Sew Purrfect

Swap for Daylesford Craft Experience

2011-06-01T05:27:00.001-07:00

We were given a piece of fabric and some embroidery thread to make something crafty to swap at the Daylesford craft experience this weekend. I got some strawberry fabric and some green thread. Of course I left it to the last minute. I decided to make a pin cushion cuff using the following tutorial.

It was quick and fun and I think I'll be making one for myself next.
I put some felt underneath the pin cushion to stop pins poking through.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Creative Space...

2011-02-17T02:26:00.000-08:00

This week my creative space ended up being the couch. I felt like doing some hand sewing so I pulled out my baby sock owl kit, from Craft Schmaft. It is such a cute little kit, has everything you need to do the whole project and the instructions are really great. I was nice and cosy snuggled on the couch with my sewing. Now I need to make a momma sock owl to look after the sleepy baby.

More Creative Spaces at 'kootoyoo' here.
Bell

Woo Hoo! I'm going to the Daylesford Craft Experience

2011-02-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

I booked a seat today for the Daylesford Craft Experience. Yay!!

This year they have guest designers Kristen Doran, Melanie Hurlston (Melly & Me) & Jodie Carleton (Ric raC).

I'm not sure what goes on at these things but I'm looking forward to meeting some new people, learning new things, getting creative, eating yummy food and chilling out!
Bell

My Creative Space

2011-02-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

Hello,
I've been lurking around the Creative Spaces over at Kirsty's for a while now - probably nearly 2 years. I finally remembered to take some pictures of my craft room this weekend (while it was tidy). So, here is part of my Creative Space - complete with fluffy monsters.

Milly wondering why I'm standing there and not patting her ...

Pixie - Guarder of Threads...

My little mouse house that is so cute it makes me smile whenever I see it... matchbox beds, crocheted rugs, knitted blankets and teeny kettle & cup...

More Creative Spaces here.
Next week I'll take some pics of some projects I'm working on!
Bell

Nikki Cat

2011-01-30T18:58:00.000-08:00

I've been watching a few blogs from friends who have Blythe dolls. They've been busy building furniture, making clothes and acquiring the cutest miniature accessories. I have been trying to work out what is so appealing and why I have a sudden need to get one too. Should I still be playing with dolls at my age? Then I figured I was doing too much thinking and should ignore the sane part of my brain (yes apparently it's in there somewhere!).
I found the Petworks Odeco (girl) & Nikki (cat) dolls and couldn't resist my own Nikki Cat. Yay!!

New Cutting Table

2011-01-23T14:26:00.000-08:00

My new cutting table arrived on Friday. It is called 'The Pixie' and I bought it on special, with free delivery, from Horn. It is just the right height and I love the pistachio green top. It is shorter than the normal Horn cutting tables - which is really great because I've tried the other tables and they're too high for me.

Sam & I put it together Friday night and here is My Pixie checking out 'The Pixie'.

Now I just need to shuffle the rest of my sewing room around so that it is comfortable. It doesn't feel quite right at the moment but I can't put my finger on what is wrong.

Woah!!! Time does Fly ...

2011-01-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

Wowsers! I can't believe it has been well over a year since I last posted. A LOT has been going on. I made the move to Melbourne and absolutely love it here.
Not much has been happening on the craft front after my big upheaval. Work got in the way last year and I'm determined to get my creative gears cranking again.
I have my own HUGE craft room that is getting lonely. I ordered a cutting table which should arrive next week. Am super excited. I've been wanting a proper cutting table for a very long time. My current plastic trestle table is slightly bowed so that when I'm using the rotary cutter it skips a bit. Very annoying.

I attempted a bit of crochet last year. Here is my first Granny Square!

My dear friend and her daughter are moving to Tasmania next weekend. Here is Miss 4's birthday present from Aunty Bell - a very cute roll-a-long deer and a mini-deer. I will miss her funny comments and smiles but I'll be heading over to visit in a couple of weeks - w00t!

My Christmas present, To Me From Me, was a new bike! One that was a bit easier on my little tail. It is really nice to ride, although the Summer rains haven't allowed me to get out on it much yet.

Lastly, the little monsters are going great. Pixie still dribbles when she purrs and Milly seems to sleep 99% of the day. It would be exhausting carrying around all that fur I suppose.

Pixie forgetting to put her tongue back in ...

Milly having a 'nap attack' ...

Cat Olympics - Synchronised Sleeping

Just a Minute... in August

2009-08-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

How can it be the end of August already!! Not that I'm complaining too much because I'm excited that winter will soon be over. But it feels like I'm on fast forward and I want to pause and reflect but I don't have time!

If you want to play along, J.a.M. is brought to us by Jenaveve @ August Street

Watching... Dexter Season 3. Oh how I love this show to bits.

Reading... 'Under the Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man' by Tom Cox. I couldn't resist picking this book up. It has some cute stories in it. I always imagine the main character, in 'Under the Paw', as the main guy from 'About A Boy'.

Finding... out how windy Melbourne is! I need to get a more wind proof hair cut I think. By the time I get into the office I look like I've had a fight with a tornado.

Exploring... my new surroundings. I love driving around finding all the hidden shops and cafes around my area.

Recovering... from going out with new friends. I love that people in Melbourne are very welcoming and friendly.

Listening... to rain on the tin roof and old skool Nine Inch Nails.

Bell

Gettin' my Geek on ...

2009-07-12T05:16:00.000-07:00

I got an iPhone last week. I am surprised at how much I adore it, but it was love at first byte. (groan) I took took some pictures with it today - just random shots. I am pretty impressed with the quality. In 'tech years' my digital camera is pretty old and has less megapixels than the iPhone.

Shot#1 (above) is Pixie trying to work out what I'm pointing at her. How cute is her red nose? Well its cute until its being rubbed on your face at 4am!

Shot #2: My thread holder - somewhat organised by colour.

Shot #3 - A cute old cocktail cup. It sounds kinda morbid but the very top of its head comes off so you can pour the drink in. There is also a straw hole in the back of its head. I just like the cheeky side-smile.

Shot #4 - Pixie had to bear the brunt of my photo shoot. She was very accommodating though and made some pretty cute faces.

I'm off to Melbourne this week to visit my best bud. I have the Friday and Monday off - w00t! We're going to check out the 'Persuasion: Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen' exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria and I'm sure there will be coffee, cake and some shopping involved too.
Bell xxx

My First ... Amigurumi!

2009-06-09T04:49:00.000-07:00

I was awed by Amy's amigurumi's and inspired to try it out myself. I really didn't think I would be able to do it but after some google'ing I found a great video on making the adjustable 'magic ring' and also great tips, tricks and instructions for Amigurumi at PlanetJune. I came across this pattern for an owl and thought I would make it for an owly friend who has just graduated. Please meet Professor Hooter ....

Just a minute in May...

2009-05-30T01:58:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to join Jenaveve's 'Just a minute' roundup for a while now. I've been lurking around reading everyone else's and thought it was time I made a contribution.

Dreading... Winter. It is only two days away and it is so cold already! I hate getting out of bed when it is freezing. It is already starting to get dark at 5pm. Which is pure trickery when you are at work thinking it must be home time and then realise its not. :( The upside is that I finally get to wear my gorgeous leather boots I got in Rome.

Laughing... at the way my blog name displays in FireFox tabs. I reckon if I could sew gspots I'd make a fortune on Etsy!

Cooking... Yes, you read right. Me, cooking! It has been a while but I made Apricot chicken on Coconut rice, Tuna pasta bake and Vegetable Soup this week. I got the Vege soup recipe from Jenaveve and it was awesome. It was even better the next day.

Watching... a bag of Haigh's Coffee Chocolate Buttons disappear as I write this post. Yummers!

Reading... 'When in Rome' by Penolope Green. I really love the honesty of the author and the aussie slang.

Listening... to the rain that seems to have settled in and also to the usual suspects on my iPod - Seether, Tool and Nickelback. Yah, I'm old skool grunge era.

Learning... how to give my cat a tablet. Milly had to go on antibiotics after an abcess burst on her leg. (I know - soooo gross!) I gave her a tablet without any problems the first night. But the next morning she knew what was coming. I tried stealth moves, coersion, treats, force, begging and traps but she kept managing to escape. I ended up taking her back to the vet and they gave her the tablet and then helped me while I practiced on Milly. Ha! After my vet session I was able to get that tablet down her throat before she even knew what was going. Hurrah!!

Wishing... that I was in Melbourne hanging with my bestie so that we could have crafting sessions.

Meeting... up with the Sydney Brown Owls each month. There is a great mix of people and crafts. There's always something interesting going on. I haven't done much crafting in the meetings because I'm usually chatting. The next meeting is June 4th and Amy (badskirt) is going to teach us how to piece hexagons. A few of us are also going to meet up at the Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair on June 12th. Good Times!

til next time,
Bell

Handmade Help Kits

2009-03-16T18:23:00.001-07:00

I put together a stack of knitting kits for Handmade Helps Out. They contain knitting needles, yarn needles, row markers, scissors, a knitting gauge, crochet hooks and a pattern book.

Pixie was trying to "help" and got caught in a bag.

*sigh* - she wasn't impressed ... especially since I was taking pictures and not helping.

At our last Brown Owls meeting we made up a bunch of fabric and embellishment packs.

My work very generously couriered them to Meet Me at Mike's so hopefully they have arrived safely and will help some crafters build up their supplies.

Sunny Day Owl

2009-02-15T15:14:00.000-08:00

Last year I joined a crafting club called "Brown Owls". I was given my very own member name - Sunny Day Owl. I was very excited to be chosen as a Brown Owls Prefect for the NSW chapter. There are four of us BOPs in Sydney and we'll work together to organise monthly meetings and events. We met up last month to plan the first meeting and everything is all organised for the 5th March. The first meeting is going to be an Owl theme (of course). We're each going to make up some craft kits if members want to try something different. Here's a prototype of my "Sunny Day Owl" badge. I got the inspiration from an owl design on a pair of trackie pants I got from Target.

I'll blanket stitch all the pieces in place, stitch the back on and stuff it a little bit. I might get rid of the tummy piece I think.

Tea Cosy

2009-02-15T14:54:00.000-08:00

I made this tea cosy for a friend's birthday. I was really happy with how it turned out. I love the colours.

I don't actually have a tea pot so I made a card board cut out so I could see how it looked. :D

Re-stash a Crafter

2009-02-15T03:30:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, donating money is most important, but I still feel like there's more I can do. Then I started reading 'Handmade Help' and realised that there is a lot I can do. Last year I got bags of knitting and crochet supplies from Spotlight. I'm going to package them up into kits and donate them to 'Re-stash a Crafter'. I think it is a great idea. It is so inspiring to read all the blogs and community groups who are getting together to make bags, quilts, toys, appliqued clothes and lots more crafty goods for people affected by the bushfires. I started thinking that buying sewing or crafting supplies is going to be waaaay down the shopping list for people who are struggling to get their lives back in order. They will have lost all of their supplies that they have probably spent years collecting. If I can donate some knitting, crochet and sewing kits then hopefully it will give someone a starting point for their new stash and the opportunity to keep doing what they love.

On my sewing table ...

2008-10-26T01:29:00.001-07:00

I'm very much a gadget girl. I love all the sewing gadgets from Clover. I love my new purple Clover magnetic pin holder.

It comes with a plastic cover (to stop the kitties pulling the pins off!) and the groove makes it easy to get the pins out. I also recently got a pair of duck billed scissors. It makes trimming seam allowances so much easier!

As always Milly has to sit right where I'm trying to work.

This is my mini design wall. It sits above my sewing machine. It is great for sticking the pattern instructions up so I can refer to them while I'm sewing. The sheets are self-adhesive, reusable, leave no residue and nothing has fallen off it yet. They're by Gripping-Stuff and I got them from OfficeWorks. Very handy.

Peggy's Bag

2008-10-26T01:09:00.000-07:00

I made this bag last month for my mum-in-law to be. I made it using the "Pleated Beauty" pattern from Bend-The-Rules Sewing.

I was having sewing machine issues but gave it a good clean out, a jeans needle and was finally able to finish my bag for Peggy. The fabric is chocolate cord with a small floral pattern. I made the flower design on the fly.

Its getting hot in here ...

2008-10-26T01:02:00.001-07:00

Well, the weather is warming up and the reptiles are coming out.

Here are some cold-blooded locals we snapped up on our last Mudgee visit.

In Progress - Hummingbird Bag

2008-10-25T23:32:00.000-07:00

This is my first zipper project and my first attempt at sewing in a curved gusset! The gusset was tricky! I had to unpick it 3 times - but the fourth time it all lined up. I was so excited about making this bag though because it is so different from anything else I've made. I used a pattern from "Quilted Bags and Purses".

The fabric is a mix of Junko Onishi's Hummingbird fabric and rust coloured velvet and woven material from a curtain shop's offcuts. The lining is chocolate brown cotton drill and the zip is dark chocolate too. I also used fusible pelon and woven interfacing for the first time.

The bag is designed to be carried in your hand but I like wearing bags on my shoulders. So, I'm going to make some more strap lengths and attach them to the existing straps with 'D-rings'. The bag is the most layers of fabric I've ever had to sew and my machine suprisingly went through it all. Using brand new needles really makes a difference. My new "hump jumper" also helped stitching through all the layers enormously.

Finished bag to be posted soon ...

Baby quilt for Rich & Elsa

2008-05-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

I am really happy with how the quilt turned out. I love the fabric.

The brown coloured material has the words woof!, bark!, arf etc all over it.

Baby Quilt

2008-05-22T15:08:00.001-07:00

It has been a while between posts. I've been working long hours and weekends. I haven't had a chance to do any sewing or blogging. :(
Hopefully this weekend I can work on a baby quilt for friends who are due next month. Very exciting.

I was going through my fabrics and Monkee was offering advice. She is convinced that the green spot should definately be included.

When I disagreed she started to eat the green binding in protest.
After picking out the fabrics and looking at them for a couple of days I think they are too girl-ish and they don't know if it is a boy or girl. So I went to Spotlight last night and they had a huge table of 50% patchwork fabrics. I got some very cute fabrics in blues and reds. I will post some pictures later.

Etsy Love

2008-05-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

I was just browsing Etsy and came across these gorgeous hand painted pendants from margrietje.
The exchange rate is so good I just had to get two. :)
Ok, I confess - I couldn't decide between these two so got them both.

BTRSswap - Pleated Beauty

2008-04-27T01:04:00.001-07:00

I finished my bag for the BTRSswap a couple of weeks ago and haven't had a chance to take a picture. Here it is! I'm really happy with the colour combination. I even remembered to leave a gap in the lining to turn the bag inside out!
I used magnetic snaps for the first time. I'm not sure if they are too strong though. They take a little bit of effort to get them apart. Next time I might use some smaller snaps.

Meet HP-44

2008-04-22T17:55:00.001-07:00

How excited am I?!! Very! I got up early this morning to try and grab myself a knitted monkey from Monkee Maker. I was very lucky to be able to reserve this monkey as they all were sold within a matter of minutes. We are going to have so much fun together!

BTRSswap Bag in progress

2008-04-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here's the inside of my bag for the Bend-The-Rules Sewing swap. I love this fabric. My bag is to go to the US so I tried to pick Spring type colours. The ric-rac on the pocket is very 'spring' like I think. It is hard to try and pick out Spring type fabrics when it is cold and raining here.

I finished the bag last weekend so I will try and get some pictures before I send it to my swap partner.

Can't have too many bags ...

2008-04-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

I wasn't quite sure about this bag. But I made some adjustments and now I'm really happy with how it turned out.

The straps were way too wide (3") so I folded and sewed them in half. I also added a strip of fabric over the inside seam of the strap to cover the middle seam and make it padded a little bit. The bag looked a bit plain so I made a pocket for the front, added a cat button and put on some velvet ribbon to finish it off.
The great thing about making your own bag is that you can add lots of pockets. One for keys, one for my train ticket, one for my mobile phone etc. And of course plenty of space for a label.

Things I will adjust for next time:
a) Adjust the pattern to make the straps 1.5" wide.
b) Add an insert in the bottom of the bag so that it sits flatter.
c) Add the pocket to the pattern.
d) Sew the button to the tab and put a magnetic closure on the back of the tab and the pocket.

Milly's Slobo Bag

2008-03-31T04:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it's not really Milly's bag but she was hanging around when I was coming up with a name for it. Slobo is my name for a Hobo/Slouch bag combo. Poor Pixie was all tuckered out from her napping and had to have another nap.

I've got to do some hand sewing to finish it off. The straps are a little too wide for my shoulders so I might try to adjust them. I will also adjust my pattern for next time too. I got the pattern from tiny happy's tutorial and have made a few adjustments.

Here is the 'in progress' Slobo bag. The floral fabric is the inside lining with 3 pockets. The stripy fabric is a fine cord and it is the outside of the bag.
This photo is a silhouette of our new kitty (statue) at the front door - you can see the springy tail.

A Succu-Barrow

2008-03-31T04:04:00.000-07:00

"A what?", I hear you ask. A succu-barrow - duh! Is an old wheel barrow that you plant with succulents. Here is proof that succu-barrows do exist.
The wheel barrow also needs a token statue. Mine is a napping cat made out of stone. I had fun picking out all the succulents. They are only small but they will grow fast, I hope. I also couldn't resist the following kitty for the front door. I love the wire tail.

Something Random

2008-03-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

We went on a house boat cruise with a group of friends last year. We had the most amazing time. The pelicans were always around. I shot this picture as they were taking off after eating some carp that we threw to them. They are just such beautiful birds. A bit daunting when they swallow a huge fish in one gulp though.

In other news, I installed Picasa today (photo editing and organising software by Google) and I am impressed by how easy it is and how many editing options you have.

Introducing Max Power

2008-03-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

I made Max from the Wee Wonderfuls Pointy Kitty pattern. It was pretty easy to make. Although getting the head right, so that the kitty didn't fall over, took a little while.

I took a picture of our new fish Angus and Max wanted to get in on the action:

Pixie, Milly and Max all kicking back:

BtR Sewing Swap

2008-03-23T03:02:00.000-07:00

Yay! A Bend the Rules sewing swap. The first swap is the Pleated Beauty Bag. I've signed up and am so excited and a little nervous. Here's a link for the swap:

Shopping & hanging with my bestie

2008-03-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Is there no better holiday than hanging out with your best bud, shopping, sewing and going to a craft show?

We spent the first day exploring some stores we'd seen in other blogs. First stop was Meet Me At Mikes. Such an awesome little store and really nice people. We picked out a handmade heart each. The proceeds from each heart go to the Mirabel Foundation.

We wandered around looking at all the great shops. It was so hot! At least mid-high 30's. We stopped in at the in.cube8r gallery. It is a really great store. There were so many things I would love to buy.

While we were looking around the store someone took a piece of jewelery. I ran after the suspected shop lifter and brought her back to the store. Much to Jen & the store keepers surprise. But I just felt really bad for the shop keeper, she looked so upset. The suspect denied it and we had to let them go.

After the drama we needed sustenance. We stopped by the local chocolateria and after a dark chocolate milkshake and some cheesecake we had to look at shoe shops to distract us from our tummy aches.

We stopped by Douglas & Hope just before it closed. I got a cute kitty pattern, Little Kitty, by Melly & Me and some fabric.

The next day we went to the Stitches and Craft show. I loved the Living Creatively garden. I thought they were kidding when they said they had rabbits in it. But there were adorable little bunnies hopping around. I couldn't resist these fabrics. Cats, cupcakes, butterflies, paw prints and stripes!

High Tea

2008-03-20T23:43:00.000-07:00

Jen & I went to the Stitches & Craft show last weekend. We booked into a stained glass applique class, with Gai from Just Patchwork, and made this. It was lots of fun. Appliquéing the binding (the 'lead' strips) was a bit tricky but it worked out well and we had a great time making it together.

Yay - Birthday Girl!

2008-03-20T23:38:00.001-07:00

The very talented Jenaveve gave me the best-est birthday present. She hand made me some place mats out of the cutest kitty fabric. They are so beautiful and I am scared to use them but I will!
Thx Jen!!

I-Scream for Ice-Cream

2008-03-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

Jeff bought me an awesome ice-cream maker for my birthday. The gift that keeps on giving. He made me vanilla ice-cream first. It was flavoured with the insides of a vanilla pod and was very yummy. Next was chocolate ice-cream with dark chocolate chunks. It tasted like an ice-cream brownie.

Jeff made huge cookies which he turned into ice-cream sandwiches. Not the most nutritious meal but it was my birthday so I could eat anything I wanted. I did have heart palpitations and a tummy ache afterwards but it was worth it.

One in a Million Friend

2008-03-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

This award goes to my best bud Jen.

She is the loveliest, smartest and most inspirational person I know.
I really wish I lived closer so that I could visit her all the time.

Miss you! :(

My first Etsy purchase!

2008-02-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist this gorgeous pendant from Tummyache's Etsy Shop.

More Goodies!

2008-02-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how but I always seem to be in the right place at the right time for bargains. Yesterday I went to Spotlight to get some ric rac and they had a room in the store set aside with 50% the marked price of a bunch of already reduced items. So, here is my booty to keep me occupied this winter. I got all of this for $27! 34 rolls of wool, about 12 crochet & knitting needles in various sizes, 15 rolls of ribbon and 18 bags of various embellishments.

I also got my ric rac and couldn't resist these gorgeous cat fabrics ...

The Kitty Chronicle

2008-02-03T16:09:00.000-08:00

I got this fabric on the weekend. The stories are great. I'm thinking of making a black & white quilt with various stories from 'the kitty chronicle' over the quilt. I'll have black & white patchwork blocks in between the stories. I have a large black & white woven square so I might incorporate that into the quilt as well as a black and white cathedral window square. Although it might be a bit busy so maybe I will just do some plainer squares and do another quilt with the weaving. I'll post draw up a design and post some ideas.

Fi's Birthday Quilt - done!

2008-01-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

I keep forgetting to post the finished quilt! It looks a lot like the 'in progress' picture except that the quilting and binding was added - not that you can really see it in the photos.

My sewing machine was playing up while I was quilting. :( No matter how I adjusted the tension the red bobbin thread kept showing on the front of the quilt. So, I had lines of little red dots. I pulled the sewing machine apart and gave it a clean and found a little screw on the bobbin compartment when I took it out. I tightened it and woo hoo, the tension is balanced. Pity I had already finished the quilting. But the red dots were annoying me so I put in some variegated thread and embroidery quilted a wavy pattern over the lines and it looks purrfect. I was a lot happier.

I sewed for 16 hours straight on Friday to finish the quilt so that I could give it to Fi on Saturday. Hand stitching the binding takes soooo long. But it looks great. I was really happy with the label, apart from the fact that I had stitched it on sideways. But I printed another message and attached it the right way up so that it looks like I made the label to be that way.

I probably should have ironed it before giving it to Fi but I rather like the crinkly effect that quilts get after being washed. Ironing it would have made it to crisp and new looking. If I had more time I would have quilted it a bit more in each square - it is a little saggy because it was still a little damp when I took the picture.

The top of the purple border still annoys me. I wish I had more red so that I could have extended it up a little bit. But Fi really likes the quilt and already has it on their bed so that is all that matters. As always, Milly is in the background doing her quality check before the quilt is handed over to its new owner.

In Progress: "Me Healies" Quilt

2008-01-20T14:31:00.000-08:00

I had a very productive weekend - sewing wise anyway. This quilt is a birthday present for my friend Fi. On Saturday I went and stood in front of fabric for about an hour picking out the colours. The shop is pretty quiet so it was nice and relaxing just pottering around. I wanted to get a colour wash type of effect but not too blended. I was really happy with the final group of fabrics. I was even happier with my new floor standing OTT lamp too! I've been wanting to get one for so long. It is really hard to sew, at night, as the light in my room is terrible. The OTT bulbs mimic natural daylight so you can see true colour and more detail. As a bonus it came with a portable OTT desk light too - woo hoo! Anyway, here is the quilt so far. I'm debating whether to applique aqua blue & green spirals (or maybe red) over the top and stipple quilt it or leave the spirals off and stitch in the ditch and in the squares. Tonight I think I will fix one little bit of the border that doesn't look quite right. The bottom right where the purple ends needs to extend up a bit further. If I have enough of the red fabric I'll put a bit of red in between. It is too much of a jump between the purple & yellow/orange at the moment. Ugh, I'm not looking forward to the unpicking. This quilt is very different to any other quilt I've made so far. I'm usually not very bold in the colour department. I don't usually pick bold colours, usually my quilts are made from safe colour combinations and introverted, like me.

Cat's Rest Stop

2008-01-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

I was getting sick of finding cat hair on my cutting board. Pixie & Milly love sleeping on my desk when I'm working or sewing. I had a couple of baskets in my sewing room so I filled them with batting off cuts and put some leftover fleece over it. Pixie l-o-v-e-s her new bed the most. The baskets are placed so that the cats can see out the window and nap in the sun. Spoilt monsters.

Quilt for Charlie

2008-01-15T15:53:00.000-08:00

I made this quilt for my friend's baby, Charlie.
Charlie is having her first birthday tomorrow.
Of course Milly had to quality check it before I posted it.

Happy Birthday Charlie!

Jen's Bag

2008-01-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

Here's a full picture of the bag I made for Jen.

Sneak Peak at Jen's Present

2008-01-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

I am mailing Jenaveve's belated birthday present today. Sorry it is so late Jen! As compensation for the delay here is a sneak peak at part of the present. I will post full pics once the present has been received.
Bell

Meme for 2007

2007-12-28T03:56:00.000-08:00

1. Was 2007 a good year for you?
2007 was a good year. Nothing bad happened which is always good. It feels like I just coasted along with the flow with and nothing significant happening.

2. What was your favorite moment of the year?
Partying with Jen at Melbourne Casino.

3. What was your least favorite moment of the year?
All the time spent commuting to/from work.

4. What are your plans for 2008?
To organise working from home permanently so that we can move to Mudgee.

5. What countries did you visit?
We didn't go overseas this year.

6. What date in 2007 will remain etched in your memory?
Australia Day - my brother, sister-in-law and nieces came to stay with us and we had such a great time.

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Learning an instrument. I completing a whole year of violin lessons and actually did lots of practice.

8. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting Christmas cards and a Christmas picture done.

9. Did you suffer any illness or injury?
A few weeks ago I was off work, sick for 3 days. I had a chest & ear infection which triggered Asthma. Other than a mean sunburn and some muscle knots I have been pretty healthy.

10. What was the best thing you bought?
Plane ticket to Melbourne to see Jen.

11. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Just the usual horrible news stories throughout the year. And less severely, some people at work.

12. Where did most of your money go?
House & Land payments and we got ducted air-conditioning.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Sewing. I had been very unmotivated all year so I re-organised my sewing room, got some great looking books and have been sewing lots now.

14. What songs will always remind you of 2007?
Probably all of the songs from my Year 1 violin book!

15. Compared to this time last year are you:
a) Fatter or thinner? I'm not sure, either the same or slightly more plump
b) Happier or sadder? Probably neither - content
c) Richer or poorer? I think poorer.

16. What do you wish you'd done more of?
More holidays.

17. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eating sugary foods.

18. How will you be spending Christmas?
We had a wonderful Christmas with my family in Colignan.

20. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Yes, I got two adorable kitties, Pixie & Milly.

22. What was your favourite TV show?
The New Adventures of Old Christine

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't think I *hate* anyone - but there's a couple of people at work that would be pretty close.

24. What was/were the best books you read?
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. Also, Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evonovich. The Stephanie Plum series just cracks me up.
My favourite sewing book of the year is Bend-The-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol.
Another favourite book is Trinny & Susannah - The Body Shape Bible.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Seether - One Cold Night

26. What did you want and get?
A cat - and I got two!

27. What did you want and not get?
To win the lotto so that I didn't have to work. And if I didn't win the Lotto to find a job I liked - or start my own business.

28. What was your favourite film this year?
Hot Fuzz

29. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
Hmmm, I can't remember what I did on my birthday. I probably went shopping and then had a yummy dinner followed by birthday cake. I turned 31 this year.

30. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?
Enjoying work.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Trying to look more feminine and also trying to steer away from baggy jeans.

32. What kept you sane?
Jeff, Pixie, Milly & Jen – plus my medication

33. Which celebrity did you fancy the most?
None

34. Which political issue stirred you the most?
None – I don’t get very excited about politics

35. Who did you miss?
Jen, Sam, Kat, Sarah & my family

36. Did you treat somebody badly in 2007?
Probably – but it wouldn’t have been too bad. I think I got cranky at a couple of people at work when they didn’t deserve it. But it wasn’t a hit-and-run or back stabbing or anything like that. I’m pretty nice & easy going I think.

37. Did somebody treat you badly in 2007?
Yes – but I try not to dwell on it

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year?
When someone says not to worry about something and that it is all under control - it usually means that they haven’t done anything about it at all.

39. What would you like to have in 2008 that you didn't have in 2007?
More fun, less commuting, more time to sew, a pergola/patio and if I’m lucky a second hand long-arm quilting machine.

40. How many one night stands?
Zippy

41. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year...
Geez, that’s a hard one. Probably the following lines from some of my favourite songs:

“It seems like every day’s the same”

“I’m sympathetic, never letting on I feel the way I do”

“The pressure is building I want to break away
Motivation is lacking the point starts to fade
I look to the bottom still empty still the same
I'm waiting for something to show me the way
To the path that I should take”

Best wished for a happy & healthy 2008. May all your dreams come true - or at least one of them!
Bell

Silly Kitties

2007-12-13T18:05:00.001-08:00

Phew - I'm on a roll today - lots of new posts!
I was working from home yesterday and the kitties were trying to get as close as they could. Lazy buggers slept all day, waking only to have a fight over the best spot in the sun, and then falling back asleep. Needless to say I now have cat hair in my keyboard and all over my cutting table/temporary desk.
Defining their 'personal space' & Pixie having sweet dreams:

Pixie being her usual cute self:

Sweet Dreams

Snail Farm

2007-12-13T17:58:00.000-08:00

For something different, here are some pictures of the first snail pen. My hubby is doing a test run to see if it will work as a business. Aside from the slimey-ness they are kinda cute. We have lots of babies now too.

Baby snail getting a ride:

Christmas Shopping ...

2007-12-13T17:44:00.001-08:00

Errr, I haven't got round to wrapping all the presents yet but I got some lovely new clothes:

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree ...

2007-12-13T16:55:00.000-08:00

Jeff is very particular about the Christmas tree and it's decorations. It has to have red bows, candy canes and plain lights. No tinsel allowed. I have been getting a Christmas bauble each year with our names & the year on it. Although this year I didn't want to stand inline waiting for our names to be glittered on so I used gold paint to do it myself. I also have a couple of ornaments, a really cute mouse and a silver 'B' my friend Sarah sent me. I also got an angel this year. She has real feather wings. Here's the tree:

And some ornaments:

'Tis the season to be ... gardening??

2007-12-13T16:14:00.000-08:00

After being sick for a week and a half I was a bundle of energy last weekend and tidied up the backyard. It was 34 degrees and sweat was dripping off me. (Yes, I had plenty of water Jenaveve) I pruned the trees, weeded the garden beds, cut down a tree and loaded all the offcuts into the trailer. By the time I filled up the trailer it was taller than me! Which reminds me. I need to take it all to the dump tomorrow. My muscles were so sore this week though.
Here is the result ...

Xmas Card Holders

2007-12-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my first Christmas card holder. It was all pretty simple except I had only ever put binding on quilts. Getting the mitering even on the points was a bit tricky. Once I worked out how to do it though it was pretty easy, just fiddly. The binding and hand stitching the binding down is the most time consuming part of this project.

cute buttons and things

2007-11-20T16:08:00.000-08:00

I went to spotlight last week and couldn't resist these cat themed buttons. They would look great on a bag - not all on the same bag though :)

This first button says 'Queen of the Jungle' underneath the kitty. It's a bit blurry because my camera wouldn't zoom in properly on the small button.

I love the colours and designs of these buttons:

I saw this felt for 50c and thought that it would be great for applique.
The hanger is for a christmas card holder I'm making. I just noticed that the wire hanger cat shape looks a bit weird. I wonder what the bump under the cat's face is supposed to be? It's chin? Stump from a missing leg?

Ooooh, Pleated Beauty is complete!

2007-11-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

I finished sewing the bag together last night. I was like a kid at Christmas when I finally got to turn the bag inside out to see what it finally looked like. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The pattern & instructions for the Pleated bag were from Amy Karol's Bend-The-Rules Sewing book.

No show without punch of course. Milly had to climb in and investigate.

What is it going to be??

2007-11-11T15:03:00.002-08:00

I started making this yesterday. I'm really happy with the way the cat stitching turned out. The butterflies were raw edge appliqued from some pretty material I had in my stash. I roughly cut around the butterfly and then ironed some double-sided interfacing onto the back. Then I carefully cut around the butterfly, peeled off the interface backing paper and ironed it onto my material. I then used a beige metrosene thread and made made tiny stitches all the way around so that it doesn't fray too much. I used a gold metallic thread and backstitched the butterfly antennas. I'm still halfway through making this project so I will keep you posted - literally!

2007-11-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

I made this xmas tree skirt on Saturday. It was really easy. I didn't have any major problems at all. When I was trying to sew a decorative stitch on the fleece, my needle kept jamming. I just left it as straight stitch. I need to get a 'blue tip' needle - so my sewing machine manual says.
Anyway, other than that it was super easy. The snowmen and holly were mostly glued together which was really quick. My tips: Don't put too much glue on the back of the fabric as it can seep through to the front. The glue says it dries clear but you can still see it on felt.
The fabrics I used are really nice and soft. The cats thought that it was awesome and everytime I turned around one (or both!) would sneak in and curl up on it.

Felt Bunnies

2007-11-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

I got the pattern for these bunnies from 'The Cute Book'. They are really easy to make. The instructions say to hand sew it all together but I machine stitched mine. The larger one was going to be for a toddler so I wanted it to be strong.

I photocopied the patterns from the book and then enlarged it by 200% for the small bunnies. For the larger bunny I just free-handed it bigger when I cut the pieces out. I stuck the pattern pieces onto cardboard and then cut them all out. That way I can re-use them.
Tip: I save bits of cardboard from packaging, boxes etc and put them in my sewing room to re-use for making templates.

I traced the pattern pieces on to felt and cut them out. The instructions say to glue the legs, arms and ears to the dress & head but I just pinned them. I used the small buttonhole stitch on my machine to stitch around the dress and head leaving an opening for stuffing. Then I stuffed the two pieces and buttonhole stitched the openings closed. The stuffing makes it a little difficult on the machine but if you stretch the opening out, pin it and hold it stretched while you sew the ends meet up. For the small bunnies I just sewed the head to the front of the dress. But I didn't like the look from the back.

For the larger bunny I cut the dress slightly longer at the top and slipped it into the head opening. Then I sewed it together. The head is a little floppy though so I sewed a couple of hearts onto the neck and that stabilised it a little better.

The felt I used was just cheap craft felt. I think proper felted wool would be a lot nicer, fluffier and softer if you are making them as toys. I'm going to get some real wool felt and see how that turns out. I'll have to enlarge the pattern again though as they are still too small.

Here they are ...

Ready for my new home

2007-10-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the completed Lil Lucky Duck quilt ready to go to its new home.

And here's what the back looks like:

Ta-Da! Finished

2007-10-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

It took me a couple of hours or more to snip all of the raw seams at 1/4" intervals. It was worth it though because the seams came out nice and fluffy after being washed & dried.

Label Binding

2007-10-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

To make up for my short binding I created extra binding out of some leftover white flannel from the side of the duck panel. I attached the binding so that it was the length & width of the corner square. I then made up some labels and reverse printed them onto transfer paper. I ironed them onto the binding and viola, disaster averted. The side label says "Lil Lucky Duck" with pictures of ducks in the background.

I was a bit worried that the labels would come off in the washing machine but you can see below that they survived the washer & dryer!

Ran out of binding!

2007-10-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

I was sewing my binding on and realised I was short about 2-3 inches! I went to my local sewing shops but no-one had any flannel that matched. Arrrrgh!!

Sewing the strips to the panel

2007-10-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

The strips were sewn together in pairs, with the raw seams to the front, and then the shorter strips were pinned and sewn to the top of the duck panel. To reduce bulky seams I pinned the seams, of each square, in opposite directions. This also makes it easier to align the rows. When I sewed the side strips on I found that they were too long. If I sewed them on as they were then the squares wouldn't line up with the top rows of squares. So, I pinned the squares to match the top strip's squares and then along the sides of the panel I pinned the extra material over at the seams as I sewed. It was a little bit puckered along the seams but I just eased them along so they were less noticeable.

Silly Kitty

2007-10-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

The cats quite like trying to sleep on the quilt. Even trying to sleep on the unsewn squares. Here's Milly being busted and shooed away from the strips.

Starting to get it together

2007-10-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

I sewed all of the squares in strips. There are two strips of 7 squares for the top of the duck panel and 2 strips of 8 squares for the sides of the panel.

Lucky Duck Panel

2007-10-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

This is the lucky duck panel being prepared for quilting.

Each layer (backing fabric, wadding and then front panel) was masking taped down to my sewing table to hold it tight while I basted the layers together. I also put in some safety pins in the middle of each square to hold them still while I machine quilted the panel. I was quite happy with the quilting. I went around the duck and made a template of the star shape and quilted that on the opposite side and also on the duck's tummy. I quilted crosses in each square and traced around the borders and the 'BABY' wording.

Take a cutting ...

2007-10-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

Here's the stack of materials cut meticulously into 120 x 6 1/4" squares of flannel material and 60 x 5 3/4" squares of batting.

Lil Lucky Duck

2007-10-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

A friend asked if I would make a baby quilt to give to one of their friends who is due in Nov (07). It took me ages to decide on what to make. There are just too many options out there. I ended up finding an adorable quilt kit called Lil Lucky Duck. I found it when JenaVeve & I went to a craft show in Melbourne, VIC. It is a raggy, flannel quilt. The next few posts will be the making of the duck quilt. I used to go to patchwork group every Saturday morning. My teacher is an awesome quilter and has won many awards. Anyway, she said that I should always name my quilts. So I took her advice, literally, and this quilt is called "Hector".

I definately deserve the title Silly Kitty ...

2007-09-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

It was a bit cold today and we needed to get rid of the last pieces of firewood. I'm working from home so I thought that I would get the fire going. After I got the kindling sorted I went to shove in a log. Well, it got 90% of the way in and then wouldn't fit. Hmmm, maybe if I move it this way. Nope. Not that way either. Uh oh! I couldn't pull the log out as it was half in flames. Panic. Maybe I'll try shoving it really hard then. I was pushing as hard as I could and the kettle on top of the fire toppled and slashed on the inside of my legs. Yeeeeoooowwww! Luckily it wasn't full. The flames were now licking out the top of the door. More Panic. I grabbed Pixie and ran out to the shed. I didn't want to leave her by herself in case she started to investigate the open fireplace door. I grabbed the tomahawk and ran back inside. My leg was killing me where the water had splashed. I started chipping away at the end of the log. Bits of wood were flying everywhere. Pixie had run into the 'cat house' and was hiding. I nearly had the log in when the tomahawk slipped and left a scrape in the side of the heater. It is a nice cast iron fireplace. No time for tears though. The smoke was starting to fill the house. I finally chipped enough off to push the log in. Of course the door wouldn't shut now would it. Sigh. Chip off a tiny bit more and done! The door is closed. Relief. I opened a door to get rid of some of the smoke. None of the smoke alarms had gone off which is a worry. The pain in my leg was getting unbearable. I hobbled to the bathroom and put a cold cloth on it. Aaaah a bit more relief. I surveyed the lounge room. There are bits of wood everywhere and ashes but the house has not burnt down. Phew. I looked like a volunteer fire fighter all covered in soot.
So, here I am. Clean clothed, heart racing, hands shaking and sitting painfully at the computer with a soggy cloth down my pants googling treatment for scalding.
Back to work I suppose,
Silly, Silly Kitty