Monday, September 28, 2009

How Indi made a softie.

This morning Indi (aged eight), and I found ourselves home alone for a few hours and decided to make an owl softie.

First off, we heat set one of the owls we screen printed yesterday. We did this by ironing the back of it.

She then drew around the shape of the owl adding a couple of centimetres, the seam allowance.

Then she cut along the line she had just drawn.


Earlier in the week we had been to the local craft shop to buy some elastic and the girls chose a fat quarter each for holiday crafting. I love letting them buy fabric because it is guilt free shopping for me. Indi chose this floral print.

The printed side of the owl and the right side of the floral were placed face to face and then the two were pinned together.

Indi then cut the floral fabric by tracing around the owl shape.

At this point I decided she was probably ready for a quick sewing machine lesson so I got out my old Bernina, saved for exactly this moment, and set it up.

I showed her the basics and then drew a whole lot of squiggly lines on some fabric which she traced using the machine. She got it so quickly and was dying to make something.

She then machine sewed around the line of the owl print that could be seen from the wrong side. Obviously this seam could also be hand sewn.

I marked a big line on the fabric for where she had to stop sewing. A gap between the start of the seam and the end has to be left for turning the right way out and stuffing. The gap was about eight or ten centimetres wide.


She then pushed the owl through that space we left in the stitching to turn it the right way out. She used the wrong side of a texta to press into the ears to push them right out into shape.


And then she stuffed him with enough stuffing to give him a good shape but not too full or he wouldn't be cuddly.

I forgot to take a photo of the seam she sewed to close him up. Obviously there are ways to do invisible, neat closing seams, but as we were in need of a quick finish at this point in time she just machine sewed along the outside.

Then, assuming we had finished, I left her to go and make a call and when I got back she was accessorising her owl by sewing him a scarf.

What fun!
Tomorrow she wants to make a bag.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Printing on a rainy afternoon.

We had a crappy day yesterday. We ended up in hospital with Miss eight and an unidentified itchy, red, raw rash.

She's much better today but we are all a bit slow and fragile.

I've been dying to get back to some more printing but the girls were not overly inspired with their drawing or cutting stencils so I took over.

My drawing were certainly not as inspired as theirs, but once I'd cut them out they were happy to take over and squeegee.







As we were printing there was lots of chatter about a stall at the Daylesford Makers' Market, softies, pockets and patches. Don't you love that feeling of the more you make the more you want to make?

I hope you have a great week and get to see at least a little sunshine where ever you are.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Screen printing their drawings.


Inspired by Jodie's Gocco demonstration at craft night last night,

and by the great drawings the girls have been doing lately,


I decided it was time to get the screen printing gear out.

First they did some drawings.

Not being able to find a scalpel anywhere I had to make do with a Stanley knife.

It took me a while to remember the whole negative/positive space thing and how to cut them out. If I had remembered earlier I never would have agreed to cutting out all those dots!

And then it was time to squeegee.


And squeegee.

And squeegee.

A sore wrist from cutting acetate with a Stanley knife had me digging around the house searching for some Contact.

The second round of cutting with a Stanley knife on Contact was much easier on the wrist and much better for sticking back in all those internal positive spaces.


We're not thrilled with the owl prints and are planning an early morning trip into town to buy some Contact from this century that still has it's stick.

I found working out all the processes and keeping the girl's involved difficult at times, but I am really excited to have another go at it tomorrow now we know what we are doing.

Have a great weekend and keep warm where ever you are. It's going to be 9-degrees here for the next two days.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

My Creative Space.


I've sewn in the last label and I'm delivering frilly bloomers to the new Lark shop this morning.


My (our) creative space this week, the first week of the school holidays, is here at the girls' art and craft table. It's been awful, wet and windy weather outside, so this is where we are spending a lot of our time.

The making area is just off the main living area but still in the same room. Here the girls can express themselves and make a bit of a mess while they are at it.

There are lots of bits and pieces to inspire them to create. We seem to accumulate crafty equipment, bits of nature and odds and ends we come across because you never know when you'll need just that right bit. Sometimes it's that bit that inspires a whole new project.

And we have a big cupboard to store all their crafty bits and pieces in. Looks like that top shelf is in need of a tidy.

At times it does get sticky, covered in glitter or so covered in art work that you can't see the table or find what you are looking for, but it's a small price to pay for having a space that encourages making and creating.

For more inspiration and creative spaces pop on over to Kootoyoo

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Colour & Fun.


On the first day of the school holidays (yesterday doesn't count because we had family, friends and dentist appointments), we did painting,


we made rock star scrap books,

we did sticking,

we went for a walk in the mud and collected the eggs,

we played with the ducklings,


we baked some cupcakes,

and then because Mum was desperate to finish off a bit of sewing, we cut up some of her precious scraps.

Almost finished the bloomers to be delivered to the brand new Lark shop opening on Thursday.
How exciting!

All this on the first day and without getting out of our pyjamas.
What are we going to do tomorrow?
I hope your week is full of colour and fun.

Visit my other blog.