sew pretty

I know many of you are looking forward to my mother's sewing space... I'm still waiting for a little sun! There are two huge windows and I want to have it flooded with gorgeous natural light... by Monday I'm sure! Today I want to share with you a book that inspired some of my holiday gifts and that will be a big part of my handmade gifts next winter... maybe for you, too. Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle is filled with patterns and projects to sew for gifts and for yourself. A lot of the patterns look like perfect springboards for my love of recycled and re-purposed fabrics. Mittens, hats, garlands, birds, advent calendars... and many more of my favorite kinds of little projects that use up scraps.

For this year I tried the slippers. I made my mother a pair from a heathered charcoal felted sweater with black velvet ties. They turned out perfectly. Because there are two layers of wool, these slippers are warm, soft and cushiony with each step.

My son tried them on too... he has the same size feet as my mother and me! How did this happen? Am I ready for a child with feet that are actually larger than mine? It won't be long! Aghh! Sorry, got carried away in a mothering milestone. So, my son tried them on, loved them, and requested his own pair. I'm so happy because he's not much of a slipper guy, and is wearing out his expensive Smart Wool socks on our old hard wood floors. The first pair of slippers I made from the book were for my daughter. I used a super thick red sweater and a recycled green jersey sheet for the lining. My toadstool obsession has rubbed off on her in a big way. She might love them even more at this point. So I made these and packaged them in a toadstool tote. You should have seen her eyes light up!


Well, they're too small!* Sigh* The pattern for children seems a bit off, maybe it's me... not sure. I am going to have to come up with my own pattern for her little toes. When I make some up, I'll be sure to post a tutorial and pdf. I don't have any more red wool, so I'll have to delight her in some other way. In the meantime, she thought of the perfect little two year old to send them to... sweet, generous girl! This weekend will be filled with attending birthday parties and sewing: slippers for each child and buckets. Yes, it's time to start making more for the shop! Thanks for such a great start to January, your input has been wonderful!