A bag for the birthday boy ...

Many thanks for replies to my previous post - I now know what little boys like!! As I was running out of time I rather surprised myself with deciding to make a bag!




The brown cord and green cotton were thrifted earlier this year.



It all looked rather plain until I added the train.

This is the first bag I've made so I was really pleased with how it turned out- especially since I didn't use a pattern. I've found that when using thrifted fabric you have to make something for the fabric rather than use the fabric to make a certain pattern - does that make sense?!!!


Anyhow, I really enjoyed making it and seeing it turned out well has definitely spurred me on to trying out some other things.

Giveaway results and thanks

And the winner is .....



... Michelle. Thanks for all the comments and congrats!

And I was also the lucky recipient of a box full of goodies earlier this week:

a box full of thrifted woollen jumpers which were already felted!!! A huge big thank you to Amy of Seven Stitches who mentioned she had a rather large stash and very generously donated some to me! Thanks so much Amy - I will now have to put them to good use! xx

What are little boys made of?

I have a very quick question for you.

What do little boys like?

I have been making presents for the last couple of years but this is the first time that I have to make a present for a little boy and I don't know what to do - we don't know many little boys!!! He's one of Maia's friends from Kindy and has just turned 5. If anyone can think of something to make, something quick and easy that is because it's his party on Sunday!, then I really would appreciate some advice! Many thanks. x

Giveaway Reminder

Just to remind you that I am currently running a 1st birthday giveaway for a little dress and reversible sunhat. Click here and leave a comment to be in the draw. The winner will be picked on Wednesday. Good luck!!!

Crafting with 2 pre-schoolers ...

It's the perennial question that crafters, who are mothers, ask - to craft or not to craft (when the children are in the vicinity)?!

Sometimes I'm in the mood for children and sometimes I'm not. Sometimes it feels like I will never get anything done because I have the children with me and sometimes it doesn't. Do you snatch 5 minutes whilst they are happily engaged in another activity? Do you engage them in your activity and realise that progress will be MUCH slower? Do you wait until they are all tucked up in bed? And then realise that you're just too damn tired to do it yourself?

We've had friends staying for the last couple and they left mid-morning. We had a brilliant time and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, however 4 adults, 4 children under 5, 2 dogs and exceedingly heavy rain does mean a certain amount of tiredness!!! Added to that a few bottles drunk, great food eaten and lots of talking - well you get the picture! Can you actually get a hangover from talking? It certainly feels like I have had one today.

So the name of the game today was to t.a.k.e. i.t. s.l.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.w.w.w.w.w. but having not done any sewing for a few days I was tempted. I took the bull by the horns and decided to start filling the patches I had made for my puff patchwork blanket. Maia was happily involved in writing 'letters' and drawing pictures for her penpal and Cassia was put to work!

The filling for the patches is the inside of an old pillow. Now, this is a compromise. I know it's not a natural material which would be my preference but it is re-using something I already have so I go with it. When old pillows become lumpy and uncomfortable they can be thrown in the washing machine and then the filling is good to fill things with! I decided to let Cassia into the pillowcase of filling. All good to begin with and she actually did fill some of the pockets however, it was not long before the filling became snow and was scattered about everywhere!

Maia then realised that we were playing with 'fluff' and decided she wanted to help too. Now to be fair she did really help and filled lots of the pockets whilst I sewed them up. My two little helpers, or is that one little helper and one little hinderer?!

On reflection was it worth it? So I had a lot of 'fluff' to tidy up and had to be the 'fluff' monitor a couple of times but, today, it was definitely worth it. I got all 108 filled and closed - hurray!!!!!

My Creative Space

Another litte case full of sewing goodness!! I mentioned on this post about my oldest WIP so here it is in progress. To date all the patches are assembled (108) and 10 are now filled and closed.



Not that I'm expecting to do too much over the next few days because we have a houseful of guests - and I'm loving it!!!



Pop over to Kirsty's to see some more creative spaces.



Reminder: 1st brithday giveaway - either scroll down or click here

The results of a busy Sunday ...

On Sunday we had a very quiet stay at home day and I got lots achieved - playing, cleaning, baking, mending and sewing. I made a start on a puff patchwork blanket, my eldest WIP, and did some bits and pieces for the children. I found two pretty ballerina skirts in the ardrobe when I was at home and claimed them! Even though they had never been worn the elastic had deteriorated so I replaced it and have two happy little fairies/ballerinas (they're so quick I don't have a photo yet!). And to go with the skirts some fairy leggings.



Fairy leggings? I bought both girls 4 pairs of tights last winter in the UK and they were worn A LOT. They came back with me from the most recent trip and have been worn this NZ winter. That's a lot of wear and I could only darn the toes so many times before they really became unwearable. But it was only the toes that were worn through so I thought I'd try and make leggings. I cut the feet off just above the heel shaping and did a plain zig-zag around the raw edge. The unexpected result? A lovely lettuce edge which gave rise to fairy leggings!

And if you think that you've seen this bum before somewhere else you would be right - here!

And for the easiest refashion in the world? Take one pair of pyjama bottoms that are too small for your youngest (even if she didn't have them pulled all the way up her tummy like an old man!)





and put a little trim from your stash around the bottom and hey presto you have a pair of summer pedal pushers for your eldest. So is this refashion? Upcycle? Recycle? Or just a good old hand me down - or hand me up in this case.



I do apologise for the pictures but they do look quite nice in real life!

I also turned the stitching which could be seen here into a bookmark.

It's for my mum for her birthday so features Maia's drawing of Nannan and a balloon. I backed it with a very simple patchwork piece. The pink sawn fabric I had as a child and the pink fabric on the ends was some leftovers from the first blanket I made Maia.

Don't you love how you can add some history and personalise homemade items? x