The Bunting Bandwagon, I jumped on it...

I'm not sure I like bunting, but I thought I'd give it a try to use up some fabrics I've had leftover from other projects.
I made 8 meters of bias and I'm having trouble finding a way to string them up that looks good! And they clash with the curtains, bad. [The crazy curtains came with the house. Next stop: New curtains!] 

The best bunting template came from Chickabug Blog- and as for the best tutorial, I found the more I read, the more complicated it got. This is the simple method I ended up using.

10 Step Bunting

1. Cut out two triangles from the same fabric. This works really well with a rotary cutter & mat, with the triangle template, as they articulate perfectly with each other at 45 degrees.
2. Put the two sides of the triangle wrong sides together and sew down the long sides. Leave the short side open for turning out later.
3. Clip the extra fabric at the point of the triangle close to the seam (to avoid bulk in the point once they're turned right-way out)
4. Turn right sides out, gently poke the point out with a knitting needle or skewer, and press.
5. Topstitch down long sides, 1/4 inch in from seam. 
6. Put the flags in a pile in the order you want them to hang on the string.
7. Get bias tape (preferably inch wide, not the 1/2 inch that I used, that was tricky!) and fold in half.
8. Sew about 30-50cm of bias together in half, on the opposite side to the folded edge.
9. Insert bunting flag into bias, leaving an inch or so between flags. 
10. Sew as you go! Finish with another 30-50cm of straight bias without flags. (For tying)

There you go! I like the semi-circle version, and the half-doily versions too.

"Daddy's Little Girl" : Repurposed Denim Skirt

I've seen a few of these repurposed denim skirts kicking around online, so I thought I'd have a go myself. You can make at least 2 toddler skirts out of one pair of average sized mens jeans. 

Front of skirt. 

My daughter loves this skirt, because it's made out of Daddy's jeans. I kept the pockets from the original jeans as my daughter LOVES to collect rocks and all sorts outside, as well as collecting the eggs from the hens each day. The pockets are a real hit. 

Basic Instructions

Measure the length of skirt you want, and the waist size. Create a rectangle of denim pieces that is [waist size x length]. Inserting a box pleated section (like in the middle of back section here), or a wedge section (like the fly section in front of skirt) will create the flare in the skirt, without any gathering at the waist.

Waistband

Backside of skirt. 

You could easily make a denim waistband, but your sewing machine could have difficulty joining it all together, due to the thickness. Also, I tend to think that big denim waistbands might be a little uncomfortable for little ones, and unforgiving as they grow (and/or eat a big lunch!). I've used a folded piece of stretch knit here, but I've seen other people in the US use a cut up T-shirt. This doesn't work so well in Australia as our T-shirts have side seams, whereas the US make the body of their T-shirts out of essentially a 'tube' of stretch knit, perfect for repurposing.

I also decided not to waste the zip closure, inserting it into the elastic waistband makes for a much snugger fit, as you don't have to allow for getting the waistband over the hips. Much easier to get in and out of too, with a wriggly toddler!

And here it is on the little munchkin - a new fave. Just the right size for her little teddies!

I will be making another one out of the rest of the denim without the ginormous pockets, or zip fly. Just a 'plain' pleated denim attached to a knit waistband - more pics to follow!

Organising Your Projects: How to liberate yourself from the Guilt of Unfinished Projects

I am plagued by what I call 'shifting mojo'. I usually have 10 projects on the go at once, and will move between them as I feel so moved. The problem is, these pockets of mojo, combined with limited time, means that its often months or even years between sittings on a given project. 

I'm sure you can all relate to some degree. Do you have a box of unfinished projects in the cupboard? Are you plagued by guilt every time you have a new idea, that you haven't finished all your old ones?? Does that guilt erode your ability to be inspired and carefree in the small pockets of time you have to be creative? Today's post will help you organise your projects, and liberate your creativity from the oppression of guilt.

Time to sort out your stash! Get down all those boxes with bits and pieces in them and spread them out! 

Separate projects into zip-lock bags

1. Separate

Your boxes will likely have a collection of raw materials, as well as parts of projects that are in various stages of completion. Collect together individual projects and put all the pieces in an appropriate size zip-lock bag. Label the bag, and press it flat when sealing to suck the air out of the bag. This will save a lot of space in your workbasket. 

2. Store

All the stuff that is left over needs to be sorted out into proper storage. First of all, don't be one of those creepy hoarders they make reality TV shows about. Be honest with yourself and give away or throw out anything that you can't honestly see yourself using in the next 5 years. If you've had it for more than a year or two and you still haven't thought of what you might use it for, get rid of it! Get a few plastic tubs of matching size and put items of like kind in each. It helps to be able to know what you have, and where it is, if you have any hope of ever using it! Organise the tubs into an accessible place so that when the mood strikes you can quickly spring into action. 

3. Prioritise

Projects are like volcanos... They once exploded out of you with enthusiasm, but now, your enthusiasm for each may be dormant, or even extinct. Hopefully there are still some projects that you get excited about, these ones you can call 'active' - even if you haven't worked on them in a while. 

Extinct Project: "I really couldn't care less about finishing it. The only reason its still in the box is that I feel guilty throwing it out. All that time and money wasted!" OR "I think that garment stopped being fashionable in 1994"

Dormant Project: "Still would really like to finish it, but really bores me to think about actually sitting down and doing it. It doesn't make me feel good looking at it right now. But the finished product is still desirable, so I think my mojo could move back onto this once I've finished some other ones first."

Active Project: "Looking at this makes me wish I could clear my schedule for the week and just get stuck into it. It makes me want to move into action! It makes me feel positive about my crafting!"Some of these will be stronger than others. 

Throw out any extinct projects. Store your dormant projects out of sight. Put your top active projects in a workbasket. Be realistic and only put in the top 5 or so, if you have many. 

4. Document

This next step is much easier if you do it from the beginning, when you first get home from the store with your goodies in bag and inspiration fresh. This is the planning phase that I find the most exciting and enjoyable! 

Some projects are small and self explanatory. These ones you can just keep in their zip bag and leave be. For larger projects though with many pieces and many steps, documenting is extremely useful to help you progress through your project faster.

Create a Project Sheet for long projects on white card.

a) Get some thick A4/Letter sized white card, and a clear plastic envelope to store it in. Ideally, it should fit in your workbasket.

b) Sketch up a simple project sheet for each project. Put project title, fabric samples, project sketch, and a simple dot point list of the steps you've completed, and what to do next, on one side. This sheet should explain your project at-a-glance, and help you pick up where you left off. It also gives you shorter term goals, being able to tick off steps completed part-way through a project, enhancing your sense of progression.

Centralise ideas in a simple list in an exercise book. 

c) Get an A4/letter sized exercise book (that fits in the envelope) to be your Project Master List. In this book you can sketch a quick diagram of ideas for new projects. This will be the first place you document your idea before you go and buy the stuff and move the original sketch onto a Project Card with more detailed information. If you enjoy this process, add a small sketch of all your existing projects to the list. If it sounds like a burden, don't do it! Its just a tool to help manage your ideas, and give you something to browse when your feeling inspired to start something new.

At the very least, put a scrap of paper in each baggie with a project title and some basic pointers (items still required to buy, major steps completed, what needs to be done next) for the next time you pick the project up.

5. Do!

Now get down to working on the projects that truly make you happy! When you finish one, reward yourself with something that motivates you: A blog post, upload a picture to facebook, wear the garment to a special event, or print a photo of the finished project to paste onto your project card. Just make sure there is a goal at the end of finishing that holds you accountable to finishing it off in a way that makes you feel good.

Now get out those project cards and flick through them and see where the mojo goes! Or get out or Project Master List exercise book and see if there is anything in there that tickles your fancy. Now get down to your local fabric store / craft shop and see what jumps out at you. 

Make it a Habit

Remember to go through your craft tubs once a year and clean out the dead wood and extinct projects. Bring out any dormant projects that have become active. And store away any active projects that have become dorment. Create project cards for anything new you have purchased or started. Its a habit that will save you time and increase your inspiration in the long term.

Let Go of the Guilt

Isn't crafting supposed to be fun? Remember, its a hobby, not a job. If you don't want to do a project, get rid of it. There is no point spoiling your hobby with guilt. Remember also that its not always the finished project that is the 'hobby'. I personally enjoy the design and planning the most. So I put lots of attention there and enjoy that part, and if the project doesn't progress any further, well, that was never really the point! I have lots of small pieces of fabric that I've collected just to look at, stroke, and dream of all the things I could make from them. That is my hobby, dreaming and designing. I've learnt to draw up my sketches and hang back on the purchase of materials (the commitment of $) until I've established that the idea isn't going away, and that I'm likely to have enough mojo to finish it off.

Everyone gets their 'payout' of their hobby at a different point. My mother really enjoys the construction phase of a project, and will hurry through the fabric selection and cutting out so she can savour the putting together part (and then has a cupboard full of quilts without binding & quilt labels). Another friend of mine enjoys the gift-giving part of the project - which has made her a very 'successful' crafter because she gets her 'hit' after the project is completed! Lucky her. 

Understand what part of the process YOU enjoy, and don't expect to be motivated by other parts of the process. Enjoy the aspects of the hobby you get a buzz out of, and explore other hobbies that have a greater chunk of that aspect. 

Retro Quilt Cushion - Quirky Japanese Style

Retro Japanese Fabric Quilt Cushion with Sashiko style quilting (Centre)

SCRAP RETRO CUSHION

Quilt in progress!

This cushion is a miniature of a larger quilt that I am making. I designed the quilt to suit my beginner quilting skills, and also to maximise the stash of retro style fabrics that I had been collecting. These 4.5 inch squares of fabric are so tiny yet yet go a long way in the eye. I've used a cotton/linen blend in the tramways between fabric, and quilted using pearl threads in 4 colours (light & dark blue, dark & light green). Very quick and simple design. 


To be honest, I don't really like patchwork, but I LOVE shopping for fabrics and matching them together, so my designs are all about cute fabrics and quick project construction!


ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Complementary cushions

Photo to the right depicts complementary cushions I made to supplement the quilted cushion above. Cushion to left is a Kaffe Fassett fabric on the front,central cushion is a Prints Charming print. (I LOVE the Prints Charming range). Cushion to right is made from an anonymous piece from my stash (khaki fabric on bottom of right cushion is also from Prints Charming. I've used the sashiko quilting on that section also, this time in cream). All cushions need new inserts, they're all looking a little deflated!!

Breathing new life into old favourite clothes

I always loved this little black and white wrap dress I bought at a 'hippy' shop years ago. In fact, its the dress I met my husband in. So not only did it fit great, but it brings back lots of wonderful memories of that first date. You can imagine my dismay when the cheap Indian dyes ran after an accidental warm wash! 5 years later, I pulled it out of the cupboard and decided to breathe a little bit of life back into the old girl. 

I find it so difficult to find well-fitting clothes that when I do, I keep them after they've worn out with the ambition of making a pattern out of them. Sound complicated? Here's a 10-step guide to recreating your favourite garments without using a single piece of pattern paper.

1. Thoroughly examine the garment. Look for each piece of fabric, and how its sewn together.

2. Take out a pencil and paper and roughly sketch the garment, showing where the separate pieces are, and taking note how each piece connects to the ones adjacent. 

3. Think about the order in which the pieces would need to be sewn together.

4. When you're pretty clear on how to construct the garment, get out those scissors!!

5. Cut along the seams of each piece, adding notes to your diagram as you go, if you notice anything tricky going on in the seams and the order they were sewn in.

6. Iron all the pieces flat. Make sure you're clear on which piece went where. If you need to, lay them all out and label them so you don't get them confused.

7. Now place the pieces on your NEW fabric (prewashed), in the same direction as the original piece (following the nap of the fabric) and cut around the piece using your preferred seam allowance. You can use any seam allowance you like, as long as its the same on every piece.

8. Now get about constructing the garment, following the plan you wrote down before you started. No doubt you will need to improvise and make changes to the plan as you go; make sure you add these changes into the construction instructions for next time.

9. Once the garment is complete, you have the option of transferring the pattern onto paper to keep for next time. This is really only necessary if you want to make slight changes to the shape of the pieces, or write instructions on the pieces for next time.

10. Finally, re-write the pattern instructions will your new-found wisdom fresh from experience! Put the pattern pieces and instructions all together in a zip-lock bag and save for another day!

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Original dress was a very light weight soft cotton, the new dress is a cotton/linen blend.The result looks amazing, but unfortunately the linens were not the best choice for wash & wear! The linen is also a little stiff around the sleeves, restricting arm movement. When choosing a new fabric to make your garment out of, take note of the fabric in the original and if the pattern will work as well in a heavier/lighter/stretcher fabric. 
• Fabrics used in this dress are: Echino Japanese printed linens (the fabric in the skirt and mustard spot trim); Cloth Australia screen printed linen on top (Wattle design)
• Ideal breastfeeding dress, easy access and trans-seasonal style (moves from tunic in winter to sundress in summer with effective layering)

Project Seven: Felt Toy Car

I wanted to make a toy car for my nephew for his first birthday, but I couldn't find any good patterns online.  This is the first prototype of my own design, which I will keep improving each time I make it.

I wasn't sure how 'realistic' to make it, as a lot of the patterns were quite stylised and looked...odd.

I think the next prototype will have some detail of the car doors, will be wider, and the wheels larger.

But I think the proportions of this are cute in their own way!

I would also like to try making them out of fabric, particularly a stiffer fabric like denim or canvas, as they'll hold their shape better and reduce the 'puffy' look that this one has.

I will also try using a fabric other than felt for the number plate, or I'll reinforce it with fusible interfacing - as it was very difficult (as you can see) to keep the stitching straight and uniform!

However, I'm really quite happy with the car, just nit-picking! And I'll upload some new photos once I've done another prototype. Once I'm happy with it I'll make the pattern available - its a really easy project that requires minimal fabric and machine stitching. We need more boy patterns!

Project Six: Toy Hen & Chicks

Pattern: Melly & Me "Clucky"

Clucky was a really fun pattern to make. Selecting the fabrics was probably the best part! With so many little pieces and little fiddly sewing, turning and stuffing steps, its not for the faint-hearted - but looks so great, it was worth the time spent.

As suggested in the pattern, I used the adaption for children under three, which involved stitching the eyes and wings rather than using buttons and beads.

Although its a big project, I would definitely make this again - I think it makes a great gift, and is an excellent way to put your scrap fabric collection to good use!

Next time I might tone down one or two of the funky fabrics so that they're not all competing for attention as much. Particularly the chick's bodies, as the fabrics I used made the shape of the body difficult to discern and the eyes difficult to see on some.

Materials & Equipment required: 5 fabrics (although I used 8), fusible interfacing, toy stuffing, turning and stuffing tools, black embroidery thread, white and orange felt. Template plastic or heavy cardboard for base. Sewing machine as well as needles and thread for hand sewing. Threads to match all 5 fabrics. Also, for children over 3: 10 buttons, 8 seed beads.