needle & thread

Ruffled Sleeve Top Tutorial

2012-01-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

This top made by Dana looks really pleasant and easy to make - will be whipping some up for the little girls and maybe one for myself too as a mommy and daughter outfit!

You can get the ruffle sleeve top tutorial by Candace here.
Hope you like it!

Coming Soon!

2011-01-28T06:57:00.000-08:00

Hand Made With Love

2010-10-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post...

Anyway, I will try to feature some lovely handmade items found on the web.

To start off, this is such a lovely ribbon dress found on Etsy by MariahMade.

This dress was created using fabric from Paula Prass's Summer Soiree collection: Nosegay White and Party Animal Turq.

Nantucket Summer by Jody Taylor

2010-07-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

Nantucket Summer by Jody Taylor for Riley Blake Designs was inspired by the desire to capture the bright, happy colors of summer! Perfect for quilts, apparel, and home decor...

Here's a sneak preview of the collection:

The Ice Cream Dress Sew Along, July 2010

2010-07-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

Thinking about sewing the Ice Cream Dress by Oliver + S but not quite sure if you can do it?

Why not join a global group of seamstresses in the Ice Cream Dress Sew Along?

This social sew along promises to be great fun (!) with some great giveaways too!
Check out the schedule below.

lazy days skirt by oliver + s

2010-07-01T02:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple and nice little skirt to sew for your little girls out there, made from a single width of fabric.

...the lazy days skirt by oliver + s

...no zips or buttons, just a simple elastic waistband

...the ribbon lends a sweet, clean finish to the hem

...ta da! the finished skirt...oh so pretty!

...get the PATTERN here!

Piradee Talvanna

2010-06-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

I love scrapbooking. And I love Piradee's work. She's done some amazing layouts so I contacted her to see if she could squeeze some time out of busy schedule and create something using our store's fabric.

She created this beautiful layout using Leaf Bouquet Moss by Lila Tueller.

I think the frayed fabric flower gives it a such a lovely touch..
Here are a couple of close ups of the flower and her layout:

Thank you Piradee!

Do visit her blog The Scrapper In Me and see more of her beautiful and amazing work there.

I hope this inspires you to try combining some of your traditional layouts with fabric!

Playdate!

2010-05-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

Patty Young's Play date is fun! fun! fun!
Party Time Chocolate is my favorite .. yummy!

Meadow (Oh So!) Sweet 2

2010-05-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hello hello.. there's so many new designs coming up (and I love them all!). Here is Sandi Henderson's Meadow Sweet 2 - the colors are so awesome! I can't wait to get my hands on them!!!

The Emma Skirt

2010-05-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

This post is to share a few pics on the Emma Skirt here.

Plain Jane

2010-05-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

We got some new simple to make girlie dress patterns in! I like this one below!

It's called Plain Jane (designed by Jane Mckinlay Cluff).

The Revive Clutch Purse

2010-04-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Yvette at Midnight Crafts sent me a couple of pics of some clutch purses she made for her friends using the Revive range of fabrics and I wanted to share them with you.

She's got some very lucky friends indeed!

Pom Poms!!

2010-04-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for these so adorable pom poms to arrive!!! In so many yummy colours too! Yay!

Baby Pom Poms

Mini Pom Poms

Regular Pom Poms

Bubble Bubble..

2010-03-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

I just love the bubble dresses hand made not too long ago using some of my favourite fabric designs - (L to R) Vintage Cherries, Bailey, and Meadow Paisley Sun.

Below is my princess (in the same bubble dress using Apple Blossom fabric) sharing a peaceful moment with my prince..

Lantern Bloom

2010-03-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

I was just surfing Laura Gunn's blog and saw some really pretty creations using her Lantern Bloom line.

Aren't they just lovely???

Pinny For My Princess

2009-11-25T08:05:00.000-08:00

The Clothkits Pinny Kits are real cute and so very easy to whip up for the novice sewist. Each kit comes with a detailed step by step instruction on how to put all the parts together. I did my daughter's pinny in about 2.5 hours, from cutting the marked fabric, and basic straight stitching all round. I must say I was so impressed with my work and I think my princess loved putting them on and showing off her pinny!

Sofa So Good!

2009-11-25T07:36:00.000-08:00

Yippee! We got our re-upholstered sofa back a few days ago with a brand new look and I love the fact that it adds a burst of colour to our wooden brownish deck!

I used Amy Butler's Bright Buds home decor fabric from the August Fields range which is heavyweight cotton sateen and perfect for re-upholstery.

I wish I had pics of the sofa before it was sent for the makeover!

What Can I Do With A Piece Of Fabric???

2009-11-06T07:46:00.000-08:00

I have been asked many times "What can I do with a piece of fabric?".
Well, my response has been - Many things! It's really up to your imagination!

But I have used it for my toddlers pillow cases. I'm re-upholstering my sofa with one of Amy Butler's home decor fabric (I can't wait to show it to you!), made a few dresses for the flea, made the bags, etc..

My mom recently made this cute little apron for my little niece and nephew.
I think it's great when they help mummy out in the kitchen or for one of their painting sessions!

The Kokka patchwork fabric on the front of the apron is absolutely cute and suits kids!

Flea Time!

2009-10-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Visit Needle & Thread this Saturday at Fashionista Series 4 this Saturday, Oct 31, for some spooky spectacular treats!! Booth B15.

Pippijoe's Sling Bag

2009-08-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

Pippijoe's Daisies print is really lovely and it goes so well with her Sling Bag pattern!

No wastage either. Half metre of her fabric is all you need to make 1 bag along with a matching lining of the same size. I've already got requests to make a couple more!

My son makes the cutest model!

The Practical Bag By Grand Revival

2009-08-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

I must confess that I am a newbie when it comes to sewing. Nevertheless, I decided to invest in a sewing machine which didn't just do the basic straight stitch and zigzag but something that could do more so that it would "grow" with me. After looking around, I jumped at the opportunity when Spotlight had a recent sale and bought the Brother Innovis 900.

It's a great little machine so far! I was able to embroider my kids initials on their towels just by pushing a few buttons, and I have made a couple of bags so far without any hitches!

The truth is, the bags are really simple to do and a basic sewing machine that can do a straight stitch will get the job done. Seriously.

Here is a practical bag (using Heather Bailey's Peonies Rose) I made with the help of my aunt (who made the Ava Bag recently).

We added a couple of extra touches like the pink bias trim on the top curve and a pocket inside the bag to hold little items as well. It was really fun!

The Ava Bag

2009-08-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

My aunt took up the challenge of making this sweet bag using Grand Revival's Ava Bag pattern.

Verdict? If you follow pattern instructions, it is fairly simple if you have basic sewing skills.

Time taken? About a couple of hours...(she is an quite an expert in stitchery skills!)...

She added a couple of extra touches like the pockets with zipper and velcro at the top so that the bag is closed (for safety reasons!).

Nice job, don't you think?

An Interview With Patty Young

2009-08-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Do you like Patty Young's Mezzanine collection?

Wanna find out more about Patty and how she got started designing fabrics?

Read all about True Up's interview with Patty Young here!

View the Mezzanine collection.

Shake Your Tail Feathers!

2009-07-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches recently released this very beautiful 10 part block of the month quilt - check out the birdies, aren't they the cutest?

You can see more of her lovely designs here.