Christmas catch-up: what I gave

For apologies on the belated Christmas report, see here. (Extra apologies to Middle Brother, who I still haven't shipped to—bad Feed Dog!) On to the what kept me busy last month....

What, I thought, would be a more romantic gift for the Other than a stuffed Jabba the Hutt toy? We've been known to invoke the name of the Hutt when we're feeling especially piggish, full, or otherwise gluttonous, and I do a mean impression of his laugh on a semi-regular basis; the Other appreciates all things felt, so the two were a natural marriage.

I sketched out a pattern in EQ6 (surprisingly well-suited to his bulbous curves), added a gusset for his gut, sewed him together, and gloated over the results to anyone who would listen. I mean, it's a felt Jabba doll! I was disappointed that I couldn't locate a bikini-clad Leia for him, but she does only play a supporting role to His Slugness. The Other was very amused to find Mr Hutt under the tree—for once I managed to not give away what I'd been working on.

Feeling my pattern-design energies sapped, I resorted to the Spring 2007 issue of Quilts and More. I combined two of their three apron patterns 'cause I liked the ruffle on one but the rickrack on another. I cleverly left the magazine at home when I went to Jo-Ann, but fortunately the 2 yards of rickrack I bought left me with only 2 inches to spare. Phew! I knew the Mother was in a need of an apron and liked vintage-looking ones, and the fabric was perfect for her kitchen. Nevertheless, she declined to be photographed, so the apron is modelled here by Youngest Brother.

Speaking of him, Youngest Brother got my latest appliquéd ransom note, featuring a line from French and Saunders that we love to quote to each other. Dawn French says it as Catherine Spartacus Zeta-Douglas-Jones, Queen of Wales. It's seriously funny, unless you're the Father, who can't understand why the Mother, Youngest Brother, the Other, and I are always shouting "You're just not cutting it, baby!" and other choice bits at one another.

That, of course, brings us to the Father. I'd had this car fabric for a while and wanted to make him a necktie, since he's an automotive engineer. Considering how often he wears ties (never) and how often he'd be caught dead in a tie made from this fabric (less than never), I went for slippers, which he's always wearing. I forgot to get a photo of what I whipped together more or less freehand: the cars went over the toes and front of the feet, and the sole was just a few layers of stiff felt. I was worried I'd made them too small, but they seemed to fit the Father. Much to my surprise, he actually seemed to find them warm and fairly functional. But they're definitely not hard-wearing, so we'll see how long they survive.

There's a niggling impulse to wrap up with some comment about homemade gifts being the best expression of love and appreciation and all those heartwarming things (blech), but I tend to think that the best part of making presents is that you can come up with totally weird stuff that may only make sense to the intended recipient. And if you're wondering where I got that idea, stay tuned for my post on the Christmas gifts made for me.