Made by Petchy

WHEN PETCHY GETS BORED

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:15:00 +0000

Say no more. I am getting contact lenses again on Wednesday after a couple of years wearing just glasses. Just decided to muck about a bit with photobooth and my despectacled face, as I am blind as a bat without glasses or lenses and really can't remember what I look like with a naked face.

Posted here, for your viewing pleasure. Hey if it makes you laugh it's worth it!

HOODIE + SKIRT = DRESS

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:12:00 +0000

So, I had this black velour hoodie with a big white paint blob on... and a skirt that I love, but that was too big for me. I paired them up, added a wide black belt, and the result:

I literally just chopped the hoodie straight across just under the bust, and stitched the skirt onto it - I did nothing to the skirt at all, so if I change my mind and want to use it as a skirt again at some point, all I have to do is take my seam ripper and get rid of the hoodie. Oh, and alter the skirt to fit my new slimmer self.

There you have it - a fast and super duper easy refashion project!

I KNOW I HAVE BEEN QUIET AGAIN

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:29:00 +0000

Let me show you the reason why:

My colleague Line and I are taking over the studio where we work, and at the same time we're changing the name and the entire branding of the company. It's incredibly scary, and very exciting indeed - we're both super motivated and eager to take this forward! I've always wanted to set up on my own, but to be co-founder of a design studio before I reach 30 is just beyond my wildest imagination.

There will be a heck of a lot of hard work, but probably also a heck of a lot of fun! If you have anything you want designed, you know where to come - we're happy to work internationally of course. Books, logos and branding, brochures, business cards, catalogues, postcards, album covers, fabric and surface patterns, illustrations, packaging, labelling... we thrive on variety, so if you need creative solutions of any kind we want you to get in touch! Here's how:

email • web • facebook • twitter

NOW IT'S EASIER...

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:04:00 +0000

...to buy fabric with my Geometrees and Retrovroom designs on Spoonflower - simply click on the images below, choose your fabric and amount, and voila! Just sit back and wait for the postman.

I'll hopefully be adding some more designs shortly too!

HOW TO BE A 3-YEAR OLD'S HERO

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:28:00 +0000

Easy, a few simple steps is all it takes:

Buy a cheap t-shirt in the colour of their choice
Add an iron-on football patch to the front
Applique a number on the back (apparently only "95" would do, because it is Lightning McQueen's number... obviously)
Sit back and enjoy the feeling of being a superhero mummy - enjoy it while you can, because it wears off quickly!

We couldn't find a simple red short sleeved t-shirt anywhere today (and of course it had to be red) so I chopped the sleeves off a jumper instead and used the flatlock seam on my sewing machine to hem the raw edges.

THE SEWING ROOM - AFTER

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Just a quick post to show off the tidy sewing room while it lasts - because no doubt it will only stay this tidy for about another day or so!

I've still got to put stuff on the walls, a shelf and something with colours, because it's a bit bare now. I am sorting all my buttons by colour into clear glass jars - they'll go on a shelf so that will look pretty neat, like a button rainbow!

THE LAST COUPLE OF EVENINGS I HAVE BEEN...

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:15:00 +0000

...busy painting the sewing-/spare room. Though I only rent this place, I couldn't stand the 90s wallpaper anymore, and decided to paint the walls white to make it a much brighter and more inspiring place to sit and sew. A couple of "before" and "in progress" pics:

I started yesterday evening, and continued today after work. After I finished painting I spent an hour or so putting things in place and making it look nice, and now all i am mising is a blind for the window, and a shelf or something for the wall.

Will post photos of the finished room tomorrow when there is daylight enough to take decent photos!

AUTUMN DAYS AND ROSY CHEEKS

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Nothing remotely crafty about this post... I just wanted to share a few photos of me and my darling boy enjoying an autumn walk. I wish you all a wonderful autumn too - and please feel free to share your autumny photos in the comments!

SURROUNDED BY GENEROUS PEOPLE

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:12:00 +0000

I'm a very lucky girl - can you say "girl" when you're fast approaching the last year of your twenties?! Anyway, just look at this little collage of my day:

On Thursday a parcel arrived for me at work. It was from one of my "online forum friends" who has now also become a client of mine at work. She has just been to Syria (that's where you went isn't it?) and brought me back a massive bag of henna for my hair! I'm testing it right now, sporting the lovely towel-on-head look.

Another friend of mine (she's local to me but we knew each other first throgh the same forum I mentioned above - clearly the most amazing online community ever!) offered me to come and look through the stuff her grandmother couldn't take with her to her new sheltered accommodation, to see if there was anything I wanted to rehome before it went in the skip. Of course I jumped at the chance...

Thank you both so much!

MY CREATION FOR THE BAG-A-HOLIC SWAP

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:23:00 +0000

Now I know that Kristrun has received her parcel, it's finally safe to post photos of the bag I made for the Bag-A-Holic swap:

Thanks to my dear sister for modelling - and what fab pink nails too! Note to self: wear bright nail polish more often, it glams everyting up!

The bag is made from chocolate brown corduroy and is fully lined with "Tablecloth" from Anna Maria Horner's "Garden Party" range of fabrics. There is an internal pocket too, but the photo I took came out blurry, so if you want to see the inside properly, follow the link to Kristrun's blog post right at the top of this post.

I hope everyone's had fun with the swap - it's great to see more photos appearing in the Flickr group too, keep'em coming!

OOOH, A PARCEL... FOR MEEEE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:19:00 +0000

I was very excited to find a parcel notice in my postbox when I got back from work today... Legged it down to the post office and collected a parcel with a BUNCH of lovely stamps on it. And inside...

Wow, thank you Kristrun, my very talented Bag-A-Holic swap partner! Can you believe how funky this bag is?! I absolutely adore it - perfect size, funky fabric... and the LINING... Wow, I love it! My son was very happy to see some surprise goodies included, and he has already had a chunk out of the chocolate bar!

Kristrun had also written me a lovely letter - and put a coin in one of the pockets, because according to Icelandic tradition "you always put a little money in wallets and purses and such moneyholding things, to ensure there will always be money there". That's such a great little custom, I think I am going to adopt it for future use!

FAREWELL SUMMER - WELCOME AUTUMN

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:33:00 +0000

These are the last few flowers that were still alive (barely) on my balcony. So I rescued them today, to enjoy the last of their colourful, slightly weather-beaten beauty.

Autumn has really set in here now - it's windy and rainy, and I love it. I'm a bit weird, I know... But I like long walks in the rain, hot chocolate, lit candles and a burning fire in the evening. I like listening to the rain outside while I am writing a few lyrics (that will never be published, but still...) all snuggled up under a blanket. I like the colours and the smell of autumn. And I like the smell of warm, fresh bread, and the warmth from the oven when we spend a rainy afternoon baking.

Ruben made almost all of these, he calls them "snail rolls". Ah, I love autumn, and I love that sweet boy...

By the way... I finished my bag for the Bag-A-Holic swap, but I don't want to ruin the surprise for my swap partner so you'll have to wait until she's received it to see pics...

BAG-A-HOLICS: ALMOST TIME TO GET THOSE PARCELS FLYING!

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Hope everyone is having fun sewing bags for their swap partners? I just wanted to post a gentle reminder to everyone that Monday is the deadline for posting those parcels - can't wait to see them starting to arrive!

Also, if anyone has any work in progress photos but don't want to spoil the surprise for their swap partner, please go ahead and send them to me and I will add them to the Flickr group for you. Then we can all take photos of the gift we receive and upload them to the group then. Does that sound ok? Please please remember to put pics up when you get your gifts, because the fun part is seeing what everyone receives, and also it's a nice way for the sender to see that their parcel arrived safely.

"PIPPI LONGSTOCKING" DRESS

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:19:00 +0000

I made this pinafore dress as a birthday present for a friend's daughter today. I used a pattern from a vintage book I got on eBay a while back: "Little clothes for little people".

The pattern was way too small for a 2-year old, so I had to scale it up, and I eyeballed it so I hope it fits. I squeezed Ruben into it, so at least I know it won't be too small! It sews up really quickly, there is just the one pattern piece, and you can cut just one (without seam allowance) and finish the edge with bias binding, or you can do what I did - use two different fabrics and make it reversible.

TODAY'S 2ND HAND BARGAIN

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:01:00 +0000

A "new" bed for Ruben for the grand sum of kr 70,- / £7. Not bad eh? That's another piece of "modern" furniture gone, and replaced by good old retro quality. Me likes!

I dismantled the old one and assembled the new one in less that 15 minutes flat; I'm quite impressed by my own efficiency actually! And I now have one little boy happily sleeping in his "new" bed.

I totally confess that it is never usually that tidy in his room. I had to tidy to get floor space to sort the bed out...

I'M BACK!

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:03:00 +0000

Well I have been home for just over a week now, but haven't had much time or energy to do any blogging or sewing. I've been a bit under the weather as well, which doesn't help. Just because I don't like to post without a photo, here's my little chap at Oslo airport while we waited for our 2nd flight of the journey home.

We had a great time in England, but sadly didn't get to see even half of the people we had planned to visit or meet up with... The wedding was fab, and Legoland was too. I've put some photos from the wedding HERE, and some from the rest of the stay HERE if you want a little peek!

I've also managed to match everyone up for the Big Bag-o-holic Swap, and all participants should now have received details of their swap buddy - I'll do a separate post about that shortly, and if you are taking part I will also email you the code for a badge you can put on your blog if you want.

I'M AWAY FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:53:00 +0000

In less than two hours I am off to Leicester (UK) to visit friends, eat curry, do some shopping, attend my dear friend Edwina's wedding, take Ruben to Legoland Windsor - and generally have a great time!

Please don't go anywhere while I am away - I'll be back again on the 9th of September.

For those of you taking part in the big bag-a-holic swap, I am sorry I didn't have time to match you up before heading off, but I will do it as soon as possible - I would rather take time to match you all based on preferences and taste, rather than just putting all the names in a hat and drawing it randomly. If I find time to do it while I am away then I will, but in any case you will definitely get details of your swap buddy before the 14th of September which was the original date I set!

ONE MORE.... JUST ONE MORE! * LAST SLOT FILLED!*

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:59:00 +0000

I've been a complete dimwit. I forgot to count myself into the swap! So now I have 20 participants... and me. That's not gonna work is it? So: Let's have 22 participants instead, shall we?

~~Which means we have ONE spare slot you guys! Be the first one to send me an email with your details, and you're in!~~ Last slot now filled, let's get ready to play!

Oh, and as the slots filled up so quickly it looks like I can get you all matched up this weekend before I go away! Which means you have more time to work on your masterpieces...

HOW ABOUT A SWAP THEN? SWAP IS FULL

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:19:00 +0000

I love swaps, and I love sewing bags - or purses if you wish, call it what you want, but we all know we can't get enough of them! So I am hereby inviting all my readers to join me in a big swap. If you're interested in taking part, send me an email and I will pair you up with another one of the participants.

Please title your email "Bagaholic Swap 2009" and include your name and postal address. You should also include some information to make it easier for your swap partner to discover your likes and dislikes, list your favourite colours, fabrics, what sort of style you like, if there is anything you really cannot stand... you get the picture! I'll complile a post with all the participants' website/blog links too, so feel free to include that info also.

The cutoff date for signing up will be 31st of August or sooner if I reach 20 participants before that, I will then match you up and send you details of your swap partner by the 14th of September. (Sorry I had to change this a little since I suddenly remembered I am away between the 24th of August and the 9th of September!) You then have two weeks to make and post your bag, it should be posted by the 28th of September. I will set up a Flickr group where we can share pics of WIPs and received items.

The swap is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. As long as you are willing to post internationally, you're free to sign up! By signing up you agree to keep up your end of the bargain and send a home made handbag to your swap partner. Please don't sign up if you're not 100% sure you can play by the rules - that would be really unfair on the rest of the participants. You will also be expected to post details of your received gift either on the Flickr group or your blog (or both) as part of the fun is to see what other people receive, and also it is nice for your swap buddy to see that their gift arrived safely.

As always, you might end up receiving something that is not 100% to your taste. That is the nature of these swaps. To avoid this please include as much information for your swap buddy as possible! And always keep in mind that the item you receive will have been made with love and the best intentions. The bottom line: don't send anything you wouldn't be happy to receive yourself!

Since this is my first time organising a swap, I am setting a limit of 20 participants, so be quick!

UPDATE: 20 people have signed up, so sign-up is now closed and I will be matching everyone up in pairs very soon!

LITTLE WHITE BALLS FROM HELL

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:51:00 +0000

Yep, if you've ever had a beanbag burst on you you'll know what I am talking about. Those little white polystyrene balls that are very static and go absolutely everywhere, sticking to anything in sight... Anyways, we had this "My Little Pony" beanbag from when I was a little girl. Apart from the fact that I really cannot stand pastels anymore, it was also very stained and aforementioned little white balls were escaping through a split seam. So, while I was struggling to get the little lad to sleep tonight, I went into the next room and made this:

It is basically a very large rectangular pillow shaped beanbag. I made it this shape so it can be used either leaning against a wall as shown, or flat on the floor to lie on. There's an inner bag made from some leftover plain fabric I had, and the cover is a coarse grey cotton fabric, also from the fabric stash. I double-stitched all the seams for strength - I don't want to see another one of those little white balls floating around! The cover fastens with resin snaps (easy to take off for washing) and to jazz it up a little I used different coloured snaps and made it into a rainbow.

This now lives in the nook under the stairs, because that's Rubens little space of his own in the living room. Toys had accumulated under there and it was ever so messy, so I took most of the toys back to his room, and the new beanbag helped turn that messy nook into a little cozy den, perfect for chilling or reading.

Oh and of course I didn't have the heart to throw that stained and tatty "My Little Pony" cover away, so I am gonna throw it in the washing machine and see if it comes out clean... if it does I'll repair the little hole and save it just in case I ever have a little girl.

FREE DOWNLOAD: 2 x SPOONFLOWER DESIGNS

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 15:48:00 +0000

I was thrilled to see my subscriber numbers reach 1000 today - and since it's my readers (that would be YOU then) that make blogging so fun, what better way to celebrate than to give you a little something?

After my laptop bag tutorial I have had a lot of people asking where that car fabric was from. Answer: "Retrovroom" is my own design, printed by the lovely people over at Spoonflower. Now you can get your own if you want, because I am sharing with you the original file, ready for upload to Spoonflower. I made the "Geometrees" design available for download before, but will link to that again too for those who missed it.

To get your own "Retrovroom" of "Geometrees" fabric, all you need to do is download the TIFF files:

RETROVROOM • GEOMETREES

Then hop on over to Spoonflower and upload them there, order as much as you want and then sit back and wait for the postman. Easy.

If you want a custom Spoonflower design but don't know where to start with Illustrator and Photoshop, I'll be happy to help! Prices will depend on the nature of the desired design, but just get in touch for an informal quote and I am sure we can work something out.

FEATURED IN THE 2010 SEWING CALENDAR

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:50:00 +0000

Sorry, another self-centred post from me... Megan Smith contacted me a while back to ask if she could include some of my projects in the 2010 Sewing Calendar by Accord Publishing. Of course I jumped at the chance, and I received a sample in the post today:

Three of my projects are featured: The iPod Nano Case, the Fabric Flower Brooch and the Camera Strap Slipcover.

It's available to pre order from Amazon right now if you want one!

THIS MUST MAKE ME A TINY BIT FAMOUS, RIGHT?!

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:11:00 +0000

MBP is apparently one of the top 100 most popular blogs in Norway... Scroll down and you'll find me on 86th place. Line up for your autographs now people, before I get too famous, lol. But seriously - I think that's so cool! Did anyone say smug? Just ever so slightly...

I promise not to let it go to my head... at least not for longer than a day or two ;)

TUTORIAL : SEW YOUR OWN LAPTOP BAG

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:03:00 +0000

Ever since I got my new MacBook I have been itching to make one of these. Now with the arrival of my beloved Esme, I finally could. And I thought I'd share with you how I did it, in case you want your own!

Before we start: All the images can be clicked for larger version, and because it was really hard to take step by step pictures I am going to make a line drawing for you as soon as I have time!

You will need: Two fabrics of your choice ♥ small zipper ♥ 2 x D rings ♥ 2 x carbine hooks ♥ bias tape ♥ thread ♥ scissors or rotary cutter and mat

Not all laptops are created equal, so you're going to want to take a few measurements before we start. You need to know the width (W), depth (D) and height (H). You also need to determine your desired seam allowance (SA), in my case 8mm. You'll use these to figure out the dimensions of your fabric pieces. The formulas are as follows (with the measurements of my 15" MacBook Pro in brackets behind):

MAIN BODY PIECES
Width: W + H + 2xSA - (36.4 cm + 2.4 cm + 2x0.8 cm = approx. 40.5 cm)
Height: 2xD + H + 2xSA - (2x24.9 cm + 2.4 cm + 2x0.8 cm = approx. 54 cm)

FLAP PIECES
Width: W + H + 2xSA - (36.4 cm + 2.4 cm + 2x0.8 cm = approx. 40.5 cm)
Height: D + H + 2xSA - (24.9 cm + 2.4 cm + 2x0.8 cm = approx. 29 cm)

Hopefully this makes sense? (The diagram I am gonna put up should hopefully help too.)

1. Cut the main pieces for the main body of the bag; one from the outer fabric and one from the lining fabric.

2. Do the same for the flap; one piece from the outer fabric and one from the lining fabric.

3. Fold the main body pieces in half, right sides facing, and pin into place. (You know me by now, I say pin, but really I don't for easy pieces like this - I am too lazy!)

4. Sew up the two short sides on both the outer and the lining. Snip the corners.

5. Remember to leave a 5 cm gap on one side towards the bottom of the lining. This is gonna be where you'll turn the whole thing right side out afterwards.

6. Now is a good time to decorate the flap. I have used some of the lining fabric to add interest. If you want the flap to double as a pocket for your power cord, you will need to insert a zipper into the lining fabric. Though I am not as scared of zippers as I used to be, there are people out there who explain this much better than I ever could, so for this step I refer you over to Sew Mama Sew for this great step by step zippered pocket tutorial.

7. Place flap pieces right sides together and sew around the sides and bottom, leave the top bit open.

8. Snip the corners and turn right side out. Iron well.

9. Topstitch around the flap.

10. Place the lining inside the outer, right sides facing. Sandwich the flap between the two layers of fabric, lining up all the raw edges and pinning as you go. (Yes, this is a scenario where even I pin!) Also use some ribbon or webbing to attach the D-rings to each side seam in the same manner (How could I forget to snap a pic of this?! Sorry...)

11. Stitch all the way round, and turn the whole thing right side out through the hole in the lining. Sew that hole closed.

12. Put the lining inside the bag, iron and topstitch around the edge.

13. Almost done, we just need to make the strap! I was gonna make this in the denim fabric but there wasn't enough left, so I used some bias binding instead and did a very easy version: I threaded the carbine hooks onto the binding and sewed it to make a loop.

14. I then flattened the loop...

15. ...and topstitched around the edge. I made my strap about 80 cm long, but you can of course make it a length to suit you!

Now just clip the strap onto the bag and you're good to go! While you're out and about toting your laptop around in your fancy new bag, you might want to surf the net... I am just taking the opportunity to share this really cool thing my friend introduced me to - software to turn your mobile phone into a wireless router! I was really impressed last weekend when we tried it, and NO I am not being paid to say this - the geek in me just thought it was really neat! Direct link for the non-norwegian speakers HERE.

MORE WRISTLETS

noreply@blogger.com (Petchy) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:09:00 +0000

The first bit of sewing I did on my new machine was to finish these wristlets that I had all cut out and waiting. Meant to post this on Friday, but I didn't have time... and then I left for a weekend away so I haven't done any more sewing since...

I'm not keeping these for myself, I am giving them away. I won't tell you who they're for though, that would ruin the surprise for the recipients!

Here's to an early night for the toddler tomorrow (I hope) so I can spend some serious quality time with "Esmeralda" - though I think she can be called just "Esme" for short, eh?