Building up my gift stash

I finished some more see through bags/pouches.

I made so many of these for Christmas and gave them away as gifts. And now I'm trying to build my stash up again. Here is my previous post if interested on how this came to be.

It seems like it's always someones birthday so I like to keep a few gifts on hand.

I also made a few hotpads...

I think these are a good gift to because who doesn't need hotpads?

These can whip up fast because I don't bind them, it just appears to be binded (explained in this post)

And I finally figured out the pattern for baby slippers.

However I don't know that I will be able to do it again? I only got one side done. I could not follow the directions on the pattern...I kept coming up with either not enough stitches or too many so I made it up as I went along....isn't it cute?

I just wish I had to baby to put them in.  I also have another order for 2 baby owl hats...those are my favorite so I will be busy finishing them.

Hope you enjoyed my finishes for the week!

Some favorites for christmas gifts

So we all know how addicting pinterest is but I'm sure you will all agree it is an inspiration overload!
I browse and want to pin and make everything  ...but by the  time I'm done with that site I don't know what to make!! So I decided to look on my own blog and in my own sewing room for ideas.

purse pincushion  How adorable is this? It's a great gift for someone who sews.


Owl Pin cushions  Another great gift for fellow sewers.


Market Bag - This is a gift that anyone can appreciate. My pattern came from a simplicity pattern I picked up for .99cents however there are several tutorial all over the internet you can find.


Box Bags  Here is another one of my favorites!  You wouldn't believe it is made with with one piece of fabric!  This will be a good gift for anyone.


And then what I made this weekend was a couple more bags!

I love small patchwork and applique. this one was very time consuming but worth it.

And I still love the bags with clear plastic. This one turned out cute.

Then I made this one for my dad. He might think its a weird present but guys have things they can put in a bag right? Well he goes to the gym so he may use it more than if he didn't go to the  gym? Ya know what I'm sayin'? 

  

An owl is born!

I love this little guy, isn't he so cute? He is suppose to be a pin cushion. This is one of my favorite projects and it is the cutest gift to give. 

You can find the pattern from www.thediydish.com  Their are a lot of cute projects on their site. You can find my other owl pincushions from this post.

 

So here is a rundown of how he was born.  I love selecting the fabrics. I found the owl stands out more when you use a contrasting color. Once you put the face on you are going to sew the front to the back and turn it inside out.

When I started stuffing my owl I used cotton stuffing first to shape the ears. 

I also shift the stuffing to the edges 

Then I pour these walnut shells into the middle of the owl. The reason why I like to use walnut shells is because it gives the owl (or any pincushion) weight.

Make sure you stuff, stuff and more stuff. You will want your owl to be plump!  then just hand stitch it shut.

I used a hot glue gun to attach the legs.

And here he is! I want to give him a name however he will not be with me very long. I made him for a fellow sewing friend of mine. Its going to be a Christmas gift.

I love these guys, I had to have a little photo shoot! 

His friends are definitely going to miss him once he is gone, hehehe.

Thanks for looking! Click on the links below for more projects!

 

more window pouches

I finished up some more little window bags, they are addicting.

Its a perfect way to use up your scraps! All you need is 6.5x11 for the outside fabric and 4.5x9 for the inside fabric.

These little handmade bags make perfect gifts for friends/co workers.

The Pattern is from Attkinson Designs. I didn't use the pattern as it was not available at the quilting store but I believe you can order it from her website.  Here is my previous post of how I put them together.

Its fun deciding what fabrics should be paired together.

window pouches

I have been busy!

I went to the quilt store to get some wool so I could embroidery a little snowman and ended up getting a kit to make some window pouches.  The only problem is they were out of the pattern to make them.

This is what they look like.  And this is the one time that I was ready to purchase a pattern so i wouldn't have to play the guessing game and they were out of it!! so I just bought the kit and went home and brainstormed.
I messed up on the first pouch so I had to use fabric from my stash.
This is what I came up with after about an hour of trial and error.

I took measurements for the size I wanted and then added some inches to the side to be able to fold over for the binding.  It actually goes really fast once you figure it out.  

When you sew using the clear plastic you will want to have material on the top and on the bottom otherwise it does not slide through your machine.

You can't really see the clear window part because....well, its clear.

But here we are! (I know i'm the worse blogger by not showing details)

but I shouldn't show details anyway because there is a pattern for it. (even though I didn't use the pattern-not by choice though) 

I'm going to make quite a few of these to give to my girlfriends. 

I'm going to make some a a little longer to put some nail files in them and maybe a few hershey kisses.

This one I'm going to give away with some perfume samples. So cute right?

I love them..I love the little window.

You can also fill them with hershey kisses...just make sure you put them where you dog can't reach!

I had put these in my work bag to take to work and my dog got into my bag and pulled this out. He tried to get to the hershey kisses and wasn't too successful....Good on my part though because the bag held up!

And here is my next project. I think it so cute to hang up during christmas time...however I probably wont have it completed till easter  :(    Thats the way Life goes.

Update: more pouches
Check out these blogs for more sewing projects: