The Covert Robin - What I Made

I had so much fun participating in the Covert Robin swap hosted by imagine gnats! Now that my package is mailed off I can share what I made for my partner. It was challenging at first, beause my partner does not have a blog, so I wasn't able to do any blog stalking. However, after a bit of googling I found her on pinterest and that gave me some ideas.

 

I decided to make my partner a patchwork dishcloth and matching potholders! She seems to like cooking and I thought it would be a useful gift that would brighten up her kitchen! I originally started with squares and darker colors for the towel, but decided to go with strips of fabric and more spring-like fabrics.

 

 

The front of the towel is strips of cotton fabric sewn together in rows. It measures about 9" x 15", if I remember correctly. The back is yellow terrycloth cut from a kitchen towel (it was a bamboo towel and it's sooo soft). I quilted the two layers together by stitching in the ditch so it won't move around too much.

 

 

The potholders are 8" squares using leftover fabric from the towel. I quilted these too and then sewed a binding on to finish the edges.

 

 

It's almost too pretty to use! I hope my partner likes her gift - it should be arriving at her house today!

 

~Elizabeth

St. Nicholas Day Surprise

Today, is the feast of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra in the third century. He was a very kind and wealthy man, giving much of what he had to the poor and needy. He is the real Santa Claus.

As one story goes, there was a man who had three daughters. In order to get married, they had to have money - a dowry. The man was very poor and did not have any money, so it seemed as though his daughters would be sold into slavery. However, one night a they found a bag of gold by their fireplace. The next night, a second bag of gold was found and then a third. The three daughters had their dowries and would not be sold into slavery. Nicholas was the one who had given the gold to the man and his daughters. That is how the tradition of putting your shoes out on the eve of St. Nicholas Day came about.

Over my Thanksgiving break, I made three zippered pouches for my roommates. I wanted it to be a Christmas gift for them because they are such wonderful roommates! We leave for break before Christmas, so I decided to surprise them with their gifts for St. Nicholas Day. I wrapped their gifts up in pretty paper and decorative gift bags.


Here they are, all packaged up!

Once they leave for school, I will put them in their rooms, and they will have a surprise waiting for them when they get home later today!

Roommate #1 will get this lovely Girlfriend Zipper Pouch. It is just the right size and it even has pockets inside! If you want to make one, you can find the tutorial at Blue Susan Makes. It was super easy and fun too! I love the ruffle detail on the front.

 

 

Roommate #2 will get this awesome pencil pouch! It is perfect for her since she wants to be a teacher. The numbers are perfect too, because she loves math! It is super easy to follow and you can find the tutorial at Gwenny Penny. I will be making several more of these!

 

 

Roommate #3 is from South Korea, and she loves anything I sew. She has watched me sew and wants me to teach her! I decided to make her this open wide zipper pouch from Noodlehead. The fun thing about this tutorial is you can choose from 3 different sizes to make. I was going to make a medium but I made a mistake when cutting, so I had to make a small. This is another great tutorial that I will be using again!

 

 

 

 My crafty and thoughtful sister wanted to make something for all of my roommates too. She made these felt Christmas tree ornaments. Aren't they so cute? She did a great job!

 

 

 

I know my roommates will love their surprises! Have you been sewing any Christmas gifts lately?

 

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

 

~Elizabeth