Boxer Shorts

Hi all...Stitchybritt here, ready to show you my latest Christmas creation - a pair of boxer shorts for boyfriend.  They may seem like a regular old pair of boxer shorts but I am actually really proud of them - not only because they worked out well, but because they were really quick to whip up (about an hour in total) AND they're made from fair-trade, organic cotton.

Here's Snorky helping me to cut out the fabric.  Basically I took an old-worn out pair of boyfriend's boxer shorts and cut them up for a pattern.  I doubt he'll miss them, but I'm not sure how he will feel about me showing you all his pants on the interwebs : s oh well

I then had five pieces - two front, two back, and the lining piece for the front opening.  I stitched them all together with waist elastic and this is what I got...

Pretty neat, huh?  The front opening works like this, so boys can visit the loo easily...

And a simple elasticated waist.  That's all there is to it.  I'm quite pleased with them, and if they fit well, I'll probably make more for boyfriend in the future.

Not long to go now Christmas crafters!  Good luck for your last two weeks of crafting!

Stitchybritt xx

White Elephant wristlet

I've got plans to make about two or three more of these types of bags, based off of A Lemon Squeezy Home's tutorial. I've only got this one completed so far, but thought I'd share now just in case anyone is interested in using the tutorial. I added a strap so that the bag could be a wristlet, which is more portable in my mind than just a clutch.

I made this one for the white elephant gift exchange at work. The owner of my company (male) got it, and I felt a little bad that he ended up with it. But he said that he'd plan to use it to hold his tees when he goes golfing. Go figure.

Embroidered Apron

Hello everyone, KraftyKat back again! Yesterday when i showed you my homemade gift tags i promised to be back soon with some actual finished gifts...and here i am! Today i finished an apron which is a present for my boyfriend, who likes to cook (lucky me!).

I made the apron out of cotton canvas that i picked up at the local market. I traced around an apron that we already had to get the shape, cut it out and sealed the raw edges with bias binding. I used contrasting thread for effect.

Those of you who follow my blog will know that i have recently been on a course to learn hand embroidery - i used this new skill to embroider the shape of a chicken on the front of the apron, using thread to match the straps and stitching. To do this I first printed out an outline picture of a chicken (Google is your friend here!) then cut it out and traced around it onto the front of the apron using tailors chalk. I then stitched a simple backstitch around the outline. I think the result is rather effective.

I think the most fiddly part of the whole process was sewing the straps. I folded the raw ends over twice and stitched around them in a box shape to prevent fraying. I then attached them to the apron, trying to sew within the previous stitching like to keep it tidy. It's still not amazingly neat, but it doesn't show up too much so it's all good!

Right, one gift down, 5 to go. Stressed? Me?!

K xx

Oh Sarah O's Christmas To-Do List

Hello Everyone! My name is Sarah O of ohsaraho, blogger of all things artsy, crafty and fun. Christmas is less than two weeks away, which means that I am in full Christmas elf mode, knitting away on my last minute gifts, completing my last minute Christmas shopping, and wrapping up all of my Christmas gifts to place underneath the tree. Right now I have several projects on my knitting needles that I am hoping to complete. Here's a list of knitting pattern's that I'm hoping to complete this holiday season (note: if you have a Ravelry account you can click the link to view the patterns):

• To Eyre... by Carol Sunday. This shawl pattern is based off of one of the shawls worn in the new Jane Eyre movie (which I have yet to see). I picked up some skeins of Ella Rae Classic wool in a grey/navy blue color for this shawl and can't wait to knit this up and check out the film.

• Cambridge by Carol Sunday. I've had my eye on this shawl ever since I saw those paparazzi photos of Kate Middleton pushing her shopping cart. I've even caught myself thinking that I could shop like a princess, if only I had that shawl. I'm sure I could not afford the original, but thankfully there is a look-a-like pattern available on Ravelry. So this weekend I picked up some skeins of The Spectrum Collection Fluffy Stuff DK yarn in green and began casting-on this shawl. Check out my progress:

• Wurm by katushika. This floppy hat pattern is based off of the hat worn by Michael Cera in the film Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. It looks like a fun, quick knit, but I'm not sure of what colors and what kind of yarn I'm going to use.
• Ribbed Watchman's Hat by Channah Koppel. This pattern was originally designed to create hats for Israeli (IDF) soldiers. I'm actually going to use this pattern to create a navy stocking hat for another soldier that I know whose a little closer to home.
• Winding River Cowl by Kathleen Cubley. I recently purchased some beautiful Lion Brand Amazing yarn in Mesa and hope to quickly knit this up for a family member who often ventures West.
  

Inspiration and tutorials

I am so excited to be a part of the Crafty Christmas Club again this year. I have already begun making the presents for my family and I just wanted to show you some of the great tutorials I have been inspired by.
First I want to share with you the new Pinterest board that I have setup for this purpose: "Making Christmas Gifts 2011". I am a great fan of Pinterest especially if you can link through and find amazing tutorials.
One of my favorite is the Porcupine Pin Cushion  from Prudent Baby. It was so easy to make and look real nice - just something for the people in my life who love sewing.
Another of my favorites is the 3-way laundry bag by // Between the lines //. Its so easy to make and I have already made 3 for myself (check them out here on Grey Duckling) and 2 for family gifts.
Last year I made decoupaged a bowl with stamps for my husband and this year I have also been decoupaging a couple of gifts for the family (more later).
Finally I want to show you a picture of a couple of decoupaged Christmas decorations I made this year (see last years decorations here).  





During the summer I decided to move more of my personal projects over to my own blog "Eddie's Room". Since I am now 8 months pregnant the latest posts have been about making baby stuff so if you are in need of inspiration for baby gifts you are welcome to have a look over there or on my other new Pinterest board "Creating for baby".

Unless I give birth before then I will be back soon with some pictures of the gifts I have made so far.

Eddie

Rosey rosettes

Hi all!

My name's Juliet and I blog over at The Crazy Gypsy Chronicles. It's been so good to see everything that people have been making this year, I've been learning and being inspired so much!

This Christmas I had grand plans of making ALL of my Christmas pressies, but being a beginner crafter/sewist/everything I haven't been so successful.

However, I have made these sweet little shoe clips/ brooches for my boyfriend's family's Secret Santa. Each couple brings one girl gift and one boy gift as a surprise pressie for another family member. Given the size of his family, this is a good plan!

These were so simple to make and are budget friendly. To make these you need:

- Shoe clips/ clip on earring bases (I used these as my local bead shop had no shoe clip bases in stock)
- Fake flowers, leaves optional
- Craft glue
- Wire cutters


Step 1: Using the wire cutters, snip your flowers from their stems, as near to the base as possible. I tried scissors, then a stanley knife but wire cutters made this a cinch.

Step 2: If you want to add leaves, pick some pretty ones and snip these with a bit of a stem.

Step 3: Cover the base of your clip with craft glue, and arrange the leaves and flower head on top. Press it down firmly and check to see if the stick is going to be good and strong. I'm afraid I have no photos of this stage as I was, being a clumsy person, covered in craft glue and dared not to touch my man's expensive camera with sticky fingers.

Step 4: Leave the flower clips, upside down, overnight to dry.

And you're done! Wrap prettily and gift away!

I hope that this inspires some of you - these would be excellent stocking fillers and are so quick to put together they would make great last-minute gifts too!

Happy Christmas crafting all!

Quilting with Jeans

Hi all!

Valerie from sewcranky again.  Despite being mostly KO'd by this miserable head cold I've got, I managed to finish the lap quilt for my BFF Jenn.  She had gifted me with a bunch of old pairs of jeans.  I used the back pockets to make a neat 12 gore skirt, but I had all this leftover denim that I didn't want to toss, so I thought I'd incorporate some of it into a quilt for her!  I cut 2"strips out of the denim and stitched it all together.  I combined the 18.5" denim panel with a 48.5"x 30" panel that I'd made from irregular pieces of green batik and brown quilting cotton.  I used minky to back it all.  The most fun part was the irregular free-motion quilting that I did on the green/brown part of the quilt.  I think it gave it the more organic appearance that I was hoping for.  Totally snuggly.

Christmas bunting

I've got my first set of Christmas decorations finished - the Christmas bunting went up today. This is a big moment - it's the first time Christmas decorations have made an appearance in nearly four years of living in our flat. I followed the instructions from Saints and Pinners for the festive mini bunting. Well, I say followed, but after marking it out on a piece of card I realised it was smaller than I wanted. So I doubled it up to 8cm wide, and set about cutting it all up with my rotary cutter and pinking shears.

Three fat quarters has given me enough bunting to go across the main wall of my living room. I could have got even more out, but made a rookie error - my snowman fabric is directional, so doesn't work upside down.

Nevermind - lesson learnt for next time, and having a little less of the red has meant that I've had to be a little more creative when it came to setting it out. I quite like that it's not a regimented red, white and green.

Oh, and I'm so over reindeers. I've nearly finished the antlers in the Mark Darcy jumper, then it's the 'simple' task of finishing the neckline, knitting two sleeves, blocking and making up.

I'm not going to lie - I'm seriously tempted to make this into a tank top. But I'll persevere with it in the hope there's enough time left to bring it all together!

Gum Drop Pillow

Hi!  Magpie Mimi here and glad to say one more Christmas present ticked off the list!  My eldest sister gave me a whole bunch of fabric that she found on super sale and I thought I should make her something nice from some of it so she's getting an Amy Butler Gum Drop Pillow and so will a few other family members as they're quick and easy to make and will hopefully go down a storm.

Grey/cream background colour fabric with sketched on flowers with white highlights.  Think they're dog roses.  It has eight segments and an octagon on the top to cover the joins of the segments.

By some chance of luck I managed completely by accident to cut the octagon for the top with a flower right in the centre!  So chuffed!

Side on view showing the pattern of the fabric more.

 The cotton is quite soft and shiny and will hopefully compliment her living room as it's mostly white and greys.  I know it's not a practical cushion with two children, but since the rest of her living room are in these colours she must be able to cope! hehe!  All I can say is she must have shares in Vanish!

Crochet mug cozies!

Bonjour! Kate here (aka Mommy en France from Two little cabbages & cie), using the guest login into share these cozies with you.

I think I have become addicted to making them. Besides these two, I have a few others in the works. They are so easy to create, even for someone like me, who has only very basic knitting and crochet skills. You can definitely whip one up while watching an hour or two of television, or listening to your favorite podcasts.

The cozy on the right is made from this fabulous funky wool yarn called Terre Neuve (in multicolour) from the French knitting chain Phildar. I used this pattern, free on Ravelry and the author's website. The cozy on the left uses up some wool I've had for years, from the last time I attempted knitting (2004?). If I recall, I bought it at the local supermarket! I used the pattern from the latest issue of Mollie Makes. I have to say, I was a little disappointed because I didn't find the article clear enough about how many chains to use (mug sizes do vary after all) and whether the starting chain was to run vertically or horizontally. But this could just be me and my cluelessness. At any rate, I managed to make it work.

Both are for my cousin and his fiancée and I'll be adding a tin of my favorite tisane as well.

Happy holiday crafting!

Easy Gift Tags

Hello fellow Crafty-Christmasers! Kat from KraftyKat here again, FINALLY able to share some of my Christmas crafting with you all! I have been loving reading everyone's posts so far, soaking up the inspiration and storing some ideas for now and some for later! Today i am going to show you some gift tags which i whipped up this afternoon. My Boyfriend is slightly amazed that i have taken the time to make my own gift tags, but these really are so quick and easy to make and i think they look really effective...and of course add that personal touch to your gifts which i really love.

I got inspiration for these from this post shared by Miss P last year. I used a very similar method. Firstly i drew a Christmas tree on a piece of card (oh yes, by hand...i think this much is obvious!!) and cut it out. I then cut some rectangles of wrapping paper, put a bunch together and cut round the template. I then used glue to stick the tree shapes onto gift tags (bought from ebay). Once dry, i cut lengths of ribbon (another ebay purchase!) and threaded them through the hole in the tag. And voila...homemade gift tags. So quick to make and I think they look fab :)

I currently have a number of Christmas gift makes on the go which i hope to be able to share with you later this week. Until then, happy crafting!

K xx

Restaurant Review Journal

Panic is beginning to set in over at Renegade Homestead.  Just about two weeks until Christmas and I still have a dozen gifts to make.  But it wouldn't be the holidays if I didn't break into a cold sweat a few times.

The latest present to join the others under my tree is a restaurant review journal for my sister-in-law who is a true foodie.  She mentioned during her swanky birthday dinner that she wanted to start recording her culinary adventures so that later on, the meals wouldn't blend together in her memory.  At the time, I may have looked distracted by my lobster bisque but really, I was listening.

Though I attempted to create my own version of book binding a few months ago, I finally came to my senses and realized I was trying to reinvent the wheel.  There are oodles of tutorials already on the web and this one from Instructables is especially helpful.  

If you'd like to take a closer look at the journal page that I made (or print off any of your own), click here to download the PDF from Google Docs.  Now, back to my sweat shop craft room...

Vodka Variations

Hi Crafty Christmas Club! Amy from Diana & Me http://dianaandme.co.uk/ here with some vodka recipes I'm trying out this year. I did vanilla vodka last Christmas, and it was fab (missed the boat for 2011 though, as you need about 2 months' infusion time.) Whereas these recipes claim to only need 2 weeks - just in time for Christmas.

To be clear, I haven't tried these before, so can't guarantee results - it's an experiment!

Pomegranate Lime vodka

• I cheated and used a packet of pomegranate seeds, but you could use one whole pomegranate and separate the seeds from the peel and pith. Either way, give them a gentle squish with a rolling pin to juice them up a bit.
• Remove the zest from one lime using a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife - just zest, as little pith (white bits) as possible.
• Add the strips of zest, and pomegranate seeds plus juice, to 375ml of vodka. You'll want a middle of the range vodka - cheap supermarket own brand will always taste like cheap supermarket own brand. Equally, don't break the bank on something extraordinary! I went for what was on special offer at the time.

• I tipped the excess vodka into a different bottle so that I could use the original bottle for infusing, but you can use any jar that you can seal tightly. Just remember to leave plenty of room for shaking up your infusion.
• Tighten up the lid and shake, then put in a cool dry place. It reckons it needs 2 weeks (shaking gently every few days).

Cardamom Ginger vodka

• Crush 10 green cardamom pods so that they split slightly
• Cut 10 small slices of ginger, about 1/4 inch thick
• Add the cardamom pods and seeds and ginger slices to 375ml vodka (see above for notes on choosing a vodka, and finding a bottle/jar to infuse in)
• Again, this one should need 2 weeks in a cool dry place, shaking every few days.

Once the two weeks are up, strain into a clean bottle. Add a pretty label, and put it under the tree!

(I'm also planning to try out some spiced orange vodka - hence the oranges in the top picture. Sadly, the cooking times in the recipe were totally wrong and I ended up with little burnt orange bits. I'll keep you posted...)

Frankenstein Skirt

Hello, Crafters! This is Seeks, and I have another refashion-as-gift-for-cousin to show you. This one consists of parts from two dresses and a shirt. I only have pictures of two of the three original components, but it's construction was super easy (at least, once I got my hands on a serger).

This skirt is for another cousin, who had commented on how much she loved the blue lace dress that I didn't photograph, but how it just never fit well in the top. She especially noted a love for the material itself. I thought it'd be nice to give her something made from the material that she'd actually wear.

Two of the three original pieces.

To summarize the process, I took the skirt from the dress not shown, sewed it to the waist of the second dress, and lined it with the body of the shirt. The shirt was easily converted to a skirt by cutting off the sleeves and feather neck thing (don't ask me) and then sewing up the sides to taper to a waist.

It was totally gratifying to make with the serger. The seams were all simple, totaling only four in all. The fabrics are super super stretchy and comfy, so it will work out well for a range of body shapes. The lining does peek out a bit at the bottom, but I like how it helps to tie in the waist with the bottom of the skirt as well.

First X-mas Presents Done: Reindeer Shrugs

Hi, this is Stephanie from The Naked Seamstress with my first handmade Christmas present this year: two Reindeer Shrugs for my boyfriend's sisters. Both sisters are practically grown up but I know that they love wearing special Christmassy things during the holidays and I thought these shrugs make an ideal extra warm cover for sitting around in your pyjamas at Christmas time. I used a free Hot Patterns shrug pattern I found online* but had to shorten the shrugs a lot because I had too little fabric. The shrugs are still pretty long, so I guess the original shrug would reach all the way down to the hips.

The fabric is a cream white fleece with red reindeers printed on and I found it in a shop in Norway last summer and was immediately inspired to make Christmassy shrugs with the fabric. For the edges I used ordinary cotton jersey rib in a matching color.

The shrugs are super simple to make, especially if you have a serger. So it's not too late to make one for Christmas!

*There are plenty more free patterns where this one came from!

A clutch and two wallets

Hi, it's Aleah from no time to sew. I've finished a few gifts! Having sewn garments exclusively for a while, I'd kind of forgotten how quickly little bags/pouches go together (and how little fabric they use), and I was able to finish these three things in two evenings - crazy (for me, anyway)! First I have gifts for my interns at work, both from both from terrific tutorials from Noodlehead:

The top one (for my female intern) is the gathered clutch, a fun take on a regular zipper pouch that is really pretty and not really much more effort. I added a removable wrist strap by sewing a tab with a d-ring into the side seam and attaching a strap to a tiny dog clip. Her favorite colors are purple and black, so I was glad to find this fabric. The bottom item (for my male intern) is the zippy wallet. I love the pearl snap on the little tab! I added a key ring in case he wants to clip it to his keys or belt. It's so hard to find adult-male-appropriate fabric, but I like this plaid. It's a thin shirting, but I interfaced it with a sturdier interfacing. Check out all the other great tutorials at Noodlehead if you need a last-minute quickie gift!

I also made this wallet for my mom:

The pattern is this one from Dixie DIY. I made just a couple changes - I used a magnetic snap rather than a button/loop, only put in one money pocket, and I made my zipper pocket the same way as on my messenger bag instead of how she instructs. I love this fabric!

So that's all for now, but I hope I can keep up this pace for a while longer and have some more things to share soon. Happy Making!

A -Slightly Psychedelic- Pompom Wreath

Only 2 weeks to go...!

Elisalex here, howdy!  With the majority of my presents done and ticked off the list, I'm now turning my attention to decorating...

For some reason, traditional Christmas Wreaths have always felt a little morbid and ominous to me.  Dark, spiky and somewhat reminiscent of funerals.  Beautiful, but depressing.  But then I saw this Pompom Wreath, and this tutorial from JCasa*Handmade, and I knew what I had to do.

For the wreath's structure I used some foam tubing from the hardware store and a coat hanger to create the shape -

Then made a bunch of pompoms in my favourite reds-dusty pinks-off whites colour combination and tied them securely onto the foam tubing.  To finish I wound around some woodland mushroom fairy lights I had (which I think look a little too acid-y when switched on, but perfectly cute -and innocent- left off) and attached a grosgrain ribbon loop so it can be hung. 

But no way is this wreath getting hung outside... I've become very fond of its sweet, not at all morbid or ominous, and very soft self.  I couldn't possibly risk it getting rained on or stolen, and most of all I want it inside where I can appreciate it.

Snap Happy!

Hi there! It's Karen from Didyoumakethat? I'm so glad to have this space, safe from prying family eyes, in order to share my latest Christmas make.

Handmade Jane recently posted a tutorial on this blog for making a wash bag. (Thanks, Jane!) I adapted this project to make a camera lens bag for my photography-mad sister.

I used some Echino by Etsuko Furuya fabric bought from Ray Stitch and lined the make with a silk/cotton mix in a complementary colour scheme. The purple velvet ribbon is from Ray Stitch, as is the wonderful label.

I love this make and can barely stand to give it away. But give it away I must. Apparently, Christmas is all about the giving...