cardboard and wool stars

amazing what you can do with cereal boxes from our recycling bin and balls of wool from the stash!

i made these with my girl one crafty afternoon. i like that we could both do the same, but different, side by side. i think this might even work for making decorations with kidsof all ages for our upcoming big family farm camping christmas.

my favourite one is the white one. i used 2 ply wool for that one, so i recommend thinner wool or crochet thread.

basically, cut the circles, cut some notches, wrap wool and secure, but more instructions and ideas can be found here.

pink and yellow cushion

today i made a cushion for my girl as she lay on the couch all day, unwell.

my girl, who loves colour. my girl, who especially loves pink, yellow, and flowers.

the sewing definately kept my mind and fingers busy. i haven't got a magic wand to make her feel better but i'm hoping something new, made with mama-love will help at least a little bit.

the pattern is the scrappy nap pillow from anna maria's, handmade beginnings.

finn's quilt

i had another full sewing day this weekend. bliss.

i made definate progress on my boy's birthday quilt.
lots of cutting strips. (oops. i know. i put my cutter down for the photo with out putting the blade cover back on. not good practice, those things are sharp!)
my dining table was covered in piles of strips, sorted according to size and colour.
then there was a whole lot of sewing the strips end to end.
then lots of pressing the fabric and pressing the seams.
it's coming together nicely.

studio

just posting a studio shot because i haven't made anything for a little while, so i'm giving myself a few reminders.

i love
:: these colours
:: this wee space i've made for myself
:: and what i can make with just fabric, thread (and a bit of love)

starting his quilt

i've decided to make quilts for my kids. this is something i didn't think i'd ever do. but i've chosen fabrics, started cutting and done some sewing on my boy's. i don't think i realised how big this project was going to be until i started! but it will get done and i'm pleased i've started now with months of time up my sleeve before birthdays roll around.

i'm using a pattern from anna maria horner's latest book. actually, it's the one on the cover.
love it. wish me luck.

and another

i love how these come together!

excuse me while i be a proud mama

:: googly eyes and shell beak

:: tail feathers

sadly i can't claim this to be made by me. it is a peacock made by the extremely industrious four year old that lives here. more hot glue action. i got the glue gun out for her and then she was left to her own devices while i worked alongside her, cutting fabric. i love the mixed media... wood, feathers, shells, fabric, cotton wool, nails, cardboard.

a blue acorn hat

here's the blue hat i've donated to feltaid. it's a temporary shop set up as a way to donate to the red cross to help people affected by the christchurch earthquake.

what an amazing thing these ladies are doing. it sounds like things are flying out of the shop. how awesome.

edit to add:: sold. yay. feel stoked to have made this donation. thanks feltaid!

embroidered felt brooches

i am totally inspired by melissa and i used her embroidered brooch tutorial to make a couple of birthday presents this week.

i used my girl's pictures as a starting point then tried to transfer it into thread. i love how they've turned out. i love that it's another way to share her artwork with family. and because they're family, they've got to love it too, right?

shop update

i've finished a couple of bunting flags for a shop update.

new supplies

i'm on a blue green kick. at this stage, these are the plans.
:: green wool to make a scarf for a northern hemisphere christmas gift
:: aqua cotton yarn for a baby hat
:: cotton fabric for buntings and pockets on summer shorts

a wee apron

not great photos, but i wanted to share this anyway. i have had this apron on my 'to make' list for so long! the pattern was great, easy to follow and i'm stoked with the end result. perhaps it would be easy to add a pocket on next time. i know there'll be a next time as i 'need' to make more for the little bakers in our house.

it is headed to my nephew in london who will be turning two. i also included our classic playdough recipe and some playdough tools. hopefully our boy enjoys putting it on himself someday soon and has many hours playing, baking, playdoughing in it. happy birthday L!

a green beanie

a green hat destined for melbourne. does it get cold there? happy birthday joeli.

buntings in the making

on a bit of a bunting kick! i love the simplicity of them and love playing with fabric combinations when putting them together.

felt ravioli pasta

i made these awhile ago now, but i still love them and i'm definately keen to make more felt food.
emi loved helping with these, cutting the squares, stuffing them and then watching me on the sewing machine.

it won't be long till we're going to have to share that machine and learn to take turns with each other!

bunting for my boy

finally, after making many of these for presents to give away, i made one for my boy.

i snuck in and put it up in his room after he was asleep. when he woke up the first thing he said was "look at the patterns mum. i love it!". he knows the right things to say.

bread bags from tea towels

i picked up these tea towels while on my trip to london last year. i've since turned them into bread bags to keep the loaves just a little bit fresher for longer. they do actually seem to make a difference.

we usually use the bread maker during the week, but mike has got into a groove of using this recipe from gran's kitchen in the weekends. often with soup for sunday lunch. yum.

more skirts

i made more skirts this weekend. one for my girl, one for a friend, and one still for sale. i love this ribbon.

from the studio

i had a morning sewing today. feels so good to be productive. one of these skirts is headed for a friend's wee girl. the other two?? well, i feel a shop update coming soon.

stitching

i've been making a wee zip pouch for my mother-in-law for her birthday. i hope she'll use it to keep her knitting extras together as i noticed she's been using a plastic bag.
the perfect chance to finally use my sublime stitching embroidery transfers!

nana's shortbread

i mentioned this shortbread last month here. it's my great-grandmother's recipe. by no means is it wholesomely healthy, but it's deliciously basic, and with only three ingredients you know what you're eating.

so in the words of nana love::
1/2 lb butter
1 cup icing sugar
about 2 1/2 cups plain flour

cream butter and icing sugar. add flour and beat. the more you beat the better the shortbread.
bake in moderate oven until just browning. about ten minutes-ish.

wool winding

still on a roll from sorting out my fabric, i moved on to my wool stash. i had a few skeins from the wool company to ball up. my boy was happy to be in on the action, doing the winding, watching the swift spinning, and stacking the finished balls.

fabric piles

i'm sure i'm not the only one to be continuely inspired by amanda. this post got me sorting my nook and making piles in no time. it saved my day really and got me out of a 'funk'.

wet felting

today we tried wet felting for the first time. what a fun thing to do in the winter sun.

edit to add:: if you want to know more about 'wet felting' check here.