crochet for christmas

I’ve been working on some pretty crochet hair clips for our open house this Christmas season.

They are great for a beginner crocheter like me.  I love that we have youtube to teach us how to do things when we don’t have a nanna around to show us!! But nothing ever compares to sitting down with a grandma and learning homemaker skills.

I vividly remember watching my nana cable knit sweaters for my dad. Watching her long gnarled fingers working the needles, the lavender smell of her skin wafting across the air enveloping me in its cocoon of safety, her husky laugh as we visited away the afternoon sharing funny stories, the afternoon sun turning to gold the mustardy velvet lounge chair she sat in with feet up on her ‘pouffe.’

Her pickle relish was simmering on the stove, and a pile of books sat beside the chair, ready for late-night reading.

Nana lived in a granny flat at the back of our house, and she welcomed me home each day. A former hairdresser, she always looked so elegant, (even on the days she had curlers tucked under a pretty head scarf).

I think that’s why I love hand craft so much….it is a link to women who have gone before us, a practical way to slow down and savour simplicity.

The clips will be selling for $5.00 each. Great stocking fillers!!

busy fingers

 

With a large family, comes a large table. And none of the store bought tablecloths fit ours. They shrink and we end up with no cloth on the edges, and big gaps at either end. I end up using a couple of cloths, layered over each other, which is a shabby-chic kinda look and works well.

I wanted to try making my own tablecloth and have never tried ruffles before. So after checking out a couple of blogs – Miss Mustard Seed and Homemade by Jill have so much info in them for anyone wanting to learn just about any craft (seriously skilled women!!)

I cut up an old single sheet to use as the base for attaching the layered ruffle skirt, and found a bit of white fabric that I cut into strips with my rotary cutter. It’s incredible how many metres of material the ruffles take!!! The table is 3.1 metres long and 1.4m wide, so I kept the entire width of the fabric including the selvedge piece (I don’t care that it has the manufacturer’s info on the side).

I will post an after shot when I’m finished (dinner was calling and the children were climbing the walls so I figured it was quitting time!)

I don’t have an overlocker, so the edges aren’t finished off, good thing I like the frayed look huh?!!!

It’s definitely looking like a girls tea party tabledress to me!!

Making a list…checking it twice

So I’m getting organised with this handmade challenge!!!!

I’ve posted links here to the things I think i will make to save all my inspiration in one place. I’ve also printed off instructions and have placed them into a binder marked “Birthday” and “Christmas” with the child’s name and birthdate labelled on the front of each clear display folder that holds the tutorial I’ve printed.

Here’s what I have found so far….

Nephew –(turning 16)  Soccer legend – I will be starting with his birthday in January and knitting up a beanie for the cool winter season in his team’s colours of yellow and green

How beautiful is this beanie! Yep, the cabling is a bit above my skill level, so we move on…

How cute is this!!!! BUT, I don’t think my 15 year old nephew would walk outside the house in it!

This is the type of style I will do,

in these colours:

So one present organised!!!

 

47,000 to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some more ideas:

 

Nephews (4) and (2) years  – Super idea for reusing half used crayons:

Courtesy of HERE

Nephew (2) – Memory game

From HERE

 

Nephew – LOVES to cook: Apron and Oven Mitts

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/09/26/oven-mitt-pattern/

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/02/25/simple-apron-tutorial/

My niece (turning 15) also plays soccer, so thinking of maybe a quilted throw blanket for her to rug up in at the games….or something colourful for her room?

 

From HERE 

 

Assorted hair clips and bows, pins etc for all my nieces and daughters:

All ideas from HERE

Handmade Twenty 12

Is it possible to handmake every present in a year?

If you are in a small family, maybe.

I have lots of children, nephews, nieces, and friends that I buy for. My list stays in my wallet and grows every year.

And I got to the point where I would be rushing around at the last minute, throwing some plastic toy into the shopping trolley that I knew would be broken within hours of being opened.

The rush, the stress and the almost careless thought that accompanied this type of birthday and Christmas shopping began to wear on me. Me, the lover of all things Christmas, was feeling like the joy had gone. I watched people in the mall as they dashed about…where was the spirit of Christmas? Where was the love?

Giving a gift should be one of the most exhiliarating things we do, yet in our busyness, it becomes an afterthought – then a bad afterthought as we scramble to find something, anything to hastily wrap and pass on.

Imagine if the gift recipient could feel in their gift the stress, the tension and the headaches associated with trying to figure out what, out of the billions of products on the shelf, would be suitable for that person.

I watched Julie and Julia again the other day, and it inspired me to attempt to handmake all my gifts for 2012.

WHAT??????????????

You’re probably thinking I’m crazy right?!

I won’t be crafting/cooking every day like Julie does in the movie, but my aim is to DO something every day – whether it’s looking up patterns to try, finding great fabric, sourcing ideas online, or getting stuck into the scissors, fabric, glue, timber, paint, you name it – some kind of craft!

Can it be done? Is it even possible? Has anyone else tried this? Am I putting undue pressure on myself? Will the children, who are so used to ‘bought’ gifts, even like the presents? I don’t want it to be a waste of time, giving some half-baked, poorly made item that gets ‘re-gifted’ (there’s a whole nother topic to post about!) as soon as I walk out the door.

I will journal as I go, and am placing this post on my side bar as a reminder of where I’m at. I will have a list of birthdays, their ages and sex, then tick off as I go along. Then there’s the Christmas gifts for the same people!

I’m hoping that others might join me! If you are interested in trying this yourself, leave a comment and I will encourage you along via email, put a link to your blog and let the world know what you are doing. What a way to stay accountable!!!

I would LOVE to have your help too! Take a look at the ages and sex I’m making for, and offer suggestions for gifts. Any craft is OK – I’m game to try it! 

You could send links to patterns, or let me know about a great site that has crafty ideas, find some up and coming Martha Stewart who I haven’t heard about that I can copy from be inspired by!

***

So here we go with the list – they are listed by age they will be turning, month of birthday,  and relationship to me.

Husband  – 47 -  July

Daughter – 21 – May

Daughter – 20 – November

Daughter – 18 – August

Daughter 15 – August

Daughter – 9 – August

Daughter – 6 – November

Son – 25 – December

Son to be – 26 – May

Mother – 66 – March

Father – 69 – September

MIL – 69 – May

FIL – 75 – December

Niece – EJ – 6 – November

Nephew – David – 4 – June

Nephew – James – 2 – September

Nephew – Trent – 17 – September

Nephew – Aidan – 16 – January

Niece – Fi – 15 – April

Niece – Jarrah – 9 – January

Niece – Teal – 8 – July

I have other nieces and nephews, but they are now over 18 and have ‘aged out’ of presents. We decided that 18 was the cut off point for gift giving, and in the next few years there will be grandchildren for us, so we figured it was getting beyond ridiculous buying for everyone.

I will journal on how I organise my time, my schedule etc and what I will be making. I really hope for some interaction on this from you out there in blogland.

I don’t know if I will succeed, but I’m having a go!!!!

Why not take up the Handmade

Twenty12 challenge?!

Wish me luck

:)