Fifty Cent Sun Dress: Lessons Learnt in Sewing with Knit Fabric and a Giveaway!

Finally, I have turned a market bargain into a sweet little sun dress!

A metre square of turquoise coloured stretch terry cloth for 50 cents caught my eye in a cardboard box last spring.

My favourite colour of course and the fabric reminded me of the dresses my mum used to where in the seventies.  I had to have it.

With Dana's Warhol Dress pattern and tutorial I have sewn my first dress for my little girl.  It is the perfect just been on the beach dress, or poolside dress.

 And, have I learned sew, sew much about sewing with knit fabric in just one dress!

Janome - my temporarily adopted sewing machine is much cleverer than me.  She knows more than me and harbours much wisdom of which I am yet to understand.    I have discovered a stitch called "overcasting", which seems to be very close to overlocking.  This is the stitch I used making this dress, it looks more professional that zig zag.

I also learned that when sewing knit fabric it is much better to have a longer stitch.  I seemed to go no where fast when sewing with short stitches and knit fabric.

Apparently, there is also a ball point needle which is better to use when sewing knit as it does not break a hole.  It is also possible to use a twin or double needle to hem knit fabric creating that professional double hem with over locking stitch on the reverse.

I am very excited about sewing with more knit.  However I have decided that I really must have an overlocker, despite finding the overcast stitch on Janome.  I think a second hand overlocker would be perfect.  And I have been given many cones of thread.....

Sadly I can't use them, and I have no idea how to go about finding a good overlocker.  So, I would love to give away the following bundles to homes who will appreciate them.

Pack one - Citrus Zing (lime is a woven thread)

Pack two - Summer Sea Blues (turquoise is a woven thread)

There are two bundles, each include a roll of woven thread.  To enter please join my facebook page and leave me a tip on how to find and buy a second hand overlocker, or a tip on sewing or overlocking with knit fabrics. Oh and let me know which trio you might prefer.  

I will draw winners on April 2, 2012     x

My Creative Space: A Quilted Headboard

Now that my big girl is in her bed, and we have rearranged her room she really needed a head board.  But my goodness to buy these things are expensive!  It seems even more so if you are looking for character or originality.  I still find my self being hit with a barrage of pink when looking for anything slightly girly. Perhaps I am looking in the wrong places, please redirect me if you think I am.

All of this led me to "Why don't I make it myself".  Armed with mdf, some timber, batting, foam, a few power tools, spray adhesive, buttons and sewing machine we have this... a quilted white head board with randomly sized and placed buttons.  I love spray adhesive - it has come in handy for a few things.

Luckily you cannot see the back of the head board.  The back is purely functional and hardly pretty.  Problem is that when her blinds and curtains are open you can see a corner of the poor finishing through the window.  One day, when my belly is back to normal size I shall felt the back and tidy it all up.

In the meanwhile KB adores her head board.  I could not believe how excited she was to have it up.  It has proven to become a wonderful bedtime quiet game tool too.  KB counts the buttons, we match buttons and she practices her colours.  Who knows what we might do with the buttons next!

Now KB has a  hand crafted head board to match her up cycled Dr Seuss foot stool.

Check out more creative goodness from the Creative Space community here.

A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood...

We celebrated our daughters second birthday during the weekend.  One of her favourite books is the “Gruffalo” so we celebrated to this theme.  

KB wears her home made ears and tail - she was of course the mouse!  Her cousin proudly wore his home made Gruffalo costume. My sister is very clever!!

KB’s most favourite sweets are marshmallows, so requested a chocolate and marshmallow birthday cake.  This became a chocolate swiss roll filled with home made marshmallow, covered in chocolate and decorated as a log from the deep, dark wood.  I managed to craft a wee (well actually he is quite tubby) fondant mouse - eating the nut.

We also had scrambled snake (scrambled egg with sushi roll), owl icecream, roasted fox (chicken) sandwiches and Gruffalo crumble.  

The crumble was a home made apple crumble with boysenberries for his purple prickles, green grapes for his poisonous wart, his orange eyes were apricots and his black tongue was licorice erupting from the crumble.  It was delicious!!

The table setting was the woodland scene complete with edible toadstools and leaves.

I now get to look forward to my nephews birthday and working with my sister on creating something fun for him!!!

Happy Birthday my Little Mouse x

Trilly for Trelise

Meet Trilly.  This wonderful little tweet heart is my first ever hand made softie.

The hand drawn pattern for Trilly was inspired by the wonderful fabric I have for my daughters quilt (yet to be constructed).  I am so very proud of her as I managed to use the applique stitches on my adopted sewing machine (a very flash Janome - with a touch screen) and my first attempt at applique.

Trilly was a hand made gift for Trelise who recently turned one!  Trilly winged her way to New Plymouth with me on my first girls weekend away since KB was born.  I have so much to post about that weekend!

Janome locked up on me when I attempted to created Trilly's sibling as she was in desperate need of a service.  Months later all serviced and eager to go I have Janome back and can crack on with the next "hundred" or so sewing projects on my mind!

Celebrating Matariki - A Te Reo Story Table

"Ko wai to ingoa?"  

"What is your name?"

"Ko Rochelle toku ingoa"

"My name is Rochelle"

My beautiful and linguistic sister - Bella, is a teacher of Te Reo Maori and Kapa Haka at a Rudolph Steiner School.  She is full of courage and passion.  Passion for learning te reo - while our family are of Maori descent we did not speak Maori, yet she is driven to learn and share the reo.  Courage to take her passion for learning into a role where she is not a fluent speaker but a wonderful connector and learner herself.  Courage to step into a different school environment one which at times is in contrast to what she has trained for.

Steiner share stories to learn with and from.  So Bella wrote the story of Matai the Moa, an orphan in search of friendship.  The story is sprinkled with te reo with a focus on asking another's name and giving your name in response.

I loved her story so much that I set about illustrating it with Steiner style crafts, with knitting and felt.

Matai lives alone in a tomo (cave).

He ventures outside (ki waho) into the forest one morning.  Matai comes across a small bird, with a long beak snuffling among the leaves under a ponga tree.
"Ko wai to ingoa" asks Matai,
"Ko Kiwi toku ingoa" replies the bird before retreating into his burrow to sleep.

Matai Moa reaches a glade filled with beautiful music.  He peers into a Kowhai tree to see a bird singing happily.

"Ko wai to ingoa?"
The bird replies "Ko Tui toku ingoa",
"Kia Ora Tui, ko Matai Moa toku ingoa, could you teach me to sing as beautifully as you do?"
Tui says she will, but not until she has finished her morning song.

Matai Moa makes his way onward meeting many more native birds.... and the story continues to a very fulfilling conclusion.  The above is an abridged version of her writing, but hopefully will give you some idea of it.

Story telling without expectation is a powerful learning tool and story tables allow our little ones to revisit and retell the story they have heard when they choose.

I love this story too as it relates to the elements of Matariki including the whenua (land), Papatuanuku's gifts, connections with others and knowing who we are and how we relate to others. Ka pai mahi!

While K and I have enjoyed the story at home, she likes to recreate her own version with the props and characters we will also share it at Playcentre as a point from which our session children and parents can learn some reo.  I am very nervous about leading this!

However, if Bella can be so courageous I am sure I can be too!

Easter Biscuits and Rupert Rabbit

 

I love Afghan biscuits - mostly when others make them.  Our friend Lee makes the most amazing Afghan's with caramel hidden under the icing!  Oh my gosh!  These helped me through the first few days of breastfeeding - so delicious.

She shared this idea with us too - Afghan's topped with mini easter eggs.  I must admit I was reluctant to make these as no Afghan measures up to the Caramel version and I often end up with the mixture which becomes too crumbly to eat.  Fortunately, K adds the magic touch when she bakes (many touches actually!) and they turned out just right.

It is quite challenging for a nearly two year old to decorate this type of baking without the eggs being mysteriously redirected to her mouth rather than the biscuit.  I guess you might expect that from a little girl deprived of many sweet things - she has a boring old Mum!!  K did struggle to eat her bikkie at the end of her hard work - over the sugar I think?

We have had a wee visitor turn up too.  He is a little shy.  Rupert the Rabbit is warming to the camera.  I will tell you more about him when he relaxes a little!

A Busy Book Swap for your Little Ones and for Starship

... a collaboration between Mousehouse and Focussed Lenz

Are you keen to make your own busy book like Megan's for your little ones? Would you like to participate in a swap to make a busy book with other crafty people? Well, here's a way to keep it simple and get a book made without having to make all of the different pages yourself!

Who can participate?

Any NZ residents who would like to join in.  If you live beyond our kiwi shores and are very keen to participate drop me an email and we can see what we can do.

How it works

You choose a page theme (like buttons, clips, zips, threading or anything else your crafty imagination comes up with!) and you make five of the same page.  Then I'll send you the names and contact details of four participants with whom you will swap pages. 

So you keep one of your pages for your own book, send the other four to your swap group, and you'll get four in the mail back from your swap group. And don't worry, I'll make sure you are in a group with people making different page themes so you don't end up with four zip pages!  

Your book will have five pages, one page that you've made and four from other kiwi crafters! (And you'll have to make your own cover of course)

Dimensions and Specifications

Your page needs to be made using two pieces of fabric, one for the the front and one for the back. The overall dimensions will be 28cm across by 24cm down, this includes a seam allowance of 1cm for the edge of the pages and a 2cm allowance for the spine.  This should allow enough room for the busy book to be collated in the method we individually choose.

Create your page on the front piece of fabric, then put right sides together, sew around the page edges leaving the spine edge open for turning, turn right side out and top stitch around the whole page to close the gap and make the page nice and flat.

Registrations close May 28, 2011 and then you'll have until the end of August to post your pages to your swap group.

How to join in

Complete the registration form at the end of this post.  Make sure you scroll to the bottom of the form and click on 'submit' to finish. 

Follow this blog for future updates.  Share our Busy Book Block Swap button on your blog and with other passionate crafters.

I will email you once I have received your registration.  If you don’t hear from me, please leave a comment below x

Busy Books for our Starship Littlies

And here's an idea- would you also like to participate in creating some busy books for the children in Starship hospital? 

To participate in this, all you have to do is make one more page (so make 6 pages instead of 5) and your page will be put into a book with other crafters’ and sent to Starship. We'll also need people to help assemble the Starship books and make covers for them once the pages are all in.

If you are keen to do this, let me know in the registration form.

My mind is whirring with many ideas so I am looking forward to swapping busy book blocks with you !!!

Thanks heaps to Megan @ Mousehouse for supporting this idea and inspiring us with her creativity!

My Creative Space - retro, garden and camo cake!

Well I have been in awe of many creative bloggers this year.  Intrigued to by their "Creative Space" posts. So this week I am being brave and entering the connected creative space world!!

In amongst my menagerie of creative moments and projects I enjoy cake making and creating.  Here are a few of my cake creations.

A camo wedding cake for a paintball themed wedding- with 75 cupcakes!  The wedding theme was beautifully and delicately woven into  the day.  The most remarkable bridal party bouquets of flowers surrounding a paintball gun I have or will ever see!

My daughter's first birthday cake creation for the theme of a "Garden" - her most favourite place.  This one was a collaborative effort between my sister and I.  She made the glorious butterfly biscuits.  As K is a mid winter baby I dressed the table with a spring time vintage theme to brighten and lighten the season.

 

My nephew's second birthday cake - for his real birthday.  His favourite insect.  His Mum made him a police car for his party the following day.  It was magnificent.

A retro caravan for the most amazing and dear friend ever.  This one was quite a challenge to give, as she is the queen of the most delicious birthday cakes ever and the cake itself was not as grand as the icing!


I am already looking forward to the next creative cake opportunity...yum x