.A broken needle changes my plans.

I had great plans yesterday afternoon to settle down and work on a new pattern that I'm really excited about but haven't found the time to get stuck into yet...only to sit down and break my one and only twin needle within 3 seconds of sewing!  Lucky for me, my husband came to the rescue and headed to town and bought me another needle - which I also broke within 3 seconds of sewing again!  

Talk about frustration!!!  

Those baby's aren't cheap and I was sure I'd only make the same mistake once but obviously yesterday just wasn't my day to spend sewing on that project.  So, I've ordered another THREE twin needles online (saved myself a trip to the shops and surely I won't be going through three of them in a short frame of time!) There goes my productive sewing weekend and blog post about sewing with twin needles.

So instead, I started a new project...nothing for Make It Perfect, all for fun.  But I can't show you much more than this at the moment because it is a gift for someone special and I don't want to be giving away too much information...lots of mellow yellows, mustards and cool greys to play with - much more fun than breaking twin needles!

.Thermomix Cooking - Apple and Blueberry Muffins.

Muffins are easy peasy to cook anytime, so making muffin mixture in the thermomix is even easier than easy!  This recipe is actually taken from the Everday Cookbook - I was a little dubious as to how they would turn out but they are the best fruit muffins I've ever made.  These always go down well and the kids are getting a good dose of fruit as they are packed full.  Mix it up and add what ever fruit you like - apricots, raspberries, bananas, sultanas...

Apple and Blueberry Muffins

160g self-raising flour
150g wholmeal (or white) plain flour
180g milk
150g raw sugar
2 eggs
70g olive oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 can blueberries, drained
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped into cubes


Place all ingredients, except fruit, into the TM bowl and mix for 40 seconds on speed 4-5.
Add blueberries and apples and carefully mix in by hand using TM spatula (I do this by hand so that the blueberries don't turn to mush).
Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake in moderate oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

.Citrus Pop FREE POST!.

FREE AUSSIE POSTAGE!!!

Yep, that's right...Citrus Pop now offers FREE AUSSIE POSTAGE on all items FOREVER!

 

Whether you're looking for necklaces, earrings, hairpins, headbands, hair elastics or bracelets, Citrus Pop is always full of pretties to accessorise with :)

Shop here now.

.BIG Sprout.

I know many of you have been dropping hints that you would like to see Sprout in the bigger size range.  Well, the wait is over - now you can get sewing some winter dresses for your bigger girls!

  

Big Sprout caters for girls from 6-10 years.  And to be honest, I think I prefer it on older girls than younger ones.  It looks very chic with some tights and a pair of boots.  Check out Karen - my pattern tester's - daughter below.  Isn't she gorgeous!  Hmmm...makes me think some Sprout dresses for the Mumma's might not go astray...what do you reckon?

Sprout is a dress designed for winter...fully lined with flannelette, snug side pockets and a hood.  However, if you wanted to line it with a lovely cotton voile or another layer of cotton fabric, it would work just as well for a light weight dress too.
 

Sprout is a favourite in our home - both for Lil and myself.  She likes it because it is a dress (with a hood!) and I like it because when we go out in the icy cold 12 degree days we have been having this week I know that she is still toasty and warm.

 

Just like all of my "upsized" patterns, LITTLE Sprout caters for sizes 6 months-5 years.  BIG Sprout is exactly the same design, only the size range for this pattern is 6-10 years. 

You can find out fabric requirements for Big Sprout on my website.  If you have a store and want to stock this or any other Make It Perfect pattern, contact Creative Abundance to place an order.

If you would like to purchase a copy of Big Sprout for yourself, they should be popping up in retail stores very soon.  Ask your favourite store to get one in for you!

I'm giving away a copy of Big Sprout to one lucky reader - leave a comment on this post to be in the running!
(Giveaway will close Wednesday 13th July and winner will be drawn via a random number generator)

.Crocheted Dishcloths.

I've been cleaning out my craft supplies and came across a few balls of yarn I bought two years ago to crochet some dishcloths with.  It wasn't doing any good tucked away in a box, so I got out my hook and started making squares.

 

They are fun (and addictive!) to make.  Good to pop in the present box for a quick gift.  I used Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn from here (remember you need to use 100% cotton yarn for dishcloths to be absorbent).  The pattern was a simple one from Design Sponge.

They helped keep me entertained for a few weeks of  Masterchef watching!  I'm no pro-hooker, but this book helps me out a lot when it comes to my crochet endeavors :)  Now to decide how many to keep for myself and which ones to put in the present box?!

.Oasis by Umbrella Prints.

I LOVE Aussie talent - and have loved the girls at Umbrella Prints for some time.  Even more so after meeting with them at AQM last November.  They are known for their unique, organic handprinted fabric but have recently released a small range with F.D. Textiles, called Oasis.

 Isn't it gorgeous?  I especially love the elephants, but am planning on using all three of these designs for new cushions for the lounge room.

I love how the three prints are so different from one another but work beautifully to create a set. 

Thanks to Kathryn from F.D. Textiles for sending me these fabrics to play with - I'll be sure to share the cushions when they are finished!

If you're wondering where you can purchase Oasis from, check out the following stores online:

Umbrella Prints Shop

Funky Fabrix

Earthgirl Fabrics

.Believe it or not...I am still here!.

It is always hard to get back into blogging after a little break...my trip to Sydney for the Craft & Quilt Fair was eventful to say the least!  You may have kept up to date with the fiasco via Facebook, if not...here's a quick low down...

Out of all of the days for that dreaded volcanic ash to come around again, it had to be the day that I was scheduled to fly from Tassie to Sydney.  After sitting on the tarmac for 1 hour, the pilot let us know that he was going to organise an alternate flight path so that the ash could be avoided and we could still arrive in Sydney as scheduled.  1 hour later, he lets us know that the ash has moved faster than predicted and we aren't going to be able to make it to Sydney after all!  So, our options were to fly to get off the plane and fly in a few days time or fly to Melbourne, whilst taking the risk that we may or may not be able to find a way to get to Sydney.  Making big spur of the moment decisions by myself freaks me out and I ummed and aahed for a few minutes then decided that if I got over the water then I would have a better chance of getting to Sydney so to fly to Melbourne and try and work something out from there.

On the flight over, the air host advised us that when a similar thing happened last week there were very few rental cars avaliable and train seats from Melbourne to Sydney quickly filled up with disrupted passengers trying to find their way to their destination.  I chatted with a lady sitting next to me and she let me know that she had organised a rental car from Melbourne and was going to drive to Sydney if I wanted to go with her.  My first thought was, "you could be an axe murderer!" ...then we chatted a bit more and it turned out that we had a few mutual acquaintances and she owned a cafe not far from my house so I figured that she couldn't be all that bad ;)

Once we arrived in Melbourne we were offered a ride in a bus to Sydney or to hire a car and the airline company would refund all costs.  The bus ride was going to take around 12 hours and I knew we could drive it ourselves in 10, so my new friend Debbie and I decided to go on a road trip together!

Here's the thing...I hate driving, especially at night, and I hate trucks, so the next 10 hours was not fun at all!  We left at 6pm and spent a looong 8 hours driving up the Hume Highway until I dropped Debbie off at her destination in Berrima.  I continued on my own for the next 2 hours and safely arrived at my sister's house at 3:45am.  Crazy, crazy, crazy!  


When I arrived at Carli's house I let myself in and snuggled down in bed to try and get some sleep...only to be woken up half an hour later by a phonecall - it was Carli, upstairs, wondering how far away I was!  Gotta love worried sisters ;)


So after a couple of hours sleep, I freshened up and headed into the city for the Fair!  I had a great 5 days meeting all of you wonderful sewing peeps...it was really nice to actually spend some time talking with people who buy and use my patterns.  My presentations were a lot of fun to give and I had a ball working with Elissa, Dave and Cathy at the Kelani Fabric stand.  And if you live in Melbourne, I'm doing it all again (minus the ash and 10 hour drive) if you want to come along next month!


Sadly I took ZERO photos!  Slack, I know, but it was all pretty full on and I didn't even take my camera!!  However, I can share one that my sister took during one of my presentations...check out my BIG banner - Jaron insisted that I needed it and sorted it out for me.  I'm glad he did because it looked pretty spiffy and will be handy to use for future events:

After all of the excitement and exhaustion, it was lovely to walk back into my home with the ones I love best.  The children were completely spoiled by my Mother-In-Law and Sister-In-Law, it was much easier being away knowing that they had everything under control.  I've been totally lazy this week, chilling with the kiddos, watching more TV than I usually do, getting back to the gym and catching up on bits and pieces around the house.  And just when I thought I was on top of things again, Oscar came home early from school with the dreaded head lice!  So this afternoon we have been busily treating all 5 heads, washing and sunning bedding and linen...ah, the joys of having school-aged children!!!


I'll try and sew/blog again soon...this lazy week has been too nice though, I better not get used to it!!

.More winners!

Thanks for your entries in last week's giveaways...

Well done Peach Rainbow and Tiffany -  you've each won a $25 gift voucher to spend at Fashionable Fabrics!

And congratulations to the following people...I'll be seeing you at the Fair :)

 

 I've sent you all emails and look forward to hearing from you :)

.Want to come to the fair for FREE?!.

I've got FOUR entry tickets to the Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair in Darling Harbour next week to give away!

 

If you'd like a chance at winning a ticket, leave a comment on this blog post, or a comment on the Make It Perfect Facebook wall.  I need to be able to get in contact with you if you win so make sure you leave an email address.

The giveaway will end at 8pm on Sunday night and I'll be in contact with the winners to arrange getting tickets to them.

Please only enter if you are able to use the tickets (i.e. if you can go to the fair yourself or have someone that you can give the ticket to!)

I had some postcard sized business cards made up last week.  I like the idea of a postcard size, especially if you want space to write a note on the back.

Only 4 days to go!  I've finished up all of my sewing, my Mother-in-law and sister-in-law arrive tomorrow ready to take over the reigns...now I just have to work out what I'm actually going to say during my presentations!!

Just a quick recap...I'll be presenting in the Sewing Studio at 10:30am and 2pm daily, the rest of the time I'll be working with the crew at Kelani Fabric at their funky stand - G40...we will have a heap of Make It Perfect books to sell and even a bit of Citrus Pop if you are interested!

.My Big Downtown Boy + a few others.

Here's a Downtown Boy jacket I made using the new BIG version of the pattern.  It looks a little sloppy on Oscar as it is a bit big for him - he is 5 1/2 and this is a size 6. 

Unless you are planing on going with solids, finding suitable fabric for Downtown Boy can be tricky.  I really like the look this plaid fabric gives though.

Here's a bit of Downtown Boy inspiration from the Make It Perfect Flickr group - if you have taken photos of any thing you've made from a Make It Perfect pattern, feel free to add them to the group.  It's a great place to go for a bit of inspiration - especially when it comes to choosing fabric!

Etcetra147

Paris-Stella

Paris-Stella - Downtown Boy for a GIRL!

ssmith_au

paris-stella

3 Little ducks

SUPPLIES (for my Downtown Boy)
Make It Perfect, Downtown Boy pattern
Laura Gunn, Magnolia, Textured Plaid in Turquoise
Dark Brown Linen

.June Cool Shops! Fashionable Fabrics.

Fabric lovers - have you visited Fashionable Fabrics lately?

Fashionable Fabrics is a lovely fabric boutique filled to the brim with fabrics from your favourite designers.  Fashionable Fabrics sent me some gorgeous cotton voile and cotton lawn fabrics to use for my review.  If you haven't used voile or lawns before, I highly recommend them - especially when making clothing.  They feel amazingly soft and drape beautifully.

I made another Shearwater Kaftan from some Anna Maria Horner voile.  I love the summery colours and light weight feel that voile brings to this top.  This one is going with me to Sydney next week so if you want to see it in the flesh, come along! 

Fashionable Fabrics is easy to navigate around, with the store being broken into handy sections to help you find what you are looking for faster.  You can browse by New Arrivals, Home Dec fabrics, Japanese fabrics, Patterns and Books, Trims and Notions, and more!  Here are some of my favourite fabrics...

How about some FREE FABRIC for two lucky winners?  Simply "like" Fashionable Fabrics on Facebook and you'll go in the draw to win a $25 gift certificate to use towards anything in the shop!

(Giveaway ends Sunday 19th June and winners will be drawn randomly.)

Important Fashionable Fabrics Links:
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