My [new] creative space

Hi, remember me?  I thought that it was probably about time that I re-surfaced and shared some of what I've been up to.  Like so many others, I've been finding that life's a bit too full to blog lately.  Suffice to say there's been big changes (new house, full time job, etc.) since the last post.  I have managed to squeeze in some crafting though, and am really happy that in the last month or so that's included some time in the shed.

This week I've finished (well, manufactured, undercoated and installed) some narrow shelves on the side of the small one's wardrobe.  The wardrobe itself is built in, but only made of chipboard, meaning that the Cyclist and I installed the shelves by drilling and screwing straight through the end wall of the wardrobe and into the timber.  They'll get their final coats of paint when we paint the room sometime later this year.  In the meantime, they're housing some of our favourite reads (except when Abbie's emptied the bottom two shelves so she can sit on the floor and 'read' aloud to herself instead of sleeping).

Abbie loves them, and so do I - its an idea I've been wanting to use for a long time, and this's the perfect spot for it.  She's two, so I figure we have a while before picture books are packed away.  After that I can see them used to show off favourite pictures and photos.

A comedy of errors no more

Do you find that some projects seem doomed from the start?  I'm pleased to say that one of my long-standing problem projects has finally come to a happy conclusion.  Here's the story behind this cot doona cover (my apologies for the mobile phone photos):

I started it when I was pregnant with the schoolboy.  Before I started I went to the shops and got the measurements of a cot doona, so that I could make the cover the correct size.  I didn't buy a doona though, and when I finished the cover I found that I couldn't locate one the size I'd measured.  I then cut the original top and superimposed it onto a new cover that fitted the doona I bought, similar to what I've done again now (the red ric-rac marks the edge of the original cover).

I was really proud of the doona cover when I had finished it.  The Cyclist was away for the night, so I did a 'happy dance' with myself, then put it in the washing machine to get rid of the grey-lead pencil marks that I had on it before taking photos.  One of the (pre-washed) red fabrics promptly bled through the lot, turning the backing fabric a pale pink, and turning my face pink and blotchy with tears as a result!  I decided that I couldn't use it, and put it away in the cupboard for future contemplation.

Over the years I've wondered about trying with it again, or cutting it down to make a wall hanging, but I've never quite brought myself to deal with it.  Now that the Newbie's arrived though, and in anticipation that she'll be the youngest of our children, I figure that its 'now or never' for the farmyard animal doona cover.  I dug out some white backing fabric from the stash.  Its not the same colour as the centre panel, but I don't care any more.  I've also told myself that I don't care if the fabric keeps on bleeding.

There was room for one more mistake though.  On Tuesday afternoon, as I was sewing up the sides of the cover I somehow managed to sew the sides so that the zipper was on the front not the back / along the bottom.  I've lost my quick-unpick, so after some laborious unpicking then re-stitching I finally have a doona cover!

Here's my favourite character, and although I suspect she's also the source of the red dye those eyes seem to dare me to hold it against her ...

I'm off now to check out some more creative spaces over here...

Progress!

We have around about 7m of windows in our bedroom - wrap around windows along the whole front facade, plus a separate window.  In a flush of optimism I bought fabric on sale last year to make curtains for the lot (50% off - how could I resist).  Well, I made the curtains for the small window, but had 6 to make for the big one (its so wide they don't actually make track long enough to do it in a single span!), but got distracted with other things in the leadup to Christmas.

I've now actually hung the first curtain on the front wall!  The pleats need hand stitching at the front, but I put it up anyway for now, and am amazed at how much light it blocks out that the venetians let through - here's to a sounder sleep and a more energy efficient home when I'm done.

I have my second wind now I think, and am planning to do some more tomorrow night.  Think I need to write myself a tutorial though, as I'd forgotten what order I did things in, how much hem to turn up etc, over the course of the last 4 months and had to keep checking my previous work.

On a different note, I hope the school holidays are treating you well.  Here's my grab-bag of ideas for dragging the boys away from the TV just in case you're stuck:

Inside stuff:

• Visit the museum
• Visit the Centre of the Moving Image at Fed Square (apparently they can draw their own cartoon still - fantastic!)
• Make a Lego city - is it ever actually possible to use up every block you have?  Yesterday we took this idea to a friend's house also
• Go see the Mirka Mora exhibition at Heide (wouldn't dare think of an art gallery as age appropriate for two generally wrestling boys, but the Schoolboy's been studying her in art, and other kids have been and really enjoyed it)
• Make Mothers' Day presents for Gran & Nanna
• Cook - we made Anzac Biscuits yesterday, but the bicarb soda / water / butter / golden syrup combo wasn't as explosive as I remembered, so the boys decided that the 'science experiment' biscuits were a failure!!
• Have our own movie afternoon with popcorn

Outside stuff:

• Picnic in the back yard (you could try our garden stake and sheet tee-pee if you're really keen - the boys thought it was fantastic)
• Check out the Comedy Festival maze at Fed Square
• Call in on the Children's Garden at the Botanical Gardens
• Visit the Zoo / Sanctuary
• Go to our favourite playground, and take a picnic / bubbles

The dog ate my homework! [or I got sidetracked...

... and missed doing the vacuuming or finishing my dress and did something new instead!]

As you can see I've made a good start on my spotty dress, but have temporarily stalled.  I need to finish the armholes, but am still toying with the idea of sleeves - I have so many singlet type tops etc., and yet at nearly 40 I feel that perhaps I shouldn't be bearing my arms quite so much.  I'm considering something like Views C or D of the ancient pattern below, or view A of the newer one.

I also need to add a little red ruffle and then a band at the bottom of the dress (the ruffles are much quicker than the pleated trim I did on the trial top, and will be at least as effective once I topstitch along the lower side - sorry for the blurry photo though).  Can't decide whether or not to use the spotty fabric for the band, or try and find some grey (maybe?  not sure?).  I have plenty of the spotty stuff left over, as it was quite wide and as always my cutting out was quite frugal, but figure I should decide on the sleeves before hacking into it for anything else.

** I'm up for comments / suggestions / help!  The idea of adapting a sleeve pattern to fit into a bodice it wasn't designed for is a bit intimidating, so if you have any advice that'd be great **

What's distracted me was Lincraft's 50% off sale.  It went for a whole week longer than I thought, and when I got an email saying it was still on I lost my self control and went shopping.  I bought some lined curtain fabric and have started attacking the mess at the top of the stairs.

"Before" (on an average day)

Stage 1: "Fitted sheet"

Stage 2: A combined cushion cover for 7 of the cushions, all of which are the same size - I know that this'll be used a lot for cubbies, but it should make the whole thing neater and easier to tidy up as a general rule.  The fact that its even better cubby making material than individual cushions is a definite bonus from the Kinder Boy's point of view, hence the fact that I couldn't get a photo without him!  To make it I made a ~3m x 42cm cushion cover, with a zipper along the bottom, then sewed vertical dividers every 42cm from the top down to nearly the bottom (leaving just enough space to open and close the zipper).

Stages 3 and 4 will be a pleated valance style skirt to hide the rest of the drawers, which don't get used much anyway, and some ties or another mechanism to stop the whole lot from shifting about.  Stage 5 will then be some new cushion covers - I've been waiting to use some fabric I got from Yardage Design, and got some coordinating oatmeal linen at the same Lincraft sale, but suspect I have more ideas and pieces of fabric than is really necessary, so some might get reassigned.

My Creative Space has been officially taken over with other things tonight, but I'm hoping to squeeze out some time this afternoon or tomorrow to brave a shot at some calico sleeves for the dress (or maybe just sew the lining to the zipper if I'm still too intimidated by the idea of it all).  What are you up to, have you dropped into Kirsty's yet?