I have been making some new cushions for my neglected etsy shop. These are so much fun to make, they are quick and really so cute. I used a chenille bedspread for the back. I really love chenille, I love the super cottony feel it has and it reminds me of my gramdma’s house when I was little. She had chenille bed spreads on the beds in the guest room (that’s a thing of the past!), they were a moss green and I would sit on the floor by the bed and untwist all the fringing. I guess she wasn’t too happy about it but she never said anything. In fact I have a moss green chenille bed spread at the moment that I havn’t used because I keep thinking the colour is yuck but now that I have re-kindled that memory I’m liking it all over again. Oh how I loved my grandma’s house.

After the success of this cushion with my Henry I thought I’d put a few in my shop. These one’s are a little smaller than Henry’s and therefore a little cuter. They are backed with fluffy chenille and are so soft and cuddly and just a bit of fun.

Well after many changes of dates we have finally booked our trip to the US…SO excited!! We leave on the 4th December for about 6 weeks. We are visiting Rick’s family in good ol’ Milwaukee and then 3 weeks in Brooklyn, for Christmas and New Year followed by a week in Quebec to give the kids a really snowy experience. It’s a trip we have wanted to do for so long. Mia is in Year 10 next year and we figure this is our last year where she can miss 3 weeks of school.

Rick and I spent some time in New York a few years ago and knew we had to take the kids next time. We have rented an apartment that is costing us around $AU150 a night! New York has a reputation for being expensive but we havn’t found it to be so far. And with flights so cheap at the moment, $AU900 return for us to Milwaukee, it turns out to be excellent value for such a long trip. Our hotel in Qubec is $AU109 a night for four of us with a hot breakfast! It does all add up though so I am trying to save elsewhere.

So I need a bag to take on the plane and after much searching and realising that everything I like is around the $300 mark I decided to go really basic and make one myself. It cost me $6.00 in fabric and it’s nothing like the $300 ones but it will do the trick and give me $294 to spend in Brooklyn!

I didn’t even line it because the fabric which is from Ikea is so heavy it didn’t need it. It’s just a draw string bag with the corners squared off and a piece of covered cardboard in the bottom. I added a handle to carry it (genius). It does close right up so no embarrassing moments at the security checks in the airport. I made a draw string simply because it needed to close all the way and I hate doing zips. I am going to make a few little bags to go in the bag of different colours to make it easy to find all the bits when we are on the plane because I know I will be carrying everyones stuff.

I have been desperate for a new handbag for about a year now and really struggle to find any that i like in the shops, plently online but for some reason I have just never bought one. I finally made this one in one of my favourite fabrics, red micro cord (I don’t even know if that’s what it’s called). Anyway it turned out awfully cute and is working out a treat.

I made a zipped pouch to go with it for all my bits so now I’m not fumbling about like a lunatic every time my phone rings.

Another little project for Mr.Henry, a cushion to cuddle when going to sleep. Made with some gorgeous Joel Dewberry Deer fabric, pre-loved chenille and soft flannel on the back. He loves it.

And on the back I stitched a little greeting for when he wakes up.

I don’t know what came over me. I made this apron, it’s true. It’s so strange, made up of some old chenille I actually found in the yard, (the boys were using it as part of an elaborate cubby house) and just stuff lying around the sewing room. I thought the idea of a chenille apron was pretty good and I still do,  maybe not this particular chenille apron.

At one point Henry (8) asked me if I was making a pair of giant undies, here’s why…

Too funny! And here is Henry’s efforts for the day, two softies, a glove, a wallet and his own craft apron. My boy loves to sew. The little wallet is from Angry Chicken’s Bend the Rules with some alterations.

My apron for Tie One On – Plaid is barely plaid, in fact it is a check and even that is hiding. I made this for my grandma who is in a nursing home and has some trouble eating without spilling her food so after a meal she needs to change before she can set off to her next activity. Hopefully this will help, although I am sure it will too big for her, she is so tiny. I will make her a few more a bit smaller. As with my last tie one on apron this smock style apron was made from an old sheet – love them! The pocket reminds me of those cute ruffled pants babies wear over their nappies. They probably have a name but there is 6 years between me and a nappy so I forget what it is.

Check out my dog Charlie, she sits by this bush and waits for bees, she has been doing this for about eight years and she has never caught a bee yet, that I know of. What a life!

Recently I think some neighbourhood ratbags took some stuff from my unlocked car in my driveway. Sadly they took Henry’s school bag, my old wee bag used for errand running, library, shopping etc, and they also took all my CD’s. I have made a new wee bag from bits and pieces left over from the blankets. Just a quicky, it’s pretty cute but I am still having issues with my photo’s lately, where is the light? This fabric especially is being ripped off because it’s stunning in person, so pretty! It’s Anna Maria Horner from her Gook Folks range. Lovely.

Newest addition to my baby blanket bonanza. This one I’m calling a quiltet, it’s a quilty-blanket or blankety-quilt..

The top is like a quilt however I have backed it with a fleece rather than using batting and a quilt back. It makes a nice soft blanket rather than the firm feel of a qulit if you know what I mean. I’m happy with it, it was fun to make so I will be doing some more of these.

By the way I have added more to my total for my WFW sponsorship, I’m up to $212.00!!!

More money is coming in for my Women for Women sponsorship. A few more sales has my total up to $132.00. So thanks so much again to all the girls that have purchased a Mia Henry blanket and in doing so helped me towards the goal of sponsoring a woman. A few new blankets to show you..

These are available in my Made It store, except the chicken and egg blanket which has sold, but there are more variations of this one coming in the next week. Also in the next few weeks I will be offering gift wrapping with cards so if you know someone with a new baby I will wrap the gift in gorgeous wrapping and add a card with your printed message and post it off to them, done!

Other stuff…my baking skills have taken a turn for the worse, I have a recipe going into a zine being prouced by the Made It team, available at the Stitches and Craft show, it’s a Raspberry Lemon Meringue Pie and well I just don’t know what to say…

It’s not too bad, the lemon curd melted a bit, I’ll tell you what though it tastes amazing! That’s phyllo pastry with butter and sugar sandwiched between it, obviously meringue and raspberries. I did learn how to spell meringue though so that’s made it all worth while. I do have a habit of making things difficult for myself, surely some biscuits would have been easier. Off to research the “taking photo’s of products post” that I said I would write.

I feel like it’s my birthday all year long when I get my Dust Team swap package, it’s so special and lovely. I had a crap day yesterday, really frustrating, nothing seemed to be working but when I got home a wee package was waiting for me from Kathy of Secret Jewellz and how sweet …

Aren’t those humming birds just adorable? Kathy’s jewellery is really beautiful so have a look at her etsy shop and her blog. Thanks so much Kathy.

I am on the home stretch with the winter baby blankets, I was wondering if perhaps they might end up being for next winter at this rate. However have a gander at this one, it’s the Joel Dewberry ‘Deer’ fabric mentioned previously and turned out pretty swell, don’t cha think? Available in my Made It store.

I swear my photo’s are awful lately, I’m really trying but it may be this winter light. I’ll say it again, I want a photography studio. Photo’s of products are hard, I think I need to do some research and get some knowledge about this. Next post.