Progress on Christmas Gifts #2

This is Julia's nightgown. I still haven't opened the buttonholes and sewn on the buttons (on my list for tomorrow), but I wanted to take the pictures while I had access to the camera.


These are the cloth shoes I made for Julia's brother, Luke, using the tutorial at Stardust Shoes. While they're not as cute as the ones here, they will be practical. Since I'm not completely sure about the size, I didn't want to put to much energy into them just in case they don't fit.

The next project on my list is stitching together Jamie Rae's smocked pinafore. (Jamie is my other brother's daughter; they live in North Carolina.) Once that is done, I can work on gifts for the local family members.

Progress on Christmas Gifts

It's been snowing and blowing all day. Despite being warmly dressed, I felt like the wind was blowing right through the house . . . some leftover Tomato Chicken Soup paired with tortilla chips helped. As I write, there has been a very temporary lull in the wind, but most of the time it blows and blows and blows. We are still under not only a high wind warning (winds up to 50 mph), but a continued winter storm warning which will last until midnight Tuesday night. With all the blowing and drifting, it's hard to say how much snow we've received so far, but overnight, we're expecting another 3 - 7 inches, and yet another 4 - 8 inches on Tuesday. On top of that, it's cold - it didn't get out of the mid-20's today, nor will it for the next few days.

What else is there to do on a day like today but work on Christmas projects? I've nearly finished the nightgown for Julia, having done some handwork today; all that is left is to open the buttonholes and sew on the buttons. I may add some bows to the front, but will get Sarah's opinion before make a final decision.

I also worked at enlarging the pattern for the cloth baby shoes I want to make for Julia's brother, Luke. At first I thought to use the scanner to enlarge the entire pattern by 20% or so, but then I realized that it was mostly the length that needed adjusting, so I cut the pattern in two, added the additional amount, and taped it back together. I also added the same amount to the "top" piece. I made a sample shoe, which is absolutely adorable, but unfortunately, it is too small, so I added more length to the pattern. My dear sister-in-law, Veronica, measured Luke's foot (not an easy task!), so I have some idea what measurements I'm after, plus I traced a shoe while at WalMart last week. I think it will work just fine now, so the next ones I make I will plan to send off. Despite my initial impression that these would be difficult to make, once I had all the pieces cut out, they went together relatively quickly and easily, thanks, in part, to the wonderful pictures in the tutorial.

If you are interested in making cloth slippers for yourself, try out this tutorial. I just downloaded it tonight, so I can't vouch for the instructions. The Sew, Mama, Sew! Blog has been featuring gift ideas since the beginning of November - check it out!

I managed to put half a dozen stitches into my cross stitch project before I felt too sleepy to continue. Oh, well.

A Thrifty Christmas Gift

I mentioned the nightgown I plan to make for my niece, Julia, in an earlier post. What I didn't tell you was the thrill of (1) already having a pattern, and (2) finding all three of the fabrics I need (yoke, main fabric, and piping) in my stash! If I hadn't taken the time to begin organizing my leftover fabrics, and finding many large pieces, I would have gone out to the fabric store and bought fabric. The reward of my frugality is that we can spend more money on family gifts, or save the extra for an unexpected expense. (We plan to spend only $160 on the four of us in our family, or $40 each, and believe me, it doesn't go as far as it did when our girls were little!)

What!? No Crafting?!

I haven't been doing much crafting, mostly because my fibromyalgia is flaring terribly. On Monday, I felt like I had the flu. I am more exhausted than usual. And about two weeks ago, the persistent pain which I periodically get in my upper arms and shoulders returned. The pain feels like I've gotten numerous tetanus shots (which are given in the muscle.) When I first wake up, the pain is so intense that it's nearly impossible to move my arms. If past experience holds, this pain will be with me for three to six months, maybe more, then it will probably move elsewhere in my body.

As if that weren't enough, the weather has been changeable, which also causes me to flare. I think that Monday's flu-like symptoms may have been caused by the low pressure system which is flinging itself across our area tonight. It is going to turn cold with rain and snow. On Monday, and Tuesday morning, temps were near 60 degrees F. Thursday's predicted high is something like 38 F.

Sarah and I had our usual stitching night with our friend from my church on Tuesday and I did manage to put some stitches in my niece's pinafore (Christmas gift.) I spent a lot of time unstitching and fixing a spot where I picked up three pleats instead of two. I really should try to work on this project Thursday night while watching This Old House and CSI.

The other thing I managed to do was cut out a tote bag for Sarah, which she needs to carry her Sunday School class materials in. I will have to purchase webbing for the handles, which I plan to do when I go to JoAnn's with Sarah and Grace on Thursday afternoon.

I have soaked and dried two of the fabrics I need for Julia's nightgown (Christmas gift); the fabric I want to use for piping is still running pink . . . I will pick up some ready-made piping at JoAnn's just in case I can't get it to stop. Fabric that runs seems to be my lot in life. I did finally purchase some Retayne, but have yet to try it. As I have a front-loading washer, I will have to do the "on the stovetop" method, which will be a pain, but if it saves my fabrics, it will be worth it.

I will leave you with a wonderful blinkie I found:

Another Blast from the Past

I found and edited more pictures of outfits I've made for Julia. Enjoy!

Pinafore and Bloomers, April 2004

Sleeper, April 2004

Dress from Sew Beautiful January 2006 issue

Smocked Jumpsuit, November 2004

Projects From the Past

Check out these pictures of outfits I made for Julia back in July, 2005! So far, these are the only digital photos I've found . . . there may be more in the hundreds of pictures on my hard drive.

Shorts & Shirt Outfit

Another Shorts and Shirt Outfit

Seaside Sailor Bubble from Sew Beautiful, Spring 1996 issue

Seaside Sailor Bubble, Back View

Summer Bubble from Sea Beautiful, Issue #76

Summer Bubble, Back View

Smocked Overalls

Close-Up of Smocked Overalls

Smocked Overalls, Back View

New Outfit for Julia, my 3-year old niece

I've just put the finishing touches on a new outfit for my niece, Julia. She loves purple, so whenever I sew for her, I try to find purple fabric. The pattern is "Strawberry Kiss" from "Australian Smocking and Embroidery" issue #77. It's not my best work - I learned that it's very important to read and follow ALL instructions, especially when pleating for smocking. I neglected to break the pleating threads on the back of the shirt where the placket goes . . . I had a terrible time securing the smocking and then cutting the placket after it was finished! The front, however, came out fine; who looks at the back? I hope Julia will enjoy her new outfit!