Sewing -

Show & Tell | Pillowcases for the Boys

April 23, 2014
By: Melissa

OK. Before we begin, let’s clear the air: yes, I know it’s completely ludicrous that I am sharing a post on the inter webs about how I sewed pillowcases {possible the easiest, most beginner sewing project of all time?}. However, I am a complete novice and I give you permission to laugh yourself silly over my wee project here. Go on, let it out!

Ethan loves flannelette pillowcases. Never, ever since he was 18 months old has a cotton case touched his sleepy head. I purchased him a new duvet cover from Cotton On in black and white with orange piping but there was no flannelette to be seen. Luckily Ye Olde Spotlight is on the cusp of trendy flannelette prints and these two seemingly non-complimentary fabrics actually look quite smashing together – to my quirky eye at least. Feel free to admire those non-lined-up seams, they are a thing of beauty!

Nix likes to snuggle into pillows so I wanted a cool pillowcase for his cot but didn’t want to pay mega bucks for that one with the bear on it that all the cool kids of bloggers have ::: I think it’s actually compulsory for your baby to have that pillowcase and I missed the memo, shit ::: But how do you like these stylish flannelette numbers?? As my mum would say, a blind man would be glad to see these right? right?

I had fun sewing these up, I really, really like to sew. I also really, really like looking at fabric and imagining………

Thanks to my Instagram girls for helping me trouble shoot the old Globe 877, a wee tension problem {i.e. me not knowing where the tension knob was} set me back for a few minutes, but the bobbin was soon whirring away again. Slowly whirring of course!

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Show and Tell | Christmas Advent Calendar Bunting

December 21, 2013
By: Melissa

Phew! Five days before Christmas and I finally managed to get all of the numbers on the advent calendar. There have been many projects {2} throughout my illustrious sewing career, however this advent calendar would have to be my favourite to date. I loved every little pain-in-the-ass step, the fun of bias binding, the huge amount of cutting and tucking and poking out corners ….. and thanks to the Christmas miracle of Vliesofix I never had to learn what applique meant and was able to iron on my numbers, hurray!

But I really did enjoy making this, I feel like it’s something that will hang in our family home for years to come and will be filled with many treats, toys and surprises as Nix and Ethan grow each Christmas. Ethan’s big advent surprise for this year, tucked into a pocket, was tickets to The Hobbit II with Dave and I. We had a lovely night out and some quality time with our big boy who has been really deserving of a special treat lately.

There are many tutorials online for these but if you don’t feel like making your own, lovely Vanessa at Bubbalino sells these each holiday season so shoot her an email if you would like to order one.

PS. Don’t forget to enter my Christmas Giveaway!

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Show & Tell | Christmas Bunting

December 12, 2013
By: Melissa

I have been channelling my domestic goddess even more than normal lately and, I have been S E W I N G. I know, it IS a big deal. Prior to recent adventures in Spotlight I had not sewed since Home Economics in Form 2. Think how along that must have been for it to have been called Form Two!

Luckily my Mum had not upgraded her sewing machine since then so I remembered how to use it fairly quickly – sewing machine is just about as old as me and pretty much brand new! I think she got over her domestic goddess phase pretty quickly lol. I have since made bandanna bibs, an advent calendar {which I will show you as soon as I learn what applique means and fix the numbers on} and this – behold my beauteous Christmas bunting!

I’m pretty sure this is the peak of my ability here, I mean those flags have a backing, I sewed them, inside-outed them, PUT BIAS BINDING ON THEM {thank you Jesus and YouTube}, I sewed loops on the end of the bias binding………oh, and top stitching……phew.

Yes, I am quite proud of my first length of Christmas Bunting. Mum said she wanted to buy some for the house up north and I said “whoa there, I have fabric in my stash of one-project-so-far-leftovers, let me make you some bunting!”. And so I did.

The end.

Ah well, I guess you can see my advent calendar sans advent numbers, I will finish this next week!

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