You can never have too many Magic Blankets, right? This one might be a little feminine for my Rescuers-loving nephew, but Rescuers fabric is hard to find & he loves his magic blankets so... when I saw it I jumped on it anyway.
This blanket was gifted in March of '22, making sure my three local nephews always have enough magic blankets to last until laundry day!
For the most part, my kids are aging out of wanting my creations. But my son is a huge Godzilla fan, and when I saw this print I just had to take the risk.
And quite the risk it was: this print came from a fabric host in the UK, so it cost more and took longer to get here. But, I needn't have worried: the second my son saw it, it was love at first sight.
Picking a pattern proved to also be a challenge - the print is very stunning, but very busy if you get too much together - and there was no panel option for blending. So, I settled on the Max & Meena Max Raglan (a kiddo favorite) with the featured print on the hood and sleeves. I tied it together with a tan from PurpleSeamstress that made the print pop. Here it is from the back:
And here it is up front!
It took me a little while to put this together, but my son was very pleased with the final product. And I was happy to have an enthusiastic live-in wearer of my sewing again!
This set consisted of shorties, a baby cap, a blanket, and some pillows. The shorties and baby cap are from the Peekaboo Patterns Lullaby line - the Chicka Chicka Bum Bums and the Hat & Mittens Patterns respectively. I really can't recommend Peekaboo Patterns enough; that line is my go-to for baby things and I've been happy with every pattern I've downloaded from there.
The blanket is, as always, a "Magic Blanket," meaning it's made of incrdibly soft, incredibly cuddly Luxe Double-sided Minky. This one had a great Mario scenic, and I always just sew wrong-sides together, turn, hand-stitch the turning hole closed and then do a line of zig-zag stitches 1" from the outside to help the blanket keep its shape.
This time, I also couldn't resist the urge to add pillows. This particular custom offering came with a set of pillow panels. I ordered them in the "magic" fabric, and then (having learned my lesson on the Final Fantasy pillows, where hand-stuffing them got lumpy pretty quick) I put them over 12x12 pillow forms from Joanns. Double-sided Minky stretches a lot, so I'm not sure how the pillows will wear in the long run. But they looked pretty cute when I finished with them!
This set was gifted in Jan 2022, and in retrospect shorties were not the best gift for a winter baby, but the hat got plenty of use!
My Colorado nephew might have received a Bob's Burger blanket (CL backed with JoAnn's Minky), and a Game of Thrones blanket (Custom Minky) at his shower, but this was his first true "Magic Blanket:"
One of the most exciting things to come out of 2021 was my three new nephews: a local pair of twins, and then a new cousin in Colorado.
But closer to home - and more relevant to me and my sewing journey - was my new sewing room! Technically it's not a new room - just new a wall that separates my sewing area from the dining area. And it's also not a dedicated sewing room, because I share the space with the Kids' entertainment center. But it's still a closed-off, private space for me to sew, with doors I can close to keep distractions out. That's pretty exciting.
2021 also had lots of sewing for gifts; babies, nephews, even my mom, dad and brother got in on the action. I also dipped a toe back into the water of quilting, although starting new quilt projects was still shelved for the time being.
Once I tried the Santa Is Sus Dolman, it was love: both for me, and my daughter. I appreciated the ease with which it came together, and my daughter appreciated the loose, comfortable, not-too-frilly style. So next up I made one for me:
And I forgot to take pictures before I sent it, but I also made one for my niece in Colorado with a "Miraculous" theme. The gathering on the Silent Night Dolman took a bit (and I had to hunt down the right kind of interfacing for it), but the one for my niece came together super quick!
Speaking of recreating past hits, this year my local nephew became a big brother - to twins. Last year, I made him a "Merry Mogwai" sweater, and this year an updated version of the print ran! I ordered it July, and with 8 days left until Christmas, I managed two Lullabye Line Bodysuit Lap Tees from Peekaboo Patterns.
Then for Big Brother (who I suspected might have outgrown his sweater) I followed up with this adorable Zee's Tee:
And because I still had another panel left, I was even able to make another Zee's Tee for their cousin, who lives out of state.
We didn't manage any Christmas Day Photos, but my BIL and SIL sure got a kick out of this set!
