A special gift, new fabs and a blind hem!

I had a very special parcel arrive for me on Friday!  I was one of two lucky girls to win a blog-a-versary giveaway on Jo’s blog, Lilly Pilly (formerly Jo from Tas)! 

What a gorgeously wrapped parcel!  Do you see the little index finger on the right hand side?  My young Rosie has a thing at the moment for putting her finger in every photograph! LOL…  Maybe she’ll grow up to be a hand model?

How gorgeous is this sewing tote?  And the “Sweetie” scissor fob is SO cute!  I love the fabrics and absolutely adore it.  The other lucky winner is Kerri, you can check out her special tote here. 

Jo was very innovative with how she chose her winners… she set up a spreadsheet with every comment she has received over the last couple of years and numbered them all – then used the random generator to choose two numbers.  I think Jo deserves a gift for going to all that trouble for her friends… and one day I might just surprise her! *wink*!

And don’t you just love her bespoke labels?!

Thank you Jo!  You’re a real Sweetie!!! :-)

Well, I have been fabric shopping again!  I chose these fabrics for a special project I will be starting this week:

I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted and found the perfect fabrics in my local patchwork store, so I was rapt!  The range is called Flower Sugar, from the Fancy Fabric Collection printed by Lecien.  You can find it here.

Then I visited another store that had a “buy the end of the bolt and get 30% discount” and found this heavy weave in the curtain department:

There is just enough here to make a bag.  I love looking at fabrics in the home-ware section - you can find cheap, canvas-like fabrics – which I love for bag-making.  However, one thing to remember is that they’re not always of the highest quality, with having a low thread count.  But so long as the seams of your project/s are all reinforced, I think they’re great.  I plan to use this fabric to make this bag designed by Amy Butler, at some point this year. :-)

I’ve just checked out Amy’s website and hadn’t realised she had so many free patterns available for pdf download.  Wow!  If you’d like to share in the fun, check out this link!

Okay, I’ve left the least interesting “item” until last!  I just had to share because I’m so excited!  I have just sewn my first blind hems in order to take up Aaron’s school pants (trousers)! 

Drum roll please…

I know, I know – It’s a riveting photo!!! :-)  But… OH YEAH… I can do anything now!! LOL…

It may have just been my imagination but I could have sworn the trousers spoke to me… they said, well – kind of shouted in alarm, actually:  “Will someone turn the lights on PLEASE?!!!  These blind hems are so good, I just can’t gosh-darn see!!!”

Until next time – Happy sewing!

Hugs! Vikki x

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My new brother and Mai’s bag

Today I have something very exciting to share with you…

… I was gifted an early wedding present from my future mother and father in law (aka Mum and Dad!)…

… and I was speechless!

 

Please let me introduce you to my new Brother Innovis 600.

She is an absolute dream!  Speed control… knee lift… needle up/down position… automatic threading and cutting… top bobbin loader… 294 stitches including three alphabets and the facility to save your own stitches.  It has an over-locking foot with cutter, and comes complete with an extra wide table, quilting foot; walking foot… and lots of other feet that I have yet no idea what to do with!

I have read the manual from top to tail and can not wait to get to grips with this little baby!  My local sewing centre offers unlimited lessons so I am confident I will get to grips with everything.  I am really looking forward to perfecting my FMQ and the knee lift and needle down position are ideal friends to have!  But my first job is to take up the hems on my son’s new school pants (trousers)!

I’d love to know what sewing machine you have and what its most useful features are?!

On the sewing front, I can now show you the bag I made for the lovely Mai. :-)

I made it from The Fat Quarters Bag pattern by Melly & me.

 

I love to embellish big flowery-printed fabric at the moment.  I embroidered one row of chain stitch around a few of the flower centres, just to add a bit of texture and interest.

I made a bag base using leftover fabrics, there wasn’t one in the pattern but I thought it would add a nice touch.

Have you seen the magnificent bag that Mai made for me?  Just pop on over here and feast your eyes! 

Now on to the wedding plans!  They are going really, really well!  Mr SUDs and my young DS Aaron SUDs were rolling their eyes yesterday as I took them (or should I say “dragged them”?!) shopping for smart pants (trousers), shirts and shoes…  but they were really happy when I announced that if we got it all done it would be their one and only shopping trip!  :-)

Here is a little glimpse of my DDs’, Rosie’s, dress…

 

As my friends will know… green and pink is my favourite colour combo!

Until next time – I hope all is well in your world x

Hugs! Vikki x

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The invites are out!

The SUDs household has been a hive of activity these past few weeks!  My wedding plans are well underway and the invites have been made and posted  :-)

 

Because I am having an outdoor wedding in the picturesque Cloudehill Gardens, I thought that a floral invite would suit beautifully.  I’m not a natural when it comes to paper crafts and have my darling friends, Narelle and Anne, to thank for their help, advice and the late-night craft sessions! :-)

I am planning to make a Guest book using the same paper and embellishments, because I haven’t been able to find an off-the-shelf one that I like.  Ooh… I’m having ideas… maybe I should stick to what I know best and create a fabric-covered one?! Ooh!  Ooh!  Now the cogs are turning!!! :-) he he…

My head is spinning with plans and ideas and I type-up a new to-do list almost every day, but I’m very pleased with the progress I’m making.  Today I visited some beautiful ‘flower farms’ up in the rolling hills, gosh it was gorgeous and I wish I’d had my camera with me!  So now my wedding bouquet is decided upon and I will once again be calling on my loyal friend Narelle, to help me put it all together.  Have you heard of the phrase, “Jack of all trades and master of none”?  Well, to describe Narelle I would have to say “Master of all trades and Jack of none!”  She and her gorgeous mother can put their hand to anything – they are amazing!

I love being busy, it’s great to kick goals every day… and I’m so inspired to create!  This year I plan to design and make my first quilt; to make and finish at least two art dolls; to develop my pattern business; to make costumes and clothing for my young Rosie; and to spend more time in blog land!  Can’t wait!  :-)

Please excuse me for not replying to my messages recently, please know that you put a smile on my face and if I had the time I’d be “popping on over” for a chat and the kettle would be brewing for our cuppa!

Until next time – hugs! – from a very excited Vikki  :-)

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A beautiful swap and a beautiful day!

The weather in Melbourne has been really hot this past week, it reached 43 degrees yesterday with a “low” of 37 at midnight!  It is way too hot to do anything other than seek out the nearest air conditioning unit on days as hot as these, but last week the weather was just perfect for taking my two children out for a day at the beach!

The skies really are this blue! 

This beach (in Rosebud) is perfect for little children because the shallows are expansive… and my little Rosie, (pictured above) is a water-babe for sure!

This little ‘sand island’ in the shallows makes for a picturesque playground!

  We met up with some friends so my DS, Aaron, had buddies his own age to muck around with!  But who can resist covering a little sister with sand? :-)

Peekaboo! 

A lovely day was had by all, and on the hour-drive home we stopped off for fast-food which “topped the day off nicely” for the two kids! 

In-between the outings with my children and planning for my wedding, I’ve managed a little bit of sewing too… but nothing I can share just yet…. soon, soon!  :-)

However, I do have something wonderful to share today – a ‘swap package’ - received last week from my lovely blogging buddy in The Netherlands, Mai.  Mai and I did a private (pincushion) swap last year that you can read about here and here.  We enjoyed it so much we decided to do a ‘bag swap’ as well.  I can tell you… it was a long time before my jaw could be lifted from the floor after I opened this:

Isn’t it sublime????

Here is a close-up of the flower detail… each  petal is quilted and the centre is woven.

The inside is lined with the most stunning print of birds and flowers; and pockets keenly await their new possessions…

The green ribbon to the right is attached to the inside and has a key-fob at the end so that keys can easily be retrieved… Mai designed this bag herself and it is everything a girl could wish for.

Even the zipper is exquisite!  This pic isn’t the best as the mid-day sun was bright, but you get the idea.

What a very spoilt girl I am eh?  But that’s not all…there were other gifts contained within the beautiful bag…

My favourite Tilda fabrics, some 2-strand Cosmo thread, a sumptuous Xmas pudding pincushion, a sweet scissor fob and THE most gorgeous buttons. Spoilt isn’t the word eh?

Thank you so much, Mai!!  I still haven’t stopped drooling. :-) Mai truly is a very talented seamstress and has an amazing eye for detail. If you live close to Mai in The Netherlands, then you may be interested to know that she runs workshops.  I sure wish I lived close-by!

Once Mai has received her parcel from me, I shall be sure to post some pics.  :-)

Until next time – Hugs!  Vikki x

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Happy New 2010!

I hope you had a fantastic Christmas and have enjoyed the festivities of the season?!  We had a quiet and very happy Christmas here in the SUDs household… having a four-year-old in the house guarantees an abundance of delight and magic! :-)

I’m trying my hardest not to vacuum (hoover-up) all the teensy-weensy little dolly shoes and nick-nacks that Santa brought for Rosie, she is into “Polly Pocket” at the moment – and they are TINY!  LOL… I’m just laughing at my irony, typing the word “tiny” in Capital letters!  (I really should get out more, shouldn’t I?!!)

Seeing in the New Year was quite exhilarating last night!  We visited friends for a BBQ in a beautiful hillside location, but as we were all so tired and the young kids were getting irritable, we headed home about 9.00pm.  However - the drive home was spectacular!  We’d had 38c heat yesterday and then a storm pursued, and the lightning was STUNNING!  It cracked across the sky and illuminated everything in a beautiful blue glow.  Steam raised from the dark road surface as the rain met the hot tarmac, and it was atmospheric beyond words!  Driving along dark and windy country roads with hills on either side of us and the wonders of nature creating pictures of amazement in the sky… just perfect! :-)

   (photo courtesy of www.sxu.hu)

In the forefront of my mind this year is a very special event!  I have my wedding day planned for early March and am currently thinking-up designs for the invites… I’ve given myself two weeks to get them done, dusted and posted! 

This isn’t my planned bouquet… but it gives you an indication on the colour palette I have decided upon!   Do you like it?

Talking of bouquets… have you seen Jenny’s latest quilt design?  It is called Bouquet and it is drop-dead-gorgeous!  You can go see it here!

I’m not sure how much sewing I will get done in the next few weeks, but I was a very busy girl before Christmas and made a special “brew” for each of my friends from Among the Gum Trees…

And I got to grips with a few zippers, too!  Tricky little blighters! LOL…

The pattern is by Laurraine Yuyama of Patchwork Pottery, isn’t it just the cutest design?  The pattern can be found in a book called Pretty Little Purses & Pouches, published by Lark Books.  I bought mine from here.

I used Beatrix Potter fabrics as my gumnut sisters (The Gum Tree Designers) are all big fans!  Have you seen the ‘Miss Potter’ movie?  It is about the life of author, Beatrix Potter, and stars Rene Zelweger and Ewan McGregor.  It’s a lovely film, but you might need a box of tissues because if you’re anything like me, you’ll get weepy!  I really want to go and see the new Avatar movie too… maybe if I’m a good girl and get all my wedding invites organised I can give myself a night off?!

Gosh, I can’t stop chatting tonight!  Well, I shall zip-up my mouth and leave you with my final message:

May your year ahead be filled with love, laughter and dreams-come-true!  Wishing you good health, prosperity and lots of inspiration in 2010 and always!

Until next time – Hugs! Vikki x

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