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.

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 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. :)

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

The beautiful animal print

2008-07-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

This animal print is really gorgeous! When I saw it, I knew I could do something with it. Since it was quite expensive, I only bought 30cm of it which should keep me busy for a while.

A play mat also a toy bag

2008-07-27T04:58:00.000-07:00

I saw this really good idea published in the Handmade magazine Vol 25 No 3. So, I made a very similar one for a friend's newborn baby. It's meant to be a playmat as well as a bag for storing toys. I bought this beautiful animal print that I can just cut it out to make this playmat both "educational" and beautiful.

A library bag

2008-07-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

My favourite for birthday gifts for now has to be library bag. My daughter just started school. She needed to have one. When we got a birthday invitation, a home-made library bag filled with some children classics is my latest birthday gift for 5 year old children. It's just a drawstring bag made with some gorgeous fabric. I also personalised to make it extra special. I used fusible web to iron the letters on the fabric. Since the fusible web comes off over time (not sure if it is only the type that I bought), I slip-stitched the letters with some contrasting thread to make it more fun.

A change mat

2008-08-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

I made a change mat on the weekend for baby Wilson. I bought about 40cm of the change mat material from Spotlight and cut it into half as the material is fairly long. Then, I made home-made binding to cover the sides. The cutest thing is that I embroidered the name "Wilson" with my very basic sewing machine. It works and looks good!!! I did cover the back of the embroidered piece as there's too much thread hanging on the other side. It's really easy piece of work. Hope the Wilson's Mum will like it.

A book

2008-08-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

This is my second book. My first book was purely based on a pre-printed fabric with all the instructions to make a children's book. I promised my sister-in-law to make her baby a book thinking that I could buy the same fabric again. Then, I realised that this type fabric was not around any more. I ended up designing and making my very own unique children book. I have read enough children books to make this one really rich in content. The book cover and the names on the first page are the scraps from the pre-printed fabric of my first book. I kind of kept it for a long time thinking that I would use it one day. Who would have thought that I would make a book?! It looks good that I need to get a patent or trademark for this. Again, I used the beautiful animal print that I also used in the play mat.

Recycle Fuji Xerox boxes

2008-09-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

We use tons of paper everyday in the office. The good thing is that I am never running out of those sturdy boxes from Fuji Xerox. I took one home and tried to revamp it. I ended up using lots of glue to glue on some left over fabric. The result is ... at least, I prefer to use the revamped box rather than the actual Fuji Xerox box.

A "recycled" cushion

2008-09-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

My daughter loves this cushion that I made. She asked me what it made of as she really likes it. I said, "Rubbish ... This cushion is made of rubbish". I have been saving scraps of fabric that I used in many other projects. I have got enough to make a cushion insert. So, I sewed a plain one and stuffed in all the scrap fabric. The cushion cover is also some left-over fabric. This is why the cushion cover is in two different colours. I made this felt in the middle when I learnt felt making in the local library. Finally, I managed to use it in a good way.

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.

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.

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.

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.