One step forward, four steps back...

...to using up my stash.

I made this ("Remake One-piece")

from this book (ISBN 9784579111473) for MissM.

After reading Pip's post today, I hot-footed it to Spotlight, and came away with these two lovely Japanese fabrics. (The second one -- a nice soft cotton -- was only $6.99/m!!!)

I was surprised and really excited to unearth quite a lot of Japanese fabrics!!! Not only the lovely spotty Cosmo Textiles ones, but I finally found the gorgeous mushroom canvases, and some beautiful paisley prints on textured cotton.

AND they have a wide range of Clover sewing accessories. I have already bought a tube turner, a small rotary cutter, an iron-on transfer pencil, fine quilting pins (ace!!), and today added two yo-yo makers.

On Wednesday I also finally managed to drag my butt to Patchwork on Central Park, where I bought these two rolls of fabrics...yummy!

Etsy Joy

My first ever Etsy purchase -- silver necklace by Danielle Maveal (PreciousPups). I am in love with it!


My second ever Etsy purchase -- fabrics from Mwendas. I am also in love with them.

Introducing Nina

Well, she's finished! My daughter will be sooooo happy to see her tomorrow morning! She's been busting to play with her, and nagging me to finish making her. Please excuse the crappy pix -- I could not wait until daytime!

Today (on the way home from dentist visit #2 which was far less stressful than yesterday's butchering session) we stopped at "Bustle & Bows" to buy some yarn for Nina's hair. What a ripper of a shop!! I love it! I used to stop in at Bustle & Bows in Malvern when we lived nearby but have not been to the Surrey Hills one (the only one now) and boy oh boy am I ever excited to have discovered it! (Can you tell?) The flosses! The fabrics! The TRIMS! Squeeee!! When I left my paper bag not only contained Nina's hair-to-be, but THIS...


...with which to finally make THIS...

...how sweeeeeeet is serendipity!!

But I digress. I love how Nina turned out! I didn't expect to be so competent at doll-making. I know to proper doll-makers Nina is probably majorly flawed, but damn she looks fine to me! And my girl seems to agree, which is what counts the most. Credit must be given to the very well-diagrammed (and probably well-written, too, but HAH! I wouldn't know!!) Doll Nina book (ISBN4-07-249886-6) which I bought from my favourite Ebay seller ever Pomadour24.

The only thing I am slightly disappointed with is her hair. I have not cut it short -- it turned out this length which is much shorter than Nina's hair in the book. Not that I mind how my Nina's hair looks, but I would have preferred longer pigtails I could plait. Maybe because the yarn I used is stretchy, so it bounced back to a shorter length once off the "loom". Never mind.

Happy 7-month birthday to my lil' girl. You're not getting anything, dear, except for lots of yummy warm milk every time you disturb my slumber in the dead of night.

Frifty Friday

Went op-shopping today, and came home with:

A dinosaur puzzle, Lindy Chamberlain's autobiography (have been thinking about her lately thanks to our Uluru trip, and wondering about her side of the tragic story), two sewing patterns (check out the kids' one!!), two aprons (one very cute vintage "homemade" one with really funky pockets, and the other a tuck-shop lady smock-type apron which I have been after), a size 18 pure linen jacket (yeehar! heaps of linen), and all for $15.


Also an update on "Doll Nina" -- she's almost finished! Head's a bit square, but nothing that a bit of chocolate-brown mohair hair won't cover up. I'm very excited about her, and my 3yo loves her already. When she picks her up, she cradles her in the crook of her arm and nuzzles her -- awwwwwww!!! She must feel the love being sewn in.

Superb!...uzzy

Here is my latest Superbuzzy crop.

Here is what I envisage (L-R):

1. Apron, or parts thereof.
2. Sewn kitcheny things (placemats? baskets?).
3. Nothing. Can't bear the thought of cutting this beautiful delicate print. Or maybe shirts/dresses for my daughters.
4. Bags for my girls.
5. Mmmmm. Not sure. Something milky. Maybe also a bag or two for the girls.
6. Patchwork cushions, from "Cotton Time Plus."

Another day, another quilt...

I made my second ever quilt!

Cut on Monday night, pieced together, assembled, quilted and mostly "edged" (is that a quilting term...or even a word?) on Tuesday until the bobbin thread ran out and I could not bring myself to refill it for the final 20 cm which I finished this morning, before presenting it to my friend E, who gave birth to a little boy yeserday!

It measures 80 cm x 80 cm, so I guess it can be called "pram size". I used more fabric from Superbuzzy -- this pretty "tea time" print with little disjointed phrases.

I BOUND (that's better, right?) it with bias binding I made myself out of the gingham used in the top, and I really enjoyed binding it this way.
Also today I received my shipment from Superbuzzy!!!!!!! I will take and post pix soon.