My (washi tape) Creative Space

 

 Hey peeps,

I hope you are all good?  Are you a washi tape addict? So many people are.  I do love the stuff.  Don't ask me why I only have a handful of rolls, I honestly have no idea (that needs to change!)

There must be eleventy billion uses for washi tape. This week, we discovered one more use for washi tape: decorated rocks.

Grab some washi tape and a rock.  Pre-cut the washi tape for little kids.  For Zoe, who is 3 years old, I cut many strips for her and stuck them on the edge of the table.  She could then easily use them to cover her rock. 

Bigger kids can rip it easily themselves or use scissors to cut their own strips.  Cover your rock with as much or as little washi tape as you like. Use the one type of washi tape or mix it up. My girls loved this activity. I know we will be making more of them soon. 

Ta-da, cute washi tape covered rocks. Matching outfits are optional (and were a happy accident)

Happy Creative Space day to you.

Cat xox

My (very first quilt) Creative Space

 

Hey peeps,

I am making a quilt!  Yes, I am.  I really am. It will be for my Grandma, who turns 90 next month.  She has recently moved into a nursing home.  She does not want to be there, she wants to be back at home. I can't blame her, but she needs lots of help with everyday things and the nursing home can help her with these.

We visited her in February when we were in Melbourne.  I immediately felt that her room needed some more hand made goodness.  She has been able to bring a few items of furniture from home.  My step-dad installed some shelves, and they have been filled up with family photos. I felt she needed a happy, bright quilt for her bed.  One made with love - so my mum and I got started right away.

I had "won" some fabric charm packs (pre-cut fabric squares) in the Let's get Maybelle to the Ellen Show charity auction.  We used two packs of "Honey Honey" by Kate Spain for Moda and part of a "Trade Winds" by Lily Ashbury for Moda.

The charm pack squares were all arranged and sewn together over a few days while I was still in Melbourne. I added the border to the quilt top when I got back to Hong Kong. The border is "Petunias" by Phillip Jacobs for Rowan, Westminster Fibers (pastel colour way)

Yesterday, I finally found the courage to make the backing.  We had chosen more of the petunias fabric (in different colour ways).

Today I will finish sewing the petunias backing together.  Then I will be ready to quilt this.  This is what I am scared about.  I have never done this before.  I'll read a few more (hundred) online tutorials.  I hope I'll be ready then to quilt.

If you can recommend any great online tutorials, please let me know.

Wish me luck!

Happy Creative Space Day to you.

Cat xox

I made a giant, stuffed carrot: it must be Easter soon.

 

Hi peeps,

Where has this year gone?  It is the middle of March already, how did that happen?  Easter will be here soon.  

Zoe's kinder is having a 3D Easter Decoration competition. I looked through Pinterest for some ideas, but nothing grabbed me.  All the ones I liked required craft supplies I did not have (like large polystyrene eggs)

I thought Zoe could take a few of my fabric carrots, but they are quite small (compared to most of the other decorations - yes, I did check out the other competitors!)  Instead, I decided to make a huge, fabric carrot and give it a happy face.

I know I promised way back in March of 2011, that there would be no more fabric carrot posts, after the carrots in the ear incident.  But that was two years ago and giant fabric carrots are a whole new type of carrot, right?

Zoe carried her carrot all the way to kinder, there was no way I was allowed to help with that important job.

If you want to make your own fabric carrots, get the know how here (thanks Clare).  If you are making large ones, I recommend adding interfacing to the leaves, it helps them to stand up and not be too floppy.  I don't have this problem with the smaller carrots.

Have a great weekend.

Cat xox

My (pink hexie) Creative Space

Hi peeps,

I post lots of photos to my Instagram feed and to my Facebook page.  If you follow me there, you may already know about my hand sewing project: hexies. I can't believe I have not mentioned this on my blog before now. Naughty me.

Way back in June of last year, I started to notice on Instagram that a few people were participating in this sew-along.  I was loving the photos, watching for a few weeks when I decided I wanted to join in the fun.  Right away I knew I had to use fabric from my stash.  After sorting my fabric, it became very clear to me how many pink fabrics I had, so, pink this quilt would be.

Early in July I started to cut up my fabric and on 5th July I basted my very first hexagon.  Only a few days later I had made my very first hexie flower.  I was hooked.  This hexie caper is very addictive.

I now take my hand sewing with me everywhere. I use the gorgeous Raspberry rainbow zippered pouch that Jennie from My Little Vintage made me.  I have made hexies in Hong Kong, Paris, all over Denmark, in London and Shropshire, in Melbourne and even while flying (I don't take scissors, just one sewing needle and many pre-cut threads).

After a few months of making hexies, I realised I did not want to make the quilt featured in the quilt-along.  I was feeling a bit despondent and not sewing many hexies.  Then on Instagram I saw another hexagon quilt, and knew immediately this was how I wanted mine to look (also shown on Carols blog here).   I arranged my pink hexie flowers out on the floor, and knew this was it.  This was how my pink hexie quilt was going to look.   My pink hexie quilt needs white hexies to make all the pink flowers "pop".

I still do not know how big it will be be, every few months I lay out all my flowers, and see how much it has grown. I am going to finish this project.  It will be a quilt for us.

In January 2013, I had 39 hexie flowers and it looked like this:

Today, I have 55 finished hexie flowers (yes, another photo is needed).  I am still making more.  I am still loving this project.  There is no hurry to finish it, it will come together in time.

If you would like to know more about sewing your own hexies, I have a board on pinterest here, with links to lots of different information.

Happy Creative Space day to you.

Cat xox