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Finished Off! Quilt from world's most gorgeous fabrics...

Until recently I didn't consider myself a Kaffe Fassett fan.  All those super bright clashy colours and enormous cabbage type prints are just too out there for me.  However...I have now, somehow, made two quilts in Kaffe fabrics.  The first was Jill's quilt , where the chevron stripes design really worked the fabrics to their best.  The second was this quilt for my sister in the Kaffe Fassett wovens: I saw the original in this book and instantly fell in love with the fabrics and general construction of this quilt.  Rather than feeling guilty about buying (yet) more fabric, I decided to make it for my sister, who would love these sorts of colours. By the time I got around to it I was in somewhat of a hurry to get it finished before my parents headed off to visit her for Christmas.  Jill at Patchworks very wisely suggested I should up the scale of the chevrons, both to aid in speedy construction but also to display the fabrics to their best.  This really sat well with m

"Laptop" Cases (Touchpads actually...)

A few months ago, the husband and I got seriously lucky in an HP Touchpad fire sale and scored two of the little gems for less than the price of a crappy phone.  Ever since, we have wanted to look after them, knowing that discontinued hardware and a super special price actually makes them irreplaceable!  Anyway I found this tutorial from Elizabeth at Oh Fransson! .  This was featured at  Sew Mama Sew a little while back and I loved this tutorial because it was simple and not tailored to a device of any particular size (i.e. an iPad!!). So the lighter one is mine and the other is my husbands.  I made mine first, hence it's all a bit wobbly as I didn't have the thing worked out yet.  My only issue with this pattern was that the instructions for cutting the flap were incorrect - they have a formula for cutting (which why I didn't realise they were wrong until a bit later in the process) along the lines of Width by Height + 1 inch, that sort of thing.  Anyway, for the

Gemma's "Issy Dress"

So the first ever clothes pattern that I have made up from scratch (well the first one I count as a proper pattern) is Issy's Dress .  My friend Lis liked Issy's dress (size 5 ish) enough to request a size 3 for her daughter Gemma.  This is the ultimate compliment :) and here is the result:   The fabric is one of the Sherbert Pips range by Aneela Hoey for Moda.  Most of this range is super gorgeous and the different colourways cater for pretty much every taste.  Often ranges are just super girlie and pink (which is catered for in this range also) whereas this one also includes greys and reds and fabrics which are just a bit different. I chose to bind the sleeves and skirt hem in a plain cherry red, which was also used for the outside of the waist elastic casing.  This dress is actually made as a shirt and top which are joined as part of making the elastic for the waist.  I managed to make it so there were no seams from the waist casing inside which was nice (I

Molly's Monster

Another one from the  The Big Book of Knitted Monsters  for Molly, sister of Harry who got the Dress-Up Box Monster back in June. This is Leila and Lydia, the Mamma and Baby Monsters.    As you can see, they are a bit cute :) There was supposed to be another baby in the other pocket (Lucas, I believe...) but I liked the idea of one better, so that the other pocket could be for whatever other treasures it was necessary to carry around.  Plus the baby can be swapped between pockets etc. I am not sure what they will end up being called yet, but the little lady recipient is already sleeping with Mamma monster next to her and Baby monster clutched tightly in her hot little hand. Again, both toys were easy to knit and the instructions were mostly pretty good.  I get a bit annoyed when a book specifies a particular technique and don't detail how-to (in this case, the three needle bind-off) but generally these are a great knit and definitely a hit :)

Quick bubble skirt

I made this in about an hour after finishing Issy's sundress.  This is the Make It Perfect Playtime Skort pattern. I made it in a slightly stretchy fabric I picked up a spotlight (no idea what it is...).  You can't really see it here but in amongst the lines is actually a flowery pattern - quite subtle but a bit of a change from the usual fairies and princess ballerinas.   I think you could make this in a normal non-stretch woven easily - it is reasonably generous and the waist is elasticated anyway.  I chose to make the stand alone skirt (you can make one with inbuilt shorts but they seemed a bit pointless).  The "bubble" is created by a difference between the lining and outer skirts.  The outer is longer, and is looped up underneath to meet the lining, then a thin elastic sewn into the seam.  I like it and Issy seems to find it comfy.  The only real change I made was to bring the waist up (it's kind of a drop waist thing) as she tends to push it down

Issy's Oliver + S Seashore Sundress

I must be getting ready for summer, as this is yet another dress for Issy finished off and happily received :) Sadly it's a bit creased, though that kind of made me happy as it was that way because she wore it all day and didn't want to take it off.  Not only is that great because it means she liked it, but also super because it was nice and warm here today; so it's a happy situation both ways! I cut a size 7, which is by measurement too large for her in length and hips, about right in the chest and slightly small on the tummy.  The issue with having ginormous kids like mine is that she still has the characteristics of almost the toddler shape (like the sticky out tummy) a bit, but clothes aren't cut that way for 7 year olds.  I guess that's where making your own comes in!!!  Anyway, I didn't alter it in the end as the length seems nice and there is plenty of room to move in it, without it seeming overly large, as evidenced by all the running around: Hap

Issy's Dress - a made up pattern...

This last month has seen me achieve my holy grail of sewing not once, but twice!  One was the modified Vogue 1250 to make a top out of a dress pattern and other is Issy's dress which was made up completely by me (based on an existing dress but still...).  It's starting to feel like I have control in sewing and can understand where a pattern is taking me, or how to make a particular thing I would like.  As a non-standard size and shape this has been my nirvana for a while, so am quite pleased with myself even though these are baby steps! Without further ado...this is Issy's dress (and Issy in it...) Apologies for the terribly awful blinds backdrop - it was late and so outside wasn't an option... It is an extremely simple T-shirt type of dress (made in a woven from Prints Charming I think) with elastic in a channel around the waist and also around the neckline.  I loved the dress this was based on (not pictured, will try and snap one next time it's on her) for it&

Bunnies!

As previously posts attest, I have a bit of a weakness for Amigurumi.  Specifically I seem to be working my way through the Amigurumi (Cozy) book by Lan-Anh Bui and Josephine Wan.  My friend's little girl (and my little girl's bestie) was visiting recently and I told her she could choose something from it and I would make it for her.  I was 100% sure she would pick the Ballerina Bunny (and she did) but she also came up with the fabulous idea that I should make three of them - one for her, one for her newborn little sister and one for my little girl.  The fabulous bit of that sentence is only half sarcastic - it is a lovely thing to do and these toys look super cute in bunches (or bundles?) as evidenced by the monkeys ...So as demanded, I made three: As you can see I haven't quite got the hang of faces - they are totally the hardest bit!  The first one I made is (obviously) in the middle, so at least I can say I got better with practice!  Here is a close up of the one w

Little Cell Phone Wallet

I love the idea of the Valori Wells sewing cards - so simple and cute.  I got the Birds Eye View Quilt one which I haven't made yet and also the Little Cell Phone Wallet which I whipped up the other day. I love it!  I made it from a Duckcloth linen (I think...its certainly heavier than the normal quilting cotton I use) piece which I picked up at the craft fair this year.  They had a basket of remnants and offcuts which were all $4 or $8 depending on size.  I also got the webbing for the strap at the fair - we don't get a big range of that sort thing down here and am now seriously wishing I had bought a lot more... The sewing card picture uses various different fabrics inside and out, but I wanted to keep it simple and just use the (lovely) one I had.   I absolutely love the final product.  Am thinking of sending it to my sister for her birthday but I kind of don't want to (I want to keep it for me!!!).  However, I should probably be a bit more objective and review t

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

When my daughter (now 4) and her friend Jonas from Mother's Group turned two I made them both a SB quilt from the Hungry Caterpillar Range (Eric Carle for Andover).  They both liked the book and the fabric range was gorgeous. Fast forward a few years and my son is about to turn two and his friend Reuben (Jonas' little brother) is also hitting the big 0-2 (good timing for my friend and I!).  I saw the Brown Bear fabric range (more Eric Carle) and decided to use that for their quilt.  That way the quilts are complementary rather than matchy matchy - they would look great on bunk beds I think.  Reuben turned two a few weeks ago so I gave him this: When I made the HC versions I made a single bed size, according to the old fashioned measuring scale where the quilt hangs down virtually to the floor on both sides (or gets tucked in) and covers the pillow and tucks under the end.  This time I decided to go much smaller (as when they are still quite little like this the bigger SB q

Modified Vogue 1250

So obviously I am the last person in the world to make Vogue 1250.  I have made it twice.  Once is red version which is the dress, though left rather longer than on the pattern (I haven't actually hemmed this yet so not sure of the final length).  The other is a teal version modified to be a cowl neck top: Here I am looking rather awkward in it and with the top draping oddly (neither I nor the top look like that most of the time!).  It was made in a teal viscose / spandex oddment I got from Melbourne Tessuti while I was over there recently.  Oddly I think it suits the other fabric (cheapy Spotlight jersey spandex) better as that fabric is more drapey, but a few washes might change that.  I cut an enormous size 20 (to get the shoulders and chest in there) and then spent lots of time bringing the waist and hips back to probably a 14 and 16 respectively, though am not sure as I did with the garment after rather than with the pattern initially. Here is a view of the back:

Zpaghetti bag for Kate

A bag for a friend... I haven't really posted much since we went to the Melbourne Quilt and Craft Show.  Interesting trip really.  I found some amazingly lovely things such as some lovely printed linens from Duckcloth  and also some Zpaghetti .  Both of these fit my criteria for projects I wanted to get on with, interesting new materials and things we don't get down here in Tassie.  I was a bit disappointed with the rest of it mind - there didn't seem to be as much in the way of really nice wool and also the quilts themselves for the most part just didn't really grab me.  Perhaps I am a bit more aware of what's out there than I was the last time I went... Anyway on to the Zpaghetti.  This is "yarn" made from the off-cuts of the garment industry.  Think t-shirt fabric in a gorgeous array of colours, some with patterns and some plain.  They are fabulous.  My only concern was needing to get a 0.8kg "ball" of the stuff home on the plane (measures

Where have I been, I ask myself...

So I have been suspiciously quiet for all of August but really I have been busily making stuff but failing to finish much.  I have made Vogue 1250 in deep red (haven't hemmed the bottom),  most of three amigurumi bunnies (not yet complete), a zpaghetti bag for a friend (done and posted - more on that later), two quilts (one nearly bound and ready to reveal soon) and a modified Vogue 1250 in teal for a new top...phew!  I have actually been busy then...just not finishing and blogging! Got me thinking about how much I would like more time for all this though.  Every other sewing and craft blog I read seems to have posts at least once or twice a week and often they are things like "I got this fabric today and am going to make this pattern" and then two days later they post their finished article.  It takes me weeks.  Seriously.  Weeks and weeks.  Is it the fact I have to go to work three days a week? (seems unlikely)  Is it the small people? (probably)  Is it that my sewing

Quilt and Craft Fair Excitement!

A small group of us are heading up to the Quilt and Craft Fair in Melbourne this coming weekend.  This year the Tassie version was up in Launceston, so it seemed a good time to branch out to the (apparently rather larger) Melbourne stop instead.  I am torn between wanting to be focused and restrained in what I buy (I have a rapidly growing stash of both fabric and wool and perhaps should finish some more things off before buying yet more to start yet more...!) and wanting to make the most of the opportunity. My shortlist is therefore as follows: 1.  I definitely want to make some of these: http://www.modabakeshop.com/2011/07/jelly-roll-floor-pillows.html I generally don't go for jelly rolls but these look fantastic and a jelly roll is nice and compact to fit in the luggage home... 2.  I might want to try and get some wool for my own version of this: http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2011/4/16/elegant-granny-style-the-granny-stripe-blanket.html I definitely want to ma