Pippi creates

Summer jammies and more

2010-12-07T20:51:00.001+11:00

Summer has definitely hit here in Melbourne; its humid, its hot, its raining, its not. And above all its time to pack away the winter jammies and make new Summer ones!

So the past week has been exactly this. One pair completed, one pair half way done. Possibly to be completed tonight if I can draw myself away from cruising round blogworld, and actually get them finished.

Patterns used were Ottobre 6/2010 Villi shirt for the top - altered to be short sleeves - and (my favourite) 3/2009 Cassia shorts for the bottoms. A fairy was stolen from the bottoms fabric and embroidered on to the top.

I wasn't that impressed with my fabric matching choices for this one. The two fabrics are very cute in their own right; one fairies, butterflies etc and the other little dragonflies on purple. But together, combined with my choice of pattern, I think they look a little like a rugby top, albeit a pretty fairy one... I think next time I'll just coordinate them with plains.

The pants are rather cute though... The pattern was changed by added ribbing at the legs instead of elastic to make them more suitable for sleeping. And the little ones loves them, particularly the fairies.

Then, I also finally downloaded my photos and remembered this one: Ottobre 6/2009 Phoenix tunic. Made from cotton interlock instead of velveteen, so suited to summer as well as hopefully lasting through to winter.

Front detail. I added a red trim to the neck yoke, as the fabric was a bit busy so the yoke wasn't really visible until I did this. For same reason I excluded the pockets (a lot of fiddling around with pockets and I didn't think they would be noticeable anyway).

Back detail. (The little hand luuuurves buttons)

Wear detail (it was cold on the day this was taken (despite the sun shining in the background) so a LS tee was worn underneath - the last through the winter version)

So what now, more blogging? Should I do my Christmas cards? Or finish the PJs? Or just veg on the couch watching pointless tv? The possibilities are endless...

my creative space, embellished

2010-11-25T09:00:00.001+11:00

Ooh its been a while since I last hung out here. I hope I still have the knack.

So this week, for a change, there has been plenty of creativity going on, and its mostly been coffee table printing. Great fun as the two year old can actually join in.

First off the rank; a printed onesie for the 4 month old bubba. The onesie we were given as a gift, so I spiced it up a little with a simple monster print. Print done using a contact cut out (you know that stuff you use to cover school books). A not too scary blue monster for the little man.

And for the little lady, some cheap plain t-shirts from target, transformed into one off pieces with a bit of scrapbooking lacy paper used as stencils.

I've been scouring scrapbook shops for cool cut out papers that can be used for screen printing. All you need to do is use spray adhesive (washable) to attach the lace paper securely to the garment, then paint with fabric paint over the top. Peel off the stencil whilst the paint is still wet and; instant screen print. This one was made with lace paper.

The next one was created with a cut out border paper. First I sewed a circle of patterned fabric to the t shirt to add a different effect. Then printed in white over the top. It kind of looks like a big round moon (albeit pink) in the background.
I've still got two t-shirts left to embellish, so any ideas are welcome. We've certainly had fun with our coffee table printing so far.

Time to go make myself (firstly some time - any crafty ideas on how to whip some of this up?) a coffee and sit back and peruse the inspiring creativity that is around. Looking forward to it! Head on over to Kirsty's for more creative spaces.

The 2 x 2hr wedding outfit challenge

2010-11-19T21:30:00.001+11:00

Last weekend we had a lovely time at my cousin's wedding. It was on the Saturday which was a pearler of a day. Leading up to the big event, I realised I didn't have an outfit, and we also needed something for the little one to wear too - it was her first wedding! Of course I realised all this only four days before the wedding, and ingeniously (!!) decided that, instead of hitting the shops, I would check out my stash and see if I could pull together a couple of dresses before the big event.

Despite the short timeline. Despite the fact I had to find time to make them during baby sleeps, and when I was able to organise something to entertain the two year old. Despite the fact the poor little button fell asleep on my knee in front of the sewing machine whilst sewing. And I was just thinking she was mesmerised by my sewing skills. Despite the fact I didn't have enough material to complete the dress cut on the bias so I had to rummage around to find some matching plain black to match (which I did!) Despite all this, we ended up with these two numbers which I was very happy with.

A wedding outfit for a two year old:

And a dress for me!

Mine was a very cheap fabric I picked up about 6 months ago. Whilst the fabric was not-so-nice polyester, I really loved the grey stripes with the hit of chartreuse. The pattern was New Look 6778 (easy 2 hour!!). I changed the pattern slightly by cutting the fabric on the bias so it sat really nicely when on. Although the pics don't show it, the stripe patterns matched up perfectly at the two side seams, which was completely unintentional. It definitely took more than two hours (and not just because I was also trying to keep the baby happy and stop the toddler from being completely bored.

And I have to say, I love this dress. If felt so lovely on; it sat nicely, it was flowy rather than figure hugging (a good thing at the moment...), and it was awesome to dance in. I sort of felt a bit 80's in it, but I have not been so happy in a dress for a long time. I hope to get a lot more wear out of this one.

The sweet little pinafore was based on Simplicity 3853 (It's so easy!!), however I changed this pattern too by excluding the sleeves and changing the shoulders to add buttons for a pinafore look rather than the button opening at the back. The bright yellow, hot pink and white looked really bright and pretty together.

So that was my challenge, successfully completed! Perhaps not in 2 hours each, but happily completed nonetheless. Now I just need another fancy event where we can wear them...

broody knitted jacket

2010-11-09T20:30:00.000+11:00

My lovely Mum used to knit back in the day. However her last WIP was started around 30 years old - a cable knit jumper (actually a cardigan) for my Dad. It is dark and light brown and rather 80's so I can't imagine that Dad would ever wear it even if it was finished.

So our entire family was rather impressed when she knitted her first completed project in 30 years for her little granddaughter last year. Then, we were even more impressed this year when she whipped up this little number with a matching beanie for her this year. It is absolutely gorgeous (or is it just the cute little one that wears it?). The jacket flares out a little at the bottom and the front edges are shorter than the back.

It got plenty of wear over the winter, as the little one walked and ran regularly along the river pathway near our house. And although it was often pulled off when she got too hot from all the running, my little one loved it. And she knew it was knitted by her Nanna. She especially loved the pom pom beanie, the result of which is that every hat is now called a "pom-om". So whilst I can't knit myself (just haven't ever learnt), I am very lucky to have a mother that does such a wonderful job. Thanks Mum!

Finders Keepers market aprons {exclaim}

2010-10-13T21:17:00.000+11:00

Last weekend was spent at the Finders Keepers market in Melbourne, helping out my friend Nic with her awesome Yardage Design stall there. We had a great time, and the market was amazing - so many inspirational people!

In the sewing department, I made some market aprons for us to wear over the weekend, made from some of Nic's gorgeous fabrics.

They were whipped up late on the Friday night before the weekend (nothing like a bit of last minute sewing - yes, I was the type to sit up all night before my assignments were due at high school).

They are a short apron with a set of three contrasting pockets across the front for various market necessities, the middle pocket had a zipper so we could run around doing cartwheels without stuff falling out - although we didn't actually test this feature...

The fabrics used were the brand new {exclaim} fabric and the swizzle fabric (the blue one). Check out Nic's blog and shop if you like the fabrics. Also check out Nic's blog for the obligatory photo of us in action wearing the aprons. The fabric is lovely to sew, which is why they were so quick. Most of my sewing lately has been with knits and stretch - so the linen was a welcome reprieve; it ironed nicely and stayed put and didn't move all about the place whilst trying to sew - very nice indeed.

I also got these gorgeous pears, made from Nic's fabric (not my own handiwork, made by Brenda) which look lovely sitting happily on the mantelpiece.

The market was fantastic, however I managed to get away without splurging too much, a cute handprinted tee for the newborn's summer wardrobe and some hand printed stretch fabric (oops, back on the stretch fabric bandwagon - a stickler for punishment), which hopefully you will see soon, made into something cute.

Autumn outfit

2010-10-04T21:36:00.002+11:00

I'm back-posting. This was a post I started way back in Autumn, but never actually finished and made live, so here it is now.

The little one got another new outfit for the Autumn, which matched perfectly to our Boston Ivy which was turning beautiful shades of red at the time. Now we've moved, and left our wonderful garden behind, boston ivy and all, and now have a backyard full of weeds, sand and building mess. Maybe one day we'll get a beautiful garden back... But, I digress.

Back to the outfit:
The top is the Pumpulipilvi voile tunic from Ottobre 1/2010. It is actually quite a lot of fabric, pulled together at the neck and sleeve edges with elasticised shirring. The fabric is cotton voile, so it scrunches quite nicely, but creates an overall puffy effect when worn. It looks cute and I like it, but it is definitely a puffy outfit. The shirring was fun and turned out really well, particularly after I remembered the shirring trick - to iron after sewing which helps to pull it in tight.
Then there are the Jodphur pants to match from Ottobre 3/2010, made from brown sweater fabric. They have a fake button fastening at the bottom, and I had some cute pink duck buttons which helped to girly the pants up. These pants were super easy and look great with the buttons.
We've had a fair bit of wear out of this outfit through the winter, and the top should still fit in to wear it through the summer too. The bad bit is that since making the outfit, I worked out that the pink in the voile print runs when washed, so I have had to hand wash it in cold water everytime. It always pays to wash fabrics before making things I guess.

And now that Spring is well and truly here, how I am lovin daylight savings and some warmer weather. Yippee! Bring on Summer!

A blogging holiday and boy things

2010-09-14T20:25:00.002+10:00

I've been on a bit of a blogging holiday. A holiday from blogging that is (not a holiday where all I do is blog). During this blogging holiday, I was busy being exhausted in the last trimester of my pregnancy, we moved house, we started a renovation/extension. Oh, and I had a baby.

Yep, we've added a brand new little baby boy to the Pippi creates family. He's the main reason I've been AWOL. Too tired to do anything in my last months of pregnancy, too tired to do anything now that I'm a mother to two little 'uns. So to show off the goods, here's a glimpse of the baby boy in question.Like the gorgeous quilt he's lying on? We had a visit from our lovely and awesome friend Nic from Yardage Design (almost a household name these days!). She had delved into her stash of boy fabrics and whipped this one up as a present for us, as featured in Nic's my creative space a few weeks back. It is so bright and lovely. Thanks Nic, we absolutely love it!

So life's good and I am looking forward to getting back to normal as things start to settle down. although normal probably has a completely different meaning these days.

And now I get to experience first hand this issue that everyone talks about - the lack of suitable boy fabrics/clothes/acessories for us creative crafters. Well, time to set the mind off pinks, ruffles and twirls, and on to boy themed robots, dinosaurs and automobiles. Sounds like a good reason to start a new stash. Yippee!

Crochet queen

2010-05-31T14:18:00.003+10:00

I did it!
A while ago I attempted to learn to crochet. Very unsuccessfully. Last week, I gave it another go at the Perle 8's Thursday night session, under the instruction of Mary (who is not only very knowledgeable but also talented in all areas hooks and wool - although she will hate me saying so). So instead of trying to learn by endless lengths of warped single chains (as was my last effort), this time around I got to make a pretty flower! Much better for the motivation and much better having helpful instructions. A BIG thanks Mary!!

Now on to seeing if I can crochet another and begin a new obsession?

Stitches and Craft Show, Sew it Together, bold stripes and a green sheep...

2010-05-16T16:03:00.003+10:00

Its been an eventful week and a bit. I'll try to keep the words short and keep you entertained with a few crafty pics.

Firstly it was the Melbourne Stitches and Craft Show last weekend. I was lucky enough to be helping out Nic at Yardage Design at her stall in the incubator section. It was loads of fun and it was great to see and talk to so many other crafters. The buzz was great.To show off Nic's gorgeous fabrics, I made myself a skirt of red linen, with a panel of the Yardage swizzle fabric which I wore when helping her out. It is a pretty easy pattern, cut on the bias, with a back seam (to give it a nice shape) and the feature panel added off centre front, and top stitched in linen cotton. I changed the waistline and added a 25cm stretch fabric tube, so it could sit comfortably over a growing baby belly. Here's a close up of Nic's lovely feature fabric!
Whilst I was at the show, I also picked up a few things myself, some great Hilco fabrics from EarthGirl fabrics (now on my Internet favourites list!), for making some Ottobre patterns. And this tea towel:
Which leads me to my next topic. Mother's day was lovely and we had a picnic with the extended family and then dinner with my family and sisters. I gave my Mum this Yardage tea towel, which she loved, and my little 17 month old spent all afternoon pointing at it chanting peeeeaaaar - one of her favourite words at the moment.

I also made up a green sheep brooch from granddaughter to Nanna, which is from one of her favourite books. It is green wool felt bought from the Show, stuffed and sewn together with blanket stitch, and embroidered to make the sheep features with some rather wayward legs sticking out. Both Nanna and granddaughter loved it though.
Finally last night was the Sew It Together dinner in Melbourne. Unfortunately I was not able to attend the day's crafting session, but have put next year's Sydney dates in the diary! The dinner was lovely though, and I had a great time meeting so many other talented and inspiring crafters and bloggers, so many that I already knew in blogland, but have now met in person.

Although I don't have picks from the night, I do have some pics of the leggings I wore which I had made a few weeks before (thanks to an Ottobre pattern lent to me by Mary of Perle 8's. I'll have to chase her down to get the pattern issue and post it later). I've been making lots of leggings for my little one, but finally made a big sized pair for me! Made from red/purple/black stripe cotton elastane (I love the fabric!), they were extremely simple to make and turned out well. I was very happy with them and have worn them a lot.
They were even a maternity pattern, so have a high waistline to go over a 7 month pregnant belly! (Sorry if I freak anyone out with the pic below, but I love the high waistline - it is super comfy. I also imagine bold stripes don't do much for the figure but...)
So that's it from me. Phew. That was great to get off my chest, although I'm sure I've forgotten heaps. It's been a while since my last post, but there is plenty more stashed away to bring to light on Pippi Creates. I just have to stop crashing at 8.30 at night so I can actually find some time to do things...

Edited to add: The leggings pattern was No.16 from 2/2008 of Ottobre Woman, they came as maternity and non maternity options. Thanks Mary.

Summer top finished. Just in time for WInter.

2010-04-13T18:17:00.005+10:00

Oh my poor little blog! Seems you are well and truly behind. There has been so much going on here and you are having trouble keeping up, so I thought it was time to help you out a little. There are quite a few projects finished (yes finished!) of late, and there is much catching up to do.

Firstly, I finally finished the cool, flowy summer top. This one was started at the beginning of summer at a Perle 8's Thursday session. Now I finally finished it off (thanks to a bit of motivation from my creative space last week), perfectly timed as our weather has turned to winter these past few days with rain and cold. I did get a half day of wear out of it and it fits beautifully. Perhaps it can be teamed with a long sleeve t for wear in winter?The pattern is Simplicity 2962 and the fabric is cotton voile. Its a bit hard to tell, but there are pleats along the front bodice which give it a nice finish and add to the flowiness. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait till next summer to really appreciate this one!

And note to self: I really need to get myself some labels made up. This top is screaming out for a made by me label. I saw these great ones Patch Andi got, but I am just not sure I will ever use thousands...

My creative space

2010-04-08T10:11:00.001+10:00

My creative space
of the future...

We are moving house later this year. Plans are well underway for an extension and a renovation (that our little family will have the pleasure of living through!) And I am very excited about my new 'creative space' that is in the plans (above pic may be difficult to inperpret, unless you are me and spend A LOT of time staring at this little line drawing - The grey shaded bit in inside the house, you can see the windows opening to the outside. My creative space of the future is really just a length of desk, but imagine the possibilities!).

It will have nice big windows overlooking our backyard. Particularly looking out at an existing White Cedar (scientific name Melia azedarach - Persian Lilac) and the rest of a lush garden (that will be there eventually). But at the moment it just looks like this - a tree (a nice one at that) and some grass. It is amazing the excitment I have for imagining what this little corner of my life will be like. It's a while down the track to reality, but the dreaming is fun!

On a more practical level, this is what I am working on at the moment. Finishing off a cool breezy summer top I started last year (not much of a need for it this time of year, but hopefully I will have finished it before next summer...)

Visit Kootoyoo for more in the present creative spaces...

My creative space

2010-03-18T15:45:00.001+11:00

Starting to get back into the swing of things this week. In my space this week is a work in progress. More embellishment for little person's clothes. This one hopefully transforms a boring old plain skivvy into a cute, warm winter garment.

Take 1 op shopped skivvy. Add a couple of squares of polar fleece in a warm wintry pattern.
I'm thinking a big square sewn on the front and some lengths doubled over and sewn on as cuffs to the edge of the sleeves.
The creative juices must be flowing readily around our place at the moment, as the hubby has some scrap metal pieces picked up this from the scrap yard. Bits of car engines and brakes and chains. He is going to weld together an outdoor table for my parents.
Visit the very creative Kirsty at Kootoyoo for see many many more creative juices.

A little time out and a crafty embellishment

2010-03-15T18:30:00.003+11:00

I've been absent for a couple of weeks. An unexpected stint in hospital proved to be a bit of a hiccup to the normal flow of life. Fortunately all is well in the scheme of things, and some time to recover and 'taking it easy' will fix anything. So they say. And although I did, last minute, throw a couple of crafty projects into the overnight stay bag, the passion and energy was left behind at home so nothing got done. Even Internet access didn't work so the joy of blogging was absent.

I did, however, finish this project before I went into hospital. This was one of my op shopped finds that needed some crafty love to fix a lame decoration. The production line flowers were unpicked, and a new embellishment sewn over the top. I used a blue crochet ribbon, folded it into a bow shape, and hand sewed it to the top. I started this project at the Perle 8's Thursday night session, and finished it in front of the TV a few nights later.
Ooh, I just checked the Perle 8's blog and saw photos of craft'n in action, posted by the lovely quilting Andi. And there's a pic of my ribbon top in progress - fun!

Lucky my little toddler got to have some time out at the playground with her grandparents and aunty whilst Mum recovers. Here is the newly embellished top having a ball on the slides at the playground.

Getting ready for winter - Kayla assymetrical jacket

2010-02-21T07:42:00.001+11:00

Just writing this post is making me feel hot. We are in the middle of a hot February and here I am making fleecy cardigans and corduroy pants (to come). And I will happily blame it all on the Ottobre magazine, that too damn good Finnish pattern design company that have the opposite seasons to us downunder (they are shovelling snow whilst we swelter away in the heat). Their Winter issue (albeit fantastic) arrives in the middle of Summer, and the Summer issue in Winter...

Enough complaining.

The pattern is the Kayla hooded jacket from Ottobre 3/2009 issue (which I just noticed was their Summer issue, not even a Winter issue. That's what happens when you live so close to the arctic circle I guess). The fabric is a cotton blend fleece. Fluffy on the inside so good for winter (ie not now). Lined with hot pink cotton lycra in the hood. It was the first time I have ever used snaps (instead of buttons or a zipper) on the front panel and they were super easy. Finished with some hot pink binding.

I forgot to take a close up photo of the hem, but there is some twin stitching along the bottom jacket and sleeve hems. Gives it a very professional finish, but also caused some minor distress with a certain broken twin needle about 5cm before the finish line...
Its still a bit too big. But this is a good thing as there is still some growing to do before Winter hits. It was pulled out on a chilly early morning walk to the park a couple of weeks ago (before it was completely finished). Just for a test drive. It worked fine, did all the things a jacket should do. Plus she looked super cute. Next is a skirt to match.

More legs

2010-02-15T08:12:00.000+11:00

Two more pairs of leggings this week for an 18 month old. The pattern is the Lola leggings from Ottobre Summer issue 3/2009. These leggings are genuinely so easy so make, each leg is one piece of fabric so the method is simply sew the inner leg and crotch seams, hem the bottom and add the waist band. I have some very cool red/purple/black stripey knit that I want to make for myself, but I don't have a big person's pattern so I might try to wing it tracing the pattern from a pair of bought leggings. We'll see how we go.

The blue pair are made from a very lightweight stretch denim, and are finished with twin stitching. I used two different colours for the twin stitching - yellow and hot pink (although the colours don't show up very well in the pic) - to give them a bit of edge.

The pink pair are made from a plain cotton jersey. The flower is hand embroidered and adds a little girly touch (as if the pink wasn't girly enough...)

Again, more twin stitching on the hems and waistline. I've done a few project now with the twin needles here and here and I am definitely improving in my technique. And learning a lot along the way.

I signed up for My favourite February challenge which was sewing with knit fabrics, check out the others signed up for more stretchy goodness.

My creative space with automobiles

2010-02-11T08:50:00.000+11:00

This week in my creative space is a sneak preview of a project recently finished.
Its all about automobiles, bright colours and summer.

But I can't show you the whole thing. Its a present for a friend. Or for their little dinosaur. So instead you get to see little bits and pieces.

It turns inside out. It has a nice stripey brim to shade out the sun.
And a neat round top to hold it in place.Hopefully it is liked by its owner to be.

What mysteries are going on in your creative space? Check out Kootoyoo to connect with others.

Cecile jersey blouse and more twin stitching

2010-02-08T14:19:00.002+11:00

I signed up for February challenge - sewing with knit with Carolyn from My favourite. I've been sewing with knit, or stretch, quite a bit lately. Its a challenging fabric, however I've been learning some new techniques, having some successes, some failures.

I didn't start this project this month, I started it a while ago at Perle 8's, but joining Carolyn's challenge, motivated me to finish it. Its made from a a gorgeous brightly coloured cotton knit (probably elastane, but it came from my stash so I can't really remember). The pattern is Ottobre Cecile jersey blouse from the 3/2009 issue. The pattern was lovely. It has some cute shirring on the front and is flared.

There were a few hiccups along the way. I struggled, ALOT, with the binding on the neckline. However I learnt a little trick along the way. Sewing stretch knit to stretch binding was very difficult. It kept stretching too much and turned out all warped. I unpicked and restitched it three times before I was happy with it. I ended up attaching interfacing to the back side to stops it from stretching whilst I sewed the ribbing on the first time, then I pulled it off before I top stitched it. It still stretched a bit, however then I picked up a tip from somewhere (although I can't quite remember where). I used the steam function on my iron over it, and it tightened up nicely. The heat brought the materials back to shape. Whilst still not perfect, it was definitely satisfactory. The twin stitching is also a tad wonky, but that I can live with.

First attempt.

Third attempt (I didn't bother with photographing the second, it just went straight to unpicking).

Finally, after steam ironing.

The shirring on the bodice was done with elastic thread hand woven on to the bobbin and a normal thread on top. This is such a simple technique but looks very effective.

I got to do some more top stitching using the twin needle. I am absolutely loving this new gadget (despite last week's very frustrating broken needle incident...) This time is turned out really well and the hints I got from Kadiddlehopper (a very talented and inspirational sewer) some time ago paid off. I reduced the tension and the puckering between the twin lines of stitching was no more!

Things I learnt along the way:

Steam ironing is your friend. It did a great job on reducing the warped stretch of the neckline and arm ribbing. Not perfect, but over time, improving my technique and the steam iron and I should get this under wraps.
The fabric generally stretched along the seams, particularly when top stitching. I washed the garment half way through and this seemed to straighten everything up again. On reflection, perhaps a go over with the steam function on the iron also might have fixed it.
Reducing the tension when using the twin needle stopped the fabric from puckering between stitch lines.
Shirring is easy peasy

Its the next size up for my 14 month year old, so I am thinking it will do her for Winter (with layering) and maybe even Summer next year. Here she is testing out her new blouse and choosing the next thing for me to make..

My creative space

2010-02-04T08:30:00.000+11:00

How lovely to be back...
Although to start off my year of creative spaces, I am sharing a frustrating moment.

I was THIS (imagine finger and thumb not very far apart) far from finishing - yes I mean finishing - my latest project. When one of the needles on my twin needle broke...

Just like that.

Very calmly, I managed to make it to my local haby store to pick up a replacement (plus a few other bits and pieces - making it worth the trip). But I was not impressed. Now the challenge of finding the time to finish it.

Head on over to our lovely My creative space host Kirsty at Kootoyoo for (hopefully) less frustration, more construction.

Op shop treasures, waiting for some crafty love

2010-01-23T09:16:00.006+11:00

Winter is not far away, so I've started thinking and preparing for the winter wardrobe. Over the past few months, I've found the above collection of various tops, jumpers and pants from my visits to op shops. All are in good condition (two even still had the tags on them!), no stains, and all are plain boring items, crying out for some embellishments. Actually a couple have ridiculous decorations (a pink poodle with the words underneath - born to shop!?), but these will quickly disappear.

So over the next few months, I have a bit of work to do. The embellishments I was thinking of were

- reverse applique for the pink poodle (that way I get the pleasure of cutting him out completely!)

- patchwork patches for another

- more screen printing with contact

- frills for the bell bottom pants

Plus I have a couple of pants and skirts I plan to make up, so I will have to add embellishments to match.

I know its only the middle of summer still, but thoughts are already heading towards the next season. Nothing like being prepared I say!

summer tops

2010-01-20T11:20:00.000+11:00

I've added a couple of new tops to the bubba's summer wardrobe. Both were existing plain tops that I added some detail to to jazz them up. The first I started a while ago back here, when I did some dining table screen printing. I finally completed this one the other day by finishing the flower and stitching edges around the petals. Came up rather nicely in the end (particularly because this embellishment was inspired by the need to hide a stain that I couldn't remove.)

The second t shirt was just a plain whitey from target. I unpicked the sleeves from the top at the front and added some gathered fabric leftovers I had lying around. Then restitched the seams. The ruffle edges are raw and there are actually a couple of layers of different fabrics in each ruffle, so now that I have washed it a couple of time, it is starting to fray a little which adds to the look. I think this one is my favourite (although who knows how I am going to manage keeping it white...) as she does look especially cute in it.

Learning to crochet - the beginning

2010-01-15T10:53:00.000+11:00

So our weekend away camping was wonderful, albeit VERY hot. Not good weather for concentrating on anything or fiddling around with a big ball of yarn in one's lap. However, my Mum and I persevered and I have now started to learn to crochet. This was my first effort at crochet. Having been a bit of a crochet snob in the past, I had decided it was time to lower my nose and give it a go. And didn't it come back to slap me in the face. It was hard, fiddly (the weather didn't help) and I just couldn't get it (and neither could my Mum). The stitches were uneven and all I could manage was a plain single chain. Every time I tried to turn it into a double or triple stitch, it turned into knots. I didn't find Pip's instructions very helpful (although I hesitate to lay all blame on the author - there may have been some interpretation difficulties there too...).

So after about 1 hour I had this.

Twisted, too tight, too loose, grubby and of no use to anyone. I spent most of the time undoing and starting over again. I think my skills definitely lay in the automatic department (give me my sewing machine any day). However, not to be too negative, I am determined to continue and will not give up straight away.

And our camping trip was really lovely. There was a creek alongside our campsite where we spent most of our time keeping cool in the hot weather.And the baby had an absolute ball playing in the dirt and mud most of the time, or being spoilt by her grandparents and aunt. I took a photo of her sound asleep, in her shorts (made by me), sleeping on her blanket (made by me). I love looking at this picture, it brings a smile to my face.

So now I admire all those that can crochet, whipping up granny squares or scarves in their spare time. And I look forward to joining those ranks some day. Maybe one day.

Confronting the inner crochet snob

2010-01-11T10:29:00.004+11:00

So we’ve got a few days away camping in the country. Looking forward to some fresh air, long relaxing walks, gourmet camping meals and spending time with my family. Looking forward to a getaway from the suburban heat and busi-ness of life.

We go away camping quite often. My skills and passion are mostly centred around my sewing machine so it is always a challenge for me to think of things I can do whilst I am away without electricity. I usually drag a couple of magazines along with me to flick through looking at pictures and getting ideas. And whilst I would hate to downplay the importance of pouring over beautiful magazines to stimulate the creative juices, it is hardly a replacement for actually making things.

So this camping trip I have decided to challenge myself.

I have a confession. I am a crochet snob. I have always thought it to be an old fashioned, out-of-date and something that nannas do. I have seen other people’s blogs showing their latest granny squares or other crochet creations and commented “lovely bright colours!” or ‘how creative!”, but I have always thought deep down, crochet is not for me. I do cool stuff, not crochet. I have seen a picture of somethingerother, and thought how cool and different it was. Then read the print underneath only to find out it is crochet, so I loose interest. Oh, I don’t think it is so cool after all – its crochet.

So now. I’ve decided its time to confront my inner crochet snob.
I am armed with:
- Meet Me at Mikes craft book (a very thoughtful Christmas present) with Pip Lincoln’s ‘how to crochet’ instructions (this will also fulfil the need to pour over beautiful pictures and inspirational ideas without actually doing anything)
- a ball of lovely speckled yellow yarn
- a metal crochet hook (according to Pip, for ‘extra slipperiness’)
- my Mum who used to crochet once upon a time, who thinks that she might remember again
- a long weekend away with plenty of time for relaxing and fiddling around with learning new techniques

I am not sure what I want to make yet, but figure I will play around for a bit and see what turns out.

Wish me luck. If all else fails, by the end of writing this post I have finally learnt to type crochet rather than crotchet. So I have at least gained something!

Eds note: oops, this post was meant to be posted before we went away. We're back now so the results coming soon...

New born baby gift and getting my sewjo back

2010-01-02T10:54:00.003+11:00

Ooh and aren't I starting off the year on a good note!

My brother in law and partner had a brand new little baby boy on Tuesday. To welcome little Ollie, I made a few things to make his introduction to the world a little nicer.
A printed muslin wrap to keep him comforted in the hot summer months to come. The edges are bound in bright yellow binding. Cute animal print muslin. I loved the colour combination of the blues with the fresh lemon yellow. I hope the new Mum did too!

A couple of burping towels, finished with the same theme of the muslin print and lemon yellow.
And finally a chew blanky to match. These chew blanky (otherwise known as tag rags) are so easy to make; cut out two squares of bright fabrics, attach a few left over bits of ribbons and notions, sew it all together, and babies love them!
The whole set ready to be wrapped and gifted.

I was especially pleased with my effort as I have been finding it a little hard to get into the making stuff of late. Sewing action has been nearly zero. But I was energised and motivated to get this one done, so fingers crossed, I may have finally gotten my sewjo* back! Yippee!

* Compliments to Selena's Vintage who introduced me to the term 'sewjo' a while back. Potentially I thought this to be such a cool term when I first heard it that I was subconsciously looking for the opportunity to loose my 'sewjo' just do I could claim to have my 'sewjo' back. Hmm, only time will tell.

Happy New 2010!

2010-01-01T12:03:00.004+11:00

**Happy New Year fellow crafters**

The start of a new year and the start of a new decade.
I've decided to look forward to the new year rather than back to the year just past.

Although I should pay my dues to 2009 with a quick wrap up as it certainly was a significant year in my life. In 2009...

I had my first year on maternity leave from a full time career. Because of this I rediscovered my creative flair and my love of sewing and making things. The Melbourne Stitches and Craft show was a real inspiration for me and got the ball rolling by introducing me to a whole new world of craft, blogging and some amazing people. (I honestly had no idea that such an amazing crafty community was out there!)
In July I stopped being an anonymous blog peeper and started my own blog! I also joined the great Perle 8's group and met more amazing people.
I had the pleasure of watching my friend Nic of Yardage Design make a dream come true in creating a crafty business from scratch. Nic is a real inspiration and has documented the whole journey on her blog. It is definitely worth checking out.
In December by little baby girl turned one. It was time to return back to work, albeit part time.

So in 2010, there are more exciting challenges to come. The end of 2009 saw me going back to work, getting busy and just never finding the time for dragging out the sewing machine (although there were plenty of longing glances into the spare room cupboard where machines, stash and notions are all kept safe). Or turning on the computer to be inspired by all the bloggy creativeness. I have learnt my lesson many years ago on making aspirational and unrealistic new years resolutions that never stick.

This year I look forward to continuing my lovely blog, continuing to make and create lovely things, learning new techniques and finding new inspiration.

We have a house move/renovation/extension thingy to plan and do.

And finally I hope to find that balance between motherhood, wife, domestic goddess (did I say earlier I was going to avoid unrealistic expectations?), part time career, home renovation project management, and finding time for my passion for sewing and craftiness (plus all the other very important things).

So Happy New Year to you all! I look forward to joining in with your adventures in 2010 and I hope you enjoy being a part of mine!

Madness, a 1st birthday and blue food dye

2009-12-15T11:53:00.000+11:00

Time flies. Christmas is just around the corner. We've had two birthdays, I've started back at work two days a week, trying (very unsuccessfully) to get organised for Christmas. I've had the flu. Not much time left for anything else.

We had our first ever 1st birthday party a week ago. It was a small affair, with plenty of good food, family and laughter. The baby (who is no longer considered a baby anymore!) got a new birthday dress for the day. (Yes, I was up till 11pm the night before finishing it, always leave everything to the last minute...) It did the trick for the beautiful sunny day that we had. The pattern was from the Ottobre Summer 09 magazine, the same Toffee Tunic as the one I made a while ago here. Except I omitted the sleeves (a time saving strategy as whilst they are cute sleeves, they took the longest to make). Here is the tunic in action, featured along with the blue icing smothered mouth and hands, after having devoured the blue layer of her piece of cake..
The cake was decorated in layers of bright coloured icing, to look like a stacking ring toy - the favourite toy at the moment. It was lovingly decorated by Camille, my sister, and received a squeal of delight (and hopefully recognition) when it was brought to the table.

And those layers were brightly coloured! All in all a great day and lots of fun.

The Christmas list has been a bit neglected (ie some projects randomly started, nothing finished), can I get focused and ready in time? Christmas, here we come!

An oven makeover

2009-12-02T21:02:00.001+11:00

A visit to Nic from Yardage Design earlier this week. To check out the brand spanking new range of tea towels she has created. The marvels of this amazing lass as she turns her dream into a reality.

I was lucky enough to come away with this spunky number which has now transformed my humble oven into a showpiece for the blog (Ok, maybe that was a bit over the top. Just keep looking at the tea towel and ignore the oven). It is made of beautiful hemp/organic cotton (we are back on to the tea towel again), lovingly hand printed in a blue colour to match my house (so thoughtful Nic!). It has a really nice feel to it. I don't know how I will ever go back to using a cheap old tea towel again. Check out Nic's blog for more of her new range of tea towels!

Seems this week carries a made by others theme (two similar posts constitutes a theme doesn't it?). Hope you are having a good week!

Knitted cardi

2009-11-29T20:13:00.001+11:00

I know. Who ever thought a knitted item would appear on this blog? I can't knit.

However I can't pretend to take credit for this little cutie. But I can put it up here for others to appreciate the beautiful work of our friend Lyn, who so kindly knitted it for my little baby girl (we have had it a few months and got plenty of wear out of it during the cold Winter days that now seems so far away). It was knitted as one piece, in a beautiful cornflower blue. The top yoke bit actually stretches (because of the type of knit used). It is fastened with three buttons at the top and a ribbon threaded along the neckline.

And, there is a quaint little story to go along with it.

Lyn saw the cardi on display in a wool shop in Kyneton, whilst shopping for wool, and asked for a copy of the pattern. The lady in the shop advised that it was from a book she had from the 1950's and that she was not sure how it would copy as it was very old and quite dilapidated. She disappeared out the back and came back with a very scratchy photocopy of the pattern. It was from this that the cardi was knitted. The pattern was extremely hard to read and had to be guessed in some places where words appeared to be missing.

The introductory words to the pattern were:
Baby Layette - one for the novice
This jacket, worked sideways in one piece, and in easy garter stitch, would be within the capacity of the beginner and would be useful for expectant aunts and grandmothers who may feel their needles have become a trifle rusty.

How quaint! (And try reading that in one sentence without a breath!)

I am so glad she did as it is a really cute little cardi (or sorry, baby layette, to be precise). And the buttons are a favourite with the bubs. Luckily Lyn's needles were not too rusty! And thanks also to Robyn for choosing the buttons and the cute tartan ribbon trim. This one will definitely be kept for future use!

So I am sorry to disappoint, but its not my knitting prowess here. My grandmother did teach me to knit once as a child. I think I knitted half a sock or scarf or something but that memory is a tad vague. Something I'd love to learn, but perhaps for another time. In the meantime I appreciate the talent and generosity of others. Thank you Lyn!

screen printing with contact

2009-11-23T12:14:00.013+11:00

Oops. Has it really been a week and a half since I last posted? Where did that time go? No idea, but I have been neglecting this poor little blog. Time to give it some TLC I think!

Although it hasn't been a time completely void of crafting (but it must have been very busy with some other very important things, I'm sure...) I got into a bit of screen printing, or the very easy do-it-on-the-dining-room-table method using contact (the clear adhesive plastic used for covering books with), a sponge roller and some fabric ink.

Two projects came to life. A t shirt for my hubby for his birthday and a little decoration for a plain top for the baby. The t shirt is my favourite as it is of our (beautiful lovely friendly) dog Max, who can be seen in the non 2D version on our last camping trip here. I enlarged and printed out a favourite photo of Max. Traced the outline onto the contact. Using a sharp blade, cut out the shape from the contact so you are left with a reverse out of the picture. Then, you hold the sheet of contact over the t shirt, very carefully pull away the backing from the contact whilst trying to stick the contact flat to your item to be printed. This is the trickiest part really, particularly if you have a large picture to print!. Then, once it is stuck down well, you roll or paint your ink in the cut out. Pull the contact off and you have yourself a great screen print!

The print is then ironed from both sides, a lot! The fabric ink jar said to iron for 15 mins, but I can't imagine the fabric would have withstood that, so I just ironed it a lot. The pic is after it has been washed too, so obviously I ironed it enough to set the ink! (A quick iron might have made the final product look a little more impressive too, but I think I was all ironed out by that stage).

I'm sure there are plenty of good tutorials out there (with a few more photos - I always get so carried away in my projects, that I often forget to take photos until the very end!), however I learnt this simple technique at a workshop during the Melbourne Stitches and Craft Show from the very talented Tegan over at Ink & Spindle.

The other print was the base of a daisy, inspired by a a small but obvious stain that I can't seem to remove in the wash. Not overly exciting yet, but this one is a work in progress, as I need to add some material and a bit of sewing to bring this to life. But the print is a start!

my creative space

2009-11-11T16:05:00.007+11:00

...is freakin out about Christmas.

After reading this recent post on starting the Christmas present-making by Bianca Jae makes stuff I got inspired. I realised I had this ideal in my head that I would make a few presents for my family and how wonderful it would all be. I also realised that unless I got busy, and committed, an idea is all that it would ever be.

So this week my creative space is about jotting down my Christmas ideas, so I can get started and take some action. So far we have

Belts for the two sisters in law. Fabrics belts like this one I made a little while ago.

A bag for Mum. I'm thinking a clutch bag. I need to investigate patterns as well as fabrics!

Skirts for my sisters. Feature panel skirts, but I won't go into too much detail as I know my sisters sometimes peek this blog and I don't want to get hopes up, or spoil the surprise if I get around to it..

XXX for the hubby. (You'll have to wait until after Christmas for this one as I know he often checks out the blog)

Pram blanket and pram insert for the pram. (O.K. I don't actually give presents to my pram usually, but these two need to be done)

A quilt for my baby daughter. We'll see how this one goes though.

There it is. In writing, in all its green and red Christmas glory.

Head on over to Kootoyoo for more creative freaks.

A sun hat and to tell or not tell?

2009-11-10T19:08:00.001+11:00

My mother's group are having a birthday party for all our babies this week as they are all turning 1 in the next month or so. I can't believe how quickly they grow up, however it is certainly a fun journey to see your little baby grow, develop and become a person (its times like these we forget about all the challenges and struggles along the way. Challenges? What challenges?) Anyway, I stray from the point. So, for the big birthday, Mum's group are doing a present for each of the babies, like a Kris Kringle.

I was sitting there on the weekend, thinking what could I buy for the present? As this is my first child, I really don't have much experience with children so I have no idea what to get for my own daughter, let alone coming up with a gift for somebody else's. Enter the sunshine which has beamed down upon us here in Melbourne the past few days. Aha! a sunhat. So I set off to find a sunhat pattern. I couldn't go past Nicole Mallalieu design for hat patterns so jumped online to order my kids hats pattern (which has also recently been recommended to me by Mary at Perle 8's). And check out the very talented Nikki Cardigan's gorgeous hats of the same design. But sitting back twiddling my thumbs until Mr snail mail delivered my pattern didn't sit very well with me. I dragged out my trusty Ottobre Summer 2009 mag and made the sun hat ot of that.
Its a four panel hat with a brim. I was really impressed with how it turned out. Never having made a hat before, I thought they would be tricky and fiddly. But it all went together easily and worked really well. The fabric I used had rather large, sparse pattern on it so all the pieces were strategically cut out to highlight the fabric. Classic pink spots to match on the binding and on the ties (under the chin, which I added as the pattern didn't have any). I can't imagine a child's hat without some sort of under chin tie as they always seem to be pulling them off. It is fortunate my Mum's group has 8 girl and only two boy babies, so a pink hat has good odds of finding the right home.

The problem I am stuck with now is that I have put my love and effort in to create what I believe is a beautiful hat. What if the recipient (or the recipient's mother) doesn't like the hat? And do I tell that I made it myself (and avoid either being embarrassed if no one says how gorgeous it is, or equally so if they go on about how amazing I am to have made it (not that I think this, but others can often be a bit over the top in admiring something they don't think they could achieve). Or do I keep quiet, and just let what ever happens happen? And if they don't like it, can I ask for it back? Although how would you know if they don't like it (people rarely say so when given gifts). What if they hate it, but they feel compelled to put it on their baby every time we have Mum's group in the future so as not to offend me? This would be the worst. So is it just me thinking way too much about the whole gifting of handmade items, or do other people have the same worries?

At least I still have a mail package from Nicole Mallalieu to look forward to this week. And I have my handmade hat to look at, sitting on the dining table until it gets wrapped and gifted on Thursday. Until then...

Cap sleeves and a pocket

2009-11-09T16:14:00.000+11:00

A bit of refashioning work today, grabbing spare time when I can. The top is to match with these bright bloomers made a couple of months ago. The purple singlet was a hand-me-down, so I jazzed it up with some cute gathered cap sleeves and a sweet little pocket made out of the same fabric as the shorts. Cap sleeve detail.

Summer seems to have hit us here in Melbourne in a big way these past few days, so it is time to get this summer wardrobe stocked up. This is the complete outfit.

I love a refashion project, making something boring and common into bright, happy and individual. And so quick to complete.

Summer top

2009-11-04T09:50:00.001+11:00

Time to take a break from all the baby clothes production and have some me time. I picked up some gorgeous, breezy cotton voile fabric in my wanderings last week and decided to make myself a summer top. I chose Simplicity 9270 as it was probably the simplest pattern I owned and I didn't think I would get it finished if I embarked on anything too complex. So this top was whipped up really quickly, it probably took me about 5 hours to complete (yes, I call that quickly these days...) from cutting out to final hemming, along with the contract distractions of looking after a 10 month old, plus a few other household duties, phone calls etc etc. So maybe I could be rash and say, with dedicated time, this one could be made in an hour.

It is a really simple pattern, just two pieces; a front and a back with a bit of elastic gathering at the front to give it some shape. No zippers, no buttons (no button holes), no darts or easing, no sleeves to fit. Just a few seams and hems and I was wearing it and happy! The pattern did call for a facing on the neckline, but I boycotted that and instead finished it with a matching binding edge which I think came up well.

I am quite happy with it, it is probably not the most flattering top in my wardrobe, however it is light and breezy, the pattern is nice and I think it will be great for summer. Perhaps there might be time for a few more before summer hits? I think this pattern would even work well for cotton jersey.

It did rather nicely matched with a denim skirt at yesterday's Melbourne Cup Day party. Both bubs and I were dressed in homemade creations with bubs wearing this summer tunic with these navy leggings.

my creative space

2009-10-29T11:16:00.006+11:00

... is all about belts this week.

I started making belts a year and a bit ago and they turned out really well. Nice fabric belts with buckles or d-loops. I gave them to my sisters for Christmas and they were very much appreciated (at least that is what they told me).

This week I pulled out my belt making box again and found a very-almost-finished belt sitting in there, along with all my other bits and pieces (it is becoming a bit of a theme in this blog that I am finding all my unfinished projects and finishing them off. It is very rewarding at least! To say nothing of a possible personality trait of never finishing things properly...). So I attached the D-rings and voila - a finished belt which I can now wear (and am, today).

The belts are quite quick and straight forward to whip up. And they are a nice way to showcase some really gorgeous fabrics. I think I might try and make a few more for my sisters in law - on the other side of the family - for Christmas this year. And maybe another one for me too.

Whip on over (sorry that's a bad belt reference) to Kootoyoo to check out other creative spaces.

pencil skirt 5 years in the making

2009-10-24T08:45:00.004+11:00

So at last, one UFO emerges from underneath the 'pile', finds its way to the land of the living and is finally transformed into a finished, wearable piece. Yippee! I literally started this one about 5 years ago and finally finished it yesterday to wear to The Quilt Project last night. It worked out just fine, still fitted and hopefully didn't smell like a musty old cupboard.
The fabric is 100% wool (I don't even remember where I got it from) and is a nice chartreuse and pale blue weave (which results in a greeny colour, sorry its a bit hard to tell in the pics). The pattern is Butterick 3132 and it is a really nice pattern. A pencil skirt with front pockets, three panels at the back with horizontal darts at the bum which give it a bit of difference and quite a nice shape. I added a bit of decorative lace to the two outer panels just for a bit of an edge.
Pocket detail.And here is Nic from Yardage Design and myself, sporting our new frocks, ready to hit the town for The Quilt Project. Nic also made her gorgeous skirt, featuring her own screen printed design, check it out on her blog. A big thanks to Kirsty from Kootoyoo for pulling the quilt together, putting the night on and having the idea for the entire success! I had a great time and got to meet (for the first time) some very lovely bloggers in real life. Although I didn't get to contribute a square (I joined the blog bandwagon a little too late), I enjoyed watching everyone's squares come together and the final quilt was amazing. Congratulations to all the people who helped it to become!

my creative space

2009-10-22T12:32:00.000+11:00

Unfinished project back on the drawing board. We are talking about 5 years in the making for this one. It got pulled out about 2 years ago and had some work done it, then obviously got put in the too hard basket or don't have time category for some reason.

I'm thinking maybe of having it finished for the Quilt Project evening tomorrow night, but let's not get anyone's hopes up just yet. Plus I have no idea if it will still fit. I had to rummage through my habby supplies to find the matching zipper i bought (years ago). Then came the disappointment as I realised it was just a plain normal zipper. I must prefer invisible zippers these days as they are easier to put in (I think) and they look better. It might smell all musty and horrible so I won't want to wear it anyway. Maybe it will just sit there perched over the sewing machine with me looking at it for the next two days. Maybe it won't? So many possibilities. So little time...

Visit Kootoyoo for more creative space musings.

Leggings and a twin needle experience

2009-10-20T12:41:00.002+11:00

Another accolade to the Ottobre magazine I'm afraid. I am very impressed with these leggings. Made with stretch cotton jersey from the Ottobre 3/2009 issue and they were a cinch. I made them in size 74cm intending that they would be too big for my 10 months old, however they fit perfectly now, so any more pairs I make will be the the next size up. I have some pink cotton jersey waiting to made into leggings too. The applique flower came out a treat, it is two layers of different sized flowers embroidered together and then to one of the pant legs. I chose a slightly brighter blue for the cotton and hand embroidered it whilst watching some less than B-grade movie on television the other night. It was very rewarding.

A few months ago, I bought a twin needle from Tessuti fabrics, after it was recommended by Nichola of Nikki-shell and I love it. It gave such a clean professional finish to the edges. And it was REALLY EASY TO USE!

All you have to do is go out and get yourself a twin needle and (apparently) it will work on any machine that can do a zig zag stitch. You insert your fancy new needle as normal, then thread two threads through the machine (in exactly the same place as you would thread one). My sewing machine has a second spool holder (see pic), but if you didn't have that, you could just rig it up otherwise.
The bobbin is wound on as usual. You use a straight stitch and off you go! The top comes out as two straight parallel lines or stitching, and the bottom cotton does a zig zag (which you don't see as it is on the wrong side of the garment).
(The hubby said I should have taken the picture from an angle so you could see the threads on the needle better without the machine foot in the way. Sorry about that. He also said I should have cleared the dining table in the background too...)

The beauty of using the twin needle is that not only is it easy and looks very professional, but is also allows stretching, so the stitching will stretch with the fabric, rather than break. Another fantastic sewing gadget to add to my repertoire. In my trial attempt before doing the actual leggings, I used two random cotton colours and it looked really good so I think this would make an interesting finish for another item one day.

I've since learned a few things from a Kadiddlehopper post of using twin needles (as I am a learn as you do kind of girl, or jump in and do it, hope it works, then when it isn't perfect, do the research and find out what went wrong):

I should have lowered the tension to make the material lie flat between the two layers of stitching (mine is a little mounded as the tension was a bit high).
The two cotton spools should be positioned so they are rotating in opposite directions (although looking back at my picture, it looks like I unknowingly did this, must remember to knowingly do this again next time!)
I found the two threads twisted around each other every now and then at the needles. Kadiddlehopper advice was to put one thread through the thread guide (above the needle), and leave the other out. I will try this next time.

Sooz has a great and very informative post on sewing with knit fabrics (this reference is as much for me so I have a quick link to find it when I need it).

I can see more twin needle sewing in my future. My suggestion; go out and try it. I was very impressed.

my place and yours

2009-10-19T15:44:00.000+11:00

Sounds like a good idea to join in with Pip's new theme, My place & yours.

On my shelf this weekend: my two gorgeous Iittala tealight holders (lovingly carried home all the way from Sweden last year), cotton reels, the hand embroidery job I finished the other night whilst watching some worse than B-grade movie on TV, needles, scissors and the baby monitor. Seems like my windows could do with a wash, as the view out to the garden isn't as clear as it should be...

Now time to get to and finish the leggings (on which the embroidery was done).

Join in to My and place and yours, there's to be a different theme each week. Check out Meet me at Mikes.

Food preserving inspiration

2009-10-18T10:48:00.005+11:00

Yesterday I attended a preserving foods masterclass at the Queen Vic Markets Cooking School with my sister. It was a fantastic class, presented by an inspiring and passionate chef; Domenic Marzano of Bouzy Rouge, Richmond. We learnt some great techniques for preserving including sardines, gravlax (salmon or ocean trout), mustard pears (yum!), sour onions, fruit, pasta and a few more. All the recipes were then presented for tasting, and the flavours were amazing.

Domenic with the amazing pavlova/preserved berries/mascarpone cream dessert creation. This was absolutely delicious!

Gravlax (cured in herb and salt mix) and salad on the left and sardines with sour onions on the right. Sorry for the messy plate, I should have taken the photo before we started eating it, but it was so appetising that I didn't think of taking a photo till half way through!

I will definitely be finding some time to make up a few of the delicious recipes we were provided with. Preserved fish probably wouldn't have been something I thought to do before, however after tasting the outcome, I look forward to giving it a go myself. And maybe even a night out at the Bouzy Rouge might be in order to sample Domenic's yummy cooking again...

On the topic of food. If anyone gets the ABC delicious magazine (October issue) my sister was the lucky winner of letter of the month! And I was the "sister" she went camping with when she made the blueberry scones (and they were scrumptious too!) It goes to show everybody has their 15 mins in the spotlight eventually.

summer outfit

2009-10-17T09:30:00.002+11:00

An embellishment on a t-shirt to complete a summer outfit for bubs. I made the bloomers earlier. I used some of the same fabric along with some matching ric rac to turn it into a tree. The "dropped" flower on the left is covering up a hole I accidentally snipped in the t-shirt whilst cutting the thread ends on the ric rac. Oops!

It adds a bit of balance to the composition though, so maybe it was meant to be. I am slowly building the summer wardrobe.

I am loving this idea of embellishing existing clothes and have been going through my wardrobe looking at all my plain boring clothes, thinking how I can give them a lift. Plus it is so quick and you get an immediate effect.

Just one word...

2009-10-13T11:42:00.009+11:00

Thanks Nic for sharing this. Just the perfect thing I needed on this rainy Melbourne day (when I am supposed to be getting work done). Its a meme [rolling credits...] via Nic at Yardage, from Pip at Meet me at Mikes ... who got it via Hazelnuts, who found it at PetalPlum who found it via Bits of Sunshine who got it from Leah!

Join in - use just one word to answer the question. Its a challenge. Give it a go!

1. Where is your mobile phone? somewhere
2. Your hair? short
3. Your mother? lovely
4. Your father? tall
5. Your favourite food? Indian
6. Your dream last night? obsolete
7. Your favourite drink? coffee
8. Your dream/goal? now
9. What room are you in? living
10. Your hobby? sewing
11. Your fear? disconnectedness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Sweden
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren’t? superhero
15. Muffins? yes!
16. Wish list item? time
17. Where did you grow up? farm
18. Last thing you did? stroll
19. What are you wearing? cords
20. Your TV? slimline
21. Your pet? awesome
22. Friends? important
23. Your life? busy
24. Your mood? procrastinating
25. Missing someone? parents
26. Vehicle? car
27. Something you’re not wearing? earrings
28. Your favorite store? fabric
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When was the last time you laughed? morning
31. Last time you cried? forget
32. Your best friend? invaluable
33. One place that I go to over and over? garden
34. One person who emails me regularly? sister

35. Favorite place to eat? home

And a picture to finish. My field of native flowers in our front yard, all about to burst into flower.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great day!

handmade nostalgia from the 90's

2009-10-12T16:08:00.011+11:00

My sister passed these beauties on to me when I visited her on the weekend. I remember as a teenager, pouring over these magazines, thinking how fantastic my (older) sister was to get them and to be able to make things from them. So I was very pleased to have them handed on to me. They are from the early 90's so there are a few laughs in there, but definitely some other stuff that can quite easily be updated to today's fashions.

There are some great softies and toy ideas and other things inside.

And the green satin & velvet dress (top right).

My sister actually made this (exactly as in the picture) and wore it to one of her Uni balls. I remember it being so divine and I was so jealous that she had that dress (and had made it). And I actually think the dress design could be worn today. I can imagine it in a dark black, brown or grey, maybe with the upper sash in hand printed linen (think Ink & Spindle, Pippi Joe or Thea & Sami). Could be good...

Maybe an early night tonight to have a closer look at them and have more memories come flooding back (and maybe some new ideas too).

my creative space

2009-10-08T12:02:00.004+11:00

Is working out pattern sheets... This week I have been tracing patterns from my Ottobre magazine. I was a bit shocked when I first saw these pattern sheets and wondered how I was ever going to work out the design I was looking for. Ends up that the system is actually really easy (once you read the instructions) and it is amazing how your eyes can focus and find the line number and colour you are looking for. Plus it must be good training for the brain too, so I am stimulating my intellectual intelligence at the same time. Love multi-tasking!

Pop over to Kootoyoo for more creative intelligence.

a party skirt

2009-10-07T22:26:00.006+11:00

Tomorrow night we have a party to attend and I was told off by hubby as our poor daughter doesn't own any skirts or dresses to wear! The fact that she is nine months old and I think skirts and dresses are useless until they start walking around at least is besides the point. So alright, I thought, and spent last night putting this one together just so she can go to the party in a skirt. It is my own made up design (although nothing fancy). A simple rectangle with one side seam, gathered at the waist band. The bottom band with contrasting material and finished with gathered pink spotted trim.

The final touch was to add the yo-yo and button. This is the first yo-yo I have ever made (since I left high school anyway). I bought myself one of the Clover yo-yo makers a few months back, but hadn't thought of a way to use it until this project. Once the yo-yo was finished, I kind of wrapped the cotton around from front to back and pulled it in a bit to get the 'petals', so it is a bit of a modified yo-yo.

I have a lot of trouble with getting the gathering even (as in the pink spotted trim). My technique is to place a marker at even intervals along the trim and the base material so when the trim is gathered you can match up the markings, however I still always seem to end up with uneven gatherings. Is there a better method? Or is it just something you need the knack for?
Overall, I have happy with the result. Hopefully, she will look gorgeous in it for tomorrow night!

Baby's summer tunic and bloomers

2009-10-02T17:32:00.009+10:00

Have been working on this little number for the past week. The top is the Toffee Tunic from the Summer issue (3/2009) of Ottobre. I love this pattern, it was so easy to make up (although I always struggle a little with getting the the gathering even), and I love it more because I learnt a new skill - "shirring" or using elastic thread. The end of the capped sleeves are gathered with the elastic thread, which is so much easier than the last dress I made (here) like this where I had to fold over, sew and then thread elastic through. There's a fantastic shirring tutorial here, if you've never tried it, do, its so effective. The pocket detail is also really cute.

I did have trouble with finding the perfect matching buttons. I find I am so particular when it comes to finding buttons and the stores just never seem to have the right ones. After a few days of visiting every haberdashery store in the vicinity, I finally came across an old work shirt, slightly stained that was a perfect chartreuse colour (and from my own pile to go to the op shop!). So I pinched the buttons from that which I was very happy with.

The shorts/bloomers, were then made by refashioning the shirt (as it really was the perfect matching colour. I used the sleeves and made then into legs! This is what I did:

Traced a pair of bloomers I had already to cut out the sleeves
Sewed the two "arm/legs" together at the front and back
Put on a new waistband
The leg bands were already finished, but I made two incisions at the back and inserted elastic into the band so they gathered a little around the thigh (assumingly a one year old's thighs are not as big as my upper arms).

Because a lot of the finishing on the sleeve/leg bands was already done, they were whipped up in no time. One completed summer outfit - tick! Here it is in action.

my creative space

2009-10-01T14:55:00.003+10:00

From this:

To this:

Things are a changing as my almost-ten-month old is almost crawling. I wouldn't actually say crawling yet, however she seems to get around pretty well. This morning I had my back turned for a half a minute and when I turned back she was having fun pushing the sewing machine pedal. How did she even get there? Time to pack up the cords (x 2 sewing machines plus the laptop cord) and machines and put them away for now :(

However I have almost finished my projects for the week (seeking two perfect buttons - why are they always so hard to find?) so there should be show and tell tomorrow.

Visit Koototyoo for more creative space antics.

Pinch and a punch for the first day of the month!

A little embellishment

2009-09-29T21:37:00.004+10:00

Take one nice but a little bit boring baby skivvy. Add some previously featured leaf fabric, some stuffing and a bit of outline sewing and look what you get.

This "brooch" has been in my head for quite some time (it is sewn on, not like a real brooch, so its safe for little ones) and I was very impressed with how it turned out. It compliments the purple nicely and goes rather well with a little pair of baby jeans.

In fact I like it so much I have been thinking about doing one for myself. But then what if I want to wear it at the same time the baby is wearing it? Or what if someone sees the baby wearing it then a week later they see it on me too? I don't know that I'm into the mother-daughter same outfit thing. I do rather like it though...

making use of baby free time

2009-09-23T20:08:00.005+10:00

A visit to Ironside studios in Kensington on the weekend was very inspiring to see the collection of artists and creative folk getting out there and doing their thing. Favourites were Spin Spin Handmade and Buttons by Heather (although we didn't get to meet Heather). Was also lovely to get out of the house (baby free!) for a short while and catch up with Nic from Yardage.

To make a long story short, I got a last minute babysitter today (thanks Monica!) which meant I was able to visit the dentist on my own. So as I was out and about baby free (and the dentist didn't really feel like much of a treat), I quickly popped next door to Spotlight. Oops. They are having a big markdown on quilting fabrics, so I ended up picking up a few, down to $5 and $6 per metre each. How could I resist? Summer baby dresses here I come! I'm thinking the Oliver + S popover sundress from my Sew Hip magazine as a starter.... and maybe I'll check out my Ottobre mags for more inspiration.

I've also entered the giveaway by A Little Red Ribbon. She makes cute things from vintage fabrics and her little coin purse giveaway is gorgeous! I hope I am lucky enough to win.

my creative space

2009-09-17T07:18:00.005+10:00

My creative space = pure relaxation. Putting my feet up catching up on some magazine reads with the Murray in the background. Plus our dog, Max, who had an absolute ball being out in nature.

I am cheating and putting in my creative space pics from last week as we were away camping so there was no blogging for me (not even mobile reception most of the time). There was plenty of this type of action though, lazing around looking at the trees, playing with the baby, going for long leisurely walks, eating great food. We experimented lots with campfire cooking, including Bill Granger's delicious blueberry breakfast scones (cooked by my sister who joined us for the first weekend). Yum!!

There wasn't too much crafting that went on, although I did visit a great fabric store, The Material Girls, in Yarrawonga where I spoiled myself a little. They had an amazing range of patterned flannelette fabrics which I hadn't seen before. Something to remember for next winter. I also managed to do some creative thinking and get some ideas down on paper. For more creative space fun, visit Kootoyoo.

Summer shorts

2009-09-16T11:23:00.004+10:00

Spring has sprung and Summer is just around the corner. We got back from our camping trip (had a lov-ely time and there will be more on my creative space tomorrow...). For now, I got inspired yesterday and finally finished off the round of summer shorts I have been making for my little'n. I set a goal for myself to make the entire summer wardrobe for my 1 year old this year, apart from a few pieces I already have (so the majority of) . I haven't made the pledge publicly (although I think now I just have...?) as I didn't want to disappoint myself too much if I don't achieve it, but now I feel I am very much on the way.
I have made up 5 pairs of summer shorts/pants to go with t-shirts or under dresses. The pattern was made up from a cute little pair I saw in the shops and I refashioned an existing pattern I already had. I am also quite pleased to say that I also made them with stash fabrics and I only needed a couple of matching cottons bought to complete them.

I am really happy with them and now just need to hope that they actually fit for summer. At the moment they stay on, but hang around the knees whereas should be under her bum, so hopefully she will just grow longer and not too much around the waist. The denim ones (these are my fav) had a little cuff with tie ends added which makes them extra cute I think.

I thought I would either make matching tops/dresses or embellish plain t-shirts and things to match.

a reverse print

2009-09-04T15:23:00.006+10:00

Today was a cleaning house and packing for camping day. After packing my selection of clothes (all casual) I was a bit bored with my options, and my hands were tingling to get stuck into something a bit more exciting. So I grabbed an old grey hoodie that has been out of favour for a while and jazzed it up a little.

The in progress shot:

Didn't think to take before photos. Suffice to say it looked the same except without the black print. I used a lace paper stencil I picked up a while ago from a scrapbooking shop. I sprayed adhesive on the back, stuck it on the front (zipper closed) and painted away. So when the lace paper was pulled away, the print comes to life. I like the way the print is together when zipped up and separated when open. And now I have a half decent hoodie to wear on our trip!

Next posts will be in a week or so. Hopefully I will have some nice ones from camping.

my creative space

2009-09-02T21:08:00.007+10:00

Is pink.
This is my first ever attempt at a quilt, well actually more of a patchwork quilt I believe. This is the centrepiece and the rest of the quilt will be built around it. Behind you see all the long strips already cut and sewn together ready to start sewing.

The colours are pink, red, grey, black, white and a sprinkling of teal. I was inspired by this quilt made by Onegirl using similar colours. It is very pink (not something I would have thought I would have chosen, but there it is). For my little 9 month old baby girl, when shes gets into a big bed - I've given myself plenty of time. I have hand embroidered a tree pattern adapted from an Ottobre design. The fabrics are probably a bit too busy so the embroidery doesn't really stand out, however I suppose that it will one of those surprises when you look closely, rather than jumping out at you immediately.

The quilt pattern was one adapted from a Better Homes & Gardens issue back in February I think, but I changed the dimensions and things. As such I have absolutely no idea if I have cut enough or WAY too many strips for a single quilt. I was given a rotary cutter and cutting mat by father in law's wife Robyn (thanks Robyn!) and it has completely changed my world. I have a feeling I may have cut WAY too many strips as the cutting was just so much fun...

I forgot to add this to my to do list last post. Expect more updates on this quilt as I get to the fun part. Putting it together. I've no idea how it is going to turn out, I really hope it looks good and not just awful pink.

For more creative spaces, visit Kootoyoo. I finally worked out how to add the My Creative Space badge to my site (thanks for the tip Yardage Girl), so now it sits proudly over to the right.

choc muffins and a to do list

2009-08-31T19:39:00.007+10:00

Mmm, not much craft action this week. Busy with everything else. Did get inspired and get into some baking this afternoon. Nic and son from Yardage decorative design are coming over tomorrow morning for a chat so I have made some triple choc muffins. I didn't have the third chocolate type though so I added walnuts instead. Hope you enjoy them!
With no other progress to post about, instead I am publishing a project to do list. Perhaps I might motivate myself to find the time to finish them. On the list:

Green playmat for baby (still stuck on this one, hand embroidery won't work, the padding inside is too thick, so I am rethinking this one)
Refashioning green jacket (I've done the cutting apart, unstitching and button buying. Now I just need to put it back together again. Sounds like a good one for Spring)
Baby's quilt (I have almost finished the centrepiece, stay tuned for update)
Spring skirt for me in baby blue linen (another Spring must have)
Putting plans into action. Do I want to start up a home business?
Denim dress for baby's summer wardrobe. (Bought at sale for $2, had ribbon missing and the press studs were broken so they need replacing. Plus a little embellishment to jazz it up).
Next Ottobre dress pattern (I have chosen the Russian peasant top from the latest Ottobre magazine, I have my fabrics and notions ready to go, it just needs starting...)

Speaking of lists, we are heading away for a trip for a week next week and I have to get myself organised with some projects I can take away with me, that don't require electricity. Maybe something new? (All my to do list projects require a sewing machine...) I am looking forward to an interesting My Creative Space when I get back!

Tessuti stash and seersucker musings

2009-08-25T10:39:00.007+10:00

An excursion into the city yesterday to catch up with a few friends from my work. And how could I resist a little walk down Flinders Lane to visit Tessuti. Picked up some cotton stretch (always useful for things), some cute red /brown butterfly fabric (I was thinking trim on a red skirt for a little girl, however I'm leaning toward trim on a skirt for me?!) and some beautiful coordinating Japanese seersucker cotton in navy blue. I first saw this one is red/orange, but after seeing this navy/pale pink version, I couldn't resist.

I will have to look up seersucker fabric as I have seen a bit of around around the blogs lately(which is also what attracted me to it at Tessuti), but I had never heard of it before and I don't really know what to do with it, or how it should be used. Might require some blog investigations I think.

Plus one baby wrap finished and ready to go to its new owner, Toby - a four day old baby boy - today!

My creative space

2009-08-20T11:06:00.008+10:00

Today I dragged out my pinking shears, inherited from my grandmother. They are so heavy and so sharp, even after years of use. Even the box is in excellent condition. Must keep it that way. Maybe I will pass on to a granddaughter one day..

Cutting back seams to ease curves. Two warm baby wraps in the making. One due tomorrow, the other the end of August. Today's creative space includes my laptop, so I am checking out other spaces at the same time as cutting and pinning.
Check out other creative spaces over at Kootoyou...

The story of a fabric

2009-08-19T20:56:00.007+10:00

I just read the story of a fabric by Curly Pops about some vintage fabric finding its way into her hands. It reminded me of a similar story I have, so I thought I would share it here.

When I moved out of home (a few years ago now...), my parents had just had new carpet put in. To save the new carpet from getting dirty from the moving traffic, I got some old material from the cupboard - a rather large bulky piece so it would do a good job - and laid it on the carpet to protect it. After traipsing over it a few times (laden with heavy moving boxes), the fabric caught my eye. Nice pattern, nice colour, Mmm. I picked it up off the floor, dusted it off and realised it was a really nice fabric, 100% wool and it had a great big geometric pattern. There was also about 3 metres of it. Perfect! A few months later, I had made it into a great Winter coat which I still wear!

I still have almost a metre left I think. Maybe I should drag it out and make something else new?

Funny, as I don't think I have ever told my Mum this story, so I really don't have any idea where the fabric came from, other than from the cupboard. I don't think my Mum will know either, but I should tell her this story one day over a cuppa and see what she says.

Nappy change emergency pouch

2009-08-17T19:37:00.003+10:00

Whipped this one up on the weekend to give to my sister in law for her baby shower. It's a pouch with velcro closing to keep an "emergency" supply for nappy changes. I have one permanently in my handbag and it's great. It means I can keep using my handbag, and don't let the nappy bag rule my life, but am prepared for the emergency.

Made with denim and cotton. The inside lining has been contacted. I got the idea for the lining from here, it can't be machine washed, but you can wipe it clean, and I think it works well for a nappy change pouch.
The outside:

And the lining on the inside.

It was gifted yesterday. I hope she liked it and gets as much use out of it as I do.

My creative space

2009-08-13T09:56:00.005+10:00

This is my first addition to My creative space, by Kootoyou.

This is my new blog, which I am having fun with so far. My creative space today is the leftovers from yesterday's efforts. Seems to be a green theme going on, projects sitting there waiting to be finished (maybe not finished today, but hopefully progress made). I like the light through the window, and the way it is overexposed.

A green jacket I have had for ages, but never wear. I am going to refashion it so I like it more, replace the buttons, add some contrasting cuffs to the sleeves and trim to the hem (maybe). On the chair is a green and blue playmat in the making for the bubba. It's a smaller one that can hopefully be taken places along with us without being too cumbersome. Picked up the bright fabric at the Amitie sale last Friday. Love it. I am having trouble with it though and the more I think about it, the more I think I need to unpick and start again. Oops. I tried backing it with a fleecy material, which is stretchy. And its fine, I can control the stretch on the edges (sewing stretchy material to non-stretch is always difficult), however I was also hoping to top stitch some of the pattern to keep it together and so the other plain side is also decorative. I think this will be too difficult to achieve. So I have two choices, unpick and get new backing material. Or hand embroider it. Hmm.

Rainy day and a new gadget

2009-08-12T14:13:00.005+10:00

It's a rainy day out there, nice time to stay inside, keep the baby occupied and get some stuff done. Yay for the rain. I hope it is falling in the right places, and not just making a miserable Melbourne day.

A visit to the shops yesterday and I came away with a new funky gadget- the magnetic seam guide. Looked interesting, was only 3 bucks and, as described on the packet, is an 'invaluable tool for topstitching'. I've got to say, it worked a treat. It is so easy to use, as it is magnetic, it stays in place, 'stuck' (is there a word for magnetic adhesion?) to the metal plate and keeps your topstitching lines looking straight and VERY professional. Definitely worth the investment.

It is really worthwhile checking out the various notions, bits and pieces as there are some very interesting and useful tools out there. The last one I got was a bias tape maker, as recommended by the lovely Nicole Mallalieu at the Melbourne Stitches and Craft show. Actually, she was so passionate about describing the wonderful things this bias tape maker could do, I couldn't walk away without buying one. Nicole also has a great tutorial on her website. I've been so impressed with it, I have since bought another in a different size.

Until the next sewing gadget comes my way...

From oranges to apples

2009-08-07T09:22:00.004+10:00

This one was completed a little while ago. A simple summer dress in size 1 made with cute apple material I have had for a while. The sleeves are elasticised and gathered which will look very cute on a chubby one year old's arms. The dress was simple and quick to whip up, and completed in one day after I got inspired from shuffling through my stash.

The pattern is Simplicity 3853, from the It's so easy range. Definitely a winner. I have also thought of many ways of altering it, cutting the bodice out of a contrasting or a base colour, gathering the skirt a little, or pleating it, buttons down the front, no sleeves, plain material, hand print something along the hem... The possibilities are endless. Perhaps another trip to my stash to see what other ideas come up?

My orange tree

2009-08-05T08:18:00.001+10:00

My orange tree, my pride and joy at this time of year. The oranges are ripe, sweet and juicy and plentiful. See here for an orange close up (yum yum). Does anyone else living here in cold Melbourne have an equally beautiful orange tree? I think it produces so well each year because it is espaliered against a north facing brick wall which absorbs any Winter sun and keeps my oranges warm and toasty for their ripening season. Fresh oranges every day for me!

A little person's jacket

2009-08-04T19:04:00.008+10:00

This is my entry into the world of craft blogs. I've been thinking about it for ages (and have been formulating blog entries in my head for ages) as I've been reading and drawing inspiration from the many other blogs out there. So here goes, I will just jump into it, post what I have to show and hope you enjoy.

After receiving my first edition of the Ottobre design kids fashion mag, I was completely inspired and energised. This is my second project from the mag from the Autumn 4/2009 edition. The pattern was easy to follow and really enjoyable to make. I love the coloured leaves, perfect for Autumn, and the bright happy colours.

Now I just have to wait patiently until Winter next year when bubs grows into it, and hope it fits!