Sewing for little people

Now that I've finished working I've found some free time to start sewing again. Apart from making things for my own bub, I've made some gifts for a friend's baby who will be born around the same time as mine. She's keeping the gender a secret so I've chosen brightly coloured fabrics for this nifty divided basket (pattern from Noodlehead) and reversible armhole bibs. Hope she likes them!

Snuggle time

Did you spot the chevron baby quilt in my last post? Well my talented sister made it! It's the perfect size for the bassinet and also the pram, as well as just general snuggling. I also love her cross quilt in the same colour scheme pictured below. Check out some of her other quilts and projects on her blog sewburbia, and you can visit her madeit store to pick up your own (including the cross quilt!).

The waiting game

So I promised to fill you all in on what's been going on around here. Well, there's been some big changes! My husband and I sold our cosy little unit and upgraded to a much larger 70's brick house late last year....and just in time because we're expecting a new addition to our family any day now! I'm 39 weeks pregnant right now and can't believe that I'll be a mum very very soon! I've had a dream pregnancy really and am hoping the baby is just as easy (wishful thinking!). 

We decided not to find out the baby's gender, so I'm getting really excited to find if it's a little he or she in there! Not knowing the gender hasn't really affected decorating the nursery though (since I'm not a huge fan of stereotypical boy and girl colours), and I've had ours ready for quite some time – gender neutral in yellow, grey and white – love those colours together! The artwork, bedding, bunting and storage boxes were all handmade by me and my sisters – more details on those soon.

More etsy goodness

These two new iPod/iPhone cases have been added to my etsy store, just in time for christmas shopping. Stay tuned later today for my very first ever giveaway!

Sneek peek

I've just returned home from the fabulous Finders Keepers markets in Brisbane, where I bumped into the lovely Rebecca from Edward & Lilly, and Ellie from Red Seed Studio, both peddling their wonderful wares! Very impressed with the variety and quality of items for sale at these markets, here's hoping it remains a regular Brisbane event!

All the wonderful and creative products and people has inspired me to keep going on my current project. Here's a little sneek peek of something I've been working on this weekend. Hopefully have a few for sale next week...I will reveal all then!

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Pants-arama!

Pants are great, even better when you make them yourself! Today I finished up a pair of wide-leg (extremely wide leg!) 3/4 pants from a pattern I developed in class (not the evil commercial variety) from a great stretch denim, with real pockets, fly zip and all! I've just finished sewing the button hole and attaching the button, but here are some buttonless images from earlier this afternoon. Happy pants-filled weekend to you all!

Another newbie

Here is my latest addition to etsy, the charcoal dandelion sling bag! One of my favourites to date, I really love the pattern, and it goes really nicely with that turquoise lining – pretty happy with this one! Hooray! More bags to come...

New yellow bag

Here it is peeps, the yellow corduroy fabric fashioned into a lovely sling bag! I ended up changing the lining to this oh-so cute spotty (looks more like little eye-balls or fish eggs, but very cute!) cotton fabric. It's now up on etsy, so take a peek if you like. I think I'll be doing a day-day roll out of the new bags, to prolong the fun (for me anyway!).

bagarama!

I've finally finished the new bags! After a late night at the beast not 5, but 6 new bags were completed. All the charcoal and black bags, as well as the yellow on the end (look familiar? Some of that yellow corduroy finally got used) are all newbies, and will hopefully be posted on etsy tomorrow for sale (I'll keep you posted when they are up). The other (apart from the blue, red and white which is going to a lovely home) are currently for sale. I hope they all end up in lovely new homes instead of hanging in a line on my door.

the beast

Oh, I've been a terrible blogger! Too busy actually making bags too photograph and tell you what I've been doing! Well this is the machine (well, one of them anyway) that I've been spending a bit of time in front of lately. A recent acquisition, ex-bonds factory and an absolute bargain! This hulk of a machine took 3 men (and me pointing) to lift it off the truck and into position, can sew at about a million miles an hour (it also conveniently has a speed dial which I've turned down to snail to avoid my fingers and arm becoming part of it), and sounds a little like a tank warming up. I feel I belong to a soviet sweatshop working on it...I think the dark, concrete garage definitely adds to that feeling! I'll try and post some piccies of my other machines in the near future - this one is the scariest by far!

Oh yes, the new bags are almost finished! Just need to sew the lining in place then they'll be ready for the selling. I'll post the finished photographs later this week.

a work in progress

A fortnight ago I started on a little girls empire-waist top (much more of a dress really!) from an Amy Butler pattern (Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones) and thought I'd share my progress with you. Such cute fabric! Still need to finish the sleeves, attach the skirt and bow, but almost there! What I thought would be a quick and simple outfit turned out to be quite a tricky little number.