Ready for the double wide

At work I received a Snuggie. 

It was part of a new product launch.  Sometimes we get promotional sorts of gifts.  Anyway, owning a Snuggie makes me feel like I'm ready to move into a double-wide.  Perfect for chain smoking on the lounge while watching tv. 

A West Elm catalogue in my mailbox at home today.  Now that's more my style.


I bought these sweet pillows from there a few weeks ago.  I keep telling Moo to stay off of them.  Somehow she thinks the silk cushions are just for her.


I haven't been blogging much because it would be terribly boring.  You know, stuff like I woke up at 5am to go walking or I went to boxing class.  I've been working on my self improvement project.  So far I've lost about this much weight


When my sister FINALLY came to visit us, I made her a shirt, so I have done a tiny bit of sewing.  Next up is sewing for me because I desperately need tops.

Peace, love and happiness

A friend of Mollie's had a birthday back in December.  I made her a top.  I really wanted to make an effort to make a gift because Moo's friend was moving up to Queensland.

I used an old favourite, the Farbenmix Antonia pattern.  I didn't have enough of the pink daisy fabric for the whole top, so I used a matching green knit for the back. The sleeves and "ribbing" are a rainbow stripe knit from Crafty Mamas (love those Gala stripe knits!).   I also put a Love Bus embroidery on the front.  I enlarged it, but I think I should have kept it the standard large size.  Unfortunately you can't buy that embroidery design any more.

Front


Back

(ignore those shadowy spots.  there is something wrong with my little camera)

Back to school prep

I'm lucky in a way.  My kids go to a Steiner school.  Our school supplies the children with what they need.  Yes, I do pay a stationery fee, but I don't mind that.  It's easier than rushing around doing the shopping.  We also have no uniform which some people think can be difficult, but since I grew up not having to wear a uniform to school, it just seems normal to me.  This year I did have one requirement to fulfil.  Mollie needed a new lunch bag.  The bag i made her was falling apart on the handle.  It lasted 4 years.  Much better than a lot of store bought lunch bags. 

Over on Crafty Mamas Dani made a lunch bag using this tutorial, and I thought it would make a good one for Moo too.  The only thing I did differently was to use some Insulbrite between the outer and lining, and I used webbing for the handles.  I'm hoping the webbing will be really hard wearing.

Spreading the rainbow love

December and January have been filled with all the usual school holiday activities - lounging about the house, getting together with friends, a bit of swimming and a few outings.  I had a few requests for rainbow skirts and figured since I wasn't working while the kids were on holidays that I'd do a few.  I also had a couple of baby presents that were overdue.

In the end I ended up making 9 skirts, and it tested my patience.  My friends have told me that I am not to make them any more as they don't want to listen to me whinge about them.  I like making them, but the process is always so drawn out, and I never allow myself to work on my own projects when I have work to do for others.  When I get to the end of the process and I have all these pretty skirts, I want to do it again....just not for a while.  Don't tell my friends that I said that, ok?

One of the skirts

The skirts are going all over Australia, and two are going to the UK!

I also made some leggings to go with a few of the skirt orders plus a pair for Miss Moo.


The two blankets that I made for gifts have been sent off.  I was in such a rush to get them posted that I didn't take photos.  The other four (excuse the creases they were sitting around folded up)....

Happy New Year and Yummy Food!

So I'm hoping 2013 is going to be a good for the house of willow & moo.  I'm also going to attempt to get back into the swing of blogging.   Everything is a bit slow on the craft front here as I psych myself up to do a big batch of dyeing.  After that I should get some time to sew whatever I want for me and the kids although I've just realised that I haven't blogged a t-shirt that I made as a birthday party present in December.

For me food and crafting are intertwined.  Back in October my friend, Cath, picked me up to go to our craft weekend away.   She told me about these organic strawberries that she bought on Old Nothern Road in Dural.   All of my friends know that I like to eat organic food.  She also said they were the best strawberries that she had ever tasted, so I had to investigate.  Cath gave me the website off of the box, and that was the beginning of a beautiful relationship with Common 2 Us.

I discovered that I'd been driving by their farm for a while.  I remember seeing the sign out front, but being sort of shy I wouldn't have just driven up the driveway to check it out.  Borja, his lovely girlfriend - Soraya and other friends are trying to create a community organic garden which is essentially like the community support agriculture schemes in the US. 

These photos were taken a few days before Christmas.  We were at the farm today and everything had grown so much in the 2 weeks that we'd been away.

Will picking and eating some strawberries

You can still get strawberries if you go to the farm and pick them yourself.  The plants are at the end of fruiting, so a lot of the berries are small, but you can still find some delicious treasures amongst the plants as I did today!

I look at these zucchini plants in awe.  Yes, I know they are supposed to be easy to grow, but remember I'm too lazy to manage a veggie garden.


This week we got tomatoes off of these plants!  I can't wait to taste them!

There are several different varieties of tomatoes too.  I'm hanging to eat some sliced with basil, bocconcini, and olive oil.

Here's Borja picking the lettuce for our veggie box.  You can also see pumpkin vines behind him, capsicum and eggplant.


I was really taken with the purple eggplant plants.  The have these beautiful flowers and dark purple stems.


Will wanted to pick oranges.  They make really good juice!


There is a small shop set up at the farm, so you can pop up there to buy things.  More than likely if you want something that is grown on the farm, someone will go harvest it freshly for you.


I think my post sounds a bit like an advertisement, but it isn't.  These guys are just doing something that I believe in, and I want to support them.  They are always happy to have visitors if you want to have a look, 3 Wyoming Road, Dural.

Tees for me

I went away with my craft group back in October.  It was hard to slum it at Pearl Beach, but someone had to do it.  I managed to sew 4 tops for me and some leggings and a hoodie for Will's ninja outfit.  No photos of the ninja outfit.  It's stealthy.  No one seems to know where it is now that Halloween is over.

Me and Will in his pjs.  The top is an Ottobre pattern, 02/07 #4 in black cotton/spandex (Stella) knit.


Then I made the Cinderella*Zwergen*Mode Mareena pattern in three different fabrics with different embellishments. 

In Hilco knits, a print knit for the body and campante strips for the sleeves and binding.


In black Stella knit with a silver glitter tree iron-on.  Iron-on was cut out with my Silhouette cutter.


In charcoal marle stella with an Urban Threads embroidery

Hello there! Still with me?

It's been a bit of a roller coaster here in the house of willow & moo.  Craft weekends, redundancy, death in the family, visit from family, and a new job.  Lots of ups and downs which just didn't leave me with energy to blog.  I have managed a bit of sewing and definitely plenty of baking.

Back in July I went down to Victoria to get together with my Crafty Mamas friends.  I spent the weekend eating and sewing and eating some more.  I sewed for the kids.

Farbenmix Unella Blomma shorts for Moo



Ottobre tops, skirt and shorts. 


Farbenmix Roxy dresses and Ottobre tops and shorts



Ottobre 301 t-shirt


Farbenmix Tess skirt


Now I have to get someone take photos of the t-shirts I made for myself on my recent weekend away.

Ninjas abound

Ninjas seem to be a popular theme for boys' birthday parties this year.  Going along with that theme I've made another ninja top for Will's friend's birthday.   My two have requested their own ninja tops, so expect to see those in the near future.

I've used the SCKL Imke pattern.  Front, back and neckband are stella cotton/spandex knit.  The sleeves are rainbow wave knit by JNY Designs acquired from Crafty Mamas, of course!  Embroidery designs are from Emi Oli.

Edible Rainbows

Baking rainbows here in the house of willow & moo.  We're getting ready for the Lorien School Fair. 


I've been sewing too.  Just haven't been sharing.  I'll sort that out soon.

Marvelous Mareen tops

Moo has a birthday party to attend tomorrow.  It's a twin party, so I had to make something x2.  I spent a lot of time musing over which pattern and fabric combination.  It took me ages to settle, so today at 4:30pm I cut out the shirts.  By 8:30 I was finished, and they were wrapped.  That included me cooking and eating dinner!

I used the Mareen pattern by Cinderella*Zwergen*Mode.   It's a nice raglan top.
I also used my neglected Silhouette cutter, so make some iron-on velours.

I'm off to SIT Canberra

Sorry.  I don't tend to get all excited and scream about this sort of stuff.  I think part of the reason is that big group events always make me apprehensive.  It's the introvert thing.   So why am I going?  Well, my whole craft group is going and chief Sew It Together (SIT) organiser superwoman, Sheridan, is in my craft group.   So if I don't go, I'll miss out on all of the fun, and then have to hear about it at our next craft group....bus trip to Addicted to Fabric, Handmade shop and BISON (yup, I'm most excited about Bison).  I swear Col will have my head if I come home with bowls.   Must remember to hide ceramics purchase.  Then a visit to Handmade Market which I've always wanted to visit.  After which we'll spend the day crafting (i.e. talking and me fluffing about attempting to do hand sewing).  I'm even going to attempt a beginners crochet workshop.  I don't know that I hold much hope for me.  I'm fairly unco.

Part of the SIT fun is the name badge swap before the event.  We had to use the theme colours for this year which were red/white/blue.  I made one for Amy.



In my usual haste I forgot to take a photo of it uncovered, but you can see it on Amy's blog.

My name badge was made by Caroline of Sew Together.  Totally classic and simple design.  I love it.




Each year Cass (also another craft group compatriot) organises a sample swap.  This year I've made little zippered bags as I figure they are useful.  Each bag is completely different than the next.



I used some of my beloved Alexander Henry Calaveras fabric to make a bag.  I hope someone else likes that fabric as much as I do.

So now all I have to do is pack.

Stealthy, sneaky Ninjas!

Will has a friend's birthday party tomorrow.  The invitation had ninjas, so going with that theme in mind I made this top for the birthday boy.  Will helped me pick the embroideries, and he told me where to place them.

Pattern is Ottobre 301 - best ever go-to-if-you-need-a-t-shirt pattern
Fabrics are Stella cotton/spandex knit and JNY rainbow waves from Crafty Mamas.
Embroidery is from Emi Oli.

And breath out...

I've had so much going on that I haven't really had a chance to stop and take photographs.   After my black binge I made two very colourful tops.  One for me and one for Moo.  Both the same.  Obviously mine is just a teensy bit bigger.

Pattern:  Farbenmix Fano (a favourite)
Fabrics:  Stella in ocean, Stenzo peacock print knit



I've also been the lucky recipient of some squishy goodness.  I made some things for a friend and in return she went way overboard!  She knit 3 pairs of socks and two shawlettes. 



Mollie tried to take this one.  I told her NO WAY!



Super socks!



And I've been madly embroidering and sewing for the May 15 Gossamer Dreams stocking.  I'm doing a special collaboration with Lesley of Cherub's Kiss.   Here are some sneak peeks! 

Back in black

So the Lucy dress was the beginning of me making a bunch of stuff in black.  I've made 3 tops and a pair of leggings.  All black.

I made the Pleated Pia top from Style Arc.  I made this top as a wearable muslin.  I was thinking of using this pattern for another fabric, but after making it,  I'm still searching for the right pattern for my Hilco Fluturi fabric.  Pia definitely fits me better than Lucy.


I also made an Ottobre 303 top in black merino rib knit.  Love this top.  Looks great with some of my lovely brooches.  I would have worn one in the photo, but the photographer was impatient, and I feel lucky to even have these photos.   I was feeling a bit frustrated with the photographer when this photo was taken.


Then I made another Mareena top in black.  This time I used some embroideries from the Florafox set. 


I've changed the overlocker threads back to white, so that's all for black now.