Yep - I finally tracked down hinged o-rings! If these are what you've been looking for, you'll find them HERE!!
And since the Purse Frame and Bag in Day Workshops keep booking up and over, I've scheduled two new dates. 
Purse Frame Workshop - Sat 29th October 2011 - details HERE.
And I believe there are still places available on the Pattern-Free Wrap Skirt Workshop next weekend..... details here.
The wee girl - if you missed my post this morning - has finally got the hang of knitting without (much) help.
After a trip to the dentist last week, we dropped into Morris and Sons (and spent twice as much as the dental bill). OH. MY. GOODNESS. Yarn Heaven....
The wee girl picked out this yarn - aptly called "Fuel". It really sparked her drive to get to grips with the sticks. The instant-gratification of 20-ply on size 8 bamboo needles kept her interest firing on all eight cylinders.
By the time she went to bed tonight (well after this photo was taken), she'd finished 12 rows of stockingette stitch on top of this lot. 
Meanwhile, I was at the machine, practising short-rows and knitting my way through lovely tencel yarn. Very satisfying, to make a scarf in an afternoon... even nicer with a Spring breeze. 
The man of the house was pottering about the garden. Things are sprouting up and home-grown vegetables are on the way. 
There was much pondering of blossoms, and the promise of warm days ahead. I kept thinking of the bike path to work (and that daylight savings time can't come soon enough). 
I have many things to be grateful for. My family and the ability to enjoy a simple day with them is something that I will never take for granted.
...And the knitting kid is the icing on the cake, this weekend.
I can hardly stop admiring it... and working it into a Summer Lace Tank top for myself.
Trying it on reminded me that I hadn't photographed the Coachella that I made earlier this year. 
I really wish I'd taken some photos before it was scruffy and covered in fabric fluff (I've lived in it this winter!). Luckily the tweedy effect of the yarn (Bendigo Woollen Mills something-or-other that I bought last year and can't seem to find on their website anymore) hides a multitude.
I've a bit to learn about gauge-matching between straight and circular needles... but I really don't care about it not being perfect. It's the first non-rectangular knitty thing that I've made for myself, and it's comfy-womfy. 
Not being a quilter, I hadn't seen that my AQC stand made an appearance in Down Under Quilts recently.
A lovely surprise!....and strangely... (GASP!)....I'm tempted to try one of the quilt projects in the magazine. 
This little beauty seems to work a certain type of nowhere-near-as-expensive-as-an-industrial-hotknife magic on polypropylene webbing.
I bought it from Thread Studio at the AQC earlier this year. I've only just got around to trying it on webbing.
I'm sure that a soldering iron would do the same trick, if you have one, but I think that this is a good option if you don't (I didn't). Just beware fumes and only melt webbing in areas with lots of ventilation.
I used Kristen Doran's divine panel print "Winter Nest" for this one and went to town with antique brass coloured fittings.
I squeezed the body of a bag out of the teensiest piece of Echino scooter fabric and used webbing for the strap. The adjustable strap goes from one side of the bag to the other.
Saturday was another very full day of bag-making in my studio. Lots of fabric, lots of sewing, lots of cups of tea.... 
I gave lots of tips on ways to use interfacing, reduce bulk in seams, turn out sharp corners and create smooth lines and edges. 
I taught people to insert magnetic snaps and twist locks.
I taught a few people to overcome zipper-phobia. 
I taught the girls a few tricks about making nice, neat straps with rings. 
I even gave a good example of why everyone should follow my advice to separate the lining pattern from the outside bag pattern before cutting any fabric, lest (in a moment of lapsed concentration) the wrong piece be cut.
This bag - like myself - was made a little shorter than most.
I pay three lovely ladies to work on each order individually - giving you the attention you'd get if you just walked into your local sewing supplies store. They spend a lot of time packing, weighing, invoicing your order, and then emailing you to personally to make sure you're happy with it, and organising payment. They're happy to discuss your order via email or on the phone and give advice on the products. We also ship things out as soon as payment is received.
We believe that this service makes us unique in the online shopping world - and it saves you the hassle of getting out to the shops (including saving on parking, petrol and hassles with small kids in fabric stores...) but the $3 packaging and handling fee we charge barely covers the cost to me. However, I'm aware that it can be a substantial add-on cost to a small order (say, for one pattern).
Have you thought about getting together with a friend or two - your craft group, perhaps? - and putting in a group order? You will only be charged for one handling fee and your portion of the postage will more than likely be cheaper than to pay for a small parcel.
Or think about what else you might need to complete the project you're working on and make one order rather than two. If you scroll down to the bottom of each age in the shopping cart, there is a tab called "related products"...take a look!
If your parcel is under 5kg and you're within Australia, the cheapest shipping is often via courier flat-rate 1kg, 3kg or 5kg satchel. These days, we're finding courier more reliable than the postal service and insurance is included in the price of the satchel (unlike the infinitely variable add-on insurance with the postal service). It can save you a substantial amount in shipping charges to have your parcel delivered by courier.
To request Courier delivery, make sure you give us a delivery address where somebody can receive the parcel during business hours... perhaps your work address. (You can update your address as you place your order). 
Then, when you choose your delivery method, choose "COURIER".
While we're on the subject of saving money, we have a few specials on at the moment... like this lovely medium-weight interfacing... 
I accidentally ordered the wrong code, and what we received is slightly lighter than our usual medium-heavy interfacing. Same-same but different....
The swatch on the left hand side is our usual Medium-Heavy and the one on the right is the new one. The new one is a little lighter, a little more gauze-like (you can see more green cutting board through it in the photo, above).
It fuses beautifully and gives almost the same support as the Medium-Heavy, but it's not what we usually supply. For the sake of consistency in our stock, I'd like to clear this roll at a discount price. We'll deduct 33% from the usual price (making it $7.37 plus GST, per metre).
To order it, just order the usual medium-heavy (HERE), but leave a comment in the comment box with your order to specify that you want the DISCOUNT INTERFACING.
We also received a ridiculously large proportion of grey zips in our last delivery of mixed zips. They are all sorts of lengths but all the same colour - a sort of mid-grey that reminds me of school uniforms. 
I'm happy to see them go at $4 per bundle of 15 ($3.64 if you live outside Australia). At that price, they are not the least bit precious and could be used for toiles (muslins) or for practising your zipper-insertion techniques. Goodness, you might even sew lots of grey fabric....
You can order them HERE. I've added a "grey only" option in the shopping cart, which will give you the correct discount price.
In these lean times, a few savings here and there add up. I hope these tips help you out....
I've been a bit obsessed with scraps of machine-knitted experiments and disasters. Waste-not-want-not and all that....
I moved on to felted woollen jumpers (and stayed with the purse frames).
I like it.
I dropped into GJ's on Saturday and found lots of inspiration...
Stay tuned...
Artworks by my sister....
And my brother.....
The whole thing has got me thinking about nature vs nurture in the idea of the "creative family". I come from a long line of crafty, creative, make-do-and-mend sorts... but is creativity innate or environmental....?
In my family, creativity was encouraged. Materials, time and space were allowed for the creation of anything we cared to make. Mess was allowed (...although I seem to remember an incident involving purple candle wax on the dining room carpet....hmmmm...).
Amongst it all, I rediscovered the quick-fix joy of making the Party Purse (pattern HERE). 
This purse was originally inspired by the memory of (many years ago) when I was bridesmaid for my best friend.
It wasn't this design, but the idea stuck....
It needed to be infinitely variable, to suit a wide range of fabric types, occasions and personal styles. And it needed to be EASY AND QUICK TO MAKE. .
So chock-full of instant-gratification was I, in my little Party-Purse-making frenzy, I found myself whipping these up and not wanting to stop. But stop, I did (other fish to fry). I took photos and then forgot all about blogging them.... so here they are, at last.
On Friday I made a wavy (knitting-machine-short-row-practise) scarf using two balls of the lovely Tencel yarn I bought at the quilt show. All manner of dodgey-ness (in technique and finish) prevent me from giving it as the gift it was intended to be, so it's MINE...and it's sooooo lovely and soft to wear... and drapes beautifully. But dodgey... yes, too dodgey to give away.
Saturday was a sewing day with the wee one. We cracked into the Saffron Craig cat panels that I brought back from the Sydney show. The wee girl is cat-obsessed and likes sewing so it was a no-brainer project choice. 
Little snippy embroidery scissors gave her the control she needed to snip confidently around the seam allowances, and were a huge hit. (I only wish she'd listen to my advice about holding onto the main fabric and snipping off the little scraps, instead of the other way around. I guess she's only going to learn when she cuts herself. She's that kind of kid....)
She changed the name from the "Tom-Puss" printed on the panel (and we therefore had to make a new name-tag). I believe she also gave it a sex-change... "Kitford is a girl, actually...."
The other panel-cat is "Catford". (Catford is a girl too, I think).
The fancy-schmantzy sewing machine was set to super-low-speed and she sewed curves and corners - first with lots of help but needing less as the day progressed.
I drew lines to show her where to clip the seam allowances, and she managed without accident or incident. We used pinking shears too.
After a bit of stuffing and slip-stitching, Kitford and Catford were ready for bed.....
..with all the other friends. 
(Note: "Starrie" from the girl's last sewing lesson and "Snailie", a gift from the gorgeous Annie).
On Sunday we ventured out to the backyard for a photoshoot of the newly finished knitted dress (started on the train to Sydney). It was too cold to go out without a few more layers...the Beebop cardi I made last year, a crochet hat...
...and a hideous acrylic Collingwood (football team) scarf that the wee girl and I knitted on the machine a few weeks ago.
The dress was a bit of a make-it-up-as-I-go-along thing, based on a few of the techniques I've picked up from making other simple patterns. It worked really well and I've no idea how to repeat it.
I spent the better part of Sunday with the knitting machine. The wee girl made another softie cat, pretty much on her own. By the time she finished it, I was too busy trying to undo a major bungle on the knitting machine to take a photo....
