Make My Week #37 – Wonder and Discover
In July I made some embroidered brooches and did and giveaway and the winners could choose the words.
The winners words were Wonder and Discover
these are the parcels that flew away in the post
I particularly like wonder. You can see the winners post about it here - so sweet it’s going to school for show and tell.
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Make My Week #36 – September Spring Dress
Yesterday I had a day on my own (from 9.20-3pm – that counts as a day right?) and instead of cleaning – which still needs to be done, exercising – which seldom gets done or any other jobs – of which there are plenty! I sewed!
Yes indeed, I made myself a dress.
My mama gave me this Trelise Cooper fabric about 4 years ago for my birthday but I had been a bit afraid to cut into it. Anyway I had been into Annah Streton the other day and feel all inspired by her eclectic approach to fabric combinations – I think she must have grown up with quilts! so on Tuesday night I cut out all sorts of pieces and yesterday I selfishly sewed all day.
I used a Simplicity pattern that I have used a few times before (see yesterdays post for another incarnation) but this time I did the cross over front – oh my! I am pleased this wasn’t the first one I did – the pattern for this version is quite obscure in parts and has whole things missing out. I also ironed a point of the sash on too hot and now it has iron scolds!
I haven’t actually hemmed it yet but let’s not be worried about details shall we!
All up the dress cost me nothing because the fabric was gifted and the lining was leftovers, the zip was gifted in a big pile and I bought the pattern for something else and I’ve already made 4 other versions from it.
If you want to see me wearing it you’ll need to tune in for Wardrobe Wednesday next week.
there is still time to enter my giveaway for a wrist/money cuff thing for a little person in your life.
Joining in with other create types at our creative spaces - click on the button on the right to find them.
Make My Week #34 – More Wrist Cuffs and A Giveaway
So after you were all so lovely about my wrist cuffs I thought one would make a perfect giveaway for August. These are the latest ones I have made using the same tutorial as last time.
I’ve also made a little brooch for the winner of my last giveaway but I won’t reveal that until it is safely with its new owner. I do like it though I might have to make one for myself even.
If you are a Christchurch person I would love to encourage you to get along to Crafty Christchurch in the GeoDome in Hagley Park – starting tonight and going through the weekend. Some of the Chch bloggers are going tonight if you want to gatecrash.
To see other crafty makes click on the creative spaces button on the right
to enter the giveaway let me know which money cuff fabric you like best. If you follow this blog and want 2 entries just leave 2 comments (by email, or google reader/connect thingy! or however else you might follow). The photo with the cuffs open is the most representative of their actual colours. Have another cut out in the green seersucker (wrinkly) fabric as well so you have to imagine that one!
I am going to give away 2 of these one for anyone who enters and the other for followers of my blog. Not because I want you all to follow, unless you actually want to, in which case welcome!! but I want to acknowledge all the encouragement I get from you choosing to come along for the journey.
to see more of the things I’ve been making go here
and if you don’t want to enter please feel free just to leave a lovely comment but don’t tell me which one you like best (clearly I love comments)
There are daffodils springing up in the garden – Spring is around the corner!
Make My Week #32 – Wrist Wallets or Money Cuffs
Not sure of the exact technical term for these but I hadn’t really thought much of them until we started doing pocket-money.
Suddenly my guys need to take money places and even though the big one has a wallet and they often have pockets – it’s just one more thing to lose or leave somewhere. Modelled with kind of photo you’re pleased you didn’t pay for!
Enter the wrist wallet – velcro on and off with a wee zip to hold money or other very small treasures.
I made them from fabric the boys had chosen ‘lighting N’Queen’ and Dr Seuss. Find similar Dr S fabric here.
On Friday when they got up there was a little package waiting for them both at their places for breakfast.
These versions are fully lined and….. I followed an online tutorial!!! I know Juliet will be very proud of me – online tutorials freak me out a bit but this one was very simple. You can find it here.
The boys can put them on without any help too which is great as well.
I am really pleased with these – I can see they might make a feature on the birthday present list. I made 2 extras because it always takes so much longer to make one individually than several at once.
It’s also another pin real life where you take some inspiration on your pinterest board – here’s the board, and you actually do something with it. You can find all sorts of my inspiration on pinterest and follow along if you want to.
I think an adult version would be great too if you were a running/walking type and just wanted a house key (and maybe some $ for a coffee along the way)
What do you think? Would you wear one?
Make My Week # 28 Baby Quilt
The Atlas has a work colleague about to leave to have a baby and so I asked if I could make something special. Bless him he even let me show him some stuff I liked on my quilts pinterest page and I have another board of quilt loveliness here too.
The quilt is made from pieces all from my stash and inspired by lots of different pictures I like. It is free motion quilted. I actually hand basted each piece on and then basted the whole thing before I started which took an evening but was well worth it in the long run.
I added the border as an after thought and I love it. I was going to have the Suffolk puff blossoms all over the ground under the tree but the crafters I had over in the planning stage recommended them on the tree and I think it’s a better choice.
I backed it in super soft brushed cotton. I have included a putting it together collage because I quite like the sense of development. I am pretty random in my approach – cut and place and hope for the best.
I’m pretty pleased with the results and I think The Atlas was too.
It always amazes me how irresistible a quilt (even a half-finished one) is to lie on and play on and we don’t even have a cat! The boys just couldn’t keep themselves off it.
I need some inspiration for a winter craft project that I can take on holiday and do by hand – I don’t crochet and my knitting is pretty atrocious…. ideas???
Make My Week #27 – Cushions, Cushions, Cushions!
Another birthday present cushion and a set of cushions for a friend for their holiday home.
The birthday cushion was a very girly girl. From Mum’s description I would say the room was very Disney princess and this is about as close as I get to pink on pink.
I did some little hand-stitched details on the other cushions just to make them a bit more interesting.
More cushions I’ve made this year here and here and here
This year I’ve been making something creative every week
Have you entered my giveaway yet?
Make My Week #24 – Daddy Rowing A Boat
I am developing a family art wall in our place
My boys don’t do a lot of art, mainly they’ve been too busy playing outside to make stuff but when Flip did a special drawing of an ‘Octopus in the Shower’ at 4 I wanted to keep it so I turned it into a stitched picture
The other day Bounce drew a picture of ‘Daddy Rowing a Boat’ on a wee scrap of paper and it was so sweet I decided to do the same.
He is so proud of having something he has drawn turned into a sewing by mama
What are you making at the moment??
Do you have a fireside project for winter??
Do you have a special way of celebrating your children’s artworks?
Click on the ‘Our Creative Spaces’ button in my sidebar for more wonderful inspiration
Read More – My Boys Stitching
Wardrobe Wednesday and Make My Week #23
So this month for Wardrobe Wednesday we can pick whatever we like – which means you have no excuse not to sign up if you’ve been putting off because you don’t fit the theme my friends!
This is my June make…..It is from a 1950s re-production pattern from Simplicity and it has 12 darts, yes 12!! but other than that it is very simple to make.
I may also have a confession to make… at the beginning of this year I put myself on a self-imposed fabric embargo for 6 months and I have been going very well but in May I was given a $30 spotlight voucher at the same time as receiving a ‘spend $100 get $40 off voucher’. This meant for $30 of my own money I could get $100 worth of product. So I thought a lot, truly!, and I decided that $100 worth of notions was do-able but not really that necessary. I bought 3 pieces of fabric. This is No.1. Please don’t feel too disappointed.
This fabric is taffeta which means it sticks out nicely and has that crisp rustly feeling. It also frays like a mad thing but I was very disciplined and overlocked every seam.
I wore it to our screening of the 48hours film we made (I believe in over dressing) with my grandmother’s mink cape – say what you might about fur (I wouldn’t buy it new but I’m happy to buy leather shoes??) but the animal has already been killed for no good reason so I might as well make it’s life count for something.
And this is how I wore it to church on Sunday on a cold winter morning.
Dress – made by me – approx cost including notions and the pattern $30
Belt – hand-me-down/ on loan? from my Singer Sister
Shoes – ages old No.1 shoes I also have a black and red pair
Cape – Mink from my grandmother
Black undertop – Zara UK
Black opaque tights – probably had them since high school!
Black sequined sneakers – The Warehouse – slowly but surely coming apart – sob!
I joining in with Nin the Seamtress/Designer at Wardrobe Wednesday
and other ‘show and tell’ers over here
Make My Week #20 – Birthday Season
It seems birthday party season is upon us and I have such difficulty with the whole present thing.
I love presents and I love giving them but I also struggle with the amount some people spend on children’s birthday party gifts and when your child gets invited to several birthdays during the year how much can you end up spending. Or do you just buy cheap ‘landfill’ knowing it won’t last much longer than the party???
On the other hand I don’t want my child to be the kid who brings stink presents to birthdays ….. catch 22??
So mainly I try to make the gifts my boys take but it’s not easy – especially for boys. This year it is 6-year-old birthdays and I have decided that personalised cushions are going to be the order of the day. Flip choose the colours and helped with the design so he felt proud and happy taking it with him.
This is the latest for a birthday last weekend and you’ll be seeing more over the next month judging by the invites coming in!
How do you feel about buying gifts for multiple other children during the year, what is your ‘go to’ gift and what is your price guide??
Other creative spaces here
Make My Week #19 – Jacket
I found this pattern at a junk shop a while ago and I liked the shape and the over puffy sleeves (do puffy sleeves remind anyone else of Anne of Green Gables??)
I changed it up a bit in by taking the lapel opening all the way to the bottom of the jacket and using a button and loop system.
The buttons are vintage ones I got off my step-mother and the fabric is some I bought last year or even the year before – it has a slightly pearlised surface and comes from somewhere in Africa from recollection.
I also made the sleeves a lot slimmer to try to reduce the amount of volume going on.
This is my second clothing make for May.
Check out all sorts of creative goings on here.
