Made in Australia by Stephanie

Spring is here!!!

2010-08-31T16:52:00.000-07:00

Finally! It is officially the end of winter. Other than one lovely day this week I wouldn't have known. Although, Adam has been on count down...'How many days 'till spring Mummy?' So cute!

Anyway. I wanted some new designs for my shop, some fun springy dresses. Happy colours and a simple design. I thought, and sketched A LOT of dresses, but kept coming back to the LilBlueBoo Sienna dress. I have made so many of these now for Sophie, and for gifts. I looked into licensing and wadda-ya-know...you can buy a licence...so I did!

Using the gorgeous Patty Young fabrics as well as some recycled fabrics, I have so far managed to get three up in the shop. I say 'managed' because I am home alone wit the kids this week, so sewing time is limited! Plus, I'm so tired...not having Mark here is hard. We all miss him and can't wait to see him again at the end of the week. The kids have been edgy and Adam has been very sad...breaks my heart!

Anyway, I digress! Here are a couple of the dresses that are now available in my shop. I love them. Especially the pirate one. Mark forced me to list it, even though I really wanted to keep it for Sophie.

I managed to snag a lilblueboo scrap bag and I was so pleased with the fabrics that were in it. So, Sophie got a new dress and a new pair of leggings to go with it too. I used an old pair as a template. I love all the mixed up colours and patterns. It was such a grumpy day yesterday, when I took these pics, but Sophie seemed very happy with her new dress. She kept pointing at it and saying 'wassizzz?' (translation:whats this)

I wished the stripes matched though :S

Thanks for reading :)

Christmas gifls...

2010-08-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

I know, it's VERY early to be thinking about Christmas gifts, but I plan on making as many gifts (or buying secondhand/handmade) so I need to be organised. Plus, seeing as though I know lots of bloggers have taken the handmade pledge, I thought that you lot might be able to give me some hints.

Ok, here is the list I have so far...

I want to make Sophie and Adam a Waldorf doll each. I have been looking around the web and found a great tutorial here. I love the idea of making them something from natural materials, and that doesn't come packaged in plastic.

Adam desperately wants some more Lego, and has about five different types on his list - yes he has already made a list! So I though I would just check out EBay and get some second hand batches, then I can make a big bag and applique 'LEGO' onto it and that's that one.

I think I'll be making another pair of pj's for Marky, he loves the other ones I made him so much. Thankfully his Mum bought him another pair so I was able to wash the ones I made...eugh! I know, Men can be gross sometimes eh!

I was supposed to make my Dad a Gilet for his Birthday, but seeing as though that was 10 days ago, I think it might be a little late...ooops! So that will be what I make for him.

I made a scrapbook for the family members who are still in England last year, which had a picture of each baby, every month of their first year of life and then it's one picture a year after that. I loved it, and they did too. So I will send the pictures for them to keep their books up to date. I included on each page what each child was doing by this age and what their favourite things to do where, for example; Adam at 1 year would walk around saying 'Hiya' to everyone and everything! Funnily enough, his sister does exactly the same thing :)

Where was I? Oh yeah...gifts.

This one is ambitious, but I think I have enough time to pull it off.

I'm going to make Adam and Sophie a quilt each. I have been itching to make Sophie a quilt since I found some vintage fabric MONTHS ago. So now, I have a deadline of Christmas to get them done.

There are some beautiful toys on Etsy, that I just love and I think the kids will too.

How cute is this bowling set

I love this

Ooooh and this

Sooo cute

Parachute man... I had a plastic bag version of this, how much nicer is this one

Wooden family

Wooden blocks, which I would personalise for my bubs.

Nesting family

Ok, I'm being summoned...gotta go.

I would LOVE to hear what handmade gifts you are all buying/making this year :)

Oh Sunshine...

2010-08-17T02:21:00.000-07:00

Finally the sun came out today, so I bundled Sophie in the car with some of my Etsy dresses to take some piccies at the beach.

The photos in my shop have all been taken on my phone and you can tell!!! So I have been itching to get them changed after getting my new camera. So I seized the opportunity today :)

Look how pretty :)

Little blue number

Super easy to make...little bow on a hair clip!

Back of my favourite party dress. It's a little big on Sophie, but you get the idea.

And the front :)

Simple little summer dress. I made HEAPS of these for the Craft Markets last year. Polka dots are just SO cute!

A bit of a re-spray

2010-08-08T23:52:00.000-07:00

I found this round table at the local op shop (charity shop) for $30!!! I re-sprayed the legs and the chairs. I have eight of these chairs as they belong to a larger table, but I reckon each table only needs four.

I then re-covered the seats with oil cloth and popped the studs back in and hey presto!!! New table, and much nicer than the old one, even if I do say so myself.

This high chair needed a little attention too, so I checked out how it was put together and thought that I would be able to undo it, and recover it...

And I could!!! It was easier than I thought actually. I just cut off the covers and used them as templates for the new fabric. I then sewed around three sides, leaving the side that you can't see open, and then once I had turned the fabric right-side-out and pulled it on, I hot glue gunned it into place...hey presto! New high chair :)

Now all I need is a little art work to liven up the walls and it's done.

New Jammies for the man

2010-08-04T01:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have hassled my hubby Mark, since I first started sewing...eventually, after his jammies died a death, he asked for some new ones. I more than a little excited!!! I am ashamed to say that this was MONTHS ago, it was well before we moved. Poor guy has been wearing jammies with a massive hole in them.

Anywhooo, I finally got around to making him some new ones. He loved his old ones so much, and due to the fact that they are pretty much no longer wearable I thought I would chop up the old ones and use them as a template.

How relaxing is seam ripping!!! I just chilled out and ripped those suckers up. Although, I don't always feel this way...especially when I'm ripping open the seam of something because of a mistake I've made grrrr!!!

Ok, here is a view of the front and back piece.

This is the new fabric...how cute is my other half, picking out robot fabric :) The bit attached to the back is the pocket. I attached this by sewing along the opening part of the pocket with right sides together. I then folded it back (as it is in the picture) and ironed. I'm not normally a fan of ironing, but it definitely helped in this case.

I then turned the pocket back to the outside and sewed the back part of the pocket to the front part of the pocket (I'm sure that doesn't make sense). I sewed along both sides and the bottom, leaving the top open. the top part of the pocket is closed up when you make the waistband.

Sewed the front to back portions. Then the U shaped crotchy bit (I'm sure there is a proper name for this). then I sewed down each outside leg.

When I took apart the waistband, I noticed that they had serged/over locked the elastic to the fabric. I like this as the elastic doesn't move around.

I re-used the elastic and pinned to the fabric.

Can you spot the obvious mistake? ( Luckily I did too, before I sewed it).

Yup, I pinned the elastic to the fabric on the right side and that is wrong! It should be pinned to the inside, sewed around the top, folded and sewn again.

A grainy picture of my lovely man :) He says he loves his jammies 'cos he knows I made them with love (even though they took about 6 months to come to fruition). He's not normally soppy so this is a BIG compliment!!!

Please note, I took these pics before I got my lovely new camera :)

I'm in LUUUuuuuurrrveeee!!!

2010-07-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a camera for a looong time now and after seeing Dana's post on her FAQ's section I was adamant that I wanted a Canon Rebel.

Yesterday it arrived and I can't leave it alone. I just love it. No longer do I have to use my iphone to take my photos..I have a lens that I can move myself and a proper flash and everything!!!

I love the detail in this picture. It was such a tiny shell too.

And...look at Sophie! This is how I see her and now the camera does her a little justice. I know we all think our kids are gorgeous, but how great is it when the picture actually captures the sparkle in the eyes.

I'm a happy chicken :D

Sunshine Award

2010-07-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the Screamstress who passed on the Sunshine Award to me... I'm not sure what I did to deserve it, but it's a sun-shiny addition to my day :-D

I now have to tell you 7 things about you that you don't know, OK I'll be honest, but it might not be pretty.

1. I play netball, and I'm pretty rough too. I once (accidentally) punched a guy in the face, and was secretly pleased with myself (don't hate me for that one)

2. I'm vegetarian

3. I can't crochet and it annoys me that I can't

4. I swear more than I should

5. I used to be a copper...(don't hate me for that one either)

6. I want to be a teacher and I believe that it will happen one day (not based on my responses here though)

7. I love Harry Potter, and Twilight!!! I really love them...

I pass this award on to..

Bethany at Craftopia

Erin at LuckandBliss

Julee at Greenishmama

I look forward to your responses...

I'm not here today...

2010-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

You won't believe me when I tell you... TRUDY from SEWING WITH TRUDY (Sorry for shouting, I know it's early in the morning for some of you) is featuring me on her blog today. I know, I can't believe it either. I'm so thrilled that she's having me over there...

OK, I'm tempted to delete the above and write something not so gushy, but hey ho, that's just me and it's honest if nothing else.

OK, I'm rambling again. If you haven't already visited Trudy then you HAVE to go. You will love her blog. She's a fellow refashionista of the highest calibre and manages to sew and blog and home school four beautiful children....I know, pretty impressive huh!

Trudy offers advice on what to wear and how to wear it, and I often have her pop in my head when I'm about to put a flouncy top on with a flouncy skirt...oops!

Be prepared though, have a cuppa in hand...you might get lost as you spend a hunka chunka time cruising around her blog and please do...it's cool as!

Oh and say hi to me when you hop over :) http://sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com/ I'm making a cowl neck tee shirt dress...hope you likeee

Soooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Copy cat...

2010-07-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

I love this skirt, it's like my track pants. You don't have to shave your legs and it's quick and easy...of course I always shave my legs though....erm, OK not all the time.

The above skirt was bought from Target aggggesss ago (before my pledge not to buy new clothes) I still have not bought anything new. Except running shoes, but they are exempt anyway :P

This skirt is an exact copy of the above one. It looks different because the original was made with all the same fabric, but I couldn't resist buying all sorts of fabric.

I literally measured all the panels of the original, then I sewed each panel together so that I had four rings of fabric. I then set my machine on the longest stitch and gathered the tops of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th tiers.

I gathered the top of the second panel to the length of the first panel. Then, with the bottom of the top tier and the gathered/top of the second tier (right sides together) I sewed them together, making sure that the seams down the side matched up.

I did the same with the third and fourth tiers, then hemmed the bottom of the skirt and made a casing for the elastic waist and using a safety pin I threaded the elastic through and sewed the gap closed.

As a rough idea, you make the top panel a few inches wider than your hips, then each subsequent tier gets wider and wider. You can make this as gradual or wide as you like, depending how much fullness you'd like.

The first garment I ever made was a mini version of this for kids. I plan on making them again. Keep and eye out for it...I'll be selling them in my etsy shop soon too.

I used my lovely new fabric...and I LOVE IT!!!

2010-07-11T00:28:00.000-07:00

Using the Sienna dress pattern, which I just adore, I made Sophie another dress. This pattern is so versatile and the instructions are fantastic. It's so easy to make a simple dress, or to change it around and do a little of your own thing with it too.

Little monkey WOULD NOT sit still for a shot. She's such a busy bee. I sat her on Adam's little chair to try and contain her but she thought it would be great fun to slide on and off, so apologies for a rubbish picture :)

I made this tee-shirt for Adam using one of his old ones as a template and thanks to the above pattern I can now make very pretty tee-shirt neck lines...I wish I had been smart enough to work it out by myself

I used a stencil from lilblueblue and freezer paper stencilled the design onto the front. Adam loves this tee, he didn't take it off for four days straight. I know...that's really gross, but it was the school holidays and erm that's all I've got.

He looks so sad in the picture, and that's because he is. He was watching Free Willy with his Dad and took the whole thing very seriously. So sweet!

Glass painting with acrylic paint

2010-07-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

I love the painted windows at Kindergartens, they're so cheery and fun.

Adam and I washed up some empty coffee jars and peeled off the labels. I used Tea Tree Oil on a cloth to get rid of the sticky bits (that's an adult job)

We just used acrylic paint and had a heap of fun. He loved his little jar and had fun deciding on which treasures would be lucky enough to live in it.

We dropped blobs of paint on the lids and used a pencil to make swirls and pattern

I had a lot of fun doing mine...maybe too much fun :D

Rice coloured with food colouring for kids...

2010-07-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hey, I just thought I'd share with you a little project that Adam and I did over the holidays (it's end of term 2 holidays here in Australia). Adam loves crafts and couldn't wait to get his hands on this stuff...I always tell him what we're up to, you'd think I'd learn to wait until we were actually going to do it, but no! I open my big mouth and then have to suffer through the four million 'are we going to dye the rice now?', 'when are we dying the rice?', 'you promised we could do it, when are we doing it?'...you get the idea. But we had to wait for Sophie free time...Anyway, I'm rambling...

I used the whitest rice that I had in the cupboard, which happened to be Arborio (risotto) rice, which happens to be the most expensive but mine was at the bottom of the pantry so we were never going to eat it anyway.

We put about 2-3 cm of water in each container. I used metal pots and tins so that the food colouring wouldn't stain.

We then put a few drops of food colouring in each and stirred until the rice was the colour we wanted (we wanted it to look like nerds)

We then drained off the coloured water (carefully), and laid it out on the newspaper overnight. At this point I had to endure more whinging from Adam who was pretty peeved that he would have to wait until the morning to play with it.

But is was worth the wait, and I figure that since both rice and food colouring are 'food' that Sophie would be safe to play in it too.

They played for over an hour with it and yup, it went everywhere. But vacuumed up pretty easily too, so no harm done. I don't think I would let them play on a carpeted area though, you'd be finding it for months

FABRIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCC!!!!!

2010-06-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, I try my best to use secondhand clothing and fabrics or use up my stash, when I'm making clothing. But occassionally I buy new and ooooh my goodnesssssss.

http://hawthornethreads.com/fabric/designer/patty_young/designer_knits have a new selection of designer knits. I love them, love them, love them. I can't wait for my package to arrive.

I bought this...

and this....and thissssss...

and thisssss! I love them and I wanted them all but I think I was fairly restrained considering I have NEVER been able to find knit fabric that didn't look like jamies....Can't wait to play with them :)

Stencil looks great...shame about the tee shirt

2010-06-09T03:18:00.000-07:00

Adam and I stencilled the fabric for this tee shirt ages ago, and I finally sewed it together tonight... I'm a little disappointed with the fit of the tee shirt.

Adam loves it so I suppose it doesn't matter too much, plus the fabric is lovely and soft - perfect for bedtime :)

This is the stencil. It was printed onto freezer paper and cut out with a very sharp craft knife...I had claw hands by the time I had finished.

Adam painted the colours on...I was so proud of him. He was super careful and did a great job!

This is the finished picture after the stencil had been removed

Adam - admiring his handiwork :D

Simple jersey knit hat

2010-06-09T01:45:00.000-07:00

For some reason, this picture WILL NOT come out the right way round....so you will have to tilt :)

The above, light blue hat has been a staple with both my babies, but I wanted to make a hat to match Sophie's dress.

It was super dooper easy...I made a few :)

I copied around the outside of the hat, leaving enough seam allowance. Sewed together, right sides facing. Used a spaghetti strap turner to turn the long bits through. Serged/overlocked the bottom and turned it up about 2 inches and hemmed it, with white cotton to contrast the blue.

Toasty warm ears, and perfectly co-ordinated :) I reckon that this is so simple that you don't even need a pattern or another hat to copy. Just measure the head, minus maybe about half and inch to an inch and then make it long with long 'ear-y' bits to tie in a knot on the top of the head. Just make sure you use the stretchiest knit you have, as one that I made wasn't very stretchy and I don't like it as much at this one :)

Happy Birthday Sophie-dophie

2010-06-09T01:34:00.000-07:00

My lovely little girl turned one today. I can't believe how fast time has flown.

I wasn't sure what to buy her for her birthday as she really didn't 'need' anything. Big bro, Adam gave her a My Little Pony, which she has carried around all day....sweetie :)
I made her a little dress, using LBB Sienna Dress pattern.
I also made her a matching hat, which was ridiculously easy. I'll post about that later, if I get the chance

She can walk, but I had to wake her from her nap and she was a little unsteady on her feet, so she needed a little help from Dad.

I intended to stencil a little something on the front, or maybe an applique...I still might as I think it looks a bit bare.

Christening dress and accessories for Jennifer...my gorgeous neice :)

2010-05-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Knitted booties, headband with broderie anglaise accent and gown with knitted bodice and sooo soft skirty bit...Handmade...gotta love it.

My sister had her eye on a very expensive gown, which I tried my best to recreate. I fretted over this more than I have ever fretted about anything I have made. Then the post took forever to deliver it too... But it got there in the end. I still haven't seen pictures of Jenny in it though. They live in England and I am on the other side of the world :( Hint hint!!!

We have internet!!!!!

2010-05-20T14:23:00.001-07:00

Hi,

After two weeks away...I am giddy to be able to get back online. I am painting the office/sewing room this morning and can not wait to get my machine set up...plus I have so many ideas, sew sew sew...can not wait!!!

I actually sewed my first thing yesterday...a custom Christening gown for a lovely Etsy customer. I was so excited to get my machine out... but I've made a mess of the dining room now. I can't sew tidily, I manage to get everything everywhere.

So, on with the painting...I've actually decided to do make a blog just for the house renovations, as this one is supposed to be just for sewing. I will probably start over the next few days.

MOVING TOMORROW....

2010-05-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

So happy that we are finally moving...yay!

We wont have any phone lines for the first couple of weeks, so this will be my last post until then :(

However, once we're in, I will have a fancy sewing room and I can not wait to get into my stash and under my presser foot again.

Thanks for reading

Steph xx

Day 5 - Energy

2010-04-22T01:12:00.000-07:00

Today was about using as little energy as possible.

We do this in many small ways already, so it wasn't a massive change for us.

We turn off lights when not in use, use the quick wash on the washer and dishwasher. We dry our clothes on the line, we don't use a hairdryer to dry our hair.

I have a little tip though that we started doing this week though. Boil a kettle full of water when you make your morning cuppa and then put the boiling water that is left into a flask. Ours stays steaming hot for hours and when you drink as much tea as we do it's great to save a little energy...and not have to wait for the kettle to boil each time

Day Four - Food

2010-04-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

The idea today, is to buy seasonal, locally produced food. Avoiding packaging as much as possible too.

This should be fairly easy. We have been doing this pretty much since the start of the project and before too...

I don't understand why some companies package fruits and veges...what a waste! They don't need to be packaged.

It's funny actually. I went to the bakery yesterday and I had forgotten to bring a green bag so I just said to the girl behind the counter that I didn't need a bag. She looked at me like I was mental and asked if I wanted a carrier bag instead..."erm no thanks, I'll just carry it". Heaven forbid I carry a loaf of bread for my family.

Anywho...I wrapped the bread in muslin when I got home and it has stayed just as fresh as if it was in a stinkin' plastic wrapper. Plus, it was so yum that it didn't have a change to go funny at the ends as it got eaten up.

I plan on making some little bags out of muslin, for stuff like mushrooms and smaller items that need individual bags (grapes, mandarins etc).

Day three - Transport

2010-04-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we changed our gas guzzler to a prius which is definitely a step in the right direction.

I wanted to walk to and from school with Adam, but this isn't working as well as I had planned. It's a 6km trip for the little fella (all up) and it's more than his little legs can handle. Even on a scooter.

So we have agreed that we will only walk in the morning and I will pick him up from school in the car on the way home.

Hopefully, when I can find a decent second hand bike, he will be able to ride the whole way there and back.

:)

Day Two of the No Impact Project - TRASH!!!

2010-04-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Ok...it's a pile of garbage... I know that! It's not quite as cute as the pictures we normally look at. But for me it's been an experience.

The beer is all Marks and I know that we should be avoiding waste, but this particular beer company also does kegs which you can refill and refill and refill :) Happy me because from now onwards we will not be disposing of beer bottles and happy Mark because he still gets beer...and pretty tasty beer by all accounts.

The milk cartons are a little misleading as there are three empties. It just so happened that two of them only had a teeny bit left (yes I know, my family often have more than one carton open).

Same with the wine bottle, I used the remaining wine in my risotto. So no, I didn't have a full bottle of wine :(

The papers are school letters - why they can't e-mail us the information I do not know...maybe something I could suggest.

Lastly there is a bottle of Sukin, which is a body wash product. It's a nice product and pretty 'clean' as they say. It only has a small amount of preservative in it and the rest is natural. However the last scrap here is a wrapper from the soap that I will now be buying instead of plastic bottles. The paper can be composted and there is no waste!! Yay!

Lastly there is a pile of veggie scraps which would ordinarily be composted, but we are moving house in two weeks so it is a little unrealistic to be composting now :)

We use washable nappies and wipes, so no waste there and when we went to the market yesterday we brought our own drinks and only bought stuff that was not packaged...like fruit and pretzels :)

No Impact Week - day one

2010-04-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

My family and I have been inspired to follow Colin Beavan's No impact Week.

I first saw this on Nikki from WR's blog.

Day one is Sunday (today) and it's all about consumption.

Which in a nutshell means STOP BUYING STUFF. To be honest we are pretty good in this regard. My aim is to improve our practices and to find some ways of doing things better.

So today our 'to-do' list includes;

- List all the stuff we need to buy this week, and try to limit to the stuff that we really need.
- Fill a re-useable bag with ALL of our rubbish for the day.
- Try not to buy anything new.

Check out more details here

Have a great day :) I'll be putting more information on here about how we get on and the changes that we make :)

BIG NEWS...

2010-04-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well, in less than four weeks this will be our new home. It is a beautiful California Bungalow located near the coast (Victoria, Australia). It has been restored to its current state by the previous owners. There is still a lot of work to be done...

Sanding floors,

re-do kitchen,

lay flooring in kitchen,

fencing,

window fittings

to name a few...

But I CAN NOT WAIT. I will make this house the most beautiful, homely home my family could ever wish for. I am so looking forward to sharing everything with you.. .so my sewing is likely to be very 'home' based as well as including some DIY along the way. I hope to keep up my clothes sewing too.

I will post more pics of the house as and when.

The official move date is the 7th of May... yippee!!!

A skirt for me...from fabric I bought for Sophie...sorry Soph :(

2010-04-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from Disney... as soon as I read her post I knew what I would use.

In my 'ready to be chopped up' pile I had my maternity belt tube thing..you know, the thing you wear around your middle to cover your expanding tummy, and allowing you to wear 'normal' clothes for a little longer...not much longer thought, if you eat like I do when I'm pregnant :)

Anyway, I made a smaller and shorter tube and attached this fabric to it. This fabric was supposed to be for Sophie, but I couldn't resist...and she has so many clothes at the moment that she can't possibly wear them all before she grows again. That is my justification anyway :)

The top picture was made in a flash, but as you can see, it is way too big and bunches up around the band.

So I took it in and I LOVE IT!

Please excuse my puffy/red face... bleedin' allergies :(

Nappies...and a bit of a gross story :)

2010-04-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

This was a super simple project. I was actually given about 4 yards of green towelling fabric months ago and only used a tiny bit of it for the back of some pretty bibs, but still had heaps left.

Our lovely chocolate lab is the grossest dog ever and managed to get into the dirty nappy bin...I know...so gross. She wasn't very careful about where she dragged them or which ones she ate either.

So, we have a nappy shortage problem... I said to Mark 'I'm going to have to buy some new nappies' and at about $20 each, they are not cheap. Then I remembered that I can sew a little...so I did!!!

I simply traced the old nappy (the ones that had not been eaten), and serge/overlocked all around the edge. I did some in different thickness' too. Just cut and layer to the thickness that you need and voila... The original nappies have elastic-y bits and an extra bit of towelling in the middle, but I have not noticed any difference in the thick ones I made and the originals. I love the thin ones too, perfect for the day time as it means Sophie's nappies are not so bulky.

I could easily have spent $100 replacing the eaten nappies, but this cost me only in thread and electricity :)

Burnout

2010-04-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a mega few days... we have LOVED all being together for Easter and have crafted and sewed our little hearts out.

My hubby even made a mailbox!!! Mr NONE Creative had been sprinkled by the craft fairy. It's 'rustic' as he says. I reckon it's a bird box (then I can stick it under a big tree where no-one can see.

I finished making a Christening gown for my niece (with the help of my Mum - yay for Mum). Planned a party outfit for one of my favourite friends little girls birthday. Made play dough, baked said play dough, painted it. Made an aeroplane, painted it! Gathered materials for two more birthday girls at the end of the month and plotted what they will eventually will look like. Made bootees, nappies, rosette, hairband and a dress for me and now....

I AM OFFICIALLY BURNT OUT!!!

Yes, I shouted :( I have been vexed and cross all day. Mark made me watch a really scary movie the night before last and I didn't sleep well at all that night. Then...our horrible new neighbours kept me awake 'till after midnight last night with their screaming kids and party antics!!! Not impressed. So, I apologise for shouting and please don't think it's personal, but Adam doesn't deserve to see me vexed and I am sure that most of you will understand.

At least I have plenty of stuff to blog about...just not right now, because I am officially EXHAUSTED.

Oh, and did I mention that even though my wonderful hubby has taken the babes off my hands so that I can wallow, I can't have a nap because there is building work going on next door :(

Top for boyo...

2010-03-30T01:06:00.000-07:00

This started its life as a man's top...but the man who owned it, did not wear it...

So, using a top of Adam's as a template and some help from Dana

It has a new life :)

Baby dress from Tee shirt

2010-03-30T00:59:00.001-07:00

Pretty baby...

The dress started out as a tee shirt which belonged to my friend's little girl, however after one wash is leached the colour out from the applique :(

She kindly donated it to me....:)

I dyed it!

I re-sized the top using one of Sophie's dresses as a template and followed Dana's tute to put the top together.

and...look how pretty she is. I could buy sack cloths for this baby and she would still look lovely

Easter bean bags

2010-03-30T00:49:00.000-07:00

I think I already mentioned that we had a little celebration of the beginning of the Easter holidays.

I made one of these little bean bags for each of the kids. They were pretty easy to make, but because I wasn't very organised I spent a lot of time waiting for bits to dry etc etc.

They are super simple and you can even hand sew them if you wanted.

Do your printed picture (I used the same one from here) before you start and if you are making a few then do them all together :) I got the image from the PETA website.

Sew two squares, right sides together with a gap of about an inch to turn the right way.

I left them like this to give to the little ones, they loved putting the rice in themselves.

Perfect for practicing how to throw and catch...or chucking at your Dad, which is what Adam did with his

Green is the new everything

2010-03-29T00:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this post isn't really a crafty post, but without the changes that I have made in the last year I would not know how to sew, blog or refashion so I'm going to plough ahead.

I always used to think that I was fairly environmentally conscious. I always put my recyclable waste in the correct bin, I used washable nappies, I turned the tap off when I brushed my teeth and I have been vegetarian since I was 14 years old...so there! I was green and proud.

However, I did not see the oxymoron that is a person who uses washable nappies, but turned her nose up at second hand clothing. That I would save water, but not really worry about everyone being on a different electronic device all at different ends of the house.

I was green. If you compare me to most people...but was I doing my best? My absolute best? No, I was not...am I doing my absolute best now??? Well, I am doing much better, but there is always room for improvement. There have been so many changes in my families life in recent months.

It started when I met a beautiful family who live at the foot of the Dandenongs in Victoria, Australia. I saw that they live simply, but infinitely more beautifully than my hugely expensive and uninteresting house! Their home was filled with love and surrounded by trees. They were doing their best to live neutrally and they just looked so happy. I knew from then on that I could and would do much better.

It has taken a few months, but we are definitely getting there.

We are moving... 8th of May we will move to our lovely California Bungalow on the bayside in a lovely quiet suburb with smaller schools, a quieter lifestyle and a much smaller mortgage.
We changed our car. Our old car ran at approximately 10litres per 100km and that was the book information, so chances are it was less efficient than that. We are now the proud owners of Penelope the Prius and we are competitive with each other as to who can get the best efficiency reading from the on board computer. I am winning with a current best of 2.9litres per 100km... Mark's best is 3.9 HA HA!!! That was over 12km too :)

I have banished all chemicals from my house. All I have left is half a bottle of Ajax and after that is gone I am freeeeee! We use eucalyptus, Tea Tree oil, bicarb and vinegar to clean as well as some Eco brands that I have found.

I took the handmade pledge, which means that I either make, or buy handmade gifts...I am in love with Etsy. I buy my bathroom products from an awesome guy at the local craft market, his family own a lavender farm and the products are lovely. He also does washing up liquid which smells yum.

Lastly, I have taken the Wardrobe refashion pledge. I opted for 6 months, although I was tempted to go for life, straight off the bat. It means that I will make or refashion clothing for myself for the period of the pledge. Not only have I not bought anything for myself, I have made all of my children's clothing since then too. Yay for me.

I am not self righteous. This is not what this is all about. I am just trying to be a better human. Hopefully it's working.

I am not a nugget !!!

2010-03-28T15:30:00.001-07:00

Ok, I am officially addicted to freezer paper stencilling!!! I love it, I really do. I was trawling the net looking for free stencils and lost about three hours... don't worry it was night time and the babies were in bed so you don't have to call Social Services for neglecting my children :)

I was meant to be looking for stencils for the kids, but I saw this one, and as I'm a veggie and have been for almost 16 years I couldn't pass this one up. I did, use the stencil again for an Easter project for a little pre-Easter/celebrate the end of term/start of Easter holiday party that a friend and I did...more about that later...

So, it was as simple as printing the image onto the dull side of the freezer paper and cutting out with a craft knife, ironing onto the fabric and painting then ironing on the back to set the paint, once it has dried...actually, it sounds like a lot when you write it down, but it really isn't.

So much fun!!! I have many more planned too

How versatile is freezer paper? Oh, and where is Flat Stella

2010-03-24T23:05:00.001-07:00

This is Flat Stella...This is the message I received to go with her "A FLAT STELLA PICTURE FOR YOU TO PRINT OUT AND TAKE PICTURES WITH AND THEN SEND BACK TO ME!
My niece's 1st grade class drew pictures of themselves and sent it to friends. It is the duty of these friends to take the "Flat" version of the artist and take pictures of where it went and mail it back. So I scanned it in and sent it to some friends to print out and... here's where Flat Stella has been. If you want to join the effort of taking Stella on tour of the world, let me know and I'll send you a copy!" Ok, so I didn't really take her anyway. But I bet no-one else chopped her up and made her into a dress eh!

This is what I am making today... skip the ramble if you like. I have been on blogging withdrawal

How cute is Sophie in her new top. I know that the blog is supposed to be about craft etc, and that the picture is blurry, but she just looks so happy. Anyway, getting back to the point. My Dharma order arrived, and in it there was fabric paint, craft knives and little tiny pots to store paint that I've mixed so that it doesn't dry up. I bought the primary colours and black and white. My freezer paper arrived as well, so as you can imagine, I couldn't wait to get started.

Just so you know...This particular Flat Stella was drawn by a little girl in Germany, passed to her Uncle then to my Dad's American girlfriend, who happens to live in Germany. My Dad, who lives in England sent me the picture as I live in Australia and they wanted Stella to have her picture taken in as many different countries as possible. I'm sure I have over-complicated that way too much.

So, this is Stella with my Adam. He is pointing...not sure why. But this is in my home, which is most definitely in Australia :) My aim was to have it taken near a significant land mark, but with a cranky boy at the end of the school term and an even crankier baby, I though I should just get it done.

Trace Flat Stella onto the dull side of the freezer paper.

And chop her into pieces.

Choose fabric as close to the colour of the pic as possible and iron the stencil pieces onto the back of the fabric, before cutting them out.

Ok, this is a little bit backwards, but you get what I'm doing. This is before I cut her up into pieces. I painted her face on through the freezer paper.

In hindsight, I probably would have only used the freezer paper for her head as fusible webbing/interfacing is much easier to use for applique, and you don't have to remove it afterwards. Plus, you get extra stability on lightweight fabrics.

Stencils made from freezer paper. I just printed out the words, and using it as a stencil, I cut the letters out and ironed them onto the back of the dress.

I mixed a pretty mauve colour with my new fabric paint, and painted it on. It was dry in no time.

I don't have a pic of me peeling it off, as I was far too excited.

The dress is made by tracing a tee shirt of Sophie's and just making it a little longer and wider towards the bottom. The fabric from the dress is an old tee shirt of mine and the sleeves are made from fabric in my stash.

I sewed Stella on the same way that I did this

Sweet baby girl.

My Etsy Store

2010-03-15T20:43:00.001-07:00

Hello,

I am so excited, I finally have my Etsy store up and running. So far I have listed for sale a Christening dress, but hopefully soon I'll have lots more stuff on there.

I have so many ideas for things to make and sell. I love the whole handmade thing...obviously! I took the handmade pledge after Christmas this year. Although we had become more conscious of the whole 'plastic crap made in China/Taiwan' thing. Most of the stuff I bought for the kids at Christmas were handmade. I do craft markets so it was so fun shopping around while DH watched my stall. Adam got handmade tee shirts, lead light light catcher, handmade leather wallet, Disney Cars canvas for his wall.

Since then we have had three girls birthday parties which have been super easy to make presents for. I made a little summer dress for one little girl and custom made dresses for the other two, who are friends of the family too, so I wanted it to be special.

My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and I made her a dress and knitted her a little cardi. I don't knit for everyone as it's so time consuming, but I always have something on the go.

One of Adam's best friends has a birthday coming up in a few weeks. She will be 6. She is the most Princess-y little girl I know. I have a great idea what I will be making for her, and her younger sister, who turns four a few weeks later. I can't wait to make it and show you all.

Anyway, I have rambled on enough for now. I would love to know what you have made as gifts for people.

Happy Tuesday :)

Blown eggs...For Easter

2010-03-13T15:43:00.000-08:00

Using ordinary, run of the mill eggs..no need to prep them first.

You need something sharp to poke into each end of the egg. I used a large needle. Make sure the hole in the bottom is slightly larger than the top. Then blow the insides of the egg out... The mixture in the bowl looks pretty yuck...but it whisked up pretty well for pancake batter. I think this batter will be just for me though ;)

Pop some acrylic paint onto some card...we had a big discussion about how to mix colours.

I love how seriously he took this. He concentrates so hard. I love it!

This is my version of a chicken...I made mine for Adam and Sophie and Adam made his for Mummy and Daddy. Do you like the chick???

Crackin'!!! Ha ha...sorry :)

Another cute (concentration picture)

Proud of how dirty he is... bless him.

Brum brum...stash buster

2010-03-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

How cool is this picture..Adam and DH did this while I was having a lie in (Sophie likes to wake me up through the night and as it was Saturday, I got a lie in YAY!). Anyway, I got up and Adam said 'look what we made for you'. Sorry that it's sideways, but I couldn't get it to turn, even though it faced the right way before it downloaded...oh well.
I had a moment of inspiration as I imagined the image appliqued onto a tee shirt. I had just the fabric in my stash to do it too... Adam told me that I wasn't allowed to cut up the picture - as if!!!

So I traced around each individual bit, holding the picture up against the window was the easiest way for me to see through

These are the chopped up bits placed over the original to make sure it was all 'hunky dory'.

I used the cut outs as templates to cut out the fabric, I used lightweight cotton drill for the applique. I applied fusible webbing to the back of each piece for stability.

To make the tee shirt, I used one of his favourites as a pattern. I didn't put the tee together 'till the end as it made it much easier.

This is the first bit - the body of the monster truck. I was going to use satin stitch around each one, but I changed my mind as I thought the fraying around the edge would look good.

Pin and sew...'Flash ahaaaaa! He saved every one of us'

Cute little windows.

Sewed the tee together and he immediately put it on... by the end of the day it had been covered in chocolate sauce, washed and put on the line. I must admit I was pretty pleased with myself as I pegged it out to dry :)

I feel like a cheater posting this...

2010-03-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

This is a very pretty onesie, which was a gift for Sophie when she was born. I love it, it is the cutest thing.
This is how small she was when she last wore it...Awww iddy biddy! Look how sweet they are xoxo

This is Sophie this morning, with the same onesie.

I chopped off the arms and the press studs at the bottom. Did a rolled hem around the sleeves and bottom and hey presto - CHEATER CHEATER DOG POO EATER!!! Sorry, toilet humour is rife in my house.

Too easy and too cute. She would not sit still for these pics. I literally took about 25 photos and got two barely usable shots.

An apron for my good friend and VERY good cook!

2010-03-10T18:46:00.001-08:00

From the posts that I have done already, it looks like I'm sure a good friend...I'm not really, you just came at the right time.

Actually I would like me as a friend! I often used to wonder if I would like myself if I met me. I think if I met me 10 years ago, I wouldn't like me very much but I reckon I might like me now...I might think I'm annoying though.

What did DH put in my tea this morning???

Sorry you had to get through that blatant ramble but here we go...

The fun part...fabric choice, I bought a few pieces, I liked the spoons (can you see them at the back on the left), but I decided to go with the chooks (chickens) and the butcher type fabric.

Please be assured that no chickens were harmed in the making of this apron. I have been vegetarian for 16 years and would not harm a chicken for the sake of an apron...
Ok, this might seem a little backwards to have the pocket first, but I liked this fabric best, so this was the order I did it! I decided I wanted a big front pocket, you can make it whatever size you like, or shape, it really doesn't matter. I pressed all the edges in about 1cm, I pressed the top of the pocket over again and stitched this down (I only stitched the top of the pocket at this stage).

I cut three strips of the blue stripey fabric into lengths of about a metre each by about 3 inches, but again, this is up to you.

I folded and pressed strips in half length-ways and sewed, with right sides facing, sewing one end of each one shut. I then turned them the right way around using a spaghetti strap turner (you can use a knitting needle if you like). Then press

I'm showing you the shape of the finished apron here as it is a good example of the shape I used. I made this up as I went along, so please excuse the fact that the directions are a little non specific (it's kind of the way I work).

I cut the apron out on the fold so that both sides match. I wanted it to look like a traditional apron so measured how far I wanted it to come across my chest and waist and cut the slope between the two.

Two of the long strips are the waist tie but the other one is for around the neck. I cut about 4 inches off the end and threaded two D rings through, but you could simply cut it in half and tie it around your neck.

I wanted it to look as neat as possible, so I cut a piece of fabric for the back of the top part of the bib (using the top of the bib as a template) and with right sides facing I inserted the neck tie and D rings.

I then trimmed the excess.

I pressed and stitched the edges all the way around. I was tempted to overlock and then stitch it down, but I wanted a neater finish as it's a gift (if it was for me it would have been overlocked for sure).

Above is how I attached the waist ties. If the picture isn't clear, I turned the edge down and stitched a rectangle over it with a cross in the middle.

To attach the pocket, I used the line in the centre of the apron from when I pressed the fabric with the centre line in the pocket (which I did to match)...lined them up and sewed all the way round (but not the top - otherwise you wont be able to get anything in it...I'm sure you knew that). I then stitched a line down the centre so that there are two pocket spaces.

Ha ha... when I tried on the apron , I was having terrible trouble with my D rings...don't forget to stitch them in place otherwise they don't work...hmmm! Maybe I should have used a pattern. This winging it lark is a little time consuming.

Oh well, I know for next time...when I make myself one with the spoon fabric :)

The baggy bit in the middle is because my friend is 6 foot tall and I am not!!!

NO, I don't think I'm too cool for school. My bags are not for public consumption...Sophie insists on waking me at 4am EVERY day. So, that's why I have my sunnies on.

Well done if you made it this far. If any of you make one of these I would absolutely LOVE to see it.

A tip that I use, which I thought was ingenious

2010-03-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

But, I'm sure you already know :)
I was so pleased with this little tip that I thought I'd share it with you. I wish I could remember where I saw it.
You know when you change needles on your machine, say inbetween jersey and cotton and the needle you remove is not dull, so you intend to put it back....I used to put them in my pin cushion, but I would never remember which was which.
Now I do this....

Can you see??? The needle I just replaced is back in the packet, but with the flat bit facing up so I can tell which one it is.

I know...hardly ground breaking, but if you didn't already do this I bet you will now and hopefully you'll think of me. A little narcissistic yes! But hey ho! I like it

NB. I just did a spell check and was sure it would throw 'narcissistic' up as incorrect, but it didn't. I don't think I've ever written that word before and I'm so pleased with myself...sad I know. But it's the little things :)

Beautiful baby bibs

2010-03-10T18:02:00.000-08:00

Bibs.. we use them multiple times a day with infants, especially drooly ones like mine! I got so sick of seeing food stained, yucky looking bibs! My friend has a newborn and was given a gorgeous bib which has simple cotton front and a terry towelling back. So, as you do...I thought 'I can make that' and I did!!!

They are super easy to make, and you can make them to match a dress or skirt that you've previously whipped up. Because they're cuter than your average bib they can be worn to catch the drool of a bub with teething trouble :(

First I cut out the shape of the bib (which can be any shape that you like), as long as it will go around your babys neck. I do a velcro fastening because Sophie hates being messed around with and it's the quickest way on...The basic shape I do it a rectangle with the corners rounded, a whole for the head and a cut from one side to the neck to get over the head - that makes sense to me...I hope it does to you too!

Cut out one in terry cloth/towelling and the other in the cutest fabric you can find :)

The above photo is shown with the fabric right sides facing and the placement of the velcro. I like to place the scratchy side of the velcro on the pretty side, then it doesn't scratch the baby's delicate skin when you put it on.

Above I have placed two sets of two pins, this is start and finish points, so that when you sew around, you don't sew it totally closed. If you have a tag you can pop it in the side now.

Once you have sewn around it with right sides together, turn through the gap left in the bottom (the bit between the pins).

Top stitch all the way around, making sure that you close the whole up and voila!!!

Too cute!

Ok, I have made a few of these and I did the above one today just for the blog. Typically this is what I did wrong this time...

Please feel free to laugh at my expense! I did!!!

#1 Firstly, as you can see from the photo, I DID put two sets of two pins in to make sure that I didn't sew all the way around. But, you see, this method is NOT failsafe if you are, like me, a bit of an idiot at times! I didn't start at the first set of pins, I started at the top corner...which leads to problem #2

#2 The gap I left to pull the bib right side out was on the smallest part of the bib which meant that it was pretty tricky to pull the bib through - see IDIOT!!! Honestly, I surprise myself with how stupid I can be sometimes.

#3 I sewed too close to the edge on my first go around, so when I turned it around (and pulled and tugged to get it through the small hole - see idiot mistake #2) there was gaps in the sides :( SIGH!!!

#4 I forgot my tag. Which doesn't really matter as I wont be selling this defect and will remain solely for the use of my child. Despite the fact that this bib took about the same length of time to make as it normally takes me to make 4, I think Sophie looks pretty darn cute!

What mistakes have you made...please tell me you've made some... purleeezzz!

Refashion and re-colour

2010-03-08T22:28:00.000-08:00

I posted ages ago that I was going to re-fashion this, which I did, but I wasn't 100% happy with the outcome as the black and white stripey top was black and yucky grey...so I thought I'd colour it. I found a lovely 'tulip red' which I thought looked lovely on the packet.

It also said that there was enough to do approximately one large shirt, so I thought I'd add these maternity pants which I intend to make into a skirt sometime soon.
Then I thought, hey while I'm on I will add some of these too. They were in the 'to change colour' pile. Some have stains on them, and some are just faded and need a freshen up.

So, I added my stuff, some salt and poked at it with a spoon (an old one which is now a funny pinky colour). The spoon didn't last long as I couldn't keep my hands off them... I pulled at them, squeezed them and have VERY pink hands now. I know...I should wear gloves, and I did try. For all of thirty seconds :S

Then I rinsed them in the washer.

Sophie wanted to see what I was so excited about too. She's such a funny baby bird. I love that she HAS to see what is going on. She often scoots off and can be found watching the washing machine...bless her. But she loved sitting with me and watching it together. It's like she was thinking 'see Mum, I told you this was fun'. Maybe I should let her watch TV :)

This is the first thing that went into the bucket and is what the rest should look like, but obviously I tried to make the dye go too far.

This is everything I put through on the first batch. I'm pretty happy with most of them. There is a bit of a tie dye element to some of them but I am a hippy at heart so I don't really mind.

This is the back of the top I refashioned. It's an old onside and an old maternity tee, made into a dress. The idea comes from Made.

This is the front. I used the same ruffle technique as here

I wish the colour came out better on my phone camera. It actually looks like a pretty pink, and not nearly as washed out as this pic looks. I like it, it's one of DH's favourites :)

Ben Ten

2010-03-08T00:15:00.001-08:00

Ok, for those of you who don't have young boys (or ones who have nice, serene boys who don't like Ben Ten) this is Ben Ten. He is a superhero who can change into an alien. I blame DH who gets him the DVD's.

The top is made from an old white tee of mine and a black one that Adam and I picked out from the charity shop especially for this project. I chopped off the black neck and arm bias tape from the black tee, cut a strip for the front, bish bash bosh..Ben Ten tee! He was chuffed to bits with it as you can see. He turned into Ben Ten in front of my eyes.

The pants I made from some jogging pant material which has been in my stash since I first started sewing. It's not my favourite fabric as the quality is not too great. I wont buy it again, I'll just chop up old joggers :) The pants still need pockets, and a label in the back to stop him putting them on backwards.

Refashioned dress for my lovely friend

2010-03-08T00:02:00.001-08:00

My friend had this dress is a bag ready to go to the charity shop. I asked her why she didn't want it and she said that it's just too dressy to wear every day and that she wished it was a skirt...well duh!!! I obviously jumped at the chance to hone my skills...or rather, swear, shout and throw a proper toddler tantrum. I thought this would be so easy, but little did I know I would meet my arch enemy - the concealed zip!!!

Now I am NOT a fan of zips, I find them annoying and fiddly so I tend to stay away from them, however once I unpicked this dress I though (stupidly) 'it'll be fine. I'll just move it down to the start of the skirt and sew it back in. Which is exactly what I did and if I showed you in photos (not that I have any) it would look serene and lovely, but if you were in my house at the time, you would agree with my hubby and call me an 'angry seamstress'...actually that should be the name of my blog. I haven't been so frustrated with what should have been a simple project since I started knitting and dropped a stitch about 20 rows down and had to take it to the bottom of the garden so that I could swear at it without my family thinking I was mental.

Well, I finished it, and it is SUPER!!! The photo does not do it justice as my friend and I are different sizes but I know that it will look lovely on her. My little fella didn't want to be left out. I apologise sincerely for the picture, but this was the best of about 20 pics - Note to self 'my five year old takes better pictures than my Mum', bless her, she couldn't keep it still and press the button - and no she's not old and frail, she's young and this is well within her capabilities...she just got out witted by my iphone :) I hope she reads this :P

The blue one...in a little more detail :)

2010-03-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

One of my lovely new friends (frugalceo) wanted a little more detail on how this top was made so I thought I'd bite the bullet and do the blue one as well. I managed to convince DH to take both babies to the park so that I could get it done :)

Ok, firstly, rip open the seams with a seam ripper. I'm so sorry if I state the obvious in any way. It's not that long ago that I didn't even know what one of these things was, and I always like things in simple terms...not that I'm simple, well actually, that depends who you ask. Anywhoo...

This is the poor thing with its arms chopped off...

Now it has had it's arms cut open too...

And sliced into strips of a length and width of your liking...the best thing about this top is that nothing has to be exact.

You then lie the strips vertically against the collar ( I like to fold the end under, but it's up to you). Pin in place and sew along the edge of the collar and the top of each strip.

This picture doesn't really show it very well but what I'm doing is gathering the ruffle and sewing straight over the top while shoving the fabric all scrunched up, under the foot. Just remember to backstitch at the beginning and the end.

This is the last strip :)

I have no idea what this face is supposed to represent, but with the whole family watching, I can not take this seriously.

Thanks if you made it to the end of this highly technical explanation.

OOpppss!!! Must say that I got the inspiration for this from here, Lex does some amazing stuff, she's refined and delicate...much like myself :] erm, ok maybe not!

Christening dress

2010-03-07T14:25:00.001-08:00

This is the dress I made for Sophie's christening. I looked at some dresses to buy for her, but to be honest I thought they were a little old fashioned and also, SOOOO expensive. It's a bubble skirt with a tie around the back to make it a little more fitted. I hate zips so this is just a 'pop over the head' jobbie. I also made a pin on the front which is a yoyo and fabric covered button made in the same fabric as the dress.

I'm sure you'll agree that she looks just adorable! If I had been more organised, she would have had matching shoes and headband...but I wasn't :( It's her birthday in three months...maybe, by then I will have made her a dress with all the accessories...maybe!

Something for me

2010-03-07T14:21:00.001-08:00

I have so many things in my wardrobe that I don't wear for one reason or another... I don't wear this top as it is a little snug around the tummy after bubba #2. Also, I'm not a big fan of long sleeves. So I had a think about why I didn't like it and decided that I would chop off the arms and try to add some pretty details somehow. Once I'd chopped off the arms I cut them into thin strips and made them all roughly the same length. I then pinned them along the neck line so they were all dangling down - a picture of this might have been helpful ( I will do better next time) I then sewed and gathered at the same time. It was super easy and fun. I have had heaps of compliments on it. My non-sewing friends think it looks like it was very tricky!! Ha ha!

Apologies for my face in this picture. I can not take a serious photo!!

More re-fashions

2010-02-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

What to make, what to make??? I saw a tute where they made onesies into outfits for little ones and making them new. I will find where I got the inspiration from and when they're done I will post them on here.

I know they're going to look adorable when they're done and have a new lease of life

Happy days.

Oooo I'm so much more productive now that my eldest is at school and I have a napping baby :)

Refashion

2010-02-08T20:53:00.001-08:00

An old shirt into a new dress for my little princess. The shirt was headed to the op shop, as it's an old one of my Mums, but using vegbees tute I made this little dress. The dimensions are slightly different as my Mum is slim so there wasn't a huge amount of fabric, but I love this dress and because I used the buttons for the back of the dress it is so easy to get on and off my daughters head - she hates getting changed :) Win win all round I would say

Starting out Green

2010-02-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

Where do I start on this topic??? I would love to move to a commune and drop out of modern life completely. However, I have a wonderful husband, whom I love, who does not feel the way that I do...so we compromise!

Luckily, he supports almost all of my ideas. He embraced washable nappies, mainly because they are so damn cheap. Alright, they were a little expensive to buy initially, but after two babies they are still going strong. I try my best to buy homemade, local items for my babes and I have successfully phased out the chemicals from my home...although this is very much a work in progress. We try to use products that contain only natural ingredients and I love chatting to the market sellers at the local craft markets and find the best of these products. I adore Nirvana naturals http://www.nirvananaturals.org/ they do more products than are available on their website. I love their mandarin shampoo and consitioner and their washing up liqid makes the house smell like lavendar when you wash up...it's the only good thing about washing up :)

I have done a little research on the plastic debate and will post some information when I can. I was concerned about chemicals leaching into my children's mouths and environment. I heard a while ago about water bottles being left in the car leaching chemicals into the water. I wanted to know the finer details. It's funny, when you have babies, you start thinking about things that you would previously have dismissed as 'oh yeah, something else that causes cancer blah blah blah'... now I feel genuine concern when I hear these things.

What else...I'm sure I had more to say. Oh yeah. I am also doing some research into environmentally friendly ways of decorating your home. Milk paints etc. I will post the information as I find it.

Capped sleeve Dress

2010-02-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

This is such a lovely dress, it has a very traditional dress. It shows much less skin, which is great in the harsh Australian sun.

The capped sleeves are such a pretty trim, but this dress can be made without the sleeves. It has a lovely sash tie that goes around the back to give a fitted look. I like the circle skirt design - all little girls love to twirl.

Simple summer dress

2010-02-02T16:18:00.001-08:00

This is a great beginner project and this little dress is so versatile. I always make them a little wide at the sides, which means it can be worn as a dress and then as the little princess grows she can wear it with leggings or jeans.

It is essentially a summer dress, but I don't care, it can go over a long sleeved top in winter too to 'pretty up' a grey day!!!

Halter party dress

2010-02-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite party dresses... red polka dots are my absolute favourite when it comes to party dresses. If you want your little princess to stand out then red is definitely the way to go.

This one is made in a very simple design with a halter front and shirred back, with a circle skirt - perfect for twirling.

Since my little girl can't twirl yet, I borrowed my friends little girl... a little cutie don't you think!

If you would like a tutorial on this dress just ask :)

I have sold heaps of this style at the Craft Markets. The dress itself is simple to make and with the stretchy back it will fit for longer - I do like to get wear out of my dresses. Also, a change of fabric changes the way this dress looks.

This is a picture one of my lovely customers sent me of her gorgeous little girl in one of my halter party dresses.

I adore the fabric on this dress.

Welcome to my new blog

2010-02-02T15:03:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I have ventured into the world of bloggness. I am very happy to be here. I am hoping to make some new friends with people who have similar interests to me. I have been fascinated by some awesome blogs... I will link to them when I work out how to do it!!! :D

Currently I have a small business making little girls dresses. Please check out my website for further information www.charliecharlie.com and I plan on getting myself and Etsy shop too.

I love making new clothes but feel that there has to be a balance. I adore fabric, there are some amazing designers...Amy Butler, Michael Miller etc...but you probably already know that! For me the balance is making some clothing from old clothes. Either by adapting clothing that I already have or by searching through local op shops (thrift/charity shops) and finding clothes that I can hack up and make into something new.

I have made a few items recently and will add these details, as well as how I did it as soon as I can.

I tend to make clothes mainly for my little ones and other people's little ones, but I am determined to make more things for myself this year too.

I welcome ANY comments, I would love to hear ideas from those of you who are more experienced in the blogging world.

Thanks for reading,

Have an awesome day xxx