Fabric Fusion frenzy!

Yes, as mentioned, I am officially loopy - and obsessed with fabric! So to legitimise my obsession, I have opened a yummy new shop called Fabric Fusion!

You can currently find me in 2 places on the web - www.FabricFusion.etsy.com and www.zibbet.com/FabricFusion . AND I am doing a giveaway, to celebrate opening!

If you purchase anything from either store, before midnight on Saturday, 26 September, you will be in the running to win a bundle of 4 fat quarters of delicious quilting quality fabrics!

One of the things I love about having Fabric Fusion is that if you like any of the styles of handbag at Sasha Sews you can now browse the full range of fabrics at Fabric Fusion, and have your bag custom made in your favourite colour and print!

So if you have a secret fabric addiction, (or if you have come out of the fabric stash closet!), browse the range at Fabric Fusion. And more fabrics are being added all the time, as my shipments arrive.

To everything there is a season

... and now is not the season for my patchwork stitching group. Soon after we moved to this lovely small town, I heard of a dedicated group of ladies who meet each Thursday, to stitch, sew, knit, crochet and generally enjoy their mutual craftiness. I have been wanting to find a group like this - and all these ladies are so talented, that you can just sit and soak up their combined knowledge (like osmosis!).

We have been going each Thursday for a couple of months now. I am the only member with kids in tow. I am the only member this side of 60! But to their credit, these ladies have been very accommodating to Ryan and Naomi.

Unfortunately, I have decided not to keep going each week. Naomi's Playgroup also meets on Thursday mornings, so we have been shuttling from one group to the other. Also, as Ryan is growing up he needs more attention and entertainment - he is no longer content to sit in his capsule with a toy to suck on, er, I mean, play with. And heaven help me when he starts crawling!

I am going to miss what Naomi calls "Mummy's Stitching Group". It has been wonderful to feel part of an adult group, and share my craft interests. Some of the beautiful quilts I have seen are very inspiring!

But to everything there is a season (turn, turn, turn). And this is not the season for me to be in a stitching group. Perhaps in a few years, when the kids are in school / kindy. Or perhaps it is just something to look forward to, for when I am a grandmother!

I am trying to be philosophical, and not to be frustrated with having to drop the one thing that I really feel I did that was totally for my own pleasure. Because I would rather have the nice memories, than be frustrated and cranky at the kids every week, and not getting any enjoyment out of it at all.

WIP Wednesday - scarves & bags

So, I recently revealed to the world that I am painstakingly learning to crochet. I quite enjoy it. However, I suspect that it would be extremely painful for someone who is good at crocheting to watch me do it. The kind of thing that would make you wince, and your fingers itch to take the hook and turn out a beautifully uniform work that doesn't even know the meaning of 'tension issues'. Because let me tell you, I am tense. Well I must be, if the quality of my crocheting is anything to go by!

But here is the ongoing product. Current length is around 27 inches. Note that I haven't photographed the portion that is narrow, then wide, then narrow again. I am still having to count each line to make sure I have done the right number of 'stitches'. (Is that what they are called?)

Something that I am far more proficient at (thankfully), is sewing. And here is a photo of my latest purse creation. I have had this idea in my head for a week or so - it has taken several days to get it together, thanks to the Awful Gastro Week that we had last week. I have just posted it up for sale at Sasha Sews. You know, if you happen to have fallen in love with it and decided that your next outfit ensemble won't be complete unless it is swinging from your hand. Sorry. Enough shameless self-promotion (which you are all no doubt sick of by now)!

I think that the next one I make will be a larger purse size, rather than the little bag-ette.

Now head on over t0 The Place of H to see some far more talented crochet-ers than me!

In which I learn to crochet

The women in my family are all pretty good with their hands.... no, not for giving Swedish massages. For such pastimes as knitting, cross-stitch, and quilting. I like to cross-stitch. I love to sew and do patchwork quilting. But knitting and crochet have eluded me for years.

My wonderful mum has been a knitter, and even a spinner, for many years. Ask me one day about the pet sheep we had for a few years, to supply her addiction, erm, I mean, hobby. I have lost count of the number of times that she has cast on stitches for me, and showed me the basics of knitting. Somehow I just don't get it.

Both my sisters turn out lovely jumpers for their families. I buy the pattern, order the yarn and have it home-delivered to my mother's doorstep, so that she can make me a warm winter jumper. I kid you not. She received the parcel today.

Anyway, I have been on the look-out for a project that I can do while sitting with Sweet Hubby in the evenings, or even while watching cartoons with Miss Naomi -- basically, something that I can do a bit more sociably than the sewing machine allows.

I bought yarn, and a hook. I googled 'basic crochet stitches', and I sat in front of my laptop, peering at blurry Youtube videos. And I think I have got it! This is going to be a scarf for myself - start out small, with no expectations, right?

Isn't it a sign of the times, that instead of humbly asking Mum to show me how to do a foundation row... again ... I sit by myself after the kids are in bed and stare at a computer for an hour, comparing the dodgy stitches on my hook to those on the screen.

** Update ** ... I have since pulled this section of crocheting out. There were holes all through it, from where I 'dropped' stitches, by putting the hook in the wrong place. I somehow managed to go from 25 stitches in a row, down to 14! Version 3 looks much better. Honest.

WFMW - Great idea resources

This is the "Mum, I'm Bored" edition of WFMW. Thankfully, I haven't heard those words much yet (Naomi is still stuck in an "I want..." phase, which is driving me crazy).

Anyway, when I need to divert attention from crankiness, boredom, or simply pinching her baby brother's cheeks too hard (yep - he doesn't have *naturally* rosy cheeks, poor kid), I have a stock standard list of places to get easy ideas that can be done quickly.

Some great websites that I highly recommend:

http://www.huggies.com - yes, good old Huggies. I don't buy their product, and don't ever intend to. But their website is chock full of great activities, games and ideas for keeping young children entertained. Lots of templates to download and print off and simple hands-on activities that we can do with things we have in our craft box. You just have to sign up online (for free) and receive their junk emails (which I have directed straight into my spam).

http://www.starfall.com - this is a great site for very young children to learn their letters. Naomi (age 2) adores it - it is interactive, colourful and I like to think it is educational. I was put onto this site by Kara at Eskimo Kisses & Air Hugs.

http://www.handsonhomeschooling.com - This one isn't fee, but Terri has written curricula folders for children ages 2 to 5. I bought the one for 2 year olds. It is about 3 inches thick, and is chock full of wonderful fun ideas for activities that are also educational. It also includes devotionals and simple activities to teach little ones some Bible stories. I highly recommend it as money well spent, that will last for years.

For more ideas to keep children entertained, head over to We Are That Family.

My "Argyll Vest"

In my family, the words "Argyll Vest" have a very specific meaning. Yes, in a literal sense, they mean the beautiful green and white vest, in a traditional Scottish diamond pattern, that my mum knitted for my dad ... over a period of years.

However, "Argyll Vest" is also a euphemism, for a project that seemed like a good idea at the time, but turned out to be difficult, irritating, fiddly, time-consuming and down-right painful.

A project that is put down, picked up, dropped again, and returned to many times over a period of years. It is eventually only finished due to a deep abiding love for the intended recipient, and a dogged determination not to let the darned thing get the better of you.

Do you see these sweet little 'puffs', made in pretty green gingham and cupcake print?

Don't be fooled by their innocent appearance. They are the most fiddly, irritating, time-consuming craft project I have ever contemplated, let alone actually started. The concept is called "puffy quilting". You make all the puffs, then hand stitch them together. I have seen them used to make very soft linings for baby capsules, prams etc. When I saw the kit at Spotlight, with the words "quick and easy" printed in big letters, I couldn't resist the chance to make something for Ryan, and at the same time test it out for the possibility of adding some lovely baby items to my market stall, or SashaSews.

I spent about 3 hours on this yesterday. Do you see how many there are? Yep ... a grand total of 7 puffs. And they still have to be hand-stitched closed (the hole where you stuff the filling in), and eventually stitched together. I estimate that to make a small lining for a baby bouncer, I will need at least 70 of them.

The good news is that I think I know what Ryan will be getting for his 21st birthday!

WIP Wednesday (on Thursday)

I find myself with a few hours to myself, thanks to a very good friend who has come and collected Naomi to take her to the park this morning. So I thought I would actually post my works in progress, rather than just admiring everyone else's!

This first one is a patchwork piece that I have had going for, um, at least 2 years (pre-children days!). I pulled it out on the weekend, looked at the soft muted colours of the background and decided to add the flower applique and cream border. I think it will turn into a cushion cover, in due course. I have never been particularly good at applique, and all the curves in the flower petals were a challenge. I am calling the style "rustic and naive"! Hoping that this will make it charming, rather than just clumsy!

As for the garden shot, Naomi and I worked for weeks chopping down the tropical jungle of weeds and overgrown plants that was cluttering the garden in front of our lounge windows. It is the front of the house, and was not making any good impressions. I have slowly planted it out with what should be a lovely fragrant low hedge of mini mock orange plants, some brunfelsia ('yesterday, today, tomorrow' plants), and various daisies etc. Naomi loves to point to the garden and say "Made this together, Mummy".

The smell of the new pine bark chips wafting through the front windows is particularly lovely -- but not helping keep the weeds down as much as I would like! But we did have our first bird actually use the bird bath the other day -- Naomi was thrilled, watching it from inside the windows.

Do you have a stash??

In response to Nikki's comment on my last post, I have a confession to make. I only photographed the desk side of the office / sewing room. Gulp. Here are the photos of the "dark side", where my fabrics seem to multiply with alarming regularity. There are the wicker baskets on shelves, and the wire rack baskets at the end. As we are moving over an hour away with a week or 2 of the baby being born, I really should go through and cull.... but not today!

Now, I would really appreciate anyone who wants to come out in solidarity with me and show off their stash to the world -- fabric, yarn, scrapbooking, crafting things.... whatever it is, let's shout it out, loud and proud!

Easy kids artwork

I have thought for some time that Naomi's room is rather drab. I made new curtains for her, but the paintwork really needs refreshing and she had nothing else interesting to look at. As it is highly likely that we will be renting out this house and moving some time in the next few months, I didn't really feel like painting and decorating (and the fact that I have been threatened with dire consequences by Brad if I even think of climbing a ladder at 30 weeks pregnant!).

So instead, I came up with this easy and fun idea for some interactive artwork to brighten the walls. I bought some cheap art canvases at the crazy bargain shop, and 2 tubes of pretty contrasting paint. Brushes, a roller and other bits and pieces we already had in the craft stash.

Step 1 was to roll the background colour on each canvas. Using a slightly damp roller produced the soft wash cloudy effect. Naomi loved this part, and proceeded to roller paint every surface in sight... thankfully, after I had rinsed out the paint and it was just plain water!

Step 2, when the background paint is dry, is to let your child go crazy with brushes and the contrasting coloured paint. Naomi adores painting, so this bit was easy to get her interested in.

Step 3, after allowing the painted masterpieces to dry, is just to raid your buttons / ribbons / scrapbook supplies and stick things on to your heart's content! Naomi helped choose the ribbons and buttons that she liked, and picked the flower stickers. She also pointed out where she wanted each one. Warning - this step can be just a little frustrating for the adult ... "there... no, um, there. This one. Or maybe this one...."

Step 4, we added a little ribbon loop to hang the canvases from, and allowed the whole lot to dry.

We think they came up looking pretty darn good. And when Brad got home, he actually thought we had bought them in a spending spree! In fact, he has taken one to work to hang on his office wall ... so we need to make another one for Naomi's room!

A couple of hints --

Check your perfectionism in at the door, before beginning this project. I had a mental image of what I wanted, which at times didn't coincide with my darling toddler's spontaneous creativity.

All sorts of ideas for embellishment spring to mind - sparkle pens? glitter glue? ribbon bows?

Stitching days...

What do you get when your lovely Mum drops by on her day off work, to enjoy a girl's afternoon of stitching, craft and cups of tea??

Mayhem in your button collection and days of finding tiny buttons throughout the house. Good one, Gran! But they had fun, and I got to make Naomi a dress on my new sewing machine.

The pattern is a McCalls, and the fabric is a cute gingham and cupcake print that I bought a while ago and has been sitting in my ever-growing stash of materials! Naomi of course refused to model my creation for the camera, so here are the photos on the hanger instead....

It came together very quickly, and you could have all sorts of fun embellising the basic pattern. My question for you all is, how much would you pay for a cute little girl's dress like this, if it was on sale at a market stall (or perhaps on a blog?) with other similar home-made things?? Would A$18 be too much?

Handmade decorations

If you read along on Kara's blog over at Eskimo Kisses & Air Hugs you will no doubt have been enjoying her great series of posts about their Pioneer Christmas, with lots of ideas for homemade decorations.

When my very crafty friend Barbara at Warm Woollen Mittens posted a link to a great Christmas craft, it got me up and in the festive spirit. The link is here if you are interested. They are very easy paper rosettes, with the addition of glitter and buttons for a bit of glam.... Here are the ones that Naomi and I have made in the last few days. Thanks for the link, Barbara! I am hoping they will look nice hung up in my kitchen window. And it was a great excuse to buy some really pretty scrapbooking papers from my local crazy bargain shop!

Feeling Festive

Yes, it's official - I am now feeling Festive. We put up our decorations on the weekend. It was such a lovely feeling for Naomi to be able to participate in a meaningful way - even perching on Brad's shoulders to put the star on the top of the tree.

Naomi is enjoying her Advent Calendar - which I didn't post a photo of last time, so here it is....

I also got inspired by the Christmas episode of Better Homes & Gardens and made Naomi her own Christmas stocking on the weekend. I am quietly pleased with the result, and even had a jingly bell to sew on the toe, as they suggested! The funny line of the side of the stocking in this photo is just a fold of the fabric - it is actually the right shape in real life!

The quilt show I mentioned...

I mentioned a quilt show that my Mum and I went to a couple of months ago. It was in a small town about 20 minutes south of us, and is the only quilting show that I know of in this area (other than the small display at the annual city's Show).

There were some spectacular quilts, in styles ranging from pretty vintage to strikingly modern. It was such an inspiration to see what other people in this area are doing with patchwork and quilting. I sighed and said to Mum "Won't it be great when the kids are grown up and I can sew all day??". To which she replied "You are still pregnant with one of them! You have a Loooooonnnggg way to go yet!!".

I am a vintage kind of gal, so you know which ones I fell in love with! Here are the photos....

I love the idea of a patchwork window scene and would like to try this concept myself one day.

And one of my cheeky monkey who loves having her photo taken and was such a good girl (after being bribed with the pikelets for morning tea!).

But to show that I haven't been totally craft-less these past few months, here is a photo of the butterfly cross-stitch that I have done for my part in a round robin. It is now winging its way (no pun intended) back to its owner in the US. I hope she likes it!

A new addictive craft

My neighbour across the road invited me to a Creative Memories scrapbooking party, which was held yesterday. We each had to take along 6 - 8 photographs, with a theme.

I am ashamed to say that it was hard to find that many actual physical photographs, and I had to go hunting in the bottoms of sideboard drawers - it certainly is the age of digital photos! But I came up with some lovely shots of Naomi at various stages in her first year - from a couple of weeks old, through to her first birthday party.

And here is a photo of my first ever attempt at scrapbooking, entitled Naomi's First Year.

I love quilting, and have been in withdrawal for the last year, as I haven't even finished one project! I miss the beautiful vintage print fabrics, and the satisfaction of making something with my own hands that I can snuggle up under in the coming winter months. Which is why scrapbooking has the worrying potential to become a new addiction -- such beautiful papers, ribbons and embellishments - like an Aladdin's cave of pretty things. And preserving the happiest of memories.

But the thing I liked about it was the 'almost instant gratification'. Within half an hour I had created a page of memories and I was actually happy with the result! While not as utterly scrumptiously satisfying as finishing a bed quilt or lap rug, it was the sort of thing that I might even be able to find time for around Naomi and the daycare kids.

Luckily the cost of the materials, albums and fripperies that were in the catalogue were waaayyy outside our current budget, so the danger remains only peripheral... but certainly lurking there, waiting to pounce when I have more time or funds..... Does anyone else enjoy scrapbooking? Is it as addictive as I think it could be?

Sewing bee

Where has the last 3 weeks gone?? I cannot believe it has been soooo long since I found time to post!

I have been busy busy busy. The Family Daycare business is really starting to take off - I now have as many children to care for as I want for the moment. I have decided to limit myself to Naomi + 2 each day, rather than the +3 that I can legally take. Four children of 2 and under is just crazy. I know -- I've tried it! Frankly, the money for 1 extra child isn't worth the frustration and exhaustion that I feel by mid-morning! And having 1 place available each day allows me to take emergency care if the need arises, or if one of my current children needs an extra day of care for some reason.

As for the reference to sewing in the title of this post, I have been busy on that front too. It is getting chilly here now (well, what we tropical people think of as cool, anyway), and I wanted to make Naomi some long-sleeved t-shirts and rompers. I took her and Brad to Spotlight (I know... crazy, huh??), and he picked out a pattern for short-sleeved rompers, and some very light-weight knit fabric. Ummm... why? Because he liked the print and thought it would be cute on our little Blossom. Oooohhhhh kayyyyy.......

But I thought, well, I can put long-sleeved shirts under the strappy rompers, so that will work well. My wonderful Mum gave me a lesson in t-shirt making, (which is easy, when someone is showing, and a fiddly pain in the neck when figuring it out on your own!). Then on to the rompers. A very easy pattern, so it only took a couple of sessions to get it all together. I made the 12 month size for my tiny little Miss 16 Months. Then I tried it on her. The legs (meant to be a short-leg romper) dragged on the floor. And the shoulder straps fell off - on both sides.

The picture below wouldn't turn right way up, so you will have to tip your head to the side. I am putting this romper away until next season. Or maybe next year!

Never too young...

Naomi wanted to help out with the strippy quilt I am making for her. At first she was trying to help by pushing down the foot pedal of my machine, under the work table. When that resulted in some rather uncontrolled sewing, (and more than a few palpitations on my part) we came up with a new plan! So here she is, assisting with the random selection of strips and squares.

I usually put them all in a bag and draw out one at a time, but Naomi had way more fun throwing them up into the air and waving all around. I think this might have to become my new 'random generator'!

Cosy Cottage Creations

Well, I have taken the big step of opening a shop through Etsy - Cosy Cottage Creations. There are a few items already for sale, including a sample of my wonderful mum's beautiful knitting, deliciously soft and warm scarves and shawls.

I am also going to be adding my latest creation - snuggly warm sleep bags for babies. They will be available in warm polar fleece or lighter flanelette (for summer or heated houses), and in a range of colours, patterns and sizes. They are perfect for keeping baby covered during the night, and come with handy snap-open bottom, for easy nappy-changing during the night. Naomi loves her new 'funky fairies' sleep bag!

It is a bit daunting, because the standard of handwork available through Etsy stores is very high. I just hope that we will meet the mark! Please feel free to browse (and buy!), and I will let you know when I have anything new added.

Just Being Notesy

If you haven't seen the new link in my side-bar yet, then go on over to Just Being Notesy and check out some beautiful handmade personalised note cards. They are being made by a WAHM and fellow-blogger, at The Wooden Porch.

Wouldn't it be nice if we all went back to sending thank you notes, and 'I just wanted to say hi' notes? And I bet the postmen of the world would love it too!

By the way, this is an UN-sponsored message - I just think that they are gorgeous cards (great Christmas presents for your mother / mother-in-law?) and like to support WAHM's.

Cross stitch capers

Here is a photo of where I have been sitting for the last hour - with my cup of tea and stitchery. A beautiful sojourn in an otherwise busy day. Aint baby naps grand??

I have just about finished the centrepiece of my cross stitch to send off on a round robin. Just a few little bits left - I won't have time to do the wording that I was going to add, so that will have to wait until it returns from its travels to the USA!

Crafty gift idea!

It was my wonderful mum's birthday last week - she is such an inspiration to me (see today's other post!). Anyway, now that her studies are all but done, she is itching to get back into patchwork, knitting and other crafty things in her "spare" time - aside from all of that full-time work nonsense she will be doing!

So my brainwave for a gift idea was an annual subscription to a patchwork/craft magazine. You get a discount on each issue, for buying in advance, and every month she gets a pleasant little luxury in the mailbox.

When her eyes lit up as I told her (and handed over the current issue that I had bought), I was glad of the brainwave -- (and also hoping to be able to filch some back issues when she isn't looking, in due course!!). The gift that keeps on giving!