Love for circle skirts!

Circle skirts..... makes me think of twirling, pretty fabrics... spring and flowers!

I wrote ages ago about a joint collaboration with Red Dusk Designs to create some lovely 50's inspired skirts! Well, when I returned from our honeymoon I found a renewed motivation to start sewing. That's all I really wanted to do. As you can tell, I've been busy sewing for myself and others and have a list as long as my arms of the things I want to create in the future!!!!!

So we've had a couple of business meetings to discuss designs, fabrics... and I'm so excited!!!!

I've been doing my research and if you would like to make your own check out the tutorials below. Or, you can ask me nicely and maybe I'll make you one!!!!!

The best tutorials and patterns I found:-
Making Things
Elegant Musings she even has a 1954 pattern for the circle skirt!
Ruffles and roses
MADE
Grosgrain

Anyway - just a quick one, I'll post another one with some of my finished skirts.

xx cherry xx

Tutorial: easy girls skirt

Well I've been pretty busy sewing lately and coming up with ideas for presents for upcoming birthdays! I went to the Good Sammys recently and I stumbled upon this top, if it is a top? Its kind of strange. Anyway, I love the material and when I got it off the rack I noticed there was a "V" in the corner! PERFECT for Miss Vera's first birthday present.

What to create? I thought it would make a lovely little skirt with an elastic waist. So first things first, cut it up!

Now neaten up the waistband and cut it to the desired width - elastic width plus hem allowance. Depending on the size of your top you may need to adjust the length. The estimates of the measurements I used are as follows:

Waist: 50cms (so you depending on your elastic you'd probably go 80 - 90% of the waist measurement)
Length (finished): 35cms

Two Little Banshees have a fantastic tutorial for a 2 year old's skirt. It was a great reference for me as it was hard to decide on the length and waist because all little people come in different shapes and sizes! If you have a little person handy - this bit would be a lot easier.

Anyway, so with your waist band you could use just shy of double the elastic. So you've got 4 pieces, 2 x front and 2 x back. Attach the 2 front pieces together then the 2 back pieces. Now join the front and the back together at the side seams. But remember, you want to be able to encase the elastic with this, so open out the joined pieces and sew.

I ended up having to cut the main panel of the skirt as it was too long and I have no idea about sizing of toddlers!!!! Anyway, I've put rough measurements on the picture below too.

Ok so quick check. Waist band - check! Skirt body - check! Hm so elastic, cut your piece of elastic sew together and stitch the two selvages down.

Now enclose the elastic in the waistband.

Onto the skirt. Because the skirt body is wider than the waistband, we will need to gather top of the skirt where it will join onto the waistband.

For gathering, I usually just use the sewing machine at a looser tension and wide stitch. Just pull to desired length.

Now you can attach the waist band to the skirt! Right side to right side and sew :)

Nearly done! I just added one of the buttons to the middle front of the waist band.

Enjoy :)

xx cherry xx

Tutorial: How to update an old top!

I have this lovely top:

But I don't think the neck line and capped sleeves are that flattering on me and I love the fabric so I wasn't ready to donate it just yet - so I thought, why not change the neck line?

My vision is for a scoop neck sleeveless top, using bias binding to finish the sleeves and neckline.

Bias binding - its a solid trim, you find it in with the elastic and zippers. It's not that expensive to buy but its just as easy to make your own.

taken from www.simplicity.com

I found loads of great tutorials about bias binding at MADE and coletterie, they also show you what you can do with your fun new bias binding!

If you take a look at the MADE tutorial, she shows us this awesome tool which I had no idea existed. How awesome is it! I unfortunately don't have one of these tools yet so will be doing it my way. I don't think its the "correct" way, but it works for me.

So after the rant about bias binding, back to how to update the top!

1. Put the top on and decide roughly where you will need to cut into it to make the new neckline and arm holes. You hopefully can see the little marks I've put on the top in the picture below:

2. Get your scissors out and cut. For the arm holes - I cut one side first, then used it as a guide for the other side. Neckline I did it roughly, then tried it on and neatened it up.

3. Now whip out your home made bias binding and sew on! The way I do it is sew on one raw edge first. Use right side to right side.

4. Fold back the binding onto the raw edge.

5. Then turn the raw edge in on itself, pin then sew! If my way doesn't make sense try the tutorial on MADE she has also used it to make some super cute hot pads! Sorry I realised I didn't actually take any pictures of the bias binding process. But I plan to make a top for a friend so I will take pictures again and show you.

6. Then voilà! You've got a finished arm hole. Repeat to neck and then your old top is ready for wearing again.

xx cherry xx

Tutorial: How to make a simple cushion cover

Cushion covers, probably the easiest thing you can sew, maybe after a pillow case - now that takes me back to year 9 home economics!!!

We stayed with a lovely lady in England named Cherry. So when I saw this oh so adorable material, I thought what a lovely cushion it would make!

So a good friend showed me a fantastic way of making cushion covers without having to put in a zip or putting in an end like a pillow. If you over lap the ends in the middle of the face of the cushion, then it stays on a lot better! You'll see further down, if this is not making sense.

Once you've got your panel of fabric, then finish the 2 edges now I am putting those cute yellow buttons on as a feature, so I have made one of the seams about 2 inches thick, so when I do the button holes they are sturdier.

So now fold the edges into the middle and check the measurements to ensure each seam is even all the way along

Now just sew the side seams!

For button holes, measure out distance between button holes then sew. Open them up and then lay the cushion cover flat. I then used a pen and put a little mark in the centre of each button hole. I've put the picture below - but you may not be able to see the little dots.

Now pop it on a naked cushion and admire your handy work!

xx cherry xx

I am cute dresses

While we were in LA I purchased I am cute dresses: 25 simple designs to sew by Sato Watanabe and recently made a dress for a dear friend using one of the patterns.

I chose the "I am shift into tunic" how beautiful is her fabric!

So the book doesn't come with pattern pieces, just layouts and measurements for you to create the pattern piece for yourself. Most are designed to be loose fitting, relaxed and simple.

The pattern was pretty easy to follow I had a few moments with organising the pattern pieces (probably more me than the pattern...) once cut, putting it together was quite straight forward. Now I did take photos, but I can't find them :/ so I'll have to upload them later.

My friend really loved her new tunic, I am keen to make one for myself too!!!

I'll get a photos for this tunic up soon.

xx cherry xx

Rest in peace Mittens 23.10.10

I know, haven't done many sewing project updates - but they are coming. Anyway as our one year anniversary approaches, so does another anniversary - the death of my fur baby Mittens.

He still makes me smile, he was my most favourite cat! Anyway I am sure he is happy in cat heaven playing with moths and sleeping in his little bed.

Just a few pictures of him.

xx cherry xx

Honeymoon snap

Just a photo from our honeymoon! Not long til our first anniversary :)

xx cherry xx

New hair!

Well I finally got sick of my long locks and went for a chop! Still getting used to it, it's kind of like when you move something in your house and it doesn't look right for awhile... if that makes sense!

Anyway here are the before and after shots!

and after!!!!

Raw biscuits. Yummier than they sound....

Finally, back after a lovely honeymoon and back to some blogging!

Our holiday was amazing and I found some very tasty treats that I was quite sad to leave. One of them was raw snack bars, gluten, sugar and dairy free = great for me.

I've not really seen anything like it here so I thought - why not make my own!

So I just soaked a load of dates overnight in some water then blended them up. Added some almond meal (I just whizzed it up myself), LSA, shredded coconut, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, chopped up walnut and raw peanuts and a little bit of honey.

Here is the mixture

Then after a little bit of mixing I just wet my hands and formed them into little patties!!

Ta da!!!!!

I think next time I may add some cashews, coconut oil and maybe a tad of cinnamon! But not bad - don't think I'd feed them to anyone else just yet ;)

xx cherry xx

Maxi skirts

I do love maxi skirts... they hide all manner of sins and can we worn no matter what season! I've found a fantastic pattern on Sew Much Ado - what a cute blog name! but it's layered and I don't think that's what I'm after.

I've got some left over black knit material, its not crazy stretchy but would be great for a maxi skirt. Now I was thinking what type do I make, fitted waist band with gathering....fishtail... so many choices! While I was searching I came across this one which is from ASOS

Think this is perfect! I just now need to figure out how to make it fitted at the top and loose at the bottom.

I did want to take this away with me too!! Ha... better start cracking then ;)

I'll post again with a bit of a tutorial - otherwise I'll post a pic of the finished skirt and save the tutorial for when I return!

xx cherry xx

The perfect rustic loaf

Well I am pretty good at baking things I can't eat. I do it out of love, what can I say! hahaha! No I do enjoy feeding people and love baking and cooking, so for our latest bloated casserole I thought what more perfect than a crusty light loaf of bread.

I did some research and stumbled upon the easiest bread recipe ever. Well maybe damper is easier but this one is tasty (according to those who have eaten it!) it's features on the New York Times but I'll give the details here too just so I can find it again and for you guys too!

Ingredients
3 cups of flour (I used plain white flour am sure you could use wholemeal or bread flour - whatever that is?)
1 1/2 cups of water
1 packet of instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp of salt

Method
1. Combine flour, yeast, salt add the water. Stir until blended the dough will look well, as he said shaggy - kind of separated think of shag pile carpet.
2. Set aside covered in plastic wrap in a warm place for about 4 hours. I popped mine near the window under a tea towel.
3. Lightly oil a surface and place dough on it, fold it over on itself a couple of times then leave it to rest for another half an hour covered loosely with plastic wrap.
4. Once you've folded the dough, turn on the oven to 220 c and pop in your dutch oven/heavy lidded pot. By the time your oven is hot, the bread will be ready to go in.
5. Place your dough in the hot pot, I usually do a little bit of a dash with the olive oil on the base. Put the lid back on and bake for 30 mins, you will begin to smell the bread towards the end.
6. Once done, bake without lid for a further 15 mins or until brown.
7. Let it cool a bit on a wire rack, then dig in!!!! Eat with butter, yummy olive oil or just plain!

I've taken some pictures along the way to show the process.

Dough at the start of the process

Dough after about 4 hours of proving

Straight out of the oven

Ready for everyone to eat!!!!

xx cherry xx

Whoopie pies

I'd never heard of whoopie pies until my friend Thao gifted me the book from the Hummingbird Bakery so for Ollie's birthday party I made some whoopie pies using the recipe from Donna Hay - rainbow whoopie pies.

I am not the best baker in the world and found there to be all sorts of variables when making these! It was difficult to get them the same size and making 2 separate batches my dough changed from the first batch to the second. But there are probably some simple tips on how to make these more uniform!

Here are pictures of the finished product! I hope they were enjoyed ;)

xx cherry xx

What is produced after a lot of procrastination at crafternoon!

Hello everyone!

Well, it's been awhile and I have been doing a few bits and pieces but I admit I haven't been doing that much sewing. Not long now til our "honeymoon" I can't wait!

Anyway yesterday the lovely Elise hosted our monthly crafternoon and I admit... I spent more time talking and eating than doing anything crafty! So Elise in her wisdom stepped in and got me to do some Appliqué! Now awhile ago she gave a tutorial class on how to appliqué - so yesterday we had a little bit of refresher.

Elise kindly provided the material and bib so all I needed to do was choose a design! That took awhile but I finally decided on a bird and here is the finished product. I ended up stitching it by hand - I tried it on the machine but it looked a little rough. I have to admit I'm not a massive fan of blanket stitch which was why I chose to do it on the machine but sewing it by hand didn't take that long anyway! I think it looks pretty cute. Will thought it was a wale with two windsurfers on it's head... tell me what you think!!!

Here is Sheba modelling the bib (she wasn't too happy about it as you can see...)

xx cherry xx

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts...

So I've started doing a video by Jillian Michaels (it's called ripped in 30 check it out on her website!) and it comes with an eating plan. Not exciting except for mention of COCONUT YOGHURT!?!?!?!!!!!

Those who know me know that I've done a lot of dietary adjustments during the year and where I stand now is with a strictly gluten free diet and occasional dairy. I have to be honest and I don't think dairy really still sits that well with me so I still try to avoid it.

Now can you understand the excitement at finding coconut yoghurt?

But of course my search led me to one website Coyo Yoghurt and alas they do not stock anywhere in Perth :o( Massive sad face!

Now to start my search on how to make coconut yoghurt....

xx cherry xx

Silly cats

I had always thought the cats didn't really like each other. Everyone always said cats are independent creatures.

Maybe it's the cold weather then? But I've caught them on a couple of occasions unusually close to each other....

So funny! Silly cats.

xx cherry xx

How to make a simple up-cycled quilt!

So it's cold now and I felt my "lap" blanket was lacking some warmth and size. Rather than feeling like I was being kept all snug and safe in my lap blanket I was feeling a little bit exposed and cold around the edges....

I really didn't want to buy a brand new lap blanket so I thought, aha! Surely you can use old sheets and blankets to make a new improved blanket? Turn to my friend google to see what I can find.

After a little bit of searching I found Craft Stylish Do check it out. The author of this tutorial, Diane does an amazing job to explain how to go about making this quilt!

It is actually super super easy to make - my crafternoon girls can vouch for this ;) I pretty much followed the craft stylish instructions - she sets it out so well with pictures and in plain english! So I give you only the summarised version below:- if you are keen on making one definitely check out craft stylish for help.

1. Get 3 layers for your quilt. The 2 outer layers and the warm bit which will be sandwiched between them.

As you can see, I have an old quilt cover (the white layer with embroidered bows on it), flannel sheet for warmth and a single sheet I picked up at the red cross store for $2.

After you've ironed them (it is very important to do this!) Place the two outer layers right sides together then the warm layer on top.

2. Now use safety pins and pin all three layers together. I put them close to the edges at regular intervals.

Now trim the edges to be the same size.

3. Sew all three layers together. Remember to leave a gap in the fourth side - kind of like a duvet cover, this will mean you can turn it the right way out.

4. Now clip the edges and trip your warm layer right back - if this is your thickest layer just to take bulk out of the edges. Because I'd used a flannel sheet there wasn't that much bulk so I just neatened the edges up, then ironed out the seam.

5. Turn the right way out and ladder stitch the opening shut. It was rather exciting at this stage as it began to look quite nice!!

6. So because you have 3 layers, you want to stop them from flapping about.

If you had quilting skills or this function on your sewing machine you could probably do a simple pattern to joint he layers together. But if you have never done any quilting or have this function on your machine like me then use the technique called "tie quilting".

Essentially you are using a thicker thread here I used 4 ply wool, threading it through the three layers and tying a knot. I left about 2cms of wool above the knot.

Lucky for me the white sheet had these embroidered bows in regular intervals so I used these as my configuration for the ties. You could use any pattern you like! If you have a plain side you will see the little indents of where you have placed them.

7. You're done! And now have a wonderfully warm and pretty up-cycled quilt made of old and lifeless sheets and blankets you may have considered chucking out. I am very happy with my new quilt! :)

Let me know what you think!

xx cherry xx

Making a hoodie - using Burda Pattern 7734

It was recently my husband's birthday and because he is not only very hard to buy for but because I don't have that many funds lately I decided to make him a hoodie with some grey fleece I had bought years ago!

Here is the pattern - how crazy and cool do the guys look on the cover? Hehehe

When I went to get a zip - I saw this awesome skulls material which I couldn't resist. Perfect for the inside of the hood and the pockets!!!

Now I have used this pattern once before to make myself a hoodie and I found how the ribbing edge quite complicated. For this hoodie, I instead increased the length of the ribbing and sewed it all the way to the front hood edge as below

The rest of the hoodie is pretty straight forward to construct. The one thing I will change for next time is not sew the bottom edge of the pockets onto the hoodie front before sewing the ribbing on. I don't think you can tell from the picture, but I think it makes the bottom edge of the hoodie look a bit messy!

Here is the finished product on my husband!!

xx cherry xx

How not to paint the front room...

I have spent a great deal of the last week painting the front room!

It started as a "I will just use the left over paint I have and brighten up the front room" to, painting the whole front room then running out of paint :o(

On the upside it looks a lot brighter. It was a sandy yellow - brown colour and now neutral and light. So now I need to buy a some more paint and it will be done and look fantastic - I hope!

I have done some sewing - making a hoodie for my husband at the moment so will show you how it progressed to the final product soon!

Excitingly too - the first skirt I made for Red Dusk has gone to a new home! How awesome is that?!?! I can't get over it, I know stupid right - but just that someone would want something I've made. It makes me feel very proud.

I also got to witness the skirt in a fashion parade at the recent Red Dusk launch at the Voodoo Lounge.

Here is a photo kindly passed on by David Chong of me working on the Red Dusk stall!

Will blog soon with more sewing projects that I have been doing. Including the fifties inspired wool felt skirt.

xx cherry xx