March Sewing Round-up!

My Goodness, how quiet my humble blog has been of late! A quiet echo of nothingness ...

I am in awe that April encroaches so quickly, so a quick round up of some sewing that I have completed during March, (and yes although I missed the Feb knit sewing challenge due to lack of finding material (I do have hopes of making something from knit in 2010), there will be a softie making an appearance in the coming week or two!!) ...

March also saw a Janome over-locker join our area of creative chaos courtesy of the recent Aldi sale (and a kind teaching colleague needing replacing, hence funding my new purchase!) Its' purring along like beautifully, although 2 spools almost need replacing (wish me luck with those tiny knots!) I am locking the ease of over-locking and the beautifully finished seams it is creating! How have I lived for so long without it?

March Round-Up ...

Quilted Bibs ~ Just trying something a little different. I ended up making my own bias for the neckline and straps, I had been trying store brought bias to wrap around the entire outer edge of the bib and turn into straps, but I was having some "trauma" with evenness of the bias on each side (my bias may have been too wide for it as well.) .. I really like the softness of the bibs, so will trying a few more and a few different quilted designs (not my simple lines (lol))

Reversible Pinafores size 00 - This was just trialling a pattern that I brought off Etsy to create some little gifts for friends. The size 000 wouldn't even fit over Jaida's cabbage patch doll's head, so became rehashed with applix for the doll collection. The size 00 was more accommodating and has been promised to a couple of friends. I think if I were to make it again, I'd rather do a sweet little button hole join on the shoulders (so stay tuned.) .. I like how it is reversible though :)

Sweet Little Baby Skirts - These are all size 00 and just adorable, made from a simple fat quarter. Loving the ease of creation with the overlocker with these little skirts. All are going out as gifts :) And there has been requests for more! So sweet!

A little 0-12 month Caroline Dress - this was just to show a friend who wants to start sewing, what can be achieved with some scraps of fabric from your stash while your children sleep! I have gifted it ...

Another Super Twirly Skirt using some beautiful Amy Butler fabric (we have a holiday coming up so just adding some more skirts to Jaida's suitcase, although I think this one has a lot of growing room.) This time instead of the 3 joined pieces at the bottom, I used two long 42 inch strips, it pleased me greatly not having to fit that third seam into joining at the bottom, just beautiful matching side seams! I also used my gathering foot, this time with a tension of 6.

I am signing off for a week as well to have a much deserved sea-side recuperation with the family as well, so until then, happy sewing!

Scrap Buster Fall Pillow Tutorial

This is how the sky looked on January 1st 2010, what was meant to be the start of a new, fresh year. A time to look forward and leave that of the past behind. A time of new beginnings, of new hope and new aspirations. This is how the sky looked the night upon receiving news that changed our lives forever, a moment I went out to capture to have some reminder of this person in our lives and what they meant to us.

For this day, we were told that someone we loved, someone who fell suddenly and tragically to such a deadly disease had slipped away from us. A part of our family gone forever, but who suddenly sent such an important message to us all ~ that each day, each hour, each minute, is special. Live for today, for tomorrow is promised to no-one.

With that renewed faith in my mind, 2010 for me is a year to try all those things that I feel challenge me, in particular having a go at creating things I may not necessarily have tried .. Hence where this particular tutorial comes into focus.

It was by random chance that I came across the scrap buster fall pillow tutorial, while googling (which I'm quite known to do) for some new patterns and tutorials. It was so eye-catching and what a clever design to utilise all those scraps of fabric that we acquire from our other projects. Initially I had been looking into cushion covers with zips (I have a zip phobia I must confess but I'm slowly coming to terms with them), but this particular project has a simple envelope back. I have only done the front applique, but have the fabric now for the envelope back so will post back the finished product when its' done.

Tutorial can be found HERE

Objects of Desire by Sandy Gervais

Sandy Gervais has created a beautiful material range through her "Objects of Desire" I simply used a few co-ordinating pieces to create a few more gorgeous aprons as presents for Christmas, but already I could envisage that this range of fabric would be delightful for all kinds of home-made pieces. To read more about Sandy, check out her blog PIECES FROM MY HEART

Objects of Desire by Sandy Gervais Lacey Stripe Pink Objects of Desire by Sandy Gervais Flower Power Pink
The Pink is actually quite bright (not dusty like the photo)


For My Brother-in-laws Girlfriend
Forgive the lighting with this shot (it reflects more of the orange from our heat lamps in the bathroom of a night time)

Objects of Desire by Sandy Gervais Lacey Stripe Green Objects of Desire by Sandy Gervais Flower Power Green

For My Mother-in-law

Fat Quarter Aprons

I've been on a bit of Apron Fetish of late, although sadly I must say they have all been given away as gifts (hard to part with I must be honest)

I came across the Apron in an hour tutorial which uses a fat quarter and a 1/2yard to make a sweet, delectable apron for swishing around the kitchen or hosting some friends! Now for you more advanced seamstresse's an hour would be plenty, but it took me a little longer! I don't have an overlocker, so used an overlocking maching stitch on all edges, as well as adding top stitching to the entire apron straps (I just don't think they'd maintain their lovely shape without it!) ..

Two of these were for very special Secret Santas, and the one with the Sandi Henderson' FQ was for Jaida's special PreSchool Assistant! ... Very easy pattern to follow! I look forward to finally making one or two for my own collection as well.

Pattern came from HERE

Sewing on a Sunday

Following on from "t-shirt pants, is there anything more simple?", today I used the paper pattern I had created from Jaxon's pants to see how they would go on the remaining rescue engines material. Nice would be the word to sum up today's results. Now these are good fitting pants on Jaxon.

Engine Rescue Vehicle Pants (actually size 1)

T-shirt Pants, is there anything more simple?

I was just googling random pant tutorials to try and find a different styled pant for Jaxon when I came across How to Make Baby Pants from a T-shirt on U-tube.

Now this looked simple, I was going to have to give it a whirl, just to satisfy my own curiosity! And YES, it was so EASY! You will have to excuse the material, its' from Daddy B's work shirt pile (as this was just a test to see if I could do it), I didn't dare raid his newer t-shirts (well not just yet anyway (lol)) and from Jaxon's drawers, his favourite pair of cord pants. Prior to making them, I traced the pant pattern onto some paper, so it looks like we have a new pattern to try on some more material (a trip out of town to spotlight perhaps??)

Practicing my sewing - making t-shirt pants

Sunday "Chilling" - Jaxon in his t-shirt pants

Making Bags - Part I

Bags Bags everywhere, I joined the EB Bag Swap this past month and oh what a great journey it has been in making bags. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought myself capable of creating a bag to wear, a fashion statement, a joy coming hot off your own sewing machine.

I myself immediately fell in love with the Buttercup_Bag made by rae, what a delightful pattern and so easy to create using 2 fat quarters, a pocket on the inner and joined with a magnetic clasp, which I learnt to do via Little Birdie Secrets Tutorial

I enlarged the buttercup pattern by 30% as my recipient wanted a medium to large bag, but in the end I used another pattern. There were just too many patterns out there, I found myself turning in circles.

Some of the buttercup bag trials

Here I was playing around with adding a material flower to the bag

The bag on its own

Me modelling the bag (lol))

The buttercup bag using Marcus Brothers Sturbridge Village Collection II

The camera doesn't do justice to the fabric colours

The buttercup bag using Urban Couture 30152 Fabric by Basic Grey (Exterior)
and New Basics 2000 by P&B Textiles (Interior)

The material (above) was also the buttercup exterior
and material (below) buttercup interior. Matching Set I created.

I also tried an oversized reversible tote, ignore the handles in these pictures, I realised that I had put them on wrong, so undid all the stitching and put them on properly (ie one handle on both each side of the material, not crossing over as above.) This bag was extra large (I decided in the end too large for my recipient), but gosh it came together nicely and had 5" gusset corners (another new skill I had to learn with a little help from my mum *blushes*) to give it a really niced square edge corner like a shopping bag :) I tried it on all our prams (stroller, valco, babylove duolite) and it hung nicely over the handles, would be great for shopping or an outing with your little one, room enough for everything!!!

Caleb showing the bag could be worn messenger style

What I sent to my recipient in the end, the shoulder bag (dual pocket inside) had a longer handle as she wanted to be able to put it over her pram, I should added more interfacing to the bag/handle to give it more Oomph (it was kind of floppy IYNWIM), sent along a matching buttercup bag too, because who could resist matching fabric with a bag set!

Making bags ~ Its' been a great learning curve, I've had to learn about pulling the inner liner out and pushing it back through to create an exterior and interior, changing the handle from being stitched on the outside to more in between the seams (how I preferred it), top stitching, adding a pocket, and magnetic clasp.

Things I would do differently is definitely the iron on inter-facing on both interior and exterior and handle!! The original pattern didn't call for it, but today in my own sewing, I used the buttercup enlarged by another 30 % and ironed a medium interfacing (before I found the interfacing either too stiff (especially for pleats, just wouldn't happen) or too floppy) but medium seems to be just right (I find this out now after I've sent it ..) The interfacing to the exterior/interior/handle of the bag, definitely gave it more body and a quilting like feel to it.

I really wished that I had been able to grasp this concept more before sending it to my recipient ROMI who was very generous in her comment re my bag *blushes* I also wished I'd been able to get a photo of today's buttercup bag to show and compare to the previous ones, but my work was hot off the sewing machine and rushed over to catch my brother who had just arrived to pick up my nieces and was essentially just putting them in the car to go straight back to Melbourne. I made the bag for my sister-in-law. I might email her to see if she'll send me a pick of her and the bag to post here! LOL

Thanks for sharing my bag journey, today I also got some great Dick and Jane material as I have a friends' birthday coming up (and she's really into retro vintage) Vik's really inspired me with her bag using this fabric ... I'm also off to find some sweet Amy Butler fabric for another friend (interestingly enough my two close friends share the same birthday (lol))