Latest fabric scores

The other week I visited my local Spotlight store and got encouraged by the staff member to buy some end of rolls of fabric.....she did a fantastic deal on them, and I paid $6 per roll for the thicker amounts and $4 a roll for the two with slightly less on them......unfortunately they seem to have sold all the good stuff now, or else I'd be going back before the end of financial year sale.......gotta love feeding my addiction to fabric with savings hey? lol


This next pic shows the patterns on each of the fabric rolls. The one on the far right actually has owls on it. I love owls!

Hugs

Naomi

My 1st Dottee Doll

I just thought I would show you my first ever Dottee Doll. I know they're not everyones' cup of tea, but I quite like them. It's a bit hard to see, but mine has little green seed beads adorning her body, along the edges of the watermelon. I've been told her wink is cheeky and what those people have come to expect of me.....so to Diana and Sharon-NZ, thanks, I think! lol

Hugs

Naomi

My weekend happenings

Hi everyone, I've been out with Khris and Mardi today to a Craft & Hobby fair local to where Khris and I live. I didn't buy much today.....but Saturday I did a bit of damage to the bank balance! lol I'll be able to use most of it within the next few months, so that's good.

I have a few swaps coming up, but can't post any pics of them till after they've been received...I am still in the process of making those 9 Gracie dolls....and how lucky am I, Cath (designer of lots of great raggedy patterns) has offered to draw me some new faces for my dolls....can't wait to do some different faces.

Am thinking I want to try and make some bigger dolls soon....the little ones are cute, but if Khris and I are off to markets....to sell our handcrafted items.....big dolls take up more room! lol

Hugs
Naomi

What I did today

Well today was one of those typical days where you were busy, but didn't actually get anything done! lol

I went with my friend Khris for a drive up to the Adelaide Hills to check out a few 'craft' markets.....having spent absolutely ages finding these places, we came to the conclusion not to bother going to any of them to sell our stuff at. We haven't given up entirely though, and have plans to go find some more ones she comes back from gallivanting up in Queensland! lol

I haven't got any pictures to add to this post, but better no pic than no post I reckon!

I'm thinking about either hosting a swap soon, well maybe in August or September....any suggestions as to what sort of swap???? I'm currently in a F-R-I-E-N-D-S swap, and two Xmas in July swaps, although one of those is only a really small one ($5 value) but it all counts.

I've only been in two other swaps this year, and they were an Annie Doll swap....and a heart swap...so I'm not really the best for using my imagination for swap topics......perhaps a pincushion swap????

I'm hoping I get a few ideas, and then perhaps what I can do is number all the ideas, and select one of them via random.org and whoever's gets picked will earn themselves a small prize.....yet to be decided on.

In the pipeline, I currently have 9 Gracie dolls cut out, partly sewn....and OMG aren't I beating myself up over that....guess who forgot to trace the faces on before she sewed the bodies up? Yep, ME, ME and only ME.....I can be such a klutz for someone who likes to think she's fussy....lol

Ok, don't forget to leave a comment and tell me what you think would be a good idea for a swap for later in the year, and then as to whether you would participate or not so I can weigh up whether it's worth it.

Hugs
Naomi

Look what I just made

Ok, not technically correct, as I already had the tin set up as a money tin, it just still had the coffee label on it! lol I've now put a pretty pink sleeve on it and hand embroidered an owl onto it.....c'mon, you already knew something about it was going to be purple didn't you? lol

Ooooh this one even has money in it! lol Excuse the toe of my sneaker visible in this shot!

This one proves that dust bunnies live here and are trying to steal my savings!

This was supposed to have a bee stitchery on it, but I kind of miscalculated the sleeve that matched that one, and Raelene helped me with the measurements on the pink one, which is a prototype for the ones I'm hoping to sell.

Now, what I'm hoping you'll do, is leave a comment, and say whether you'd buy one, and if so, roughly how much would be a fair price to pay for one? Thanks heaps. I understand that most of the people that will visit and make a comment already make great items themselves, but everyone needs a bit of advice sometimes right?

Hugs

Naomi

New Dolphin bag for Chrissy

I've just made another dolphin bag for my friend Chrissy....it's made from two cushion panels that I ironed vlieselene stuff (lol) onto them, and then when I backed them with Calico, I kind of quilted the panels.  I made the body of the bag (badly - long story so wont bore you all with the details) out of turquoise corduroy fabric....it's a super large bag so she can store a whole knitting project in it and pop her pattern and spare needles in the outer pockets.

 

I've put one pic up of a cd next to it (the pinky round thing in front!) so you can kind of get an idea how large the bag is.

 

If I were to make another one of these, I'd definately make it with uniform cushion panels....one of these was way out of whack and really peeved me, but I used it anyway...coz I'm a dag!

 

Hugs

Naomi

Dolphin Shower Bag

My good friend Chrissy is going into hospital on 6th May....and has struggled to find a shower bag (I still call them sponge bags - but apparently that's old school now! lol) that she liked...so, knowing how she loves DOLPHINS...I decided to make her one. I quilted the fabric first....nightmare - long story too! - but I finally managed it...after lots of words that would cost me a fortune in a swear jar! Then I backed the quilted piece with some pale blue plastic I had.








If I'd had a little more time, I would've made a totally different bag so that the dolphins were the right way up, but at least I didn't sew them on the inside of the plastic...which, knowing me, was a vague possibility! lol In the pic, it's a little hard to define the plastic, but trust me, it's like a shower curtain type of plastic, so whilst it won't waterproof the inside, its not going to matter if she puts a damp face cloth in there, if she needs to.

I'm going to be giving her the bag tomorrow...and I'll let you know what she thought of it.

Hugs
Naomi

Pen & Note pad holder

I bought the holder on the right at a thrift store...thinking I could make something similar and give them as gifts...well yesterday, I decided it was about time I made one....so the one on the left is my attempt...did I do ok? Would you be happy to receive one?? I don't want to go crazy making them if no one thinks they're an ok thing!

Hugs
Naomi

Pretty Flowers

Ooooh Aaaaah such pretty flowers hey? These orchids were bought for me by our good friend Penelope when she came to visit on Wednesday...yes I know, I'm slack for only posting pics now...at least I remembered to take the pics while the flowers were so fresh and vibrant looking. Thanks Penelope.

Hugs
Naomi

Test Post

Well I've decided to trial out this thing that my friend "Aunty Sharon" recently learnt how to do...you can see her fantastic blog here.  I'm actually posting this direct to my blog from my email service!  How cool is that?  I think it's brilliant, and if I've set it up correctly, it could mean I'll be posting more often!

 

I'll even try and attach a pic just so I can see whether it all works!  The pic I've decided to attach is my version of "Gracie".  This pattern is from Cath Ü's wonderful site

and if you click on that link, it'll take you to her blog and you can check out all the wonderful things her and her gorgeous hubby, Ronnie make.....aren't they brilliant????

 

Hugs

Naomi

Salad for Breakfast is.......

Not something I believe I could eat...not first thing in the morning anyway! Maybe for brunch....anyway, as usual, I digress from why I'm posting.....Salad for Breakfast is actually hosting a giveaway for a talented young Aussie who has an ETSY store called Nooshka. Anyhow....go on over to Salad for Breakfast by clicking on any of the links in the body of the message and follow the instructions there to win Kirby....although I'd really like to win him myself....I love owls.

Good luck and if you win, come back and leave a comment so I can be truly jealous!

Hugs
Naomi

2 more Bootie/Booty bags and a RED scarf

Raelene went to NSW today to see her family...and go to her Dads surprise 75th birthday party, so SSSSSSHHHHHH don't tell him she's coming!

I decided when we booked her ticket on TUESDAY, yes, you read right, 3 days ago! that I would make a gift for her daughters, so out came the denim jeans/skirts and the final product was these two bags....they're both totally different from each other....what do you think of them?

The little spots you can see, especially down in the stripey part of this bag, are actually glued on bling! This originally was a skirt, but not anymore! lol

I think the belt should've been a little bit wider, but because it's only a relatively small bag, thought a thinner one went best, so that's what it got.





This next pic is of the other bag, which has an unusual front pocket detail, it's where all the buttons are.

Once again, it could probably have done with a better belt/sash, but with the time constraints...I only finished them last night! figured that this was better than nothing.











The other thing I made for a present, was a red feathers (well not the real feathers yarn, but the knock off version - Spotlight Flurry to be precise) scarf. I know one person in particular who was dying to get their hot little hands on this....pity I know she can knit...otherwise I would've made her one! (Bad luck boss!)

Anyway, I'm part way through making another PETAL doll for our next door neighbour...she has ordered one for her Mum for Mothers Day, so apart from a trip to Spotlight and the Post Office tomorrow (Saturday) you will all know what I'll be busy doing....I've sewn the body up so far, have to stuff it yet though...then it'll be clothes, petals and her teddy and pic to put on the net...oh wait, can't do that as I sent our camera away to NSW with Raelene! Derr Naomi...must be sleepy hey?

Alrighty, hope everyone has enjoyed reading my latest dribble. I'm now off to bed, so I can hopefully make an early start on all my chores....when I finally wake up.

Hugs
Naomi

My grand daughter

I believe I've made a few mentions of my DGD TaShie, at one time or another, but haven't really posted any pics of her...so this is one I took within the last two weeks when she came for a visit...she's eating some Zig Zag Twisties, out of a bowl....with, get this.....a spork! you know, one of those bbq cutlery items that isn't totally a spoon and isn't totally a fork? Yeah, I knew you would. Anyhow, here's her pic, isn't she gorgeous? Of course, I would think that, I'm SOOOOO biased when it comes to her. For those wondering, she is 1/4 caste West Indian which is where she gets her brown (ringlet curls starting up - thankfully not afro curls like her momma - Hayley's hated them all her life) hair and big baby brown eyes.






Telling us that she's not going to spill them.....but she did!

















To the right, is my gorgeous daughter, Hayley, and of course darling little TaShie. Not only did Hayley steal my good looks and left me with none, she also stole my skinny body and threw all her fat to my rounded body!

You don't know how many attempts I had at trying to get them both looking at the camera at the same time, and both smile....this was as good as it got!

See the corner of the table they're sitting at....we painted over the original wooded varnished colour (after sanding it back) and I got this great pinky/lilac paint called "CHICK FLICK". . . isn't it lovely? I think it is, but just wonder what the paint mixers were thinking....threw some colours together and stirred it up, and said "this one looks like a chick flick"???? Stuffed if I know, but it looks nicer in person than in the pic.

Hugs
Naomi

Tollipop is hosting a giveaway - be quick though!

I only just stumbled across this giveaway....it's a gorgeous set of three paintings....there's also a couple of other prizes too, so head on over to Tollipop's blog and enter.

Hugs
Naomi

Annie swap complete - sneak peak

As I mentioned in a previous post here, I entered an Annie Doll swap, and here's a sneak peak at part of the completed doll.....can't post the full pic yet, as that would spoil the surprise for my swap partner, Vickie! I guess you can't really tell much from this pic, but that's all I'm willing to divulge so far! lol

Stitchin Sisters Booty Bags completed

As you may have read in the past (from previous ramblings, ooops I mean postings) on Tuesday afternoons, I have a couple of friends come round for a sewing session, and I help them with making things, such as PETAL and also by showing them how to make bags....well being a crazy bag lady, I belong to a few bag making groups on the internet, and back in March, one of them had a sew a long for a Booty Bag.....couldn't not do that one, so without further adieu, I present to you....Marions Booty bag.

This one was actually made from a skirt not jeans as per the pattern...long story and I won't go there, as it would embarrass Marion greatly to think anyone and everyone could possibly read about her stuff ups!

Anyhow, I think she did a wonderful job...and see the rings on the straps? Ok, lean a little closer, they're actually wooden curtain rings! We really made hers a recycling whizz didn't we? I have a whole heap of both 2nd hand/pre loved wooden curtain rings (coz I knew they'd come in handy one day maybe!) and heaps and heaps of wooden beads that were either a car seat cover or a beaded screen thing that hangs on doorways.

Then of course we have mine. I almost did mine completely like the pattern, except for the magnet closure. I love how the straps are done via the pattern...this is the first time I've tried this technique and I just know there's going to be alot more done on future bags.

If you would like one of these bags, then you will be able to purchase something similar for a special special price of $25.00 (AUD). Just email me and I'll get back to you with some questions about your preferences and what's the easiest method for you to pay, and we'll take it from there.

Mine shown on the left, is not for sale, however, I can replicate it to a certain extent (Have enough of the lining fabric left over), it would just depend on what jeans I can find.

Hugs
Naomi

Tea Wallets

Some of you may have heard my rantings about press studs and tea wallets lately.....well, here's a selection of the ones I've been making. The 5 at the front are for one of my sewing teachers at school....she supplied the fabric as she wanted 5 the same with sunflowers on for a group she's in...some of the members are going overseas soon, and she thought these would be great to give everyone as a little gift to remember each other by.

The rest are to give another teacher a selection to choose from, as she also wants 5. Last year I sold her an Elvis bag which she bought for her sister....and if you peer hard enough at this pic, you can see, half hidden 2nd from left on the back row, an Elvis tea wallet....so if you're guessing that ones for her sister...then you'd be right...hopefully her sister doesn't happen to stumble across my blog (yeah right, like I'm famous or something!) and see it!

Here's another pic with one of the sunflower ones opened up, with the tea bags sitting in their slot. It's a little hard to tell from that pic, but there's
3 different shades of yellow on the inside....on all
the other tea wallets, I now put one pocket matching the lining fabric and one that matches the outer fabric.

Now onto my other goof up with the tea wallets/business card holders....I kinda made a miscalculation with the business card holders, and
had Raelene cut out lots (and I'm talking about 40 - 50 of the suckers!) of matching sets, so there's business card holders and tea wallets to match....but now the business card holders are all cut out 1" too small, so they're no good....luckily for me, I can turn them into coin purses...stay tuned as I'm making one of them up for a customer today, and will post pics when I'm done.

Hugs
Naomi

How dorky do I feel?

Well, at this precise moment in the day, VERY. I just spent a whole ten minutes trying to put a link in my sidebar to another persons' blog, who's having a giveaway...when I went back to her blog to obtain my 'extra' entries for linking to her giveaway over here....read that the giveaway has closed....still, I guess I at least learned a new technique...now to remember it for next time...and for taking that one down! lol I might wait to remove it till I make sure the giveaway deadline has passed for sure.

Yesterday I was at my friend Khris's house and we were both working on our Annie dolls for our swap, see the post about it here or here. I def, def, def, definitely ain't a prim girl! Having said that though, I'll love the one I get from Vickie, just coz it's something someone's made for me, I just doubt I'll ever throw my name on the list for anything as grungy again!

Well, best I get back to the sewing machine instead of sitting here making myself sound like a bigger dork than I am.

Hugs
Naomi

Finally....PETAL and her teddy are finished

Hi again,

As some of you may or may not know, I swore black and blue, that I would never ever fall, get sucked into or pushed down into the doll making vortex, but that was just a vague memory on the horizon, when I saw this talented craft-ladies pattern (Thanks very much Cath Ü! - Just remember, when it all comes down to it, it's all YOUR fault!)

The doll (my first one I've ever made) is called PETAL and she carries a small teddy bear. Now whilst I'm only a beginner, I found the pattern really easy to follow...must've coz if you do a comparison shot with the photo on Cath Ü's site and the ones I have here...you should be able to at least tell they're similar...can't you? lol

My friend Marion also made a PETAL doll (see right)....as part of our "Stitchin Sisters" tuesday sewing group....she made hers for her gorgeous grand daughter Mia, who turns one today....we only finished the dolls last night! Talk about sailing close to the wind hey? lol

I helped Marion out with the faces on both PETAL and her teddy....even managed to do the nose on pinky bear better than I did mine....doh! Still, mine was done first, so by the time I got around to doing the nose on her bear...I was an experienced doll/bear maker! lol NOT

Alot of laughs and squeals (everytime, and believe me it happened lots and lots over the last few weeks - everytime Marion stabbed herself with pins or needles making PETAL and teddy) were had by us when we were making our PETALS up.

If you've never thought of having a group sewing session with your friends, I suggest you round a few up, buy Cath Ü's pattern (here) and all make one, it'll be fun, I promise you.

I think Ms Purple PETAL has modesty issues, as she has underwear on, but still feels the need to cross her legs whenever she can...which she shouldn't coz it's already turned her legs purple where she's cut of the circulation!

Anyhow, I'd really appreciate feedback on how you think I went for my first attempt at doll making....now onto my 2nd one....for the Annie Swap, see below....although you're too late to sign up now, alas.

Hugs
Naomi

Here's a shot of the two PETAL's together.....don't they look cute? I did slightly different mouths on the PETAL dolls, which do you prefer? Pinky or Purply's mouth?

Show & Tell for March '09

Hi De Hi campers, readers, friends and anyone else reading this....I've been a busy (-ish) girl lately....I may not have been online chatting, emailing or blogging much, but I have done some sewing, I've also had a couple of painful days with my cruddy back, but we won't go there.

I've made a few things over the last month, and on instructions from Sharon-NZ here's some pics of what I've been making.


Ok, first up, I found a cute pattern for a boxy bag tutorial and adjusting it to a slightly different size and self quilting the fabric myself, I came up with this little rainbow number....am thinking of giving it to my Mum for Easter, but that may change! Nothing in my life is actually set in concrete till it actually happens....hee hee hee


Then we have two cute little curved zippered purses, tutorial for those is currently lost on my puter somewhere....must tidy it up one of these days.....yeah right, like all the other things I want to get done in my spare time! Stop waffling Naomi, show the pictures...ok, ok put your hair back on! Here they are.....Now how cute are they?

They're actually a little longer than I'd like them to be for coin purses, so am going to try again but now make them quite as high....hard to find $2 down the bottom if it was full of cash...mind you, I don't have that problem.....very often, actually, no I never have that problem....gotta try and not spend so much and I might get to experience that problem one day!


Oh my gosh, aren't these flowers glorious? They were given to me by a friend, Grant, out of his garden....they're Dahlias, Gerberas and Roses....all in pinks and reds....so delightful...thanks Grant.
















I attend an adult campus (P.W.A.C) locally and one of the classes is a sewing one....a fellow student told me how to make a Chenille bag...basically she told me how many pieces of fabric and what size and how far apart to sew lines...and I went home and tah-dah, I made this bag for me...It's got great appeal to it I think, and when I make another one, I'm even going to have a go at chenilling the handles somehow....keep checking back to see if I've successfully done it or not!

I haven't got one of the slasher/cutter thingamebobbywotsits, so had to cut each line between the stitching with scissors, but thankfully I don't have arthritis, so managed it with relative ease.

After you've made the bag, you wash it (and tumble dry it if you have one.....I don't really like them, as air is free in comparison to running the dryer and I have a clothes line that is useable, so that's what we do!) and it gets the shaggy/chenille look to it. I forgot to take a before shot, so this one is after one wash...imagine how cool it'll look after a few washes.

I do have something else to show you, but I'm so proud of myself that I'm going to give it a separate posting.

Keep smiling and happy crafting.
Don't forget to think about signing up for my pay it forward...so far I only have Vickie on it.

Hugs
Naomi