Happy New Year!

Is it really 2013?! The year went by so quick. December was hectic for us, as I'm sure it was for most of you too. After all the sewing and making, visiting, traveling (and we certainly did a lot of that), we needed to just veg out on the couch. If you're into video games, I highly recommend Borderlands 2...

Anyway, with all the craziness, I didn't take photos of any gifts. So stupid, I know. The only ones I have are from my Pollyanna swap with 3 of my favorite online friends (Christine, Selina and Amy). I made my hub pick the names and email everyone. He drew Selina for me which made it really easy since she is my Wonder Twin :)

We only listed our favorite color(s) and size and the rest would be up to Santa. Selina said she was into grey and yellow. I had this fabric in my stash for a long time and it seemed perfect for her present. I knew I wanted to make her something that she wouldn't normally buy or make for herself. I had been working on some patterns (change purses, clutches, eyeglass cases) for metal frames so I decided to make her a clutch.

I also wanted to add a little something extra. I wasn't sure what to do since I didn't have much time and my machine was acting up (that's a whole other story). In the end, I thought I'd make her something useful and opted for a needle book.

I made the outside using a charm pack and herringbone(?) pattern. It was actually an experiment that didn't work out for the intended project - too small. However, it was the perfect size for the needle book.

Because the book is tri-fold, it made creating the inside a bit trickier. Instead of using the felt pieces as pages, I cut 3 'flaps'.

Then I added some hemp twine (LOVE that stuff) to keep it tied together. There are also three pockets behind the mottled green fabric.

I really like the design but was very unhappy with the stitching. I think it is atrocious. You can't really tell in the photo. Honestly, I was lucky the stitching was secure with all the issues my machine was having. I also would have done the pockets differently. Initially, I wanted it to be one long pocket but the fabric wasn't taught enough. I had no choice but to make three instead. If there had been more time and my machine wasn't being a POS, I would have made a new one. I almost didn't send it. Then I thought about it some more and came to the conclusion that if I received it, I'd like it and use it. There was no point in keeping it because I just received one from a  RATZ swap. So I sent it.

And I'm happy to report that Selina liked everything :) Seems like a good start to the new year :)

How about you guys- did you make any presents this year?