Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Handmade Holidays : :

Last year I started making Christmas presents and decorations in October, a little early for some, but it worked out perfectly for me! This year, with the timing of our moving into a new house, I haven't had a moment to make anything other than items and orders for my little etsy shop. As much as I love and rely on being busy with custom order this time of year, the fact that I haven't sewn a single thing yet for this house or holiday decorating/gift-giving is driving me crazy!! How about you?? Have you found the time to make, start, or attempt to finish up your own handmade holiday items? I'd love to hear about them!!

Today, I thought I would share some of my favorite handmade holiday makings (mostly from last year), for those of you who are new to visiting my blog, and to hopefully inspire me to get some new ideas flowing in case some free sewing time presents it's self here in the days ahead!

First up -- Last year when Betz White asked me to participate in the blog tour for her new Fab Felt Holiday workshop on Craftsy, I was thrilled! I chose to make the Scrappy Garland and was so excited to share the wonderful project I had made following the workshop.

Scrappy Christmas Garland

Scrappy Christmas Garland

My Scrappy Garland is on our mantle again this year and we LOVE it!!

Christmas-y Goodness!

Of course, there's  more garland!!

My Christmas Bunting Garland -- originally blogged HERE, made with ornaments from Target, some stitched up triangle bunting, and bias tape.

Christmas Bunting Garland

Wool-y I-cord Garland -- originally blogged HERE and made with a knitted wool I-cord and handmade & thrifted ornaments.

wooly i-cord garland

Over the last couple of years that I've been sewing, I'm made lots of holiday pillows for decorating, as well!!

My Christmas Garland Pillow -- originally blogged HERE, and you can find the tutorial for it right HERE!

Christmas Garland Pillow

My Quilted Stripes Christmas Pillow -- originally blogged HERE, a variation based on my tutorial HERE!

Quilted Stripes Christmas Pillow

My Patchwork Star Pillow Cover -- originally blogged HERE, along with my favorite color inspiration mosaic!

Patchwork Star Pillow Cover

My Red Piping Christmas Pillow -- originally blogged HERE!

Christmas Pillow with red piping

My Colorful Christmas Dresden Pillow -- originally blogged HERE!

Colorful Christmas Dresden Pillow

And, there have been Christmas Stocking, too! Originally blogged HERE -- These were for my brother and his wife. They were actually settling into their new home this time last year and these were a little gift!

Quilted Christmas Stockings

For the last few years, my one handmade Christmas dream has been to make my family a Christmas quilt, and I don't think that's possible again this year. BUT, maybe if I start with just one block the next time I get a stretch of time, something magical will happen?! We'll see....

I hope you enjoy my handmade holiday makings!! Happy Sewing to you! Maureen

37 comments:

  1. I love all of them! They are so modern and festive. Thanks for sharing.
    Stefanie

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  2. I love the dresden cushion, it looks great. Thanks Maureen for sharing.

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  3. I too love them all, especially the felt garland! Thank you for sharing...and inspiring!

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    1. Thank you Colette! Yes, even without making anything yet this holiday season, our house is definitely feeling very festive! I guess I should let myself off the hook and just enjoy! :)

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  4. Gorgeous Maureen! Your house is just looking so stunning!
    I have made some little santa decorations and have also been doing some sprucing up of our house (no tree yet though!), just building work!
    Nesting has well and truly kicked in :)

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  5. Oh my goodness. I did get a tree skirt done this year- it's in my flickr. I still need to make us new stockings, scrappy style with embroidered names. I also have started a "Merry Christmas" bunting banner. A few years ago I made a Christmas quilt with a Kate Spain fabric line- The Twelve Days of Christmas. It might also be in my flickr- I know they are in an album on fb. Then there are the gifts I should make and the fact that I am helping friends sew things for their family members. I promise to just enjoy this special Birthday no matter how much gets sewn up ;)

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  6. Oh, I do wish I had a more festive spirit ~ your home looks so lovely! I'm going to make a few pillows this year, but that's about it.
    Thanks for sharing your beautiful home!

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  7. beautiful!
    could you share some sources for buying felt?
    thanks!

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    1. Hi Lynn! I purchase mine wholesale and had hoped to be selling it myself by now, but that's another thing that has taken a back-burner while we are getting settled. :)

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  8. Maureen, your new home looks so homey and inviting! Everything is absolutely lovely! You are awesome! :-)

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  9. Wow! How adorable everything is and makes your home so cute and cozy looking...We just moved in our house in August and I cannot wait to get settled down to start back up on things around the house. You make such beautiful decor!! I will have to check out your shop :)

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  10. I did make some gifts for friends and family already and have a bunch more to go. I tend to make lots of the same things, assembly line style. This year, I made a minkie scarf from The Missouri Star Quilt Co. (Check YouTube for tutorial. It's SUPER simple.) and I found a great little ornament for all my friends and co-workers. (If you google plump partridge, it should come up.) I hope you'll find time and be inspired to craft for friends and family this Christmas. The holidays just seem so much brighter when they're handmade/homemade. :) Enjoy!

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  11. Wow, so many great ideas! Your felt is amazing, I can't find anything like that! I am sure you will sneak some time in somewhere!

    It is so hard to find the time lately. I had some leftover owl ornaments that I made from felt and glitter glue ( love glitter glue!) last year that I put on my mom swap.....and it blew out of control! I had so many requests and there was some fighting over them so I ended up making more! About 50 Owls, on top of the stocking orders and a quilt order that need to be completed for Christmas! Phew!

    The owls are really easy, if you want the link its here =)
    http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/juicy_bits/2009/12/131-give-a-hoot-for-the-holidays.html

    If I knew how to format that I would =)

    Maybe you can find the time somewhere, and I know you have the felt! BTW where do you get your letters for the stockings? I have been hand stitching, but a couple would look so great with those letters!

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  12. So much inspiration in this post Maureen! Thanks for getting me in the holiday spirit :)

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  13. I made all my Christmas presents last year, too. And we also moved this year and I have NOTHING done for this Christmas. By the way - your speedy & beautiful decoration of your new home has been inspiring (bordering on guilt-provoking). I finally found last year's handmade stockings in an unpacked box....but they're still laying on the floor next to the doesn't-really-fit-in-the-new-house chair. Maybe if I spent less time reading sewing blogs....
    Merry Christmas!

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  14. Your goodies look absolutely, super fantasticky, Christmas spirit abounding with joy! I think I covered that nicely.
    I enjoy making as many gifts as I can and the colours you chose make everything shown seem "happy". Nicely done.
    Cheers from Oshawa Ontario.
    Brenda

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    1. I think you said it perfectly, thank you!! At least that is what I am going for!! :)

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  16. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas over there :o)

    I've bought fabric for a Christmas quilt, does that count? ;o)

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  17. Your pillows are just gorgeous!!

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  18. oh, everything is so very lovely. Now I'm off to work on my garland, too.

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  19. Your goodies are absolutely beautiful!

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  20. I am a follower via google reader!

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  21. Love your festive handmade makings, Maureen!! I bet that new house looks great! =D

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  22. Maureen, you house is so festive and beautiful. I know you will get that quilt done!!!!

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  23. I love all your handmade items. Your new house looks so beautiful and Christmasy.

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  24. It was fun seeing them all again! I've started fancying up some dish towels to give but I can't blog about them til after Christmas. I also have the urge to make a pillow cover out of linen with Christmas trees appliqued on. We'll see if that happens!

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  25. I'd say you have so many lovely handmade things from last year that no one will notice nothing new added this year. You've had alot to do in the past months so give yourself a pat on the back and a free pass to relax. You will not remember this as the year you didn't make any Christmas decorations. You'll remember this as the year of the new house. I have one quilt to finish next week and then all beds in our house will have Christmas quilts. They have been years in the making! My husband started the quilt on our bed before I was a quilter. A simple log cabin block but he quit halfway through the block because he didn't think it looked good. He did all the blocks but only halfway, put them in a box and I took them out ten years later to finish them once I was a quilter. That quilt was a long time in the making but I was thinking how cool it was made by both of us. So I'm guessing when you get your Christmas quilt finished it won't have taken you as long as it did us.

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  26. I think if you make one block a month in Christmas fabrics you'd be all set for next year, what do you think? There are some fun BOM around if you want a sampler style. Don't look too hard at me, :-) , I started my Christmas quilt last year and I have a few more pieces left to add to the top, then actally quilting it will likely need to wait until the new year.

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  27. Very Inspiring M. :)

    Your tree and mantle look so cozy :)

    I Haven't done anything yet but I did book a couple of trips, LOL!!! :)

    Have a lovely evening, cheers, T. :)

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  28. Your house looks beautiful especially the tree! Love all the pillows!

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  29. Love, Love your Christmas decorations! You really inspire me!

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