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last minute birthday gift

purl bee fabric beach ball

I had planned on telling you about the lounge pants I made today, but while I was finishing them there was a knock at my door. Our new neighbors invited us to their daughter’s birthday party — this evening. It was quiet time and my daughter really needed a nap. I didn’t want to risk a trip anywhere, but could I make something that fast?

Then I remembered the Purl Bee beach ball. I’ve made a bunch of these and they’re always a hit with kids. The pattern is really easy and I got done with an hour to spare. The only bummer: we had to leave the party early because we had plans later in the evening. I really love watching kids open gifts that I’ve made by hand. I hope she liked it.

stash: I can’t believe I’m almost out of polyfil. Must thrift some more soon.

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my first handmade tie

Happy New Year! Here’s my very last project of 2009 — a men’s tie!

handmade men's tie

I was surprised how easy it was to make. This project was mostly hand sewn using the blind stitch. If you’re not a big fan of either, it might not be for you. I love the blind stitch and had a lot of fun making this. I know I’ll be making more in 2010 for the guys in my life.

handmade men's tie

project notes: Stash-enhancement fabric. Purl Bee pattern. There’s a little boy’s version, too. How cute!

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fabric beach balls!

fabric beach ball purl soho

These are great balls for playing indoors. I’ve made one for my daughter and a few for her friends. Everyone seems to love them. This one was a bit of a challenge when I realized that I didn’t have a lot of eight-year-old-boy-ish fabric in my stash. I grabbed a few men’s shirt sleeves that I had in my upcycle bin and I really like how the colors and patterns work together.

fabric beach ball purl bee

recycle: Remember all of the pillows I was making with men’s shirts? This was a great way to use the sleeves! Pattern is from the Purl Bee.

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birthday crafting

Last Friday was Brady’s birthday, and in keeping with my pledge, he received some handmade goodies from us. I had made him some Peanuts bibs for Christmas (which I forgot to take a picture of for the blog — you can see one in action here) and I decided to stay with that theme.

snoopy and ball

The ball is a pattern from the Purl Bee and was really fun to make. I used some leftover fabric from the bibs. I think I’m going to do the same for M with the leftovers from her bibs. She really liked it!

Snoopy is a pattern from Chibi Ami. I found it on ravelry. I think you can find a pattern for pretty much anything on ravelry!

It’s a great feeling to watch someone enjoy a present that you made by hand. Brady had a huge smile on his face when he pulled the ball out of the bag, and when we left, he was chewing on Snoopy’s ear. I’m pretty sure that’s a universal sign of toddler approval.

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Shop update: more felted heart coffee sleeves are up in my etsy store.