"Grammy" Shirlyn's Blog: SEWING IDEAS or items collected to go with things I've made up to share with loved ones. . . .

I love to make as many of my gifts for my children and grand-children as I am able. I like to make tablecloths & napkins for the holidays and theme dinners too. I also like to find cute stuff to put on the cloths for the different holidays or dinners. I've made aprons of all shapes and sizes; small hygiene/first aid kits for girls or boys camps or for an overnite with "Grammy" & "Papa"; purses; travel bags; fluffy blankets with pillows; reading-pillows with pocket of books; quilts; patched t-shirt quilts; "Daddy-Daughter Date Kits" (which included a mouse waffel iron, mix, syrum, kite and/or "How to Build a Snowman" book); place cards for every kind of meal; puppet stage (which included home-made puppets & scripts), jams; breads; cookies; pies; "Grammy's Get-Well Quick Kit" (which included a TV tray with a cute place mat and napkin on it, a movie, on loan from my VHS Library, popcorn, coco, chicken soup, cute kids bandaids (for any ouchy's real or imaginary); decorated large jars of soft-chew peppermint balls with a history behind it about one of their great-great grandmother's; "Kid's Cook Book" full of recipes easy to make and pictures of them making some of what's in the book (which is made to be added to) along with bowls, measuring spoons, measuring cups & spatula; Picture history book of "Hoyt's-Hide-A-Way in Greer, AZ from 1953-2015"; "Testimonies of Parent's, Grandparents and Great Grandparents" book (I collected up written testimonies on both sides of all my married children's families with pictures and made up a book for each of our Grandchildren.); I made up a script from reading Momma's history so each grandchild could ask her a question, off their individual slips of paper, of my Momma at her "This Is Your Life" birthday party and then I recorded her answers to the kids and typed those up and made up a booklet for each family; I've made picture books on the life of my Momma, Neph & Marge, Uncle Tony and my Beach Bud's; I've made paint smocks; aprons for my husband, sons & sons-in-law that I've embroidered "family sayings" like "You Are Important, Loved & Special"; "Peek-A-Boo Bags" (for quiet time in church); burp cloths (out of cloth diapers); burp cloths (out of terry cloth); "Adult Plop Cloths" (idea came to me when one of our son-in-laws was very ill) for adults use when sick or eating in front of the TV and don't want food plopped on them); hats & booties; first aid kits in tool boxes; hot or cold packs for therapy on aches & pains (each made with material that has to do with the person they were made for) my brother-in-law Doug, in WI got me the field corn to put in them); I've made up boxes of Emergency Preparedness supplies (wheat, seeds, sugar, flour, coco, powdered milk, beans, corn), and information on their shelf-life and recipes for using them. I've made p.j.'s for every family member for Christmas. I made game table cloths with the saying "The Family That Plays Together, Stays Together", added a new game out on the market, microwave popcorn & red vines (because all my kids and theirs like them and I have NO idea why) for family gifts.