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| I sewed a triangle of stitches to strengthen the pockets. The green had a curved hem and the blue a straight one... |
Apron Sewing
To make these two aprons I used the pattern Kwik Sew 2311. The green, View B turned out better than the blue, View D. Because by that stage I'd had enough of them, all those straps! They are for my mother who likes full aprons it's always cheaper to sew them....Over the years my apron patterns have become very plain. I used to do the full gathering ones that seem to have a popularity now in all those beautiful fabrics. This makes the aprons look very pretty and flouncy and one day I might make one for myself to keep!
The Miraculous Journey of Teddy
This teddy was the first one I ever made and he's still the only one! He is a bit goofy looking, his eyes are too close and his stuffed face has gone flatter with age. I think I sewed some of him by hand...... No child has ever been remotely interested in him (maybe he was too big and goofy). He has been totally ignored and forgotten, every now and then I'd get him out and sit him in a cane chair.....
Well I've given up my sewing project from so long ago. It's time to let him begin his own 'Miraculous journey'. Poor thing his growl no longer works and he has no nose. I think the dog ate it, and he has paint on his legs.....Oh well someone loves him now....
I couldn't let Teddy go without a nose, so I patched him up and gave him a new felt one ( he looks smart). I gave him a cuddle and squeeze and said goodbye he just looked at me with his two goofy eyes (funny how you can get attached to a teddy bear). Instead of spending his life in a chair or cupboard he's off to live somewhere else to be squashed and cuddled by a rather busy little girl...
Now I don't know if I'm happy or sad as he's been spotted by a cute two year old. She dragged Teddy around the house, she laid on him, she cuddled him and then she threw Teddy onto the floor. Those two are are almost the same size!
Well I've given up my sewing project from so long ago. It's time to let him begin his own 'Miraculous journey'. Poor thing his growl no longer works and he has no nose. I think the dog ate it, and he has paint on his legs.....Oh well someone loves him now....
I couldn't let Teddy go without a nose, so I patched him up and gave him a new felt one ( he looks smart). I gave him a cuddle and squeeze and said goodbye he just looked at me with his two goofy eyes (funny how you can get attached to a teddy bear). Instead of spending his life in a chair or cupboard he's off to live somewhere else to be squashed and cuddled by a rather busy little girl...
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| I think he came from a pattern called 'Ernest Bear' Except Earnest Bear looked like the pattern but Teddy did not! |
A Day of Hearts
There is not much sewing happening in my patch, but I have so many ideas of things I'm going to sew that I'm almost bursting.....All I've done so far is make felt hearts and gone shopping for sewing patterns......
The Cathedral in Ruins
It's a long time since I have been into Cathedral Square. There are so many shopping malls now and you tend to go there, easy parking....I like many others went to view the Christchurch Cathedral for the last time before it is pulled down. It took me back to more carefree times when I used to go into town on the bus then go and climb the Cathedral spire. It was wonderful you got to look out at the square and city......
Not so good when you have the realization that your children have never done this nor their children.... I forgot that one, I guess I'm the only one in my family that has climbed it....Anyway all of my family on different days, except one, took the walk into the city to view the Cathedral for the last time......
Not so good when you have the realization that your children have never done this nor their children.... I forgot that one, I guess I'm the only one in my family that has climbed it....Anyway all of my family on different days, except one, took the walk into the city to view the Cathedral for the last time......
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| It was getting really busy, it was only 930am... and it was too hot and sunny for good pics...... This was the last day for viewing the Cathedral |
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| The door's still okay.... |
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| Amazing detail above the door.... |
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| Some of the stained glass windows are okay and they will be removed unlike this one.... |
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| The tower is gone... |
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| Perhaps we should leave it as ruins just like the Romans did......but I doubt that will happen |
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| The Christchurch Cathedral was built around in the 19th century and this is all that's left of it now, it's to be demolished Photo taken by my brother he went the week before me so got a better pic of the whole Cathedral....with no people in front |
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| The top of the spire is in the Canterbury Museum |
Basic Bias for Beginners
Making Bias Binding with the Simplicity Bias Binder Machine
Firstly you need to fold your fabric and how to do this can be found @ Sew4Home. It's a really good idea to press your fabric first before marking your strips (I didn't though).
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| The first batch |
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| It folded well at the back.... |
Firstly you need to fold your fabric and how to do this can be found @ Sew4Home. It's a really good idea to press your fabric first before marking your strips (I didn't though).
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| Measure and mark 2"fabric strips to make 1" bias binding. When it's re- folded it becomes a 1/2" bias...... |
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| Cut the strips with scissors or a rotary blade. I think a rotary is best if you know how to use it. I still go wonky with it hence I'm using scissors. |
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| Cut the ends straight and pin on right angle...... |
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| Sew right angle with a straight stitch.... |
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| Cut the excess fabric off. My seam is a fraction big.... Then press open creating a flat diagonal seam |
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| Right side of bias strip is now all ready to press |
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| Wind the bias strip onto the spool...... |
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| Not too tight though, but firmly wind...... |
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| Place the spool into bias machine...... |
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| Just about there.... |
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| Now thread the fabric strip through the 1" bias maker. You may need to use something pointy to help guide it through. Next heat up the machine at right setting. I used cotton...... |
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| Now remove the cover over the iron. Follow the instructions that come with the bias machine on how to do this part (you slide it back) |
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| Ready now to put the cover back on.....don't burn your fingers! |
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| Press the 'run' button and out comes the folded bias.....fantastic! |
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| Yay! it's all done and ready to roll or press in half if you want to...... |
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| Now the bias binding is all ready to use. Keep the bias binding wound up on a spool. I didn't have anything fancy so I just used the inner of a plastic wrap roll..... |
Japan Day 2012
Yesterday was the Canterbury Japan Day which celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Japanese Society here in New Zealand. It was also the '60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and New Zealand' and it was the 1 year anniversary of the Great East Japanese Earthquake.....
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| A little bird on his way to the festival... |
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| From Japan showing how to put on the Kimono... |
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| Food...Anime Cafe and Cosplay |
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| Children wearing the Kimono...oh the beautiful fabric! |
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| Lanterns everywhere and the children on stage.... |
Neddle Threader
I did it, I can now work the Juki F600 needle threader! The foot has to be down.....
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| One thing I do like about the Juki Exceed is that it has really good lighting...... |
Covering Your Cell Phone
I've come to the conclusion making small things are not my forte, too much fiddling around for my fading eyes and getting old fingers. Sewing a garment is so much easier....If you want to make a cell phone cover there is a pretty cool clear tutorial on A Pretty Cool Life for this cell phone/i-Pod cover. It's sewn all-in-one and is just the style I've been looking for......
It's very easy to follow and here are my efforts with slight changes......I cut the width down and added a button (a button from my younger days). I'll sew this again when I pick up some colourful fabric, this was just made from scraps I had lying around.....Next time I will have it all worked out, but for now this one does the job it protects my phone well.
It's very easy to follow and here are my efforts with slight changes......I cut the width down and added a button (a button from my younger days). I'll sew this again when I pick up some colourful fabric, this was just made from scraps I had lying around.....Next time I will have it all worked out, but for now this one does the job it protects my phone well.
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| The phone cover is made out of cotton. The batting inside is ironing board felt.......It's all I had at the time, and is perhaps a little too thick for this project.... |
Bath Bomb Buzz
Have you tried making your own bath bombs? Every now and then I give it a go, or I help others make them, or I try to concoct love potion bath bombs, but that's another story of mayhem!.....The trick is not to moisten your dry bath bomb mix too much or it will react and fizz before you have even put them into a mold....
Here is the basic bath bomb recipe I use......I sometimes change it around by adding a couple of tablespoons of milk powder to the mix. I then just adjust the dry ingredients to accommodate this...The oil I used here is grapeseed oil but you can use almond, coconut, olive or avocado etc. I do find that depending on the type of oil you use (some go rancid very quickly) bath bombs will keep their nice perfume only as long as the oil ingredient hasn't gone off.....
Bath Bomb Recipe
1 cup of baking soda
1/2 cup of cornflour
1/2 cup of citric acid
2 1/2 teaspoons of oil
5mls of fragrance
A drop of coloring (food grade)
Water or witch hazel in a spray bottle
I whisk or sieve all the dry ingredients together in a stainless steel or glass bowl (never plastic)......Then I blend the oil and colouring together in a small glass (as many drops of colour as you need). Then I add the fragrance, essential oils, perfume or what ever I have to the oil/colouring mix and then give it a stir. Now it's all ready....
Quickly work the oil/color/fragrance mix into the dry mix with your hands. I use plastic gloves to protect my hands. Next I spray witch hazel (about 3-4 pumps on a fine mist setting) onto the crumbly bath bomb mix and then I rub/squeeze/knead all the mix together. Work very fast at this stage to stop any chemical reaction......Your mixture may look dry but don't be tempted to add more liquid the mixture just needs to be damp enough to mold. Next press the mixture into your mold of choice (I used a heart shape patty pan tin). I turn my bombs out of the mold fairly quickly to dry because I need the mold for the rest of them......For more detailed information on making bath bombs click here.
Molds
You can use old muffin pans, silicone ice block trays (I use these for my scraps). My round clear plastic molds I bought years ago at a craft store. These are the cheapest to buy but they are really hard to find in New Zealand now. Here is a site in Australia that sells the plastic molds and ships internationally also. My stainless steel bath bomb mold which is the most long lasting, I sourced from overseas here.
Wrapping Bath Bombs
If you are not using your bath bombs straight away it is a good idea to shrink wrap them after 24hrs or when they are completely dry......Sounds expensive, but the easy and cheap way to do this is to buy some Gladwrap (plastic wrap). Cut the cling wrap to size and wrap it around each individual bath bomb.
Now this is the fun part get your heat gun and gently apply it to the plastic wrap which will start to shrink to the shape of the bath bomb. This is very tricky as you really need to watch you don't burn your fingers....
Also you need to be careful you don't make holes in the plastic wrap from too much heat. But don't worry you can fix this by tearing a small piece of plastic wrap and cover the hole and then re-apply heat onto it. Round shaped bath bombs are the easiest to shrink wrap and the easiest to patch! After your bath bombs are all shrink wrapped you can embellish them with ribbons, string, material or just pack them up in a nice box......Or if you like, you can keep them in a sealed glass bottle ready to use (you won't need to shrink wrap).
Tip
When making bath bombs don't give up if your batch is a disaster, practise makes perfect.....
Here is the basic bath bomb recipe I use......I sometimes change it around by adding a couple of tablespoons of milk powder to the mix. I then just adjust the dry ingredients to accommodate this...The oil I used here is grapeseed oil but you can use almond, coconut, olive or avocado etc. I do find that depending on the type of oil you use (some go rancid very quickly) bath bombs will keep their nice perfume only as long as the oil ingredient hasn't gone off.....
Bath Bomb Recipe
1 cup of baking soda
1/2 cup of cornflour
1/2 cup of citric acid
2 1/2 teaspoons of oil
5mls of fragrance
A drop of coloring (food grade)
Water or witch hazel in a spray bottle
I whisk or sieve all the dry ingredients together in a stainless steel or glass bowl (never plastic)......Then I blend the oil and colouring together in a small glass (as many drops of colour as you need). Then I add the fragrance, essential oils, perfume or what ever I have to the oil/colouring mix and then give it a stir. Now it's all ready....
Quickly work the oil/color/fragrance mix into the dry mix with your hands. I use plastic gloves to protect my hands. Next I spray witch hazel (about 3-4 pumps on a fine mist setting) onto the crumbly bath bomb mix and then I rub/squeeze/knead all the mix together. Work very fast at this stage to stop any chemical reaction......Your mixture may look dry but don't be tempted to add more liquid the mixture just needs to be damp enough to mold. Next press the mixture into your mold of choice (I used a heart shape patty pan tin). I turn my bombs out of the mold fairly quickly to dry because I need the mold for the rest of them......For more detailed information on making bath bombs click here.
Molds
You can use old muffin pans, silicone ice block trays (I use these for my scraps). My round clear plastic molds I bought years ago at a craft store. These are the cheapest to buy but they are really hard to find in New Zealand now. Here is a site in Australia that sells the plastic molds and ships internationally also. My stainless steel bath bomb mold which is the most long lasting, I sourced from overseas here.
Wrapping Bath Bombs
If you are not using your bath bombs straight away it is a good idea to shrink wrap them after 24hrs or when they are completely dry......Sounds expensive, but the easy and cheap way to do this is to buy some Gladwrap (plastic wrap). Cut the cling wrap to size and wrap it around each individual bath bomb.
Now this is the fun part get your heat gun and gently apply it to the plastic wrap which will start to shrink to the shape of the bath bomb. This is very tricky as you really need to watch you don't burn your fingers....
Also you need to be careful you don't make holes in the plastic wrap from too much heat. But don't worry you can fix this by tearing a small piece of plastic wrap and cover the hole and then re-apply heat onto it. Round shaped bath bombs are the easiest to shrink wrap and the easiest to patch! After your bath bombs are all shrink wrapped you can embellish them with ribbons, string, material or just pack them up in a nice box......Or if you like, you can keep them in a sealed glass bottle ready to use (you won't need to shrink wrap).
Tip
When making bath bombs don't give up if your batch is a disaster, practise makes perfect.....
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| These ones have been shrink wrapped just using plain old Gladwrap. Some brands work better than others, even the cheap ones from $2.00 shops |
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| I use up the scraps of bath bomb mixture to make mini fizzers and store them in a air tight jar Except this one is not air tight but they were used up quickly so it didn't matter |
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| Fragrant fizzy 'Heart Bath Bombs' with dried pansy petals added to the mix..... |
Looking for Juki F600 Links?
Here are a few links I've found online on the JukiF600.
This one has the manual and pattern PDF:
http://little-package.com/juki-fseries/
Juki F600 demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNvRzq5vP5Y
Juki F600 Video and info:http:
http://bendingpins.com/2011/03/11/juki-f600-video-and-pictures/
Bobbin winder on the Juki F600:
http://pedantialand.blogspot.co.nz/2010/01/juki-f600-bobbin-winder.html
Want to buy a Juki F660 in New Zealand or Australia:
http://www.swiftquilter.co.nz/
Bending Pins a blog with Juki F600 info:
http://bendingpins.com/my-juki/
Photos of the Juki F600:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewsister/sets/72157626246037418/
This one has the manual and pattern PDF:
http://little-package.com/juki-fseries/
Juki F600 demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNvRzq5vP5Y
Juki F600 Video and info:http:
http://bendingpins.com/2011/03/11/juki-f600-video-and-pictures/
Bobbin winder on the Juki F600:
http://pedantialand.blogspot.co.nz/2010/01/juki-f600-bobbin-winder.html
Want to buy a Juki F660 in New Zealand or Australia:
http://www.swiftquilter.co.nz/
Bending Pins a blog with Juki F600 info:
http://bendingpins.com/my-juki/
Photos of the Juki F600:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewsister/sets/72157626246037418/
Woolley Tights for Bubs
These knitted tights I made a winter or so ago......I loved the quality of this wool, it had that 'good knitting feel to it'. I've gotta have that, feels so good on the needles you can't put it down or I wouldn't complete my project (you know what I mean?) I found the Tiny Birds Soaker Pants pattern online it was pretty easy to follow. I liked this project very much the tights are pure wool so they absorb any wetness from wicking nappies/covers etc....
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| I managed to match up the stripes... the cord is a single crochet |
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| Knitted in Cheakheaton Country Prints 8 ply I bought the wool on sale for a couple of dollars... |
Piklets Yum Yum
Pikelets are always fun to make, the only thing I forgot to say in my pikelet recipe below is that I use non-fat milk ( green top for those who live down under). Only because I never have full fat milk in the house....I had a little helper, here are our efforts.
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| All made and ready to eat.... |
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| one extra large pikelet for the hungry.... |
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| Whip up some cream until stiff..... |
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| Usually we use raspberry jam but this one is really good too! |
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| Spread the jam on the pikelet and blob a spoonful of whipped cream on the top... |
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| I love pikelets.......Yummy! |
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| Just a couple more bites..... |
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| And it's all gone! |
Piklets or Pancakes
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