A literary bent....

*sigh* How perfectly divine is this!!! Some fabric to match a book, for a literary and fabric nut like me this is just about as good as it gets. My darling mother was telling me about this gorgeous Michael Miller fabric quite a few months ago, she'd seen it in one of her quilting mags, but it wasn't available here as yet. The reason she was telling me this, I had just bought Lily this gorgeous hardback copy of Dick and Jane. The illustrations are just beautiful. It was one of the way too many books I had purchased for her birthday, we LOVE books here, so it has been put away for later.


So now the fabric has found a new home in my stash, and surprisingly for me, I've even managed to cut into the spotty one !!!!!*gasp* That's where the little circle pics for Emma's little pinnie came from. I've also cut out little smock top/dress for Lily out of it, just need to find the perfect coordinating fabric for the bodice. I think I'll give her the book and the dress together when it's finished, she'll just love that!! The other yardage is just awaiting the perfect project.

You know, I think there should be more literary fabrics, not those of a licensed nature, which I despise, but these with a more nostalgic feel. I know there's also some Beatrix Potter fabric which I am tempted by, the largest crafting project I have ever undertaken is a cross stitched quilt which has the pictures and The Tale of Peter Rabbit on it; it took me aaages to finish, maybe six or so months of pretty solid work. I wish that fabric had have been around then, it would have been perfect to back my quilt in.

Anyway, that alone has given me a fun little idea for my next stocking... hmmm...

Pants nearly all done ... and gone!!!!

SO many pics, but here are 7 0f the pants finished off. I sent them live last night and they sold out really quickly. :D It really freaks me out when that happens, but also puts a big smile on my face. I love that people like my work, I love finding such fabulous fabrics and sharing them with others and I love seeing pics of kiddies wearing clothes I have created. It's all really really gratifying.

so next, time to finish the other pants , work on some pinnies and fleece pants and a few other bits and pieces, including some customs and some new winter pants for Lily . But no sewing until tomorrow, knitting frantically tonight.

Lagon Dragon

Surfs Up

Don't Be Koi

Tranquil Dreaming

Retro Rockers

Zip It

Hearty Bums

My Knitting Pact

I'm really good at starting new knitting projects, just not so good at finishing them. The starting part is fun; the middle slog and the finishing part, sometimes by then the enthusiasm tends to wane a bit

... actually it's probably not entirely just about knitting, there's quite a few UFOs in my craft cupboard hiding. There's quite a number of cross stitch pieces including an alphabet sampler for Lily ( to be honest, I'm a little cross-stitched out after the mammoth effort I made on Lily's quilt)

So I'm making a pact with myself, one that I am going to try really hard to not break.

I am not allowed to start any new projects until I finish one of my old UFOs.

I am not allowed to purchase any new yarn until all my current UFOs are finished.

I am not allowed to dye any more wool until I have knitted up all the wool I have already dyed.

I am not allowed to buy wool from a Monsterknits restocking unless I have knitted the wool from the last restocking (this one is going to be really really hard :()

I will give myself a little knitting reward each time I finish another UFO :D (gotta have some incentive to do them, huh.)

I am going to try to knit exclusively from my stash until it is reduced substantially ~ it might weigh more than me LOL Just kidding!!!

Wish me Luck!!!


I'll need it!!

My romantic Andy :D

Came home from work tonight bearing this little posie; made all the more special as he picked these flowers himself. Two pretty little native flowers; one from a flowering yellow gum eucalyptus leucoxylon ssp. bellarinsia ~ this tree is indigenous to this area, and the only remaining substantial stand of them is just up the road from us in the nature reserve. The other is a correa: maybe a dusky bells or a reflexa???

ahh, that means more to me than a dozen roses ever could :D

Pants are a coming!!!!

Been busy busy busy sewing this week, Lily has been helping me out in my sewing room, well sort of, sorting buttons and fabrics. which was going oh so well until she decided the pile of buttons sitting on my cutting mat were a puddle and she decided to splish and splash in them .. what a great lark!!! She loves going through fabrics, oohing and ahhing, every now and then she'll pick one up and wrap it around herself as a dress. LOL

Anyway, so far I've finished three pairs of pants, put the pockets on another four pairs and have another three pairs cut to go... phew!!! I was planning on them all being fairly boyish, or at least gender neutral but the red heart ones just sort of snuck in; I really couldn't help it. They were made before I even realised what was going on. I decided to do some bootlegs for the boys as I think boys look grouse in bootlegs, shame they're not more readily available. (and of coourse, I'm rebelling against the horrible skinny leg jeans look which SHOULD NEVER be seen on small children *shudder* ). ...so here we have
Retro Rockers Bootleg Pants ~ size 2

Hearty Bums Flared Pants ~ size 2

Tranquil Dreaming Wide Leg Pants ~ size 0

Surfs Up Bootleg Pants ~ Size 0

Lagon Dragon Bootleg Pants ~ size 1

Don't be Koi Wide Leg Pants ~ size 2

Zip It Wide Leg Pants ~ size 1


Oh, and newsletter subscribers wil be the only ones to get an advance warning of the stocking times for these. ;)

previews

I have stacks of pants cut and ready to sew up, these are the first few in the reds. I'm trying to do them all fairly gender neutral or boyish as the boys do miss out a bit sometimes. It is really hard to find nice boyish fabric that isn't, well, just wrong, there are certain images that I won't use. ;) Anyway, I'm pretty happy with my selection for this load (think there will initially be about ten pairs all up ranging from size 0 up to 3) there's a good mix of retro, funky and cuteness (think dragons and turtles. And yes, I realise that the spotty heart is neither boyish or gender neutral but it's been playing in my head for a while and just had to get it out. Oh and there will be a little touch of Asia on a couple of pieces too, now off to sew them up!

closing my yahoo group...

as i'm sick to death of spam from "sexy military women wanting to chat" to me. I didn't think you could even do that on a yahoo group. anyway, there's just a couple of bits and pieces sitting around from my yahoo days; shall transfer them over to ozebaby next week.





I have transferred this cute little pinnie for previewing; made from denim and topstitched in Gutterman jean thread (this is the colour I use to match my levis when I take them up ~ it's VERY important thread and thread thickness matches when you do that.) The collection of buttons, some new and some vintage (read knicked from my mum's huge button container many moons ago LOL) are sewn onto a pleated piece of denim. I love this!!!! There are a few imperfections in the sewing that I am not happy with now, but hey!!





oh, my TIP FOR TAKING UP DENIM JEANS and making it less obvious. I recommend using Gutterman jean thread and matching it as closely as possible to the original stitching. Then so you don't have that obvious taken up look, rough up the bottom of your jeans with some sandpaper. ;)

What to do....

This pinnie has been a real PITA; I made it out of a lighterweight denim than I usually use. Originally it had a row of red lace where the vintage floral ribbon is (see here) http://tikkifabricaddict.blogspot.com/2006/11/ric-rac-rummage.html
but I managed to scorch it when I was pressing it, *sigh* but I actually like the ribbon better. Unfortunately it also has a few puckers around the bodice area too which really peeves me off. so as such it has been sitting in my to finish pile for quite some time and I'mnot sure whether to sell it or not.. obviously it would be as a second. *sigh*

bliss *sigh*

is a newly serviced sewing machine!
it's like new again.... and just as i had picked out a new machine!!!

For Asher...

The good thing about big drives, like the one back from Adelaide, is that I get a chance to get loads of knitting done while Andy drives. So this is what I achieved on the way back on Sunday, unfortunately I had to give it in as it got too dark to do the increases I'm doing on the legs. Lily stole my Craft Alley row counter bracelet, so I stole her DoodlePro and used that. As I haven't done any more since we've been home my markings are still on it and she can't have it. LOL

This is my favourite tree, banksia integrifolia , Coastal Banksia, and it is indigenous to this area. I planted it in January 2002 when we were establishing our garden, it was a 40cm tall seedling. Now it's about 6 metres tall (Andy's estimate) and has thrived. It is totally self sufficient in terms of water, and hasn't been watered since the first season it was planted. It's amazing how much it has grown, and it is so exciting to see it with so many flowers. Andy's hoping we'll get some black cockies visit soon!

My little craft chick

I love this photo of Lily I took at the start of the year, she is knitting and chanting, "knicking, knicking, knicking." She really loves knitting and sitting up with mummy while she knits.

Last night I was cutting out some pants and she sat by me saying, "oh mummy's snipping pants. Sewing pants for Lily?" Um, not today honey LOL Not many two year olds have the words knitting and sewing in their vocabulary.

Aunty Megsie would have been stoked to see how fascinated Lily was with the ABC painting show last night, "OOOh painting!!!"

And here's Bree in the cherries...

I love the photo of her with the stick ~ too cute!!!

Custom finished :D

Finshed this custom this week for two cute little girls :D The first is a denim pinnie with an appliqued butterfly from one of my favourite Kona Bay butterfly fabrics and some cute little spotty quilters cotton. This will go to its new owner on Tuesday, hope she likes it!!



This little set of a baby doll dress and flares has already gone to its new owner, and it looked really really cute on!! I took some cute shots of it on but will have to ask her mummy if it is ok to put some pics up.