a THANK YOU giveaway

I want to say thank you to everyone who participated in my meme in 2010.  Ive met lots of nice new people and blogs.

so anyway, I dont want to commit to making anything for you.  I find sewing for someone else very stressful!  I want to give away something that I know that everyone will jump at!

I know- another Ottobre!

conditions of entry are that you must have entered at least 2 sign ups!

When entering you must 
b) you must want an Ottobre. 
c) you must chose and Ottobre that is still available.  All issues from year 2000, 1+2+3 2001, 1/2002 and 3/2008 are sold out.  
d) if you chose a popular version you might get the instructions on a separate piece of paper and the mag may be in Finnish.
e) I must be able to contact you somehow.  If I cant then I will have to redraw the prize.
f) comments must be made on the blog (not FB) please.

this giveaway will be announced at 6pm 31st January my time 


 Ottobre posts world wide too.

The reason I chose to give away and Ottobre is that I felt it would not discriminate.  Even if you don't sew they are pretty to look at (although the point is that you do sew from them)

I really like the ones that I have, and its hard to really chose one that I really like.  I know I like the 1/2009 and have made a few things from that issue.  But I have so many other Ottos that I cant seem to part with... so its really up to you (the winner).  

For those who don't win, you can head over to Crafty Mamas to get your own Ottobre. They also have Farbenmix too and some yummy fabrics.  Also over at Crafty Mamas is a forum, so that you can ask questions about your Ottobre projects.

I have been really pondering over the ladies 2/2008... might have to save for that one!

Show off what you did in December

My last month of this meme and I got slack!  I didn't post the widget for you to sign up to show off your December creations!  I am very sorry.  I am sure that you all can appreciate that December is a very crazy time of the year and so some things get overlooked.

Anyway, I don't want to overlook your creations- so we would love to see them. Sign up below!

December challenge: Sharpen your skills!

So its December- it only took me to the 2nd to actually come to accept that it might be the final month of the year.

This months challenge is to sharpen your skills on one of the challenges that was presented this month.

I would really love to have another go at making a softy this month, but the reality is that I have 2 girls to sew for, a son whos birthday is the 26th of December and a neice and nephew to sew for for Christmas. Is it ok to say that the skills that are being sharpened at my house are time management?

Would love to hear what your December plans are.

My daughters are wanting (well I plan to make them) a ruffle patchwork skirt from Ottobre, as well as a Farbenmix Feliz
I should make my son a pair of denim shorts with the feature pocket.
My nephew needs a tee with mathicn shorts
and my neice, well she is fussy, I am thinking maybe she will get something I haven't sewn. Typical 2yo, she knows what she likes, but doesn't tell us.

Sign up below:

Time to show off your Crafty Christmas adventures!

Its the end of November (either I am yelling to try and convince myself that it is actually here, or that I am trying not to cry as the time has flown!)

And its time to show off your Christmas craftying.



I have almost finished mine, just gotta iron them and pop it all together. Please hold me to it that I have to have it done before it reaches December!

November Challenge: Christmas craft

So the whole idea for November challenge is to start on that Christmas crafting. It might be a Christmas outfit for your darling boy, or it might be the present for his teacher. Whatever it is, November is the time to get started (or sooner). Either way, we would love to see what you are doing.

So sign up below, and come the last week of November you can add your link tot he new widget to show off what you have crafted.

Im not sure what I will do as yet, new dresses for the girls? Presents for the teachers? Maybe a softie for the tree? A knitted ornament? The sky is the limit really.

28th of Blogtoberfest: October 12 in 12 show your creation!

I am really happy with this months challenge, and will be doing it again!

Race ya to the op shop!

27th of Blogtoberfest: my October 12 in 12 recreation!

Pattern: Ottobre 301 with added length

Fabric and old adults top from an Op shop

binding, and old adults spaghetti strap top from Op shop

Unwilling model, my 4yo daughter, who would not co-operate! 

This recreate thing is actually really handy!  The whole top cost me 50c I think.  I have been rummaging through op-shops looking for any top with 2 way stretch, making sure it was big enough to make another top out of. and then chopping.  It helps that it had stripes as I used that as the grain line.

The pattern took me about 30min to sew up!  

Another bonus is that the sleeves didn't need hemming.  I just used the existing sleeves, and used their hem as my hem ;)

I have also made knickers out of op-shop clothing.  

So thats my October challenge completed YAY for me! (and nope photos wont behave!)

October challenge, re-create, re design something from the op shop.

So this months challenge is to get down to your local op shop, buy 1, 2 or 3 items and to create something new out of it.

I have before got some awsome knit fabrics and made knickers for my girls using the That Darn Kat pattern. I think I will be doing this again. I have also got some really over sized cord pants and made some little pants, but they didn't turn out as I had hoped. And then there is the bags that you can make from old jeans. Really your only limited by you! So get a hop on down to your op shop and bring home some new ideas for creations

Hand Embroidery sign up!

Oh this was a hard one!  I mean you have to be so motivated to sit down and (well for me) design something and then have the patience to stitch it out.  I am yet to do mine... but I have 4 more days...

Anyway.  If you have completed yours please sign up below.

Comon people- challenge this month: hand embroidery/ smocking!

Quite honestly, smocking scares the bageebers out of me!  Not to mention that I have no real need to smock anything at the moment.  I think with all that work I would not have my children go near it!

But the whole idea is to be challenged!

So I am going to try the hand embroidery option.  I have a MILO vest that I have knitted last year- about 90% of it, so I am planning on hand embroidery that for my little one.  She is obsessed with pink, and the vest is a turquoise, so I best try and embroider something pink on it for her.

So sign up below, and show is your finished creation at the end of the month.

Anyone know how to take a photo of an active 2yo?

Well in our case, it means that you let them take a turn of the camera. (under my supervision!)
my turn:

her turn:

my turn:

 

her turn:

 

my turn: yup we want the camera again!

These are also pics of the pleated skirt that I made for Lily.  It was rather east to do, the most painful part was ironing all the seam allowances inwards for the contrast fabric.  However this skirt is yet to be washed, and I am sure that it will need strict ironing to maintain the pleats!

July Challenge- pleats

I struggled to write that title, I am in total denial that we are up to JULY already!

Anyway, this month is something with pleats.

It might seem like we are leaving out those who don't have kids, or who have boys, so feel free to make something for yourself!

As far as kiddies go, there is a good pattern in Summer Ottobre 2009 that has pleats, as well as a few Oliver & S patterns have pleats.  Myself- I will be making my girls a little denim skirt! Its here, on ETSY.  I have only had the pattern for.. umm... probably over a year!  So best I use it!

So as per usual- sign up below.  And we look forward to seeing your pleats!

So what did you self draft?

Well I was hoping to draft a pair of trackies, as I have don't this once before and it worked out really well.  Especially for the boys who have no hips but have long legs.  My boys can still fit into size 3 pants, except for the length and some rise, but I never actually got that far.

What I did manage was to draft a poncho.  I was inspired by the poncho that Natalie from ModerKip makes.  I cant suggest that it turned out quite as good as hers though.  My mistakes were not lack of pattern though, rather lack of detail when drafting the pattern. As the front is lower than the back, I wasn't sure exactly where to take the measurements from when deciding the length.  Then of course the front and the back were different lengths (which I altered with a pair of scissors :D).  I also made it out of baby wale, lined in minky and inner out of flannel. This is not the best starting point when you have just drafted the pattern and have not tested it. Minky is hard to sew with anyway, and then making it even thicker with the baby wale and flannel makes the denim sewing needle look like a delicate needle.

Never the less I have completed it, and its far from perfect!  It is wearable though.  I still have not attached a button as I am having a button crisis. 
If anyone has any good ideas for a button please let me know.  I also want to change the buttons on the Farbenmix Olivia overdress as well which is made from the same fabric.  And its also the same buttons.  I have already cut the holes though...  ETA i think I will use the ribbon, the ribbon is around the hood.

Ribbon is from Farbenmix from Crafty Mamas.

Anyway, sign up below to show off your self drafted projects.

JUNE CHALLENGE Something self designed or drafted

Oh this is not one that I have been looking forward to!  But that's the idea of a challenge isn't it?

So I am planning on whipping out the ENID mags and having a go at drafting a pattern.

I have in the past designed my own tracky pants for a friends son who was 3 and could not find trackies that fit him, I used this website.  The end result was rather satisfying.  The mum could make 5 pairs of trackies knowing they would fit!

Anyhoo sign up below!

Zipper Tutorials

The writer of the blog Hand Made Help has put together a few tutorials involving zippers, thought Id put the link up here for all to see

Can you believe its time for the May Sign Up!

I cant believe its time to sign up for the May challenge!

I havnt yet taken a pic of my April challenge!  So slack of me!

Anyway, this month is inserting a zip!

I might just keep it easy for me and make a little lined makeup case (thank you squidoo).

This is not a time consuming challenge, but for some this will be difficult, as zippers are often something that puts us off a pattern.  By starting on a small project I hope it will help some of us overcome our fear!

sing sign up now

April challenge- something lined

And no this is not an April Fools joke!  Really we want to learn how to line something.

So who is up for the challenge?

I am lining some Made By Rae toddler backpacks for the girls.  Wish me luck!

sign up NOW!

March Challenge- make a softie

Lets all dig deap inside of us and make ourselves a soft toy.

Now depending on how serious a softie maker you are, really is how much you might play with this toy!

I know for myself I have been meaning to make a Steiner Doll for over a year now!  I even took the kids to the shop and very kindly kind of got asked to leave (yes the kids were not behaving, or should I say they were behaving like kids! The staff were very lovely about it though)  Anyway, I have been meaning to make this doll for a long time now and I think for myself this is a prime time to do it! 

If you would like to sign up, there is no pressure to make yourself a Steiner doll.  There are very cute patterns out there for other softies, cute, simple, complex etc...  Melly and Me is a good Australian designer, there is also, Vintage Ric Rac, and ill add more when I get some links ;)

They will all have a hand sewing component to them, which I know is going to be my challenge this month as I hate hand sewing!   Check out you tube for some tutorials

anyway- arm yourself with some hobbyfill, a needle and thread and sign up now!

February Challenge- Sewing with knit fabric-Sign Ups!

This month is about sewing with knit.

Knit fabric is fabric that stretches, and it can be a little more challenging to work with as it moves a little more, and stretches under the foot if you dont know how to work with it.

To help everyone along I have asked Sara, from Willow & Moo fame to write a tutorial on how to sew with knit fabric, I will post the tutorial after this sign up! Thank you Sara for taking the time to write this for all of us!

Now what you can make...

Well for the fabric side of thing, Crafty mamas has beautiful knits to work with (I can vouch for the Stella).  She also has a selection of patterns that use knit fabrics, such as Farbenmix and Ottobre just to name 2. 

Working with good fabrics can make the difference. I have recently made PJs out of stripy knit from Spotlight, it was ok.. nothing like the squichyness from the Stella.

I myself am going to invest in some more knickers from That*Darn*Cat (also at you can make this).
In the past I have used old op shop teeshirts, as well as Stella.

Unfortunatly my hands are tied till I have my sewing machine back from the Dr, so I wont be posting any piccies just yet.

There will be a giveaway as well, so stay tuned!

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

So sign up here.

Again sign ups will close on the 28th of February, and we need to show off our new piece at the same time. Again feel free to join the flickr group and/or post on your blog.

January Challenge- time to show off your finished project!

At the time of writing there is 76 people participating!  What a fantastic effort of the blogging community!

So (sew) its time to show off your creations.

Feel free to add it to the flickr group, or post it on your blog. 

If you do add it to flickr, maybe add your blog addi to your comments so that we can stalk see what else you have been up to.

I am so excited to see what everyone has made.

Dont forget the challenge doesnt finish till the end of the week, so we still have time to wip up something if the rest of the time has excaped us (me included)

Now what we need to do is add another sign up.

If you have added your item to the flickr group and not your blog, please just put the user name as your name and the flickr group as your web address. 

If you have added your item to your blog, please put your preferred name and then the link to the blog post.

Feel free to blog about why you made this, what you learnt, challenges, frustrations, why its not completed, was it a challenge to have the space to think about yourself?

I believe that it is important for all of us to spend a little time spoiling ourselves. We often will go out of our way to make things for others and never have the time to enjoy our craft for us! This is why I chose this challenge for the 1st month. Christmas is often about family, making things for others, cooking for others and entertaining. Although this has its place, we also need a little space to think about no1, before we throw ourselves back into the year.

I hope you enjoyed making something for yourself!

Enjoy surfing!

PS I will draw the winner of the apron next Monday.