Crafters- What are you making???

[amyquilt]

I made an afghan for my brother who is currently working as a civilian in Iraq (but soon to Afghanastan). Photo on my blog (link in siggy) or over on the crochet thread.

That's it. I've still got a few handmade items I want to do for my kiddos. Just have to finish dds afghan then I can get rolling. Luckily the things I'm making aren't huge projects, so they will go fast and I SHOULD be able to get everything made I want to get done.

 

[head4dmtns]

I made everyone in the family (mom, dad, brother, grandma, grandpa) afghans last year, so I wasn't going to make any homemade gifts this year. Then I saw everyone else's ideas and decided that I would.

I had an idea (more of an extension) of the "rice bags." I thought I would make each person 3 little bags (like 3 x 5 inches). And then I would make "pockets" for them so they could be used for different things. Like one "pocket" would be 4 x 16, so all three bags would fit in end to end and you could wrap it on your neck. Another one would be 6 x 10, so all three would fit next to each other as a heating pad for your lower back. And then maybe two pockets that were 4 x 6 so you could put one bag in each and stick them in your pockets as hand-warmers.
I would make the bags just plain white, and then the "pockets" could be designed with the recipient in mind.

Anyway, I'm also going to give everyone a set of quilted towels and a bathmat. Found instructions for those on the web.
http://supamb.com/supafine/2007/10/24/how-to-sew-a-patchwork-kitchen-towel/
http://montessoribyhand.blogspot.com/2007/11/recycled-bath-mat-tutorial.html

It's a little late in the year to be getting started on these things, but grandma and grandpa's don't have to be done until mid-january, so I'll do those last.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Quote:
ahhhhhh, another good idea or two!!!!

 

[2manyhats]

Mtns, thanks for the bath mat idea. I love it. I know just who to give a bath mat and quilted hand towel to. I can't wait until I'm done with the Christmas gifts so I can make a bath mat for me.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Quote:
That was cute Mtns! Post a picture if you make one Hats!

 

[2manyhats]

I'm working on 4 Christmas stockings and scarf at present. I'll post a pic of the many knitted items completed and the quilt that I've done as soon as I get a chance. We ... shall we say dispatched 2 pigs this weekend and yesterday evening was completely taken up with grinding pork and making Italian sausage for the freezer and meatballs for tonights dinner and a batch for the freezer. Not much time for crafting some days.

 

[amyquilt]

Nothing's better than handmade gifts

 

[ozark hen]

Quote:
Oh, I envy you for doing the pigs yourself! I would have loved to have had about all our sausage made up into Italian sausage. I even asked...on the outside chance...if our packing house could make me some panchetta (sp?)out of some of the bacon.

They didn't have a clue.

 

[ChevygirlBeth]

head4dmtns, thanks for sharing the towels and bathmat - those are cute! I saved them for future reference!

 

[2manyhats]

Quote:
Oh, I envy you for doing the pigs yourself! I would have loved to have had about all our sausage made up into Italian sausage. I even asked...on the outside chance...if our packing house could make me some panchetta (sp?)out of some of the bacon.

They didn't have a clue.

We did our butchering out of a financial need this year. I'm glad we did. We didn't do a perfect job, but it looks good enough to eat.

We plan to keep doing it ourselves now and hope to be able to acquire the right tools as we go.