Softies for Mirabel 2010

I got this this guy to Pip at Meet me at Mike's just in the squeak of time for the 2010 Softies for Mirabel drive.

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It was the second time I'd joined in the fun, Eugene (the udderly lovely cow) having taken part in 2009.


George was made from the albert monkey pattern in the softies book, contributed by Fiona from Hop Skip Jump.

The trousers were very fiddly, but very cute.

It was a great project for using up odds and ends of fabric.

Sadly, I missed the deadline for the 2011 drive. I have the pieces already cut out for the 'Constance bunny' sketch, which might now end up as a Toy Society drop.

Constance bunny from tollipop

Just the other day, I had the surreal experience of visiting tollipop and seeing my name staring back at me... I'd won the Constance bunny giveaway!

Here's Constance bunny, next to Clementine. I do hope that cup of tea is for me. There are so many lovely prints & originals available from the tollipop etsy shop.


It's so cute, I immediately wanted to make a little stuffed Constance bunny toy. I sketched a quick design or two, and we'll see if I find the time/energy to whip it up!

If you're quick, there's another tollipop giveway going at the moment! So head on over if you'd like a wee original for yourself. Especially if you like bunnies and icecream...

Morsbag winner & discussion on plastic bags

I decided to be a little silly when it came to drawing the winner for the blue/brown Morsbag (pictured above). I felt like adding a human element!


First I chose three pink pencils and and labelled them 1-3.

Then, I randomised the entrants, thus associating each one with a pencil.


Last but not least, when my sister came around I asked her to pick a pencil (without explaining why). Then I got her to answer the same question I asked the contestants.

She picked #3, so congratulations darkpurplemoon! The parcel is on the way.

Thanks to all who entered! To finish off, I'd like to discuss the answers I received to the question

What is the single biggest obstacle to your living without plastic bags?

• Lack of time! I confess I use disposable nappies (for my babies - it's not a weird sort of confession), and I dispose of them in plastic bags. But I always try to remember my ecobags for the shopping! (Anna Bartlett)

• It is so hard to get things without plastic when you work full time. I am investigating getting things delivered from the local organic delivery service, but I grow a lot of my veg and I don't want to get things I already have. Our local farmers market is on a wednesday and friday. Er, yeah. Thanks for that! (darkpurplemoon)
  

• I started sewing morsbags in October 2007 and since then I've drastically reduced the use of plastic bags. The main problem for me at the moment is how to dispose garbage. Depending on the garbage sometimes it might be difficult without a plastic bag... but I'm working on it! ;o) (I bag you)
  

• I would miss being able to wrap dodgy containers with liquid - in case they spill/condense (My sister)
  

I agree with Anna & I bag you that garbage always seems to involve plastic bags... wrapping certain waste, lining bins... We always decline bags and we manage to cut down on the number of bags we use by trying to avoid excess packaging & composting vegetable scraps, but we line our bins nonetheless (our plastic bag stash will run out one day...), and some things just come packaged in certain sizes... as darkpurplemoon pointed out, farmers markets can be hard to get to on a busy schedule. I also agree with my sister. I bring my lunch in a cotton bag so condensation doesn't bother me, but spills do... I keep meaning to make some nice, plastic-lined, washable lunch bags!

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Related post: 50 Morsbags = a giveaway!

50 Morsbags = a giveaway!

Morsbags has a fun tool you can use to visualise where pods are around the world, and how many bags they've made. Can you see Canberra up the top there, on the right? 51 bags! Since my friend made one, that means that I have made & distributed 50 bags in the last 8 months or so.


Here are some of the bags I made in my last batch (you guessed it - a rise in Uni work means a rise in crafty procrastination).

One of the things I love about using found or re-purposed fabrics is that you end up using materials that you might not have otherwise.


For instance, I found myself working with an interesting pink fabric, which I teamed with an '80s print, both salvaged from my local op-shop.

I also managed to use some leftover material from another Morsbag I made (from an old floral pillowcase) for some handles. So satisfying!


For this blue/brown number, I recycled some old brown sheets into handles to go with the cute print I found at - you guessed it - my local op-shop!

For your chance to win the blue/brown Morsbag (#50!), simply leave a comment below answering the following question:

What is the single biggest obstacle to your living without plastic bags?

Comments will close at noon on Sunday the 2nd of May (GMT+10) and a winner will be drawn at random the next day.

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Related post: Morsbag winner & discussion on plastic bags

Happy Valentine's day to 15 strangers

The Morsbags crew coordinated a mass handout for Valentine's day. I decided to participate, seeing it as a good excuse to put a dent into the pile fabric I've been acquiring from the local op-shop. And I work so much better to deadlines!

I churned out a whopping 15 bags, which I posted into random letterboxes around my area late last night with a little note saying "Happy Valentine's day" & explaining what Morsbags are. Admittedly, the plan is flawed... who checks their mail on a Sunday?


Here are the bags, neatly stacked up on my desk... which is looking deceptively clean! Note my new pincushion from Ivory Blush Roses & lovely painting from DeadpanAlley... yay!

I spend a lot of time at this desk, with Uni work spread out everywhere one day, and then my trusty sewing machine out the next. As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time unpacking things and packing them back up. I look forward to the day when I might have a dedicated sliver of space for arty crafty activities!


So does my housemate, I'm sure, as from time to time our living room becomes an extension of my workshop. (Note the lovely retro red pincushion I bought from Ginpins...)

Most of the bags I made were from old pillow cases, but I made a few more from tea-towels.


I ended up making another bag from a horse tea towel, extending it with the same fabric I used for Eugene's body! The handles were sourced from a pillowcase.


The other tea-towel bag features Australian wattle and is "extended" at the top rather than the bottom. This one will actually be sent to someone overseas (via sendsomething) rather than put into a local letterbox.

I wish you all a lovely Sunday, whatever you have planned!

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Related posts: Morsbags, Recycling old pillowcases into Morsbags, Morsbags from tea towels, Pin cushion from Ivory Blush Roses, Eugene wants a hug

Pin cushion from Ivory Blush Roses

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During the great lucky streak of '09, I picked up this gorgeous pin cushion from a give-away over at Ivory Blush Roses. I love it & use it all the time... it's a great size & the colours remind me of a grassy knoll. So cute!

She has a great tutorial on how to make your own pincushions, using CDs as bases! I love the fact that old CDs have been used in this piece, and have a secret urge to peek inside and see what CDs are in there.

I first stumbled upon Ivory Blush Roses through her crazy quilting.

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This jellyfish, in particular, tickled my fancy!

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I like the chocolate creams in this piece too. There are many many more examples of crazy-quilted blocks over on her site.

Other lovely photographs from her site include:

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Yarn that looks good enough to eat, and...

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...sweet collections like the crocks and shells pictured above.

If you pop over to say hi, don't forget to check out her other tutorials too!

Cathy Cullis: September

My lucky streak continues, with September arriving in my mailbox...

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Cathy Cullis recently hosted an autumn giveaway, and September was the prize. The fabric was dyed with violas! If you're interested, she has a whole post dedicated to dyeing with blackberries and onion skins. Fascinating stuff.

If you haven't seen Cathy's work before, I recommend you head on over to take a look. I love the small stitches & details.... the floating faces & string hiding everywhere enchant me!

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This piece, 'a memoir', was one of the first pieces of her work I saw. I've since discovered that she also makes dolls:

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And writes poetry which sometimes finds its way into her textile art:

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To see more of Cathy's enchanting work, also check out her flickr, etsy, and big cartel.

Next week begins Cathy's week of painting... I'm looking forward to it!

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Shiny Happy Art

A lovely package came in the mail recently from Anna Bartlett...


I joined Shiny Happy Art's mailing list and won Septembers' giveaway: a lovely linen tea-towel.

I love the package's small details, like the illustrated envelope (cute!) and the extra gifts (a bookmark, set of art tags, and bookplates).

I also follow Anna Bartlett's blog "Shiny Happy Thoughts" which is a great mix of everything from emergency cookies to developing new products and her artwork including murals and step-by-step paintings.

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October's giveaway is a purse-sized pink notebook. Go ahead and join Shiny Happy Art's mailing list to be in the running!

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Curious Little Oyster pout balm

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Annaliese, from the Curious Little Oyster, is giving away five of her Nilla Nilla pout balms. She doesn't appear to have drawn the winners yet, so if you're quick, you might be in for a chance! Become a fan of her facebook page and leave a message to be in the running.

I was lucky enough to win some Arancia pout balm in her last giveaway, and it is great - tasty, and very cute.

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These lip balms would make a great gift. If you miss out on the giveaway, check out the range at her online shop. She has a bunch of things in stock from Melbourne craftsters, and says:

I handpick each item that sells in my lil shoppe. The criteria is that they are all eco in some way: organically made; sustainable; recycled or upcycled. But being green is not enough! Our goodies are GORGEOUS, fun and sometimes a little bit quirky!

She's also founded an Indie collective:

The Indie Collective is a meeting place for artisans, crafters, cooks and more for the purpose of creating greater buying power for what they need to make!

Being an Indie means that we often pay more for materials and ingredients... paradoxically, we are often the ones needing a better deal, so here is your place to make it happen!

Talking about giveaways, Geta's quilt arrived in the mail, and is prettying up my place! It has a gorgeous shine to it that the photos just don't capture...

Happy October, everyone, this year is zooming by!

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Related post: Geta's Shadow Trapunto Quilt

Geta's Shadow Trapunto Quilt

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Isn't Geta's quilt just beautiful?

I am super stoked to have been the lucky winner of this quilt. I can barely believe it! The giveaway was hosted by Rachel over at One Pretty Thing:

One Pretty Thing- a daily website dedicated to bringing you inspiring projects for a handmade life. I'm Rachel and I scour the craft forums, sites and blogs to bring you the best tutorials and DIY.

I've been following Geta's shadow trapunto creations for some time now, and it is on my ever-growing "to try one day" list. I actually bought a second-hand craft book recently because it mentioned the trapunto technique, and Geta had made me curious about what it was all about.

Check out Geta's Blog for other creations, such as these amazing quilted bags:

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She has some free quilting tutorials if anyone is interested, and a great step-by-step e-book available for purchase if you want to learn the shadow trapunto technique. It's full of photos and clear instructions.


Let's take one final look at the quilt....

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I am going to be checking the mailbox every day!