Amelie and Atticus

Peter Pan Dresses

2012-01-25T18:15:00.001+11:00

I finished my second round of Peter Pan dresses this week - they were made with a range of new and vintage fabrics in sizes ranges covering 1-4 years.

Most of them have vintage buttons are a back closure!

I was really happen with the results and combined with round one I have made a total of 28 dresses! Not a bad start to the year!

All of these dresses have gone to Shorties in Newtown - so if you are after some handmade goodness head on over!

Now for a few photos of my favourites:

More creative spaces HERE and HERE!

Brown Owls at Cockatoo Island

2012-01-24T11:59:00.000+11:00

On Saturday we all took a lovely trip to Cockatoo Island for the Sydney Brown Owls meet!

Photo: Badskirt

It was a great afternoon of cruising the harbour on the ferries, knitting, pizza, cocktails and crafty buddies!

New Year Surprises

2012-01-21T09:28:00.000+11:00

Some lovely surprises that January has brought my way...

A giveaway from 2nd Avenue Studio...HEATHER ROSS HURRAH!

Some belated Christmas gifts from Andy

Awesome Christmas presents from a friend (with a handmade bracelet...I love the feather!)

I can't wait to trek around Europe with my new bag!

And a screen printing kit to start the Summer of Screen Printing!

Stay tuned for some experimentation!

You're a Wonder WONDER WOMAN!

2012-01-16T21:34:00.000+11:00

A hand drawn Wonder Woman shirt for Clementine by Andy

The final one of 'our' Christmas Creations!

Vintage Peter Pan Dresses

2012-01-14T21:59:00.001+11:00

I've been sewing up some stock with my vintage sheet collection from HERE!

I love working with vintage fabrics....it's the feel, the style and also some indescribable magic too.

This first set is made up of 9 dresses in size 1-2 years and one dress in size 2-3 years.

I love mixing and matching up the fabrics with these small sizes as each one uses 2 fat quarters!

I'm pretty proud of this batch and I think they look brilliant hanging together on my curtain rail!

This week I will be working on some larger sizes after I finish up a Ponyo order I have on this weekend!

I hope you are having a brilliant weekend too!

From Vintage Fat Quarters to A Beautiful Pile of Dresses to Be

2012-01-11T20:25:00.000+11:00

Another Amazing Creation

2012-01-10T08:30:00.000+11:00

By Andy

This one is of Ponyo and Ariel - Amelie's favourite sea girls - he created the image and then drew it on!

Amazing right?!

Amelie loves it...only one more to go!

2012

2012-01-09T19:00:00.000+11:00

Before

Cubby removed to a new scenic location!

During

After
...new white sewing table on the left...the old one for cutting and screen printing on the right!

A new red chair for my 'assistant' Amelie so she can stop stealing mine!

New drawers...

...filled with goodies

And a kiddie nook...though they really just make mess where they please!

Studio Clean Up and Re-Design

To start the new year both my husband and I have undertaken a huge studio clean out and new set up of our respective spaces.

This was a HUGE undertaking which involved a much anticipated trip to IKEA and then the much less anticipated task of putting it all together.

It took us just over three days to clean everything out and set it all up properly...I still have to sort through all my fabrics and scraps to organise and declutter!

It's all set up now but I have to decorate the walls...I will do some of it this week but I think it will mostly grow over time. I am hoping for BRIGHT colours and beautiful fabrics. One of the first sewing jobs this year will be new curtains for this room and for the girls too!

Please send me any links of inspirational studios - I am on the hunt for some more ideas!

Projects 2012

This year we have many fun and adventurous times ahead of us and I hope to achieve the following:

Start Screen Printing Designs - both mine and Andy's

Post at least one Tutorial a month - I've a few tutorials I have been meaning to post so this will 'encourage' me!

Sew less clothes for the girls - they have enough and I have spent a lot of time sorting out their wardrobes and they don't want for anything!

Sew Some Travel Clothes for Me - yes there is exciting travel news on the horizon...so I need a few new threads for the trip!

Op Shop Less - Only go if I NEED something and then try to stick to that...this will be tough but I have just cleaned up and am trying to take in less!

Make new stock for my ETSY/Made It Shops and photograph everything I have in my sale box at home to list!

Travel to England, Scotland and Paris!

We are finally heading off on a much awaited trip to Europe together after much hard work and saving one of our dreams is coming true! We are leaving the little ones in the capable hands of their grandparents and heading off in March to roadtrip around England, Scotland and Paris!

Any tips for great shops will be appreciated - fingers crossed I can duck into some fabric shops while my husband's back is turned...but Liberty is a MUST!

Research, Write, Photograph, Exhibit - I am going to plot out time to really do some research and have some quiet time to develop a project - I have loads of ideas I am just missing the time to develop them!

I might make quilts for the girls - or plan them - maybe make one for Amelie's 5th Birthday - and so on for Clementine and the future kidlets!

Create and maintain an exercise program - keep it simple - little bits each day that will add up

Build a home studio - lights and backdrop

This is my main to-do list for the year...I'm sure more things will crop up and some things may never get done but there it is...and I am off to begin it all!

Harry Potter

2012-01-05T11:00:00.000+11:00

A hand drawn Harry Potter for our Nephew Jack!

Harry is wearing his cloak of invisibility!

AWESOME!

The Christmas Season That Was 2011

2012-01-03T15:53:00.001+11:00

There was:

A First Molar for Clementine that cut through at 1am Christmas morning and kept us all up!
Happy faces on Christmas morning...Clementine had a big sleep in after that tooth and took her time getting to her Santa sack!
Day trips to Canberra - having fun riding around the lake...on both 2 and 4 wheels...bowling and a lunch at Hogs Breath Cafe (a dream for the kiddies)!
A Bush walk with Jem to visit the fairy ring and leave them a message!
Meeting new little baby Tao - who thankfully survived a near death experience on Christmas Day to be with us on Boxing Day! Looks like he'll be wearing his Terminator onesie soon!
And hours upon hours of fun with the extended family!

Now we are back home and getting ready to spruce up our studio spaces and get to work!

I can't wait to see what gets created this year!

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA....BATMAN

2011-12-28T15:55:00.000+11:00

....and Robin! Another AWESOME hand drawn top by Andy for our nephew Septimus!

Robin

2011-12-27T08:30:00.000+11:00

A hand drawn Robin for our Nephew Presley who has always loved Robin!

A Terminator for Tao

2011-12-26T08:30:00.000+11:00

One of our handmade Christmas presents this year!

Hand drawn by Andy with fabric pen....isn't it AMAZING!!

This one is for our nephew Baby Tao!

Another great collaboration...hey I did buy the onesie AND sewed the Amelie and Atticus tag on!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T08:30:00.000+11:00

From my family to yours!

A Handmade Christmas Round Up

2011-12-24T08:30:00.000+11:00

On this Christmas Eve I thought I would do a round up of all the Handmade Christmas gifts I have made this year:

Christmas Bunting

Costumes for Amelie

Christmas Dresses

Clementine's Dress and Bloomers Sets

The Mermaid Sisters!

There are some more handmade goodies featured after Christmas as I did not want to ruin the surprise!

I took it a bit easy this year and am glad I started early as there is no last minute rush!

I wish you all a fun and relaxing Christmas Eve!

Santa's almost on his way!

Weekending

2011-12-19T08:30:00.000+11:00

This weekend we used our new Christmas cookie cutters to make our second batch of gingerbread...these ones are heading to my work tomorrow...but we all got a little taste test!

We also popped into our street Christmas Party and had our Christmas with my family!

I also did a small spot of sewing...a tiny pair of bloomers for a friend who had a little girl last week!

I think I might have stitched my last stitch on the machine for the year...now to clean up my workroom and get ready for some new furniture and screen printing over the holidays!

Softies for Mirabel

2011-12-18T22:38:00.002+11:00

This weekend I (WE!) finished our Softies for Mirabel. Amelie really wanted to help out stuffing the Mermaid's head...and she did a really great job of it. I was really proud of her...it's amazing to see her grow up and see her doing things I just assume she can't! And naturally I love that she likes to spend time with me and make little creations!

Meet the two Mermaid Sisters who are headed to Mirabel:

And here they are with their Mermaid cousins who will be staying with Amelie and Clementine:

Some final happy snaps before they hit the road tomorrow!

If you want to make a softie or two there is still time...you can send them in till Feb 2012...it's a great cause!

More details HERE!

Experimenting...

2011-12-16T21:38:00.001+11:00

With summer cape styles...both are made with drill instead of cord and the top one has a brim!

These ones have gone to hang out in Shorties in Newtown with my last batch of bloomers!

Make It Count

2011-12-16T21:08:00.002+11:00

This week we've been making it count everyday!

We had some friends over - naturally I didn't take any photos - we were having too much fun!

Here's Amelie after everyone went home - pulling the couch apart!

We've been going to parks, having ice creams and generally chilling out!

There have been some tears but mostly it's been fun!

Flower anyone?

A Very Brown Owls Christmas

2011-12-12T21:51:00.003+11:00

On Sunday we had our Brown Owls Christmas Party!

The girls and I made some Miffy gingerbread biscuits - I took a before shot as I wasn't sure how they'd go in our new (old) oven! But they turned out pretty cute!

The girls did some taste testing to make sure they were A-OK to take along!

For my KK present I made some Vintage Tea Bunting - made from vintage linens cut in half (or thirds) and sewn with red bias binding! I got the idea from HERE!

My final gift looked like this:

Festive Craft Kit from The Red Thread...my Vintage Tea Bunting...a set of hair clips...and a diary...can you tell I had a bit of a colour theme going?!

With the left over bias and some mini doilies I also made some mini-bunting which I have been moving around the house till it's finds a permanent seasonal home!

And here - presented by Amelie - is the wonderful gift I received from a fellow Owl Katie! The Prints Charming Book (HURRAH - I am hoping to start screen printing this summer!) - Cookie Cutters (bring on the next batch of Gingerbread!) - and STAMPS - a Camera one and a 'Made with Love' one...Amelie has been playing with the cutters as if they were characters and has been begging to make more gingerbread!

I was also blessed with a birthday present from Lara...an awesome Alice book with so many great projects...I can't wait till the holidays to start some!

It was a great afternoon and I feel so blessed to be able to meet up with intelligent crafty women!

I've been a-sewing...

2011-12-10T22:15:00.001+11:00

Bloomers!

For little boys and girls!

Hoot on the Night Watch Dress

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000+11:00

My final Christmas sewing for this year! A Hoot dress for Clementine!

Clementine has become obsessed with 'Giggle and Hoot'...but Hoot is definitely her favourite!

I originally planned to make her a softie of Hoot but thought that Santa might make one too and mine wouldn't be up to scratch!

So I had all these supplies and nothing to make with them....till the brilliant idea of making them into a little costume dress for her!

Hoot is made up of felt and poly cotton - and both hand and machine appliqued!

I was quite proud of how he turned out...and I hope Clementine loves to wear him!

I also made some matching bloomers as the dress is quite short and this way she will get more wear out of the clothes...plus there was a lot of blue left over!

More creative projects HERE!

Make It Count

2011-12-07T20:50:00.001+11:00

Today we built cubbies, tents and oceans out of sheets...played in the backyard...there was a lot of fun and a little bit of argie barige!

We wrote letters to Santa and did watercolours...and went to the funeral of a really great man.

And then it poured with rain.

What did you get up to today?

For My Darling Clementine

2011-12-04T21:33:00.001+11:00

After some fabulous costumes for Amelie for Christmas this weekend it was time to get down to some Clementine sewing!

I've had this beautiful Saffron Craig fabric since the last quilt and craft show and have been waiting for a special project to use it!

I chose the Oliver + S Bubble Dress and wanted to do it without the bubble feature at the bottom...but now I keep looking at it and thinking something is missing...so I might add it in...especially since the fabric is so bubbly!

I also used the left over fabric to make some matching bloomers for Clementine to wear with the dress or with a tee!

We had a little modelling session - despite the bad weather - but kept it to the front porch....

...and even then poor Clementine almost got blown away!

Pattern: Oliver + S Bubble Dress

Fabric: Imaginary Flower by Saffron Craig

Another Christmas dress down and one to go!

Down memory lane....Amelie in the first Saffron Craig dress I made when she was the same age as Clementine above!

Thrift Store Finds

2011-12-03T22:12:00.001+11:00

Some finds for the girls...

A vintage sifter for me!

I have been keeping an eye out for one...I am not sure how old it is but I have never seen this style before!

And finally this hamper is part of a great Christmas conspiracy!

For more finds head over HERE!

And click HERE to see the awesome JEM COSTUME I finished yesterday!

Jem Costume

2011-12-03T21:30:00.001+11:00

SHE SINGS!

SHE DANCES!

SHE'S TRULY TRULY TRULY OUTRAGEOUS!

JEM gives her biggest fan a hug!

After a silly mix up in making the belt Jem came together very easily...I drafted the pattern myself and learnt a thing or two about sewing with dance fabrics! I will go into more detail in separate post...for now enjoy the fabulousness of JEM!

PS I think she loves it!

Cinderella, You're As Lovely as Your Name

2011-12-01T20:18:00.001+11:00

Today I finished the Cinderella Costume for Amelie for Christmas!

An in process shot of the white bustle - I gathered the length and hand stitched it at the waistline (centre back)

The front view where I used the same technique to gather and hand-stitch to the centre front waistline.

I love the way the fabric works on the sleeves. It is stiff enough to keep the nice puffy shape!

Fit for a princess!

and now the model princess...

She was not impressed when she realised the deal she struck to have a turn in the dress was in exchange for a photo session...she was under the impression that she was going for a swing around the clothesline!

But check out this awesome attempt a smile below...there's my girl!

She later requested a photo of her and Clementine together...sweet!

Another Christmas dress down and hidden away....only Jem to go...although I am tempted to make a couple more for Clementine to even things out!

Christmas Tree Skirt Tutorial

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000+11:00

December is here and the countdown to Christmas is ON!

In celebration of the 1st December and my 800th Post I am sharing an easy to whip up Christmas Skirt Tutorial!

CHRISTMAS SKIRT TUTORIAL

Step One - Make a template of what you want your Christmas Skirt to look like - a simple circle will include an inner radius and outer radius with a line cut for the ties as shown below.

Step Two - Cut your fabric - add a 1.5cm seam allowance to the template - ensure you add it to both the inner and outer circles. You can leave the line cut as shown. Cut 2 of the main fabric and one of the wadding. One cut piece with seam allowance added shown below:

Step Three - Add trim as desired to one of the main fabric pieces. For this skirt I added white Ric Rac 3cm from the inner and outer edge as shown below.

Step Four - Baste ribbon in place at the opening on each side. I lined it up 3cm from each edge with the ric-rac as a guide.

Step Five - With right sides of the main fabric together and the wadding on one wrong side stitch through all layers around the centre and outer circles. Also stitch the sides - leaving one with an opening of 2 inches to turn it the right side out!

Step Six - Clip all curves and trim allowance to 1/4 inch.

Step Seven - Turn the right side out and hand stitch the opening closed.

HURRAH your skirt is now done and ready to be placed around the tree!

See what else I got up to this week:

Rapunzel Costumes

Black Velvet Dress

Making it Count

More CREATIVE SPACES HERE!

Black Velvet Ponyo

2011-11-30T17:50:00.001+11:00

Today I finished a custom order for a repeat customer YAH!

They asked for a Black Velvet version of the Ponyo Costume!

It was very hard to get good photos due to the nature of velvet and the nature of 3 year olds...but here are a few that are passable!

This last one is what I get when I ask her to put her hands down by her side...I don't think she is very impressed!

Make It Count

2011-11-29T13:07:00.001+11:00

Today we did our Wednesday swim in the morning...

Found this beautiful little critter in the girls' room as I put Clementine down for a nap...

When she got up the girls tucked into their favourite treat of Blueberries in a cup!

I love Clementine's fluffy hair after getting it washed!

For craft today we did watercolour pictures for Santa...we've been doing this a lot lately...pretty much everyday. We get an ice tray with water and a few drops of food colouring:

It makes the loveliest shades of colour...and is so much easier to clean up than paint!

Above is a picture of Santa, Amelie and a Christmas Tree!

Another awesome day...what did you get up to in your neck of the woods?

OH....and here is the girls' Santa photo....wearing their special Christmas dresses!

Stash and Treasure Markets

2011-11-29T09:49:00.001+11:00

Do you need to de-clutter and make some extra cash?!!?

Or do you want to raid someone else's awesome stash!?!?

Stash and Treasure is a new market for the new year...if you want to get a table together or head along to snap up some bargains...check out all the details HERE!

Check out the Facebook page HERE!

How I Made Rapunzel

2011-11-27T21:54:00.001+11:00

I used the same pattern that I used for the girl's Glinda costumes (above) and made the following amendments to turn her into Rapunzel!

I removed the longer sleeves and all the trims. I made the skirt width the same as the fabric I bought which was a less full than the pattern.

To make the two way colour sleeves I did the following:

Please note that I thought I was really really clever and would make it into a tutorial...then AFTER I did all this I saw many other Rapunzel costumes that sewed pink ribbon onto the purple backing which is a much easier and simpler way to get the effect...my hopes were dashed...but in the end I am glad I did them this way as I like the more even look!

1. Trace the sleeve pattern and then draw lines approx. 2 inches apart from the centre.

2. Cut the sleeve strips and use as a guide to cut alternating pink and purple fabric. Please note that you will need to add a seam allowance to the sides of each sleeve section only - as shown bellow:

I marked mine with numbers so I wouldn't get mixed up!

3. Stitch the pink and purple pieces together, overlock and press.

Once attached to the bodice they will look like this:

To get the ribbon effect I chose to pin and stitch them down as opposed to loops so it can survive some tough Amelie and Clementine play!

Finally I cut down the band to a half width to neaten it up and be more in proportion!

So that's how I turned Glinda into Rapunzel!

Rapunzel, Rapunzel Let Down Your Hair

2011-11-27T20:56:00.001+11:00

This year it's all about Rapunzel from Tangled...first it was Amelie who fell in love with it and now Clementine is following suit!

I had originally planned to make one for Amelie for Christmas but Clementine loves her so much now I made them one each!

Amelie's is a size 4 and Clementine's a size 2....I will go more into the process in another post...it was to be a surprise but Amelie caught on so I let her have one turn in the dress to model and now they are put away in a special secret hiding spot!

Above: For Clementine

Below: For Amelie

She is in love...with the dress and possibly her reflection!

Two more Christmas Costumes to go!

Thursday

2011-11-24T21:30:00.001+11:00

Today I made these bloomers with vintage fabric for a custom order...and took the girls to the Mini Musos Christmas Party...a pretty darn good day all round!

My Creative Space

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000+11:00

This week I am working on Mermaid softies for the girls and Mirabel!

This little lady popped some seams so she asked for some cool cuffs to cover the scars!

I've been making the tails from vintage sheets and the bodies from various vintage linen and hankies!

Any one else making some Softies for Mirabel this year?!

More creative types hang HERE each Thursday!

Make It Count

2011-11-23T20:28:00.001+11:00

Today I went out into the POURING RAIN with TWO KIDS to go to the post office...then off to get some swimming nappies and finally to Amelie and Clementine's first swimming lesson for the season.

They were both excellent at swimming....and then we braved the POURING RAIN to get home again.

We were meant to go to the library but there was no way I was going out again with the girls...and Clementine has been sick so we hunkered down for the rest of the day!

Did you attempt anything INSANE today?!!

Sew Mama Sew

2011-11-22T08:45:00.001+11:00

My eye mask tutorial is featured on Sew Mama Sew today as part of their 5th Annual Handmade Holidays!

Go and check out some of the sleepy tutorials HERE!

Thrift Store Finds

2011-11-19T17:09:00.001+11:00

This week we collected a nice range of goodies....and finally a dress for me!

There is also a lovely folding mat, ice block maker and many other good finds!

Amelie scored the fairy wings for free after charming some lovely ladies at Vinnies!

She also loves her fairy dress, superman costume and red riding hood pop up book!

Not pictured are about 100 vintage videos we also picked up...including Barbie and the Rockers....A Chipmunk Adventure and many more!

More fun finds HERE!

Exciting!!

2011-11-18T17:09:00.001+11:00

My bloomers were featured on Baby Space's 25 Days of Christmas HERE

Thanks to Shorties for letting me know!

You can buy the bloomers at Shorties in Newtown or contact me for a special order!

My 31st Birthday Weekend In Pictures

2011-11-18T08:30:00.000+11:00

Japanese Sewing Book Dress Y

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000+11:00

In my creative space today is the last outfit in my 'sewing for me' marathon....though with my new sewing book I'm sure it won't last long!

This is definitely an around the house number for me...which was initially disappointing as I was hoping for it to venture outside but it will be nice to have something just for home!

For more creative inspiration today head over HERE!

Make It Count

2011-11-16T09:30:00.000+11:00

Today the girls and I are making it count by heading on a road trip to Newcastle to visit my amazing Grandma - here she is a couple of months ago at her 90th Birthday with her great-grandchildren!

She is so talented and it still knitting and crocheting with the best of them...miles ahead of me!

What adventures are you getting up to today?

Simplicity 2180 Again!

2011-11-14T14:32:00.001+11:00

I love this pattern - it really suits my body type and I think I might make many in all different colours!

For this version I lengthened the bodice and took out the midriff section. I also made the skirt fuller to get some sweet twirling action:

I also go a new haircut - it's all layered but this photo doesn't really show it very well!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

2011-11-13T09:48:00.001+11:00

Today I am 13 again!

And perhaps a little dyslexic...but I like it that way!

We are off to the beach and then to see Mary Poppins tonight!

Have a great Sunday...I'm off to open some presents!

Thrift Store Finds

2011-11-10T21:31:00.001+11:00

A mix of modern and vintage find this week:

Andy picked up this amazing mushroom house...perfect for Amelie's ever growing collection of Smurfs!

I got this amazing holiday knitting bag....I can't wait to pack it full of knitted goodness!

A new handmade dress for Clementine!

And an awesome fully working Dora and Mr Potato Head Play-Doh set!

The Dora was marked at $15 but the lovely lady gave it to me for $5....bad eye sight or kindness....either way I was happy to take it!

More awesome finds HERE!

Fabric Goodness and Christmas Sewing Plans!

2011-11-10T21:25:00.003+11:00

Christmas is just around the corner, so I decided to get on top of my sewing plans and pick up all the supplies I need!

So here is a sneak peak at what I will be sewing in the next month:

1. Jem Costume

2. Rapunzel Costume

3. Various Dresses and Bloomers

4. Cinderella Costume

5. Capes

6. Softies

My Creative Space

2011-11-10T07:00:00.000+11:00

This week I finished my first top from the Stylish Dress book!

I used up the last of my Liberty fabric stock creating this beauty!

It came together quickly but I was a bit dismayed because it made me look incredibly frumpy...see Exhibit A below:

FRUMP!! ARHHHH!!

So I took the side seams in quite a bit on a curve to fit my body as you can see below:

The sleeves have that lovely 60's flare which is probably as 'far out' as I go from my usual conservative style!

Ah....beautiful Liberty!

So here is the finished product...Exhibit B below....less frump...more style??

You be the judge!

Make It Count

2011-11-09T18:05:00.001+11:00

We had a very busy one today...

We started out visiting a pre-school that Amelie might attend next year....

Popped into Vinnies to pick up a Tinkerbell wand Amelie forgot to get last time...

Home to give Clementine a nap while Amelie picked some flowers...

Out again to Shorties and Spotlight....some money in and some money out...

Home again for another nap (which was actually spent not sleeping and mostly whinging)...

While Amelie had some water play!

And since it is SO hot today we have now put on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and plonked ourselves down in front of the fan for the afternoon!

It's HOT!

From Rainbow to Brown Muck in 1 mix up!

Even the ducks were trying to cool off!

What did you get up to on this HOT DAY (or cold depending on your home!)??

PS Sorry Clementine that there are no photos of you but you were sleeping :-)

Thrift Store Find of the Year

2011-11-07T13:32:00.002+11:00

This little one is my favourite find of the year....anything vintage Strawberry Shortcake is a win for me!

Read about it HERE

Playing along HERE

Christmas Dresses for the Girls

2011-11-07T10:36:00.005+11:00

I finished the girls Christmas dresses this week...a red velvet one for Amelie and a red polka dot for Clementine. Amelie's was made with some vintage fabric I found at an op shop and I used some vintage ric-rac to trim Clementine's dress.

Getting a photo of them together was a bit of a challenge...this is the best one I could get:

Clementine wanted to be off so she could have a swing...

Amelie gave me a few more chances!

The next challenge will be the Santa photo at the beginning of December!

Spring Capes

2011-11-05T17:09:00.001+11:00

Up Up and Away!

A hot pink and hot orange cape for those cool springtime nights

These have been cut out and ready to be sewn for a while and I am finally catching up after the Halloween rush!

My Creative Space

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000+11:00

It's blooming around here...big ones, little ones, vintage ones and boys ones!

A nice little collection of spring bloomers I finished today!

More creative types are having out HERE!

Make It Count

2011-11-02T22:26:00.001+11:00

The day began with Amelie dressing up in a 'chair costume'

We moved onto making Rocky Cookies in our new (old) oven which has finally been replaced!

Amelie did a great job pouring in all the ingredients, stirring and even cracked her first egg!

Clementine hung around and got into a fun game of Peek-A-Boo while the cookies were in the oven!

Amelie loved them but Clementine took a lot of convincing to eat them...I still don't think she was sure about them!

In the afternoon Amelie played with our Blythes. It took me ages to comb her hair from the mass of fuzz we found it in at the op shop!

I hope you had a great day...what did you get up to?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2011-10-31T20:38:00.000+11:00

From the Zombie Bride and Chucky!

Vintage Spring Dresses

2011-10-31T20:24:00.001+11:00

This week I have been sewing some little dresses with vintage sheet fat quarters from the swap!

I have been testing making them with bias and facing instead of being fully lined...what do you think? Do you have a preference?! See the full range HERE!

There are faced ones and ones with binding as below - you'll be able to tell the difference!

Amelie did some modeling in exchange for wearing some lipgloss!

The many faces of Amelie:

Some AMAZING Brooches

2011-10-27T20:33:00.001+11:00

Some AMAZING brooches from Melbourne textile artist Carly Altree-Williams!

Check them all out HERE

An Amazing Painting of Our Girls

2011-10-27T20:25:00.001+11:00

This week we received the most AMAZING painting from a talented family friend who lives in England!

We commissioned her to do a painting of the girls...and it is so beautiful....we love it! She even painted them in the style of dress I have been sewing!

The girls love it too...Amelie keeps asking to have have a hold and her eyes lit up when she first saw it!

Thanks so much Emma!!

My Creative Space

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000+11:00

An awesome fabric bundle of Heather Ross Far Far Away 3 that arrived in my home yesterday....I have no idea yet what to make of it but I am quite happy to stare at it aimlessly for hours on end...

Heather Ross...I'll stitch you up I love you sew!

Looking for something more? Head over HERE to see some more productive craftsers!

Make It Count

2011-10-26T22:05:00.002+11:00

It was a special make it count this week...there was a Toys R Us opening near us and they had some special guests...once we saw Strawberry Shortcake was going to be there we were sold!

I was a bit worried it would be chaos but we got in saw all the folks we wanted to and got out stress free...I also did a little bit of secret Christmas shopping but don't tell the girls!

For craft we did some painting while Clementine had a nap...and did some exercise in the afternoon...a really fun and fulfilling day!

I might have even snuck in some collar making on the sly!

What did you get up to?!?!

30th Birthday Scavenger Hunt

2011-10-25T17:16:00.003+11:00

No. 28. Have a Big Swing

You know the kind where you almost go right over

...there I go!

Thanks to my awesome friend Christelle for documenting my silliness...

We used to write letters to each other from our future children and now here we are at the park playing with them!

Our little girls Clementine and Starr kicking back on the slide!

30th Birthday Scavenger Hunt

2011-10-24T21:35:00.003+11:00

No. 5 A Pizza on the Beach from Elvis Pizza

THE PLAN: I have gone past Jailhouse Rock Pizza at Birghton Beach for all my life and never been. Andy is a HUGE Elvis fan so we've been meaning to go for a while!

I have always wanted to grab a Pizza and eat it on the beach.

So last week we up and went to get ourselves some yummy pizza...the plan was to eat it on the beach but by the time the pizza was ready it was too dark!

But the pizza was AWESOME at home too!

Jailhouse Rock Pizzeria

115 The Grand Parade Brighton-Le-Sands NSW 2216

Simplicity 2180

2011-10-24T11:12:00.001+11:00

Like many of you this pattern has been taunting me from places like:

Sew Weekly

sohomode

Little Betty

...and so I finally decided to 'invest' in the pattern...my plan was to make some birthday dresses for myself. I usually get a new dress for my b'day but this year I really wanted to make some with my lovely liberty stash!

I used the Lauren Child Tuesday Trees Print which I adore and thought would be totally wasted on a dress for the girls!

So here it is...I really wanted to do some red piping to bring some definition to the lines of the dress but time was short and the red I had was not quite right and I thought if I had put it in it would have driven me crazy forever!

As it was I JUST finished the dress with 5 minutes to spare to wear it out for the night! It's still a few weeks to my birthday but we were heading out on the town and I had NOTHING to wear!

Front

Back

Close up of back with bad ironing job!

Front - with the same bad rush ironing job!

Fancy posing in the backyard!

Trying to get a good shot of the back...

This one is a bit better mid-twirl!

And a nice little kick to end the modelling session!

The pattern came together well...even better when I actually read the instructions and didn't have to re-do things because I am not psychic...some of the stitching was pretty dodgy but I got to re-do it...but it's still probably best if you don't look inside!

I look forward to making some more with this pattern...maybe some with the red and black polka dots or flowers...and I might even attempt some pipping...stay tuned!

30th Birthday Scavenger Hunt

2011-10-23T10:55:00.005+11:00

No. 7 Have A Drink at the Superman Bar with Andy

THE PLAN:

So I LITERALLY work next to the bar they used in Superman Returns and walk past it every work day but have never managed to go in with anyone....so hopefully one day my husband and I can go in for a drink!

This weekend we headed to the Sydney Opera House to see John Water's present a double feature of films...and on the way we stopped at the bar for a drink:

Superman Returns

Source

It was a pure coincidence that we sat in the right spot...but I am sure it was meant to be!

It was great to be able to chill without little one to run after!

I got a lovely fruit beer which Andy thought tasted like cough medicine...but I loved it!

There is also a sneak peek of my Simplicity 2180 which I JUST got finished in time for the night out!

I am slowly knocking off my 30th Birthday List...only a few weeks to go now!

Belgian Beer Cafe (aka the Superman Bar!)

Heritage

135 Harrington Street,
The Rocks Sydney

Thrift Store Finds

2011-10-23T10:22:00.001+11:00

Some vintage patterns - I LOVE the adult cape - not sure if I will make it but I had to get it!!

Amelie's find was some ballet slippers (I had to drag a hideous skirt off her that cost $5 and was in terrible condition - but I made her one at home to make up for it!)

We picked up this adorable kids apron...which I may have tried to get away with wearing too!

And lastly I picked up this ladies shirt with an idea of refashioning it into a girls' dress...it was a last minute buy to get the total up to $10 so I could use a card!

I really have to start carrying around some cash!

For more exciting find head over HERE!

My Creative Space

2011-10-20T07:00:00.000+11:00

Today I am working on some lovely dresses made from vintage sheets!

And below is the pile of patterns and fabric I have waiting to make dresses and tops for me....dare to dream...though my plan is to get one done to wear to John Waters on Saturday night!

Wish me luck!

More creative tales HERE!

Make It Count

2011-10-19T21:36:00.001+11:00

Today Amelie wanted to get made up like a Blythe doll (yes this what totally her idea and everything)

We don't do make up often but sometimes as a special treat because she LOVES it!

She wanted to look like this one!

The girls hanging in the yard...Clementine is wearing a kids apron we found at Vinnies this morning! And Amelie is wearing a new skirt I made today (to make up for a HIDEOUS one I refused to get her from Vinnies!)

(Amelie with 2 pretend ice creams...I think Clementine was hoping they were real)

A shot of the skirt (duh!)

We also did some exercise...I am finally getting back into it...and overcoming the challenges such as an Amelie on my back!

In the afternoon Amelie was watching the Lion King and get a little scared of the Hyenas...

Clementine finally got her hands on a real ice block!

And she was pretty happy about it!

It was a really great day - I took a almost whole day break from sewing - only stitching the skirt and some of a little dress!

What did you get up to today?!

Thanks to everyone who commented last week!!

Thrift Store Finds

2011-10-15T22:26:00.000+11:00

The girls got a good haul this week....and I got 3m of fabric for $3 and a basket for our lovely tea towels...and all we went in for was a kettle (not pictured :-))

We love those little Polly Pocket houses...this one is Minnie Mouses...so adorable. It came with Minnie and a decapitated Donald Duck (poor Donald!).

We also got a bucket for the bath toys, new Dora lounge and rain jacket!

I hope to make a dress for me with the fabric...I have quite a few of those to do at the moment!!

More exciting finds HERE!

My Creative Space

2011-10-13T07:00:00.000+11:00

I'll have my head down on the machine working on a couple more Ponyo costumes!

Next up on my list are some summer dresses for girls and some for me too!

I have been collecting fabric and am itching to get a sewing!

So far only one taker on the 'Pay it Forward' challenge...if you are interested head over HERE!

For more creative spaces head over HERE

Make It Count

2011-10-12T20:59:00.001+11:00

It was a sad, strange and also wonderful day today.

It started out with fun activities like washing the clothes and bleaching a port-a-cot I found (this is after trying the natural bleaches of vinager and salt!)

Amelie was really proud that she was all dressed up for big school and was pretending to be her cousin who is in Kindy this year.

We went to the library first things and got out lost of books and videos...in the bottom image Amelie is dancing to Angelina...it seems like she is changing costumes constantly!

I love the look of love in Clementine's eyes for her sister...I hope it lasts!

Now to the sad and strange part...if only I'd thought to take my camera!

I saw a house in our street get robbed today.

I wrote down all I could...but in hindsight I wished I had taken some photos and called 000 immediately.

If you see something dodgy don't hesitate to call the authorities...I was all worried that it wouldn't be important enough and I had a million other things running through my head. Man I wish I'd had my camera at my peep hole!

Worst of all was seeing the family when they came home - they have kids in primary and high school and they were devastated. It reminded me of when I was little and we were robbed. I came home and found it...it was terrible.

I hope they sleep well tonight and I hope they get the guys.

So that was our sad, strange and wonderful day!

What happened in your life today?!

Pay It Forward with Craft 2011

2011-10-11T20:21:00.000+11:00

With Craft!

This week I received my beautiful 'Pay it Forward' package from Kristie of Rouke and Henry: Coco's Closet

I had to pry it from Amelie to take a photo of the cute wrapping!

Check out our beautiful goodies:

Thanks so much to Kristie - it was such a beautiful surprise!

So now it's my turn to Pay It Forward

So the first five people who comment on this post will receive some crafty goodness in exchange for paying it fowards!

Please include your email address so I can get in touch!

HALLOWEEN!!!!

2011-10-10T20:52:00.001+11:00

I've been mighty busy with my first year of Halloween orders!

It's been very exciting and I can't wait to see photos of all the awesome costumes trick or treating!

Here is a selection of some of the costume's I've made:

An upgraded (more poof...and I love the velvet trim!) Strawberry Hat for the Strawberry Shortcake costume!

Ponyo as a Fish - size 3 and 6

Some more of Ponyo as a little girl!

Now I just have to work out what SUPER AWESOME costumes I can make for the girls!

Thrift Store Finds

2011-10-08T21:24:00.002+11:00

We spent the long weekend in Cooma and as usual I nicked down to my favourite stores for some hunting!

I found some nighties with beautiful fabric just begging to be upcycled!

A fabulous quilt cover I was going to cut up but don't know if I can!

Some games...the vintage travel Cluedo is awesome - even missing some parts but I had to get it!

Some books for the girls

A new Barbie for Amelie

Some awesome vintage patterns for me!

This one is my favourite...I am totally going to make a red one with puffy sleeves and prance around town!

Some new cute sandals and a swim suit for Clementine

And my favourite find of the day - a Holly Hobbie vase for $1.50...so sweet it gets 2 photos!

More thrifty find HERE

and don't forget to check out my awesome tutorials from this week:

Laptop Sleeve

Vintage Eye Mask

Sunglasses Case

Sunglasses Case Tutorial

2011-10-06T20:30:00.000+11:00

My sunglasses case is yet another item that was well worn and ready to be replaced.

I made up 2 different cases - one for my sunnies and one for Amelie's:

TUTORIAL

Pattern Pieces (these have a scale on them if you want to enlarge and copy) otherwise the dimensions are:

Pattern Piece No. 1: 5 inches by 8 inches

Pattern Piece No.2: 5 inches by 10 1/2 inches at peak

Cut one main piece and one lining piece from each pattern - giving you 4 pieces of fabric to work with!

STEP 1

With right sides together sew the front and back of both lining and main fabrics.

Once sewn trim the seam allowance and clip the bottom corners.

STEP 2

With right sides together place the lining inside the main fabric. Pin around the the raw edges and sew, leaving an opening for turning.

Trim the seam allowance and clip the corners.

STEP 3

Turn the right side out and either hand stitch the opening closed or top stitch the top of the sunglasses case.

STEP 4

Add a snap as a closure.

Alternatively you can use a button and buttonhole or velcro (if you chose this method you will need to add it before you stitch the front and back together).

And you're DONE!!!

Another great gift idea or a fun way to use you special fabrics in your stash!

See the sidebar for more awesome tutorials!

Laptop Sleeve Tutorial

2011-10-06T07:00:00.000+11:00

I have been itching to make a new laptop sleeve for a while and my old one finally gave out with a zipper breakage (Hurrah! Don't worry I will recycle the cute Snow White fabric!)

This tutorial is based on my 13 inch Macbook - but I will show you how to measure up your own!

You will need two pattern pieces (or just cut the fabric without a pattern).

One rectangle is 15 inches by 11 inches (front) and the other is 18 inches by 11 inches (back)

otherwise known as:

laptop height (plus 2 inches) by laptop width (plus 2 inches) and laptop height (plus 5 inches) by laptop width (plus 2 inches)

Cut one of each pattern piece in the main fabric, lining and a thin wadding (if you are using a thick fabric you can leave out the wadding!)

For my wadding to save money I pieced it together from scraps so it looks a bit dodgy but works just as well!

STEP 1 (optional)

Sew the wadding to the 2 lining in a cross pattern - I only chose this method because I was using scrappy wadding - if I had a full piece I would have left this step out - so it's up to you - cross or no cross!

STEP 2

Attach the sleeve lining pieces to each other right sides together - sewing the around sides and bottom (overlock if you please!).

Repeat this step with the main fabric.

STEP 3

Find an elastic hair tie or use a strip of elastic for the closure.

I used an old hair tie that was broken at the top but still good!

Cut excess of the elastic tie off - pin to the centre top of the longer rectangle (back piece) and then baste in place!

STEP 4

Place the lining inside the main fabric right sides together and pin together around the raw edges as shown. Leave an opening on the smaller rectangle (front piece).

Stitch around the pinned area, leaving the opening to turn it the right side round!

STEP 5

Turn the laptop sleeve right side around and either hand stitch the opening shut or top stitch around the top.

STEP 6

Sew a button on the front piece in a spot designated by where the elastic stretched to hold the sleeve closed!

And you're done!

Admire and have fun with your new awesome laptop sleeve...or make some for your friends and family for Christmas!

For more inspirational creative types head over HERE

To see my Vintage Eye Mask tutorial click HERE

Stay tuned...one more tutorial to come this week!

Make It Count

2011-10-05T22:11:00.001+11:00

Today we hit the shops for some Christmas pressies that were on special - we spied the end of the Smurf's centre court performance which we are heading back to see tomorrow - we mucked around with toys - Amelie rolled playdoh around while Clementine slept - we went to the park and the girls had a ball - on the way home we scored this Batman chair from the council clean up and Amelie had a lovely afternoon reading her important magazine!

Basically we were still recovering from the long weekend but we fully intend to take it up a notch next week with some AWESOME kiddy crafts and some fancy photography by me!

Well we can only hope since I have written it down I will follow through!

What did you get up to today?!!?

Vintage Eye Mask Tutorial

2011-10-04T21:14:00.000+11:00

If you, like me, are married or living with an insomniac (who likes to read) this is an essential item in the bedroom. Or for you travelling folk, those riddled in excess sunshine or as a gift!

For years I have been saving and using ones from long haul flights but it has been a while since I’ve been on one of those and my masks are on their last legs (see the worn out elastic below)!

For this project I selected some fabric from the vintage sheet swap as the fabric is nice and soft and I love the prints! I had an idea to do one with crazy eyes embroidered in the exterior for added freak factor but I might keep those for my next project!

To make the pattern I traced the old eye mask added some height and width (tapering it as the nose as pictured below) and then added a seam allowance.

Below is the pattern piece - I have put a scale on there if you want to save the picture and zoom till you get the right size! Or if you have a mask you can trace and draft your own pattern!

MATERIALS

Fabric (you will only need a small amount!)

Wadding

Elastic

CUT

Cut out 2 pieces of fabric with the pattern pictured – or style your own – add some cat ears or a crown!

Cut out 1 piece of wadding. I cut mine rough and just a bit larger than the fabric bits as this can be trimmed later!

Cut out 2 lengths of ¼ inch elastic 16 inches long (check this against your head and adjust as needed)

I made two masks at the same time to boost my stock!

STEP 1

Pin the elastic in place (as noted by the x's on the pattern) - test it on your head (watching out for the pins) and adjust if it is too loose or tight.

STEP 2

Baste elastic in place 1/4 inch from the edge of one fabric piece - going backwards and forwards a bit to secure the elastic!

STEP 3

Make an eye mask sandwich - first layer wadding, second layer fabric right side up (without elastic), third layer fabric with elastic right side down. Ensure that all the elastic is tucked in and not in danger of being sewn (you can pin it down if you need to!)

Match up all the layers of the sandwich and pin around the edge - leaving a gap at the top to turn the mask through.

STEP 4

Stitch around the eye mask leaving a gap for the opening at the top. Sew backwards and forwards a few times over the elastic to secure it.

Trim the seam allowance to 1/4 inch (with the exception of the opening) and clip the curves.

STEP 5

Turn the eye mask the right side out through the opening and pin closed. You can choose to either hand stitch the opening closed at this point or top stitch the whole mask.

I chose to top stitch my masks!

And then you're DONE!

A perfect little project for you or a gift for a loved one!

STEP 6 - Optional

PHOTOSHOOT

My Creative Space

2011-09-29T07:00:00.000+10:00

Three little projects and three little tutorials I am writing this week!

A Laptop Sleeve

Sleepy Eye Masks

and

A Sunglasses Case

All very simple but essential items in my life!

Stay tuned for the awesome awesome results!

and more super creative types over HERE!

Make It Count

2011-09-28T21:23:00.001+10:00

Today it rained...I sewed a set of beautiful white dresses for twins...Amelie squished a lot of play-doh together and cut out some shapes...we went to the post office to post the dresses and a Ponyo...the girls played with wands of flowers from the garden....Clemetine pulled the flowers apart and became Super Baby...I tried to take some arty photos...we had a great day!

How about you?

Thrift Store Finds

2011-09-25T07:00:00.000+10:00

After finishing up another round of Halloween costumes for my shop...I rewarded my hard work with a trip to our local op shop Vinnies as it had been a while!

We found some amazing things this week...I had just started writing up some ideas for the girls for Christmas and lo and behold they were at Vinnies!

I was going to make a Wedding Dress for Amelie...but they had one there for $5 which was perfect, and matched the spotty tulle I had at home so I can still make her a veil!

I wanted to get Clementine her first baby doll as she LOVES babies at the moment...and when she spotted these two in Vinnies she wasn't letting go!

Another must have was a baby bed...and there was one...a beautiful Moses style one! And for Christmas I can make it some bedding!

And a beautiful Belle doll to round it out!

I was only kind of sad there wasn't anything for ME! But maybe next time!

For more thrifty finds head over HERE!

New Capes

2011-09-24T22:17:00.001+10:00

Some of the new capes I have been sewing!

I just finished adding these and more to my little shop.

I only got model shots for about half of them before Amelie had 'had enough of doing that'....so I didn't push my luck and took some shots inside instead!

I love the first two shot...they both look adorable!

We made the daisy crowns in the morning from our garden!

I hope you've all been having a great weekend!

Amelie lends a hand!

2011-09-23T22:03:00.002+10:00

Amelie has been helping me out modelling the latest Ponyo costumes. These two are from today...the top one is a size 7 and the bottom one is in a size 5....she sure does love being Ponyo!

My Creative Space

2011-09-22T07:00:00.000+10:00

It has been a fun week of costume making! I made my smallest Ponyo yet - 18 months old! And created a new costume of Ponyo as a fish. I was really proud of how it turned out...like when you imagine something and it actually works!

Today I am going to get to the bottom of my creative space and find all the little projects and fabrics that are hiding in there!!

Click on the header and scroll through the blog to see our other adventures this week!

More creative people HERE!