using a pattern ... woah!

 went to spotty this morning

had a birthday voucher burning a hole

instructions were to buy for me

half price patterns & 30% of all fabric ...

 ok so i've been trying to inspire myself

back into sewing some clothes for me

since i can rarely find what i'd like to wear

 what seems like a life time ago

i used to sew most of what i wore

now ... to be honest its mostly thrifted

which is good

but i need some extras in my wardrobe

 so a super easy pattern to ease me back into it all

boxing day ... what a wonderful day at home

hanging out with my boys

skirt was made

but i didn't follow the instructions

i cut it longer

i added a lining since it is a voile

i finished with french seams

& I did a rolled hem

oh & I made the waist band a different way

 basically i read the instructions

then put them back in the envelope

& did what was in my head

i liked it but it was a little long!

so back i went

chopped off 2" .... re-did the rolled hems 

on the skirt & lining

again

asked my boys to help with the photo shoot

these pics are a combination of their efforts

before the shortening

4&1/2 and 40 something

maybe you could actually take a photo of the 'skirt' please??

funny day

muchly needed

i like it more now its shorter

but i think it needs a little more vavvoom ... ?

or?

looks better in real life

& i need some tops to match ....  

(& a flatter tummy!)

i have the perfect shoes!!!!

i could probably also challenge myself to make something trickier

since i didn't use the instructions ... hmmm

oh happy day

 a very merry christmas

to all

 to celebrate the birth

of our new born king

 there were angels

 & shepherds

 joseph & mary of course

 wise men

 & a heavenly host

oh & there was the star of the show

.... baby Jesus!

it's your Birthday ....

bunting tutorial: sewn with grace & peace

really we should all be gracious

& caring & joyful & inclusive & forgiving

& sharing & humble & loving

all year round .... not just because it 'tis the season!

i try to be

so here i am on Christmas eve

sharing some hints with you all about

something i love making ...

bunting flags ... mini sized

i have long multi-coloured all different

fabric lengths of it!

they are for parties (or Playful Markets!)

& can be strung up on the 'invisible' hooks we have

strategically positioned about our family room

no crepe paper streamers in our house!

in fact we even have a set of black & white bunting

that has been used on several occasions

(but i am wondering if its jinxing the result??)

there have been many little gifts made & given

just like these ....

now gracing bedroom windows

is my 'thing' for 1st Birthdays

this 'happy' set is the most recent, made to match

& i've sewn a mountain of these for my

hARTylittlepeaces market stalls

& they are also stocked at

Shop Handmade! 

 so somewhere along the line

i may have Googled "bunting tutorial"

i can't remember ...

i usually check out google images

i salute & say 'thankyou' to everyone who shares

share their ideas ...

i've simply looked at what other people do

 & then 'tweaked' it all my way!

problem solving the practical

i'm very into neat finishes .... & i love a double fold binding!

 so

you can make bunting in triangles which appears to be more conventional

or other shapes like semi-circles or deep scallop shapes or squares or the like

you can simply cut the shapes & leave a raw edge or pink if you are using fabric

or you can sew them face to face ....

or not use fabric but paper or card or plastic instead

there are endless options

like there are endless sizes

i came up with my version a long time ago

here's how it goes...

i cut my triangles by way of cutting

wof - width of fabric strips

 i then have a scallop template that makes

slicing the triangles super quick!

yep ... letting out all my secrets here ...

 then .... mostly these triangles are sewn rst - right sides together

in matching fabrics but of course you know

sometimes i mix it up!

turn them out & press

not rocket science but is best to be precise

to be sure you end up with flags the same size!

& before you know it you'll have a nice little stash!!

(well ... its little for me!)

 now for the binding ...

since this binding is not required to perform twists & turns

cutting wof strips is fine .... join

you've worked out how many flags you wish to string

& then work out how far apart you'd like to space them

  make you binding double fold

that means .... press it in half

then open & press the raw edges into the centre press fold

... it will end up 4 layers thick ... make sense?
i use a gadget ... super quick once again

the bunting i make to sell have 12 flags

so here's a combo with 3 fabrics ... all Christmas-y of course!

binding to match

i do suggest that you choose your fabrics carefully

small prints are best, i love a dot as you know

but watch when you're cutting that if you have a one directional design

... well some of it is going to be upside down

now ... my suggestion is that you just don't go there 

as i see it as a bit of a waste of fabric really

ok ...now line up your components 

in fact it really helps to set up the flags in a pile ready to go 

that is ... in order ... 

or you may find you sew in by accident 2 spotty red ones ... oooops!?

save you the un-picking!

here we go

i sew a length of 'ribbon' binding ....

then i start to insert the flags ...

so be sure to have the binding opening facing left

stitch away

you can see my flag spacing here

about the distance from needle to the edge of the bobbin plate

 12 flags later & i add in my hARTylittlepeaces tag

ready for action ... or gifting!

 but perhaps you'd like a no-sew version!??

here are a few hundred i cut recently for

our Playful Market

i bought a couple of Christmas themed

scrap booking paper pads

each square piece i cut in half vertically

then each half was folded across the short side

hole punched twice

then the trick with stringing these bad boys

is

to use a kind of 'hairy' twine or something with some texture

why? so that the paper doesn't slip & slide along

you can see here they are hung parralel all along the width of our hall

what makes this so effective is the 'on-mass' approach

then you need to try to hang it all as taught as possible

so simple & it works & is amazingly effective!

again this idea & process has been

my own problem solving applications

& lots of years of working with large groups of children

& settings where a mass application has been the solution

so just as a final note

just like everyone who shares 

ideas & concepts on their blogs etc

they are intended for you to use for personal reasons

not for reproducing for personal gain

so please on my behalf

& for all those generous souls that enrich our lives

sharing on their blogs & sites all over our globe

please respect these wishes

on a note of wishing ... 'tis the season!

i wish for you and your family

a truly joyous, sparkly, happy, giving time

this Christmas

let us celebrate the birth of Christ our Saviour

pray for peace & grace in our world

 

Happy Christmas!!

& there is still time to whip up some bunting ....

lately ...

 there was some Wendy dress wearing

on a boat on a harbor with a bridge & opera in the background

a lovely hotel was stayed at 

adored the carpets!

there was some arcade wandering  

a most enjoyable escape treat

some wedge tree branch bites

were painted

 there was another mighty 

Pop Up Shop

 an in-house market night

with a great big tups sell-off

which was more like a party party & great fun

only a handful of little skirts remaining

 some thinking has been done

few changes are being made to the whole

hARTylittlepeaces making/selling part of what i do

not making some things & starting on some new

& now there's an 

online shop ... 

how exciting!

which will always be a work in progress 

& has already 

had great orders with happy customers

there will be lots more handmade & sewn items in the new year

including my unique ooak ... little softie

'Pocket Buddies'

now available at Shop Handmade

 they are cute little buddies

that can be used for a whole host of things

you just never know when you lose that front tooth

.... you'll need a Pocket Buddy to keep it safe

until the tooth fairy visits ....

oooh yeah .... cute huh!

as i said .... ooak & it's also my ip ....

love these whiskers

 oh & this is still a wip

but won't take me long

little humble gift

a scrappy log cabin quilt

love this free form

you've seen this style plenty from me before

its all about working those little 'peaces'

for a true friend who has been on a wonderful

interesting challenging journey of growth

with me this year xo

so a little gift when words are not enough

there is more in store for this journey i am sure

 in fact there have been lots of moments

when words have not been enough

there was a great man in my husband's life

there was a fitting goodbye

& there was a new family member introduced

baby Oscar 5 wks met our Oscar

Definitions:

 ooak = One Of A Kind

a unique, individual, often handmade item

of which there is no other the same!

 

ip = intellectual property!

 

ps - if you like these buy one

online shop presence

so yeah .... that online shopping experience

with hARTylittlepeaces 

i was promising a while back

the shop actually exists now

yay!

in fact within only a few hours

there have been orders!!

yipeee ....

so far i have only listed my handpainted

wooden brooches ...

loving it .... but

there will be more soon

most espeically 

my original designed Pocket Buddies ....

they are for treasures & secrets 

& lost little teeth being saved for the tooth fairy!

so it has begun

stay tuned for more handmade & carefully selected lovely design

it will be my work in progress

.... ohhh & if you spot something you just 'need' in time for Christmas

then it is still possible ...

cheers ....

seasons

Christmas is coming

there are 12 days ....

how do you say thank you?

how to celebrate the ending of seasons?

do you send a partridge or a pear tree?

our academic year is complete (or almost)

its season's end

it seems its in our australian psyche that

the 25th is one of those great markers ... 

'done by christmas'

what does that mean?

christmas is always 'coming'

or is it the idea of a new year beginning that drives a need for completion?

i think so ...

oscar's 3 yr old kinder experience is nearly over

its our first academic end of year

its not quite the end of the chapter .... still 4 yr old K to go!

our time with Play Group

has come to the season's end

2 years oscar & i have led one of the groups

we've made wonderful friends

& had lots of great times

this group of mums ... too kind

sent me on my way .... with a lovely bunch of flowers

& heartfelt words

to say thankyou for the times

there were tears from some in saying goodbye

its hard when relationships have been built 

& the future holds no direct contact

i say thank you in return

we too have enJOYed our season