brontosaurus, retro tote and random musings

this guy has been hanging around the house for a few days and it's finally time to say good bye as he embarks on a journey to new zealand. there's something compelling about the colour combination of red and bright blue, i've wanted to combine these colours for a while and a brontosaurus seemed like a good fit. the pattern is from claire garland's book toys to sew which i highly recommend.


i'm thinking very seriously about taking the handmade pledge and in fact i don't know why i haven't already. have any of you taken it? is it easy? what if you absolutely must have something that isn't handmade? maybe i'll just take the plunge.


here's another project i finished on the weekend, retro tote. it's available in my shops at both etsy and at madeit.com.au for aussie shoppers. the outside fabric is from a vintage curtain, it's fully lined with a pocket on the inside. it was inspired by my beautiful friend sandra.


i just finished reading amy karol's bend the rules sewing. i never have high expectations of sewing books, if i take away one sewing tip from a book i'm very happy so when i read amy's tip on invisible knots when sewing soft toys i was over the moon. the book is totally worth it just for that tip. plus she has excellent advice on attaching bindings, some really cute projects and gorgeous photos. yes, there are some sections that are totally for beginners but overall i took more away from reading this book than expected.


my next project is taking up the hem on my new pants for winter. oh the joys of being short, you can never just buy a pair of pants or jeans and expect to wear them immediately. i'm totally bored already just thinking about it. i hope your next projects are more exciting!