Mini Owls

I threw another sew crazy birthday party this month.

The kids all got faeries, bags, bean bags and owls...it was a lot of sewing and stuffing but well worth all the effort!

Missy T had a blast and so did her friends!

Today I'm sharing the mini owls:

Aren't they cute!  I'm thinking these are small enough to attach to headbands or barrettes...hmmmm I feel another crafty project coming on!

check out some of the linky parties I've linked to this week!

Hostess Gift

Over the holidays so many projects were started and completed!  I can’t wait to share them with you all!

This adorable little apron was given to a new friend as a hostess gift.  It was so much fun to make and very well received.  I’m so glad she liked it!

The pattern comes from this book:

I added the pocket….somehow an apron isn’t an apron without a pocket.

What I learned from this project is to double check all my patterned fabrics!  The Santa’s were in lines alternating right side up and upside down—something I didn’t realize until the apron was complete!

Still, the pattern is a keeper—simple and quick to put together and fun to wear.

Check out the great linky parties I participate in!

Gathered sleeves

I've been playing with gathered sleeves lately.  Just a bit of puff on the shoulder—not the exaggerated puff I seem to be seeing everywhere!

My girlies love a bit of frill or puff at their shoulders, but I’m calling these gathered sleeves because while they have a bit of puff shape to them I’ve been told by the five year old that they are definitely not puffy. :)

Using Simplicity 9362 as a base, I traced the sleeve onto my handy dandy pattern paper (the giant roll of freezer paper I picked up at Costco six years ago is still being used for this purpose!)

I folder the traced sleeve down the middle and “added” a shadow outline on the top of the sleeve and about  three inches down the arm.  The new outline is half an inch wider at the armpit and a quarter inch taller at the shoulder.

I ran a basting stitch along the shoulder portion of the sleeve—make sure you leave “tails” of sting on both ends!  Hold one end of the sting and pull on the other, gathering the fabric.

Here’s what it looked like on my mannequin—not too much puff.

Just enough to be a perfect addition to a sleeveless costume—or, as my girlies have decided, an everyday top perfect for our PNW winters!

Sleigh bells ring....Gift Card holder

I was designing my own gift card holder, when I became really strapped for time!  Thank goodness I've collected so many embroidery designs over the year because I found the perfect one in my stash!

Is that not adorable!!  The design is from Embroidery Garden.  I layered gold mesh over white felt and love the end result.  This one is going to a teacher, but I think I'll be making a few more to have on hand.  I'll probably do the same kind of layering fabric trick, but I think I'll stitch the "Believe" in a darker color....

Unfortunately I only bought enough candy canes this year so that each of my children get two, no extras, no temptations!  Now it looks like I'll have to buy some more!

Ribbons on the tree….

For years I’ve been searching for a tree topper.  The last few I just made a huge bow of gold ribbons and placed it on the top, running the same ribbon down the tree and through the branches.  This year, my mom brought me the Santa that graced the tops of the trees in my childhood.  It was a gift my father gave my mother while they were still dating…more than 40 years ago.

When she pulled it out and gave it to me I felt a rush of happiness….I now get to carry on a little tradition from my childhood with my family.

But it left me with nowhere to secure my ribbon.

Ahhh…a chance to craft.

I found a plastic lid small enough to fit over the tree top, but large enough to accommodate eight strands of ribbon (I used the lid off a can of chips) and cut out the middle. 

From the top of the tree to the bottom, plus about three feet is how  I measured and cut each ribbon—depending on how much ribbon you want to snake through your tree you could go even longer…and if you find it’s too long you can always trim it.  I used 8 strands, tying one end to the lid:

Notice I left a long tail after each knot, this was so I could tie the tails into bows--I added a bit of "filler ribbon" to cover the exposed plastic before I started the bows:

On the top of the tree it went:

I then snaked the ribbon through the branches...in the past I've done the ribbon first, then the ornaments, this year the order got reversed, but it all worked out:

I think Santa is happy with his new home:

Tree complete—CHECK! Onward to other holiday craftiness…or just craftiness in general!


For the Night Owl Crafting Crowd...and anyone else who may be interested!
1. Is all your Christmas shopping done? ALMOST!!!

2. Do you decorate for Christmas and if so when? Right after thanksgiving it starts...and keeps going until the 25th!

3. Do you bake during the Holiday season? Only if I have to!

4. What are your favorite smells of this time of year? Fresh cut pine and cedar

5. What are your favorite things to do during the Holiday Season? Anything with the family!

 

Halloween wrap up....

Where did the time go???  I’ve been having so much fun with my mom’s extended visit that I lost track and never did get up the fun Halloween stuff…

Well, you did see the wicked witch stitch out.  It now graces my sewing area along side of my witch mascot and witchy duckie.

As for the costumes…

May I present to you the king and queen of hearts:

The dress was a ball to make…unfortunately by the time I was done I realized that I cut it way toooooo long.  I had already finished the hem in gold and had no desire to re-do, so it was an extra pair of high heels for me and it still hit the floor!

My younger girls were princesses…one whole made by mom costume and one half made by mom costume!  Aren’t the crowns great!  A tutorial is coming up this month!

My oldest decided last minute to be the queen of spades…I was in a good mood so I whipped this up for her:

And my male child?  He wanted to be Link from legend of Zelda video game fame.  I was not enthused.  Then he said he wanted to be a tree sprite.  Where that came from is beyond me!  In the end I just made a green hooded tunic,  he called himself Link and all were happy in Georgia land.

I made another wreath using the discarded mesh flowers come in:

And that wraps up the Halloween crafting for this year!