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!

Crayon Rolls for Christmas

Crayon Rolls

Firstly, a quick hello and thank you to my followers - old and new. You've provided me with such wonderful support, inspiration and assistance in my crafting endeavors (and sometimes life, too)! I'm a bit overwhelmed again by the response to my giveaway - thanks so much, especially for all the food tips; I hope to add some dishes to my repertoire. My giveaway will be open a bit longer than the official time (I'll be sound asleep here in Australia at 6 pm PST); I'll close the comments when I get up in the morning, and draw the winners sometime during the day. I'm so excited to pick and announce the winners!

Crayons galore!

I've made three more crayon rolls, for Christmas presents, using Skip to My Lou's easy-to-follow tutorial. Every bit of it - from the size of the pocket to the length of the ribbon, works great. But what works even better is Lizzy House fabric - those peeps are just the right height for the pocket - don't you love it?

Red Letter Day Ugly Duckling

The above fabric is particularly special to me, and since my little girl loves pink, this one is for her! Lizzy House Red Letter Day Ugly Duckling on the outside; pearl bracelet on the inside; and some DS Quilts for the pocket - I thought they looked great together.

Castle Peeps - for boy

The next two are for a sister and brother - our friends' kids that we're about to meet for the first time when they visit from Holland (for Christmas). So I made coordinating Castle Peeps rolls.

Castle Peeps - for girl

I love how the peeps look like they're guarding the crayons!

On Guard!

So that's three gifts finished, about a dozen I'd like to complete before Christmas. I'll be happy if I finish four more. How many gifts do you still hope to make?

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?