A handmade wardrobe

I have been thinking more and more that I would like to make a handmade wardrobe for myself, to sew and knit my own clothes rather than buying them.  I had a big cull of my wardrobe at the end of last year so my clothes are limited and I tend to wear the same things over and over.  I would also like to get out of jeans which seems to have become my uniform for home wear!  I like the idea of making clothes that go together as outfits rather than odd bits and pieces.  And Charlie may get some new clothes occasionally too!
And speaking of Charlie, I finished her Brick jumper which is a free pattern by Clare Lee here.  I am so pleased I started it again in the smaller size because it now fits Charlotte perfectly.  She loves it and has worn it quite a lot already.
And the first dress for my handmade wardrobe is La Sylphide by Papercut Patterns, a New Zealand designer.  I am pretty amazed this dress turned out because the georgette was incredibly slippery to work with!  The only draw-back of the pattern was the very short skirt, not such a good look for me!  I cut a practice skirt out of an old sheet and thankfully it worked so the dress finishes just below my knees.  The swirling dots on the fabric was also incredibly difficult to photograph with the camera struggling to focus.  I ended up holding a piece of white paper in front of me then throwing it away when my husband had focused on it so we didn't get many photos!  I have worn the dress a couple of times and feel good in it, I was particularly pleased when my father complimented me in it and said I reminded him of my mother :)  Wendy xx

Friday night with friends

I did sign up for Friday night with friends but forgot to mention it in yesterday's post.  After working on the baby quilt in the morning I felt like a change of pace so picked up my knitting needles.  I was able to finish the second side so only sleeves to go.  Thanks to our lovely hostess Cheryll for encouraging us.  Today is a glorious day and, having caught up with housework, I rewarded myself with a bit more knitting on the deck with my afternoon cup of tea with Barney for company.  Silly photo of him I know, but he's not looking his best at the moment as he's recovering from an infected cat bite so I was trying to avoid the not so pleasant bits!  Wendy xx

Things I love to make

Don't you love it when you want to make all the projects in a book?  Marg Low's book "Things I love to Make" is like that for me.  I seriously love everything in it and it has been my inspiration for gifts lately.  I made the redwork sampler for Leanne's birthday in September, you may remember me playing with paints and frames here.  Marg Low gives instructions on what paints to use which was helpful.  I also gave Leanne a crocheted African flower pincushion which is a free tutorial here at Cherry Heart (which by the way is a beautiful blog with lots of lovely tutorials and patterns!)
When I was asked to make my niece a cot quilt I again turned to Marg's book and am making the Spencer and Piper quilt.  I finished piecing the top but started worrying it wasn't big enough, the finished size is only 25 x 31 inches.  After a bit of googling on cot quilt sizes I decided to add another border which I kept plain with cornerstones.  It is now 34 x 40 inches.  Now just to decide on the quilting!!  Wendy xx

September Christmas item

Oh dear, I am three days late with my Christmas item but I decided to finish my snowman ornament anyway.  It is from a paper foundation pattern by Mary Herschleb designs and includes the four ornaments I made.  I had great intentions at the beginning of the year to make larger Christmas items like table runners and a tree skirt but so far have only managed little ornaments each month. I guess there is always next year!  Thanks again to Narelle for her encouragement each month.  As well as making a snowman this week, I have also been working on my niece's cot quilt, just one more border to go.  It has been challenging for me trying to choose a modern palette but hopefully I have succeeded.    I couldn't resist buying some gerberas this week, the colours are amazing.  Paul has almost finished repainting our lounge the same soft grey we used in our bedroom here, we loved it so much and it really makes the gerberas pop!  Wendy xx

It's spring time

Spring time stitchery I made Michelle

Spring stitchery Michelle made me

The weather here has been crazy: sunny, rainy, hot, cold, and last night I was kept awake with a thunderstorm that sounded right above our house.  September is almost done and I am writing my first post of the month!  Life has been busy lately: trying to keep up with work and kids, and some of our friends have been suffering with health issues so I have been fitting in visiting with them.
Michelle and I sent and received our spring time stitcheries for the Let's Celebrate swap with Mrs Martin's quilt shop.  I sewed the Home Tweet Home picture for Michelle which was a free pattern I found here and I added in some fat quarters too.  Michelle made me the gorgeous Red Brolly cat stitchery and gave me some other goodies too.  Now to decide how to finish it off, I am thinking maybe a cushion.
I am keeping up with my Chateau Hexagon quilt and have started block four.  I have also started making a cot quilt for a niece who has her first baby in December.  I finished Charlie's jumper and immediately started a cardy for me as well as sewing a top and blouse for myself and I have a dress half sewn.  I am definitely interested in having a more homemade wardrobe but I will save that for another post :)  Wendy xx

I've been spoilt

Michelle is my swap partner for the Let's Celebrate swap and she thoroughly spoilt me for my birthday. Look at the beautiful pouch she made me, I love the design and the fabrics. The project box is perfect for storing the blocks I'm working on and Michelle very generously filled it with lots of lovely goodies. Thank you so much Michelle, I love it all!
And thank you everyone for your get well wishes after my last post, you are all so kind!  I am much better and have got back to some crafting this week.  A bit of painting (which is different for me!) and knitting.  The jumper is for Charlie and the photo shows my first attempt.  I reluctantly decided it was too large for Charlie so have re-knitted it in a size small and with tighter tension.  Thankfully it is fitting her well this time and I am up to the bottom rib.  There has also been a little bit of stitching done lately but as it is all for gifts so I cannot show you it yet!  Wendy xx

August Christmas item

I have had a quiet week fighting a cold, with sore throat and temperatures.  Over the weekend I've been reading and watching Wives and Daughters and generally laying low.  I had hoped to make two ornaments this month but have not really felt like sewing or doing anything much!  I did finish this little Santa though for my one Christmas item a month.  Thanks to our Chief Elf Narelle for encouraging us each month! Wendy xx