Holiday 2016 Sewing: 6th handmade gift plans - tweed sparkly cushions

As mentioned before, I have too much fabric in my stash. When I dug into my stash I found this plaid sparkly tweed. I decided to make a pair of cushions for family members who have a grey decor. It's difficult to see in the photo but there are silver threads running through the fabric. I figure that black and white cushions will go with any decor. I hope they like them!

Another great stash busting x'mas gift!

Holiday 2016 Sewing: 5th handmade gift - another children gift

The weather has gotten really cold here with very high winds. I thought I would make a very warm vest for my daughter since her body is not the best in regulating temperature.

I dug out this fleece backed faux sherpa material in my stash. I made a winter coat for my son when he was a baby. I knew this was going to be a very warm fabric.

I drafted the vest pattern myself and used lapped seams to sew the thick fabric. My daughter went through my button stash and chose these mismatched buttons for the vest. She has been obsessed with dressing like a 'lamb' so she made sure that the vest was reversible. And here is the final product:

My daughter wore it out and thought it was very warm. I still have some of that fabric left. Perhaps I will be able to make my son something too!

Holiday 2016 Sewing: 4th handmade gift plans - almost finished

I almost finished the 4th handmade holiday gift. I say almost, because my mother-in-law has to try the trousers on before I can tailor them to her body and finish everything. The hem is serged and the waist already has an elastic inside.

Well, it's nothing to look at right now hanging on the hanger. I can't wait to finish them!

Holiday 2016 Sewing: 4th handmade gift plans - a challenging one

The December theme for the Make a Garment a Month group is 'Dreaming'.  So I guess that includes both 'sweet dreams' and 'nightmares? Just kidding. However, this next handmade gift will be no easy task.

My mother-in-law asked me to make her a pair of dressy palazzo pants for x'mas. She gave me a pair of moderate stretch knit pants to make my pattern. However, I couldn't find any suitable fabrics in the colour she wanted at my fabric store. Instead, I bought this very drapey, non-stretch grey wool crepe fabric in the colour she wanted:

Since I bought a non-stretch fabric, I modified my initial pants pattern based on the moderate stretch knit pants:

I hope I made it too big because then I can tailor the pants to her body. If it's too small then all hope is lost.

I'm also very nervous about this because her weight tends to fluctuate a lot. Moreover, she is not the most patient client and is not used to 'bespoke' garments that requires time to tailor to fit. I guess I'll have to pack my sewing machine and supplies when I travel to see her for the holidays.

Wish me luck on this one! ;-)

Holiday 2016 Sewing: 3rd handmade gift finished! Fleece jacket saved!

I finished the 3rd handmade Holiday gift! This fleece jacket for my daughter should have been super easy and quick to make. But alas! I made a mistake when doing the measurement. I thrifted this Out of Print Simplicity 4895 a couple of years ago. I thought I should use it before my daughter grows out of this pattern. I made some quick measurements on the paper pattern and chose size 6, thinking that it should fit my daughter with a little room to spare.

After I cut out the yellow fleece and sewn up the seams, I had her try the jacket on. It was quite fitted on her and she actually had trouble putting it on herself. I forgot that there was loft with this fleece and she was suppose to wear long sleeves shirts under this jacket.

I didn`t want to just give up on the fabric and throw the whole thing into the trash. I dug deep into my stash and found a wine colour microfleece. I cut strips of about 3cm width out of this wine fleece and sewed the whole strip from the wrist of the jacket all the way down to the hem to enlarge the armhole and the side seams:

I also used this same fleece to bind the edges of the entire jacket to make the enlargement look 'intentional'. I used a thrifted zipper as enclosure. I'm happy I saved this jacket and now it's a unique gift for my daughter!

Holiday 2016 Sewing: 2nd gift finished - another set of Boy's PJs

I have finished another set of Boy's PJs. All the materials were found in my house. I used some remnant cotton flannel and sew a pair of very big PJ pants, using a self drafted pattern. Then I took one of the plain t-shirts from my son's room and sewed on a pocket with matching fabric. Another quick and easy but very useful Holiday Gift!

You can see how much bigger these PJ pants are comparing to the ones I made him 2 years ago. My son is currently between the 2 sizes.

Okay! Now I need to get on with the other Holiday sewing projects!

Holiday 2016 Sewing: 1st Gift finished - Boys PJ pants

I've been slacking in terms of holiday sewing. But now that November has arrived I must get on with it without delay!

The first holiday gift I tackled was a pair of PJ pants for my son, who has clearly outgrown the PJ pants I made him a few years ago. I dug into my fabric stash and found the exact same fabric I had used for his previous PJs:

I'm lucky that my son isn't too fussy about his clothing. Although the motif of the cotton flannel fabric may seem a bit 'babyish', he still likes it.

I didn't use a sewing pattern for these pants. Instead I just used the PJ pants I made him last year to make a rough template.

Then I enlarged the template to accommodate my son's growth for the next 2 years. Yes, I want the garments I make for my kids to last them for more than 1 year!

The pants were sewn quickly and here it is:

You can see the difference in size between these new PJ pants and the ones I made him a few years ago:

Next I made his PJ top to go with these pants. I simply cut out a pocket from the same pants fabric and sewed it onto a plain long sleeves t-shirt. Voila! Matching PJ set for my son:

Okay! One handmade x'mas gift down, many more to go!

Holiday Sewing Projects - the Planning Phase

Yes I said it! It's time to plan my X'mas sewing projects. I always try to sew/make some of the X'mas projects for my family and some of my close friends. My kids, my husband and my mom always get some handmade stuff from me each x'mas. This year, however, my mom-in-law actually requested that I make a pair of palazzo pants for her for x'mas (I didn't suggest it). My nerves!!! I said I would do my best and if she didn't like the pants, she didn't have to wear them. She has very specific ideas and measurements so I will have to make sure that I reserve lots of time to sew those pants!

My kids always get new pyjamas from me. My son has really outgrown the PJs that I made for him a couple of years ago (I made them super big then). My daughter has lots of gently used clothes from my friends so her need for PJs are not as urgent. I have lots of cotton flannel in my stash so the PJs project should be quick and easy. I also have lots of fleece in my stash so I may make some fleece vest/jackets/pants for them too.

My mom likes wearing vests for layering so I should make her a couple of vests in different fabrics/colour.

As for my husband, he actually has too much clothing (his mom bought lots of clothes for him over the years that he never wore) so I'm not sure what to make for him. Any ideas?

For my brother and sis-in-law, I always try to make some home decor soft furnishings for them because they really like shopping for clothes themselves. I think I have some nice home decor fabrics in my stash?

As for my close friends, I usually make bags for them and their kids. Tote bags are great for moms. Smaller bags are usually welcomed by kids. I guess I'll see what I have in my fabric stash first.

So there you have it. I have lots of things I have to start sewing right now if I am to finish everything before mid-December. What are you sewing for this holiday?