New Jacket

I felt the need for a new jacket for when I go down the Christchurch in July. So Kit had an old suit jacket that he didn't wear anymore so I cut it in half. The bottom half I sewed to a pair of black trousers so it looks like a wrap around the top of the trousers and then I sewed fabric to the top half.
I had got some Japanese fabric, mostly indigo colours so I cut 4inch strips and joined them together then joined it to the bottom on the jacket top. I have lined it with the same fabrics.

The sewing demo at school went really well yesterday. Instead of having one class I ended up with 4 which was interesting. Some of them thought it was magic that I turned flat fabric into a pair of shorts, not sure they had ever seen anything like it before. Hopefully it will make them think about who makes the clothes they wear.

cold but beautiful

On a very frosty morning the garden was just covered with cobwebs, we were all out there freezing but it was all worth it. I think I might have a play with a cobweb design for a quilt block. All Things Patchwork has some lovely grey fabric in at the moment, must be the new black! which would look fantastic as cobwebs! watch this space.

sample finished

This is my new teaching sample all finished, I think it looks cool. The triangles are just squares folded in half and then into a triangle and stitched into the seam, easy!

I am going into school on Thursday to make a pair of shorts!, the class are doing a topic called "What are you wearing", they are learning about fabric and clothes, its great. I plan to take the pattern and fabric, cut them out and sew them together in the middle of the class. Not sure where these ideas come from sometimes! Not sure how many 9 and 10 year olds are interested in sewing! we will soon find out.

new sample

Yesterday I decided I needed a new sample for my Ugly Duckling class. This class is where we take a fabric that has areas of plain, and mostly only 2 or 3 colours. Then we use all the stitches from the Embroidery 101 class to decorate the fabric. It is such fun and the main problem is knowing when to stop.

colours of nature

Can you believe these are real. The bush is called a Lilly Pilly I think, the tag has fallen off!! but look at the colour of those berries.
The bush is in front of a small purple caravan that Kit uses as an office so the bright pink looks fantastic with the purple. We had no idea the bush was going to have berries this colour on it.

The flowers are pretty neat too, and the pattern the bush makes on the caravan in the morning sun.

All that makes it worth while cutting the lawns!

My work on a website

At last I have got round to having my work on a Website. My husband Kit has a small online shop selling stuff for the home. Cushions, chairs etc. Well he now has an Art section where we have put the work I didn't sell at the exhibition. The address is saltathome.co.nz his company is called Salt.

I make the cushions etc. too. Just fun cool stuff that we like and hope others do too!

Back agian

So much for writing this blog once a week, I really must try harder. And now blogspot have changed the look of how I write new posts so its like I am right back at the start again! learning lots of new stuff.

I had a great class yesterday teaching this doll, she is called Lizzie. I had 4 great ladies who all almost finished their dolls by the end of the day which was fantastic. The dolls looked so different all made in different fabric, a really fun class.

I have finished a piece of embroidery this week for a exhibition in July which is a great feeling to know its all done. I will post a photo of that once the exhibition opens. I can now start a piece of Blackwork for a show in the USA and then maybe a piece about the colour red for another NZ exhibition. I am trying to train myself to need less sleep!!