Sewing for xmas gifts

Today's installment of Christmas presents includes tea towels. This is very easy with the proper software and an embroidery machine. The child's hand prints are converted to embroidery applique images and then transferred to a towel by the machine. In this sample run, I should have chosen better colors, the year sort of blends into the background too much. Include the child's name on the towel, and you'll have a great gift for grandparents. A layer of tear-away stabilizer I hope will help keep the hand print appliques looking nice after the wash.



For the new babies, or not-so-new babies on your list, a taggie blanket from loops of old ribbon (or ribbon scraps, check the remnants section, you only need a couple inches of any one) and about 1 square foot of fabric for each side, and I threw a layer of batting in between to give it some heft. Pin the ribbons to the right side of the front fabric, the back fabric (right side together with the front/ribbons), and the batting on the wrong side. Stitch everything around, tacking in extra at the ribbons where they'll be tugged, and leave an opening about 1.5 inches wide to turn the project. Turn it out, finish it off, and you have a custom gift in less than half an hour. Make it extra special with the child's name in big block letters, or a cute image. I make most of these with old flannel shirts for one side and curtain material or juvenile clothing material for the other. Sometimes I find a remnant of something especially silky or whatever, as long as it's machine washable, I'll put it on.

Finally, more purses.... same pattern. And I beaded some key rings with the keys and alphabet beads with the names on them.