(sew)everyday notions

When a close friend has a baby, I like to make up a baby quilt for the new arrival. In the planning I like to make sure I give them a design that fits in with the parents aesthetic. This quilt for Baby A turned out just how I envisioned it- cool, modern and not too "babyish". I used this pin (and it's subsequent blog post) as my inspiration. I debated which colour and sort of thread I would use (yellow, black or grey? Upholstery weight?) but in the end just used normal (Gutermann) thead in black. There's so many quilting lines it that I think this was the best outcome. testing the thread & pattern First I quilted the long lines that run vertical, then measured the first few horizontal chevrons from the centre of the quilt, and just eyeballed the distance as I sewed - changing the distance up to make for a more "organic" style (that is, it didn't matter if I got a bit lazy wonky).  Aren't chevrons pretty? ...

I am definitely a Grainline Studio fan girl! I actually own every one of Jen's great patterns & am slowly working my way through actually sewing them. I was lucky enough to win the (paper-version!) Alder Shirtdress pattern through the lovely (Australian) online store Stitch 56 . Thanks Helene!! The shirtdress is a lovely pattern, it really is the perfect summer dress, and easy to feed the baby in... Oh yeah, my second little boy T made an arrival in early December and we couldn't be happier!  The best-ever accessory: a baby! :) If this make looks a bit familiar, it's because it's almost identical to the lovely one that Sew Busy Lizzy made it up here . I did wonder whether I could/should post this make, but I guess even though I used the same pattern & fabric, I still did the sewing & made my individual fitting changes.  I already had the same polka dot rayon (from Spotlight) but was a bit unsure if the polka dots were a bit too loud fo...

With my bump increasing at a rapid rate, I've been sewing lots. A few maternity makes, up-cycling thrifted clothes into easy bump-wear, and some basics for the toddler. With a December deadline (due date!) I want to make ALL the things! Especially knowing my sewing machine will probably not see the light-of-day for a little while. One little splurge just for me was some beautiful Nani Iro fabric to make into a dressing gown. I know I will get a lot of use out of this. I've always wanted an excuse to get my hands on some of the lovely Japenese double-gauze, and needing a summer-weight dressing gown was the perfect excuse. I spent an excessive amount of time trawling Etsy and the internet to find just-the-right pattern & colour way. I needed something that would hide all manner of sins (baby-vomit and other baby-related-unmentionables). It was super hard to choose, but in the end I decided on this gorgeous (2013 season) Fuccra Rakuen Aegean floral with a navy/deep p...

pattern: combination of rub-off of my favourite RTW Country Road blouse & Grainline Archer fabric: cotton navy/white gingham, spotlight this is the make that i bought the Grainline Archer pattern for many months ago (? I think i picked it up in last years thanksgiving sale!). I think it also started #thegreatsewingbinge - it was the creative challenge that really got me & my sewing machine reacquainted in a big way. And I've finally made it! My favourite RTW shirt is a few seasons old from Country Road (Australian). It's the perfect length for leggings or jeans, with rolled up sleeves & a small stand-up collar. I knew the Archer pattern would get me half-way there. There were just a few mods to make. the original  my version Here are some notes I used the pins/paper/cardboard rub-off method that seems to be a popular technique.  The modifications basically involve - a yoke which continues to the front of the shirt, using both collar pieces ...

Jeans in June ! And they're the Jamie Jeans by Named Patterns . That's a lot of J's. Where to start? I think it was a previous season of Project Sewn and I kept seeing these jeans pop up in the competition. Prior to this my thoughts were "Jeans - why would I EVER sew them?". Suddenly, it was " Why WOULDN'T I sew Jeans?". Just like the first Archer shirt I made (collar! buttons!) I was a bit intimidated. But then I sat down at my machine, took it step by step and I'm so happy with the result. But the twist? Well, my waistline isn't quite as trim as it was. And won't be for the next 9 months (give or take). yep, that's a baby bump! I'd cut these jeans out earlier this year, but the weather was too hot in sunny Qld I just couldn't bring myself to sew them, let alone wear them. So they sat in the UFO pile. And then the weather chilled down, and all my other pants are beginning to... ahem... feel a bit tight. So what co...

Any day now, I'm going to become an Aunty for the first time! It's all pretty exciting and of course I had to make something for him or her. A baby quilt is always a winner, it looks like you spent a lot of time & effort on it (which I guess I did!) but it's also practical - something to throw on the ground for tummy time, take for play dates, and of course keep for always as a keepsake. I still have a few quilts my mum made when I was a baby and they are very precious to me. I tried to pick fairly neutral colours, although the peach colour probably makes it look a bit more girly than I originally had planned. I then found this cute rainclouds print for the backing (organic cotton on sale for a great price) and decided to add a small pop into the front of the quilt too. I did a very random strip quilt pattern, just chopping different lengths & using the width of the fabric.To break up the strips, I sliced one long edge off, then just inverted and sewed it a...