Happy Daze has blog candy!

http://happydazedesignteam.blogspot.com//

A rainbow of colour (mostly on my hands ;) )

Yesterday I did a bulk load of dyeing on organic bamboo velour, one of the most beautiful fabrics around. It's a mix of bamboo (prepared using the viscose process) and organic cotton and is very soft and cuddle yet not bulky. It is a velour knit so nice and stretchy, making it ideal for casual wear or anywhere you'd use a jersey knit. I used procion mx to dye, using the low water immersion technique (the green and blue middle ones were bucket dyed first to give an overall colour).

These first two are custom dyed to make into two pairs of pyjamas for a customer (will show you the end result in the next few days):





These are to make into hoodies for a customer's little boy and for my eldest son:




And the last two fabrics will be turned into pjs for both my boys, they chose the colours, their tastes are very different!




Lots of sewing to do!

Taking the pressure off

On friday I was feeling snowed under with customer orders and needed time out for myself. But what to make instead? The boys have a list of things they want me to make but it's all too similar to my customer list. Time for something different. So I made the top of a double patchwork quilt:


I'm rather pleased with it, it took about 5-6 hours to sew and I used precut 'jelly roll' fabric strips from Fabric Freedom in William Morris colourway. I don't usually do patchwork, I made 3 poorly sewn quilts in my twenties one of which never got finished so this is a novelty. Need to buy some backing fabric.....

Linda's got candy ;)

Thanks Linda http://www.acraftingjourney.blogspot.com/

Apron swap

At I've been hosting an apron swap as part of a drive to get more people sewing. I asked for a craft apron with lots of pockets and have just received this beauty:

The carroty fabric underneath is my skirt, not more of the apron!
Isn't it lovely? Thank you to my swappee - I know who you are!

More hoodies.....

These are a couple more of the hoodies I've been making:


Looking at the pics now, it is interesting to see the effect of having an appropriate mannequin to demonstrate clothes on. This mannequin is age 4 size. The chocolate dress is age 2 and consequently fits snugly, stretchy at the chest and shortening the drape. The candy pink dress is age 6 so hangs loosely, appearing elongated.
i wonder if I have space for a bigger child mannequin.......

Nurture a songbird

I had to alter a CD as part of a swap on UKStampers. Here is my entry and customary poor pic:

I cut an oval, representing an egg, from the CD using my Bigshot and then coloured it using Ranger alcohol inks in stream and meadow. It was stamped in StazOn with a Klimt image of mother and child from Cherry Pie Art stamps. The Tim Holtz grungeboard bird shape was inked in the same colours and the repeated image stamped, edges of both were then inked in blue. A piece of hand dyed bamboo velour was added at the bottom to add texture and depth and lastly a tiny gem became the bird's eye.
I'm not sure if this should be a brooch or magnet so I've left the fastenings off the back.