Christmas Crafting

I know some people are really organised, getting gifts made well in advance of each Christmas. My friend Fiona is one of them. She is one of the hosts of  Ho Ho Ho and on We Sew - an annual event to encourage Christmas gift sewing all year.

The following post may have a few elements of cheating, but I have today made a Christmas present!

My brother and his family live in Australia, and in a few days time my mum is on her way to see them. I have bought gifts for my brother and his wife, but my niece and nephew (age 9 and 7) are getting crafty gifts.

India's is a doll for her to make. I bought the panel f(possibly from Spoonflower), and I'm sending a little sewing kit too so she can cut and sew the printed pieces, with a bit of help from mum. Sewing related, but not a stitched present.

Marley's is a dinosaur, but it's a bit more complicated to make, so I have done the cutting, and the main sewing, so he and mum can stuff and add some applique if required. It started as a panel like this

And now looks at bit like this

I know it isn't finished, but for the sake of mum's packing it has to be able to be sent flat, and I'm hoping he will enjoy stuffing and finishing it, and sewing the ruff on where he thinks it belongs.

Although it clearly isn't a "finish", and is late for 2015 rather than early for 2016, I hope Fiona will see it as a linkable finish as its all I'm going to do to it - hopefully he will enjoy finishing it, and next time I'll leave him to make his own pressie!

Posted with Blogsy

Linking at Last

I keep meaning to link up with Fiona's "New to Me" and her "Ho Ho Ho and on we Sew", and I'm finally remembering to do so!

I have blogged about this before, but here is my Ho Ho Ho offering:

 

Hand dyed / marbled fabric sewn into zippy pouches for friends for Christmas

And for "New To Me" I'm offering these, some already posted, some new

Peg bags made for a friend: the opening is under the bone

La Passacaglia

Tool store / pin cushions

And binding caddy and hexie caddy

Christmas Crafting (again)

As I'm hosting the Ho Ho Ho and on we Sew link up this month I thought I really ought to actually do some Christmas making beyond my tutorial.

I started a Scrappy Trip Around the World late in 2013.  The plan was that it would be for Lisa for Christmas 2014.  At the time she was living in a converted factory in London and I thought it would be nice to have something warm and Christmassy to wrap herself up in

I got this far, and then realised my fabric placement was a bit naff:

Scrappy trips look better if they aren't alternating light and dark blocks - because they just might as well be alternating dark and light blocks!

 

So I considered a couple of sashing/no sashing possibilities

And there it stalled: partly because I couldn't decide, and partly because Lisa announced she would be going to Australia *just* after Christmas - so I didn't think there would be much point having a Christmas quilt which she'd get on Christmas day and leave behind on boxing day.

Anyway, fast forward a year and a bit: I seem to be in the mood for reducing UFOs at the moment, and the Ho Ho Ho linky got me thinking abut this one.  So I have now sashed the blocks mostly with plain Kona red solid.  There is some sashing with gold shapes on, and there is a reason, but I cant yet photograph it well enough to show you.  At the moment there are 5 separate strips of blocks, but in a few days I'm hoping to have it backed and machine bordered, and then I can show you.

 Have you finished anything Christmassy this month?  The linky is open until the end of the month if you want to link up - just click here to go to the linky post