Travelling Treasures and a Tutu

Hi everyone,

Lisa V was the latest recipient of  the Travelling Treasures parcel.

Lisa has posted pictures of what she would like to keep and what she has added, and she is all ready to send the goodies on to the next person.  She has put in some adorable fabric with little bikinis on it, some cute ribbon that would match, and the cutest little charms too.  It is easy to enter for a chance to be the next person to get this parcel.  Just pop over here and leave her a message as soon as you can.

Boy 15 was adopted to his forever home last Friday.  He went to a family with a big yard and 3 children, which will be perfect for him.  At only 14 months old, he was a handful for me to look after and he was getting into mischief all the time.  He really needs a more active life than I could give.  I didn't cry this time either...it was more like a huge sigh of relief!

I know I should eat more vegetables, so to meet that goal, I made a carrot cake.  There are over 2 cups of carrots in this cake and I cut the sugar back to 1/2 cup and increased the cinnamon and nutmeg a tiny bit.  The icing has fresh orange zest, which made it delicious and fragrant.  I finally have a decent grater after all these years, so I will definitely make this again.

I've mentioned a young mum who contacted me via my shop for some custom sewing.  These are butterfly wings for her little girl who will turn 2 next week.  I made this prototype from scrap fabric and measurements she gave me so she could take it home and be sure of sizing before I cut into the nice fabric.
There will be elastic on the inside top body so the wings can be worn backpack style.  There will also be elastic loops at each top outer corner that go around the hands/wrists.  "E" loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar".  E's mum has provided me with the VHC fabric for the wings, body, and trim, and it is super cute.  It has butterflies all over it and I will show pictures later.  E's best friend has a birthday only 2 days apart, so I will be making 2 sets of VHC butterfly wings.  It's a secret, please don't tell!

E's other favourite thing is the "Hey Diddle Diddle"  story.  This is the backing for a cot size quilt all prepped and ready for the batting next.  There is a pre printed panel for the quilt front and it is super cute too.  I need to have this done by next week. Do you think the person who cut this backing was drinking that day?! That is what I was thinking!

Her mum already bought a small quilt from my shop made from this patchwork.  I had some left over, so she asked me to recover the foam mattress and make a matching sheet and pillow with fancy stitching. This is for a doll bed, another birthday present.  All finished!

She also bought this cape from another online seller.  The ribbon ties are way too short and the sewing around the hood is all wrinkled and none of the inner seams are pressed flat.  She wants me to unpick it, replace the ribbon, and sew it so it looks nicer. I can do that :)  What started as a list of 6 things at our first meeting has grown...VHC butterfly wingsx2, remake cape, repair size 2T pants, resize waistband on tutu, Hey Diddle quilt, patchwork quilt, Golden Books quilt, new doll bedding, silk Super Hero cape.  I am so grateful she found me for so many reasons.  I always wanted to sew for a little girl but didn't have my own,  I am happy I can earn some money, I am loving all of her ideas, and I can also  make some patterns from this tiny clothing here for future use. 

She said E wears this darling tutu with tights and she will be wearing it with a special shirt for her birthday.   The only trouble is that the waistband is too big, so I will make it to the size she needs.
So glad I finished my patchwork/stitchery bag...as I will be busy for some time to come :) xx debbie