Have You Met My Pet Elephant?

Well here he is!


My DD was being creative this morning, and was running around the house looking for bits and pieces to create this darling elephant. I only had to cut the ear shape, she did all the rest. He trunk is up in the air (the straws) as he is trumpeting.
I think he is pretty cute, and he has some very good features - he doesn't make a mess and is fully recyclable! :)

I would love to show you some of my crafty happenings, but alas, they are all for Christmas presents, and as many of my family members do stop by for a browse, I won't be able to show until after Christmas *sigh* which is so much closer than I wish it was. Though I might take some sneak peeks and pop them up instead :)

Cheers!

The Handmade Dress Patterns GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Handmade Dress Patterns GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I just had to link to this - what a great giveaway :)

Cheers!

Bias Binding is Fun!

Well making it is :) Now that someone shared a wonderful tutorial on how to make it quickly and simply, but to also use a whole fat quarter and not waste any.
The tutorial I am talking about can be found here: http://jonag.typepad.com/stop_staring_and_start_se/2009/10/turn-one-fat-quarter-into-5-yards.html

I needed some binding today from a piece of fabric that was longer and skinnier than a fat quarter, and I wasn't sure if it was going to work. But I squared it up and followed the instructions, and perfect binding. The more you make, the quicker it gets too. At first I was a little unsure about all the joins because you are using even the smallest cuts of fabric, but they look fine once they are in a garment or on a project.

I love learning how to do things better, and if I can do it quicker, bonus!

Cheers!

Up-to-date...........

On my current projects. The ones that have been cut out so far. Hang-on, I might of been forgetting some Christmas outfits that I have cut out...... Ok, I am up-to-date with the projects I have been working on. Hmm, still doesn't sound very convincing, so I will just show off what I have been doing.

My mum gave me a shirt she no longer wanted. I new exactly what pattern I wanted to use it for - the 3 way dress in Otto 3/2009. So I did. But of course I modified it a little....... I did the full sleeve version, and attached them completely to the body, but I didn't use a different fabric for the bottom panel, as I wanted to use the existing hem on the shirt. That didn't work out quite as I planned it, so I ended up doing a rolled hem at the bottom, and also on the sleeves. The ruffles and button placket were existing on the shirt, so I left them for detail. I did add a gorgeous little turtle embroidery though - just at the hem.




I think it looks more like a nightie than a dress, and it is a whisker too short, so it will be great as a nightie for summer.


Working on some Christmas presents reminded me that I needed to make some soap - for Christmas presents. So last weekend I whipped up a batch of Very Vanilla soap. This smells absolutely scrumptious! And because the soap dryer is under the BBQ, when the house is open, the scent wafts all the way through. I can't wait until it is ready to try, though I may have trouble trying not to eat it :)



Friends of ours just recently had a baby girl and I wanted to send them a gift. I already had burp cloths made up (I need to, just to keep up with my sister buying them from me!), but I wanted a little more to go with them. So I dug out this baby pattern from Farbenmix for ideas. I used the dress/tunic top and combined it with some baby leggings from Otto 4/2004. Both of the items were rather simple and quick to do. I made the bias binding myself so it matched, and even that didn't take very long. Sadly though, I only have scraps of the butterfly fabric left. It was the most gorgeous fabric, and I wish I had bought more.






With the burp cloths. Makes for a lovely present I think.


So that is what I have been doing. I still have many more projects to do, especially was Christmas is fast approaching. Though I may not be able to share all of them until Christmas has been and gone :)

Cheers!

Bubble Bath Monster

It emerged rather quietly from our bathroom last night. It crept up the passaged, and snuck around the corner into the kitchen where I was writing my shopping list. Then it said...."Look mum". lol He then decided to pose for photos.





Luckily it is a very cute monster, so I have decided to keep it and give it lots of kisses and cuddles.

Cheers!

A New Look For Me

Since I hadn't visited my hairdresser for 12 months, I decided I really should go a visit. So an hour later, after a great chat with a friend and some hairdressing (as in, I go there with my hair, and ask for it short enough not to tie back, but not too short - very descriptive lol) I go from this:



to this:




I love it. The colour is pretty bright, but it should settle after a few washes. Thanks again Ang - you are the bestest!

Cheers!

A New Bag Set

After seeing this bag of mine here, my aunty asked for one like it. As she was visiting from America, she really didn't have time to look for fabric over here, so she found some when she got home and sent it over. It was a lovely fabric to sew with, and I am happy with the results.



I tried a new way of putting a zippered pocket (an inset zipper apparently) - while it isn't 100% perfect, it is pretty good for a first go :)




As there was some fabric leftover, I made a wallet and a tissue holder to go with it. The wallet was a bit of a challenge to sew - many layers and I had a little trouble - but it is nice. The pattern comes from here - it is a well written and easy tutorial to follow (thank you to elily00 for sharing her tutorial).






I really hope my aunty likes it - I will be posting it this week, so it should be about 10-12 days until it arrives.



Cheers!