I got started on quilt #2, a x-mas gift for my sis. I have a pattern for this one, so things are going much smoother than they did the first time when I decided to just wing it. Here are some pics:



I also worked on making some vanilla extract - such a great idea!!! It's so expensive to buy a bottle of the real stuff & I seem to go through it pretty quickly, so I made myself a small bottle & made a large bottle for a gift:



I have surprised myself once again by realizing that next weekend is the only one left before x-mas...I still have a few more things to make, so it looks like it's going to be a pretty busy week.

Purse!

Here are some pictures of the purse I finished the other day:

For scale:

Christmas is Coming?!?!

Oh, man, Christmas is coming so quickly. So many things I want to make, and well, just not enough time. If I were a more seasoned crafter it may not be such a problem, but since I feel like I need to make a "test" version of most of the gifts I want to make, it's taking me twice as long.

But, I finished up one of those test projects last night - a very cute purse (pics to follow.) So, I just need to go pick up the fabric for the gift & I can get started on that one. Nana wanted me to knit her a sweater, but I just don't see that getting done in time...I haven't written it off completely as her gift just yet, but I'm thinking that I may embroider some tea towels for her instead. Nate suggested that I embroider a Corvette on them...although this may sound completely silly (since she is 91) but she does have a lovely jean jacket with a rhinestone Corvette on the back. I love that crazy lady!

The Weekender Travel Bag

My bag is done... if I only had a weekend getaway planned! I picked up the pattern & fabric for this bag probably close to 2 months ago & was a little too intimidated by the instructions to start on it. I had cut the fabric a couple of weekends ago when I was really sick & then I didn't do anything with it. I finally decided to just go for it this weekend & start sewing. It's definitely not perfect, but I think it looks nice & will work well for me. Once again, I've learned some things while I was making it, so that's a plus.

I took the pattern & added feet to the bottom of the bag & a couple of pockets to the lining fabric...because I've never had a bag with too many pockets. Here's what it looks like:

Top:

Inside:

Sweater for the Sweetest & Littlest Girl I Know

I finally finished Elsie's sweater! For some reason it took me a lot longer than I figured a teeny tiny sweater should have, but I think it turned out really cute. I just need to block it & then it's ready for her (well, it'll be ready for her to wear pretty soon - it's still a little big):

Fall Veggies

I took a look to see how things are growing in the garden so far this fall & things seem to be coming along nicely...

CARROTS

BROCCOLI

??? (I can't remember what this is since I planted it from seed - beets? spinach? We'll see once it's ready to harvest!)

MUSHROOMS

RED ROMAINE

Puppies Putting Their Bed to Good Use

Love those pups.

Dog (and cat) Bed

Here's the dog bed I whipped up last night:



I love the fabric - I saw it at Ikea awhile ago, and once I figured out a use for it, I was super excited. I also hadn't made any buttonholes with my new sewing machine, so I figured this was a good opportunity to try that out. I used 4 buttons to secure the cover on the back of one of the ends.
Rufus & Sophie love it (while I was sitting on the couch, I was holding it in my lap finishing up a seam & Rufus actually jumped up on the couch & then proceeded to try to get on top of the pillow to lay down.) They're not the only fans though...when I woke up this morning, both Woody & Charlie were snuggled up in the middle of it.

Quilt = Complete

Finally! I'm done w/ the quilt. Done, done, done. Lots o' love (and just as much frustration) went into it. I'm glad Nate convinced me to keep making it, but I'm also glad I decided to just make it a lap quilt instead of a quilt for our bed. Maybe another time. I think I'm done with quilts for awhile. But, I am happy with the way this one turned out:



I couldn't get a very good pic of the back of it, but it's a dark green heathery flannel with orange lines through it:


Next project - dog bed.

The Saturday I Didn't Get Out of My Pajamas

Yes, it's true. On Saturday, I woke-up, cleaned house, picked my quilt up and didn't put it down until I went to bed at 1 am on Sunday. My posture was horrible for the majority of the time I was doing this, so, needless to say, I could barely stand up on Sunday. I made it to yoga last night though, so I'm feeling quite a bit better.

When I was at the fabric store last, I decided not to buy a leather thimble (which was recommended in a book I have) and so I spent the entire time I was quilting, regretting that decision. I made due by wrapping some blue painter's tape around my finger (since that was all that I had near me that would work) and it helped a bit, but my poor fingers are still sore today. Lesson learned.

I quilted all of the squares and just need to do some quilting in between them. Hopefully, I will be done by next week. Here are some pics (Nate wanted some "X" stitches...I don't think they're your normal quilting stitches, but I think they're cute):

Sewing Class

Last night was my first (of two) sewing classes. So fun! It's been such a long time since I've sewn anything (aside from the squares for my quilt & hems in my pants) that I was very nervous to make that first cut in the fabric! But, I did it...and it looks like everything's going to turn out okay.
In addition to cutting my fabric, I also sewed in 1/2 of my invisible zipper. I have to get the side seams basted & my skirt lining put together this weekend & then we assemble everything in class next week.

They are offering a t-shirt making class, and I think I'm going to take that next. Sounds like fun to me. I tend to be particular about the fit of my t-shirts, so I think it would be great to make my own. Now that I think about it, Nate's even more particular about them than I am...I can't tell you how many t-shirts he buys, wears once, and decides that they don't fit right & he never wears them again...drives me crazy!

Square Completion

Squares for my quilt are pretty much done, I just need to trim all of the edges to make them 'square.' Now, I'm just waiting for the fabric sale to buy the rest of the fabric to finish it up. Here's what the second set looks like:

Sweater #2 = Complete!

Completion!

Once again, I probably would have finished it sooner if I:
1) would have paid attention to what I was doing
2) would read the entire pattern & be better about making notes of what I need to do
3) could let little mistakes go

After awhile, hearing myself utter "oh no!" made me smile. It's okay though - I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

I think I like knitting stripes, it makes it easier to keep track of the rows & makes it easier to match up the seams. The first sweater I made was knit from the top down & there wasn't any seam sewing. This one was knit in pieces & all sewn together. I think it turned out really nice.

Next project...a skirt sewing class at the fabric store up the street. Yea!




To my surprise, I finished my sweater already!

Once again, I probably would have finished it sooner if I:
1) would have paid attention to what I was doing
2) would read the entire pattern & be better about making notes of what I need to do
3) could let little mistakes go

After awhile, hearing myself utter "oh no!" made me smile. It's okay though - I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

I think I like knitting stripes, it makes it easier to keep track of the rows & makes it easier to match up the seams. The first sweater I made was knit from the top down & there wasn't any seam sewing. This one was knit in pieces & all sewn together. I think it turned out really nice.



Next project...a skirt sewing class at the fabric store up the street. Yea!

What am I Thinking?

I have a few too many pending projects. I was working on my quilt, but the fabric store up the street has their annual sale towards the end of October, so I've put that project on hold for a bit. Then, I knit Elsie a little sweater, but I'm not happy with the way it turned out, so I've picked another pattern to work on. Nana also asked me to make her a sweater for x-mas, so I must be sure to get that one done in time to gift it to her. And, I still need to make the original quilt that started all of this (a x-mas gift.) I should stop right there and finish up those things before I move on. But no.

Tracy came down last weekend for a lovely little visit & she inspired me to take on even more projects! This was through no fault of her own, she's just such a crafty girl, that it makes me think that I have all the time in the world to be as crafty as she is (and I don't.) So, post-Tracy visit, I now have: our quilt, Elsie's sweater, a sweater for Nana, a quilt for an x-mas present, a sweater for myself (which I am currently working on), a sweater for Nate, a purse, and an overnight bag for myself (and possibly one for a x-mas gift if it turns out alright.)

I also saw some neat, knit floor pillows in the West Elm catalog that I'd like to make.

Me...Run? Yes I did.

Yesterday, Trixie & I ran in the Fremont Brew HaHa 5k run. Actually, I think that "jogged" is a more appropriate description of what we actually did. But, I did "jog" the entire run (which was the goal I had set for myself.) *Yea!* for me for meeting my goal!!!!!! I went with Nate's line of thinking, which is "all you have to do is not stop." I think he's on to something...

Squaring Off

I have 2 different designs of squares for my quilt & I got the first set of squares all sewn together tonight - yea! The quilt's not going to be laid out like this, I just wanted to see what they would look like if they all (less one square that I left on the ironing board) would look like. I think I'm glad that I decided to go with wonky squares & I'm glad that I was able to actually get them wonky. Usually, I'm not good at that & need Nate's help to add a little randomness since I'm much more apt to lay things out in a pattern.

Here's what the squares look like thus far:

So far, so good!

Quick Knitting Project

I saw this exact muffler at the yarn shop up the street & had to make one for myself - it'll be perfect to wear with my down jacket since scarves & down = too much bulk. It's soft, thick & lovely.

Love it!

New Crafty Wonderness

On to the next project...a quilt. I've gotten most of the fabric cut & I really have no idea what I'm doing after that. Rather than follow a pattern out of the awesome new book I got, I decided to try to mimic a quilt that I saw in a Pottery Barn catalog. I'm hoping that I can get some quilting guidance from the book since I've never made one before. We'll see how that goes. It's so not unlike me to bite off more than I can chew.

Here are the un-sewn squares for the quilt:

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