Art, Craft and Needlework, December 2016

[Harriet]

How will your art make you happy this December? Enjoying decor we've made or seeing someone receive a gift we've brainstormed is so heart-warming. Please be sure to tell us your stories about how your handiwork is part of celebrations this year.

In November we posted about:

BookSaver is making Japanese Knot Bags for gifts for her co-workers and she's bought a new manual loom.
Nancy has been working on a comforter and making more gift bags from various fabrics, also a yarn project.
Cathy has been doing lots of cross-stitch including a Cats and a Geranium project, plus she's attending stitching groups.
Elizabeth's projects include a rainbow panda stuffed animal and adding creativity to her Ugly Christmas Sweater.
Harriet brainstormed ornament patterns she's re-sized.
blessed came in to encourage!

[BookSaver]

Thanks for the recap, Harriet. Small correction - I didn't buy a knitting machine, just a basic round manual loom. These instructions aren't quite the same as the way I was taught, but they're close:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Hat-with- ... om_hat_sub

One of the trees we set up at the library Tuesday afternoon is for donated hats & mittens to be given to local shelters for families in need. When I arrived at work this afternoon I saw that in only 2 days, that tree is already almost full of hats. I guess we'll be putting baskets under the tree for the overflow donations.

[Harriet]

Oh, I think I was trying to remember things two different ones of us said at the same time! Thanks for the link.

Wow, to think people found this so interesting that the tree space is almost filled up! Remember photos! A hat and gloves was one of the requests for a little Angel Tree girl here, I noticed. That will be a joy for someone to provide, too. I think people's imagination is sparked by that.

[Nancy]

Got sucked in to sticker zone yesterday! LOL!

[Harriet]

I'm so happy to have been sewing and crafting some.

This is a craft I did yesterday, that DangerBoy thought up - he decided to choose this tote/carrier with openings, from his teacher's nicest prize box because he had good conduct. Still had the tag. We think it was originally intended to carry toys that could be pulled in and out of the "windows". Anyway, he knew I had a lot of fabrics I could fussy-cut, of characters, etc. and thought it would be cute for a tote for me somehow.

I think the elves looking out the windows are very Christmasy! I fussy-cut larger circles and then heat-n-bond-ed them onto fabric so that the characters "look" out. I hand-sewed that fabric inside the "windowed" side of the tote. Very cute for a purse for the season. My purse insert went right inside.

ToteChristmas2016.jpg

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[Nancy]

That is cute Harriet,

I got the comforter tied and it is finished now.

[Harmony]

Harriet, that is so cute! Great for the season.

I can't seem to get the littlest thing done these days. The stack of mending is growing. My beautiful material and white lining for my new curtain is on the shelf... Someone who was here (dsonil or one of the grandkids) split a seam on their shorts which were left behind for me to sew). It occurs to me if I could get at least that done it could go back to their house with the Christmas gifts. Ok, that's a goal now. Maybe while their Christmas cookies are baking...hahahaha!

I guess in January's opening post, Harriet, you can say, "Harmony lamented".

[Nancy]

I finished up a dish cloth a star shaped one. And a hot pad.
I need to do one more and a hot pad & another dish cloth but no yarn & with this weather we are having it will need to wait.

I can sew or draw.

[BookSaver]

Harriet ~ That purse is sweet. WTG Dangerboy for good conduct, too.

Update on Japanese knot bags for gifts: The original pattern I found turned out ok but not quite right. I found a similar design on Martha Stewart's website that is a better size and style for what I want.
http://www.marthastewart.com/264167/reversible-purse

However, I think the original tutorial I found has better instructions than Martha's, so I'm using those instructions.

The test I did of Martha's pattern turned out well enough that I will be able to use it for 1 of the 10 gifts. (4 co-workers, 3 library volunteers who gave me a small gift last year, 1 DSis hostess gift, 1 DF Z, and added 1 for DMom.)

Deadline for co-workers and library volunteers will be December 20th. I'll see DMom and DSis on Christmas Eve. Not sure when I'll see Z but probably not before Christmas, so I'll have a few extra days to make hers.

Might give 1 of the library volunteers a purchased ornament instead because I don't really know her so I don't feel that I owe her a hand-made gift. Or do I owe her anything at all, when I know that she only gave me something last year because she brought gifts for all the librarians?

Today I chose all of the coordinating fabric pairs to make the bags reversible. Cut out and sewed bag #2 start to finish.

Obviously I'll be spending a lot of time at the sewing machine and ironing board for the next 7 days.

[Harriet]

Obviously I'll be spending a lot of time at the sewing machine and ironing board for the next 7 days.

Oh, now you're just bragging.