brown paper packages

I cant wrap presents! I always end up wrecking the paper and having to iron it. I love to give things to people though and having my Etsy shop now is challenging me to wrap things perfectly and quickly too. I really hope to have my own signature style that I can perform over and over again. I came up with this what I hope to be fool-proof approach. I folded the item as small as possible and placed it on a diagonal to the paper, yes its one of my etsy dresses....

I just kept folding and made sure there was enough overlap but wasnt quite sure if it was going to work out nicely or look professional at all. Secretly I was aiming for an old-fashioned, simple Japanesie-esque style without the hassle. One more fold and I placed some string around it and used my Vistaprint stamp for a professional finish. The tree print is a woodcut from my husbands studio and I managed to smudge it terribly

Here is the result which I think looks, dare I say, ever so slightly origami-ish ( better than if I tried too hard and creased the paper in the process)

bias binding

This is my sewing pile for tomorrow. Some dresses for my etsy shop with homemade bias-binding for that real nanna feel. I highly recommend making your own as its satisfying to say the least, not to mention so much cheaper than buying it. The really funny thing is that you can slice up the most unattractive of fabrics and give them a new life as an edging.

seasonal cushions

After I had tidied my lounge today I decided that I was so sick of my cushions I felt like throwing them away immediately. I get like this at every change of season.

The cushions you see have wandered to this room from various other rooms in the house and only two of them were purposefully made for here, astonishingly enough. Needless to say, these uninvited ones were promptly thrown into the washing machine (not the bin as that would be silly), and are now on the line, and will be stored away for next winter.
I looked through my pile of covers and found one leafy one that would be nice and fresh for summer but needed a couple more in the blueish colour range to match and tie in the black one, which I had decided to keep as it is very soft and also my husbands favourite.

Here is the result of my afternoons sewing...



I found a tablecloth with just the right amount of blue to be summery and to mix with the black and red one i was keeping.
I chose aqua because its my favourite colour for summer. I do love different versions of it throughout the house at all times of the year.

All of these fabrics were bought at different times too, even different years now that i think on it.

quilted cushion

I have had this quilt for about 15 years and the edges were getting worse and wearing out with every wash. It needed a new life so I sewed two european sized cushions from the remaining good parts of a beautiful old vintage quilt. I probably wont leave it outside for use on the hammock as it is here.

I stitched on an edging ribbon as the quilt was too thick to do a normal hem and doubled it over to encase the raw edge.

I have my nannas trusty old Singer and it sews through everything.

a dress for etsy

My etsy shop is revving up and I have been doing a few custom orders. This is a size 3 dress I really enjoyed making this week. It proved challenging as the embroidery was too wide at the shoulders so I decided to pin-tuck the centre back.

charmed, Im sure

This is a friends home in Ireland. She hasnt touched it for more than 20 years as its location is remote. Most things in Ireland seemed remote, actually. We stayed here overnight recently and I couldnt resist snapping happily away at what I consider to be some of the most amazing decor Ive seen first hand. It was a good lesson for me to perhaps leave certain rooms untouched in my next renovation and enjoy them in all their glory.

twilight market

I made some vintage envelopes for a twilight market happening nearby. Its best not to overthink these things or I talk myself out of them. My lovely neighbour (pictured in the long mushroom skirt) across the road urged me to add to her stall. "Just anything will do", she said, so I tried not to worry too much and had fun. I was nearly ready to leave and discovered that I would need some bags for purchases. I ran up some paper bags on my trusty old machine . These proved just as popular as my stationery and were a good form of advertising. I sold a few sets of stationery and was able to meet people who gave positive feedback about my things on offer. The potter you see was a really nice man and such a good advertisement for the local arts group where the market was being held. Ummmm, I think i might take up pottery....

trimmings

I found this fantastic metal rack at the op shop the other day for only $5 and immediately I knew I would use it for my embroidered trimmings and ribbons and bias bindings etc. I have mounted it on a wall in the studio. Whenever im sewing now, I can walk to it and hold my item close up and see immediately what will 'go' instead of having to rifle my way through boxes of tangled trims.

my iris painting

My husband began this painting of irises a few years back now. Its very unfinished in his eyes but I have always loved it as it is. In fact, every time he tries to finish it I make him promise not to lose the painterly effect of it, because I have become so used to seeing it this way. Silly me cos I would still love him to finish it.

spice jars

Ive had my spices in old glass jars for a few years now but whenever someone new comes to visit me they love this idea. With a big family I have always bought my spices in bulk so the small supermarket jars dont even come into the equation for me. There were so many of these at my local thrift shops that it would have been a shame not to find a use for them. I love the colours and they are ready at hand because who would want these to hide away in the pantry.