Continuing the theme of hand-made gifts, here is one I made for a little friend's birthday. I followed this easy tutorial by mmmmcrafts. Sweetie #2 modeled it below (our friend is a few years older and a little taller), before we filled it with a notepad, coloring book, fun pencils etc.
The pocket under the flap was just the right size for the notepad. I only had about a half yard of each fabric, which is less than the tutorial recommends, but it worked out almost to the inch.
It's hard to be the middle child. Big sis gets to go to preschool, and you're not the baby anymore. That's why when baby naps, and sis is at school, mom and the middle child have some one on one time. On this particular day, she wanted to do something special. She wanted to make some hair clips like she'd seen on her friends. We pulled apart some silk flowers and then layered them back together with a paper punch center and held together by some cute brads. A perfect project for little fingers. Mom took care of the hot glue part to stick it to the hair clip. Doesn't she look so proud? She even made one for her sister.
As you may have read in my previous post, my brother just got married, and we got all decked out for the wedding. At first I was just going to put baby in a hand-me-down black dress, but I had some fabric left over from my dress and had an idea.
Then I took a couple yards of black tulle, folded it in half and sewed an inch from the fold. Then I threaded this sash (that came with the dresses I ordered for my other daughters, but which wasn't going to be used) through the waist and bunched it together. Because the sash is thick and the waistband area a little narrower, the gathered tulle doesn't slide.
Like an apron of tulle, this just ties around her waist for a full skirt. Super fast! I even had time to make a little rosette headband to match. I love this dress. The skirt is full and fun, but when pictures are over, you can just un-tie it and baby can be comfy in her simple sheath dress.
I needed a new one for my brother's wedding. I couldn't find any that I loved and so decided to make my own. I started with Simplicity pattern 2497 ...
and then made lots of adjustments... combined sleeved and ruffled versions of the dress, lengthened the skirt, raised the neckline and extended the ruffle to the waist. I don't sew clothes for myself very much and was pleased at how it turned out. I recommend this pattern (on sale today at JoAnn's for $1) but would cut a size bigger than you usually wear, and adjust from there.
My favorite details were these perfectly puffed, cap sleeves and the hidden zipper down the side... you can just barely see the zipper pull there in the armpit.
Two of my daughters were flower girls and while I thought of making their dresses too I decided against it when I found these that were less expensive than what it would cost to buy the fabric.
I also made this "valentinish" apron for a friend. (A very belated birthday gift.) I loved the cherry on black fabric and got it in a hand-me-down fabric stash. There was just enough for this apron. I'd love to get my hands on more of this print. My girls want their own. Anyone know where to find it?
In addition to Christmas crafting, December was a month full of birthdays and babies being born in my family. I was not good at taking photos before I actually gave the gifts away... but this one is a fun one I thought. It's like an extra large sock, just big enough to slip over a swaddled baby. Lots of photogs are using them in newborn shoots as well. This is the one I knit for my new nephew.
