A Gift a Day Gift Twelve: Pot Holders

When it comes to therapists and teachers (and aides) I make gifts to appreciate them all every year for all the work they do with my kids.  Fireweed jelly would handle some therapists and other canned goods would handle therapists, but I still had a heck of a gap when I started figuring out school personnel that I had to give gifts to (in some cases by request of my daughter).

And I have a TON of cotton yarn I've accumulated over the years from past projects.  So, I decided to make people pot holders.

I used a double layer of cotton yarn in various colors for the pot holders (one shown here) and just eyeballed how big to make the "center" of the pot holder.  I used size seven needles by the way, in case you might want to try this yourself.  I then crocheted a frame around the center of the pot holder and crocheted a hanger into the frame at the end and voila!  Nice and thick pot holders that won't burn your hand, but are home made and special (and yes, I tried them out to make sure they weren't going to burn through easy).

Total Time to Complete Gift:  About two hours per pot holder.  I'm up to three made now.  I just do them while I'm hanging out waiting for my son at therapy.  Perfect small project to do during that time.

Total Cost for Gift:  Nothing so far.  These are kind of addictive to make, so I'm hoping I don't go too overboard in the long run making them *laugh*.

A Gift a Day Gift Eleven: Sleep Pants

One thing I wanted to make for my kids was sleep pants, but I didn't have really great material to make Alvah some pants to fit his tastes.

So, black Friday rolls around and Jo-Ann Fabrics has flannel 75% off.  So, I went and picked up a ton of flannel (I just bought what was on a bolt when I went) so I'd have materials to make pants for the kids as they grew.  I also picked up a super muslin bolt on Jo-Ann's website for 60% off a few days before (42.00 after shipping), so I was thrilled that I'd have all of the fabric I needed to get projects for a couple of years done for the kids.

So, Alvah's sleep pants were made with some of the flannel from that purchasing spree.  I also got the kids 3 t-shirts each as they were on sale for 2.00 a piece so they could wear those as bed shirts. Armina's were made with some flannel I had in storage for YEARS and had found out in my storage van. 

I can not ooze enough about the pattern I used either!  I had previously used a McCall pattern to make my kids sleep pants and such and the pattern was complicated, hard to line up and just a pain.  The pattern I bought at a used store for .10?  It is GOLD!  The pattern I used was this one.  I can not recommend it enough!

It is a one piece pattern that you make two of, the instructions are EASY and the seam allowances are generous.  And it comes with a 1 1/4 inch hem built into the pattern.  I made the kids both size eight pants and just made an extra generous hem on top of that so I can just let out the pants as I need to (and left some extra elastic in the waistband doubled over and sewed in so I can let out the waist as needed to.  For once, I thought ahead!).

Both pants came out great and other than sizing the pants being a pain on my son (he hates to stand still), they were so easy to make I'm glad I kept my cut pieces of pattern so I can tape the pattern up as the kid's size increases!

Total Time for Gift:  About 1 hour per pair of pants (and no, I'm not kidding!)

Total Cost for gift:  Armina's pants cost nothing as I already had everything.  Alvah's cost about 2.00 for materials.  The pattern cost .10.  So, 2.10 for the entire project day!

Note:  Yes, I know that the above sleep pants do not meet any flammability requirements and so please don't worry about e-mailing me about it.  Thanks.

A Gift a Day Gift Ten: Texture Pillow

The result of my daughter asking me if I could make her a scarf was that now I had to think of something else to make for my son for Christmas to keep their gifts equal.  The result of my brain storming came up with a "texture pillow" for him.

I made a pillow form out of a yard of muslin I had bought from Jo-Ann a couple of months ago for .99.  I then stuffed it with some of my found batting.  The front of the pillow cover (it has an envelope closure in the back...I make sure I can wash everything I make for my son especially) is knitted with a combo of cotton yarn and acrylic yarns I had (to make it not too absorbent, which the cotton yarn would have done and to make it not too heavy either).  The back of the pillow cover I made with micro fleece that I had in my cloth stores.

Total time to make project:  About eight hours (I hand sewed the pillow cover together to make sure the knitted front fit correctly to the back of the cover).

Total Cost:  About .25 to take into account the 1/4 yard of muslin I used for them pillow form.

A Gift a Day Gift Nine: The Cotton Candy Scarf

In the middle of making other gifts, my daughter threw me a curve ball by requesting I make her a scarf for Christmas this year too.  Since I made a scarf for her brother last year, I figured sure why not.  I let her pick the colors (can't tell can you?).  She picked a BRIGHT pink yarn out of my yarn stores and a variegated rainbow colored yarn.  The result is what I dubbed "the Cotton Candy Scarf".

She loves it and keeps asking me if she can have it early.  Now that it is wrapped and under the tree I think she finally took the "no" for an answer *laugh*.

Total time to make project:  Four hours.

Total Cost of Project:  Nothing out of pocket.

A Gift A Day Gift Eight: Stuffed Unicorn

My daughter loved the movie "Despicable Me" and since it came out she wanted a stuffed unicorn.  I bought a pattern last year with every intention of making her a unicorn, but looked at all the pattern pieces involved and I honestly chickened out.  She got a stuffed teddy bear (four piece pattern) instead.  Which she loved and still sleeps with, but this year I was determined to give the unicorn a shot.

I seriously have not made any type of "complicated" stuffed animal since junior high home economics class, so I was more than a little worried that the unicorn would come out looking like the pig I made way back then.  Luckily. this time it came out a lot better.  Much to my relief *laugh*.

Total Time to Make Gift:  10 Hours.  I was obsessed with making sure everything was just right on this one.  It was actually easier than I thought it would be.  The instructions were very well detailed, which was great.

Total Cost to Make Gift:  I had the pink flannel in my very prolific cloth stores (I pick things up all year every year at the used stores and yard sales and any time Jo-Ann's has a huge sale going on) and had it for years.  It was an odd shaped cut I bought at the used store (like four yards long, but only like 10 inches wide), so it worked out PERFECT for this project!  I also had the satiny material in my fabric as well and I used my found batting to stuff said unicorn.  I had shorter fur than the pattern called for, so I used that for the mane and tail (I didn't want to spend the money on a fur remnant for one and for two I figured it'd stop my son from plucking the fur so quickly (a new stim of his).  I even had weight beads on hand for the unicorn's legs, so it will stand the way it is supposed to.

I used a pattern I already had from last year, although originally I only paid .99 for the pattern anyway (Jo Ann sale).  So, it was definitely a cost effective project!  The pattern I used was this one.  It was actually really easy to follow!

A Gift A Day Gift Seven: The Striped Scarf

For my other nephew, I wanted to make a scarf that was functional, but kinda cool looking.  So, I came up with red and blue alternating stripes. 

Seriously, if you have a Harry Potter fan in your life?  Make them a scarf with their favorite house colors.  They will love it and you'll look like a rock star!

Total Time to complete project:  Four hours (about)

Total Cost to Complete Project:  I had both yarns in my overflowing yarn basket, so the total cost was nothing.

A Gift a Day Day Six: Dexter the Baby Dinosaur (Panel Project)

One of the "lists" I make every year when figuring out Christmas is also the gifts I'm going to make for my children.  This year we had a pretty bad financial year, so I wanted to make sure I made the kids a bunch of gifts to well...to pad out the fact that Christmas morning might be a bit disappointing for them.

One of the things I wanted to do was to make a stuffed animal for my daughter, and I wanted the gifts to my kids to be "equal" I guess is a good way to put it.  So, I tried to think of something to give to my son that he'd like and use.  He's not really "into" toys much, but he does like pillows, so I thought completing the panel project I bought over the summer (some might recognize the little guy from Super Savings Saturday over the summer) might work out pretty cool.  Especially when I realized that he came with some items to tuck under his arm. 

Originally I guess the project came with four items, but buying it used, mine came with two.  But, that was okay, because my daughter and I are going to make a variety of things out of felt (shapes mostly) to help my son hopefully (and sneakily) learn some shape recognition while playing with his "dragon" (my daughter's term for him *laugh*).

Total time to complete project:  Two hours (mostly jamming in stuffing). 

Total Cost to Complete Project:  Nothing out of pocket.  Originally the panel project cost .50 at the yard sale, so you could count that I suppose.  I found my huge garbage bags full of batting out in our storage van, so I used that to stuff him with (sometimes timing is perfect, finding that batting was one of those times).