'Tis The Season To Be Crafty.....

.....Fa La La La Laaaaa,  La, La, La, LA!

Skidding in just under the wire, here.  And there are still some presents waiting to be made, but the recipients will have to be okay with a temporary I.O.U., as I have officially run out of time.  Not because tomorrow is Christmas Day, but because I leave at o'dark thirty the day AFTER Christmas for a long overdue visit with my parents in Tennessee.

But here are some of the gifts I managed to finish before I had to stop and pick up some groceries and bake a pumpkin pie for my son, who just had his wisdom teeth pulled on Friday and is still pretty sore, swollen, & miserable.  At least he could nom his way through most of the two pieces he cut for himself (yay!) - made it totally worth baking up this afternoon.  Also picked up a lot of stuff for him to eat/drink while I'm gone, like Carnation instant breakfast drinks, yogurt, jello, ginger ale (the pain pills were making him pretty queasy, too), oyster crackers, cottage cheese, etc.  Bless the people at my local Smart & Final - they were all making suggestions because I was literally out of ideas and worried that after I left, he wouldn't be eating much.  One gal suggested buying Cocoa Puffs and Kix, and telling him to let them dissolve a bit in his mouth before chewing them.  Strangely enough, it worked.

Also, kudos to his cousin's wife, who baked him a cheesecake for my husband to bring back home to him today.  I bet that'll be breakfast tomorrow.....    :)

By the way, if you are son #1's girlfriend, you can stop reading right here.  You don't get to peek at your presents early.  You still have to wait for Santa, muah-ha-ha-ha!

On to the gifts:  first up, a shop apron commissioned by my neighbor for her husband, for their upcoming holiday anniversary.  (Who gets married on New Year's Eve?  I guess it would make it completely inexcusable if he ever forgot their anniversary, though....crafty thinking.)

Shop apron to replace a well-worn  one.
This one was made drafting a pattern from the old one, so it is
almost the same - with the exception of a larger pocket up top
to accommodate the custom embroidery.  

Mr. Fix It courtesy of Embroidery Library dot com.  :)

Parachute cord for the ties & neckstrap, leather ones being unavailable in my area.
A distinct improvement over the shoelaces that were on the last one, LOL!
When you work with this stuff, you have to burn/melt the ends or it will
fray like mad.  A chance to let out my inner pyromaniac, hee hee hee.....

Trying to make my (female) dress form look more butch.
(Hey, I don't have a male form.  Had to run with what I had.  Does
this make her transgender?  A cross-dresser?) 

Son #1's girlfriend - if you are still reading, you are going to be in big trouble tomorrow.  I'll be able to tell.

On to the next project: a custom hat made for son #2's girlfriend.  He picked out and paid for the yarn, I did the labor.

Unpaid model.  Goes by the name of Flappy.  He's usually
very cooperative, but for some reason he kept trying to drop the hat.

Yarn from Lion Brand Yarns (Tweed Stripes in Athena ).  Very chameleon-y in
nature, as every time I shot a photo it seemed to change colorways.
Now it's pink/purple.  Hit the link.  You'll be amazed at what it really looks like.

Now it's blue/purple.  The yarn is actually quite dark, and has dark charcoal grey in it.
 Flappy was getting a bit peevish at this point, so I had to stop.
There is a scarf in progress to match this hat (about a half hour away
from being finished) - pattern was on the Tweed Stripes label and was
super fast to make up.  Only not fast enough to suit Flappy, and he
refused to model an unfinished product.
I'll have to post a photo after I get back from TN,
as the pattern isn't available online.

Son #1's girlfriend - if you've made it this far, you blew it.  You were warned.  (LOL)

Next up:  Super Secret Cozy Kitten Pillow for son #1's girlfriend.

This was a free pattern offered by Amy Butler (Birdy the Cat Pillow).
Was actually meant to be made from her fabulous printed cottons,
but I wanted it to look like the Sewing Assistant (somewhat) so I made
it up in soft, squooshy fleece/fur.
(Squooshy is an acceptable design term.)
Son #1 figured it would be difficult to see the face unless we used
something contrasting, thus the white.

She's totally into anime type characters, so I customized the face quite a bit.
Much larger, glistening eyes.  Pink cat-shaped nose.  Somewhat pensive moue.
Doesn't he look like he needs a hug?

Not to be outdone, my son wanted to make his girlfriend something himself.  (Cue scary music and note the drastic shift in theme.)

Custom "blood" spattered shoes.  

He freehanded the logo.  And the blood.   And drove to about three
stores looking for the right length of blood-red laces.

LOVE the spattering on the toes.   He repaired the paint pen afterwards.

She is going to be the envy of her classmates.
Those that watch the show, anyway.  

Guess who helped with the shoe project?  I think he was miffed
that Flappy got to model the crocheted hat, and not him.

Not last or least, something for the church for the Christmas season:  the 27 purificators, all finished, pressed, and ready to go.

Embroidery design, again from Embroidery Library.  This is the only design
I have ever purchased or downloaded from their site that gave me grief.  Usually
 I can count on their designs to stitch out perfectly - I think maybe this one just
had too many thread stops and trims in the same spot.  Looks great from the front
but every single one made a rat's nest on the back.
Yay for super sharp Ginger scissors.
And good reading glasses.

Stacks after pressing, on their way to be delivered for Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day masses.  

And that ain't all - but you'll have to wait for more photos until I get back from Tennessee (unless I can post from my folks' place - his wi-fi is always acting up, though).  

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year - cheers from the Sewing Assistant!