Portia's Art Apron

I started the apron first thing this morning by designing a pattern that I thought would fit the bill for the request of an art apron for Portia; one that would hold her brushes.  I was fortunate enough to find some perfect material for the project.  One piece was actually an old curtain that someone had given to me with other scrap materials that they had no use for.  I can find a use for almost anything.  I searched my supply for something to use as a contrast material for the pockets.  I had in mind something different, but could not find what I was looking for.  I'm kind of glad, because the piece I found was even better than the other would have been.  I had planned on just using this material for the contrast, but I had so much of it that I decided to make the apron reversible so that one side was the solid blue and the other side was with the plaid material.  I made pockets of each material so that I could have the pockets in the contrast color for both sides.  Here is the final results.

Side one shows the stitching that gives the pockets little compartments for the brushes and other such things.

Side two with brushes.

A slightly larger model than the apron is intended for is not too happy about wearing the apron.

I managed to get a smile out of him modeling this side of the apron.

Do I dare say that I am done with Christmas projects.  Ooops, not yet.  I still have chocolates to make.  Maybe that will be for tomorrow.

Slacks Are Done

Since Cheryl did not want the sweater, I made her a pair of slacks that she can use for work at school.  The material is soft and it doesn't wrinkle, but it does fray at the edges.  That made for some pretty messy work.  I couldn't get two seams done without them fraying so much that I was getting frayed threads sewn in and some were even showing on the outside of the garment.  I had to do a lot of seam reinforcing with bias tape and zig zagging.  Even the zig zags still showed a lot of frayed strings which needed to be trimmed after I finished the sewing.  Both sides of the material looked exactly the same, so there seemed to be no right or wrong side.  That made things a little difficult, too.  I had to keep taking it out in the pockets, yoke, and zipper because I seemed to keep getting things reversed as far as the right side and the wrong side of the material, especially in the pocket area.  I am pleased that everything lays flat, with no puckering around the zipper and pocket area.  It was hard to keep everything exactly in the right place for sewing, especially with so much taking out and redoing, and with material that was fraying all over the place.  I had her try them on before I finished the yoke.  I ended up having to take it out just a tiny around the waist area.  Everything else fit well.  She only wanted a tiny hem because she likes her pants to cover her shoes and just be slightly off the ground.  I had some iron on hem tape which I used so that I only had to take it up half an inch.  That also made it easy to deal with the fraying.

This is a close up of the front. It doesn't hang as well as it lays flat, but I wanted to show the pocket and zipper area.

Full view again does not hang well, but it gives a general idea of how they look.

I worked on another small project today for Lexi and Joey to take to school for their classmates for Christmas, instead of sending cards. I made little green Christmas stockings (green because I didn't have any red felt and I had tons of green).  After I sewed them, Lexi and Joey got to decorate them with stick on foam decorations.  Then, they stuffed them with a Christmas pencil and a candy cane.

These are just three of Joey's to show as a sample of what they look like. They made 24 altogether.

Just when I thought I was finished with everything, my son called today and asked if I could make an art apron for Portia, who is: two going on ten, or there abouts.  She is so grown up for her age, and she just loves to paint.  She needs to have lots of pockets to hold her brushes.  I will get right on that tomorrow.  It is after midnight and way too late tonight to start another project.  I am just happy to have the pants all finished.  That is the last of the individual presents that I need to make.

Final Knit Project 2013

Well, I did it.  I finally finished the last knitting project for Christmas presents.  I completed the sock slippers that I was making for Isamu, the Japanese exchange student that is living with my son and his family for the year.  I made the elephant hat for him and decided that I should also make him a pair of the slippers like I made for the adult men in the family.

I also completed a secret project for the families this week.  It took a long time to do, but I am very pleased with the work.  I will not show these things, because I do not want them to be seen until Christmas.

As I expected, Cheryl did not want the sweater.  She thought it was too short in the back and too long in the front.  I was afraid that would be the problem.  Anyway, I cut out the slacks today that I will make for her, instead of a sweater.  I will try to finish them this weekend.  Then, I will just have my chocolates to make and my Christmas projects should be finished.  I say, "should," because I never seem to really be finished until Christmas is over.  I seem to always come up with something more that I want to do.

A Sweater and a Hat

I finished two more projects, the elephant hat for Isamu and the sweater that may or may not be for Cheryl (I'm guessing - NOT).  I am not particularly satisfied with the design.  The idea was right, but the tails are too long, and the back is too short.  The rest of the proportions came out right, but I'm not sure if it looks that great with such long tails.  It may not be comfortable with the back so short.  It is hard to tell for sure.  I tried it on, but my body is bigger than Cheryl's, so it may fit her better and look better on her.  I couldn't believe how hot it was.  I used a pretty light weight yarn, but it is still hot.  Cheryl is a lot like me when it comes to wearing sweaters.  I cannot because I get too hot in them. She is much the same.  That is why she didn't really want one in the first place.  I just wanted to try to design my own sweater since she couldn't find a style she liked. If she isn't satisfied with it, I will gift it to my friend for her birthday.  I think she will like it.

I think the elephant hat is adorable.  It is for Isamu, a teenage Japanese exchange student. Hope he will like it. His exchange mom said he likes elephants.  She requested that I make one for him.

This angle shows the trunk a little better.  I am amazed at how the person who designed this hat was able to figure out how to make the trunk and the tusks turn up like this.

Lexi modeling the elephant hat.

Precious!

It's hard to get a good shot of this sweater, but this shows it from the front.

Back view.

I really can't believe that I finished this sweater.  I had a lot to do when I picked it up this morning to just do a few rows.  I was so excited to see if my idea was going to work that I was unable to put it down until it was finished.  This should have been the last of my Christmas projects, but it seems I am never really done.  I decided to make another gift for Isamu.  I'm going to make him a pair of sock slippers like the men are all getting.  So, that means that he will get the same gift as the kids (an animal hat) and the same as the men (the sock slippers).  Hope he will like both.

Treasure Boxes

When I asked my son and daughter-in-law what I could get the kids for Christmas, they said that treasure boxes would be nice for their girls because they love to collect treasures.  I decided that would be a good idea for all of them, so I got right on it.  I went to the store, planning on just getting boxes for the girls.  I got plain wooden boxes, painted them, and decorated them with press on decals.  I made them look all alike and used wooden block letters that already came painted white to put their names on the top of the boxes to identify which box went to which girl. I will stuff the boxes with girly dress up items, like hair stuff and bead necklaces, etc.  Later, I decided that maybe the boys would like boxes, too.  I went back to the store to get three more boxes of a different style for the boys.  I wasn't able to get the ones I liked, but I settled on one that I thought looked appropriate for boys.  I had to buy latches and something to carry them with.  The store did not have handles and I didn't want to go to another store to get some (it was Black Friday and I didn't want to chance too many stores that day), so I decided on nobs, instead. I took the boxes home and painted them.  I forgot to get the decals, so I could not decorate them.  I had not bought a box for my youngest grandson, Ezra, because I had already bought Lincoln Logs for him, which was what his mom thought he might like for Christmas.  I felt so guilty not making a box for him.  Everyone else was getting a box from Grandma.  I went back to the store, but I had to get a bigger box, so it will fit all of his Lincoln Logs.  Oh, well, let's just say that I saved the best for last.  Not really, I love all these little ones just the same.  I want them all to be happy with what they get from Grandma.  I don't really know what I will stuff in the boys' boxes, except for Ezra's, but I will come up with something they like.

All the girls' boxes from the top.

The girls' boxes again from the front.

The boys' boxes from the front.

The boys' boxes from the top.

The boys' boxes from the side.

The boys boxes from the back.

Ezra's box from the front.

Ezra's box from the top.  The sides and back just have other animals.

Now that I have all the boxes done.  I will get back to knitting.  I just have one more hat to make and finish the sweater that may or may not be for Cheryl.  I am making good progress on that, but it takes a long time to do.  The needles are so small and there are so many stitches per row, that it takes a very long time to just get one row finished.  The good thing is that I am in the part of the sweater where every other row decreases, either by ten or by eight.  The number of stitches drops quite rapidly when that many stitches are decreased in a row.  I sure hope she will like the sweater and then my Christmas gifts will be completed.

Two More Hats

Two more hats are complete.  Now, I just have one left for Christmas, with at least one more for whenever, but will probably still be done before Christmas.  I will want to do it while hats are in my mind.  It will be easier that way.  Anyway, here are my latest two hats.

This is Jackson's cow.  It was supposed to be white with black spots, but I thought the black, with white spots would look more like a bull for a little boy.

Cow from the back.  One change has been made in the cow.  I put pompoms, but had planned on tassels. I had been doing so many pompoms that I accidentally made the pompoms instead, so I made the change, but have no picture with the tassels.

Joey is modeling the hat for Jackson.  He is trying his best to make a mean bull face.

This is Lucy's adorable koala.  The easiest of all the hats so far.  I planned to use the pompoms I made for Jackson's hat on this one, but they fell apart when I took them off the other hat.  I had to make new ones after all.

I will be making a car trip for Thanksgiving.  I will work on the sweater that may or may not be for Cheryl.  I haven't worked on it for awhile, so I will get lots done while traveling.  It is basically all I have left to get done for Christmas, so I will be motivated to work on it.

Two Little Pigs

My friend was probably joking when she said that maybe there would be a piggy hat for her, too, in the package I will be sending out with her Christmas gift, the mobile for her daughter, and the other hats for her grandchildren.  I decided it wasn't a bad idea.  I had made the piglet hat for her granddaughter who is the sister of the twin boys.  Since there were two puppy hats for the twins, I thought it would be cute to make twin piggy hats for her and her grandmother. The hats take so little time to make, that it was no big deal.  Here are my twin piggies.

Maya and Grandma twin piggies.

Lexi modeling Maya's hat.

I have been accomplishing a lot lately.  I did finish my friend's gift, but I will not blog it until after Christmas.  I want it to stay a surprise and I know she reads my blog.  I still have at least three hats and a sweater to finish before Christmas.

Three Dogs and a Pig

I just finished the hats for my friend's little grand children.  I ended up having two extra dogs because when I was first starting out with the animal hats, I was having a difficult time getting the gauge correct.  I was trying to use yarn that I already had, and most of it was not the size called for in the pattern.  The first hat was really small, so I decided I could use it for one of the twin babies.  The next one was bigger, but still too small for my intended receiver.  I thought that it might be big enough for another one of my friend's grandsons, Bennett.  I needed to make another one for the other twin.  Since the twins have a two year old sister, I couldn't give all the boys hats and not one for her, so I decided to make a different animal than I was already planning to make, or have made, for my own grand children.  That pretty much left me with the pig.  I ended up having to add some rows to the front and back of the bigger dog's band so that it would fit further down on the head.  It was too short, and I could not add to the top because of the face already being sewn in place.  After I had finished the pig, I could see that it was going to be too short also, so I took it out from the top to where I started my decreases to shape the crown.  I added six more rows and then did the decreasing rows again.  I was very happy with the outcome of it, even though it ended up taking more time than it should have to make the pig hat.  Also, I ran out of pink yarn and had to go to the store to buy some more before I could do the ears, tail, and snout.  I was happy to be able to get the same color. So, here they are: three dogs and a pig.

These are the hats for the twins.  The black one was the first mistake.  I made the brown one later, then used black contrast for the brown dog and brown contrast for the black dog.  The dogs can have their ears up like in this shot, or...

they can be left hanging down as in this shot.

This shows the pig from the front and the bigger dog with the ears down. This dog has knitted eyes, but the dogs for the twins have buttons for eyes like all my other animal hats.  I was just trying something different with this dog.

From behind, you can see the pig's curly tail and this is the dog with the ears up.

I just have three more hats to make for my grandchildren, and then I will be finished with the hats.  At least, I think I will be.  I do have to make another one for my daughter-in-law, Ellen.  She has requested that I make her a fox hat.  I will make it, but not before Christmas.  It is not going to be a Christmas gift for her.

Something Different and Something Same

Well, I have been doing so much knitting, that I needed to take a break.  I decided to make another play mat set for my friend's daughter who is going to have a baby.  I didn't really want to do another knitted one, so I decided to do a machine sewn animal set.  I wanted to do a farm scene this time, but I didn't have enough farm animals of any one pattern style.  I used what I did have and went on line to find a few more that would look like the same style as what I already had.  I also wanted to make a farmer, so I had to be creative with the pattern I had for a man.  Actually, it was a clown, but I altered things a bit and came up with something that sort of looks like a farmer.  These little animals are really cute, but they create quite a challenge because of how small the little pieces are, and because things get so tight that it is difficult to sew in some places.  Also, the turning right side out is very difficult with such a small opening for turning.  Everything comes out a little bit crooked somewhere or another, but it does add character to these charming little animals.  I was lucky enough to find some material that would do for the mat part.  I liked both so much that I decided to make the mat reversible, so it doesn't matter which side is up.  I also made this mat set with the arches that can be used as a crib mobile, but I am unable to show this one set up as a mobile.  I no longer have a crib set up at my house like I did before.  No more tiny babies that need a crib, so the crib is gone.

I found this adorable little lamb online.  I chose fleece for the material.  Cute for the lamb, but very difficult to sew in such tiny, tight places like the legs.  You can't see from this angle, but the left ear is turned down in a really cute way.

This cow is from a pattern I have used before.  It always comes out so crooked in the head, especially the muzzle.  The ears do not show up in this picture, but they turn down on the side of the head.

Every farm needs a pig.  I also found this little guy online, but he was so little that I had to enlarge him so he would be about the same size as the other animals in the set.  I decided to make his hanger go across the top of his back to  make him look like a piggy bank.

Sweet little kitty has a very crooked left ear.  The right ear is perfect.  The left front leg also does not sit flat when it is on a flat surface, so it looks like the kitty is lifting its leg to start walking away.

This horse is from a very old pattern.  The style is a little different from the others in that it is not three dimensional like most of the others.  I really think it is cute, and it was so much easier to make than the others.

This little donkey is also from a pattern I found online.  He was really tiny and was meant to be hand sewn.  That is not for me, and I wanted him to be about the same size as the other animals, so I enlarged his pattern, too.

This floppy eared puppy is really adorable, but a real headache to sew.  It was the first one of these that I sewed this time.  Though I have made these animals before, I always forget how difficult they are to maneuver with the machine, and how hard it is to follow the instructions.  They are so confusing, and I wonder how anyone could ever come up with them in the first place.  It blows my mind! When I finished him, his ears stood straight out like airplane wings.  I had to tack them to the side of his head so he wouldn't fly away.

This little duck is probably my favorite.  His wings stick straight out like he is going to take flight.  His head was the hardest thing in all of the animals to figure out.  I don't know why, because I have made him several times before.  I think I was really tired when I was trying to do it.  I left for awhile, and when I came back, it went right together without a problem.

This is my little farmer.  He is wearing hip-hugger pants and has no hands or feet, but I think he still looks somewhat like a farmer.  You can't see his hat from this angle, but he has a hat that sort of looks like a cowboy hat.  I hand embroidered his hair which you also can not see much of in this shot.  Although he is not three dimensional either, he took quite a while to do because of all of the detail with his clothes...the belt loops in particular were difficult to sew on. I also put a small bell in his hat, so he jiggles a little when you shake him.

This shot shows one of the sides of the mat.  In this one, the center is made from a flannel that has farm animals, barns,  tractors and trucks, and trees printed all over it.  I cut strips of material like the material I used in the arches (two different blues, and two different greens) for the sides.  I cut corners out of some yellow.  I made a border of these strips and corners to go around the printed flannel material.

This shot shows the other side of the mat.  This is a patch work quilt top.  It looks great and has blocks that look like gardens.  I didn't need to do the patch work.  It already came that way.  I reversed the front animals in this one so that you can see all of the different animals the way they look hanging.

I also completed another project this week.  I needed to make yet another pair of slippers for a friend.  This pair was for a boy about eleven, so I had to really work on downsizing the pattern that I have been using for a man.  Hope they fit.