Gossamer Dreams - ‘Love’.

One year ago, I was plunged into the world of Gossamer Dreams - a collaboration of work-at-home Mums (WAHMs) who stock an online store once a month. I felt blessed to join these warm-hearted women, and have since embarked on an amazing journey of friendship and creative exploration.

Gossamer Dreams is an opportunity for us to break away from our WAHM business, and make whatever we are passionate about at that moment. It is an escape, a chance to be whimsical and push our artistic boundaries.

Over the year, my enthusiasm has only grown. I still love seeing everyone else’s interpretation of the monthly theme, I still get an adrenaline rush when our products go live and I love reading the comments on our Facebook page. The excitement and support of our customers is the fuel that motivates us
each month.

The theme for our stocking this Monday is ‘Love’ – and we’ll be sharing our favourite fabrics, patterns and techniques. We have a huge compliment of guest WAHMs join us for our first anniversary, showcasing an amazing array of talent.

See you tomorrow - Monday 15^th of August, 2011 – 9am AEST for previews, and 8pm AEST for the stocking.

The regular Gossamer Dreams gang is: Lesley from Cherub’s Kiss, Stacey from Outrageous, Susannah from Parrot Pants, Kylie from Earth Child, and of course me – Claire from Tigernaut Jeans.

Our sensational guesties for August are: Mel from Beetlebums, Donna from Riverside Dolls, Ali from Bumnround, Chris from Baby Bullfrogs, Margo from The Climbing Tree, Alysha from Inkidink, Nat from Moederkip, Anna from Howie and Charlie, Tracee from Whizz Kidz, Michelle from Poppy, Beans and Bloss, Liz from Cherish Designs, Sara from Willow and Moo and Sandy from Hobgoblin House.

The Smurfs!

We all caught a glimpse of the cheeky blue-skinned folk at our surprise Gossamer Dreams stocking on Friday night. Below I've included some of the items I had for sale.

Also, stay tuned for our normal Gossamer Dreams stocking time this Friday (15th July), themed 'Flights of Fancy'. We have some tremendous guest WAHMs lined up, including Alysha from Inkidink, Sarah from Sunshine and Lollipops, Donna from Riverside Dolls and Tracee from Whizz Kidz.

As usual, items will be previewing from 9am (AEST) and will be live for sale at 8pm (AEST). See you there!

Pink Smurf pencil case (pattern by Hyperart)

Size 2 Papa Smurf Shorts Set

A collaboration between the gorgeous Lesley from Cherub's Kiss and I! This is one of the fantastic new Cherub's Kiss pockets, teamed with a Tigernaut Jeans t-shirt.

A Smurfy Giveaway!

This fabric is too cute for words! Before I unleash this fabric at Tigernaut, I think I definitely need to have a giveaway! To win a free pair of jeans or shorts with Smurf fabric, please leave a comment here!

Once you've entered, its also a great idea to email me at tigernautjeans (at) gmail.com with your blogger username, so I am able to contact you if you are the winner (your email address will not be used for any other purpose).

The giveaway will finish on midnight Thursday 26th May, and will be drawn randomly on the following day. Good luck!!

a+ Skirts

Over summer I lived in a bunch of a+ Skirts, from Make it Perfect. As much as I loved my summer skirts, they just won't stand up to a Melbourne winter, so it was time to make a new batch.

Due to the heavy fabric I've used for colder weather (and not being a tall person) I have brought the 'A' shape in a little. As you can see, I'm addicted to this pattern - its fantastically versatile. I have just used the basic version, however there are other options and embellishments including pockets, lace and buttons.

Organic denim with Pippijoe's 'Orchard' print.

Organic denim panel and (believe it or not!) Ikea fabric for the body!

Bettina Liano denim body with the gorgeous Saffron Craig's Magical Lands at the base.

Welcome to Wonderland ...

I thought I'd pop up some peeks of tonight's Gossamer Dreams stocking :) The theme is 'Welcome to Wonderland', which is everything whimsical and fairytale.

We have some stunning work from guest WAHMs Pint, Willow and Moo, Baby Bullfrogs, Hobgoblin House and earthchild. All stock will go live at 8pm AEST tonight!

Size 4 Little Red Riding Hood Marieke Skirt.

Size 2 Fairytale Jeans set

Size 1 Peter Pan and the Lost Boys Jeans set.

Farmyard Adventure ... part 2

This is the other half of the RoarKiss 'Farmyard Adventure' collaboration from this month's Gossamer Dreams. Check out the Cherub's Kiss blog for the matching nappies :)

And the winner is ...

Random number 11 .... Anna from Howie & Charlie! Congratulations!

Please send me at email at tigernautjeans (at) gmail.com with you address so I can send your prize out to you! :D

Girly give-away!

Being a Mum to 2 boys, I need some goss on what girls love to wear!

I have up for grabs a pair of size 2 Tigernaut Jeans made in a gorgeous Sevenberry fine cord, with pink Matryoshka pockets.

To enter, simply tell me what you'd like to see for girls from Tigernaut Jeans this year (winter or summer). Do you want to see more jeans? Or more skirts? Which fabrics and prints do you prefer? I'd love to hear!

I'll draw the winner at 9pm (Vic time/AEDT) on Sunday night :D

Call for size 3 Testers!

Finally the size 3 testers are ready! (Remind me to never plan sewing projects again in the school holidays!)

I'm on the search for reliable and honest testers! The tester jeans are ready to post, and the testing period will run for 2 weeks after they're received. Although testers are full length jeans, they are made with light weight denim (considering we're in the height of summer!)

If you are interested, please send an email to: tigernautjeans (at) gmail.com by 8pm tomorrow night (Monday 31st Jan).

Please let me know in your email:

- Which size clothing your child is mainly wearing at the moment.
- Whether you child is toilet training (or able to try the jeans with both cloth nappies and undies).
- Whether you own a pair of size 2 Tigernaut Jeans shorts or jeans (for comparison). (Although I understand this may not be possible).


Thank you in advance for your help!

The Marieke Skirts ... and Gossamer Dreams

When I found out our Gossamer Dreams theme was 'Eden', no fabric better summed it up than Kristen Doran's 'Peacock Garden', which features sprawling flowers, and beautifully detailed peacocks (pictured above). I wanted to show it off as best I could, and after lots of scribbling and experimenting, I came up with the Marieke Skirt. It is fully lined, and made from the softest and lightest denim you'll ever find. The decorative panel extends the full width of the front panel, and when the wearer moves, you can see more of the fabric.

I hope you like it! I have 3 for sale at tonights Gossamer Dreams - stocking at 8pm EST.



Peacock Garden



Scandinavian Trees

I'm also very excited to have collaborated with Mel from Beetlebums to create a matching Scandinavian Trees set of a gorgeous (as always!) Beetlebums Pocket Nappy and size 2 Tigernaut Jeans shorts set. All proceeds will go to flood relief, and the auction bidding begins at 8pm tonight.

Vox Pop! Tigernaut Jeans beyond toilet training ...

For those who have children that have toilet trained, I would love to know how your Tigernauts fit 'on the other side'!

To be in the running to win a $15 gift voucher to spend at Tigernaut Jeans in 2011, please send your answers to the question below to: tigernautjeans (at) gmail.com. (Please read the Terms and Conditions at the bottom of this post before emailing).


I'd love to know:
- The age and approximate weight of your toilet trained child.
- The size of the Tigernaut Shorts or Jeans they're currently wearing.
- How you rate the fit of Tigernaut Jeans shorts or jeans after toilet training (too baggy, baggy but wearable, great fit or too tight, for example).
-Also, if you have older children, I'd love to know how long they can be worn for! (My 19kg 5 year can fit into DS2's size 2 shorts!)

Thanks in advance for your feedback!


Giveaway T&Cs:

-Winner is to be randomly drawn from the people to respond to the above questions at tigernautjeans (at) gmail.com.
-Voucher can be used towards the purchase of items from Tigernaut Jeans (www.tigernaut.com.au) only - not including Gossamer Dreams.
-Voucher is not redeemable in cash.
-Voucher is not a guarantee of a custom slot.
-The winner will be drawn and emailed on December 15th.

Like Mother like Son ...

... and Gossamer Dreams roundup!




I just had to take a shot of Mr 2 (nearly 3!) with this new bolt. It just so happens that he loves denim as much as his Mum! Perhaps I have a sewing recruit in waiting ;)

We've had our last Gossamer Dreams stocking for the year, and I thought I'd post a few pics of what I got up to. Gossamer Dreams will be back in the new year on the 15th January, 2011.

Oliver + S Bubbles Dresses

Cheeky penguin for a lottery with Cherub's Kiss.

Robot for 1st Birthday/Party set

Dr. Who?

Dr. Seuss, of course! Loads of fun, colour and handmade goodness previewing over at Gossamer Dreams now for an 8pm (QLD time) stocking!

Above is a size 2 'One Groovy Cat' set, and below is a size 1 'Mischief and Mayhem' set. As you can guess, I can't get enough of the red and white striped cuffs! Brilliant stuff, Robert Kaufman!

Time for some more photos.

Now Gossamer Dreams is done and dusted for another month, I thought I'd include some full-sized pics of a couple of the Tigernaut Jeans offerings. Its time to put away the bats and the spiders, and wait patiently for the cute and pretty fabric to arrive for next month's stocking!

While GD went live on Friday night, I was at the Smashing Pumpkins concert at Festival Hall. Fittingly, their last song was called Gossamer :) The rest of the crowd had mixed feelings about their newer material (as did I) but when the older songs came on, the crowd hit the roof. There are no words to explain how incredible it is to be only metres away from a band who have had such a profound effect on your life (and to share that experience with thousands of people who feel the same). Billy Corgan, you're one sublime genius!

Anyhoo, back to the pics!

Fly by Night Shorts set, size 2

Echino Gathered bag with Echino Cobweb Purple fabric.

Ghost Power! Set, size 1.

The 11th Hour skirt set, size 3

Phantasmagoria!

Bong! goes the bell in the rickety tower, Twelve times ... that means it's spooky hour!*

Coming up this Friday at Gossamer Dreams we have bats, fairytales and fairies, skulls, ghosts, witches and spiders!

Phantasmagoria is the theme , and I thought I'd quote Lesley's description on the Gossamer Dreams blog to explain:

phan·tas·ma·go·ri·a (fn-tzm-gôr-, -gr-) also phan·tas·ma·go·ry (fn-tzm-gôr, -gr)n. pl. phan·tas·ma·go·ri·as also phan·tas·ma·go·ries1.a. A fantastic sequence of haphazardly associative imagery, as seen in dreams or fever.b. A constantly changing scene composed of numerous elements.2. Fantastic imagery as represented in art.

I can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to - this is going to be a stocking to remember! I've had loads of fun using fabric I wouldn't normally use ... lots of purple, and lots of Echino - perfect!

'Fly by Night' with red Echino bats.

Echino Cobwebs

One groovy ghost!

*From the brilliant Tony Mitton and Guy Parker-Rees' book 'Spookyrumpus' (pub. 2004 by Orchard Books).

Cloth Nappy Hunt prize

Well, the Cloth Nappy Hunt is done and dusted for another year! Its been a blast! Before I knuckle down to (at least) a couple of hours cleaning my sewing room, I will announce the winner of the Tigernaut Jeans Cloth Nappy Hunt prize. (You may remember that anyone who purchased from my website during the hunt was eligible to go in the running for a skirt or pair of shorts or jeans).

The winner is: Karen D'Cunha!

Congratulations Karen - I'll send you an email shortly!

The next time you'll see Tigernaut Jeans is as Gossamer Dreams on Friday 15th October. Our theme this month is Phantasmagoria - a mix of fantasy, supernatural and sci-fi! My fabric has arrived today, and I can't wait to get sewing!

Tigernaut Jeans - minus the denim!

I almost forgot to post these pics - they're my latest adventures in breaking away from denim (as much as I still love it!) The above pic is 'Midnight Forest' on a Helmut Lang pinstripe, and below is 'Red Lightning' on Houndstooth Plaid (from Gossamer Dreams).

Using different fabrics has been a huge source of inspiration - there will definitely be more experimentation! And if you have a fabric that you'd love to see - feel free to let me know!

We have a winner!

The winner of the Facebook draw for a free custom skirt or pair of shorts is .... N Turner! Congratulations! Please send me an email at tigernautjeans @ gmail.com to discuss what you'd like!

Almost at 250 FB fans ... and Gossamer Dreams!

I'll be giving away a free custom skirt or pair of shorts in size 0, 1 or 2 once we reach 250 Facebook fans! (Although I'm not allowed to mention it on FB :)) If we're at the magic number by 7.30pm tomorrow night, Monday 20th September I'll make the draw then. Anyone who is a liker at that point will be included! Good luck!

I had a massive blast at the last Gossamer Dreams, and thought I'd include some pics of what I made. The theme was 'Paint the Town Red'.

Red Lightning, size 2

Apple Crunch skirt, size 2

Gossamer Dreams!

Gossamer Dreams is coming back this Sunday, 15th August at 8pm! I have been very lucky to have been asked to be one of the new contributors, along with Jodie from Nappies Covered. We are joining the original gorgeous Gossamer Dreams WAHMs: Lesley from Cherub's Kiss, Mel from Beetlebums and Stacey from Outrageous! Oh - and not to forget our fabulous guest WAHM - Pint!

Here is a sneak peak of one of my first items - Whistler Whale.



See you on Sunday!