mrs d's first married birthday present

deciding to hand-make a present for one of the most crafty people i know was perhaps not the brightest idea i've had...fraught with anxieties over my level of competence! the lovely sarah-may of a year of handmade presents is the birthday girl - and a seamstress extraordinaire (by my standards anyway).

these are cushions no. two and three that i have made - complete with infamous invisible zippers (tutorial found very serendipitously here at kirinote via flowerpress) - so, far from perfect. materials are all vintage with the exception of the blue and pink amy butler material in one of the sashes, the rest i found on ebay, as mentioned in a previous post. the second cushion is a multitasker with two removable options to jazz it up - a 'sash' and an 'obi'. makes it ever so easy to change looks...

(my witch's cat discovered the cushions when i'd popped them on the sofa to photograph - was looking very self-satisfied when i found him).

someone i'd like you to meet

before we go any further i think i need to introduce you to my partner in sewing endeavours - ellie. she's an elna top special from the star series, born before i was in the late 60's or early 70's and made in switzerland. i grew up sewing on one of these wonderful machines as my mum still has the one her parents gave her for her 21st. they're solid (and incredibly heavy), simple to use and i love them. so i was thrilled to find one in mint condition on ebay last year and am looking forward to many many more creative adventures with ellie (or ellie celeste when she's naughty!). hmmmm, wonder if there are other people out there who name inanimate objects too...?

more from the archives - mystical and magical

one of my favourite days of last year...october and a dust storm blew across the country, coating the entire landscape in an cloak of otherworldliness.