ruby in the dust

Coffee

2012-02-09T20:50:00.000+13:00

Just before Christmas I snapped up this beautiful Melitta coffee pot in the Hospice shop for $5. Thankfully it still has the original sticker on, because it has no other markings and I would not have known the brand name otherwise. It even has a matching ceramic filter holder which sits on top of the pot! This is embossed with the brand name, which is apparently the reason there was no permanent branding on the pot itself. There is so much I love about this pot: the shape, the beautiful graphic decoration on the outside, the slowness of the coffee-making process and the drip-free spout, which I didn't photograph but has a little channel that leads back into the pot to catch drips. That's probably my favorite part of this find; the perfect marriage between form and function.

As you can see I'm quite smitten with my pot, and was only too happy to make it a little cozy to keep the coffee warm during the brewing process. I had the perfect fabric too: the piece I block-printed a few weeks ago. I quite like how it works with the linear design and the colour, while doing its job very well too.

Covered

2012-02-05T23:08:00.001+13:00

I was covering Daniel's school books the other day and getting frustrated with the wrinkly mess that the plastic wrap was making, when I read Sarah's timely post about how she covered her girls' books with fabric. It was such a great idea; I had to try it. I decided to make mine re-usable though, because I don't have a lot of nice boy's fabrics in my stash. This way I don't have to make too many either.

By the way, what is it with boys fabrics? I am so sick of dinosaurs/pirates/cars and planes. Designing a few boy's prints is on my list of things to do this year.

Back to the books: I just cut a rectangle, folded over the sides and sewed them down, and added a ribbon bookmark.

Back to school and kindy on Tuesday then, which means I should have a bit more time for crafting, and maybe even a shop update...

Meet Lydia

2012-02-01T23:20:00.000+13:00

Lydia is a very fashionable lady, a modern gal with a crazy hair-do. She's a top model too, and has appeared on the cover of this magazine and I hear she's also on TV over in Australia at the moment. I feel like her proud mother, but I suppose I'm actually more like an aunt: she was made from one of my doll kits by Kathy Doughty from Material Obsession.

I met Kathy at Handmade 2011 in Wellington last year when she came to one of my doll-making classes and I have to admit I had no idea of her talents or fame! Maybe it was a good thing, as I might have been a very nervous teacher with such an experienced student in my class... Anyway, Kathy loved her doll and ordered a few for her shop, and now they've made the front page of this month's Better Homes and Gardens. You can buy the kit (which includes absolutely everything to make two dolls) from the Material Obsession website, or you can only buy the printed fabric pattern and PDF instructions from my Etsy shop.

Our girls

2012-01-25T22:13:00.001+13:00

I've been showing off some holiday projects of mine, but today I want to tell you about Craig's summer holiday project: building a chicken coop for our vege garden. As you might know, Craig is very handy (he made me a cotton reel holder, built the play hut in this post, and heaps more). Ok, I'm showing off my husband now! Back to the chickens and their house:

These are our three young Brown Shaver pullets, named by the children: Long Neck, Greedy and Fluffy. I'm having serious trouble telling them apart at this stage though. Just in case you don't know, pullets are young chooks that don't lay yet.

We've been keen to get chickens for eggs mainly, but also to eat some of our scraps, dig over our garden and give manure for compost. As we don't have a very big garden, there's not a lot of space for a free-standing coop, so we decided on a chicken tractor instead. That's a portable coop that sits on the grass or garden so that chickens can scratch around, eat the bugs and compost the soil before you move it to a different part of the garden.

Craig divided the vege garden into sections using bricks, which the coop sits on. He designed the coop and built it (mostly by himself, but as you can see he had a trusty helper at times) for about $200. You can find some plans for coops in books; my favourite chicken book actually has plans for a very similar design as ours (Keeping chickens by Ashley English).

Here they are in the front. They spend most of the day out in the front and sleep upstairs, next to the laying box. The shade sail was an afterthought, but very important for these sunny NZ days. I've actually increased their solid shade by putting a piece of wood on top of the coop as well.

We're all enjoying the girls very much; the boys love feeding them bits of grass and dandelion leaves and I find myself checking on them every so often. It is very peaceful to sit there and listen to their quiet little chirps and watch them scratching around in the dirt. I find it very satisfying to see them there in our vegetable garden, eating our lettuce and cauliflower leaves and to think that they will be contributing in their own way by making us nutrient-rich compost and lovely eggs.

And to be honest, I think they're making us all a little bit happier too...

Printing

2012-01-18T22:43:00.000+13:00

I have been doing lots of reading these last few weeks, and these books are at the top of my pile. 'Pattern' by Orla Kiely is a huge book filled with her incredible body of work, from surface pattern to clothing design. I am so inspired when I look at her use of colour and design, and especially her use of transparent overlays. It's something I've been experimenting with a bit, both on the computer and more recently block printing, as you'll soon see.

The other two books, 'A field guide to fabric design' by Kimberly Kight (from TrueUp) and 'The complete guide to designing and printing fabric' by Laurie Wisbrun are both very informative, both for computer-aided design and traditional printing methods. Which brings me to my project: a simple block print using perspex and craft foam.

A while ago Joshua cut heaps of tiny little squares and rectangles and promptly forgot what he wanted to do with it. I was about to throw it all away when I thought about how nice the shapes looked together, so I kept them all with the hope of finding time to do something with it. Then I remembered reading Jesse's post about printing with foam. By the way, Jesse Breytenbach is a print-making guru and wrote some tutorials for Laurie Wisbrun's book I mentioned above.

This is the first time I've tried block printing, and it was so much fun! I printed on fabric, but of course this would work for paper too if you used the right paint. I found a piece of perspex and glued the shapes to it using waterproof glue. I used an old cookie tray, put a dollop of textile paint on which I then covered with a piece of felt. I used a little ink roller to distribute the paint across the felt and I had a stamp pad! I'm experimenting with prints at the moment, but I really like the off-register effect I got by doing two colours over each other. It adds a bit of depth to the design too, which was quite serendipitous!

I definitely want to experiment more with fabric designs this year, as I'm truly enjoying learning more about it.

Hello

2012-01-16T22:29:00.000+13:00

Is is too late to say Happy New Year? Probably, but I'll do it anyway. I hope you've had a very good rest over the big days! We did; in fact we only went away for Christmas and the camping trip and spent the rest of the time at home, starting off some and finishing up a few projects which I'd like to share with you over the next few posts.

One of my projects was a massive spring-clean to rid the house of the piles of things that collected over the last few months of the year while I had craft market blinkers on. I decided to rearrange the kids' art wall and the way I display their ever-growing collection, because when something gets stuck on the wall with blue tack it has a tendency to just stay there. I was very lucky at the inorganic rubbish collection late last year when I picked up a huge frame, possibly from a dressing table (shown above with my helper, young Joshua). I gave it a few layers of paint and Craig strung up some fishing line on which to peg the artworks. It's easy to change things around, with the added bonus that it also looks good. I love it when a plan comes together....

Camping

2011-12-29T22:23:00.000+13:00

We went camping this week and I thought I'd share some photos here as it's been ages since I've shown you some of the beautiful places on our doorstep. Awhitu Peninsula is just about an hour's drive from south Auckland: you can see the Sky Tower from the beach, but it might as well be in another country. The camp ground is in a regional park and we had no power, showers, camp shop, hot water; you get the picture. Luckily we knew all that and went prepared, but even so I was amazed at how peaceful and unpopulated it was so close to New Years.

Maybe these photos are not a good reflection of it though; there were actually other people there too!

These photos were taken near the Brook Homestead where the first settlers to the area built. The macrocarpa has the biggest girth in the country, and the kids and Craig had a great time climbing it.

The road to the lighthouse and looking across to west Auckland: Huia and Whatipu looked a stone's throw away in places, but it would take more than 2h to drive there! We'll be back, Awhitu...

Merry

2011-12-22T20:12:00.000+13:00

This year Christmas seems to have sneaked up on us, but I still managed a few last-minute projects, like some stockings and a secret squirrel gift. We are visiting family for a few days over Christmas, and will manage to fit in a camping trip before New Years as well. To all my friends here in Blogland, I hope you have a wonderful relaxing Christmas with friends and family and that you will return refreshed and full of inspiration in the New Year. I hope I do, because I have big plans for 2012!

Decorating the tree

2011-12-19T22:22:00.000+13:00

Putting up and decorating the tree is my favourite Christmas tradition, and I'm so glad my boys have inherited that from me. This year the two of them put our tree up all by themselves, working together: taking turns to hand each other the branches and put it into the right spots. Very impressive.

This year I made some new bunting decorations for our tree, which you can see here. I also took part in the Sew Funky Christmas decoration swap, and thankfully started planning well in advance so I didn't have to rush it like most things this December. Here's what I came up with; some simple layered felt decorations:

The great thing about the swap is of course the decorations you get in the mail. My favourite were Emily's peanut people. This little snowman has the cutest black hat on his head, plus he came with a Santa and an elf! The next decoration down is Aynsley's ribbon and bead tree; very clever.

I also have a growing vintage collection, including some very fragile and therefore precious glass baubles. This little felt mouse with candle was made in Japan (where else?). I found the wooden angel this week and she has pride of place on the mantelpiece.

I've been labeled, again!

2011-12-14T21:45:00.001+13:00

The postie has been busy around our place this week, bringing me two special parcels in the last couple of days. I got some more fabric from Spoonflower, which I'll list after the holidays because, you know, it's crazy days at the moment.

The woven labels are from Fancyweaver, and I totally LOVE them. I am very impressed with the service and quality, and free shipping from Hong Kong. Here's a previous post I wrote about them. I can't wait to sew them into some new things, one of which is a custom order I should be doing right now...

A last-minute sale

2011-12-12T17:27:00.001+13:00

Now that I've finished all my markets for the year, I thought I'd have a little sale on my Felt Heart and Bird Kits. It's a simple project and suitable for adults or children from about 8 or so; the only things you need are a pair of scissors and the time to make them.

They're on Felt if you're a NZ shopper, and Etsy for international orders, although the latter may not arrive until after Christmas. But then, they look good all year round; look at his gorgeous garland that Claire made with the hearts for example.

Ok, enough of the hard sell. Have a lovely week!

Winding down

2011-12-07T23:08:00.001+13:00

I'm really looking forward to this Saturday because it's time for the Auckland Art and Craft Fair again! I've got a table there, so please come and say hi if you're around. If you've never been, it's a great place to find high quality NZ art, craft and design in one place. Well worth going if you're not too booked up this weekend.

Speaking of being booked up, I am getting that way, so this will be my last market for the year. I have quite a few wholesale and custom orders to try to fit in before Christmas, so 'winding down' really just refers to my market presence, not my head space! Hope to see you on Saturday...

Bunting galore

2011-11-29T22:25:00.001+13:00

I spent a morning at kindy last week to make some bunting with Joshua and his friends. My plan was to make bunting from some plastic bags so that they can hang it outside without it getting too wet. I suppose the plastic will perish after a few months from being exposed to the sun, but it'll look good until it does.

I made a second string this morning, and here it is brightening up our play hut in the garden. This hut, by the way, was built by my clever husband using old kauri wallboards from when they renovated his workplace (an old villa). If you're not from NZ, this wood is now pretty priceless and I can't believe we've used it as shingles and kindling!

Back to the bunting, I used heavier-style plastic carry bags and got the kids to cut it into squares and rectangles. This was not easy for them, since the kindy scissors are a bit blunt for the job. I used bias binding and sewed it all together using the zig zag stitch on my sewing machine. I love the random colours and sizes, although I kept a pretty tight reign on just how random things should be. Organised randomness is the key, people :)

But that's not all the bunting-making that's been going on. I've also been making mini-bunting strips for our tree, using little pieces of fabric, all from the scrap basket. The left-over triangles were used for Christmas cards, which will be on my table on Thursday night. I'll be at the Gladstone Primary School Christmas market (8 Seaview Terrace, Mt Albert) between 5 and 9. Hope to see you there!

Living architecture

2011-11-17T20:57:00.001+13:00

Image from The Daily Mail

I saw something on TV the other night that was so beautiful and inspiring, I just had to share it here. The clever locals who live in the Meghalaya province in India have been building living bridges for what looks like hundreds of years. They train the roots of the strangler fig into functional bridges and ladders which can be used after about 10 years and can last up to 500 years. It's a very wet region and I imagine very poor too, so this is the perfect sustainable solution: a bridge that will stay put in floods and won't decay. Apart from the obvious environmental and economical benefits, these must also be some of the most beautiful structures around. You really should watch the video; it's from the very worthwhile show 'Human Planet' that's on Prime at the moment.

Time

2011-11-14T21:45:00.001+13:00

Every year around this time I start worrying about how much I have to do and how little time I have for everything. I made a start today with my felt kits, which are very popular round about now. Here's a little look at my assembly line on the kitchen table today: so many bits and pieces to get ready before I can put them into the boxes!

Next year I will have more time, as Joshua starts school next May. While I'm looking forward to being able to work more, I'm also conscious of how precious his last few months at home are. I'm taking things a bit slower this Christmas, and that means doing fewer markets and maybe not stocking my shops as well as I would like to.

I'm doing Kraftbomb as always: the last Sunday of this month, plus the Sunday before Christmas. Also the Auckland Art and Craft Fair on the 10th of Dec and the Gladstone Primary School Market in Mt Albert on the 1st of Dec. I also have limited stock, including my felt Bird and Heart Kits, in my Etsy and Felt shops. If you would like to see what I have in stock here at home, please just email me and I can create a custom listing for you.

Back in the real world

2011-11-02T22:18:00.001+13:00

I really do take my time, don't I? It's Wednesday already and I've only now found the time to report back on our most amazing time in Wellington. Craig and I had 3 nights there and managed to see and do so many things without rushing around once. Bliss.

Craft 2.0 was a great success for everyone; the market was constantly busy without being too crowded, and thanks to my wonderful assistant it was possible to do the rounds a couple of times and actually chat with other sellers. I left with a couple of treasures: another beautiful bird by Sarah Wigley and a crochet pot stand by Rachelle from Ahipara Girl. Sarah's bird already has a friend, as you can see in the photo. I got the black one last year and it is one of my favourite objects in our house. I was so pleased to see she had the birds there again, plus a perfect range of small hand-decorated bowls.The colours on Rachelle's pot holder caught my eye, but what really sold it to me was the little detail on the back. So simple and unexpected. Apart from these two ladies, I was also glad to catch up with Shelley from Sweet William, and meet Joke from Hikkepik.

On Sunday morning we went back to the Chaffers Dock Building for the food market where we had really great coffee, danishes, bratwurst rolls and fresh strawberries for breakfast. Mmm. We happened across a small civic ceremony where the mayor of Wellington was giving an awkwardly-translated speech to thank the sister-city Beijing for their generous gift of 100 bicycles to the city. We delivered some of my fabric (which will be transformed into really cute baby shoes) to Made.it. We visited the Wellington Art Gallery and Te Papa for the jointly-hosted Oceania exhibition; well worth the time and $10. We walked in the sun and talked about what a great city it is to visit, and perhaps next time we'll bring the boys...

Thanks again Wellington for putting on the weather, culture and magic for us! xx

Wellington-bound

2011-10-26T21:46:00.000+13:00

I'm so excited about this weekend. Craig and I will be footloose and child-free in the capital, hanging out at the cafes and second-hand clothing shops on Cuba St, staying out late and sleeping in, you get the idea...

But mostly we'll be there for Craft 2.0 of course! 2.0 is always so much fun and a great reason to visit Wellington and meet some new people. This market will be held in a new venue though, not at the New Dowse but at the Chaffers Dock Building in Herd St in the city; Saturday between 10 and 4. Please come and say hi if you're around :)

I am also happy to announce that I've had some more fabric screen-printed and there is a full range available at the Holland Rd Yarn Company in Petone. I will also have some on my table on Saturday, together with some new pocket mirrors, key-chain pouches, covered buttons and everything else I can fit into my trolley case.

Later!

Organised chaos

2011-10-26T01:49:00.001+13:00

We went away for the last few days of the school holidays and I thought I'd just show you one of the beautiful sights we saw on our way south. These photos were taken in the Indian Char Bagh Garden in the Hamilton Gardens. The wild flowers are such a colourful contrast to the formal pavilion at the far end, and I love too how the garden is symmetrically landscaped around a central fountain, yet the planting seems completely random.

These gardens keep getting better, and if you've never been it's well worth a trip. There are quite a few themed gardens now, like the Italian Renaissance, Japanese, English, American Modernist, and my favourite, the Chinese Scholars garden. Craig and I used to live opposite the gardens about 10 years ago and it's been so nice to return to what used to feel like our back yard.

New

2011-10-18T19:27:00.001+13:00

It's spring, and the weather is all over the place, going from warm sunshine to heavy showers in minutes. I took some photos when the sun was out last week: our wisteria in full bloom, new strawberry and tomato plants. we've never had much luck with growing tomatoes, but fingers crossed for this year. I wish for plump red fruit that squash when you squeeze it, that smell of warm summer days and will carry the taste of summer into autumn and beyond in the form of passata.

Speaking of sauce, I am utterly inspired by this little book at the moment: Preserves by Pam Corbin, part of the River Cottage Handbook series. Although it has many recipes using fruit that we don't get here in NZ (or shall I say, get cheaply), I marked about 7 must-trys. I made the first today, and it's beyond delicious. I'm not a big fan of lemon curd, but the Bramley Lemon curd is made with about 4 cooking apples and 2 lemons, and tastes just like Ms Corbin describes: 'like eating apples and custard: sofly sweet, tangy and quite, quite delicious'. Couldn't have said it better myself. There's a copy of the recipe on the River Cottage website.

Colour therapy

2011-10-07T20:37:00.001+13:00

Joshua did a painting of a road the other day using some test pots I have in my paint box. I wish I'd given him a canvas; he's got a natural feel for line and colour and I think his painting would look great on the wall. I dug around my button tin today and came up with a similar colour scheme of fresh spring colours. Hope you have a nice weekend and start to the school holidays!

First Thursdays

2011-10-06T14:03:00.003+13:00

It's time for First Thursdays again! It's on tonight at St Kevin's Arcade on K'Rd between 6 and 9 and promises to be a good night out with live painting, a DJ and free printmaking workshop by Alphabet City. And that's just in St Kevin's Arcade; there's a lot more art events and happening around K'Rd. Here's an event map and list.

I managed to make a few new key chain pouches today, so come and get yours tonight. I even made something for the man in your life: a couple of stag key chains backed with some manly fabric. I call this range 'Ruby's Man' :)

A spring giveaway

2011-09-29T23:33:00.002+13:00

Last week I promised a giveaway and I bet you've been wondering whether I've changed my mind or something. I'm sure that's been occupying your mind all week, hey :)

Well, I've been meaning to take a gorgeous photo of the prize but no, I've been sewing clothes for myself instead. But there will be a giveaway because this blog is 3 years old and I have 300 likers on FB and I think you nice people deserve a little thank you from me.

I'm going to put a little parcel together and randomly choose a name out of all my followers. Of course I know my Blogger followers, but please send me an email (link in right-hand column) or message here if you follow me through a different feed like Feedburner or something else. I'll pull a name from a hat on Monday. I'm doing the same over on Facebook so if you're a liker there you're in another draw.

And here's a bit of Ruby in the Dust colour for your day. I'm so attracted to these strong pastel colours, and when I look at all my product photos it really shows. These are my brooches that I used to make a long, long time ago. I loved them, especially in a group like this; I always thought they looked like a bowl of lollies.

Skirty

2011-09-29T22:30:00.001+13:00

A wee while ago my friend Bronwyn was doing a cull of her vintage sewing patterns, and I saw potential in this one, Simplicity 7395. I liked the look of those patch pockets and have always had a thing for fold-over skirts. This pattern was great to use, and I'm very pleased with the result. I used 2m of quilting cotton from Spotlight's bargain table, which was just enough for this project and cost me $14. Not the cheapest I suppose, but I've been eyeing that print up forever, thinking it was out of place in the quilting section... It's a bit hard to see the pockets, but they're there and very generous. It folds over at the back, and has a good overlap I believe (fingers crossed no sudden wind gust proves me wrong!).

I've never used a vintage pattern before (this one is dated 1975), and there were a few surprises, sizing being the biggest (geddit?). The pattern was printed in one size, 16, and I'm a 12, so expected I'd need to take it in a lot after first sewing the pieces together. But no, it fits perfectly! The other anomaly was the length. The illustration for the short skirt makes it look like an on the knee-number, but to get that length, I took about 12cm off the pattern. So I can only gather that my mum's generation were extremely slim and tall creatures, or sizing has changed a great deal in the last 30-odd years.

Peasant blouse pattern tutorial

2011-09-21T23:41:00.002+12:00

I made this blouse last night and thought I have to share the pattern. It's a really good project if you're new to sewing, as it has only 2 seams and could take less than an hour to make. Let's be realistic and call it two hours, since you'll be making your own pattern and bias binding.

Peasant girl digging in garden

The pattern was inspired by a Cotton On top I have, and instructions from an amazing vintage sewing book called 'Needlework for Girls' by Isabel Horner.This book was first published in 1950 and since it's out of print, I don't think it would be a problem to share a couple of pages with you. I've put it up on Scribd so you can read it in PDF format.

The top can be made from 1.5m of fabric, preferably something with a bit of drape and weight. I used satin, but silk, chiffon or something similar would work well too. I know it's not the easiest fabrics to work with if you're a new sewer, but as long as you overlock or zig-zag your edges you should be ok. You will also need some narrow elastic (I used 3mm wide) and about 80cm of bias binding, 2.5cm wide. It's best to make your own using the remnants from your top.

First, you need to make your pattern. I'm a size 12, so if you're a bit bigger or smaller than me, you're going to have to play around with these numbers (but mostly with width in the body, I expect).

Here are my measurements. The total height of the pattern piece is 65cm and total width 70cm. The width can be adjusted for shorter sleeves, but the sleeve length is restricted to the width of your fabric (the maximum width of the pattern piece will be half of the fabric width, which means your total blouse width will be the same as the total fabric width).

Draw this onto a large piece of paper (wrapping or kraft paper) and cut out.

Now fold your fabric in half, top edge on bottom edge. Fold this in half side-ways (selvedge to selvedge). You now have a square or rectangle with folds on two sides.

Pin the pattern piece to the fabric, positioning the piece onto the folded edges like this:

Cut out the piece but DO NOT CUT ON THE FOLDS! They are your friends. If you've done this right you now have a huge single piece of fabric resembling a cross with a hole in it.

Overlock or zig-zag all the raw edges, except for the circle (the neck). Fold the top half down with right sides together, top edge on bottom edge. Pin and sew the side seams together like this:

Also fold, pin and stitch sleeves and bottom hem over by about 1cm. Leave a small gap in each sleeve hem to insert elastic through. You can also add elastic in the bottom hem if you'd like. Cut about 25cm of elastic and use a safety pin or elastic threader to feed it through the sleeve casing. Try it for size and then stitch or knot the ends together.

The last step is attaching the bias binding. If you're new to sewing on bias binding, here's a tutorial, but be sure to use the PROPER way. It looks so much better, honestly :)

Decide which side will be the back, and mark the middle of the neck. Fold one end of the bias binding over by about .5cm and pin to the neck, right sides together, starting at the point you just marked. Pin around the neck, ending in the same way with a small fold. Sew it on and then pin the other side. When you're finished you should have a small gap in the back of the neck for your elastic threader or safety pin, and about 60cm of elastic. Try it on before you cut the elastic, and then stitch or knot the ends like you did for the sleeves.

And you're done! I can be a bit cryptic sometimes, so let me know if you need any more explanations; just email or leave a comment.

Fringey

2011-09-19T23:24:00.000+12:00

Last week was a tough one in our house; all 4 of us had the flu, Craig had a Big Birthday and was too sick to do anything, Daniel was a wonderful tree in his schooI production and I finished a wholesale order of bags through it all.

Even though I felt like you-know-what, the bags were really fun to make. As I mentioned before, I had Pauanesia's wonderful stash of vintage fabrics to work with, and I teamed it with some very colourful vintage trims (you can see a picture on my Pinterest page here). I was in heaven working with all the saturated colour of vintage NZ and Australian tea towels and tablecloths, bobbles and fringing.

This Monday finds us all much better, the bags are on the shelf in the shop and now I can concentrate on getting a bit of sewing done for Kraftbomb this weekend. I also have plans for a giveaway here and on FB this week, so come back again for that :)

Painted wood

2011-09-07T19:39:00.000+12:00

I mentioned my growing collection of vintage wooden-handled kitchen tools in my previous post and here's the evidence...

I have a rule when I come across these: it has to be useful in my own kitchen. Speaking of that, I used the Swiftwhip for the first time tonight and I can see the electric mixer's days are numbered...

The majority of my collection is by Skyline and were made in England. These fish slices and spatula are Skyline, and the very useful little apple corer is by Dalson Ware in Australia. By the bit of paint left on it, it used to be sage green. I'm tempted to paint it again.

These are also Skyline; one gets used a fair bit and the other one not much. I use the pastry blender to cut in butter when making scones (and a little kitchen tip from me: I grate the butter first). The vegetable cutter might come in handy when I host an 80's style dinner party :)

This serrated tomato slicer is also Skyline and works really well. I think it's a good idea to put the tomato on a chopping board and not to hold it in your hand when using this little number...

As you saw with the vegetable slicer, I don't always stick to my rule of usefulness. I was so intrigued when I found this strange tool, I had to get it. I thought I might use it for cutting pastry or pasta, but in my research today I discovered it's a herb cutter. It was made by Tala in England and it has a very interesting hinged mechanism. I tried it out tonight and boy, does it shred herbs. A keeper.

Green

2011-09-02T21:54:00.004+12:00

I realised yesterday that my finished projects of this week all had one thing in common: a colour. Completely accidental, or spooky alignment with spring? Like most things in my life, probably the former.

The first is modeled by young Joshua. Can you see him there? He's a tree, but if you're having trouble, just look for the red gumboots...

I made 12 of these, and had to line them because I thought hessian would be a great (super-cheap) fabric with real presence on the stage, but then reality hit when I started itching. So glad we have wooden floors too, because after sweeping the floor five times already since yesterday I'm still getting little fluffy green clouds floating through the house!

After knitting (and frogging, and starting a new one) a cardigan for the last 6 months, I decided I needed an instant gratification project. This is the double-bump facecloth, pattern available here, knitted in a lovely soft cotton/acrylic mix. I'm in love with this colour, by the way. Would you call it sage? I do anyway.
I have a green robe to talk about but no photos, so let's leave that one and move on to my great find of the week. Admittedly it's not something I made, but something I found while turnupstuffing. If you're not familiar with the term, it's one of Pippi Longstocking's favourite activities and one my boys and I really enjoy. More about that at the end of the post if you're interested.

Anyway, here it is, my new egg beater, coincidentally in the beautiful sage colour. I have a hand mixer but this is so much better; I enjoy the soft rattle it makes, the clever design of how those little round nobs are not just decorative but also functional (they drive the cog / am I making sense here: got no mechanical vocabulary!). It's also part of my growing collection of Vintage Painted-wooden-handled Kitchen Tools. Must show you sometime...

"I happen to be a turnupstuffer, so of course I never have a free moment." "What's that?" asked Tommy. "Somebody who finds the stuff that turns up if only you look, of course. What else would it be?" said Pippi. "The whole world is filled with things that are just waiting for someone to come along and find them, and that's just what a turnupstuffer does."
Astrid Lindgren,
'Pippi Longstocking'

Happy birthday Kraftbomb!

2011-08-27T12:21:00.003+12:00

I can't believe Kraftbomb is 3 this month! Happy birthday old friend :) And happy birthday Ruby in the Dust too! My first market was 3 years ago too; the awesome Craftwerk market that used to be held in St Kevin's Arcade on K'Rd. Anna and I had a little spot in the dark downstairs by the Wine Cellar and I for one had no idea what to expect. Now I'm a bit of an old hand at this market thing and am doing two this weekend. Tonight I'll come full circle at St Kevin's; Karla from Kraftbomb has organised a fun night market in conjunction with BFM's B Street event. The market is open to everyone, while the gigs are only for those with B cards.

See you there between 5 and 9. Alleluja cafe will be open late if you need a drink and a bite between shopping.

Tomorrow is time for Kraftbomb; can't wait to catch up with my crafty friends and see what's new. I have some spiffy new bunting for my display, fresh for Spring. Have a great weekend and catch some sun if you can!

Stitches

2011-08-22T20:15:00.003+12:00

Today was such a beautiful one, don't you think? Here in Auckland it felt like spring isn't far off; in fact you can be excused for thinking it's here already if you look at all the blossoms out.

I had a little adventure into the city this morning to visit Heather at Pauanesia. I've made a few cards for the shop using their vintage maps, and am very excited about a second project: I'll be dipping into Heather's fabulous collection of vintage fabrics to make some bags especially for Pauanesia! Will keep you updated about that.

While I was out I got a copy of the latest Extra-Curricular. What a success. Well done Ellie for producing a magazine while on your OE; I can't imagine many people would be able to multi-task to that extent! And I was pleasantly surprised to see my work in there as well, in Anissa's article about upcycling, 'Waste not, want not'.

Now for something a bit more random: I have a pretty new teapot and cozy. Here it is, but I'll tell you more about it at the bottom of the post.

Speaking of pretty, and following from the title, some new pouches. I've got two markets this weekend, and hope to see you at either the B-Street night market on Saturday (5-9pm, St Kevin's Arcade on K'Rd) or Kraftbomb on Sunday morning (11-2, Grey Lynn Community Centre on Richmond Rd).

And here is the teapot again, with sewing pins for scale. Amazing! It was hand-knitted by a lady called Helen Palenski here in NZ, using tiny wire knitting needles. We took the boys to the North Shore Miniature Club's annual show over the weekend and were amazed at the detail and imagination of the displays...

Quilted

2011-08-08T22:43:00.003+12:00

I made a little kids' satchel this weekend for a custom order using some of my 'In the Neighbourhood' fabric. I've been keen to try quilting on the lines, and this seemed the perfect opportunity for a little experimental hand-quilting. I'm pretty happy with how it looks:

Squirreling

2011-08-04T14:36:00.006+12:00

I wish I can show you what I'm busy with at the moment, because it's very exciting but still in pre-production stage. I thought I'd better just show my face around here though, so have a look at my newly-acquired stash instead.

A lovely metal basket which might be painted in yellow or something more cheerful one day. A karate belt, a boy's belt, some piping and two little coat-hanger clamps.

A couple of pillowcases from my dear sister-in-law, a pink and red sheet and two double blue and purples.
Palpitations here: a boy pillowcase with nautical theme, down to the rope detail! Two more pillowcases, floral.
And something I might not be sophisticated enough for to understand: a tea towel with chess-playing dogs! I don't get it, but it's linen and I want to use it in my kitchen.

And here is a lovely find which I cannot read: La Montana (ok, I know it means 'the mountain', maybe even 'the mountains'). It's in Spanish, but was written and illustrated by a French artist, Alain Gree. I had a lot of fun reading it in my best Spanish accent to the kids. Poor children...

I adore his graphic retro illustration style, the blocks of colour and seemingly simple shapes and lines.

Make your own doll Part 2

2011-07-27T22:19:00.003+12:00

I've just listed a more affordable option for all you keen doll-makers out there: my cloth doll kit minus all the bits. It's just a fat quarter with printed pattern to make two whole dolls, and a PDF file to explain how to do it. Nice and simple, and good if you already have a stash you can dip into. You can find the listing over on Etsy. If you don't happen to have a stash you can get the kit here.

Colourful

2011-07-26T21:35:00.005+12:00

Let me show you my final version of 'In the Neighbourhood' in FULL COLOUR! It seems I started working on this in March, but it took a couple of goes before I was happy with the result, and here it is. I'm very happy with this print and the colours, which were inspired by the Bo-Kaap in Cape Town.

The next print was actually just for myself, but I ordered enough of it to share. It's my 'Early Birds' design in chartreuse with blues and greys. I wanted something for a handbag lining, and my white fabric was not going to cut it. I'm also very happy with the colours here.

You may have noticed my rather large and obvious watermarks in the photos. I did it late last night, and regretted it this morning, but I'll have to find some time after the school holidays to design something a bit more subtle. It is of course a reaction to the problem of image theft I mentioned before, but I don't think I need to go quite this overboard!

I thought I'd show you just a peek at some samples I got of my latest design, Kowhai. Instead of using the beautiful but very obvious flowers, I wanted to create a pattern with the leaves and seeds. If you're not familiar with this tree, have a look here. The colours in this print were inspired by my mohair finds at the op shop the other day. Now I just have to decide on scale; I ordered 4 sizes ranging from tiny to huge, but I think the smaller prints will be more versatile.

I've put a few fat quarters of these fabrics on Etsy. The Neighbourhood is here, and Early Birds here. While you're there, have a look at my warm button scarves and other bits and pieces I've been adding to my shop over the past couple of weeks.

Keep warm and be happy :)

Thief

2011-07-19T22:19:00.002+12:00

I've been stewing over something for a week now, and thought I might vent it over here if you don't mind. I know of a few instances where people have been 'very inspired by' others' work, but this really takes the cake... Last week I heard from a friend that somebody had used my images on her Facebook page to sell 'her' products. She stole images from other crafters' shops and blogs, put these on her FB page and then made the products to order. Apparently many of these photos had watermarks that had been tinkered with or even just left on for all to see.

Thankfully by the time I heard about it, enough people had kicked up a stink and the page had been closed down... for now, anyway. I'd be surprised if she uses the same page name when she starts up again, so it's probably not even worth mentioning the name here. As worthless as it seems in this case, I think I need to start watermarking my photos. I've been thinking about doing it for ages now and the time has come. Can I also please ask anyone who ever sees or suspects that sort of thing happening, to take a screen-shot and let the original designer know. It's so easy to remove all traces of thievery like this and a screen-shot is great evidence.

I am obviously so angry about this. It took me many hours to come up with the design, many more to make those products and style them, get the photos, etc. and then just a click for someone to claim them as her own. Not good.

Creative Mama

2011-07-11T23:15:00.003+12:00

I'm very honoured to be featured on Anissa Ljanta's blog Growmama this week. She's doing a series on creative mums, and I'm on her list, together with some very talented other mums still to come. You can read a bit more about how messy my house is, and other interesting facts about me and my boys (all four of them: the big one, the little ones and the cat) here. Be sure to comment while you're there because I'm giving away one of my felt crowns to a lucky reader.

And now it's bedtime; as usual I'm up way too late. Read the interview and find out the reason :)

Robes

2011-07-11T22:13:00.004+12:00

I've been eyeing up Dana's robe pattern for a while now, and couldn't resist any longer. I had a long overdue new baby gift to make and my boys have outgrown their swimming towel ponchos. This pattern has been very easy to put together, but I found the bias binding a bit exhausting. Bear in mind that I'm a massive bias binding fan. In saying that, I chose to do double the work by attaching the binding in the 'proper' way, plus I can't think of a better way to finish a robe like this as it adds colour and looks really smart.

I made the robe in the pictures (for baby 9mnths and up) from a small piece of stretchy toweling remnant, and lined it with some of the beautiful lawn Spotlight has at the moment. I didn't have enough to make the sleeves the suggested length, so added a cuff which was really just a very wide piece of bias binding. I actually love that bit because it shows off the fabric even more.

Some notes if you're interested in getting the pattern: you don't need as much bias binding as the pattern suggests (if you're buying by the metre); I think 6m should be enough. But then I always think you can never have too much bias binding in your stash, so having some left over is no problem for me. Also the sizing is for up to 4 year-old, but the one I made for Joshua (just turned 4, but rather tall for his age) is almost too small when the hood is on. I'm going to play around with the pattern because I'd like to make one for Daniel too, and will have to add quite a bit of length. Definitely perfect for younger/smaller kids.

I've got my eyes open for cheap and colourful beach towels now, and will show you more robes as I finish them. Maybe I should wait for summer so I can also take gorgeous shots of kids on beaches and outside pools like in the Flicker pool :)

Warm necks

2011-07-01T11:40:00.003+12:00

We had our first frosty morning here today, and even though it was only on the rooftops, it's cold enough for gloves and scarves. Perfect timing for the neck-warmers I made yesterday. Daniel is wearing his the traditional way, and Joshua has his Survivor-style on the head. These took me 10 minutes to make, so I thought I'd show you how to make your own.

I used an old lambswool jumper of Craig's that had holey elbows. You can make at least two children's cowls out of one jumper, but might be able to squeeze two more small ones depending on the size of your jumper and its neckline (a V-neck will of course give you less fabric). I haven't tried it yet, but I think you could also make a nice wide adult's cowl by using the whole bottom half of the jumper. For a child's cowl, cut open the side seams 25cm from the bottom edge and cut across the jumper like in the illustration.

Use a zig-zag stitch or overlock the raw top edge of the rectangle. Place this edge on the original bottom edge of the jumper, right sides together and stitch across. Turn the tube inside out and position the new seam at the bottom of your cowl.

Finally place right sides together (if there is a difference) and stitch across the two raw edges. It would be a good idea to try it on for size at this point, so you can make it a bit smaller if necessary. Finish the raw edges with a zig-zag stitch or overlock. Turn the cowl inside out and hide the exposed seam in the back of the neck.

There are probably other ways of making it look nicer, but I think the speed and ease makes it worth trying. Have a lovely Friday!

On the needles

2011-06-28T00:08:00.003+12:00

Some images of recent projects: the boys made these little snowmen after school one day last week. Joshua's man is sad because he lost his favourite toy, and Daniel's is happy (even though D shed many tears over things going wrong; a sensitive boy with perfectionist tendencies!). I'm so proud of them for doing this and for even being interested in making their own little toys. Long may it last...I picked up my knitting again after two months of being otherwise occupied/lack of interest. Hopefully I can wear this cardigan THIS winter, or even spring!

The start of a little collection. I've been thinking of doing a cross-stitch sampler for ages now, and finally decided what it should look like. I'm planning on making a few different pieces to go together, and my deadline is for early next year, so there's no rush. I might have to start again though, because I've made a slight mistake with spacing. What do you mean you can't see it; look between the e and v at the bottom... Did I mention perfectionist tendencies before? Even though I tell Daniel that the beauty in art is often in the imperfection, I also find it hard to let go when I'm aware of a mistake while I'm making something. It's OK to discover it afterwards, but I find my eye drawn to it if it's still fixable. Even if it's only 1mm out.

In saying that, maybe I should just relax about this one. One day my great-grandchildren will look at it and say how charming the wonky lettering is, how naive and folksy...

Orange, mustard, ginger

2011-06-16T14:10:00.006+12:00

I can't believe the colours I'm getting into at the moment. Just look at the title as an example! I must be having a creative growth spurt or something.

I found this little number at the Sallies yesterday. It wasn't cheap, but it was calling my name, saying something about being the perfect weekend case and holding all my bits. I couldn't hear it all and didn't want to hurt its feelings by letting it know I normally lug much bigger bags around on weekends. I might have to go somewhere just to use it.

I'm so attracted to the colour mustard at the moment, and to think my love affair with yellow only started last year. Don't know what I'll knit; might be yet another scarf (striped grey and mustard sounds good).

Some more mustard, this time from my felt stash matched with my fuschia merino top. Lovely!

And while I'm on the topic of colour and mohair, have a look at this make-over on Pandora. I'm sure the NZ Top Models won't sport any hairstyles this exciting on Friday night. Just want to show what can be achieved with one ball of flattened mohair on my dolls. Speaking of them, I have only four packs left, so email me if you're interested in a kit. Twenty of them are on their way to Sydney, but that's another blog post altogether...

Have a wonderful end to your week!

Swatch book tutorial

2011-06-09T21:20:00.003+12:00

Seeing this post today reminded me that I promised to do a little swatch book show-and-tell. Although, now I've seen what Heather has done, mine seems a bit elaborate... but it's still very simple, so let me show you how. This is the finished product:

First, print a piece of card like this one. The wording you want on the front with the other information (on the back) upside down. I just created the file in Publisher; it's very simple.

Then cut your fabric to sit inside the edges. I've used pinking shears to finish the bottom edges, but if you want to be sure it won't fray, iron some vilene on the back before you trim the fabric.

Now stitch it all down using a denim or leather needle.

Voila, it's done!

I made some to include in the goody bags for this weekend's Auckland Art and Craft Fair. It's on at Aotea Centre from 11 to 3 on Saturday; come say hi if you're around!

Back home

2011-06-06T16:57:00.004+12:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've made an appearance here. I was so busy with getting ready for Handmade 2011 last week, I never even managed to show how far I got with the doll kits. Here's a little look at some of what was inside my kits for the doll classes I ran over the weekend: the printed fat quarter, stuffing, PDF with full instructions, bits and pieces to make and finish the dolls, all inside a limited edition upcycled wallpaper bag.

The kits and classes went down very well, and thankfully I didn't have to return to Auckland with a lot of stock. I didn't take any photos and now really regret that, but follow this link and you can see a finished doll made by Kathy Doughty, one of my workshop attendees. I was very honoured to have her there, but am rather embarrassed to admit that at the time I had no idea what a quilting guru she is!

I also did a pillowcase bag workshop, and it was great to be able to teach some people new skills, like creating a pleat and boxing a bag. Here's a link to Emma's post about her experience. I'm glad to see she was inspired enough to make a pillowcase dress at home using my instructions.

The biggest bonus of the weekend was rediscovering how much I enjoy teaching. As I've said before, it's been a few years since I've taught, but it felt great getting back on the bike. I'd love to do more of it, so am thinking of ways to make it work; watch this space! It helped having such lovely students: some were quite new to sewing, some starting again after long breaks, and of course there were some very experienced sewers there. If you were one of them, thank you so much for going along!

Another highlight of the weekend was that I managed to put some names to faces in the blogging and craft world, and get to know some people a bit better. It was great to have the chance to sit down and have a talk with people I'd normally just wave to at the markets. Speaking of markets, there was a small one on Saturday night and I managed to swap some of my own fabric for this beautiful new design of Melissa's, called 'Planting Seeds'. It's very typical of her lovely hand-drawn style and I love the blue and red. Will have to use it soon.

That's it for now; I have a lot to do before this weekend's Auckland Art and Craft Fair, but I'll leave you with a couple of photos of the maple in our garden. What beautiful colour so late in the season. Must have something to do with the unseasonal temperatures we're having...

Planning

2011-05-23T21:12:00.005+12:00

It's been a busy few weeks around our house; Daniel turned 6, Joshua 4 and me... Let's just say I'm well and truly into the late-30's now :) I've also been getting ready for my workshops at Handmade, which is less than 2 weeks away now. I'm a bit nervous about teaching, as it's been about 5 years since I've stood in front of a class, but I expect it will be a lot of fun seeing how people interpret my ideas and designs. I'm so glad I have a willing guinea-pig (thanks Jo!) to teach on Friday...

With that in mind, I've been getting my doll-making packs organised. These packs will have everything you need to make two dolls, including instructions, a printed fat quarter (these look so great; received them today), stuffing, sewing thread, embroidery needle and cotton, knitting wool for hair, and a few more bits and pieces. Any left over after Handmade will be on my table at the Auckland Art and Craft Fair on the 11th of June and listed in my Felt and Etsy shops.

Part of the doll pack, ready to go:

80 dolls hanging on the line: Now I've just got to iron and cut out these fatties. Have a good week!

Sick day

2011-05-12T23:09:00.000+12:00

The boys and I had a great day yesterday: we baked, watched Junior Top Chef and embroidered! Daniel was off sick from school with a temperature. Joshua wagged kindy; or rather, Mamma did. And it bucketed down all day; perfect conditions for a quiet day spent at home. They got a bit bored in the afternoon, so I got them to draw something simple on a piece of fabric, stretched it over a hoop and threaded some needles. I just doubled the thread over and made a knot on the end so that they couldn't pull the thread out of the needle by accident. Just look at their creations; I'm so proud of their work...

Daniel's hearts, made for me. Guess who's the perfectionist :)

And this is Joshua's doll. Did I say something simple? You'll never get anything simple with Joshua...I just have to show the back; after reading this very funny little post about Andy Paulson's embroidery skillz:And this is what I managed to achieve. Pandora has a dress, lucky girl. Another outfit to follow tomorrow, when everybody will be back at their various stations: school, daycare and craft room.

Make your own doll

2011-05-08T20:10:00.007+12:00

You might have heard about Handmade 2011, a symposium of crafts held on 4-6 June in Te Papa, Wellington. I'm very excited to be teaching two workshops, Make your own cloth doll (in the 'Gift it' category) and Take one pillowcase ('Remade').

Meet Pandora, one of the dolls I've designed for Handmade:

Please excuse the semi-nudity; I haven't decided on her outfit yet :) In my materials pack for the workshop I'll include a printed fat quarter with two doll patterns, some stuffing, cotton, embroidery thread, wool for the hair, full instructions and clothing patterns. The face, stockings, shoes and even a little tattoo are already printed and you only need to embroider the face details, sew and stuff the doll, create hair and an outfit. And of course you can make two dolls, one in class and one at home.

I'm really looking forward to sharing my tips and learning some new crafts. Plus of course going to Wellington with some crafty friends! Have a look through the programme; there are heaps of interesting classes and teachers.

Blue

2011-05-04T14:25:00.004+12:00

I was so lucky at the op shop yesterday; walked away with a big box full of crockery for $5. Inside were these beauties, plus a few more nice things. Unfortunately none of them had saucers, but that's not a hard thing to find, hey. My favourite is the one in the front, called 'Eaden' by Rorstrand, made in Sweden. I wish I can find a whole set!

Updated

2011-05-02T12:48:00.004+12:00

I've been busy this morning adding new listings to my Etsy shop: fat quarters, fat eights, and bundles of both (fat 1/4 bundles, fat 1/8 bundles, that is). I've also been playing around with the prices; you'll be pleased to see all my fabrics are much cheaper than before.

I feel a bit embarrassed about this, but I feel I need to explain... If you've ever sold your crafts, you'll understand how hard it is to set a price. Trying to wholesale your work and then come to a reasonable retail price is even more difficult, I think. That's exactly what I was hoping to do, but it turned out to be too expensive, especially when you compare my hand-screenprinted fabrics to the beautiful and much cheaper commercially-printed fabrics out there. I think it's a bit like comparing apples to pears, but that's still what I was trying to do :) Anyways, I've decided against taking that route, and I'm pleased to announce that I am your exclusive stockist of Ruby in the Dust fabrics. That means I can set my own prices, and everybody benefits!

If you've bought my fabric at full price in the past, I should have sent you a little sweetener by email already, but if I've forgotten you, please let me know. For the rest of you, I'd like to offer you free postage (within New Zealand) until Friday night, on all fabric orders in my Etsy shop. Just enter this code when you're in the checkout: MAY11FREESHIP. Please pass it on, because now I'm the only one selling these fabrics, I need as much help as I can get to promote them :)

Have a good week! And leave a comment if you'd like a little show-and-tell about the fabric swatch card in the picture; it's very simple to put together.

Solution

2011-04-25T17:13:00.003+12:00

I've been making some covers for a friend's vintage eiderdowns, and wondered about ways I can keep the inners from moving around inside their new covers. Thank goodness for the clever folks at Martha Stewart who suggest adding some ribbons to the inside corners of duvet covers to keep it all nice and tidy. I had to improve by making it loops of elastic, of course!

The idea came from this book, by the way.

'In the Neighbourhood' range

2011-04-17T16:49:00.004+12:00

Ta-daaaaah! Let me introduce you properly to my new babies: 'Early birds' and 'Doors and windows' (Birds and Frames for short). The elements for the new designs come straight out of the original 'In the Neighbourhood' and were inspired by a need for smaller prints that can work on smaller pieces. You can blame my new interest in quilting and patchwork for that...

I wanted to make something with them before I posted about it so that you can see how the designs work together. And how great are those co-ordinating solids; all just from the quilting section at Spotlight! I was very tempted to get some panels printed in coral or mustard, but in the end I settled on Deep Red, Aqua and Biscuit. I think those three colours can successfully be mixed and matched in any combination, plus they're not gender-specific. My base cloth is a beautiful pure white Quilter's Muslin and I think the designs really stand out on this.

I'm planning on sewing a quite a few things from these, but have also put them in my Etsy shop to see how they go (Frames, Birds, Neighbourhood). I'd love to hear what you think about it :)

Peek

2011-04-15T21:15:00.004+12:00

I can't keep it to myself any more, so I'll give you a little look at my newest fabrics, fresh off the printing table. It's my 'In the neighbourhood' range, and there are two new designs to co-ordinate with the little houses. I'm not ready to show much more, but promise to do a good post in the next few days...

Have a lovely weekend everyone :)

On sale

2011-04-11T10:33:00.005+12:00

I made a little satchel for my nephew Adam the other day, and it looked so cute I had to make a few more. I made them with a generous front pocket for treasures and special toys, and the inside is big enough to hold a snack, a book and some pens and even more treasures. I've listed a couple on Felt and two on Etsy.

As you can see, I've used my Neighbourhood print for the pocket. I'm having a sale on my remaining fabric panels in my Etsy shop and have also listed a few cushion covers made with the same fabric there. I'm very excited about some new designs that will be screen-printed later this week, and need to make space for those. I'm doing them in different colours, so this is your last chance to get the teal and green fabrics before they're gone forever.

In which a t-shirt becomes some pants

2011-04-01T14:45:00.004+13:00

Craig was throwing out this old t-shirt the other day, and I had to save it. I mean, how many op shoppers in NZ would get just how awesome this t-shirt is? Not many, I'm sure. The Afrikaans phrase is 'Punt innie wind', which means something along the lines of 'everything is just fine', but I saw the value in the direct translation: point in the wind. Imagine a little crawling baby wearing these, with the words strategically placed on the bottom....

As you can see, the pattern is very simple; just two pieces sewn together. I made it from a favourite pair of the boys' baby pants I saved because I thought this pattern is so simple and clever. It allows for lots of nappy room too. I tried something new today on these pants: foldover elastic. A very simple solution to adding elastic, especially if you don't have enough fabric for a casing. The only problem is it's so narrow that there's not much room for error. Here's a good tutorial about the stuff if you're interested.

Have a nice weekend and remember to enter the giveaway if you want a Bakers Delight voucher!

Hot cross buns! And a giveaway!

2011-03-30T20:11:00.005+13:00

In our house we all love hot cross buns, so I was very keen to try out some from Bakers Delight over the weekend. We got three flavours; Choc Chip, Mocha and my favourite, Traditional. Yup, I like the plain things in life; vanilla is my favourite ice-cream too :) Anyway, I was keen to try something interesting and I think we invented something quite cute: the Hot Cross Bunny. Those ears weren't very successful though, but raspberry licorice sticks were the best I could do. The teeth were marshmallow quarters and the Smarties were stuck on with some icing. The kids loved the Choc Chip flavour, of course.We made Bread and Butter pudding for a pot-luck dinner party on Sunday night and it went down a real treat. I used the Edmond's recipe, but for 6 buns I used about 5 or 6 eggs and maybe 3 cups of milk, and cut every bun into 8ths. I threw in a handful of frozen mixed berries, and it made for a very fruity pudding. This photo doesn't really do it justice, but it was delicious!

Bakers Delight are having a fundraiser on April 9th, called 'Bundraiser', in which $1 from every pack of hot cross buns sold will go towards Starship's Air Ambulance Service. This service does a great job airlifting sick children from around the country who need specialist treatment, so if you're planning on buying some buns, make sure you do so on the 9th.

I can help you out with a $5 voucher; I've got 5 to give away. You can just leave a comment here; tell me how you like to eat your hot cross buns and I'll do a random draw on Sunday. Make sure I can reach you, so leave an email address if you're not on Blogger. It's only open to NZ residents, sorry, but I know they're running a similar promotion in Australia at the moment. Check out their website or Facebook page for more deals.

Inkscape

2011-03-23T19:21:00.007+13:00

Here is the reason for my long absence from this little corner of Blogland:Hours and hours of work...

Yes, those eagle-eyed fabricspotters amongst you might recognise this one. It's 'In the neighbourhood', in colour. Crazy colour, inspired by the hues of the Bo-Kaap and Portmeirion, two of my favourite places in the world. I'm getting ahead of myself a bit, it's not even on fabric yet, but hopefully I'll soon have a sample at least. I'm telling you about it now, because I'd like to share my process, and I haven't got much else to write about, anyway :)

First I had to get some design software, and my budget didn't allow for Illustrator. I discovered Inkscape, 'an open source Vector graphics editor', which to me means I can draw images that can be reduced or enlarged without a change to the resolution, for free. It took me ages to decide to download it; the home page looks extrememly boring and unassuming. I'm so glad I did though, because it's given me the confidence to start working on textile designs. I'm still learning a lot, but here are a few tutorials that I've found useful:
Inkscape compared to Illustrator
General Inkscape manual
Creating a pattern repeat
Inkscape has a few drawbacks I've discovered so far, but I find there's a big online community with many tutorials available when you do a Google search.

Once you have your design, you need to get it printed. I've been very happy with my screenprinted fabric, but it's restricted me to working in one colour. Digital printing seems to be the answer, as there is no difference in cost between printing one colour or a thousand. Spoonflower is probably the cheapest way to get fabric digitally printed if you're working in small quantities, and it's really easy to use. One problem people seem to have is that the colour on your screen is different to the actual printed colour. This tutorial series was very useful to me: Spoonflower fabric development series by MammaMadeDesigns (she also uses Inkscape); look in the RHS colomn of her blog for the whole series. You can read a little bit more about it from a previous post. Of course you don't need to use a vector programme to design for Spoonflower; you can draw something by hand and scan it in, or use Photoshop, do a collage, etc.

I'll report back with my fabric as soon as it arrives, fingers crossed it's just the way I imagine it!

Tea and hankies

2011-03-13T21:32:00.006+13:00

It was time for my annual Tea Party, the 8th ever. It's a day some of my oldest girlfriends here in NZ and I get together on our veranda, and act like ladies. We wear sundresses, eat fancy cakes, and of course we drink tea (iced, made with Rooibos; and black tea). It's a great tradition, and a chance to look back- and forwards together. In the past 8 years, our get-togethers have been punctuated with talk of pregnancies, babies, a few weddings, a couple of break-ups and new starts, new houses, career and job changes, travels, and shoes and frocks of course.

I really treasure this day, partly because in our casual society we don't always make time for life's little rituals; and 10 friends getting together over a cup of tea to compare notes about the past year is a ritual in my book. Having these friends to share life's ups and downs with in a country where I don't have my own sisters, cousins and school friends; now that's priceless.

The tea party is also a chance to use my collection of vintage crockery, silverware and linen. This year the styling theme was all about handkerchiefs. I used this gorgeous free download for my invitations, which was inspired by old-fashioned hankies, and then started discovering piles of gorgeous old hankies in second-hand shops. I decided to use them for bunting, and just pegged them to some string. A great effect, I'm pleased to report.

Autumn food

2011-03-11T14:09:00.005+13:00

The best thing about this time of the year has to be our vege garden: we have a lovely crop of sweetcorn, basil and figs in various stages of ripeness. I've dealt with some of the sweetcorn already, but the basil is destined for pesto and the figs will be eaten straight from the tree with skin and all, as long as we can get in before the birds.

I bought a big bag of capsicums for just over a dollar the other day, and wanted to use it in a relish with our corn. I googled for a recipe, but eventually just googled 'images' so that I could find what I wanted. I read a few recipes, and sort of cobbled one together. This is the result, and it's delicious. I've been snacking on it all day just looking at this picture has my mouth watering for more! Have a great weekend :)

Sweetcorn and capicum relish

5 cobs of corn, kernels removed

10 capsicums (the more colours, the better), seeded and chopped finely

1 onion, chopped finely

2.5c white vinegar

1-2c white sugar (I'm a sweet tooth, so used abt 2 cups full)

2tsp salt

2tsp mustard seeds

2-3tsp cornflour and a bit of cold water to mix to paste

Boil vinegar with sugar, salt and mustard. Add corn kernels, capsicum and onion and boil for about 15min over low heat. Add cornflour paste and boil for another 5 min. Check consistency and add more cornflour if it's too runny.

Makes about 6 or 7 medium-sized jars.

Best

2011-03-07T12:50:00.004+13:00

Move over Pascalle West, this IS the best bag ever. Now that's a grand claim, I know, but I think this might be it. I've been lugging around enormous shoulder bags and totes the last few months, and found that the more things I can stuff in, the smaller the chances are of actually finding those things when I need it. So yesterday I sat down and thought about my needs (small bag, space for small Pump water bottle/sunglasses, individual pockets for phone and I-pod, messenger strap). I drew up a pattern, spent most of the day in my work room, and here it is.

I'm so happy with it that I think I might make another and photograph the process for a pattern and tutorial for my shop.

Helping out

2011-03-03T21:03:00.003+13:00

It's been over a week now since the big quake in Christchurch. I've been thinking about what I can say about it, but I still feel quite speechless. Thankfully the few friends and family we have there are fine, but of course there are so many others whose lives have been profoundly affected.

What has struck me so far has been the response of everyday New Zealanders to this disaster. People are helping out in very practical ways, like taking in now-homeless residents, driving around collecting dirty washing to return clean the next day and local students forming a volunteer army. There are also so many fundraising efforts and it seems people are digging deep to contribute. One such effort came to my attention last night, and I thought I'd share it with you here. A young family friend of ours, Nicholas, is selling his very own cookbook to collect money for the Relief Fund. He wrote and tested all the recipes himself, and is busy writing a second book. If you look around his website, you'll notice that he is a very special young man who has already packed a lot into just 9 years. You can email him through his website to order copies of his book, which is available for $5 + $1.50 p+p.

Pieces

2011-02-20T20:42:00.002+13:00

This is the quilt that Heleen will make. These are the squares cut from the stash that will go in the quilt that Heleen will make. This is the rotary cutter that cut the squares from the stash that will go in the quilt that Heleen will make. To be continued...

Ruby's Emporium

2011-02-18T14:36:00.004+13:00

As you may know, I have a tendency to go op shopping. A lot. And of course often I can't help myself and end up walking out with things I don't really need but just can't leave behind. It's getting a bit silly in my craft room, so I thought I'd better make some space by selling some of my treasures. Ruby's Emporium is the place where you will find beautiful, mostly useful vintage items from my stash. I'll keep updating it when I get a chance, but I managed to make a start today. There's still lots of wrapping paper, greeting cards and haberdashery galore to make it to the shop, but that will have to wait. It's weekend! Have a good one :)

Retreat

2011-02-10T19:43:00.003+13:00

Just thought I'd share with you our favourite place on hot summer afternoons, good for reading or shut-eye if you're lucky. Also pictured is our favourite summer snack. The boys and I ate half a watermelon this afternoon, seriously. An addiction of the best kind.

Quilt inspiration

2011-02-09T20:45:00.004+13:00

I am officially inspired. I've been collecting fabrics for years now, with the vague hope of one day making a quilt. I've been toying with idea for a while, as you might have noticed. The thing is, the quilt I want to make is so big and the skills I'd need are so...advanced, I think. But this book is changing my mind. It's called 'The gentle art of quiltmaking' by Jane Brocket. A strange title, if you ask me. She's not very gentle in her approach to colour, or design; rather quite fearless.

Apparently she also used to have the same misgivings as myself (and I expect there are more of us). A conversation with a friend changed that: 'Oh for goodness' sake Jane, all you have to do is cut up some fabric and sew it together!', she was told. And of course it's true. It's only as complicated as you make it. In this book she talks you through her inspiration and design process for each quilt, which I find very helpful. I also like her refreshing attitude to making quilts; to have a go and enjoy it without getting caught up in the 'tyranny of perfection', as she calls it. Here are a few images from the book (all these quilts are discussed in detail, from design to choosing fabrics and directions):

This one caught my eye. Maybe it was the colour scheme, maybe just the fact that it's made from little squares, a nice simple design. It's called the Swimming Pool Quilt, for the colour scheme and the random arrangement of the blocks to suggest a dappled effect.So here's what I've got so far: a lot of turquoises, limey greens and duck-egg blues, with little accents of yellow, purple and possibly some vintage hand-embroidered linen with a touch of pink. My plan is to make the simplest quilt on the planet, without border or fuss, and it will be called the 'Summer Quilt'. For this year or next, who knows.

Coconut ice

2011-02-09T20:25:00.002+13:00

In a lucky find yesterday I happened upon this: about 250g of the softest cotton yarn in the softest pink colour. It even came with a completed lace panel that I could unravel if I need more yarn. But you know I could never do such a reckless thing....

It's Patons Gem in fingering weight; looks about right on 3mm needles. Any ideas for a suitable, easy baby knit? For a friend of course :)

Shirred Part 2

2011-02-03T14:58:00.003+13:00

As promised, here is a photo of where my shirring fascination took me next. It's a typical little girl's dress with shirring and spaghetti straps, made with a little scrap of fabric I had left from a Christmas project. I looked for online tutorials and found this one useful. The model in this picture is much fluffier than the actual recipient, and I can guarantee you it looks even cuter on little Molly. If the idea of spaghetti straps puts you off, or you've just never tried making it, look at this tutorial over at SewMamaSew. It's really changed the way I feel about turning over a tiny tube of fabric!

Shirred

2011-01-25T21:35:00.005+13:00

Way back in July I posted about the book Weekend Sewing and showed a few projects I liked. One was a photo of a sewing space inside a wardrobe, which inspired me to start work on my fabric storage cupboard shortly afterwards. Check. I also liked the All-weekend sundress, and found the fabric I wanted to use in an op-shop in Tauranga that same month. Now, about 6 months later, I can check that one off my list too! This is the image in the book:

And this is me in mine, squinting into the sun and being helped by the fresh northerly:

Close-up of the beautiful fabric:

As you can see, it's more of a maxi-dress than a sundress. I added a few more centimetres to the bottom and really love the length. Other adjustments were adding a lining because of the sheer fabric I used, and doubling the shirring at the top.

The pieces for this dress had been sitting in my workroom for about a month, and I was a bit scared to proceed. All that lining (never done that before), shirring (same) and gathering (so boring) intimidated me and I didn't want to waste all that lovely fabric if it didn't work out...

Things came to a head last week when I started gathering and realised it was actually quite painless. For the lining, I just made a second dress in a very light fabric, then pinned and overlocked it all together at the top. Now I had no excuse and had to tackle the shirring. Thanks to Melissa's timely post on shirring, I had it. She hand-winds the shirring elastic around the bobbin, pulling it tightly. I've read other tutorials that warn not to pull the elastic when winding and then to either spray with water or steam-iron, but this was the one that worked for me. Here you can see the shirred waist from the inside:

To finish the lining, I just folded and topstitched the overlocked top edge to the inside and shirred the two dresses together at the top and waist. I am so happy with my dress; it's very comfortable and easy to wear.

I'm not finished with shirring though, as you will see in my next posts. I've made a little girl's dress and am hoping to make myself a quick top sometime this week. See you later!

Snapfish

2011-01-21T19:29:00.005+13:00

At the end of last year I became a Flickr Pro and got a free photo book from Snapfish. I had such fun choosing our best photos from the year and organising them onto 20 pages, and onc I got started it only took me one or two evenings. This seems to be the perfect solution to my laziness when it comes to printing, sorting and putting photos into albums (which explains why my 3 year-old's baby photos are still in printers' envelopes!). This book is canvas-covered, 20x28cm. Here are some pages from our 2010 book:

When they were having a discount recently, I made another book for the boys. It's photos from our recent holiday, with text that is simple enough for the boys to read or make up as they go. We picked it up today and it's lovely. This one's a smaller paperback with custom cover; what a cover by the way!

Aah, happy times...

Converted

2011-01-15T14:25:00.003+13:00

I'm always so slow to get back into crafting in January, but his week I managed to make a couple of things for myself.

I found this fabric a very long time ago, but have been too scared to cut into it for fear of wrecking it. I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that it used to be a tablecloth! I loved the colours and the fringing, and knew it had to become a skirt, but wasn't sure how much to cut out of the middle. When I saw the Circle Skirt tutorial on Made, I knew the planets had aligned and the time had come to make this! The fabric is very drapey and it moves so nicely when I walk. A skirt is so much more useful than a round tablecloth, don't you think?

Today felt too hot to even think about cardigans, but another tutorial caught my eye this week and I had to try it. I've been following Grosgrain for a while and think Kathleen is a fashion genius; she manages to make very stylish clothes from the most improbable thrifty finds. I followed this tutorial, but check all her November posts for great ideas for upcycling knits. I found this Sabatini knit top in the op shop for $2 yesterday, and it looked perfect for my plan. It was too big, so I took it in along the sides and arms, and cut the front open.

Sewed some grosgrain ribbon in a beautiful red on the inside to conceal the raw edges, and voila...

A cardigan perfect for layering. I'm planning on having a more colourful winter wardrobe, so this is a good start, especially with how the red ribbon peeks out. By the way, this photo of Daniel and I was taken by Joshua and the Tripod. The kids are growing up fast is all I can say...

Lucky

2011-01-06T21:38:00.005+13:00

We're slowly easing back into the real world after an unforgettable week of camping in paradise. I really feel like my batteries are re-charged after spending the time with good friends and my lovely family, and doing very little. Just the important things, like reading, doodling, a tiny bit of knitting, flying kites and building sand castles.

Our first job when we got home was to harvest all the bounty from our garden: strawberries, red cabbage, apple cucumbers, green beans, beetroot, potatoes, carrots, lettuce and one lemon. Every vegetable on our plate for tonight's dinner came from our garden. That is indeed a good start to the year, don't you think?

A belated happy new year to you and your people from me and mine!

Summer

2010-12-22T21:59:00.004+13:00

I found such a wonderful picture book in the library yesterday, I thought I'd share it here. It's called 'Seasons' by the French comic book artist Blexbolex, and has been translated into English and published by the small NZ publishing company Gecko Press.

The book is beautiful on so many levels; the illustrations and use of text drew me to it at first, but there is so much more to it. The paper stock feels recycled, the screenprints have a soft, layered look to them, but my favourite part would have to be the words chosen to represent the cyclical nature of the seasons. Like in the real world, the changes between seasons are gradual, and this book tracks it over a few years. It not only shows physical changes, but also emotional associations with seasons and the passing of time. It transcends age, although I think I might have enjoyed it a bit more than the boys...

Whether your Christmas will be like these images above, or below, I hope you have a very restful break, full of wonderful blessings and filled with loved ones. Merry Christmas to you :)

PS: if you'd like to hear a bit more about this book, have a read over here; Melissa from Tiny Happy wrote about it a few months back. You can also see a promotional video with many images from the book here.

5 sleeps

2010-12-20T16:49:00.002+13:00

Every year this time I wonder where the month has gone! Into making gifts for other people of course :) With all the markets now thankfully over, I can focus on my own family and friends' Christmas needs. I've still got a few things to sew up before Thursday night, but I thought I'd share with you my take on an Advent calendar I saw in the Your Home and Garden magazine a while back. They made a calendar with paper bags pegged to string and hung up on a wall, but I didn't like the logistics of that in our house, and just made do with the obvious. The bags are all pegged to the tree and the boys are amazingly good at remembering the date every day at afternoon tea time! I glued some numbers to the front and then put a couple of chocolates, candy canes or stickers into every bag. My kids are seriously going to suffer from lolly withdrawal symptoms in January!

Still going

2010-12-17T22:19:00.005+13:00

This week I've been slowly working away at these little coin purse keyring pouches, and took a few photos today before sewing the sides together. This way you can get an idea of how the front and back fabrics look together. I've enlarged the pattern a bit to fit a cash card as well as coins, which was a great idea suggested by a clever customer the other day. These will be on my table on Sunday's Kraftbomb. This is always such a busy and exciting market, with people looking for last-minute gifts and stocking up on City's cupcakes before the holidays. Hope to see you there!

Colour therapy

2010-12-17T21:15:00.002+13:00

There's a love fiesta on in my craft room. Before you get any ideas, it's only on fabric :) Gorgeous, hey. I've always loved these paper cuts (ok, any paper cuts really) and when I spotted this design on Spoonflower I just had to have it. It's part of a lovely collection by designer Samarra Khaja, or Sammy K, whose work is so fresh and colourful.

I've been thinking about getting my designs printed over on Spoonflower, but after reading of so many people's disappointment with the printed colours vs how it looks on screen, I followed some good advice and got a yard of RGB colours printed. This way I can choose my actual colours before I start the design on the computer. And here is part of that yard, slightly out of focus but still very, ahem, colourful.

I've noticed a few examples in the shops and online of printed Kraft paper, which has such a natural look and feel to it. Imagine my excitement when I discovered this wrapping paper in the Warehouse the other day. I was tempted to buy all the rolls in the shop, honestly; it's so charming and old-fashioned looking. I might just wrap everything in it this year: birthdays, baby showers, weddings, they all need some birds and baubles if you ask me.

The fair

2010-12-13T21:15:00.002+13:00

I've got a few photos to show you of my table at Saturday's Fair. Look at the shiny marble floors and beautifully dressed table in long black skirt. Very fancy! My talented neighbours Karen and Fred from Luxford St and I shared the space at the far end of the hall. Thanks to everyone who came round to say hi and get some Ruby in the Dust goodies; I'm pleased to say I have one keyring pouch left and am busy working on 15 more for Kraftbomb this Sunday. So much for no more sewing before Christmas!

To the fair

2010-12-10T14:32:00.004+13:00

As you might already know, the Auckland Art and Craft Fair is on tomorrow. If you happen to stop by and I'm not coherent or looking like I might do with a lie-down under the table, please excuse me. It's because this week in my little sweatshop I've made about 20 of these pouches, 10 keyring pouches, 12 patchwork cards, two big linen tote bags, knitted a little bunny and packed 16 felt kits. Hopefully this is the last big sewing session before I start making my own Christmas presents...

Anyway, this pouch, complete with its own applique pocket, will be on my table tomorrow at the Aotea Centre. The Fair starts at 11 and runs until 4, which gives everyone enough time to do some Christmas shopping before heading out to a barbecue or in my case, our 11th wedding anniversary dinner! Come say hi if you're there :)

Handmade

2010-12-06T21:39:00.005+13:00

I'm very excited to tell you about my plans for June next year. Yes, it's very far away, I know. But I've already got my whole Queen's Birthday weekend planned: I'll be teaching! In what feels like a previous life from long long ago, I used to teach. As you might have noticed from all the tutorials on this blog, I've still got a bit of that in me. So when I was approached by a nice lady at Craft 2.0 in October about teaching a workshop at Handmade, I was very interested.

Handmade will be held in Wellington and is going to be a multi-stream event with workshops and master-classes in different streams, all teaching handmade skills. I'm going to teach two workshops: Take one pillowcase, which will take you through a few projects using upcycled pillowcases, and Making a cloth art doll, which will be a double-length workshop teaching you how to make one of my dolls. I will be joined by such crafty superstars as Melissa from Tiny Happy, Belinda from Blendy Knits and Heike from Minu, who will be teaching their respective skills of sewing, knitting and printmaking.

And as a bonus, it looks like my classes are starting later in the day, which gives me two mornings free for walking around (or maybe being blown around) Wellington! Great for a girl who just can't get enough of the place :)

Keys

2010-12-06T14:23:00.003+13:00

I'm still using up small pieces of embroidery; today I made tiny coin purse keyrings for my table at the Auckland Art and Craft Fair this weekend. Better get back to it...

Origami

2010-12-03T22:10:00.002+13:00

Last night was so much fun at the First Thursdays market! The crowd was very arty and the vibe was great with music and general K'Rd quirkiness. It really reminded me of the old Craftwerk market which was also held in St Kevin's Arcade and was where I cut my craft market teeth way back in '08. In fact, the market went so well last night that I'll be busy sewing deep into the night this week, getting ready for the Auckland Art and Craft Fair next Saturday. I was making some more pouches today, and had to snap these little cut-off ends. I love the way the folded fabric looks like origami duck beaks. Quack!

First Thursdays

2010-11-30T13:42:00.004+13:00

I almost forgot to post about my next market, this Thursday night and appropriately called First Thursdays. The event covers a few venues across K'Rd and sounds like a great night out in Auckland: music, art, and of course craft, at the market in St Kevin's Arcade. The market

runs between 6 and 9, and there will be some awesome crafters and makers. Hope to see you there!

Pohutukawa

2010-11-29T19:50:00.002+13:00

We had our annual pre-Christmas camping with friends this weekend, and it was fantastic as usual. I think the Muriwai ARC camp ground is one of Auckland's best kept secrets.

The pohutukawas are in flower already. For those of you who aren't from NZ, these are also known as the New Zealand Christmas tree.

This was the view from inside our tent, to the communal (pohutukawa) tree outside. Everything was done in and under this tree; climbing, sleeping, eating, secret Santa, you name it.

Craig took his climbing kit, and all the kids had a turn being belayed right to the top. Here's Daniel...

and Joshua:

And an adult in need of a nap:

Drumroll...

2010-11-28T21:48:00.002+13:00

And the winner of the Felt Heart Kit is Clare from Green Valley Crafts! Congratulations!

Patchwork

2010-11-25T20:26:00.003+13:00

I've always loved the idea of making a big patchwork quilt, but I can't see myself actually finding the time or being motivated enough to keep going. For this reason, I like small projects that give me the satisfaction of putting different fabrics and colours together, and completing it there and then. This week, I've been doing just that.

These patchwork cards have been so much fun to put together. It was very therapeutic to cut all the little squares, line them up after spending a great deal of time getting the combinations just right, and then sew them onto the cards. The inspiration came from the book Applique your way by Kayte Terry. Being the hoarder that I am, I find it hard to throw out even the tiniest piece of vintage embroidery, so all my offcuts went into this.

From there I had to go bigger, and made these patchwork zip pouches. They're a very modest attempt at patchwork, I know, but it was enough for me to see the backing fabric on the same side as the lovely embroidery I use on the front. I often spend so much time deciding on the perfect colour combinations for these pouches, and when they're made up, you don't even know what the back looks like! This pouch is loosely based on one from the wonderful book I heart patchwork, but I didn't have the time for all the little squares in the original.

These will be on my Kraftbomb table on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to going, because I missed last month's.

By the way, if you haven't entered the giveaway yet, you can do so until Sunday. I totally forgot about our camping weekend, and I won't be near a computer on Friday night. More like in a tent by the sea with good friends and fish-and-chips for dinner. Can't wait!

Ragamuffins

2010-11-24T20:42:00.003+13:00

If I was a gorgeous little dress, or even a rebound Little Golden Book, this is where I'd like to wait for somebody to take me home with them: This beautiful retail space is called Ragamuffins, a new high-end kidswear store in Cambridge catering to the 0-5 market. Isn't it just gorgeous? This is the only place in Cambridge where you can buy a little bit of Ruby in the Dust, which makes it even more special, if you ask me :) It's also another reason to go shopping in Cambridge next time we're there, apart from the antique shops and Kate Fitzpatrick!

You'll find them at 32 Victoria Street, Cambridge. Would you believe this used to be a Chinese restaurant? Great improvement, judging from the Google Street View photo of the previous place!

Pillowcase

2010-11-20T19:09:00.004+13:00

A while back I posted a picture of a little stack of fabrics and trims in my WIP pile. Today I am pleased to reveal what that has become...

It's a tote bag made from a lovely pillowcase I found at the Sallies. I wrote a bag tutorial for the latest Extra-Curricular magazine, which I got in the mail today. As usual, it's full of interesting people, stunning design, and this time there's even a tiny little activity book with 8 tutorials, including mine. You might also notice my name in the article on craft blogging, which was written by Anissa Ljanta.

The bag has already seen much use, and is perfect for togs and towels or a picnic rug and hats. I hope you try making one too!

A hearty giveaway

2010-11-18T21:08:00.005+13:00

So have you started making any Christmas decorations? If not, don't fear, I can help. I think it's about time for a little giveaway, to get into the Christmas spirit and to thank you for coming round here and liking me on Facebook. I'm giving away a Felt Heart Kit, which makes 6 heart decorations. You don't need fancy stitching skills to make them; good old running stitch works just as well as blanket stitch.

Anyone can enter, just tell me which was your favourite book this year, ficion or non. Remember to make sure I can contact you. And to say thank you for your support, blog followers and FB likers can get 2 entries each, just mention it in your comment. I'll announce the winner next Friday night, NZ time. Good luck!

Facelift

2010-11-18T20:50:00.005+13:00

I've been playing around with my blog over the last couple of days and now I think I'm happy with it. The new header is something I created way back when I first opened my Etsy shop, and I never got round to using it. Things were looking a bit boring around here, so I went looking for it and now I think my blog looks all sparkly and new.

Speaking of sparkly and new, my sister-in-law and great friend Lesley, has started her own blog. She's very creative and full of great ideas, plus a very eloquent lady, so I'm really looking forward to seeing more of Finding Time. Welcome to the blog world, Lesley!

Finally, I have a couple of satchels left over from my previous market, and because there's no space on my Kraftbomb table, they're now in my Etsy shop. They're nice and sturdy, made of denim and upcycled belts (this one's a yellow karate belt) with my print on the flap. Best part is that they're lined with a scotchguarded fabric, so should stay nice and clean!

Loose ends

2010-11-13T21:42:00.003+13:00

This week has been a bit disjointed as I've been taking a breather before the next Big Sew for the December markets. That's my excuse for this terribly random post anyway :)

Item number one: My journals and mirrors are now available on Foxes, where I hope they will feel all smart and fancy next to the beautiful designer dresses, lovely stationary and other foxy things.

Number two: I have put the Neighbourhood Really Fat Quarters on Etsy. Fly my pretties!

Number three: After two years of being a careful Flickr user, I reached the 200 free photos-limit and now I'm a pro. I'm still busy (and will be for a while) organising and adding my photos, but it's looking nice and colourful over there already. Feel free to have a browse!

Item number four: I made myself finish this top the other day, so as not to be the laziest member of the Clothes for Mum Challenge. Consider it a muslin as I'm really planning on making another one in a black and white stripe; I don't know what I was thinking using this colour which does not flatter my complexion at all... It's New Look 6838 and not a great pattern. It was huge and I had to take it in significantly, and next time I won't bother with the back seam. Still, I like the fit now it's customised, and the neckline is lovely.

A thneed

2010-11-08T20:57:00.003+13:00

I got a couple of signs from the knitting gods today; they wanted me to buy the Dummies guide to knitting for $1 at the library and then sent me to the op shop to pick up the Mattel KnitMagic (circa 1974, still in box, complete with original day-glo orange yarn). Glorious.

I had a couple of very enthusiastic helpers, who took turns knitting a wrist warmer.

Then Daniel really got the bug, and patiently cranked the handle for about 30 minutes. When he unraveled the tube from under the machine, he exclaimed 'I've knitted a thneed!'. He was so excited. Now that I'm armed with the instructions and we know how to cast on and off properly, I can imagine there'll be a few of them under our Christmas tree, so watch out Webb and Hugo family! Of course you know a thneed is a fine thing everyone needs.

PS: Saturday was really great; the kids had a wonderful time and my stall was pretty busy, so thanks to everyone who came by to say hello or buy a little something :)

Covered

2010-11-04T19:35:00.003+13:00

I'm trying very hard to make up for lost sewing time this week. I have a market on this Saturday and I've been making lots of childrens' products: tails, crowns, little bags and cushion covers from my fabric. Here's one; they're backed with contrasting fabric and close with an invisible zip. Tomorrow I have a whole day of sewing and I'm sure tomorrow night will be a late one.

I'm really looking forward to the fair as I've heard great things about it, so if you're around, bring the kids and make a day of it. It's at the Michael Park School in Ellerslie, 55 Amy St; between 9.30 and 3. It's a Rudolf Steiner school and sounds like a wonderful place to look for handmade products, gifts, baking, and fun stuff for children. Click here if you need directions or more information.

Acquisitions

2010-11-02T20:10:00.004+13:00

As promised, here's the post where I show you all the loot I got in Wellington. When you have children, shopping is always done in a rush between morning tea and lunch, toilet stops and tantrums. That's the case for me anyway. You can imagine my delight when I could spend some time actually trying on clothes and buying breakable things without the fear of them breaking on the way to the car.

The first purchase was for our little niece Carly who has just turned four. I can imagine that a little doll in a matchbox would be absolute heaven to a little girl; especially if she's read this book. Maybe that will be Carly's Christmas present... It was so nice to catch up with Shelley from Sweet William, where I bought the book and doll, and meet her very talented sister Paula, the illustrator behind their magical creations.

I obsessed over this bird, which I saw on Friday night and had to buy first thing the next morning. It has the most perfect shape and matte glaze, and reminds me of a polished pebble. I bought it from Sarah Wigley, who is new to craft markets and doesn't have a blog yet. If you are interested in contacting her, just email me and I can pass on her details.

Because it was so cold over the weekend, Craig and I spent Sunday morning trawling the Cuba Street shops looking for scarves and jackets (no, make that singular, my husband bought shorts!). We wandered into a shop and walked out with this jacket. It's leather and made out of old leather coats which are sewn into more modern designs in Thailand. What a great idea; there must be so many unloved old leather coats left over from the 60s!

Finally, we even managed a little op shop visit before we left for the airport on Monday morning. I found this beautiful crochet pillowcase in the Sallies. Maybe I'll learn to crochet one day and then I can make it a partner...

Crafty 2.0

2010-11-01T20:22:00.005+13:00

Craig and I returned from a wonderful long weekend in Wellington this afternoon. We left on Friday from a balmy Auckland and despite reading the weather forecast that morning, I was totally unprepared for the cold wind that greeted us on the other side. It felt like we'd gone back in time and it was winter again!

Here we are at my table at Craft 2.0 on Friday night, and a few close-ups of my table in the following photos.

The market was fantastic fun; I met so many new people and caught up with some old friends, had great feedback about my work and made some good new connections. And of course I made a bit of money too, which is great considering I've spent almost everything in my craft account on materials for the next couple of months! Thanks to everyone who came by my table for a chat or a purchase, and thanks to Sue for organising another very successful market.

I ran out of light today, so I'll do a post tomorrow with some photos of the treasures I brought back. There's something old, something new and something new made out of something old.

Printed v2

2010-10-28T13:52:00.005+13:00

Intruding the new and improved 'In the neighbourhood' screenprint, available in deep red, grass green and teal. Visit the cutest neighbourhoood filled with houses, snails, cats, birds and bunting. It's available as panels about 70 cm wide x 60cm high, and printed on a very fine linen, a slightly heavier linen and quilting-weight cotton. I won't have time to make anything out of it before Saturday, so these will be available on my table as Really Fat Quarters. I'll add a few to my shop next week, but for now, it's over and out until early November. Have a great weekend; I know I will!

Sewsewsew

2010-10-27T20:21:00.002+13:00

I think I thrive under pressure (which is really a nice way to say I'm normally lazy!), and so today I finished 9 more pouches and started a top for Jacqui's Clothes for Mum Challenge over at the Hazelnuts blog. The pressure is that Craig and I are off to Wellington on Friday for a long weekend of Craft 2.0, Leonard Cohen (!!!) and lots of good food and coffee. Before I go I hope to do another post on the fabric panels I picked up today that will also be on my table on Saturday.

Which means I need to go and fold some fabric now...

Uncle Arthur strikes again

2010-10-23T16:31:00.005+13:00

As promised, here are some images from my latest batch of 'Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories' journals. I've written about them before, here and here, so have a little read if you're interested. As usual, there's some lovely lessons to learn and lots to think about:
'Mrs Baldwin's guinea pigs did make a dreadful noise some nights.' What on earth can they be up to? 'Billy's old bugle was worn out.'
'Mike was in one of his difficult moods.''Grandma loved her beautiful old tabby cat. Lucy prayed that she might be able to replace him.'

'It was a happy family that camped in the woods one sunny afternoon - Father, Mother, and the three children.'

I've listed a few of them in my latest shop update, and the rest will be on my table at Craft 2.0 next weekend.

Ok, I'm off to join my lovely happy family in our tent by the beach on our impromptu Labour weekend camping trip. Have a great weekend!

Finished

2010-10-20T20:14:00.004+13:00

Just a little update about all the unfinished projects I had going the other day: most are now completed. Plus some new make-up pouches, ready to go to Wellington next weekend for Craft 2.0. These photos show the fronts and backs of a few. Mmm, loving that blue and orange one in the front. My other big success was this dress. I have to say I was a bit doubtful when I looked at the pattern pieces in full daylight; somehow the idea of a fitted denim dress seemed fine in the middle of the night... As I said before, it's from the book Sewing Talk, which is full of really nice patterns written in Japanese. I'm obviously not that good at figuring those out though, because the dress had to be adapted quite a bit after I'd sewn it all together. I took the pockets out (too high, too bulky), changed the darts (too high), made the neckline lower on the front and back and took it in a bit around the waist. I assume it's just because I cut the pattern to the wrong size; it's still a bit snug but I really like it. The sleeves are lovely; they're simple raglan sleeves, each cut as one piece with a small dart on the shoulder. I think this dress will look great with a narrow belt and a small cardigan for cool spring days.

I learned how to sew an invisible zip into the dress, which is actually very easy once you figure out how to put the foot onto the machine. If you ever buy a Birch invisible zipper foot from Spotlight and then realise the instructions on the packet are unclear and insufficient, go here. Kim from All Things Mum has been so nice as to explain how to put the darn thing in without breaking your needles (as I did!).

WIPS

2010-10-14T20:08:00.003+13:00

I wish I could show you something I've started and managed to finish this week, but no. Today's post is all about unfinished business, brought to you by the colour yellow. I only noticed it when I uploaded these photos, but obviously it shows how much I appreciate this colour these days. It all started with The Cupboard, and now it's spring it seems the perfect accent colour for everything I make!

My first work in progress is a dress for myself, from my book Sewing Talk. It's cut from a stretchy denim with some patterned red pockets for fun.

The second WIP is for a tutorial for the next Extra-Curricular magazine; you'll have to wait and see what it becomes...

A prototype for a kids' satchel with some of my new fabric and denim left over from the dress:

And some crowns waiting to be decorated:

I've got two more projects on the go: more journals (including some more Uncle Arthur's Bedtime books!!) and an improved Neighbourhood print. Wish me luck! I'll surface when I've got something finished...

Mademoiselle, mois?

2010-10-10T20:22:00.004+13:00

I got a little heads up this morning that I was in the latest Good magazine (Oct/Nov '10). I knew it was coming; I wrote a tutorial for them ages ago, but it was still a bit of a surprise. Especially the title. Maybe that's French for bag lady? Which you know I am anyway :)

The tutorial is for a simple drawstring bag which I made using bias binding. I think it's a very easy way to make these bags, and gives you a chance to add some colour. I made the bias binding on this photo from some of my vintage sheet collection.

I've been using these bags to replace the little plastic produce bags you get at the supermarket, and think they're great. The check-out operators might need a bit of convincing though; I don't think they like not being able to see inside the bags. I normally just leave them a little open so they can check first.

I've posted the tutorial on Scribd as usual, so you can read or download it there. You can enlarge the screen a little if the writing is too small. Oh, and I did those illustrations too, by the way. Pretty proud of that :) If you're having trouble viewing it; just let me know and I can email you the PDF.

Elasticated Patch Pocket Tutorial

2010-10-07T17:36:00.006+13:00

I got some time today to make two more pairs of shorts and write up a tutorial for the patch pockets. These are made of linen and came out really well. I made the pattern for the shorts by tracing some of Daniel's and created the pattern for the pockets from scratch.

The pattern piece isn't just a simple square shape; the success of the pockets lie in the shape's angles. I've put it up on Scribd; you can download or print it from there. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it!

Wisteria

2010-10-06T22:30:00.003+13:00

I love this beautiful, fragant plant that flowers for just a couple of weeks a year.

It's one of my favourite parts of spring. Here are some others.

Girls

2010-10-02T13:42:00.003+13:00

This week I've been sewing for the girls. Lacking my own, I take any opportunity I get to make cute little dresses for my friends' daughters and it just so happened I needed some gifts for two little sisters. I used this tutorial for the classic pillowcase dress; I like the elasticated front and back in this pattern. Sophia's was made with a very thin tablecloth; it will be so cool in summer.Katerina got a very special new fabric and even a few ruffles.And for another birthday tomorrow, Alissa will get a pencil case made with my new fabric. I like it so much, I'm off to go and make a few more for my end-of-year craft market stash.

Printed

2010-09-28T21:42:00.004+13:00

The printing didn't happen as planned on Friday, because ironically both boys got sick on the last day of school. I managed to do some yesterday though and here is the result:

After such careful planning and over-thinking, I still managed to stuff up The Repeat. I decided you didn't need to see that, so I left it out of the picture. This design needs a bit more work, but overall I like its look. It's called 'In the neighbourhood', by the way. I'd really appreciate some feedback on this: what do you think, would it work as fat quarters, even yardage? I'd like to print it on linen and make some kids' bags like this one and this one.

I think the biggest problem I have is not with my design, but with my tools and work space. A large space with very big printing table would be perfect; I printed this in our garage on a pretty small table, which makes it a very slow and inefficient process. I can only print 3 repeats before I have to clean the screen and wait for the ink to dry, then do 3 more, etc. Conclusion: Ruby in the Dust needs a cheap studio on the North Shore with big windows and high-pressure hoses. That's not asking too much, is it?

Shorts

2010-09-26T16:48:00.003+13:00

Today is the last day for the Kid's Sewing Week Challenge, and I've just completed my mission. I had to put in some hems after Kraftbomb, but now the shorts are all finished and the boys love them. I made my own pattern for these (really just cut it from some other shorts) and the elasticated patch pockets were my own design. I'm very pleased with how it all turned out; I might even do a little tutorial here for the pockets if anybody's interested.