Felted Pictures

Fern and I made a felted picture.
Following the instructions from HERE

It was fun to do but did take a bit of effort.
A good activity to do if you have some built up energy to get rid of.
Lots of rubbing and rolling.

Fern did most of the embroidery herself onto the felt.
I think she's getting addicted to felting, we now have a lot of felted beads.

Felted Beads

The girls and I had some fun before dinner tonight.
We made some felted beads from wool.
We used the directions from the Knitty site.

We'll make a few more and then we have to wait for them to dry so we can string them.
These were easy enough for Lilly to make.

We're planning on making some felted pictures next.

Many years ago I did a workshop with the ladies of the Tennant Creek branch of the Craft council. We had a visiting felt artist, Joy Manly, come and teach us. It was a lot of fun.
I really miss our little crafting group.
Being so isolated we had to inspire each other and take advantage of every opportunity to learn new skills.
We regularly met on a Wednesday night and chatted and crafted. Most of us worked on our own crafts. We had quilters, crocheters, lead lighters, potters, silk painters, most crafts really.
I miss you girls so much!
And as much as I was eager to leave Tennant, I really miss it and it will always be home.

Weaving on The Ashford Knitters loom

I used the 7.5 DPI reed with this scraft
The warp is an acrylic from spotlight. I put two strands as each warp.
The weft is an 8ply acrylic and a feather type yarn worked together.

It took a couple of washes in the machine and a couple of turns in the dryer to get the feathers yarn to fluff up.

I had this sitting on my loom for a couple of months, but had to finish it as I wanted to weave my hand spun wool :)


A baby blanket I wove with my first handspun wool!
I made three strips of weaving and crocheted them together.
I added a crochet shell trim to the edge.


I used a commercial wool yarn in the warp as I didn't think my handspun was going to be strong enough to take the strain.
I used the 5 DPI Reed.


It's so soft! You wouldn't believe it was wool.

I can't wait to get another project onto my loom.
I'd like to get a double heddle kit next and play around with using two heddles.

Changes to the blog..

I'm making a few changes to my blog.
I'll no longer have any personal post on here. It will strictly be crafty things only.
I've come to realise I'm not comfortable for everyone to see into my home via my blog.

My many friends need not worry they won't get to hear the latest in family news. I'm setting up a private blog so I can still blog about my family and keep you all informed. It just means you'll have to email me for access to the other blog.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments, phone calls and even a special delivery!!
I love Chocolate :D:D and yes it did make me feel better ;)

Teeny tiny Newborn Nappies.

Made from offcuts of flannel I bought from the op-shop
These are so tiny!
I used a free pattern called Shar's Newborn fitted Nappies
Which I downloaded from the Nappy Network Site.

I'm a big fan of cloth nappies!
Michael has never worn a disposable and we have travelled.
Modern Cloth Nappies are really very little extra work than disposables, a heck of a lot cheaper and environmentally much kinder on the planet. There are studies to prove this!
Oh and the water to wash them in you ask...
Well how much water does it take to produce one dispossible?
How much water to grow the tree they pulp ?

How can there be very little extra work you ask to use cloth?
Do you read the fine print on your disposables? Did you know you are supposed to scrape the solids into the loo? Did you know you aren't supposed to put soiled nappies into your bin without scrapping them? Well you can't use your bin as a toilet!!! It's a health risk.
So if you are scraping a nappy out any way how much harder is it to throw the nappy into a bucket than the bin? then into a washing machine?

And we won't talk about the chemicals that go into producing those disposables that go on your babies delicate skin....

Ok I admit it I'm a Cloth Nappy Addict!!
They are so darn cute, how could I not be?

Back at the Spinning Wheel

I bought 200gms of Merino tops from Ewe Give Me The Knits

I think the colourway was Cherry.
This is the forth skein I've spun.
I think I'm getting a little better.
I plan on weaving with this.

Vintage baby Jacket

Vintage baby Jacket
Knitted from a pattern from an old Woolcraft by Patons
Knitted in Bendigo Woollen Mills 4ply Luxury.

Knitted sideways the jackets shaping is done by clever use of short rows.
I finished the edge with crochet.

Stitch House - Japanese craft books

I'm not sure how old these books are.
You draft the patterns from measurement in the books.

This is a simple kimono which fastens with ties.
i thought it would be a nice easy garment to put on a baby.

A second of these books.
I have a collection of 6 of these books. Mostly children but one on skirts and another on homewear (aprons and such)

I'm not so keen on the construction for this kimono.
The body is drafted as one piece and slits are cut where you insert the sleeve.
Inserting the sleeve is a bit tricky.
I think I will make more of the one I made in the Camo as they will be a simple garment for changing and it was very easy to construct.

Ottobre 3/2007 Design 1&2

Fabric from Spotlight.

Decorative stitching on the front yoke.

Dress crosses at the back for easy dressing.

Gotta love a frilly pair of bloomers!

I Love Ottobre!
I get my subscription through Crafty mamas Store.
It's a european magazine published 4 times a year filled with the cutest and latest designs for children's wear

Kwik Sew 2484

I thought this would be handy for putting bub in the car seat.

All finished!
Pink once more! I didn't follow the pattern instructions.
I lined it and bound all around the outside.
The outer fabric came from Wendy's Mum Judith and the flannel I lined with is from the op-shop.

Another Custom finished and...

The end of an era for me :)
I've closed Desert Rose Designs.
Full details coming on my new private Blog soon :)
This is my last commission.


I designed these myself.
They are knit in the round from the bottom up.
The lighter of the two is knit in Woolorganics - Godwana Colour way
The darker is knit in Colorworks by Heirloom, my current favorite wool.

Yarn Cafe yarn in Archer colour way.
My own pattern again.

Lots of added back rise to make room for a nice big clothie bottom.

The handdyed yarn is a 10ply from Parrot Pants
The black is a Moda Vera 100% wool

Again lots of nappy room
I used the contrast to stripe the leg. this allowed these to be knitted with 100gms of the parrot pant yarn.

New Conceptions Baby Essentials

New Conceptions Baby Essentials
Made from fabrics also bought from the Crafty Mama's Store.

The pattern instructions were really easy to follow.
The pattern pieces fitted together well and were very easy to sew.
I only needed my sewing machine to construct these garments.

Still no idea on babies sex these may have be given to another bub!

Taking a break

Thank you for popping in for a visit.
I'm taking a break from blogging for a while.
I'm too sad and hurt to continue right now.
Peace and love to all.

Darn it! I have to make a new skirt

I should of taken a photo before I darned this so you could of seen the three huge thread bare tears Fern had in this skirt. It's her school uniform. I had scraps of the school uniform fabric which I backed the holes with. I then loaded my machine with a navy thread, put the darning foot onto my machine and had some fun thread painting! I don't do it by the rules. I leave my feeddogs up when I darn. I like the extra grip. I do the same when I freemotion quilt.

As you can see there's more darning in sections than fabric! Time to make another skirt, I was rather hoping we'd get through to the end of term as this is her winter uniform and next term they are back into their Summer uniforms. I would of then made her a new skirt next year and would not worry about her out growing a new skirt!

Sew for Baby - sleeper variation

Sew For baby sleeper pattern varied by extending the lines square and eliminating the legs.
Quicker and less fussy to sew up than the sleeper with legs.

Sew For Baby - Sleepers

Sew For baby Sleeper
In cotton stretch. TraceyH from Craftymama's Forum gave me this fabric at Sewjourn.
Thank you Tracey!
I found sewing the feet into the legs a little tricky but the sleeper does go together very easily.
It will be summer when the baby is born so bub probably won't get too much use out of these.
My summer babies tend to live in Bonds singlets and a nappy.

I made this one from stretch terry I bought from the Crafty Mama's shop when it was on sale.
I'm getting addicted to Sew For Baby book. I think I'll be making a few more outfits from it soon.

Sew for Baby - Dress with yoke,

Another little dress made using the Master Patterns from Sew For Baby
The floral is a vintage pillowcase I bought with Tas on our trip to Sewjourn
The green is a poly suiting.

I used the pattern piece for the peter pan collar
The yoke is lined. I varied the instructions for cutting the back yoke and cut it on the fold at the overlap, instead of cutting two and sewing them together.
Lining the yoke gives a very neat finish enclosing the gathering of the skirt and the collar seams.

I used the Master a=Pattern Piece for a short puff sleeve and added a sleeve band which also encloses the gathering at the end of the sleeve leaving a nice finish.
Setting in such a tiny sleeve can be a challenge, but puff sleeves hide a lot of sins!

I inserted gussets into the skirt for a little decorative touch and to add some flounce to the skirt.

I'd better start making some gender neutral clothing now, just in case we are having a boy! The Ultra sound appointment is booked for the 14th of August and although I said I didn't want to know the sex I'm starting to weaken. Curiosity is getting the better of me, plus I need to prepare myself if bub is a boy. I'm really set on having a girl this time.

Sew For Baby

Sew for baby By Kerstin Martensson the founder of Kwik Sew
Is one of those classic sewing books that never goes out of print.
It's still available after being originally published in 1974

Why? When other sewing books become 'vintage' does this one keep being reprinted?
Because it is so classic, none of the patterns in this book have dated over the years.
They are basics and the book provides lots of information on modifying the basic Master Pattern to make most pieces of clothing required by a baby.

You aren't required to draft patterns you just trace from the Master Pattern and modify as you need. There's lots of information on how to make adjustments and lots of information on changing the style of each garment. There's information on how to applique and embellish to make a garment that is unique. The pattern pieces mix and match in the book. Allowing you to make choices, such as choosing between puff sleeves and straight sleeves.

I do have a more recent reprint of this book but the older one I adore with it's cute illustrations.

I have the other books in this series and have used the books for Children mostly.

This is the basic dress I made with no modification to the pattern.
I left off the collar and finished with bias at the neck.
The next dress I make I'll follow the instructions for modifying the pattern to make a yoked dress.