Sugar and spice and everything nice

Hi all,

These gorgeous cushions can be custom made to suit for any occasion. Birthday, new baby, housewarming gift etc.

All cushion covers are hand made. The applique is secured by either hand blanket stitched or by machine. 

Hope your week is treating you and yours well..

Sof xx

Birthdays and new things

Hi all

Im hoping you're all well in your part of the world.

In this week's edition of not much happening I've got a new baby.... yep my hubby, mum and dad chipped in and provided me with some money as a substitute to a birthday present to go out and buy a new machine. I think they'd had enough of me swearing at my old machine and teaching the kids all sorts of colourful new words.

She's a Bernina Bernadette. I have a feeling she's the type of machine that is marketed to a 20 something that wants to sew and has alittle bit more money to buy a step up from a basic machine... but I love her. The kids are pretty impressed that it beeps and lights up too.

Photo by Miss G... she's getting better at the photography.

My first project was a small cushion using some lovely materials sent by Lisa a few weeks ago. Im not sure if its going into one of the girls rooms.. its currently sitting in the dining room waiting for a new home.

One of the many embroidery stitches available on the machine.

Otherwise, Ive been cross stitching a wedding present that now has no hope of being finished in time and planning a few more dresses for my girls.

Wishing you a lovely week :)

Squeezing in some sewing

As you know, I havent been feeling great of late and I've neglected to share some pretty great things that have happened in my life, both personally and crafty.

So first off I'd like to thank Vreni of Oops Lah for awarding me this bloggers recognition:

Its nice to have met people like Vreni who are so positive and helpful in their comments as well as super talented. I had a hunt around for where this award has stemmed from but was unable to find its source. However, I did find the rules which are as follows:

Award Rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (in no particular order…)

4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.

1. Been married for 6 years but have known my husband for 13 years (it took him a while to propose);
2. In my previous life (ie. life before kids) I worked as a receptionist, admin officer, personal assistant and software tester and changed jobs at least every 2 years;
3. I've lived in Melbourne all my life;
4. I've only done alittle bit of overseas travelling (why didnt I travel more when I was younger!!). The only three countries i've visited are Indonesia (Bali), Japan and the former Yugoslavia;
5. I've never lived alone;
6. I have a very small (extended) family here in Australia but have a gigantic extended family overseas (most of which I've never met).
7. One day in the future I'd love my little family and I to travel around Australia in Winnebago.

I'd love to pass on this blog award to the following bloggers who I think are wonderful for the following reasons:

Z Twist Art - a wonderful lady who makes amazing items with her own hand spun yarn.

Small things.. I 'met' Tab through a Sew Mama Sew fat quarter swap some months ago and really enjoy her writing which covers everything from sewing to being a mum.

One Plus Two Equals Three - Lisa makes some seriously beautiful clothing both for her little girls and for herself. She inspires me to get back into the sewing room when all the inspiration has gone.

Bella Linguine - Some of the most beautiful and unique quilts I have seen. She hasn't blogged in a while and I hope she comes back soon.

Madomi - We have more than a few things in common which instantly drew me to her blog.

Antmee - Beautiful beautiful sewing. Another inspiring blog for me.

Finally, Ive finished my second 'japanese' floor cushion which was intended for my niece however, due to a lack of room on her bed (wink J) will probably be sold or gifted (unless she changes her mind in which case its totally hers!)

Now back to the sewing room to finish a library bag for Miss G. She is expecting it for our visit to the library this afternoon so i'd better get to it!

To market to market

How did the month of September pass so quickly???! As you can tell, I've been fairly quiet on the blog front. The madness of September parties are finally coming to a close. Its been fun though and the girls have really enjoyed getting out to different places for the celebrations.


Another spaceship cushion, this time changing the colour of the spaceship and letters. This little boy's mum tells me that he loves it and takes it everywhere with him. Im so happy that the kids that have recieved these gifts really treasure them.


Twirly skirt for my gorgeous niece.


Letter T cushion. The material used on the side of the cushion is yellow and sparkly. Perfect for a (now) 6 year old.

I have signed myself up for two local fetes, one happening in 2 weeks time and one in mid-November. Im not sure how Im going to get enough stock for the one in two weeks. Its awfully close and I've made very little headway. Mum has promised to come around and (yet again) help with the sewing. Im so thankful for all my mum's help.

Here are a few pencil and drawing pad folders I've made specifically for the fetes. My original template has been claimed by Miss G who likes to write notes to her friends whilst in the car :)




Thats all from me for now. Im back into the sewing room frantically cutting and sewing. Wish me luck!

The celebrations continue!

Before anything else, I'd like to say thankyou for all your lovely comments on the girls dresses and on many of my other posts. It really helps keep up momentum when I get such positive comments. The crafting community is indeed a lovely place. Thank you all!

This week we've had 2 birthdays and fathers day so I've been busy in the sewing room. Ive managed to get all the presents to the birthday people ON their birthday (as opposed to days / weeks / months later). Yes, I do have presents that I still need to complete that were due months ago.

I dont really like to make too much of the same thing so I welcome the opportunity to make for different people (especially the kids). In saying that though, Ive made yet another of my rocketship pillow cases. I really love making them.. its become abit of an obsession! Miss A has even learnt how to say rocketship because of them. :)


Next on the present list was a gift for my hubby for fathers day. Miss G made a lovely plate and money box for Daddy at kinder but I thought alittle bit of handmadie goodness from wifey was needed.


This little pouch was made so Daddy could put all his worldly possesions in one place when taking Miss A swimming. Its big enough for the beloved iPhone and his glasses. Thankfully he likes it :)

Second birthday of the week was for anothed of of Miss G's kinder friends. Ive been wanting to make these little heart shaped cushions for some time. Ive sewn in a ribbon at the top of each one so they can be hung on a wall or they would be just as nice on a bed. Miss G has already put in an order for her birthday at the end of the month which I'll happily do. They took next to no time to make and they are rather cute!




I really didnt have a nice place to display them so here they are with all my washing :/

Four birthdays and a christening

As my previous post hinted, I've been super busy with present making and its given me the opportunity to be creative which is always good. I can be a little lazy if I don't have a deadline to meet. Procrastination is a (not so) good friend of mine. Im not sure if anyone else feels the way I do... I couldnt be bothered going into the sewing room but once there, I cant get out. On the odd day I do venture in, hoping inspiration will miraculously appear and it doesn't. Those kinds of days leave me avoiding the fabric, cotton and machine until a birthday or some other important event creeps up. I'm constantly getting frustrated with myself. Does anyone out there do this to themselves too?

Here are my offerings for the past two weeks. Alittle meagre considering more than 2 weeks has lapsed since my last post but they are presents and they are all done and delivered... and Im happy with them.

Firstly, I finished my last little offering for a young man who's christening I attended (and made the pants and hat for in the last post). It was made to match this quilt which was a present for him at birth.

For birthday number 1 , another space pillow for one of Miss G's little friends. His mum saw this pillow made for another young man and commented on it. So I decided to make him one too. I love making pillows (if you couldnt half tell) and the kids seem to get a kick out of seeing their name or initial on something that is their very own. Certainly when this young man saw the cushion, he was very happy (and so was his mum!) :)

Ive hand embroidered this one (as opposed to machine applique which Im not great at) and I think it looks neater.

Birthday no. 2 was a kinder friend of Miss G. For this birthday I made a new and improved pencil roll. I'd had feedback from my last batch (and infact from my own experience) that the pencils would fall out. So Ive incorporated a flap at the top that is folded down before being folded up. Yes, my explanation sucks. Here are some pictures:

I did make another letter cushion for another young man who celebrated his birthday but forgot to take a picture! I do remember thinking 'i should take a picture' but somewhere I've just plain forgotten. Probably a small child bugging me to be fed or watered was involved.

Finally, a present for a young lady (another of Miss G's friends) who celebrated her birthday on the weekend. I'm loving this cushion so much that Im going to make one for each of my girls (who will be celebrating their birthdays very soon). So simple. I strugged with what to make for this young girl for some time. She is shy and quiet and I sat for atleast an hour laying out fussy designs that just didnt work (and didn't seem to suit her). I was about to give up when a illustration in a book caught my eye. A simple flower. It worked and look no longer than an hour to design, cut and assemble. Ofcourse it is hand stitched so it took some more time to finish (again, bad time management skills). We went to the birthday empty handed but happily delivered it this morning at kinder.

Back of the cushion. Simple envelope opening. I didnt have enough fabric to do a solid colour so I used two different fabrics.

So its off to the sewing room once more as we have another birthday this weekend. Miss G and Baby A have a very busy social calendar in August and September!

Just a quickie

This is a really quick post as im feeling rather fragile and need to watch some more Mad Men :) I made this pillow for another birthday boy who celebrated his birthday on the weekend. Due to a very stubborn 3.5 yr old, we didnt make the party but birthday boy did receive his present and by all accounts, was happy with it.

NOw back to the couch.

Colours

Thanks to all that left comments about the quilt fail the other day. Even thought all your comments were positive, Ive decided to start again. I'll chalk it up a learning experience and try again. Ive also consulted the numerous quilting magazines that Ive either bought or have had handed down to me and now can see the error of my ways. Too many colours. I'll keep to 3-4 colours and take it from there.

The birthday boy was one today but I didnt go empty handed. I decided that the flags I'd made (especially the Australian one) had way too much work on it to put it aside so I've whipped up some cushion covers. I like the way they've turned out. My colour scheme for the next quilt will be along the lines of the cushions so when they are out on the floor or bed together, they match. Here is a quick peek:

In other news, the girls and I were doing some beading yesterday morning and baby A started this colour combination:

Well she began with the blue, bright pink and red and I continued with the other colours. I think I'll have to make a quilt using these colours one day soon. They make me happy. It occured to me that these (many) beads were a good way of testing what colours worked together, so while the girls beaded,

so did I.

Hope your weekend is going well.

Cushions

As the existing work is at a standstill today (going to the zoo with two small children is exhausting) Im putting up a few pics of work that is now completed. Looking back on the work that Ive done, i realise that I have, infact, achieved something over the last twelve months. Even though Christmas almost sent me batty (sewing till all hours to get presents finished on Christmas Eve) I am pretty proud of what I have created.
Now the next step is to stop the procrastination and get on with making a living out of what I love doing.
I think i may have to enlist in the expert photography of my hubby as some of these items are kind of let down by the photos.

Today i'll put up a few pics of cushions that Ive made.


Japanese fabric floor cushion


Tree cushion


Cross stitched centre with side ties cushion cover

Cushion made for Gilly's little friend Lila


Something for Kate

Existing creations

Ive been at this sewing caper for a couple of years now and have made stuff that I love and some that Im not so pleased with. As with everything, the more you push yourself the more you find that you can do. When it comes to sewing and general creating, I love to try something with a tute or pattern and then just go off and do a variation of the thing i've taught myself. From this process Ive found that I LOVE to applique. Here are a few pics of appliqued work, both my own design and that of others.



Cushion made for my niece Mia. Applique attached by fusible webbing and then blanket stitched. My own design.

Side view. Side fastening cushion. No zips!

Quilt design taken from "Material Obsession"