WIP: Simple Softie, Upcycling Jeans

I had seen this book before.  I wanted it!  It came up at preschool one day in their fundraiser stuff that sits at the front counter.  I NEEDED it & it was cheap so I got it.  (Then I got the exact same one from my Mother-In-Law for my birthday. Great Minds... Lol.  Might swap it for book number 2.)

 H decided to make one of the finger puppets in it.  He made THIS cute little thing.  He traced the pattern bits himself, then cut it out & traced around it onto the felt.  Hw did it ALL himself, pretty much.  I threaded and knotted the needle for him (each time).  And I did undo & redo a couple of stitches where he competely missed stitching the second ear in place but he did the face himself. The eyes are there but as as I've said before the quality of pics leaves a LOT to be desired at times.  I think he did a great job!!

I grabbed some jeans out of my wardrobe & put them on one day only to discover that they were SUPER short.  I didn't actually pay for these jeans mind you.  They were cast off from a friend & made it into my wardrobe with a few other pairs of jeans, but these ones were shorter.  Obviously I had worn them rolled up at times but hadn't had them out for quite some time.  I've been thinking about wearing skirts more lately but haven't because I only own three & wanted to get some long boots (without heels) to wear with them.  It is pretty cold here already after all. So I figured that if I turned these jeans into a skirt then I could get some boots with my left over birthday money from my Mum. YAY!!  So here are my before and after pics.  I used THIS TUTORIAL as a guide.  It was EASY.  My overlocker kind of died before I was finished but I've been wearing it anyway.  What do you think?

Sorry... This last one was taken with my dodgy phone & didn't get edited before upload. Here it is though, skirt AND new birthday boots. I added some decorative stitch, similar to the stitching on the back pockets, to the cut off leg pieces before adding them. For my first effort I think it turned out REALLY well & if I can do it, ANYONE can do it!

Bye for now, K

 

Finally another WIP to share

I didn't say anything was finished but that's OK because this is Work In Progress, NOT Work Completed.  Ha ha ha, my little sneaky escape.

I'm pretty sure I've shown you this before, while it was just pinned in place.  Well, I got it all sewn on.  I haven't put the back on yet though, so not finished.  Lots more to do but should have another few hours this Sunday to work on things. WooHoo!!

WIP: A Gypsys Cushion

Remember the little peak I showed you a couple of weeks ago back here.  This is the story that goes with it...

A couple of years ago I offered to make one of my cushions for an old friends newest baby girl.  I hadn't actually spoken to this friend for a number of years but I'm quite the sentimental type so I still made contact with her mother to find out if she thought my friend and her new husband would have been interested in one for their first little girl. 

Well, without giving away too much of their story, this is the cushion I made for their first born.  It was loosely based on a snugglepot & cuddlepie theme. 
 

Last week they finally recieved the cushion for their second daughter, so now I can share it with you.  (I'm not sure if any of them read the blog so better to be safe.)  This time I was asked if I could make it a Gypsy themed cushion.  Or perhaps something with butterflies if Gypsy's was too hard.  I came up with this.  (Shows you that there is CLEARLY something very wrong with my camera, or at least the operator.  Same camera, a couple of years apart).

I haven't done anything else of this kind more recently though.  We were busy with Easter crafts, then spent the long weekend on the South Coast of NSW.  Today, the kids & I are off the the Riverina region for a couple of days.  I do have several that I should be working on.  Perhaps I'll have time next week for them.  I do hope so, but we'll see...

Bye for now, K



WIP: Corn Anyone?

Short & sweet this week.

We've finally "harvested" our corn.  WooHoo!!  And you know what? It is YUMMY!  We had to pick it all even though it didn't all look completely ready.  We had a little problem with aphids on the squash plant and when I ripped it out I think they found a new home on the outside of the corn husks.  A few ants were trying to enjoy our corn too.  We beat them too it though. Lol

Our other vegies didn't turn out so well though. Lol

I left the other carrots in the ground hoping that they might actually GROW. ha ha ha  The squash is quite large, but there was only one of them.  The rest got eaten by bugs still on the vine (because I kept forgetting to check on the them).  And only ONE cucumber :(

So, any ideas what we should plant next anyone??

Now, I'll just give you a sneek peak of my latest cushion creation too (still in progress).  I can show you the full cushion in a few weeks.

I have a HEAP of craft ideas to get into for Easter and the school holidays.  Fingers crossed I get at least HALF of what I have planned done.

I read something this week that I may share fully another time, but here is a little piece to think about

"...making the most of your time, because the days are evil.  So then do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is."   Ephesians 5:16-17

Bye for now, K

WIP: Wednesday a week on (oops)

I had a shocking week last week & it's taken this week to get over it. I am hoping that things will start to calm down for me now though...

During the past fortnight some things have suffered from lack of attention (the blog & I included I'm afraid), but I  have made SOME progress.

I got the socks done for Master H.  It's just an easy way for me to tell whose are whose.  I'm sure some people probably don't bother (and at times my boys don't either) but it makes it easy to tell which one of them has been flinging them about their bedroom and missing the wash. ha ha ha

I've also been working on a few cushions.  Here's a glimpse of two of the many I have to make.  The horse is for a Gypsy themed cushion so I'm hoping it resembles a Gypsy trailer or wagon.  The other is also something I've never worked on before.  I know... Owls have been around for ages and I know they are probably past their prime as far as fads go but what can ya do?!  I also donated some goods to a Charity Auction on facebook for Epilepsy so one of the cushions is for the winning bidder on a cushion of mine.  There are several others to be made and I have ideas for some of them and I'm hoping to have enough time to get to them in the next few weeks.  I'll keep you posted.

Hmmmm, what else has there been?  Oh yes, this very simple wrapping paper with matching card for Valentines Day.  I can't remember now where I saw the idea but it just used a squished up toilet roll to make the heart shape.





Oh & then there was the Pillowcase Challenge that I'd been talking about...

...In support of the Canberra Centre for Newborn Care's NICUCAM service, Bec from Little Toot Creations decided to hold a crafty inspired Auction on her facebook page.  All you had to do was create something from a pillowcase.  It could have been a spare one laying around your house or an old one from an op shop or even a "proper" vintage style one you scored somewhere.  All the donated items were auctioned on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 February, 2012 on the Little Toot Creations facebook page.  Here is a link to the album that all the entries were in.  (Assuming the album doesn't change, you might get some ideas for something crafty yourself.) 

I made this...

I sent Bec three photos (because I'm not that "with it" when it comes to photo editing, in case ya hadn't noticed. Lol). She transferred them into ONE.  I had never made a pencil roll before.  I used a tutorial I found on the You Go Girl! Blog.  It was SUPER easy.  I didn't have the Dove chocolates, but I'm sure if I had it would have been even easier :)  I made it from a spare pillowcase belonging to Miss Pants, some scrap pink, a couple of buttons & a hair elastic.  Oh & I cheated with the binding and used this tape stuff that I can never remember the name of.  (Feel free to let me know what it is.)


I'd really love to hear about what you've been working on (& it'd let me know I'm not the only one reading my ramblings. Or maybe I am.)


Bye for now, K

WIP: Bit on the Slack Side...

Man, I tell you what, this blogging business along with Fat Mum Slim’s January Photo-A-Day Challenge has been keeping me BUSY.  Well, THAT and four kids. Lol.

I did not get a frame for my cross stitch.  I did however buy several photo frames to put up around the house.  I even got photo paper so I can print the photos.  It is something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time.  I have been waiting for input from Mr C though since I’ve kind of been expecting him to put the hooks on the walls but you know what, I’m sick of waiting.  We don’t even have ONE picture of Miss Pants in a frame on a shelf, let alone on the wall, and she turned THREE in December.  NOT GOOD ENOUGH MUMMY!!  Haven't printed them yet though.  Hmmm, anyway moving on...

I still haven’t quite finished Miss Pants’ hand towel.  It’ll be done by next week though when she needs it.  See, NEARLY done.

I asked Mr Magoo (8) if he’d like me to make him a pencil case for school since this is the first year he’s had to provide his own pencils and textas etc for school.  He thought it was a fantastic idea.  I asked if he’d like me to make it out of some camouflage fabric I already had. But NOOOO!  Yes to camouflage, no to the colour options available.  I had blue, grey (& pink) but he wanted green.  I sourced the fabric, found some lining and went with a zipper I already had.  I’d love to say I was clever enough to just whip it up but I wasn’t, I used this SUPER EASY Tutorial that I found on the blog Skip to my Lou.  Turned out alright though for a first attempt I thought.  Will probably be OK making another one without the tutorial too. He can’t fit his ruler in it though because the zipper I had wasn’t big enough to allow it.  Oh well, I always had a much smaller pencil case that never held my ruler but I survived, and so did my ruler.

  

It turns out that Miss Pants also needs a Cushion for Pre School.  While scouring the junk shop for suitable photo frames I came across a purple cushion for $4.00. SCORE.  (Cushion insert’s purchased locally cost more than that.)  I MIGHT add her name to it.  Time will dictate.

Master H found an old long sleeved plain white polo shirt that Mr Magoo used to wear to school.  He wants me to put a picture on it just like I did with his PJ’s.  He decided on a design, an electric guitar, then changed his mind, SEVERAL times but finally decided that this was OK... 

You see, I have some fabric with lots of little pirate heads on it just like this one.  I am planning to use the fabric for the flag, then white (or maybe even natural calico) & black fabric with a little hand stitching for the pirate.  Then he changed his mind again & wants a PATCH on the eye, not a winking eye.  Grrrr, think I might forget that little detail & go with the wink because it's cute, but we’ll see.  Sorry about the image quality.  It was a QUICK point & shoot.

I know it’s not much but it keeps me going.  I still have the Pillowcase Challenge that I mentioned last week to work on too.

Bye for now, K

Crafty Beginnings - WIP Wednesday

Well I do LOVE making STUFF.  It could be Kid Stuff, Christmas stuff, general felt stuff, whatever really.  Admittedly I have a rather large stash of fabric & a much smaller stash of yarn.  I also have a small box of felt and a little bit of paper.

I knit badly & can not yet crochet but I'm hoping to do something about that this year.  No promises mind you.

My fabric stash is large because I just can't bare to part with it.  Hmmm, that's not entirely true.  I can't bare to CUT IT!  It is all so pretty.  Sometimes I spend HOURS perusing Facebook pages thinking to myself "Oh I could make that!".  Honeslty I could (or at least try with the help of a tutorial or two) but I just seem to spend sooo much time on facebook sticky beaking & being inspired that I don't ACTUALLY get anything done. THUS, I have decided that having some accountability (to myself), in the form of a special page for you to look at, will help ME to get my game on, so to speak.  I have NO idea what is involved with all these swaps that I read about on other crafty blogs & I really don't know whether I could commit to it BUT, maybe that's what I need.  Anyway, baby steps for now.  I'll be accountable to you & I for now, and no one else.

I have seen pages post this type of info on a Wednesday as "WIP Wednesday".  One that comes to mind is by Kat, here. OK, so perhaps mine won't be quite so FULL of wonderfully creative, busy, bright, beautiful stuff, but still, I think you get the picture.

I'm PLANNING to participate in a pillowcase challenge with Little Toot Creations, but more on that next week.

Today is however a Wednesday (though very late in the day & kinda past my bed time) but here we are... Two projects I've been working on!

This is something I'm working on for Miss Pants to take to pre school.  She needs a hand towel. Obviously it needs her name on it so I thought rather than write it with big black texta I'd stitch it to a piece of cloth I had in my scrap bag & then blanket stitch it to the hand towel.

Now this... This has certainly been a work in progress.  I began this 18point (is that right cross stitchers?? It's 18 something) counted cross stitch NINE years ago. Yep, nine years ago, when I was pregnant with my first boy, Mr Magoo, my Mother in law gave it to me as a gift.  It had the clock mechanism when she gave it to me but over time it disappeared.  I did a little more of it with my second pregnancy, Master H, but didn't touch it with the third, Miss Pants (must have known she was a girl).  Well I found it again whilst pregnant with Little H and I "hooked in" to get it finished!  I had a little extra time on my hands late in this pregnancy when I spent a few weeks in hospital.  It's amazing how much you can do when you are basically bed ridden in another city. Lol.  It's pretty late at night for me so the photo quality is BAD.  My Mum got me a new clock mechanism for Christmas but it STILL isn't in place.  I need to get a frame so I can get to it & put it all together.  Someday before Little H moves out of home would be good. Lol. 

Hopefully next week I'll have a couple of finished shots (taken in better light) to show you.

Bye for now, K