All the mobile swap partners have been sent out, so if you signed up be sure to check your email (if you didn’t get one look in your spam folder before you freak out and email me, but do email me if you didn’t get a partner).  The swap is just as big as last year, so it should be a lot of fun to watch. And I am just watching this year. There is just too much going on for me to sign up for something else–even if it is my own swap. I will be posting pictures here through the month as people finish their mobiles (and next month I’ll post the procrastinator’s mobiles).

The little bear up there is Adele and she’s for sale in my shop. She’s made from this ridiculously cool fabric a friend gave me and a felted wool sweater. I think she’s my favorite of all the bears I’ve made so far. The post needed a picture and my shop needed some shameless promotion. So there. And speaking of etsy (and shameless promotion) my friend’s shop tenfinger workshop has some pretty fantastic things in it these days. Little valentine guys, a sweet and modern dollhouse, and (my favorite) little red ridinghood. So go check it out!

I’ve made up a new batch of kiddy messenger bags for my shop, but the one you see above (on my cute little girl) can be yours for free! Cassie at the awesome Crafty Crow is giving it away and you still have time to put your name in the hat.  Just in case you don’t win (I never do) you can hop over to the shop and take your pick.

and remember there are only a couple more days left to sign up for mobile swap 2009!

…a few warm things I made for the kids so far this winter. The scarves are made from the sleeves of an old felted cashmere sweater and the kids love them because they are so soft.  The flannel pillowcases were supposed to be their St. Nicholas day presents, but I completely forgot about St. Nicholas day.  So they were whipped up in 10 minutes on St Nicholas night right before bedtime. A couple french seams and a big hem and voila! a custom pillowcase. I might make some linen ones for myself after Christmas. And the hat is from an old Martha Stewart pattern.  I’ve used the pattern a bunch of times before, but the sizing is always tricky. I set out to make one hat and suddenly the whole family has them. Usually I just make them from felted sweaters, but for this one I made two hats (one from a sweater and one from an old stripey knit shirt) then fit them together right sides facing, sewed around the edge, turned it out, topstitched and ta da.

I made this half eaten gingerbread man last year, but I thought I’d post it again in case you are starting to freak out about how soon Christmas is (16 days). He’s super simple to sew up. I wrote up instructions and there is a pattern you can download too. If you’d like to see the other mutant gingerbread man I made click here and to know why I made them click here.

Plenty of you want a tutorial for the string of lights advent calendar, so look for that in a couple days. Now get off the computer and finish those christmas presents already.

Ta da! The advent calendar is done, well pretty much done. It’s a string of chirstmas lights.   One of you guessed correctly! But there were some good ideas out there: an advent abacus, a ferris wheel.  Next year.  There are only twenty lights, but I figure I’ll save some making for next christmas or add them if I have time this month (ha!). There are treats in the bulbs and the lights fit in their little sockets, but they aren’t held in by anything–just the power of felt.  This calendar is for lightweight treats only or bits of paper with sugarless activities on them. I went with candy because my kids are still young enough to think it’s the best thing in the universe.

I’d be happy to write up a quick tutorial (with patterns) if there are a lot of you that would like to make one. It’s not difficult at all.  The hand sewing is a little time consuming, but it’s nothing a few movies won’t fix. If you sewed the bulbs on it would make a nice Christmas decoration for this year (or next).  If you’d like to see more pictures of it you can click here and here.  And there are lots more fantastic calendars here and here.