Felt Squishies go to Market.

Hi peeps,

Eeekkk, only one week to go until my very first market.  I am nervous and excited, I have no idea what to expect.

On the day, I will have a big bowl of squishies available.  I must thank my mum who made most of these for me on her recent visit.  What are squishies?, I hear you ask.  They are hand made little felt love hearts, for your child to squeeze if they are feeling anxious or missing you.

We love squishies in our house.  They have saved the day on so many occasions when Abbey has been upset before school.  I find one in her school uniform pocket most days if she is having a challenging week.  Some weeks she won't use her squishies at all (she has two of them).

Her squishies have been through the washing machine a few times too - and survived.

We have been using these little felt squishies for years now, they really offer comfort to children.

Have a great weekend.

Cat xox

Shall I sew us a ric rac rainbow?

Hello peeps,

I am writing this from freezing cold Melbourne (Australia)  We are visiting friends and family as the girls are on Hong Kong summer school holidays.

It has been great to get some respite from the heat and humidity of Hong Kong.  I am missing home though.  We are all missing the Shropshire boy/daddy.  We will be home next week, and school commences again for Abbey in the middle of August.

I have to share some photos of a recent creation.  I joined the lovely Cam from CurlyPops to make a hot water bottle cover for the 2013 Hottie Challenge.  There was a recent exhibition of all the amazing hotties (see lots of photos here on Cam's blog)

The finished hotties are donated to the Margaret Pratt Foundation, so that they may be sold to raise funds.  The aim of the Foundation, as stated on their website is:

The Margaret Pratt Foundation Heart Lung Transplant Trust is a registered charity whose aim is to encourage, develop and maintain Australia's world class expertise in the field of organ transplantation by supporting research that addresses the problems faced by children and adults after heart and lung transplant. 

If you know Cam or follow her CurlyPops blog, you will already know she is the recent recipient of a double lung transplant.  She has been given the gift of a new life.  The hottie challenge is important to her.

My entry to the hottie challenge was an idea I have had rattling around in my head for months: to make a rainbow out of ric rac.  I love how it turned out.  This will not be the last ric rac rainbow you will see in the land of the Raspberry Rainbow.  When I get back to Hong Kong, I have plans.

Have a great week.

Cat xox

Sewing as therapy

Hi peeps,

A few months ago, we saw our beautiful, usually happy,  then 6 year old daughter very upset.  She is a sensitive soul and can be so very, very sweet (not all the time!)  She has always made, and kept,  friends easily.

It is very difficult as a parent, to be watching as other children treat her feelings with little thought or go against their word.  They are only 6 and 7 year olds and so often completely unaware of how their words or actions can hurt another.  Our girl was hurting.  She was so upset one day, she would not get on the school bus.

I found this situation very confronting.  Part of me was angry yet part of me understands that they are only 6 and 7 year old children, emotionally very young.  Part of me is so, so sad that this happens to anyone, let alone our sweet girl.  Abbey has had very little exposure to this type of behaviour before.  We talk about feelings and behaviour with our children all the time.  I feel Abbey is a very thoughtful child.

So we are now learning how to cope with it. Learning how to make her stronger, more resilient.  This is not an easy task, for her or us.

How have I been dealing with this?  By sewing, of course.

Here are some pretty photos of some lovely flannelette fabric I have been sewing with, making newborn baby gifts.  This flannelette is the softest I have ever sewn with, it is so lush.  Not to mention, the colours make my heart swell with happiness.  I needed this happiness in my heart when it was aching for our big girl.

Have a happy day.

Cat xox

NB: this post was written many months ago.  It has been edited, almost deleted and almost published so many times.  I can report all is well in Abbey's world now. 

Lisette Passport Dress

Hi peeps,

Wow, some more sewing for me.  Yes, I finally made the Lisette Passport Dress for myself, I have had the pattern since early March.  I love this one so much more than the Lisette Continental Dress that I made last month.  To be honest, I have hardly worn my Continental Dress.

The sizing, for me, was again all over the place.  I adjusted as I went along, taking some length off the bodice and tapering the armholes, as they were gaping.  Next time, and I am sure there will be a next time, I will remove 1cm from the bodice horizontally, as the bodice is still a little too big on me.  I noted all my changes on my pattern pieces so next time it will be much quicker and easier to make.

 

I used a light weight, denim-like fabric that I found at the fabric street market in Sham Shui Po.  It is a great fabric to dress up, I knew I wanted to add a pocket and use a different fabric for the armhole.  It is nice and light, perfect for the warmer weather in Hong Kong now it is summer.  I can add a skivvy and tights and wear it in winter too.

Here's all of me, feeling like a dork posing for photos.

I'll definitely be making this dress again.  First, I have these two other patterns I want to try.  When I decide which dress I like the most, I'll be making some out of these fabrics that I love.

Happy Creative Space Day to you.  What are you making/baking/crafting today?

Cat.

* Flower brooch made by Cam from CurlyPops.
** Necklace made by Lauren Williams.

My (little heart) Creative Space

Tonight I have been stitching some little felt hearts.  I felt (haha) that we needed some home made loveliness after we had an eventful afternoon.  Abbey's dear friend from kinder fell over while running, split her head open and we saw it all happen.  There was so much blood as it was her temple and she did need a hospital visit and stitches.  Abbey was very concerned for her friend.

Abbey found it difficult to get to sleep tonight, I could tell she was anxious about her friend. She kept coming out of her room saying she had a tummy ache and asking after her friend.  When I got a text just after 9pm saying her friend was OK, stitched up and tucked up in bed, we could tell Abbey her friend was OK.  So Abbey was finally tucked up in her own bed with a heat pack on her sore tummy and a little hand made heart in one hand.  Made with love.  Some extra ones made for her friend (and her mumma)

Happy Creative Space day to you.

Cat.