Another Olivia - OOAK

Here is the final piece for today...





Available now here ----->

Another Beauty from Jettas Nest

I bought this wonderful drawing from Sam recently and it arrived today!

How gorgeous is it...she also threw in some cards - how sweet..

Thanks Sam!

Sewing Stock

I am currently in the process of sewing stock to sell through my business Koo-Toor Creations. I have been so totally inspired by Nancy Langdons book that I havent stopped sewing since it arrived!

I have completed two Imkes and one Olivia...here they are:



Sz 3-4T (98-104cms)





Sz 3-4T (98-104cms)




Sz 1-2 (86-92cm)

Stay tuned for more to come :) Oh and I also do custom orders so if you like something and its not here then let me know :)

Action Shots

Here are some action shots of Jack in the Imke I made him in WCE colours.



And here is Jack in a t-shirt that was given to me by Lissy. She had made it and it was too small for her boy so she gave to us - how generous!! All I had to do was the bottom hem - and he wore it to a birthday party on Sunday! Thanks so much Lissy - that was very kind of you :)

I Won!!!

Pic courtesy of The Handmaden

I won the wonderful giveaway held by Kelly at the The Handmaden.

Thank you so much! You just know Lainey is going to go gaga over this one LOL. She now has a pair!

Sewing Clothes Kids Love

Today in my mail box arrived the long awaited copy that I ordered of Sewing Clothes Kids Love by Nancy Langdon. I am also very luck to have received a signed copy as I bought it through Lisa @ Crafty Mamas. How cool is that!

Its a really great book chocked full of great tips for sewing as well as 10 full patterns from her wonderful range. The first pattern in the book is the Imke shirt. I love this pattern and it is so versatile. You can have so many variations and you can make it for him and for her.

I made one up for Jack tonight in the colours of our football team the West Coast Eagles. Jack is a mad fan and its that time of year again. I chose a lined hood and I mixed the colours on the arms to break up the blue.



I used an iron on patch which I bought last year - its the clubs old logo but it made a retro comeback recently and some official shirts have been re-released with this one them. Oh and notice that even though its for the footy I still got the fledge patch in the side seam!




The fabric is stella from Crafty Mamas and the yellow is the remainder of the fabric I won last year from Sara at willow & moo.

Its a great pattern and one I will be doing again soon. But for now - onto the next in the book!

Oh and as a side bar - this completes my entry into the challenge of the month (sewing with knits) over at Carolyns blog :)

TGIF

Wow - what a week. Its been a busy one and one full of ups and downs. So i am very thankful its the weekend.

This weekend brings us junior cricket, a visit from the in-laws, dinner with friends and Jacks first birthday party of the year. I will need Monday for a rest!

What are you doing this weekend?

Helping Out

Sally at virtu had a post recently about helping out some little ones in Vietnam. The link in her post led here...here to the Raglan Guld blog ..and some information about the Edwards family and their work with Vietnam orphanages....

I like a good cause and this one seems as good as any..so i am working on some items to send - the close date is the 20th March - so I have a month.

Its nice to help out. I am also helping out Posie with this cause here.. Im knitting something.

Can you help out with either of these - its always nice to lend a hand :)

Mamu VIVI

Lisa from Crafty Mamas suggested a sew-a-long for the new Mamu VIVI pattern. Its a really versatile and relatively easy pattern with heaps of variations.
This one is a combo of style 4 and 6. I used some Hilco for this - such pretty fabric!



I then made another one this afternoon which is version six - just plain and simple. For this one I used some Ava Rose fabric I bought in Melbourne the last time I was there.




I would make this one longer next time - it only just gets over her nappy!

Keep Ya Knickers On!

Jack brought home a book from school today as a special treat from his teacher. It is his favourite book apparently and he was allowed to bring it home overnight. We read it twice and he literally knew it off by heart!

The book is called Knickerless Nicola and is about a little girl who doesn't want to keep her knickers on until she realises that has draw backs..like splinters and sweaty bus seats.

It was very entertaining and both Lainey and Jack loved it....it was nice he could bring it home.

Jack and Ernie

Jack got to bring home his friend Ernie from Pre-Primary yesterday. He was allowed to come home with us as Jack was very well behaved. he was so excited and had Ernie out of the bag all the time - he even ate tea with us.

Well done Jacky boy! Keep it up :)

ETA - Ernie is a hand puppet :)

The Handmaden Giveaway

You may remember recently that I did a swap with Kelly from The Handmaden for a lovely dolly for Lainey!

Well she now has an amazing giveaway on her blog for another little dolly! So get over there and leave a comment...its adorable!!!

Heres the blog...

And here is the dolly!

Jettas Nest Does It Again

I was checking out Sams blog and oh my goodness lookey what I found....



Image courtesy of Jettas Nest

Isnt she divine....being an inked lady myself I found her especially stunning...

So..naturally she is coming home with me!

Check out Sam at Etsy for your own slice of Jettas Nest

Washcloth/Dishcloth sew-a-long.

Ok - seems a number of the gals out there are participating in the Washcloth/Dishcloth sew-a-long being hosted by the Melissa at one crafty mama...I thought that looked like fun - so Im going to play along too! What a fabbo idea and thanks Melissa :)

Stay tuned for dishcloth galore!

Oil Cloth Swimming Tote

Lainey starts swimming lessons on Tuesday and I have had it in my mind to make a tote to throw our gear in. I thought I would use some oilcloth I bought from Lisa in a buy at Crafty Mamas.

I decided just to cut out a rectangle and hotdog some strips for straps. Little did I know that oilcloth isnt the easiest thing to sew. You cant really iron it so its a case of finger press and pin.

I will say that whilst the stitching skips a couple of times (even though I opened the machine up a little) I am quite happy with the outcome. Its bright pretty and neat. I haven't finished off the seams or anything as it wont fray - and its not lined as its for wet towels and bathers.

Actually - I think its pretty good!

What One Daughter Did Whilst I Sewed....

Lily Beth Bag

I asked in the forum at Crafty Mamas a couple of days ago what everyones fav pattern for an all round utility handbag was and Lissy recommended the Lily Bag. I bought the pattern off Etsy and here is the finished product....quick, easy to sew and looks like it will definitely fill the brief I need it for.

The outside is moda that I got in a swap and the interior is chambray from a shirt I bought at the oppy this morning (I got the shirt and matching chambray skirt, a woolen tartan skirt and a top Im going to refashion for Lainey all for $3 :D) The top part is a fat quarter from a set I bought at SL of naturals.

I like using darker colours as it no doubt will attract dirt.

Thanks so much Lissy for the recommendation - I will definitely be making this again :)

More New Arrivals

About 2 weeks ago Lissy from over at Crafty Mamas showed us a pic of some Matryoshka Dolls that she made with her embroidery machine. I fell in love with them and asked if she could make some for Lainey...and she did :D She even made a matching carry bag for them to travel in.

Thank you so much Lissy - can I say they went down an absolute treat.

You know I have met the most talented people at Crafty mamas...check out Lissys Rainbow Made blog here....

Help With Knits

Carolyn has just posted some information written by Sara of willow & moo about sewing with knits...very valuable information - thank you ladies :)

A Challenge

Ok - I have finally decided to sign up to Carolyns 12 months, 12 sewing challenges challenge.....this month its about sewing knit fabric....Im hoping it will inspire me to get back sewing!

Check it out here is you want to join in :)

Jack Starts Pre Primary.

Thats it...no longer do I have my boy at home...no longer will I be the single biggest influence in his everyday...he is out there in the big bad world of full time school...and he loves it! Im so proud of him - I missed him today...I really did. But thats ok - I get to watch him grow into a wonderful young boy. And - I get some really great one on one with Lainey - how cool is that! I feel old though...next thing you know he will be in high school...ahhh cant think about that just yet!

Good luck Jack - I am so proud of you and I hope you have a wonderful year. xxx

Check Out This Blog

I found this blog today called Oh So Crafty - Tricia is her name and she is oh so clever! Some of the things she makes are stunning...I personally like the replica pearl and ribbon braclet..... so clever!

Check it out here......