Sunday, February 05, 2012

Handmade Holiday Challenge, Gifts #11, 12, and 13

I made three of these car caddies for Christmas gifts. I got the idea from Jennifer who mostly followed this tutorial by Homemade by Jill. Thankfully I had Jennifer and the other SSS girls to help me with the first car caddy or I never would have been able to make these things! They aren't necessarily hard, but I'm still very much a novice with the sewing machine (plus, I'm easily frustrated). This first one was for my friend A's son, Hollis. He's four, which may be on the upper age limit of who will enjoy this "toy," but only time will tell. I think the thing I like most about this one is the numbers. I'm glad JSS recommended using puffy paint; I think they turned out really cute!

This next one was the one I made for Cady. She helped me pick out the fun material for the outside. I finished hers in the wee hours of Christmas Eve (the day we opened presents as a family). My mom sewed the "C" on for me since there was no way I wanted to attempt something new that late at night! Since I was using the same material for the third car caddy, I wanted the girls to be able to tell them apart. Unfortunately, Cady's car cozy doesn't have any numbers. I didn't think about needing a solid color for the pocket until it was too late. Somehow I think she'll survive.

Finally, I made one for Addie. You would think that since this was the THIRD one of these things I had made it would be easy (and, of course, perfectly constructed). Yeah, not so much. I sewed the elastic band that's supposed to close the thing INSIDE at one point, which meant I got to use my trusty seam ripper some more. And then, when I went to sew it back together I chose a very poor place to leave open for "turning" the fabric right side out. Anna, don't look too closely at the edge of the road ;-) Because of sickness and busy schedules, we *still* haven't exchanged Christmas presents with the Wamsteds so Addie's car cozy is all wrapped up in the dining room ready to go. I have no doubt that she and Cady will be most excited about having a matching toy!

So, there you have it. Three similar gifts, all with their own little perfections and flaws. But, that's what makes homemade things so special, right? :-)

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