A few Christmas gifts

I have a whole list of things I was going to make for Christmas, but now it is December 20th, the rest of the house is sick, and I still have a long list of other things to get done before Sunday.  However, I did get a few gifts done.

Infinity Scarf

An "infinity"-type scarf for my niece who loves scarves.

Toddler-sized apron

Santa's "elf" dropped this one off early for my daughter.  Penn State fabric is from the local quilt/yarn store.  The apron was made from this tutorial without the ruffles.  I just wasn't sure the ruffles would look right with these fabrics.  Another view:

Christmas

Christmas is one of my favorite seasons, especially now that I can experience it through the eyes of a toddler.

We put up the tree several days ago and decorated it with ornaments (several handmade).  The tree skirt is technically my first finished quilt, although it was the second quilt I had started.  The batting has gone all wonky, so I think a new tree skirt may be on the to-do list for next year.

Tree version 2011

I also managed to finish this year's Christmas ornaments before Christmas Eve!

I also hung up our stockings and realized that the store-bought stockings for "Mommy" and "Daddy" are really looking sad next to the stocking I made for my daughter just prior to her first Christmas 2 years ago.

Names smudged again! Pic from 2009,
but the mantle looks similar this year

Just 5 more projects to go, and then I'm ready for Christmas!!

Gifts for a Newborn Baby Boy

Gifts for my dear friend's baby boy, born in early November.  I stitched his name into the ornament (edited here for privacy).  The hat is a modified version of the earlier one using several different tutorials.

Some recent finishes

A few recent "finishes" -- mostly quick projects:

Cuppa Joe Block Swap

Pattern here

Four different coffee cup designs on 24 blocks.  In a few weeks, I should get different blocks back from the swap.  I'm excited to see what my swapmates have done!

Coin Purse/Bag

We are deep in the throes of potty training and using coins to bribe my daughter into using the potty.  I whipped up this cute little bag to keep her coins.

Fleece Hat
Using tutorial from Made by Rae (modified)

I modified the tutorial hat by only having one seam in the back and by doing tassels instead of flowers.

Butterfly Wall Hanging

Finished a butterfly cross-stitch wall hanging for my daughter.  The lower right corner is this pattern stitched over one on 28ct fabric.  The upper left corner is machine-embroidered.

Lens cap to show a better idea of the size.

Travel/mini-blanket

For a toddler obsessed with tags on blankets.

It's about 12" square, perfect for the car. Or just grabbing and chewing.

First completed project on new machine

As a first post, I thought I should introduce my sewing machine.

Meet the Brother SE400:

And now for my first finished project from that machine (there have been a few projects started, and a lot of monkeying around with different features and settings).... This is a book/magazine sling.  I followed the tutorial from here , but made the sling narrower since it is going on a short wall.  The final sling will have dowels and a custom made double curtain rod to "attach" it to the wall.

Fabric is Curlicues by Michael Miller, purchased from a local quilt/fabric store.