Pot holders.

I have been thinking a lot lately about trying my hand at making a pot holder.

This booklet has a number of different patterns that I have been playing with the idea of making. The booklet contains patterns for a number of different styled pot holders, plus a variety of embroidery options. The instructions are a little tricky to decipher in some of the patterns though. The (apparent) complexity of some of the patterns has put me off a little, as I just worry that my crochet skills are not good enough (I am a total beginner).

This is where EmmaLamb comes in...

~ from here ~

Aren't they the most beautiful things you've ever seen?!? The detail is brilliant and the colour combinations are perfect. I wish I had skills like this. I also love how they can be used as a decorative feature on a wall.

My favourite would definitely be Bessie...

~ from here ~

Emma has a beautiful Etsy store and also an inspiring blog.

A lovely discovery...

Sam xox

Projects I am loving...

Here is my second installment of 'projects I am loving'. Again all of these are sourced from the Burda Style website.

Enjoy.

Alice and the Mad Hatter by dewreb. I love the whimsical nature of her dress. Dewreb is a very talented seamstress and has a number of gorgeous projects in her online studio. Click here to read more about this project.

Yellow Floral Clutch by kaitw. This is an original design and I just love the vintage floral print. Click here to read more about this project.

Lace Bralette by hellagabrielle. A very feminine piece of sewing. Click here to read more about this project.

Jane Austin's Persuasion by marthaO. A lovely example of period costuming. Click here to read more about this project.

Red-handed by carolyn-s. A beautiful pair of gloves sewn by a fellow Aussie! Some of you might already be familiar with Carolyn's blog Handmade by Carolyn. Click here to read more about this project.

I hope you enjoyed looking at these as much as I did. There are so many talented sewers out there!

Sam xox

What a clever husband.

I have been lusting after wooden thread racks for a while now. They seem to be an aesthetically pleasing way to store spools of thread. I also like the idea of having thread on display, it helps you remember what colours you already have, before you go out and buy more for a new project.

I hunted down some nice thread racks on American eBay that I thought were being sold at an affordable price. I showed Jamie. He looked shocked. I pointed out their awesome features to him in a bid to try and convince him to say "yes" to me buying the racks. Instead, he insisted he could make them for me himself and would have them finished before any internet purchases could arrive in the post.

Together, we sat down a drew up plans to make my ultimate thread racks. It looked good on paper.

We then spent a Sunday afternoon working with meters and meters of wood, drill bits, a saw, glue and sandpaper, and after a few hours we had two thread racks each able to hold 50 spools - that 100 spools in total!

I plan on buying some cord and hanging them both above my sewing table.

Thanks Jamie! Now I know your hidden talent I will be aiming much higher next time.

Sam xox

Projects I am loving...

... on Burda Style right now.

I thought I would share with you some links to the projects I am loving on Burda Style right now.

A very cute beret made by daisyjuicelover. I think the branch and leaf detail at the top is just too cute! Click here to read more about this piece.

I love the fabric this dress is made from. Beautiful. Made by birdstop, click here to read more about this piece.

So sad I only found this project after Christmas. These owls are such super cute decorations. Made by tobogon, click here to read more about this project.

Paperbag Skirt by sarsaparilla. I love that she has made this from the skirt of a dress that she made and did not like. Nice to see the fabric has been put to good use! Click here to read more about the project and click here to visit Sarah's awesome blog The Forty Acre Wood.

A Lady Grey coat by amaydak. I have seen a few people making the Lady Grey pattern in the blog world. I love the strong colours in the fabric that amaydak has chosen to work with. Click here to read more about this project.

Perfect to make for the one who has your heart this Valentine's Day. Made by doitmomma, it is for sale here on Etsy. Click here to read more about this project.

I hope you enjoyed look at these as much as I did. There are so many talented sewers out there!

Sam xox

Vintage dress patterns.

While I spend today packing away our Christmas decorations and trying to find homes for the lovely Christmas gifts we received (seriously, our table is completely covered in pressies!) I thought I would grab 5 minutes and post about three patterns I bought recently on Etsy.

I have a bit of a 'thing' lately for dresses with jackets that match. It could be something to do with this awesome skirt/jacket combo Tilly made that I fell in love with!

Sam xox

Summer time.

It has been very hot in Sydney this past week. The days are getting longer and the humidity is rising. I cleaned up my balcony this weekend so that I can possibly buy a little three piece outdoor setting to have outside. This summer I would love to spend the hot summer evenings sitting on my balcony, watching the sun set, and sharing a meal with Jamie.

In this fantasy I am sipping iced tea from these beautiful tumblers...

Low ball glasses from Grandma's Junk Drawer

Anchor Hocking Tumbler Set from linneamarie

Striped Bar Glasses from jenscloset

Red Floral Tumblers from oldstuffinboxes

Blue Glass Tumblers by winkinpossum

Sam xox

Hats.

I stumbled across this Etsy store recently, and I think I am falling in love...

yellowfield7.etsy.com

Sam xox

Merit badge.

For my birthday earlier this month, I received a merit badge from Mel for "being a happy camper". We had some interesting experiences earlier this year when we went camping (think rain, mud, bull ants, and dropping of pants) and this badge is a cute reminder of that holiday together.

Lee Meszaros selling these handmade and hand painted merit badges on Etsy. They were featured in Fankie magazine earlier this year, where Lee spoke about how she had the inspiration for her designs where she came across an old Brownies sash in a thrift store.Lee's badges are based on the traditional Boy Scout/ Girl Guide merit badges, just with a grown up twist.

This even inspired me pull out my own Girl Guide uniform that has been hiding deep in my wardrobe.

I think I need to give my old guiding sash some TLC and sew those badges back on neatly!

Sam xox

Too much of a good thing.

When you log into your etsy account, and it reminds you to leave feedback for 20 items, you know you are in for a treat. I have been falling in love with the fabrics featured in Frankie magazine, and have been thinking (hard) about making a simple tied quilt made from 8" squares of vintage florals. I turned to etsy to satisfy this urge and discovered Zwizzle, a store that sells the most amazing retro fabrics that are cut to a really useful size (fat quarters or larger).

Zwizzle were having a sale, so I purchased 20 fabrics, and because they are based in Australia I only had to wait 2 days for the parcel to arrive!

My photographs did not do their packaging justice! The photo above was taken before my parcel was sent (it is now featured in each listing) and shows the beautiful packing details so much better than my photos did. Brown paper tied with fabric strips. Perfect.

Unwrapping my parcels I found that I had been sent 5 extra fat quarters plus the two doilies! Such an awesome surprises. You can see that I have already put one doily to use under my vase.

Some of the beautiful fabrics.

Watch this space. This quilt is going to be super quick to make and I want it finished this month. I think I will either use a light weight batting or no batting at all, as it is intended as a summer quilt. I need to find a nice sheet from a thrift store to back it with, and some thick white thread to tie the quilt together. I also need to decide how big I want to make it. I am planning on doing the cutting tonight, and if time allows, I might even get the quilt top sewn.

Thanks again Zwizzle, you made my week!

Sam xox

Sculpture by the sea.

Today Jamie and I headed down to the beach to check out the annual Sculpture by the Sea. It began in 1997 and has become an iconic Sydney event. The weather this weekend has been super hot so Jamie and I put off going to the beach until late afternoon (gotta love daylight savings!). The sculptures were scattered along the coast line creating an ant-like trail of people as far as the eye could see.

You can click here to visit the Sculpture by the Sea website to see more images and learn more about the event.

Sam xox