Christmas Project Show and Tell

As promised, here are photos of my handmade Christmas items.
First off, the fabric Moses basket inspired by Dana. 

 

I added pockets, and made a matching pillow.  Be aware that sewing with the plastic canvas was VERY difficult.  Some choice words may have escaped my lips as I picked out stuff, had to resew things that didn't get in the seam, and then pulled things out a third time.  (It's a good thing I did this late at night!)  Overall, I am still happy with how it turned out although it is far from perfect.

Next, the second outfit for Baby's doll.  The fabrics are Moda from my mom's scrap pile:

Dolly in the basket:

Here is the blankie based on Sparkle Power's tutorial:

And, finally the reading pillows.  I made these with the Sew Liberated pattern, which I altered a little.  I reduced their size by 10%.  I needed them to not take up too much room in our small home. 

I added an envelope closure on the back, since these will need washing occasionally. They are filled with the pillow forms I made that I blogged about earlier.  Since the pillows are stuffed pretty well, I added velcro to keep them closed. 

The boys' pillows are virtually identical, so I embroidered their initials to avoid any potential arguments:

For the girl's pillows, I rounded the bottom corners of the pockets, which actually made it easier to turn.  I also added the girl's initials so no one felt left out.  

 Although Baby won't be reading for a while I didn't want to leave her out.  I made her a special pillow with a big pocket designed like the other pillows.

For all of these pillows, I used fabric from other projects.  The camping print, stripe, and piping on the boys' pillows came from the crib bumpers I made 9 years ago.  I carefully took them apart, and am excited to use the fabrics again.  Similarly, the blue floral and piping on the girls' pillows are from the crib bumpers my mom made.  Why not recycle fun fabrics?

Now, please don't think I am this ambitious every Christmas.  Circumstances beyond my control made it necessary this year, but I am also grateful.  I am glad that my kids will have some tangible things that lets them know how much I love them.