Handmade Christmas...

I tried to make as many gifts as possible this year. I've come to realize that I best express my love and appreciation for others through creating. Whether it be a sewing project, fresh baby food, or simply a meal for my family, I do all of this to show that I care. Thus the motivation for my Christmas sewing.

This year I made 6 sets of napkins (8 napkins/set). I went to F&M fabric last summer and bought 8 yards of tablecloth material and cut it into 18" squares and then bound each square with fabric that best represented each intended recipient. Picking the fabric was my favorite part of this project (I think it's my favorite part of every project :) I really like the way the napkins turned out. They are far from perfect, but they are just perfect enough I think. I'd like to make some for myself soon, but these took so much time to make that I think I'll take a napkin break for awhile.

For Denise & Jill I made bias tape out of all of my favorite brown fabrics. I think the scrappy binding looks super cute and youthful.

For Kelly, I used some of my favorite green fabrics and made more scrappy binding.

For Sharon, I used Joel Dewberry's Deer Valley collection.

And for Julie, I used some spunky green with white polka dots. I love this fabric.

For my mom, I used a brown, blue, and green floral home dec fabric. Learn from my mistake...it's a pretty bad idea to use home dec fabric for binding. Way too thick, but I persevered and I like the way it turned out.

And, here I am with all 6 napkin sets. I've been working on these off and on since July, so it was a bit hard to part with them, but I'm sure they'll be well loved in their new homes.

For Ryan, I made a car roll. I saw the idea here first and knew immediately that I had to make it for him. He loves cars and this would help his mom keep his cars contained while on the go. A win-win.

I made a set of blocks for Jack. I still just love these things. So cute.

And lastly, I made a tie for Jay. I rarely sew for men, simply because I usually can't think of something to make for them that they would actually enjoy/use, but this year was different. Jay has to wear a tie to work everyday, so I seized the opportunity to try something new. This tie was fairly simple to make, although it does use a whole yard of fabric (cutting on the bias makes this so). Jay is such a fun-loving guy, so I took the opportunity and made the tie out of a fantastic Amy Butler oxford stripe print. I love the way it turned out.

So there you have it, my handmade gifts for Christmas 2009. I'm already collecting ideas for Christmas 2010. Any suggestions?