Here are some 2011′s sewing and knitting accomplishments I am most proud of:

• being able to contribute to this book
• teaching classes here
• being featured here for some of the sewing I do for H.
• being featured here, here, and here for the sewing I do for myself

But my biggest accomplishment is getting to know more of YOU!  Thanks for all of your kind comments, supportive e-mails, and friendly ‘hellos’ around the neighborhood.  It really does make a difference knowing there are people who take the time to look at my little ole blog. I look forward to yet another great year of sewing and knitting with all of you.

Hope to see ya there!

Here is a quick rundown of a few items I made for birthday and holiday presents.

Oliver + S Sailboat top for my nephew’s first birthday.  I made this in size 18 – 24 months.

Using fabric from my stash, I made this Oliver + S Popover Sundress for one of H.’s classmates.

J. was my niece’s secret Santa this year.  As part of her Christmast gift, I made her a reversible cape using thin-whaled turquoise corduroy and a print from Modern Workshop by O + S.

I must say, she looks pretty adorable in it.

H. was my newest nephew’s secret Santa.  As part of his gift, I made him a cabled baby hat using cashmere and merino yarn, Oliver + S Bedtime Story PJs, and a raglan sweater.

Here is super cute baby H. wearing the sweater.

For my teenage nephews, I knit them hats to go along with their presents.

H. is trying on this Irish Hiking Hat I knit using Spud & Chloë’s Sweater yarn.

I knit another hat for my other nephew, but I forgot to take a photo of it before I sent it off in the mail.

For my fabulous mother-in-law, I knit her a Shalom Cardigan using Reynold’s Lopi.  Topping it off with a vintage button.

I also made some Weekend Travel bags to give away as gifts.  I cut the fabric for these a while back.

The zipper colors may not be the ideal match, but I wanted to avoid yet another trip to the fabric store.

I wasn’t able to finish all of my holiday crafting, so I’ve been frantically trying to finish two scarves.  Once these are done, I’ll get back to sewing!

I’ve enjoyed seeing all the holiday PJs popping up online.  My sewing machine has been whirring under yards and yards of  flannel in an attempt to make my own holiday pjs.  This past week, I finished four sets of pajamas.

H & J loved the matching holiday pajamas I made them last year, so I sewed them another pair of Oliver + S Bedtime Story Pajamas.  I used an adorable snowman print by Riley Blake and “Racer Stripes” in aqua from Michael Miller’s Children At Play line.

Here is H. wearing them last night as she snuggled with our 16-year-old mini Dachshund.

I also made a set of the Oliver + S Sleepover Pajamas as a sample for JP Knit and Stitch.  I used flannel by Erin McMorris and Alexander Henry.

I know these are big on H.  I made them in a 7, so she can wear them next year when I get the sample back.

If you live in the Boston area and would like to sew the Sleepover PJs, I’ll be teaching a workshop in January over at JP Knit and Stitch.  The registration should be up soon.

You’ll have to  wait a bit to see the last set of holiday pjs.  I’ll post those after they have been given.

As I was looking through the photos for this post, I realized I need to try harder not to blink when photos are taken, and of course, I need to smile more!

I modified the pattern to add a liner to all the tote bags.  I thought this gave the bags a more finished look as well as made the bags nice and sturdy.

I started off make two large ones, two medium bags, and three small totes. I think the medium are the perfect size, so I am planning to make a few more of those to add to the growing pile of homemade presents.

Here is a closer look at each bag:

Amy Butler with Alexander Henry for this large bag.

Echino Nico paired with Lisette to make this large tote.  I kept this one.

Amy Butler with Patty Young to make a medium tote.

Amy Butler with Alexander Henry (I think) in a medium bag.

Joel Dewberry paired with Denyse Schmidt to make a small tote.

Joel Dewberry with Alexander Henry for a small tote bag.

I used leftover Alexander Henry fabric accompanied with Patty Young to make this small bag.  H. has requested to keep this one to carry to and from Daisy Troop meetings.

Kwik Sew 3597 is a really simple and fast pattern.  I’m hoping to continue stash busting by making a few more of these bags to give away.  This first batch will be going to H. and J.’s teachers.

She was mesmerized.

For the special occasion, H. wore an Oliver + S School Photo Dress (view B) sewn using a print from Lecien’s Scandinavian Christmas.  I made this dress to be a shop sample for JP Knit and Stitch, but H. was able to test if out before it went to its new home.

H. took full advantage of the hidden kangaroo pocket by slipping her program inside, so she could hold on to her Nana’s and Grandma’s hands as we made our way to our seats.  Aside from the front pocket, my favorite detail of the dress is the ruffled collar.

For the lining, I used Bemberg lining in dark gray since I had some in my stash.  I did a blind stitch to attach the lining to the zipper to give it a neater finisher; a step I didn’t bother to do the last time I made this dress.

If you want to get a closer look at this dress, just pop on by to JP Knit and Stitch.

Given my penchant for all things mustard lately, it shouldn’t be too surprising that I picked out the Florine Brass Mesh to sew a skirt using  Cynthia Rowley’s Simplicity 2215 pattern.

The pattern has so many lovely details like the asymmetrical pleats and the fitted waistband.  I opted to forgo the frayed bottom edge of the skirt and gave mine a 2 1/2 inch hem.

My favorite details are the side pockets.  You can barely see them, and they just seem to melt into the side pleats.  I love the construction of the side left pocket and the invisible zipper.   Part of the pocket lining is sewn to the zipper, so the pocket sits right in front.  For the pocket lining, I used some leftover gray fabric.  I love this color combination together.

I’m pleased with the way the skirt turned out.  Paired with my brown honey cowl, I couldn’t wait to head out the door for work this morning.

Using one skein of Spud & Chloë  Sweater yarn and this pattern, J. has a brand spanking new winter hat.

J. was so anxious to wear it, so I didn’t get a chance to block the hat before he wore it to pre-school last week.

Over the weekend, I made H. a Thanksgiving dress using the Oliver + S Apple Picking Dress pattern and organic cotton from Cloud 9.

For the past year or so, I have found myself being drawn to combinations of mustard and blue and mustard and gray. The Berry Bush and the Splinters prints from Heather Moore’s Cut Out & Keep, Cloud 9 collection were must haves.

H. really likes her new dress and wore it to a birthday party this weekend where she managed to get pink cupcake icing smeared all over it. H. likes this pattern so much, she has already requested me to make her another one to match S.’s.

For both bags, I used cotton sateen decor weight fabric by Joel Dewberry from my stash.

I made some minor adjustments to the pattern to accommodate the fact that I didn’t have quite enough fabric.  I used a different print for the inside of the strap.  I like the little pop of surprise.

I also added 3 extra inches to the length of the fabric and added two button holes for a drawstring closure.

For this bag, I lined it with a print from Aneela Hoey.

I did a test drive with this bag on Saturday morning for a 90-minute Baptiste yoga session. The pockets were big enough to hold my water bottle, keys and such.  If I had one of those super thin, fancy thin mat towels, I probably could have squeezed that in too.  My mom does hot yoga 4-5 times a week, so this bag is heading her way.

For the second bag, I didn’t add the drawstring.

I’m donating this bag to my daughter’s school for an upcoming fundraiser.

Hopefully, I can make one for me after the holidays.