Its All About Colour

I started these yesterday, there are 10 nearly finished, just have to add the handles.  They are the same design as the linen bag in my previous post but these are full on colour which I like much better and they have been fun to make... the linen is hard on the hands this fabric is lovely a soft.  I got up extra early this morning and finished putting together the final 5 bags. Tonight I'll do the handles.

Favourite Things Friday

Thought I might get in early, it's Squid's birthday today and I am waiting for her to get up so we can have the present frenzie.  It was going to be Squid in honor of her birthday but I have decided to make it family outing at the beach because I have pictures of that.  The beach is 2 minutes down the road by car or a 20 min walk or a 10 minute bike ride (I do the walk I have a absolute fear of riding a bike so that doesn't happen but the kids and hubby do the riding thing).

These pictures are from Australia Day, we don't generally celebrate Australia Day in this house, I know it isn't very patriotic but it just isn't a thing that we have ever done.  So with a day of nothing on we just pottered round the house until about 5pm when hubby piped up with "lets go to the beach".   It was one of those magic evenings with lots of good body surfing waves which you don't get very often down at Grange (never according to DH).  They didn't want to leave they were having so much fun and the waves were pushing them right down the beach.  Everyone slept well that night.

Want to see more FTF head on over to Mrs P

My Creative Space

Finally started on these little babies for the Market stall. I am doing a few featuring Yardage Design fabric on the front.  This one involved a bit of reverse sewing because I started putting the zip in and finished the front side looked at it and realised the Agapatha was upside down... bummer... looks much better the right side up though.  I also plan to do some more colourful options which I plan to sew at sewing day with the girls on Sunday.  They have a nice long strap to go across the body and have a eyelet in the back to feed through your ipod/mp3 player cord so that you can walk and listen to music as you go.  There is enough room in them for your keys, phone, ipod and a small purse they are great for a walk down the beach.

The Grange Twilight Market made the front page of the local paper.  Now all we need are 3 Sunday's of perfect weather and we will be set.  

Check out more Creative Spaces at www.kootoyoo.com

  

Doubt and a busy weekend

It was Squids birthday party on the weekend.  It was only a small affair with 2 friends and we packed in a fair bit.  Our kids only have a big party every other year and this is the off year, so a couple of friends can come over we maybe go to the movies and have some party food.  Squid wanted a pool party and we gave the contingency that we go to the movies if the weather was dodgie.  Squid decided that she wanted to do both.  So it was the pool first thing for a swim, quick game of pin the flower on the fairy, then we fed them with pizza and cake, made them change out of their wet things and zoomed to the pictures.  Great time was had by all.

Its 2 weeks to the market and I am worrying (which isn't anything new I might add).  Have 20 button holes to go and I have finished the last batch of skirts for the stall.  I need to make more bags, one design I haven't even started on yet  ugghhhh .... my brain is entering its manic WHAT IF faze so i don't think I will be sleeping much over the next 14 days ... I guess the upside is I will have more time for sewing.

Favourite Things Friday

My favourite things Friday is my Kids Birthday Cakes.  Most of these were before I returned to work so many weeks of planning were involved and many supplies were purchased. 

Here is my first effort, the birthday was jungle inspired for my son's 5th birthday.  We made painted monkeys to hang from the washing line, the cake well see for yourself was a jungle scene with monkeys and snakes attached.  Lots and Lots of Food Colouring involved here.  

Then for his 7th it was the Dr Who party and of course he wanted a Tardis.  At least when he was 5 he left it up to me, by the time he was 7 he wanted a lot (I mean a lot) of input, it was important that it looked good.  I think I nailed it.  

 Squid is a bit more easy going when cakes are concerned.  She just wanted fairies for her 5th birthday.

Can you tell I am working now here was the next years.  

 I think last year my son settled for a store bought ice cream cake.

Squid is having a couple of friends over for her birthday celebration tomorrow  and we have just finished cooking her cake (packet cake for ease and it is cooling as I write this) but we saw a store bought cake that she liked so I am going to ice it the same.  Her actual birthday is next week so we might get the bakery cake for the family party.

I have enjoyed sorting through photo's to find my cake extravaganzas and I can't believe that cute chubby 5 year old is now a skinny 10 year old.

Check out Mrs P for some more Favourite Things Friday

My Creative Space

I am having a rest from sewing today, had a massage this morning and the pain is starting to set in so I think it will be a good idea to just veg today.  I let Squid pick her favourite skirt to keep out of the big pile I am working on and this is the one she picked (well she couldn't really decide she had chosen about 5 favourites) then I told her this was the one I liked the best so she decided to have that one.

 

These are a couple more that I quite like.  As I am such a pink girl I am really surprised that the ones I like the most are blue.

I thought I'd show you the wonderful Moon set I saw this morning.  The sky was lavender, and the moon looked like a pearl, it only lasted a few seconds I only wish I had my camera instead of just my phone.  Want to see more creative spaces head on over to Kootoyoo

Under Pressure

The aim for this week is to power through and finished the final batch of wrap skirts.   Here they all are with their waist bands attached ready to do the turn through bit and finish all the top stitching.  With any luck I will achieve the goal.  There are a couple here that I am tempted to leave home, I am sure they will look fantastic on Squid.  I think I will just let her have her pick of which ever one she wants as I have promised her another one to add to the wardrobe.  

I have had to resort to ice packs and panadol though my neck and shoulders are really troubling me, hopefully my massage on Thursday will improve everything,  but going on past experience  it will probably make me feel worse before it feel's better.   Next week it will be bags bags and more bags and with any luck I won't have to sew too much during the weeks between the stalls.... fingers crossed.

Did you miss me?

Who would have thought going back to work would throw me so much.  I don't feel like I have achieved much this last week and feel like I have been very absent everywhere.  I realised after uploading this picture I haven't had the camera out this holidays, I have just settled for taking snaps with the iphone.   I have been making lots of stuff, probably not as much as I would have hoped but I am quietly getting through my list, and diligently reporting it on my excel spread sheet so I know how far away I am from being comfortable with what I have for the stall which is probably making me panic slightly.    A couple of things I haven't even started making and have been putting them off I think but I will get there going to at least start them this week.  I decided to work on some pretties this week something a bit special, for a special night out on the town.  Here is what I have come up with, featuring a bit of sparkle and lovely soft velvet.

I have been watching and reading about the horrible devastation in Queensland.  My sister lives in Queensland and she was very lucky that flood waters in her area narrowly missed her house.  A rather large torrent came within metres of her house when a dam burst on a neighbouring property but her, her horses and property came out of it ok, some of her neighbours weren't so lucky.

I have thought long and hard about getting involved in the Auctions but I have decided to donate funds myself to the Premiers Fund if you want to get involved head on over to Make it Perfect.

Spread the Word - Grange Twilight Market

All SA readers please spread the word.  If you would like a button for your blog/facebook page, go to this page , just remember to link back to the site www.twilightmarket.com.au

More Products

I needed a break from the Bottle holders so I have added these to our products for the stall.  

End of the Holidays

Well my holiday anyway, I am back to work next week.   I should have been doing heaps and heaps of sewing but I have been a bit slack over the last few days so it has just been a bit here and there. I am going to have to really pull my finger out over the weekend and put in some solid hours.  Have done a bit of cutting out though so a few pieces are all ready to sew.

I was also trailing a few new products to see if they would be ok.  The first was Fusible Web in a Can which is spray based fusible web.  You spray it on the back of your applique piece and then iron it down for a permanent fix.  It works quite well.  First I used it on a few pieces that I cut out to fix to some cushion fronts secondly I used it to fix some batting and that was successful.  It does make the fabric quit stiff which is ok for my bottle holders/cushions but may not be so good for quilts, however, I was using the product with linen which doesn't have much drape so that probably added to firmness of the finished product.    It kept the fabric well adhered.  I have stitch around the pieces as I wanted to give it the quilted look so I can't say for sure if the stick will be permanent.  The product is pretty easy to use and is probably going to be a handy edition to your applique kit for those times when you run out of the regular fusible.

I have become a convert to Aurifil Thread in the last few months and am going to replace all my general sewing thread with Aurifil as I run out.  I am trying the 28wt cotton which is quite thick and I read on my Aurifil Iphone App that it is great for hand work and can be used in the top of the machine but it recommends using a lighter weight thread in the bobbin.  Of course I read this after the fact and just filled the bobbin and put it on my machine. I am using a needle with a larger eye in it that which is the usually needle I use for machine quilting and it hasn't missed a beat.  The thicker thread is great with the raw linen that I am sewing with at the moment.

I have to say that I love the look of the raw linen it is a timeless classic but I HATE sewing with it.  This one is so hard on the hands when trying to manipulate sewing the circle into the bottom of the holders so although I really love the look of this holder I don't think I will be making a huge amount of them, just one or 2 for each stall I think I will be able to manage.  It did give me a chance to use some of my Yardage Design offcuts that I got a few weeks ago, which I love and want to get some more of especially the agapathus fabric.    

Happy New Year Everyone and Thank You

Hope everyone had a fun New Year and a big thank you for the lovely comments amount my magazine pattern.  I have been working on more water bottle holders for the stall I have just about finished enough of the small variety for boys and will be moving on to adult ones next I think.  I have some plans for more sophisticated numbers for wine holders but at the moment it is all in my head need to do some shopping to for these to come out of my head.

I have received a supply of allsort beads and am going to make some cute necklaces but I need more stringing supplies so I see a trip to the bead shop in store for me next week.

Its a lovely day here today and very mild so we headed for the beach, unfortunately it was really windy so instead of going for a walk we just paddled in the shallows.  The Squid and hubby went for a dip I just watched, didn't need to do the beached whale impersonation for the masses.

As you can see I have added some girly water bottle holders to the collection and have another lot of little boy ones featuring monkeys and dogs just about finished.  I have also been making coin purses.

Catch up with you soon, back to the sweat shop sorry sewing room.