Handmade Christmas

So, I might be a little late in posting this (what's three months amongst friends?), but I had to share some Christmas projects!

I'll start with my favorites -- A dragon dress-up set for Laddie. Little Man and Rosa have accumulated some dress-up, which Laddie shares, but I wanted him to have something of his own. And he loves dragons, so it was an obvious choice. Also, the perfect opportunity to try out a few patterns I'd been eyeing for several years!

Here's a quick round-up of the patterns I used:

• Dragon tail from Tatertots and Jello
• Dragon wings from I'm Feelin Crafty (I added "points" to the tops of the wings)
• Dragon hat from Stitched by Crystal (I added ears to the hat)
• Dragon softie pattern from DIYFluffies on Etsy (I was willing to pay for the pattern because it was so stinkin' cute!)

I used a combination of red fleece and red "scale" fabric from JoAnn's cosplay collection -- I was sure the shiny "scales" would be perfect, and I'm quite pleased with how it all turned out! Sewing with that fabric was a nightmare, but tissue paper seemed to help. The only downside is that I have a feeling the scale fabric will not be very durable, and that may result in my having to re-make the dragon softie in the future.

The dragon softie (which we dubbed Bartholomew, or "Bart" for short) was quite time consuming, but it was my first time working with such a detailed stuffed animal. Also, I forgot to interface the wings! 

It's hard to get a good shot of a very active toddler (and red is such a hard color to photograph!), but Laddie absolutely loves his costume and wears it frequently. It cracks me up every time to see him chasing his older siblings with that tail! The wings are a favorite of mine, and were surprisingly easy to make. Thankfully we had a metal hanger on hand (which provides the structure for the wings). 

And then, of course, there are the Christmas pajamas! The kids open these on Christmas Eve and wear them that night. The patterns are just simple shapes (I made everything except Little Man's shirt), usually drafted from an existing garment that fits them.

I spotted the Curious George fabric at Wal Mart, and knew immediately that I would make Laddie's pants out of it -- he is obsessed with Curious George, and even has a stuffed "Georgie" that he sleeps with. I was going to purchase a tee at JoAnn's during one of their 5 for $10 sales, but the smallest sizes they had were still far too large. So I bought a men's XXL and used the fabric to make a smaller tee!  By using the t-shirt's existing hems and reusing the ribbed neckline, it was very easy to put together. I added a little fussy cut patch pocket, and made a tiny pair of pants for Laddie's stuffed Curious George. First time I've ever measured the rise and inseam for a monkey...

For Little Man's pajamas, I used a JoAnn's tee and added a chambray pocket. He loves vintage planes, and I'd scored a little applique patch on clearance for $0.50 a few years back. I had some vintage plane fabric leftover from when I'd made sheets for his nap mat (also years ago!) that I used for his pants. I was worried he'd be disappointed that he'd seen the fabric before, but he was actually thrilled that I'd made pajama pants out of it!

Rosa got a simple peasant top with a pair of flannel pants (hedgehogs!), along with a matching nightgown for Baby Ella (a Bitty Baby American Girl doll that my parents gave me about 27 years ago). The coral fabric is actually the same that I used for a maternity top a while back. 

Christmas may be long gone, but these little projects have been well-used since then, and that I will count as a success! I keep waiting for the time when the littles are less-than-excited about Mama making things for them, but so far... well, I'm counting my blessings!