Onwards and Upwards....

Hi Everybody,

Just a quick post today to say thankyou to everyone who has been in touch about the Big Name Change......

Your support and encouragement means the world to me, thankyou.

I've come up with a new name, googled it a thousand times, and I've lived with it for a week, and decided it's The One.
Now I'm setting everything up in the background, so that when I switch over, it will run as seamlessly as possible.

Hopefully I'll be all sorted out in the next couple of days.

I can't even begin to express my gratitute that my regular readers, and some new, warmly welcomed ones have taken the time to let me know that I have your support, and that the coincedence of the similar names was nobody's fault, and just One of Those Things.

Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou.

I'll keep you all posted!

Cheers,

Leah xx

Absence makes the quilt grow faster....

While the Man and the Digital camera were away... I finally got started on a project I've been dying to try for ages.....

I've been turning this:

and this:

into this:

Yep. That's right.... it's a Cathedral Window quilt, fiddly and scary, but surprisingly easy once you get started!

I've been meaning to tackle a White Project for a while now.... there are some truly beautiful, sparse and gorgeous quilt projects out there, and though this one isn't quite as avant-garde as I'd like, it's a good start. It's amazing how quickly it grows, and because it's a quilt as you go project, there's no scary batting or backing to deal with after you've finished the fun bits.

I made a block of these when I was at school, so I remembered the basic process, but I've made a few changes to the way I've been making this one, so I think I'll post a tutorial on how to make it next time I prepare a batch of squares. It's a completely satisfying project, even if you are a crappy handstitcher like me - take a step back, and the stitches don't matter a damn.....it the sheer brilliance of the design, the origami like folding of fabric, the stitched down "windows" that catch the eye.....

Anyway - I'm loving it..... tutorial to come soon, I promise! xxx

****UPDATED TO ADD: You can find the tutorial for this quilt on my new blog here:

Cathedral Window Quilt Tutorial....... Enjoy! xxx ****

Flashback Friday + Fabric Porn....

This is one of those photos that constitutes a memory in my mind that could be true, or may well not be......

In my head, this is me riding my bike for the first time. I'm not sure that this is actually the case, especially considering that I used this bike instead of the traditional legs-type walking for most of my childhood, so really it could have been taken whenever..... but whatthehell... it's my head, and my memories!

I grew up on a 200 acre dairy farm in the Western District of country Victoria. The Twelve Apostles were just down the road, and it was an amazing place to grow up. We were raised, my two sisters and I, tomboy style, surrounded by cows and chickens, running riot in gum boots, riding motorbikes and driving tractors and all that stuff.

I love the country. I am still a country girl at heart, though I regret that being a "different" kind of girl in a small country town where tolerance and diversity are sadly lacking, has, in the end, taken it's toll on me. After enduring all kinds of grief through my high school years, I got the hell out of there and never looked back.

My parents sold the farm and retired a couple of years back, and it still hurts me to know that that farm, my only true home, is no longer ours. But alas, home is where you make it, and my sister, with her big, rambling farmhouse, organic orchard, gorgeous children, and millions of duck and chooks is doing her best to fill the gap, and a sterling job she's doing, too.

*sniff* I'm coming over all reminiscent now! You can catch Flashbacks from other bloggers over at Flashback Friday.

Now for the decidedly more raunchy part of my post title....a trip to Ikea today yeilded some surprisingly good fabric....

Man, those people really know how to knock out a graphic, don't they?

This one is my favourite....

The red will be made into some presents for my neice for Christmas, and there's a lovely large repeat black and white cotton that I'm mulling over....

Maybe a tunic-style dress from one of my Japanese sewing books?

I also started to knit the light weight wool I bought from the op shop the other day...

Looks great in the picture, but truth is, it feels like shit all knitted up. It's acrylic, which I usually avoid like the plague, but it did feel reasonable on the spool...... but not in real life knitted terms.....boo hoo. I think I'll relegate it to embroidery yarn instead.

My partner is heading off for a few days, taking the digital camera with him, so I'll be photo short for the next five days.....in the meantime there'll be a little bit of this:

And perhaps a Blog Crush to keep you entertained.....

Have a good weekend! xxx

New Nongs....

Here's a couple more little buggers that I've been working on for the last few days...

This one is one of the best of the lot....I've changed the pattern around a little, trying to make the limbs sit a little better, and changing the place where I leave it open for stuffing......

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Nongs never have arms. It's just the way it is. For some reason I don't think they need them...

This one is from the old pattern....so is a little more wonky than I would like....

It is satisfying to know that each one I make does get a little better, though... I'm still not convinced that anyone will actually want to buy them, but after I've made a few more, I think I'll list them in my shop, and see what happens.....

Right now, I'm tossing up between opening an Etsy shop, tried, true and tested, or going out on a limb with a similar site that is Australian-focused.... It's called MadeIt, and it's the same as Etsy, really, just an Australian company, using Aussie dollars, and open to overseas buyers anyway, with PayPal and all that jazz...... So I can't see that it would make a HUGE difference which one I should choose, I guess I just feel like I should give the local one a try......

Anyways, whatever I decide, you'll all be the first to know!

Well, it's Taiwanese Noodle Soup time for me, before a crazy Friday night working at the pub......see you all after the weekend!

* Oh, and for those of you who asked - I HAVE finished Harry Potter, and I've added an email address at the top right of the page, so if you want to email me about Harry, or anything else for that matter, go ahead! xxxx

Slow Week....

Well, it's safe to say that I have spent the last two days solidly reading the new Harry Potter, and holy shit, I'm still recovering! I know there's a few Potter fans out here in blogland, and we're all probably offline, reading and re-reading, but in between the pages, there have been a few bits and peices....

Here's the apron I made for my neice, who has taken to helping my sister clean the house, and of course, needs to look the part!

It's reversible, with a girly side, and a tomboy side!

and apparently she loves it, and I've seen some pretty cute photos of her wearing it....

There's also been a bit of leisurely breakfast eating...

And some experimenting with some new styles for my stuffed toys, none of which are worth showing below the neck.....

So tonight is going to be all about making patterns, and trying again. :sigh:

Work In Progress and.....

A bit of a peek.....

And a bit of this....

I've been a bit slack around here lately....feeling a little poorly, so lots of sitting on the couch playing the Harry Potter video game! (I've never played video games before....I keep walking into walls and casting spells on the wrong things!). But today I had a bit more zing, cleaning the house and getting ready for a busy weekend at work...

There are a few more Nongs in the works, and the little project you can see in the photos above, but otherwise, slow sailing around here.

Have a great weekend! xx

If On a Rainy Night.....

There's a storm on its way tonight, causing King Tide in the Port of Adelaide and wreaking havoc over the Southern end of the state, a perfect night for staying in with the knitting, hoping that if the massive gum tree in the yard does, in fact, decide to topple over, that it will at least have the sense to fall on the bathroom and laundry, which I would love to have re-done!

In the meantime, some things I've been up to....

I bought this lovely grey pure wool jumper at the op shop the other day, but as with most things involving breasts and shoulders, it was a terrible fit.....Even on my gorgeous model, whose 50's waistline and fabulous pointy boobs still don't do the jumper any favours.....

Clearly some cutting and pasting was in order....

A bit of pattern checking,

A whole lot of pinning,

And voila! Jumper For Skinny Girl!

I'm terrible at taking photos of myself, despite having a tripod and timer setting on the camera....but anyhoo, you get the idea. It's finely knit, warm and fabulous, and that wee little moth nibbled hole on the front is for authenticity, y'know.....

My neckwarmer order has gone from this:

To this:

Amazing how quickly I can knit when I have a deadline.... plus I've been catching up on some dreadful TV watching, so it just seems to make itself.....brilliant!

And tonight? There'll be a bit of this:

And episodes of House and Medium to keep me happy.

Before I go, I wanted to send out a thankyou to all the lovely comments I got about the Nongs, and about my blog in general over the last week or so..... When starting out on a new endeavour, it's easy to poo-hoo your own efforts, and lose confidence in your making skills, especially when there are so many more talented people out there making things I couldn't construct in my wildest dreams.
So getting a little comment or two from people who are, essentially, strangers to me, and have no obligation whatsoever to do so, is gratifying and humbling in the extreme.
So thankyou, to everyone who has sent me a note lately, and if I haven't responded to you, please take this as your personal thankyou.

Cheers, m'dears..... xxx

Breakfast Sunday

Well, actually, it's Staurday and Sunday, posted on a Tuesday.....but I'm sure you get the idea.....

Saturday is weekend newspapers, the crossword, English Breakfast tea, and tahini and honey on toast....

Sunday is home-made oats, passionfriut, banana and honey....... notice - no eggs for a whole weekend!

If you'd like to see more of bloggers' breakfasts.... hop on over to Breakfast Sunday...

Things are little quiet here, but I hope to get some things done over the next couple of days....including my first order for a neckwarmer!
One of the best things about working in a live music venue is meeting some incredible musicians, and one such musician, the lovely Bob (Robyn) from The Yearlings, will soon be the recipient of a blue merino hand knitted neckwarmer. Lovely. It's so nice when someone you see as having a gorgeous personal style not only comments on something you're wearing, but asks you to make them one as well. So, I'd better get knitting!

xxx

Little Things....

Today started with a bit of this:

Which came with these cute art cards for free!

And a little Sneak Peek at what comes next.....

I've run out of stuffing...so the bigger viewing will have to wait....

And now I have to give the Landlord a tour of the house, including the spot on the carpet where a log rolled out of the fire......uuurrrrgggghhh..... wish me luck! xxx

And A Bit More......

Yep. Once I start, I tell you, there's no stopping me. Today, I've been doing a little bit of this:

Which ended up being this: Nong Number Two.......

Just in case you were wondering exactly how different to each other, and how not-made-from-a-pattern these little guys were planning to be!

This one is made from white linen, with felt, buttons, cotton and embroidery. It has a wonky pouch, which I thought about trying to diguise with a broochy kind of thing, but then I thought, whatthehell. Wonk is Good.

This one is 51 cm tall, stuffed with poly fill, and is joining the parade on it's way to the shop......

Feedback still urgently needed......xxxx

A Little Bit of Finished.....

Ok, so here goes:
I started this blog without really understanding where it would go. I'm a bit crafty, a bit fashion-y, a bit of this and a bit of that, and all I really knew was that I wanted to make stuff, and share that stuff with other people.
Problem is, at the moment I am at a bit of a crossroads with my making, and I'm not really sure where exactly I'm going, and what exactly I want to make.
BUT.
Today, I decided that I don't really care, that I'll make whatever the hell I want, and if that's a stuffed toy today, and a tea cozy tomorrow, that's totally fine by me.
So, without further ado, I present to you, oh dear patient friends, Something What I Made.

It's called a Nong, and I've already made quite a few of them, but only really for friends and family before. This is the first of a lot that I want to make to sell.

First: a word on how I make things..... I am a haphazard woman, I rarely use patterns, and I like to make things up as I go. This way, no two Nongs will ever be the same. As there isn't a pattern, each one is created of it's own accord, step by step, until it's done. This particular one is made from a thick, nubbly woolly-tweedy fabric, some wool felt, bits of stitching, cotton legs, pouch and antennae, recycled and new materials, and lots of love. It's stuffed with poly filling.All told, he measures 57cm from top to bottom.

My toys are lo-fi, are meant to be a bit wonky, and are made with passion rather than breathtaking skill in mind. I'm not sure exactly if they are the kind of thing that people would want to buy, but I'm going to give it a crack anyway.

Feedback and advice would be absolutely appreciated, brutal honesty welcomed, and ego-popping embraced. Please let me know what you think.
If all goes well, and you don't all tell me what a hideous creation I am responsible for, I think I'll try to make at least one Nong a week, and once I have five or six, I'll start putting them up in the shop, along with some other bits and pieces I make along the way.

Phew! So there it is my friends, a first on this blog - A Little Bit of Finished. xxxx

And just as an aside, a few people commented on the neatness of the new studio, and how they wished they could be neat in thier homes and work spaces too. I just wanted to say, that the only reason my studio is neat right now is because it's new. Give me a week in there and there'll be fabric everywhere, bits of cotton flying, scissors and stuffing strewn over the floor.....

I actually think that studios that look like they have been pulled from the pages of a magazine are a bit weird.....some people are naturally neat ( I am NOT one of them), but creating is a messy business, and I love a good space that shows exactly what it's for.....like This One.A creative, colourful, organised but still a little crazy. Perfect. Even though a nicely folded fabric stash is a lot of fun, it's more important that you actually MAKE something out of it, isn't it?

Anyway, that's all for today.....please tell me what you think......xx

Back......(well, sort of)

Having a week or so away from blogging has been weird. Even though I haven't been doing this for very long, the habit of taking photographs, and planning little posts in my head has definately taken hold......

My computer is still in the shop, they haven't managed to find the problem, and are going to charge me through the nose for the fact that there is nothing wrong with the bloody thing, so I haven't been in to pick it up yet. In the meantime, I have dragged the old laptop out of it's retirement, happily playing music in the bedroom, to a more rigorous life as bloggers' assistant, and it's taken me this long to get all the software and bookmarks and such updated.

Anyhoo..... you would think that a week off with a newly repaired sewing machine would result in lots of things to show and tell, but I stupidly decided to do this instead.....

Namely, pulling everything out of the spare bedroom, and deciding that it will be the spectacular new home to all my sewing gear, now that it is winter, and the tiny little room off the front verandah is just not cutting it as a studio for me.....

Now, lots of furniture moving later, it's looking a little like this:

There's a distinct lack of colour in there, but I'm working on the more decorative features now......
But by far the most exiting thing is this:
This is part of my fabric stash before the renovation.....

And after following a Brilliant Tutorial, my fabrics look like this:

So so so so so much better........ I always wondered how Other.
People managed to keep thier fabrics is such good order....but now the secret's out! Not only is this an incredibly anal and satisfying thing to do when you're procrastinating, it does have some other bonus points as well..... When your fabric is folded this way, I swear, it takes up about a third of the space it did before. Those shelves were full to the brim, bursting out all over the place with higgeldy piggeldy piles of fabric....... Not Good.

The other thing is how such a process reaquaints you with your stash. There are fabrics in there I had totally forgotten about. And a whole pile of others I decided I didn't like anymore, so I'll probably send them back to the op shop from whence they came.... and while you're mediatively folding your fabric, you also subconsciously decide what you're going to make out of it.

Anyway, so that's what I've been doing. No, I haven't made a single fucking thing yet. But I'm organised at least. That's something, right?

Before I go, I must send out a thankyou to my sister, who sent me this in the mail while I was offline....

Another little pile of vintage brilliance, with a tote bag pattern to go with it.

She's the only person in my real world who actually reads my blog, for some reason I'm really shy about it, and I get embarrased when I talk about it. Most people know I'm up to something, but I don't share the details. It's weird, I know, but there you have it. So thanks Leonie, for knowing me well enough to not laugh at my weirdness, and sharing my love of making the best of what you can find.......xxxxx

I'll be back in full force over the next week - once I've put everything back where it's supposed to be......