A handsome man & a Thomas fan!!!

I have been sewing, I just couldn't tell you what I had been working on because it was a KK present for this handsome young man.. I had been wanting to make a boys outfit for a long time but I couldn't get motivated until I found out that I had Declan for my KK.. I saw these pants on someones blog awhile ago (sorry, I can't remember who!) and I thought I'd give it a go.. Changed the style a bit though (no tabs on the side..)



Knowing that Declan is Thomas the Tank Engine's number one fan I couldn't resist putting this embroidered Thomas applique onto it. It is an iron-on transfer but I handstitched a blanket stitch around it. It finished it off nicely I think!

The sleeves have a small 'tab' on them too with a wooden button holding them down, the fabric matches the checked fabric on the pants.


A special thank you to the talented Lisa Barnes for the photography.

So that's what I've been doing amongst a whole lot of orders.. I didn't get a chance to make Emily her birthday outfit (her b'day is on Sunday 17th Dec) or Christmas outfit.. I will probably have to pack all my sewing stuff up soon ready to put on the truck in about 3 weeks..

Things are hectic around here!! Packing, cleaning, parties, goodbyes :( Birthdays, Christmas.. And it doesn't stop there either, it just starts back up again in the new year.. Oh well, I can't say that my life is boring!!

Ok, I'm off.. Hopefully I'll get back on here before I leave..

It's ok!! I'm still here...

This entry is just for Helen(minigrey) since she is complaining that I haven't updated in agggggges!! :p LOL...

That's it!! Byeeeeeeee!!!

LOL, just kidding.. so much has been going on that I haven't really had time to pop in and chat. I've been doing a fair bit of sewing but it has all been orders that I have had and there is nothing new that I haven't shown you all before. I have opened the LollieLollie shop but now that moving day is getting closer and closer I am thinking that I will have to close up for a few weeks until I can get myself all sorted at the new house.. What a fun job that's going to be!!

We are having a garage sale here this weekend so I have things EVERYWHERE!! No bit of flooring is to be seen at the moment. It is covered in crockery, toys, furniture, saucepans, frypans, cutlery, glassware, kitchenware, craft pieces, folkart pieces that I have painted, bikes, scooters etc... etc.. Anyone want anything?? I even managed to go through my fabric stash and took out 3 pieces to try and sell LOL!! How generous am I???!!??! I kept looking at all the different pieces of fabric and thinking, 'Hmm, I oculd make something out of that.. Hmmm.. That will come in handy' LOL.. I have been pretty ruthless with everything else though so I forgive myself for not throwing out more material :p (and also the fact that I have a HUGE walk-in wardrobe in the new house means that I will have lots of room for fabric.. that's true isn't it?? I'll just keep telling myself that!)

So, that's about it from me.. not much sewing talk but you get that... I'll be off for now..

LollieLollie Shop is open!!

Here it is!! LollieLollie Shop. Still working on it in between cleaning and clearing etc for the move. I need to get some time to make more stock but I am just so busy with orders and the move and Christmas and Birthdays (phew!!) I don't think I'll get any done before the new year :( hopefully once it all settles down here I can get stuck into it..

A Sensational Softie!

I was so excited today because I received my softie. I had to contain myself at the post office because I wanted to see it then and there but I took a deep breath and drove all the way home without opening it.

What a lovely surprise I got when I opened it and saw this...






I'm sorry, the photos don't do her justice AT ALL!! She is absolutely beautiful. She looks so professionally made. Double top stitching around the bill and feet and she is so plump and cuddly. THANK YOU so much Dani (daniL). I (we) love it so much.

I have loved doing this swap. It was fun. I can't wait until the next one (well, the next one that I will have time to participate in!) Thank you so much Ingrid for organising it :D

'Shishie' and Emily

We had a lovely morning meeting up with Keropi (Julie) and her gorgeous DD Ashie :) Thanks so much, it was fun!! I can't wait to catch up again!

Emily trying to hug Ashie!


Ashie trying NOT to have her photo taken! LOL!

Our Family..

I meant to come in here the other day to update this but I didn't have time. A few weeks ago we got some family photos done by a lovely photographer Lisa Barnes(www.lisabarnes.com.au) She made us feel so comfortable and relaxed and I think that it really shows in our photos which you can see here and here.

Tip of the day #78

Never let your husband take your daughter around the shop while you have a look around. She may very well come back looking like this...







Taken with my mobile phone so not the best quality. Dh found a wig on a mannequin and put it on Emily. It looked so funny.. I was laughing so hard when I saw her, even the ladies that run the shop were laughing. As soon as I got the camera out she was saying "cheeeeeeeese" LOL. That is her 'cheeeese' grin... What a show off LOL.

I also picked up some bargains from here (St Vinnies). I got another Sheridan sheet. I didn't know it was Sheridan until I got it home and washed it. Some buttons, a Roxy tshirt for myself and some near new tshirts and singlet tops for Emily. I'm happy with my purchases from there.. THANKS JULIE (Keropi) for letting me know where it was..

HOT, HOT, HOT here today.. I wouldn't be surprised if it hit 40deg. There is a lovely cool breeze now though.. I love when hot days end with cool breezes.

I will try to get some pics up in the next couple of days..

Twirlin' and a Whirlin'

Ever tried to get a nearly 2yr old to stand still? (I am sure you have) It is nearly IMPOSSIBLE!! So, this is the best I could get of her wearing her new twirly skirt that I made last week. I wasn't fussed on the fabric but it is kind of growing on me now. I really like the style of this skirt, I have grand plans for it in the future LOL.. (gee, sounds impressive but it isn't really LOL!)

Curls and my girls..

Just thought I'd share a photo of my beautiful girls (Goddaughter and Emily). Emily just LOVES Victoria-Rose (GD) and follows her around everywhere. I'm going to miss her so much when we go :(

My Girls!!!


And for those that have met my daughter... they know that she had no hair for FOREVER!!! Well, the last couple of weeks strange things have been happening.. CURLS have 'popped out' all over her head!! It is the cutest thing LOL.. All together now.. "AWWWWWWWWW"...

My newest, most favourite outfit...

Before I start, I have to say that I was very reluctant to actually cut this piece of fabric up. It is a Sheridan sheet!! I have never owned a Sheridan sheet before in my life!! I found it at an op shop ages ago. I was just waiting for the opportunity to use it. It is soooo very soft and light. Perfect for a summer party! You can't really see from these pics but there is lace all the way around the two tiers and also across the front. I think that the lace finishes it off beautifully. I am going to make another one (this one was the trial) and next time I will use the part of the sheet that is not faded!! DOH!!! Oh well, hopefully you can't notice it too much... (who am I kidding!!! It is so obvious..) I also made a cute pair of capri's to wear underneath.. I didn't have a pattern so I just sewed with my fingers crossed LOL.. Not too bad, even if I do say so myself :D

Ok, off to get a cool drink.

Cannot find server, page cannot be displayed.

GRRRR!! I am sick of seeing this when I try to open a page!!! EB is playing up so I have to come in here and talk to myself. Not all that unusual for me though LOL..

Thank you all for your comments about my softie :) You have made me feel much better about it now. I wasn't sure if the whole thing was supposed to be sewn (as in with fabric) or if I could use other materials/items to make it.. I'm glad I decided on making him though, seeing as most of you have never seen one before!!

Belinda- Thank you for your comments too. I'm glad that you all like him. I don't know if you intentionally named him after me but I felt a bit warm and fuzzy when I read that you called him 'Blue Angel'..

I have been busy sewing some new outfits the lst couple of days. I made a twirly skirt (I think I mentioned that earlier on) and just recently I made a gorgeous top from a pattern that the lovely Andrea sent me! (THANK YOU ANDREA!!!) I also made some cute little capri pants to go with it. No pattern for these just kinda hoped for the best LOL... Seeing as it is 11pm I wont take photos of it until tomorrow (hopefully). I think this is my new favourite outfit :D

Last night was an emotional night for me. I got an MSN message from my dear friend (DD's Godmother) telling me that her daughter aged 6 (my Goddaughter... you still with me?? LOL) was crying and inconsolable :-( Apparently she didn't realise that we were moving interstate and when she found out she dropped to her knees and started shaking and crying :( We have a special bond that I can't explain. I have never felt so close to any child like this before (other than my own) so it is a special thing to cherish. They popped in this afternoon and GD (Goddaughter) hugged me like there was no tomorrow :( It's going to be so hard to leave her/them. It will be hard not to be able to just pop in and see her. She comes over here every holidays and we do 'girly stuff' together. That is our special time :) Hmmm, I have babbled on about this haven't I? Sorry about that.. I told you I talk to myself :/

Anyway, I had better get out of here... Thanks for listening to me :D

It's a softie!!!

Now that my recipient has received her softie I can post pictures of him. This was not what I had originally decided to make but as I was not expecting to get the amount of orders I did I just ran out of time.. I do like him though, he's a bit different to the other types of softies that I have seen around.. I had fun making him and I think that I will be making more (as Christmas and birthdays approach).



Sweet little face!!!

Stepping outside the square..

I've decided that I need to step outside the square and use colours other than pink **gasp**.. So, this is what I came up with..

I stuffed up the yoke and had to do a bit of creative rescuing to make it look half decent. It's also too big because it is a size 2. I am going to make another one, in pink ;), and I wont put the yoke in, I will just do normal shoulder seams I think. Anyway, I am happy with how it turned out. I really do love the colour though, it looks so crisp and fresh (well it does in real life!)..

I cannot keep everything I make!!!

I just have to keep telling myself that! Everything I have made I want to keep. It doesn't help that I use my DD as my model for most things and they look so deliciously cute on her so how can I get rid of them?!?!

Here is some of what I have made in the last few days.

A-line dress with button up back.


I made this one up after seeing something similar (without the ruffles) in the shops. I'm very proud of myself as I even made my own bias binding! (just don't tell anyone that I didn't know what bias binding was until I read about it AFTER I had done this. LOL. I thought I was onto something GOOD!!) It really makes a difference to the overall finish of the dress too..


What can you do with leftover denim that your Mum gave you from the '80's? I was not impressed with the piece of denim that I found in the bag of fabric that my Mum gave to me, but I held onto it 'just in case' I needed it! (as you do!) It wasn't until I decided to make a bag (inspired by Natalie, I think it was you Natalie that recently made a bag??!?!) that the denim started to look less 'UGLY' and more 'FUNKY'. I teamed it with a hot pink lining and 'DA DAAAA!!' A new satchel! It even has a pocket inside for my mobile!! Modelled by, no other than, the devine Miss E!!!







It wasn't until AFTER I had finished making the bag that I realised that the strap pattern piece said "cut one, PLACED ON FOLD" so the strap is half the size it should be. Not that it really matters as I kind of like it better this way because it is easier to dig around the bottom of the bag with one hand when you have a baby on your hip!!

So there you have it. That is some of what I have been up to lately! I still have to get working on my softie for the swap!! I feel really bad for my recipient.. I just don't think that my softie will be as good as all the other girls :(

I had better get back to it.. Ooh, my overlocker course is this weekend.. I can't wait!!!

P.S: Don't forget to say "hi" if you pop in :D

Why wont blogger upload my pics properly!!!!

I have just spent half an hour trying to get my pics uploaded and it is not making me happy!!! I will now try again..

Here is another outfit that I made the other day. I love the top. Next time I will use purple buttons but at the time I could only find white..





Coffee time.. anyone want one while I am up??

Finally some photos!

I managed to get some photos today.. This is what I made last night.





It is from a vintage pattern. I wasn't going to make it for DD but when I tried it on her I fell in love with it, even though it's too big! Oh well, she will grow into it LOL.. The pattern was missing the arm and neck facings but I don't think that matters too much.

I made these the other day. I don't think you can really see from these photos but the denim has a glitter thread through it. Looks really good! Please excuse the fact that this is the back of the jeans.. DD wore them to playgroup this morning and we have some lunch on the front LOL..



Decorative stitching on edge of ruffle...


I picked up some buttons from the salvos this morning. $0.20c for 8 buttons. There were two packets so I grabbed them! I also got some rick rack for $0.20c!!! There is about a metre and a half of white. It will definately come in handy..

Lastly, here is a photo of my DD.. She is wearing the purple brodorie anglaise outfit I made for her (not that you can tell)... anyway, the pic isn't anything sewing related.. I just love it LOL..



Ok, enough babble from me.. Thanks for all the coments so far girls :) I really appreciate it!!

I can't think of a good enough title.. this will have to do!

Why is it that everytime I come in here to post I forget what I was going to say?

I've booked into an overlocker class in a couple of weeks time. It will be good to learn how to do things other than finish off seams. Tension is another thing that has me baffled. I am sure once I am taught I will sit back and say to myself, "That is just so easy.. why didn't I figure that out myself!"

I am feeling more and more confident about my sewing as the days go by. I did my first button hole the other night.. I felt so liberated afterwards LOL!!

The orders are still coming in. All my 'customers' have been happy with my work so far. I've been thinking more about setting up some kind of 'shop' online. It all takes time though.. I don't feel like I have enough time to sit and 'research' properly into it just yet... I feel it is something that I would like to do though. I am a little scared though.. What if no one likes my stuff? What if I am not really as capable as I think I am? What if people are just telling that they like my work when in actual fact they don't! Ok, ok.. enough of my insecurities (for now). Copyright is another thing that has me baffled.. I just don't 'get' it! Can you alter a pattern, even only slightly, and therefore the copyright rule is no longer applicable? Are there so many changes you have to make before you can sell from a pattern? I am just so confused!! No one seems to be able to answer my questions either :(

ARRRGGGHH!! I can waffle on sometimes.. Please feel free to ignore me if you like LOL...

I meant to say this the other day, if you are reading this please pop in a comment saying "hi". It's nice to 'see' that people are reading my babble LOL...

Anyway, speaking of babbling.. I will quit mine now..

I'm off to dream of fabric and patterns and designs (as usual). Anyone got a cure for that? Keeps me awake for hours some nights!!!

Good night!!

I've been busy...

Hence the reason why I haven't updated in awhile. I've got LOTS of orders to do at the moment. It's really surprised me actually. It's done wonders for my confidence I'll tell you that much LOL. I am staying up late almost everynight sewing.

Not much sewing here tonight though. I had to re-thread my overlocker to change colours and the tension decided to play up on me. What's with that?? So after an hour of fiddling around with that and it still decided not to work I was just about to pack it in when all of a sudden it started working.. Maybe it was a sign that I wasn't meant to sew tonight.. I don't know.. I packed up anyway and came on here to post. I am probably not making much sense at all.. I'm so tired I am barely see the monitor!

I'll go now.. I am sure you don't want to hear my babbling..

I come back next time with some photos (hopefully!)

I had an idea!!!

I'm back!! Did you miss me? I've been busy sewing and just doing stuff around the house. I have had an idea in my head for a little while now so I have been working on that too. I am sure there are others out there like it but I haven't seen them around.

Here is the skirt and peasant top that I made. I made the skirt and then realised how awful it looked when she bent over and I could see her nappy so I attached some matching undies to the skirt! It worked out well I think...







The photos aren't the best though. DD is extremely 'busy' (full on!!) these days so it is a bit of a challenge to chase her around the 'tiny' backyard and get her in 'good light' etc..

So, that is what I have been up to. I have a few outfits to make for a friend so I had better get started. I can't believe in these few short weeks I have gone from not knowing how to sew properly to making and 'creating' my own outfits!!! I get such a feeling of pride holding my daughters hand whilst walking through the shops and having people comment on her 'beautiful' outfits (and of course commenting about how cute she is too!) and when they ask where I got them and I can reply, "I made that!!" Yep, I'm quite chuffed with myself :)

Signing off now..

2 posts in one day!

Ok, I am back.. I don't have much news to tell you except that I went to Spotlight today and got some elastic and some more fabric (yes, more!) also a couple of patterns.

I will share this other photo that I took today of DD in her 'springy' dress...

A springy dress...

Lots going on here at the moment. I have had some people ask me to make some clothes for their children! ME!! They want 'ME' to make them clothes! I was speechless (but chuffed) that they thought my stuff was good enough *blush*. Mum is lending me her overlocker so that will be a great help.

Spring is nearly here so what better time to get some pretty spring-y dresses made. Here is the one I made earlier this week (or was it the weekend?) It's only just warm enough now to put DD in it to take a photo.. It just screams 'SPRING'...



There are more photos coming but blogger is playing up so I will publish this now before I lose it all...

I have an addiction!

Did I ever mention that I have an addiction? Well it seems as though I do. I find myself thinking about sewing/patterns/fabric every waking hour (and even non-waking hour!). This could slowly drive me crazy.... Oh wait, I am already crazy!!!

Here are my latest thrifty finds...



There are an assortment of sheets and pillowcases. I could have got heaps more but I had to restrain myself from buying them..

I have been sewing madly!! Here is the latest.



The pants are made from stretch denim. It was surprisingly easy to work with. The ruffle has a decorative stitch around the edge which caused me some grief but I got there in the end... They are too big for her at the moment though.

Here it is with the dress I made for her the other day.. Both are too big but at least she can grow into them.



I am working on a summer dress at the moment so I will get that up on here in the next couple of days.

Yet ANOTHER dress...

Thank you all for your lovely comments :) It really means a lot to me.

I have made another dress.. same style as the 'teatowel dress' but with a ruffle. It's getting easier and easier to make them :D

Now I just have to make some pants.. I bought some lightweight denim the other day so I will get started on them over the weekend.. Oh, and I picked up a vintage pattern the other day from the salvos.. it's a boys shirt and vest pattern. I thought for $0.80 it wouldn't matter if I stuff it up LOL..

Joke of the day...

Q: Why was Piglet looking in the toilet?

A: Because he was looking for Pooh.

Courtesy of DS...

I followed a pattern!

Here is an outfit that I finished the other day. It is the first time I have made something with a pattern. With some help from my Mum (thanks Mummy!!) I figured out which way was up and where I should cut etc. I am very pleased with the result although DH calls it the teatowel dress... I think it's sweet..

























Double stitching along hem.














They are all creased because I haven't ironed them yet LOL.. I was too excited about showing them to you.

I have a new toy...

I bought a sewing machine. It's a 'Brother BM-2600' (I think that is what it's called). It's basic but it does all that I need it to do (for now!). I'll try to post some pics of what I have been making...

Here is my FIRST COMPLETED OUTFIT


















Excuse my 'milk bottle' model.. DD was asleep when I wanted to take the photos... So, not bad for a first attempt. I had no pattern for this. I traced around a pair of trackpants to get the shape for these pants and the top I just created out of my head LOL.

More pics coming soon..

Drum roll please!

I have a blog! How very exciting. Now I just have to figure out how to use it :)