some quilty little baby gifts

Last week we visited SIL to deliver baby-xmas gifts to the newest in the family, here is baby-Maisie at rising-1yr she's already starting to find her "feet" and developing fast into a proper little character.  On the day we visited, her Mum, Claire, was getting ready to go skiing along with Maisie and for anyone interested, next year promises to be exciting with news that she is to commence "robot" training early in the year ahead of her challenge to "walk" the London Marathon!  The race is on now to see who walks "first", mum or daughter!

I made little sets of fleece hats and scarves embroidered with a snowman - built in design - for each of the two babies.  Nice quick make these were overlocked and done in an evening.  The fleece is the last remnants of that used for my own sons when they were small and I just managed to squeeze a pair using practically every last scrap of fabric!

I embroidered some pretty little designs on soap, too, and wrapped them in fabric - this design is a built in from my Bernina emb. machine.

Using a printed panel from the lovely Cotton Patch, I made a pair of christmas stockings for the children and colour themed one red and one green and quilted them using the lovely quilt threads from my former job working for Janome.

SEW much choice!! I love threads ..

Its been a long time since I've done any proper sewing and one thing I've resolved for NEXT YEAR is to do more! sewing!

I'm afraid I'm having a bit of a battle with blogger this afternoon and it won't co-operate with uploading my pics! sorry! for the disjointed way they are being flung up! and for any duplications!
Essentially I cut the panels, used steam-a-seam to bond the applique "label" with holly/leaves to the plain red "back" of each and embroidered the child's name to personalise.  It took me a few mins and a trial "go" with a mini sample to get into my head HOW to make up a quilted sandwich "top" and a fully lined "inner" but in the end it was nice and easy-peasy! 

I'm glad I made the effort, they were well received and I hope the children will enjoy them each year for many years to come.  We filled the stockings with chocolates and mini selection boxes and the fleece stuff.

I did a mix of quilting using my walking foot and some free motion "whizz" up and around in general chaos of random this-way-and-that-way! and managed to NOT get myself backed into a corner!  by the end I was fair breathless and that was nothing to do with the Afib!!  tense, too, from GRIPPING the fabric layers I finally finished quilting around 11pm and promptly sank a VERY large G+T by way of relief!!  I thoroughly enjoyed making these.

Finally we wrapped some toys from ELC and that was THAT!  its nice to have babies to gift for at Christmas time!