I am a sewing crazy and I need help!!!

I have been sewing like mad for the last few weeks and guess what?  I have barely finished a single item.  What exactly do you call this condition? What does it say about me that I lose interest too quickly or am easily distracted by the next great project that comes along?

I also found I couldn't blog about a project until I finished it which made for a very sad and sorry looking blog indeed!

I have decided to try and post about all my projects right from the "Cutting Of The Fabric" stage and seeing if  this helps. Not only with finishing WIPs but getting a blog post out every couple of days at least!

As a craft blog reader myself I actually like seeing the whole journey of projects being made and well as the end result.  So somebody may actual enjoy my posts or at the very least find it useful.

They aren't actually finished yet as they have no faces:(

To be totally honest I am too scared to paint their faces as I am so messy at it and don't want to ruin the cute little things.

Tutorial was found here and I would like to say thank you to Virginia Lindsay, creator of Gingercake Patterns and the blog Gingercake for sharing her gnomes with us.  I found them quite adorable.

 Well bye for now.  I would like to finish a neck pillow as its nearly done!  Alas I also have a friend coming over tomorrow to help me landscape my front garden and I have to do some preliminary work first.

Also try and catch up with another friend whose daughter is getting married and I have volunteered to help her with the tasks she has to do for the wedding, like make the guest gifts and table decorations.  She also had to alter her daughters wedding gown and re sew the intricate lace and beading.  Now she has to give it a gentle wash.  I don't want to help her with THAT too much as all hell will break loose is something happens to the dress!  I will give her emotional support and thats about all! lol

I want a little bit of empty nest syndrome!

I am having quite a bit of difficulties in writing regular blog post's!  It's frustrating me no end.  Is it a lack of sewing projects to show?..........no.  Is it having nothing to write about?..........no.  Is it time management?........a little bit.  What is making it hard to blog is the fact my son keeps wanting to use my computer which makes it hard for me to get access to it.

To write a blog post I really require a decent sized block of time, uninterrupted to write, edit etc.  I require private time and for it to be at night time.  The time management bit is that I need a regular time slot to be available .........regularly.  Mornings are also great times to write blogs but some mornings I have to get up, get ready for work and then go.  There is no time for personal activities some mornings!

What can I do about reclaiming my computer back for me?  He has a laptop of his own and our house is a hotspot.  Yeah, yeah I need to get a spine!  Tonight I will.  I have already asked my daughter for help! lol

I realized that I have put myself on hold until the kids move back out of home.  I want a little bit of empty nest syndrome!  They are both adults and act like ones when they live on their own but since moving back home I find they revert back to kids again and I treat them like kids.  Washing their clothes, cooking, cleaning after them etc. I am my own worst enemy!  Yeah, I know!  I need to get a spine..again!

The daughter is not so bad at helping with household chores.  Often when I come home from work I will find she has done some tiding up and the dishes.  My son though is a typical bloke that just doesn't see mess.  Just like my husband!!!!!

I made this kitchen floor mat using an old towel and some cotton fabric scraps.  I thought the idea for this mat came from some random blog surfing awhile ago but could be from a craft book I borrowed from the library  ages ago.  I stumbled upon blog posts of the towel projects the other day that came from the same book. The book is "Handmade Home" by Amanda Blake Soule from the "SouleMamma" blog.

The other mats were done differently to mine but look a lot easier to do (and quicker!).  A rectangle of towel and a rectangle of cotton fabric sewed together around the edges and turned right side out.  Towel scraps appliqued to the top.

For mine I layered two towel rectangles together.  Appliqued cotton scraps on top and binded the top and bottom raw edges.  I slip stitched the side edges together.  Looks alright, and being two layers of towel means its soft and plush.  The cat loves it and sits on it whenever it can.

 

I wish I could sit on a post all day by the river. 

5 cent scrap of fabric

During my weekly tour of the local op shops, I was lucky to spot a wee scrap of fabric that has two beautiful horses on it.  Horse fabric is so hard to find and to find this scrap and only costing 5 cents was like winning lotto.

I am not horse mad by the way.  I had horse mad friends growing up and did try to learn how to ride. Unfortunately one of my friend's had a fat and obese horse named "Star" who deliberately stood on my foot and refused to move.  Nearly broke a bone in my foot.  I chose motorbikes thereafter.

My school mate is now my sister in law and had passed her mad fetish onto my darling niece Becky.  So the fabric had to be "got" and a bag made.
Here it is:

A little close up

Interior with another horse on the pocket

Check out the handle on this bag.  I also scored a wooden belt  and turned it into the bag handle.  Compliments the cowboy/ country look doesn't it?

This wild duck followed me up and down the riverbank while I was looking for a great photo spot for my bag.  Looking to be fed?  Or is he after his 15 seconds of fame on a blog?  He (or she) is rather cute!  Sadly for him/her I will not feed wildlife.  They need to learn to look after themselves!  Tough love!

Bag pattern information:

This bag was made using a free bag pattern shared by Keyka of Keyka Lou - The sewing blog.  She also generously allows home crafters to make a few to sell on their stalls etc.  I am planning on making one or two to sell using some "African animal" fabric I found with lions, zebras, cheetahs and a giraffe. 

Kind regards and HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!

Looking forward to this year 2012

Why am I looking forward to a year that has every "doom Sayer" predicting is going to end? 

The huge solar flare that is going to hit Earth approx Dec 20th.

I am looking forward to the possibility that the flare will cause a huge  "Aurora australis" that can easily be seen by many on the main land.  Aboriginal folklore of the "Great Rainbow Serpent" may be the retelling of the indigenous witnessing this great event hundreds of years ago.

Not looking forward to the possible heat wave though.  Make sure you look after the elderly, sick and very young with plenty of water etc.  And batteries for the youngsters in case power goes out, internet down, (no facebook for awhile!!) lol.

To sewing:

I have got a few projects finished!  Hurray!  One of the projects I enjoyed making the most was some "thank you gifts".  A lovely couple who live on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia helped my in-laws out when they broke down returning from holidays.

I made them a wristlet and a couple of peg bags.  Not knowing the lovely people in person made deciding what to make them difficult.  I decided on pouches and peg bags as they can be  used to store a lot of different things.  A work mate uses a peg bag that I made as a sock holder in her wardrobe.

I got a new camera and I haven't learnt how to use it properly yet!  I didn't know it was still on special effects mode when I was rushed to take these pictures until the items were on the road 900km away.

Looks lovely in real mode.  Blues, reds and black.  If I find the scraps will post pic of fabric!

Pouches were from a Heather Bailey pouch tutorial from the book called "Signature Styles".  I purchased mine at www.Can Do Books.com.au.

Looks like the owls are sneaking a peek.

Last year was a terrible year for a lot of people.  My FIL got very sick, my SIL had a heart attack and in a coma, my daughters cat got bitten by a snake and the news on TV was tragedy after tragedy.  I didn't feel much like blogging as I didn't have many happy things to say!  I sewed though and got through 2011.

I hope 2012 is a good one for all of us and I will have plenty of happy things to blog about.

Hugs to everyone.

I still sew...

Hi, just a quick post to say "hello" and keep my blog active....sort of!  I have been very busy with un-craft related things (boo hoo :( . but have manged to make this bag in small (desperate to sew) blocks of time! 

It's one of the wonderful bag pattern freebies that use to be offered by "Oh Fransson".  I don't understand why its not offered anymore.  A lot of free patterns are being taken off the free list and put up later for sale.  Is the GFC to blame for this???

Amongst other things I have been on holiday in the beautiful seaside town of Streaky Bay, South Australia.  Might do a post on it once the hell of a holiday fades and the family and I can finally laugh about it.

I went on this holiday with my hubby and about 30 members of his family!  The logistics of holidaying with so many and planning the days, ensuring no one gets left behind in the caravan park on fishing trips defies belief.  Also just following the car in front with no idea where you are heading for is just plain silly!  People got cut off from the convoy and then lost!!!  Plan your holidays better than we did, folks or just camp close to home.  Streaky Bay is about 830km from home.  Way too far!

Anyway, enough about that.  I am off for some much needed therapy!  In my sewing room of course!  (just borrowed the "One Metre Wonders" book from the library and it looks awesome!)

Cheers

Kylie

Current doings

I've had a good week this week!  I hope you have too!  The lovely spring sunshine is fabulous and always puts me in a cheerful mood.

In the sewing room, I have been running up some monster pencil cases.  My daughter spotted one on the net and asked me to make her one.  She loved it immensely and took it to school where her friends saw it and one of them asked me (it was more like begged! lol) to make her one.  I couldn't refuse her or my niece and so it has been production line central around here!

A small but very important tip for anyone who decides they want to have a go at making monster pencil cases:  Do not use stretch denim!  Only use a sturdy fabric or else it all stretches out of shape.  Save your old (non stretchy) jeans for this and keep your eyes out for any size zips in thrift stores.  All of the zips I used were about 50cm in length.  I just stitched as normal and cut off the left over bit just before turning case to the right side.

I am going to make a few more to keep in reserve for the next child that asks for one and will photograph my sewing steps for those just learning the joy of sewing.

These girls are my attempt at the 'Black Apple Doll' pattern.  Thank you to Emily from the Black Apple blog for providing this free pattern. 

My girls are not quite finished yet.  Still stuffing their tiny little arms and legs!  One little lady (shown below) is falling behind on her sisters and still feeling very flat.

These girls will be 'waiting in reserve' for just the right home to go to.  I often read of blogs doing 'soft toy appeals' for charity and like to get involved but something else always comes up that uses my time and I fall behind the deadline for delivery.  I have decided to make things in advance and only offer to send some stuff whenever I have some already made.

If this blog post sounds a little all over the place, I sincerely apologize.  It feels like an epic post that has been 5 days in the making!  Every time I sit down to get this blog post up, I have been dragged away.  Dragged off screaming to Zumba classes, dragged off to wander around a new shopping centre under construction, dragged off to drive around the countryside lost etc.  When I did get to write a few words I found that I had not uploaded my pictures yet.  On trying to upload pictures, the computer ignored the camera plugged in and I had to wait for the master to get home from work to sort it out.

And they say a good blog should post 3 or 4 times a week!  I had trouble just getting the one completed!!

Cheerio!  (getting dragged off to the city to buy a Campmaster portable toilet and tent whoo hoo excitement plus!!) (not!)

and the winner is.......

Today is the day!  I got to pick a winner for my bag giveaway.

The winning comment is: 16

Congratulations Ariane!  I hope you enjoy many days out with your new bag.

I love doing giveaways and am thinking of doing a lot more because I love making stuff and I don't want to overload my family and friends!  I'll overload you guys instead!!!  Nasty aren't I? lol

Currently making some monster pencil cases for family and one of my daughters friends.  This monster pencil case has proven popular.  My daughter loves hers and her friends have asked me to make them one too.  Will show them later, along with some simple dolls I have been making.  I have used the black apple doll pattern and love mixing and matching fabric scraps. 

Kind regards.

Kylie