One of the major benefits of being married to someone with a fancy wood shop and the skills to use all the tools is that he can pretty much make anything.

I usually try not to brag too much about Dakota on this blog, but I have to share the favors he made for our son's recent birthday party. It was a hootenanny theme, and Dakota decided to make a hand-crafted cigar box guitar for every kid.

If you knew Dakota, you'd know he never does anything half-way. So, the guitars came out beautifully. They have wood handles, sturdy boxes and individually carved pegs so that they can be tuned. They are, in my humble opinion, pretty awesome.

While you (and I) might say this is a lot of work for a 3rd birthday favor, in the end I feel like it was worth it. It was really fun to hand out each one and see the excitement on the kids' faces. Hopefully, they will have a great time jamming on their guitars at home. That's what's happening at our house.

At the moment, my son really likes grabbing, pulling and licking fabric, and he has a commercially-made Taggies blanket that he plays with frequently. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to make some cute and simple baby tag blankets myself. I had some leftover fleece from my son's Halloween costume (he went as a cactus) and the sewing machine was already out, so it seemed like a perfect time.



The blankets are very simple to make. You cut out a square of fleece and a square of colorful fabric, choose some cute ribbon from your stash--I always save the cloth ribbon from gifts so I have lots of little pieces in different colors and patterns--and fold them over into tabs. Place the right sides of the fabic and fleece together, slip the tabs of ribbon (loop in) in between the fleece and fabric, and pin them in place. Then stitch around the edge using a simple stitch and leaving a small hole on one edge. Snip off the corners of the fabric and turn it right side out through the hole. Finally, I top-stitched the whole thing with a contrasting zig-zag stitch for extra strength and cuteness. And, done! Even a not-very-talented sewer like me can whip a bunch of these up in an afternoon.

For one of the blankets, I got fancy and added some crinkle. All you have to do is sew a layer of crinkly plastic into the interior of your blanket. Since it was Halloween, I used a candy bag. But you could also use a potato chip bag or an empty baby wipes bag. Really any thick cellophane would work. It's a bit trickier to sew, but since it's hidden inside your blanket, you don't have to get that pretty with it.



These tag blankets were really fun to sew, and the combination of colorful fabric and ribbon makes them really cute. All my blankets were handed out to new babies I know or mailed off to far-away baby friends. Hopefully they'll all enjoy them as much as my son likes his.

Last weekend, I started working on various Christmas gift projects. As usual, I'm starting too late, but hopefully I'll still manage to crank out some good stuff before it's too late. My goal is to not purchase anything and give only handmade gifts. We'll see how that goes.

One thing that may help me this year is that I learned how to sew. Previously, I was pretty much relying on knitting (and a little wood burning) for all my homemade gifts. While I'm not exactly a fast (or particularly competent) sewer, I can usually finish a project in a few hours, versus several days--or weeks--for a knitted item.

NOTE: If you are related to me and would like to be surprised by your Christmas gift, I urge you to not click on any of the links in this post. I will be vague in the text, but I am including links in case other people are looking for good handmade gift ideas. Anyway, you've been warned.

Last weekend, I sewed a couple of these. I highly recommend this project for beginner sewers looking for something cute and practical to make for their loved ones. I managed to make two in an afternoon, and I think they turned out pretty nicely. Who doesn't like a cozy plaid flannel, after all?



I also made some good progress on these. So far, I've found the pattern pretty easy for an intermediate knitter like me. And they're knitting up fairly quickly, so I think I'll actually be able to finish them soon if I can get up the energy to knit on weeknights. That would be good, because I've got a few other projects I'd like to knit for various family members.



That's what I've got going on so far. I'm also hoping to make something like this for a few friends. And I've got some nice fabric that would make excellent dishcloths, so if I can just manage to sew in a straight line, I think I could make some snazzy dishcloth sets for a few other people.

In addition to the knitting and sewing, I also hope to can something to give away this holiday season. I checked out a few recipes, and hopefully I can find some time in the next few weekends to fire up the water bath. Now that I've learned how to pickle things, I feel like I should use my skills to make some tasty, tangy gifts. Nothing says Christmas like homemade pickles, right?

It's actually possible that my all-homemade holiday goal will happen. I'll let you know if I make it, although I might end up caving and buying some things at a craft fair. That's almost as good as making it myself, I think.

When I was visiting my family in Texas a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sort through trunks and bins filled with fabric and sewing notions that belonged to my grandmother. She died in 2000, but her stash was so massive--and awesome--that we're still finding new treasures 9 years later.

My grandmother was a wonderful seamstress and needleworker. I have a wall hanging of embroidered sandpipers she made sitting over the fireplace in our living room and a personalized quilt with squares hand-embroidered by my grandmother and her mother tucked safely in my linen closet. Not only was she skilled, but my grandmother had good taste, in a 1960s & 70s way. Jonthan Adler would salivate over her needlepoint pillows. I just wish I had learned more from her when I had the chance. Instead, I am frequently inspired by her craftmanship. I still have baby bags she made for me 32 years ago, with not a single loose stitch!

Always the bargain-hunter, my grandmother collected a massive stash of fabric, embroidered linens, thread and sewing notions over her lifetime. My mother, my sister and I have been giving it away, selling it and using it ourselves for the last 9 years, and we've still got so much left. This time, I brought home rolls and rolls of decorative ribbons, elastic and seam binding. Plus, my sister helped me find some pre-embroidered panels, some made by my grandmother and some she purchased at antique and vintage stores, ready to be made into pillows or bags. My sister also threw in some vintage fabric she found at various thrift stores.

I arrived back in LA with a bag stuffed full of cool fabrics and inspiring supplies. Now I just have to figure out how to use it all.

This year, I officially transitioned out of the phase of life that involves constantly going to weddings and into the phase that means going to a lot of baby showers. In 2009 alone, I think I've gone to five baby showers, and there are many more on the horizon. Not that I mind. I like babies, and I think making one is definitely worth celebrating. But, I am kind of sick of buying people stuff off of registries. Luckily, I am an avid crafter.

Dakota bought me a sewing machine several years ago, and I finally broke it out of the box this year. I took a beginner class at machine project and then started testing my skills at making soft toys. After a few bunnies I made from patterns found online, I decided to design my own plush. I ended up making these bears.



I really like how they came out. The body is a simple U-shaped piece, and the ears and arms are separate pieces that I attached as I sewed the body together. I made the pattern on regular white drawing paper, and just free-cut the face, which is made of felt.



I glued the eyes and nose onto the face piece with a small dot of fabric glue and then sewed around the edges with embroidery thread. Overall, these bears are fairly simple to make. They just take time. I gave one to my friend Nanci at her shower last weekend, and she loved it, which made me really happy. I can't wait to give away some more.

As our friends' babies get older, Dakota and I have devised another fun handmade gift to give: wooden baby blocks. We made the first set for one cute little girl last year. Dakota took some scrap hardwood from his shop and cut it into small wooden blocks, which he sanded smooth. Then, I used my wood burning pen to spell her name on one side.



And on the other side, I drew and burned in animals that match the letters of her name.



I am happy with how that gift turned out as well, although I'd like to improve my wood-burning skills a little. Also, I like that Dakota and I made these blocks together, so they're truly a gift from the both of us. I plan to make more of these when all the babies we know turn one.

With all my handmade gifts, I hope to create something that the child will really like, and maybe even keep for a while. And I really enjoy giving babies (and their parents) something that's especially for them, that can't be found in any store. Giving gifts is great, but giving a gift you made is even better.

So, you might think I already have too many hobbies with my knitting, gardening, cooking, chicken keeping, reading and copious amounts of TV viewing. But, of course, you'd be wrong. This month, I added yet another crafty hobby to the list: sewing.

Actually, I've been in posession of a wonderful, brand-new, fancy sewing machine for several years. Dakota once gave me a Viking Huskystar as a birthday gift, but, until this month, I'd never even taken it out of the box. I was waiting until we found a space to set up a crafting table, but I recently faced the reality that, in a tiny house like ours, that day might never come.

What really motivated me to start sewing, though, was signing up for the sewing 101 class at machine project. After eyeing this class for a while, I finally took the plunge two weekends ago. I'm very glad I did. The instructor, Annie, was extremely helpful and encouraging. Setting up a sewing machine can be a bit intimidating, but she walked us through threading the needle and the bobbin and getting the hang of sewing with the different stiches. Then, we moved on to individual projects.

After flirting with the idea of making a dress, I opted instead to make a stuffed toy. I searched around the Internet and found a really cute stuffed pig pattern for free (my favorite price). Happily, I also already had some very nice fabric that I pulled from my grandmother's massive stash after she died. (Not learning to sew from my extremely knowledgeable and talented grandmother is a big regret of mine. What was I thinking? Teenagers are so dumb.)

Anyway, I'm not saying the pig came out perfectly. But, I think it's pretty cute.



I think I'll make another pig, just for the practice, and then probably branch out into other toys and maybe a skirt or something. Annie also taught me how to alter clothing, which I think will come in very handy with thrift-store finds.

My big plan is to create some of my own stuffed animal patterns and make some great personalized baby gifts for all my friends who are getting pregnant. Then, when I have my own kids, hopefully I'll be good enough to make them toys and clothes. My grandmother always made my sister and I the cutest, prettiest dresses and nightgowns. I'd love to be able to do that for my children.

Here's a question for other crafty bloggers out there: Can you suggest any sewing books, fabric stores (online or in LA), blogs or other sewing resources I might find helpful? Keep in mind I'm very much a beginner.

I already have the Built by Wendy book Sew U, and I've discovered some great blogs including the Craft blog and Softie Making. But, I'm always interested in learning more and getting inspired by cool crafting blogs. Leave your suggestions in the comments, please!

Last month, the Good Girls got together for a little knitting/chocheting night at my house to make lap blankets for a hospice. And we're meeting again this week to keep working on our blankets. Although they're just simple rectangles, they take a while to knit. Here are some images from our March knitting night. (For some reason we all decided to use green yarn.)

Here's Natalie knitting a green wool lap blanket.



And here's Jean, who is crocheting a blanket out of the same wool.



Hopefully we'll complete our blankets soon so I can drop them off at the hospice before summer gets here.

In other knitting and do-gooding news, I completed my fourth wool baby hat for afghans for Afghans last weekend and mailed all four off yesterday. Hopefully, they meet the relief group's needs. I think I'll continue making items for them. They have another larger goal coming up in the next few months. Maybe this time I'll try some mittens. I've never done mittens before, so it would be good practice.

sI have recently found several ways to put my knitting obsession to good use. The first is knitting wool baby hats for an organization called afghans for Afghans. They currently have a goal to collect 100 baby hats and 100 baby socks from volunteer knitters by April 28. These hats and socks will be delivered to women by volunteer midwives in the Bamiyan region of Afghanistan.

Baby hats are both fun and fast knitting projects, so I'm glad I found a way to work on my skills while helping others. So far I've tried out 3 different patterns. First, the simple cap from my Stitch 'n' Bitch book. It's all in stockinette stitch, so you can knit it without really thinking. Here's a pic:



Next I made a hat with ear flaps, which I figured would be good to keep the babies toasty. It came out pretty well, although it was tough to attach the flaps to the main part of the hat. After that, though, it was a very simple knit as well.

My third hat has diagonal ribbing, which is more difficult and takes some concentration, but is also more fun that knitting a simpler hat. One of my favorite things about knitting is how a cool pattern can come out of the simple combination of knitting and purling. I don't have any pics of the third hat, but I will take some once it's finished.

I hope to get at least 5 hats complete by April 21st, so that I can send them off to afghans for Afghans with some time to spare. I think that should be fairly easy to accomplish, so maybe I will make more than 5. Not sure about socks, though, they are much more difficult.

Lately, I have been completely obsessed with knitting, in part because of this really great message board site called craftster. Today, I saw this really exciting post. Someone posted a bag that she had knitted using plastic bags. I did a little poking around and found a tutorial on how to turn plastic bags into "yarn" and now I'm really excited. This seems like such a great way to reuse the plastic bags that inevitably pile up in our house. Now, I can make a bag to take to the store or beach or something. I can't wait to try it out. I will definitely post an update on this once I start trying.

I also found some info about knitting with old t-shirts, and I think I will do that too. Someone said t-shirt yarn is good for potholders, so maybe I'll try that first.

More to come on this...