A Plush Car

This little car is heading over the ditch (no, not the sort of ditch that would cause a crash, the ditch between Australia and NZ).

Making this was supposed to be one of those mindless activities, you know the one where you do a search on google for 'free plush car pattern' or 'car softie tutorial' and then whip one up in a night....

Do you think I could find a pattern or tutorial for a car softie? No! Where are they all? Are they hiding? Is there a car softie site out there with really bad metadata that doesn't come up in a search engine? I mean, there must be a million stuffed cars out there, right? Have you seen any?

After a number of wasted internet hours I drafted my own pattern. Clearly it needs a whole lotta work but I do plan on developing it a little more, so if you or I haven't come across a car softie pattern or tutorial online by the time I've developed one, then I'll upload it here. How does that sound?

My creative space...

The space is in recovery after my last frantic project, more on that later. Today it's all about:

- The start of some new birds
- Frilly Dilly Bloomers pattern from Little Bird Patterns (on the list to be made for my niece, not for me)
- A pile of linen for review
- Embellishments from Amitie VIP mailout, what the heck am I going to make with those? They require some serious thought.

Pop over to Kirsty's for more spaces.

Hang on, I think this is my 300th post, how did that happen? Surely I don't crap on about stuff that much, do I?

Stitches & Craft Show Brisbane

Are you going to the Stitches & Craft Show in Brisbane this week?

I am and so are loads of other BrisStylettes. If you are going and you see some crafty peeps wearing BrisStyle badges go hassle them for a 10% discount in selected etsy stores.

Where will I be? At the MixTape stall on Saturday and Sunday between 11am - 1pm. So pop by, say hi and grab your copy of the fabulous zine.

See you there xx

A Granny A Day

My name is Rebecca and I'm a granny-a-holic.

Ok, I confess while I don't have time to do a granny a day I am definitely finding this addictive. I can knock one over in an hour now. Em, what have you done to me??? Don't worry I'm still sewing, but more on that later...

Check out all these grannys.

The Linen Quest: Quilt Fabric Delights

Name: Taupe Linen - Sutherland Linen
Purchased from: Quilt Fabric Delights
Cost: $5 AUD per fat quarter
Service: The service is always excellent at Quilt Fabric Delights

Rating:
This isn't the perfect linen for me only because of the shade of colour but it is very nice quality, the texture is quite smooth and it was perfect for the lining and bottom section of the bag pictured below. The problem with purchasing any sort of fabric online is the difference between the colour on the screen and the colour of the actual fabric. On screen this linen looks much lighter than it is. The image below will give you a better idea of the shade of taupe.


While I did use this linen for a bag, it is only a medium weight fabric so may not be suitable for larger bags.

Would I use it again? Yes, but only if a project called for this shade of colour.

Learn to crochet... done!

Thanks to Em's clever tutoring I made this yesterday at Brown Owls. Check out all the action over here.

And yes, I am now addicted to granny squares :)

The Linen Quest

I think it's fair to say that I love working with linen. I love using it as a base for embroidery, I love that it goes with almost any fabric, and I love the look and feel of it.

What I don't love is how difficult it is to find the perfect linen for a project that doesn't cost the earth.

So, I'm on a quest to try as many different types of linen as I can find. If you can help with suggestions leave me a comment. I'm not going to keep the results to myself, I'm going to share them with you over the next few weeks so if you love working with linen or would like to and don't know where to start stay tuned...

Saturday Shopping List

Tomorrow at Brown Owls I'm learning to crochet a granny square. I have no idea what I'll do with the square when (if) it's finished. Will I keep grannying my way to an afghan? Or will I give up after one? All I know is I'm loving these innovative takes on this popular style of crochet.

1. Spiffy Granny Tops for Blythe from Dolls With Attitude
2. Granny Mitts Crochet Pattern PDF from ChezPlum
3. Teal and Off White Hand Crocheted Granny Square Afghan from Winds of Change
4. Crocheted Earrings Granny Square (free shipping) from Crocheted Little Things

Pop over to Charlotte's for more lists.

And if you like making granny squares or you want to learn why not take part in Pip's A Granny A Day.

Apple Cyder's Sturdy D-ring Belt Tutorial

Just popping in to let you know Molly of Apple Cyder has uploaded a tutorial to make this cute and very sturdy looking belt. The tutorial has been created in flickr so it has loads of images (gotta love that) and looks really easy to follow.

My creative space...

Snowed under with the day job so not much going on this week other than a bit of quiet embroidery.

A big thank you to Steph Bond of Bondville fame for featuring edward and lilly this week and also to Katy for blogging my purse here.

Head over to Kirsty's for more spaces.