CRAFTY MAMAS

My What Big Eyes You Have...

2012-01-30T11:07:00.000+11:00

Late last night, Miss B and I sat up watching Red Riding Hood. It's still school holidays, so we can afford a few late nights still. Plus we needed to wait til littlest daughter was in bed before we could start the movie.

It is by the same director as Twilight ( so Miss B loved it) and it shows. Not as scary as I thought it may have been, an interesting twisty plot, and great characters. But my FAVE bit? The imagery of that cape, against the snow. Beautiful. Here's some Little Red Riding Hood inspiration from Etsy.

Today I needed a little more COLOUR in my world..

2012-01-24T00:09:00.000+11:00

Ever have days like that? Not enough sleep, too many places to go and too many things to be for too many people. So I ended up this evening, out on my verandah - dyeing . Just a few items for myself...just learning my way as I go...so much fun.

And a cute little Pixie cap I sewed up yesterday...

Crafty SUNDAY Inspiration..A little bit of FRIDA

2012-01-22T21:26:00.001+11:00

The other day my BUST DIY Guide to Life arrived, what an awesome book!

You can get a copy HERE.

As well as being a fabulous book all round, it has these awesome hairstyles to try...my fave being the Frida style Mexican plaits. LOVE THESE!

Not sure how I'd go attempting this on my own hair, but the littlest, Lil (8) ...would be so cute on her!!!

She is not happy to cooperate yet, but I'll work on it.

So, while we are in a Frida frame of mind, here's a little more FRIDA Crafty-ness.

From Blue Milk

Frida in Buttons

Skull a Day

FRIDA paper dolls

FRIDA Altered Matchbox

From FlorLarios Etsy

Homemade Pencil Case

2012-01-20T18:27:00.000+11:00

Somehow I started a tradition with my girls that each year I make them a new pencil case. I was never a fan of the generic tartan or vinyl ones anyway. Here's a couple I have made in the past...

Goth Girl

Happy Cupcake

And last years, the dreaded zippered pencil case!

The kids draw a sketch of what they want, and I try my best to make it happen. With Goth Girl off to secondary school this year, she needed a few modifications. Like a seperate compartment, and I added a few holders for pens and her ruler on the outside. Pretty neat hey?

Fabric is some Alexander Henry fabric from the stash.
One more to go....

CRAFTY INSPIRATION for MONDAY

2012-01-16T09:10:00.001+11:00

Yep, I'm a day late!!! Unless it's still Sunday where you are, in which case, I am right on schedule.

What's inspiring me today?

BLUE.

HILCO Kim

Blue House

Tub and Shower magic,

HILCO Topas

Blue Earrings

Blue door.

Blue Cupcake

Blue Typewriter

A Couple of Frugal Foodie Books I Found

2012-01-15T22:44:00.000+11:00

Why does the thought of "frugal food" make some shudder? I guess they conjure up thoughts of bread with dripping, baked beans, scraps of mutton, recipes salvaged from the Depression era.

But you know..a lot of what they cooked back in the Depression era was better for us than most of the processed rubbish we have available today. I read recently in Feast mag, that" some of the most quality cuisines today", were born out of a need to economically use seasonal and available produce.
(Feast Issue 4 pg 134).

With three kids in private school and one at uni, I have an interest in cooking economically, whilst still feeding us well. Two books I recently stumbled on at the library and am really enjoying...

Economy Gastronomy

I love this book, wonderful planned left over ideas! It is set out beautifully, gorgeous pics, and would be right at home next to a Jamie Oliver book..except the recipes do not require expensive ingredients you may not have already. As it says, Cook Smarter, not Harder.

The Thrifty Cook

With a promise of 200 budget friendly recipes, this book will keep you going for a long time. The recipes are very diverse, curries, vego, more traditional roasts and bakes, mince recipes, cakes and slices, stir fries..a bit of everything. There is certainly nothing boring in here! There's also a great section on stocks sauces and extras, too!

So, no...no Depression era, weevils in the flour kind of recipes here!

Gather up the Fragments....

2012-01-14T10:51:00.000+11:00

There has been chatter over at the Crafty Mamas forum as to what do you do with scraps? Keep them? Toss them? I used to keep them..but they got a little overwhelming very quickly. So I toss them. But I may be rethinking my stance...check these out!

From MADE DIY Ribbon!

A very crafty customer, Tammy, sent me this pic of how she has been using up her Stenzo knit scraps.

I know..adorable!!! He has a little beard bib too!

Clever ideas here from Fun in the Making

Oodles of cool projects from Make it and Love it!

And I LOVE these scarf ideas, using striped knits...

These are awesome..

Make your own Spaghetti Necklace scarves here

And more HERE to try at My Blessed Life.

A Quick Start Guide to Crafty Mamas: KNITS!

2012-01-12T18:47:00.003+11:00

I have had a few customers tell me that Crafty Mamas is HUGE ( admittedly, we are getting a bit that way!) and they don't know where to start when shopping- so I thought a few Quick Start guides were in order!

When you first come upon our Front Page... ,
look over to the left hand side, and you'll see our MENU.

Our FABRICS are categorized into KNITs and WOVENS. I find this is the easiest way to categorize them.
Depending on what you're after,click on either category and you'll get a list of sub categories.

Let's take a look at KNIT FABRICS today.

These are either grouped by designer.manufacturer ie; Crafty Mamas,

Hamburger Liebe, or by the type.

Possibly the most indepth is HILCO. ( as we stock a lot of HILCO).

HILCO Sweater knits: lovely and warm knits
Ringel: Great for cuffs, neckbands, or even on it's own. Comes in a roll..so no selvage.
HILCO other knits, an assortment in here.
Hilco CAMPAN : our much love Hilco stripes! A clever cotton/elastomeric knit, great for cuffs, neckbands, and on it's own.

Continue down our MENU of knits and you will find Skandi style knits, STENZO knits, Farbenmix knits...oodles and oodles of knits really!

Under our SOLID KNITS you will find..solids!!!

STELLA made in Australia and GITTE from Germany ( a tad lighter than STELLA with different colours). Both great to coodinate with our printed knits.Both cotton/elatstomeric (lycra).

VELOUR knits, scrummy and warm!
COTTON INTERLOCK: Baby soft
CALIFORNIA is great for leggins and winter tops. A cotton/elastomeric rib.
VERMONT is a true rib, but not for ribbing, it;s best for kids wear like tshirts and singlets. It has limited recovery as it is 100% cotton.

MODAL is another very popular knit, among the grownups. Great for layering, it is light weight and drapey.

That should help you find your way around our delicious KNITS!

Crafty Mamas RIBBON CLUB Give-away!

2012-01-11T15:21:00.000+11:00

WINNER IS....

shell said...
What a great giveaway!!!
Fave ribbon, well I love all the Farbenmix, Janeas World, Hamburger Liebe..... I love them all, don't think I can pick a fave hehehe

Congrats Shell! Please pass email me over your details!

Thanks everyone!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you seen our Crafty Mamas Gorgeous Ribbon Club?

A 3 months club membership gives you 3 parcels of 10ms of assorted ribbons!

Our range of ribbons is quite amazing, a bit like being in a lollie shop!

From Farbenmix, Janeas World, Franc Tack, Jessica Jones, Hamburger Liebe, Blaubeerstern, just to name a few!

With new ribbons coming in often, and our ribbons ship free is Australia, so are exceptional value!

GIVE-AWAY

This week I have ONE Gorgeous Ribbon Club membership ( valued at $77!!) to Give-away to a Blog follower! How to enter? Simply become a Follower of this blog, and leave me a comment as to which is your FAVE ribbon!

Good Luck! Winner will be announced Mon 16th January.

New Hamburger Liebe Fabrics!

2012-01-09T11:00:00.000+11:00

New Hamburger Liebe arrived last week, how awesome are these?

TAKE A RIDE with solid cotton/elastane knits in Blood red, Mint and Orange.

KROKO with solids in Indigo, Orange and Citrus.

And , super cute new Hamburger Liebe ribbons!

Have you visited Crafty Mamas lately?

Sunday CRAFTY INSPIRATION!!

2012-01-08T18:36:00.001+11:00

A little bit of SUNDAY CRAFTY INSPIRATION for you....

Lately I have a hankering to try screen-printing ( how hard can it be?!!)

Here's a few fabbo tutes I've found:

From the very clever Little Blue Boo, lots a fabulous tutorials

(no pics, sorry...)

Via What the Craft, a free pdf here

This very clever method uses Modge Podge and an embroidery hoop...

And some very cool and FREE sewing patterns!

From Sewing in Nomansland

Butterfly Dress and Headband

Via Think Liz

Easy Knit Skirt from SugarBee Crafts

From BurdaStyle, POSH Sundress by Tina Givens

Freebies from Simplicty

And finally...

101 Sewing Tutorials for Summer!

Stash busting Circle Skirts.

2012-01-01T20:30:00.000+11:00

We love circle skirts! Quick and easy, and a great way to slim down the stash a little!

There are many good tutes out there on how to draft up your very own circle skirt pattern, so I won't redo for you.

From MADE

From Craft Gossip via Ruffles and Roses

and What the Craft

I use STELLA knit for the waistband, (from Crafty Mamas , thus eliminating the need for elastic.

These fabrics are all from my Stash!

As you can tell, lots of sewing going on here, to the chorus of " ..we have no Summer clothes.."

But slowly, I am winning the war. Two girls will be clothed, and then I can start on stuff for me!

A Little Sunday Lemony Inspiration!

2012-01-01T20:13:00.000+11:00

Our lemon tree is loaded, and I mean LOADED. I gave it a very quick pick this morning and ended up with a washing basket full- barely touched the surface. It has extended over the chook house now so at least offers the old girls a bit of relief from the heat of the day. But I really need to get up the very top and pick from there....trouble is, I am also notoriously clumsy- so better wait til I get some help with a ladder!

So if you are swimming in lemons as we are...

(phew, hard work, these lemons!

I do have a juicer attachment on the Kitchen Aid, but look at that little face?!

She's having a ball!)

..here's a few of our FAVE lemony recipes!

Lemonade 2 Ways.

Gina's Easy Freshly Squeezed Lemonade

Living on a Dime's Homemade Lemonade Recipe

Desserts we love

Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie

All recipes Lemon Bars

Exclusively Foods Lemon Tart

Western Star's Lemon Butter

And finally, Poh's Preserved Lemons

Whew- that should make a dent in them lemons!

Happy Crafty New Year !

2012-01-01T12:20:00.004+11:00

Another one done and dusted, a new one to get started!

There's a little sewing going on around here...
my first show and tell for 2012!

Owl velour is a design I purchased from Silhouette, then I cut the velour and ironed on.
I had been planning on screen printing this design, but for the life of me, could not get the SD to cut out clear contact. Not sure why....any ideas? I have ordered some genuine Silhouette Stencil Vinyl so let's see how that goes!

Pattern is a Joy Z tshirt dress.
I really like this pattern, it goes together very easily, is great for using up small bits!
Lil likes it, as it has just enough twirl, and not too much to annoy her.
Also this pattern is sized 7-14 years, so I can dress both my girls from it.

STELLA Lilac

JNY Design knit

With a strip of GITTA on the neckband.

Back to my sewing machine!

ps: I DID have a very cool tute for you in mind, but stayed up way too late last night!

A super cute layered tee dress tute coming up- after I grab a Nan Nap!

On Holidays this week....

2011-12-29T20:42:00.001+11:00

And it is so nice to be able to just sit back and ...breathe...for a change!! No rushing here or there...and I am getting lots of sewing done! Of course, everything happens when you go on holidays- lots of new fabrics and patterns arrive!

I am sneaking them into the shop as I can, so keep checking out the New Arrivals section!
More new season Hilco, other fabrics from Germany and our very own Sweet Things knits have arrived!

Sweet Things in Lilac.

Dress is from Otto 3/2011, #40. The Colour Block Dress.

I have used for the sleeves and neckband the lovely new Lilac Gitta.

And followed this up with 2 pairs of leggings and my table is covered in projects at the moment!

More sewing pics tomorrow!

Wishing you all a lovely break!

Ottobre Design Subscription Giveaway!

2011-12-19T15:10:00.000+11:00

We have a Winner!!

Congratulations, Bev, please drop me an email so I can organise a subscription for your nominated library!

~~~~

Bev Csaid...: Hello Lisa,

Oh I have been a member of my local library for many years. I just love books. I put in an order for four this morning. I love that our library has recently had a makeover and is really now part of the community. The staff are ever so good and always willing to get books in. If I am in another town I always check out there library and go home with a list of books to order. The library is one place I can get list in and don't need to call for help. I saw a lovely tea towel that was given to our local librarian this morning. It was from Red Tractor Designs and said something about the two best things in the world are a book/library and a garden. I just loved it.
Happy days.
Bev.xoxo

To wind up a year of fantastic Give-aways, I would like to give away a 6 issue Otto sub...

to one blog readers nominated library!!

How will this work? Simply leave me a comment as to why you love the library!

I'll select a winner Christmas Eve, then contact them to get the details of their FAVE library.

Clear as mud?

Let's share the Otto Love!

~Lisa~

Five Stones

2011-12-18T12:45:00.002+11:00

I am one of "those" mums that gifts children with books, crafty or educational items As an aside, I am also one "those" mums that does not allow Coke or white bread in the house. If the kids get to have McDonalds for a treat, it's the healthy option and NO coke, ever! ( much to the chagrin of our local Maccas, before they bought in bottles of water...

Maccas: " ..you can't have a Happy Meal with no Coke, the drink is part of it".
Me: " Just keep the Coke, we only want the food and toy" ..
Maccas" .. " we can't do that.."
Me: " Well tip the Coke down the sink I'm not taking it".

My kids friends think I am a little nuts but hey, they just may be right! We don't do Coke for several reasons, only one of them being the sugar issue and TEETH! The rest are political, and I wont bore you here.

So comes the Festive Season, and the kids want to gift their besties. Apparently, lollies are required, and maybe a card. But it MUST be lollies, Mum, or else we will be BANISHED.

I much prefer my idea. handmade Five Stones sets, with instructions. Much better for the grey matter, hand and eye coordination and fine motor skills. There is a free tute here .

How is your Christmas Crafting going? We need to try and eat here, somehow...

..the verandah 's looking pretty good ( then I don't need to pack up!).

~Lisa~

Hysterical Christmas Crafting!

2011-12-17T15:30:00.000+11:00

This year I am so very organised with the purchased gifts..all wrapped and under the tree, but so far behind on the handmade ones! Why oh why, did I not start these during the year??? Here's a few Softie ideas I LOVE...

Bullseye! From Running with Scissors.

Squirrelly from Studio Tantrum

One Eyed Monster by Fiskars

Rocketman by The Long Thread

And a Despicable Me Minion!

Happy Crafting! I'm heading back to the machine!

~Lisa ~

Make it Perfect Give-away!

2011-12-14T13:08:00.000+11:00

We have a winner!!! Congrats Kathy, please drop me an email with your addy?

~~~~
KathyB said...: My granddaughters love milkshakes, so they would certainly love this skirt. Size 6-10 would be lovely and I'll purchase the 0-5. Thanks for the fab giveaway Lisa!!
8:42 AM

~~~~~

I had the pleasure of meeting Toni of Make it Perfect recently, we have chatted on the phone and emailed- but it is always nice to meet people in real life! Toni is a sweetheart, and very very talented. Not only is Toni a very clever pattern designer, she knows her way around the kitchen too ( and she is really making me want a Thermomix! GO see her blog!) Toni's patterns are just amazing. The lastest ones..

Milk Shake Skirt in 2 size ranges

Sunkissed Hats

..are flying out the door! More Sunkissed Hats in next week!

I have a Milk Shake Skirt to Give away! Simply leave me a comment, telling me which size range you would like to win a Milk Shake Skirt in!

I'll draw a winner on Friday, good luck!

Lisa

MAMU Design LEA pattern review

2011-12-13T12:37:00.001+11:00

Mamu Design LEA shirt is part of the Basic Pattern Collection. LEA has several options, a spaghetti strap top, a notched neck tee, round neck or v neck. You can choose between three sleeve options, short, puffed or long ( the spaghetti strap top has no sleeves , of course.).

On the weekend I made up two of the spaghetti strap tops. I first I was not all happy with,it gaped all over and has been relegated to the nighty drawer. The second, I cut smaller in top and added a few gathers in the middle front and back. It sat much better, but still needs a little work. I also lengthened a lot. Still not happy with it, however, so will continue to work on it. I thought it may just be my shape, but not sure.

Then I cut out the LEA round neck tshirt., in a red cotton/elastomeric knit. using some Stenzo polka dot knit for the neckband and sleeves. After my experience with the #2 model, I was a bit nervous. Mamu Design provide you with a 5mm seam allowance, so I stuck with that. I cut the size 52/54 (XXL). ( the great thing about Mamu Design, they go from 32/34XS- 52/54 XXL).

The tee shirt went together like a dream, I did not even read the instruction just went ahead and made it my way. What doI love about this? The sleeves are quite close cut, so very flattering. The shirt has a graceful flare from the waist out- not too much..but just enough to hide a few lumps and bumps!The all over effect is lovely and I am planning many more! Of course, I just had to add a velour...gorgeous deer head.

21st and THE BEST cake EVER!

2011-12-11T20:01:00.001+11:00

A week ago, our eldest had his 21st birthday. Being away at uni ( studying architecture),

..he celebrated in Melboune with his peeps, but made it home this weekend.

Happy Birthday Darcy!

His one request? The same raspberry/malteser icecream cake I had made 5 years ago. I had lost the recipe..it came from a Super Food Ideas mag, and after a mag cull- tossed it.

Darcy looked high and low, and found an online discussion about the recipe having been removed from the Super Food Ideas section of taste.com But, someone had kindly posted the recipe. Darcy then, gleefully, passed it back on to me.

So here it is, in all it's glory. It serves a lot, make sure the servings are small as it is incredibly rich.

Darcy's Chocolate raspberry ice-cream cake

Ingredients (serves 12)
• 200g butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar
• 5 eggs
• 400g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons coffee-flavoured liqueur (such as Kahlua or Tia Maria)
• 3 litres vanilla ice-cream (see note)
• 300g frozen raspberries
• 500g Maltesers (mixture of white and milk chocolate)
Method
1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
2. Place chocolate into a heatproof microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, for 3 minutes on MEDIUM (50%) power, stirring every minute with a metal spoon, or until melted. Stir chocolate and liqueur into butter mixture.
3. Spoon ice-cream into a bowl. Stand at room temperature until softened. Mash raspberries with a fork. Stir into ice-cream.
4. Line base and sides of a 6cm deep, 24cm x 34cm (base) baking dish with baking paper. Place half the Maltesers into a plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, hit until roughly crushed. Spread over base of dish.
5. Pour half the chocolate mixture over Maltesers. Spoon over ice-cream. Top with remaining chocolate mixture. Crush remaining Maltesers. Press into chocolate. Cover. Freeze overnight. Serve.

Blousette Rose now at Crafty Mamas!

2011-12-10T08:41:00.001+11:00

I recently stumbled across this stunning range of sewing patterns in a French mag, and thought " Crafty Mamas needs these!" .

Home Made Sewing

Blousette Rose patterns are in French, ( sadly, I failed French at school, sorry Mrs Mason! I did very well in German though!). The language barrier will not stop you - Blousette Rose come with a well set out sewing guide, complete with pics. Beautiful, classical designs- , details with a twist...is how I would describe these. Sizes range from babies, children to some women's patterns.

Blousette Rose are given a difficulty rating from 1-3, with some very easy, and some more time intensive.

No More Dog Ears!

2011-12-06T14:49:00.001+11:00

I am always amazed at the clever ideas my customer have for our beautiful ribbons.

Mel from

No More Dog Ears

handcrafts the most stunning bookmarks and gifts. I ordered one for myself and Miss B, in our fave Farbenmix ribbons. Finished off beautifully with crystals and charms, that you get to select. Mel even embroiders your initials on your bookmark! What a beautiful Christmas gift idea!

No More Dog Ears also make dog collars, so I'll be back to order a few of them too!

Drop over and say hi to Mel!

Coming soon to a Crafty Mamas near you!!

2011-12-06T09:43:00.001+11:00

Of course, there is only ONE Crafty Mamas shop- and that's this one. Often copied, but never equalled.

I have been busily packing orders and thinking..

" Wow, Crafty Mamas really DOES rock."

The pretties in store just take my breath away, so I guess if I am still excited by what we have to offer, I must be on the right track! I have some amazing stuff heading our way from Europe, including new Nordic patterns, just you wait and see.

2012 is going to be a very Crafty year, indeed!

Another one of my small projects, has been getting our own fabrics printed here in Australia. It's been quite a journey as initially, I knew very little about the process involved- and I am also very fussy about end products. Lucky for me, I have excellent people to help, to listen to my never ending questions, and to direct. My first foray into fabric printing has been helped along by the very clever Gaby of Janeas World. Gab went to work and came up with an exclusive design- just for Crafty Mamas!

Today I received the strike offs, which is the first test print to see how we like it and adjust colours etc.

Here's a peek...

This is printed on our Aussie made STELLA, our much loved cotton/elastomeric knit.

There will be a few different colourways. So exciting!

Easy T Shirt Neckline Binding TUTE

2011-12-04T12:21:00.001+11:00

We looked at applying a simple banded neckline here so today we'll look at doing neckline binding on a t shirt.
This would the #1 finish that customers mention confuses them. Don't be scared to do these, they are so easy and look fabulous. You often see this type of neckline binding on Ottobre Design t shirts and sometimes on the sleeves too. This finish looks equally as nice on round necks, v necks, boat necks etc. It works well with all light/med weight knits. Not so well with chunky knits as you can't get it all tucked in nicely!

As discussed is our last neckline tute, you can either use the same fabric as your main garment, or do a mix match kind of thing as I did here. I prefer to use a fabric on the binding with a bit of lycra in it, as it gives you that snap back recovery.( so no baggy necklines). This t shirt is STELLA in Blood Red and the Scarlett and White striped knit.( no longer available). Check out the last tute for a little method of calculating neckband length.

I start out by sewing up one shoulder ( again see previous tute as to why I prefer to do my necklines in the flat).

Then press open your shoulder seam. Here is our trusty neckbinding strip...

This tee has small gathers in the middle of the front, so just ignore those bits for now..we will simply bind over the basting stitches, leaving pretty gathers.

Now flip your garment over, take your binding strip and begin pinning it RIGHT side to the WRONG side of your neckline. Begin at one shoulder....I only put in a couple of pins at this stage....as you sew you will be stretching the binding piece ever so lightly.

And so we sew on the binding piece. For your first couple of tries use your sewing machine people- in case you need to unpick. Sew all the way..stretching the binding piece only- ever so slightly as you sew. This will help to incorporate more stretch into your neckline.

Here we are all sew on! Now turn your garment to the RIGHT side and give it a press, pushing your seam allowance upwards. This will be enclosed within our folded binding ( don't get skittish on me, it's easy!).

Now the fun bit. We are going to fold our binding down once in half...then again. The second time we fold, we will be enclosing the seam allowance from where we initially sewed on our binding strip.
It is sometimes easier if you do the first fold down..press with the iron, then come back and do your final fold. This particular knit is a bit curly and springs back when you press so I did not bother. I have heard others like to use a starch spray to keep their bindings stiff. I am happy to just "finger press" as I go.

Continue all the way, folding your binding to enclose the seam allowance. This is a dreadful pic, sorry!
Use plenty of pins as you go here to secure all your layers.

Now to sew down your binding. I either use a sewing machine straight stitch set a bit longer ( 2.7) or the Coverstitch machine, a twin needle or a fancy stitch on my Bernina like this wavy serpentine stitch..

...from the RIGHT sew, stitch along the bottom of your binding piece, (the edge closest to your garment- not neckline). Go nice and slow, stitch from pin to pin...removing pin just before you sew. When you have finished, give it a nice press with the iron to make it all sit in nicely. Then sew up your other shoulder seam as per previous tute and continue with your t shirt.

Easy Peasy? Clear as mud?

Things I am loving at the moment... Milli meet Lilly

2011-12-03T08:40:00.001+11:00

Featured are:

Clockwise from #1:
1; Milli fairy tale ribbon
2: Janeas World Hearts knit
3: Oh My Deer woven label
4. Milli Pure Love label
6.Milli Pure Love ribbon
7: Red Gingham Bias Binding8: bambi Mini-Art woven label
9: Sanetta Red Gingham jersey
10: Milli Cotton Woven 11: Happy Mushroom green label
12: Hilco fabric Campan knit Red and Pink
13: Crafty Mamas own Iron On velour DEER
Finally, Centre is TUCI Piroschka Party Dress

In the past two weeks, Crafty Mamas shop has had me ran off my feet! Hardly surprising, when you pop over and see the amazing products we have to offer. The downside, of course, in being busy is my lack of time to sew. So as I pack and fold, I dream up design boards....like above.

Inspired by a favorite little dwarf from Bavaria, Milli.

design: GALERIE TAUSENDSCHOEN

Milli, you see, is a little dwarf who adores red and has long dark brown tendrils. My littlest dwarf, Lilly, loves red and has long, dark brown tendrils. Lilly has drawn the conclusion that Milli, is designed for her especially. So let's not tell her otherwise?

~Lisa~

Pattern Review: JoCole "Womens Easy Cap Tee".

2011-12-01T10:31:00.001+11:00

The lovely Margo of The Climbing Tree reviewed one of our recent additions to Crafty Mamas, the JoCole Womens Easy Cap Tee pdf pattern.

Margo has quite a reputation around the traps for producing stunning tees, both for herself, her hubby and for children. Let's see how she went?!

Pattern front:

Pattern description:

A snug-fitting hip-length tee with extended cap sleeves. Binding around the neckline and armholes. Perfect for everyday wear, excellent for laying under more revealing tops, or under cardigans and jackets. Easily pairs with jeans, or dress up with skirts -- plus it can be embellished in many ways (ideas and multiple instructions included).

Includes FOUR different neckline options (jewel neck, scoop neck, v neck, boat neck), and five different techniques to finish the neckline and sleeves. Can be worn reversed with the scoop/v/boat in the front or in the back. Each page of the pattern is clearly marked, making assembly easy.

6 sizes included: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL

Margo in action!

Margo's Review!

Jocole Easy Fit Cap Sleeve Pattern – Review

The e-Pattern

What I liked:-

The instructions are fantastic, not just onthe actual garment construction (which is super easy) but also about sewingknits, so for a newbie knit / t-shirt sewer this is both a super easy patternas well as a great intro guide.

What I didn’t like:-

I like to know what pages to print as Inever print the instructions – so having a quick table that says for round neckprint pages 26, 29-36; for V neck print XZY – would be nice.

The fitting guide (to determine size) wasperplexing and where I came unstuck. Itrefers to the measurements as the finishedgarment measurement. I read this tomean when you sew up the pattern your t-shirt should measure “this”, but thefinished garment measurement was a range. For example the Large size had a finished garment chest measurement of37-39 inches, which left me wondering how, if you sew the garment to thepattern inc the prescribed seam allowances how you can get up to 2” variationin the finished garment. I know fabricsstretch differently but measured garment is generally taken unstretched / laidflat.

The Actual Pattern

Nice easy 12 pages, with good markings tostick them together.

I decided to make a medium after comparing the pattern piece to another t-shirtI’d made recently – and discovered that “hip length” is really long on thispattern. I took 1.5” off the pattern formy first attempt.

I also debated long and hard aboutincorporating a full bust adjustment. Imeasure as a 12 in most patterns, but know that if I make a 10 and alter for afuller bust (I’m a D/DD cup) I get a much better fit. Thepattern made no note as to what bust it was sized on so I assumed it was a B cupas per industry standard. So I decided to incorporate a small-ish FBA on thepattern, about 1.5cm in total across the bust.

Making it

Front and back and some arm and neckbindings! Super quick and super easy – In truth it took me about 2hrs to makebut I had a 3yr old making multiple interruptions. Realistically it should took about 30mins allup to make.

The Finished Product

Overall I’m happy with the fit, except that the bust is still a little toosnug for my liking. I was worried aboutthe placement of the arm bands in terms of wearability and them becomingannoying but they are excellent.

Will I make it again

Yes I have. You can see version 2 in the picture – the white daisy floral. I re-cut the pattern to be closer to a smallsize and added a much larger full bust adjustment – closer to 2.8cm” in total,giving a fit I am much more comfortable with . I also took a further 3cm off the length.

TheVerdict

Like most commercial patterns this is madeto the industry standard of a B cup and 5’6” or similar height – I amneither. Adjusting the pattern is easyand well worth taking the time to do. I now have a fantastic, easy to make goanywhere top that can me made in a myriad of different fabrics. I think my next version will be in somelovely lightweight merino wool jersey I have stashed!

Thanks Lisa for the opportunity to testthis pattern, it will become a summer staple around here. Off to try the girls version !

Thanks Margo!!

CRAFTY SUNDAY INSPIRATION

2011-11-28T13:40:00.001+11:00

Yesterday Gil ( from Oz Handmade) and I headed off to Melbourne to the Australian Quilt Show. A three hour drive each way, but well worth the effort.

We got to check out lots of lovely new fabric ranges, see some cool gadgets in action, and meet some very talented designers ( Make it Perfect, Ric Rac, Saffron Craig, Two Monkey Fabrics).

I came home with a bag full of Saffron Craig softie panels, some cool ribbons on order and fabric orders to plan! Oh and I may or not have called through to Simplicity this morning about a bias machine order...

So I am a bit late with my Crafty Sunday Inspiration, but here goes!

Continuing on with our " Christmas is almost upon us!" theme...

From CraftSnob

Cool Glittery projects from Oh the Lovely Things!

Awesome tile coaster tutorials from The Cottage Home

I am loving these hairstyle Gertie has tried out from the new BUST book. Especially the Frida one!

Convertible Clothing has me intrigued this week...

How cool is from TS14Plus?!!

And finally, from the eldest Crafty Child...

Have fun typing like a Hacker!!

http://hackertyper.com/

From How to Geek.com
"Are you looking for a quick bit of good fun to “impress” your less computer-savvy family and friends with? Then you need Hacker Typer. Hacker Typer lets you produce awesome looking “1337 code” with just a few keystrokes"

Have a great week!

Lisa

Ottobre Design Magazine 6/2011 Winners!

2011-11-28T13:32:00.001+11:00

The winners of our 6/2011 are...

toadstooldots said...my favourite would be #25 as dresses here not that much liked atm.

thanks for that generous give away!

1:11 PM

Tas said...

Definately 19. Love a good cape! ;)

I have this already but promise if I win to have a giveawy on my blog and spread the word :)

1:18 PM

and..

fenna said...

I think #9 is super cute! fenna_otten at yahoo dot ca

3:40 AM

Congratulations ladies!

Please forward your mailing address to me!

Also, I am yet to hear from this winner of the Otto 50 Euro voucher..

Sabinesaid...: Happy birthday Crafty Mamas!!! Thank you very much for being here :-) Love Sabine; 5:19 PM

HILCO Summer 2012...in now!

2011-11-25T10:49:00.001+11:00

My first delivery of HILCO Summer 2012 arrived this week.
And didn't it set our hearts all a-flutter?!
Fabrics are selling through very quickly, with more 24 more bolts due in 4 weeks.

HILCO, we LOVE you!

Just in time for Christmas dresses!

~Lisa~

Ottobre Design Magazine 6/2011 Give-away...

2011-11-24T12:33:00.001+11:00

I have 3 x Ottobre Design Magazine 6/2011 to Give-away!

Yep I am on a mission, folks, to convert you all to the joy that is

Ottobre Design Magazine!

Simply leave me a comment, telling me which pattern number in this issue you most love.
Design sheet HERE

I'll draw 3 winners on Monday 28th!

Good Luck!

EASY T SHIRT NECKBAND Tute

2011-11-21T09:24:00.001+11:00

I have had a few requests for t shirt neckband tutorials, so here is the first!

A very easy neckband application to an Ottobre Design pattern, issue is 2/2002, pattern #30.

This groovy fabric is one of our ZNOK knits, from Sweden. It is a cotton/lycra blend. For the neckband I am using a strip of GITTE Cotton/elastine in Kiwi.

Here are my FRONT and BACK pieces. When doing this type of neckband I find it easier to attach " in the flat" instead of "in the round" .Why? It is just a bit quicker than wresting with small necklines and my coverstitch machine prefers to work on flatter surfaces- so the less shoulder seams the better!

So, I will sew up only one shoulder seam.

One shoulder seam sewn! Go give it a press now.

Here is my trusty pre-cut neckband strip. This the 4cm as specified by my pattern, but quite long. I have folded the strip in half lengthways and pressed. (it is popping open though!).

So the object of our mission here, is to get this strip of neckband attached to the neckline!

But how long do we need our neckband strip to be? Let's grab our trusty tape measure and measure our neckline opening....this one is 58cm. We'll call this Xcm. Otto suggest the following formula for calculating neckband/binding from knits:

From binding/neckband cut from the same knit you have made your top from(with a stretch/recovery of 20-30%):

cut your strip .85 x length of the edge to be finished Xcm.

From ribbing ( with a stretch/recovery of 40-50%):

cut your strip .70 x the length of the edge to be finished Xcm.

This formula is pretty good, but do take into consideration that knitsvary a lot, so you may need to experiment a bit first.In ye olden times, we used to just say cut the ribbing 2/3s the length of Xcm.

I am using GITTE which is a cotton/elastine knit, and it has a decent amount of recovery but not as much as the old style ribbing. I am going to go with the .85 calculation.

Xcm (58cm) x .85= 49.3cm

So my strip of neckband needs to be about 49.3cm long, plus 1cm seam allowance as we still need to sew up the other shoulder.

Now divide both your neckline it half and your neckband. With your neckline, actually pick your garment up and fold the neckline in half, don't assume halfway will be at the shoulder seam- it's not.Some also continue on and divide into 1/4s as well. I am naughty, I don't. I throw caution to the wind and just throw in a few more random pins.

Now begin to pin your neckband in place. Start by matching the middle pins on your neckband and neckline, and then match up your 1/4 marl pins ( because you will be very good, and have done that!).

And so now... we sew!

Starting from one end, begin sewing...stretching the neckband slightly as you go but NOT the neckline of the tee, to meet up with your next pin. ( be sure and remove pins before sewing!). You will eventually come to your 1/2 way mark, and now continue on sewing, slightly stretching the neckband as you go to enable it to fit the neckline area.

Here's what is should look like when your neckband it attached!

Flip your neckband up and run off and give it a press, all the way around to make it sit nicely.

At this point, you may want to topstitch along the neckline with a slightly longer than normal straight stitch (2.7) or with a serpentine stitch or with a double needle or your coverstitch. Up to you. Just be sure and press before hand, so the seam is sitting nice and flat before you sew.Some do a double row of stitching with one row falling on the neckline and the other on the neckband. Have a look as some ready made tees to get some ideas.

Now sew up your remaining shoulder seam...

Trim back the thread on this final shoulder seam to a couple of cm's, then fold back on the actual seam..

...and sew a few stitches to secure it . This tucks it in nicely and stops those straggly threads hanging out the ens of sleeves and neckbands.

Easy Peasy.

There will be a couple of other neckband tutes this week too!

~Lisa~

CRAFTY SUNDAY INSPIRATION

2011-11-20T12:09:00.001+11:00

Continuing my new Sunday series of inspiration I have gleaned throughout the week, and things I just plain LOVE.

Stephen King. He's the Man. He owns his craft.

I'm a very long time fan of Stephen King, I never have one or two of his books far from hand. And in the last few weeks I have discovered Stephen King audio books. Ooo wee..now I can take Stephen along for the ride with me in the car, Stephen is with me whilst I do the mundane chores around the house ( he helped me clean the oven the other day). Stephen makes an otherwise dull trip to the Big Smoke more manageable ( The Gingerbread Girl) and although the kids and hubby yell at me to turn the ipod down ( apparently they can hear it too? ) a day out in the car with Stephen King and and my crochet and I'm in rapture.

And of course with Christmas coming up quick, my thoughts have turned a wee bit Festive...

Love this bookmark from Simple and Handmade

Love these pinecone trees from Mom Tatstic

Make your own snow cones with ArtyAnts.

And CRAFTYNESS you can eat...

The Pioneer Womans SuperSonic Breakfast Burrioto- yes please. My boys would love these.

And how cute are these? Happy Rainbow Cloud Cake pops?!
And there is a book, Sweets on a Stick!

And finally, my copy of the new Aussie mag SEAM arrived . What a lovely little mag.
Stunning pics and interesting people to read about. I think you will enjoy this, I am!

Have a lovely week,

Lisa x

Winners are Grinners at Crafty Mamas!

2011-11-20T11:58:00.001+11:00

As our winners for the 2 x Ottobre Design Etsy shop vouchers ( each for 50 Euro) did not come forward, I have redrawn.

Our NEW winners are:

Sabinesaid...: Happy birthday Crafty Mamas!!! Thank you very much for being here :-) Love Sabine; 5:19 PM; and; mistyeiz said...o my goodness lisa!! such a huge n generous giveaway indeed!!! :) love reading how CM came to b and i'm glad to be part of it. thanks to u n CM, i've come a long way in my crafty journey. so thank you and happy 7th birthday....here's to another 7 and more birthdays!! :D
6:06 PM

Congratulations ladies!!

Please shoot me an email and I will get your Gift Voucher to you.; ~~~~~~~; And our Lilofant Helicopter fabric winner is...; Lesley said...

Ooh William would love that print. He gets left out of sewing so often :( And I have a new little baby boy of a friend, who would look uber cute in a little Farb set/

7:23 AM

Ottobre Design Magazine Class 101. Part 2. Adding Seam Allowances

2011-11-19T22:00:00.001+11:00

Let's look at Ottobre Design and adding seam allowance.

disclaimer again: no professional here, just a mum sewing at home!

Most European patterns will not include seam allowance. Thisholds true for Ottobre Design, Farbenmix, etc. A common question on the Crafty Mamas forum, is

“ what pattern piecesdo I need to add seam allowance to? “

When it comes to Otto, always be sure to read the instructions completely before you begin, often the cutting instructions for your pattern will list any particular instructions that are extra to the norm.

Ottobre Design offer us this on their website...

” The patterns include the necessary eases and hemallowances, but you always need to add 1 cm for seams. Any exceptions to thisare stated separately.” ( told you so... read your instructions for your pattern ,clearly).

Sounds pretty simple, but it can get a little confusing whenworking with lots of pattern pieces!

Otto also tell us ( in the Instruction section) that...

“ the patternsinclude hem allowance, button extensions and facing. When cutting out thegarment pieces, add seam allowances of approx 1cm (depending on fabric) toeach edge of the patterns".

So, we need to add a seam allowance to all the edges**, exceptour hems,. Otto include a small hem, I sometimes like to increase the depth.

**Necklines. When constructing a garment with a neckline thatis bound, it is not necessary to add a seam allowance to the neckline OR theneckline binding as it is already included. This also includes other bound areas ie; t shirt sleeves, spaghetti strapsstyle tops.

If in doubt, always ask . You can email me with your pattern query and I will check for you.

So, how to add the Seam Allowance?

If you do a search you will find folks are quite inventivewhen it comes to adding their seam allowance, and at what stage they add theirseam allowance. I follow Otto’s advise and prefer to add the seam allowance atthe cutting out stage. I prefer this as it allows me scope to adjust whencutting out. ie; some fabrics that are clingier, I might want to add more easeetc.

Some methods of adding seam allowance:

1. Simply draw on with dressmakers chalk/texta/pencil on the fabric , using a ruler all aroundthe edge to measure your preferred seam allowance.

2. Just wing it, estimate as you cut- you daredevil you! ( this is my preferred method!)

3. Using an unthreaded wing tipped sewing machineneedle

http://off-the-cuff-style.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-add-seam-allowances-to-traced.html

4.Using two pencils taped together

http://fivegreenacres.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/tools-of-the-trade-add-a-seam-allowance/

5.Rotary cutter with seam allowance guideattached.

http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2011/08/guest-post-assembly-line-sewing.html

6. Using carbon paper and a tracing wheel.

http://sewing.about.com/od/techniques/ss/fabricmarking_3.htm

I guess it is just a matter of finding your fave method.

Adding Seam Allowance in action!

This is a favourite Otto issue , 2/2002. Itis an oldie ( Non English) but a goodie. The t shirt pattern I have made beforeand loved. ( it also has a great spaghetti strap top too).

The fabric is one of the very cool ZNOKcotton/lycras.

Here’s the pattern laid out....

Here’s my 1cm seam allowance being measuredand added.

Note Ihave not added a seam allowance to the neck front or back.

Here’s my pattern pieces cut, ready to go.

And here is my neckband, cut the recommended 4cmwide as per my pattern. I don’t cut the length yet, until I see how muchrecovery the fabric has. ( more in next tute).

(and here is my bag of neckband 4cm strips, cut from scraps!)

Next tute we will look at..

*Symbols used in Otto patterns

*T shirt- neckband construction , a simple neckband and neckline binding.

We will also have a chat about estimating the length of your neckband piece.

Crafty Mamas CRAFTY SUNDAY INSPIRATION

2011-11-13T11:12:00.001+11:00

I have decided to start a new weekly series in my blog here, it will be, dear reader, simply...

CRAFTY SUNDAY INSPIRATION.

Each Sunday I will simply post a few things that made me go "squeee" this week,

a sharing of awsome-ness!

How to ...Make your own Chevron fabric.

from Kristin Eldgridge Photograhpy

via Craft Gawker

A gorgeous Dotty Deer to make

from Torie Jayne

via Craft Gawker

From Ashley at Lil Boo Blue,

very clever Ipod and Ipad gloves

via Craft Gossip

Easy Margarine Soap

from Instructables

Easy Handmade Dress Ups from The Train to Crazy

Condensed Milk to Caramel ( Dulce de Leche) in the crockpot!

And finally, Banana Chiffon Cake from Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Happy Sunday

~Lisa

So I like to Embellish a little..is that wrong?

2011-11-12T09:17:00.001+11:00

If you hang around the Crafty Mamas forum long enough, you will notice a similar trait among those of the Crafty Mama variety... we don't do plain very well, and quite often, can't leave well enough alone.

It's not enough to create from scratch a gorgeous handmade design..we constantly feel the need to adorn our creations.We like to stencil, embroider, paint, applique, iron on, attach ribbon,labels, rip,tear, ...just to name a few of our vices.

So it's a jolly good thing the Crafty Mamas Shop has all you need, to allow you to tissy up to your hearts desire!

Crafty Mamas Iron Ons are often our weapon of choice when a quick fix is needed.

And why? They instantly elevate your handmade item from " Thanks Mum, another handmade tee.."

too...

" That's AWESOME , Mum, can you make me another??!".

These arrived yesterday, and well, I'm Smitten. Who wouldn't be?!

**LOVE**

~Lisa~

New LILOFANT arrived today! Give-away!

2011-11-11T22:11:00.001+11:00

The very very VERY cute new design from Lilofant of Sweden arrived today! See how cute it is?

Check out our Lilofant HERE.

In a cotton lycra knit, so excellent for kids wear!! Do you know of a little person that might like this?
What would you make? Tell me in a comment below, and I'll give 1m away on Monday. Good Luck!

Did you win our Ottobre Design Etsy Voucher??!! The two winners left anonymous comments so I cannot contact them! I need to hear from them by Monday or I will draw new winners.

So, what's been happening here?

2011-11-05T18:02:00.000+11:00

Such a full on couple of weeks! It seems everything happens at once around here.

A couple of birthdays were had..

My baby is now 8, how did that happen??

Lots of cake making going on...

Rainbow cupcakes of course!

and a self decorated cake by Lil

(note nose in top left corner)

The crazy pup we fell in love with...

..is now a lanky, charming young fella,

..and just the teeniest bit spoilt...

But he soon learned, the cats are really in charge.

One daughter attended the races

Kwik Sew to the rescue!

And entered in the Ag Show..

We saw some of the coolest chooks at the show..

..and this cute little guy..

..and got up close!

So..now you know where I've been!

Back next week with new tutes!

~Lisa~

Crafty Mamas/Ottobre Design Give-away..WINNERS!

2011-11-01T20:39:00.000+11:00

Woo hoo! We have some WINNERS!!!

You may recall, we offerd up a chance to win one of these 4 prizes!! :

OTTOBRE is very kindly helping us celebrate by giving away;

2 x one-year subscriptions for 6 issues (4 kids + 2 women)
2 x gift cards worth 50EUR to spend at their Etsy shop

( Thankyou Otto!)

Our two lucky blog readers to win a 12 months sub each are...

1.

Dani Castley said...

OOOOOOHHHHHHH yeeesssss. Ottobre has become my only pattern vice now. I just adore the designs and I am looking forward to making some designs for my daughter as she is hitting the adult sizes. Luv ya work Lisa!

cherie said...

Happy 7th Birthday! Thanks for the great giveaway!

11:47 PM

And our two lucky winners of the Otto Etsy Shop 50 Euro Gift voucher are...

1.

Sherry said...

Happy, happy birthday. Congratulations and thank you for all the hard work, also for bringing us the fabric so our clothes look just like the magazine.

Sam said...

What an awsome prize. Really would love to win something like this. 7 years, congratultions!

Congratulations guys! Please shoot me an email so I can organise your prizes?

Thankyou everyone for your comments! :)

Ottobre Design Magazine Class 101 Part 1. Tracing

2011-10-26T13:03:00.001+11:00

A lot of customers comment that they would really like to start using Ottobre Design mag, but lack the confidence to start. If you have only ever sewn from full-size, ready made commercial patterns before, it may be a little confusing. But this tute is going to put all that behind you...you'll be pumping out those Otto projects in no time!

A little disclaimer: " I am not a professional dressmaker" I am just a mum who loves to sew. Some of my methods are a bit home-grown, on the kitchen table kinda thing.. but hey, they work for me. Jump in!

This tute looks at finding and tracing your pattern. As I add the seam allowance when I go to cut out- I'll chat about seam allowances in the next tute!

What will we need to trace off our Otto pattern?

1. An Ottobre Design mag, of course! You possibly subscribe or if not, you can get yourself a sub or some back issues in my shop Crafty Mamas.

I am tracing from Summer 3/2011.

2. A ruler, a highlighter, and something to trace onto. I use either our Kwik Trace or Swedish Tracing Paper. You can , of course, use plain old baking paper..but it annoys me and I like to keep my patterns to use over and over again. So I prefer our products. And you will need some scissors.

3. Select a pattern you want to make...I like this colour blocked dress...

..let's check out the details...sizes 134cm -170cm. That will work for me. How do I decide what size I need? If you turn to the beginning of the pattern section, you will find the line drawings of all patterns in this issue. I find this really good to look over, instead of just the colour pics of the garment made up.

The line drawings give you a feel for the patterns features etc, as well as size range. Another reason line drawings are good? Sometimes a pattern may be sewn up in a fabric I am not so keen on ( for example, I very rarely use patterned fabric with white background on my kids- as I think it washes them out) ..so seeing the line drawings, you are able to interpret each pattern in your minds eye- the way you would like it to look.

4. Measuring up. Ottobre Design give excellent measuring instructions in each mag.

Once you have followed the diagram and plotted your child's measurements, you can see which size your child falls into best. Here you can see Lil is all over the place, so I am going to trace size 152cm, and make an increase over the waist measurement.

The measurements in the chart is of the actual child, not the garment. The patterns have built in allowance for ease of movement.

5. So now we know what size we are tracing...let's go read our pattern a bit more.

Ok, here we can see the size range and (134cm-170cm) and the type and amount of fabric we will need, as well an extras. If you look at the Materials you will see the materials needed run in the same increments as the size range. So, to make size 152cm, I will need:

-65-cm of pale coloured fabric
-35-cm of medium coloured fabric
-40cm of dark coloured fabric.

Ok, but what TYPE of fabric? This pattern suggests a knit of (CV/EL) with a stretch recovery of 30%.

To work out the stretch-factor of your fabric:

Take a 10cm piece of your fabric, cut across the the grain ( so in the direction of selvage to selvage), then stretch. If it stretches to 12cm, it has 25% stretch; if it stretches to 15cm, it has 50% stretch; and so on.

What is (CV/EL)? There is a handy International Textile sheet here!
Most European fabrics are 140-150cm wide, so keep this in mind too, if your patterns does not state width ( most do).

I also need about 80cm of clear elastic. I use swimwear elastic ( as I have a 100m roll to use!).

6. So now I have my fabric sorted, what pattern sheet do I need? I mean there's a few in here!

Let's go back to our pattern info...it tells us we need to find "sheet F, Blue". Blue tells us the colour tracing line will be.

This part also tells us the pattern pieces we need to trace, and also any extra info we might need to know.
My pattern has little scissors next to pieces 1 and 2. This tells me, these pieces - once traced- are then cut into 3 sections each to become 1a. 1b, 1c and 2a, 2b, 2c. Be sure and look for any marking like this one your pattern sheet. Another symbol you may see is a small pencil. This tells us once we have traced off that piece, we will need to trace a section of it off again separately.

I need to find ( in BLUE) pieces # 1, 2, and 3.

If you look at the bottom of your pattern sheet, you will see a helpful guide. See the "1" and "3"?
If I run my finger up from here, it will lead us to the corresponding pattern piece/colour.

7. It always handy to scope out the diagram of the pattern pieces so you know what you are looking for. Pay attention to any details on each piece too.I find an aerial view is great to help me spot them all.

8. Tracing. Now I have found all my pieces, I take my highlighter and trace over the correct size. I do this for all pieces. ( note about highlighter. I like to use a different colour highlighter for each size. Having kids x 4, I often reuse patterns..and it is easier to find the sizes on the sheet if they are different colour).

Be sure and note your centre front and back lines..these will be indicated on the sheet, also any gathers ( indicated with arrow) , hems, etc.

When you have hunted down all your pieces, grab your tracing material and trace!

9. Now you need to transfer over any markings from your pattern sheet to your traced pieces.

So now you have your pattern pieces, go dig out your fabric! I'll be back tomorrow to get our pattern cut out! Got a query? lisaATcraftymamas.com.au

~Lisa~

Hoooked Zpagetti is Here!

2011-10-26T10:40:00.001+11:00

You might have seen some Hoooked Zpagetti kicking around in blog land lately? I first set eyes on it when one of our forum members ( Mon) living in The Netherlands, showed off some of her projects

. "Zpagetti? What is this stuff?!!"

I've always had a need to try my hand at rag rugs...you know how it is? So initially, I thought Zpagetti would fill that requirement. But then Toni over at Make It Perfect started showing off baskets she had made! Baskets!

(Pic shamelessly stolen from Toni)

Well that just about did me in. Crafty Mamas NEEDED this!

Zpagetti satisfies several primal urges of the Crafty Mamas species:

1. It's fun!
2. It's quick!
3. It combines two of my loves: fabric, and crochet!
4. It is highly tactile ie; feels good!
5 It puts to good use, off cuts that would other wise be thrown out.

What is Hoooked Zpagetti??Originating from The Netherlands, Hoooked Zpagetti consists of strips of high quality elastic cotton fabric, ( much like our Stella) and is available in a wide range of colours and trendy designs. Hoooked Zpagetti is made from offcuts of new collection fabrics, combining fashion, sustainability and creativity into one amazing product: a high quality, elastic yarn that is not only eco-friendly but has a huge variety of fun and creative usages. When crocheted or knitted on large hooks or needles, you churn out projects in no time!

These are some of the projects that we have free patterns for...and can pass on to you. ( see the Rainbow Rug? I'm so doing that one!!) Of course, I know you will have fun creating your own too!

You can find our Zpagetti HERE.

I'm heading back to the recliner, to tackle that rug!

Crafty Mamas 7th Birthday! Ottobre Design GIVE-AWAY!

2011-10-26T08:00:00.003+11:00

Winners announced in the morning.....

#3 ( the finale) 7th Birthday GIVE-AWAY!

Before I announce our fabulous final Give-away..let's take a short stroll down memory lane, and look at how Crafty Mamas came to be?!

Crafty Mamas began way back in 2004, I was a very busy mama of 4- the youngest being Lil, at 1.

I had been sewing since about 1988 ( eek!!! ) and was possibly a tad CRAFT OBSESSED.

Anything that could be made at home- I'd give it a go.

Cheese making, soap making, felting, sewing, knitting, crochet, homebrewing, root beer ( still have the stains on the ceiling form where the bottles exploded!). Bread making, chook raising, vegie gardening, sausage making, Beef jerky, fruit dehydrating,

sauce bottling, jam making, fabric dyeing...

you get the picture. My poor, long suffering husband!

Lil

And I thought, how cool to start an Australian online community, for people like me ( the CRAFT- OBSESSED). Because really, all home skills are a craft, even raising kids!

Only another Crafty Mama understands why you would stay up all night, sewing up a Gnome costume for the Christmas play- with a 6 week old baby in a sling!

Miss B

So the Crafty Mamas forum came into being. And , much like a child, it was nurtured, loved, and it GREW!

Crafty Mamas developed into such a wonderful community, with members as far away as The Netherlands!

Members enjoy the opportunity to meet other CRAFT OBSESSED mama's, chat about their projects, ask for help if stuck,review patterns, even meet up for coffee and chats in real life ( hence our annual CRAFT RETREAT).

During this same time, I was still sewing up a storm and frantically hunting for Ottobre Design mag here in Australia. Frustrated, I emailed the editor, Tuula

( coincidentally, also a mama of 4..but with very different weather to us!)

and she kindly agreed to let me take on Otto in Australia.

And so, finally, Aussie sewists could get hold of Ottobre Design again !

But wait, we also wanted fabrics that we saw IN Ottobre Design mag..and so, with Tuula's help, I managed to bring HILCO, of Germany, to Australia.

Now, of course, we have many European fabrics available, and Crafty Mamas is renown for our quality fabrics and patterns. We also are Aussie agents for Farbenmix, and Stenzo too!

So, now you know our history- stick around, because our future is looking pretty nifty too!

We are looking forward to another 7 years working with our friends at Ottobre Design!

GIVE-AWAY!

Your chance to win one of these 4 prizes!! :

OTTOBRE is very kindly helping us celebrate by giving away;

2 x one-year subscriptions for 6 issues (4 kids + 2 women)
2 x gift cards worth 50EUR to spend at their Etsy shop

( awesome!)

All you need to do is leave a comment here on my blog by the 31st of October and you will be entered into the prize draw. Good luck!

ps; if you are already subscribed and win, it will simply be added to your current sub!

~Lisa~

Crafty Mamas 7th Birthday GIVE-AWAY #2!! JNY Design

2011-10-17T11:33:00.000+11:00

WINNER all the way down the bottom!!

~~~~

Did you know this week marks our 7th year in the business??

How'd THAT happen so FAST?

To celebrate, I have some cool FABRIC to Give-away!

Have you seen our JNY Design fabrics?

Exclusive to us here in Australia, you may have seen them popping up in Ottobre Design Mag?

(Otto 6/2010)

Beautiful and Vibrant !

Designed in Sweden, in gorgeous bold prints, Okeo-Tex 100 ( so you can feel confident putting them on your kids!) and super soft and snuggly!

Our latest shipment from JNY Design features cotton/lycra knits, cotton interlock and some fabulous

velour knits!

As a mum , sewing for kids for over 20 years ( feeling very old now!),

I think I have a pretty good feel for what kids love as well as what is important to mum's

..and you can find it in my store - Crafty Mamas!

Bringing you the very best in fabrics and patterns- helping your sewing projects be the very best they can be!

GIVE-AWAY!

For our 7th Birthday Celebration #2 Give-away...

I have 2m of JNY Design fabric to Giveaway to a lucky Crafty Mamas Blog Reader!

Simply leave me a comment as to which JNY Design fabrics you would choose!

Closes Friday 21st Oct.

Good Luck!

~~~~~~~~~~

And the WINNER is...Congratulations!!!

Reneesaid...: My little boy would love the rainbow stipe waves!!! Dunno what it is but he loves rainbows. I like the stars but I think he'd win :); 4:26 PM

Super Cute Otto #301 Vintagey Tute!

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WEEKEND NEWSLETTER!

A couple of cool SALEs and a Sweet TUTE for you try this!

KWIK SEW on SALE 20% off!
The entire Kwik Sew range is 20% off til next Friday. This includes items in stock , and those we order in.
We order each week and they genrerally arrive in a day or two.
Want a patterns not instore?
See the entire range here
jot down the pattern number you want and email me.
lisa@craftymamas.com.au

Scandi Style "VICENTE" knits 20% off!

OTTO News!

Just a quick note to our OTTOBRE DESIGN subscribers. When your subscription expires, you will not be automatically renewed or receive a reminder from OTTOBRE. So, to make sure you don't miss out...email me at lisa@craftymamas.com.au and I'll check on your subscription for you and we can renew you if needed! Of course, I'll have heaps in store for non subscribers to grab a copy too!

Here's the fabulous Ottobre Design 6/2011, due out 21st October!

Crafty Mamas is very proud to be OTTOBRE's Aussie and NZ agent. As well as subscriptions we can also handle orders from retails shops etc. So if you have local sewing store trying to stock OTTOBRE, please tell them about us.
We ae slowly spreading the Otto love!

Ottobre Design Creative Workshop #301 Hack- Vintagey- Tab Front Tee
Making more from your patterns!

As promised, a weekend project for you to try!

Ottobre Design Creative Workshop #301 Hack to Vintagey Tab Tee.

I love the look of these Vintagey style tees, they are a chance to incorporate some extra colour and texture into a plain tee.

They are also very quick and easy once you have modified your pattern.

You will need :

Your trusty Ottobre Design Creative Workshop #301,

Enough solid knit to make your desired size, plus extra contrast knit for your yoke

(use knits of a similar weight. I have used a cotton/lycra knit on the yoke, and it holds up well to the tab). I am using the CHERRY interlock and this cotton/lycra knit from Crafty Mamas.

You’ll need a couple of buttons- either matching or not, odd ones look quirky!

Tracing paper ( I use Kwik Trace or Swedish Tracing Paper from CM).

Now, trace off your desired size. You can see, I like to highlight the size I am going to trace. It just helps to see where you are going!

This also is a great time to show you how handy multisize patterns are when it comes to getting a good fit. My daughter needs a 152cm in width, but only 146cm in length. So I trace out the correct lines for these, eventually matching the lines up. This gives me a much better fit than just using the largest size.

You can see my handy work here, I have traced the 152cm width, but veered off to 146cm length lines on both front and back and sleeves.

Here’s my pattern pieces ready to go.

Now you have to decide the placement of your yoke piece. Mark a line how far across the shoulder and how far down the chest. See the orange lines?

Now you need to draft in a circle along these lines. I grabbed a dinner plate...as I want a rounded yoke. ( if you want more of an elongated oval shape, you will have to freehand it. Play around a bit on some paper first).

..and traced around it. See the arc? ( raspberry chocolate bullets? How’d they get in there?)

Now you need to separate your yoke from your front piece. Simply cut. Mark the centre front section of yoke so you don’t confuse yourself.

Next up, cut out your yoke piece , with a centre front fold- remembering to add a seam allowance to the bottom side! We need to add a seam allowance, or your front piece will end up too short! This will be from your contrast fabric.

Here’s my pieces...

And all the pieces, including the neckand.

Now we need to attach the yoke to our front piece. Mark the centre front on both pieces, I just pin. Then place right sides together and slowly and carefully, sew together. If you need, section of into 1/4s and match up ( similar to sewing on a neckband).

Here they are , sewn together , cool huh? Give it a press to make it all sit nice and flat.

Clip if you think it needs it.

Now we need to draft up our tab piece. You can make this whatever shape you like...arrowed on one end looks cool, or just a longish piece with a rounded tab like here. The width and length is entirely up to you, as an idea, mine is about 12cm long ( this includes 2cm seam allowance ) and about 6cm wide ( includes 2cm seam allowance). Cut your piece out, then sew around three sides right sides together, leaving the short straight end open. Trim , turn and press.

Buttons: two ways to do this. I show #1.

1.Either sew the buttons directly onto your tab now.

2. Wait until tab is attached to top and then sew the buttons on, sewing through the tab and also into the yoke- thus securing your tab ( meaning it will be fixed).

Now mark the centre front of both your top and tab, then position the tab on your yoke. Secure with a few pins.

I like to topstitch around my yoke section, on the main fabric, with a ric rac stitch, ( or serpentine or elastic stitch ) to add a nice touch and help it sit better.

From here on in, the #301 is constructed as per usual. Simply apply your choice of neckband ( I have chosen the binding method, following the instructions in #301) ..here’s the binding being sewn down once it is attached and folded. Then continue on with your sleeves, sides etc..and you get...

THIS!!! Your super sweet modified #301 tab front tee!

Have a lovely weekend!

~Lisa~

www.craftymamas.com.au

Blogtoberfest Day 11: Twirly Skirt 4 Sale!

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I love making these twirly skirts..so much in fact, my girls have about 6 each! Their friends have them..I just can't seem to stop! This is my recent, made up in Janeas World Knits. from Crafty Mamas. All fabrics are from Germany.

Super cute!

This one is size Childs 9-10 and it's for sale!

$27.50 Aus

It will be in the shop tomorrow, and you can find other handmade items HERE.

Blogtoberfest Day 10...$100 Gift Voucher Winner!

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And our winner is....

NZmum said...

Knits, wovens, notions.......I wouldn't know where to stop!

3:03 PM

Congratulation, NZMum! I'll be in touch tomorrow with your Crafty Mamas Gift Voucher!

Thankyou everyone for taking part- another Give - Away coming up later this week!

Blogtoberfest Day 8..Sewing and Citrus Pop

2011-10-08T22:20:00.000+11:00

Farbenmix IMKE in Janeas World knits!

Topped off with a Janeas World Iron on velour..

CUTE!!

And a Farbenmix OLIVIA!

Miss L clearly not too keen on modelling today!

Fabric is a MM interlock from my stash.

In Miss L's hair, are two of the amazing "Citrus Pop" bobby pins the lovely Toni Coward gifted us.

How adorable are these?? We all love them!

So vintagey looking, they suit Lil perfectly.

Toni is clearly very talented, she is also Make It Perfect!

the designer of amazing sewing patterns!

Citrus Pop has a sale on at the moment, " buy any two items and receive a free set of mini earrings"

Happy Saturday!

We all love a good Gawk....

2011-10-07T22:02:00.000+11:00

I recently discovered Craft Gawker on my iPhone. ( actually, I think my 11 year old found it first).

How cool, I need never be bored waiting for our Chinese take-away again! I used to look at all those hip young kids- glued to their iPhones , scrolling and texting..and think " get a life, kids". But, I have seen the other side, and it is pretty neat! Here's some sweet inspiration for Friday..

Love this. Adult and Childs Red Riding Hood cape pdf!

Awesome Glitter nails!

Cool Pillowcase bag to make!

Incredible Mexican art!

Make your own clothing labels!

Such clever ideas, projects and people!

Jump over and have a Gawk!

There's a little Quilting Goin' On...

2011-10-07T09:34:00.001+11:00

In the absence of an overlocker, I have started on another little project. A largish lap quilt for Lil.

I bought these pre-cut strips last year from Spotlight and they have sat and sat and sat....

I should warn you, I am not a quilter. I am led to believe that Quilters are very clever, precise people, with the ability to cut many pieces of fabric the exact same size. Sadly, that's not me. I am a bit too slap dash and hyperactive to stand still long enough to cut many same sized pieces. Plus I am terribly unco with the rotary cutter and always manage an injury! But I love these pre-cut ones and it is quite soothing just doing so many straight stitches!

A slacko day today and a GIVE-AWAY!

2011-10-05T23:10:00.000+11:00

On the first official day of my break today..what did I do?

SLEPT IN! You better believe it! Daylight savings is killing me, so it was great to have lie in.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out with the kids and puppy at the lake. I had forgotten how annoying sand can be. I have no pics from our day out, as I spent the entire time holding back this beast...who was intent on swimming to Tasmania!

The beast spends most of his time here, on B's bed.

Did you know? This month marks Crafty Mamas 7th year!

Quite an auspicious occasion, so keep an eye out for some cool Give-aways!

Here's the first...

GIVE-AWAY #1

A SWEET Crafty Mamas $100 Gift Voucher!

How to be in with a chance?

Just leave me a comment below, as to what you'd buy if you won!

Winner announced Mon 10th!

Good Luck!

My liitle slice of The Good Life

2011-10-04T20:06:00.001+11:00

I spy the makings of....

LEMON BUTTER!

Yumm...

Look what was waiting for me this afternoon, down the backyard...

Wee ,small oranges...don't know what type they are, but the tree is covered in blossom again.

We have about 1 Million lemons on our tree, seriously. It is leaning on the back fence and knocking it down.

It is a Lisbon, prickly. We planted it when we first moved in here, so 22 years ago.

And about a dozen eggs, clever chooks!

So, tomorrow, I'll be in the kitchen!