As we approach the holidays theres always a need for something new for the family dinner, new Years celebrations..What are you making?

and What garment gifts are you whipping up?

I'm hoping to have enough time to finish a couple things for DH and youngest son that havent even been started yet......its gonna be a close call and some late nights.

Did you know that a circle skirt for a standard size 10 at mini or knee length left open down the back center seam makes an incredible Christmas Tree skirt?

Embellish as desired.

Kaaren

This is the first year my grand babies are walking. They are 15 1/2 months and 18 months. For my grand daughter I made a red velore jumper. For my grand son a red velore vest and pants that are still on the drawing board, but I can get it finished.
By the way Kaaren, that tree skirt pattern idea is great. I do a lot of machine embroidery and that will make a great base.
Thanks

sounds wonderful Elaine! Bet they are adoreable!
Kaaren

I'm making several 4-gore, flared fleece skirts for 5-year-old DGD: made her one of white (with button-through adjustable elastic waist) for her 12/2 birthday, to go with a lavender and white sweater. She like it enough to lie on it right away while she read the books in the birthday package. I went through my fleece scraps and found enough light-blue Winnie-the-Pooh left from a bunting to make one and enough black to make a black & white "harlequin" one, alternating the colors. I'm knitting like mad for a navy sweater to go with Winnie.

With advice from the Doll Shop users, I got a Target "knock-off" 18-inch doll for DGD - she'll get a dress or two from scraps of other clothes I've made for the 5-year-old.

When DD and DGD arrive here in Phila. from Indiana, Selma Whitaker - our new educator - is going to measure DD again so I can continue to sew for her long-distance. (She's a single mom who's back in college for her B.A. and teaching credentials.)

DH gets flannel PJs and (maybe, if I can get there) an Aloha sportshirt from material we bought during the last Hawaii trip.

Now, off to put more cookies into the oven...

I think I can come up for air now...whew! I have had my nose to the needle for better than a month now. I did two embroidered "Twas the Night Before Christmas" books, 17 pages of embroidery but such a grand present! I made an embroidered Christmas Coaster set, pillow, embroidered 6 scripture towels, embroidered many, many hand towels wtih all sorts of things...one set of hand towels I made to have on hand for anyone who slips through the radar....one hand towel says Naughty and the other says "Nice". Polar fleece throws by the handful, polar fleece jackets with hoods...I am DONE except for the doll clothes for the Cabbage Patch and the large BArbie...which I will be doing late in the week. Already printed off the patterns from DS so I am good to go...my poor machine is sure groaning, and I'm not doing too bad at it myself. Merry Christmas everyone! Michelle in Texas

Michelle, are you using Doll Shop for the Cabbage Patch Kid clothes? What size?

Yes I am, Alice. I bought a knock-off Cabbage Patch at Walmart and simply entered all the measurements of the doll. Takes time but it works! Michelle

I am replying to my own reply here, but I did not want to mislead anyone. I did measure my dolls, all 57 measurements and enter them...but I found that on many of the patterns this gave me a very askew pattern, especially pants. I had used this before and it worked fine, but possibly since the last update, or the one before? I don't know. Anyway, what I found that worked better was to find a doll size that closely resembled the doll I was working on...having done the actual measurements helped because I could compare. Then clicking on a set that is pre-set in DS, I got much better results. Also, you just stick to bare bones type patterns, simple pants, I used drawstring and put in an elastic, or one seam, those worked well. Nothing complicated...trust me...you DON'T want to go there...lol. I tried to make the focal point the fabric rather than the style of the pattern...my little nieces will be happy, they can take them off, put them on, etc. etc.... I made most of them with a serger for strength. Soft sew in velcro works great, cut it in half all the way up the strip, zig zag it whereever you want a closure. Very simple. Happy HOlidays everyone. Michelle