The Big Christmas Project

So for the past few weeks, I have been working on my Sooper Seekrit project. Though, truth be told, it was really only a secret from my siblings and their spouses and my parents.

Anywhoodle -- inspired by this pattern from The Empty Bobbin, I set about making two card table playhouses. One for my sister's two kids and the other for my brother's one-soon-to-be-two kids.




I decided on a farm for my sister's kids as both of their grandfathers grew up on farms. I was going to do a zoo for my nephew, but after poking around on Pinterest, I saw an "Under the Sea" themed one and it was so stinking cute, I had to do that one instead. Plus, a good way to get rid of my felt stash.

Here's the farm:

Don't you just LOVE the cross-hatch window?? Stroke of genius on may part, I must say.

The tractor was one of my favorites. About 7 layers of felt on that sucker. I also made the tree an apple tree because my brother-in-law's farm has an apple orchard. I got some awesome vintage apple crates from him. I need more, I think. For fabric storage.

I had to eventually walk away from the corn stalks. I drew them out and then just kept adding more and more detail. I spent two hours on one of them. It just seemed like every time I added something, it just got cuter. I love those cornstalks.

And from the land of the farm, we go under the sea. My amazing husband, Joe, was the one who suggested the hatch wheel on the front.

This is the back. I centered the porthole on this side and then made sure the other portholes were on opposite sides to make sure that enough light would get under there. My nephew is under 2 and I was afraid he wouldn't play in it if it was too dark under there.

Sea turtle!!

One of the sides with a Nemo fish and a 3D Jellyfish. The seaweed remind me of Ursula from "The Little Mermaid". I'm not sure why.

The other side.

I'll admit, it was hard to let these go. In retrospect, I wish that I had gone a different route with the farm one. I think if I were to ever make another farm theme, I would use green canvas and put a different crop on each side and then "hide" the animals and such among the stalks.

Also, the animals and underwater creatures wouldn't be nearly as awesome if my friend Jen hadn't suggested using puffy paints for the details. I made two AWESOME seahorses that didn't make it on the one and I'm sad about that. They were pretty flipping sweet. Also, I wish the farm had a sun and the under the sea had bubbles.

But - other than the actual canvas and the dark green felt, I didn't have to buy ANYTHING. All of the animals and stuff were made out of scraps. GO ME!

I did try to sew some of the elements on, but I learned very quickly that to do it that way was MADNESS. I would still be sewing. And so, my glue gun and I became VERY good friends. I still have a blister on my right, middle finger from the glue gun trigger. It also inspired me to ask for a new glue gun for Christmas. Which I totally got. ROCK. See above re: amazing husband.

I also made a double fleece blanket for my other brother-in-law, 4 pairs of comfy pants, and a cover for my father-in-law's chessboard cover. But in my haste to get stuff done (which I finished at about noon on Christmas Day. The playhouses were both finished by 5am on the 24th. I slept for 4 hours and then got up and sewed some more.) I did not get any pictures of them.

But I also - FINALLY - made Joe a double fleece blanket. The fleece blanket kind of launched my sewing and crafting a few years ago. I made a tie blanket for my friend Suzi as part of a blanket exchange, but then never did it again until I was at a loss as to what to get my siblings for Christmas. So, I made them and their significant others blankets and then my in-laws, and then other friends got them, too. But it occurred to me on Christmas Eve as I was wending my way through the fleece aisles at Joann Fabrics that I have never made one for Joe. And then it happened - as it so often does with me and fabric - this jumped out at me. Oh. My. Gosh.

You ... cannot ... make ... this blanket ... in time...

With my totally geeky, Original Series fanatic husband, how could I NOT????

And so, I got back into the cutting line and got 3 yards of this and 3 yards of red and then scurried home while he was out shopping for me with our daughter and whipped up his blanket. As you can see, he totally hates it:

This blanket is not logical.

And so, that's pretty much it for what I have done up to date. Emeline got a new American Girl doll - Caroline, 1812 - bringing her total up to 4, so there is a lot of stuff there to be made. I still have some gifts I need to work on and then some projects I just WANT to work on. I just ordered some fabric to make curtains for my dining room windows or closet - not sure which yet - so I am sure you will get those postings soon.

Love you all!!
The Crafty Empress (Aims)