New fleece PJ pants

Of course Thing 2 was going to need new PJ pants also! He's been growing, so some of his prior PJ pants are getting into the "wader" category. Plus, he just loves PJ pants and wears them around the house all day. I also used S8022 for these.

The first pair is a Blackhawks fleece print, which I bought online early in the year and then promptly forgot about. This is child size L, the same as last Christmas's Blackhawks fleece PJ pants. They still fit well, with possibly a little room left for growth.

This next pair is a Star Wars fleece print that I found randomly on clearance at JAF. I was there for something else entirely and happened to walk by the section and just had to grab it. (They only charged me $2.37/yd! I should have taken all of it!) I made this one teen/adult size XS to give some more growth room.

And a closer look at the print - designed to look like a Christmas sweater. 😎

 

New PJ pants for Christmas

Thing 2 really liked his lounge pants that I made last year for Christmas with the gamer flannel, even more than I had hoped! So I figured he needed another pair. We had actually shopped online together back in the spring for fabric for the next pair, but then I hadn't gotten as far as sewing them up before the weather turned much warmer. So I saved these for Christmas. These are S8022.

At his request, I had added patch pockets on the last pair (never blogged, apparently). They were based on the pockets on my yoga pants. Then, after adding them and having him wear them for a bit, I got feedback on changes he would like to have made (which was like pulling teeth! I had to convince him that custom means you can get these to be perfect for you.), which I used on this pair. So these pockets are two inches longer and were moved a bit further to the sides. I hope he thinks they're exactly what he wanted!

 To make it easier on me to get the pockets finished well, I lined them with muslin and left the slanted edge open, then added a facing to close the pocket.

Christmas boxers

As is "tradition," I made new boxers to go in the stockings this year. This is the usual S9958, in three different sizes for the three males in my house.

Size Men's S in a coffee print for The Husband

Size Men's XS in an underwater print for Thing 1

Size Boys' XL in a takeout print for Thing 2

They turned out very well, and my family members were quite pleased.

Some dog accessories

A friend is adopting a little dog for her daughter for Christmas. (I arranged the match!) She planned to put a big Christmas bow on the collar on Christmas day to give to her daughter, then asked if I could make her a bow. Well.....I decided to give it a whirl.

Because I've been using the Made for Mermaids Madison pattern lately for my niece's twirly dress, I happened to notice that there are instructions at the end for making an optional fabric bow. I decided to see how that went!

I didn't have any plain red fabric or enough of the red snowflake fabric in my stash, but I ran across this peppermint fabric. I used it a few years ago to make my niece a skirt at Christmas, but apparently I never blogged it. Anyway, I think it turned out super cute!

Originally I was making the "collar" for the bow and planning to attach them together as specified in the Made for Mermaids  Layered Bow Tie Tutorial, and then I thought it'd be a great idea to make a bow tie, as well, but to make them interchangeable. Because, honestly, how often is this dog going to need to wear a giant bow that's as big as he is??? So I used sparkly gingerbread fabric from a prior twirly skirt for my niece to make the bow tie part, then made the center with peppermint to tie them together. And instead of sewing the whole thing on to the collar, I put a snap on both the bow and the bow tie and the opposite snap on the collar. Now either piece can snap on!

Definitely going to do this again!

Oversized Hanging Towels

So I made hanging towels for my clinic to hang near the sinks, and looking back on the blog, it's been 6 years now, since they were a Christmas project posted way late! No wonder they were getting a bit ratty!

Time for some new ones for sure. These were intended last year, but I only got as far as prepping the towels then. A few months ago, I started putting the toppers together, and I'm not sure why it took me so long to finally stitch them in place! Of course, as I say that, I have to add that there are only two showing up on the blog today, because the other six don't have snaps installed yet. Maybe this weekend?

Not sure why I can't get these pictures to line up next to one another, but there you have the wonders of technology.  These are made with a standard sized bath towel cut in half.

Star Wars Christmas!

I bought this fabric I believe 2-3 years ago. My only regret is not buying enough of the Star Wars Christmas ornament print to make myself PJ pants with it. But it was the right thing to sacrifice it for my niece, as intended. And I love how the purple scroll print goes with the Star Wars.

This is the Madison/Dolly Madison pattern from Made for Mermaids.

Since I just made her the Nemo dresses over the summer, I knew for sure which size would work. (I also asked my sister-in-law how much room she had in them, since I really want this to work for next Christmas as well!) This is a size 10, roughly tea length (because I didn't have enough fabric), with a wider ruffle to make up a little of the length. I used the purple print for straps, waist piping (I make my own, obviously), and bottom ruffle. 

I think you can see the waistline piping detail a little better in this progress photo....

The doll dress is maxi length.

 I love how it turned out, and I know she will, too! My only quibble is that I think the purple print blends a little much with the waist piping. In this particular case, it might have been a little better to use a different fabric for the piping or do a waist ruffle instead. But I do think it's more obvious in person.

More stockings - completing a family set

 

Back in 2017, I blogged about making a stocking for my new niece, to go with the stockings for her parents (wedding gift) and her big brother. This year, there are two new additions to the family, so I had to whip up stockings for them. (As an aside, why is JAF sold out of tobacco hopsack linen, and will they get more in?!? I got lucky and got The Last to be had in my area.)

And even better, I got them done in plenty of time for Christmas! Now to get them out of my house.....

Winter!

 I think this is pretty adorable! It is another tiny stitch-along from Armada Designs, and obviously it is Winter. Just like with Fall, I didn't stitch it during the actual stitch-along time. I don't think I even knew about it then, but after doing the Christmas stitch-along a couple of years ago, I hunted up all the tiny stitch-alongs by the designer and have sloooowly been working on them.

I still need to decide on paint colors for the hoops for this one and Fall, so they're not truly completely done yet, but the stitching is definitely done!

It's done!

My new portable project got finished already! This is the tiny Fall stitchalong from Armada Designs. I started it I don't know when, then put it away from apparently quite some time, and recently pulled it out. This is what happens when you need a project for the hockey rink.

 I still need to paint the embroidery hoop before I can frame it, but I'm excited about having this one (mostly!) done! And still debating removing the steam and re-stitching it with a lighter grey.....

Next up? Winter! And we have three games this Saturday, so we'll see how far I get!

New Portable Project

A few years ago, I stumbled upon a free tiny Christmas stitch-along from Armada Designs, and I really enjoyed stitching it. So I bought all of their other tiny stitch-along patterns, none of which I have completed, despite good intentions. But after I finished my Wonder Woman bookmark, I needed to find my next portable project. So I pulled out Fall! I had actually started it awhile back, but then put it away for who knows what reasons. Here is my current state of affairs. I'm having fun with it and look forward to finishing it finally.

 

A request for lightweight PJ pants

Sometimes it's hard to know what to gift people. I had asked my brother if he thought our mother would be interested in PJ pants (she's worn nightgowns as far back as I can remember, and I still haven't gotten around to trying the nightgown pattern I bought ages ago for her....). He thought yes, so I made a prototype flannel pair to test sizing and interest. Apparently I never took a picture before sending those. They were stitched probably in December or January and sent for her birthday in June. Well....the response was that they fit perfectly and were definitely desired, but that lightweight PJ pants would be more appreciated.

At that point, there were no decent deals on fabric, and have you noticed that the clearance sections are also completely picked over?!? So I bought a microfiber sheet set at Target - that's the folded pair on the right. It didn't behave terribly well, but it does feel very smooth against the skin. I'm using leftovers to make matching PJs for my niece.

And then I found this print when novelty cottons were on a good sale! So a second pair was in the works. Hopefully she loves them.

 

Portable Project Finished!

As previously mentioned, no doubt, I like to have portable projects going. And I recently looked at my Pinterest boards and decided the time was right to try a pattern I'd tagged for a bookmark. I bought these ready-to-stitch bookmark blanks from either Etsy or eBay awhile ago - don't remember for sure. I used a black one a couple of years ago for my PacMan bookmark. This time, I decided to use a friendship bracelet pattern for a Wonder Woman bookmark.

I did one thing that I regret - decided to try using four strands of floss to stitch. Two might not have been complete coverage, and three I think would have been perfect. Four was just too much. But I wanted to use the loop start, so.....by the time I came to my senses, I was over the halfway point. Will not make that mistake again.

I do think it turned out okay, and a few days or weeks in time out will make me like it so much more.

 

Going Away Gifts

When you've got a work buddy who's leaving for greener pastures, you have to send them along with stuff to remember you by.....

She had seen me wearing a similar mask a few times and requested this one, with hair elastics that she provided. So she did know this was coming but not when....

And scrub caps have been an on/off needed item at work. They became even more important recently when disposable bouffants became hard to find. So I thought she needed a few for her journey. 

The rainbow paw prints seemed like a given, but there were several colorways at the fabric store when I went. I ultimately texted her to ask "Pink or purple? Or blue?" And the answer was "PURPLE"

And when I spotted this goat yoga fabric, it was a total no brainer! How hilarious is that?

 She was surprised and very pleased on her last day, and the mask and goat yoga scrub cap were immediately pressed into service. Very gratifying. 

More Scrub Caps

So as mentioned in my last post, I need motivation to work on some of my unselfish sewing. I'm not a big fan of sewing these scrub caps, even though they don't take a lot of time, so I need a push. Especially since I have so many other projects to work on. But since I just made one, I decided to suck it up and make the next three at once. So these are ready for birthday/Christmas gifts for some coworkers.

 Whale Watching pattern

New Scrub Cap

Unselfish sewing isn't always easy. I had previously made a scrub cap for a colleague (her request and fabric, but it became her Christmas gift that year - first one in this post). And she loved it and wore it all the time.....but then she lost it. So she asked if I would be willing to make her another one, and she provided this fabric. I said I would, but also no guarantees on when I'd get around to it. All depends on free time and motivation. (Both in short supply.)

Well, it's now apparently impossible to buy disposable scrub caps, so our inventory person said everyone needed to start saving theirs for re-wear or using their washable caps. Which means that my colleague is SOL until she can find her missing cap....or that I needed to suck it up and find the motivation.

It really doesn't take long to make these. I already had the pieces cut out and interfacing fused in place. I just had to.....sew it. She won't even be at work tomorrow, but I get to leave this in her cubby and wait to find out how excited she is to find it on Friday.

This time, she asked for the "regular" size, as her friends kept making fun of her cap and saying it looked more like a chef's hat. Guess I'll see how well this one fits her before making her next Christmas gift.

 Whale Watching pattern

"Back to School"......Boxers?

My boys like their custom-made boxers. A lot. And Thing 2 has hit a growth spurt and is outgrowing some of his boxers. So he came to me the other night and asked for new ones, and of course I was happy to oblige! Especially since these have been cut out since December and just hadn't made it to the top of the priority list! (He picked out the prints, I cut them out, and then life got in the way. Two other pairs became part of his Christmas stocking gift, but these didn't get stitched until now.)

As always, Simplicity 9958 for the win. These are boys' XL.

 

More Christmas in July! Nativity, Part 3

Today’s viewing: the Holy Family. These patterns were originally available in the Leisure Arts magazine Plastic Canvas Corner in the Jan 1994 issue. They are stitched on 14 ct plastic canvas using 6 strands of embroidery floss. The backs are plain brown stitches.

The fronts of the Holy Family were all finished before Feb. 2020, and the backs were started and completed since February. I have to say, I am so very proud of this set.

Joseph

Mary

Baby Jesus

The entire Nativity

More Christmas in July! Nativity, part 2

Today’s viewing: the wise men. These patterns were originally available in the Leisure Arts magazine Plastic Canvas Corner in the Jan 1995 issue. They are stitched on 14 ct plastic canvas using 6 strands of embroidery floss and various metallics. The backs are plain brown stitches.

The front of Frankincense was finished and the front of Myrrh was partially finished before Feb. 2020. Myrrh was completed, Gold was started and completed, and the backs were started and completed since February.

Myrrh

Gold

Frankincense

More Christmas in July! Nativity, Part 1

I’ve always loved the Nativity, and I’d have a huge collection of Nativity sets, except that I’m very picky about the faces. And most sets I’ve seen have faces that I don’t like. As a teenager, I found patterns for this set, and I actually liked the faces!

When The Husband and I were planning our wedding, I decided to go ahead and start this set for us. I collected all the supplies, and I started stitching it on the plane to our honeymoon. That was….a long time ago. 22.5 years, to be exact. I soon discovered that these pieces were very detailed (which is what I liked about them!) and did not make good portable projects (had to pay too much attention to the graphs). So I would make a little progress, and then life (vet school, babies, work, etc.) would get in the way, and I would put them away again.

Enter wrist surgery and post-op recovery boredom. I was looking for a project I could work on to fill the days and was able to hold with my messed up post-op wrist….and I pulled this set out! And this time, I finally actually finished the set! They are lightly stuffed and have various old bits of hardware wrapped in plastic and stuffed inside as weights. And did I mention that they are DONE?!?

Today’s viewing: the shepherd/sheep group. None of these had even been started before Feb. 2020. These patterns were originally available in the Leisure Arts magazine Plastic Canvas Corner in the Jan 1996 issue. They are stitched on 14 ct plastic canvas using 6 strands of embroidery floss. The backs are plain brown stitches.

Grouping together

Standing Shepherd

Kneeling shepherd

Christmas in July

I decided to make a bunch of masks to give to the coworkers with whom I work closely and to whom I give Christmas gifts. These are their Christmas gifts in advance - the city/county just announced a mandatory mask order, so I figured these would come in handy now. The techs with whom I work in surgery get two each - one with ties, one with ear loops. The others get one with ties (except one person who has previously expressed a preference for ear loops), since those are more easily adjustable. This was a great way to spend part of my July Fourth!

Twirls and Lace

Since I was on a twirly roll - and also/mainly because I happened to find the cut pieces when I was looking for something else - I decided to finish up these twirly skirts I started from leftover linen pieces from baby slings. (These were also cut and then put into time out when the serger was misbehaving, but it's been behaving so beautiful for these that I'm thrilled!) I had decided some lace overlays on the middle tier would make them more fun for a little girl than just a plain linen skirt.

First up, the olive linen. This picture doesn't quite accurately represent the color, but it's close. I paired it with a light silver lace. The waist is pretty bulky, because I didn't want to try gathering the lace onto a shorter tier, but it'll work for a child. And instead of doing a double-layer ruffle to avoid hemming, I used the same binding that I had used on this sling. It's a black with grey music symbols. I had enough of this left that the skirt was fairly full.

Both the teal linen and the pink binding were from slings as well, but not from the same sling. Yikes! I actually had intended to use a silver binding on this (which I believe is the one I used on that baby sling), but I asked my niece's preference, and she wanted the "crazy pink." Yes, ma'am! (The "crazy pink" was the binding for a black linen sling, for one of my work buddies.) I didn't have as much of this left, so the skirt isn't as full, and I cut the ruffle at half the length of the olive one. But it's still cute and twirly, and hopefully my niece loves it!

Just for fun, I also bound the raw edge of the waistband, instead of folding it under. To avoid a ton of bulk from the edges coming together, I applied the binding to the waist edge, then serged both sides of the skirt, then stitched them together, and then pressed the seam open. I also stitched it down to either side of the seamline. I think it made it look really nice inside.

Next up? Appliqued shirts!

Twirly skirts!

Just a boy mom, drowning in ruffles.....

So since my serger was behaving and helping me make fantastic ruffles for the twirly dresses, I decided that I should finally bust out some twirly summer skirts I'd cut for my niece last year, before putting them in time-out because the serger was being a pain. After all, I didn't want her to outgrow them before she wore them!  And these really are perfect for summer.

I've made quite a few Rachel skirts for my niece, though I haven't blogged them all. These were cut out in a size 8. (Fortunately, I record details when I cut them, because it's been a year! I wouldn't have remembered.) I used to use buttonhole elastic on her skirts, but these ones just use regular elastic. I figure she'll outgrow them before the expandable elastic would have been super helpful. And of course, her doll needed matching skirts!

My favorite - I'm not really a paisley person, but this print is super cute. And I love the teal and fuschia.

I thought the orange dots were fun.

Love the strawberries and bicycles in this main print! I thought the whole thing was super summery.

As usual, the fabrics are from JAF's tutti fruitti line. I love that weight for summery twirly skirts, especially since I double the hem ruffles to avoid hemming miles of ruffles. And they have such bright fun prints!