First Knitting Success!

So, I started my first knitting project about three years ago. I decided I wanted a hot water bottle cover, after a meeting a particularly lovely merino version when staying up north in the winter months. Once I returned home, knitting ensued, and some progress was made. As I am SLOW at knitting and I couldn't bring myself to knit in the summer, this project consequently took three winters. BUT, I finally finished it this Sunday just been, after setting myself three crafting goals for this year and this being one of them. I am SO proud of myself, and can't wait to cosy up in bed with it tonight.

Luckily, I still love the colours after all this time! I think there is suppose to be a button on the front, but the buttonhole I thought I made (at least a year ago) seems to have disappeared. Maybe it's up and taken off to a garment that actually got finished... Anyway, it still works a treat and fits perfectly. This really is a proud moment in this beginner crafter's world :)

Now, since I don't have the best track record for projects, I should probably make my other two craft goals for the year public, so at least I am a little bit accountable!

So, by the end of the year I would like to:

1. Finish hot water bottle cover
2. Learn to crochet (I dream of a peggy square blanket I made myself)
3. Make a patchwork picnic rug out of thrifted vintage sheets

Bread Bin Makeover

After the success of the retro cabinet Paddy and I refurbished, I have been feeling quite paint-happy. Painting, itself, is actually very therapeutic, and turning an item from something you would walk past in a shop to something that actually catches your eye is very satisfying! I acquired this bread bin from a friend of my lovely neighbour, Sharon and thought it was dying for a make-over. Blackboard paint has been on my mind lately, so I had a dabble at integrating that into my refurbish.

Before...

One undercoat of BIN sealant.

After four coats of 'Anglaise' and three coats of blackboard paint. it's done!

Excuse the light and the corner smudge; that was me cleaning the dust off.

I'm pretty happy with the results, and now I finally have somewhere to store all the bread I make! My next task is to sew some bread bags out of thrifted cotton pillowcases. Watch this space... :)

An Eco Sort of Birthday

It is a very special friend of mines' birthday this week and I wanted to make her something extra special. She had mentioned to me at the market last weekend that a mouse had eaten her trusty eco-bag when she was in Vanuatu (I know, what a drag huh). Having recently successfully made my own market bag, I thought this would be the perfect gift for her. Fabric shopping ensued and I found the most perfect piece at a closing down op shop for $10. Perfect!

However, this wasn't quite enough for me. I'd been brewing a plan for a while now, to make netting produce/dried goods bags out of an old net curtain I had finally removed from my window. Now, I have nothing against net curtains- they are great if you want to spy on neighbours, or dance around your house nude in the day time. But if I look out my window, all I see is fence, which negates the need for the net curtain to protect me from neighbours, or to protect my neighbours from me. The impending birthday was a perfect opportunity to try out my plan.

 The Husky, all set up in my new sewing nook.

The shopping bag was a breeze. I chopped an oblong of fabric to the size I wanted, sewed up the sides and hemmed the top edge. Then, I added handles and sewed across the diagonal of the bottom corners to make a square bottom. Easy as pie.

The produce bags were even easier. I used the hemmed edge of the net, cut to the size I wanted and sewn up the open edges. I used old curtain cord as the pull tie, threaded into the already hemmed top and burnt to seal the edges.

These bags are fantastic! I can't believe I have waited so long to make them! I will definitely be making some for myself in the future. By using a recycled curtain and cord, thrifted fabric for the bag, wrapping paper from my linen cupboard and a homemade card, this whole present cost me only $10, and I know the birthday girl will love it.

Jackets for Cushions

For a long time I have survived with only two couch cushions in my life. I'm not sure why, but that's just the way it has been. For years now, Paddy and I have laid uncomfortably on the couches, our necks at awkward angles, unsupported by the tireless work of one lonely cushion (each). But, with the emergence of our new, improved couch, it was time for a revolution. A new couch needs new cushions. And so, I came, I sewed, and I conquered.

Potentially, we had survived on two cushions for so long because I was too cheap (read: poor) to actually buy any more. After coming across a bargain bin at Spotlight when shopping for material for the couch cover, something came over me, and I splashed out... FOUR new cushions, for the teeny sum of $4 each. However, my cheapness (read: emaciated bank balance) was not willing to splash out for covers for afore mentioned cushions; and I hate HATE paying for things I can do myself. Maybe they won't be as symmetrical or neatly sewed as the ones I could potentially purchase, but at least they will be free! Also, with the high likelihood that Fang will be chewing holes in these cushions in the near future, I wasn't prepared to invest too much.

 Fang's cute little nose, systematically chewing her way out of her house. That hole did not exist a month ago...

 Fang's recent handiwork on my other cushion.

My mum had given me some yellow corduroy a while ago, to 'practice' sewing on, and Paddy's keen eye found a perfectly coordinating burgundy going cheap at Spotlight. These would be perfect.

Now, I am not necessarily a beginner sewer, but I have had 8 or so years off, so my skills are not what one would call 'honed'. I fashioned a pattern (in the loosest sense possible) out of newspaper, and snipped away at my fabric until I had what closely resembled a potential cover. It wasn't until I began sewing the pieces up that I wished I had taken more care to ensure things were square, but oh well, nothing that can't be fixed with permanent mood lighting...

  I used an envelope-style closing as a) I can't afford zips, b) I don't actually know how to put zips in, c) I am lazy, or d) all of the above. Buttons still need to be 'discovered' in mum's sewing kit, but until then, with their back to the couch, I am very happy with my latest craft attempt.

Now, with THREE cushions each, reading has never been more comfortable!