A Mermaid Costume...

A quick post today to share my latest sewing project...  My daughter has been asking for a mermaid costume for about 3 years I think.  She is off to an Under the Sea birthday party today - so she finally got her wish!

I like my mermaids to be a little more modest...no bikini top for this one!  I did not choose the fabric - she did.  Hence it is very very shimmery and very very pink! 

The tail morphs up into a "land princess".  Necessary for mermaids out of the water of course.

She is rather chuffed with the end result I think!

I used the great tutorial from LiEr over at ikatbag for the tail.  Worked a treat.

For the top - I created a cylinder from under the armpits to the waist.  Attached two long straps on an angle in the seams, that we could tie up behind her neck to keep the top in place.

All super stretchy and comfy.  I can see it being worn every day for a while...!

Moo Mail!

I'm about to embark on something new...and I'm quite excited about it!

So, to prepare for that new project, I needed something new myself....swing tags, labels, and even a business card.

An acquaintance recommended Moo.com - so I gave it a go.

I set off and designed everything I thought I would need, and look what arrived!

I love the way they have turned out.

Here are the Moo mini-cards (which I will be using as swing tags - they are a great size for that).  I love that you could print multiple different backings at no extra cost.  These are the matte finish ones

My book of stickers - which I am amazed at the quality of.  I think this is my favourite part of the order.  They are lovely and glossy, and you can have up to 50 different pictures in the one little book!:

Finally my business card..

They gave me a discount code to share around...which I normally wouldn't do...but since I'm so happy with the products...you can get 10% off your first order by clicking here.

Perfect Party Dress - Winter Edition

Hi there,

I actually made it to the sewing machine!  A long overdue return...

It's winter here, and my 5 year old has decided she will NOT wear jeans/pants anymore.  It must be dresses.  So I decided she needed some new ones.  In corduroy.

I chose the Perfect Party Dress by Tie Dye Diva.  I love her patterns, and thought this one would translate well into a winter weight dress.

Here it is:

She has declared it her favourite dress...

It has a fully lined, button up bodice, and a lovely twirl factor (very important for a 5 year old).

Some of the details:

The applique on the front, is one from Bunnycup Embroidery.  I chose to use the two fabrics from the dress, and alternate the directions of the cord stripes. 

I thought the "ragged" edges tied in well with the frill on the bottom of the dress.

Yards and yards of frills!  I cut the fabric for the frill and the sash in the opposite direction to the main blue.  Just because I could.  Plus I like the additional contrast.

I added a decorative stitch to the sash and ties...this was NEARLY the undoing of the dress I have to say.  Trying to get a straight line was a challenge and took forever.  Unpicking decorative stitches is not my favourite pastime. 

With a couple of full length shots to finish with...

I will be making this again in corduroy...or maybe a drill?

Yes, maybe drill for the next one... :)

DIY Custom Cufflinks!

I know cufflinks might sound a little old-fashioned, but my husband still wears them, and has quite a few pairs.  So, for his birthday I decided to make him some myself, out of my own fabric designs.

It's really super super simple, but there is a little trick to it...so I thought I would share it with you today.


Here is the finished cufflink set, along with it's matching necktie, in a little box ready for giving:

You will need:




One set of cufflink blanks (or photo cufflinks - I got mine here)












Scrap fabric of your choice (I used this one here)
Iron on interfacing
Iron
Scissors










The steps:

1.  Iron some interfacing onto the wrong side of your fabric.  I tried without it the first time - just too fiddly.  The stiffening makes the small piece easier to cut, and sits nicely in the ring.

2.  Unscrew the ring off the cufflink.  Mine had a protective clear plastic circle in there - don't lose it, you need it!

3.  Use the circle as a template on the fabric to work out the area you want to cut.  I decided to fussy cut the background cycle chain links for this set.

4.  Cut out around the circle, using small sharp scissors is easiest.  Nail scissors would be ideal.

 

 

5.  You can choose to either place the fabric into the ring on it's own, or with the protective cover.  I chose to leave the cover in.

6.  Screw the cover back on to the base.  Repeat for the other cufflink - you are done!!!  Easy as that.

The best thing is - it's not permanent, nothing is glued in, so if you want to replace it with another fabric - you can!  This is the other set I did...

 Enjoy!

Custom Ties and Cufflinks!

It's my husbands birthday this coming week.  He is, as I guess most men are, very difficult to buy for.

So I decided some time ago - he was going to get something you can't buy.  Plus - since I know he does not read my blog unless I make him, I figure it is safe to share it with you today!

I organised for Jane from Tux and Tulle to make two ties for me, from some of my fabric designs I have up on Spoonflower.  When I looked through my collections, I realised there was little that my husband would actually wear!  I needed a nice masculine print.  This one made the top of the list:

 

It's called "Hexagons in Black", and I had it printed on Spoonflower's cotton sateen - it has a lovely sheen just right for a necktie!  There is quite a bit involved in the construction of a tie - which is why I found an expert to help me out, rather than tackling this one myself!  I did, however design the fabric myself, and put together some matching cufflinks - so I still feel like it's "mine"... :)

I'll share the second set I did with you in another post - along with a little "how-to" on the matching cufflinks I made for each tie...

Pretty happy with how they, and the tie, turned out!

Here is the finished set:

 

 

I popped each set into a little gift box - all ready to give him on his birthday...

 

I think this is just the right thing for him, and I really hope he likes it!  They would make great Father's Day presents as well...

 

Yet More Fabric in Use - Part 2

Welcome back...to a second round of customer photos....

First up today, I'm very proud to say that Queen Bee Barrette have selected a couple of my designs for their button ponytail hairbands...

Mine are the little birds...  The fabric I designed for the purple is here, and pink here...  Very cute!


Speaking of cute...I love love love Karyn of Couture Chan's dresses and t-shirts.  They are beautifully made, and just gorgeous.  Here are just a few of them, all using my personalised fabrics:

Jerry Robnett is another clever customer...she has made a number of pillowcases for her family.  Some of them can be seen below:

 

Along with my personalised fabrics - I can spot my Bluebirds and Blossoms fabric on the Barbara pillowcase, and my Mr Mikey's Smile fabric on Cameron's...

And my Medal Chevron on Gavin's...

She also made what look like super comfy pyjama pants out of the organic knit...

Ok - I think that's enough sharing for now...  Once again, thank you to everyone for allowing me to share your creations!

If you have any photos of items you have made with my Spoonflower designs (be it fabric, decal, or wallpaper), and you would like to share with me - I would love to see them!

Yet More Fabric in Use - Part 1

I've just had a look back - it's been a while since I shared some customer photos...so, today part one of two, as I have quite a few to share!

I really love seeing what everyone makes from my fabric over on Spoonflower.  If you make something, and want to share it with me - you can send me a photo or link via my email address on the Contact Me page.

First up today...Claire Lee of Kaleidoscope Interiors made my reversible beanies and bibs for her new grandson.  They are in the lovely snuggly Organic Knit...

Next, Robin Sells has been making some gorgeous infant car seat covers using my personalised fabric on one side, and snuggly minky on the other...here is a set she made for twins Luke and Max...

And one for little Holden...

Such a great idea!


While we are on the theme of babies...have a look at this gorgeous crib bedding made by Angel Wings using my Seahorse fabrics, which you can see in this collection...

She made sheets, reversible bumper and crib skirt with lovely matching ties.  Purple is my favourite colour - so I just love this set...

Thank you to everyone for allowing me to share your photos.  Check back tomorrow for a second instalment!