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

That Wet Dog Smell

Hi everyone,

I've done a bit of sewing, but Boy 15 is keeping me super busy!!  I am used to the elderly or unwell dogs that like to lie in the sun on the deck out back, or sleep most of the day. Boy 15 is only 14 months old and it is like having a 2 year old toddler again...

He is allowed to have a carrot...it will be gone in less than a minute, though.

Here he is in a rare quiet moment a few days ago.  Why isn't he in his bed?

Possibly because he is a bit of a hoarder.  The balls are dryer balls that I bought because they couldn't be popped like the other balls that lasted only a few seconds each. (I don't even have a dryer).  The biggest thing is the deer antler, the other is a nylabone.   Not much room left in his bed for him LOL.

Here he is today, complete with that "wet dog smell".  I took him out the back so he could have a run and I could water the tomatoes.  Turns out a running hose makes him CRAZY.  He is soaking wet from his head to the tip of his tail.

It's not a horrible smell, but it is definitely there and he is still wet an hour later.    Boy 15 did not pass his training to be a special dog for a blind person, so he will be adopted and his new family has been chosen.  He will be going to his new forever home on Friday.  They have 3 teenagers, which is great!  He needs at least 3 to entertain him and keep him busy.  He has good manners inside the home, but when he is outside, he is always getting into trouble.

 

I've mentioned a sweet young mum who contacted me via my Etsy shop for some custom orders.  She has a little girl turning 2 later this month.  She already bought a small quilt from me that was made from these fabrics that will be a birthday present to go with a doll bed from EBAY.  This week, I am working on a patchwork pillow to match, recovering the foam mattress for the doll bed she bought with fresh fabric, and making a sheet for same that is removable and washable.  The fabric on the bottom right is a cute print of tiny pineapples.

 

 

The new mattress cover is up to me.  She would like the sheet to be white with decorative purple stitching as was on the quilt.  I am considering this fabric either for the ruffle on the patchwork for the pillow shown above, or for the mattress cover, or for the sheet.  It is pretty, but a bit more sheer than normal patchwork fabric and I have plenty to use for any or all.  xx debbie

OPAM, Meet Boy 15 !?!!

Hi everyone,

This month I made snowball apples with applique leaves, a few more Dresden Plates, 51 hexies + secret stuff I can't tell you for the row along quilt,  more hexies and pentagons for the turtle pincushion, and this bag.  The bag is my only finish for OPAM, but I have received some custom orders through my Etsy shop, so I will have more finishes in the coming weeks.

I wanted to use a special button from my dear friend De, but I like to wash my bags and I was afraid I would forget to remove it and it would be ruined.  I am happy with this ladybug button though.

Here is the back of the bag.  I love the handles as they have pellon inside which gives nice body.

I was able to use this pretty print fq from dear Mel K for the lining. I only needed to add the one strip at the top to make it large enough.  There was enough left from the sides to make 2 large pockets (not on the pattern).  I made two pockets this size and then sewed down the middle of each.  The entire bag is also lined in pellon so it stands well.  This is much larger than my usual handbag, so I am not sure if I will use it for that or a stitching project bag.  I am so happy with how pretty it turned out.  Stitchery by Anni Downs, bag pattern by Natalie Bird.

As was the plan, the nice lady from the special dog place came for Boy 14 at 6am Friday.  Imagine my shock when she asked me if I was ready for another one :)   She brought Boy 15 at 6pm Friday.
First, let me tell you she was VERY happy when she came back.  Boy 14  had his health check before she took him to his new home. He came to me weighing 39.9kg, and yesterday he weighed 35.6kg.  I followed his strict diet and he is now at a much healthier weight.  She told me about his new home and it sounds very nice.  I think he will love it there.  I really enjoyed looking after him though.

Meet Boy 15.  He is a Lab/ Retriever cross.  This is what a dog at a healthy weight should look like.  Of all the dogs, this one has the softest fur I have ever felt.  He is like petting a minky quilt LOL.

His nose is on overload in the back yard since Boy 14 was only gone for 12 hours.  He is hard to get a picture of unless he is sleeping because he is always moving!

He came with the deer antler that is in the bed with him.  The special dogs are allowed to have these.  The antlers are collected after they are shed naturally by the deer.  They are also not near as messy/slobbery as rawhide, etc.

My fave picture so far. Don't let that innocent appearance fool you though.  He is only 14 months old and I have been advised not to leave mobile phone, tv remote, or eye glasses within his reach.   So far, I quite like him :)  xx debbie