Scrap Busting Part 5

I think it's about time you saw some of the Christmas gifts I made.

I know, they are quite mundane, but I am determined to get my scrap heap down to a manageable level, I'm almost there, and we all need little zippered pouches to put stuff in, so I made a bunch. A bunch of about 50.

The interesting thing here is not so much what I made, but rather how I prepared the work so making them would be quick and painless. Last year, I ran into some problems when by the end of the Christmas crafting season, my pattern had gotten smaller because everytime I used the rotary, I cut a tiny sliver of the paper pattern. I finished making my gifts very tense because I had to adjust and wiggle and fidget with the fabric all the time. But not this year, this year it was a breeze for, this year, I joined the pros!

Pencils & Shell Pattern 

I made some samples, when happy with them, I made a sturdy pattern out of some stiff plastic, one for the shell and one for the interfacing.

Interfacing Pattern

I traced the pattern with the pencils the Kathleen recommends. I cut all the lines with the rotary cutter, interfaced, and when I sewed, I chained the work exactly like Jen from Grainline showed us in her neat little video.

This was quite a revelation for me. One might say it's about time for it took me a few years to see the light but, in my daily sewing life, I rarely make multiple anything except right before Christmas. I had the information but no use for it. Now that I'm sold on this method, I'll have to wait until the end of the year as I role out the Yuletide production line to use it again. And I will.

No stress Christmas crafting is the bomb!

Guérande Sea Salt Gift Bags, Same Method