Busy crafty weekend

When ever I come across old denim clothes I cut the decent parts up into 5" charm squares and I have quite a stack now in a nice array of denim colours. The plan is to make a quilt out of it. Recently I came across some noice 80's acid wash jeans so that completed my range of colours from really dark denim to acid wash. I deicded to sew something small scale and have a play with some of the denim squares- just to see if the idea in my head translates into something that will look good in a quilt.

My plan is to make a coin stack quilt using the denim for the coin stacks and a natural beigy coloured linen for the sashing and borders.

Here is a cushioned size mock up I did using some beige cotton I happened to have.
I think its gonna work. YEAH! time to start hunting for the right sort of linen for the sashing.

I've also been working on a new boys shorts design- trial 1

This is trial #2 of the shorts... I wanted the pin stripe down the side a bit less pin-stripey so I made it wider and fanned it out at the bottom. Sorry about the fabric choice, when Matilda modelled the first pair she wanted to keep them, but I offered to make the next pair in fabric of her choice instead

Here is my 3rd trial. I am happy with the stripe insert and now I just have to scale down the pattern so I can offer the shorts in sizes 1-6. This pair is made from thrifted linen and scrap denim.

Over the weekend I also got distracted by raglan t-shirts- I made a stack of boys ones from thrifted knit fabrics.

And not to leave the girls out in the thrifted makeovers
I cut up part denim dress into charm squares and decided I could recyle the top part a 'pretty' girls dress.

Pinny/smock from a thrifted garment. 8)

80's revival

Take a Daggy 80's pattern for a batwing top/shift, a piece of 70's inspired cotton voile from the remnant bin and then a take deep breath as you prepare for a potential fashion disaster

Fashion faux pax or retro-inspired summer blouse?

Tin whistle Aug 09

August is seeing some interest in tin whistle spring/summer styles.

Rah-rah skirt in red/white/navy fabrics.

Size 3 Denim pinny with oversize buttons

I love the new construction method for the lugger bags. Here is a Babushka one:

Denim with Paisley

Customer supplied Fabric. I think this one would defiantely appear in my top ten of favourite pram liners!

Aqua minkee on the reverse

Matching hangbag

hat, bird and bag

My sister, Emma, had a birthday last week and I made her a bucket hat using the Make it perfect "Lazy Dayz" pattern. I wanted something fun and a bit vintage, but still something a girl on the down-hill run to 40 would be happy to wear LOL.


The hat is sitting on a great cane birdcage I picked up a a local swapmeet recently. Its in fabulous condition. I added my own little birdie inside.

I've also been playing around with my lugger (plastic coated) bag design. I've found an easier way to construct the bag, and I end up with plastic coating the fabric on the inside as well as the outside of the bag. I think this looks better and has the advantage allowing the bag to hold its shape better. Once I have fine tuned the method I guess I will have to create another tutorial. I made this bag for me, and I added leather handles I bought at the Perth quilt and craft fair back in April. I used the bag today when I went to the hairdresser and she asked me if I bought my bag in Melbourne... woot woot! (on the way home I went op-shopping for old handbags and picked up some great handles for future bags that way... $2.50 a pair).

Short break

I am heading to the snow for 4 days! Yippee. I have taken my store off line as I wont be here to process any orders. It will be back up and running on Monday morning.

Tin whistle July/Aug09

I have been a bit slow on the old custom orders this month because I have been trying to be more regular about adding stock to my store AND have also been trying to build up items to dontate to the Fete my childrens school is throwing later this year.

For custom orders this month I have had been making pram accessories from handpicked fabric combinations.

tin whistle stocking...

I have just put this stock up for sale over on my online store. Check it out along with the stock already available by clicking this.

The very random catterpillar

Update... I like it. I really really like it, especially considering I just made it up as I went along. I will spend a few days pondering borders before I tackle them ...

On a whim...

I started playing around with my collection of "The Very hungry Caterpillar" fabrics today. I have an asortment from the range plus I have been collecting scraps in brights to mix in with the VHC fabrics.

I should start by saying that I am making this quilt top up as I go along... I have a very vague idea in my head but the actual components are just being put together ad hoc and then I will use borders and small squares of fabric to puzzle all the components into one uniform cot size quilt top. Thats the plan anyway.

I started out by slicing the 3 large pictures from the VHC panel into single blocks and adding a series of borders in VHC blenders and non-VHC brights.

I also made this little block using a fussy cut piece of VHC fruit and food fabric. I think the way I have added the borders makes it a 'bento block' but I am not completely up with patchwork terminology. I was planning on making several of these for the quilt (but I am not sure that it needs it, see below).

Make a coin stack just because I've always wanted to...

Here is the layout so far. Literally its just lying on the floor and I am filling in the gaps, slicing and puzzling it together as I go along. I am in the middle of making a maverick star block for the little gap at the bottom left. The row of purple/blue triangles isnt quite done, but apart from that its just a matter of sewing all the components together. I will add a border... normallly I would do just single fabric all the way around, but I dont think I have enough of any one fabric to do that, so I may do some simple bold piecing for the borders. I want to to stand out as a border though, and not an extension of the busy middle section. The triangles would have worked well if I hadnt already used that idea. DOH!