handmade gifts – Page 6

just when i thought Em would never wear a skirt again (or at least not for a long while), look what she comes down dressed in this morning…!

i did not make this fabulous skirt. Kat, of the blog sew chibi, made it! Kat has a fun, crazy, wonderful imagination and has put the most amazing creations into the project run & play flickr pool. i bet someday she’ll be a PR&P designer because she has so much creativity (and sewing skill) bubbling right at the surface. we live in the same town and have been trying to get together for a little while, and it finally worked out last week. we met at the park, and her daughter Azriella and Em were fast friends!

let’s play “spot the handmades!”

Kat invited Em to Azriella’s birthday party, but sadly we are unable to attend. however, generous spirit that she is, she made Em a party favor anyway. it’s a Twilight Sparkle skirt from My Little Pony! I don’t think Kat even knows how obsessed Em is with the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic show. she loooooves it. her favorite pony seems to change on a daily basis (sometimes she says she “loves all of them!”), but her love of pink and purple never fades. that made Twilight Sparkle a great choice on her part.

i don’t think Em quite knew what to make of the skirt when it was first gifted, but i encouraged her to try it on for dancing (we have nightly “get the wiggles out” dance parties these days) and the bouncy ruffle tail skirt quickly grabbed her attention! she giggled and jumped around while wearing it. i still wasn’t sure whether it would end up dress up only (fine with me because it would stay perfect and clean and beautiful!) or if it’d become everyday wear.

twilight pony skirt

this morning, i got my answer. Em knew we were going to Oaks Park with her cousins as one last hurrah before school starts, and she came down from her room fully dressed in a purple Twilight Sparkle outfit! purple shoes and purple hair clips completed her ensemble. i was just excited she wore a skirt!

the skirt is really spectacular. the ruffles have the perfect amount of volume and movement, and Kat mixed linen with lightweight cotton for a neat textural effect. apparently these are just a few of the “leftover ruffles” from Kat’s INCREDIBLE Rainbow Dash Dress, which you MUST go check out. it’s glorious. she even provides a tutorial for the ruffles and wings over here at me sew crazy.

this is the first skirt Em has picked out to wear all on her own for almost two months, and i’m so thrilled to have her wear something other than just dresses! i could barely even get her to stand still to take a photo of the front. that’s her leaning over, getting ready to continue her sprint around the yard.

thanks so much again, Kat! handmade gifts have become even more special to me since i started making things myself, so this really means a lot to me (and Em too!). i really have no idea how to repay you! i’ll keep thinking – can’t wait too long to give Azriella her birthday present!

in the meantime, i have a new mantra:

i’m still “finding my voice” with this blog, figuring out what to post about aside from my various sewing projects. i have decided, however, that i definitely want to feature some of the lovely items that family members and friends have made for and gifted to us. i didn’t feel like i could do that with my flickr site, but we’ve received some really beautiful handmade items from my talented mom, aunts, grandma, sister-in-law, and family friends that need to be shared with the world (or at least the world wide web). today is as good a day as any to start this little segment, since i’ve got a couple of projects sewn but not yet blog-worthy (gifts for others!).

this blanket was crocheted for my son by my aunt sandra before he was born. it seems that each of my mom’s sisters has claimed a different “domestic art” as their go-to, and sandra crochets. she also bakes the most scrumptious desserts and recently organized a family cookbook with some mouth-watering recipes that i can’t wait to dive into…but i digress. this blanket was so perfect that it made me rethink oh’s entire nursery decor from what i had originally planned (i’ll post a tour of that later, too…still a couple of things i need to finish up). luckily, i received it before we bought any paint!

it’s made of thick and cozy wool yarn, and this puppy is WARM. i am in love with the main part of it, where somehow she wove together both light aqua-ish blue and brown for a sock-monkey type effect. i don’t know how to crochet, so this seems insanely complex to me (though i’m sure she’s whips through it no problem, because she’s good like that).

the border is the same beautiful blue in another interesting stitch pattern, and rounded corners. i know next-to-nothing about crochet, so sorry i can’t provide details about how it’s made. i just admire. i also admire these chubby legs. they make a great afternoon snack.