Unicorn.

Way back in June, I posted about receiving bags and bags of crafting goodies from my friend Leah. Mostly it was fabrics, the bulk of which were upholstery samples...

I knew that I wanted to make some adorable toys from them - and finally I have the first one ready to show you...

A precious unicorn!

Boring But Necessary

We all have them...

The BORING but necessary tasks.

Often they don't take long to do, but if you're anything like me - you procrastinate for as long as possible...



A job that has been lingering on my to-do list for far too long is HAND BAG REPAIRS.

And I don't know why. This is my every day hand bag. Obviously I USE IT EVERY DAY. So, it stands to reason that if there is a problem with it - then I should fix it quickly...

And yet I didn't.



There are three zippered pockets in this bag, and the lining in every single one of them was torn. Which of course meant that any item which went into the pocket would invariably end up stuck in the "Black Hole" which lies between the bag and its lining. Especially annoying when it's your car keys... or a ringing mobile phone!




The repairs were remarkably simple. It was just a matter of tucking in the frayed edges and pinning the lining back together... then working a whip stitch to create a new seam.



Twenty minutes later, and I was restocking my bag with all the necessary goodies (including a ziplock bag of teabag strings to knot together whenever I get a spare minute)



So tell me... what boring but necessary job is at the top of your to-do list?

And Now For The Curtains

Well...

Of course the room needed new curtains, right?

And of course I wanted to UPCYCLE something in the process, right?

These double bed sheets were perfect for the job!

I love their "Vintagey Vibe". They feel just like the kind of sheets that I would have had on my bed when I was eight years old - and Little Miss Katie loves them too. In fact, they came with a couple of pillow cases... so we've already snaffled them for our beds.

Each sheet had a couple of small holes - but they were right near the edge, so I was able to just trim a length off without causing any problems.Which was quite a relief, since I hadn't noticed them until I started ironing...

Man there was a lot of IRONING!!!

I'm not much of a Sewing Legend, but I did want to line the curtains... 

So I used this tutorial here for the basics and then stitched header tape to the top to gather the curtains...

 

For the lining, I recycled an old doona cover.

(Now for all of my non-Aussie readers - that would be a duvet cover or a quilt cover!)

I hadn't realised until I came to use it, that the top and bottom of the cover were two different prints. Mind you, they were exactly the same colour - so I just went ahead and used them anyway. But it does mean that there is a slight difference between each one...

Take a peek at the left curtain:

And now the right curtain:

See what I mean?

Different. But not different enough to worry about. 

So now the curtain are done, and the room is coming together nicely...

You can't see from the photos, but three of the walls are painted white and one is lilac - the same colour as the mirror. So the Vintagey Vibe curtains work beautifully!

We even found a place for the Blooming Flower Cushion I made a year or so back:

PS. The Girl was away on camp when I took this photo, which explains why the floral pillowcase is missing from the bed - and also why the room is actually CLEAN!!!

Time for some sewing...

Had a bit of a sort through the fabric stash today and chose the lining material for My Hakelbeutel. As you can see it's an off white fabric with a black floral print.

I don't like to be all matchy-matchy with my linings, so I like the idea of a simple black and white.

This remnant came from my Grandma Maria (my Mother-In-Law)

Maria is a professional dressmaker, thought it's years and years since she's worked in the industry... A couple of years back when she moved house (after 40 plus years in the same place), she had a HUGE fabric de-stash - and this is one of many remnants which came to live with me!

 

While I have the sewing machine and the fabric out, I'm going to line another bag...

This Rag Bag was stashed away in the same UFO box (that's Un Finished Object box) as the Hakelbeutel. It dates back a few years, too. I remember making it on a Crochet Weekend back in 2010, I blogged about the weekend but I don't think I mentioned this bag...

It's made from rag strips which are about 1cm (1/2 inch) wide and I think I used about a 7.0mm hook. I followed the Easy Peasy Crochet Bag pattern, and added a buttonhole handle...

All that left to do is the lining, and maybe an embellishment.

And I'm thinking that depending on the amount of material left over - 

it will become a top or a dress for either Katie (age 8) or Charlotte (age 1)

But for the moment, the fabric is drying... 

and I'm working on the secret handles... 

which may or may not be successful... 

we'll both have to wait and see on that one!

 

Cloth Napkins

Lately I've become very conscious of the waste that we generate in this household, and how we can reduce it. For so many years now, we've been hearing about the need to be more environmentally aware... sometimes I think that we get so drawn into the Big Picture, that we totally forget about the small scale stuff!

Relax.

I'm not heading into a huge self-righteous monologue about the Evils of Modern Society and how we are Destroying the Planet...

(besides - I'm quite happy using disposable nappies... and toilet paper!)

I'm more about the superficial and fun side of recycling...




Over the years, our family have become HUGE Paper Serviette Fiends.

Seriously... we will use paper serviettes for any and all occasions... and very rarely is it just the one serviette... usually it's a huge wad of them.

I've been justifying their use, because they're not expensive... and it means there is no excuse for the kids not to clean up after themselves.

But I have to admit, it is a giant waste - and we don't really need them...

So I've started making some cloth napkins. They're just a random assortment of scrap fabrics from my stash, sewn into double sided squares.

I figure the exercise serves THREE purposes:

1. uses up some of my insane stash of fabric
2. improves my sewing skills
3. cuts down on disposable waste

But I think I'm going to need more than just the three.

I Can Sew!

I've decided that it's time to stop telling everyone that I can't sew...

And stop telling MYSELF that I can sew...

Because I can.

I might be slow, and fiddly in my process... and things might not always go according to plan on the first go...

But I Can Sew.

I am a BEGINNER



I've had this book for years and years. It has survived many of my Library Culls, because I knew that ONE DAY I would make something from it.

And guess what? I FINALLY DID



These little guys are called Prancing Ponies, and I decided to make one for my New Niece for her First Christmas.



The fabric I chose was not really traditional for a Baby Toy, but I thought that I could make it work... with a Scrappy Mane, and a Trademark Heart.



When I finally had the Prancing Pony assembled, I showed her off to Mr Goldfish...



"Something's missing", he commented... "It should have a horn"



And yet again, Mr Goldfish was right. It did need a horn, so it could morph into a Magical Unicorn

Merry Christmas To All...

Just wanted to wish everyone here a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year…

May you all experience only the Good Things this Holiday Season!

You guys are all such a wonderful inspiration and encouragement to me… without you, I would just be “that crazy craft lady who can’t throw anything out”

but with your love and support, I am LAUGHING PURPLE GOLDFISH :)

I’ll be taking a weeny break over the next few weeks… taking the kiddies to the beach for a well deserved holiday! Unfortunately Mr Goldfish has to keep working, but we’ll do our best to enjoy the sun and surf without him…

Safe travels to everyone here xx

And see you back here again for more QUIRKY CRAFTING in 2012

Sharon

P.S. Here's a quick peek at a couple of the gifties I've finished in the last 24 hours...

The Blooming Flower Cushion is done:



And I made my First Ever Fabric Softy... a Unicorn for my New Niece:

My Denim Apron...

If you take a few steps back from the screen... close one eye.. and squint...

Maybe you'll be able to see my new denim apron...

I can!

And boy do I need an apron. I am oficially the World's Biggest Grot when it comes to cooking (or eating for that matter) and it's time to do something about it. I'm making my first ever apron. I figure that the denim will be heavy enough to protect my clothes from the kitchen disasters which are my everyday life.

Actually, now that I think about it - I have made an apron once before - in Year Nine Home Economics class at school. I can picture it now, a blue and white gingham check apron bibbed apron... with a belt tie...

Only one tie went straight out to the side like it should... and the other one went straight UP...

Maybe I'll get it right this time!