Christmas Wrap Up

So Christmas is over for another year. I hope you enjoyed a lovely day with family and friends as I did. We all ate way too much and my goodness the presents were never ending - not sure where everything is going to go!

And what a few weeks it has been. I did try to do a post last week but blogger ate my photos and I didn't have the time or the inclination to redo them. So here it is - the last couple of weeks activities and some of the crafty projects I completed.

The 15th brought a mad weekend with lots of Birthday parties including Daphne's.







And look at this gorgeous creation!



A stunning bolster cushion made by my girlfriend Michelle.



Isn't it just fantastic!



I love the colours and all the little yo-yos - a gift to absolutely treasure! Thanks Michelle, we really love it.

We finished the weekend with a big Christmas party on the Sunday with my Mother's group. We provide a Kris Kringle gift for the children and I made these for two lovely sisters.



This is my more basic version of Renata Segtowick's wonderful idea. Renata's are so beautifully detailed - go have a look.

The week following was all about kinder parties, school parties, reports and finishing up the year ready for a good break. I made three tote bags for the girl's teachers but didn't have time to take photos.

Then I finally finished a commission I'd been sitting on for AGES!! Two aprons for my girlfriend to give to some special girls for Christmas.



A frilly smock for the little one.







And a frilly apron for the bigger one.





I discovered the new apple fabric at Amitie and it all went from there. It's the most lovely linen weight and just perfect for aprons. I'm really pleased with them and will definitely be making more.

And finally some gifts for my family.

A scarf for my Mum using some gorgeous Japanese fabric I had in my stash.



And a bag for my sister-in-law Sacha.



I LOVE this bag!!



I cut it from a bag I received in a swap which I think is an Amy Butler pattern (anyone know?). Then I just patched part of it, added some flowers and quilted the edges.

I also made some cushions and did a pin cushion swap with my girlfriend but have no photos yet - show you next time along with some photos of the gorgeous ornaments I have received for the Freshly Blended Holiday Ornament swap. But this lot should keep you busy for a while!!

By the way, before I forget, my pay it forward recipients are Fiona, Beth and Ginger. So can you all email me and let me know if you wish to participate and provide your address if I don't already have it.

You can leave your hat on..

Well, I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth, I've just been knitting! And doing a little sewing. Winter has hit and it actually has become a little chilly - well chilly by Melbourne standards - about 15 deg celsius which is probably a bit of a joke to some people in the Northern Hemisphere. However, it is cold enough to wear hats so I whipped up one for Chloe earlier this week.



She chose the colours and requested two hanging pom poms which I finally attached last night.



And my Birthday still hasn't ended - I received a gorgeous handknitted scarf from my beautiful friend Roslyn. Isn't she a star! I love it as it's so long and warm. Great for visits to the park with the kids.



We discussed the need for hats to go with these scarves as she had knitted herself the exact same scarf. So I zipped into the wool shop on the way home, grabbed some of the same wool and hey presto - my new hat. I am going to try a slightly different version for young (she's waaaaay younger than me) Ros which is like this. If it works I might do another one for me. I also need to knit a nice blokey one for my husband as his ears must freeze on his walk to and from the station on his way to work.

I also made this cute pinafore for Lucinda after seeing the lovely ones Cathy from Miss Marzie made. She's just made another one and has the most hilarious photo of it - have a look it's gorgeous.



I'm not sure I did it right because I made the size 5 and it is a little tight under the arm. I think I didn't take enough seam up when I did the binding. I have some black cord to make one for Chloe who is 7 and have cut it out to a size 8 just in case. The difference seems fairly minimal. I also thought I would try to line the bodice instead of doing the binding. I just have to remember how to do that - I'm sure it will come to me eventually.

And - how exciting!!!! Another swap and this time it's a doll quilt swap. I found this yesterday so it was great timing as the sign up started today. How gorgeous are the first swap quilts! There is also now a flickr group for those completely mad about doll's quilts and have you seen the quilts that Hilary from Wee Wonderfuls is doing for her soon to be born daughter's bedroom wall. I can't wait to see photos of the finished wall.

It's all so utterly inspiring and will add yet another project to my very long list. Oh I wish there were more hours in the day!

Fancy a bag... or two?

Well it is definitely bag week at my house.

Yesterday was my girlfriend Michelle's Birthday. I made her a patchwork scarf after seeing this fabulous scarf by Belinda over at Tutti Fruiti. It's sort of a combination of all the versions she linked to. I then made her a bag to match and added a little flower to finish.

And then she surprised me with this absolutely stunning bag. Check out the vintage buttons, Amy Butler fabric and the gorgeous style. Thanks Michelle, I absolutely LOVE it.


Today it was my girlfriend Elizabeth's Birthday. I also made her a bag which was inspired by one of Molly Chicken's fab Japanese mags. Don't you love the birdy lining!


Ahhh... so much lovely bag happiness.

Now I'm off to do some knitting. The girls all want hats!