[ What I'm working on... ] this week...
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posted on February 17, 2012, at 11:45 am
Devorah needed a couple more burp cloths, so I whipped these up this morning.
 I love the bright colours!
Aren’t they gorgeous? The little octopus is from a great little toy shop I passed by in High Street, Armadale. Just couldn’t walk by without going in! It has a little rattle thing inside. Very cute!
posted on February 15, 2012, at 2:41 pm
You know, with everything that’s been going on, I forgot to show you how my specs case finished up! I’m so sorry! Here it is…
 perfect for my computer glasses
Oh, and you know how I wasn’t crazy about the embroidery pattern I’d created? Well, as I use this case more and more – and I actually use it constantly throughout the day, changing back and forth from my regular glasses to my reading glasses and back again at least a dozen times – I’m actually really happy with it.
 with a shmick flex frame opening - I play with it all the time
I even would go so far as to say that I really like it. And the wool felt – love it! It’s so nice to use.
 nice roomy bottom gussett, even my big-framed sunglasses fit comfortably!
Wouldn’t go back to using synthetic felt. Nope. Nikki is right.
 love the feel!
Now that I’ve used the wool felt, I can’t see myself ever going back.
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posted on January 26, 2012, at 2:58 pm
It’s been weeks it seems, since I did any of what I call, “proper” sewing. Wanna know why? Well, yes, the baby. He’s adorable. But I’m not over at my daughter’s house 24-7, so I ought to have had a bit of time to sew. Unfortunately, I really haven’t.
 not me, this is my mum's car
On Sunday 15th, my Mum had a shocking accident. Yes, recognise the date? This was around 1:15pm on the day Austin was born, about nine hours later. Mum apparently blacked out, and most likely drove into the curb before her car rolled over on its side, slid along the road a little, and smashed into the parked red car you can see in the picture.
 smashed driver's window
Her seat belt was on, thank god! but on impact, it left her with a fractured sternum. Other than that, the angels must have been on guard, because she doesn’t have anything else wrong with her. Well, apart from suffering from shock, and a bruised brain. So, after a ride to the Alfred, she was admitted, and spent the rest of the week there, undergoing all manner of tests. I took her home last Friday, and have spent virtually every night sleeping at her house – that is after my brother and sister-in-law finally got to go on their holiday. And she spends every day with me too. The medics don’t want her on her own just yet, and I wouldn’t actually leave her on her own, because as you can imagine, apart from the physical healing she needs, she’s also lost a fair bit of confidence, and is experiencing some anxiety, and being really unsettled.
Today, Australia Day, I’m home. Not working, Moshe’s gone on a bike ride, Mum’s in the other room reading, resting. And I’m in my sewing room, thinking about what I could possibly do in a really short time. A couple of weeks ago, I bought some wool felt from Amitié, and cut out the templates to make a spectacles pouch from my You Sew, Girl! book.
 I'm using the dark red for the front, and grey felt for the back
I even began to embellish the front, but I’m just not sure I like it.
 Perle8 for the embroidery - click to enlarge image
You know when you love what someone else has done – in this case, Nikki’s versions in the book – and yet you don’t want to copy that, you want to give it you own imprint. I looked through a couple of books on my shelf, Scandinavian Stitches, and Quilts, BABY! as well as scouring the internet, and my hard drive for ideas, and finally came up with the above little number. It’s not bad, it’s just not really doing it for me. You know what I mean?
What do you think? Any suggestions of where I can find either some great appliqué ideas, or embroidery designs will be truly greatly appreciated!
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OMG!!! Just this second I had the BEST idea! I’ve been wanting to make another little earphones pod, and I just now thought, what about felt??? Perfect! OK, there’s today’s little project. I’ll post as soon as it’s done, assuming I actually do get to sit at the machine for a minute or ten!
posted on December 13, 2011, at 11:06 am
 You Sew, Girl! | Large Tote 01 - the front of the tote
I made this bag at Nicole Mallalieu’s Bag In A Day class that I’d signed up for only three days earlier. I did a mad rush around looking through my piles of fabrics, found nothing I wanted to use, then did a dash round to a couple of shops to find fabric and lining.
 You Sew, Girl! | Large Tote 01 - the back of the tote
I’d chosen a gorgeous Liberty fabric for the lining to match this Echino print, but Nikki thought Liberty was too fine a fabric for a tote that would receive a fair amount of “traffic”, so I had to fish around in my cupboard to find something else that would match.
 You Sew, Girl! | Large Tote 01 - magnetic clasp
I’m not entirely delighted with this bag, I reckon my next one will be technically better, this was more of a “practice run”. I also think I would have been happier with it if I had gone with the Liberty print, instead of the Alexander Henry butterfly fabric, but that’s why I’ve given this tote such a boring old name, and numbered it “01″.
 You Sew, Girl! | Large Tote 01 - front interior pockets. I added these to the design.
That’s right – there’ll be more! The really great thing about this bag is that I learned a lot about this type of bag construction.
 You Sew, Girl! | Large Tote 01 - zippered pocket
Apart from the fact that her designs and instructions are of such a high standard, Nikki is a really great teacher, and I learned a bagfull of invaluable tips and techniques for putting in a magnetic clasp, putting in a fast2fuse base, a new way of sewing in a zippered pocket, and so much more.
 You Sew, Girl! | Large Tote 01 - gorgeous shiny hardware
I think next time, I’ll use oblong rings instead of the large circles. I do love them, but I think it’d give a more professional finish to use the same shape as the slide. I took my tote out for a test run yesterday, and it is a very comfortable bag to use. You can get your own copy of the pattern here, but not for long. Nikki’s going wholesale only in 2012.
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posted on December 6, 2011, at 3:40 pm
Perfect! About an hour ago, I checked my email, and saw one from Nicole Mallalieu Design. You know how there are some emails you open first, even if they’re some 30-odd on the list? I’m so glad I did this time. There’d been a cancellation for this Saturday’s class – A Bag In A Day. YAY! You know I love Nikki’s bag patterns, yes? So I quick-as-anything clicked on the “purchase now” button, and booked myself in. Phew! Got the spot! When I called to give my card number for payment, Nikki answered, and we joked how it’ll be a perfect opportunity for me to expand my repertoire, add a new bag pattern to my list. Funny. And, have I already said it, perfect?!
 You Sew, Girl! | Large Tote pattern - think I'll make this middle view version
Saturday marks two years since my father died, and instead of mulling around the house, holding back the inevitable tears, and generally making a nuisance of myself - to myself and others, I thought this would be perfect! Dad would be happy. Perfect!
So now, I’m waiting for my pattern to arrive – I chose the Large Tote. All I need do now is choose my fabric, cut out my pieces, pack my lunch and sewing bag, and I’ll be all set for a perfect day of sewing, my Dad with me, as always. I’ll post once I’ve chosen my fabrics. Now, I’m looking forward to this Saturday 10th December.
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