DIY Gifting: Part 5, Why Handmade with Amy Hornburg Heilveil

Now that the holidays are over, making gifts is probably the last thing on your mind.  However, now that all the brouhaha has died down and the nights are long, I think this is the best time to get ahead on crafting projects.  
So, bust out those needles and knit that hat for your cousin in Ohio or start making a love journal for your favorite valentine.  
Amy Hornburg Heilveil gifts us with her crafting know-how once again and dishes the skinny on why handmade is what the cool kids like.  The cloak she made for her daughter would make a wonderful gift this time of year.  

"One of the things that is so refreshing is how much my daughter adores any article of clothing that someone has taken the time to make for her. I've made her costumes for Halloween for the past two years. Each costume cost me less than $20 in materials and she was pleased as punch with both of them. 

She was also the envy of several other children both times, as they did turn out well. The first year she wanted to be a pumpkin and the second year, Mu Shu from the movie, "MuLan". 

This year for Channukah, I decided that she needed a more formal coat for winter. I don't care to take her to nice dinners at grandma's house wearing her play 'winter coat'.  The outer fabric for the cape I made is a cotton flannel that I'd had for a couple of years, thinking to make something of this sort for her. The collar is a bit of black velveteen that I inherited with my grandmother's fabric stash, and the lining is a low profile purple fleece to help keep her warm. 

Boy, this thing is very warm too; I was amazed.  

I didn't think we were going to get it off of her when we got to grandma's house. Since it was done in starts and stops, the cloak took about a week to make, which translates into approximately 5 hours, at the most and it's unique to her, you can't find stuff like this in a store."

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DIY Gifting: Part 3, Knitting Hits and Misses with Dorothy Wisnewski

Not sure how everyone else's gift making for the holiday season is coming along, but so far I have yet to make ornaments- although I have bought some of the materials.  I have made quite a few cards.  Baking does not commence until December.  Right now my biggest obstacles are keeping the cat off of my dining room table (a.k.a. crafting table) and not losing momentum.
It is November, however, and whether you celebrate Christmas, Solstice, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, if you are making your own gifts, then it's time to get going!
Just to get you started, here is some inspiration from crafty lady Dorothy Wisnewski .  Dorothy has created many knitted gifts in the past for friends and family and dishes the dirt to BBAC on past gifting hits and misses:

"Now, past gifts. I have given some stuffed animals that I knitted and were received well.  A few years back there was a monkey I made for a little girl, who named it Daffodil Moons. 






More recently I've done two little lambs (not from my original pattern, though), which also were a hit. It helps that I figured out how to embroider the faces properly! And I made Audrey a bat, which she quite liked, and also is loved by Lucian.

But there have definitely been some comical misses. The first sweater I made for Jeremy (Dorothy's husband) was not quite the right fit or size, so he wore it a few times and then stopped. But he never told me why. Finally, he insisted that we keep it around anyway, because it was the first full-size sweater I had made, which is kind of momentous in the career of a knitter. I, on the other hand, had intended to knit a useful thing, and did not appreciate this monstrosity sitting in my house mocking my inadequacies as a designer and tailor. So I ripped out every stitch, balled up all the yarn again, and have begun knitting it into a different sweater for him. There's still a chance this one won't work either, becuase of different design choices on my part, in which case it will become a vest and I will wash my hands of it.

The other funny failure that comes to mind also happens to be a sweater. (They're so conducive to imperfection!) When I was pregnant with Lucian, I wanted to make something special for Audrey, so that her baby brother wouldn't be the only one benefitting from people's generosity. So I made her a big sister hoodie, out of a lovely soft cotton blend, very comfy, with pretty cables all over. Since it was to be a surprise, I couldn't have her try it on as I knitted, but I knew that I didn't want her to outgrow such a labor-intensive sweater right away, so I sized it generously. Well, that was a year and a half ago, and we think she probably has another year or two before she can wear it. Oops."






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DIY Gifting: Part 2, Making Soap with Dorothy Wisnewski

There's something tiresome about shopping for presents.  Not because I don't like to give, but basically because a) I hate shopping and b) it's hard to find meaningful gifts at the mall.  Since I've been making cookies every year for family, I have been hooked on the idea that giving presents doesn't have to be a consumerist act.  When you receive something handmade it is precious, there is only one of its' kind.  The birthday card my son made for me is a piece of him- his imagination, talents, and time.  

Since I have this DIY mentality when it comes to holidays and gifts, I was curious to learn what other people craft as gifts.  Knowing that my friend, Dorothy Wisnewski, is a craftsy lady I asked her to add to this thread.  Dorothy is a woman of many talents- she knits, bakes bread, speaks Spanish fluently, and is a full-time mom.  Lately she's been making soap.  Really cool soap- especially the soda bottle molded soaps!  Here's what Dorothy had to say about her adventures in soap making:  

I have been using pre-made blocks of natural vegan soap that I've been getting from a gardening company, and experimenting with different ingredients (mostly what I already have in my kitchen) to add to small batches. I cut off a chunk, melt it in a bowl in the microwave, wait until it's cool enough, add stuff, then pour into molds. Not exactly in the artisan soapmaking tradition of doing it all precisely and from scratch, but I've been having fun with it-- and avoiding the preservatives in other soaps that had been starting to really bother my skin. 

Cocoa and cinnamon seemed like a winning combo, given that I've had them in so many coffee drinks. I like that lots of potential add-ins (e.g. cocoa powder, coffee, etc.) smell fantastic and also are nice exfoliants, or good for your skin in some other way. As for the shape, I was rinsing out bottles to recycle one day when I looked at the bottom of a soda bottle, noticed the wild rose shape, and realized I could cut off the bottom and use it as a mold. And my latest "Frankenstein's soap monster" was born. Actually, I had the thought that it would be fun to make gross soaps for Halloween, like anatomically correct brains, hearts, etc.... but don't have that kind of mold. I may have to learn to make them myself, too!

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