Purses de jour

Thanks lovely ladies for a great purse frame class today.   It was a great way to spend a Saturday!!

Tonight it's back to life, back to reality..... and I'm back to knitting cats.

So, what ELSE did I do in Canberra..?

Lots of knitting and un-knitting* of this sock.
 

*Note to self: Do not knit fancy stitch patterns while watching Downton Abbey.

...And what of the two-at-a-time socks...?  Well, it just wasn't much fun.  I had to concentrate too hard and it took the joy out of meditative knitting.  I ditched one.

 On a lunch break from teaching, I discovered the hidden joys of A Stitch 'n Time  - the nearby yarn shop.  The display and merchandising in the shop isn't a patch on the lusciously inspirational Morris and Sons, but if you know what you're looking for, the yarns are divine and the prices are super-great.  I bought sock yarn in both wool and bamboo-nylon (it's LOVELY... and I'm thinking baby cardigans...) for about $18 a ball.  The beautiful green Italian cotton feels almost like bamboo - it's so soft and lustrous.

 

 And then the bloke (who came up to Canberra for the weekend with the wee girl) found this book in the Portrait Gallery bookshop.  He thought there could be no better fit for our cat-mad, knitting kid.

 They really are very cute...

And I had plans to work with the wee girl on something simple, like a kitten.  Of course, she set her heart on the Persian before I got  around to discussing the benefits of "baby steps" when one is first learning to knit.

 

But of course, she's a dreamer.  A Visionary.  She has plans of her own.....

Oh yes.... she has plans....

And so, the much-un-knitted sock remains much-unknitted, and the new yarn is still looking luscious  and lustrous in it's original wrapping.

And we've started knitting a Persian cat.

Addicted to Fabric.... (Yep!)

I spent three days in this wonderland of patchwork and dressmaking fabrics....

What a wonderful setting for classes and a trunk show, surrounded by so many beautiful fabrics and quilts.

 

I had a fab time and enjoyed meeting lots of great sewing gals during the four classes and trunk show.  It hardly felt like work.

 

Purses and bags were made.

 Sewing newbies were amazed at what they could achieve...

..and I was treated like royalty!

All in all, a great weekend.  Many thanks to the folks at Addicted to Fabric and to everyone who came to a class or the trunk show.

I'll be back in Canberra in March 2012.  I believe the workshops are booked out, so you may have to go on a waiting list if you're keen to attend.

Can't talk....

Busy packing for Canberra.

Just leaving you with a few Xmas present ideas from You Sew Girl,  le book....

for the kids and babies in your life or circle of aquaintance... (or any other excuse to make cute stuff)....

Things like baby hats...

 kids belts (with or without velcro, depending on the age of the kid)....

 and pre-school backpacks.

The cheapest way to get my book  overseas still appears to be through Fishpond.  They seem to have some sort of SUPER deal going at the moment.  It's listed at $26.99 AUD with free shipping within Australia.  International shipping rates are listed HERE.  (Perhaps the book could be a xmas present...?).

EDITED TO ADD: Not sure what's going on with Fishpond.  The price seems to flip between $26.99 and $69.99!

Of course, for more instant gratification and support to your local businesses, the book is also available at bookstores and fabric shops across the country. 

And if you'd like a signed copy, you can buy one from me (or go to Addicted to Fabric in Canberra this weekend!).  I'll be doing a "trunk show" on Friday night, so you can also see the real samples of the projects and patterns.

Seeya next week!

Oh yes, and I'm over at Whip Up, too....

There's little how-to for a baby gift over HERE at Whip Up, along with countless other fabulous projects by talented people.

Kokka-loco and purse-mania

Yep. Purses. Production-line style. This one with a (completely intentional, of course....) wrap-around bird.

The odd playground scene...Cutesy stuff.

Gotta love those Japanese prints. These are all from Duckcloth a year or so ago. I've been thinking about Echino (by Kokka) fabrics as a panel in my A-line Skirt.

(BTW - Did you know that Duckcloth are now stocking my A-line Skirt pattern? As are GJ's and Addicted to Fabric. You can now buy the pattern and the fabric together!)

Then it was onto a bit of quilting fabric.... Shell purse and 90mm purse frame purses.

And then I gave up on old and goopy glue. Things were not coming together as they ought, so production has been suspended until new glue arrives.

I have a few more purses to frame and a few more made in various stages of construction to take to Canberra on Thursday. I'm also madly sewing up step-by-step samples of bag bits for two purse frame workshops and two Sharper Edge classes at Addicted to Fabric.

Busy days.

A massive crafty, chatty sort of day

Saturday morning. Ink & Spindle HQ. Surrounded by gorgeousness and 3rd birthday celebrations (for the business)...Somebody brought a kid along, who made a beeline for the food and ate all the corn chips.
And during the fascinating demonstration of the printing process, managed to be right under Lara's elbow... ...the whole way down the table.And then the kid drew some pictures and insisted that Tegan ignore the customers and admire them "on BOTH sides, because they're very good."
I've no idea who brought the child, but I'm sure she'll never be invited again.

Strangely, the same child was there when I got to the Made 'n' Thornbury market (mostly seen loitering about the craft table and sitting herself down for some face-painting).
It was great to see all the gals from the "Make Craft Your Business" course that I met a few months ago (when I was speaker at one of the sessions) with their own craft market stalls. And 'twas an absolute joy to see Veronica from Mulberry Threads with her fabulous felted accessories. Veronica was one of my most dedicated students - regularly making a 4-hour round-trip to come to bag-making classes. I think she could show me a thing or twenty about felting.... her work is stunning.

This crochet wire work was lovely, too.

These gorgeous critters by Make It Wednesday were totally charming. They're all made from odd socks and pre-loved clothing, handmade in Melbourne and completely original. Love, love, love... and you can buy them here.

I also caught up with Lara, Cathie, Margaret, Melanie and my friend Lisa (blogless and not crafty, but very nice) and a few other stall-holders I've come to know over the years.

Then Lisa and I went for a late lunch in a cafe (Plan B, since the drinks stand had closed up early at the market). It was fabulous to be able to spend relaxed time with one of my oldest-and-dearests and have a good catch-up (funny....that kid was there, too, roaming about with her cat-face facepaint, making friends with other diners).

And then I came home and had a long telephone conversation with Leonie.....

And then I didn't feel like talking anymore. So my beautiful wee girl and I did some knitting together.

Kid Stuff

Oh, the cuteness of this Aunt Lindy's Paper Dolls fabric.... I'm in lurve.It inspires all manner of cutesy-wutsey bags and hats for littlies. I made my Small Tote and Kids Hats patterns up in a patchworky mix-and-match style. Tonight, I was trying to beat the fading daylight to finish and photograph these (no time for a final press)....but the light beat me.

Yes, things look better with a bit of a press and proper lighting.... see? (I'll have to press and re-shoot this one).Earlier in the week, I'd made the winter kiddie set, using the Kids Beret and the shorter version of the Small Tote (a variation included in the Small Tote pattern) in pinwale corduroy. And I discovered a new page-load craft.... Kanzashi flowers! (Previously, they'd only been TV craft).

A pursey sort of day

I'm sewing up a purse storm for the classes and trunk show at Addicted to Fabric next week.... are you going?
We realised today that we still have a couple of places left on the Purse Frame Workshop on 29th October here in Melbourne. (Details and bookings HERE)

And if you can't go to a class, rest assured that you can still get the kits here. The instructions are very well written (even if I do say so myself) and come with the back-up of tech support if you need it. They are a "class* in a packet".

(*Granted, there are no Tim Tams in the purse kit packet, and no cups of tea or funny conversations about gorillas and no hands-on help at your beck and call..... but if you can sew and follow instructions, you'll be able to make yourself lots of gorgeous framed purses).

A Couple of City Chicks

I'm doing a bit of a revamp of bag samples. I want to have lots of fresh and inspirational things to take up to Addicted to Fabric next week, I want to overhaul the look of the pattern covers and... well... I keep coming up with new ways of interpreting the patterns, and want to SHOW you!

Among other things, the City Bag got a freshening up.
I made this one from a few (garment-sewing) offcuts of fairly heavy green linen and patched over a panel of a scrap left over from one of my original A-line skirts. I used 32mm flat o-rings in antique brass colour.

This one, I made from quilting fabric I bought at GJ's for a completely different project..... but I thought it might work as a City Bag. I put a tri-glide on the strap to make it adjustable. (Tutorial for an adjustable strap HERE).

And here are two I prepared earlier.... but hadn't photographed properly. You can see my original post about them HERE. This red and black one is a quilting fabric I bought at GJ's about three or four years ago. The orange one below is made from the last few scraps of orange moleskin I had left over from hat-making days. The panel is a bit of Kaffe.

As a handbag to use and carry, I really love the City Bag. I've all but completely worn out the original cover-girl one, which I made in upholstery-weight microfibre 'suede' (and machine embroidered a huge bug on it). It always gets lots of comments.

I wear my City Bag hands-free style - across my body - and the curved shape at the top sits comfortably around my body, but it can equally be worn over one shoulder. The zip at the top makes it secure and it has a zippered pocket and compartment pocket in the lining.

I'm a bit inspired to make a few more, but I have other samples to make.

Don't you love a group of crafty gals...

..who don't think it's weird when you invite them over for lunch and a spot of scissor-sharpening? Instead of leaving my scissors to be sharpened somewhere, I like to have the scissor sharpening guy (Steve) come to me and sharpen while I wait.

Since I moved away from all the fashion businesses in my previous building, I had to think of a way to make it worth Steve's time to visit.
Umm... do I know anyone else who might need scissors sharpened...?
Oh boy, do I! We had a great catch-up over cuppas and lunch. Steve the scissor guy was mighty happy (...with everything except the dodgey cup of tea I poured for him. Sorry Steve - I think the pot had been sitting there a while....).
And the entire building was completely utilised for the event.
We had babies and blocks on the balcony....
The electronic games arcade on the stairs for the bigger kids....
The small children were sent to the dungeon (the garage, resembling crafty-kid Heaven).

The intricate and careful design work in the hama bead creations spoke volumes about the world these kids live in.

As did the resemblance of this beauty, to a granny square!! (Guess whose kid...?)

Big thanks to all who came along. These lovely ladies and their great kids -

Karen

Carmel and Liz

Ann Marie

Leonie

Dee

Bec

Melissa

Nicole

Brianna

Lara

Mel

Jennie

Claire

Juddie

Michelle

Judy

Cathie

EDITED TO ADD: Distracted by the call (from a small girl) to teach a small girl how to crochet this morning, I forgot to add the grand finale to the scissor-sharpening lunch. The seedling queen (my sister) made sure anyone with space in their garden took home some of her surplus seedlings. She gets a bit excited about planting seeds, but is lacking the 40,000 acres to raise them to adult plant stage. Several of us spent some happy planting time this weekend, and look forward to heritage variety vegetables and flowers - thanks, Leonie!!