Sewing gifts
Going on an unresearched impression garnered from manga and anime, it seems that in Japan gifts are more highly thought of if handmade by the giver. Here in postmodern America it seems to be the opposite (the direct recipients of the following excepted), so as one with a very limited income whose outgoing love language is gifts, I try very hard to make handmade gifts at a professional level, or at least a level that bypasses what the average person can easily do. Here are some sewn and otherwise handmade gifts I've made over the past few months.
My mother bought a porcelain ballerina doll for my niece for last Christmas, but she was missing shoes. So she asked me to make her some ballet slippers.
I used ribbon, thread, and fabric stiffener.
On the feet of the doll
Here's the doll!
For my sister for Epiphany, I made this flower press--my father sawed it for me; I drilled the holes, put in the screws, and decorated it with my first attempt at rosemaling painting.
A new nephew was born in Spring and for the first time I was asked to stand as godmother. I needed to do something special; I settled on a commemorative embroidery of Jesus the Infant of Prague; I used this pattern.
Simplified a bit and transferred with watersoluble pencil
I used a lot of stitches I never had before, like chevron, feather, and leaf. I attempted chain but it didn't work out.
Nephew's name is blotted out for privacy
This was also my first time framing embroidery.
Around the same time, another nephew made his first Communion, the first of my nephews and nieces to do so. I've been planning a long time to make them birthstone rosaries using genuine stones, whether for the whole thing or just for the Paters depends on how expensive the gem. This one is sapphires, so it's just the Paters; the Aves are lapis lazuli.
It's really something how much more complex the color and sparkle of real gems, even low quality ones, is than that of glass.
I would like to make more gemstone rosaries and especially chaplets, to sell eventually. My cousin just got married and for his bride I made a carnelian chaplet of Jesus the Infant of Prague:
For her wedding shower
Many years ago I bought my sister a Meta Teddy Gobelin headdress.
I finally made this dress to go with it:
The pattern is my own draft
Not really lolita, but as I've said that's not her style.
Finally, I sewed a gift for myself, a small flannel shawl with crochet lace edge:
I mainly wear it over my nightgown on chilly mornings.
Of course the mornings aren't chilly now that it's the Summer! Soon I'll try to do a garden post; I never even did one of last year's yield.