I had my hip replacement surgery on October 28 and after about a month I felt that I could get back to the sewing machine, so started in earnest to get some Christmas gifts made. One of the gifts was this "On-the-Go Organizer" that worked up nicely and was given to one daughter, one daughter-in-law, and a sister-in-law. These were really fun to make from a selection of fat quarters. They hold a standard 5" x 8" legal pad and the slot that holds the pen may be adjusted as you are sewing to hold either a thin or wide-sized pen. I picked a really nice pen ahead of time, so I knew what size I wanted to sew.
I didn't catch a photo of the first one I made before I had to gift it for a birthday, but it was in her favorite shades of luscious purple and teal. The ladies that received these are all "high tech" savvy women, but seemed genuinely happy to have these "low tech" organizers. I know I could use one for myself. Maybe sometime I'll make one more ;) This pattern may be obtained from http://www.gingercake.bigcartel.com/. It works up very nicely with accurate pieces and instructions. I'm sure you would be pleased with any of her other patterns, as well. This one also has variations included that feature a different front cover or a variation that hold children's art supplies. It would make a really cute gift for young ones needing quiet activities, such as during car trips.
The other major gift was "Moroccan Hand Towels" which were a free design I found online. I made 14 of these from 7 different base colors of solid color linen-look cotton, with lots of coordinating prints for the sides, top and bottom edges and many shades of thread for the decorative stitching. I saved a few of these for upcoming gifts, but I might just HAVE to keep one for myself. These were simple and lots of fun to design. I love to give a gift that is both useful AND pretty.
The other major gift was "Moroccan Hand Towels" which were a free design I found online. I made 14 of these from 7 different base colors of solid color linen-look cotton, with lots of coordinating prints for the sides, top and bottom edges and many shades of thread for the decorative stitching. I saved a few of these for upcoming gifts, but I might just HAVE to keep one for myself. These were simple and lots of fun to design. I love to give a gift that is both useful AND pretty.
The complete directions for these towels are available for FREE at the Sew4Home blog http://www.sew4home.com/projects/kitchen-linens/janome-monday-scrappy-moroccan-style-deco-stitch-tea-towels I printed them out and plan to use them many more times over the years ahead.
Well, I think that about catches us up! My next project is a quilt for someone that is long overdue and I will post about it when it's done, sometime in the next month or two. I do still hope to get in some charity pillowcases, but my most exciting project is that I'm going to be teaching my grown daughter to sew! She is 34 and grew up with a mamma that sewed all the time---but she was never interested back then. I found her a good-quality used Singer machine for Christmas and stocked her up on basic supplies, so we will soon have her first lesson. I'm so looking forward to it.
Well, I think that about catches us up! My next project is a quilt for someone that is long overdue and I will post about it when it's done, sometime in the next month or two. I do still hope to get in some charity pillowcases, but my most exciting project is that I'm going to be teaching my grown daughter to sew! She is 34 and grew up with a mamma that sewed all the time---but she was never interested back then. I found her a good-quality used Singer machine for Christmas and stocked her up on basic supplies, so we will soon have her first lesson. I'm so looking forward to it.