I pinned the tutorial for this floor cushion by Living with Punks a long time ago and had a sudden realisation that the Sunflowers fabric I had printed that was too big, would be perfect for one of these! My new fabric should arrive any day now, then I can get on to making my bag! The 54" width of the Spoonflower canvas let me cut the side panel in one piece which was great! ...
Sewing
Modern Monogramming for Kids
This is a post I originally wrote for Boys Own Style Month over at Cook Clean Craft.Monograms are a fun way to personalise clothes and they don't need to look like they belong on the corner of a handkerchief. My modern take is based on Stencil Graffiti and uses a big oversized monogram to really make a point!You don't need to be super crafty or have a lot of tools to put this ...
Build-a-Bag: My fabric has arrived! (Part One)
My Spoonflower order arrived yesterday but I realised I mucked it up!! I'm so annoyed at myself. After getting the test swatch I decided that I wanted the sunflowers a bit smaller so that I don't end up with just one on the bag, but I must have got my numbers back-to-front because I made them bigger! So I've had to order another yard of the sunflower print for the outside of ...
Launching the Autumn Street Pattern Shop!
The pattern for the big tote bag is here!! Just last week I put up a post showing you my new library bag. I've had such an overwhelming response to it that I've been working non stop for the last week to get the pattern ready. The pattern has been tested and proof read and I'm so glad it's finished and ready for you to enjoy. I have dreamt of selling patterns for quite ...
Build-a-Bag: The little extras
Sewing a handbag involves a lot more supplies than just fabric and a sewing machine. Here are some of the extras I've bought lately to get ready to sew my bag. One of the things that really makes a home-sewn handbag look professional is hardware! I got these lovely rectangular rings for my bag straps. I bought them here. They came in a kit with the magnetic snap to close the ...
Biiiiiiig Library Bag!
Regular readers will probably know of my love for the Library. Once a week Roman and I walk down to the library for story time and to pick up whichever books take our fancy. The thing is, that library books are heavy! I mostly borrow non-fiction and usually choose books based on their covers - how very discriminatory of me! I take them home and then have a flick through. I'd ...
Pincushion and Thread Basket
I've made up a few of these sets and they're lots of fun! The pincushion is as close as I've ever gotten to quilting and I can see why people get addicted. I know I'll never have the patience to do a whole quilt, so the pincushions will have to do for the moment. This is a great scrap busting project. I'd recommend sewing the button on before you stuff the pincushion. ...
Sewing over at Emmaline Bags
Today I'm doing a guest post for Janelle over on her blog, Emmaline Bags. Janelle is in the process of moving from Australia back to Canada...I don't think you could pick a longer trip! Understandably, she hasn't got a lot of time for blogging at the moment, so she's got some friends helping out.Janelle's blog is all about hand bags! She sells some patterns and bag hardware and ...
New Cushion Covers for the World Traveller
Before the age of 6 months, Roman had been on 3 long haul flights. He was born in the UK, then we moved back to Australia and we also took a trip to the US. Talk about gluttons for punishment! The cushions on the reading chair in Roman's room were due for an update and I wanted to incorporate a bit of an international theme. At the start of the year, I saw that Spotlight ...
Build-a-Bag: My swatches arrived!
Well it seemed like forever, but checking the mail box twice a day finally paid off when my swatches arrived this week! It is unbelievably exciting opening that package! I'm very happy with how they turned out. They look very close to how they looked on the computer screen. I found the yellow on the petals looked a bit lighter than I wanted, so I've darkened and brightened ...
Boy’s Own Style Month at Cook Clean Craft
Narelle of Cook Clean Craft is hosting 'Boy's Own Style Month' at the moment. For the whole month of July she is featuring posts showing you how to personalise clothes, particularly for boys. Boys clothes can be tricky, you can't simply put a frill on there to pretty them up, so you have to be creative to put a bit of style into it. I am super excited to be guest ...
Adding a Neck Opening to a Tee – Tutorial
Roman's head is off the charts big! This is not a figure of speech...it is literally off the charts. See, here's a chart!! I thought that as he got a bit older it wouldn't be such a problem, but he still grows out of his tops because the neck gets too tight to pull over his head. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to add an opening to the back of a tee. The technical ...
