Taking stock

When I was home at the weekend, Mum and I went through a box of my beloved late Nan's sewing items (both my Nan, and Great Nanna were avid sewers).

Some of the items were exactly the same as I use (Gutermann threads, bias tape makers, etc), but we also found some gorgeous treasures (pictured above). We found wooden thread spools, old metal snaps, hooks and loops and loads and loads of buttons! She'd also saved all the zips she'd taken out of items of clothing - incredibly thrifty! We even found a scrap of fabric and buttons from my old primary school uniforms that she used to sew for us.

Its amazing how much easier sewing is for me that it would have been for my Grandmothers - I have a fully computerized sewing machine, sewing stores galore within a 10km radius, and the internet! I can buy any fabric imaginable, chat, network and collaborate with other sewers, and even have my own webstore! :P

I would have loved it if they could have had even a tiny peep at all of this!

Our BeetleKissRoar Collaboration!

I've been hugely fortunate to join 2 of the most warm hearted and talented WAHMs around - Lesley from Cherub's Kiss, and Mel from Beetlebums for our first BeetleKissRoar collaboration!

Lesley's gorgeous Auriel has alternating minky and denim panels, with an apple, apple core, and tiny caterpillar on the front. On the back is a divine fluffy minky caterpillar, and the inner is lime minky.

From Mel, there is a funky Inside Out with a fruit panel on the front, and an appliqued caterpillar on the back, munching his way through a leaf. The inner is hand-dyed in beautiful greens and blues.

*Sigh!* How I wish my little one wasn't nearly toilet trained! These nappies are incredible.

The Tigernaut Jeans set consists of a size 2 pair of denim jeans and top, with fruit on the cuffs and pockets, and a cheeky caterpillar creeping around the side of the left leg. These are the new 'Tiger Two' jeans, which have a cuff featuring two different fabrics, different inside and out.

These items are currently up for auction here on Lesley's site. What a lucky bub the owner of these goodies will be! :D

Something different

I thought it was about time to post a photo of something other than jeans!

Last month I participated in the Contemporary Handmade Alliance (CHA) craft swap, and decided to indulge my bag making fetish! I decided to make the Amy Butler Birdie Sling, as I'm a huge fan of bags that look fantastic as well as being able to fit the kitchen sink! (And I was desperately hoping my swap partner felt the same!!) I also love this bag as it fits nicely into your body, and you're not continually shifting it back onto your shoulder as you walk.

Take 1 - I made this one as a test to make sure it was going to work well: (Can you tell I'm obsessing over Amy Butler and Erin McMorris fabric at the moment? :D)



... and take 2, the final product for my swap partner. I used Riley Blake's Retro Umbrellas in Pink as well as Amy Butler's Green Martini for this one.


Happily, it turned out my swap partner is also a fan of a good sized bag, and emailed me to let me know it will be perfect for an upcoming getaway! I'm glad you like it Caitlin!

My swap partner is Caitlin of Craft Cat Cards and Invitations - please check out her gorgeous Aussie-made designs when you get a chance!