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

My (tooth fairy pillow) Creative Space

Hi peeps,

OK, this is not really My Creative Space for this week. I am embarrassed to say this cute little Tooth Fairy Pillow was made (many) months ago.  Better late than never to share, right?

I wish I could say this was my amazing original creation, but it is not.  I found this fabulous pattern and tutorial years ago on the web, and thought I could not come up with a better one.  It is cute, practical and very easy to make. I had it printed out literally for years before it was needed.

Poor Abbey was one of the very last of her peers to lose her first tooth back in October 2012.  She was 6.5 years old, and so desperately wanted to be like all her friends.  Her two front teeth were wobbly for months, so many months.  It gave me plenty of time to finish her tooth fairy pillow at least (not that it takes very long to make.  I just took a while to make it in spits and spurts)

I just knew she had to have a doily skirt.  I threaded some fancy ribbon through the bottom of the doily shirt to add some more pretty.

I cut up one of the Shropshire boy's old silk ties to make the yo-yo.

I did not have many doilies to choose from to make her skirt.  There are not many op shops (charity shops) here in Hong Kong, and the ones I have been to did not have doilies (boo!) As a result, the best doily from my stash gives Ms Tooth fairy pillow a builders smile, otherwise known as a bum-crack.  Oh dear.



Luckily, Abbey does not care.  Neither do I to be honest, it is kind of funny actually.

Have a great weekend!

Cat xox

My (head band) Creative Space

Hello peeps,

Today I sewed up some fabric headbands for the big girl.  I had promised her that if she got her hair cut shorter, I would make her some more and she could wear head bands to school everyday instead of having it up in bobbles.  We had to stop the morning hysterics of her complaining how much it hurt to comb her very long hair.  Yesterday she (finally) had approximately 20cm (8 inches) chopped off, so her hair is now much easier to manage in the mornings.

The fishy and panda fabrics are for Abbey, the cats are for Zoe.

I have made these fabric head bands before, you can see them here and here.  

They are based on the pattern from mmmcrafts.  I have altered the pattern and made it shorter to fit the head bands I have.  I also reduce their width, I do not like them too big on little girls. I add iron on interfacing to the wrong side of the top fabric so they keep their shape. 

They are quick and easy to make and can be washed when they get grubby (and they do).  Not to mention, you can wear a different one each day depending on your mood as they are easy to change. 

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year.  This year I managed to make many hand made presents.  Of course, many of them were zippered pouches.  Here are two I made for Abbey and Zoe, I embroidered their names on lining.  I love hand made!

All the Creative Spaces are over here.

Have a great day.

Cat xox

Dolls, scooting around and unidentified flowers

Hi peeps,

I was walking home from kinder drop off this morning and remembered that Zoe needed to take a teddy or doll.  Today is pajama day at kinder, we at least remembered the pajamas.

I rushed home and grabbed the two dolls in her bed, Dotty Doll and a cute felt bunny made by one of my dear friends (Hi Paige).  The quickest way to get back to kinder is via scooter, so I borrowed the big girls, and headed off as quick as I could.

I made it just in time too, phew.

I came home the long way, via the walking and bike paths. These are the paths I have been shuffling running along twice a week (some times even thrice!)

I usually run at night.  It is so beautiful to walk (or scoot) along during the day to appreciate these pretty pink flowers.  I have no idea what they are, except lovely. There was a poor lady there today trying to clean up all the fallen flowers.  Now that job will take her a long time I am sure.

If you want to buy any Christmas presents from my shop, hop to it as the international post cutoff is 10th December.

Have a great weekend.

Cat xox