New Looks for 2009 - Blog Template Changes

I have been wanting to make a few changes to my blog template for a while and finally sat myself down and did it!

I didn't do this all on my own I had some help from Amanda at Blogger Buster over here, and found the lovely patterned background here.

I read somewhere that with the tiled background images you can use them to create your own papers. This will be great if/when I can work out how! :)

Let me know what you think.

Valentine's Day Cricut Cards I have made!

I designed the heart with the flourish base on the Design Studio software for my cricut, then cut it out. I wanted it to look a little like a Cinderella carriage! Maybe I should take a photo with a horse in the front!

I covered the heart in opal glitter and then added pink pearl dimensional paint dots. I glued this to pink patterned card and cut around it. Can you see the the light shine through it? Then I added the flowers and beads. The back looks just like the front only without all the bling! Can you tell I really like this card???

Here is a red and white Valentine's Day card, similar but different to the carriage heart card, but the swirls at the base of the heart are smaller. I don't normally create with red, so this was a nice change from my usual colours.

I do have a Design Studio cut file for these cards, but I am not sure yet how to share them on my blog. I have used the Storybook cardtridge. If you are interested, email me with Valentine's Day cut file in the subject line and I will email it to you.

Travelling ATC's in my ATC Suitcase!

Here is a little suitcase I made to store and display ATC's sent to me from around the world.

ATC's are Artist Trading Cards that are miniature pieces of art that you make and swap with others. They are so much fun to collect and it is a lovely way to see creative works of art made by other like minded people. They are only to be given or swapped, never sold and are to be 2.5" X 3.5" in size.

I tweaked a suitcase template I found here to make it the right size for ATC's and made a couple of other minor changes to make it easier to put together and allow for the felt lining. The suitcase is approximately 2.75" X 3.75" X 2" ( 7cm x 9.5cm x 5cm) to give you and idea of how small it really is.

I didn't have any antique style brads, so I inked some gold ones with brown Staz On and now they have an old worn look to them. The lid and the base of the suitcase are lined with a rich burgundy felt and the strapping is made from dark rose coloured velvet ribbon.

I had a ton of fun making this tiny suitcase even though it seemed to take forever to get the ribbon and brads in the right places. I even had some help from one of the puppies whilst her sister was sleeping! Here is Tinker at 6 weeks sitting on one of my A5 cutting mats. She weighs approximately 900g in this photo! A bit over 2 cans of cool drink!

If you find inspiration from my ATC suitcase, I would love to see your photos. You can email them to me with ATC Suitcase in the subject line or add a link to a comment below so that others can come and see them too.

Bye for now.

xx

Welcoming New Arrivals - Tinker + Bell

Here are the newest members of our family. Tinker and Bell. Can you tell that we are fond of fairies (oops I meant Chihuahuas) in our house? They are 5 and 1/2 weeks old and adorably cute! These photos were taken on the way home from picking them up.

I thought I would share with you their progress as they grow as I will no doubt be sewing a few things for them!

This here is Tinker. She is the tiny dainty placid puppy.
She is 2/3 rds the size of her sister.

And here is Bell. The bigger, fearless and mischievous puppy!
Who would guess!!! She looks like a miniature labrador!

There will no doubt be more photos of our new girls sporting some new sewing projects or even supervising in the craft room! LOL I will keep you posted on that one!

Christening Gown and Sewing Tips Part 4 - Finishing

Ok here is the Christening gown finally finished and pressed waiting for collection. I made it as requested except that I added the lace and narrow ribbon to draw attention up towards the face of the baby rather than to the 3 layers of 3 1/2 " wide lace on the hem.

I like to make the back of baby clothing in such a way that it looks just as good as the front. When babies are carried, often all you can see is their back. Similar to when a bride is at the alter why many wedding gowns are just as elaborate on the back as they are on the front . The only indication of the back of this Christening gown is the opening and the button. The ribbon is used to fasten the back and tied look identical to the front.

This is the front

and the back

This is the layered lace hem (as requested - no gathers)

The close up of the lace on the yoke and sleeves

Finishing off your garment is the final step in the sewing process. It can sometimes be the most difficult as all too often many people have had enough of sewing by then. I like to set a time limit and reward myself with a cuppa once it is all done.

MY SEWING TIPS PART 4- FINISHING
These tips apply to all sewing projects

* Remove ALL pins and needles!

* Press the gown for the final time. Use a pressing cloth and always test to make sure your iron is not too hot.

* Snip any stray threads both inside and outside the garment.

* Make sure there are no marks anywhere. If there are, wash or spot clean according to the washing instructions for the fabric.

* Double check to make sure all buttons, ribbon and other embellishments are attached securely. This is extremely important with items for babies and toddlers as they can be choking hazards.

* If the item is made for someone else, I like to provide a couple of scraps of fabric that I have hemmed for them to use as test pieces whenever they need to iron the garment. This small thing makes a big difference and saves burning the garment accidentally.

* Hang the garment on an appropriately sized hanger or store appropriately. Acid free paper and boxes are a must for items you wish to keep for some time.


I hope you find these tips useful. If you have any handy sewing finishing tips you would like to share, please feel free to share them here by adding a comment below.

Have a look at my other sewing tips.

SEWING TIPS PART 1 - PREPARATION
SEWING TIPS PART 2- CUTTING OUT
SEWING TIPS PART 3- SEWING

Getting the hang of my BuG!

Here is another card I have made using my Cricut Expression BuG! I used the Design studio program to help make this one and cut the scallop tag shape from the front of the base card so the colour matches perfectly. There is now a cutout of it on the inside for me to add another special message! I used the Storybook cartridge. It has so much on it, I only hope I don't wear it out!

I also used one of my new Kaiser butterfly stamps that I heat embossed with copper embossing powder and then watercoloured. I also removed the stamped antennae and fashioned some wire ones instead.

This card is going to a special friend and will be sent on its' way shortly.

Christening Gown and Sewing Tips Part 3 - Sewing

Here are some pictures of the Christening dress. The wide lace is sewn on the lower hem of the dress. Three layers of it! The lace and the narrow ribbon on the yoke and sleeves were sewn over the seam whilst simultaneously sewing the yoke lining to the inside of the dress. I actually used a vintage Singer edgestitcher foot for this purpose, so I could attach all three things with the one stitching line. It makes the inside of the garment look so much neater and saves 2 extra rows of sewing!

MY SEWING TIPS PART 3- SEWING
These tips apply to all sewing projects

* Work out when you need to apply embellishments such as ribbon or lace. Sometimes these need to be inserted within a seam or they may be stitched in place once the garment is completed.

* Use sharp needles in your sewing machine appropriate to the fabric you are using. It is well worth the extra cost and will make your sewing easier.

* Ensure your sewing machine is working and oiled before you start any big project. Consult your user manual for where to oil your machine. Make sure you remove any excess residue or spills of oil to prevent marking your garment as you sew.

* Keep several scraps of the fabric you are using close by. They come in handy when checking that you have the right tension and stitch settings before you sew on your actual garment.

* Get to know your sewing machine feet and practice using them. They can save you so much time and frustration if used correctly.

* If finances allow, an overlocker is a fabulous addition to have in any sewing room. They finish seams professionally and one with rolled hem capabilities creates pretty hems on fine fabrics.

* Use the correct seam allowance specified on the pattern, otherwise you could end up with uneven or mismatching seams. This could make the difference between a smooth or puckered seam when sewing a sleeve in place for example.

* Press, press, press! This helps so much. I usually press every seam as I go. It also means less final pressing once the garment is completely finished. Use a pressing cloth and keep a scrap of fabric handy to test on, just in case your iron is set to hot! It would be very frustrating to have to start from scratch!

I will add the links to my other sewing tips here once they are published.

SEWING TIPS PART 1 - PREPARATION
SEWING TIPS PART 2- CUTTING OUT
SEWING TIPS PART 4- FINISHING

I hope you find these tips useful. If you have any handy sewing tips you would like to share, please feel free to share them here by adding a comment below.