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

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!!!