Show and Tell - Christmas Present Sewing 2013

For the past couple of years I have been making gifts for the majority of my family for Christmas. Now that it is over and everyone has their gifts I can show off everything that I sewed this year :) I left almost everything to the last two weeks before Christmas (majority were done in the 3 days before, I finished at midnight on Christmas Eve.) which is something I hope to avoid next year.

For my mum I made the Camilla Insulated Bag Pattern by Sew Serendipity. I have used laminated cotton for both the inside and outside of the bag so that it is water proof. Sewing with a double layer of laminated cotton plus the insulated wadding was a bit of a challenge but I think the finished product and the fact that it is waterproof both inside and out made it worthwhile. The binding, trim and Kanzashi flower are all regular cotton.

For anyone who is interested here are the fabrics that I used:

• Laminated Cotton - Owls by Robert Kaufman
• Laminated Cotton - Spots Chocolate by Robert Kaufman
• Premium Solid Pumpkin by Northcott

The first part of Cloud's present was a Dr Seuss One Fish, Two Fish Pyjama set. I drafted the pattern for the boxer shorts and I used Steph's Blank Canvas Tee Pattern for the top. I have adjusted the neck line and used cotton bias made from the Dr Seuss fabric to bind it. The tee shirt fabric is a Jersey cotton I found at The Fabric Store. 

The second part of Cloud's present was another pyjama set, this time using a cute Hello Kitty dobby fabric I picked up last time I was in Japan. Once again the tee shirt is the blank canvas tee which I have embellished with some appliqué plum blossom flowers. I would have liked to have bound the neck in the same fabric as the shorts but I only had 1m which was just enough for the shorts and the appliqué. 

For my eldest sister I made another pair of pyjamas using a Marvel comic fabric I also picked up last time I was in Japan. I embellished the tee shirt with a simple patch pocket.

There was just enough of the comic fabric to make a flap for a satchel bag as well.

For my youngest sister I made a Ghastlie Holiday dress, the pattern is an adaption of The Marilyn Dress Pattern by Sew Serendipity and of course the fabric is A Ghastlie Holiday Mauve by Alexander Henry. The lace trim on the bottom is something I found in my stash. 

and because Cloud obviously doesn't have enough pyjamas I also made her a set for her birthday. I picked up this Hello Kitty fabric during my travels. The Hello Kitty face on the tee shirt is an appliqué I made and they were packed up in a cute little drawstring bag.

Did you make gifts this year, we'd love to see them :)

- Ky