Thursday 3 January 2013

Making: Christmas presents for friends

I thought I'd divide my Christmas making up into three posts: for friends, for children, and for family. I'd love to say I had a clever reason why. I just don't have photos of the family gifts yet, so I'm stalling.
 
Firstly, I know this is slightly bonkers in a 'I'm Pretending I'm a Perfect Mamma' kind of way, but we made our own wrapping paper. Kraft paper (cheap! tasteful! rare combination!), green paint, a big potato and two very messy kids. That's the Tiny One's hands there (not so tiny any more). And mine. I was going for the nice geometric tree print. The Tiny One was going for the wahey-let's-rub-that-green-potato-tree-everywhere look. He won.
Secondly, here are the bags I made for three special chums. I'd like to point out that this was my first time using a zip and it was just the same experience as my first time making souffle - came out fine, couldn't work out what the fuss is about. I think it was more luck than skill. But I love them. That mauve bottom left is from a corduroy dress from Clothkits that I wore at about age 6. I'm a sentimentalist, I know it.
I asked my friends for their favourite colours, which is how I ended up with these prints. All the bags were made using this pattern from Noodlehead. The blue print is from Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms range - Temple Tulips in azure. The whole sheet of fabric looked beautiful draped over my sewing chair. I think it would be fabulous in a large-scale upholstery project. The yellow fabric is one I've used before for a hanging wall pocket, but I can't find a photo of the project or a picture of the fabric online, so it'll have to remain mysterious. I love how autumnal it is and the contrast of such a spring-like interior.
I'm really pleased with those interiors. They really take the bags up a notch. I used the same prints for the zip tags. I keep having to remind myself to say 'zip' - I read so many American sewing blogs that I keep starting to say 'zipper'.
I also made this fabric necklace, inspired by this pin of a // Between the Lines // project. Hers is much better though. I planned to make one for each of my friends but ran out of time - sorry ladies, IOU!
Inside each bag was a felt single-string Christmas mobile in the colours of their Christmas decorations. Here are two. I really like them, even though they're simple. They looked lovely hung from my front window while they waited gifting, and I could quite happily have kept them.
That's me done for now. I had a sore throat yesterday, a terribly sore neck today, and I think a lurgy may be lurking. My mum and auntie are coming tomorrow (hooray!) so now I need to go and finish up some sewing and clean the bathrooms (not hooray).
 
PS I'm thinking of redesigning my blog again and going back to the old-school, scroll-down-for-each-post look. What do you think?
 

1 comment:

  1. I LOVE the old scroll down type blogs - these newfangled things are just harder to navigate (eeep - just realised how much I sound like a grumpy old woman). Love your felty mobiles!

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