Red "Docotor's" type bag

I can't believe he did it! My darling husband hates when I street shop ... but this time he did it all by himself. He found this gorgeous bag on the side of the road - even had to stop and turn around to get it on the way to work! It is a "Solid Hide", made by M. A. Waters & Co. in Newtown, NSW, and is called the "President" (according to the label).

Lilly's 2nd Birthday

We made a cake a couple of days before Lilly's birthday (so we could take some to day care to share). This particular day it was imperative that one wore a fairy dress - just as well we had one on hand. The best part was licking the bowl - and because it was a marble cake we had 3 to lick!

Then we had a little break eating a banana on the lounge - we had to check out the banana quite closely... then watched a very fascinating fly on the wall:

Then on the weekend we went to Symbio Wildlife Park:

Loved running around looking at all the animals - loved patting them even more (except for the little ponies...bit scared of them!).

Neck Tie Skirt - trial #1 - modified

After making the black denim & red necktie skirt, I modified my first green necktie skirt. I unpicked them all, took out the stiffening, pressend them flat, and re-sewed the skirt - using only 3 ties this time instead of the original 5. The "tie panel" sits & flows much better now. I also used a different snap fastener which turned out much better. I wore this one to work today - you have to trial these things you know! And with my new brown boots I bought from a sale table ($40 down from $260!) I thought I looked pretty good!

Chela's cowgirl hat

Today Lilly played at Chela's place. So last night we made a new hat for Chela:

This is an improvement on Lilly's cowgirl hat, and I think it's just right now! I like the way the brim sits when it is down - much better than Lilly's. (It doesn't sit down on the glass head, as this is an adult size head, but toddler size hat.)

Next is one for Seth, Oliver & Isac ... then maybe I can make some to sell!

Black Denim & Red Necktie Reconstructed Skirt

This has been underconstruction Tuesday - the skirt and some of the ties were found during thrifty shopping on Tuesday (along with my lovely yellow shoes!). So here is a photo of the 'before':

I didn't like the buttons, but used the off'centre split for my necktie insert. This time I unpicked all the ties, removed the tie shaping/stiffener piece, and pressed the remaining fabric flat. This gave a much softer, flowing fabric. So I didn't end up using all the ties in the above photo - I only needed 3. Here's the after photos:

The waist is adjustable again - this time I use a snap tape. The skirt I started off with was a 10 with a waist measurement of 33" (84cm). It is now adjustable between 31" & 34" (79cm and 86cm). I wish I knew someone who was a size 10 so I could see what it looks like on!

Yellow Shoes

For those that know me, you know that I am not really a shoe person. The majority of the time I wear some kind hiking shoe, thongs, or my preference is bare feet. So to say that I bought 2 pairs of pointy shoes in one day...you better be sitting down! One of these pairs I got from the Salvos (Unanderra), who happened to be having a sale - 50% off shoes... so they were a total of $3!

I like the first photo because I think my feet look small from this view... but I love the button detail of the second photo.

My offering to the wakeboarding gods...

My brother (AKA Boy) needed some repairs on his wakeboarding boat ready for the October weekend. When I was looking for an industrial sewing machine he told me that this would be a job for me...he came true to his word...so here is a sample of my work.

Beautiful Pregnant Belly Photos

Isn't this just a beautiful belly? I took some photos of my sister-in-law the other day (due early October) and these are my favourite. I think these will great in a simple black frame...and I know just the place to get them!

Ginger Beer Brew

Lilly helped me make some ginger beer today - sorry Lilly you can't have any when it's ready though... It's a half strength alcoholic ginger beer. But Lilly did love stirring it!

Butterflies - decorations

This is trial #1. These can be used for ganeral decorations (great for little girls), or for special occasions like birthdays & christmas. I am thing of scaling up for a butterfly type banner. Each one is on a 10" ribbon.

Thrifty find - large old case

I'm so proud of this find... I love old cases and this is a beauty - perfect condition!

The size is 30" by 20" (76cm x 51cm). Take a look at the inside:

And what's better still - it was free.... thanks to the council clean up day (coming soon in our area). I just couldn't resist. (I also picked up a hat rack that I may paint bright red for my market stall.)

Custom order for Kenny

The last few days have been very busy making these bags - I was making some for Kenny, and realised I only had 1 bag left for my market stall so why not make a heap... yes in terms of bag making 8 is a heap for me! I have improved the pockets - each bag has two internal pockets with a cotton bias tape edge on the top to give a nicer finish. (Click on the photo and have a closer look.)

I know Kenny (AKA Michelle) is giving these to friends/family in Canada - if you receive one I would love to know what you think!

Neck Tie Skirt - trial #1

I love old ties, and have been wondering how to use them for something wonderful...I think I found one of those wonderful thing! I've seen skirts made only from neckties, but I thought they were a bit 'too much' for me. So here is my version:

(I also love green...can you tell?)

There are just 5 ties used for the insert panel. I had some very dark charcoal fabric that had a bit of a stretch (both ways) for the main part of the skirt. The waist band was a bit fo the charcoal, and the end that was cut off from one of the longer ties. The waist has a 'fold' in it with different snap positions - this makes it somewhat adjustable - the idea being that the ties 'flash' from under the fold as you walk.

Here's what it looks like when it is closed; 'flashing'; and open:

I think this may have just moved straight into my 'inner circle' of clothes!

Mens Corduroy Shirt into Girls Dress

This dress started it's life as a men's corduroy, long sleeve shirt. For this dress I used the sleeves to create the body of the dress and the collar stand for the shoulder straps. The sleeves had some adjustement with buttons for the wrist size. This is still used for the dress - but now for altering the chest size (so it can be worn for more than 1 season).

For a bit of 'prettiness' I added a lovely doily to the front. I am hoping to hold a class in the near future with the theme of garment reconstruction for kids - this will definately be one of the examples.

Boys Long Shorts - new product for LeftLeg

Here are my first samples of some new product - some boys/unisex shorts. And of course there is always a hat to go match! They are made from upcycled & new fabrics (some quite retro). The sizes shown below are from left to right: 3, 2, 1 & 0. The matching shorts & hat set are the size 0 (about 6months).

I think I may post these on 'Madeit'...

Zip pouches - from upcycled / recycled / reclaimed anything!

My mum and I made some zip pouches for my market stall a little while ago. We both just grabed any fabric, ribbon, lace, etc that pleased us, threw them all together and see what came out the other end. I remember the little Holly Hobby girl on the right - that came from my quilt cover when I was growing up! And the frogs were the scraps of a nighty my mum made me when I was pregnant with Lilly (complete with easy access buttons down the from for breast feeding). You can also see some screen printed ants of my mums, some neckties, a bit of satin, and even some tea-towels!

Here are two photos of the fronts (left) and backs (right):

I don't think any two are made the same! We tried different methods & styles of construction, some a little easier than others, some give better results than others.