More gifty goodness!

Yesterday I got to hang out with my best friend (henceforth, she shall be called Duck). Woo hoo! I only get to see Duck once or twice a year as she is currently living in California. So it's a big deal to be able to spend time with her in person. We had lunch with some of her other Seattle-area friends, and then dinner with our college roommate (it was such fun to see her, too!). And, of course, we also did some exchanging of gifts.

My gift to her was a little collection of comfy stuff. It included a pair of pajama pants using McCall's 5010.


This is the same pattern I used earlier this year to make a pair for myself. I made a couple of changes this time around though. I made a size Large, left the length as is, and then used about 15" of elastic in the waistband instead of the 23" called for. The fit at the waist-area (the pants sit just below the natural waist) is much better now—not nearly so loosey-goosey. Hopefully, she'll be happy with the fit too.

I also bought a t-shirt and then used my machine embroidery attachment and some leftover fabric to customize it:


I'm really happy with the final result. I was not so happy with the 2.5 hours it took me to do get there. But, as I've not used my embroidery attachment for nearly a year, I kind of had a learning curve to get back into the swing of things. It also took me three practice runs before I was happy with my adjustments to the size and colors.


The embroidery is from Designs by JuJu. This design is included in the set, More Fun Patches Applique.

Another component of the gift was a mix CD.


I didn't have any jewel cases, so I created a protective sleeve using some more leftover pajama pants fabric.

Finally, I included a pair of purchased slipper socks (because keeping toes warm is always important in the quest for comfort). Overall, she seemed really happy with the gift. Yay!

Then I opened my gift from her...


...a fabulous knitted blanket! She said she used 5 strands of yarn and size 50(!) needles. It is super thick and snuggly and I love it (as do my cats!). Thank you, Duck!!