Merry Christmas!

There is a brief lull in the festivities in our household and I need to sit down and rest a minute! So what better thing to do than log onto blogger and wish my quilting friends a very Merry Christmas!?! The kids are all in electronic heaven (playing Rockband and PSP 3000) and DH is having a wee nap (one would think he stayed up until 1:30 wrapping gifts and loading stockings!!?!) Here is my lovable Molly Santa dog wishing you a Merry Christmas! She hates the Santa hat but she looks so adorable that we just have to put it on her!
All my gifts are finished and wrapped. I am quite happy with how the gifts for my nieces and nephews turned out. If you have read my blog for a while, you will know that I insist on making something for them every year. In 2006 I made each of them a photo calendar. In 2007 I made them each a flannel pillow (click here to see them). This year I made these fabric bags. Here they are hanging from left to right for the youngest to the oldest. I was inspired by this pattern by Jennifer Casa. I made mine 9" across and used batting instead of interfacing. I ditched the pocket after sewing the first one on the back by mistake and decided that the pockets were not worth the hassle.
And what is going in the bag? These treats which I first found on Peggy's blog here. I made them with kisses and hugs, but the hugs were really melty and don't look as pretty as these.
Well, I guess I better get back to the kitchen and start working on supper preparation.

I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Pillowcase Pattern

At the guild meeting this week I did a short demo on making pillowcases for quick and easy gifts. Here is a photo of me in the year 2000 when I made these pillowcases for all my nieces and nephews, and my children. I selected fabrics according to their ages and interests (soccer for the older boys, trains for the younger boys, little animals for the toddler boys, etc). They were well used and appreciated gifts, although the Christmas ones that I made for my children are getting a little worn out!
I used a basic pattern that was posted on the Hoffman Fabrics website at that time (it's long gone now). Here are the pieces to cut if you want to sew up a pillowcase for a standard size pillow:
1) CUT 1 pillowcase fabric - 28” x 44”
Fold in half right sides together and sew two sides (1/4” seam).
2) CUT 1 accent fabric - 2 1/2" x 44”
Press in half lengthways with wrong sides together.
3) CUT 1 border fabric - 9 1/2” x 44”
Press in half lengthways with wrong sides together.
4) Sew the accent and border strips together, lining up the raw edges.
5) Sew the accent and border strips to the pillowcase fabric, lining up the raw edges.
6) Turn inside out and press.
If you have a serger, it is best to serge all edges, however I don't have one, so I just sewed the regular 1/4" seam and these pillowcases are still holding together!
Also, if you have a fancy embroidery machine, you can personalize the borders with the name of the child/person for whom you are making the pillowcase.