a simple doll quilt

i took a little break from my custom orders to sew up this simple doll quilt. if you've never made a quilt before and you'd like to give it a try i highly recommend this 'quilt as you go' method. you can watch a tutorial on it here. because i was making a doll quilt i didn't bother with the batting and simply quilted my strips on to soft white flannel. i used only scraps and ended up with a purple/pink theme. it turned out quite cute and i'm happy with it. young children can never have too many doll quilts. although my daughter would love to keep this one i will be sending it off as a gift.

i machined the binding on to the front and hand stitched to the back by hand

the little farm girl Easter 2014

This 'little farm girl' photo shoot was inspired by the gorgeous fabric that i used to make the Easter dresses for three kittens this year. The first dress has pretty flutter sleeves, a fully lined bodice that buttons at the back and the main fabric features rabbits and chicks. It looks adorable layered up for winter.

The three kittens 'Betty' Bonnet...

 Fully reversible and ties up under the chin

This next style is the 'Ellie' dress which is also perfect for layering in winter

 

And back to the first dress...

Bodice detail...

Starting to get cold now so time to wrap it up!

If you would like me to make you a 'little farm girl' dress there are some custom listings set up in the shop now and i am happy to set you up another listing in store if you would like a matching 'Betty bonnet:www.madeit.com.au/threekittens

Collaborate for a cause 2013 (part II)

The second collaboration i was involved in this year is with the talented and always delightful Mariane of Cook You Some Noodles. I have been a huge fan of hers for quite some time now so it was great to work together on this project. Our chosen charity for this is Beyond Blue and you can read more about this wonderful charity right here. It's not something i talk about much outside my family but as a sufferer of anxiety/depression i thought this would be a great cause to support. According to the Beyond Blue website there are 3 million people in Australia living with depression or anxiety. This is obviously a big problem here.

Mariane has created a darling one of a kind MTTD featuring a beautiful bonnet, knee high boots and a dress made from special silky soft apple fabric.

...and would you check out her striped tights! she's way too cute!!! here is another shot showing some more details of her bonnet...

She is seriously adorable. To go with the doll i have created a pair of baby shoes in size 6-9 months from the same special apple fabric. They have non-slip soles for added traction for the crawling or pulling to stand babies and elastic at the ankle helps them to stay on. They feature a pretty bow and the soles are padded.

I have also created one of my squishy loveable sock monkeys...

He (or she?) is quite a cheeky thing as they often are and needs to find a home where he'll get lots of cuddles. He'd love to go on trips to the shops and the playground too, but remember to bring him home again!

Oh dear... what's happening here?

The shoes are for babies. Not for sock monkeys!

Please bid generously on our items for Beyond Blue in the Collaborate for a cause auction. Go on, have a bid now, over here :)

Thanks Mariane for working with me on this!

Collaborate for a cause 2013

Collaborate for a cause 2013. Yes, it's that time of the year again. Hundreds of creative people all over the world (ok, mostly Australia) have come together to achieve a common goal. We are aiming to raise as much money as possible for charity by auctioning off our handmade items. Last year over $40,000 was raised and this year we are hoping to smash that!! That's a LOT of money isn't it!?

This year i have had the pleasure of being involved in two different collaborations. First up is the Little Red Riding Hood collection based around the gorgeous Riley Blake Little Red Riding Hood fabric series. I worked with Lana from Oh Baby and Hanny from Two Little Tomatoes. These ladies were very easy to work with as we have similar tastes and we're all very passionate about what we do. We are raising money for the everyday work of Red Cross Australia. You can find out more about them right here.

Hanny has created the most divine double ruffled sleeve extra full and twirly pinny featuring Little Red on the bodice. It's a size 3 but with the elastic in the waistband at the back it will fit for a long time. Hanny is a master when it comes to these pinnies. My daughter is very lucky to own one of her creations and they are even more beautiful in real life if you can believe it.

Lana the creator of Oh Baby made beautiful matching accessories to go with the dress. There is a set of her signature double bows which are attached to double pronged ribbon-lined alligator clips with non-slip grips. A soft stretchy 'Baldy Bow' headband which is perfect for all ages, not just baldy newborns :) and a gorgeous ruffle brooch which can be worn on the dress or as a hair clip. The Oh Baby hair accessories are extremely popular and so well made. These are definitely a 'must-have' if you love hair bows.

My contribution was a Little Red Riding Hood inspired tiny tot doll. She wears a removable cape with a little secret inside pocket.

And who is that behind her?!

 It's wolfie!! the biggest baddest...... hang on. He's actually kinda cute and fluffy...

do you think his disguise will fool little red??

oh dear...

RUUUUUUNNNNNN!!!!!!!

When i first showed my children the completed dolls it sparked lots of excitement and imaginative play within them so i think the lucky recipient will have a tonne of fun with them. I certainly had a lot of fun photographing them :) I modified sewing patterns by Dolls and Daydreams to create them.

All of these items will be auctioned on the Collaborate for a cause facebook page this weekend. Please check out the page for all the finer details and share it with all your friends and family. This wonderful event deserves as much exposure as possible so we can hopefully hand over a generous amount of money to our chosen charities.

The next collaboration i have joined will be revealed in the next blog post so come back tomorrow to see it!

and the winner is.......................

Kim Uibo!!!

congratulations Kim and please let me know which tiny tot or sock monkey you would like reserved for you in my shop. thanks to all who entered, i truly appreciate it!

EARLY BIRD GETS THE DOLL

The three kittens tiny tot LOVE collection will be released on madeit Thursday 14th February at 9pm EST. If you would like to have the chance to win an early bird pass please leave a comment on this blog post and mention your favourite tiny tot from the collection (or sock monkey!). So this means no stalking, no finger cramps from refreshing your computer screen, none of that. The doll that you picked out will be reserved in the shop just for you! These can be viewed in the tiny tot love collection album on the three kittens facebook page.

The winner will be drawn randomly via random.org on Thursday 14th Feb at 1pm EST and will be announced in a new blog post. The winner will have until 8pm EST (NO EXCEPTIONS) to contact me and let me know which doll they wish to have reserved for them in my madeit shop. So please check the blog to see if you are a winner on Thursday afternoon. I will not be chasing you down. The doll will need to be purchased within 24 hours or it will no longer be reserved for you. If no winner comes forward then all the dolls will be released together in to the shop at 9pm EST.

So which is your favourite tiny tot doll or sock monkey in the tiny tot love collection facebook album? Please comment away and good luck!!

*please leave your name with your comment! thanks!

MEGA handmade GIVE-AWAY!!

have you heard about the MEGA handmade give-away happening over on the madeit facebook page!? you could win a whole load of handmade prizes!! included in the loot is one of my soft squishy sock monkeys! there's so many fantastic handmade items to be won. what are you waiting for? pop over to the madeit facebook page and enter via the tab at the top. ENDS SUNDAY NIGHT!!