Makey - Another Ivy

Howdy,

A while ago I made an Ivy pinafore in flamingo fabric which I adore. As part of my birthday gift this year my boys sent me to see the World of Wearable Arts in Wellington.

It was a beautiful weekend with some lovely friends and I wanted to make a dress for it, as you do.

I've had this fabric in my stash for a few years now - it started as a black and white print which I used fabric paints and hand stitching to embellish.

Since the event I've continued to wear it for day to day, because I believe in dressing up!

I think all the stitching over the 100 days project has really re-ignited a love for hand stitching in me.

The pattern is from an NZ designer called Jennifer Lauren, fabric and paints from stash, lining also from stash... which is good because I recently fell right off the buy no new fabric wagon.

love you more than fabric sale xxx

Makey - McCalls 7286 the Unicorn Version

Heya,

You may remember the whale top I made a while ago using the McCalls pattern 7286. I really liked the raglan sleeves and the general fit.

Then I came across some adorable unicorn fabric in spotlight one day and it somehow came home with me!

I decided to make a dress version, because really a stretch t-shirt style dress is just a nighty in disguise that's appropriate for day wear!

I adore this dress, it makes me all kinds of happy... I think there will be more!

love you more than a stretchy unicorn xxx

Make My Week - Goodbye Kindy

Yesterday we said our final ever goodbye to kindy... (to be honest I am intentionally not engaging with the emotions of this week - in a couple of weeks post exam, final assignment, school start, birthday party... then I will sit a spend the good part of a day in tears!)

We made necklaces for the kindy teachers.

and a bag of bean bags for the children to use.

and tomorrow a little boy will unwrap a hand made book bag from his mama.

It's a very big week around here. Big change in the sails for this mama, final assignment due, party to organise, exam to study for.... apologies if I'm not as visit-y as usual.

Joining in with less overwhelmed mamas here:

Love you more than a whole day to study xxxx

Make My Week - A Pillowcase

This is a Christmas present ticked off.

For a very cute little fellow we love and who loves anything machinery wise. I absolutely love this fabric - it's super boyish but not too typical or disney. I like the colours a lot and I think it will grow with him (he's currently 18mths).

A project started and finished in one evening. I've even top stitched the panel and added a proper gusset so the pillow doesn't try to make a getaway in the night.

Joining in with super crafty makers here

Love you more than a digger on the way to kindy xxxx 

(which are actually kind of normal for us but still very exciting if you don't live in Christchurch!)

Make My Week #40 - October Dress

At the beginning of the year one of my goals was to make myself a piece of clothing every month this year.

Recently I had my sister over to go through my fabric stash and help me out with re-visiting fabrics (another goal this year was to buy less fabric and use the stuff I actually have!).

So I have, finally, whipped up this very, very simple dress. Literally 2 pieces of fabric and some bias binding from the stash and the dress is done.

I love this fabric it is super stretchy and quite heavy. I bought the fabric for $4.99 from an op shop about 3 years ago. There was loads of it I still have a least half a metre left.

Another perfect summer dress for the days where the shaving regimen has gone out the window (happens to me anyway!).

I made this dress from start to finish in about 1.5 hours - I can't believe it's taken 3 years to get around to it.

Joining in with our Creative Spaces - click on the button on the right. I was going to save this for Wardrobe Wednesday but where is the fun in showing you something I've already shown you?

For more things I have made this year
For things I'd like to make
and other things I'd like to make

For a rummage through my wardrobe

Make My Week #30 - Stitching and a Giveaway

I have got a black work embroidery book out of the library a couple of times now and felt very inspired by it and when I asked for traveling crafts recently a few people suggested some stitch work so I had a rummaged through my extensive craft book collection and found one with some black work stitches in it.

All of this is just free-hand rambling rather than following patterns which is good because the fabric is very fine and it would have been a nightmare to be counting carefully.

I made the first one in response to a verse in the book of Job (in the Bible) that spoke to me. I realise it's fairly random out of context and personal meaning - suffice to say it is about how I feel about bearing the scent of hope in my life and how I hope that might affect/ give hope to others.....

the others are wee brooches I whipped up for fun playing with stitches and with the words from my blog title. One of the 'inspires' didn't turn out as I had envisaged it (happens when you make stuff up as you go along!) so I made another one.

So to the July giveaway -  this month I want to make a personalised hand stitched brooch for you. To enter all you need to do is leave a comment with the word you would want on a brooch. You can also say which style you like best if you want to. I'm happy to send one of these wee chaps anywhere in the world. Entries close Friday 3rd of August 2012.

On the subject of giveaways - bookworms and people who like great ideas for kids head over here pronto - your choice of book giveaway and a great blog to read - yes please.

For other crafty stuff I have made lately look here
For other people's crafty makings head over here.

Make My Week #28 - baby quilt

The Atlas has a work colleague about to leave to have a baby and so I asked if I could make something special. Bless him he even let me show him some stuff I liked on my quilts pinterest page and I have another board of quilt loveliness here too.

The quilt is made from pieces all from my stash and inspired by lots of different pictures I like. It is free motion quilted. I actually hand basted each piece on and then basted the whole thing before I started which took an evening but was well worth it in the long run.

I added the border as an after thought and I love it. I was going to have the Suffolk puff blossoms all over the ground under the tree but the crafters I had over in the planning stage recommended them on the tree and I think it's a better choice.

I backed it in super soft brushed cotton. I have included a putting it together collage because I quite like the sense of development. I am pretty random in my approach - cut and place and hope for the best.

I'm pretty pleased with the results and I think The Atlas was too.

It always amazes me how irresistible a quilt (even a half-finished one) is to lie on and play on and we don't even have a cat! The boys just couldn't keep themselves off it.

I need some inspiration for a winter craft project that I can take on holiday and do by hand - I don't crochet and my knitting is pretty atrocious.... ideas???

Find more creative inspiration here
Here are some of the things I've been making this year.

Make My Week #27 - Cushion Bonanza

Another birthday present cushion and a set of cushions for a friend for their holiday home.

The birthday cushion was a very girly girl. From Mum's description I would say the room was very Disney princess and this is about as close as I get to pink on pink.

I did some little hand-stitched details on the other cushions just to make them a bit more interesting.

More cushions I've made this year here and here and here

This year I've been making something creative every week


Have you entered my giveaway yet?

Make My Week #19 - A New Jacket

I found this pattern at a junk shop a while ago and I liked the shape and the over puffy sleeves (do puffy sleeves remind anyone else of Anne of Green Gables??)

I changed it up a bit in by taking the lapel opening all the way to the bottom of the jacket and using a button and loop system.

The buttons are vintage ones I got off my step-mother and the fabric is some I bought last year or even the year before - it has a slightly pearlised surface and comes from somewhere in Africa from recollection.

I also made the sleeves a lot slimmer to try and reduce the amount of volume going on.

This is my second clothing make for May.

Check out all sorts of creative goings on here.