Handmade Christmas - Husband Gifts

It's a good thing the Hubs doesn't read my blog...because today's post is all about the gifts I've made (and still have to make) him for Christmas.  He's kind of hard to buy for sometimes because he's a big shopper, and when he finds something that he wants, he buys it.  So, this year I wanted to make him some cool things that he can't buy himself.

First up, his very own "dream" blanket.  I love Aden and Anais blankets...and so do my kids.  They're so soft and snuggly.  But, they don't come in adult size.  The Hubs loves them too.  So, my first project was to make him his own adult size dream blanket.  I'd heard that JoAnn's carried a cotton gauze fabric, so last time I was in the US I stopped in to check it out.  Totally not the same thing.  Drat.  So I did a little searching online and found some cotton bubble gauze from Dharma Trading Company.  The reviews said it was amazingly soft so I ordered 10 yards.  The reviews were right.  This stuff is luxurious!  Since I needed 4 layers for his blanket, I cut the fabric into 2.5 yard pieces.  Then, all I did was fold the edges over a 1/4" then another 1/4" and sewed as close to the edge as I could.  The fabric is a tad tricky to work with so my edges are not even close to being professional or straight for that matter, but that's ok...it gives it character right?  In about an hour, my "dream" blanket was finished!

The cotton bubble gauze only comes in white, so I decided to dye it green since we are all big Rider fans in this house.  My favorite dye to work with is Dylan Dye.  It creates beautiful colors and is really easy to work with.  1 package is good for 250 gm of fabric.  I had significantly more than that but I decided to use just the one package...I was too cheap to buy the 10 packages I probably needed and wanted a subtler colour.  Here are the results:

I didn't have anyone to hold it up so you could see how long it is, but after shrinkage it's about 45"x80".

Project #2:  I saw this cute shirt on Pinterest and thought it would make a perfect stocking stuffer.  I knew I could make it myself for cheaper, so I played around in my Silhouette software and made one very similar to the one I pinned.  I also learned a few new tricks while making this...curving text and modifying a shape.  (The original shape had shirt cuffs underneath that I didn't want in my design).  Here is the finished result:

Next, I'll be working on a scrappy photo frame for his office and a scrappy desk calendar using my Cinch.

Thanks for stopping by!