My first 2012 Christmas Project

I never seemed to find the time in November to make an intricate Advent Calendar. My oldest daughter, Judi, made one of these when she was in Girl Scouts, and I used it for years with my five children. I've revived it for the grandchildren throughout the years. This year, I had lost the text, but, voila, I found it on the Internet. Is there anything you can't find there? The children take turns removing the candy canes, in order of age. It's not only an Advent Calendar...it's a lesson in math and manners too!

It's been a long time...

since I've been on here. And it's not because I haven't been sewing. With a heavy travel schedule in the spring and summer for family events, I have simply neglected my blog. I realized I need to catch up so that I can start posting this year's Christmas projects. My son, Rob, in New Orleans, was one of my biggest clients, and the most challenging, this year. After having a sofa reupholstered, he asked me to make a bolster and throw pillows for it. With sewing machine in the trunk, my husband and I made a trip there at the first of the year. Rob and I scoured fabric shops and he selected this fabric. At first, I was a little dubious, but then, I fell in love with it. I browsed numerous blogs and pictures of bolsters before actually cutting the fabric. However, I ended up mostly winging it, as he wanted a larger bolster than most of those I saw. The biggest hurdle was the rounded ends encircled by the braid. Tough sewing on a small sewing machine. Thank goodness for strong glue to seal off the ends. Although I had only bargained for the bolster/pillows on this trip, Rob also asked for lace panels for his floor-to-ceiling, typical New Orleans style windows. I had made silk curtains for those several years ago. Piece of cake compared to a bolster! A couple of months later, Rob requested a speaker cozy. I have made speaker cozies for him before. The two were a pair and rather large. Rob requested quilted fabric and a zipper on three sides. They were sort of like two big boxes. This one was easier...only four sides and a top. However, the measurements had to be precise to allow for the handle on the top. I found an upholstery fabric with a fleur-de-lys design, which seemed appropriate. I'm always nervous when sewing a project off site, but the measurements worked.

Bunny Peep

Other than dying eggs, I've never been dedicated to decorative Easter items. However, when I saw these Marshmallow Bunnies, I couldn't resist. Conservatively, I only cut out one and I was glad. Sewing the loop around the bunny and keeping the proportions of the body and ears was harder than I anticipated. Having conquered one, however, I will probably cut out more and get a head start for next year. I used Minky fabric that was leftover from a quilt backing. It really does look like a Bunny Peep, don't you think?

Flannel Lounge P.J.'s

I love working with soft and cuddly flannel. When my long-legged daughter and granddaughter mentioned that it was impossible to find flannel P.J. pants that were long enough, I was happy to oblige. While tall, they are both also slim, so I added approximately five inches to an XS pattern. Here's my two favorites so far!


Flannel Lounge P.J.'s
Originally uploaded by Ginny Axtell

Flannel P.J.'s
Originally uploaded by Ginny Axtell

Hand Puppets

I am blessed with 14 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. My oldest granddaughter is 27 and the youngest grandchild is 2. In between, there's a wide range of ages. When I walk into Gymboree and the salesperson asks what size I'm looking for, I usually respond, "All of them." I've begun to recycle gift ideas from the oldest to the youngest. This year, it was Hand Puppets, including my knock-off of Lamb Chop and a velvety Puppy. Another of my favorites is a Dragon. With these puppets, your imagination can know no bounds.

Lickety Split Tote Bags

One of my favorite quick gifts is this Lickety Split Bag made by Rae. I have made several for gifts and two for myself (the Owl and the Echino print). They are made from 2 yards of fabric; one for the outside and one for the lining. They are reversible and have two pockets on the inside and two on the outside. I always have one with me when I'm off to the airport. It's handy for all the little things such as phone, camera, Kindle, snacks, etc. Somehow, it always seems as twice as heavy when I reach my destination. Did I mention it's also handy for the airport shop purchases? I have to confess. I'm an airport shop junkie. It's also handy for books or as a diaper bag.

Purse Organizers and Tissue Holders

Just two weeks before Christmas, I retrieved a week for sewing when a trip to visit my son in New Orleans was cancelled. Happily, he was being sent to England and Sweden on a business trip.

I used Elizabeth Hartman's pdf pattern for the Perfect Zip Bags and made coordinating tissue holders. Elizabeth's technique for the zipper resulted in an easy, but professional looking finish. I'll definitely use it again.

Oilcloth Tote Bag

I totally missed my deadline for starting Christmas sewing. November just doesn't do it, but I did get the first gift made before Thanksgiving. In the summer, my daughter Kristin and I had seen a small oilcloth tote bag in a retail shop. She liked it because of the size (enough for lunch or her Kindle and iPod) and the fact that it stood erect and did not slouch over. I first tried a prototype lined with batting, but it was still kind of squishy. I then happened upon a review of "Soft and Stable...for Bags and Beyond!" This product is 100% polyester and is similar to foam. It provided the stability I needed. Check it out here. The oilcloth is from the Loulouthi collection by Anna Maria Horner.

Teddy Bear Baby Quilt

I still haven't tackled a bed-size quilt, but wanted to make another baby quilt for my neighbor's first child, a girl. She did not want to use pink or frou-frou designs in the nursery. Instead, she chose neutral colors tending to gold and brown. I was inspired by the small collection of Teddy Bears she had ready for Emma. The Teddy Bear print is Bear Lake Honey Bears by Blank Quilting which I ordered from a great resource for all animal/bug related fabrics. The design was inspired by this quick strippie.

My First Doll Quilt

I have been wanting to try some Doll Quilts and my granddaughter Myla's second birthday was a good opportunity. I also wanted to try the Double Hourglass Block and found a great tutorial here. I used a combination of polka dot fabrics from my stash and various animal themed prints. As I wanted smaller blocks (5 inch squares), I cut strips 12 inches long by 1.75 inches wide. The backing is an Anna Maria Horner voile (also from my stash).

 

 

 

 

Ticker Tape Doll Quilt

Years ago, I had a neighbor who was extremely organized when it came to sewing. She only bought fabric when she was ready for a project and dutifully discarded all the scraps when it was finished. I was never quite that disciplined. Even when not quilting, scraps often came in handy for puppets, doll clothes, etc. Now that I've gotten interested in patchwork, I obsessively save every snippet, no matter how small. A Ticker Tape Quilt began to look like another great opportunity for delving into that stash. Unfortunately, being a Virgo, I was not able to just pick up pieces at random and sew them down. I meticulously lined up all those little pieces on my flannel board before sewing the first seam. I also incorporated some of the selvages that I am also obsessively hoarding. Next time, I'll be a little more adventurous. Not only does it make a nice wall hanging, it's also a nice archive of things I've made.

 

Cell Phone Cases

It's always fun to find THE perfect fabric. I wanted to make a cell phone case for my granddaughter with an appropriate fabric. I "googled" cell phone themed fabric and came up with Hoffman's "Techno-Kids." Perfect. The lining is "Peace, Love, and Joy" by Deb Eiseman from Andover. For a more masculine take for her brother, I picked up this peace sign fabric from Hobby Lobby.

Painting

Next to sewing, my favorite task is painting furniture. I painted this bench when we first moved to our home in San Antonio. After a couple of years in the weather, I had to do a few repairs on it this year. The design was inspired by a selection in Cressida Bell's book, "The Decorative Painter," which I found used on Amazon.

Note our resident gecko up on the left-hand corner.

Another project was this "originally white" cabinet that I painted to house my art work from Mexico. While living in California, my husband and I visited Mexico frequently and I collected these painted animals plus other samples of their folk art.

More Potholders

Our friends in San Antonio love palm trees. They have palm trees around their pond and pool and palm tree motifs in their home. I found this Palm Tree Quilted Potholder here and thought it would be perfect for their kitchen. My math skills did not work very well when converting this to an 8 1/2 inch block. I finally "winged" it and progressed one row at a time by "trial and error." I lost count of how many first rows I attempted (with scraps) before hitting the magic numbers. To complete the set, I purchased two kitchen towels and edged one end with the same fabric as the binding on the potholders.

 

 

 

 

Custom Kindle Cover

My daughter recently requested a custom Kindle cover. Our Kindle 1 covers had included an inside pocket and a pencil holder, but the Kindle 2 covers did not have these. I started out with a padded e-reader cover pattern from the Etsy shop Birdiful Stitches and made some adjustments: vertical pockets instead of horizontal and an elastic loop for a pencil. I decided also that I would like to have a firm cover rather than a soft one. I used PresOn Self-Stick Mounting Board designed for stitchery work. Before enclosing the bottom of the cover, I inserted the board, one piece to each side, leaving room in the middle for flexibility to close the cover with the pencil in place.

My daughter is an engineer (and a chocoholic) so I wanted something geometric in design. The fabric is Triskele by Poetryqn from Spoonflower. Here's her description of the fabric. "I enjoy playing with shapes and color and everything around me is grist for the mill. In this case, I was sharing a bag of chocolate kisses with an Irish friend and one thought careened into the other: Celtic Triskele with red chocolate kisses..."

 

Custom Kindle Cover

 

Inside

 

Pocket and Pencil Loop Placement

 

Back of cover

One of my first Quilting Projects...

was this Christmas Wreath in 2009. I got the pattern out of a book I checked out of the library, and, unfortunately, did not document the name of the book. I have not been able to find it again. It was a hard way to start. All of those little triangles prompted me to write this "Quilter's Lament."

I carefully measured and rotary cut
All the squares and triangles (or so I thought).
I carefully sewed a scant quarter of an inch
Feeling sure the seams would surely cinch.

Why is it then my square's so askew?
Does this disaster ever happen to you?
Twirled like a pinwheel…sadly atilt!
Whatever made me want to quilt?

It's just a little project…no big deal.
But yet I started feeling full of zeal.
My hat's off to you, you quilters so handy.
If I could quilt like you, I'd feel so dandy!

 

Out of the same book, I found this pattern for an adorable felt mouse. My grandson Michael and I would always play a finger game involving "Squeaky Mouse" when I visited him in California. I made this mouse with its own sleeping bag so that Michael would think of me when I was not there.