Sunday Surprise!

I've been keeping this quiet for the last month, but I can finally shout from the rooftops that today my cushions are featured in The Age's M Magazine. Pages 14 & 15, if you happen to have it handy.

The photoshoot is gorgeous. Stylist Heather King did stunning job with her theme of Melburnia.

An enormous thanks to Jodie for letting me know she'd seen them - I wasn't expecting them to be in until next weekend and wouldn't even have bought the paper today!

I don't have time to do a scan right now. Due to the aforementioned surprise early appearance I've just been frantically updating my website and Made It shop. There's nothing like the thought of missing out on dozens of potential sales to motivate a shop update!

The price listed in M Magazine is isn't what I supplied to the paper, but I'll honour it until Saturday 3rd October. But you need to have bought a copy of today's Age and be able to quote the price to be given that deal. :-)

More on my holiday project

I've been thinking a lot more about my holiday non-machine project. I've had Nicole Mallalieu's website open for two weeks, comparing bag patterns that I can embroider. At first I wanted a satchel but Nikki's only satchel pattern* is at a beginner's level, and I want something challenging. I considered the carry-all but then realised I've already got two huge bags, two small bags, and nothing in between size that I can put my chunky digital SLR in without losing it.

So I think I've settled on the mod bag. I don't own anything like it, either in size or sophistication. I think I'll go for the third variation with the flap.



But where to put the embroidery? I think I might manage something small on the flap and something larger on the back. Perhaps some of these...

Flap:

or
Back:
or


Clearly I don't have any strong theme going. I imagine the fabric I embroider on will be black with very strong colours for the embroidery, and I guess the other pieces will be a print featuring black.

Times like this I wish I had other people's talent for matching fabrics! I'm worried I'm going to end up with something terribly dull or daggy. But the beauty of a pattern is I can keep making myself Mod Bags until I get one I like, right?

P.S. Giveaway open for another 28 hours!

* Just found another satchel option, but still at beginner level. I'm happy with my Mod Bag choice.

Fame!

Today's featured stallholder on the Northside Makers blog is moi! Clicky to read!

And don't forget to join in on my 150th post giveaway goodness.


Good luck!

Royal Melbourne Show

Went to the show! Here's some highlights from the Arts, Crafts & Cookery section. Click to embiggen.

Refashioning: Result!

After yesterday's post on stage one of my jumper refashioning experiment I couldn't resist finishing it off.


I went with a semi-detachable cowl. It can be worn buttoned for a stylish drape, or unbuttoned like a scarf. I cut the existing neck band off completely and sewed it back on the front of the neckline, as it wasn't long enough to go all the way around the enlarged neckline I had cut.

I still had no idea what to do with the front of the jumper, until I hit upon the idea of a front pocket cut from the green jumper to keep my digits warm. I trimmed it with stripey offcuts.



I finally found a use for my favourite black and white vintage buttons on the cowl and cuffs.

Very happy with the result!

A few notes: I used a size 90/14 needle and reduced the pressure on the pressure foot. I mainly just used a straight stitch but used an overlocker-style stitch to attach the pocket. Couldn't resist overlocking the raw edges on the insides - I want to be able to machine wash it!

Post 150! A Giveaway.

Wow.

Think of what I could have done with the time it took to write 150 blog posts.

Thirty or forty are from two years ago, so at least that's something. But that still leaves 110 craft-related posts this year! How embarrassment.

Let me distract you with images of the wonderful new fabric I ordered from Big Horn Quilts for making fabric postcards:

Bugger, they're all on sale now! I could have saved cents!

To commemorate my lost hours I'm going to give away a fabric postcard made in your choice of fabric plus a vintage button ATC.



To enter the giveaway share your most embarrassing blogging moment. Go on, we won't judge you! For two entries blog about this giveaway and leave a second comment letting me know.



Entries close midday (Melbourne time) Sunday 27th September.

Jumper Refashioning

Over recent months I've been intrigued by the refashioning efforts on My Black Cardigan (jumper, vest), Clutterpunk (vest, another vest) and CurlyPops (Not Quite Right (ROTFL) and eventual vest).

I've bought a number of op shop garments for myself this year, in keeping with my No New Clothes new year's resolution, but have been too busy and exhausted to do anything other than wear them as they are. But with my UK trip only a month away I thought I could use something new, especially as it'll be heading into winter over there.

Here you see the jumper I started with. Five bucks from the mental Illness Fellowship op shop on High St, Northcote. It's 70% polyester, 30% wool but feels like lambswool. It's quite lovely to touch and not pilled at all. The tag says it's a Small, but I don't see how that's possible! Look how boxy and oversized it is/was. The colours are cream and a very dark navy, which I'm pretending is black.

The first thing I did was reduce the boxiness by making large pintucks (aka reverse darts) down the back. I thoroughly copied this method from Clutterpunk. I started in the centre and worked my way out, taking in more at the waistline then almost immediately tailing off to accommodate my pear shape. When the jumper looked like a good fit I stopped.

Next I cut off the sleeves and changed the position of the armholes. My patternmaking training was a big help in drafting the new armhole shape.

I tried to make an asymmetrical neckline by cutting on an angle from the centre of the neck hole through to one armhole, then cutting from the shoulder down to the first cut, and stitching it back together from the armhole to where the new neckline began (hard to explain without a diagram). It didn't look good, I was itching to draft a facing for the unfinished edges and it's not a style I'd normally wear anyway. I sewed the sleeves back on rather than muck with it any more.

It fits! Trust me, I'm laughing at my Before and After shots, one in baggy clothing standing front on to the camera and the other in a side-on leggy pose.

I'm almost tempted to leave it like this. I tried wearing a wide belt over it, which reminded me I'm a 30 year old mother, not a 20 year old model.

I've got an army green jumper which I've had for nearly ten years and don't wear any more due to the aforementioned 30-not-20 reason. I'm going to cut the sleeves off that and sew them to the stripey jumper's cuffs, because as a long-limbed person I've fought my whole life against having my wrists showing.

But what to do with the neckline?


It could be square.





Or it could have the torso of the army green jumper as a cowl.







Or it could have the torso of the army green jumper as a detachable cowl/scarf thing. Could be good for indoor/outdoor transitions in London.







Or I could still turn it into a cardigan.

Your opinions are very necessary!

Holiday Project

I'm overwhelmed by all the congratulatory messages I received on my Melbourne Show post! You can rely on me to provide a full photo essay of the Arts & Crafts pavilion after my trip on Tuesday.

I'm currently counting down the days to two big events. The first is the Northside Makers Market on 10th October 2009. It just hit me that I'm organising a market. Why?! How?! Who let this happen?!!

The second, equally exciting event, is a long overdue holiday in the UK, Hubby T's homeland. We were last there in December 06/January 07. If it weren't for Little Jack being due when he was, we would have gone to Hubby T's sister's wedding in August 2008, but as it was I was 36 weeks pregnant at the time and unwilling to be more than half an hour away from my hospital.

I'm looking forward to three weeks without cloth nappies (take that, UK landfill!), staying in a houseful of adults eager to take care of Little Jack, seeing friends and family and London and Cardiff, and not having a sewing machine. How dare I say that? I dare because I do work-related machine sewing pretty much seven days a week. Not having my machine with me is going to force me to have a proper holiday (apart from the online Northside Makers meetings I'll be obliged to participate in, bum).

So how will I relax? With hand sewing!

Yesterday Amy of Glitter, Vinyl and Thread (has there ever been a better blog name?) posted a magnificent piece of embroidery she's recently finished:

The design is from an online embroidery pattern shop called Urban Threads. You can download almost every design as a machine embroidery file or a PDF to print and trace. I'm tossing up between Craft Or Die to use on a Nicole Mallalieu bag, or this steampunk clock with this gears 'n cogs border repeated at the top and bottom, as a framed wallhanging.





The patterns are only a dollar each to download, so maybe I'll get all three designs!

Almost full!

There's only a handful of spots remaining at the first Northside Makers Market on Saturday 10th October.

You'd better fill out your application form right now!

First runner up

You've won second prize in a beauty cushion contest!