Why is it that Things Always Happen in Threes?

The electrical Gods are not smiling on us this week. First up, the digital set top box died and we lost hours of recordings of our favourite programs that we hadn't gotten around to watching yet. Secondly, our toaster would only char grill the bread a very dark shade of burnt. Finally, my sunbeam mixer (which is heavily used in our household) was emitting a burning smell and making lots of clunking noises.

So what is a girl to do? Go shopping of course! We are now the proud owners of a TiVo, Toaster, and best of all..... a Kitchen Aid in Ice. (The hardest part was deciding on the colour - I usually choose "safe" colours - white, black etc. With 20 colours to choose from it was difficult  to choose and resulted in lots of debate in the family. I had the final say and Ice will put a smile on my face every time I walk into the kitchen.)

I put the Kitchen Aid through its paces this morning while I made up a batch of Apple and Custard Tea Cakes. (Recipe from Cupcakes, Cheesecakes, Cookies).

I am sure the kids will be delighted when they get home from school this afternoon.

Anyway, I am off to the sewing room now - I have been commissioned to make a quilt, and I am looking forward to a relaxing sewing afternoon. As Fridays are now my only day off, I have to make the most of them:)

Heavenly Hexies

Six is my lucky number - six members of my immediate family are born on the sixth day of a month (makes remembering birthdays so much easier). Perhaps that is why I am attracted to hexagons. I bought a pack of hexagon shapes at a recent craft fair (1 1/4 inch in size)  and they are making the process so much faster and more accurate.

I am using up some scraps of Modern Meadow in shades of berry, pink, and grass. Just have to decide on a layout and then I can get piecing. It is the perfect project to do in front of the TV.

I picked up Quilt It with Wool at the library this week. Of course it was the sweet hexies on the cover project that drew me in. It is lovely book with some terrific projects using woollen fabric, felts, and tweeds in a range of fun projects. Just the thing for some winter crafting.

Life has been a bit hectic around here lately! My design work has been picking up which has kept me on my toes. I also start another part time job next week (in addition to the one I already have) which is going to cut into some of my creative and blogging time. I have been dreadful at answering emails and leaving comments lately. Hopefully things will settle down soon. If I have answered your email, please be assured we read and appreciate all the wonderful comments we get:)

On the plus side, the new job will mean I can fund a new camera and I am going to invest in an SLR. If anyone has any tips, features to look for, or specific models to recommend, I would be most appreciative. 

Tutorial: Boutique Baby Bibs

Here is a set of Baby Bibs - each featuring a different applique design, and all made from fun Japanese Kokka and Minny Muu prints. They are made with an inner flannel layer for extra absorbency and a velcro closure for easy removal.

They are a good project if you want to practice some hexagons

or some applique.

Scroll down for the free tutorial. I got all my cute fabric from Quilt Fabric Delights.

Tutorial

Project Description:

Baby will look super cute wearing these bibs. The basic bib pattern can be customised with appliqué, hexagons, and decorative stitching to suit the baby in your life. The bibs are made from sweet Japanese printed cotton, with an absorbent layer of soft flannel in the middle. They are finished with a bias trim and have a Velcro closure for easy removal.

Please read all instructions before commencing the project. Careful and accurate cutting and sewing is essential to ensure success with this project. It is recommended that fabric be 100% cotton, pre-washed and well ironed. Requirements are based on fabric 112 cm wide (44 in). A seam allowance of ¼ inch has been used in this project.

Materials (per bib):

3 fat quarters of quilting cotton

0.35 m white flannelette/flannel

1 package of bias trim (width 12-20 mm)

Fabric scraps for appliqué

Small piece of sew in Velcro

Fusible appliqué webbing (such as steam a seam).

Supplies:

Sewing machine

Scissors

Pins

Co-ordinating cotton thread

Hand sewing needles

Applique templates

Card

Clear Monofilament thread (such as sulky)

Embroidery thread

Spray on starch

Bib Template – pattern pieces 1, 2, 3 and 4

Appliqué template – Apple, Star, Hexagon

(refer to end of tutorial for link to templates)

Finished size: 32 cm x 25 cm

Method:

Cut Fabrics

Using bib templates – cut out

Fabric 1 – Cut one Pattern Piece 1 (Front Upper) adding ¼ inch to lower edge

Fabric 2 – Cut one Pattern Piece 2 (Front Lower) adding ¼ inch to upper edge; Cut two Pattern Piece 4 (Tab)

Fabric 3 – Cut one Pattern Piece 3 (Backing). Pattern piece 3 is made by taping together Pattern Piece 1 and 2 (without the ¼ inch seam allowances). Ensure pattern piece 3 is cut on the wrong side of the fabric so that when the bib is assembled the tabs are facing in the same direction.

Flannel – Cut one Pattern Piece 3; Cut one Pattern Piece 4

Pin the front upper and front lower pieces together with the right sides facing, and stitch together. Press the seam allowance open.

Stitch the tab piece to the front of the bib where indicated on the pattern (match up the X's). Press the seam allowance open.

Stitch the tab piece to the backing of the bib where indicated. Press seam allowances open.

Stitch the tab piece to the flannel layer of the bib. Press seam allowance open.

Pin the bib front to the flannel layer.

Embellish

Embellish your bib following one of the styles below:

Apples:

Trace the apple design onto the paper side of the fusible webbing three times. Cut around the design leaving approx 0.5 cm clearance. Position the apples onto the wrong side of some red polka dot fabric and press in place with an iron following the manufacturer's directions. Cut out the apples and remove the paper backing.

Trace the three leaves onto the paper side of the fusible webbing. Cut around the design leaving 0.5 cm clearance. Position the leaves onto the wrong side of some green checked fabric and press in place with an iron following the manufacturers directions. Cut out the leaves and remove the paper backing.

Position the apples and leaves on the lower half of the bib as shown in the photo and press in place. Stitch around each shape with black thread using free motion embroidery, close to the edge. Stitch around each shape three times to secure and stitch through to the flannel layer. Stitch a stem on each apple. Pull threads to the back, tie them off and trim.

Hexagons:

Trace the hexagon shape onto card, and cut out 4 hexagon templates. Pin the card hexagon to the wrong side of the fabric. Cut fabric at least ¼ inch larger than the paper piece. Fold the ¼ inch seal allowance over the paper piece and baste into position using large basting stitches. To make a block of three hexagons, place right sides together and overcast pieces together using small whip stitches, just catching the edges of the fabric. When the three hexagons are attached, press the pieces lightly. Remove the basting and take out the card template. Pin the hexagons to the bib front as desired. Stitch around the outside of the hexagons using a scant seam allowance and monofilament thread to secure. Stitch a decorative running stitch around the hexagons using three strands of embroidery thread.

Star:

Trace the star design onto the paper side of the fusible webbing. Cut around the design leaving 0.5 cm seam allowance. Position the star on the wrong side of the red polka dot fabric, and press in place with an iron. Cut out the star and peel off the paper backing.

Trace the circle onto card and cut out. Pin the circle template to the wrong side of the pale blue stripe fabric. Cut out a fabric circle that is at least ¼ inch larger than the circle template. Moisten the edges of the fabric circle with spray on starch. Position the circle with the wrong side facing upwards on the ironing board. Centre the card circle on top. Press the seam allowance over the card to make a circle with the seam allowance pressed underneath. Position the star in the centre of the circle and press in place. Stitch around the star using a scant seam allowance or use a buttonhole stitch.

Position the circle on the front of the bib as desired. Slip stitch in place to secure. Using three strands of embroidery thread and a running stitch, stitch a line 1/4 inch from the seam line.

Assemble Bib

Layer the embellished bib front on top of the bib backing with the wrong sides facing and the flannel layer sandwiched in the middle. Baste around the outside of the bib using a scant seam allowance to hold all layers together. Trim the edges so they meet exactly.

Pin the bias tape around the outside of the front of the bib, mitring the corners of the opening, and stitch in place. Where the beginning and ending of the bias tape meet, stitch together with a mitred join. Fold the bias tape over to the back of the bib and secure in place with a slip stitch.

Cut small piece of Velcro that is approximately 3 cm x 2 cm. Stitch the hook Velcro on the top side of the squared part of the tab (facing away from baby's skin), and stitch the loop Velcro facing downward on the underside of the rounded tab.

Pattern Templates for Bib can be found here.

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Book Review: Sewn Spaces by Joel Dewberry

My copy of Sewn Spaces by Joel Dewberry arrived this week and it did not disappoint. I am a fan of Joel Dewberry's fabrics and modern style and have been eagerly awaiting his book. The book contains 26 projects that are divided into sections of Work, Play and Live. The book is beautifully styled and it contains full sized pattern pieces in the back pocket.

Many of the projects are suited to the beginner/intermediate sewer and there are a few projects to challenge more experienced sewers. Other crafting techniques such as glass etching, fabric printing, and machine embroidery have also been utilised to great effect.

Sarah (13 years) was most taken with the book and thought it was "cute and funky". Out of all my recent book acquisitions this one has most inspired her to get sewing. Fortunately we have a 2 week school holiday coming up in a few weeks time!

I bought my copy from the Book Depository. (You have to love their free delivery worldwide!)

Joel and Laurie Dewberry have some free patterns on their blog, including one for some stylish placemats made from Modern Meadow - one of my current favourite fabrics. You can find the tutorial  here.

These are a few of my favourite things....

1. Crafty Gatherings with Special Friends

I spent today with two sweet stitching buddies - chatting, eating, and looking through craft books. Bliss!


2. Lemon Macaroons

I tried a new macaroon flavour today - Lemon. Loving citrus flavours at the moment. They were filled with my lemon butter. I used a recipe from here.

3. Hexagons

I bought a pack of hexagon templates at a recent Craft Fair. I have been enjoying stitching up a batch of hexagons and can see them appearing in all sorts of projects.


4. Sashiko

I finished my sashiko panel and decided to turn it into a drawstring bag - perfect for travel or projects on the go.

Some of my other favourite things are....
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, 
bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, 
brown paper packages tied up with strings, 
these are a few of my favorite things. 

Weekend Baking

One of the things I love best about baking is getting all the details right - I have more fun with the decorating that I do with the actual baking. I spotted a fabulous idea for making some easy cupcake wrappers out of paper doileys at Intimate Weddings and Cake Central. I had seen the beautiful laser cut ones around but they have an expensive price tag. These ones are easily cut from paper doileys that I already had. A paper doiley that is approx 28 cm/11 inches in diameter will yield you three cupcake wrappers. Simply remove the centre part of the doiley, leaving the lacy edging and cut into three. Wrap around a cupcake after it has been decorated and attach the ends with double sided tape - easy and so pretty!

So of course I had to bake up a batch of cupcakes so I could try them out! I made White Chocolate Cup Cakes - the recipe can be found here.


Lemons are in season at the moment so I made up another batch of lemon butter  (lemon curd) using this recipe.  I decided to make  little fabric "hats" for my jars.

Now I am heading off to the sewing room to make some progress on a few projects. Fortunately it is a long weekend here in Perth so I hope to get a lot done.

Christmas in July

With the weather finally starting to cool, it is reminding me of Christmas time in the Northern hemisphere. I have been lucky enough to have experienced three winter Christmas' - including a magical Christmas in Colorado where we went for sleigh ride on Christmas Day. I think that is why Christmas in July is so popular here in Australia - the traditional menu's are more suited to the colder months, rather than a heavy meal in the middle of summer.

To celebrate Christmas in July there is going to be some on-line stitching fun over at QFD Creative. So if you want to celebrate Christmas in July, or simply want to make a head start on some Christmas crafting, head on over to QFD Creative. The QFD Creative Team is going to be joined by some fabulous guest designers for this on-line Christmas themed month of stitching.

You can read more about it here.

These lovely fabrics arrived in the mail today from QFD Creative. They are destined for some Christmas in July fun. It is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas ........