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.

Flowering Vine Cricut Birthday Card

My DH and DD surprised me with a Cricut Expression for Christmas.

I was extremely surprised to say the least because I had never even considered owning one as I already have a cuttlebug and quite a few dies. Well now I have had a chance to play with my new bug I would not be without her!

This card was my very first attempt at doing anything on my Cricut Expression. I tried to cut the lace swirl background first, but it only cut part way through because I didn’t use the right settings. Rather than throw it away I decided to use it anyway and just colour in part of it with my Whisper markers to make it stand out, like a vine.

The rest of the card just followed and was all cut on the cricut. I wasn’t sure that I liked it at first, but it has grown on me.

Christening Gown and Sewing Tips Part 2 - Cutting Out

Here are all the pieces for the Christening gown all cut out ready to sew. This dress has a full yoke facing/lining with an unlined skirt. So I needed to cut 2 front yokes, 4 back yokes, 1 skirt front and 2 skirt backs.

MY SEWING TIPS PART 2- CUTTING OUT
These tips apply to all sewing projects

* Make sure you have sharp pins with no snags in them, otherwise you may permanently mark your fabric. This can be an unsightly mistake to make with expensive or delicate fabrics.

* Make your iron your best friend! Pressing takes time but ultimately will give you the best results. Have your iron and ironing board close to your work area. Press pattern pieces and fabric before you start pinning and cutting.

* Keep your nails filed smooth to prevent snags in the fabric. This one may sound a little silly, but if you have ever tried sewing with very fine fabrics and your nail has caught the fabric, you will know what I mean!

* Pin the pattern pieces to the fabric within the seam allowance, that way if the pins do mark the fabric they will not be seen once the garment is made.

* Make sure you have a sharp pair of dressmakers scissors. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to cut your fabric properly! See this post to see how I keep my scissors sharp.

* When cutting out make sure you follow the layout instructions and double check everything before you cut. Otherwise you could make a very costly mistake!

* Make sure you transfer necessary markings to your fabric. Pleats, center line , ease, notches etc. These are a big help as you sew.

* Check each step before you sew. Unpicking is time consuming as well as frustrating and can permanently damage some fabrics.

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

SEWING TIPS PART 1 - PREPARATION
SEWING TIPS PART 3- SEWING
SEWING TIPS PART 4- FINISHING

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

Christening Gown and Sewing Tips Part 1- Preparation

I have been asked to make a christening gown. The grandmother wanted to make it herself, but found she ran out of time. I will share the progress with you as I make it.

Here is the pattern of the dress with the fabric and lace as supplied to me. I have been asked to make the basic dress and then sew several layers of lace on the bottom.

Here is the first in my series of sewing tips designed for those of you beginning so sew. These are not just for sewing heirloom outfits, but are suitable for anything you want to make.

MY SEWING TIPS PART 1 - PREPARATION
These tips apply to all sewing projects

* Use good quality fabric, lace and thread if you intend to keep the gown as an heirloom. Cheaper or inferior materials may not survive the test of time very well.

* Use thread suitable for the fabric you are using. Incorrect threads will give unreliable results.

*Use fabric recommended on the back of the pattern envelope. You can not cut woven fabric with a pattern designed for stretch fabric. This is because woven fabrics do not have the same stretch capabilities of knit fabric.

* Some fabrics specifically require pre-washing before you cut them out. This is a very important step with some fabrics and can make a big difference to the appearance of the finished garment. If you are not sure, check when you buy your fabric.

* Take your time, and read all instructions carefully before you start. Keep referring to them as you go.

* If you are not very confident with sewing, I recommend to make a trial gown using a similar fabric to help you work out all the kinks you may encounter and changes you want to make BEFORE you sew the final garment. You can then use this as another cute outfit too, so it won't be wasted.

* Make sure you and your work area are clean! Marks from hand cream may not show up until years later. Wipe over all surfaces and make sure there is no residue of sewing machine oil anywhere, including your machine, table and anywhere else the fabric may touch.

* Some fabrics need to be left to HANG! This will allow the fabric to drop if it is going to before it is cut. If the garment is left to hang after is is made, it may go out of shape. Yes this has happened to me, one dress need to be re-hemmed 3 times and that was AFTER being left to hang for 2 weeks! When you purchase your fabric ask if you need to let it hang.

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

SEWING TIPS PART 2- CUTTING OUT
SEWING TIPS PART 3- SEWING
SEWING TIPS PART 4- FINISHING

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

Want to see Websites I like? Stumbleupon is the key!

How many of us have loads and loads of bookmarks saved and don't remember what they were for. Well if you are anything like me, I find it is sometimes quicker to Google the page I am looking for, just to find it again.

Sooooo I decided a while back to start using Stumbleupon to keep my bookmarks in one place and share them with others. It is a social bookmarking site where you download a toolbar to your web browser and then you can give web pages you like the thumbs up (this is good) or thumbs down(bad) if you don't want to see that kind of thing again. You can also randomly stumble through websites in topics you like so you can bookmark and share them with others on your own stumble blog.

My StumbleUpon blog has tags/categories so I can sort the pages depending on the topic and I can even write a review too. I often use my reviews and thumbnails to help remind me as to what is on the page to make it easier to find later. If you go and have a look around you should find enough to keep you busy for a while. (wink wink!)

You can read more about StumbleUpon and download the toolbar from here.

So if you want to find out what I like head on over to my Stumble blog. I have tried to keep it mostly sewing and crafts related to help spread the creative inspiration and share some fun things with others. There are tags/categories on the right hand side of the page to make it easier to see topics you are interested in. If you like my blog SewDelish or even my StumbleUpon blog please leave me some love by giving them the thumbs up! Even if you don't have the tool bar, you can easily give them the thumbs up by clicking on the little icon that looks like this.. at the end of each of my posts.

See you all soon, hopefully you don't get so hooked on stumbling that you forget to pop back in a say hello! :)

Happy New Year!

Well the festive season is now over and as usual we had loads of food leftover. So much that we made up numerous plates filled with delish Christmas goodies and pretended to be meals on wheels for our family and friends. After all there is only so much turkey, mince pies, pavlova and trifle one can eat!
Hope you found something lovely under the tree at Christmas! I know I did! I will be sharing a few things I have been making with it in the next few weeks. I have just finished writing another post scheduled for tomorrow that should keep you busy for a while. (wink wink!)

Wouldn't you know it, right at a critical crafting time last week, our printer decided it was time to go to printer heaven. It wasn't recognising cartridges and would take absolutely forever to print a black and white page! So now armed with a new printer (and oh soooo much better) I can print lots of things in just the same colour as shown on the monitor! I have been trying to give it a work out, just to make sure it still works! LOL
Anyway enough of the chatter, I am off to finish some tidying in my sewing room and then to cook some dinner.

Happy New Year to you all and I hope this year is much better for you than any before. I have lots of ideas for this year that I would like to share with you. So don't forget to keep checking back or even subscribe (the link is above) to be notified when I update with new posts.

xx