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quirky quilty scarf

i was looking through some old pictures on my computer and came accross these from a tutorial i did for a website 2 autumns ago. i thought hey! thats a cool scarf! (and hey! thats a really ugly table...why didn't i paint it sooner?) i should make another one of those! maybe i will, maybe i won't...either way - here are the simple instructions should you find yourself staring at a pile of fabric scraps one day and wondering what you could do with them...

..ta da! a quirky colourful fun scarf to dangle around your neck! should you be the type with hips worthy of drawing attention to (i am not), it could be a cool belt too. or flag-type-dangly thing from a doorway. crazy quilting, i love it in any form!

needled gnome nativity

the other morning i invited some mums from kindy over to make needle felted nativities. it was such a nice time to have people in my house crafting and drinking tea! i need to do it more often ;)

i'm not a fancy needle-felter at all (one day!), but this sweet nativity is so simple to make i thought i'd share it here with you...





(keep going with the layering + needling until all the white is covered)


(for the baby jesus, i loosly wrapped some wool around my fingers to make a manger, then lightly needled the ends of the fibres together. the wee baby was made the same way as the gnomes, just much smaller and without a flat base)

with the simple cone shape, many festive figures could be made - including sweet  christmas trees (i imagine a bunch of them in different sizes and colours), and of course, old st nick himself...

christmas crafting is my favourite kind of crafting :)

back to school wardrobe for $0!

i spent all day yesterday huddled down with the girls sewing - irene passed through here with loads of rain, wind and fallen tree branches - but kindly left us with power (thinking of those who weren't so lucky...)

with school about to start i gave myself the challenge to outfit ivy for the new year with a total cost of nothing! so, i gathered up clothes she already had that were too small (i should note that the clothes she already has are either thrifted or hand-me-downs, i rarely buy anything new)...dug through a bag of size 6 clothes someone just gave me for yindi...and then took it all down into my studio to meet my many piles of thrifted tshirt scraps!

snipping and sewing and music and chatting and milos-with-whipped-cream all day...ivy has herself a very colorful and very 'ivy' new set of clothes...

pair of mama size trakkies cut down to fit, new waistband and part of an old fave too-small tshirt.
her favourite 'comfy pants' - had a hole in the knee and major highwaters. cut them at the knee and added scraps to make them longer, and a bit at the hem.
same same. size 6 - too short but still fit her tiny waist. so chopped the bottoms off and added new panels!

too short and waist too tight on these brown pups. new waistband and stripey cuffs at the bottom. and an apple. (i'm just glad she didn't request an elephant)
highwaters become shorts with ruffly edge. leaf and spiral a must in 8 y/o fashion.

boring brown pants are way more fun with orange cuffs and randomly placed flowers.
tshirt skirt to match one i made for her friend last week. big plans to rock the 2nd day of school in these twinsies.

twirly tshirt skirt made a few months ago (to match bff anna's.) she chooses all the fabrics from the piles. i love her combos.

twirly asymmetrical skirt with scrappy flower. perfect for layering.

old mumma top made into cardi with pointy fairy bits and wooden button. and a flower. always a flower.


my personal favourite! thrifted jumper/sweater from last winter, cut to make a cardi. felt balls for buttons, leaf, knitted pocket and swirly flower. it's all about the little earthy details for this child!

 

these were all really quick 'fixes' and a LOT of fun to do...i love to personalise plain/stained/thrifted stuff for my kids. easy on the budget and i get my crafting high. it's a win win for all!

now, if only a few snips and scraps would make my wardrobe (and self image) this happy!

ivy's craft week - earth warrior pouch

i like to think of my ivy as a little earth warrior - she is always out to nurture and protect the environment - afraid of no bug or creature (me? terrified!), fearless of heights she scales tall trees and leaps off rocks, she finds the beauty and magic in every little nook and cranny and always runs off the beaten track for adventure.

she's pretty much the coolest girl i've ever known :)

since getting a pocket knife for her birthday, she carries it with her everywhere, usually pinned to her pants along with a handkerchief and string (you never know when you might need them) with a big safety pin. i suggested we make a little pouch for her goodies and she came up with an immediate vision...which i helped her with...even though i kind of had my own (separate) vision for it, i am SO GLAD i just followed through with hers...because it is so very her, and so very perfect!

wanna make one? here's what we did:

*sketch and cut a little pattern from paper, deciding on the right size and shape for your warrior needs!

*cut a front and a back for the pouch. the back piece we cut an extra inch taller, so it could fold over and make a flap. a sleeve from an old brown tshirt was the perfect fabric, and nice and easy using the sleeve hem for the pouch hem! no hemmming = happy mumma.

see?

an emblem of some sort is a must for all warriors. ivy wanted and ivy leaf (of course). i hoped my wonky leaf shape would turn out ok...we made a pattern then cut from another tshirt scrap.
*emblem sewn on. check!
*now line the front and back pieces up, and sew with a close-together zig zag stitch.more tshirt scraps! lucky my we have piles of those lying around - however would we craft otherwise?!! long strips were cut...

and then braided to make two long ties.

*ziggy-zag those ties to the back of the pouch, one on each side (and sew the loose ends closed while you're at it).

*add a button closure to the flap to finish! (coconut shell button a happy find at joanns)

put on your pouch and off you go - hands free action wherever you go...with your essentials nice and close!

ivy has worn the pouch every.single.day since we made it and can i tell you how much this little earth-pixie-warrior makes me smile with her adorable style? A LOT :)

ivy's craft week - dreamcatchers

last week while banjo was napping, i indulged ivy's crafting desires on a morning basis. oh, it felt so lovely! (laying on a quilt in the backyard crafting is so much better than house cleaning) i'm sad at how busy life feels so often, and how with three little people i so rarely sit and do simple crafts like this anymore - like ivy and i used to do all the time when it was just us.

she has been wanting to make a dreamcatcher for such a long time, so after some scurrying around the yard for twigs, and a quick hunt for a video tutorial for the string tying bit, we were all ready!

supplies used:

twigs, wire, wire cutter, scissors, embroidery thread (not pictured, we originally tried with dental floss as suggested in the above video, but ivy didn't like the plastic-y look. the thread worked fine and looked much nicer!), beads and feathers.

*first step - gather and tie twigs with wire to form a 'circle' (we are not perfectionists here!). kind of like a skinny wreath. mumma may have to assist with this bit.

nice circle!

*watch the video linked above and you will go "ah ha!" like we did as we saw how to loop/tie the string to create the pretty dreamcatcher web.

*final step - adorn with beads, feathers or dried flowers. we tied and tucked them into our loops.

*help your little sister make one too, then hang in bedroom to catch all your dreams!

stay tuned all week for more of ivy's crafting adventures...

more little man cardys

i triumphantly packed away all the winter woolens a few weeks ago (i may regret this but for now, its therapeutic to have them banished), and sorted out the kids clothes. yindi has a TON of clothes (all saved from ivy and anna's heydey), ivy had a decent amount but may need a few more things, and banjo is popping out of everything! i've made a small challenge for myself to not buy any new clothing whatsoever...we have so much stuff here that surely i can turn old into new right? i've also started going to a local thrift shop on the first of the month when they bring out all the new $1 rack stuff - its all hideous clothing but i look for big pieces made of nice fabric and bring it home to re-use. i do love a good challenge!

remember banjos little man-cardy? with the woolens packed away i wanted to make him another cardigan (its easier than pulling a jumper over his massive head!) from something lighter. i got this plain blue trakky-top for 25c - so so daggy as it was, but cut down the middle and re-vamped i think it's pretty cool!

echino fabric pockets, some fancy new buttons and a hood - it was so much fun to make, i felt like i was collaging with clothes!

i made a matching pair of pants from an old tshirt...

(the boy know how to strut)

and then i had to make a twinsy one for cousin eli...

of course we waited until the last day together to get a picture of them in their matchy little man cardys...and they were grumpy and so not into it!

i've since made some girly versions for both my girls, which i need to hunt down and photograph, and several little sets are cut out and partway sewn to add to my etsy shop sometime soon.

the living room floor is literally covered in piles of old clothes and fabric scraps but i love it!

ps - i have listed some custom teeskirt slots in my etsy shop, if you would like to have one made especially for you...!

pps - you like my bigger font? i preferred the teeny one (less chance you'd notice my typos), but mother found herself squinting at the screen and i must make the old dear happy you know ;)

ppps - love you mum!!

ivy's birdy

my girl loves to handmake gifts for her friends, and last week planned out this sweet little soft birdy (inspired by a similar bird her much-adored-and-missed friend lilith made for her) for a friend's birthday.

we thought it would be fun to make a little tutorial as this makes a fun morning sewing project!

supplies needed:

template, cotton fabric for the birds, wool sweater scraps or felt for wings, needle & embroidery thread, 2 buttons, lambswool, pins, scissors.

ivy made 2 teeny baby birds to tuck into one wing (arrr! so cute!), and we cosied some hairties into the other wing before wrapping it all up ready for the birthday party.

send us a picture if you make one! ivy will be thrilled :)

circle scarves for us

looking on the bright side, this ol winter provides a gal with plenty of opportunity to accessorise at the neck - in colourful and cosy ways at that. with all the banjo chasing and bending to pick up squashed banana my silly scarves flop and fall and drive me nuts! i'd been loving the look of a circle scarf so had a go at making myself one...using some really lovely and soft bamboo/soy cotton i bought a few years ago in LA and have been hoarding ever since!

  and then...these little brown eyes looked up at me so earnestly as she asked "is that for ME?" that i had to make a mini version too. this time out of an old tshirt of mine and some yellow jersey...

its so easy - see, just a big ol loop! i cut matching lengths of fabric (i had to piece together the birdy tshirt to make a long enough strip), then sewed down the long sides with the right side of the fabric facing. turned it out the right way and then hand-sewed the opening closed. i added some random-ish embroidery stitches to mine to cover up the weird way i had sewn - i didn't want to attach the 2 fabrics together with a big bulky seam, so i carefully sewed with one end of the 'strip' nestled inside the other. yeah, i was confused too.

to wear it all scrunchy and cosy, you slip it over your head like a necklace, then twist into a figure '8' and slip over the head again. i'm in love with this on on etsy, with pockets and all - too cool!

circle scarves are THE BEST.

and according to yindi (and me too), "feels like a cuggle!"

 

upcycled dreaming

so my wool obsession has really evolved this winter (this long, hard winter) - really, creating from those piles of felted wool of mine give me thrills like nothing else. sad, i know - but who doesn't love a cheap thrill?!! i'm a long-time lover of turning old clothes into new clothes (remember the pants, skirts & nappy covers?) and i literally never, ever buy new clothes for my children (or myself for that matter) - everything is handed down or thrifted, and then altered accordingly!

the girls love to be in the 'studio' with me and snip up scraps of fabric then sew them together to make little flowers to pin or sew onto their clothing. they LOVE IT when i make them something, and come up with fabulous little ideas for me to do. i really need to chase them down and take pictures of them all.

it's my dream to one day have some kind of repurposed clothing business, taking used wares from around the world instead of producing new fabric...and turning them into cool clothing.  i'm thinking recycled saris, vintage kimonos, old faded tshirts...it would be so great to have local people involved...create work and support for small communites in different countries. a dream! one that i might have energy for when my littles are grown! for now though - slow and steady upcycling is happening in the basement! now that my three are fully outfitted in wooly warm pants, skirts, re-styled cardys etc, over the past month i've been making a few things for my etsy shop. tonight i listed some things in 'ivy size' as she was the only co-operative model i could arrange for the photo shoot ;)

 
soon to come, smaller and unisex/mini-man clothes!

just as soon as my spotty babes are up for the brown braided catwalk ;)

 

what if..?

ever since my 1000th post last week i cannot stop thinking about you all. 

it was so exciting to read your comments, and hear where you are from. i feel so lucky to be connected to you all in some small way! people are sunshine, life is beautiful...i need that reminder sometimes and i always find it here, with you. (thankyou!)

so anyway - thinking about you all, in your many different homes and places around the world...i thought about how cool it might be to make a little piece of artwork all together. the possibility has me quite excited. i will start something off, and send it on,,,and it will get sent on and on, each time having a little something added to it until it finally makes it's way back again.

what do you think?

it will be light, for inexpensive postage purposes!

the journey would of course be documented (silly photographs welcomed), and shared here, 

sign in here (with your email address and location) if you'd like to be part of some round-the-world-artmaking, and i will contact you with further instruction!