Vintage Patterns; An Award and a Tag!

The cold and flu has worked its way around our family until we all succumbed, but day by day we are recovering. The freezing cold weather we have been having lately hasn’t helped, especially as we have a gas crisis in Western Australia and households are urged to conserve gas and electricity. On the positive side it is good weather for knitting and hand quilting!

I have been busily working on my projects for my pin cushion swap but can’t show and tell for a couple of weeks yet. One quick project I can show you though, is the Sew Simple Needle Case by Marina from Wink Designs and you can find the pattern here (http://winkdesigns.typepad.com/photos/sew_simple_needle_case/needlecaseinlinensewingmotiffabric-1.html). I used a combination of linen fabrics, wool felt, and trims for this project. Quick and practical – just the way I like it.

I have some lovely old vintage patterns from my grandmother that I wanted to show you. I love their charm and plan to frame a few of them to put up around my studio (hopefully I will have some pictures of that to show you next week).

Sarah and I were delighted to be awarded the Arte Y Pico award three times in one week! 

We were awarded it by the energetic Tonya from PuddinPop who is a home schooling mother of 7 with a wicked sense of humor, who still finds time to sew clothes for herself and her children – an inspiration to us all! We also received the award from Wen from Arkerchi who has two beautiful daughters and makes lots of lovely crafty items ranging from hair accessories to shoes. We were also honoured by Kristin from Grace Violet (http://www.graceviolet.com/) who  makes a range of beautiful sewing projects and has some great tutorials to inspire you. You must check out their lovely blogs.

We in turn would like to bestow this award on five lovely blogs that we enjoy to read regularly.
1. Melissa from What Knot whose blog is full of great sewing projects; recipes; tips for sustainable living; and great activities for the preschool set.
2. Jessica from Turkey Cookies who has great recipes; is growing her own veggies; and loves to craft (when she isn’t busy with study!)
3. Jill from Life with Nature Girl who makes great aprons and doll quilts and has a budding photographer in her young daughter! She is enjoying her summer break before heading back to work.
4. Julz a New Zealander from Julz Design who loves to quilt, sew and stitch! She has recently made up some blankets for children in Afghanistan.
5. Michelle from Leni and Rose who posts the greatest blogging tips and how to’s each week. She also makes the most adorable baby shoes, and a range of other sewing projects.

Go and check out these blogs – they are all amazing!

Erin from Girlz with Curlz also tagged us this week with a 5 thing meme. You must check out Erin’s blog as she has some great recipes (her mango salsa sounds delicious) and lots of great crafty projects. 

5 Kind Things I do for myself:
Read, sew, bake, blog, and shop

5 Kind Things I do for friends:
Remember birthdays and anniversaries; give homemade goodies; telephone them; give dinner parties; and baby-sit.

5 Kind things I have done for a stranger:
Smile; give directions; baked meals for those in need; donated to charities; voluntary work.

5 Hobbies I enjoy (no surprises here!)
Sewing; quilting; baking; embroidery; reading; 

I won’t tag anyone for this meme but please feel free to play along if you wish!!

EDIT: A couple of my links keep disappearing - is there a limit to the number you can put in one post? Anyway  I have put them in manually.

Posted By Lisa

From the Archives...

As we have been super busy over the past 9 days with our interstate visitors, I haven’t had much sewing time! However they departed yesterday so life is getting back into our normal routine, although the kids and I are in various stages of a cold/flu - but hopefully will be fighting fit again soon.  We have disassembled the guest bed and now have the whole room as my sewing studio. I have been inspired lately by all the lovely pics of other peoples creative work spaces, so hope to transform my room into a relaxing studio for Sarah and myself. Sarah is looking forward to having her own dedicated sewing station.

Here are some pictures of one of my early quilts. The pattern is from American Patchwork and Quilting (Issue 47,Dec 2000). We were living in Houston, USA at the time and it was the first time I had ventured into a quilt store and it changed my life! Even though the red and gold don’t really match my décor, I love to bring it out at Christmas time to add a festive touch.

I had a number of comments from the last post about the magnetic seam guide. It is made by Birch Australia and magnetizes to the base plate of the sewing machine. It can be positioned to give you any seam width you require. I personally use the ¼ inch foot for most sewing but it is really useful for teaching children to sew. It can be purchased from most sewing centres/fabric stores.

Posted by Lisa

A Few of My Favourite Things...

I don’t usually play with paper as textiles are more my thing. However over the past week I have experimented with some paper projects.

As I have admitted recently, I love baking cupcakes! I love their individual proportions, the ability to decorate each one individually and I love using my extensive collection of paper liners. This week I have been playing with making little colourful flags to decorate them with.

I took some cardstock, some double sides tape, and some little wooden toothpicks. I cut the card into 1 inch x 3 inch pieces, which I folded in half, and then inserted a little toothpick and then adhered it together with double sided tape. So quick but very effective. I then inserted them into my white chocolate mudcake cupcakes and voila!

 

A friend and I have decided to get together at least every 3 months for a craft morning. We had our inaugural crafty morning last week and made lots of greeting cards. Here are some of my favourites!

I recently came across this seam guide recently – such a useful little gadget as it magnetizes to the base plate of the sewing machine to create a guide for sewing. It is especially useful for beginner sewers, children, or the visually challenged. I think I have gotten my $3 worth out of it already! Sarah can’t wait to try it out.

I had a few enquiries on where I got my Japanese craft magazine pictured in the previous post. I found this great eBay seller who has an extensive collection of gorgeous craft magazines. She has displayed plenty of pictures out of each issue so it makes it easier to browse. She also has an etsy shop.

Posted by Lisa

Swaps and More

Sarah and I have recently signed up to two swaps which we are very excited about! We are involved in the Pincushion Swap at All Stitched Up and we are both going to make our swap partner a pincushion. I have gotten some inspiration from my recently purchased Japanese Craft book (destined to be the first of many - so many cute projects!) . Sarah’s project is still under wraps.

The other swap we have entered is the Cupcakes and Tea swap over at Rachael Rabbit. You can sign up before June 20. Fortunately we have two weeks holiday coming up in July so we can put the finishing touches to our swap items. We couldn't resist a cupcake theme!

This week I have finished off making the matching set of coasters to this table runner.

I had my first foray into felt making recently. I made a felted heart with button and embroidery details, based on a pattern I found here. I made this heart for my Mum and used one of my Grandmothers cardigans and most of her buttons for the project. It is filled with some lavender (of course!)

We recently received our own custom rubber stamp from here. Now we can make our own swing tags and cards for our items. I bought some ink pads designed for fabric and will have experiement with stampng on fabric to make labels etc.

Things may be a little quiet over here for the next week as we have interstate visitors arriving tomorrow. There won't be much sewing going on but there will be lots of baking.

Posted by Lisa

Bookmarks and Mail!

This afternoon I made this lovely bookmark out of card and scraps of fabric. I got my inspiration from Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts.

To make it, simply cut out a rectangular piece of card for the bookmark. Then cut out little scraps of fabric. Then using an iron, press the design you are happy with. Then sew using a zig zag stitch randomly in different directions.

This afternoon I also received a lovely package in the mail from Zia Koko. She sent us some gorgeous cards and some pretty fabric. She also sent us some cool scrapbooking letters. Thank you so much Zia!! You have to check out her beautiful blog - she makes so many lovely things!

Posted by Sarah

Lavender Crafts - Part 1

It has been just over a week since I started drying my lavender and I am already getting very impatient!! Fortunately I have recently acquired some ready dried lavender (thanks MUM!!) so was able to try out a few quick scented crafts. I am hoping my lavender will be well and truly dried by mid July so that Sarah and her friends can make a batch of lavender gifts during their 2 week inter-semester break.

I have a few quick projects to share with you. All of these projects can be made up with lavender or any other dried botanical such as dried roses, chamomile, lemon verbena, peppermint, or dried citrus peel. They smell divine and they are excellent deterents for moths and other pests!

1. Envelope Sachets

This couldn’t be easier! Just draw a design as a template, layer over an envelope, and then punch out using a thick pin. Work on a cork board or cutting mat to avoid damaging your work surface. Fill the envelope with about a tablespoon of lavender and then seal with a glue stick. (Source: Martha Stewart Holiday – Handmade Gifts 2006.)

2. Muslin or Organza Sachets

Cut out a circle ut of muslin or organza that is 7.5 inches in diameter,. Fill with a tablespoon of lavender and then secure with a rubber band. Tie a ribbon around the band and secure in a bow.

3. Fabric Sachets

Sew together a rectangle of cotton fabric with a rectangle of muslin and fill with a tablespoon of lavender. Make several and layer them in a pile, and secure with a ribbon bow. These can be tucked into underwear drawers or left onvdisplay in a little china or silver dish.

4. Tub Teas

Get an existing tea bag and carefully open it at the top and remove the existing tea. Fill with a teaspoon of lavender and staple to close, using the existing tab and string. Cover the tab with some lavender card and cover the staple with a die cut shape using a small punch. This will turn plan old bath water into an aromatic treat!

I have plenty of other ideas of lavender so stay tuned!

Posted by Lisa

Quick Clips

This afternoon I have been busy making hair clips. I made them using scrapbooking brads and plain hair clips.

To make them, you need to put the brad through the hole of the clip and use pliars to squeeze it down. Then add a bit of glue to secure it in place. You can also put ribbon on the front to cover up the metal clip. I then designed and printed a cardboard sheet to attach pairs of clips to.

I got my insparation from  Magnolias and Sunshine   and   Grace Violet .  This is a great project to do in a small amount of time. I am going to give them to my little cousin and other little girls I know.

Posted by Sarah

Miniatures and More

I am loving all the gorgeous doll quilts that I am seeing around at the moment. As I don’t have anything new to share, I thought I would dig up some old favourites!

A few years ago, I was going through a Miniature Patchwork phase – which is a great way to use up all those teeny tiny bits of fabric that one saves – just in case!

I made this Starry Patchwork mat that Sarah uses on her bedside table. Each star is 3 inches square and I made it out of a mix of lovely hand dyed fabrics and batiks. Sarah is planning a bedroom makeover so I might get to reclaim it soon.

I love this little red and cream paper pieced miniature. Each block is 3 inch square.

Lisa wanted to know what our view of the Indian Ocean looked like. I haven’t had a chance to take any photos myself but I got this pic from a tourist website. We live about 500 m away from this………..

Posted By Lisa