the chair near completion

so here it is, after hours of sanding and then a little more after the stain/varnish was added and then bubbled!!! the cushions still need to be secured to the frame but this is a sneak peek before it is completely done. it was a great project!

creative chaos

this is the state of my sewing space at the moment. bear in mind this is in our master bedroom!! garrick is very tolerant!! i do try to tidy it up but it there is only so much i can do at the moment. will be getting some plastic tubs next time we make it to ikea i think!

a new bag

this is based on the amy butler sling bag. i used the lining panel pieces for the exterior and interior sides and adjusted the size of them accordingly. i did not make any pleats and put different handles on it so now it's a Nayth Loft "Getting Around" bag!!!!

it is very pretty i am in LOVE with this fabric! i lucked out and found this fabric at $3/m i wanted to buy the whole roll!!! you will see a lot more of this. my sister's bag has been cut out in this fabric as well so stay tuned - i will make hers full size but with different handles again.

other side

this is the other side of Tessa's bag

Dress to jacket and bag

I was planning to make a dress a while ago and started it at my last class. I got the 2 pockets on and planned to complete it at home. I did but it was huge! It wasn't my style either so I had a look at it and thought I might try my hand at a jacket. I used the leftover material to make Tessa a dress - but that didn't work out either so that turned into a dress!

alien girl

i made her from some of Tessa's wee tights that are too small for her now but were too cute to throw away! i have made a mental note that courdoroy is a rather unforgiving fabric to work with - stretchy material or with a little give at least is easier to work with when making dolls.

Yvonne's bag

i used the Amy Butler Birdie Sling pattern to make this for my lovely mother in law however - i am not totally happy with it but it is still nice - i modified it quite a bit, i made it smaller and with fewer pleats. it was my first time applying my own modifications to a pattern - i guess not unlike changing a recipe it may take a few go's to get it right. i will use a different interface (less stiff) and adjust the handle width.

T's shirt

i bought this cute striped shirt at big W for very cheap and then cut out this owl in a tree from leftover fabric from my skirt. i ironed onsome interface and then stitched it on - so easy to make an inexpensive shirt a little more personal! will definitely try this again.

my space

this was when i initially set my sewing area up - in our bedroom (thank-you Garrick!) - it is now a lot messier, organized chaos of course! the floor is forever covered in thread and fabric i love it!

the gorgeous inspirational paintings in the background were made by my extraordinarily talented friend, Melissa Wyman

check her out on:

http://www.melissa-wyman.com/

http://fighttherapy.com/

chair before we have reupholstered it

found this great chair from the salvos for $6.99 so my husband and i are going to try and reupholster it. he will do the wooden parts and i will handle the fabric. stay tuned....

hair ties

I made a few cute hair ties for my daughter.

A PJ from more recycled clothes

I loved the fabric I used for the bottom but the shirt was too small and the top too big so I put them together to make one new pajayma

Tessa's bunny

A bunny I made for Tessa - the ears look like legs but she likes her! I will be sure to make soft, rounder ears next time.

A case I made for my phone with left over Ikea sale fabric! I lined it with an old fleece baby blanket.

T"s dress

This was a dress I made for my daughter out of 2 tops that were too big for her. She loves it so I am pleased!

Birdie Sling Complete Yeah!!

with the much needed help from these lovely people that created tutorials on their blogs i was finally able to complete (correctly) the Amy Butler Birdie Sling!

http://prettymodern.typepad.com/its_a_pretty_modern_life/2009/08/amy-butler-birdie-sling-tutorial.html

i agree with a lot of the reviews it is quite a big bag, and i would use a lighter interface, i find it to be a bit stiff but sure it will ease up with use. i am excited and confident enough now to try to make one as a gift. i was planning on taking this to my sewing lesson to learn how to do it but i must admit i feel pretty proud i can take it in and show it off a little!! i can take in my next project - a dress... stay tuned and thanks again to everyone who takes the time to post reviews and tutorials it is greatly appreciated!!

http://modernquiltlove.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/photo-tutorial-amy-butler-birdie-sling/

i sewed some leftover fabric onto some pillowcases to tie it all together and used some leftover fabric also to make the wee wall hanging ( i love this orange fabric it is from ikea too).

we got a great deal on this double bed for the spare room from ikea - at the same time they had AMAZING fabric for $4/metre - which i am kicking myself for now - if i knew i could actually make things i would have bought a lot more!

never mind! i really disliked the hospital style headboard so i made this headboard cover and matching table runner i have placed on the dresser in the room. the cube bedside tables i found in a garage sale years ago for $5!!! i had nothing to go with them but they were too cool to pass up and they finally have a home!

i used old clothes from all of us to make our super awesome crazy dog; Quincy his cushion. when he was a puppy he loved to sleep on laundry which there seems to always be mountains of!

this is the other pattern for a doll that was given by Blinking Flights - i modified it a bit

my son calls him Miffy because of his nose - embroidering their faces is the most difficult for me i have no idea how to make lovely curved lines and eyelashes

a girl and boy snake i made for the kids from old clothes

a Barbie dress from my son's old Thomas the tank - tank top

here she is - this was my first ever stuffed creation - i used the wrong fabric for the body, it was too thin and i had no idea how to blind stitch but fortunately you can learn to do anything thanks to the world wide web

i LOVE notebook magazine! this lovely pattern for Dew Drop Girl was in it and I gave it a go.

pattern courtesy of;

http://www.blinkingflights.bigcartel.com/

the other side of the bag

well, my teacher told me she was going to be on holiday. initially i panicked thinking when would i sew again?

i managed to curve my dependency and tried my hand at making some things i my own - i have not stopped since!

this is a bag i made from vintage material i was fortunate enough to find from a recycle shop. it is meant to be much longer, but i got a tad confused on the gussets bit at the end of the pattern instructions - but it is still useable!

i used one of the kids' old fleece baby blankets to line it as i had no idea how expensive lining can be!!

this is the skirt - i went back to the fabric shop and they were happy to replace it. another lesson learned though is working with patterned fabric that needs to be a certain way up can add another dimension/challenge to a project.

it is great though to wear something that you have made and fits well.

the following class i had big plans to sew a skirt. with my material, washed and pressed in hand we set it on the table and placed the pattern pieces on only to discover they had cut my fabric on an angle and there was not enough! all part of the learning process.

fortunately i had brought along this cool fabric i found for my son and much o his delight i made him this bag that he uses for library visits.

this was my first ever sewing project - i did this during my first class with my fantastic teacher karen. she provided me with the materials and pattern.

i chose to make my daughter something first as she was my impetus to finally take up sewing. my philosophy is that even when she is older she may still need me for something!

my teacher had the confidence i could do this straight away and i am glad that she did as i have felt that confidence and have not been afraid to learn the hard way if need be.

my teacher's link here in adelaide;

http://www.karenssewingcentre.com/