dyeing, Sewing

Mordant workshop top

As mentioned in a previous post, when I was doing the Mordant Printing Workshop with Julie Ryder at Fibres West 2023 I found the front and the back of a top. With permission from Julie, I painted it with mordant and dyed it with marigold. I’ve never done mordant printing before and I have to […]

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Sewing, Zero waste

Bryer Skirt

The Bryer Skirt, from the zero waste designer Liz Haywood, was bought whilst I was at the Fibres West residential conference; whilst I was in bed in fact. I therefore couldn’t make it immediately, but luckily I acquired fabric at the garage sale whilst I was there and decided to make my first iteration from […]

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Sewing

Meet Daisy the sock monkey

I’ve been following the exploits of various sock monkeys on Instagram for some time and kept thinking I’d make one. My biggest problem was socks. I always knit my own and have none that would be suitable. In the end I had to buy some – shock, horror! I was motivated to get a move […]

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dyeing

FibresWest 2023

Having had Fibres West 2021 cancelled due to WeStern Australia going into lockdown, the 2023 conference was so much more special. I enrolled in an Introduction to Mordant Printing and Natural Dyeing course with Julie Ryder from Canberra and it did not disappoint. I am quite slapdash when it comes to mordanting but I now […]

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Sewing

Fibremood Giti

One of the latest offerings from Fibremood (Magazine 24) is the Giti, a very cute cross body phone bag. I didn’t want to make any summer clothes, but felt that I could readily use one of these when I have no pockets to put my phone in. The bag has a little credit card slot […]

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Sewing

Pattern Union Felix blanket jacket

I’ve had a bit of a yearning for a red jacket and just happen to have a piece of red blanket, bought at the FibresWest garage sale last year. I’ve already made a body warmer from the blanket but still have enough left for a skirt or some other small garment. I cut out the […]

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Knitting

A knitted cradle bag

In 2014 I knitted a little bag that turned into a doll’s cradle for a friend’s granddaughter and decided that the time had come for my own granddaughter to have one. The pattern is free on Ravelry and is designed by Frankie Brown who has a whole host of free knitting patterns. It’s so well […]

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Sewing

Tessuti Apron

I have the weeklong workshop happening at FibresWest in early July and I’m doing a dyeing class so thought I should get an apron that wouldn’t show the dye stains and which had good coverage. I’d just made some temporary curtains for my sewing shed (steel shutters will be made at some point), so used […]

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Sewing

Me Made May 2023

Every May there is a lovely challenge called “Me Made May” which happens on Instagram. The challenge was created by Zoe Edwards, a sewing blogger and pattern designer from the UK. Participants are encouraged to wear their handmade clothing and accessories throughout the month of May, and to document their outfits on social media. The […]

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Sewing

Lots of Stokx

I seem to have made quite a few Stokx patterns recently, namely the Square Pants, Play Pants and Flirt Skirt. I made the Play Pants from a beautiful piece of wool flannel that had been my mother’s. I made the version with the little split at the ankle, but this meant that I couldn’t lengthen […]

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