It's Not Over Yet!

Most of you will be gladly resting, in that after-Christmas euphoria that sets in as soon as you realize You're Done.  No more presents to make or buy or wrap.  All Done.

Not I!

We were blessed with a January baby.  She was due to arrive Christmas Day, 10 years ago, but she decided to bide her time and wait... for 9 days.  This next birthday marks a mile stone - her first decade - and I want to acknowledge this with something extra-special.

So I am embarking on a journey to parts unknown, somewhere I've never gone before but have imagined for a while.

My - and her - first quilt.

It's an easy go, strips of fabric sewn together, some new some old (parts of old pajamas that weren't completely worn out, bits and pieces from other things I've made her), but still.  I've never done this before. And it seems fitting to do it for her.  My first baby, my first quilt.  And I don't have a lot of time...

Countdown to Christmas

I'm starting to feel the crunch.  Not the 'hurry up and find a gift for so-and-so' so much as 'when am I going to find the time to knit stuff for everyone I want to knit stuff for??' crunch.  Cuz my fingers can only go so fast, and I can only do so much knitting in a day before I cause myself injury.  I know.  I've done that before.    I have 2 projects on the go: knee warmers for my crazy work-odd-hours man, and a cowl for my girl to match the mitts I just finished for her.  I also want to do a hat for my boy, with guitars on it, from this pattern aptly called "Harrison" (as in George, I'm assuming), with,  hmmm... 16 days to go.  Better get on it.

And then there's the sewing.

For the past several years (I've lost count), I've made new pj's for the kids to open on Christmas Eve.  They now expect it.  I even made summer jams when we spent the holidays in Mexico.  There's really no getting around it.  Thankfully, it's a really easy pattern, from Weekend Sewing, and I picked up the flannel for both today.  I've made them before and also used the pattern to re-purpose a T-shirt more than once.  I'm glad they look forward to a tradition that is home-made.  Amid all the hustle and bustle, and holiday commercialism, it makes my heart smile.

More T-shirt Magic

Take a T shirt.
Cut it up.  I used a pattern from "Weekend Sewing" by Heather Ross.  I've actually used that particular pattern several times, for pj's for me and the kids, and several re-purposed pants for the boy-child.

Don't even worry if the child's legs are long and you have to use the entire length of the shirt and go up into the arm holes.  It makes a cool pattern on the sides of the pants.

Then:

Show them Off!

Yay to new pants!  It's like wearing pajamas all day long!

From Shirt to Skirt

When we were in Mexico last winter, a store that caters to funky tourists had these awesome recycled T-shirt skirts, with the seams on the outside.  They were selling for about $25 USD each.  About $20 out of my budget! So, when I got some old shirts...

I made my own!!

Almost as easy as pie, I sewed the side seams together inside out (like, so you can see the seams) with a contrasting red thread and a zig zag stitch. And because t-shirt material is naturally so stretchy, it didn't even need an elastic waist.  I just hemmed the top and roll it down, or under.  So it could easily be a shorter skirt if need be.  Now, this was a first go and it was an old stained t-shirt, so I won't be wearing it "out".  It's a perfect, throw it on, run out to the garden or chicken yard, stretchy, comfy, hang around the house type of hot-weather skirt.  Which, btw, we are going to start getting as of Wednesday.  Phew!  I was starting to think summer would Never get here!    Hmmm.  I might need to persuade hubby to toss out a few more T's. "Sweetie, I'm SURE that one's stained..."

::Re-Purposing::

 I hate to throw something away that I might be able to use for something else.  This breezy little top was given to me by a friend who got it at a yard sale.  Looked cute on the hanger, but on my self, not so much.  It so happens that my sweet girl goes to a dance studio where a lot of the little dancers are wearing these darling wrap around skirts, which (kudos to them) they get from a local seamstress who charges a mere $15 each, any size.  However, thrifty girl that I am, I cannot spend $15 on something that I can quite easily do myself.

So, a little snip snip here, and a little hemming there, and ...

Hey Presto!  A new wrap skirt for my little dancer.