Urban Stitches Melbourne

Last weekend I went with 2 of my lovely friends down to Urban Stitches in Melbourne.  It was at the Novatel in Glen Waverley - great location and easy to find.  Melanie Dekker of "Melly & Me", Leanne Beasley of "Leannes House" and Rosalie Quinlan of  "Rosalie Quinlan Designs" were the three designers there.  They all had their beautiful samples & quilts on display which were just amazing.  I don't know how these ladies find the time to do all this amazing work!  We also received goodie bags filled with three fully kitted patterns - one from each designer, plus all the threads, some fabrics, needles and scissors.   We had a lovely day stitching, shopping (Under the Mulberry Tree had a shop setup) and indulging in a beautiful lunch and just relaxing and taking some time out for ourselves. 

Just some of the samles and quilts on display

My lovey friends Jenelle & Lisa

More samples

I managed to start stitching Melly's project which is a beautiful bag with embroidery on the front called 'Birds of a Feather'.  Thanks girls for a lovely day out stitching!

Happy Sewing!

Jody

Uptown girl jacket

I just realised it has been a while since my last post - but I'm back!  I just finished a jacket for my daughter yesterday and we managed to get a couple of photos this morning.  This is the 'big Uptown girl' jacket (sizes 6 - 10 yrs) by Make it Perfect.  I used Natalie Lymer's 'Woodland' fabric range for this that I just LOVE.  The jacket was very easy and quick to make so I would definately recommend this pattern.  We are going to add one or two press studs just to keep the jacket closed a bit more - but otherwise my daughter and I are very happy with it. 

I am also very excited about going to Melbourne with a couple of friends to 'Urban Stitches' at the Novatel in Glen Waverly.  It's a stitching day with Melanie Dekker of 'Melly & Me', Leanne Beasley of 'Leanne House' & Rosalie Quinlan of 'Rosalie Quinlan Designs'.  So it should be a fun day for us all.  I'll post some pictures when we get back.

Happy Sewing!

Jody



FNSI results

I managed to get the middle section of my quilt done last night for the Friday Night Sew In.  It's going to be a single bed size roughly - and it will live on the back of the couch and can be used to snuggle under when we're cold.  I love this fabric - it's Saffron Craig's 'owls nesting' range.

Happy Sewing!
Jody

Friday Night Sew In

It's Friday Night Sew In tomorrow night.  So I'm going to start a project that I've been wanting to do for ages - it's the perfect excuse to do it.  So come on and join us!

Happy Sewing!
Jody 

Santa's Little Helpers - in Tilda Fabric

I made up a new sample of my 'Santa's Little Helpers' in the new Tilda fabrics.  I think they look lovely in these fabrics, so thought I would show them to you too. 

Happy Sewing!
Jody

Custom design doll

Well I'm still very busy, but I have managed to fit in some sewing.  This doll is a custom designed doll made using an image/logo on a business card.  So it was an interesting process of taking this business card and coming up with the design and pattern to make the doll.  I enjoyed the challenge and I do love the whole design process and coming up with a unique softie in the end.  It feels good to design and create something again as it has been awhile since I've had the time to do this.  The feedback I got from the lady that received her was really good - so that makes me happy, and makes it all worthwhile.  So here she is.

Have a lovely day and Happy Sewing!
Jody

Wow - where has the last month gone!

Busy, busy, busy!  Yes - that's me right now and it has been that way for the last month or so.  I have had heaps on - doing a Safe Food Handling course, organising the Catering at our local Field Days, doing my TAFE course in Children's Services, feeding poddy calves, looking after my parents dogs, starting my sewing class with the Grade 6's at school, Auskick with my son, mother's day stalls at school.....and the list could go on and on!  I haven't been able to get alot of sewing done amongst all of that - but I can show you another Magoo Monkey I made, that's for a newborn baby girl. 

Hoping things will slow down soon - but I don't think they will!  But that's ok - I don't mind too much, I do actually enjoy being busy - I probably wouldn't know what to do with myself if I wasn't!
Have a lovely day and Happy Sewing!
Jody

Chick and Egg

I made this cute reversible Chick & Egg for both my kids for Easter.  Such a clever idea - a reversible toy!  You turn it inside out and the egg becomes a chick and turn it back again to become an egg.  The kids loved them.

This pattern is designed by the talented Abby Glassenberg.  I bought this from her Etsy shop and the pattern was emailed through and I managed to make them up just before Easter Sunday.   A great way to use up some polar fleece scraps of fabric and they didn't take very long to make at all.

Here's something else I have been making too.  These are the party bags for my daughter's birthday party this weekend.  There will be 5 girls and 2 boys so I made all the girls ones using the Woodland range of fabric by Natalie Lymer.  I just love this fabric range.  The boys fabric was some I had in my stash and originally came from Spotlight.

This pattern is by Monica Solorio-Snow of Happy Zombie.  She calls them Small Treat Totes and it is a free pattern you can get from HERE. 

Have a lovely day!
Jody

Sally & Magoo

My daughter has been busy sewing yesterday and today and she has just finished her 'Sally' dog.  This is a Ric Rac pattern called 'Sally and Smith'  by Jodie Carleton and especially designed for beginners.  It is a fantastic pattern - all the instructions are well thought out and gives you very specific steps at every stage.  So my daughter was able to read through the instructions herself and understand what they mean.  I gave her a little help in some areas - but she managed to do everything including sewing on the button eyes, sewing and attaching the ears and embroidering the mouth on too. 

I also made up another Magoo monkey (Melly & Me design) just before the school holidays started.  So here he is just hanging out in the cubby house.

I hope you all have lovely Easter!
Jody
  

A few more things...

I should be doing bookwork & cleaning my house - but I thought I'd write up a quick post first!  Here are a couple of things I made recently.  The first are some pyjama's and dressing gown for my daughter's kinder girl doll.  This is another pattern that goes with the Kinder Girls pattern by Jodie Carleton from RicRac.  I have had this pattern for a while - but have only just got around to making these for her.

The next photo is a spider I made for my son to wear for Creepy Crawly day at school today.  All the preps and grade 1's had to come dressed as Creepy Crawlies - so he wanted to wear a spider.  But it had to be the Spiderman spider (the one that bit Spiderman and gave him his spidery powers!).  My son was very specific about that!  So here he is wearing his Spiderman spider.  He was very happy with it.

Now - better get back to my bookwork and cleaning!
Happy sewing!
Jody

FNSI Results

Last night was Friday Night Sew In again.  I find this is always a good excuse to get a project finished off - so last night I managed to get these little bean bags completed.  These are actually for an assignment that I am doing at TAFE as I am studying my Certificate III in Children's Services this year.  These bean bags are part of my Quiet Time box I am putting together for pre-school children.  They can stack them, count them, it helps them recognise numbers and they can also use them in a game of toss the bean bag into a box.

I made these from a tutorial put together by Holly Keller of Beeper Bebe.  She has some great tutorials for babies and children on her site so it is worth checking out.  

Also pop over and see what the other participants of Friday Night Sew In got up too. 

Earlier in the week I also finished this Kinder Girl.  I do love this design by Jodie Carleton from Ric Rac.  I have made one of these before and I love using the doctors flannel wool fabric for the body as it's so soft and warm and the reversible dress and jacket are just great.  Great for a baby or child of any age.

Sorry the photos of her aren't the best quality - it was early in the morning when I took them. 

Happy sewing everyone!

Jody

A mouse in the house!

As you may or may not know, we live out on a farm out in East Gippsland, Victoria.  Over the last week or so we have had heaps of rain - no flooding thank goodness - but definitely a lot of rain.  One of the common problems we deal with living out on a property is rats and mice.  Normally they stick to the machinery and hay sheds - but with the season we have had they have multiplied so much and they just seem to be everywhere.  It is not uncommon for the dogs to leave me 'presents' of the odd dead rat, mouse or hare near the clothesline. 

Well, on Tuesday morning I opened the door to the laundry to let our cat out (she sleeps in there at night) and she presented me with a 'present' of a lovely (dead - thank goodness) mouse.  I was extremely proud of her - as this is the first mouse she has caught (and she is only 6 months old) - and then also a little worried as she had obviously caught it during the night INSIDE the house in the laundry.   I can only imagine that it was trying to get out of the rain and find a nice dry spot to live and it somehow squeezed under the outside laundry door.  I looked around but found none of it's friends or relatives and so left it at that. 

I did not expect, however, to open the case on my sewing machine this morning, and open the compartment that holds the sewing tools, sewing machine feet etc and find that THAT was where the mouse had been living!  How dare it!  I could not believe my eyes.  I was - and still am, very upset that the little mouse had camped out IN MY SEWING MACHINE!   I had only put the machine on the floor in the laundry on Sunday when I was cleaning up as we were having friends over for tea.  Normally it lives on my dining room table.  So in two days a mouse had set up camp there - I couldn't believe it!  I haven't done any sewing all week - so today was the first chance I had to take the machine out.  I have just finished cleaning and disinfecting now.  Thank goodness we have a cat and that she caught this mouse before it did any more damage or got into the rest of the house.  So a big cheer for our cat Mittens!

Well done and keep up the great work!  And here's a warning to any other mice - stay clear of my house and especially my sewing machine - there is a cat on patrol! 
Jody

Mini Monsters & Cuddly Bears

The last couple of weeks I have been busy sewing these little guys and getting them ready for our local Makers Market that was on last weekend.  I made all of these from polar fleece which makes them soft and cuddly.  The first photo shows you my Mini Monsters that I made.   

These next three teddy bears I've called Cuddly Bears.  I designed and made my first cuddly bear last year for my friends daughter who was going to hospital to have her tonsils out.  I thought it would be nice for her to have a little friend to take, so Cuddly Bear was created.  She named it Cuddly Bear and I thought it was a great name - so the name has stuck.  The first photo is the original cuddly bear and then the next photo shows the other three that I made for the market.

I then also decided to make a mini Cuddly Bear too, which I thought was really cute.

The market went really well, and we had quite a good crowd through despite the rainy weather.  It's always great to see so many stall holders that make such wonderful handmade items.

Happy sewing!
Jody

Friday Night Sew In Results

Last night was Friday Night Sew In and I managed to get 'Tweet' finished.  Tweet is part of the 'Hooty & Tweet' pattern by Melly & Me.  I have made this one a few times now and I think they are very sweet.
So here is 'Tweet'.

Drop over and see what everyone else did for Friday Night Sew In.  Thanks to Heidi & Bobbi for hosting these Friday Night Sew In's - they are great fun. Happy Sewing!
Jody

First day of school & the Fiesta bag

Well - the kids have been back at school for a week now and are starting to settle into the routine.  My son started prep this year and has been so excited about being a big school boy.  It has been a big change for him and his sister as now she has her little brother at school too.
Here they both are ready for their first day at school.

I have also been very busy sewing and getting ready for our local Makers Market next month.  So I have heaps of things in various stages of completion!  I will show you once I have them finished.    I am also going to Melbourne for a day next week and needed a new handbag in certain colours to take, so I made the 'Fiesta' bag up over the last couple of days. 

It is a Melly & Me design from her Kaleidoscope book.  It is a great design and has a nice big zip along the top so nothing can fall out.  It is also very roomy so can fit quite a lot in it too.  I love being able to make up a bag in the exact colours and style that I like.  I love the fact that it makes it unique and my kind of bag.  I can see this bag will quickly become a favourite of mine and it is already holding everything I need in it!   
Happy sewing!
Jody