Four panels done...just like that. Three years ago (!!!!) I realised that casual trips to the local beach were set to become a regular part of our summers. So, in very uncasual way I was graced with a vision of a stylish beach kit. A canvas beach shelter, perfectly coordinated with our 'beach quilt'.
A color palette came to mind and I then encountered Heather Ross Far Far Away range and it tied in perfectly. So, the collecting began. I confess to receiving some inspiration from this quilt as well.
There have been more than enough fabrics there for some time but the impetus to begin hadn't struck. This week it did and now I'm sure I can get 16 or 25 (depending how big I decide it needs to be) completed soon....probably just in time for the end of summer.... which is fine as it will be perfect for picnics too.
Amongst the many ambitious sewing aspirations I had for December were Christmas shirts for the Pickles. Not Christmas themed shirts but new smart shirts to wear for Christmas mass and lunch. I let that dream go.....on Christmas Eve or perhaps a day before. I then thought they would be great for a barbeque dinner with friends for New Years......let that go too. I'm now thinking they would be perfect for my sisters wedding in March.
There are so many great patterns in my new favourite sewing book, Sewing for Boys, and the Henry shirt is just one of them. I had been given a voucher to the illustrious Patchwork on Central and a trip there eight months after the voucher arrived helped me find the perfect fabric combinations for each Pickle.
I LOVE this fabric for Little Pickles shirt. Colours gentle enough to convince a mama her youngest is still very little (not really with toilet training looming any day) and a brilliantly quirky design.
This project has been cut out and waiting since my sewing weekend way back in the middle of last year. A simple a-line skirt with details from a vintage scarf sewn around the bottom. I'm determined to add this to my summer wardrobe this week.
A piece of fabric passed on from my sister seems the perfect thing to try my first Tova Top and now that its cut out i should be able to get that done soon too..... There may be a slight glitch as I decided I'd love to have it at the dress length but only determined after cutting out the pieces that their idea of dress length isn't necessarily mine. A contrast panel around the bottom or a risky add-on piece of the same fabric are being considered.
I love Spotlight. Well, to clarify I love my Spotlight. My local branch is very big but instead of filling three quarters of the space with linen and homewares they keep most of the space for fabric and they have it all laid out on flat tables with only one layer of rolls instead of the usual twenty rolls high fixtures they have in the other stores. I always get into trouble at ours because you can really see the fabrics and can quickly zoom past all the tables of junky fabric straight to the occasional but financially draining gems. These two cotton drills were just a few of a much larger range but jumped out as the perfect ones for some racer shorts for the Pickles.
And finally, there's the rug. Inspired by seeing these in Tibetan craft stores nearby, in a friends store and here, I decided last year that I'd have a go at making one of these. I acquired a first batch of felt balls from the only place to get them and yesterday I bought my big pack of dental floss and began.
After quickly stringing the fifty beautiful balls I had onto one chain I remembered that I had planned to study the technique via a tutorial on making a felt ball coaster I found a while ago. Perhaps I'll do that while I wait to gather the next bit of funding for a big bag of balls. I did some calculations with the assistance of a mathematically gifted brother-in-law and determined that around 1500 balls might be needed to make a rug with a one metre diameter........ lets call this a whole year project.
As Little Pickle lay on the floor at my feet yesterday - something he inexplicably does whenever he can find his dummy and towelling cuddle friend - I thought about how much he'll enjoy lying on his bumpy, snuggly ball rug in the centre of his room.
For anyone interested in a project like this or in felt balls for any other purpose (the Pickles use them as money or food or any number of other things in their play) I can't recommend this shop more highly. A wonderful range of felt balls in various sizes and every colour including multi-coloured ones. She also stocks Evi Dolls and a beautiful range of Waldorf dolls from the Qewar project. Her wooden trucks and toys are all made by her father in Tasmania from beautiful Tasmanian woods, the craftsmanship is exquisite. On top of that her service is second to none and she is a wonderful person to boot.
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