Feast & Stitches

Baby Bunting

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:25:00 +0000

"Sorry who are you again?" Feast & Stitches to me - Fancy feeling like a stranger on my own blog!

I haven't completely deserted the craft in my life, just chugging along at a slower pace. I gave a new project whirl a month or so ago and I have finally managed to get my act together, retrieve the pics and post about it. One of my dear friends who lives all the way up in sunny Queensland, recently announced the arrival of her beautiful twins Phoenix and Indie. I'd been wanting to give bunting a go and thought it would be a gorgeous addition to their room and a perfect pressie for posting.

Fabric wise I went for something a little funky and not too babyish and not super boyish or girlish. There was lots of cutting out time involved as I was making one for each bub and each flag is double sided with interfacing in between to stiffen them up. I think if I made them again, I would probably skip the interfacing to speed up the process, but otherwise they were pretty straight forward and turned out pretty cute!

Fabrictastic!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:23:00 +0000

Well it has been some time, 22 days in fact. I took a little unplanned break from the wonderful blog land and have discovered this may be the first of many to come. You see, we are about to embark on the huge task of building a house- owner builder style. It has been 3 years of planning and we are now getting down to the business end of things which requires a big level of commitment on our part. I've decided that rather than drive myself crazy trying to keep up with all the things I love to dabble in, I have to except that there is only one of me and I can only do what I can do! I'll still be creating things along the way and working towards ticking off my Twenty Elevens, only at a more leisurely pace.
There's nothing like a spot of fabric shopping to get you back into the swing of things and that's exactly what I have just done. I was rummaging through a fabric store and to my surprise I stumbled across a roll of this beautiful Black & White Step by Step fabric. I originally purchased this fabric online and could only get hold of 3 fat quarters at the time, imagine my delight when I came to the realisation that I could buy more and at about the quarter of the price. Oh how I love a bargain and how such a little surprise can make my day!

Crafty Creations: Cushion for Max

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 23:44:00 +0000

Cushions, Cushions, Cushions.... I'm cushion crazy again at the moment, I've got a great little production line of cushions happening and on my way to building a good sample stock pile. In amongst all this cushion craziness, I have been commissioned by my gorgeous and ever so supportive husband to make a special cushion for his work buddy's new bubs, Max or shall I say 'Pepsi Max' as he calls him. Not only did he put in a special request, he accompanied me to choose all the fabric and put his 2 bobs worth in on the design. I never imagined that I would ever get to collaborate on a creative project with my husband, but it appears life is full of surprises - even if it was just a teeny little project for a tiny little tot!

Ohh so traditional boyish, primary colours & flying machines

Colourific

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 01:24:00 +0000

It's no secret that I love colour, colour my world, rainbow bright books, but I don't know if anything could top what I found in my recent online travels. The PANONE HOTEL™ in Brussels, Belgium, who would have thought that some clever people would be so kind as to create a little slice of design heaven.
Designed by Michel Penneman and Oliver Hannaert, The PANTONE HOTEL™ showcases colour with a distinctive hue on each colourous guest floor. I know where I will be checking into if I ever happen to pop over to Belgium!

Scrappy Zip Up Pouch

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Hallelujah, I have been sewing! For a while now I have been thinking about all the scrap bits of fabric I end up with, after cutting out my cushion creations. I have been saving them up, as they are just too lovely to throw away and I think I have come up with the perfect way to use them....
I messed about with my scraps and created a ruffely pleaty thing. A simple little zip up pouch tut, some plain cotton and felt and Wollah! Yes, looks like I still haven't shaken that thing I have for the delightful colour combo, a little black, white, grey and yolk yellow.

Twenty Eleven's: Check Point

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 06:40:00 +0000

I'm well and truly back into the swing of everyday life, hence why things have been a little quiet here at Feast & Stitches. So far, I'm not making much progress with my Twenty Eleven's, although I have been really good at setting my expectations far too high by planning to get a ridiculous amount of things done after work and on the weekends, in between catching up with some of our good pals and trying to be an attentive, good little wifey - he who knows me best, understands I tend to get a little caught up in my own little world sometimes!

Here's my Twenty Eleven's progress report:

2 Decide on a brand name for my crafty creations
- I'm doing a fabulous job of brainstorming and coming up with a gazillion different names, but yet to actually make a decision. On a positive note, I have come to the conclusion that I am the queen of procrastination!

3 Sew, Sew, Sew
- A little bit of mending, but that doesn't count. I have really wanted to push the pedal to the metal on my trusty Singer, but the closest I have been to sewing something in about 3 weeks is looking at my pretty piles of fabric, printing out some new tuts and thinking YEP, I should do that...

18 Source Fabrics
- TICK, I have added quite a few new pieces to my growing collection and cant wait to see them in their full glory.

For now, I'll leave you with a pretty pile of fabric that I hope to turn into something very soon!

Etsy Check Out

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0000

I've been into the whole Etsy online thing for about 6 months, along the way a few things have taken my fancy but I hadn't actually taken the step to check out of my shopping cart until now. I tend to be a little fussy and after hunting down cover for my iPhone I finally found the perfect one. Hand made from gorgeous grey Italian leather with flower petals in the fabulous egg yolk yellow. This leather sleeve is by RobbieMoto and came all the way from Minnesota, Robbie hand makes divine leather products and you can take a sneak peek here.

Concrete Confessions

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Oh how I love concrete. Not the footpaths, factories or high rise type, but the heavenly textured, simply scrumptious polished concrete floors, bench tops, built in furniture, staircases and sculptures. Used as a feature and carefully blended with a good mix of other textures and materials, concrete seriously does it for me and is too good not to share.

Image courtesy of Architect Nicholas Burns

Concrete Floors + Rammed Earth Walls + Glass = The Perfect Match

Image courtesy of this Etsy Shop

Imaged courtesy of French By Design

The Next Generation

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Apologies to any regular Feast & Stitches readers for the extra posts and volume of reading here this week. It's very uncharacteristic of me to be blogging this often, but any who I must go on as I have a very belated post...

You might remember the baby shower we hosted back here. Well as it happens after the shower a beautiful baby boy was born and I am now officially an auntie. A huge fuss has been made as this is the first ever grandchild, nephew or niece within the family, I still can't get enough cuddles! I know this is very much after the fact so I have prepared some excuses:
- There really was a lot happening at the time
- I got hit with that nasty virus
- I couldn't possibly blog about this BIG news without a gorgeous announcement pic to show him off!

So three photo shoots later, some tears and the little tot already thinking I'm his crazy camera clicking aunt, I'd like to introduce little Jack...

I'm no Anne Geddes, but I enjoyed putting this together.

A Sign

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0000

We spotted this sign outside a little seaside cafe in Robe and I could not resist. Nothing to do with design or crafty things, but it made me smile!

Some would say this sign & I share a bond with my love of food and Nana naps!

Rainbow Bright Books

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:04:00 +0000

'Me' week is going along splendid so far, trips to purchase fabric, an extreme visit to IKEA armed with notepad & pen to mark my wants under the careful instruction of my sister - she's a bit of an IKEA guru! Who knew what an experience that would be, self check out with a full trolley, find the spot to redeem your free parking, check your trolley into the holding area so you can return to jam pack your car, I think we could have nearly boarded a plane after all of that scanning & checking in of things!

I've also spent some leisurely time doing some good old web surfing. I don't know if I'm just way behind the times, but for the first time ever I have noticed colour co-ordinated book shelves. I don't know about you but I love a library and I have always wanted to have one in my home, but I don't think I would ever have thought about colour coordinating my books. I recently cleaned out my wardrobe & kinda put things back in some sort of colour & garment order. Don't you love it how you do that, you think it will stay like that for another 6 months and within about 2 weeks you wonder what happened! But to do it with your books and have them being functional and pretty, that's just GENIUS!

Image courtesy of Colour Lovers

Image courtesy of The Inspiration Blog

Image courtesy of Design Sponge

Also, I can't go without mentioning the devastating floods disaster that has hit our sunny state of QLD. Being home this week I've found myself at times just sitting in front of the TV watching it unfold before my eyes. My heart goes out to all of those effected, I can't begin to imagine the impact it has and will have and the mammoth clean up task that is in store for the coming days, weeks, months & years.

Road, Rocks, Sea & Sand

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 04:08:00 +0000

I must say how nice it is to be home, my own bed and unlimited access to all my things! What a wonderful time we had on our road trip, driving through the locust plagues was like watching an animated bug movie in 3D, only it was FREE! Our first stop was the Grampians where we spent a few days and then to mix things up a little, we made the trip across to the gorgeous seaside town of Robe, SA. The change in scenery along the way was amazing, we discovered a few little spots of paradise and it was a great mix of outdoor action, adventuring and relaxation with some lovely surprises along the way...

A curious visitor popped by our cabin to say hi

The Grand Canyon in the Grampians - Spectacular

Natives

McKenzie Falls - Serious power in that water

Nice view to wake up to!

Something about that red sign...

Azz's dune adventure stomper tracks

The Happy Holidayers - That's Us!

Couldn't resist a little rust & water

This bug was on one big journey over the dunes

Ah, the end of another glorious day.

Now this is a little off track, but I can't go without mentioning how I surprised myself while we were away, I managed to get eight days into the new year without writing one list (OK except this one), not even a shopping list, no concrete plans and I don't even have a 2011 diary yet. For those who know me well, this would come as a big surprise as I am list crazy, nuts or maybe even a little obsessive about organisation and structure, you could say my life is a notebook! Anyway, I have one week left before I'm back to full time work so it's time to snap out of holiday mode, get serious, get a diary and get planning as I am excited and inspired to see what comes of this years to do's!

Twenty Elevens

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 11:37:00 +0000

BLINK, wow was that Twenty Ten?...
Well hello and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

These are my Twenty Eleven creative space do's, in no particular order:

1 Have a little rest before getting back into the full swing of things
2 Decide on a brand name for my crafty creations
3 Sew, Sew, Sew
4 Check in on my fav blogs
5 Get to more creative events
6 Create a logo & identity for my crafty creations
7 Expand the overall range of graphic design projects I undertake
8 Have some tags made
9 Host the Feast & Stitches first ever giveaway
10 Get into some serious sketching & pattern creations
11 Discover some new blog reads
12 Visit more markets
13 Design & style a cute little local market stall set up
14 Get more in touch with type
15 Transfer patterns onto MAC and practise the tricky step & repeat
16 Set up some sort of online shop
17 Sew, Sew, Sew
18 Source fabrics
19 Take a screen printing class
20 Enjoy the ride along the way!

I'm crossing off #1 tomorrow and heading off on a road trip that I have been hanging out for! I'm very much looking forward to spending some well overdue quality time with my camera, soaking up some of the outdoors and relax time, ohh and the wonderful man in my life! Upon my return, I'll be sure to post about any bits and bobs of inspiration or finds I fancy along the way!

All Stops

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:12:00 +0000

Well I've certainly pulled out all the stops this Christmas! You see my mother in law has been using bricks covered in wrapping paper as her door stops for years. She's knows I have always been creative and into making 'stuff' but it was usually limited to either design and print, drawing or cutting and pasting. Now that I have added sewing into the repertoire of things I do, my MIL made mention that some 'proper' door stops might be a good idea....
Well I say not a good idea, but a great idea as I loved making these 3 little guys (Sorry gals, but I think they should be guys as they remind me of little soldiers on guard the doorway!) After a flick around the big wide web world, a quick sketch of how I wanted my doorstops to look and some advice from my wonderful sewing teacher, I created my first ever pattern from scratch and my new project was underway. I am delighted with the finished product, they will be a great little Chirstmas gift for my MIL and I will definitely be making more of these. I think I may have to do a little more research into the filling as it needs to be something that is weighty and doesn't attract any weevils, mice etc. I've used wheat in this first batch as it was really cost effective and I know it's used in wheat bags that often lie around the house, so I think these will be my test dummies and fingers crossed they don't attract and furry or crittery friends!

Little matching loopy handles - my fav part!

In position and on guard

Sewn, Stuffed & Plumped

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:06:00 +0000

For the first time since I started this little blog, last week my regular post was MIA. It wasn't because I didn't have anything to write about (that would never happen as I always have so much to say!), I have just been a little quiet because I have been going cushion crazy! I've sewn up some of my original favs and put a few new fabrics into action, some ready for gifting and others to become my very slow growing collection of stock. It's funny cause I was thinking that maybe I'de get sick of the whole cushion thing after a few, but I can't help but get excited once their sewn, stuffed and plumped!

My Cushion Castle!

Delightful Treats.

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 08:29:00 +0000

What delightful weekend filled with delightful treats! I got heaps of sewing done this past week with a new little project on the go, but before I go showing off my latest creations I couldn't resist a chance to blog about a feast as opposed to my usual stitches.... This is a beaut recipe for a Christmas delight 'Mum's Cranberry Slice', it's super easy and I made it for one of our Chrissy catch ups this weekend. It always goes down a treat and if you happen to be a fellow chocoholic, the icing gives you just the kick you need! As per most of my cooking creations this is a hand me down from my wonderful mum who is a hell of a cook!

Mum's Cranberry Slice.
Ingredients:
pkt Marie Biscuits
1 cup coconut
90gm butter (melted)
1 can condensed milk
2 handfuls cranberries (chopped)
Block of White or Milk cooking chocolate depending on your preference
(I always use the Plaistowe brand of chocolate)

Method:
Crush biscuits, mix in bowl with coconut, add melted butter and mix together.
Add chopped cranberries, mix and add condensed
milk. Once all mixed,
press into slice tray and place in fridge to set.
Chocolate Icing: Break up chocolate in bowl & add 1 teaspoon of oil.
Melt Chocolate (I melt in the microwave on medium heat
for 30 seconds to make sure it does not burn & the oil stops it cracking).
Spread over slice and put back in the fridge to set.

Slice up and share with everyone to enjoy!

A Cushioning I Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 01:07:00 +0000

Now that I have stopped procrastinating about zipper techniques, my cushion creations are starting to come along nicely. It's amazing how once you clear your mind and get focused, how much easier it is to move forward. My plan is to sew quite a few cushions in a range of fun and quirky fabric combos and test out the waters by trying to sell them at our local market where all things must be handmade. I've finally started to get stuck into some different fabrics which is exciting, I am playing with a mix of materials from linens to heavy textured cottons. I am a sucker for textured things and I'm discovering the beauty of working with different sorts of fabrics, not to mention the joy in seeing the finished product. I've got lot's of sewing to get done over the next couple of weeks as I am planning to gift quite a few cushions during the festive season, here's a peak of one of my latest creations....

Red polka with a splash of nautical on neutral

Egg Yolk Yellow & Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 01:15:00 +0000

Did somebody say SIX? The cricket season has definitely begun as I was knocked for a massive six this week and wiped out by a nasty virus. After 3 bed ridden days of aches, shivers and my head spinning like I was riding the good old Graviton ride, I've finally returned to the land of the living, walking & talking - although I'm sure Azz enjoyed some of the me non talking part!
On Friday afternoon you couldn't imagine my delight when I received my long awaited parcel in the post, a Yolk & Cream Bholu cushion that I had ordered a few weeks back. Could you think of a better colour for a pick me up...... it was just the little ray of sunshine I needed and is even lovelier in real life, I love the imperfections in the felt and what do you know, the zipper has 2 visible seems!

Embroidery detail finished by hand

bholu /bohl-loo/adj 1.descriptive of naive and free artistic expression.

Nothing like adding a little black, white & grey to yolk!

I need to make a special mention about Bholu, I came across them on a give away The Design Files was doing a few weeks ago and after checking our their products and website I think the integrity and values that sit with in the Bholu brand are wonderful and definitely a great model to base a creative business off. The designs are hand crafted by women artisans from traditional desert communities in India and the philosophy behind Bholu is about creating products to love and live with, while benefiting people they work with along the way. By using their traditional skills, the women artisans gain an income, hence independence and opportunity. Part of the proceeds from the collection go back to the Bholu Anganwadi Project which builds pre schools in underprivileged communities and provides over 280 poor children with love, education and a nutritious meal. It's so wonderful to see another great example of art and craft giving back. I couldn't think of anything better to do than to be able to design and create beautiful wares and give back to a community at the same time - that one's up there on my list of do's and dreams!

Oh and by the way, I've mentioned in the past that I'm very much a colour of the week or month sort of gal and I would have to say that this Egg Yolk Yellow is doing it for me this month - is there anything taking your fancy?

BIG decisions...

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:28:00 +0000

After taking a week or so off from my cushion ventures, I'm back and feeling good about them. I took a little time out from my cushion creations to make some BIG decisions!
Which technique shall I use to insert the zippers?
After a bit of market research, including some close inspections of cushions on the market and in peoples homes, advice from some wonderful bloggers, a few friends and family - thank you, I have come to the realisation that people really aren't fussed and there isn't one 'proper way'. For now I'm going back to my original way with 2 visible stitch lines around the zip. In the scheme of the whole big wide world they are actually minuscule decisions, but never the less one I'm feeling better for! I got so enthused that I've cut out all my fabric that I intend to make into cooshy Christmas gifts, so I think it is very nearly time to sew!

Finally some different fabrics cut & ready to sew!

Dreaming Away...

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 10:30:00 +0000

This weeks been a little all over the place with the Melbourne Cup public holiday thrown in on a Tuesday. We're off for a little country road trip this weekend which doesn't leave much time for my usual antics of on the side making and crafting of things.
I came across this image in my inbox a couple of days ago, courtesy of The Cool Hunter - very cool site..... and rather than just the usual quick glance and scroll down the page, this heavenly pic stopped me in my tracks. I slowed down from my road runner speed, sat back, relaxed my shoulders and took a little minute just to imagine that I was at the lovely location instead of that unknown lady, having a nice big chill out. I'm well back into reality now, but ohh how lovely it is sometimes just to go to that nice little place and dream away!

One Stitch Forward & A Whole Cotton Reel Back

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 06:29:00 +0000

I seem to have hit a wall with my cushions... This week I've spent a number of hours unpicking, re-sewing and unpicking cushions and leaving cotton crumbs everywhere! It drives me crazy when I spend time trying to be productive and it feels like hours wasted! I don't know if I'm being super pedantic or if I just need to try harder, I mentioned in one of my previous posts the first cushion I sewed from this tutorial seemed pretty easy and I was happy with the outcome. Since taking sewing lessons, I have been shown the 'proper' way to make cushions. Now I know I might be starting to sound like a broken record with the whole zipper technique thing, but I just don't know which way to move forward.

Do I:
1. Go back to sewing cushions the way I did in the first place with 2 visible stitch lines around the zip?
2. Persist and hope that I can master the single visible stitch technique with a super neat finish and no fabric bunching up at the end?

Or maybe the question I should be asking is, if I was to sell these down the track, so long as they are sewn together really well and super neat, would anyone even care if they had 1 or 2 visible stitches around the zipper and is there in fact a 'proper way'?

Zipper 1, Zipper 2 - what do I do?

Life is Full of Surprises!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 06:37:00 +0000

Don't you just love it when life surprises you with good things! Yesterday I went along to a CWC event put together by Tess McCabe. CWC brings together women working in creative industries and establishing small businesses in order to share information, inspiration and ideas - a really great resource for creative gals!
A funny thing happened to me while I was there... I left my details on a mailing list and a few minutes later I got tapped on the shoulder by a stranger who turned out to be not such a stranger. It was the multi talented designer, illustrator and maker of things Renae Moore, aka VixenLily . We had been sitting right next to each other and she recognised my e-mail address from a giveaway I entered on her blog. We quickly worked out that we had crossed paths in blog land and she delivered the news that I was the lucky winner of one of her divine resin coated tiles. As if that wasn't enough of a surprise, we then discovered that we're headed down similar paths with our crafty creations and would you believe it, we live in the same suburb.
Gotta love how life is full of such surprises and WOW, what a seriously small world we live in!

Resin Coated Tile by Renae Moore - lucky me!

Feast for Your Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:32:00 +0000

There's some great markets on for fellow Melbournians to feast their eyes on this weekend....

#1. Magnolia Square
#2. Craft Victoria's - Hatch

Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to get to either of these, I'm spending a lot of my spare time these days researching, planning and creating things as I hope to be able to have my own little stall at these sorts of markets down the track. So it's to many things too do and too many things on at the same time! Thank god for the internet, I'm sure to be able to sneak a peak at what was on show somewhere in this big web world.

DIY Miniature Nappies

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 23:53:00 +0000

I know I'm starting to sound like the weekly weather station, but what on earth is going on at the moment! It is the middle of October, we've got fluffy little ducklings swimming around the pool which would indicate it's spring, but this weekend we've had to roll the heater back out and light the fire as it's been absolutely freezing with bucket loads of rain. No forecast predictions from me for this coming week, I think we'll just have to wait and see what weatherland has install for us and be sure to be armed with wooleys and a brolly at all times!

Onto craftier fun things and baby stations..... Today we're hosting a baby shower for my sister in law and I have been placed in charge of invitations, games and all things pretty - all the things I love! Until last week I hadn't actually been to a baby shower, so luckily I was able to pick up some cute ideas. Amongst making and sewing some more cushions this week - I have quite a collection of cushion covers now and my zips are getting really good, I'll be sure to post some of the latest cushion action soon. I have made 20 miniature nappy broaches for one of the games we will be playing today. Last week my friend had ordered some pink ones online, they were ohh so cute but a little pricey. I figure as I am very much a DIY gal, I'd give these a whirl and after a few hours of cutting out felt, making a mess with glue and some hand stitches for reinforcement they're all ready for the games to begin!

A touch of lemon to keep in theme!

p.s. If you happen to be hosting a baby shower and want some tips and hints on how to make some of these super easy mini nappies, just drop me a comment and I will post some details.

Cat Crazy!

noreply@blogger.com (Jess) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 07:16:00 +0000

Wow, splendid weather on the weekend again. For once the director of weatherland has got it right, beautiful sunny days on the weekend and crappy days during the week!

I've just come home from a baby shower and I think I may have OD'd on sugar..... this baby shower was out of control I tell you, fairy floss, hot dogs, snow cones, chocolate crackles, toffee, cakes, lollies, a chocolate fountain, fairy bread and the most gorgeous decorations up to wazoo.
My pink ugly duck cushion went down a treat which is great. I was a little unsure as it's the first cushion I have given as a gift, I took a punt as I had not seen the nursery, but the expectant mum tells me it will be the perfect addition to her rocking chair, so I can breathe easy!

To my sewing space for this week.

This is my first ever softy project, although it's more of a softy cross cushion. The idea for this came out of the book 'Simple Softies' and I knew it would be the perfect Christmas gift for the lovely cat crazy Ann, who has adopted us as her grand children. You see this is the lady who spoilt us rotten for our engagement by giving us a sewing machine, so I kinda have her to thank for helping me on my crafty journey. A few years back we house sat and looked after her five inside cats, hooly dooly what an experience that was! She loves all things cats and handmade so think she'll appreciate this little guy.