belles fleurs

one of the great pleasures in life:  unexpected floral deliveries from very special friends.  (another pleasure:  photographing the flowers to enjoy long after they have gone).

in persuit of perfection (yet another itty bitty dress!)

i feel like i'm finally starting to get a bit more of a handle on the itty bitty baby dress, honing the details (just made another almost identical to this to go with the bunting)...

...the last one i made i added a bit in to the straps on the pattern as i felt they were a bit too short to tie easily...

...and then this time i decided to taper the ends of the straps into points from the widest bit of the curve (really wasn't liking those small round ends to sew)...

...and i decided to stitch the bias to the front of the bodice first, followed by the skirt also to the front of the bodice (previously sewn to the bodice lining), then handstitched in the bodice lining instead. didn't take long at all and made for a much neater finish...

...also changed the seams to what i know as 'pajama seams' which look much better - and stronger...

...and i'm happy with how i'm doing the bottom hem now too.

'i will make something for you' - no 3.

what's an appropriate present you could think of to give someone who's married to a photographer? (someone who owns an art gallery to boot)

whatever it was would have be related to anything other than photography...surely? or, then again...maybe some of your handmade cards with your own photos?! in truth there was actually a little logic behind this, knowing that the recipient is moving into a new house soon, and the last thing she may want is anything else to take up room or gatecrash her new styling plans. still, did strike me as a bit ridiculous at the same time!

three down and one to go in my 'i will make something for you' series now then (since i never got five to take me up on the offer...crazy people). no 4 has me totally stumped though.

how cute is this?

somewhere approaching as cute as a newborn i think...excited to have the current baby boom among my friends starting with a couple of girls (as requested!) - a good excuse to sew some dresses and such. in fact i thought this was so cute i hung it on the bedroom wardrobe door the night it was finished, and ohhed and ahhed at its sweetness every time i caught a glimpse...

it's my normal imperfect style where i'm most impressed by the overall effect. this time though most of the inside even looked presentable. that's some soft cream damask that had been sitting in the cupboard for a decade or two on the inside. and the main fabric is another vintage purchase from my faithful friend ebay.

(i'm still taken with including these details on the selvedge - anyone know if they actually have a name?)

okay, baby-sized drumroll please: here it is!

it's a slightly bigger version of the previous 'itty bitty baby dress' i made - a free made by rae pattern. the last attempt was so small it barely fitted its owner (one of the most delicate specimens i have ever seen) just after she was born. this is the next size up - 1 to 3 months, plus a teeny bit more for insurance - and hopefully i'll get a bit of feedback on how it fits. definitely recommend erring on the larger side though if you're going to give it a try. now, i just need to ask the universe to kindly bring on a few sunny days again...

klimt reincarnate

once upon a time this klimt panel was a little singlet top - a lovely little (too little) singlet top, with nowhere to go and nothing to do. so it decided to make itself useful, morph into something entirely different, and head off on an adventure to find somebody more than a little special to love it again.

it enlisted the aid of some vintage velvet and destash velvet and backing friends, prettied itself up, stuffed itself silly and emerged a cushion (then tried out a few of the local chairs for size). before i knew what had happened it was out the door - traveling all incognito as a brown paper package tied up with string - and on its way across the country to a new home and a new life...


(post name inspiration from one of my favourite blogs - melanie's kimono reincarnate )

smiles, glitter and gratitude - with tea

unexpected surprises in brown paper packages really are one of the great pleasures in life. lately i've been sending a few out into the world and getting such a buzz from it that i'd almost decided giving was better than receiving...almost!

and then this morning i'd just boiled the kettle before heading up to check the post, so when i found some treasure i took it out to the verandah with my tea to savour as i opened. inside the beautifully decorated outer wrapping (enough to elicit many smiles in itself and make me hesitate to unwrap it) was the most beautiful little gift from from two beautiful women...

under a whole lot of glitter i found one of miras fabulous artworks - soul medicine every time - and a lovingly handmade beaded string with little origami cranes from the talented alex. with glitter everywhere (including in my tea) i soaked up the feelings of gratitude and appreciation for the thoughtfulness, creativity, colour and beauty in that little box. and decided that receiving really is pretty good too!

thanks so very much alex and mira for making my day, it was a truly special surprise to find on my daily pilgrimage to the mailbox. i feel so touched and blessed and am still smiling to myself.