My first review of this chevron crochet afghan was back in March of this year. I made that one for myself, but this one was a Christmas gift for my daughter. I must admit that I rather selfishly considered keeping this one, as I am so pleased with the color combination. But no, I did not keep it lest I wouldn't have a handmade gift for DD. I always try to include at least one handmade item in her gifts.
The pattern is a free one from here. I used a size I crochet hook, and the following Red Heart brand worsted weight yarn colors:
- Grey Heather (3 skeins)
- Lemon (2 skeins)
- Cherry Red (1 skein)
Now doesn't that look warm and comfy amidst all that cold snow!?
Here's a great way to use up those Christmas print scraps. It is a free pattern download from the Baby Lock Web site. This is such a quick and easy scrappy Christmas tree. I sewed up two of these in a matter of minutes, and I plan to sew at least eight more this afternoon. I am using them on Christmas packages such as this:
So there ya' go. A very quick last-minute sewing project that adds a great handmade touch to your Christmas presents or even to your tree. Have fun!
Pam
Do you have gift cards to give? Tired of simply putting them inside a Christmas card or an envelope? If you have just 30 minutes or an hour, you can stitch up one of these sweet, quick and easy gift-card holders. It is great packaging in which to present that special gift card. The pattern and instructions are in the Fall 2012 eidition of Quilts and more magazine.
The pattern requires a minimal amount of fabric and heavy-duty interfacing. The instructions are straight-forward and easy to follow. These gift-card holders could also be reused and forwarded to other gift-card recipients, or they could be re-used to store business cards, credit cards, etc. I chose to make mine in Christmas themed fabric, but any fabric could be used to make them great year-round gift-card holders. Here is what the inside looks like:
I sewed all three of these in about an hour. Don't you just love those quick-gratifying sewing projects that will bless others?
Pam
Tis the season, creative counterparts. Here's this year's Christmas card. I kept it pretty simple in style so as not to distract from the sentiment on the inside, which is what is most important:
The color scheme is a little outside the box for me. I'm usually pretty much a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas colors. But overall, I am pleased with my foray into contemporary colors. So here is what I used for my cards:
Card base - Gina K. Designs heavy base weight navy cardstock
Patterned paper - Jingle by Close to My Heart
Mister Huey's Color Mists in opaque white (doesn't show up in the photos, but adds great dimension in real life)
Snowflake - Kerri Bradford cut file from the This and That Winter kit
Silver embossing powder by Hero Arts
Scalloped Window with candle (I omitted the candles) cut file from Silhouette
Inside sentiment - white cardstock, Ginda K. Designs pure luxury layering weight; Sentiment is a Silhouette cut file that I converted to a print and cut file along with the window frame from the front of the card
Silver metal 'gem' by Mark Richards
Most of my creative efforts are spent in front of my sewing maching, but my sewing and crafting time is pretty much split during this time of year as there are so many great gift items to be made. I do, however, have a quick little sewing project to share with you this weekend. So stay tuned. :)
What about you, does your sewing time give way to other creative outlets during this season? I would love to hear about or see some of your projects.
Pam
