Holiday Gift Sewing 2017

It was a well loved shirt.

No one remembers when he got it, but it was in heavy rotation for years.

He's my boss, and his wife commissioned me to make a new one.

The hardest part is finding a similar fabric. Not so much color and stripe, but the softness factor.

I bought the yardage at District Fabric, and started washing it.

Over and over and over.

For a month.

It stopped shrinking pretty quickly, but it took about five or six washes for it to soften up much. It's not as soft as the original, but it's pretty nice.

New yardage on the left, old on the right.

Funny, the buttons match the new better than the old.

And yes, they say "Fender" on them.

I cut the old one apart and used it for the pattern.

See that little angled notch on the seam allowance at the bottom? That's my 'the fold over is here and goes over you ninny' shorthand

I do call myself a ninny now and then. Other words more often.

It's not a match, but it works on it's own.

I have been moving this shirt out of photo range since I brought it home in September. I had to crop a bunch of choir dress rack photos because it kept peeking out and the boss reads this from time to time. Hiya boss!

I am not working with my usual photo software, the old drive is still out, so this is not the correct color. The lighter blue in the brighter photos is the correct version. But this is a pretty photo, so screw it.

The wear hole at the corner of where the top patch is consistant all over the shirt. It's almost threadbare.

Done

More done

Other sewing is the Totoro Bag and the usual Spoonflower BOGO fat quarter tea towel assortment.

Last year it was maps of Seattle.

This year it's an assortment of bespoke towels with children's art, and those kids didn't sign a release form.

Plus she'd kill me.

There is the Tototo one (for the person with the bag)

There will be a bag tutorial in the coming weeks, but I didn't want to show this before it got given.

I drew the comma textures, and color matched the body. Essentially I am using the motifs not the design as a whole.

No Totoros were harmed in the making of this bag and towel.

And because the holidays need hats and scarves

Faux fur hat and scarf. The hat is much better than the tiny head makes it look.

It is disturbingly soft.

And vacuum, because faux fur. 

I recommend vacuuming the seams of the finished item as well. Better now than wear it later.

And the rosebud ribbon hat. 

the sharp eyed have seen this in the background since last Spring and I'm just getting around to finishing the lining.

Yes, that's a scrap from last year's crazy quilt trim and no, she hasn't hung that quilt up yet.

No. Just no. Why do you need rapid champagne consumption?

Or, if you do, you have some issues that are better addressed elsewhere.

No judging here, but EW.

Yes. And that's the new machine I sewed them with ;)

Happy holidays to everyone and everybody.