Make a little gift in under an hour :)

With some pretty scraps and a zipper, you could whip up a pretty little zipper bag in under an hour - tuck a little box of chocolates or some bath bombs inside and you have a lovely little gift!  Resize the pattern a bit and make a set of bags in varying sizes, tie them with ribbon and you have a lovely gift for a last-minute gifting occasion :D 

Don't forget the value of downloadable patterns - it's quite convenient to shop in your jammies and to get a pattern almost instantly once you find it :)  I found this one recently and whipped it up for a Christmas gift for our 3 year old nephew - I'll do the snowman next!  (NAYY - just a happy customer)

We're in the home stretch now - I hope everybody is done or almost done!

Christmas Plans

Hello, I'm Vicki and I blog at Vicki Kate Makes.  This is my first year here at the Crafty Christmas Club and I've loved going back through last years posts - there's so much inspiration there!

These are my plans for this year:

Mum - a photo calendar
Dad - a photo desk calendar and some lebkuchen or biscotti or both!
Husband - waiting for inspiration to strike?!
Boy - Husband is making him a toylander.  Does that count as handmade - I think it does!  I may make him a cuddly dinosaur too from this pattern.
Jess - Makeup brush roll with some new brushes
Adam - I have no idea!  May well end up being bought and some baking thrown in.
Beccy - Cookie mix jar and a purse, maybe using this pattern with some little makeup bits in
John - Again, no idea.  Probably something to do with books or cheese.  So maybe a book voucher and some cheese straws?
Ian - Aarrghhh!  Why are blokes so hard to think of present for???  May well be really unimaginative and give him a voucher of some sort and some baked goodies.
Jo - Purse and something else.  Will have to ask Ian for suggestions!
Husband' Mum - What do you give your MIL?  She's not the most appreciative person so it may well end up being a bought present, or vouchers in a handmade card.  Or possibly a terranium as she likes her garden and plants.
Husband's Mum's Boyfriend -  Another man that I have no ideas for!
Husband's Dad - Photo Calendar
GG - Chocolates from Hotel Chocolat and a framed photo of Husband and Boy
Uncle Pete - Bottle of port

I'm also hosting Christmas Dinner this year.  So I'll be making cranberry sauce with port (nom nom), the christmas pudding in the next couple of weeks and a christmas cake, again in the next couple of weeks so it can mature and be fed!  We also make brandy sauce to do with the pud which often ends up with a LOT of brandy in it.  I have to admit my go to is Nigella's Christmas for a lot of the recipes so I'll have to go through the book and plan the menu.

I'd also like to make some bunting for Boy's new bedroom.  I'll also make the wreath for the door.  As for other decorations it depends on what inspiration strikes.

Now that I've written it all out, that's quite a lot!  Ah well, slow and steady...  There's still 71 days!

Big list this year, time to get cracking!

Hello everyone, my name is Kath and I live in Brisbane, Australia. I have far too many hobbies to list but my most recent endeavour has been my Etsy store bunnyhornet. I make vintage inspired jewellery there and I'll be adding a bit of that to my Christmas pressies list!

BUT!! My projects I have to tackle this year are:

1.    3 x personalised cushion covers for my nephews.
2.    3 x reversible tote bags
3.    Skirt for my sister-in-law
4.    Sundress for another sister-in-law
5.    A few simple make-up cases
6.    Flying pigs mobile (idea found on this blog!)
7.    Some little bunnies (also idea found on this blog - thanks!)
8.    Tuxedo bib for littlest nephew
9.    2 x capes for bigger nephews
10.  3 x aprons for sisters and mother-in-law
11.  Giraffe Toy

OMG! How am I ever going to finish? I don't have a blog of my own so I'll document my sources for inspiration etc here :)

1. Personalised Pillows

My sister-in-law sent me a link for this:

If you click on the picture it will take you to the webiste.

She wanted her own version for her new baby and I have two other little nephews so I've bought fabric for all three and some felt for the names.

I bought my fabrics from Superbuzzy who has some amazing prints and colours.

And the felt came from Etsy user litlbrownbird.

And this is the inspiration for colour scheme I'm working with!

How cute is he!

The fabric picked for Boy 1 is to go with this little fella and I think the oranges and blues will go nicely with his room....

I want to make one similar but that's only in the 'musing' stages at the moment, no concrete plans!

You'll also notice I've bought the fabrics for the 3 reversible totes. The pattern I'll be using is from Burda Style and is free!

Now this tuxedo bib pattern is meant to be for an adult (to look like you're wearing a tux shirt) but how cute would a version be for a baby? Argh! So cute! Another Freebie!

I'll also use some of the leftover fabric for the make-up cases. I'll just make these really simple pouches with a zip closure.

Love this tutorial over at Chezlin!

I also bought some of that felt to make brown bunnies like the ones shown on the blog and on the original website of Betz White.

 The flying piggy mobile I found on this blog here. I've already started on my own pattern - don't want to mess with copyright but as it's for a gift we should be ok! The skin tone and white felt I've bought from litlebrownbird will be for this one.

Ok, and that's where I'm up to with my ideas so far..... wheeeeeeeeee!

Now to find good patterns for the Sundress, the Skirt, the aprons and the capes. Any ideas?

Hi There and Chickens

Hi! I'm Huff, and I blog at Huff Makes Stuff. I sew and knit and dabble in a handful of other crafty pursuits. Most of the gifts I'll be making this year are for the children in our families. Every year there seem to be more and more of them! I'm full of ideas for the littlies this year but am still searching for ideas and patterns for some of the older kids.

I have found loads of toy pattern books from the 70s and 80s in op shops/thrift stores like this one:
Once you get past the the strangeness, and interesting fabric choices (it can take a bit of imagination) there are usually several cute patterns. Like this family of chickens. They only took two fat quarters of fabric and some felt scraps to make and will be perfect for my niece who is three.Looking forward to seeing what you're all up to and sharing ideas!