Something that I make ...

A bikini top

2009-09-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

Ellie has been asking for a bikni for a long long time. Since I decided to retire my old swim suit, I gave it a new life by cutting it up and made a "new" bikini for her as dress up. Of course, she loved it.

A hand towel

2009-09-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

Spring has come!!! It's time to "spring up" the house. I added the floral pattern to a plain white hand towel. The bathroom is a lot more refreshing now.

A lilac sweater

2009-09-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to knit Ellie a quick-and-easy sweater for a long time. It took me a long time to find a pattern that I like. I really like Debbie Bliss's knitting patterns. So cool and so stylish!!! I knitted this sweater based on her pattern. Since I don't have much patience to use small needles, I knitted it with thicker yarn and 6mm needles. It took me only 2 weeks to finish this sweater for a 6 year old. It did take a little calculation to convert Debbie's patterns from 5mm to 6mm but it's all worth it.

A dress and a cap for Ella

2009-09-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

This dolly dress and cap is made by Ellie's old T-shirt. The big floral pattern is perfect to be the new dress. I thought I could just slip the dress on the dolly because of the stretchy material. It turned out that the dolly head was way too big that I had to cut up the back and put some velcro on. Ellie was so happy that the dolly could wear something that she wore before. :)

An arno cat for Kim

2009-09-06T06:01:00.000-07:00

It is my second attempt on softie. I found this pattern in the Women's Weekly magazine and thought it would be a great gift for Kim's 7th birthday. I embroidered her name on the cat's bottom. I was going to make another one for her little sister. Since this little cat takes a lot longer than I thought, I might make another one later. My daughter was a bit disappointed that it was so small. I thought it was a good size to take it everywhere.

A pair of leg warmers

2009-08-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

My daughter really wanted a pair of leg warmers for ballet dancing. I cut up the sleeves from a pullover that I no longer wear, cut a slit on each sleeve and serged the edges. Voila!!! Done!!!

Gift bags

2009-05-16T02:40:00.000-07:00

For my daughter's birthday party, I bought some really nice craft kits for the kids as gifts to take home. Since the craft kids are unusually big, I can't find any party bags that are big enough but won't break the bank. I decided to make my own party bags. It took me a while to figure out how to make the bottom right. Then, I kind of worked out how to fold up the bottom nicely. I made more bags than I needed as I really enjoyed making these beautiful gift bags. I even used my daughter's painting into gift bags. Now, I've got some piled up at home for parties.

A wheat bag

2009-04-28T03:25:00.001-07:00

I made this wheat bag long time ago but recently gave it to a friend for her shoulder pain. I have made a few of them already - one traded with a used bread machine, one for my aunt and one for myself. It's the most useful thing I have ever made that is also very expensive (around AUD40-50) when you purchase it elsewhere.

It took me a while to source the wheat in the wheat bag. I found it in a local fodder store. It's very cheap - only $2 a kilo. 1 kg can make 3 to 4 wheat bags. My first one was considered to be too heavy that didn't fit the small microwaves. So, I made the subsequent ones with smaller partitions so that I can fill in less wheat.

The results have been great. I use it in the winter as a warmer and pain killer when I have sore back and sore neck.

A girl's night gown

2009-04-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to make this night gown for my daughter with this gorgeous apple print. My daughter and I saw this fabric in Spotlight 50% off. We decided to make some night gowns for either one of us. So, I researched on the internet what pyjamas patterns are available and found this pattern. Then, I discovered this whole new world of open-source sewing (not programming :D). I signed up straight away and downloaded a lot of different patterns for future use. I also found heaps of very useful "how to" videos that can help patch up my sewing skills.

This is the first "creation" after I joined McCall's pattern M3906. My daughter loves it!!!

Another cube

2009-04-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

I made this cube for baby Wilson with the letters in his name on every face of the cube. I used polar fleece this time thinking it suits winter time better. Then, I found that the end result wasn't as square as it should be with the non-stretchable fabric. Yet it's a lot softer than the ordinary fabric.

Something for the wardrobe drawer

2009-04-03T01:33:00.000-07:00

I made this for my daughter's wardrobe drawer from same kind of Fuji cardboard boxes. I cut a box and glued in a partition board. And then, I glued fabric both inside and outside the box. When it's all dry, it is one great lingerie and socks storage.

A free giveaway from Dont Look Now!!!

2009-03-31T05:07:00.000-07:00

I think it is a great way to advertise your blog when you already have certain number of visitors. Hope it will happen to my blog one day!!!

Anyway, Kellie in Victoria is giving away some of her fantastic work. All you need to do is to leave a comment in her website. I was the 46th person to leave a comment for the give away when she posted about it only 7 hours ago. More than 6 people an hour!!!

I absolutely love her design and her sewing skills are immaculate. I have posted her design of art smock in previous posts.

Go and check out her website now!!! The deadline for the give away is 6th April. Get in quick!!!

My 4th library bag

2009-03-30T02:51:00.000-07:00

This is my 4th library bag. I use totally different fabric this time. Similar applique but different pattern. My husband said the colour looked like a test for colour blindness. I really like the colours but can you see the name easily? :)
Hope the birthday girl will like it. I found a new blog that makes some really cool drawstring bags. I have to buy some cords every time I make a bag. I think she actually makes her own cord with fabric. Time for a change next time.

A cosmetics bag

2009-03-27T04:56:00.001-07:00

This cosmetic bag is made of waterproof material with cherry pattern which I bought to make an apron mainly. I got a good rectangular piece left and thought it would be great to make it into a bag. I really like the inside as I put extra pockets and ties on both sides. It is really easy to make as the opening is sealed up with velcro.

A cube

2009-03-23T03:19:00.001-07:00

I made this cube for a friend's baby Carson. This box is so easy to make. It took me less than 1 hour. I even tried my new quilting foot. I haven't made any quilt since I bought it. It's really useful to be used in any straight lines that requires exact measurement.

I started to love making this cube because it was so quick and you can put anything you like on them. There are 6 faces in this cube (actually, in every cube). Each face contains a letter from the word "Carson". I should have known that I can make the letters linked to spell Carson. Well, I didn't expected that ... so it only spelt "Cars" and the rest was not in the right order. My geometry has been wrapped up and packed into boxes that were buried underground.

Should have swapped the "C" with the "O". If you don't trust me, try it on a piece of paper. :)

I cut up my daughter's baby toys to rescue the rattle inside and plant it in this box. Hope Carson will like it.

An ice pack wrap

2009-03-08T01:22:00.000-08:00

I made this wrap for my daughter over the long weekend. She often has a blood nose. An ice pack on the forehead will help but who is holding the ice pack for her? We made this wrap together. She designed the houses and we put the pieces together. I put velcro on the straps so it can fit her head when she grows bigger. It is very pretty and very practical.

A pass holder

2009-03-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

I made a holder for my company work pass this morning. This is the second time I made such cases. Since the first one was torn apart, I am using a stronger fabric this time. Instead of stitching the transparent material onto the fabric, I glued it with a hot glue gun. Super fast and easy!!!

A broken zip

2009-03-05T17:04:00.000-08:00

The zip of this dress was broken. So, I decided to turn the dress into "button" style. I found some matching red buttons and stitched them on. Now, I know that I should have avoided the thick part of the dress so that my sewing machine can make the buttonholes. I am quite pleased with the results. So is my daughter.

An art smock

2009-03-01T03:26:00.000-08:00

The school asked for a smock to be brought to the class. I finally had an excuse to make one. I did some research on the internet looking for idea and patterns and found this absolutely fantastic hand made smock. In fact, I almost every article in that blog. It's so inspiring. Since I figured that the art smock would be "ruined" by paint work, I decided to make a simple smock from Lincraft from scrap fabric.

It is a smiley face with my daughter's name as "hair". I made it big enough for her to finish primary school.

A shopping bag

2008-12-07T02:14:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is coming to Adelaide for a visit. Really want to give her a gift to bring home. So, I asked her to give me some old clothing and I would turn them into something useful.

She gave me this red corduroy shirt that she no longer wears and she would like it to be a shopping bag.

Voila!!! I added some floral print of mine to make this shopping bag. She loves it.

Birthday presents for Alanna

2008-11-22T22:55:00.000-08:00

I have made a few library bags as kids' birthday presents. This latest one uses some gorgeous craft fabric from Spotlight. I did a twist this time by putting a extra inner layer to make the library bag much stronger. Now, I wish to recall my previous library bags and upgrade them.

I also made Alanna a skirt based on a Simplicity kids pattern 4252. The great thing about making skirts is that you can add any kind of trim or ribbon to make the skirts really beautiful.

I was going to make a top from knit fabric but I wasn't very confident about my sewing techniques yet. I found this brand new white T-shirt (actually with a logo in the front) from my daughter's wardrobe. So, I designed some very cute appliques to put on the T-shirt.

Voila!!! The birthday presents are done and Alanna loves them.

A peg bag

2008-11-08T03:09:00.000-08:00

I made this peg bag within 2 hours after dinner. A few days later, my husband asked me where all the pegs had gone. I took him to the door of the laundry. He then asked, "Did you buy this?". :)

This peg bag is extremely easy to make. I managed to reuse some rag and a small-sized hanger from my daughter's wardrobe. The hanger is one of those cheap ones that come with the clothes bought in the department store. Loved this recycling project.

Turning a flat sheet into a fitted one

2008-11-04T01:25:00.000-08:00

I bought this sheet set in IKEA a while ago. It is really hard to make a bed with the flat sheet. I bought this special elastic that has a gap in the middle so that I can sew the elastic on both sides of the bedsheet. Well, it turned out that the sewing was a lot harder than I expected. I just couldn't stitch a straight line with it. The stitches just simply zigzagged every inch. Now, I think back. I guess I have run the sewing machine too quickly. I should do it a lot slower. Never mind, there is always next time.

Some cute appliques on singlets

2008-10-17T00:11:00.000-07:00

I have longed to make baby gifts. Finally, I got this chance to make some baby gifts for a friend's son. I always wanted to try putting cute appliques on singlets. It should be quite easy to do. I drew some pattern on the fabric and embroidered the baby's name on them. I used some iron-on-interfacing to iron the appliques on the singlets. I tried to match stitch the appliques but the needle was too thick that it didn't work. So, I hand-stitched the applique with blanket stitch. The results were really good.

My sewing machine

2008-09-22T05:34:00.002-07:00

The model is Brother Star 15. Sort of a basic one ... as there are only 21 stitch options but I have been able to use it to make most things.