And it's still Thursday!

So Daisy May pulled herself together nicely, and she is all ready for her new life in the home of Ms21, celebrating this Saturday. Luckily she chose this gorgeous long mohair fabric as she is going to live in Ballarat where it is very cold, especially at this time of the year. I enjoyed making this bear from a Babel Bears design by the talented Kathleen O'Connor, and the fabric is the most beautiful soft purple tone, a bit hard to capture in artificial light. Oh, yes she is sitting on the tool box in that photo. Hope your week has been a good one so far and enjoy the weekend, I will be celebrating milestones with the extended family. Happy Crafting

More mohair love

This week I am working on this...

The colour is actually more lilac than blue, I really like the colour and this is going together really well so I should be finished real soon.

May you find the time and space to create today.

Happy Crafting

Dot, Dot, Dot...

So the post people got there act together and delivered my Polka Dot Package today... Look at all this dotty goodness and that is just the packaging - I'm feeling spoiled already! This package came from Lorraine in England and my there was lots of Dotty goodness in those packets - a dotty bag, teatowel with matching pot holder and coasters, a rosette pin, a felt needle case with spots, and ribbons

Gorgeous fabrics including the obligatory spot - how cool are these. A new project in the near future?

Ooh... and how cute is this a purse mirror complete with dots and its own felt dotty cover.

I am feeling very spoiled this afternoon. Thank you Lorraine and a special thanks to Stacey at Polka Dot Daze for hosting.

Hope you enjoyed Monday in your part of the world.

Happy Crafting

The Spots have landed!

Those post people have definitely got there act together this week and delivered the package I sent across the Waves to Lorraine in record time! So what did I put in the package? This fabric bucket - Round of course made from spots - filled with some spotty goodies and fun sewing bits.

Thanks to Stacey over at Polka Dot Daze for organising such a fun swap.

Nomee and I got to work yesterday afternoon and spent a quiet Saturday night in by the heater, we made much progress on the present for Ms 21 and may even be finished by next Saturday's celebrations.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend whatever it brings.

Happy Crafting

Mohair Warmth

While Nomee has been having a rest this week I have put the finishing touches on my crocheted blanket, which turned out about 125 cm across, a good size for curling up on the couch. Warm and light great for these cold evenings. While I was at Spotlight last week getting zips I found this gorgeous yarn, a lovely mix of wool, soya and mohair coloured in such a way that it forms strips when knitted so I got the needles out and made this scarf for a friend who had a birthday earlier this month. I am very pleased with the way this came out and it only took one ball of yarn, it is light and very warm.

Now it is time to get back to the sewing machine, I need to whip up a gift for Ms 21 for next weekends celebration.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, hope the sun is shining where you are.

Happy Crafting

How many days till Christmas??

This past Sunday afternoon a group of us gathered at a friends house for Christmas Card making. We had lots of delicious food, just like at Christmas and plenty of inspiration as the host had set up a whole wall with Christmas card ideas - more than 50 cards were displayed. Everybody did their own thing with ideas and techniques being freely shared. I was productive and ended the day with nine completed cards and a number of stamped designs ready to be added to cards. All of my cards are made with hand stamped designs. As these stamps were not from my collection I do not have the brand or designer details, oops. A laid back Aussie santa chilling out after all his hard work!

Rudolf with his nose so bright.

And a more mature card made with a great Christmas tree roller stamp and a multi coloured stamp pad.

I am pleased to have made a start already and hoping that I will be more prepared for Christmas this year.

The post title was the question we were asked upon arrival at the event on Sunday. My guess of 160 was the closest to correct answer.

Hope your week is going well, with lots of homemade loveliness.

Happy Crafting

Seeing Spots!

So this is what has been hanging out on the sewing table lately, but you will have to wait to see what became of it as it is taking a trip across the waves to a new home. I had so much fun playing with these prints. The day job has become more regular in the past month and that means the crafting stuff is going much slower. Tomorrow I am off to a friends place for some card making. In an effort to be more organised we are going to focus on making Christmas cards. Always a fun time with good company and lots of inspiration. Hope your weekend is full of creativity. Happy Crafting

Finished at last!

Not sure where all my time is going lately but it took until today for me to put the finishing touches on this sewing compendium project which I started last weekend. All done now and in the post to Miss13 - she has recently shown a lot of interest in sewing and has a quilt top in progress. The front and the back.. featuring a Paris cats print fussy cut to show their antics.

Inside pockets for things like scissors, needles, and the essential quick unpick, a zippered pocket for other items, and a place for pins and needles to be stored.

Hope the sun is shining where you are.

Happy Crafting

Mug Bag

So here is the Mug bag which I made yesterday. As you can see I chose to make this one Round and am very happy with the result, there will definitely be more of these shortly. Below is a picture of the inside - love that coffee bean fabric - a zip pocket on each side to hold all the essential supplies.Hot drinks are the order of the day with all the cold and wet stuff falling from the sky this afternoon. Hope it is wet where you are. Happy Crafting

A Finish or Two

I am playing Catch UP! The family birthdays keep rolling around and I am so far behind I decided that I should at least attempt to remedy the situation. The first thing I finished was this owl pouch for me. Yes, it is already full, I made it to carry a set of maths cards which I use when working in Primary school. It is perfect in every way, I hope I get to use it though I think that may not be anytime soon. Then there is this version of the Saturday Morning Tote designed by the talented Gail Pan, which appeared in Australian Homespun No. 70. Using left over Paris Cats fabrics in the blue colour way I have pieced the front and strap, the back features the fabric you see on the sides of the front. Yes, I did have a play with ricrac again, I think I have figured out how to get it on straight, don't be lazy and change the foot on Nomee, she like it much better that way.

Still on the sewing table a mug bag using more of my coffee themed fabrics and a sewing compendium which also features Paris Cats fabric.

On the crochet front I am almost finished my twelve sided couch blanket. Yesterday I finished the last ball of multi coloured yarn and as I have plain blue leftovers in the same brand I am putting a plain border on it, one more round to go. I am pleased with how it looks and it is so cosy to snuggle under, it has been keeping me warm while I work on it on these cold nights we have been having lately.

Wishing you all a fantastic week and for those here in Victoria a successful start to term three.

Happy Creating

Have you seen this Guy recently?

This cheery fellow has been spreading some cheer among crafters around the world... I participated in Mrs Martins Quilt Shop Christmas in July Swap, and while I have had my package for a few weeks I decided to wait until my partner recieved her package before I opened mine. Today I was notified that the package I sent had arrived safely. I extracted mine from the warehouse, otherwise known as the spare room! Here is what I recieved...

Lots of gorgeous snowman themed items, particularly relevant about now as the temperature is expected to dip close to freezing overnight.

Some yummy sweet treats, pincushion stack and lovely threads.

How sweet is the fabric in this bag and the ribbon is printed with Happy Holidays. There were projects and patterns in the bag as Mrs Martin gave us a list of goodies to collect. Thanks Kari.

Below are the goodies I sent to Kari. She stated that her favourite colour was pink, so I made and collected lots of Pink goodies for her.

A pink angel Christmas decoration, a lady scissor fob/dangly embroidered in pink and wearing a scarf to keep warm, the larger Angel stitchery done ready for Kari to create her own keepsake item. I found some pink 12 days of Christmas fabric and a piece of cupcake fabric to send along. There were pink themed sweets also in Cherry Ripe and Turkish Delight.

The pattern that I sent was from the ladies at Attic Crafts in Bendigo and included the panel to make the cushion in the picture. It is embellished with embroidery and lovely completed.

A Terrific Tuesday all round! Thanks to Mrs Martin. Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Happy Crafting

Straight Sewing?

Another gift bag completed, now I just need to collect the goodies to go inside and it will be off to its new home. I did try practicing the straight sewing but the piece I made for the back of the bag was just way off, it ended up with an unpieced back, but the handle and the gusset are pieced I'm getting there slowly but still much better at curves. I really like the shape and size of this bag and it works well as a small project bag. I did some more straight sewing practice and ended up with one of these!

Wishing you all a wonderful week and stay warm.

Happy Crafting

A few stitches

Have been accomplished in between the day job. There has been some progess on this, including a couple of rows completed this afternoon at the monthly knitters gathering at my local library where it was just so cosy that I thought I would fall asleep under my new blanket. It is about one metre in diameter and I have two more balls of this yarn so it should end up a great size for a couch blanket. Just right for these cold winter evenings. And you are right, it is not knitting at all but crochet. Yesterday when I got back from work I started stitching and finished this little number destined to become another bag. This time the back and handles will be scrappy also as I need lots more practice at sewing straight lines. The stitchery is another design from Miss Millies Flower Patch by the talented Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly.

May your weekend be filled with all that you love wherever you are.

Happy Crafting

Cuppa anyone?

Saturday saw me sewing when there was a thousand other things I should have been doing! I played with these fabrics to make a little gift for a friend who is off on an overseas trip... Yes, I know she left I was part of the farewell party at the airport Wednesday afternoon! So this is what I was busy making - a little something for her trip.

And this is what it contains...

Hence the Tea and coffee fabrics. I didn't have any chocolate fabrics in my collection, not quite sure why. Just a few emergency supplies which were much appreciated, in case the hotels do not supply the right flavours.

Have a wonderful Thursday wherever you are.

Happy Crafting

More shopping!

Yesterday I started a new job and after all the usual stress about getting to a new workplace on time and meeting new people, I remembered that there was a good fabric shop in the neighbourhood. I detoured on the way home and picked up mini RicRac in green, mauve and navy, a piece of novelty spotty strawberry fabric and cotton batting from GJ's Discount fabrics.

As I have not been there for a long time I was tempted to take home more than this but figured I should wait until I get paid before I spend all my earnings. There were lots of different RicRac colours in various widths and plenty of fabric choices I'll take that detour again soon!

I think I am going to like my new job - location at least. May your Wednesday be filled with lots of colour. Happy Crafting