Sewing on Sunday

What have I been up to in the sewing room this week?
I'm, glad you asked. :)

No more peg pouches...yet.
I have bought the fabric for some more but I was busy finishing off peg aprons this week.
The very exciting news is that I sold five peg aprons to another mum at school for Christmas gifts from my Made It store...

These are the two new ones I made this week.

The smaller spot has sold, the larger spot is still listed.

I also made two too cute skirts for my Miss 5 from leftover fabrics.

Gotta love leftovers!!





Sew...what have you been up to in your sewing room this week?

Kids Utility Apron

Aprons aren't just for girls.
Oh no....

I made this for a friend's 9 year old boy.

Girl's Feathers Hat

I made this for my 2 year old little girl.
Here is the pattern for 3 sizes - toddler, girl, teenager/adult

Using Feathers style yarn
5 1/2mm knitting needles
Cast on 60 (64, 70) stitches
Row 1 - 4 Knit 2, purl 2 to end
Change to 6mm knitting needles
Knit stocking stitch until work measures 16 (17, 18)cm from beginning ending with a purl row
Knit 2 together across the whole row
Purl
Knit 2 together across the whole row
Purl
Cut yarn at 30cm from end of work
Thread a wool needle onto yarn and pass the needle through all stitches left on the knitting needle
Remove knitting needle, pull stitches tight, sew seam down the back of the beanie.

I crocheted a flower that I found here to sew on the side.

Knitted Teddy Bear

I love this toy!
I love knitting and I love soft toys and this one is so easy.
It's knitted in one piece, then stitched up and stuffed...can't get much easier than that!




Materials -


2 x 50g balls of any fluffy yarn
1 x 100g ball of matching or contrasting 8ply yarn
6mm needles
2 black buttons for eyes (optional)
black yarn
stuffing


Legs:
With 6mm needles and one strand each of plain and fluffy yarns held together, cast on 8 stitches.
Stocking stitch for 16 rows, ending on a purl row.  Break yarn and transfer live stitches to a stitch holder.
Repeat for second leg, again ending on a purl row.  Do NOT break yarn.
Knit across the leg just worked, and the leg from the stitch holder (16 stitches).


Belly & Arms:
Stocking stitch 12 rows.
Cast on 10 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows using backward loop cast on.  These form the arms, a total of 36 stitches.
Stocking stitch 6 rows.
Cast off 10 stitches at the beginning of each of the next 2 rows to finish the arms (16 stitches remaining).


Head:
Stocking stitch 32 rows (creating front and back of head).


Arms & Back:
Cast on 10 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows using backward loop cast on.  These form the arms, a total of 36 stitches.
Stocking stitch 6 rows.
Cast off 10 stitches at the beginning of each of the next 2 rows, to finish the arms (16 stitches remaining).
Stocking stitch 12 rows.


Legs:
Work first 8 stitches on needle and slip remaining 8 stitches to a stitch holder.
Work 16 rows for leg and cast off.
Place stitches from stitch holder back onto needle, rejoin yarn and work 16 rows for leg.  Cast off.


Making Up:


Weave in all ends.  Fold bear in half along the head section ensuring legs and arms line up neatly.  Pin in place if desired.  Starting at an inside leg roughly an inch from the end of the leg, begin seaming the bear, following round the outside to the top of the head.  Secure yarn, and seam other side, again starting near the bottom of the leg and continuing to the top of the head, with an opening now left where the legs join the body.


Create ears by running stitches across the corner at each side of the head.


Stuff bear, filling head and arms first, and then legs and stomach.


Make neck by weaving a length of yarn in and out around the bear where the arms join.  Pull tight, pushing more stuffing up into the head to firm before securing the yarn and tidying the ends.  Finish stuffing the bear, and seam the opening shut.


Sew  buttons on for eyes and embroider a nose and mouth.  If giving to a child, embroider eyes rather than using buttons.

I love giving these as gifts for new born babies.

Santa Sacks

I realize it's probably too late to make these for this Christmas (although I just made mine yesterday), but after Christmas, pick yourself up some cheaper Christmas fabric and make them for next year...


You will need -

• Polypop fabric to suit your desired size of sack (I made mine 80cm x 110cm so I bought 1.6m per sack)
• paper templates of the letters of the name for the sack (mine were 15cm x 10cm, I could fit 5 letters across an 80cm sack, cut them to a smaller size for longer names)
  
• 0.2m Christmas fabric (you'll get 8 letters of 10cm x 15cm from that amount, buy more if necessary)
• 0.2m double sided fusible webbing
  
• 1m double sided satin ribbon
• glitter fabric paint/glue
• matching thread

To make up -

1. Iron rough side of webbing to wrong side of Christmas fabric.
2. Place and pin letter templates, then cut out.
3. Sew cut edges of polypop together and finish seam.
4. Fold so seam is at centre back and sew bottom edge of sack, finish seam.
   
5. Sew a 10cm hem at top of the sack.
   
6. Attach centre of ribbon to the back seam 20cm from the top of the sack.
7. Pull paper backing off the cut out letters.
8. Place them and iron them onto sack one at a time.
9. Trace around the edges with the glitter paint/glue.
10. Fill with pressies and goodies, tie it up and place it at the end of your child's/children's bed/s.

Wish I had one!  Merry Christmas!!

 

Painted Christmas Tree Balls

What you need -

Foam balls

Metallic paint

Glitter paint

Ribbon of your choice

Star sequins

Pins

What to do -

1. Paint foam balls on one side, allow to dry.  Paint the other side.
2. Paint in the same way with glitter paint.
3. When the balls are completely dry, wrap the ribbon around the ball, twist like you're wrapping a present and bring ribbon up to the top, make a loop and secure with a pin through a star sequin.  Also secure the twisted ribbon at the bottom with a pin through a star sequin.
4. Randomly place a few more stars with pins on the ball and one in the middle of each ribbon section.
5. And, you're done!
6. Hang on the Christmas tree, or anywhere that takes your fancy.

Sleeping Bags/Sleeping Sacks/Snuggle Sacks/Snuggies

When my boy was too big for the sleeping bags with sleeves (which I LOVE) yet still too little to pull up his blankets when he woke up cold, I decided to make him a sleeping bag.  Little did I know it would become one of his favourite things. He is almost five and practically lives in it (day & night) in the cooler months.

Today I made one for his little sister who is almost two and I thought I would share the idea because it is so quick and easy and cosy and comfy and practical...perfect!

Start with a polar fleece blanket, single bed size.
Bring the short sides together and sew in the longest zip you can find leaving a small opening at the top.  Sew a seam the rest of the way down to the bottom.
Sew across the bottom and the top, leaving a hole with plenty of head room.
I cut armholes and blanket stitched the edges for my boy's so he could sleep in it at night and put his arms out to undo the zip in the morning.  But he never uses the armholes, he puts his arms out from the top, so I didn't bother putting holes in my little girl's.  I still may at a later date if she needs or wants them.
I finished them off with iron-on motifs.

After all the rough play my boy gave his sleeping bag, when it started coming apart at the top and bottom I used crochet cotton to blanket stitch over the machine stitching.  Now it should last awhile longer, until he grows out of it at least.  Then I'm thinking I may open the bottom and sew some extra length in a contrasting colour, if he can't bear to part with it!

PS And here's another I made for my niece's birthday present.  As she will be 8 I sewed the long ends together and inserted a zip to give extra length.  It's a little narrower but it is still snug and cosy!!  I want to make one for myself now!

PPS And another one for another niece.  This one is all hand sewn.