wrap dress giveaway

If youd like to win one of my wrap dresses simply leave me a comment after this post.  For those of you who have already come by, you will be automatically added to the draw so dont worry about re-entering. Giveaway closes friday the 23rd midnight AEST. Winner will be announced saturday morning of the 24th.

p.s. I realise its a bit of an odd thing to ask, but please dont become a 'follower' just for the giveaway. Im a bit of a purist and would like to know that peeps are here for lots of different reasons, like my intensely dry humour, or to look at photos of my unfolded washing pile posted at random when im too busy sewing to make myself feel more normal, or to stare at my grandbabies, even my own progeny (three strapping sons who also have the same sense of humour: post coming soon on the subject), my ever present sewing endeavours and sometimes my very neglected, patient, always-cooking-something, hopelessly romantic husband.

first bunting arrival

This is simply lovely, Jill.

Now, I used to think there was nothing better than receiving a parcel in the mail from someone you know

that you werent expecting.

Or even if you were expecting it. Anyway, that moment when you open it up to see whats inside is pretty special.

But ive changed my mind, as these days there is nothing to top the feeling of having something handmade arrive just. for. me.

Apart from how youve used a favourite shade of french blue, the teeny tiny hand stitches you performed made my heart warm. Perfectly perfect 

for what I have in mind to use my buntings for.

Thank you, I adore it!

I am loving being part of Rachel's Bunting Swap and have been dreaming/thinking up all sorts of types but am yet to settle on one that hits me in the eye sockets. I think im nearly there.

Ill be back in later today with a proper wrap dress Giveaway post!

Sorry for being a bit slow in getting it up for you all. For those who have already commented,

 thank you and dont worry I will add you to the list. 

the winner!

Jo! Its you!

The winner of the Juniper Boots Giveaway is Jo from Frankie and Ray.

Congratulations Jo.

Ill need a sizing of your foot sometime soon via email.

The choices above are what we'll start with and let me know if none of the above is to your liking as I have a few more up my sleeves.

Cheers to everyone for joining in and ill be having another one soon. After all, theres always something to celebrate isnt there?

400 post giveaway!

Thanks to you guys ive hit 400 posts!

Woo Hoo!

 Who would have thought that little old me could have so much to say? Hah.

To celebrate with you all im giving away a pair of Juniper boots. As per usual around these parts I havent made them yet and need your special input. Im trying like crazy to get these off the ground, well not really, in all honesty ive been busy sewing for the market in my spare time. But these little boots are in my love basket, meaning I love making them. I love using up my eskimo scraps in this way.

Okay, so ive only done two pairs up til now, but it was pure fun.

The winner gets to choose their own size and colour and yes I want to extend and do ladies sizes also.

 Just leave me a comment after this post to be in it.

Ill announce the winner when I get round to it. Jokes*

Ill announce the winner at the end of next week. 

winners

I had help with the draw tonight.

 Bella had placed her name into the jug while I wasnt looking.

It seems she wanted to win too!

 I hope you can read my writing. She said she couldnt.

Shes still laughing about how sneaky she was.

So it seems

Andrea

Mandy

Christy

Kirsty

Angelina

Cherrie

and of course Bella

have won themselves a pin cushion extravaganza from Textured Leaf Central.

My advice?

Make room on those shelves.

p.s.  I just love looking at all the different faces she pulled. Shes such a natural beauty dont you think? Juuuust back in the door from school camp and unaffectedly ready for anything, like being photographed for my blog. (the other girls took hair straighteners and makeup)  I can see my sons attraction...

friday makings

 This is for Kate.

There are some loosely based piles of things ive been saving for these knits.  I had to do a quick trip to the op-shop to find some more laces as I ran out just as I got started and I thought I had a decent supply??

Its going to get chaotic in here with making over the weekend as my daughter and hubby are coming down.

Zjah said shes been doing cardigans too so well be able to compare notes and swap ideas.

Shes a fan of the frill where-as im a fan of the velvet.

And of course ill have a little person to entertain if I can prise her away from her Poppa.

Perhaps while hes cooking?

Im still sick (a cough that goes all day and all night, ive been sleeping on the couch) so wont begin the patterns for the Lumberjackets today like I wanted to. On the upside, my stomach muscles are getting a workout. Should have a six pack by monday.

I really wanted to ride the wave after all your great feedback yesterday. Its not meant to be. I got halfway through the first pattern and my supply of brown paper decided to run out after much posting at the beginning of the week.  

I had to clean out the freezer this morning and thought id do the fridge too while I was at it. I try to do this at the beginning of each month anyway but this time

there was an exploded beer bottle. Me.

To me its an odd thing to agonise about having to do a certain dreaded job housewise, then when you actually set about doing it, it takes hardly anytime at all. The more often I do a job,

like the fridge or pantry, the quicker that job takes.

I often have what I call a 'NIKE' friday. Just do it! So, ladies, heres to getting all those

 5 minute jobs done today!

In and around the 'making' of course.

Ill be drawing the winners for the giveaway today at around 5 oclock.

For anyone who hasnt yet seen it, theres still time.

i think you all deserve a giveaway

variations in size

I want to do a really decent giveaway this time. A really, really decent giveaway.

So I was thinking id tally the comments, so that everyone will have a one in three chance of winning.

Its going to be pin-cushions this time cos I havent made them in a while and I feel like stuffing things, so I hope thats okay.

Just how I feel at this moment. Nothing too hard for my brain but still worth the effort.

To enter leave me a comment. Anything will do...



the winner!

And the winner is.....

MONETPAISLEY!

Yesirree Honey! Thats your name right there Elisha!

Congratulations!

tree cover giveaway

I can finally give my giveaway a name!

A Tree Cover Giveaway.

Because at last, after much dilly dallying, ive made a cushion cover!

Its been running for quite some time already and youve all been wonderful and patient through the holiday season for me to come up with something worthy.

Thanks to all who have inspired me with their confidence but a special thanks must go to Abbe from Copper Patch who insisted (nicely) that I make something with a tree on it. Thanks Abs! Without your great suggestion I would never have honed in on that awesome japanese tree quilt and thought to sew this. The inspiration came from the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival set on Flickr.

Ive used a blanket for texture and then different vintage and craft prints for the mix. The back is a soft cotton velveteen with an envelope opening. Ive managed a bit of a photography for a tutorial, while putting it together, if anyone is interested?

During this time ive crossed the threshold of a hundred followers too! Thanks for the boost!

The post for the giveaway is here if you want to be in the running, ending the last day of January,

monday the 31st. Ill announce the winner on tuesday morning.

250th blog post giveaway: maybe I need to give more details?

The other day when I posted about my giveaway I wanted to capture the moment, before I got sidetracked and forgot, but I wasnt feeling wordsy at all and couldnt seem to find the right way to say

that my 250th post snuck up on me. So...

1. I havent had time to work out what it will be yet, (pin-cushion, cushion cover, something ive forgotten that ive made ages ago that you remember you liked?)

 2. I need a bit of help from you all because I cant decide (after all who better to tell me what they love about what I make than you people out there)

and 3. I need to be inspired because there is only so much room in my head at the moment.

There, ive said it. The lovely Abbe of Copperpatch suggested something with a tree on it.

The mind boggles but thanks Abs.

Things that are in my head right now are....

that my daughter is sick with the flu and I have to rush off to the country today to look after baby. Shes throwing up with the pregnancy too, the poor thing. ( I was supposed to leave yesterday but its taken me a whole day to pack the car and get organised) There was some furniture to be loaded into the van too, in my defence.

Then theres the market on this sunday, that ive been so looking forward to. It has come around more quickly that I wanted and I havent really done anything new apart from some dresses.

Ill be taking these combinations in the photos of woolen blankets and embroideries with me to Zjah's for some eskimo jackets, and yes, it took me all day yesterday to decide on the combinations and im still not 100% happy!

So if youd like to enter the giveaway please leave me a comment either here

or follow the link in the side bar. And a little bit of inspiration would be much appreciated.

And before you all try to remind me that its the middle of summer, so why am I making my eskimo jackets? Your guess is as good as mine. I have been taking my girls spring jacket to the markets with me and everyone heads straight for it and enquires about them.

So ive decided to make some. Anything to distract me from the nappy bag unpicking is good!

This one is for an order through etsy from a lovely customer named Molly.

P.S. regarding the giveaway, I dont require you to 'follow me' to be in.

I prefer to find that the nice people in my sidebar are there of their own choosing.

Thanks for joining in and good luck ladies!

shop find: pollon

There I was strolling down Flinders Lane today on my way to Tessuti with a friend when I stopped in my tracks to admire the window display of Pollon. It.  is.  absolutely.  stunning.

 These ladies know what theyre doing.

Before I knew what I was doing I had entered and become mesmerised by the abundance of

foliage surrounding me. I mean this in the very essence of 'mesmerised'. I think I had my mouth open!

It was such an enchanting space with its greenery reaching almost to the vaulted ceiling.

I asked (while already reaching deep into my bag) if it was okay to take some shots, said I had a blog, you know, the usual stuff. The lovely lady was so obliging and said she'd even check me/it out.

I wish id thought to ask her name.

I could not take it all in in one visit. Even the lighting inspired me to try something like this around home although I have no idea how they did it.

Im a real fan of glass in case you havent seen my latest instalment on the mantlepiece.

 Yep, im in the reflection doing an amateur job of capturing the display.

Hydrangeas are my all time favourite flower.

These greeted me as I entered at the perfect height. So captivating. I think these are peonies?

I know im gushing like a child over this shop but its pretty unforgettable,

  im sure ill be dreaming of this.

I know I need to get out more but hey, ive been busy completing etsy orders and trying to come up with some new designs for the sunday market.

I forgot to take shots of the finished pants in my hurry to the post office. They were really nice too.

I did varying shades of blues on the pockets as the customer wanted them plain, not printed, to go with some existing shirts.

Make sure you enter my 250th post giveaway even though no-one, including me, knows what it will be yet.

Something to do with trees, apparently.

250 blog post giveaway

(This post has a giveaway at the end. Scroll down and leave me a comment to enter the draw.)

At a party the other night this was the gift my friend Berlinda gave me. Images of my kids she had taken years ago. We hadnt seen each other for 7 years as she has been living in Amsterdam.

She is quite a talented photographer and I cant seem to stop staring at these raw images of my children.

She has captured them in a way I have never been able to.

If I got the camera out they would always play up and fight for attention.

If you have a friend who takes loads of photos they may have images

you have never seen hidden away too.

Thanks Berlinda for this gift, x

Yep, its giveaway time.

I dont know what it will be yet. Any ideas of what you ladies might long for?

Hit me!

Edited * this will now be drawn at the end of january and it may just be a cushion cover with something to do with trees on it!

more behind the scenes

An image from a childrens book I have in my studio. I find its inspiring me to stay in the right feel and era of my clothes, so I dont find myself straying towards the modern.

Surrounding myself with images helps immensely.

Sneak peek at the pin-cushions for my giveaway which started coming together last night.

Some little harem pants for boys. These have a little tree embroidery on them.

Perfect for Little Tree Kids.

These are boys too, with chicken scratch (thanks to WillyWagtail for telling me what its called)embroidered pockets

and leaf print binding im loving for spring/summer.

Im planning to have sizes from 1 to 10 in both boys and girls. Whatever I dont have completed on the day is in production and is soon to be in the shop.

Giveaway here.

an announcement

Id like to announce the small beginnings of my fresh new label Little Tree Kids. Ive finally made a decision to do this kids clothes making for real. Not just as a side line to my life, but, now that I have a wonderful studio space to work in, I feel like ive found my feet. But if you peeked in the window of an evening youd still find me cutting out at the kitchen table.
So... im taking a big deep breath and jumping in. My first market will be this weekend at The Mulgrave Makers Market. (See sidebar for details) Look for me next door to the retro inspired offerings of Eleesa from DorothyBills. Are you allowed to drink champagne at markets? You may see us celebrating getting there! Be sure to say hi, after all thats what markets are all about really, arent they?

Please note;  living with an artist for a husband does not always ensure he will complete artworked banners for you with a deadline/ultimatum given. Ahem, I kind of had to do this for myself after he had done a rough sketch of a tree not meant to serve as the finished work. It set me back a few weeks waiting.

In other news, my shop The Textured Leaf on Etsy will simply house some homewares. Updated with the seasons, as if you didnt guess. If this doesnt motivate me to finish off my quilts more regularly then I dont know what will. I have been hurriedly trying to empty one shop while stocking the other ( I need to figure out how to work Microsoft Office pronto)! Do not try this in the same week of an upcoming market. Enough said.

Perhaps this now explains my recent energy being channeled into trying to finish off my huge list of things around the house? Does anyone want to see the actual list? It gets added to each week of course. Lets call it the domino effect list.

To visit my new kids clothes shop click here, while the old one is still here waiting to be restocked with some homewares in the follow up weeks after the market this weekend.
Stay tuned for what ill be working on this week. Im going into the studio and closing the door as soon as ive given the youngest son his way-too-overdue haircut. I wonder if he'll cook me dinner tonight as payment?

In the meantime why dont you check out these gorgeous pencil wraps Eleesa has been working on. Shes offering one in a giveaway and theres still time to enter.

Hope youve had a nice weekend!

giveaway: pin cushion

pin cushion candidates

Im having another giveaway!

Okay. The secret idea that I told myself was that every time I reached another ten followers id have a giveaway.
Well, it has taken alot quicker than I thought to reach another ten. I hesitated telling you guys about my secret plan and I didnt want to invite people to follow me unless it was their idea, that you had seen something here you were drawn to and wanted to follow along without being prompted by my words or enticed by a giveaway. Well, I suppose ive given the game away now, havent I? Im not promising every time, now, just to keep you in expectation. It took me so long to reach fifty from forty that I thought my next giveaway would be in a few months down the track. But having made up my mind, I am going to do one!

I havent even sent off the cushion covers from the last giveaway as you ladies who won pretty much told me to take my time with all of my visitors arriving and so on. Theyll be on their way soon. I find it so difficult to get my act together to get to the post office on time. Im always getting there at 4:55pm. Always. Then theres been my first market to arrange as well. Im on it though.

This time it will be another pin cushion from my stash of embroideries. For those of you who dont know the drill I prefer the large type of pin cushions. They have been claimed to command a place on shelves. They dont fade into the background or get lost under piles of fabric. No. They are pin cushions of the upscaled kind. If you dont have the room and suffer from storage issues then these pin cushions are not for you.
If, however, you are sick of searching needlessly while sewing up a frenzy,  for your teeny weeny little, too small to hold all the pins your heart desires pin cushion, then youve come to the right giveaway.

Leave me a comment and ill put you in the draw. I would love you to spread the word too.
That would be perfectly fine.

norwegian style

Ive seen this today over at Siena's Stitching blog.

 I found this at the local op-shop a couple of weeks ago but its too thick to wear as a scarf as its double knitted so im going to make it into something more wearable, something that I dont have already. No, not the knitted hotpants! stay tuned.....

P.S     If you havent you seen my quilt tutorial yet the second instalment is happening later today. Stay tuned for that too.

It was really nice to meet a few special ladies at The Finders Keepers Market yesterday. I saw Jo from Frankie and Ray fame, (we were actually friends already), and Nic from Yardage design. I have one of her standout-from-the-crowd teatowels, bought for MrTL, as hes a foodie if you didnt know already.

a winner!

The winner of my cushion cover Giveaway is Julie from Narioka!

And she has asked for something pink, so pink it will be.....

here's a little preview for you, Julie.

congratulations!

You know what? If im going to make one I may as well do three.
Willy Wagtail and Copperpatch... youre it!

I may even just celebrate Mr TL mowing the lawns tomorrow with another giveaway.
Who knows how long my good mood will last?

Heres hoping for a sunny weekend......
I want to be in my garden

giveaway

Mantle piece for Spring

Okay, so im pretty chuffed to find that ive reached fifty followers but im also just simply celebrating life and spring and my kids and being a grandparent and other happy moments I have lived lately.
Time to share some goodness with a giveaway!

I dont have a photo of what im giving away because id like a bit of input to make it more personal for you ladies. Would you like to leave me your favourite colour when you comment and ill be whipping you up one of these cushion covers to suit your decor. I even dont mind if you have a different size and shape in mind. I like the slightly smaller elongated pillow style, but you may prefer to have one to fit an existing cushion so you dont need to make a cushion to fit.

Ill announce the winner friday

Happy Spring



winner announced and a thankyou

After much deliberating on my part and waiting for Jane to somehow realise she was the first winner, I have picked another from the ladies that commented on my Pin-Cushion Giveaway. But first I want to say 'Jane', if you find this in the future please dont hesitate to let me know youve seen it finally. Ill make you one as well and pop it in the post on its way to you.
Again, thanks to everyone who let me know how much they loved my creation. It was a huge creative injection for me to see all the lovely comments!

So.... the winner is Gail @ Glady and Flo!!!!!!
Congratulations!
Ill be sending you messages wherever I can find contact details for you just in case you dont see this, either.

The next thing I really want to say is a huge Thank You to Elsie Marley for hosting Kids Clothes Week.
It really got my sewjo (sewing mojo) back from wherever it went and heres how my rack looks now!

And this doesnt even show the many pairs of pants because im being fussy how I want to hang them and have yet to glue some wooden pegs to hangers. I think I have 11 pairs made so far.

Here are the diverse trimmings that I put on the girls tunics.

I like the new additions with the older things and now im closer to having a more complete and well-rounded look for my shop offerings. Ive been busy shortening and stamping some coathangers for use at the markets. (Did I mention that I used to buy coathangers like they were going out of fashion almost everyweek during grocery shops because the downfall of being able to sew is that all your kids know you can whip them up clothes to their hearts content plus they inherit your love of fabrics?) 

So, I have a lot of the plain wooden ones. Well, a while ago I ordered a free stamp through Vistaprint (you look for the specials and sometimes only need to pay for postage).

I didnt end up liking this stamp for paper goods as they only had a limited choice of fonts for free and it was my first purchase from them. But on the wood of the coathangers it was perfect.

Im off to catch up on some housework so that I can perhaps enjoy a full day of sewing tomorrow.

Heres hoping!