The other day little Blake gave Luna and I a bit of a treat after falling asleep for nearly an hour and a half one morning, we decided to hit the sewing room, and Luna did some stitching.  Above is Luna’s strawberry pincushion, she still enjoys ‘pinning’ as she calls, even making ‘pin gardens’ – I need to take a photo before she transforms them into new things!

I was working on their alphabet wooly blanket cushion (this will be for our ‘home library’ as Luna calls it – the lounge book shelf where we keep library books and most of our big kids books).  The letters are almost all stitched on, nearly there, wohoo.

These are her first five ‘pincushions’ from left to right.  She knew how to push the needle through, and after starting with a short length of thread she quickly asked for different coloured thread and more pieces of felt.

I was really very impressed, though I suppose that’s no surprise!  I assumed she would sew keeping the pieces flat, she didn’t, but created these interesting more three dimensional forms.

I really had to resist the urge to try to show her the ‘right way’ to sew, as she was bringing the thread around the piece and folding it on itself.

This last one, I gave her more pieces of smaller felt off-cuts and she kind of threaded them together as you might beads.  So cool to see how confident she was with a needle and thread, despite a few finger pricks, she now wants to make more for presents.  Such fun to be able to sit and work beside each other and I look forward to seeing her future creations.

What a pretty flier!

I’m excited to be going to Crafternoon-Tea this weekend, I haven’t been for over year now, and I think it has grown much since then.

SO see you on Saturday the 20th of August 10-2pm at the Trinity Methodist Church Hall (Corner of Sandringham and New North Roads in Crafty Kingsland, Auckland City).

So, uh, sew, maybe you’ve wondered about those people who combine family and work, crazy crafsty artsy types?  Why they do what they do, and how on earth it all happens?  Lovely Anissa over at growmama is doing the Creative Mama Series, a really cool idea, she has interviewed people like myself, and has asked all those questions and she’s featuring one clever craftsy mama a week!  Cool!

That’s me and Luna, in my/our new sewing room… and this week you can see me and my work over at growmama, so check it out here…  did I mention each creative mama does a giveaway?  Lucky you!  Get a cup of tea and catch up the other mamas too x

So as I’ve been unpacking the sewing room.. or work room I’ve been coming across old projects, this one Red Fish I started when Luna was a baby, intending to do, I don’t really know what with it, the thing is Luna loves Dr Seuss, and a red fish is certainly in with the marine theme of things I make her.

So if you don’t know the fish, it’s from One Fish, Two Fish and I blew it up to fill an A3 page, or piece of felt in this case, and I carefully cut the fish out of red felt and labouriously started sewing it on the background.  Luna loved it immediately, we were unpacking together, so I really must finish it and decide what to do with it!  I’m thinking I’ll make it a wall hanging.

And, as I don’t favour plagiarism, or ripping off other artists deigns, I think (hope!) that Mr Geisel wouldn’t mind too much if I make it for my daughters wall…

Bye bye Luna I’m off to work..

Lets go!

Getting set for another Kraftbomb and it’s the end of another busy month…  Sunday was fun, loads of people, so nice to have a little chat with shoppers and other craftsers.  I’ve been thinking I ought to share some of the goodness that other clever makers bring to the market, so here you go, a couple of photos and a few links..

My table is all set up, so a few quick photos of others getting organised.  Kristen from the lovely Cheekpinchy, she sells pretty things on Felt.co.nz too, so go take a look, if you’re a Facebooker, she has a page here.

Elizabeth from Zippty doo dah makes COOL stuff.  Don’t you love the bears?  (And check out that tablecloth!!)  See her Felt.co.nz shop here.

Flossy’s Fancy…. rabbits AND beautiful vintage fabric, how can you not want one?  I own one of her beautiful purses…  Maybe you saw her at the Auckland Art and Craft Fair?

I haven’t seen this woman’s work before, and it’s lovely, check out these felty flowers.

How about these for snuggly winter hottie covers?  Adventures of Alex O and Co sell on Felt.

I love the elephants, and the owls seem to always popular for crafters, the felt is delicious and thick too.

Some treats for sale at the Auckland Art and Craft Fair…

And some fuzzy photos of my lovely snuggly Sea Horses and Scallops.

Come and say hello, take home something lovely and have a delicious cupcake at Kraftbomb, in the Grey Lynn Community Centre, 11am – 2pm. x

Only five more sleeps til the Auckland Art and Craft Market!  Wohoo!  You’ve probably heard the adds on the radio and seen posters up around town, so you’ve been saving up and planning your shopping list for AGES.  We’ll I’ve been planning for agaes too and I have some sweet treats lovely Scallop Snuggly softies and new Sea Horses too, as well as gifts for craftsy peeps!

So.. if you need to know the details, visit the website, or look here!

Saturday 11th June 2011
11am to 3pm
Aotea Centre, THE EDGE
Auckland Central
Gold coin entry donation

Did you see all the artist interviews?  I have been reading them too, here’s my one…

I know!  It’s very exciting!  Just two weeks away, the Auckland Art and Craft Fair will be spreading the craftsy goodness around for you guys who are lucky enough to be in the city.  You can read my artist’s interview here.

Saturday 11th June 2011
11am to 3pm
Aotea Centre, THE EDGE
Auckland Central
Gold coin entry donation

See you there!  x

I’ve been reading some cool blogs lately, and it seems crafters around the place are getting even more thifty and blogging about it.  I think being crafty and thrifty tend to go together anyway, but there seems to be a big move away from buying and making to finding, reusing and making.  Projects like making plans to create their own clothes, new from old, and not buy more stuff use their stash for future projects (rather than growing the stash, which is so much fun!) and the like.

I had been thinking that I’d like to make my clothes for this coming winter, or at first it was for autumn.. but as time waits for no one and neither do my kids, I’ve shifted the goal posts – Autumn is here already and Winter is not far off.

So my plan is to make my new winter clothes, I got all inspired after I picked up some cool vintage patterns, easy peasy ones, and mostly dresses.  I figure that I don’t need to buy more fabric either, I have several lengths of fabric I used for baby wraps, which I no longer need and I even have a few zips stashed away, not to mention smallish fabric pieces that are just piling up..

To kick things off I’v got some photos to share.  I’ve been sorting out mostly baby clothes and have some lovely old items for baby that I don’t want to pass on, but can’t really keep using, like these leggings, they’re too small, and the elastic has gone in them, there was also a whole in the toe.  I figured they’d make some sweet fingerless mittens, and a neck warmer or head scarf.

Here’s Stanley, I’ve had this fabric for ages, just a small remnant, about one meter square, one of my favourite pieces, and now it’s become a Snuggly Sea Horse!  Check out Nancy below…

These new Snuggly Sea Horses are the first of my softies to be stuffed with Innergreen toy fill.  It’s quite exciting, Innergreen is lovely and soft and made from corn fibre, so much nicer for you and nicer for our planet.  I’ll be using Innergreen from now instead of polyester stuffing.

Luna has her own Nancy and loves her, she is also made from a smallish remnant of fabric.. love those green eyes!  these new Sea Horses are also sporting my new fabric tags, all very exciting!

This is the last one, Edward, he’s made from some smart glossy cherry coloured fabric.  I’m glad it worked out well for this guy, some of these firmer fabrics just don’t work so well, but Edward looks great!