Christmas Pajamas

Now that Halloween is over and Thanksgiving and fall shirts have been received,

it's time to start planning for Graysen's Christmas outfits.

I've had the green pjs for a couple of months trying to decide what to put on the front.  I had my favorite reindeer in mind all the time and decided to go with that - simple and cute too.

 

Photographing in the early-morning sunshine makes them appear mint, but they're a really a pretty Christmas green.  I ordered them in August from ARB Blanks, and the reindeer is from Applique Cafe.  The owner of Applique Cafe has a blog that has been pretty helpful for me learning to embroider,  and I had a chance to go to Beth's Heirlooms in Wetumpka last night where she had a 2-hour demonstration and discussion.  It was pretty fun, although I had learned almost everything she said from the blog.  It was still good to get out and listen to questions and answers and watch them use a 12-needle machine.  I don't think I'll ever graduate to more than a single-needle one!

Mike and I were discussing the bow.  The reindeer is so plain it needs something else, so a bow works for a girl - but what if you have a little boy?  It's supposed to be Rudolph with that red nose, so I guess it's really supposed to be a boy anyway.  It does no good to over-analyze children's embroidery.  Graysen will probably like it just fine.

The aqua and pink dress is packed and ready to mail along with the baprons from yesterday.

Right after she was born, I found some red shoes for "one day" that I found on sale after Valentine's Day.  Emily tried them on her last night, and if she won't grow much before Christmas, I think they'll do just fine for the holidays.

 

 

I thinks she considers them 2 new toys attached to her feet.

 

 I have babysitting at church this morning and then home to recover (probably a nap). 

 

Baprons, videos, and a sew-along. And my Favorite Baby.

I got this little email from Graysen labeled, "If you love me, you'll send more baprons."

 

I made this yellow one before she was born.  It seemed so big then!  She's learned to pull the Velcro bibs off, so these work out well with the ties and because they cover so much of the body.

I originally used the pattern and tutorial from a blog, Craftiness is Not Optional.  Since then, since so many people were copying her pattern and selling them, she decided to sell her pattern.  All I needed to know was the length of the binding, so I searched around and found that information.  If I make any more, I'll buy the pattern since it includes sizes up to age 3.  Oh, bapron is a cross between a bib and an apron.

 This is what I ended up with: 

 

I fought with that bias  binding a LOT and did it really 3 different ways, but I think we've finally come to terms, and I'm okay with the last method.  Sewing it down on the wrong side, folding it toward the front and top stitching or zig-zag stitching.  It will do fine for bibs that will be covered with food.

I entered a sew along through Facebook from Whimsical Fabrics.  The pattern was Children's Corner Lucy, and I used a sweet aqua fine-wale corduroy with an applique of a little Christmas tree in pink. Danielle and Emily posted 4 days of instructions with pictures and ideas and instructions, and it was up to us to be as creative as we wanted to.  I think 6 of us ended up finishing our project.   It was not easy, but it turned out really cute, and if it fits Graysen, it will be a perfect dress for this year.

 

It's lined and so soft.  The covered buttons were easy to make, and the buttonholes even turned out without a problem.

 

This embroidery pattern is called Whimsy Tree Applique from Embroidery Boutique.  It stitched out so well and was so easy.  I'll use that one again.

 

The little pockets in the pattern were cute - if a little tricky to make - but I conquered them.  My dress was a little too small for pockets, so I left them off, but it's nice to know how to do them.

Emily sends me funny and sweet videos of Graysen sometimes, and since I can't save them to my picture file, they kind of scroll off the page in my emails.

I think I've figured out how to transfer the here, so now I'll have them in one place.

The latest ones.  They made me laugh.












Crafty daughter did a fabulous job of making her own costume as well as Graysen's for Halloween.