Scarves for Christmas

 Today's post is about some scarves I made as Christmas presents for a few people.

I obviously love making things for people as gifts and this year was no exception.

Here are all of the scarves I made this year... 

Pink Polka Dot- Jessica (sister)
We did Secret Santa for the siblings this year and Jessica was who I was buying for.  I made this as an extra gift, but it was a dead give-away when it was time for her to guess who her Secret Santa was :)  



Multi-Color Floral- Erin (sister-in-law to be)



Yellow/ Gray Floral- Heather (friend)

Blue Floral/Dot- Mom



Brown Plaid- Mother-in-Law to be

You can check out other scarves by looking through the Accessories Label on the right side of the page.

Or you can follow this link Accessories

Enjoy
~JV
https://www.facebook.com/sewingpassion

Bridal Shower Apron

A couple weekends ago, I went to another bridal shower, this time for my sister's best friend. Two bridal showers in one month can be overwhelming (especially on the wallet). But it's all worth it when you see how happy the couple is with your gift, and with each other, of course :).

This shower gift was the one my sister had suggested I make for the wonderful bride-to-be. And I took that suggestion to make the first shower gift (check it out here) which was earlier in the month.

This one I wanted to go with a vintage look and incorporate some of her favorite colors. My first idea on how to choose the colors was to look at the registry. I ended up buying some Moroccan style bowls that were blue, yellow, and red, and used that as my inspiration. But of course I started to second guess myself as I was fabric shopping, so I asked my sister what colors to use. Wouldn't you know it, she said to go with something like an aqua blue and mustard yellow. Of course that matched the look of the bowls :)

I didn't want to make it matchy-matchy with the bowls, so I stuck with the colors but went with this beautiful floral/bird print fabric.  The yellow fabric is a floral print, and the blue has a textured tiling look to it. The pattern is for the lower half of the apron so again I decided to add a top half, with an adjustable strap. It also has a tie strap that you can create a bow in the front, or leave it in the back. The lower scalloped edges have buttons to hold them in place. The top four buttons are blue, and the bottom four are yellow.



Front View with Top Added
Adjustable Straps & Bow



Close Up View of Front, with Bow



Closer View of Front with Buttons (Yellow and Blue)



Side View with Bow



Tied up and ready to be wrapped

Simplicity 0384 View A

I really love how this one turned out. My favorite color is blue and I'm in love with all of the prints of the fabrics. I was tempted to keep it myself, but I don't do much in the kitchen :)

I know she loved it and now she has the perfect accessory to wear while making delicious appetizers :)

~JV

P.S. Sorry for the phone pictures, the boyfriend took the camera when I needed it most :)

Bridal Shower Gift Basket

Today's post is a quick one with a picture of the gift basket. Sorry for the phone picture, bad lighting and mess surrounding it, but somehow I forgot to take a picture with my camera. You can see the two bags, the tote bag and zip up bag, beneath the assortment of travel toiletries.

I enjoyed putting it together, although I had to use a lot of newspaper and tissue to keep everything placed just right. The only bad thing was when I was driving, the basket happened to fall over, so a last minute fix up was necessary.

~JV

Bridal Shower Gift Basket- Zip Up Bag

This post is the zip up bag I had mentioned in the previous post (here). It's another bag I had made for a class I taught (here), but I decided again to make it bigger, to hold more things. It's got a zipper closure on both the top and the side.

I used the same fabric from the tote bag as the inside liner, and I had some textured blue fabric, from a previous bag I had made, for the outside. The blue fabric and purple zippers match perfectly with the colors in the floral fabric.



Full View: Zippers Closed

 

Full View: Un-Zipped



View of Inside of Bag

Since this was part of a "travel" basket, I thought this was perfect for carrying small items. It fits great in the tote bag too.

I'll post some pictures of the basket put together once I upload them (hopefully ASAP)

~JV

Edit: Here's the post with the picture of the gift basket
Gift Basket

Bridal Shower Gift Basket- Tote Bag

I was meaning to post this last week, but as always, life gets in the way. This is a continuation of the bridal shower post. As a bridesmaid, we were given the task of creating a basket for a prize. Of course I knew I wanted to make something, so I had to think about it a little. I decided to create a few bags for travel purposes. One was a tote bag (this post) and the other was a smaller bag with some zipper closures (next post) that you'd be able to put in the tote. Then I bought some travel size toiletries and put it all in a basket (I'll post pictures of that too).

Since I didn't want to spend a great deal of money on this basket, I decided to use extra fabric and notions that I had laying around. The tote almost has a "vintage" feel, first because of the print (which I love), but also it basically is vintage because my mom had the fabric for looong time. It's a pretty simple bag, with two straps, two pockets on the inside, a Velcro closure, and it's squared off at the bottom for a little more support.



Full View of Tote Bag



Showing both straps



The inside has a Velcro closure and pockets near the top on both sides, matching the outside fabric.

This bag is from a pattern that I used for one of the classes that I taught, so I have one pretty similar to it, just not as big (I'll have to post a picture of it soon). I use it all the time, so I hope whoever won it will do the same!

Look for the next post with the zip up bag that goes inside of it!

~JV

Update: Here's the post of the zip up bag
Zip Up Bag
And the post of the gift basket
Gift Basket

Bridal Shower Gift

This weekend was a busy one. On Saturday I had a full day of events for one of my best friends. She is getting married in October, and since she lives out of state, we threw her bridal shower and bacherlorette party on the same day.

When it came to her shower gift, I knew I wanted to be creative with it. I bought her a serving tray, utensil holder, and towels for her kitchen. With a little suggestion from my sister, I decided to make her an apron to go with the kitchen stuff I bought her. She's a neutral kind of girl so I based the fabrics off of that, but added a little pop of color to keep it fun. The pattern also was just a design for the lower half, so I had to add fabric to cover the top, with an adjustable strap. It also has darts to fit better around the bust.

 

Full View with bow tied at the front

 

View of side pocket
Button is decorative, pocket opens behind ruffle

The button is made from recycled materials, which is perfect for her. She is very environmentally friendly and conscious of what she does in that aspect. So I thought that was a nice personal touch.


Closer View of Front




Simplicity 0384 View B
Lower Half View



I enjoyed putting this together for her, and I know she appreciates a homemade gift :)

~JV

Update: Here's the post of the apron I had made for my sister in April, View C without a bodice
Floral Apron

Purple Paisley Scarf

Today's post is about another scarf. I meant to post about it this weekend. That's because it was a gift for my grandma for Mother's Day. I've made scarves for so many other people that she told my mom she wanted one for herself. Of course I had to make one and it was the perfect opportunity to give it to her for Mother's Day.

My grandma's favorite color is purple and I found the perfect fabric in a paisley silk. I used a purple posh lining for the other side.

Full View- Posh Lining and Purple Paisley

Scarf wrapped twice around the neck

I gave my grandma the scarf early (on one of the hottest days we've had so far, ha) and I must say she loved it. It was an unexpected surprise, which I love.

~JV

Pink Polka-Dot Scarf

 Today's scarf is one I made for my sister for her birthday, which was right before my mom's birthday. I really should have posted this one before the last scarf I did. But no harm no foul right?

My sister loves the color pink so I thought this pink polka-dot fabric was perfect for her. It has so many colors that she can work with (and even said so when I gave it to her). The solid pink fabric is a satin lining.



Full View of Scarf- Pink Lining and Pink Polka Dot



Scarf wrapped twice around neck.



She is a fashionista so I can't wait to see what she'll pair this with :)

~JV

Blue Swirl Scarf

I just love making scarves so much I had to make a few more before it got too warm out. I made a scarf for my mom a little while back. It's a black and white floral scarf (Check it out here )

 Well she loved it so much that she wanted another one. Since her birthday was last month I decided to make her one as a gift.

She loves blue so of course I had to go with that. I chose a blue satin lining and multi-toned blue swirled sheer print. I love the blue as well and was tempted to keep it all to myself, but I love my mom too much to be greedy :) 

Full View- Blue Satin & Blue Swirl

Scarf Wrapped Around Neck Twice 

I really do enjoy making these scarves. It doesn't hurt that they are quick and don't take too much fabric. Look for the next couple posts, they'll be scarves too :)

~JV

Floral Tunic- Class/Easter

This morning I had a class with a young women who is really interested in fashion and wanted to learn how to sew her own clothes. I love that. The project we did was a simple tunic. I'll admit that the projects they have available for the classes aren't as trendy as a younger crowd may like, but they are good introductions to sewing. Besides, this pattern included a belt she could make if she really wanted to.

It's a pretty simple design with a yoke in the front and the back, pleats under the yoke on both the front and back, 3/4 length sleeves, and a hem that hits just below the hips. The fabric I chose is a cotton floral print that had a texture of small nubs on the entire fabric. The vibrancy of the print doesn't allow you to see the pleats very well in the picture, but they add the fullness to the tunic. I also created my own bias tape to attach around the neckline.

Front View- Yoke with Pleats



Back View-Yoke with Pleats

 The pattern also included instructions for a belt to go with the shirt. It's a simple belt, which I used material I had leftover from the Felt Flower Pillow I made. The tan went perfectly with the colors of the shirt. I used the extra self-made bias tape to make the ties for the belt.



View 1 with Belt- Ties brought to front

View 2 with Belt- Ties in back




This Pattern is Simplicity 2147 View C Tunic and D Belt



I always make the actual project for the student to look at when they are working so I had this made about a week ago. That means I was able to wear it for Easter too!! I love that I get to do that.

~JV

Black & White Sheer Floral Scarf

This is the last scarf post I have for now. I have made other ones for Christmas gifts for people, but forgot to take pictures of them before I gave them away.

This a scarf I made for my boyfriend's aunt. Or rather his uncle to give to his aunt. He wanted a black and white scarf to go with the jacket she had, so I chose a beautiful sheer silk fabric with a large floral design on it, as well as a solid black silk. This is the infinity scarf without the buttons.

Here's a picture of it full length around the neck, showing the black silk side and the floral side.

Here is the scarf wrapped around the neck twice

 

I'll try to get pictures of the other scarves I made but they'll probably be posts later on. They are pretty cute so I'll try my hardest to get them.

 

Hope you all enjoyed the scarves I made.

~JV

P.S. I may start making them to sell so if you are interested let me know :)
jvmiller05@gmail.com

Neutral Paisley Scarf

It's been a few days but I still have some scarves to show you, so here we go.

This scarf I made for my cousin. She told me not to buy her anything for Christmas, so I didn't. Instead, I made her something :) But I love doing that so it wasn't a stretch. (Although it was given to her a little later than Christmas)

This scarf is a neutral paisley silk with a tan silk on the other side. It has five gold buttons attaching the ends for an infinity design.

Full View of the Paisley and Tan Silk Fabrics with Buttons on the Left Side

Scarf Wrapped around Neck Twice

I love this one because the neutral colors could go with so many clothes, and of course I love the silk fabric and how lightweight it is.

Hope she loves it!!

~JV

Black & White Floral Scarf

Let's continue with the subject of scarves.

For Christmas, I bought my mom a grey shawl. She ended up not wanting to keep it, so instead she asked if I would make her a scarf like I made my sister (I'll try to get pictures of that one as well). So I did as she wished and made her a beautiful infinity scarf. This one also has no buttons. She wanted black and white, so it could go with more outfits. It's a silk floral print and the same black fabric I used on my scarf.

Here's a picture of it full length around the neck, showing the black silk side and the floral side.

Here is the scarf wrapped around the neck twice

She seemed very happy with it when I gave it to her, so hopefully she gets to wear it soon :)

~JV

Paisley Scarf

The project I have for this post is a scarf I made for myself. This one I altered a little bit by removing the buttons and sewing the two open ends together. An infinity scarf. I had picked out the fabric a couple months ago and just got around to finishing it; of course when the weather starts to get really nice. But it's a beautiful black silk and silk paisley design, so it's not too heavy. Nice for those cool spring days.

I fell for the colors as soon as I saw them. I love the turquoise and magenta. I also love how full the scarf looks when it's wrapped around a few times.

Here's a picture of it full length around the neck, showing the black silk side and the paisley side.

Here is the scarf wrapped around the neck twice.

I love this scarf and it makes me hope that there will be a some cool spring days to wear it on (no snow though, please)

~JV

Blue/Purple Floral Scarf

I know a while back I said I would post projects that I made people for Christmas. Forgive me for doing some a bit late. I seem to be a bit scattered in my blogging. But I'm doing it so that's what counts. The next couple blogs will be along the same lines (same project but for different people).

For one of the classes I taught in November/January, the project was a super cute button infinity scarf. So of course I made an example that I would eventually be able to wear myself.

I have a stockpile, or should I say bins, of fabric galore. So I didn't even have to buy fabric, or even the buttons. I used a floral silk I had left over from a dress I wore to my brother's wedding and a purple lining I had stored away.

Here's the post about the dress: http://sewingpassion.blogspot.com/2011/07/dresses-of-summer-evening-wear.html

Folded with the Buttons on the Right Side of the Picture

The 5 Buttons have a Silver Shell with a Purple Gem

Showing the Purple Lining Underneath

The floral print has a slight hint of purple in it so I wanted the lining to bring it out a little more.

I mentioned Christmas presents at the start so obviously I haven't kept it for myself. I had made gifts for all my sisters and wanted to make one for my sister-in-law as well. So I thought it would have a lot of meaning if I gave her this scarf made out of fabric I wore to her wedding. So I (I mean my mom) shipped it off to Japan where hopefully she's been able to wear it :)

Stay tuned for more scarves!!

~JV

Scarf Night!

First lets start off by referencing my previous post about the t-shirt scarf I made: http://sewingpassion.blogspot.com/2012/02/t-shirt-scarf.html

I had some friends and family comment on my facebook about it so I decided to have people over for a scarf night/Pinterest party (since that's where the idea came from).

So on Sunday night I had a few ladies over and basically "taught a class" so they could make their own scarves. I bought about 15 L-XL t-shirts (good thing they were on sale) in a variety of colors and we went to town making scarves.

Here's a picture of the girls hard at work

These are pictures of most of the scarves that were made

Heather

Heather

Erin

Erin also have a light purple one I didn't get a picture of. It was like Heather's tan scarf.

Katie

Katie

Lauren

Lauren

Julia

Julia

We had a lot of fun making these. Pizza, snacks, and wine were involved which added to the fun (especially the last part). There was some sewing involved so it helped to have it at my place. And that's also the reason why I had to finish my one scarf once everyone left since I had a lot of sewing to do for the ladies. But I didn't mind because they had a great time and their scarves turned out beautiful!!!

Now it's time to check out Pinterest to figure out our next craft night!

~JV

My older sister also came but was making some really cute felt flowers for St. Patrick's Day. I'll have to make some too and post about it.

I also have about 15 tops of shirts that I have to figure out what to do with. My younger sister suggested making braided headbands so we'll see what happens.