Christmas Aprons!

Using a pattern, fabric, thread, and bias tape that I already had on hand, yesterday I whipped up Christmas aprons for Ian, Mila, and Lukas.

 This fabric looks black in the photo, but it's really dark brown. Lukie got this one.

 Mila wanted this one when she learned that it had sparkles (glitter) on it.

 Ian really wanted the penguins.

 I think they turned out very well.

 Purple frosting on a horse cookie. (She asked me to make horses when I asked what shape to use.)

 Ian wanted gingerbread men cookies, so I made five of those for him.

 Oh, dear! It looks like Lukie's nose is running but that's really frosting on his face.

Lukie's Christmas Pillowcase

I finished Lukie's pillowcase this afternoon and will give it to him tomorrow when they come over for Sunday dinner.

The Christmas Tablecloth

As I mentioned a few blog posts ago, I love to sew.  With Christmas fast approaching, that means I am sewing several things for gifts or home decor.

One of my current projects has a lot of sentimental value to me. When my kids were little, I wanted to make a Christmas tablecloth with horses on it. I looked and looked (this was pre fabric.com days) but couldn't find what I wanted. But, I did find something close.

Santa in his sleigh being pulled by a reindeer! If you can't have a horse drawn sleigh, a reindeer pulled one works almost as well.

After about thirty years of use, and many launderings, my tablecloth is faded but still functional. It is also highly sentimental, not only to me, but to my kids as well. Already I have been asked if I could pass it on to one of them "when the time comes." (How do you say THAT delicately - in other words, when I die!)

Since there are six kids and only one tablecloth, I decided to see if I could find the fabric online and make one for each of my kids.

I searched for several years, and then last January, found 15 yards of it on eBay. I snapped it up.

The seller said the fabric was in excellent shape, and they were right. And, compared to my well-loved tablecloth, the colors are bright and the fabric crisp. Mine is faded and more than a little limp. (Think well-loved.)

And now I am sewing tablecloths.

I love my reindeer sleigh tablecloth and all the family memories that are tied up in its history. But if I ever find fabric with a horse-drawn sleigh, you can bet I'll buy a couple of yards and make myself a new tablecloth, too.

Susan's Quiet Book

Susan's quiet book is done, and I am so happy with how it turned out!

 I love this woodland fabric (I also made a matching pillow for her.)

 This time I used felt for backgrounds on every page.

 That made the finished book larger, but only by an inch around the perimeter.

 Writing on the felt is much harder, so this is the only writing Susan got in her book.

The plaid fabric is a remnant from a Christmas dress I made Jessica when she was five or six.

The black velcro circle is an experiment. In the book, the Very Hungry Caterpillar eats holes in the food. The velcro circle can be placed on the food items to look as though he ate them.

 I designed this drum for Lucas and am very happy with how it turned out for Susan.

 For the first time ever, no buttons for the flowers. The buttonholes just tear up the flowers eventually.

The orange and blue is a nod to Cole and Emily's affinity for the University of Illinois. The gold and black are for Purdue.

 I drew the waves and added a double layer this time for interest.

 A family favorite, and reminiscent of Apple Jack and Granny Slash's apple orchard in Brookston.

 I drew the horse and fence in this page. The saddle is removable.

 I added some brown to her hair with fabric paint after this photo was taken.

 I created this page and just love it!

 I will give Susan her book at Thanksgiving. I can't wait!

Lukas' Thanksgiving Pillowcase

This is the fabric I used for Lukie's Thanksgiving pillowcase.

Susie's Halloween, Thanksgiving, & Christmas Pillowcases

I am sending Susie's pillowcases in a box with the family's Halloween goodies.

 She is getting the black cat/owl/pumpkin fabric for her Halloween pillowcase.

 This turkey/pumpkin fabric for Thanksgiving. (Thanksgiving fabric for kids is tough to find!)

 And peppermint balls for Christmas.

Julie and Kate have candy themed Christmas pillowcases, so this will be a nice match.

Susan & Lukas' Halloween Pillowcases

I love making pillowcases for my grandchildren! I just started Susan's and Lukas' for Halloween.

 Susan's Halloween pillowcase.

Lukas' Halloween pillowcase.

I have to mail Susie's to her, but I can give Lukas his tonight at dinner.

Lucas' Quiet Book

The quiet book is done! I started Lukie's quiet book in March and completed it yesterday, my dad's 96th birthday. Our trips to Colorado, Utah, Kentucky, and Tennessee slowed the progress down as did my model horse show, Happy Trails, but I have kept at it and am so pleased with how the book turned out.

Vanessa asked for a music-themed book so the book's cover is a print of a variety of instruments. Because there is so many pages that are 3D, the book is very fat!

 The title page with an Illini-orange ribbon bow to tie.

I used sparkly felt for the background and the snowman, and the snowflakes, "coal," and carrot are buttons.

I liked the background felt with the snowman so much that I decided to experiment by using it on other pages. I loved the effect!

 A little bit of my mom is in the dashed bee-paths. That was her idea years ago.

 A brand new page. I tried to use vinyl for the drum top but could not stitch through it. Hopefully Lukie will not use the drumsticks to whack his siblings in the head.

This was the hardest page to design. I combined several ideas I saw online. Lucas can put the notes on the staff and "write" music or match the colors on the keyboard letters to the staff lines.

My own design and new to this book. The pony is stuffed and can be removed for play. The saddle comes off and on.

 I morphed my counting page into this one, partly because the instruments were so big that I could not get them all on the page and had to be creative.

I think this is my favorite page, and it is a new one for me. I saw the idea online and drew up my own pattern. Of course, it is orange and blue! (With some Boilermaker gold since Curt and Vanessa are Purdue grads.)

 I added some fish behind the tentacles for added interest.

 I still need to find a matchbox car to fit into this garage. And I forgot to add a window!

 A family favorite. Curt asked that I include this page in Lukie's book. The barn appliqué is new and I think adds a lot to the picture. I also used fabric for the leaves of the tree instead of coloring it with green fabric paint or using green felt. I like how it looks.

Another new page and one I love. (Curt, who dislikes spiders intensely, probably will not like it so much.) I saw the idea online and made it my own. It took forever to stitch all those buttons into place!

I will be giving Lucas his book (and the matching pillow made from leftover cover fabric) tomorrow when he comes for Sunday dinner. Can't wait!