Flower Suger fabric giveaway

Have you seen such delicious fabric?  It's been given away by Retromummy!  She has not one but two fat packs to giveaway of the wonderful Flower Sugar range of fabric by Lecien!  So generous don't you think?

The giveaway is open until new years eve and open to everyone.

Good luck to everyone! (me included!)

Christmas Stocking

A quick post tonight as Christmas draws near and I am ssssooooooo busy!  Decided a few nights ago to MAKE/SEW some last minute christmas gifts!  Silly me!!  Oh well, they say it is the silly season and I am proving it! lol.  I will post them after Christmas because I think the recipients read my blog!

Tonight I am just going to show a Christmas stocking I made for a friend who asked me last year to make one for her new 1st grandson.  See it here.  This year she has gotten herself her first granddaughter!  Lucky lady.

I used the same pattern as the last one which is from this book here.  It's a Tone Finnanger design made with soft pink flannel for the stocking and cotton scraps for the applique.

Merry Christmas to all!  Keep safe driving!

This is what being busy does to me

I end up with a lot of unfinished projects!

I was so tired the night before last that I wasted the night just browsing the internet.  This activity always leads to being inspired by talented people!

The next day I couldn't get this out of my head and so during a 2 hour lunch break, I drove home and started a messenger bag with this stencil design.  You can see the tuturial for a pouch and link for the converse shoe stencil here.

A few days ago I was browsing Japanese sites (again) and craved my own little pouch.  I didn't have the Japanese craft book and so had to create my own pattern.  I am amazed my measurements worked out the first time!

The above pouch is still waiting for the lining.  I have cut out half and it's sitting on it.

The Japanese site browsing also lead to the start of this pouch!  I used the pattern I made for the previous pouch to make this one.

I love the cute little tail out the back!  I am hopefully hand stitching in the zipper today.

I have to stitch some toes onto his paws, which is going to be fiddly because they are so small.

Yes!!  The parade of unfinished projects hasn't stopped yet!  This is a handbag I have made using a pattern I created myself!  My mum called the fabric I used 'Burlap'.  I haven't the foggiest idea.  It was a scrap I found in a op shop.  Its lined with the fabric the flower is made from.  It has a magnetic snap and boy is it a strong one.  I would love to know how to take the excess power away from magnetic snaps.

While I was making my bag flower, I couldn't stop and made some more out of scraps.

So many unfinished projects made while  I was making  the swaps!   Well, I had to have breaks!  They are all close to being finished.  Except for the messenger bag I started yesterday at lunch.

Here's a finished swap I have sent off.  She has it now so I can show it off.

She said she loves the colour green and earthly things.  She also loves practical things and I remember reading on her blog that she is into the bird theme.  Hope she likes it.

Cute!  I always make my best stuff when I am making it for other people!

Merry Christmas!

A little bit of sweetness

A little bit behind in my blogging!  Ah well.  It means I have some stuff to share.  Today I am going to show what I received in the post from some of my 'Swap with a Difference' partners.

I received these goodies from Sue of "I Purr-Furr to Craft".  Talk about cute!  Love the knitted flower!   I can't knit and am so envious of talented people who can because they can whip up these flowers and they can be used for anything.  This flower is a brooch which is on my Grey winter coat.  It really adds a dash of colour. The fat quarters are like a narcotic to me, (an addicted fabricholic)!  Well I guess so because I don't do narcotics so have no idea really! lol
Oh! and my daughter is trying to pinch the frog tape measure!  It's so cute!

A gorgeous parcel from another Sue of "Girls Shed".  I am not sure what it's called but I am guessing a sewing caddy.  Full of sewing nic nac's.  I also received some inspiring fabric.  It could easily be use for a Christmas craft with the beautiful red flowers but I am going to make something that can be enjoyed all year.  I really love the Superb Blue Wren card.  It is really pretty.

This is the sewing caddy in a basket that Sue sent me.  You can see all the little goodies she sent me.  So spoiled!  Also a bit of a tease as I have always wanted an embroidery machine myself.  Hopefully one day in the not too distant future the right one at the right price will come along!

So!  Thank you Sue and Sue!

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!