A Crafty Christmas!

I've been meaning to write this post since Christmas, but the fact that I haven't quite finished and delivered Faison's gift yet had slowed it down. I finally decided to just write it and save Faison's gift for another post. Problem solved!

Everybody knows that I peruse two pages on Pinterest more frequently than my own email account: Fitness (for motivation) and DIY & Crafts (also for motivation, albeit of a different type). I decided around Thanksgiving last year that I wanted to be super crafty this year and MAKE gifts for some people. And I did! And I loved it. I am consistently blown away by the creativity of some people on Pinterest--or at least the people whose work gets pinned on Pinterest. I haven't quite reached that plane of thinking, but I'm not ashamed to say that I ride on their coattails with moderate style.

Leigh is obsessed with owls. Don't let the AOPI letters fool you--she's an owl girl through and through. So I had been thinking that I would make her an owl ornament or something like that, but then I saw the most amazing gift idea ever:

[source]

I had no choice. The internet had spoken. I got all the at Hobby Lobby and set to work. Overall, it was a very easy pattern. Only the zigzag stitches around the eyes gave me a problem, and that had more to do with the fact that I was trying to stitch around very tiny pieces of fabric than anything else. Here is my own process:

All pinned up...

Halfway point...

Finished!

I gave it to Leigh a bit before Christmas and she loved it! (or so she told me....it could be stuffed in her closet for all I know, only to emerge when I come to visit.) I actually really recommend this project to anyone who is interested in it. I know that it's ~for the children~ but it's the perfect size and design for a travel pillow. I will say that I used a relatively higher-end fill called Cluster Stuff and I believe that it made all the difference in the world in the "pillow quality," if you will. I've used cheap poly fill in other projects and I can honestly say that I'm glad I didn't in this project. I really want to make my own soon!

What I have learned from this project:
+Sewing for other people is scientifically associated with stress and an elevated heart rate.
+Chenille is so frakking hard to work with and it sheds like none other.
+Zig zag stitch + rounded edges = cussing. Lots of it.
+When in doubt, keep stuffing in that fill. There's always more space.

My other big project was a laptop sleeve for my stepsister, Audrey. I used the Cottage Mama's beautiful tutorial for my pattern:

[Source]

The theory is simple, and so is the practice. Here's the problem: I have the same laptop size and protective case as Audrey, and when I tested the fit of the finished product on my own laptop..............it didn't fit. I think the fleece didn't want to slide against that textured plastic like it was supposed to. When I popped the case off, it fit like a dream + a bit of breathing room, and I will go to my grave swearing that I measured correctly. On the upside, my mom has a smaller netbook, and the sleeve fit hers perfectly. I recut the pattern and did it over again, and the second case worked and ended up under the tree for Audrey! I wish that I had been better about taking pictures for that one, but the stress overcame me so I only have this picture from my iPhone:



Even though the Cottage Mama's pattern calls for a cotton exterior, the cotton fabric selection at Hobby Lobby felt flimsy between my fingers. So, for the durability factor, I used a printed duck and stayed with the fleece on the inside. Instead of fabric covered buttons like the Cottage Mama used on her own, I used some plain wooden ones, which actually ended up looking really nice against the light greens in the fabric. I want to make one for my own laptop, but I'm going to be vigilant about the sizing this time. This tutorial is actually wonderful in that it's based off of measurements instead of a shape, so the pattern can be adapted for a larger or smaller laptop, a kindle/nook, an iPad, etc.

What I've learned from this project:
+Fleece and sewing machines don't get along.
+Top stitching is not my strong point.
+Neither is sewing in a straight line, apparently.
+For the above reasons, have a seam ripper and reading glasses handy.
+I really do love sewing. You can make some cute stuff! Just don't look too closely at the seams, y'all.

Faison's present is so close to completion and I am swearing on a stack of bibles that it will be hand delivered to her this weekend. I also have a few other projects on the back burner and I'll just have to remember to take pictures so that I can have detailed posts! I love doing these crafty things, especially when it involves paint or stains and hardware of some kind. My grandfather built houses for a living, so I think that it's in my genetic makeup to want to, you know, make things.

I hope that y'all's weeks are looking like they're going to wind down on a positive note...happy Wednesday!