A Big Batch of Jammies

A dear friend of mine (note: a very dear friend, as I would not be able to do this all the time for just anyone...;) ) asked me to make matching jammies for her four kiddos for Christmas. Sure!! I said. And the two oldest girls needed matching jammies for their new American Girl dolls. No problem! I said.

Thankfully, a bloggy friend, Melissa, over at Sew Like My Mom, had just started drawing up 18" doll dress patterns. She has freebie on her blog, The Katie Dress, and then she has another on her Etsy Shop. So, those were a lifesaver in making the bodice of the doll jammies and an extra dress as well.

My favorite (and the easiest) piece of all of them were these sweet little pants, for her 2 year old. Put a bum panel on any little pair of pants and I turn into a big puddle of mush.

And then there was the baby's dress...I had no pattern for this and had to just kind of wing it by pseudo-copying a 12-month-old dress of my daughters. The ruffle on the bottom of the jammies used the scraps of all the other jammies.

Here they are, being mostly loved. The little guy wasn't interested in pictures...:) How many 2-year-old's are?

In case you've been living under a rock and are unfamiliar with the fabric, it is Anna Maria Horner's Folksy Flannels. So. Very. Soft. The pants and the baby jammies were each made with a 1/2 yard and the older girls jammies were made with 2 yards each. Or maybe a very tight 1.5 yards?? I can't remember now. Anyway, I have a TINY bit left over and I can't seem to think about how best to use it.

Merry Christmas!

From our family yours, we hope you have a beautiful Christmas with lots of cuddling and hot chocolate and Christmas movies and most importantly, conversation on the reason for this joyous season. May God bless you.

Christmas Card Garland

Well, I am finding that I am running into the same dilemma as Jill where so much of what I am making is FOR somebody and therefore I can't post it, for fear it will be spoiled. But here is something I just put up to house all those lovely cards and letters we've been receiving and that have just been stacking up on our kitchen counter.

I needed a solution that would be quick and easy to put up using supplies I already had. 

 So using a few thumb tacks, mini clothespins and some thin jute I got busy and it was up in about 5 minutes. Then I tied on a few of the Gingerbread ornaments we made to give a Christmas-y kick. We used this recipe for the cookies and got excellent results. And can I just say, my tree smells delicious with all those cookies on it.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Ideas: The Ruby Doll

So the little girl in my life is getting a new doll for Christmas. The Ruby Doll, a free pattern found at One Red Robin. It was fabulously easy to put together, but stuffing the arms and legs were quite frustrating. So I made a second doll (the one below) just a tad bigger. All I did to make it bigger was trace around the pattern pieces about a 1/4", but you could of course just copy it a certain percentage bigger on your printer as well. Anyway, if you're looking for some inspiration to get you started, I would definitely take a look at the Ruby Doll flickr group. (I'd give you the link, but flickr isn't coming up on my comp right, but there's a link to the group on the Ruby Doll tutorial page-linked above). Lots of fabulousness there. You'll want to make one after you see all those dolls.

We're shooting for a mostly handmade Christmas this year and these are next on my list. They should be easy and I think the kids will love them.

Christmas Ideas: Gift Wrap

I have been asked to demonstrate wrapping presents in fabric for our ladies' craft night at church next month. I was excited for the opportunity because it gave me an excellent excuse to start making the wraps we'll need for Christmas this year for our own presents. This year I intend to use no wrapping paper, only brown paper and fabric, in an effort to use more recycleable and reusable materials. I also love the look of a brown paper package next to bright fabric package.

Anyway, if you're interested in this sort of thing, there is a great book that I picked up last year called Wrapagami: The Art of Fabric Gift Wraps. 

It looks like there are some other good books out there too, but the photos in this one are so beautiful and the illustrations for wrapping are very clear and simple.

I love all of the ideas that I have seen in this book, from wine bottle wraps, to book wraps (below), to shoebox wraps.

 If you don't like the styles with the ties and knots then there is a flat wrap using a ribbon to secure.

And I think that this next one is the most genius. This baby gift is wrapped in a baby blanket with a sweet little toy tucked in there. This is most certainly something I will use in the future. And if I'm totally awesome I will remember to take a picture and share it with you all (don't expect too much...). But I can completely envision a cute little boxed outfit, wrapped in a handmade blanket with a sweet little pair of handmade booties tucked in there. I can hardly stand to even think about it. Too cute.

Gumdrop Tree

Looking for something to keep those kids busy while they're out of school? Try a gumdrop tree! So fun. And quite inexpensive.

What you need:
a few bags of gumdrops (approximately one bag per tree)
some tree forms (which I found in the flower arrangements section of my craft store)
some blunt toothpicks (cut in half)

Then get decorating.



Goose went for a gumdrop snowman look, while I kept with tradition. It always seems to go that way...

The Stockings Are Hung

Oh, how I love having a real mantel now. No, I didn't have a fake one before...just a puny one that could hardly claim itself as a mantel.

I found this window at a local flea market called The Decorator's Bazaar. I loveth that place greatly. $8. I loveth that even more. It's all chippy with a nice little latch. And I know I am going to have entirely too much fun decorating it each season.

I made these stockings last year. I'm not crazy about them, but they were uber easy to make it a pinch. You find the free Amy Butler pattern for them here.

In other news, I am finally DONE making all of my Christmas presents...oh wait. No I'm not. I just remembered one more small one. Okay, so I am almost done. Then I can look forward to doing a bunch of shirt refashions to make some play dresses for Goose. She's been on a dress streak lately and her wardrobe simply cannot keep up.