wash day wednesday

I've had so many excuses not to sew this year what with my sewing room in a mess and stacks of mending and other boring 'must do' type projects piling up everywhere. It was all just getting me down until I picked up Scandinavian Stitches last month at my local Spotlight store.

 

This book, written by Kajsa Wikman includes lots of fun projects mostly using raw edge applique and free motion stitching, techniques made popular by designer Poppy Treffry. This 'wash day' picture to hang up in my laundry is my third project from the book. I've found the applique so enjoyable, it's quick, effective and great for a self confessed perfectionist like me, you really learn to let go as the more imperfect your stitching, the better it looks!



The frame I used has been lying around in my shed waiting for it's moment of glory. Just a few coats of turquoise paint and voila, a cheap and cheerful artwork for my bare walled laundry! I'm hoping it will make me smile every time I put a load of washing on.



 

sleepy hollow..and a prize

by sleepy hollow i'm not referring to the lack of posts on my behalf (thanks viv for holding up the side), but of a quilt i've recently finished.



sleepy hollow

in the past year i've got into patchwork in a big way (thanks viv). although what i really enjoy is buying fabric and looking at quilting books, i've finished two quilts (including this one) and have two more that just need binding and labels (not to mention the numerous ufo's i've started just to see how the block looks in certain fabrics).

about two years ago i saw the pattern sheet in spotlight to make this quilt and liked it so much i promptly bought all the matching fabrics. a year later i cut out the pieces and six months after that i put it all together. as usual my lovely aunty joy quilted the layers together. bright stripey binding (my favorite) finished it off perfectly.

when i went into spotlight a couple of weeks ago i noticed they were holding a quilt competition with the conditions being that all quilts entered must be from spotlight fabrics.

last saturday i entered 'sleepy hollow' into the competition and won first prize - this elna sewing machine! i believe one can never have too many sewing machines so this one will go into my collection of six other domestic/industrial/overlock/sewing/coverlock machines. now..just have to work out where to put him...

shiny new machine

help! i can't stop crocheting!

this is serious everyone, no sooner do i get close to the end of a crochet project, i'm planning to start the next. piles of colourful yarn are being organised into baskets, bags or just clumped on the couch all ready to start. the agony of sewing in all the ends is hard to endure but then i sew in the last one, throw the FO aside and speedily make a chain for the next project. and who to blame? well, at the moment its Lucy from the attic24 blog. her colourful world has me hook, line and sinker. i love the colour combos in rainbows, boiled sweets and kids plastic beads so no surprises that i already had most of the yarn colours she uses in my stash!

sunshiny candy stripes

Lucy kindly provides a tutorial for this granny stripe blanket on her blog, but i warn you, if you love colour and crochet you may find yourself chaining for a new project before you know it! i used acrylic yarn from my stash, supplemented with some "moda vera" from Spotlight and some vintage acrylic from Mum's stash (a treasure trove of yarn with retro labels and prices!)

my little helper

granny stripes

i made my blanket narrower and longer than the pattern, it's about 116cm wide by 123cm long. i made my own edging as well, just 2 rows of trebles (UK) and 1 row of a simple picot to finish. more details are on my Ravelry page as usual. i started this project in March and have worked on it off and on, but because it's TV crochet it's been pretty quick and fun to make. and have i started a new project yet? you betcha! here's a sneak peek of it, and don't be surprised if it shows up later this week...

new project

mad cowl disease

its beginning to feel quite wintry at both ends of the day recently, and i've realised that although heavy jumpers aren't needed yet, it's the perfect time to wear scarves and mitts. they are easily slipped on and off, and can be stuffed into a handbag when the sun comes out. another bonus is quick finishing, by the time i'm bored the project is complete! after the success of last week's cream chunky cowl, i decided to make another one.

wild thing cowl

this time i sewed the cowl from some thin faux fur fabric from my stash; i just cut a rectangle the width of the fabric (150cm) by 50cm. then i sewed the long edges together to form a tube, leaving an opening of 15cm for turning. finally i sewed the short edges together, flipped it the right way out and hand sewed the opening. two twists around the neck and it was on!

aviator cowl

the next cowl was also sewn, this time from faux leather, lined with fleece. the pattern is from burda style magazine October 2011, design #154, but once again its just a lined rectangle with a chunky zipper inserted at the short edges. this is a very fashion forward look, and as such i haven't dared to wear it yet in case my family mocks me for it, but i'll have the last laugh when the cold wind blows because its really warm and cosy.

orange tulips cowl

finally, i got out the knitting needles again to make this orange cowl knitted from Spotlight's Moda Vera "Shiver" yarn. i bought this shade last year and never got round to using it but its a lovely soft acrylic that's perfect on sensitive skin. i used my Vogue Stitchionary to choose a pattern and this one is called "tulip leaves" which suits the national colour of Holland! the lace pattern creates a wavy cast on edge that sits beautifully on the shoulders and knitting the cowl sideways shows off the pattern nicely.

gobstopper hail

these cowls are so much easier to wear than scarves as they don't come adrift no matter what you are doing, and sit close to the neck to keep you warm even on days when the hail looks more like snow...

a trio of tops

over the past few days i have been making some jersey tops to extend my wardrobe. t-shirts are easy to buy, but i find them a bit too long and skinny to wear by themselves. t-shirts are also, luckily, really easy to make if you have a good pattern.

grey rugby top

the first top i made was from Butterick 5104 view C, from some fine jersey out of my stash. it has a tiny stripe in it and there wasn't quite enough (as usual!) so i used a matching grey to make the top of the sleeves. i'm really happy with this because it adds a sporty look and a bit of designer detail. this "rugby" look happens to be on trend also, as i discovered the next day when paging through a magazine.

rose tattoo top

i wanted to use the same pattern and change up the look with a different fabric, and found some ultra fine burnout jersey in my stash. i extended the side seams and hem out a few centimetres, cropped the sleeves to 3/4 length and added an afterthought cowl neck. because the fabric is so fine i overlocked the whole thing together with 3 threads and left the hems raw; quite acceptable going by similar $200 tops in the boutiques! this top is great with pants and jeans and when i tried it on, it reminded me of tattoos, especially when layered under sleeveless garments to give the look of tattooed 'sleeves'.

red licorice top

for my final trick i wanted to get my teeth into something more difficult. i have had this pattern traced for a while and both my sisters have made it already (Manz has made it twice). its from knipmode magazine April 2008 design #13, and i used a poly/viscose jersey from Spotlight that has a crepe finish. i'm really happy with this top, although i found it a little short in the body and sleeves. i cut the sleeve bands a bit longer to rectify this, but with the snug fit and the length, this will be best with skirts.

draping closeup

i didn't have any problems with the sewing of this top, but that's probably because i have looked at the one Manz made. we have a habit of looking at the inside of each others handmade clothing and inspecting all the details! if you do want to make this pattern and have trouble deciphering the instructions, many other people on the net have made it and i suggest  the pattern review site or the fehrtrade blog for extra information.
now that i've made some sensible clothing, it's time to turn my hand to more frivolous sewing!

tis the season to be knitting!

tra la la la laa la la la laa...when the day is gray and rainy could there be anything nicer than snuggling up on the couch with a pair of needles and some new yarn guiltily bought last weekend? my big boy thought he would like to revisit knitting after quitting it a couple of years ago (its sooo uncool you know). i bought some fishnet yarn that seems to be a bit of a craze at the moment. after a quick tutorial from my 12 year old niece Krista, i was able to show him how to knit it up.

knitting fever

its good to know he hadn't forgotten how to knit, but he did have a little trouble with the fishnet yarn and kept making more stitches. by that time i was keen to have a go and took over the needles. by the end of the afternoon i had a new loopy scarf!

fishnet scarf

i used Spotlight's "metallic mesh" in black lurex; you only need one ball for a scarf and it looks harder than it is. i also managed to finish a scarf i have been making for a while, which goes with my casual wardrobe-in-the-making. i had run out of one of the colours (story of my life) but luckily Spotlight have finally filled up the shelves in the wool department. i made it in 8ply acrylic so it wouldn't itch me, and used the yarn double for a marl effect. i didn't need a pattern for this, it's just a rectangle of moss stitch about 2m long.

which footy team?

i was on a roll with the scarves, and paging through a mollie makes magazine i saw a nice double moss stitch cowl from quince & co. i rummaged through my stash for some chunky wool and came up trumps with some i bought at Spotlight ages ago; its moda vera "grace" and sadly not stocked anymore. i only had two balls so made up my own pattern based on the one i'd seen in the magazine. its another rectangle twisted into an infinity ring for easy wearing, and i made it in one night while watching tv. it looks quite luxe and got commented on the next day when i wore it out shopping, always a good sign when someone asks you for the pattern!

designer cowl

i really enjoyed spending some time knitting, and love these quick finish projects. these scarves have already come in handy for the cold snap we've had lately, and make up for the lack of warm clothes in the wardrobe. but now i'm sewing, i'm sewing!

happy easter!

woolly easter egg

aaah, Easter....apart from its religious significance, Easter gives us a lovely break and time to catch up with family, not to mention the chocolate overdose! this year we have quite a few birthdays to go to and its the start of school holidays and a welcome rest from sport and chaffeuring children. i couldn't resist taking an afternoon to do some crafting and get stuck into these amigurumi eggs. i made sure i included a bad egg in my half dozen of which half have hatched already!

amigurumi half dozen

the pattern for these cuties was a Spotlight leaflet from a few years ago that i've been saving. now i've got to start on my special dress to wear to a wedding in a weeks time, well i do my best work under pressure apparently! i've just noticed that Spotlight has 40% off fabric tomorrow...