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.

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!

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.

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.