Op shop finds and a couple more blocks ...

One of the weekend's garage sale was more like an English jumble sale - in a church halls and mostly clothes piled high on trestles.  Unlike an English jumble sale there was no queue to get in, no entry fee and you could fill a bag up for $2 - how can you not like that.  Most of the things I found are to be used for the material - silk, linen, wool and a couple of stripy jersey tops to make some trousers for the girls.

a small selection of my finds!

and a couple of items were put in the bag solely for the buttons!

Some vintage embroidered doilies from the local op shop

Embroidery detail

Now you might be asking isn't the second photo just another close up shot?  Well you would be right!  But it's the BACK of the doily.  Can you believe it?  The neatness of the work is amazing - and I got the whole set for 50c!

I'm still working away on my quilt top from the ANZAC Bee - it's maybe about 2/3 done now!  A couple of extra blocks I've made:

appliqueed tumbling hearts block

paper pieced heart awaiting border

I can't seem to be able to get into anything but the heart quilt so I had better get it finished soon to allow some other creating into my life!  (And also get the kitchen table and spare bed back!!!!) xx

What a wonderful weekend ...

including lots of my favourite things.  

Saturday was filled with:

garage sales

op shoppping

coffee

clear blue sunny skies

washing drying outside in winter - including some of my garage sales finds

outside playing

being able to have the windows and doors open all day

our beautiful rosemary which will be full of the beautiful flowers from now until December

playing about with my ANZAC Bee blocks

sewing

Sunday dawned grey and wet so a day inside was called for, including:

cleaning

friends for morning tea and playing

sorting through my op shop finds

reading the Sunday papers

more coffee

a little bit more sewing on my quilt top

cooking something new for tea.

chicken and mushroom pie followed by ice cream - delicious!

All in all a lovely time had by all.  How was yours? x

My creative space ...

has been very busy these last few weeks.  I'm heading off to a market tomorrow (well just going down the road really - Feilding Craft Market, Civic Centre, Feilding running from Friday to Sunday) and have been knee deep in preparations.

Wrap around reversible baby/toddler dresses

If you fancy seeing some of things either scroll down or click here for cushions, here for neckwarmers and pencil cases or here for bunting!  Sounds rather eclectic writing it down like that doesn't it?!

Made from linen/cotton mix fabric originally from a ladies shirt

The checked fabric is thrifted cotton

The buttons are vintage mother of pearl

And the hanger is thrifted!!!  

Hence why there is a little scrap cotton tie around the hanger - 

otherwise it keeps falling through the hole!

The idea was to sell children's clothes made from vintage and recycled material but as I was making them I realised you've no real idea what size to make and you only have a limited amount of fabric of each pattern.  I have a bit of a problem cutting into fabric at the best of time, see here, and so thought that if I had some clothes for sale but then advertised that I would custom make clothes from their choice of fabric. Don't know how that will go but here's hoping!

The beige linen is from ladies skirt

The floral cotton is from a vintage pillowcase

The buttons are from my stash

The little applique bird is on the back of this one as a little surprise!

For more market items you may like to click here.

In celebration I am running a giveaway, see here for what's up for grabs, but leave a comment anywhere this week for an entry!

Phew!  And of course one last, but very much not the least, link - Kirsty over at kootoyoo is the very lovely lady who runs this each week - thanks so much!  Pop over there to have a look at other people's lovely creative spaces .... x

Keeping necks and pencils (!!) warm ...

I've wanted to make some neck warmers for a while now and used the market as the reason!  The prototype was made for Maia and she loves it so I thought I would make some more to sell.  The outside patchwork is from cotton from thrifted or offcut material and it is lined with flannette cotton, again thrifted.  They are finished with a vintage button from my stash!

Thumbs up from Maia and I love them for the reason that they keep little necks warm with no worries about long scarf ends flying around and getting trapped ....  In fact I think I'll make one up in adult size for me next week!

Some patchwork pencil cases made up from vintage sheets and pillowcases.  Again I made some for the girls a couple of months ago and they have had great reviews, from the girls and their friends - so here's hoping!

And now for a photo that makes me very happy.  After bemoaning to and commiserating with fellow bloggers over the phenomenon that is detailed below I was very happy to get this snap.

The phenomenon as experienced by this crafty mama, although I think you will all have a variety on the theme!

• Mum decides to make something for child

• Child likes the idea of having something made just for them

• Mum feels good that she is making something for them

• Mum finishes the something

• Child looks at the something as if it is a monster/disgusting/cat poo (delete as appropriate)

• Child will not try the something on

• Mum bribes child to try the something on so they can get a photo

• Either bribery fails and the photo is taken sans child or bribery works but the photo is ruined by child's face

So for the detail:

Maia, on the left, is wearing a hat I crocheted for her over 2 years ago.  In fact this item is an exception to the phenomenon mentioned above, she has always loved it.  She's also wearing the new patchwork neck warmer made last week.

Cassia, on the right, is wearing a neck warmer I crocheted her last year (the matching beanie is still in the wardrobe but with the temps right down low now I better get it out!).

The other reason I love this photo - my two girls are together - usually when the camera comes out they run as far from each other as possible! x

PS Don't forget the giveaway I'm running to celebrate my first ever market!

I'm off to a market ...

the Feilding Craft Market in fact.  Now it is technically my first market (I try to forget the one I attended at the beginning of Decmber where no-one came and then I was surrounded by a motorcycle club - yes it really did happen and I really am trying to forget!!!).  So, allowing for my bit of artistic licence, this is my first market!!!!

Wonder what's being made here?!

I'm excited, nervous, busy, tired, challenged to name but a few.  I was feeling rather reluctant to tell you that I'm doing a market but then I thought that was ridiculous because you may just be able to offer me some advice, tips, support ..... a shoulder to cry on!

Rainbow bunting

I would really appreciate any comments or feedback on the items I show this week.  Of course, it's not all one-sided I will also be having a GIVEAWAY!!!!!  What's up for grabs?  Bunting of course!  There is the rather lovely rainbow bunting as featured above and below or you may choose a more calming bunting made from reclaimed embroidered linens and doilies, which you can see over here or down below.  The choice is yours.

So how do you enter?  Just leave a comment.  In fact, every comment left this week, on any post, will result in ONE ENTRY TO THE DRAW.  If you fancy a few more then why not mention this giveaway on your blog and get 3 extra entries!

Bunting made with reclaimed vintage table runner which was worn in places

Bunting close up

All clear?  Wonderful!  Well good luck with the draw and of course good luck to me!!! xx

PS For more bunting madness don't forget to click here!

Thinking about the good things ...

It's raining.  It's raining very hard and has been for a fair few days now.  Over the last month one or other of us has been sick.  The washing seems never ending .............

It could be very easy to dwell on 'bad' things but I have decided to think about the 'good' things and give thanks!

First up thanks to Pippa from When I Get The Time who has awarded me a Beautiful Blogger Award - more about that in the next post.

Thanks to my girls who are just wonderful!!!  They are going through a phase where they love being together, whether it is creating, playing, exploring, imagining.  This last week they have been very busy with imaginative play, using any and everything they find or make for their stories and adventures.  This last week we have variously been in fairyland (they got there on the 'family' witches' broomsticks because they missed the plane), mermaid land, princess land, hospital, pen school (this is featuring a lot at the moment and comprises of all the different felt tips being real and having great adventures!), dressing up land, at the vets, in a cafe .....  in fact now I think about it again I don't know where we haven't been.  All it takes is a little something to spark their imagination and off they go.

Yesterday Maia decided to make a treasure hunt for me!  Treasure hunts are great events at our house and the girls love them.  They started with photos and are now words and some very basic stylised drawings.  The girls have bags they collect up the clues in and I think the journey is more rewarding than the actual 'treasure' for them  (although the lollipops they found yesterday went down quite well!).

The little drawings on the right are Maia's clues (a chair and a newspaper if you can't quite make them out!) and they led to my treasure - this wonderful picture.  Not to be outdone Cassia made Mummy some treasure too.  Hers are featured on the left hand side and are a ring and then the tiniest piece of paper she had cut out and coloured.  Very special treasure indeed!

Thanks to Kellie in The Australasian Bee for introducing me to quilt as you go - it is my new thing!!!!  Yesterday I was able to make another quilt as you go block.  I made a 17" square to make into a cushion.

The coloured strips are leftover from Kellie's block plus a few I had in my stash.  The white border is old cotton sheeting which I just found this week in the op shop.  I love the feel of it - it feels so substantial and I love that I'm reusing someone else's cast offs!  I decided to try a buttoned up back and was very happy with the results.

I already had the buttons and I thought the different colours go well with the bright colourful front.  Just got to put it together and then I'll be sure to post a pic!

And then a thanks to me!!!  Yes I have actually made myself something recently.  The little bag I made here has come in very handy as a portable work bag.

It's small but fits in all the things you need to make hexagons perfectly!  It's had a few outings this week and more hexagon flowers are being produced!  Due to my impatient nature I needed to do something with a flower rather than just keep them all for a bigger project so I made myself a needlecase.

I've never had one before and hated never being able to find a needle easily, if at all!  Now they are all together in one place, by my machine, in a lovely new home.  Best of all it was made by me all from scraps!  x

Maia made ...

On Good Friday we were given a very large bag of apples and I decided to stew them.  There were still some left on Easter Morning so I sat at the kitchen table to peel them and Maia sat with me.  She drew the picture she saw - how cool is that?!

An impromptu picture for Mum - the kind I love the best!

The bag that was started here is almost finished - the button is yet to be sewn on.  The girls were great and I thought they created really good bags.  It's quite amazing just what children can do when given the right environment and encouragement.

More sewing.  Amazing to think that Maia did all the sewing herself.  At first I didn't know whether I should sit there besides her but then I knew that I would find it VERY hard to stop butting in so I left.  Maia would call me when she had finished the bit she was working on and together we would look at the book and see what the next step was.  I sewed on the brooch fastening on the back  and cut out the small corners of the M but apart from that it is all "Maia Made"!

You might not know what this is!  Maia asked if she could have a couple of zips and off she went.  She made me a pencil case out of a zip, paper, felt tips and sellotape!!!

It now is now on my desk and houses a very special  thing - a piece of glass I saw blown at Poole Pottery just before I got  married!  Who knew I needed just such a pencil  case?!

Some people!

And now for something Mama made for Maia ...

I had found a linen/cotton shirt at the op shop that I never wore and, inspired by the creations over at Wardrobe Refashion, I thought I would make Maia a dress.  No pattern, no instructions just plain sewing.  I was really pleased with how it turned out, although I certainly didn't like using the bias binding (which I just happened to have in the same colour - amazing what op shops and hoarding can achieve!).  However, I have one small problem - she doesn't like it and won't wear it, in fact won't actually try it on .... and neither will her sister!  Oh well hopefully I'll have more luck next time. x

How apt ...

that I should find this book at a garage sale this morning when we are off on an Outdoor Survival Course tomorrow!  I know I should have been getting ready to go but garage sales are few and far between in this little town at the moment so I just had to go and have a look!  More goodies to show next week. Now we really are going ..... x

The day started with making this:

Inspired by a bag I received in my first ever swap I wanted to make a pattern suitable for children for the homeschool sewing group at my house today!

Pattern decided, people arrived, 3 adults, 4 girls, 2 toddlers and 2 babies later we ended up with these:

Maia was the youngest girl who wanted to sew and I was so surprised at what she could do although I guess she's seen it enough times!!! It was great to see all three girls working at the bags. Lunch called and so we decided to leave the finishing off for next week when I think we'll have 3 very proud little girls. x

PS The other thing I'm all about at the moment is quilting - one of my blocks even made it onto someone else's blog today - check it out!!! From one very proud newbie quilter!

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.