Vintage SWAP at Crafty Mamas!!

The theme for the January SWAP over at Crafty Mamas was Vintage. I must say, I had a BALL making my gift for my SWAP partner! And it looks as though Lissy had a ball making hers, too! I got her little package on Friday and the kids helped me open it and 'Oooooo'ed and 'Aaaaaahhh'ed over it all. Check it out!

We have a pillowcase under it all, a covered notebook (she even glued the inside front OVER the fabric!), cushion cover with lace panel on the front and a ribbon in the corner, a felt flower pin cushion, a 'Simplicity Rugs + Stitches' pattern (mostly uncut), a felt scissor holder and a card! LURVE 'em!! Thanks Lissy!!

She has been growing her own loofah plants, too and sent me some pieces PLUS some seeds!! Isnt she just GREAT??

Been stuck, crafty and I have a new car!!

I was stuck for most of the week doing the books for Pete!! Moo helped me out a bit (payment, bribery and threats involved, there...hehe), so it made the job a little bit less monotonous....but BORING to the max, all the same!! Sitting on my butt doing bookwork all day is NOT my idea of fun at all!! Especially when your husband is working off paper and you are working off the computer and they dont match up and you have to wait until HE is ready to talk about it all and work things out with you!!

So, my evenings have been spent doing whatever I can without a sewing machine and making as little mess as possible in the lounge! Friday, however, I DID manage to make a trip to the local curtain/sewing shop that is closing down and get the following bargains:

A roll of quilting batting (about 2m I think) for $2.50/m

The habby items were just $1 each! Couldnt go past THEM!! That fabric was just $5/m (I think). It is a dark marron/wine colour and is just GORGEOUS! I got another piece of curtain remnant for just $2.50.....it is just PERFECT for a bag!

Sorry the quality of the photos are a little off, but I had to take them with my phone! Lucky Pete doesnt come here and visit!! He doesnt know that I went there and bought these...hehe.

Yesterday was a more productive day for sewing.....when my bloody machine was working!! I had to pull it apart and try and fix the bobbin winder (cam completely out). I found the little missing piece, then promptly lost it, again! LOL.....bloody Murphy! I swear I am gonna KILL him when I find him!! THEN I didnt put it back together properly, so I had to take it apart, again!! Bloody MURPHY!!!

But......I got in and did a few UFO's (unfinished objects) and actually completed them, so I am happy! I also started on a bag that has been sitting in my UFO drawer, cut out for AGES, so I am REALLY happy! Here they are, here:

These are just some tissue holders like the ones Moo made. They are made out of upholstery fabric samples I got off eBay recently and have turned out quite well! I still have a fair bit of these samples left, so goodness knows WHAT I am going to do with them!! LOL. Not to mention the curtain fabric sample books I got from the same sewing/curtain shop a fortnight ago!!

I also got in and completed my project for the latest SWAP over at CM (vintage theme)! So a really productive day all round (no photos of that, just yet, coz she hasnt got it)! Amazingly enough, I was able to sew with the little ones around.......mainly because Pete was here with a new car for me and he was pulling it apart, ready to fix it all up! I will post more about that tomorrow, I think!

Secret Santa SWAP @ Crafty Mamas!!

Over at Crafty Mamas, I recently took part in our annual Christmas SWAP. This year was a secret santa swap. I received my package yesterday!! It came at JUST the right time! I spent most of the afternoon in town and picked up the babies from daycare a little late, so they were a little ratty. The package was JUST the right thing to settle them down a little before I had to put them in the bath and prepare tea!

I, honestly, cant thank my Secret Santa enough! She has completely spoilt me! Anyway, here are some photos:

The whole package


These are a couple of singlets and a sling for the new bub. A little felted pouch, some Pooh ribbon, zig-zag trim, lacey trim, velvet ribbon and 2 tea towels with a Chrissy tree embroidered and a little star button on top.


3 pieces of GORGEOUS fabric! Weez has already claimed the butterfly material!


A little book on quilting and a stack of fat quarters. some excellent patterns in that book!! I might just have to try my hand at it sometime soon!


AND a sling bag! It holds a HEAP of things! At the moment, it is holding all this stuff, PLUS has room for more!! I am LOVING the colour of it!!


Now that Tracey has hers, I can post a pic of what I sent her! Clockwise from left is a fabric covered lever arch folder with pens; a notebook, tablecloth (I was thinking dresses or skirts with it, but what she does with it is her own!), buttons and ribbon; a pin cushion and hand needle case to match the folder; some patches/scraps of fabric....perfect for applique; and a Cuddlepot and Cuddlepie iron on motif.



I actually meant to put in some display pockets and some dividers in the folder, but I totally forgot!! She has already indicated what she will be using it for, so I am glad that she likes it all!! This photo is actually Tracey's, because, as usual, I forgot to take a photo of it before I sent the bloody thing off!!

CM Tea Towel SWAP - mine!

This is my tea towel that I made for Karma! She received it last week and says that she loves it! I am soooo glad! I had nerves about it, the whole time it was in transit...you know....as you get with all swaps!

I forgot to take an up close photo of the redwork that I did! So, I tried to cut out and enlarge the photo that I took and it didnt turn out too good, so I scrapped that idea - sorry!

Glad you like it, Lisa!

The way I made this -

Materials
1 piece of 100% cotton fabric (mine was actually an old curtain)
2 pieces of contrasting fabric (for the trim)
Thread to match the trim (or any other colour you like - I used red)
Embroidery thread for the redwork (of course, redwork does not actually have to be red - you can make it any colour you like!)
Embroidery pattern (I used 2....one for the girl and one for the flowers and bee and mixed them together)

NOTE: The embroidery is completely up to you! You can embellish the towel in any way you like - applique, embroidery, whatever tickles your fancy!

To Make
Decide what size you want your towel to be. I wanted something big, but not too big to be encumbersome (is that a word?), so I took an already used towel and measured that. Measure out your fabric and cut it to size. Remember the seam allowances! You need one on each side and one on each end!

Take your trim fabric and decide what you would like to do to it - you could just add it to the bottem of the towel, like I did, or completely encase the bottem, making the towel 3 times as thick on the end (if you get what I mean!). This is what I originally wanted to do, but forgot all about doing, so mine just got added on! You could also make it as small OR big as you would like!

After you decide this, measure and cut the trim to these measurements - make sure that it is the same width as the towel fabric and twice as long as the trim.

Fold over the seam allowances on the long side of the trim fabric, pin and iron. Then fold this whole thing in half (wrong sides facing) and iron.

Place the trim on the end/s where you decided that you would like to put it and sew a line just inside the trim edge. This can be a decorative stitch or you may decide to just straight stitch. If you straight stitch, I recommend you put two lines....just for extra stability!

Trim off the threads and hem the sides of the towel (I just folded mine and stitched with a straight stitch, but do yours whatever way you like!) and there you have it!! A blank canvas to work from! Now you can embroider, applique, paint or whatever and you have a unique, handmade gift for anyone!

AH! My first EVER sewing tutorial!! I hope that it is easy to understand! If not, feel free to leave a question in the comment area and I will try to answer it the best and most honest way I can!

CM Tea Towel SWAP

At the beginning of every month, there is a new SWAP beginning! Last months (October) was a Tea Towel SWAP. This tea towel could be bought and embellished or made from scratch. My SWAP partner was Karma! She made me this beautiful tea towel!

Isnt it gorgeous? "Fresh is the bloom of a bright spring day" is what she wrote on it. it is HUGE, with a chocheted top! Just perfect for hanging!

As she hasnt yet received mine, here is a sneak peak of what I made:
LMAO!! Not much of a peek, but there it is...without giving away too much of it! I made it completely from scratch. I had and old 100% cotton curtain with tab tops and cut out the tea towel from that. I put a trim on the bottem and embroidered a small design on the bottem, left hand corner. Honestly, it doesnt look like much, compared to hers! I hope she likes it!!

I had soooo much fun making hers, that I have plans on making a few more as Chrissy pressies (from the same curtain). I have also cut out a couple of other things from the same curtain, so keep your eyes peeled here for the results!!

Seems I have been neglecting my blog a little! Sorry, girl!

I have been in the middle of moving houses - and towns - for the last couple of weeks, but that is NO EXCUSE for not blogging, I know!

Craft-wise, a few things have been happening, here! I took part in the Crafty Mama's keychain swap in February and their recipe card swap, too. I received Cin's keychain in the mail the other day and it is just gorgeous! Must get a photo of it and post it here! The button on it brings back memories of my childhood! I think I had a dress or something with the same buttons on it! THINK!

I am thinking of doing up the kids' rooms - not just with doonas and curtains in a theme, but with a few embellishments here and there. The thoughts are there - just have to put them into something! I must get my sewing machine back off my good friend, Di, one of these days!

This weekend is Easter! We dont have much planned for the weekend. Amy is with her family and the next couple of days sound like they are flat out for her. I plan on getting into my soap making area and organising that! I have made a challenge up for myself on Crafty Mamas, so it had BETTER get done, or those girls can seriously kick my butt!! Might get the kids in there, earning a few bucks for themselves! That will make the load easier!

Oh! Another reason to get my machine back off Di? Nik did the GORGEOUS recon of a normal T into a tank/cami top and I would just LOVE to try it out! It also gives me some incentive to try something on a skirt that has been sitting in my cupboard for a little while! I was just looking at it this morning, thinking that SOMETHING needed to be done with it, because ever since I got it off eBay, I dont think that I have worn it even ONCE (except to try it on, but that doesnt count!). Hmm....so many ideas, so little time!!!