the thrift wish list

those of you that op-shop, garage sale, scour council clean ups, travel near and far to visit farm clearing sales and buy pre-loved will probably have one. that little list, often stored away in your head, filled with treasures that you would one day love to come across in your travels. maybe it's a book you had as a child, that final piece of crockery to complete your set or that mid century planter.

on my list..
a liberty print item of clothing. one that ideally fits perfectly or that I can refashion
another vintage sheet in my very favourite design (1st pic). yes I already have one but I can not bear to cut into it. if I had a second one it would become a dress
a milk glass cake stand
patterns- for a cape/poncho and also a mens vest
a church pew or two. I think these look amazing in the hall or on the front verandah

I'd love to hear what's on your thrift wish list. feel free to comment or maybe you'd like to blog about it too.

around here.

life has been humming along here.
Sunday saw 7 years of togetherness with my love. i was spoilt rotten with a brand new overlocker.. something had been on my wish list for some time. and a beautiful bunch of florals.
catching the sunshine has been high on our list of priorities.
I've been enjoying reading some of my favourite magazines.
these sturdy old bread tins were courtesy of the tip-shop at $3 each.

hope you're all having a week full of lovely things. x

blog hop time.

there's a little blog hop going around at the moment and I was kindly nominated to join in by the lovely Kylie and Mezz. so here I go...

what am i working on.
I'm actually between projects at the moment. I've recently finished my first tea towel quilt and am hoping to make another shortly. I'm also after the perfect poncho/cape pattern, with Spring nearly upon us now I'm thinking this project may have to wait 'til next year though.
this week I found out a lovely friend of mine is expecting her first bub and she asked me if I could make a dress that would see her through the coming months so I shall be cutting and stitching up a floral sheet soon.

how does my work differ from others in the genre
I guess in my sewing it's that I use nearly all op-shopped materials- vintage sheets, tea towels, doilies, zippers, buttons, thread and lace. I love that upcycling these materials gives them a new lease of life.

why do i create what i do
I've always loved being creative, art and textiles were my favourite subjects through school.
I love creating useful and pretty pieces to both decorate my home and clothing to wear.
it's a nice feeling being able to reply to someones compliment of 'I love this, where did you get it from?' with 'I made it myself.'
I like the fact that by making things myself and using upcycled materials I know that the pieces are one of a kind and are ethically produced with love and much thought.
seeing that I have inspired others to get creative whether that be in trying a new recipe or getting out the sewing machine and making a piece of clothing is lovely too.

how does my creative process work
I'm constantly on the look out for inspiration. it may be a cushion or scarf I see in a shop or a handmade piece I see on someones blog. pinterest is also a big favourite for me.
i also look through my stash of linens for inspiration.
usually the idea stays in my head for a while, and if a week or so later I'm still thinking about the new idea i get to it and start selecting the fabrics and get cutting.
of course days and sometimes weeks go by and I don't feel like creating, but when the creativity strikes I get to it.

creativity is contagious. pass it on. Albert Einstein

 

if you'd like to join in the blog hop I'd love to hear about your creative process.

I'd also like to nominate these lovely bloggers. no pressure though.

Karen of Gooseberry Jam
Lea of Life Love and Making Stuff
Monique of Monique's Mess
Catherine of A Time to Create

fresh denim

a little outfit post.

I donned a newly op-shopped apron for a spot of house tidying and cleaning.

then off for a coffee date.

jeans: my favourite jeans got a bit of a spruce up with some dye and look like new. you can see some before pics here and here. yes I'm one of those people who wear their jeans until they're threadbare, usually in the backside region. this is the first time I've died denim and cant wait to update more pieces with fabric dye.

Holly Hobbie wallpaper and vintage tins.

 

op-shopped of late..
decorative metal frame (rescued from the tip)
just over 1m of Holly Hobbie wallpaper (50c)
a precious Johnson plate (20c).
Pyrex (both for $2)
a collection of aprons ($1 each)
tins to hold sewing bits and pieces ($1 each)

a tea towel quilt

 

so after I shared a photo with Kylie of a tea towel quilt the motivation arrived and I decided to make one of my own.
so here it is.. my latest handmade piece.

the great thing with this quilt is that you don't have to hack into those precious t towels. they are basically left complete and stitched together.
I backed this one with a thrifted woollen blanket (in the same colour-way as my vest) and made the binding from a coral-striped sheet.
i quilted it by stitching down either side of the tea towel joins. it's a fairly heavy quilt with the blanket backing so with my little sewing machine this was about all the quilting i could manage. it measures 128cm x 211cm.
i used all city and state themed t towels for this one and I'm already planning the next.. I'm thinking a calendar one.

do you have a favourite t towel up-cycling project?