Matilda

 

This is Matilda.  My second swap finished for the swap I am participating in.

She has been received by Sue from Girls Shed and Sue named her Matilda.  I think that name suits her well.

She has the cutest face!  I really enjoyed making her and she is a rather thrifty bear seeing how she is made out of an old chenille bedspread.  Makes her look rather 'shabby chic'.

Her jacket is made out of cheap woolen quilt batting.   Fabric for cuffs are recycled scraps from an old blouse I have been cutting up and the ric rac and lace are from an op shop.  So you could say she is quite the recycled bear!

A close up showing patchwork heart and jacket band.

A little story I will share is that on completion of jacket when I went to try it on the bear, I expected it to fit.  It didn't and I thought I had made my bear too fat.  I looked at the instructions and pattern pic again and found to my relief that the jacket wasn't meant to fit and just be caught at the chest with a few stitches!  Whew!

A close up of yo yo flowers.

See I have been busy sewing this bear so that hopefully explains my absenteeism from my blog over the last couple of weeks.

Pattern was from the magazine "Handmade"  Vol 24 No 6.  The designer is Anna Jarman. 

Well, I think that's it for today! 

Cheers

Lavender Sachets etc

A quick post today.

Sometimes I really feel the need to take a break from a project and make something else.  Usually a small, quick to finish project for instant gratification.   My  4 swap projects have turned out to be rather time consuming projects that I have never attempted before.  Being first time projects means, of course, I am learning a lot of new techniques. 

I really would like to show them to you but have to wait for the last two to be finished.  Nearly there.   I am still waiting for one swap partner to notify me that she has received her package.  Hopefully soon!

In the meantime there are these:

Lavender sachets filled with my very own lavender picked fresh off the bush early spring.  Drying time took longer than normal because we finally, after years of drought, got some rain!  Yay!  Our Murray River is starting to fill up again.

A couple more that still need to be finished!  Surprisingly I am not finding any suitable fabrics to compliment them in my scrap basket!  Something will turn up I am sure.

Free pattern and instructions can be found at Bustle and Sew.

Or you can buy this book.  The same pattern is in there.

I also made a little experiment.  Hopefully it works the way I want it too.  Its a little sachet to throw in the clothes dryer with your washing.  It is filled with scented bath crystals.  Hopefully they don't dissolve too quickly and ruin my washing.  SO I will be putting my hubbies clothes in first to try it out! lol

Ginger Kitty Softie

Hey!  I finally have something to blog about!  I have finished a swap (and she has been delivered) so I can show you what has been keeping me away from not only my blog but probably yours as well!

'Hanging with my homies' said kitty.

'What do you mean "I might get sold"?' asks kitty.

'Oops!  Your right!  I can see a customer eying me off right now!' cries kitty.

Thank goodness my swap partner Sue loves her gift.  Now I have to get back to the grindstone and finish another three swaps.  One almost done.  The other two started.  Then I will have more to blog about.

For your information:  Pattern is "Chester the Cat" by Cheryl Ross of Tears Bear Patch.  Pattern found in Patchwork and Stitching - Vol 6 No12.

I used orange polar fleece for main body.  Polyester quilt batting for paws, muzzle and tummy.  Felt for nose, collar and cheeky tongue.  A small amount of plastic pellets were used in paws and tummy.

Have a great day!

I love sewing!

I really do love sewing and wish I had more time for it!  Every time I feel I need a big sewing spree, outside work interferes with extra work.  It's more pay in the pocket so I shouldn't complain and I don't when the pay check comes in!  It's only when I browse the web and read my favourite sewing blogs and get really itching to make lots of the projects around that I wish I was unemployed! lol

Especially when I have got swap partners to sew for, and when friends ask me to make something for them and I can't say no!  Below is an example.  (It's a friends request not a swap project as I can't show them until the swaps are delivered and received).

A baby bib and booties!  Even I will boast that they are cute!  Made for a friend to give to another friend who has had a itty bitty babe.

The bib pattern was found in a issue of "Quilts and More".  The spring 2010 issue to be exact.  A great and easy pattern.  I have cut out a few more bibs from this pattern and for one I am going to recycle a towel for the backing to see how it goes.

The booties were made using the free pattern and tutorial from Stardust Shoes.  Thank you Joanne for a great pattern and a great blog!

And here's some knitted bed socks my mum made for me!  She knows that with my low blood pressure comes cold feet!  These keep my toes warm just nicely!  Especially now that I know how to wear them correctly!

Yes that's me in my daggy trakies!  I promise not to go anywhere wearing them!

Now back to sewing for my swap partners.  Luckily one project has a lot of hand sewing involved.  Which means I can sit in front of the telly!

My lavender has nearly dried, so I can finish off my lavender sachets soon too.

A quick note:  I found on Google a turtle I made using a pattern from One Red Robin.  Jhoanna Monte saw my turtle and must have like it as she linked to it on her blog!  Wow I'm am so flattered that one of my most favourite softie designers likes my effort at sewing her patterns!

Casserole Cozy

I havn't blogged on my sewing blog for a while and here's a picture to show you why.  I have actually been sewing!  WooHoo!!

I am sorry to be a traitor to that saying that women are talented multi taskers but I can't quite operate a sewing machine with one hand and type on the computer with the other!  lol.  With the limited spare time I have lately I have chosen to sew.

Red spotty casserole cozy made using the tutorial from Dixie Doodles.  A very easy tutorial to follow. 

Here is a shot of the casserole cozy flat.  Just in case someone wants to see it flat! lol

A little look at the applique.  Technique used is "freestyle".  It's an excellent applique technique for slackers like me!! :)

I have also been making some lavender sachets.  I won't show them until they are 100% finished.  They are just waiting for the lavender I nicked from my brothers garden to dry so they can be filled and then closed.   They are extremely pretty and I can't wait to show them!

I made a doll!

Introducing my first ever completed doll.

I am pretty happy with my first effort at doll making.  Flaws and all.  I will keep those a secret but I will say there are a few.  She wouldn't have been made at all if I didn't have a bloggy friend talk me into a doll swap!  I mentioned a wish to learn to make a doll and now I have.

I learnt so much making this doll, from staining the body to making hair.  I used this pattern and tutorial from Lillie Mae's Crafts found here.  I didn't follow her instructions on hair making but used this tutorial instead.

Lastly, her collar is something I whipped up from a pattern I drew.  I was trying to make a sailor's collar.  If I make a dress with sailors collar again I will be enlarging the pattern I made.

Oops!  Just realized I didn't take a photo of the back view and she has gone off to live with her new family!

Platypus Softie

Love this pattern!  So cute!  These platypus's were one of a number of unfinished projects.  I finished them in late July.  Yes, a bit slow to blog about them but that's life for you!  "So much to do, so little time" is my life!

Anyway!  For those that have the Australian Homespun Magazines, the pattern can be found in Vol 10, Issue 1.  For those that don't have the magazine you can purchase the pattern from Kate of Two Little Banshees fame.  Her etsy shop is full of the cutest softie patterns ever!  I really want to get my hands on her elephant pattern one day.

More little posts to come.  I have been pottering around doing bits and pieces and have totally neglected my bags making!  Had to pack up for a scrapbooking party and now can't find some ruffles I cut out for a bag.
I don't know about you guys but when I can't find something I can't rest until I have turned the house upside down looking for it.  (Then have to spend precious time putting the house back in order.)