slipper parade

My messenger type bag GIVEAWAY here.  Closes 4th September.


Now onto my slipper parade.

The pattern and instructions for these comfy slippers was found in the magazine SEW HIP issue 20.  These slippers have cotton uppers lined with fleece.  The sole is three layers consisting of curtain blackout (makes a nice non slip base), wadding and fleece.  The instruction's diagram was a bit misleading and the layers came out wrong.  The wadding is on top!!!  I have corrected the pattern's instructions for future reference.

 Same as above 'Sew Hip' pattern.  Made from soft fleece, making these very comfy indeed.

These red slippers were made by using the cuffs from a man's shirt!  What a great recycling idea!  I used this tutorial.  It is written in a language I don't know, but the pictures were ample enough for me to work out how to put them together.   I am definitely going to attempt these again.  On the lookout for nice men's shirts now!

I have given these slippers to a friend, who after her new house was built, did her own flooring using some beautiful polished floor boards.  Hopefully her guests will use these slippers and help keep her floor looking fantastic!  I know I will.

PS  To my friends who have entered my giveaway, if you haven't already done so, you can add another entry for being my follower.  I will be using the number generator to pick a winner, so please get your extra entry!!


Cheers!

Bag Giveaway

I have been making some bags from Nicole Mallalieu's book 'You Sew, Girl' and it has been fantastic!  Such great easy patterns and easy to understand instructions with lots of photo's of the steps.  I have enjoyed the bag making so much that I couldn't stop at just one!

I can't keep them all and so I am going to give one of them away.  I had a really hard time trying to choose which one to keep myself and had to get the eeny, meeny, miny, moe ritual to lend a hand.

Made from sturdy denim and cotton flap.  It has a key chain fob attached to lining.  Also a phone pocket and a zippered pocket.

back view

A (not very good) view of lining, pockets and key fob.

If you would a chance to win this bag all you have to do is:

1) Leave a lovely comment!

To have more entries in this giveaway, you could also post about this giveaway on your blog. (feel free to use any of my photo's for the job:) This provides you with the added bonus of having an extra blog post for this week. (thumbs up to quick and easy posts!)

You could also become a follower for another entry!  I love lovely crafty friends!

Giveaway closes on the 4th of September, which incidentally is Fathers Day.  Maybe I should have made this bag out of manly fabrics! 

PS:  Open to all (on Earth!)

Good luck!

Sewing is my drug of choice!

Sewing gives me such euphoria when I finally complete a project.  The exact opposite occurs when a project becomes a UFO.  So I am very happy to be finishing off quite a bit of stuff lately.

A simple tote with ample pockets for .....well, anything!  This pattern is going to help me get through my large stash of fabric.  I went on a sheet buying frenzy when it was all the rage and sheets have lots of fabric!

Another fold over flap bag!  So easy to make!  This pattern will also help me get through some of my stash.  I interfaced the lining on this bag and not the outer.  I  only added some canvas type fabric interlining on the outer and it worked out well.  Sturdy yet soft.

I purchased a fantastic sewing book and made a gorgeous bag from it that I will show next.  I just have some finishing off to do to the bag and I also would like some sunshine for the photography or a light box.  I might make one following these instructions.

Messenger Bag

My latest bag was inspired by many of the flap type bags out there in blogland, especially this one from Kristen of the 'So Happy' blog.

The photo's aren't great.  Sorry!  I hope it's just the dark, overcast days and not my camera!

Pockets!  There are two more on the inside!

The cute little key fob is not only cute but functional.  No more rummaging through looking for car keys in the pouring rain in a car park!

I made this bag to sell.  I had to do something to stop my nieces always going on about selling my stuff.  Drove me crazy.  So I made this, and a tote that I will show next week, to put into a shop to sell. Now I have an answer to give the next person who says "I should sell my stuff".  I can say I do.

Boring bit:  Update on my health.  I had a test for Ross River Virus a few weeks ago.  The results were negative.  The only other answer I can think of for my rash and muscle aches was I may have poisoned myself.  Pretty embarrassing but I had to mention it to the doctor and she said yes and to stop spraying weed killer on my footpaths.

I took all the safety precautions!  Wore a face mask, gloves, and covered up my entire body even though it was stinking hot.  I sweated a lot and the sweat may have unsealed my face mask because I did get some vapors in my mouth.  It tasted awful and I stopped straight away and had a thorough wash.  I sprayed a Sat or Sunday and the rash was over my entire body by Wednesday.  What do you think?  Could have been.

Also the reason my muscles still ache and don't seem to be recovering could be because the doctor slipped in a Vitamin D test and my results show I am very deficient.  The normal range for VitD is 60 - 140 and I am 45 so taking Osterlin now and making sure I get outside for walks more often.

Take care of yourselves and catch ya later!

shabby chic bag

Hello to anyone still reading my blog! I thank you for your patience!  I am finally getting a blog post up about one of the bags I have been making recently!

Due to my getting side tracked reading some fantastic blogs tonight (again!!), I am having to keep my blog post short and to the point.

The point is just this bag.  Isn't it lovely?  To all the recyclers out there... this bag in its entirety is made from recycled/ vintage goods. (oops, except interfacing).  The main fabric is a interior fabric swatch I found one day and the flap is a vintage embroidered doily found while op-shopping.

 

The lining is some pretty floral fabric scrap picked up from a garage sale awhile ago, while the bag handle was a great vintage find and finishes off the bag quite nicely.

Cheers for now.  Will be back soon with pics of another bag.  Plus some tea towels I appliqued and room shoes I made for a friend.  I've got to take the photos first but the skies are grey, grey and more grey!!!

sorry guys/gals

I haven't posted for awhile and just want to write a quick note to let you know that I haven't been kidnapped or killed.  I have been ill.  The doc's opinion is its Ross River Virus.  I have only just had the test  and am still waiting for results.  Alas, testing at the time of getting crook is useless as 'ross river' takes up to six weeks to show up.

Feeling achy and tired.  My eyesight is deteriorating and can be depressing for crafty people who like to hand sew!  I am finding it rather difficult to focus up close.  Doctor diagnosed me with 'Surfer's Eye'.  Not internet surfer but wind surfers.  I have sun and wind damage.  Playing on the internet does make my eye go blood shot really quickly so have tried to give my eye a break from the computer for most stuff except quick email stuff and facebook keeping in touch stuff.  My eye became much improved with pain and redness from the break.!

But I have made some bags!!  and will take some photos soon as I find my camera!

Take care.  I am going to try and have a massive catchup on everyones blog real soon (and most likely cause my eye to play up and become sore again!)  I am going to have a beeper near my PC to remind me to have a huge break after 30 mins. maybe sooner.  Or program my PC to shut down after 30 mins/hour and not let me back on till I have had a break!  Any opinions?  Does anyone else have eye problems that using a computer worsens?

WTF!

I got some shocking and disturbing news last week.    My father's, sister's great grandson who is only 7 years old has been diagnosed with a brain tumour.  We don't have much info yet as half of Dad's siblings stayed living in England while the rest of the family migrated to Australia in the early 50's.

What is shocking,  is that this is the third child in our family to be diagnosed with pediatric cancer.  My son, as I have previously posted was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour called Medulloblastoma when he was 6 years old and my sisters youngest was diagnosed (two years before my son) with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia when she was 7 years old.  We are all wondering if this is all an awfully shocking coincidence or if some sinster mutation has affected our childrens DNA.

I feel really bad hoping that the child in England has a different brain tumour to Medulloblastoma.  If he has the same, how are they going to feel knowing that a child in our family suffered poorly with it and didn't survive.  What if the family want me to give support?  I don't feel I would be the best person for that because I cant give postives.  My son died.

I can only give info on what went wrong in my sons treatment and advise them on what to look out for, but really I would like for them to have a positive feeling that their child is going to live.

My hands are shaking as I write this.  I keep getting flashbacks.  The unresolved anger at certain professionals keeps coming back.  I keep planning on writing a letter to those people to let them know how they made me feel and that what they did was not right and maybe they wont make the same mistakes again.  But I never write the letter.  The anger subsides again.  I make excuses for them eg understaffed, no department head, unprecedented new cases of childhood cancer being diagnosed etc.

I haven't had any paid work this week to take me out and keep me occupied and feel really too flat to visit friends (plus they are mostly at work anyway) and I feel no motivation to do anything at home.  The house is a mess and needs my sole attention at the moment but not tonight.  Tonight I am visiting Mr Jim Beam.

 2011 is a bad year.