Scrappy the Fabric Block

I'm gradually getting a bit more time for making things here and there. I was fixing a shirt the other night and decided to make this fabric block while I had the sewing machine out.

You may recognize one of the fabrics from the pajamas I made. I had scraps from different polar fleece fabrics. I cut 6 squares. Sewed four of them together in a line, then sewed one on the top edge, matching each edge of the square with an edge from the other 4 squares, and one on the bottom edge, leaving a space to stuff it. I turned it right side out, stuffed it with more fabric scraps, and sewed up the small remaining hole.

Ta Da, a nifty soft block made from scraps! :)

Wrapping Cloth

Maybe I'm weird, but I don't like having wrapping paper scattered about after opening presents only to be thrown out. I've been known to unwrap presents rather carefully despite not knowing what to do with all that pretty paper. I just find it so wasteful to throw it out. I tend to save and reuse gift bags, but the paper doesn't hold up well enough for that. I still want my presents to be neat and pretty!

Last year I wrapped presents in a combination of bought cloth bags, and gift bags. This year I took it a step further and bought some cute Christmas themed fabrics and sewed bags and big squares to wrap presents in. The big paper wrapped one was too big for my fabric and the little one is a gift to me.I got most of the bags back so next year's wrapping will go super fast!

These were really easy to make. I cut out rectangles two inches or so bigger than I wanted for the present, folded the edges neat and ironed and sewed. Ironing the seems down took longer than sewing them.