Samantha Jane Designs...

Sewing sewing sewing...

2011-11-17T12:30:00.000+11:00

Well I'm having all sorts of trouble with these photos... I can't seem to move them to where I want them, so sorry for the jumbled order...

Firstly here are my 3rd pair of Puppet Show shorts from O+S, I love these!!! I have made a little chambray pair which are gorgeous, and another denim pair with Liberty trim... my girls look very cute in them! They come together so quickly and easily and they're so cute!!

Here is a little Liberty top, the Ice cream social one, my first one, well I had to make two, but I've been slow to jump on this bandwagon... another great pattern from O+S...

Here are some bad shots of dresses I've made/making for myself... The first one is Vogue 1236 unfinished... I saw a photo of Princess Mary in a dress made from this fabric on the Tessuti website and I've tried to do something similar... the fabric is very light though and I'm not enjoying sewing with it. I've lined it and with a belt I think it will be good. The 2nd one is a copy of another dress I saw on Tessuti blog McCalls 6027 - my photo is terrible, I'm sorry. It looks great on and I might even make another one I think... it was an easy pattern to make and it fits me like a glove! :)

Here are a couple of dresses for my daughters. Again, I'm sorry for the bad shots.

A couple of blouses for Ruby & Stella... both O+S... The first one needs the buttons and button holes done, I keep putting them off. Perhaps I should go and do it now!

Some more shorts from O+S for a friend's daughter...

The denim ones with Liberty trim for my girls...

Another dress for my girls... not great photos, but they are very cute on them... They're not very good models! :)

So there you go... my sewing efforts over the past little while... I've also been busy buying patterns, something I do way too much of!! I've bought quite a little collection of Citronille patterns, as well as some vintage dress ones for myself. I also have a pattern from Christy that I need to make up. I've got quite a few dresses for myself that need to be made. I just need more time!

I'm such a slack blogger.. I should have known I'd never have time to post... but I do enjoy sharing my sewing efforts with other sewers (and of course seeing what you're all up to!). Thank you for reading.

Sam

Sewing for kids...

2011-09-20T13:15:00.000+10:00

Well I've been sewing like a mad woman... it started with a little dress for a friend's daughters 5th b'day party... I was really happy with the result:

Then I started making shorts... and it seems I can't stop! :)

These are for a friend's son who is a good friend of my son...

These are for my Johnny:

So what do you think?

And there's more to come!! I'm like a woman possessed... I need to stop! I think I'm on the last pair...

Next is dresses and tops for my little girls and then I can make dresses for myself without feeling guilty!! :) I'm really looking forward to that... we've been having lovely weather in Sydney... makes me want to sew Summer dresses.

Quilts and cushions

2011-09-02T11:29:00.000+10:00

I must start with a big thank you to Susan, little betty and Andi - thank you so much for your feedback. I really appreciate it. I've only ever hand quilted all my quilts before - I have made a few for babies of friends. I have a new love for machine quilting!! I love how the cotton shrinks and they go all crinkly. I'm not sure though that you wouldn't have any tips for me Andi?? You do such amazing work!! I love your quilts.

On a roll with the machine quilting.... A UFO in the cupboard that I had started hand quilting but decided I didn't really like it all the much so hadn't got far with it... got it out and within days it was quilted and bound! Finished quilt! Now what to do with it... ??? I tried the other way I'd read about of starting and stopping - 1/4 inch of sewing with very small stitches. I didn't like it - I prefer the other way of burying your threads. It's much neater. How do you do it??

This is Stella's quilt - exactly like Ruby's but with pale pink binding. I love all the Liberty fabrics with the Japanese and a bit of Heather Ross... my faves...

And, because I've had some of these panels for years... I finally made some cushions!!! The top one I just bought the other week, but the others I've really had for years... I have way too many projects in the cupboard undone!!!

Finally here are my beautiful girls... going in for a kiss and a cuddle - they are so cute!!! I am so lucky. x

My first attempt at machine quilting!!!

2011-08-17T11:46:00.000+10:00

Well this is my first attempt at machine quilting... I think I did ok?? I'm not sure about my tension and my starting and stopping technique but I'm pretty happy with it. I love the verigated thread, it's cool! I have 2 to do, for my girls, and I started these quilts back when I was pregnant. The girls are now 15 months old... so I finally bit the bullet and realised they were never going to get hand quilted, so I had to do it by machine.

I feel sad that I've given away so many quilts to friends who had babies that were hand quilted and my own babies have machine quilted quilts... but I just don't have the time or the energy with 3 kids now... I'm tired!

I'm having a particularly bad time of it with the kids at the moment so it felt great to get this done so quickly - now I just have to hand sew the binding down, which will be very relaxing actually, I'm looking forward to it. And to machine quilting the next quilt too! It's so quick I can see why people choose it over hand quilting.

If anyone has any tips on machine quilting I'd love to hear... I really winged it!

Thanks!

Sewing clothes...

2011-06-23T09:59:00.000+10:00

I've been busy with the Tova pattern and I love it! I've seen it made up by others and had to have some of my own. It is such a lovely pattern to make... it's so easy and comes together so well. I have already made two and I'm half way through my third, with fabric ready to make a fourth. I will have to leave it there, otherwise I might be known as the Tova lady...

I've also been busy with dress for friends' daughters birthdays. This is another pattern that I love!! I can't wait to make it for my girls - I just need them to start walking! :) It's from a Ottobre magazine and it's called the Babushka Doll dress. I think I'll be making quite a few of these!

My little girls turned one recently - 4 May 2011. We had a little party to celebrate. I can't believe I've had twin daughters for a year... it has gone so quickly. I still remember the day they told me I was having identical twins.. wow. I said "Oh my God" for about a week!! It was such a shock, but having always wanted 3 children I felt very happy. We are so lucky!!!! They are just wonderful and as exhausted as I am, I am also very happy.

Ruby on the left and Stella on the right.

I have another milestone approaching too... my 40th! Shhhh! :)

Sam x

Dresses, dresses and more dresses!

2011-04-19T14:00:00.001+10:00

Sorry for the photo overload... I've been too busy to put these up...

Some dresses I made for Summer:

A dress I made for a friend's daughter's 4th birthday.

Carly asked me to put up some photos of my daughters christening day. Unfortunately I don't have any good shots of the girls wearing their gowns and bonnets but these are the best I could find. I hope they help you. I found the pattern to be very easy and I loved the end result!

My gorgeous babies sleeping. Ahh peace! :)

How lucky am I?!

I've also been busy making bags but they're selling before I can take photos! I will take some photos and post them soon.

Sam x

Vogue 8380

2011-01-22T12:17:00.000+11:00

I love this dress!! It's so cool and comfortable to wear that I live in it these days...

I have to make another! :)

Dress love....

2011-01-20T11:55:00.000+11:00

I love wearing dresses in Summer, do you? Especially now after 3 children and some extra weight - dresses can be very forgiving! :)

Firstly, one I made for Christmas Day (above). I loved it, until I sawe this photo of it from behind... not so happy with it now. I love the fabric, and the pattern, although I had to take it in quite a lot in the sides for it to fit me. It's a Simplicity Threads pattern - 3678 view A. The pattern was great and I look forward to makign it again, this time with fabric that doesn't require lining... It made the dress bulky where it was gathered I felt.

This next one I started with a Burda pattern after seeing it made up and liking it Black-eyelet-seersucker-maxi-dress. Nicole's looks great and I thought I'd make it and make some changes to the straps etc... but it just didn't look right. Here's me holding it closed at the back to take the photo. I'm just not happy with the bodice, so I found another pattern, Butterick 5181 - and made that bodice instead. I am so much happier with the finished product and now live in this dress! It's so cool and comfortable to wear. I'm going to make another one with just one layer of skirt...

Then this one... I had an idea in my head and it actually turned out how I imagined - when does that ever happen?! Mmm... It's just a bit too tight as I took it in on the sides because I'm on a diet and plan to lose 7kgs... it just means it's not terribly comfortable right now, but it will be. I love how it turned out. The fabric is from Tessuti and so is the lace. One of the lovely women helped me choose the lace.

Now, unfortunately I don't have a great photo of this one yet... I have to ask my husband to take some. It's such gorgeous fabric, again from Tessuti, and the pattern is one that I saw made up and feel in love with - Simplicity 2360. I love it, although after reading some reviews after making mine, I should have added 1 inch to the length of the bodice. It's so comfy to wear though, and I think looks great. I will have to get a better shot, sorry!

So, as you can see, I have been very busy... and still have more fabric in the cupboard for more dresses! It's just finding the time to make them. My husband isn't very supportive of my sewing, he's seen how much fabric I have stashed and has done some sums in his head - he's not happy.... is your husband supportive of your sewing? I wish mine was. Eventually I'd like to get to the point of sewing things with my HUGE stash and selling them, maybe when my babies are a bit bigger...

I am so blessed!! :)

Vogue 8380

2010-12-08T11:38:00.000+11:00

I've finally made it!! I've had this pattern for years and the fabric too. I've admired other people's versions of this dress and now I can say I love it too! It was a very easy pattern to follow, it's lovely to wear and I think I'll definitely be making another one! The cotton is from Tessuti. It is lovely and cool for Summer in Sydney. Sorry about the photo - I'm home alone (well with 2 little 7 month old girls) so it's the best I could do for now - I really don't think it does it justice... I am very excited about it though, it's been a while since I've sewn something for me to wear and the fact that I finished it this morning and am now wearing it is a good sign!

Next I really want to tackle some dresses from the Japanese Sewing Books. There's a few I've been admiring of other clever chicks so now I'd like to try it too. I just need some tracing paper and I'm off....

A visit to Tessuti on Monday and way too much money spent means I've got lots of lovely fabrics now... it's just a matter of choosing which fabric for which pattern! One will definitley be another of these 8380's.

Sam x

Kaffe Fassett and Dr Seuss...

2010-11-07T06:55:00.000+11:00

Well I've been busy lately sewing again! And loving it!

This Dr Seuss range caught my eye on flickr and I knew I had to make a quilt for Johnny, who's almost 3. I am quite happy with it, although I must say I had so much trouble calculating how much fabric I needed to frame each picture, I kept getting it wrong. I'm blaming it on mummy brain! It's not a great shot but I didn't have anyone who could hold it up for me.

Another thing I fell inlove with recently was this quilt and I've already started making one!

I've never been a Kaffe Fassett lover but I just love this quilt, it's so rich and wonderful, I hope mine turns out as good. I've got these 8 blocks plus another 50 odd I think... 144 in total to be done - it's the biggest projet I've ever taken on. I'm very excited about seeing it finished.

My girls are growing up - 6 months on the 4th of November. They've started solids and are loving it!

They really are such lovely babies and every day I marvel at how lucky I am! :)

Sam x

Oliver + S

2010-10-08T08:52:00.000+11:00

I have many Oliver + S patterns, some bought over a year ago and many bought since my girls were born, but I had not made any of them until recently.

We had our girls christened last week (photos to come) and I suddenly realised that after the church they would have to take their gowns off but had nothing cute to wear! So I whipped up these little skirts...

The pattern was great and I look forward to making them more skirts. The fabric was $1 from Spotlight and I'm not that keen on it but I figured it was a way of testing the pattern. The fabric was too thick to do buttonholes - I did a few but kept having to unpick them so I just sewed the buttons on the front! It was a very easy pattern and I can't wait to try some more Oliver + S patterns.

I then decided I had to make the sandbox pants that I'd had the pattern to for over a year!!! Here's my model - sorry for the picture quality....

Again, I found the pattern to be brilliant, so easy to follow and just a great little pair of shorts made up. He'll be getting more of those for Summer!!

Last week I also whipped up these little shorts for him - my pattern and fabric I had in my stash...

Front

Back

Here is one of the quilt top for the girls - finished except for trimming. I've also finished the backs - pale pink with a row of the squares from the front. Now I just need to baste the three layers together - a job I hate... but I really want to get onto the hand quilting and get them finished for them. They're really lovely, the photo isn't very good, sorry. I love the Liberty fabrics I've used.

Anyway, it would seem that I've got my sewing mojo back and now that the girls are getting a little easier to handle I'm able to sew more. Here's my three little munchkins...

How lucky am I???? I really do think that every day! Even when I change three pooey nappies in a row! :)

Sam x

The Christening gowns

2010-09-15T08:59:00.000+10:00

Here is the Christening gown... one of two!! Almost finished... and I'm really happy with how they've turned out so far. I'm going to make bonnets out of the lace too. As you can see from my little model, Stella, the girls don't have any hair so hopefully little bonnets will make them look a bit more like girls! :)

The lace and silk is from Tessuti's and the pattern is Simplicity 5813. I lowered the neckline at the front a little, lined the whole dress and put in an invisible zip instead of buttons. They're a little big on them, but the Christening is still a couple of weeks away so they should be ok. I will need to take some better photos!! I've never sewn anything with lace like this and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to sew with. They're my first dresses sewn for such a momentous occasion, have you sewn anything for a special day? I'm sure I'll be sewing many more with two girls!

Next thing I have to do is finish their quilts!

Sam x

Ruby and Stella

2010-08-19T16:08:00.002+10:00

Well these are our girls! They arrived very unexpectantly (at 35 weeks and 5 days) on 4 May 2010 at 10.47 and 11.31pm weighing 2.26 and 2.28kg, Ruby Jane and Stella Maree. Identical girls, we are absolutely thrilled!!! There were in the hospital for 2 weeks and it was a tough time when I was home and they were not, but we got there. I was lucky enough to have the birth I wanted - both naturally with an epi. It was an amazing experience actually and I feel a little sad that I won't be doing it again! They are 3 & 1/2 months old now, I have been very slack indeed, or very busy indeed!!! I will try to post more often now!

Here's my last photo of me pregnant, at 35 weeks... I was so ready to pop, I felt like there was baby everywhere!!! Which there probably was!

I haven't had much time to myself since the girls came along, but I am so happy!! I am in the middle of making them quilts, but still quite a way to go... they're mostly Liberty fabrics that I'd been hoarding waiting for a daughter (or 2 ha ha) to sew something for. I'm planning on doing a 4" white border and then a bright pink and another colour for the other quilt binding, with hand quilting... when, I'm not too sure! I'd like to get them done before Summer.

We're getting the girls christened in October and I'm going to make them Christening gowns which I'm quite excited about... I will post some photos when I do them. I'm hoping to find some fabulous lace at Tessuti's.

I hope everyone is doing well, I love reading everyone's blogs, even though I don't post much, I'm very jealous of all the projects everyone is doing, and hoping to have some time soon to do some things myself. This really didn't take too long so I really should post more often!

Sam x

Half way...

2010-01-17T09:03:00.001+11:00

Firstly a belated Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had a safe and happy Christmas and New Year's. I've been reading everyone's blogs but I'm very slack with comments... I will make more effort with comments in 2010. I really appreciate the comments I receive so I do need to make the effort for others. Especially as I enjoy their blogs so much!

Well we're more than half way now... I had my 19 week scan a week & a half ago and everything is looking good, which is such a relief!! I still can't believe there are 2 babies growing inside me. I'm not as big as I thought I'd be yet which makes it more unbelievable... This photo was taken at 19 weeks - 1 & 1/2 weeks ago and I'm probably bigger now - I feel like I grow every day - but I'm still not huge. We have chosen not to find out the sex of our little id twins, but of course we're hoping for girls (we already have a 2 year old boy). I was looking at Corrie's blog last night and thinking that if these are boys I'll never have a little girl to sew for... I'll be so sad. I have so much fabric in my stash that is special to me and that I want to make something for my daughter(s) one day... I really will be quite upset to not have a daughter... but of course it's all decided already so we'll get what we've got!! :) Of course the most important thing is that they're healthy though, so I will be ok with sons, just sad for my sewing... there's only so many shorts you can make! :)

I haven't been doing much sewing, I've only just started to feel normal again since about week 18-19. The all day morning sickness was just terrible. I'm still quite tired and a bit nauseous in the mornings, but I'm much better! I did make a dress for myself that I have half finished... I tried it on and I need to take quite a bit of length off and make the sleeves shorter. When clothes don't go well I can lose interest sometimes... which is what's happened... I really need to get it finished though. And I really want to have some machine quilting lessons, I'm itching to do another quilt but the hand quilting, although lovely, takes sooooo long to do! I'd really like to make 2 boys and 2 girls quilts that I love for my twins before they arrive! God knows how I'll get anything done once they are here. Although Corrie is very inspiring I'm just not sure I'm that much of a superwoman! You're a star Corrie! :)

I wish I was better with my blog too, I apologise for probably being the most boring blog you read... I just don't seem to have any time anymore... And I'm starting a job tomorrow so I'll have even less time!! I'm gonig to work 5 days this week, then drop back to 2 or 3 days after that till the first week of April. I hope I cope with it ok... I haven't worked for over 2 years!! I thought it would be a good opportunity and could set me up with some possibilities for the future. We'll see how it goes... anyway, I'll give it a go.

Thank you all for your inspiration, there are so many talented women out there!! I look forward to seeing more incredible work this year!!

Sam x

Big news to share....

2009-12-02T14:54:00.000+11:00

It's not very clear... but that's twins!!!!!! After a year of trying to get pregnant and stay pregnant, we've finally got some happy news to share!!! We had our routine 7 week scan and saw a heartbeat and were elated, but then I had a bit of a scare at 9 weeks and begged for a scan... at the scan the nurse found two babies!!!!! I was so shocked!! And I had to ring my husband and tell him as he couldn't come with me. It's still sinking in I think.

I've been waiting for the 12 week mark to share my news, and then I've been so sick and tired I just haven't had time to post.... I can't believe I'm pregnant with identical twins!! How exciting! Also very overwhelming... I am hoping for girls, as I already have a little boy, but I really just hope for 2 healthy babies to make it to full term! Having twins means increased risks of lots of things, and as they're sharing a placenta there is also twin to twin transfusion syndrome to worry about, but I'm going to be positive and hopefully have a drama free pregnancy and birth! I've been feeling incredibly tired though, and nauseas all the time... hopefully this will pass soon though, as I'm now 14 weeks along.

I haven't been doing any sewing to share... I did make a cute little dress for a friend but I forgot to take a photo - pregnant brain!?

Anyway, I am very excited about our fabulous news, and hopefully I'll be feeling well enough to do some sewing soon!!!

Sam x

Dress and skirt

2009-10-07T17:36:00.001+11:00

Today the postman delivered a little package of fabric I bought recently from retromummy, with my favourite little lollies - Fizzers, thank you!!

I forgot to take any photos, but I've already made a skirt with some of the fabric!

And another halter neck dress in a cute little Denise Schmidt print. I remember a friend of mine telling me how her 3 year old daughter loved a halter neck dress she bought her because it showed off her back!!! Ha ha... too cute. So, I thought I'd make some....

Both available in my shops. More to come....

Sam x

Halter neck dress

2009-10-05T15:28:00.000+11:00

A halter neck dress in a size 3. 100% Japanese cotton, a lovely soft cotton, with elastic back and a tie around the neck. So cool for Summer... Available in my shops.

More to come....

Sam x

Three Bananas

2009-10-04T17:33:00.000+11:00

Three Bananas - I've finally come up with a label I'm happy with. It has meaning and it's cute... exactly what I was after! My Dad always called us the three bananas (I have 2 brothers) and I plan on having 3 bananas of my own so there you go! I've changed my madeit.com.au store but I'm still in the process of changing etsy. I'm also starting a new blog so I'm not sure how that works, but I'll let you know. If anyone has any tips that would be great!

A babushka doll appliqued on a linen cushion cover... what do you think? I've used some of the gorgeous Little Red Riding Hood ribbon! And another skirt. They're on my etsy shop and madeit.com.au shop..

Sam x

Polly's quilt

2009-09-29T12:36:00.000+10:00

Polly arrived on 090909 - isn't she lucky! She is the first little baby for my good friend Kate in Melbourne. I am so excited for them, I'm sure they will be wonderful parents and she'll be a beautiful little girl!

I'm so excited to have this finished and on it's way down to Polly! It will arrive tomorrow, so I hope Kate likes it!

I really need to learn machine quilting though - this hand quilting takes SOOOO long!!! It is beautiful though!

Sam x

Another day, another skirt! :)

2009-09-24T07:22:00.000+10:00

It's great to have the world back to normal here in Sydney today... yesterday was quite strange! I was busy sewing - a pair of shorts not yet finished and this little skirt for a 3 year old girl.

It's in my etsy & madeit shop.

Yo yo makers arrived yesterday and I can't wait to make some hair clips and other things....

Sam x

Another little skirt...

2009-09-22T11:54:00.000+10:00

Another little A-line skirt for a 3 year old girl - this time with a little babushka doll feature. I love this cotton denim, it's lovely lightweight and soft...

Again, available in my shops.

I've got some ideas for skirts that I'm going to try out. I don't have a daughter to model but I'm hoping little girls will like what I've got in mind. I really need to find myself a 3 year old to model my creations! :)

I'm off to sew while Johnny sleeps...

Oh here's a shot of him at the park the other day.

Sam x

One for the girls...

2009-09-19T17:31:00.000+10:00

The weather is so lovely here in Sydney, it's great to be out and about in the sunshine with my little boy, he's growing every day and just love the park, especially the swing... I love seeing the joy in his face. It makes me happy! :)

A cute little A-line skirt for a 3 year old.... lovely lightweight cotton demin with a Japanese cotton lilac flower print gathered at the bottom edge. Ahhh....

Available in my etsy shop and madeit.com.au shop....

Sam x

Shorts

2009-09-16T11:24:00.000+10:00

More shorts.... some people thought the 'traffic jam' shorts looked like pyjama pants so I hope these look more like shorts? What do you think? Personally, I like them. I'm going to put them in my etsy shop.

Now, back to more sewing...

Sam x

Weekend sewing

2009-09-14T12:34:00.000+10:00

fabric flowers are so cute and i saw some in a shop yesterday and decided to try my own... this is what I came up with...

they are covered buttons that I also did in the centres. I've just placed those there to show, I'm yet to decide what buttons to put on each flower.

I also made another pair of shorts, well last week, but I haven't posted them yet....

Many more to come.....

I'm off to sew while my Mum looks after Johnny!

Sam x

Finished products

2009-09-05T17:04:00.002+10:00

Very busy sewing this week... more shorts and yesterday finally finished the bags I started last week. I'm really happy with the bags and I'm going to try to get some better photos and put them up on Etsy & Madeit. Don't you think little girls would love them? They're made with a very sturdy cotton canvas and lined with cotton. The handles are webbed cotton.

After playing around with patterns for shorts I've finished some more, and there's some fabric on the way to Oz from America and I can't wait to sew some more. The top ones have skull & cross bones on them and they're ankle biter length (which I'm not sure about), the traffic jam ones are mid calf length (perfect I think) and I'm thinking of adding pockets to the side....

Shorts

2009-08-31T13:42:00.000+10:00

I had a great weekend, I hope you did too. It was lovely weather in Sydney and we went to a nearby Fete yesterday which was fun, we bought some 2nd hand books and toys and had a wander around. There was a Craft stall run by a lovely lady Yvonne that I met at the park with the kids the other day. They had some cute little things there for kids.

I've made another pair of shorts... well two, but one pair is in my son's room where he's asleep so I can't show a photo yet. I made another pair yesterday with the pocket & cuff playing around with the length of the cuff - the pattern is Make it Perfect. Today I whipped up these cute ones. I'm playing around with the pattern, lengths etc to see what works best, then I'll make lots! That's the plan.... I'm going to applique a T-shirt to go with these too.

I'm really enjoying making these and I hope to make a lot more!!! And sell some! I'm finally going to try to make some money from all my sewing... I spend so much on lovely fabrics that I really need it start using it! And hopefully make a little money to spend more on fabrics, and so the wheel of life goes! :) Fingers crossed anyway...

Ideas coming alive...

2009-08-29T21:41:00.000+10:00

Well I've been busy turning some of my ideas into realities... one is bags for young girls with Dolls appliqued on. Here are the first two that I've done... early days!!! They haven't had their faces stitched on yet, but they will, and then they'll be made into bags with bright coloured lining. I think my pattern is a bit lop-sided and I need to play around with the applique stitching, but I'm pretty happy with my first attempt. What do you think?

I also stayed up late last night making a pair of shorts for my little boy. I've had the pattern for a while and have been meaning to try it out. I struggled to get a photo of him this morning - he's still got his pyjama top on, sorry! They're action shots?! Again, not bad for my first attempt I think. I'm looking forward to making another pair, hopefully tomorrow. I'm really happy with the fabric, from Kelani, it's a lovely light weight denim that's lovely and soft.

My dream will one day become a reality! :)

Sam x

A name... what's in a name???

2009-08-27T07:16:00.003+10:00

I stumbled across a great website last week - Ribbons Galore - they have the cutest ribbons and I couldn't resist buying some. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet, but I just had to have them! :) The 2nd lot (I couldn't decide which photo showed them best) came from Matatabi. I'm not sure which is my favourite, but I do love the Little Red Riding Hood at the top in pink & blue and also the washing from Matatabi.

I also bought a little stash of cute fabrics:

After seeing all the talent at the Stitches & Craft Show I'm determined to start doing something and get a little label off the ground for myself... I've got so many ideas in my head and I really want to see if people like them and if they sell. My stash of fabric is getting out of control and I need to use it! I've been trying to come up with a name for my label. I was going to use Samantha Jane but I've decided that it's too long and I want something shorter & catchier... it's very hard to come up with something that's not already on etsy. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

Sam x

Stitches & Craft Show

2009-08-21T20:53:00.004+10:00

I ventured out to Rosehill today to the Stitches & Craft Show, even though I'd read a post on a blog that put me off it.. I still went, mainly because I knew Amitie were there... I wish I could open an Amitie in Sydney! :)

Anyway, I started on the ground floor and was so disappointed... not in the stalls but in the layout, it was so confusing, with no clear path to follow. I then left my son with my Mum and went upstairs where the lovely girls from Prints Charming pointed me in the direction of the level above - where all the "bloggers" were! Thank you Kirsten! I forgot to buy a scarf kit for my Mum, she loved them when she saw them somewhere earlier... doh!

It was just wonderful to see the talent up there.. I loved it! I met some lovely girls... Nanette from Rummage who does such gorgeous free hand stitching on beautiful pillows and other wonderful things, they're so unique, I love them.

Dear fifi who I bought a pattern from and had a little chat to... and so inspired me. Your little creations are so cute!!

The girls at Ink & Spindle where I bought some lovely fabric.. I wanted to buy one of each! I love their work!

Kristen Doran - I have long adored her work... I finally bought something! Hopefully my son will love these as much as I do?

I really enjoyed being surrounded by such creative people and such beautiful things... ahhh!!! Thank God for Mum downstairs minding Johnny!

I finally found Amitie and bought these. I just love Amitie, you are so talented Jenny, I bought two quilt patterns as well as these fabrics, and I never buy patterns!

I couldn't decide on the colour I liked best with these so I just bought all three! :)

This is sooooo cool.... Not sure what I'll do with it yet, but I just had to have some. Jenny had a gorgeous quilt with some of this in it...

I left with a full bag and an empty wallet... and oh so happy. I am so glad I ventured out and I recommend going, just take the good with the bad. But isn't that life? :)

Oh, and I can't remember where I bought these from... but I love them too!

Sam x

Quilts and dresses...

2009-08-18T12:13:00.002+10:00

I've finished the back for my Mendocino cot quilt... I'm now wondering if I should have done the front pink instead of white?! Oh well... maybe on the next one? I have enough fabric to do the same quilt which I'm very pleased about because I really like it.

And here's some fabulous fabric I bought to make a Summer dress with. It's Florence Broadhurst. I'm going to make either one of the patterns below... not sure which one to do.... I might sit on it for a little bit longer and keep quilting! :)

I've got a few other fabrics for some Summer clothes... I went to The Fabric Store in Surry Hills and they were having a sale... 30% off!! I got enough for 4 dresses and 2 tops... my Summer wardrobe done! :) Now I just have to make them!

Exciting deliveries

2009-08-17T11:24:00.003+10:00

WOW, two posts in one day... not like me at all!

But, I forgot to mention that Kate from One Flew Over sent me a little package of fabric with a cute little card - thank you again Kate, it was very sweet of you and I love them! Especially the helicopters! :)

Also, I checked my mail box this morning and my labels have arrived!!!! Rita from Red Pepper Quilts told me about the etsy shop Lilla Lotta and so I had to buy some. I am so excited about using them!!! Thank you Rita.

So, there we go... my 2nd post in one day.... now I'm off to do some sewing!

Sewing frenzy...

2009-08-17T09:12:00.002+10:00

I have been so busy sewing! I started a sewing course to make an a-line skirt. I have made many over the years but thought I'd learn a few things along the way from the wonderfully talented teacher. After the first night at the course I was so inpsired to sew that I've since made a dress (that I don't have any photos of yet...) and two a-line skirts! I went to Material Obsession last week and the lovely Kathy had a gorgeous skirt on that she'd made from some funky Echino fabric so I bought some and whipped it up! It's from the Amy Butler Barcelona skirt pattern that I've had for a while but haven't made yet... It was so easy to make and I'm really happy with the result. Originally it was about 3 inches longer but I didn't like the length on me so I shortened it. I also copied Kathy's idea with the rick rack on the bottom - fun! :)

Then I went to Remnant Warehouse and bought some more fabric and made another skirt yesterday! I love it - it's so comfortable and I just love the fabric!!! (I've bought it in the blue & white too, shhh!) :)

And I've also finished piecing the top of a quilt - here's a sneak peek.

My photography leaves a lot to be desired, sorry!

Well I'm off to the park with my son... then hoping to piece the back of this quilt top while he sleeps later....

Postman delivery...

2009-08-06T12:02:00.005+10:00

Oh how happy a fabric purchase (or 2) makes me! :) It's absolutely ridiculous... the endless ideas I have of what to do with it... and the desire to just keep it and never cut it... crazy!?!!? Anyway, here is what my lovely postman delivered today - how utterly fabulous! I just had to get some of the Kerchief Girl fabric when I heard Amitie had it. The next lot are Japanese etsy purchases, the little flower one is really cute, the photo doesn't do it justice. And the next lot is mainly the Amy Butler Coriander print which I just decided I needed to have a big stash of as it's not available anymore and I love it, with some Kaffe Fassett prints that I liked. I've been very bad!

And here are some more Liberty prints I bought a couple of weeks ago... I hope I have a daughter one day so I can sew her some lovely things...

And here's a sneak peek of the back of my Drawing Room quilt... Please excuse the photo, it's spread out in my lounge room with the furniture around it. I was looking for plain charcoal fabric for the border but I found this lovely Lecien print which I think matches fabulously. I'm really happy with it. I can't wait to see it basted and ready for me to quilt.

Quilts...

2009-08-05T20:44:00.005+10:00

I haven't written for a while... we've had a lot going on with our house reno and life but I've also been busy sewing!

It was my birthday too. My husband totally surprised me with a Kitchen Aid mixer!!! I've been wanting one for years but I certainly wasn't expecting it this year. I just love it! I am embarrassed to admit that the first thing I made with it was a packet cake mix! Terrible huh? Anyway, I made these lovely little cupcakes that I got the idea from retro mummy - thank you, they are very yummy. I swear next time I'll make my own vanilla cake mix though... I then made yummy little individual chocolate pudding deserts which were delicious!! The mixer is every bit as fabulous as I thought it would be, I love it! :)

I've finished hand quilting my baby boy cot quilt for a pregnant friend (if she has a boy)... My 20 month old son loves it - he keeps saying "woof woof" and "broom broom" and pointing at the dogs and cars... even a couple of "nays" to the bigger dogs! :)

And I've also finished the queen size quilt I've been piecing for my husband & I. I now just need to piece the back and then it's off to be basted. I think I've decided to hand quilt it, the biggest quilting job I've taken on - who knows when it will be finished!? Hopefully by next Winter!

I have other projects on the go already too.... I just love this quilt I came across on flick - it's just beautiful. And I have some Mendicino fabric stashed away so I'm going to make a quilt similar to this in the colours I have... I'm looking forward to that. It's simple but so lovely. And I bought some cute little panels - pink flower & blue car - from Prints Charming that I'm going to put in the centre of quilts. I wish I had more time to do all of the projects in my head! It makes my head spin sometimes... and my fabric stash is getting out of control!!!! I found out from the lovely Rita at Red Pepper Quilts that Amitie had the Kerchief Girl fabric in every colour so I just had to buy some!!! I can't wait for it to arrive. I'm so jealous of the Melbourne girls for that shop!

Finally...

2009-06-17T11:33:00.005+10:00

I finally got my hands on our camera... my husband had his car broken into last week and they stole our camera. We're renovating a house and my husband has been taking photos of every stage along the way so suddenly we only have one camera and he's had it at the house! I've been so busy and wanting to upload photos but haven't been able to.

I went to the Sydney Craft & Quilt Show and bought a few fabrics... not too many, but some lovely ones. I could have gone crazy though, but I was on a deadline, my Dad was minding Johnny so Mum & I could potter without him. I found some Heather Ross Munki Munki at Patchwork on Central Park and just had to buy a metre... now I just need a daughter to make something for! Then I found a lovely little shop called Be Be Bold and they had a sweet baby cot quilt made with lovely Japanese prints so I bought some of those too! I'd like to re-create the quilt one day... I especially love the bear fabric in the middle with the lines of bears doing various activities - it's so sweet! I ended up buying a metre online from their shop after the quilt show - I might do a quilt with mostly that... not sure yet, but just had to have more! :)

I've finally decided on some fabrics for a quilt for my husband and I - I got the inspiration here. It's just so gorgeous, I've bought all the fabrics and now just need to start. I just love this line of AMH fabric, I know I'm late in falling inlove with it, but I just love it!!! I'll have to pay to have it basted, but I'm not sure whether I should quilt it myself (by hand) or pay someone to machine quilt it. I've never machine quilted so I don't want to start on such a big job! But the Anna Maria Horner fabric is a quite thick and I'm using it back & front so I'm not sure how I'd go hand quilting it?

I've finished my quilt for a friend who's pregnant. Well I have 2 friends who are pregnant so this is a girl quilt if one of them has a girl. I now need to finish the boy one! I'm really happy with this, it was fun to quilt, although I was a bit over it by the end... it's so bright and cheery though. I haven't washed it yet but I wanted to get some photos up.

I've started a stripy quilt, after the last one I need to do some straight line quilting... I've been inspired by all the lovely stripy quilts on flickr. I don't have any photos yet... So I need to quilt that, then quilt another boy quilt I've done the top of, then do our queen size quilt - I am going to be very busy!!! I love it!!!!!

Brodie's bag...

2009-05-29T20:35:00.007+10:00

I visited one of my favourite shops in Sydney one day through the week (Material Obsession) and the woman who served me had a gorgeous bag she'd made with some Anna Marie Horner fabric (that I was also buying, but blue). It inspired me to make the same bag (I happened to have the pattern at home but hadn't made it yet) for my good friend Brodie whose birthday was on Monday. Brodie is a friend from my Mother's Group and I honestly could not have gotten through the last 18 months without her. There have been many hard times and she has been so supportive and understanding, I'm eternally grateful! So I have finally finished it... after a few hiccups... I had to wait for some oblong rings to arrive from Melbourne as I wasn't happy with the ones I had and then I wasn't happy with the length of the handle so I made another one! I'm really happy with the finished product. It's very professional. I used template plastic in the base which I haven't done before and the way the pattern has the facing inside makes it very professional I think, thank you Nicole Mallalieu! I used one of my favourite Amy Butler fabrics with interfacing and wadding so it's quite structured but I think with time it will soften and be quite lovely. My photos aren't so professional... it's dark now and I'm being very lazy... I'll probably get some better shots tomorrow in the light. I've also been very busy hand quilting.... I'm almost finished - it's been really fun to quilt because I'm following the patterns on the fabrics so each piece is different. I'm just loving all of Anna Marie Horner's fabrics at the moment too... I know I'm a bit late, but I've bought some great fabrics... I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet, but I just had to get some before they're all gone! I love the drawing room prints... I think I might make myself a bag out of one of them... or maybe both of them?! I just love her designs and colours... they're beautiful!

Grace's bag

2009-05-18T14:17:00.006+10:00

I was busy on the weekend making a bag for a friend's daughter who is having her 4th birthday party this weekend. It's made of canvas with a flower & her initial appliqued on with a piece of felt & a button for the centre of the flower. I'm going to buy a couple of books to go in it. I hope she likes it. I'm happy with it, the only thing I'd change is the bit at the bottom that makes the bottom of the bag, if you know what I mean - I cut a 2" square out of each corner, I think it only needed a 1" square cut out... oh well, live and learn! I went shopping again too...I am so naughty! I found some Denyse Schmidt Flea Market Fancy fabrics so went a bit crazy and bought all they had of 2 prints... and quite a bit of another. They're so lovely and you can't get them anymore, I just had to! I also just had to have some Liberty... I've seen so many lovely fabrics on Flickr that other people have and I just had to have some of my own!

I also found time to baste one of my quilts so now I can start hand quilting... I'm going to start now while my little one is asleep.

Pink bag

2009-05-11T19:50:00.003+10:00

I've decided I really need to get some of my unfinished jobs lying around finished and today I managed to finish a bag that I started months ago... and I love it! But, I think I should sell it to cover some of the cost of all the fabric I've been buying lately!

It's made with two of my favourite Amy Butler fabrics, and I used a new sew-in magnet for the closure which works really well, it's gentler than the ones I've used before.

Anyway, I'm really happy with it. I have 2 others to finish.... hopefully Johnny will sleep well tomorrow!

Eva's quilt

2009-05-08T13:16:00.007+10:00

I finally finished Eva's quilt and washed it and posted it off. Eva's mum, Lara, loved it!! Which made me very happy! I'm always a bit nervous giving someone a quilt and very happy to hear that they like it! Eva is only a few weeks old so I hope she has it for years to come! I am really happy with the overall look of the quilt, but still not sure about the quilting... I think I would have liked to have done some more squares around the squares I did in the middle of some pieces... but it's gone now! Now I think I'm going to unpick the boy's quilt I've done and change the pattern. I love the one I used: http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlebitsys/3362905270/in/set-72157612274618593/ But I just don't think it's worked with my fabric selection. I might just go for random sized squares, rectangles, etc like Eva's quilt. I just can't baste & quilt a quilt that I don't love, and I just don't love this one... I really don't like the task ahead - unpicking the whole quilt - at least they're big pieces! I really need to learn how to take good photos of my quilts! These really don't do it justice.

Shopping...

2009-05-04T15:48:00.004+10:00

Well, I've done it again, bought more fabric!! I really think I'm addicted. Some of it was cheap, so a got a bit, some I just loved and had to have!

Here is a preview of the latest quilt I'm working on. I'm so unsure about the blue boys one that I've had to put it aside... any advice/comments on what I should do with it would be appreciated!

Hello

2009-05-03T10:55:00.012+10:00

Well, this is my first post and I am very excited to finally have my own blog, but a bit nervous about how I will find the time to actually post on it!

I love sewing! I sew clothes, quilts, bags, just about anything really. Mostly I make quilts for friends who have babies.... and other little gifts for them too. I wish I had more time to do it... but my little boy, lovely 17 month old Johnny, keeps me very busy. We would love to add to our family soon too, so I'll probably have even less time.

I have tonnes of finished projects that I'll have to upload but currently have two projects on the run... quilts. This is one of them:

It's for a friend who's pregnant. Well I have 2 friends who are pregnant so I'm making a quilt for a little boy and a girl and hoping that they don't have the same sex! Otherwise I'll have to make another one!

I'm not sure about this quilt. I used this as a pattern http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlebitsys/3362905270/ but Sewing Geek's is soooo much nicer... I'm just not sure about my fabric choices in this pattern. A friend gave me a voucher for Prints Charming and I went crazy with their blue range, it's very bright. I'm not sure if it's too crazy bright??

The other quilt is pink but I don't have a photo yet... I will try to post one in the next day or so. It's also Prints Charming fabrics, from my voucher. Thanks so much Trish! :)