Bag anyone?

A very productive day all round yesterday. I got to cut and sew in the evening and made these book bags. I am thinking of giving some of my neices and nephews books for their birthday. I enjoyed playing with my new fabrics. The owls may just be for me, I really like this print, and having a bag dedicated to books, as in to and from the library would be a good thing for me as I often walk there.

The daisy bag I made with Miss6 in mind, so I just need to organise a book to go in and she may even get a package not too far after her birthday which just happens to be later this week.

I finally made me a pencil sized pouch. It has been on my list of things to make for at least six months - now I can cross it off!

Enjoy Tuesday however you get to spend it.

Happy Crafting

What to do?

My car had an appointment at the mechanic today, so I thought I would take a walk down the street to the Spotlight store to pick up some zips as I didn't have the colour I wanted to complete a project on the weekend. How excited was I when I got there to find they were having a 20% off sale...Yippee! I got lots of these in different sizes and colours... And some fabric as well! I am thinking a few more bags will be handy, plenty of birthdays in my family next month. The Owl and daisy fabrics were already marked down to $5/m and I got the discount off that... I am very happy with my purchases and should even get some sewing done tonight.

It was a beautiful day to be out walking, now I am looking forward to an evening in creating.

Happy Crafting

Fabric & Bag

How cool are these beverage fabrics? It has been so cold here recently that there has been a lot of tea and coffee drinking going on! I recieved the tea bag fabric in the package from Donna @ Kindred Crafters this week and was reminded that I had the coffee fabric in the stash. Saturday I put together a fun project using these fabrics, but I can't show because it is for a gift. Today a friend came to visit, she has been wanting to make a bag for a while but was not brave enough to try on her own, after having a very close look at some of the ones that I have hanging around here, yes - that is literally, they do hang around my house, I gave her some fabric and supervised the sewing. She went home very happy with this little number hanging over her shoulder. It is the Saturday Morning Tote designed by the talented Gail Pan published in Australian Homespun No. 70. The best bit is that her birthday is coming up this week and she is so happy that she learnt to make a bag that she insists she does not need another present! How easy is that? I had lots of fun, we laughed plenty and I got to do what I like best, sharing good company and my skills. Have a fun week, and for those of you on term break... Enjoy! Happy Crafting

All wrapped up!

My package wrapped and ready to go in the Christmas in July swap organised by Mrs Martins Quilt shop now that this one has gone in the post I can get back to some of my unfinished projects. All will be revealed when the package arrives at its intended destination, oh and then I can show you what came for me, I haven't cheated. I just put my package in the warehouse when it arrived last week so that I would not be tempted. This week I made another Angel this time from a design by Sally Giblin of The Rivendale collection which appeared in Australian Homespun July 2008. It is one of four designs which were made into a wall hanging but as you can see, yet again I have completely veered off the track and finished this one by itself with a co-ordinating felt backing.

Hope your weekend is a productive one.

Happy Crafting

Are you thinking about Christmas?

Yes! Well go here and check out Helen's new pattern - doesn't it look just gorgeous. All that red has to be a good thing. NOT a scrap of Green in sight. What are you doing still hanging out here? Wishing you some Crafty Good Luck

Such a Lot of Goodness

The post people very generously delivered a package today - and this is what it contained. Look at all that gorgeous fabric and thread... even a ready wound bobbin, I haven't checked yet but I'm thinking it will fit my trusty Nomee. There are also two very beautiful cards, which you can see in the bottom right of the photo and a crochet doily which is just visible at the top of the picture. This gorgeous package came to me all the way from Donna at Kindred Crafters in Canada, as I won a giveaway celebrating their 100th post earlier this month. I certainly feel very spoiled by all this goodness and next week is holidays so I should get some time to have a play. There has been some stitching going on in the evenings here while I have snuggled under my quilt to stay warm, winter is definitely making its presence felt. Happy Crafting

A Gift Bag

Some sewing finally happened again last night. I finished this little gift bag using one of the scrappy log cabin blocks that I made on the weekend. Using it in this way means that I can disguise my lack of precision sewing. I do like the result a lot, this will definitely not be the last one of these.

The stitchery in the centre is from Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly and is included in her book Miss Millies Flower Patch. I like the selection of designs which make up the book and whilst I have not actually made any of the projects included, I have used a number of the individual stitcheries for other projects.

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Enjoy your evening, I am back to stitching tonight with the intention of completing at least one more project before I start something else.

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Happy Crafting

Look who came to play...

And the best bit is she is here to stay! My Annie doll arrived today all the way from Chile. She was made by Veronica and came to me for the swap hosted by Aunt Pitty Pat. She is just beautiful and as you can see she packed her bag for the journey. She came with chocolate, ribbons and beads as well as the gorgeous piece of red fabric which looks like it is dyed, and a postcard from her homeland. As you can see she looks quite different from the version I sent to Veronica even though she is made with the same Annie doll pattern, by the talented Denise White of The Cats Pyjamas.

I am looking forward to an evening of stitching and plan on getting the two incomplete projects from the previous post done tonight... guess I'd better get off here and back to the sewing machine.

Hope your Tuesday was a creative one.

Happy Crafting

Can you stop at one?

Well the first part of the weekend was productive, though I need lots more practice! I was able to complete this block, a scrappy log cabin which will take on a life all it's own shortly. There is another one which is yet to have it's stitchery completed. Another started stitchery, the Angel which I have been making in single colours for my Rainbow Angels project, but this one is destined for a life over the waves, I just need to finish it very quickly! Both of the stitchery designs are from the Red Brolly collection by Bronwyn Hayes.

I think the recent cold temperatures around here have prompted all this playing with wool, this time a little crochet project, well I am hoping it becomes a big crochet project to keep me warm before this winter is over.

I managed to get my giveaway package in the post on the weekend and as it didn't have very far to go it has been delivered here already. Those post people really do work sometimes. Hope your weekend was a productive one.

Happy Crafting

What day is it?

That's right it is Wednesday so why haven't I done more with this week so far? I am not sure but I have done something - I am almost finished making something decorated with this stitchery design by Carol Newton which appeared in Australian Country Threads magazine Vol 8 No 11. I couldn't resist this one as I totally agree with the sentiment. I started this scarf at the World Wide Knit in Public event held at my local library on Saturday, I am pleased to say that it is finished and whilst it hasn't had an outing yet I am sure it will not be sitting idle as the weather here has been positively cold these past couple of weeks. All of my scarves are getting a good work out!

Pop over and say hello to Lurline as she is having a giveaway which was meant to be part of the Sewn Launch party, a little late but too gorgeous to miss!

Hope your week is going well whatever you are up to.

Happy Crafting

Annie has arrived..

No, I did not recieve more mail this week, but... Veronica sent a message today to say that the Annie I sent has arrived safely at her new home and has settled in well with her new family. Here is the little package I sent with her a blankie to keep warm, a piece of Australiana fabric (a reminder of her homeland), a piece of Mary Engelbret travel themed fabric - considering she had to take a big trip all the way to Chile and a little Annie face dangly. Thanks to the lovely Aunt Pitty Pat for organising this fun swap and Denise White of the Cats Pyjamas for the fantastic easy to follow pattern for the doll. The Annie Head is from Australian Homespun No. 32 and is a design by Sandra Paull. Hop on over to Annie Flikr group to check out some other versions who have recently found there way to new homes. Tomorrow I am going to participate in the local event for 'World Wide Knit in Public Day'. The weekend is here, Yippee! Enjoy it wherever you are.

Happy Crafting

Who's the winner?

I can hardly believe it myself but I won a giveaway over at Kindred Crafters amazing really!! Oh, that's right I was having a giveaway too... Well it's not like I was overwhelmed with entries so as there were three milestones I chose the third comment, which makes Barb the winner. Congratulation Barb. I will email you shortly for the where to send it details. I have been doing some stitching in between marking papers but things seem to be going ever so slowly in the sewing room, so I'll just share this picture of a patchwork bag that I made for The Mother last Christmas, with the Paris Cats fabric range.

Hope you are all having a lovely week.

Happy Crafting

In the Mail today...

Look what I recieved today... My Paper Bag swap goodies from Jantine. A beautiful sewing themed dolly to hang in my crafting space, she has beautiful embroidered pockets on her dress to help keep things in their place. Jantine also made a little needle book with two pages and a cross stitch scissor fob and attached the scissors, I'm sure someone must have told her about my disappearing scissors.

The post people have been working together as Jantine sent a message to say that her package arrived today, so now I can show what I made for her.

The stitchery is a design by Lynette Anderson which appeared as one of the Breast of Friends blocks in Australian Homespun a couple of months back, of course it wasn't a stitchery design I just made it this way. I had so much fun creating this little wall hanging, with some sewing themed fabric squares and the fabric and notions which I recieved from Jantine.

Thanks to MissyMack for hosting this swap it was a lot of fun.

One last thing today, hop on over and say hello to Mini Monty Mama as she is celebrating 100 posts with a give away.

Happy Crafting

There's a bear in there!

I got a surprise package today... This is Brown Bear Junior, an authentic bear from the Russ collection and he came to live at my place. I'm not sure how he will fit in as most of the bears in my collection are handmade by me and not very traditional at all. He is very sweet and the most gorgeous chocolate brown colour. Not much happening in the sewing room here as the day job is still eating big chunks of my time. May your days be filled with creativity. Happy Crafting

In The Pink

Not sure what is happening around here but it seems that there is a lot of PINK. Yesterdays shopping trip netted some more pink... Fabic and ricrac. Wonder where they will end up?? Then there is this pink bag which has been in the making for a little while, you know put something in the wrong way and put it aside for oh... maybe a month or so. but I have finished it today. Yippee!!

This one isn't pink but I managed to finish it today and will be sending it off to Miss 10 - a late birthday gift, her birthday was last month.

I know it is Sunday afternoon already but there is one more day on this long weekend, I may even finish something else which has been taking too long?

Happy Crafting

Celebrating with the Queen...

This weekend is a long one for us here in Victoria, "why?" you ask. Oh, because we like to celebrate the Queen's Birthday even though it isn't really her birthday! As I have been working full time for the past couple of weeks and will be for a couple more, the long weekend is significant and I intend to do some craft related activities. Today some friends and I are going for a little drive in the country to check out some fabric shops, I'll let you know how that goes.

Thank you to everyone who has come this way, when I started writing here in January I had few expectations that anyone would be interested in anything I might say, but now I know differently. Last month my blog passed some significant milestones... first there was the 1000th visitor, then there was the 50th post and then came the 10th follower. Yippee!!

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As there was a lot of family stuff happening at the end of the month and then the day job decided it was going to eat a big chunk of my time I did not acknowledge them, but I have three whole days off and there were three milestones last month so I found three things to giveaway, (the pictured item is not one of them). I'll include something that I have made, fabric and notions.

So leave a message here before Tuesday 9th June to tell me what you celebrated last month to go into the draw for some crafty goodness. Yes, I am happy to post anywhere.

Have a creative weekend.