My tech-savvy husband comes through again.  The photos from the camera are magically transported, through pixie dust and good wishes, to my laptop.

And so the blog post with all of the sewing projects from Christmas can begin!

I know you are all excited, so I’ll get right to it. :)

1) Scarf and scarflette from sweater

I’m interested in reusing old clothing to make new (“upcycled”, as they call it) items.  So this outgrown sweater from my husband’s closet was a prime candidate.

From it, I was able to cut the front panels, and made the argyle diamond panel into a scarflette for Anna, and the two cable-knit pieces into a scarf for my friend Jen  (both December birthday presents).

From this:

To this. Voila.

Add a couple of non-functioning buttons and some velcro to keep it in place, and you’re in business.

2) Mitered-corner napkins

My mom is a fan of dressing up her table, especially for the many things that she hosts for friends at her house. She could always use some more napkins.

I used some fat quarters from Joann’s, in a bright red print.

Festive, but not so Christmas-y that she can’t use them at different times of the year.

3)  men’s scarves

For three of my sons/sons-in-law, I made some plaid scarves.  I was going to make different colors for each of them, but it was more economical to get a single cut of one patterned material.  Plus–they all live in different places: Lincoln, Texas, Germany. So it’s not like they are going to run into each other on the street and be wearing the same scarf, and be mortified by their matchiness.

(Not that I think that they would mortified if that really did happen, but you know.)

Sadly, I somehow ended up with no pictures of the finished scarves, but here is a close up photo of the fabric and some satin stitching I did on it.

Impressive, huh? :)

4)  fleece jacket

Okay, technically this was a birthday gift for Adeline, because her birthday is in January, and they were headed back to Germany, so we gave it to her ahead of time.  I made this based on the same pattern that I used before, the unisex hoodie pattern by Heidi and Finn. I made one of these bad boys for Addie earlier, in a knit. For this one, I used charcoal gray fleece for the the outside, and a houndstooth-type check for the lining.

I modified by leaving the front part open, like a normal coat or jacket, instead of a pullover hoodie.  I also realized (after several failed attempts) that the double fleece fabric was way too thick for me to do buttonholes with my sewing machine.  So instead, I opted to attach velcro “button” attachments on the inside flap.

The sleeves got a bit thick and a little more difficult to handle.  If I were to make it again, I would cut the pieces a bit more generously, to allow more roominess with the added thickness.

Overall, though, I was pleased with how it turned out. I especially thought that the edge stitching turned out well. (If I do say so myself.)

5) drawstring toy bag

This was also technically not a Christmas gift, but was instead something I stitched up for Adeline after Christmas, to hold a dollie and her various accoutrements–a fun gift from Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Ralph.

How to keep it all together so it doesn’t get lost?

A drawstring bag.

This is the same pattern I used for a bag full of army men.

I used some of the strings from the temporary IDs that the boys have to get from school when they forget their official lanyard ID.

More repurposing, you know.

I had to zigzag the lengths together to get what I needed. And then sew a bit of fabric around those parts, so that the strings would move freely through the casing. But it worked.

And it fits nicely on Adeline, as well.

6) pajama pants–for everyone!

I was happy to find something that would work for most everyone on my list:  pajama pants.  Who doesn’t want a pair of warm, soft, cuddly pajama pants, in which to curl up and watch “It’s A Wonderful Life”?

No one, that’s who.

I made some for two of my nephews as well (as documented previously), and then a pair for each of my seven kids, plus two sons-in-law, and one daughter-in-law.

Counting the one I made as a practice pair out of an old flannel sheet (which I kept for myself, naturally), that’s 13 pairs.

Thirteen.

I used the basic procedure from the kid’s pant pattern on MADE, and adapted it by using an old pair of my husband’s pj pants, and adjusting accordingly for each person. I made a pattern out of freezer paper, and ironed it on to the fabric, then cut it out. ( A technique that works magnificently, by the way; no pins or weights to hold down a shifty pattern. Then just peel it off, and re-use on the next pair.  Brilliant.)  If I had actual measurements, that helped; otherwise, I had to guesstimate and hope for the best. (And be willing to tailor after the fact, which I did for a few folks.)

And (drum roll please)……here they are!

From the back:

You can even wear them Urkel-style.

And all of them, every single one (whether they got a tag or not, since the tags arrived partway through the sewing process), were :

Sewing

February 21, 2012

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