I thought at first that I was biting off more than I could chew, but I really, REALLY wanted to sew most of my giftables this past Christmas.
I felt like I was figuring out zipper pouches pretty well, and who couldn’t use a pouch to keep stuff in? Pillowcases are a thing, too, and I’ve been getting better at appliqué, so there were lots of possibilities.
I made my husband a C64 zipper pouch for his birthday in November, and it turned out pretty awesome.
So I went for it. And it went well.
First, I made a U of M lined zipper pouch for my boss. I hope she likes that lining fabric, ‘cause she’s getting something else made with it next year. One yard goes a long way when you’re making little projects.
I wasn’t entirely pleased with how it came out — the zipper corners were too bulky, and the quilting on the back had too many skipped stitches — but I forced myself not to redo it and just be happy with its imperfections.
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For my son’s teacher, I made a sunflower pencil case. I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out, although the zipper corners were still a little wonky. She thanked me profusely at the class Winter Party, and wondered if I’d known she liked sunflowers…? Well, yes — the About Me handout she sent home at the beginning of the school year came in handy!
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For my greyhound-loving BFF, I made this drawstring bag with zippered pocket and matching pouch. I was pretty proud of these — and I almost got the zipper corners right this time!
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For my Mom, I made these paisley pillow covers. One is envelope-style, and one is zippered. The envelope pillow cover is a little small for the overstuffed pillow form, so the back looks kind of funny, but I think they both turned out pretty awesome.
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For my son’s friend, Harper, I made this princess purse. This was my first attempt at a strap, and it worked out pretty well for a first try. But! I finally got the zipper tabs right! It looks quite nice (compared to my earlier zippers).
The ultimate reward, though, was when Harper’s parents (family friends of ours) sent a photo of her opening her gift:
Totally worth it.
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Edit to add: How could I forget the super-secret Pokémon jammie pants I made for Connor? Pretty sure those are his favorite pajamas right now.
