Happy Australia Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been a quiet week here in my house as two of my boys have been away to the beach with cousins.



My craft room is well set up with air conditioning and a tv for watching the Australian Open. I get addicted to the tennis every year and I can get so much sewing done while watching.

I have nearly finished hand quilting a quilt, been working on some samples for the upcoming Melbourne Stitches & Craft Show where Louise and I will be doing some workshops especially for children. I also started and finished two orders for customers which I think turned out quite well. These are the pictures.


All in all it has been a good week and I feel great that I can cross some of my projects off the list. Now I can begin some new ones without that guilty feeling!


Happy Australia Day to all Australians living all over the world! I am off to make some Lamingtons!!!!!!!!! You can find a good recipe here.

Little Ben

Just a quick post to show you that I have been busy.

I whipped up these shorts from one of my numerous Japanese books. The fabric is an Alexander Henry one which I just love - just wish I could get more - thanks Louise for this one!

Baby Ben is the model! Pretty Cute!

Meet McMoz!!

This is to introduce you to 'McMoz'. He has a very important job to do. He is to be Lachie's 'Thinking Buddy' for school. He will set up camp on Lachie's desk at school and apparently, help him to think!!!

McMoz was inspired by Melly & Me's pattern of Mozzie. Lachie and I sat down on the computer and looked at lots of images and he seemed to like Melly & Me's Mozzie the best. So we planned the fabric and everything together. He was so particular - he definitely didn't want 'fat' legs or arms (well, who does!) So this is what we came up with.

So here he is off to school to 'camp out' - I have been informed that he will be allowed home on weekends!!!

Have a great week!

Success, at last

Today, my last day with the house to myself, I have finally felt like doing something. Actually, it was last night really. This is what I have achieved.

1. Made 2 rich fruit cakes (to take away on our holiday for morning tea everyday).

2. Made 5 batches of meringues for my next door neighbour's daughter's wedding on Saturday.


3. Packaged the aforesaid meringues into 90 bags and tied with a ribbon.

4. Made a horseshoe for the bride.


5. Helped the said bride's 17 year old sister to make a horseshoe (no sewing experience at all).

6. Made a frenchy bag with some gorgeous fabric I bought the other day from Amitie.

I have only achieved the above because I didn't eat meals at all - I just grazed all day and I had no-one saying to me that they were hungry. Not many dishes, yay!! Only cooking ones. No breaking up arguments or telling people to go to bed.

Now that I have finally written my list about what I have achieved I feel alot better and I have decided that I haven't really wasted much time at all while I have been home alone.

I have about 2 hours left of this peaceful time, but I must admit I really am starting to miss everybody. I just need another day or two so I can clean the house properly. I would be doing it now if it wasn't so darn hot!!!! I hate hot weather!!!!!

I still have quite a few things still to do, but I guess I will get around to it when I can.

We are off on a 2 week break to here - apparently, it is even hotter than Melbourne - what was I thinking?

See you when I get back.

PVC Love is being spread around

Thanks to Fi, I have now mastered pvc - not that I had ever tried it before - but thanks to Fi's wonderful tutorial on 'being the boss' of the pvc - I am now an accomplished sewer of pvc.

So guess what, everything in sight will now, of course, have to be pvc'd!!!! My mind is ticking over all the things that I could do with it.



Anyway, I made a little kids organiser to start with and I am really happy with how it came out. It didn't pucker, bubble or anything. It really was quite easy to work with.

For those interested in buying some of this, another great place to buy the stuff is from Bunnings - it is about $4.80 a metre (slightly cheaper than Spotlight and it is the same stuff).

Last week my trustee 18year old Janome went in for a service, and the news was not good - the button holer was jammed inside and the new part would cost $220.00 - not worth fixing - so it was very sad that I had to buy a new one.

I now have a new Janome which I am slowly getting used to - the added bonus with the new one is that I have a choice of three different types of button holes (I only had one before) . And the new one has the button hole stitch for applique which I have always wanted. So, here is the result of using that particular stitch. I can't believe how simple it is to use.



So now everything that isn't nailed down will now be pvc'd and appliqued until I can find something else I can become infatuated with. Look out kids!!!!

Meet Gork!!!!!

Lachie has been home three days this week, just not up to his normal happy self, bit of a cough and runny nose. He asked if we could make a softie and even though I had three million other things to do, I know that it would be a very special bonding time with me and my baby boy.

So I told him to do a drawing of what he wanted and he came up with this.




So then I we found some felt and he chose all the colours. I was allowed to sew it up on the sewing machine - but I was instructed that I had to leave an 'opening' so we could pull it through so we could stuff it - also, he said, because I had used white cotton on red and blue felt and it didn't match!!!!! (I was officially told off for using not matching cotton)

He wanted arms and legs, so they had to be sewn and stuffed. Lachie did all the stuffing and did a great job. We then glued on the felt for his face which was all Lachie's design.

I think it is so cute - his name is GORK. So, now he is Lachie's latest special softie, he loves me so much for helping make him, and maybe, just maybe, I have inspired a little person in his future employment, Christian Dior, Versace, Lacroix .......... So we had a wonderful day, despite the fact not much of the three million things I had to do were done. Also, the pattern was modified a little!


I have been sewing madly for birthdays, teachers, weddings, and the shop. I have even been attempting to make a tutu!!!! I know that I only have boys, but a very good friend was having issue with her tulle and asked me for some help. Not that I did alot of good, but we finally worked out the best way to make it. Let's just hope the 2 year old who is receiving it will appreciate all the handsewing and neat edges. I now know why they are so expensive to buy. Never again.

This is a very bad photo, but I couldn't get anybody to model it in my house, except for the dog and I don't think that it would have sat just the right way!!!




It will be just my luck that somebody out there will let me know a much easier way to make one. I cut 6 strips of tulle - Joined each one to make a tube, then gathered the top of each one with my overlocker and then sewed them altogether. Then I put some elastic in a casing at the top. I must admit there is something about a little bit tutu that is just so feminine, I wonder how I would go with one my size, and what hubby would say when he saw me pirohuetting thru the house as the fairy elephant!!!!


More jammies are being made - I am getting very quick on those.



I have been making and selling these little sets for baby gifts.
















Also, went to a wedding last weekend for Lachie's teacher. A very beautiful bride that was so lovely to the 16 children (out of a class of 20) that turned up at the church to watch their beautiful teacher get married. The dress was so amazing and her figure was just gorgeous. Hope she doesn't mind me putting a pic on here.

I tried my hand at making a horseshoe so that Lachie could put it on her hand as she walked back down the aisle. During the ceremony, (it was a very long catholic nuptial mass on a very hot day) the horseshoe became all manner of things - eg. a gun, whip, sword, fishing rod!!!! I rescued it so it could do the job it was meant to do - drape the arm of a very beautiful bride!!!!!


I hope everybody takes time to smell the roses at this very hectic time of year. Have a great weekend.

Some More PJs

Not much to report -


Just been busy with the usual end of year 'stuff' - everybody wants everything 'now'.


Here are some pics of some pjs I made for a little 2 year old boy whose dad just loves 'combi'
vans



Sorry about the quality of the photos - too many shadows.

What I've Been Up To.

I just love PJ's and I can never seem to find any I like. I have had this fabric for ages, and I bought this pattern from Sew Mama Sew, so Little Lachie (6 years old) now has some really cute pjs.

This pattern is really, really easy to follow. Very clear with the instructions and layout of pieces. It is also a tissue paper pattern which you trace off (no maps of the London underground like Japanese patterns). I made the size 7 - 8 (it is a multiple size pattern all the way from Size 1 to 12). If you have short kids - the pattern will be way too long (if you do the long pants) - so I would recommend shortening the length. It is very easy to measure up and apart from the length, it is pretty exact.

The pattern is meant to have buttons, but my automatic button on my Janome is playing up, - it will decide to do one button, but then won't do any more for a few hours. Very frustrating, so I just put snaps.

I love the elastic in the pants - it only has it in the back and then it is a tie front. Very easy and effective. I am planning on making a whole lot more to co-ordinate with these ones - maybe some boxers, or there is cropped pants (which might look better on a girl). There is even a camisole in the pattern


I have also been really busy making these little totes for the shop, Miko, that I supply. Hopefully I will have these out by tomorrow and can make some more Jammies!!!

I just love the colours in these bags - very very girlie. I will post a photo when they are done.

Operation Cubby

Sunday we saw our beloved little cubby find a new home - our family has grown out of it and now it is time to pass it on to another family.

Moving it was a problem all of its own. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
And yes, the wagon wheels were used to help move it!!!!


It's amazing that such a simple job could take so long with so many helpers!!!!


And a few happy snaps of some things I have been working on.

I made the shirt for my 6 year old from the Finnish magazine Ottobre which you can buy from here. After you have navigated the pattern sheet and found what you are supposed to be cutting out, it is relatively easy. I am going to attempt to make some more of these - maybe in some linen.

The name's Bond - James Bond!!!!

Another day, Another Order Done

Just completed this order for the shop that I supply.

I have made this cushion so many times now, I am getting a bit tired of it. But, an order is an order, so if that's what the customers want - they can have it.

Can you see my new 'swing tags'? Marianne designed these for me and I think they are just perfect. I love the colours and of course the apple design is just so fresh.

It's great being able to attach your own label to your own work. It gives me such a feeling of accomplishment and success.

Until next time.

Fun at the Fair

We have survived a few days with our darling little Puppy, Ellibell. She really is beautiful and so affectionate. The boys are just loving her so much. I have had a steady stream of visitors (mainly the kids friends) to meet the new family member. It's a bit like after you have just had a baby (but better because you're not hormonal and your boobs haven't grown). As we have a two storey house we don't hear her crying in the night because we are all upstairs asleep. The kids hear her in the morning and go down and let her out of the laundry.

Anyway, enough about the dog or you will begin to think I am totally besotted and have nothing else in my life to talk about. I went to the Stitches & Craft Show in Melbourne on Thursday with my mum. We had a lovely day there. Lots and lots of women. Some very interesting sights to see. I always run a little competition with whoever I am with to see who can spot the most outrageous, handmade tote or the best appliqued clothing. We did see some and had a good laugh about them. I really only went to see a couple of shops - guess which ones - yep - Patchwork on Central and of course, Amitie. Their booths were full of just gorgeous designs and fabrics. Yummy!!! I met Rosalie and Melly (from Melly & Me) and they are just the friendliest and loveliest of girls. Thanks for chatting girls.

I exchanged a few 'moo' cards and we had lots of laughs as only those in the 'blogging' world knew what we were talking about. My mum was looking quite bewildered.

I was quite good on the spending side - just a few fabrics I wanted, the Mrs Perkins pattern from Melly & Me. Some of Kristen Doran's fabric and Sprout Designs. Just gorgeous. There are some seriously talented people out there and their work is amazing.

Unfortunately, the day went too quickly and I didn't get to see the 'Quilt Exhibition' which I am sure would have been so inspirational.

I haven't taken any photos so here are a few photos using Heather Ross' fabric which I made for a newborn baby a few weeks ago.