handmade dress swap

a little while back I signed up for the handmade dress swap that was hosted by the lovely Taz of butter and buntings.
I was partnered up with Mezz. so with details exchanged we both got sewing. with our love of vintage sheets we were well paired.

this is the dress I made Mezz. I used a crisp cotton sheet in hues of blues and greens. the zipper at the back and the binding were thrifted along with the belt which paired perfectly.

and the beautiful dress Mezz made me. I'm looking forward to pairing this with a tan leather belt and cardi.

lovely autumal happenings

 I have my first sour dough starter up and going. every day I had a spoonful or two of flour and a splash of water and it seems happy enough bubbling away. I'm making a loaf of simple no-knead bread once or twice a week now and it's something I look forward to every time.

this weekend I was treated to a night away in the lovely little town on Mildura. we stocked up on plenty of fresh produce from the roadside stalls along the way and the Farmers Markets had plenty of delicious home grown goodies too. time flew by and I'm already planning for the next trip there.

 these two pillow slips were my only op-shopped find while in Mildura. the perfect little $2 souvenir of our trip away.

I received my copy of Hundreds and Thousands mag and it's filled to the brim with cute articles and photos and all things handmade. you too can purchase a copy here.

thank you to all those who signed up for the Vintage Sheet FQ Swap 2015 and have sent a parcel off. there's still a couple of people who I haven't heard from so i'll give it 'til Monday and start swapping the FQs on Tuesday and post them back. you've all sent such beautiful designs it's going to be a struggle not keeping them all for myself.

and lastly to my little autumn give away...
Naomi of Look See is the lucky winner of a copy of Pip magazine and a handmade wall hanging.
if you could email me your details I will get your give-away gifts in the mail on Tuesday.

 

 

any sour dough starter tips? what other goodies do you make other then bread?

 

what lovely things have been filling your autumn days?

butter and buntings dress swap

have you popped by Taz's blog butter and buntings lately? if not you may have missed the handmade dress swap she is currently hosting. If you're handy with a sewing machine (even if only at a basic level) or know someone that can sew for you, you can join in. and if you don't feel up to making a dress you can also join in by making and swapping a skirt instead.
I think a simple shift style dress is perfect for this swap. something with only a couple of pattern pieces and the sizing is fairly forgiving too.

think of all the possibilities... using a vintage sheet or tablecloth, adding pockets maybe made from doilies, or adding a lace or pom pom trim around the hem

also you there's still time to get involved in my vintage sheet FQ swap 2015. you can find all the details here.

hope this week is a lovely one. x

vintage sheet FQ swap 2015

I've found some beautiful vintage sheets lately and am also in the process of making a quilt. this got me thinking about when I last hosted the vintage sheet FQ swap. looking back through my blog it's been well over a year.. September 2013 to be exact.
it was such fun swapping all those vintage sheets with others who have a soft spot for pretty florals so I'm hosting another.

to get involved simply leave a comment with your email address. alternatively you can email me at zara-117(at)hotmail(dot)com and let me know that you're interested in joining in this swap.

i will email all participants as you sign up with more details on the swap.

please have your vintage sheet FQs in the post to me by the 31st March, 2015. this gives you a bit over a month to source/raid the stash for vintage sheets. i will aim to have the FQs swapped and in the post by the end of the following week.

you can choose to swap as many or as few FQs as you want. the number of FQs you send will be the number you receive back.

place your FQs into a pre-paid parcel satchel. also include a self-addressed pre-paid post satchel so I can send your newly swapped FQs back to you.

pre-paid post satchels can be purchased from the post office in 3 sizes:

small satchel $10.55
holds up to 500g
35 x 22cm

medium satchel $14.80
holds up to 3kg
40 x 31cm

large satchel $23.60
holds up to 5kg
51 x 43cm

(Australia Post prices)

the small sized satchel will fit approximately 15 FQs and the medium 3kg satchel will fit 50+ FQs.

now for the important details-

- a fat quarter (FQ) measures approximately 50 x 56cm. these can be ripped or cut to size from the sheet as long as they meet these measurements.
- sheets should be washed prior to being sent
- ensure FQs are free from marks, stains, rips or holes. please only send sheets you would be happy to receive
- please only send cotton or cotton blend sheets. no flannelette or polyester. do not send sheets with cartoon characters or any solid colours

due to differences in how prepaid satchels would work for posting/returning of prepaid satchels overseas, this swap is only open to those living in Australia. sorry.

please share this swap if you'd like. the more involved the greater the variety of sheets you will receive.

if you have any questions please ask.

 

 

i'm really looking forward to this swap, and cant wait to see all the pretty florals you find.

swapped dress.

a little while bag Taz and I decided to have our own little dress swap. we both like bright and floral so into the stash we went. This is the dress Taz made for me. It's stunning and a real crisp cotton.
You can see the dress I made for Taz here on her blog butter and buntings. I chose a retro floral in teals and purples and a shift style beach dress pattern.
it was such fun sewing a dress for Taz. She's even thinking of hosting a dress swap so if you're interested in joining in, let us know.

 

x

stills: swapping

1. fabric covered buttons.. vintage sheets, a tea towel and a tablecloth
2. i did a bit of rearranging/swapping of furniture and vignettes this week
3. the swap goodies I received from Kimberley for the 'share your country swap'
4. a new Johnson design that I hadn't seen before
5. the vegie garden is powering along
6. this balloon floated by

weekly stills at the beetle shack.

stills: in the garden

 

1. beautiful rain and the garden is thriving. this one little bed contains capsicum, rhubarb, zucchini, celery, pumpkins, melons, tomatoes and a border of marigolds
2. starting the winter plantings with silverbeet and spinach seeds
3. enjoying this delicious gluten-free pasta
4. sewing for a swap
5. this week we went for a little drive to moss vale
6. valentines day photos with my love

weekly stills at the beetle shack.

stills: boabs and bunting

1. & 2. changing furniture around a bit
3. the beautiful washer I received from Justine as part of Jodie's swap
4. Boab postcards, painted by Jodi Wiley
5. bunting everywhere
6. wallpapered MDF = instant art
7. a wonder around the Crookwell swap meet today

weekly still time

in the mail box.

plenty of parcels in the mail of late, filled with beautiful goodies.
the always generous Susan of Scribblings from Jumbunna, a fellow op-shopper, sent a box filled with thrifted treasures: Johnson of Australia crockery, a beautiful green floral sheet and a stack of doilies (you know me well).
the vintage sheets for the 2013 vintage sheet FQ swap have started arriving too. i get a little bit excited opening the satchels to see all the pretty florals inside.
so far I have received parcels from Christy (a Christy Production) and Lynette.
Lea of Life, Love and Making Stuff and Tracy of Sunny Corner Farm along with the vintage sheet FQs sent a little gift. thank you ladies.
my purchase from Red Parka Designs arrived today too.
keeping the postie in business I am.

do you love receiving parcels in the mail?
gotten anything lovely lately?

vintage sheet FQ swap 2013

after being involved in Kellie's vintage sheet FQ swaps in previous years, this year there has sadly been no swap. i have missed sorting through the sheet stash, cutting them up and popping them in the post... waiting in anticipation for the postie to bring a parcel of inspiring new-to-be designs in return.

so without further ado...

 

 

to get involved simply leave a comment with your email address. alternatively you can email me at zara-117(at)hotmail(dot)com and let me know that you're interested in joining in this swap.

i will email all participants as you sign up with more details on the swap.

please have your vintage sheet FQs in the post to me by the 31st October. i will aim to have the FQs swapped and in the post by the end of the following week.

you can choose to swap as many or as few FQs as you want. the number of FQs you send will be the number you receive back.

place your FQs into a parcel satchel. also include a self-addressed pre-paid post satchel so I can send your newly swapped FQs back to you.

pre-paid post satchels can be purchased from the post office in 3 sizes:

small satchel $8.25
holds up to 500g
35 x 22cm

medium  satchel $13.40
holds up to 3kg
40 x 31cm

large satchel $16.70
holds up to 5kg
51 x 43cm

(Australia Post prices)

the small sized satchel will fit approximately 15 FQs and the medium 3kg satchel will fit 50+ FQs.

now for the important details-

- a fat quarter (FQ) measures approximately 50 x 56cm. these can be ripped or cut to size from the sheet as long as they meet these measurements.
- sheets must be washed prior to being sent
- ensure FQs are free from marks, stains, rips or holes. please only send sheets you would be happy to receive
- please only send cotton or cotton blend sheets. no flannelette or polyester. do not send sheets with cartoon characters or any solid colours

with those who are overseas and want to join in: i'm not sure how the prepaid post satchels would work but if someone knows how and it's not too difficult then i'm happy for you to join in the fun too.

do share this swap. the more involved the greater the variety of sheets you will receive.

if you have any questions please ask.

 

 

i'm really looking forward to this swap, i hope you are too.

x

vintage sheet quilt

i've wanted to join in with Christina's Made by Hand link up for weeks now, but most of my sewing of late has not seemed photo or sharing worthy.. think piles of triangles ready to be sewn into bunting, a messy sewing room and threads covering the carpet.

but this week i was determined and with my new camera in hand i snapped away at the finally finished vintage sheet quilt. it has only taken me nearly two years to get it completed and on the bed.
it's not so much of a quilt as it's not actually quilted (several attempts with my little sewing machine later and the bulk of a Queen size quilt and it was just not working for me), so i guess its more of a bed spread. it's backed with strips of more vintage florals.

all the fabrics are from vintage cotton sheets: op-shopped, gifted and swapped.

speaking of swaps... anyone else missing Kellie of green tea and red nails annual vintage sheet FQ swap?

would you be interested in participating if i held a vintage sheet swap?

 x

p.s just spied Dee's fake quilt too.