Thursday, September 10, 2009
Found a new blog today... with a competition
I was browsing Cherri-Berri's blog, checking out her daughters' gorgeous new PJs when I found a link to another blog there. This took me to Idey Spidey. Not only does she (that is Sarah Jo of Idey Spidey) have the most stunning fabric to give away, but the clothes she has sewn for her kids are absolutely gorgeous.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Baby Nay... where the love began
Like many of the fabrics in my stash, the Baby Nay has a bit of a story behind it. It began about 18 months ago when I bought this fitted nappy for Chloe from Hyena Cart
As soon as I saw it I knew that I absolutely had to have it no matter what. But at the same time I also thought that an outfit in the same material would make for an divine nappy set. And so with just the words "Baby Nay" to work with I set about trying to find the elusive fabric. And after many a fail attempt I finally did get my hands on some at Show Me The Fabric (and check this out, they still have 1 yard left here).
So yippe, I had 3 yards of the stuff. The very first thing I did was send off some to Zig Zag Wraps to get a lovely nappy cover made but after that the rest of it sat in the stash. This wasnt because I didnt want to use it, it was simply because I couldnt find the right pattern for it. And so Chloe grew out of the nappy cover and then the nappy and still no outfit.
But as soon as I saw the pattern in the Ottobre magazine I knew that was the outfit which Baby Nay was to become.
The contrast material is a quilting fabric from Spotlight. Ottobre use a gingham in theirs and I did start out looking at the ginghams but they had none of the really rich reds or pretty pinks like this. I did find a ticking which had the right red but being ticking it was quite bland, just the stripe, I definitely wanted something more striking but thought I could always come back to the ticking if nothing else presented itself. I only took a look at the quilting fabric as a very last resort, just in case and I'm so glad I did because this pretty material looks like it was made to go with the Baby Nay. The colours are a perfect match.
So the only thing left to do now is add some buttons to the back. I did buy some pink ones from Spotlight but they just arent right. They did have some really striking red foil type ones but they were so tiny. Might have to check out some different stores and see what I can find.
As soon as I saw it I knew that I absolutely had to have it no matter what. But at the same time I also thought that an outfit in the same material would make for an divine nappy set. And so with just the words "Baby Nay" to work with I set about trying to find the elusive fabric. And after many a fail attempt I finally did get my hands on some at Show Me The Fabric (and check this out, they still have 1 yard left here).
So yippe, I had 3 yards of the stuff. The very first thing I did was send off some to Zig Zag Wraps to get a lovely nappy cover made but after that the rest of it sat in the stash. This wasnt because I didnt want to use it, it was simply because I couldnt find the right pattern for it. And so Chloe grew out of the nappy cover and then the nappy and still no outfit.
But as soon as I saw the pattern in the Ottobre magazine I knew that was the outfit which Baby Nay was to become.
The contrast material is a quilting fabric from Spotlight. Ottobre use a gingham in theirs and I did start out looking at the ginghams but they had none of the really rich reds or pretty pinks like this. I did find a ticking which had the right red but being ticking it was quite bland, just the stripe, I definitely wanted something more striking but thought I could always come back to the ticking if nothing else presented itself. I only took a look at the quilting fabric as a very last resort, just in case and I'm so glad I did because this pretty material looks like it was made to go with the Baby Nay. The colours are a perfect match.
So the only thing left to do now is add some buttons to the back. I did buy some pink ones from Spotlight but they just arent right. They did have some really striking red foil type ones but they were so tiny. Might have to check out some different stores and see what I can find.
A few things that I've learnt lately...
I'm currently working on this outfit for madam from Ottobre magazine 3/2008 and in doing so I've learnt a few valuable lesson. Actually I'll amend that, I've had a few lessons re-enforced that I should already know.
1. When it comes to doing rolled hems especially around curves, slow and steady really does win the race!!!
2. Pinning before sewing is not necessarily the slower way to do things, particularly when you have to unpick twice before thinking "gee maybe I'll pin this and then sew".
3. When it comes to doing gathers, two rows of stitching is definitely better than one.
4. If your topstitching looks fantastic on the front... something must be wrong at the back (in this case the lining was caught up and wonky).
5. That a little extra time and effort really does produce great results.
I'm really happy with how this is coming together so far despite some of the moments I've had with it. I cant wait to show it off.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Little Munchkins Giveaway
The absolutely lovely Novy of Little Munchkins has an absolutely lovely giveaway happening at the moment.
http://littlemunchkins.blogspot.com/2009/09/giveaway-time.html
I cant urge you enough to check out the Little Munchkins, Novy's sewing and fabric choices is simply to die for. Head over for the giveaway, stay for all the sewy goodness.
"Up for grabs is a brand new unopened Claire pattern from Sandi Henderson of Portabellopixie fame. The pattern starts from size 6-12 months through 8 years. More details about the pattern here."
http://littlemunchkins.blogspot.com/2009/09/giveaway-time.html
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