Pirate Drawstring bag

I got this nice order from a friend to make her little boy a drawstring bag and that he likes pirates.  I surfed the internet for for some patterns and made him a drawstring backpack and used pirate scraps I got from a Crafty Mama.

Recycling jeans into a bag

I've been wanting to do this/try this for a VERRRRY looooooooooong time and this past Wednesday I've done it! And did some Wednesday sewing (yeah Crafty Mamas!). I actually kept these Hello Kitty pants to mend the knees but never got to it and in the meantime my kids out grew it. But I wasn't in dispair as I've had a plan B -grin- ok a plan C because plan B was to cut off the legs and use it as shorts...
As it is a size 116 it turned out a sort of clutch purse with long handles :)
I've added left over zpagetti for fun because MY NAME IS MONIQUE AND I LOVE ZPAGETTI!

The crocheted flowers are from a spring swap at swap-bot

things to do

Sooner than later:

1. I have to make a better bedding for our maltese called Zizi. **DONE**

I've stumbled on the following on READYMADE blog and just love the idea

but will have to see what I do with her situation :)

2. I have to make two draft snakes/pillows

3. Finish the pillow cover I'm knitting

4. Finish the poncho I'm crocheting

5. Finish the pinafore I'm crocheting

6. Make 2 gifts for two little girls - want to try out the keychains I saw at Vlijtig blog. I have the iron transfer paper for some time now and the clipart I'm drawing/doodling so that would make and awesome combo with my farbenmix ribbon I can't wait to use! ***DONE***

T-shirt dress

I've followed this tutorial at CraftyMamas before and made a green/blue combination then. I keep forgetting to leave less space under the arms but anyway it worked out fine.

The fabric is stenso (it normally is so I think this too). It is a beautiful fabric not very visible on this photo as it as little golden dots and makes it look rich with cuteness.

I made roses with the cut off fabric using this tutorial by Tea Rose Home.

Cherries on top!

I made a peasant top to fit the zoe skirt and both are from the Youcanmakethis.com which patterns I just love to make. It is cherry time and I live in cherry country so why not add a couple more cherries. This fabric I got from a CraftyMama from Australia so it is very special in any case.

Pincushion going dutch

For the April Swap at Crafty Mamas you'll remember I got this little cuty.

I thought as it is going to Australia I'll give it a Dutch flavour so made a flower/rosette of Dutch Folk fabrics. The clogs stayed at home. I took the photo's on the dyke with a yellow buttercup as a silent witness.

That Pattern!

Yes! At last I tackled the pattern I've bought almost a decade ago for my firstborn and now I got a third chance to finish it for my youngest child:

It is maybe not that clear but I've added two duck shaped buttons in the middle front to go with the duck theme of the fabric used for the circular parts on this set. It all has a very Dutch Folk look and I think it looks very cute! ..and so I've taken part in the Crafty Mamas challenge for April: "That Pattern"!

The pattern: Koko & Nina

ahw isn't she cute!

April Swap at Crafty Mamas and I ended up with the most cutes Elephant South and North of the Saharah!

I was so fortunate to have Tas as my swap partner so please have a look at her blog Little Boozle. Here she blogged and posted photo's of the little one before the great voyage to Europe from Down Under :) and do visit her shop at Little Boozle at the Marketplace. Tax, thanx again for this little sweety!

ps. Note the little heart between her eyes, now aint that cute!

Giveaway woot! woot!

This is just awesome,
on a cold wet day I got a package from Australia to brighten my day!
I've entered my name for this and got so lucky to receive the most beautiful hand made items from Peta (read her blog: one stitch away as she makes awesome things that are just perfect)
A beautiful large bag where you can fit in everything when go shopping, even the dog lol! (just kidding about the dog). The bag if from "weekend sewing" by Heather Ross
A cute fabric booklet(awesomely neatly made) to store needles (REALLY need this)
and cute self covered buttons and Peta used some really nice fabric from Amy Butler for that!
I'm now posting without photo because have to install my cart reader again and I"m afraid if I wait till it is done I might forget to post in this hectic time.
Thanx so much Peta it really made my day

No calories garanteed

I'm going to be on a market this coming Saturday....my 2nd in my life. So..of course I started too late and as I'm thriving on deadlines my creativity sky rockets. Pity there's still only 24hrs in a day lol.
I've been painting on 3 table cloths. This one is 175x142cm and a whole bundle of fun. I was thinking wat to paint on it that I can do free hand (saves time). The challenge for June at Crafty Mamas gave me an idea with the theme: Calorie Free sweet treats. Mjammie!

The treats are painted with textile paint onto the table cloth and then heat set in the tumble dryer and just to make sure: ironed on the back (have to iron the cloth anyway). The treats are large: 40x40cm and not shown on the photo is the golden liner I used and they have glitter sprinkles!

I took a quick photo on the coffee table where it was drying (yes wet paint all over the house on tables and chairs). A photo on our picknick table in the garden would've been more picture perfect but you get the idea.

ps. while we were eating my 6yr old was telling the story she was reading and said: "...he murdered the room and they called in the police..." I said:"what??"

Lol she meant he wrecked the room (naughty boy)

Knippie Idee Zomer 2008

Oki I have this STASH of fabric and I convinced myself it was time for an overlocker though I've never sewn a piece of clothing before. Not really. Well a little beanie for a baby doesn't count and also not the stuff that I tried but didn't really work out. I mean like seriously following a pattern from a sew mag and actually be proud of it.
Well, now I understand what people were talking about when they say: I can't imagine my sewing life without an overlocker. Quite right. I thought I'd buy one when I'm one seriously good sewer but no! Luckily I didn't wait untill then. I might become one mega sewing girls BECAUSE of my overlocker. What a lovely thing it is to be able to cut and overlock wowee.

Well, I tried a pattern from Knippie Idee zomer 2008 (Dutch mag). The difficulty level was 2 dots. Meaning any experience in sewing. I thought I had that. Well maybe my Dutch is not good enough but I just couldn't get it. And...how do I know how to ruffle the skirt part and it will fit the bodice? Well, I have a ruffler foot and ended up doing it again by hand... snif! snif! Any tips? What is the ratio?
I just pushed through and in the end it made all sense...

only thing is I made it like 2 sizes too big lol! didn't realise that with an overlocker one can easily reduce the size of the extra seam while cutting the pattern... Well maybe it'll fit next Summer lol!

Dress from t-shirt

I've been wanting to try the tutorial out: making a dress from a T-shirt.
I is a very easy to follow tutorial from The Crafty Mama herself: Cinnamum .
It is my first try at sewing a "dress" and one has to start somewhere and quick. I have 3 girls, love being creative, love to buy fabric and am a sahm...so I tried.

Next time I will know that if you sew a t-shirt where you cut it off, it will stretch...yes very logic. Didn't get that one, now I know how to make lettuce edges...lol!
Well in the meantime also got an overlocker so the differencial feed will sort it out for me ;-)
I've used fabric from I think Stenso I bought last year. If someone recognises it as something else please let me know. I've made a double casing to pull ribbon trough but it is not very clear on the photo what I've done there lol. The model is dd8 and it is taken on the Dyke we live on.

Gift idea

A friend's dd8 had her b-day and I had to come up with something.
I painted a premade unbleached cotton drawstring bag. On the photo's the pink/orange looks a bit bland, sorry about that.

I painted a cherry and stenciled a butterfly on the one side, lined with gold.

I made a rosette with her initial on top of it with felt, a check fabric and a cherry fabric (which came all the way from Australia's Twospunkymonkeys from Crafty Mamas), embroder's thread, white lacey buttons and a satin ribbon.

I wanted to put a recipy with an ingredient mix in the bag or marbles (it is now the in season) but didn't have time. I've put a handfull of thick colouring pens in there which will always be used. When te little girl saw it she was so happy as she wanted a bag for her marbles...her mom said "maybe it is to beautifull to use at school" lol! I'm happy when a gift is received in such a way.

Watch out: Gorgeous Model!

and....this is how she pays her boarding and lodging by showing my creations ;-)
I've crocheted a scarf using 2 types of pink and a raspberry crocheting yarn (cotton mix called Paris).
I've added the basic granny square and my favourite daisy squares at the end of the scarf.
I WANT ONE TOO!
I've also tried my hand at making a bib! My first using this tutorial, it is a bit too small (maybe I've printed it too small?) Well it is good for my confidence so I'll make more. I HAVE to make more as this girl eats carrots!

you can see the dutch print pillow I've made for my kitchen chair. I've promised you a photo and you'll have to do with this one ;-)

Happy B-day

Yes, my friends cute little girl turned 2! I made her a pillow. One of my New Year's resolutions (and the only one) was to try my hand at sewing this year. I've already made a pillow for my dd8 (still owe you the photo) and now made one for Strawberry Shortcake. Lol the little cutie had a red birth mark on her forehead and out of sweatness I called her Strawberry Shortcake. The red mark dissapeared and she had the cute little head of Strawberry ;-) I wanted to make her something with a strawberry but as always starte WAY TOO LATE!

The backside is cherise pink with small white dots and a green bias binding. Actually more funky looking than te front. I made a little pocket and wanted to add a little felt animal but it was already too late in the evening and then my eye fell on the little sun so I added it. The fabric comes from one of my swaps. I think from the Flickr fat quater swap but I can be mistaken otherwise it is from a crafty mama ;-)

aaa cute

at last made this fellow:

acute from melly and me patterns ordered at crafty mamas

First I had to search for fabrics in my stash without too much pink as this tryout had to be for dd8 which loves blue and green and NO PINK. So after cutting the pattern I sew the hands and antennae. It was time to turn things inside out and man what a job. I was quite fed-up with the fiddling and as I don't really have Sewing Patience I chucked all the pattern pieces in the rubbish bin! But.....I couldn't let this situation turn into something acute so made a cuppa and enlarged the patter 107% on my printer! Now that was a bit more of a workable size lol. While working on Acute neighbours with children dropped in and other school kids came to play and acute's body parts ended up being made fun of but everybody liked his face. It took two days to actually get the courage and time (I'm nursing a 8 week old baby!) to sew him together. He turned out being 50cm tall measured without the antennae ;-) I don't think I'll try him again, the fingers and the antennae were too much for me lol....I should've given him webbed hands come to think of it.

I also tried out the yo-yo makers from Clover I got in the post: large heart and large flower which wasn't that large at all. I would've then like jumbo size lol:

I made them in baby blue fabric with white spots...should get agwai from the pink I guess. I don't know what it is with the pink and me. I was a blue girl as a child and then turned black for almost 20 years. I guess it is dd6 with her princess girly vibes extracting the little girl in me. I never played with dolls and I was always black and blue playing with the boys outside on the farm.

sewing hats

I'm terrified of knits,
they seem to have a life of their own
and sewing....well I would love to but need some guts to start
(why does my mom live 10 000kms from me....! Oh maybe because I emigrated)

At the crafty mama's site I'm almost daily confronted with beautiful fabrics and creations sewn by other crafty mama's. Yes, I'll come clear: I do have a fabric addiction.
so.... In the last weeks of my pregnancy there was this sale(always some sale their to have a look at!) at the crafty mama shop and I did a naughty thing and ordered me some knits!
White puppies on a light pink background
White puppies on a dark pink background
Cakes on a yellow background
and mjammie watermellons on a pink background

yes....we have 3 girls at home and I'm not afraid of pink!

The package reached me in a week time (!). Great service (as always) from the crafty mama shop in Australia.
My husband brought me the package in hospital where I was after a c-section. He thought somebody sent me a gift for the little girl...yeah me! hihihi rof lol
So there I was with a cute littlel girl and these delicious knits.

After a week when I got home I was stuck and needed baby hats. One eloped in hospital and the others were too big. Little Avon just had 1 to wear and she desperately needed hats to keep her body temperature up to date. Yes...sadly the summer here turned much too soon into Fall (people from warm countries may read Fall=mid winter)
So..... the alluring knits and so creative mother conquerer pain(c-section) and fears (sewing, knits) to save her baby:

I tried to make a reversable hat but it turned out a hat with a different front and back. I guess so soon after being pregnant my hormones is still deleting logic. I'll try again.

Here Avon is just 1 week old. Isn't she just a super cuty??

Well, the day after I came home the midwife (a veteran guy) came to check up on me and burst out in laugther.
He was supprised that a mother supposed to be in bed got up to sew a little pink hat. My reply: creativity gives energy and that is what a mom needs, isn't it? Of course!

08-09-08

I just came in running to tell you about a giveaway at this fun-to- read-blog of one of the Crafty Mama's. So go here to her blog "may the cloth be with you" and try your luck too for this overcute-I-want-to-have- it! pincushion.

and..... it is my last day looking like this: as I'm phoning at lunch to hear if I have to check in this afternoon or tomorrow morning at the hospital
for the c-section
on 09-09-08. ...! Why am I typing here anyway??
I have to pack "that suitcase"!

My first ATC's

What is an ATC?
It is an Artist Trading Card and you can read all about it here. I've been trying to ignore their excistance but couldn't and decided to participate at swap-bot's First timers for ATCs *International*. One has to make 2 cards for 2 partners to swap, no theme as it is for first timers. I've used stamps from South Africa taken from letters my mom sents me.

Sewing update

Last week it was raining cats and dogs outside, inside the cats teamed up with (or against) the dog.
The dog thought..." if you can't win them let them join or else get out of your own basket in shame". I think the the black and white bouncer with his expensive coat is using some version of sign language to tell that there is space for no one else... The little ratty catty is trying to stay unrecognisable regardless of the paparazzi catching them in a very intimate setting.

This week the weather looks better and I odly enough I need now to finish the kitchen curtains to keep the midday sun out otherwise it gets too hot.

I've used Dutch Folk print fabric and made it retro with red fabric with white dots.

I struggled with getting everything to align (it is my second try at making curtains in my life), so took a time out and made a silly but very friendly girl. She agreed to pose at a little niche in my kitchen:

I was actually cutting a couple of dotee's and then thought if I add legs and arms it would be a dolly dotee ;-) I've made the limbs so long as little kids just love clutchable softies....only catch is....I'm keeping her! Though I made her very child friendly