Crafty

And now for a closer look at the gift that I made for the beautiful Tyler.

I started with two crocheted caps, one white and one purple {both the same style}. They were inspired by something Brandy saw out and about on the internet. Brandy only wanted the hats, but they came with flowers, so I wanted to make some too.

I started with a portion of a blanket that I had made for Leah a while ago. I tacked down the different layers so the flower would lay nicely and I sewed on a clippy to the back of it so that the flower could be taken off and a different one could be put back on the hat.

But that was just the beginning. For this was the perfect excuse to try a pattern I saw on purlbee. And this required a trip to the store for some felt.

I tried to restrain myself...

... so I only took two sheets of each color.

The pattern was easy to follow. The hardest part was the cutting out since I found out quite quickly that using a felt tip pen left ink on the felt pieces that had to be trimmed and trimmed off. It ended up being faster to just hold the pattern piece on the felt and cutting without tracing. Scary but faster since I wasn't having to cut off the ink afterwards.

It was amazing to watch the felt pieces become a rose. Just a few stitches here and a few there and, bam, you have a rose.

And it looks like the pattern.

Now that is joy!

Two roses, one for each of the hats although they are intended to be switched around and worn with both.

But, that was not all.

Tyler was having a butterfly party, so she most certainly needed butterflies for her caps. I ended up making the pattern pieces myself. From there, it was just a matter of cutting them out and sewing them together {top down}. Tons of fun!

I cannot tell you how much joy it brought me to make these gifts. It has been such a long time since I've made any gifts, certainly longer than the 5 years that I've been at my current job {since I went from a 20 hour a week job to a 32 hour a week job gaining $$ but losing precious time}. Back then, I was still a little shy about making and giving handmade gifts.

The timing must be just right. I didn't feel any time pressure {which would have nixed the project - can't have migraines over the fun stuff}. I just felt the pure joy of the creative process. It has been such a long time since I have felt that joy, having a few duds of late {may they remain nameless, which you thought was finished but has since been frogged and sits, again, half finished}.

Plus, the receivers have been so appreciative.

{which just might be the real reason}

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."
~ Erma Bombeck