Amy Butler Lotus Dress part 3

Cap Sleeves are go!

My Muslin/Dress is almost finished...well actually I have worn it downtown twice without the hem finished because I couldn't wait to wear it any longer!  Can't wear it to work like that though, I'm pretty sure the boss will look at me funny...  I am glad I threw this frock on before I stay-stitched and bound those sleeves!  I nearly didn't bother and so I was lucky my sister-in-law came round and I wanted to show her how it looked.  That's how I knew the sleeve sizes on the pattern are quite unrealistic, I had to let them out to the large size and they do still pinch a bit once in a while.

Time for another picture! >

Amy Butler Lotus Dress Part 2

A bit better fit..

The Lotus Dress is fitting a little better.  I have taken it in at the back darts (a lot!) and some at the zipper seam to prevent the nasty zipper lump effect.  The front is no longer sagging as you can see, but it still needs work.  I also moved those belt loops up, they seemed too low.

Amy Butler Lotus Dress part 1

At last I begin the Lotus dress project!  This is the muslin, made from an old sheet, as the dress fabric Mum bought me was very nice and expensive so I am trying to adjust the pattern first.

The pattern is a bit on the big side I think, plenty of ease.  I cut the small size thinking I may have to let it out over the hips and it is actually pretty big.  Fortunately the fabric drapes pretty well so it feels good to have that extra room.  Looks pretty good for a sheet, no?!

Gift Bag for a little girl...

A gift-bag for bunny!

I made this drawstring bag for a friend's little daughter, as a gift bag for the soft toy that I also made for her a while back and then ...<ahem>.... didn't get around to sending...
Suddenly last week I realized that the little girl's birthday was right around the corner and she didn't have her bunny yet!  For a while I wrung my hands and whimpered to myself about how I would never get it together in time and would miss her birthday again (yes, again...oh shame on me!)  Then I got ahold of myself and decided to make this carrying sack/gift bag to complete her gift and get it in the mail!!  Very daring and ambitious for me let me tell you, I am a terrible procrastinator....horrible, just horrible.....

more pictures after the link!

A Bed Quilt - is this enough fabric??

I am thinking about making a quilt.

The more I think about it and the more I read about quilting the more I realize what a serious thing it is to think about making a quilt!  I am practically paralyzed with terror in fact!!

So much so that I have needed to simplify this process by choosing the easiest design and breaking down the rest of my anxieties into key questions.  In my quest for the right design I have looked at lots of lovely quilts on the internet and I have to say I am most attracted to simple patterns that feature lovely fabric combinations.

So I decided to do a quilt top made from squares and then to consider adding some applique after the top was about done - once I can see how it looks and where it might benefit from some more "action".  The applique may or may not happen at all of course since I would like to get this done fairly quickly once I decide how to do it, otherwise I shall run out of enthusiasm y'know!

Placemats from nowhere...

Here are 2 of my 5 new tablemats.  They look super on the table (they now each have a bow on one corner too) and everyone likes them which is a major plus!  Table mats may not seem very exciting to some, so I should explain why they are are important enough to me to get in the way of making cool stuff like stuffed bunnies...  It's quite simple, I have frequent headaches, and a large glass topped dining room table on a tiled floor next to a huge window with not much soft furnishing to soak up the resounding "CLANG!!!" of plates and cups plonked onto it by the less sensitive members of the household.  The noise bounces off the afore mentioned hard surfaces and amplifies into a brain mushing sensation when it hits my ears....I can't take it I tell you!!!  Placemats it had to be, pronto!