Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Mummy The Sewing Goddess Pedestal

I must admit, now that I have started to make little girls clothes, I am quite addicted. Let's face it really, I had best make the most of it now as I am sure in a few years there is no way Emily will want to be seen dead in something that Mum has made ! Right now, however, I am up there on my Mummy The Sewing Goddess Pedestal. ( the fall down will be hard ! ) . Squeals of delight are forthcoming upon the completion of each item and well, thought she would pop a vein over this twirly layered skirt when she tried it on. Little devil was not going to stand still for a photo though, so hence I have pulled out the torso plastic dummy. The beauty of this style is the fact it can be made as a dress for a 2 yr old toddler ( just add shoestring straps ) or fits as a skirt for a 4yr old. I followed the pattern formula on this link at J Caroline Creative. You will just need to adjust your measurements to suit. Make one for yourself while you are at it !

Monday, November 16, 2009

my creative space


Tis the season..yes...Christmas parties! Quilting group Christmas parties to be exact.
So, on my desk this week are part of the Kris Kringle presents to gift at the parties. What may look like a pile of fabric,cardboard circles, felt and thread are the makings of a cute little Ready Threader.
I shall pop a reel of cotton and needle inside when gifted. Perfect size to keep in your purse as an emergency sewing kit.
The plan is to have these six whipped up plus a few other handmade goodies. Still looking for ideas though...any thoughts?

multiple personality disorder ? !

I was thinking about the name I had previously given to my blog "unpicking is the pits ". Seemed a bit negative and cranky. Not sending out the happy vibe , so to speak. That's not me ! So I have a fresh, new, positive title which happens to go nicely with my favourite piece of vintage embroidery.
Here's hoping everything links up okay still ! Fingers crossed !

Friday, November 6, 2009

love is the answer


I have been contemplating my navel, well metaphorically anyway, wondering what it is about sewing that can keep me awake until the wee small hours.Then it came to me…LOVE. I sew because I love it.I love the first seed of an idea…be it searching for a pattern or creating a design from scratch.I love to watch that idea grow and bloom. The sense of satisfaction from completing an item ,whether a small gift or a 70 inch square quilt, is amazing. Even better than this feeling though is when I gift the item to someone special and they LOVE it ! If you are a sewist, you know what I am talking about !

My latest project was born from my frustration at the selection of nightwear when searching for some PJs for my 4 yr old…not to mention the ridiculous price. Everything was polyester, not a scerrick of cotton in sight ! Off I trotted to the nearby Spotlight shop , purchased 2 meters of cotton voile -total cost= $8. Four hours later ( sounds a long time but I am a newbie to garment sewing ) and I had a shirred night dress and an appliqued PJ set. To top it off-they fit and Missy Moo loved them ! No pic of the nightdress yet !


The applique was without Viesofix as I wanted it to remain soft. The edges will fray over time but that is the effect I am wanting. Oh, and I made use of my stash of vintage sewing paraphenalia from my grandmother which provided the pink cotton ric-rac. A fab, cheap project that was useful and cute!

In case you were wondering, I used Simplicity pattern number 8493. A great unnisex design that has long sleeve and pants option plus a robe and a zip-up all in one style for the toddlers.

Happy sewing,

PJ