Still Standing...

Though it is a fabulous tree, huge and majestic, I was hoping it would depart with just one branch to do away with my crappy laundry; alas, the storm passed with no real drama in my suburb, though the beachside got quite a battering....

Today: Presents In The Post! Though coming from Ebay, it's not so much a present..... On sound advice from Shula, I am now the owner of a fucking GORGEOUS cashmere jumper....ooooohhhh my lord, this is by far the most warming, luxurious and divine garment I have ever owned. The fit isn't perfect (as usual, a little too big), but I swear, I'm never taking it off. Never.

Though cashmere is expensive, I managed to score this one for a great price, and even if I'd paid twice as much for it, as soon as you hold it in your hands, you know it's worth every penny.

In other news, we have some more additions to the Nong family:

I'm having a little bit of trouble with the stuffing....I know not to just stuff wads of it in, and to feed it in in a slow, contast stream, but I still seem to get lumpy bits.....any advice?

Nong #4 is a good example:

His legs just don't sit how I'd like them to.

But y'know...... imperfection = originality in my book.....

I've also completed a request from my sister for an apron for my neice, who has taken to "cleaning" the house....but I'll post photos of that once the package has been recieved.... don't want to spoil the anticipation!

xxxxx

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

Manifesto of Sorts....

If you ever wondered why people like us do what we do, you need to read this over at Poppalina.

Shula has somehow managed to encapsualte the absolute best parts of making things, sharing those things, and the wonderful interactions and random acts of love that ensue. Perfect. I don't think any of us could say it better.

I quote:

"People think Crafters are mad. Potty, whimsical and nutty, at best. Cracked, spooky and best avoided at worst. Maybe they're right. I know it takes a certain level of obsessiveness to see a project through to completion, and a demented level of fervour to start such an ambitious project in the first place. Crafting takes time, lots of time. And so much patience. Neither of which there's much room in the world for anymore."

"Crafters craft because they must. They are driven by a blind desire to create Gorgeous Things. Things that take time and patience and love. Original thoughts that come direct to you, from the heart."

"Crafters try to bring a little of the Divine into the real world, every time they make something. As a gospel singer might describe it, they sing it down, during the hours and hours of meditative work involved in each piece."


Go and read the whole thing, it'll make your day.

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

Fabulous Favourites From Flickr....

1. w.i.p. little deer doll quilt, 2. Confettina, 3. washing the car, 4. Buttons #01, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. Mosaic Monday, 10. teacups., 11. 63rd1.jpg, 12. biscuit face, 13. budgie pot., 14. red shoes/my bathroom floor, 15. me in my studio

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......

Oh my.....

Almost a THOUSAND visitors????? Are you serious? I am Absolutely Amazed. Now I totally understand what it's like for bloggers to feel completely incredulous at the fact that they have an audience. The thought that anyone would take even 30 seconds out of thier day to read about mine is, well, weird, but in a brilliant, amazing, humbling way.

Thankyou, thankyou thankyou.

My computer is still in the shop getting fixed, so no photos or anything even remotely interesting yet, but I should have her back on Monday, so It'll be business as usual then....

Until then, lovely readers....!
xxxxx

Broken.....

My beloved IMac has freaked out, and I've had to take it to the computer hospital, so I'll be a little quiet over the next few days.
But I'll be back as soon as I can, hopefully with some completed projects after a few days away from the computer!

See You Soon!

xxxx

Excuse Me?

What do you mean, Addicted. To. Fabric??????

This lot came in the mail today, from Z & S Fabrics....mmmmmmmm I don't really need to tell you how much I love new fabric, do I?
There's a bunch of half yards of Denyse Schmidt's new Katie Jump Rope Collection, plus a few sale fabrics........ I SWEAR this has to be the last fabric I buy before I get the sewing machine fixed. I took her in to be serviced today, so hopefully our Betty will be back up and running in less than a week.

Lucky for me, this wasn't the only present I got in the mail today!
I was lucky enough to be the 300th customer at Three Dog Party's Etsy shop, and I scored a whole bunch of stuff other than the Air Mail cards I ordered!

I LOVE their cards, especially these.....

And these ones crack me up....

Thanks guys!!!!

After opening all the exciting post, I spent about a thousand hours in the Laundromat, followed by a little bit of Op Shopping......the score?

This Old Royal teaset, a set of six.....

In these colours.....

It must have been a teacup day, because I dashed out to Ikea for some picture frames, and came home with this instead....

Now I'll have plenty to contribute to Cup of The Day!

All in all, a satisfying day.........

I'm as Warm as Warm Can Be......

Tonight? The fire is lit,the terrible Wednesday night television is on (Medium, anyone?), lots of tea, and this:

The Hand Warmers are coming along swimmingly....no pattern as usual, just making it up as I go along! They'll end up looking a bit mental, but then I'm a little mental, so I suppose that makes sense!

I also managed to invest in some good winter clothes today, a pair of yummy wooly leggings from Kookai in a charcoal grey, and I black hoodie from a teeny-bopper chainstore that I'm ashamed to mention....but I tell you, I'm much warmer (and far lees grumpy) today!

Thanks so much for all the advice on places to shop and ways to keep warm, I'll definately be shopping for a hat soon, and if I can track myself down some yummy cashmere yarn, my chilly bones will be very grateful!

The Lovely Rhiannon was kind enough to provide me with a list of her favourite online shops, so I thought I would share the love....

For lush, lush, jewel toned ceramics,

Cul de Sac

For the cutest skirts you'll ever see....

Made With Love by Hannah

For the most amazing, hand made books,

Black Spot Books

For weird and wonderful printed t-shirts:

Owl Movement

Lovely, lovely, lovely clothes....(someone please buy me this as a present!)

Laura Dawson

Wonderful, kitsch, tapestry bags....

Mokka

Phew! That PayPal balance won't be safe for too much longer!