photo shoot

I haven't done much crafting or sewing lately. I'm not sure what I have been doing at all lately actually. The time disappears so quick. I guess mostly I have been trying to get my life into some sort of routine, mostly for Beatrice, but also for me. I also started at the gym this week! So far, I have only been three times but I already feel great. I have all these happy endorphins running around my brain making me feel super happy. So even though I haven't done much sewing, I have done some other fun things. Last friday, my friend, Amanda came round with her little girl Tahlia. Tahlia and Beatrice are best buds. And we did a little photo shoot of the girls at home. We dressed them up in Beatrice's pretty little vintage dresses from granny and we set up some backdrops. And of course Beatrice's suffolk puff blankie was one of the backdrops. I am really impressed with the photos, there are so many beautiful shots, it will be hard to decide which ones to print for Beatrice's special baby album. It's funny, I spend all my day and night with Beatrice and then when she is sleeping, I spend a lot of my time just gazing photos of her thinking about how beautiful I think she is! Surely I can find something not Beatrice related to do in my spare time, can't I?!

it's been so long!

oops! it has been a month since last post. I wasn't meaning for time to slip away from me so quickly. I have thought to myself many many times over the last month that I have to do a post but then I have always followed that thought up with a reply something along the lines of "later".

The truth is, that I have just been feeling overwhelmed with everything and when I have had the time to sit down and blog, I just haven't felt like doing it. I've felt like sitting on the couch like a blob instead.

We have a temporary boarder living with us, and he is cool to live with, but it just means I have all this extra cleaning up to do and because he is in Beatrice's room, I now have nowhere to put her stuff and so I am constantly going in circles trying to find all her stuff. Getting up in the mornings and getting her fed, bathed and dressed is just such hard work and takes me twice as long as what it used to take me.

Plus, Beatrice has been doing all this growing up! In the last month, she has cut her first two teeth, learned how to crawl commando style and she has figured out there are other rooms in the house and she doesn't just have to stay in the loungeroom, so I have had to put the baby gate up between the dining room and kitchen. She has also learned how to clap and say "dad" and she can sit up as well. She has also decided that she doesn't have to sleep or nap. She refuses to sleep in her cot since we had to move her out of her room and she insists on sleeping with us. Such a big month!

Anyway, I can hear her whinging from the bedroom, so I'll wrap this up. I will endeavour to post more regularly again. And dusty, did you get your little dress yet? I posted it a few weeks back. I am really looking forward to seeing a photo of it or hearing your feedback about it. Even if it is negative feedback, so that I can change the pattern or scrap it all together.

I think I would like to make a little girl's poncho out of puffs next. What do you think? I have also decided that I am going to have a suffolk puff wedding dress and corsages for the bridesmaids using puffs and button holes for the men...that is, when steve decides to propose and all!

Suffolk Puff Dress

Here it is!

I guess this photo looks pretty much exactly like the last photo. but it is not the same! it is now completely finished! yay!

It was fun to invent and to make. It has 126 suffolk puffs. The two top rows are supposed to be like a band around the chest and the bottom 6 rows have two pleats, one in the front and one in the back to make it puff out like a skirt. It will be interesting to see how well it fits and hangs, so Dusty, I would love your feedback and maybe a photo so that everyone can see what it looks like when it is worn?

I am worried that it could look a little boxy because thats just how suffolk puffs hang when sewn together but then my sister pointed out to me that kids look cute in anything so It should be alright. She's right isn't she, you could dress a little kid in a plastic bag and he/she's look cute...not that I suggest you dress your children in plastic bags...kids and plastic don't mix!

For my next trick, I am going to try making a little kids plush ball using something like a soccer ball pattern. All out of suffolk puffs of course and with a little bell inside of it for Beatrice to play with.

Remember, if you want something original made for you out of suffolk puffs for a child, just send me a comment telling you what you want or describe your child (boy/girl/age/fave colours, etc) and I'll invent something for them.

This is not a competition, this is just something that I feel like doing, so if you ask, you shall receive. I will make a present for your child and post it for FREE! But I would like some feedback in return on how you think the item turned out, how it fit, any suggestions to make it better etc etc, and I would love a photo too of your child wearing it. I want to be able to use the photo on this blog and on etsy so please think about whether or not you really want me to use an image of your child on the Internet before you put in your order.

Suffolk Puff Dress Progress

I'm not going to be able to finish the suffolk puff dress in time to send it off today. I was just so close too.

I have the top and the skirt part finished and then I pinned them together to see how it was going to work and realised I had miscalculated how many puffs I needed so I have to sew another row of puffs onto the skirt and then join it to the top. I have pinned it together for the photo (minus the extra row that I need to join on to the back which you can't see).

It's a funny little dress to put together because you can't make curves easily out of suffolk puffs when they are joined together. If I knew a little girl who was just the right size, then I could try it on her and see how it is going to look properly, but alas! I have no such model. Now I know why the lady who made this dress called it the dress of doom! Don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying making it, It is just not as straight forward as using regular fabric to make a regular dress.

I will take it with me on my trip to qld, that way I'll have something to do in the car. And Steve's mother is an ace seamstress so I will be able to ask her if she has any tips for making the dress hang nicely.

I have been daydreaming about all the little things I can make out of suffolk puffs for children while I have been sewing this little dress. I have so many cute ideas, in fact my brain has been getting a bit carried away. Beatrice is a bit too small for any of these things yet, so I'd like to make some things for some my new blog followers. If any of my followers have small children and they would like something made for them just comment on this post. You can suggest something that you would like made if you like or you can tell me how old your child is and whether it is a boy or a girl and I can suggest something for you. Of course, all of these little goodies are mostly experiments but I would like to be able to make some of these things to sell on etsy eventually so maybe we can do an exchange. You get something made for free for you in return for your constructive criticism and a photo of your little one modelling the item (preferably a photo that I can use on this blog and on etsy, so you would have to be sure that you want me to use a picture of your little one. I promise it will only be used for this blog and etsy)

And I want to thank people for their comment on this blog too. So thankyou to you if you have commented. I get really excited when I get an email saying I have a new comment. I have been trying to figure out how to reply to comments, I did have a fiddle around with Html code to enable me to do this, but the instructions I got off the net for doing this didn't work so I gave up very quickly. One day I'll have another go at it.

Let The Dress Making Begin!

This post is for Dusty and Mia

I have been sewing up extra pink suffolk puffs all week and I took all the pink ones out of my stash so now I have a basket full of them to make up a pinafore dress for Mia.

All the pinks and reds look so good together that I have decided to make Beatrice a red and pink ball next using a plush soccer ball pattern with a little jingly bell inside.

I am going to make a start on the dress tonight, I'm just really hoping that the pattern in my head will work out nicely. I am going to experiment with a pleat in the front and back, but it might have the potential to end up looking a little boxy......It might also have the potential to end up too cool for words, we will just have to wait and see.

I am hoping to have it finished and posted by Monday because I will be going to Queensland for a week on Tuesday. If I haven't finished it though, I will take it with me to work on. I will want something to do during the 12 hour car ride.

Chloe's Birthday Present

I finished Chloe's birthday present the other night. You can see grumpy bunny testing it out, she doesn't look too pleased about it. Grumpy bunny doesn't like anything though. She is very picky.

It wasn't exactly hard to make this pillow case but I could certainly have made it easier for myself. I had wanted the suffolk puffs to be inset into a patchwork surround, which you can see I have done but I don't think the effect is that different to If I had have just made the top patchwork and then appliqued the puffs on. In the end, I had to sew three very uneven layers together, the back the patchwork front and a backing for the front which was a bit fiddly.

But I got there in the end and it is a pretty cool pillow case for a young girl I think. I originally pictured this pillow case with a trim all around the edge of colourful pom poms but I am so glad that I was too lazy to go to the shop to buy the pom poms because that would have ended in wailing and gnashing of teeth I think since I was already struggling with sewing all together into pillow case form.

I will also give Chloe a little beaded purse that used to be mine. It is very pretty and girly so I think she should like that, and inside it I have tucked some little colourful metal smiley face bell charms and three button badges that I made. What girl wouldn't be pleased with that haul, huh?

Giveaway Day Winner!

Ok! the giveaway day comp is now closed and after much deliberation I have decided that Dusty, who suggested I make a girls pinafore dress is the winner.

Thankyou everyone for your entries and your great ideas. I truly wish I could make all these lovely items for you but the work that goes in to making all these suffolk puffs is just phenomenal! It would take me several lifetimes to make all these goodies.

The photo is a sneak peek at something I have been making this week. It is a present for Steve's little sister, Chloe who is having a birthday soon.