Ermergerd, it’s New Year Eve? Eeek! This holiday is going too fast, as always. Before the new year starts, I want to post one last post about projects from 2014. Let’s wipe the slate clean and get ready for a fresh start!
First up: Kitty bean bags for my niece!
When I asked on Twitter what to make a 2-year-old, several people suggested bean bags. I’m always scared of making handmade gifts that won’t get used, so I tried to make them multifunctional:
- They are cats. Cats = cute, cute = good, right? Also, she’s being raised by dog people, so i have to subtly convert her to Team Cat!
- They spell out her name. If nothing else, they can sit on a shelf and decorate her room!
- They are nice and hefty (filled with fabric scraps) so they make good bean bags for throwing and catching games. And because they are filled with fabric, not beans/rice/etc, I don’t have to worry about the food element going bad over time.
I made the “pattern” myself… it’s basically a square with some bits taken out. Techinical, right? 😛 I’m happy with how they turned out though. Kawaii!
Next: Clothes for the same niece!
Look, there is only one child on either side of my family – I have to spoil her, right? I had a lot of fun sewing her these little clothes, mostly out of refashioned clothing or scraps from my sewing. Can you recognise any of the fabrics? (Also, three cheers for my sister-in-law for being an appreciative recipient – so much more fun to sew for someone who will likes handmade! Thanks, Sister Kate!)
Oh, and all the tops are Jalie raglans (love that the pattern goes from my size to hers!) and the bottoms are all Hosh pant leggings or pants!
Now for some selfish sewing…
Festive clothes for meeeeeeee! I went a little overboard this year. (I also decided at some point that I’d wear red and green every day for the last week of school, so I had to get sewing!) First I made the plaid ponte Lady Skater/circle skirt dress at the top… then I made a Comino Cap in red polka dot bamboo. (It suffers from the same problem as the identical dress I made in navy here: it’s a little boring. Teeny dots are not enough pattern for me, and I can’t nail how to style it.)
Then on a whim I decided to sew up some sparkly silver knit I had in the stash – with the reasoning that I could wear it to a festive party, if I ever went to such a thing! Haven’t actually worn this yet. I self-lined the front, which accidentally turned a drapy cardigan into something more tuxedo-esque. Hmmm.
Last of all, I finally made a Muse Jenna cardigan… and promptly gave it away! In the emerald ponte I used, the gathers just serve to make my bust look flat, which it’s not! I prefer wearing cardigans open, but this only looks sort-of passable when closed. Oh well. I think it would be better in a looser, drapier weave. It belongs to my sister now, and has already been worn at least twice!
Last but not least…
Family Christmas photos! I set up the tripod and we tricked out cats into being in the same room together… then after 30 seconds they noticed each other and freaked out! But it was glorious while it lasted. As it happens, I made my husband’s hoodie as a Christmas gift, and sewed my own leggings, dress and scarf (truth be told, I sewed the undies both of us are wearing too!) It was a Me-Made Christmas all around!
Oh, and did you notice????
I GOT A COVERSTITCH FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!! Yippee, yippee, yippee! Big thanks to my husband for taking note the one time I mentioned wanting one, and for talking his family into helping pay for it! I haven’t tried it yet gotta work up the nerve first.
Whew. That was long. And wordy. I’m sorry! What a way to end 2014 – enthusiastically rambling about many knit garments. Sounds about right, eh?
HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR, and see you in 2015!
Crafting A Rainbow 
You of all people definitely needed a coverstitch! Hooray major husband points! Don’t be afraid of it – besides there are lots of us sewcialists to walk you through any difficulties and we all have the same model! =)
I love the kitty bean bags! I hope your niece did too! So fun that you get to spoil her will all the cute little outfits using your fabric scraps.
I really love your plaid dress! Don’t give up on the red dress – it’s just about finding some interesting accessories to make it work. I usually wear some of my crazier shoes with simple dresses. Sometimes my husband is better at coming up with combinations for stuff I’m meh about so maybe yours would be too. A blazer and scarf maybe? Or at least a chunky necklace.
Looks like you guys had a nice Christmas – love the family photo!
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You have impeccable taste in picking out flattering patterns. Can you share a little about how you do that, if there is anything to share about it? I’m so boring, choosing solid colors all the time. Also, what kind of knit do you usually buy in order to have a nice thickness for making dresses and such?
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Ahhh so much good stuff. The little faces on the kitty beanbags! All those sweet outfits! The sparkly cardi! Superb christmas card! And finally coverstitch, lucky you, look forward to hearing how you get on with it.
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Lucky niece!! What kind of coverstitch machine did you get? Hopefully, you’ll write a review of it for those of us who have it on our wish list 🙂
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Oh my gosh, the kitty beanbags!!! So cute! And the clothes are ADORABLE. There’s only one kid in my family, too, but I didn’t make him a single handmade gift, ack!!! Bad!
Lady! Coverstitch!!! I’m so excited for you! Can’t wait to hear more about it! In the meantime, Happy New Year!
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Loved your rundown! Happy new year x
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Yay!! What a great husband to get you a coverstitch!!! You know I love mine and I can’t wait to see you put it to good use 🙂
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Wow, I love those kitty bags! They have a Japanese-influenced look that I like.
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You make such fun things! My favorites are the red dress for your niece and the green plaid dress you made yourself. And cover stitch yay!!! I love mine although it’s a bit more finicky than my serger, but so dang worth it! 🙂
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You and your hubby are THE CUTEST!!! Those kitty bean bags are ADORABLE and so are all those amazing clothes you made her.
I want to see more photos of that plaid dress. It looks great!
Happy new year to you as well! May it be full of wonderful things!
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Of all peeps who need a coverstitch – you top the list! And what sweet photos…
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Eeeeeee! I die over all the cute things you made for your niece! Plus, all of your handmades are excellent. I do love the red dot dress 🙂
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Wow Gillian that’s awesome…all of it! The cute things you made fro your niece, the outfits for yourself and the Coverstitch from Hubby!!!! Yay for Hubs!!! Happy New Year lovely lady, looking forward to see what you come up with in the year ahead!!
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Your niece is a lucky little girl – that’s a pretty great collection of cute outfits. And enjoy the coverstitch – I have no doubt you will get a ton of use out of it. Happy 2015 Gillian!
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Happy New Year! And please, please, please write more about your overstitch machine once you get a chance to play with her!
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Happy New Year Gillian! I hope you continue to have a restful holiday. Love your niece’s wardrobe. Such a lovely Christmas card. 🙂
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Those Kitty beanbags are tooo cute! Clever you!
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You will love the coverstitch! If anyone should have one, it’s you! The kid clothes you sewed are just too stinkin’ cute. What a great aunt!
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OMG, congrats on the coverstitch machine!!! Wow!! 🙂 You’re going to get so much use out of it with all your knit garments. Have fun playing around with it!
I love the kitty beanbags and tiny clothes as well – what a thoughtful aunt!
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Yay for the coverstitch – you will love it! I use mine way more than I ever anticipated and I don’t sew nearly as many knits as you do!!
You have really sold me on the Jenna Cardi – loving the idea of it being boob minimising 🙂 I have it printed and ready to go, after your comment I will have to move it further up the queue!!
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Ooh, nice gift! He wins major points for that. Happy new year, Gillian!
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Your niece is a lucky girl! That’s like a whole new wardrobe. I hope she likes the bean bags – they are awfully cute.
Hope you are having a lovely holiday and have fun with your new coverstitch machine!!
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I am in love with those kitty beanbags…I’m going to have to steal that idea when SHB is older! Way to try to convert her to Team Cat, too. It’s important to get ’em while they’re young!
We tried taking Christmas pictures with both Walnut and SHB but neither of them would 1) look at the camera at the same time, and 2) stop wiggling long enough for the camera’s autofocus to do its thing. Oh well!
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Heheh – soon cats will start to overtake your underwater theme! 😉 But cats, so cats.
I bet the outtakes to your family Xmas pics with hilarious! Did you ever get more than one person/beast looking at the same time?
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I think SHB’s nursery is a mix of cats and underwater…maybe I need to do a series of underwater cats…
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a good family photo, as after about four out of focus shots, Walnut decided he was done…oh, cats.
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