Whipped up...

So I've been sewing long enough now to have the skills and speed to 'whip something up'. It's great to actually be able to sew something in less than an hour, albeit basic. I have two items I made for gifts to share:

The first is a simple skirt made gorgeous with one of my favourite fabric lines - It's a Hoot by MoMo. I based it on the Lazy Days Skirt free pattern by Oliver + S, but did a basic hem it instead of using a ribbon. It's for a friend of my son's 5th birthday - Mum requested no presents but mentioned that handmade is good. I hope she likes it!

For a size 5 I used a 16" width-of-fabric strip and a 20" length of elastic.

The second gift is a portable change mat for a friend who just had her second baby. This one took a bit longer, but probably still under 2 hours.

I no longer have the pattern for it (it was either out of a Lotta Jansdotter or Amy Butler book), but it's simple so I just measured mine. I used some Denyse Schmidt County Fair home dec weight for the outside and some Denyse Schmidt Spotlight/JoAnn's Fabric for the inside. Don't they coordinate well?

I did some basic diagonal quilting following the pattern of the fabric. Have I mentioned yet that I LOVE my new walking foot?!! It made the quilting super easy and quick.

So I've made heaps of things that I haven't blogged about yet. I'll try to catch up! Overdue and upcoming blog posts include:

• The flower girl bubble dress
• Castle Peeps placemats
• Lego Birthday Party

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter, Pesach, etc. Don't eat too much chocolate!

Kitchen Curtains

Really? Have I not blogged since my giveaway winner post? Sorry about that - times have been busy (in good ways, mostly) - overseas visitors; brother-in-law's wedding (can't wait to show you the flower girl dress I made my daughter); my sister's moved here!!!

I've got lots of projects to blog about, some from ages ago, so here's the first one - our kitchen curtains. Yes, it took five years for me to make a window covering for our kitchen, but at least these are pretty awesome, thanks to Melody Miller's Ruby Star Rising fabric. I was super excited when I showed my husband about a dozen fabric options and he chose this one! I was even more excited when an online search turned up this fabric half-price - making it much more affordable. Somehow I managed to order just a bit less than I needed, so I used some Denyse Schmidt Country Road from my stash to make the casing and some tiebacks - it coordinates really well.

Unfortunately, I found it seriously hard to take a good photo of curtains, as they were so back-lit. Hopefully you get the idea.

I've got lots of little Christmas presents to blog about, and that flower girl dress - I'm just waiting for some photos from the proper photographer.

Ruffled Skirt

This skirt has already gotten a lot of wear; it's about time that I posted about it!

Bubbles

I made it without a pattern - a long strip gathered to make the ruffle, and a rectangle for the top section, 'gathered' by the elastic waistband. The only reason it took me a while to make is that I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to things like gathering.

Striking a Pose

The fabric is DS Quilts and I love how the two prints work together (the blue is an Australian-only print - be sure to check out my SMS Giveaway post for a chance to win some). I got the best compliment from my husband - he asked where I'd bought the skirt!

Brotherly love

Coming up next, my SMS Giveaway Day post. If you don't know what Giveaway Day is, click the link below to find out. Good luck to everyone entering giveaways!

SMS Giveaway Day

Sweet Little Dress

I rarely sew (or knit) a pattern more than once. I enjoy the challenge of figuring something out the first time, and usually find it a bit boring to repeat the same motions again. This pattern, however, is different - it is very simple and quick to put together, and the result is exceptionally cute! I've already made two more (but they're gifts so still a secret). The only challenge was getting this little one to stop and pose!

The pattern is called Sweet Little Dress by Leila & Ben. I definitely recommend it!

I used fabric from the DS Quilts line sold here in Australia and am really happy with how it looks. I would love to make myself a dress using the same fabric (I have a great new Japanese pattern book with the perfect pattern in mind).

So in future posts expect to see some more sweet little dresses. And I'm still planning on a tutorial for a ruffled skirt made out of fat quarters. And finishing the wheels quilt. And, most importantly, sewing Miriam's dress for her Aunt and Uncle's wedding! That's only some of what's planned in my head. Does anyone else need more time to sew and less time to daydream about sewing?