Posted on June 25, 2009 by claribell

going on holiday tomorrow to stay with sisters and aunties, so i’m whipping up some coasters as gifts for my hosts. they have old and new fabric on the front and good old blanket on the back (with cotton batting in the middle) . they probably won’t make up for nearlyMabel waking up at 4am with sore teethygums, but hey.
TODAY I LEARNT
sewing without pinning is not clever or smart, it’s just silly and probably a bit lazybones and it results in swearing. but everytime, EVERYTIME, i still think ‘pins schmins’ and try it anyway.
ironing all clothes, fabrics, and projects with the iron on ‘MOLTEN SUN’ setting and trying to go quick on delicate stuff is not clever or smart, it’s just silly and probably a bit lazybones and it results in swearing. but everytime, EVERYTIME, i think ‘it’ll be sweet cuz’. i pressed my first two coasters and BURNT them.

click over and see who else is playing ‘my creative space’ this week
(and i finished the smallest nappy bag in the world i was working on last week)
Filed under: accessories, blog, it's not smart or clever, my sewing, thrift/vintage/recycled | Tagged: coaster, craft, quilted, recycle, repurpose, sew, thrift/vintage/recycled, vintage | 19 Comments »
Posted on June 24, 2009 by claribell
So, i finished my first nappy bag-slash-wallet-slash-changing mat (last weeks creative space). You can tell its my initial go at it because i was so anxious to get the idea out of my head and into fabric that it’s wonky. My idea was to eliminate the nappy, plastic bag of wipes and bum-cream floating about in my handbag. I have test driven it this week and its all good. Have a read and leave a comment and you might win either one of your own or a handbag (woah, i know, crazy)
This as yet un-named nappy bag-slash-wallet-slash-changing mat has:
- 1 pocket which fits 1-3 disposable OR 1-2 pre-fold cloth nappies (this pocket acts as a pillow when changing bubba);
- 1 big pocket which your cloth wipes OR will fit standard size commercial wipes in one of those plastic thingys (we don’t use them but i used the measurements off one);
- 2 smaller pockets for barrier cream, plastic bags for soiled nappies OR an empty wet bag;
- 2 loops which toys or noonoo could be attached to;
- a wallet on the outside which fits all your paper moola and cards (and my phone);
- folds ends to middle then in half so the outside stays out and doesn’t touch the inside bit which stays all clean for bubbas butt;
- padded with one layer of repurposed NZ Wool blanket, so warm and machine washable;
- and fits in my handbag or is good in the bottom of the stroller just in case.

dodgy light i know!
I can’t wait to make some more of these, but they’ll have the following changes i think
-
they’ll be square and straight!!
-
a wrist loop. so that if it’s not in your bag you can still go hands free
-
just one little loop on the inside (these ones poke out when its folded up)
-
have a layer of stiffener on the inside to help it keep nicely in shape
i’d love to know what you think?!? if you leave a comment and let me know or with a suggestion for a name i’ll do a wee random pick and make you one all of your own (i’ll give you til 5 July) and if you have no use for one, or no one to give it to i’ll make you a handbag wahooo-ey!
Filed under: accessories, my sewing, thrift/vintage/recycled | Tagged: change mat, craft, giveaway, handmade, nappy bag, recycle, repurpose, sew, sheet, thrift/vintage/recycled, vintage | 4 Comments »
Posted on June 20, 2009 by claribell
Dances For Pies has posted a little picture-tutorial for these funky little playing card boxes

- image: dances for pies
and she’s right, how cool would nudie playing cards be as a little box? i’m adding them to my op’shop treasure list to see what i can find. you can find the tutorial here
PS when i saw this blog name (dances for pies) i HAD to click over for a visit. i imagined a chubby little drunk girl with ‘will dance for pies’ on her t-shirt stumbling down queen street on a friday night with her mates. so apologies to Dances For Pies if that’s not what you meant!
Filed under: tutorial | Tagged: box, craft, playingcard, tutorial | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 18, 2009 by claribell
plotting the worlds littleist nappy bag-slash-wallet-slash-changing mat for when i just pop out and don’t want a huge-mungous nappy bag……my jeans pockets just don’t quite do the trick (yes, i’m such a sad case i tried once)

more creative spaces (thanks kootoyoo)
Filed under: accessories, meme, my sewing, thrift/vintage/recycled | Tagged: my creative space | 15 Comments »
Posted on June 16, 2009 by claribell
Posted on June 16, 2009 by claribell
thanks for the bargains opshop fella. i couldn’t carry home the piece of furniture i liked, and really i don’t have the time at the moment to sand, paint and pretty it up, but i can still dream…. instead i picked up 4 single cotton sheets and a blanket….ooh, and a hot pink apron
and I KNOW they aren’t ironed….we already discussed this aye?
i’m thinking i might use the pink sheets for a quilt or spread for nearlyMabels bed, i’ve even found a wee tutorial for this vintage sheet quilt
from Anne at Pins&Thimbles.
Of course, i’ve never made a quilt before, and i was really thinking something even simpler than this, with no peicing like the back of a quilt, but then, is that a quilt?
Maybe the blue ones could be shopping totes, like these ones
in the tutorial on craftstylish, they, my friend, are chooooice
Filed under: blog, thrift/vintage/recycled, tutorial | Tagged: blanket, fabric, recycle, sew, sheet, thrift/vintage/recycled, tutorial, vintage | 1 Comment »