I really am still here...

Truly, I have not disappeared off the face of the earth ... a lot of things have been happening in the background.

I have people to thank for gifts (thank you Selina), I will post photos of your generosity soon.
I have finished all the pink ribbon table decorations for our local Breast Cancer fundraising dinner which will be held next weekend (29th & 30th October) I will take photos at the event.

I had a trade table at a Cultural Festival last weekend, and have another one next weekend which is over two days.  Anyone that goes to markets, exhibitions etc know the amount of preparation work that is required.  One of my major problems is that because I sell mainly online, products do not need to be individually priced, as the prices are on the web, however when selling face-to-face my customers need to know the cost of each item when they look at them.  So .... I need to know what products I will take to each exhibition and ensure they are all priced ... yes that is what I am going to be doing this weekend!

I have been promising a pattern for the Snowman Flakes since August (it is coming Stella).  I have set myself a target to have this completed in the next two weeks.

I received a "Gear 2 Go" eBook Reader for my birthday, and after using it for a couple of weeks I am very happy with it.  It does not come with any "bells and whistles" just your basic reading function, which is all I wanted. Most of my books are either in pdf or epub format, and this device has not had any problems with opening or displaying them, however if you read some online forums, other customers are encountering problems with DRM supported files.  For a entry level eBook Reader it is a joy to have, very portable and easy to use.

Photo from Big W website

A Christmas market that I was going to attend next month, with a friend, has been cancelled.  Is this a sign of the times?  People are too busy or not interested?   I think in this case, it was about a change of committee for the group that was organising the event.  They were not willing to take on this event, this year...  oh well...

Until next time, from your "non crafting" blogging friend
Judy

Busy, Busy, Busy

It is a crazy time of year for me.  I have a trade table at numerous quilt exhibitions this month.  This Sunday I will be at the Mary Gilmore Cultural Festival, Ariah Park NSW in the Main Hall.  I will be taking buttons, patterns and sewing notions for sale, so if you are in the area, please drop in and say hi.

Lots of new products are arriving for the online store, as well as restocking Christmas supplies. 
I have added Plaid Mod Podge to my range of products, and you should check out this site (Mod Podge Rocks) to see the amazing things you can achieve with Mod Podge.

Also arriving this week, is a special buy of wooden birdhouses, these will be limited stock and once they are sold, there will be no more. 

New Theodora Cleave buttons are also in transit, so keep an eye out for them in store as well as old favourites being restocked.  Barb Smith is amazing with her hand painted wooden buttons, and I am having a hard time trying to keep up with the orders.  If your favourite button is "out of stock"  check the shipping time information to see if it has been ordered.

As you can imagine, due to these commitments I have not been spending much time in the craft studio, but I hope to get something made to show you soon

Hope you are making better progress on your Christmas sewing than I am?

Judy

Blogger Dilemna

I have a question, should you show your craft on your blog if it is not really "up to standard".  Who is the judge, your readers, or yourself.

I have been wanting to make a mug mat for a little while now, just to see what they are like, and if I would like to make some as gifts.  So today, I just grabbed some scrap fabric, loosely followed a tutorial from another blog  (not sure if I should mention the blog, as I muddled my way through it, using materials I had on hand, not what was recommended) and the results show that I did not plan, prepare, follow instructions, or take care ...

The front.. not straight, feature square not centred, binding not even  (not sure I would do it this way again)

The back - this is OK, what could go wrong with just a piece of fabric?

Maybe I can give it to my 5 year old niece for her tea party, I am sure she will not notice the faults (fingers crossed).

I promise I will have another go, and this time, do it properly.  Do you like seeing other peoples mistakes?  Not sure I like admitting to them.

Take care and enjoy your craft

Judy

Fabric Envelope - Revisited

I was speaking to my elder sister this morning, and she asked me about the "new" fabric envelopes I have been making?  She reminded me of a Christmas gift she had given me quite a few years ago, packaged in a fabric envelope... as soon as she mentioned it I remembered it.  So into my Christmas box, I went to check it out ...

A lovely hand made quilt still in its fabric envelope with my name embroidered on the front.

Inside, the gorgeous quilt, how could I forget this?  So much detail, so much hand work.

She even co-ordinated the inside of the envelope to go with the quilt

What can I say, the memory is fading... but it will be left out now, so that I can get a early start on my Christmas decorating with this being the first one on display.

I suppose I could use the excuse, that I had not actually made one ??? Does that count ??

Judy

Happy Birthday Mum

Today we will be helping to celebrate my Mum's 85th birthday.  Lots of cooking to be done before the family get together this evening.

As I was putting together her gift parcel last night (late), I thought I would put her "lucky" scratchies in  a fabric envelope instead of just popping them in with the rest of the presents.  Looks so much better, and so quick and easy.

A matching tissue cover . This is another cute way to present presents, the envelope can be adjusted to fit any size gift.  I cut this one 8" x 14" and it was just the right size.

Tomorrow is kids crafts day ... fun times ahead

Until then

Judy

Fabric Envelopes

Selina Quilts is one of the many blogs I follow and she posted recently about some fabric envelopes.  Lucky for me she included the link to the tutorial she followed, so I could get the instructions.

The envelope is a great size, it will hold a fabric covered journal (still to be made), a DVD and I also think you could use it as a holder for many things.

The first one I made - I used Velcro for a closure.

Then I played with some patterned jelly bean vinyl - and used a button and elastic for the closure.
Love how this turned out

Finally a custom one for my nephew for his birthday, which is in 12 days time.  I still need to make a journal to put inside this one.  I liked the idea of printing his name on fabric for the inside of the envelope and I think I will keep this theme for the inside of his journal.  Again I used vinyl on the outside.  It may protect it a little bit from the "rough and tumble" treatment.

Now I need to get the journal made to complete the gift, however I will not be able to start on it for a few days.

It is school holidays in NSW, and my brother and his family are visiting, so that means a "craft day" with my nieces and nephews.  Lucky I cleaned up my craft studio, so there will be room to play.

I will post photos of their creations...

Judy

Jelly Roll Race - results

Well the challenge was on; my sister Sue, friend Sonia and myself settled in yesterday afternoon to participate in a Jelly Roll race.

Sewing machines at the ready, we unwrapped our jelly rolls, shuffled them to mix up the colours and then started on our warm up lap ... sewing the entire 40 x 2 1/2" strips into one long strip.

After finishing that, and having a pit stop, it was time for the actual race to begin.  The green flag was dropped and we started sewing, oh no, one contestant was a "no starter"  the bobbin change wrecked the tension ... machine not sewing, call in the pit crew.  Yellow flag out, slow down ...

After roadside assistance, we were back on the road again, and in under 2 hours we had all completed our quilt tops ...great fun, there were groans when fabric colours seemed to be repeating, however in the end it did not matter at all - they all looked fantastic

Sue - Moda Ready Steady Snow

Sonia - Moda

Mine - Moda Reindeer Games (not my toes)

All three - approx 48" x 64"

The winner of the race was unimportant as it was very close between the entire three of us .. this would be a fabulous challenge to have with your quilt group, lots of fun and laughter (and groans)

Check here for the entire instructions, and to view the video by the wonderful ladies who created this concept. How the fastest lady finished in 35 minutes is beyond me ...

A couple of hints,

• have two bobbins filled before starting,
• a jelly rolls with lots of colours would result in fewer colour repeats.  (Both Sue and I had Christmas prints, therefore our colour palette was limited). 
• ensure your fabric is not twisted between each row.

We all agreed that we would love to make another one, so that is a good recommendation.  You could also use the same technique with any 40 x 2 1/2" strips - good way to use up your fabric stash and achieve a quilt top in a very short time.

This week, I hope to start working on some birthday gifts.

Until then
Judy

Aussie Stickers

When sourcing new products for my online store, sometimes I just "hit the mark".  I have been venturing into the paper craft products, thanks to my sisters request, and I came across these very cute Aussie stickers.  Fun to use with your children or to make cards and send overseas.

Down Under - all the states, plus Aussie icons, like the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Ayers Rock, Australian flag.

Aussie Slang - I use most of these expressions.  How original are they?

Veggin Out - our favourite pastimes, in pictorial format.

These are all ideal for scrap booking and card making.

Tomorrow is Jelly Roll race day ... I will post photos on Sunday.

Enjoy the weekend, I hope the sun is shining wherever you are

Judy

All Quiet Here

All has been quiet on the craft scene at my home.  The weather was too nice to be inside, so I have been catching up on the gardening chores.

I did manage to make a few flowers for my friends hat, although I am not entirely pleased with the results.  I am delivering them today, so will see how they go.

If they are not suitable to go on the hat, they could be used on a jacket or bag.  Just a simple brooch pin was added to the back, so that it was interchangeable.

Did you get any craft projects finished over the weekend?

Judy

New Fabric and a Helpful Blog Link

I received the Moda Jelly Rolls in the mail yesterday for our Jelly Roll race.  I will keep you posted on this race when we have scheduled a date (are you intrigued?)

And  if you are shopping for jelly rolls you must purchase some charm packs to go with them.

Blog Link

I follow and read a number of blogs and they help enormously when you are writing blog posts or are having problems with your blog.  Not to mention the inspiration that you get from seeing the fantastic creative projects that they are making.

Funky Junk Interiors had a post on How to Make Your Blog Comment Friendly which was very informative, but also it explained one of the problems we bloggers have when someone makes a comment and we want to reply.  Quite often your email address is not available (you may not want it to be??) but when we  try and reply the email address shows up as NOREPLY. If you only read one section of this link/post, scroll down to the section titled Activate Your Profile / Email - which explains the process fully.

I read all comments, and sometimes a reply is necessary, however if I do not have your email address it makes it very hard to track you down.

A lovely sunny weekend is forecast for the Riverina area, so maybe the garden will gets some attention, rather than the craft studio ... I will keep you informed on which one wins!

Judy

Pattern for Top Opening Tissue cover

As a request from one of my readers, I have put together a quick little pattern and instructions for the top opening tissue cover.

This is the first time I have tried this method of sharing a pattern, so please let me know if you encounter any problems.
Download the pattern by clicking on either link:

Scribd
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/65006199?access_key=key-1y8rq61vppmyzg1jcawo

4Shared
http://www.4shared.com/document/fABwtMwz/65006199-Top-Opening-Tissue-Co.html


I would love to feature your completed tissue covers, so if you make any and wish to share, please email me your photos.

 

Judy

Finished Guessing?

Well it took me over three hours to get this Christmas ornament finished. 



Front view




Back view

 It was very time consuming, but the end result was worth it.  I think if I am going to make more of these, I will get all the components ready before hand.  Cut out all the 2" squares in one session, fold and glue them in another session, then glue to CD in the last session.  I cut, folded and glued as I went along for this one.  I also found the Premium Bond glue better than the Tacky glue.

This is not an original idea, or even my idea, I have seen it before, but not sure if it has been tried on a old CD before.   I have used fabric for this sample, but I imagine it would work just as well with paper.  Imagine it with glossy magazine pages, newspaper or the beautiful scrapbook papers that are available now.  I think I will give it a go, it may give quicker results and you can fold the paper while watching TV in the evening.

Till next time,
Judy

Any ideas?

This is what is on my desk - in the planning stage

and these

Any ideas?  Hopefully I will have something to show you in the next day or two!

Also planned:
1.  Pattern and instructions for the top opening tissue cover
2.  Detachable flowers for a hat (dear friend is undergoing chemo and wants to brighten up her hats).  Will gladly take any advice and or patterns and tutorials to help me with this one
3.  Extra Christmas covered notebooks - the two I showed you in the last post have already been taken
4.  Jelly roll quilt race with my sister and friend (more on that later)

Do you have a list of your projects?  Better yet, do you keep to your list?  I don't.  I am always starting something new ...

Judy

Covered Notebooks

I finished covering two cheap spiral notebooks.   The Santa photos were printed onto calico, and then used as the focal point on the front.

The first one, as usual, needed a little "twigging" to get the measurements right.

The second one, came together very quickly, and fit the notebook much better.

These do not look too bad for $2.00 notebooks.  I am going to use one for my Christmas Gift ideas. 

I belong to a large family, and thankfully we still purchase for everyone (I love it).  There have been murmurs of starting the "Kris Kringle" theme, and just buying for one other, but luckily this has not yet eventuated.  I believe that it is not the money spent on presents, but about the thought behind the gift.

One thing I do know, is that I had better start to get organised, as the days/months are flying by.

Do you have a special book for your Christmas planning?

Judy

Update on Tissue Covers

Are you sick of seeing my tissue covers yet?  It seems to be all I am making at the moment!
Yesterday I played around with making a cover that would allow you to use travel sized tissue packs that open at the top.

The first one ... finished with a lovely cute felt button and Velcro fastener

This worked out OK, however the tissue pack had to be pulled up to allow you to get a tissue

So, back to the drawing board.  I took a scallop shape out of the top, to allow ease of access to the tissues

If anyone would like the pattern or tutorial for these covers, just leave me a comment.

I think I still like the original tissue covers best, but it is always good to have an alternative

Judy

The Kindness of Friends

One of my friends arrived yesterday with a bag full of tissue packs.  She knew that I was sewing for the Breast Cancer Bags and the Pink Ribbon dinner, so she thought this would help out in a little way.

It sure does, however the tissue packs she purchased were a different size from the ones I had been using.
They were narrower and thicker.  The pink pack is what I have been using and the green pack is the new size.

The sizes and instructions that I had posted here for the tissue covers would not work.  So last night I made a new one.  The basic instructions are the same, although the fabric sizes are a little different.

You will need to cut your outer fabric 5 1/2" x 6" and your lining fabric 5 1/2" x 7".   Before you turn right side out, box your corners.  Just a small amount, I used the width of my machine foot for judgement.

Notice how they look the same from the top

However, from the side and end you can see the boxed corners, which allows the tissue pack to fit in nicely.

The new tissue packs do not have a slit in the middle, they are top opening, so you can use your scissors to make a slit down the centre, very easy, or you can remove the tissues from the plastic covering and pop them straight into the new cover.

Just a couple more, for practise.

As the Spring weather has deserted us this weekend, and it is back to cold wintery weather, I may use this as an excuse to try and make a tissue cover that opens from the top this afternoon.

I will let you know if I succeed.

Have fun

Judy