Pretty scarves

Here are some new scarves I made. I used different fabrics including wools, cottons and linen in very pretty soft colours. I then appliqued fabrics and trim and did a little embroidery. The scarves are both backed with a lovely soft Max Mara linen. More images on flickr , on Etsy

Amazing hand embroidered cushions

Well what can I say.! The other day I received a parcel from my mum with 3 more embroideries to make up as cushions. I mean I know she's an incredible embroiderer (and great with colour) but everytime I see her work I'm amazed at its beauty. To start with she uses beautiful fabric, usually linen. Then she starts to embroider with amazing threads including embroidery wools, silks and cottons, oh and beads sometimes. All I can say is keep up the good work mum! More images on flickr, on Etsy

Mathilda's Markets 2010

I have just applied for my first market stall at Mathilda's Markets on 6th March 2010 at Paddington Town Hall. I am doing the stall with a friend from my son's day care centre who has a business called Tynili. She makes girls clothes, dress-ups and nappy change mats. She has just set up a blog and will get some photos on it soon. It's much easier sharing a stall with someone so there is not too much pressure on me to get heaps of stuff ready. I hope that we get in and actually get a stall. I have also applied for the second one on 2nd May at Riverview.

They are fantatic markets and all over Australia so if you don't live in Sydney you can check them out in the other capital cities. Click on the icon above or on our side bar to go to their website.

Red blue and green Christmas stocking

Yet another Christmas stocking. This is the same type as the others I made I just changed the colours slightly. The possibilities for these stockings are endless unfortunately my time is limited this year! On Etsy, more images on flickr

Christmas pouch

What a great Christmas present! I just love these little pouches, they're so pretty and useful! I made this one with vintage hemp and embellished with linen, tulle, and hand embroidered. It is lined with a lovely Italian cotton fabric and has a snap button closure. On Etsy, more images on flickr

Pretty pouches - great for gifts

These purses are the perfect size to keep things orderly in one's handbag and make the perfect gift.

I used different fabrics to obtain different textured effects. These are made with vintage hand woven Italian cotton and lined with a lovely floral. The flap has been embellished with linen, toile and vintage trim. It also has a lovely floral embroidery which has then been hand embroidered with English appleton wools. It has a shell button closure. On Etsy , more images on flickr

Hand embroidered girls scarf

Gorgeous Italian soft wool has been hand embroidered and backed with a mid weight pale pink cotton by Max Mara. The scarf has been finished off with lovely hand made pom poms!

Hand embroidered cushion - ants, butterfly and bee

I made this cushion with a beautiful vintage linen which has been combined with fabric by Kaffe Fassett and two other Japanese fabrics to create the cushion. The linen part is hand embroidered with this gorgeous scene perfect for any little girl's room. The cushion has been backed with Cotton fabric and has a zip closure. More images on flickr

Christmas stockings

Santa is coming to town it will be time to hang those stockings over the fireplace soon!

These beautiful stockings are heirloom pieces. Beautiful fabrics have been used including linen, cotton, and antique hand woven Italian linen. They have been lined with batting, hand quilted and embroidered. Some squares have machine applique. The stockings are lined with Christmas fabric. On Etsy, more images on flickr

Jamie's Advent Calendar

Here is Jamie's Advent Calendar just into for December. I planned it out on paper first then just started sewing. Jamie picked the crocodile as his favourite so that is number 24. I decided to make it a bit like a quilt by adding wadding and machine quilting around each pocket. It's my first time I have quilted and I made a few mistakes. I also added binding- I have never done that either. It was a bit of a disaster but ou can't tell in the photo!! Oh well! I hope I am better next time! The back of the calendar is red poka-dot flannel- very soft! Now I just have to fill each pocket with a little surprise so Jamie can start his countdown. I will have to watch him as I bet he tries to have each surprise before their due date. More photos on Flickr.

Hand embroidered navy blue scarf

Oooh i love how this scarf turned out, the colours are great. The scarf is made with a gorgeous soft navy wool fabric and backed with a navy mid weight linen. It has been embroidered up one half and then just a single embroidery on the other end. It is very elegant! Going on Etsy, on flickr

Christmas wreaths

I have finished four more wreaths. These are such fun to make! i won't go into detail here as I've already described how I do them previously. Oh one I changed the background and used red and white toile rather than linen. Going on Etsy.

The girls are back!

Yup that's right the girls are back! More angels are in town ready to birghten up trees everywhere. I just love these angels they are gorgeous and hiliarious in person. Made with all different types of fabrics, some old some new and embelliahed with all manner of things. Going on Etsy in search of a new home!

Lulu's advent calender

Here is my latest project - Lulu's advent calender. I haven't finished yet but my sister Sas has been asking to see it so here it is unfinished. I still have to back it and add tabs so we can hang it. I didn't use a pattern just made it up as I went. I must say I'm quite happy with the result. The embroideries all came from different Japanese craft books. I used antique Italian cotton for the background, mixed linens some antique for the pockets and then embellished to my heart's content. More images on flickr

Christmas wreath - natural linens with hearts

Yup I'm in Christmas mode, I'm making Christmas wreaths! This one has been wrapped with different linen strips some are antique Italian hand woven linens. The hearts are made with mixed linens some antique and completed with applique trims and hand embroidery. I then have added berries, wool felt piping and feathers for extra texture. I love this new wool felt piping I found the colours are gorgeous. Got some more today so more wreaths will be on the way! More images on flickr, on Etsy.

Here is a new lovely wreath I nade for Christmas! It has been wrapped with different linen strips some are antique Italian hand woven linens. The flowers are made with different mediums including felt piping and crochet. I then have added berries and feathers for extra texture and written ' Noel' with wool felt. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out and I love this wool felt piping I found the colours are fab! On Etsy and more images on flickr

Jamie's Quilt

This is going to be my first quilt that I am learning to make in my sewing class at the Material Obsession shop. I have decided to keep it very simple and just do a 6" square quilt based on a very simple quilt that they have in their first book. It will be for my son Jamie. I am also going to add a boarder so I can learn how to do that as well. The class is only on once every two weeks and I have finished my homework which was to sew eight pieces into ten rows. I don't have the class again until next week so will have to wait until then to sew my rows together. Jamie picked many of the fabrics him self. I am hoping that it works out well! I am also doing my block of the month quilt. I have only done the first block but an planning on starting the second block tonight before the third block arrives sometime this week!!

Inspiration Board

I love having this board in my livingroom where I make my creations as inspiration. I also inspires me to create a beautiful home. I like cuting up the magazines I get and keeping the pictures. I have pages of magazines all all over the place.

Jamie's Advent Calendar

A friend of mine gives me an advent calandar for my son every year. This year she bought the exact one that I saw in The Bay Tree' Woollahra, that I was going to buy for him. It is really cute. He was very excited to get it and has opened a few window up already. I have had to hide it so he won't open any more until December. Rach and I are also planning on making some advent calendars for each of our kids. I can't wait to see the one of Lulu and I will have to start sewing mine so it's ready for December.

Christmas is coming!!

Well yes it's already that time of the year again. We're all thinking about Christmas decorations! I've already started it took me a while to get going but the ideas are starting to roll! To start off with I made a few angels. I changed them a little from last years and have given them so lovely hair styles!!!! i also made this wreath which I love. I wrapped it with all different linens some are old. I then made flowers with mixed fabrics - wool, linens and felt. It's very soft and pretty! More images on flickr. Going on Etsy.

Fabrics for Jamies Quilt

I went to my first quilting class tonight at the Material Obsession shop. Have decided to make a very simple 6" x 6" square piece quilt for my son. I really need to learn the correct techniques before I start something more difficult. I am doing a quilt pattern from their first book. Have selected these fabrics. Some are a little girly but Jamie doesn't care. The colours are good for a boy. Am going to machine piece the quilt and hand quilt it. Should be fun!!

WIP

I have been making christmas decorations for our tree. This is going to be an angel.

Vintage chenille baby blankets

I made these baby quilts last week. I had forgotten I had squares of lovely pastille coloured chenille which I bought about 1 1/2 years ago. That's what happens to me I buy things I love and hang onto them until it hits me what I want to do with them! I've been going through a phase of enormous productivity which makes me very happy indeed. More goodies will be blogged over the next few days. Oh and I made some lovely cushions to go with these too which I will photograph tomorrow and blog!

Vintage bag

A new vintage bag with embroidery and hand crochet trim. I got the pattern for this bag from my Japanese felt book ISBN 9784834723107. It's just the most lovely shape. I made the bag with vintage heavy weight hand woven Italian cotton which I also hand embroidered. The bag is lined with French toile. The cord on the bag is also Italian and hand made, I then plaited it! I've also made 2 wool felt bags which I will blog tomorrow. These are pretty little bags to keep things in and make lovely gifts! More images on flickr.

Hooty and Tweet

Today I made a 'Hooty and Tweet' from the "Melly and Me" pattern for Jamie. They are really cute! I used some of my new farics that I bought yesterday for the two bodies. Jamie picked the fabrics for the blue one with a little help from me.

Beautiful Ribbons

I have been meaning to blog these for a while so that Rach can see them. I got some from Etsy and some from an online shop called 'Ribbons Galore'. I love these types of ribbons. They will look great on pillows and bags, etc, for kids. Will have to start sewing now!!

New Fabric from Material Obsession

I went to the Material Obsession shop in Sydney today and picked up some new fabric. They had the new Amy Butler collection 'Love' and I bought this one. Her new collection is great. Fantastic colours!! I have also signed up for a beginner quilting class, eventhough I have just started my first quilt, I thought it would be a good idea to actually learn how to do it properly! Going to classes once a week will also motivate and inspire me to do more. I probably won't be starting the classes until early next year but an already looking forward to it!! Rach- wish you could come too. At least I will be able to help you if you get stuck!!
There are more photos in Flickr of some fabric that I bought.

Christmas pouches and Romantic pouches

It would seem I've gone pouch mad! Oh and old linen/cotton mad too! I love these little purses so much I can't stop making them, I have some many ideas and different variations for them. I thought Christmas ones would be great gift so I've mad the first 3 in reds and naturals. The embroidery for these are adapted from my Japanese books previously blogged. Then I did a couple in very pretty soft colours with applied lace and silk embroidery. I will be making more of these as they are fun to do. More images on flickr, on Etsy

Green Tea and Sweet Beans BOTM- Block 1

Here is my first 'Block of the Month'- I finished so I can keep up with Rach!! I wasn't very good at lining up the bits of fabric. It's quite tricky. I did start measuring but I think I did it a bit too late and it doesn't line up properly!! I hope that I get better!! I also changed a few fabrics to add a few more of the ones I like so it will look a little different to Rach's. I hand stitched these blocks but might try Month 2 on the machine. Month 2 has arrived so will get it started.

New pouches/wallets

I love these as they have so many uses - organising your bag, carrying jewellery, and so on. They also make great gifts. The sea blue/green pouches have been made with lovely machine embroidered linen fabrics and natural coloured linen. They are both lined with blue toile and have a shell button closure. The other pouch is made with vintage hessian and Japanese navy/beige floral. The flap has been embellished with linen, toile and hand crochet trim. It also has a lovely floral applique which has then been hand embroidered with Italian silk thread. It is lined with a natural colured linen and also has a shell button closure. More images on flickr

Green tea and sweet beans BOTM

Whoopee I finished my first block for the Green tea and sweet beans quilt. I've had it for quite sometime and hadn't started. I took the bull by the horns pulled out the instructions deciphered them and started. I thought 'my goodness' what have I gotten myself into. Actually it's my sister Sarah's fault she's doing it too and attached the bug to me! I am not precise and this is a job of precision! Whilst I was sewing the the individual blocks I thought 'ooooh it's all wrong and I won't be able to match them'. Thankgoodness I percevered as it all worked out and I've decided I like it! Need to get on with the next block before the next lot arrive. Oh I forgot to mention I cheated i sewed it on the sewing machine, too long by hand not to mention my stitches are like dogs teeth! Sas want to see yours hurry up and finish so we can see it too.

Navy blue linen bag

I love this new bag! I used a heavy weight navy linen, lovely texture. I applied different linens and trim with the machine. I lined the bag with a beautiful Japanese fish fabric I bought in Australia when I was there. I've been dying to do something with it. I had thought I would embroider a fish on the front of the fabric but them when I saw the applique I liked it so much I left it as is.

Cushion madness!

As you can tell I love cushions! I've made more, the fabric made me do it! For these cushions I used more of my vintage hessian which I just love. I machine appliqued strips of linen, tulle, handmade crochet trim, and even an old doiley (I'm not sure what it's called in English). I then embroidered using embroidery floss and/or Appleton wools. The monogram cushion is backed with a gorgeous plum coloured Max Mara linen, the other with natural linen. Yes I am fortunate enough to have a very large Max Mara outlet nearby. I must be the only person who goes in there and doesn't look at the clothing because I only have eyes for the fabric remnants!!!!! More images on flickr.

Red and beige pouches

These lovely pouches are made with some remnants fabrics I got at No Chintz in Sydney. By the way it's the best shop so if you're in Sydney pay a visit. The fabrics are upholstery weight 3 are linen and one a heavy weight cotton. I just love these little pouches as they are so useful and fit nicely into your handbag. They are also great as cosmetics bags and could even be used as an evening purse. Oh and Christmas is on the way they could be hung on the tree with presents in them - nice!!!

Pretty Pouches

Recently I made these little pouches. The perfect size to keep things orderly in one's handbag. I just hate stuff flying around my bag so I can't find my keys! They are so useful I'm going to make more - they are perfect gifts.

I used different fabrics for these to obtain different effects. For 3 I used vintage hessian and embellished with trim, tulle, fabric and embroidery from some of my Japanese embroidery books. The stripe fabric came from a decorating shop in Sydney, I embellished the falp with vintage trim bought at the antique markey here in Italy. The floral toile like fabric is French from St Tropez. I embellished this one with a handmade linen rose. I like the contrast in texture between the 2 fabrics and the rough look of the flower compared to the perfect look of the pouch. More images on flickr

Floral hand embroidered cushion - oatmeal hessian

This gorgeous cushion is made with a beautiful oatmeal coloured vintage hessian. It has been embellished with hand crocheted trim, linen, and toile applique and finished off with lovely crewel hand embroidery using Appleton wools. The applique is 'live applique' means the edges of the fabric are not turned under in order to maintain the textured feel already created by the lovely fabric and wool embroidery. Definitely for those who love texture! I thenbacked it with Cotton mid weight French toile fabric. I love this and will be doing more in this style. Next week the antique market is on so I will back searching for more lovely old fabrics! More images on flickr and Etsy.

Embroidered hessian shoulder bag

Yeh I've finished another bag. I love this it one it worked out better than I had hoped. I made it with hessian linen which I bought from the antique market. I love the oatmeal colour and texture of the fabric. It was an old Italian flour sack.

I then decided to apply different fabric strips- different textured linen and a wool fabric. I finished off the design with crewel embroidery using lovely soft coloured Appleton wools. The bag is lined with a natural coloured linen with inside pocket and ties closed. This will go on etsy even it breaks my heart!!!! More images on flickr

Pink shoulder bag and scarf

As winter is on the way I starting to prepare some new accesories!!!!

This gorgeous shoulder bag is completely reversible. One side is made with a beautiful soft pink wool, embellished with linen, tulle and wool applique and finished off with a lovely navy hand embroidery. The reverse side is made with a medium to heavy weight cotton blue and beige French Toile. It is finished off with a linen pocket embroidered with a navy blue bee. With one bag it's possible to create two completely different looks.

I finished off this scarf using gorgeous Italian lace trims. The fabrics used are Italian including different very soft wools combined with vintage off white linen. The floral applique is vintage and was bought in the antique markets. The scarf is also hand embroidered to finish it off! More images on flickr

Samantha Robinson Handmade Porcelain

I just found Samantha Robinson through one of our contacts on Flickr. Her handmade porcelain is devine. As she is in Sydney I will be visiting her studio. I think that I have actually seen her work at Paddo markets.

More crewel embroidered cushions

Here are a couple more cushions I made using mum's beautiful crewel embroidery pieces. I just love them.

Hello Hooty!!!

I'd like you to meet Hooty so very cute! Yesterday I'd had a few sewing gals over and we decided to make Hooty (designed by Melly and Me). We didn't quite finish as we had 5 mad little ones running wild in the apartment and I had to understand the pattern and translate into Italian for them! I finished mine when Lulu went to sleep. I used a Laura Ashley floral for his body, Japanese fabric for his breast and wings and linen for his eyes.
To anyone who's ever wanted to make a softies I highly recommend Melly and Me patterns. Besides designing incredibly cute creatures the patterns and instructions are very clear and actually work!!! I've tried to make dogs etc but have always been frustrated because they never turn out like the image, instead I think Hooty turned out quite well. Oh and not to mention it's the first time I've actually enjoyed making a softie. My sister told me I could do it if I used their pattern and she was right. If you remember a while back she made Melly and Me's dog Fido and he's beautiful. Stay tuned because when I see the girls again at our next meeting I'm going to photograph their finished Hootys and then maybe we'll make Hooty's friend Tweet!

Wonderful crewel embroidered cushions

How beautiful are these embroideries. They are crewel embroideries with wonderful Appleton wools on antique linen. Of course they are our mother's wonderful handy work she is amazing. Her stitching is always impeccable. I found these (and a few more) tucked away in a box when I was home in Sydney. I told mum it was such a shame so I took them and have made them up into cushions. These are going on Etsy. I have a few more to finish off so check back in a week or so. More images on flickr.

Newborn gift sets

These pretty gift sets are perfect for a baby shower, new born or even Christmas. The girl set includes a Cotton singlet, bib, burp cloth and basket - great for keeping creams, cotton buds, nappies etc. The boy set includes a hand towel - great to use as a change mat, bib, burp cloth and basket - great for keeping creams, cotton buds, nappies etc.

All are made with high quality beautiful cotton and linen fabrics. The basket is lined for strength and hand embroidered.

I particularly love the containers with co-ordinating embroidery, may have to make some more!!!!

Lavender Mousies

Oh there's a mouse in the house!! These great little mousies are filled with lavender and smell wonderful. They are great placed on shelves in wardrobes, in drawers or even on the mantel piece! I have them placed around in my wardrobes so they smile at me everytime I open the door and everything smells great. Lavender is also great for relaxing babies when they're dozing off to sleep. Place one in a corner of the cot or tie it to the rail. Oh and not to mention they make for great toys! My daughter loves playing with them!

Stitches and Craft Show, Sydney

Mum and I went to the stitches and craft show last weekend. The best part about the show was the top floor where they had a whole bunch of crafters with little stalls. There was some great stuff.

Some of the stalls I liked were- Rourke and Henry, I loved their owls.

Another stand I loved was DearFii. I have seen her stuff before on Etsy and Flickr. My little boys loves her monsters. I need to buy the pattern to make one for Jamie.

Dudley Redhead is a great designer who makes the cutest characters to put on cards, badges and carve in rubber stamps. My little boy bought a sweet little robot badge for his demin jacket.

PippiJoe designs some beautiful screenprinted textiles. They are something a little different and unique.

Lino Creative makes some beautiful designs. Have a look at her website.

Mona Alisa Design makes the most fantastic fabric birds and paintings. I am waiting for more stuff to be added to her etsy shop so I can buy some.

Amitie is a fabric supplier who has the most beautiful range of fabrics at the show. Everytime I go to a craft fair, I always buy lots from them. I bought this most beautiful pattern for a donkey cusion. Will blog it when I get it made.

Winterwood has supplies for making toys. They have fantastic felt.

Jewellery making!!!

I've had a bee in my bonnet about making jewellery. When I was in Australia I took a few lessons and loved it. These are some of the pieces I have made since I came back from oz. More images on flickr

Crewel embroidery

This beautiful crewel embroidery is another one of my mum's incredible pieces! I love the colours and design. She used Appleton wool thread. I can't wait 'till she has it made up into a cushion.

Print your own Fabric- COOL!!!

I have always wanted to design and print my own fabric but had absolutley no idea of where to begin. I then discovered this blog - http://smilas.blogspot.com/ which is a great blog.

It led me to Spoonflower- http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome. You can get a yard printed from $18US.

Spoonflower's blog led me to some great tutorials from Mamma Made- http://blog.mammamadedesigns.com/archive/2008/06/11/spoonflower-fabric-development-series-ndash-part-1.aspx on how to get started. Rachel's lessons were really helpful.

I am lucky enough to have Photoshop on my computer which I have never used, so now I am going to play around with it and see what I can come up with.

I am totally going to get some fabric printed!! Very exciting!

Princess headbands and tops

I've been wanting to make some pretty things for little girls for some time now. Finally inspiration has come to me and here is what I'm making. Lucy loves to wear pretty things with flowers, wings etc she believes she's a fairy princess!! Stay tuned for more, I'll be away for a week and then will get back to work.

Embroidered Cushion

I went home to Oz recently for nearly 2 months. It was fabulous to be with friends and family and totally inspiring. I love spending time with my mum and sister talking about all things creative and beautiful. As Sas mentioned we went to the Sydney craft show, Mathildas Markets and the Mosman Markets all wonderful and inspiring. Of course I came home with all manner of things, a suitcase full of fabrics, patterns and threads!!!!

I also packed into my suitcase some of my mum's amazing embroidery. I am going to make them up into cushions for her. I'll slowly blog them over time. Here is a cushion she made some time ago. I just love the colours so I had to photograph it.


She is truely an amazing embroiderer and has now moved on to stumpwork. I was gobsmacked to see this piece she has nearly finished. I can't even fathom attempting to do something like that! The pattern is from a book I can't remember who's it is so when I next call mum I'll ask her and put it in here.

Prints Charming

I bought this screen printed piece of linen from the 'Prints Cahrming' girls at the Sydney Stitches and Craft Show recently. I also bought the threads and decorated the design (aqua printing) similar to what the girls had on display at the show. I am not sure what I will mak it into yet..... a cushion, christmas decoraction, part of a quilt, frame it???? All I know is that I am going to their studio tomorrow to buy some more and I can't wait to take one of their classes.

Harbour Collage

My 3 year old son and I made this colllage. It took us a while. He tore up paper from magazines for the background and helped me stick them down with Mod Podge. I cut out all the details which he also helped to stick down. Many of the ideas came from him, like the idea of putting 'Charlie and Lola' in a boat. It's really cute and now hangs on his bedroom wall.
It raining today so I can't get any good shots outside of the collage but will take some better ones soon.
Jamie now has ideas for even more collages- space, dinosaurs, under the sea..... We will see what happens!!!

Taronga Zoo Sydney 2009

On Sunday we went to Taronga Zoo in Sydney. I hadn't been there for about a year and it was great to see some new developments including the 'Great Southern Ocean' section. I enjoy taking photos of the animals and was really happy to get this great shot of the tiger who kept walking past the window right in fromt of us. I had never seen it do that befor and was pleased to be able to get some good shots. It was acutally such a nice, sunny winter day that the zoo was pack. There was also the excitment of a new baby elephant that was born at the end of last week. We missed seeing it by one day as it was seen by the public for the first time yesterday!! Bummer!

New Fabric

Rach and I went to the Sydney Quilt and Craft Fair on Sunday at Darling Harbour. We did go a little mad buying fabric and supplies. The craziest thing that we did was sign up of a 'Block of the Month' quilt where they send you a block each month for 10 months including fabric and threads. The one we signed up for is really cute. It is covered in embroidered trees and birds. About 10 minutes later we saw another quilt that we loved. This one was also a block of the month for 12 months. It's a really colourful quilt! I was quite amazed that Rach can get her's sent to Italy. I can't wait to see if they turn out looking the same!!
This fabric is one of my favourite ones that I bought. There are a lot more photos on Flickr.

Lavender mousies

My long journey home to Oz starts today but I thought I would blog one last thing before I leave - my little lavender mousies! I love these guys so cute and a different idea for a lavender sachet. I made them all with linen and cotton. The white one is also hand embroidered. You could even make a set of these with a ball for kids (like a little bowling set). I also thought they would be great to put in a little ones cot as lavender is said to be very relaxing for babies. More images on flickr. Will be away nearly 6 weeks but may blog form Sas's house as she is the other half of this blog.

Mum's birthday present

As I mentioned before I'm going home to Oz on Wednesday very exciting. I haven't seen my sister and brotther for 2 1/2 years!! It's mum's birthday on Tuesday so I made her a few presents. Oh it's winter in Oz which explains the scarf!

The scarf is made with Max Mara wool fabric, macrime and a beaded flower. I also made her a book cover with gorgeous linen, trims and a red toile beaded flower. Mum is incredibly creative and she loves to have a book to write her ideas in. I also made her a big bag with a gorgeous French toile fabric (also her favourite fabric) and lined with the ever useful Ikea stripe! Mum can carry her sewing around in it! The pattern for the bag came from my new Japanese linen bag book, it's gorgeous. More images on flickr

Travel Journal

In a few days Lulu and I are off to Australia, whoopee. Haven't been home for 2 and 1/2 years! Lucy has been talking about going to Sydney all year (she's 3 1/2 years old) and is really excited. I made this book cover for her so we can write down all she does and log her trip. She says some really funny things sometimes (as they all do at that age) so I think I need to keep track of it, also for her dad who won't be coming with us this time.

The book cover is made with linen and a combination of pretty cotton fabrics. It has been embellished with applique and embroidery. The idea for the embellishment came from my Japanese book ISBN9784834725704 (no idea what the name is!) I bought it from pompadour on Ebay.

Reversible bag

This bag is completely reversible - two looks in one! Again I used a lovely Italian striped linen on one side and a floral chintz fabric on the other. More images on flickr

Cream linen scarf

I love this linen scarf! It's very simple and fresh. I made it with a lovely light linen and embellished it with some macrame and an embroidered/beaded fabric flower.

New summer dresses

Here are some of the dresses I've been working on. The white hydrangea dress is a size 4, made with Max Mara cotton fabric. The pink and blue dresses are a linen mix and have been finished off with some applique. I have these in a size 2 and 3. More images on flickr. Stay tuned I've made more clothing - bit clothing mad I think!!!

Linen bag

Spring is here, this is the perfect bag to complete any spring summer outfit. This bag is reversible so you get two looks in one! The bag is made lovely Italian natural linen. It is lined with a gorgeous Japanese cotton fabric in very soft colours. It has been finished off with a gorgeous trim. The bag can be tied closed.

Spring scarves

Here are some new scarves for Spring. These are great for Spring or those cool summer evenings or even winter in Australia! Some have been made with linen with applied lace trim and flowers. The black scarves are made with a fresh cotton fabric and then again applications with silk flowers and lave trims. More images on flickr

Bunny rabbit!

Finally the sun came out yesterday so I could take a photo of part 2 of Lulu's present! The pink bunny is a little cushion for Lulu. I put some lavender oil in so it smells good, she loves smelly things. The linen one is for Samu (our friends 2 year old) his mum loves linen and the colours I used are her favourites. I thought more about her taste than his!!!! The pattern for the bunny is from Cotton and Paint 2006 vol 23 . Lulu's is similar to the one in the magazine although I made fabric flowers with Room Seven like fabrics. The linen bunny was my own inspiration (besides the shape). More images on flickr.

first part of Lulu's Easter present

Here is the first part of Lulu's Easter present. I love them they're so cute. They are both made from linen and are great friends!!! The pattern came from a book called Dekotraume, I'm not sure if it's German. It has some really cute things in it I'll be making more from it. I'm going to put a little Easter egg in the rabbits pocket. I have finished the other part of her present but need to take a photo. Hopefully the sun will come out so I can do it today. More images on flickr.

Last of the winter scarves

These are the last of the winter scarves I made. One I kept for myself, one I sold, and one I sent to my friend as part of her birthday present. I combined 3 or 4 different fabrics, applied some macrime trim and then made a flower which was beaded and embroidered. I have just finished some spring scarves which may make it to the Etsy shop!! Will post them soon More images on flickr

Bonbonierre

I made these little baskets as a sample for bonbonierre for an 8 year olds Holy Communion (I think). They worked out really well and were very easy. They are made with felt, then I sewed on some lace trim and applied some flowers.

Easter English craft lessons

WORK BY 2F

WORK BY 1F

CLICK ON MOSAIC TO SEE LARGER IMAGE

Finally here is the work we did with the first and second formers here. I taught them to make these Easter wreaths speaking in English. We had a whole lesson speaking about how we celebrate Easter in Australia (much more fun than here!!!). Then we had two lessons making. These kids don't have art classes and really found the most simple things (like cutting out a shape) difficult. I think this system of English conversation combined with something creative is really beneficial to them (oh and a fun way to learn).

Jamie's Easter Hat

Jamie needed an Easter Hat for his hat parade at Kindy so we spent today making this. He told me what he wanted on the hat. He also helped me make a nest out of feathers and Jamie painted and decorated the eggs on top. So it was a joint effort. There are a few more photos on Flickr.

Another Ikea Box

Another Ikea Box, originally uploaded by Roxy Creations.

I made another Ikea box for my desk at work. It just makes my storage a little prettier!! I used a range of papers but mostly wrapping paper.

Easter is near!

Next week I'm off again to have English conversation with the kids in first and second form. Again the idea is to explain a little about easter in Australia and then make something creative. we are going to make the wreath which is the simplest thing for them. I will try to remember my camera this time to photograph what they make! Whilst I was planning their project I also make an Easter egg hunt basket for Lucy from felt. I then made another basket covering a wicker basket with crepe paper and then gluing on figures in tissue paper. Inspiration for the figures came from my Usbourne Easter Activity book. What a great series! More images on flickr

spring is on the way!!

New spring bag made from linen and lined with a gorgeous pale pink toile. The flower is also made from linen and then beaded. I learnt to make this bag during my course it's a lovely shape and I've made it in 3 sizes. I'm going to make a co-ordinating spring scarf to go with it. More images on flickr

Lucy's winter dress

This dress has been made with a lovely winter wool which I then brightened up with an embroidered flower. The dress was made with the idea of wearing it over jeans or leggings. Lucy seems to really like it and has worn it continually. You may recognise the flower it's the same type I learnt in my class! More images on flickr

Winter bags

My apologies I haven't posted anything for such a long time. I've had a bad flu and little time. I have been creating a little though so will post a lot over the next few days.

I learnt how to make these bags in my creative embroidery class. I love them they are a great shape and easy to make. These are made with a wool which can needle felted too, I not sure what it's called in English. In fact we were supposed to needle felt them but I found that's a technique I really don't enjoy. In fact, it gave me a headache!!! So I decorated mine with flowers I made. I love making flowers and beading them. Both bags are also lined, the larger bag also has a pocket. I am working on some spring bags. More images on flickr

More creations by Carla

My friend Carla has been very busy at her sewing machine. I am amazed I love her colours and technique. She doesn't just use her machine as a tool to sew 2 pieces of fabric together but also a creative instrument. She uses different coloured thread and stitches to create all kinds of effects. I can't wait each week to see what she has been busy working on! Oh and she gave several pieces for my birthday, thanks so much I love them! For more by Carla go to flickr

Valentine Day's

Last week I went to the junior school here (year 7 and 8s) to do English conversation. I have an agreement with their English teacher to do something creative whilst speaking English. How lucky are they to have an English lesson doing something fun!!!! Before Christmas I had 2 sessions with them explaining what it's like to have an Aussie Christmas and then we made Christmas crackers. They loved it!!
For Valentine's Day I made a few samples of cards and they chose the paper heart chain and the paper clip card. I couldn't make the embellished heart with them as it's best with hot glue, as we all know too dangerous! The lesson went very well, they all enjoyed themselves (I think) even the boys. I was surprised to see that the year 6s are better working with their hands than the year 7s, and many of the boys have an enormous amount of creativity. Some of the best clips were made by boys!!! Unfortunately forgot to photograph their work but I'm going to ask their teacher if they still have them so I can take photos. My next 2 sessions with them are for Easter, can't wait. I'm already thinking about what to do especially because they do not have the Easter bunny here!!!!

Beige scarf

Finally a scarf for me!!! I made this scarf for me with this gorgeous Max Mara fabric my friend Carla gave to me. To one end I added this beautiful piece of macrime and then applied a flower in beige tones which I then embroidered and beaded in the center. On the other end I added some trim and have embroidered tone on tone some of the flower motif on the fabric. I am going to embroider a few more here and there and then it is finished. As the fabric was wide enough for 2 scarves I going to make one for my mum. You may have noticed that the flower is the same type I learnt in my course and used on the linen cushion for Lucy. It's amazing how the look has changed here. My special thanks to Giuliana for teaching me such great things and to Carla for her generous gift!

Finalmente una sciarpa per me! Questa sciarpa l'ho fatta per me usando questa deliziosa stoffa di Max Max che mi ha regalato la mia amica Carla. Ho aggiunto un bellissimo macrime e poi ho applicato un fiore con ricamo e perline. Dall'altro lato ho aggiunto un altro bordo e ho ricamato un po del motivo floreale tono su tono. Farò qualch'altro fiore qua e la e poi è finito. Il fiore che ho applicato è lo stesso che ho imparato al corso che frequento e che ho anche usato sul cuscino di lino della Lucy. E' incredibile come cambia l'aspetto usando stoffe diverse! Volevo ringraziare La Giuliana per la sua ispirazione e la Carla per il suo regalo!

Wonderful Embroidered Japanese fabric

A few years ago on my last visit home to Australia my aunt gave me this stunning strip of embroidered Japanese fabric. It was a long strip someone had cut, she didn't know what to do with it so she gave it to me. It is hand embroidered with silk thread in the most gorgeous colours. I don't know if anyone has seen Japanese embroidery up close but I wanted to mention that the back is almost as perfect as the front! It must take forever!!! I had forgotten about this piece as I didn't sew when she gave it to me so had put it away. A couple of weeks ago I was cleaning out my fabric cupboard (as you do when you need to make space for more!!!!) and I found it. I took one look at it and knew exactly what to do - of course a scarf! I luckily had this wonderful textured fabric in the same colour a decorator had given me to back it with and just finished it off with a lovely linen trim I found in my favourite shop in the Dolomites. I'm sending it off to my aunt as a surprise I think she'll be thrilled. Oh and I might mention I kept a piece for me too as it was very long!

Qualche anno fa durante mio ultimo viaggio in Australia la mia zia mi ha regalato questa stoffa Giapponese ricamato a mano con fili di seta. La mia zia non sapeva cosa fare con questa bellissima stoffa e quindi me l'ha regolata. All'epoca non cucivo cosi lo messa via e mi sono dimenticata che esisteva. Un paio di settimane fa mettevo apposto l'armadio con le mie stoffe (una cosa che uno fa quando deve fare spazio per più stoffe!!!!!), e l'ho trovata. Quando l'ho vista non potevo credere che mi sono dimenticata è cosi bella e sapevo esattamente cosa fare - una sciarpa!!! Per fortuna avevo una stoffa dello stesso colore che un'arredatrice mi aveva regalata da usare per il retro e poi l'ho rifinita con un macrime di lino. Adesso lo spedisco alla mia zia come regalo, sara felicissima e un pezzo me lo sono tenuto!

Cushions!

Last week I finished 2 cushions for a little girls bedroom. I was totally inspired by my Tuesday night creative embroidery class with Giuliana. She showed us how to make these gorgeous flowers which are cut very roughly and the sewn with the machine and hand embroidered. I just love them and have all kinds of ideas of what to do with them. Thank you Giuliana!!! The linen cushion is for Lucy, can't be helped she already claimed it. Inspiration for the blue cushion came from the linen one. I have a lot of ideas for children's cushions I just need to find the time. More images on flickr

Bag by Carla

Well what can I say - this beautiful bag is the handy work of my friend Carla. She is a true artist. I love the way she interprets the fabrics she chooses. Here she has used Max Mara fabric and cleverly combined machine stitching with hand embroidery. You might remember her wonderful ceramics we posted earlier on. When you look at this bag you may want to take into consideration that about 10 weeks ago she didn't even know how to thread a needle. She joined the creative embroidery class I was attending and this is the end result!!! I know, amazing! I am thrilled she has found a new passion, she has fully embraced embroidery and sewing. She now has a sewing machine and has developed a need for fabrics too (introduce me to a sewer who's not addicted to fabrics!!). Every husbands nightmare!!. Our course was supposed to finish before Christmas but fortunately 6 of us are able to continue with our wonderful teacher Giuliana, she is so inspiring. Hopefully the course will go on and on and on!!!! Stay tuned for more goodies inspired by Giuliana!

Cosa posso dire - questa bellissima borse è stata creata dalla mia amica Carla. Lei è davvero un artista! Carla è anche l'artista delle bellissime ceramiche che abbiamo mostrato 1 anno fa. Quando guardate questa borsa dovete ricordarvi che solo 10 settimane fa Carla non sapeva infilare un ago, difficile credere quando vedi il risultato. Sono felicissima che lei ha scoperto questa bellissima passione per il cucire e ricamo. Adesso è stata regolata una macchina da cucire e ha sviluppata una passione per i tessuti come tutti noi che cuciamo! Direi l'incubo di tutti i mariti!!! Il corso che frequentiamo doveva finire prima delle feste ma per fortuna 6 di noi continuamo imparare ed essere ispirati dalla nostra bravissima maestra Giuliana. Spero che il corso andrà avanti per un sacco di tempo! Come al solito chiedo scusa per il mio italiano spero di non fare troppo confusione.

Beige scarf

Another scarf! I made this scarf for Stef's aunt. The inspiration for my scarves has come from my different Japanese craft books I am yet to do one of their projects but am definitely inspired. In particular the flowers come from my new corsage book and Pochee but even here I have only been inspired as the end results are quite different. It is made with Max Mara wool fabric, all edges have been hand sewn so all stitching is hidden. I then applied some lovely macramei (spell???) I found. The flowers are made with different wool fabrics, with the centers being embroidered and beaded. The end result is very warm but elegant! More images on flickr

Visto che vedo abbiamo molti lettori Italiani traduco ma vi chiedo scusa per sli sbagli che faccio. Un altra sciarpa! Questa lo fatta per la zia di mio marito. Ispirazione per le mie sciarpa è derivata dai miei diversi libri Giapponesi. Ancora non ho completato un progetto da questi libri perche alla fine mi piace sempre fare al modo mio. Ho usato una stoffa di lana di Max Mara, tutti i bordi sono cuciti a mano cosi non si vede la cucitura. Poi ho applicato delle macramei e fiori fatti di stoffe di lana, e poi ricamati in centro con l'aggiunta dei perline. Il risultato finale tiene caldo ma allo stesso momento è elegante. Più immagini su flickr

My new Japanese craft books!!!

These are my Japanese craft books Steffie gave me for Christmas. I love them so inspiring. The desire for more of these books is never ending, I have quite a collection now. The good thing is I use them all the time for inspiration which totally justifies having them! As usual I bought them from my favourite ebay seller pompadour24 . She has a great selection and I see has also opened on Etsy. More on flickr If anyone wants ot know ISBN let me know happy to help.