Tied with a Ribbon

Finally Finished!

2012-02-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

Well I have finally finished my Don't Look Now - Love Birds Quilt. This was the first time I had a go at some Raw edge Applique and while certainly time consuming I am happy with the end result. I especially think that once quilted it will even look better.

The border is different from the original pattern as I wanted to create more of a framed picture look to the quilt design. I decided to treat myself to having it quilted by a professional. Now to decide where to hang it!

In my last post I showed you some Rowan cotton and Liberty fabric for a new scarf - well here it is all finished.

And with the help of the lovely Susan I decided that I should have a go at a Granny Square Blanket - I have used Debbie Bliss Eco Baby Cotton and have enjoyed working this lovely pattern.

Granny Square Blankets are very close to my heart - I was taught when I was a kid by my Nanna how to make these as she was a mad crocheter as well. After she died I found it very hard to continue to make these at it had really been something we shared together. Many, many, many years on I am loving how with each round I make I am so fondly thinking of her and all the times we would spend crocheting.

Also a special thank you to Mhairi who suggested the Crafty minx Blog - this has been so helpful especially with some good tips and demos on blocking. Thank you for sharing.

Liberty Bliss Love

2012-01-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

At night time I have been watching lots of trashy television series and working on my crochet. I am getting very good at this Liberty Bliss scarf. So far this is about as good as my crochet gets. I am looking forward to some lessons coming up on how to make Hexagons.

This scarf was finished for my dear friend's birthday. I love picking a Liberty Tana Lawn print first that I think suits the person I am making it for. Then I choose the four colours to go with it.

For this scarf I used Rowan Handknit cotton from Calico and Ivy. One of my favourite shop here in Perth. The cotton was delightful to work with and I am using it again in another scarf.

This scarf is for another close friend whose birthday is coming up. This is Biggan Yarn - it is a Merino wool and much fluffier than the cotton. I bought this wool from Tangled Yarns. If you have not checked out this shop - you should - Kelly and her team are so inspirational and are always so helpful with my many, many crochet questions.

This wool - also the Rowan handknit cotton is currently being crocheted as we speak - will show you when it is finished.

Holiday Sewing

2012-01-04T00:46:00.000-08:00

With some time off over Christmas and as it is school holidays I seem to have a little extra time for some sewing. I have been taking the time to catch up on some of my own projects that have made their way to the bottom of the pile throughout the year and now I am working my way through some unfinished projects.

This is the current state of my Love Birds Quilt. I have done all the flowers and now just the ladybirds and birds to go.

I recently got my hands on the A+ Skirt Pattern from Make it Perfect. I even loved the fabric so much that Toni used, I tracked down some of the same Echino and made my own.

For my special friend Claire for Christmas I made these sweet Apple Felt coasters using the Tutorial that I found here at Purl Soho.

I have been meaning to make for ages now some new Table runners to give my kitchen a fresh look. I changed the black and white Table runners to this Green and linen look and love how it has brightened up the bench.

And just to leave on a tease! I have been working with these bright orange Kaffe prints on a secret project!

Kids Holiday Classes

2011-12-19T21:02:00.000-08:00

During January, Claire and I will be running some classes to get the kids stitching, sewing and creating. If you are in Perth you can email me at tiedwitharibbon@gmail.co m to book places for your children.

Monday 9th January - 10am - 11.30am

HAND SEWN FELT BIRD MOBILE

Age 7-10

$35 includes kit

Monday 9th January 12.30pm - 2.30pm

CUTE OWL SOFTIE

Age 10+

$60 includes kit

This class is not suitable for an "absolute beginner"

Monday 16th January - 10am - 11.30am

FELT HAIR CLIPS & HEADBANDS

Age 7-10

$35 includes kit

Monday 16th January 12.30pm - 2.30pm

FUNKY NOTEPAD OR DRAWING PAD COVER

Age 10+

$55 includes kit

Age 7 - 10. These classes will focus mainly on basic hand sewing skills & will give kids the

chance to play with fabric, felt, buttons & embellishments.

Ages 10+. Introducing basic machine sewing skills as well as hand sewing skills.

CLASSES ARE HELD AT THE MOUNT LAWLEY TENNIS CLUB

LIGHT REFRESHMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED

Christmas Gift Tags - Tutorial

2011-12-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

Appearing in the Habitat Section of today's The West Australian are my Christmas Gift Tags. Now into December, the trees are starting to go up and with that means that presents will be wrapped and placed under the tree awaiting Christmas day. Here are some gift tags you can quickly make using small fabric scraps, ribbons and some buttons.

Here are the templates for the cards - you will need to click on and print out the template sheet below

Plum Pudding Gift Tags

You will need:

White card
20cm red ribbon
Brown fabric
White fabric
Green fabric
Red button
Pudding template

1. Cut out the card to make a 10.5cm x 7.5cm rectangle. Punch a hole in the top and cut of the top corners 2cm down from the top.

2. Trace the Pudding onto brown fabric, the sauce onto white fabric and the holly leaf onto green fabric and cut out. Place the pudding in the centre of the tag and using a small stitch on your sewing machine (1.5), sew around the outside of the Pudding. Place the sauce on the top and sew around the outside of it. Place the holly leaf into position and sew around the outside.

3. Place your red button into position and sew into place.

4. Tie your red ribbon through the hole in the top.

Christmas Tree Gift Tag

You will need:

White card
20cm red ribbon
Green fabric
Star button
Christmas tree template

1. Cut out the card to make a 10.5cm x 7.5cm rectangle. Punch a hole in the top and cut of the top corners 2cm down from the top.

2. Trace the Christmas tree onto green fabric and cut out. Place the Christmas tree in the centre of the tag and using a small stitch on your sewing machine (1.5), sew around the outside of the Christmas Tree.

3. Place your star button into position and sew into place.

4. Tie your ribbon through the hole in the top.

Present Gift Tags

You will need:

White card

20cm red ribbon

Red fabric

30cm patterned ribbon for bow

Craft glue

Present template

1. Cut out the card to make a 10.5cm x 7.5cm rectangle. Punch a hole in the top and cut of the top corners 2cm down from the top.

2. Trace the present onto red fabric and cut out. Place a piece of the patterned ribbon down the centre of the present and sew into place.

3. Place the present in the centre of the tag and using a small stitch on your sewing machine (1.5), sew around the outside of the present.

4. Make a bow with the patterned ribbon and glue into position on top of your present.

5. Tie your red ribbon through the hole in the top.

Some secret projects - shhh!

2011-11-16T01:58:00.000-08:00

There is lots going on behind closed doors here at the moment. Just some teasing sneak peaks for you for some things that I can't reveal just yet!

But here is a pic I can show you - these cuties - all ready for Perth Upmarket - Sunday November 27th at UWA.

And of course if you can't make it I have some all ready here in my Etsy Shop.

Snowman Tutorial

2011-11-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

If you are a reader of my Facebook Page then you will know that this week has been a BIG week for me - lots of exciting things have happened with the highlight definately being my felt Snowmen on the cover of Tickle the Imagination. They are also included as a tutorial inside the e-magazine. On a personal level - my eldest daughter won the Junior Girl Champion at the Inter School Athletics Carnival so there has been alot of celebrating going on in this household.

I wanted to share with you on my Blog the tutorial for my Snowmen so here it is - would love for you to share your photos on my Facebook page if you make any.

What you will need

white felt

red felt

orange felt

red ribbon

white, red and orange cotton thread

black embroidery thread

button

2 black brads

2 pink brads

toy filling

Step 1 - Print and cut out paper pattern and pin onto felt. Cut 2 Faces from the white felt. Cut 2 Hats from the red felt and cut 1 Nose from the orange felt.

Step 2 - Using a pencil mark the position of the eyes and mouth. Push through black Brads for the eyes. Using the black embroidery thread Back stitch the mouth and then push through pink Brads into the corner of his smile.

Step 3 - Using the orange cotton thread sew on the Snowman’s nose using a Running stitch.

Step 4 - Using the red cotton thread sew the Snowman’s hat into position along the bottom of the hat only using a Running stitch.

Step 5 - Repeat for the back of the Snowman.

Step 6 - Fold the ribbon in half and sew it into position in the middle of the Snowman back piece.

Step 7 - place your Snowman front and Snowman back together with the right sides facing outwards. Using red cotton thread sew around the top of your Snowman’s Hat through both layers using a Running stitch.

Step 8 - Using white cotton thread sew around your Snowman’s Face through both layers using a Running stitch. Stop about 2cm before the Hat and stuff your Snowman with your Toy filling.

Step 9 - Stitch your Snowman closed.

Would love to hear your thoughts on my tutorial and I hope these will keep you busy in the lead up to Christmas.

NOTE : These Snowmen are intended as decorations only. They are not a toy or suitable for children under 3 years due to small parts.

Tutorial not for commercial use!

Progress Report and Shop Update!

2011-10-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

Well I promised I would be back in 2 weeks with a progress report on the unfinished projects from my last post. In hind sight setting deadlines over the school holiday break is probably not the wisest idea ever as every time I wanted to get close to my sewing room there were two little girls cutting, sewing and crafting up a storm ALL OVER the floor in my Sewing room. But I am more than happy that my projects were put aside for a growing love for textiles and sewing by my girls.

My Jazzy Jungle quilt - I have finished hand sewing all the animal blocks and now I just have to put it all together.

There has been some progress on my Disappearing nine patch quilt. All the blocks have been cut out and re sewn and I have several rows together now. I am loving how this is starting to come together.

There are so many different ways to do this design but I am glad that I chose plains to go with the striking red Kaffe fabrics.

There sadly has been no progress on the Robot Canvas or on the quilt for my daughter. I have finished one more square on my crochet blanket. But we had a fabulous holiday break.

At the recent Perth Upmarket my Bethanie Apron

- not only the made Aprons but also the pattern was a huge success. I have now listed the pattern in my Etsy shop so you too can make your very own. And of course I would love to see any photos from anyone who has made one.

Two many unfinished projects

2011-10-05T01:16:00.000-07:00

Look we all know I am a list person - I even have a rule about only 3 projects on the go at one time. Some people thrive with lots of projects on the go at once - not me - I have somehow let my On-The-Go project list get longer than I can handle. So this is my way of getting through them. I am going to show you the state of them currently and then report back in 2 weeks with their progress. (I also like deadlines!)

Jazzy Jungle quilt for my new Godson

Candy Girl quilt for my daughters 9th Birthday (in 7 weeks)

Robot Stitchery - which itself is finished but needs to be turned into a Canvas for a different Godson.

All my squares are now cut for my Kaffe 9 Patch quilt - awaiting sewing!

Still crocheting Squares for my way too ambitious lap rug - only about 15 more to go!

And well to finish off - Here is a project I have finished.

Here is my Liberty Bliss Scarf

I look forward to NEXT winter when I will be able to wear it - I am really happy with how my first completed crochet project has turned out. I especially love the Liberty Ceaser Tana lawn threaded through the crochet.

Busy Creating!

2011-09-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

It is definitely starting to feel a lot like Christmas around Tied with a Ribbon HQ lately. This Advent Calendar has been designed for our Term Four Sew Along Classes together with Claire Turpin Design. It has been a busy Term with all of our classes. The ladies have been making some gorgeous creations and the Term 4 class list will be out shortly.

This week alone I have been sewing 9 of these Christmas Sacks. It may be only September but orders are coming in quite consistently for these. I love how individual these always are. Even though the character may be the same I always use different fabrics and no two names are even spelt the same way.

I also have started a new quilt. I made a Disappearing 9 Patch quilt for my Mum's birthday earlier this year. I love this design and have been keen ever since to make another. I love how complicated or simple you can make the colours. With Mum's I choose 9 Kaffe fabrics in pinks,oranges and yellows. This time this is the colour way I have gone with.

I love these Reds with the Peacock green and blues in plains to break up the bold Kaffe prints.

And speaking of my favourite Peacock colours - here is my "Liberty Bliss" scarf - it is coming along. I can't wait to thread through some beautiful Liberty Tana Lawn through the spaced trebles in the scarf.

Still here!

2011-08-28T04:39:00.000-07:00

Yes still here - if a post was written for every time I thought that I must go and post at my Blog - then you would get tired of my posting! I don't think I have ever had as much going on with my Family and trying to juggle a business at the same time. My girls have really needed my focus lately and that has meant that things like blogging have had to go on the back burner.

I have been sewing lots of Aprons all ready for Perth Upmarket on October 2nd.

I have gone to a short course on Crochet down at Calico and Ivy. Mostly I learnt about all the things I was doing wrong with my Crochet and now here is the start of a Scarf that hopefully will be ready for next Winter. I am going to thread Liberty Tana lawn through this and I am so in love with the colours from peacock feathers that they were my inspiration for the colour theme of the scarf!

I have also put the finishing touches on my Smiling Santas Felt Kits - these will go into my Etsy shop hopefully in the next day or two. Lots of people last year asked if these ready made Santas were available in a kit and well now, in time for this Christmas they are all ready to go.

Behind the Scenes

2011-08-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Lots of work has been going on recently "Behind the scenes". I have been designing some new items and of course the easy party is almost in designing them. Then comes a list of things to do to get the items ready for Market. I have been working with some fabulous women lately to help me achieve this and I truly believe that if you surround yourself with supportive and creative people the results speak ten fold.

This is the lovely Sheena from Sheena Cooke Photography. She has been helping with the new cover shots for my new Felt Kits. You will see in the picture what the new kit will be - Smiling Santas and these will be ready shortly. Once they are ready to go I will reveal the cover shot which I am so pleased with.

The gorgeous model in this next shot is Lisa Walsh. She is the face behind many wonderful ventures - Cookie Dough, Cream Butter & Sugar and The Market Mill. How one lady can be so talented in so many different areas seems just a little unfair (LOL!).

Cant wait to share all these finished projects with you soon.

I have had a new little obsession lately and it all started with this blog In Colour Order. Putting colour together has always been a struggle of mine. I draw quite a distinction between artistic and creative. I don't think that the two are at all the same thing. I find it hard to draw, paint or sculpt. My mind does not work in an artistic way way at all - rather the ideas and concepts I have in my head take a long time to nurture and develop. I have struggled with the concept of the Colour wheel and it has taken many years for me to be comfortable with how I put colours together - definitely not in an artistic way - just more in a Jemima way.

Well when I discovered Jeni's blog I was amazed at how beautifully she puts together colours and in reading it, I always find inspiration in the colours she puts together. Not only does she do this well but her Etsy Shop has also been a downfall of mine lately.

These Vintage sheets are destined to become an Applique quilt that I have spied in the book The Practical Guide to Patchwork. Can't wait to start cutting them up and working with these. Every time I look at the sheets it reminds me of my childhood.

An abundance of babies

2011-07-31T23:32:00.000-07:00

There recently has been an surge in newborn babies from our friends and family. Not only is it so exciting to welcome precious new little ones into our lives with whom we are lucky enough to watch grow but of course for me that also gives me an excuse to make quilts.

The only hard part that is although I truly treasure keeping the gender of the baby a secret - as we did with our own two - I find it harder to create unisex quilts than ones for a boy or girl when the gender is known.

So these are the two quilts I created for these new arrivals -

This one is called Wash Day and is from Trish Harper Designs. I bought this pattern a few years back after seeing it in Amitie Textiles in Melbourne and fell in love with it. This quilt ended up going to a beautiful baby girl!

Here is the next quilt that I made for my newest nephew!

This Coin Quilt came from the Tutorial I found here. I have made quite a few Coin Quilts in the past - they are a great way to get stuck into your scrap pile and contain it a little and I also have made these for a brother and sister before so that they had they same pattern but just in different colourways.

And of course new babies meant that I had to indulge in some new wool for my newest passion - Crochet. Although I am still putting together all the squares from my Squares rug, I could not help but get some of the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece from Tangled Yarns. I love these colours!

Buying a Sewing Machine

2011-07-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

I think this week alone I have had more than 5 emails or messages about buying a Sewing Machine - so it has suddenly dawned on me that I should share all this info with you as well. I love getting emails from people asking questions about different subjects and so here is what I tell people about "Buying a Sewing Machine" - this is just in my humble opinion and from my experience.

Think when you buy a sewing machine - it is likely to be a one off purchase. I have two Sewing Machines and 1 Overlocker. I have had my trusty Pfaff Tiptronic 6270 for 11 years.

Considering how hard she is worked rarely has caused me any grief. I grew up using Pfaffs and this machine does have fancy stitches (although not nearly as fancy as the new ones) but at the end of the day I only straight stitch, zig zag, sew buttonholes and it also sews on buttons. I do use her for machine quilting as well but rarely touch all the fancy stitches.

Assess what type of machine you want by

1 - What are you going to be primarily sewing with it?

Machines can get very fancy but at the end of the day if you are going to only be using a small handful of the functions then do you need one with lots of bells and whistles?

2 - Have a budget in mind

I believe like with all things you get what you pay for. Buy the best you can afford - this does not have to be a fortune but a machine that is reliable and easily serviced. The machines like the Brothers, available from Spotlight - are inexpensive but do have some limitations. Base, simple model Janome or Berninas, are a great place to start for their cost and reliability.

I have the DC 2101 - mine was $500 as it did not come with the extras - This machine is used by my girls for sewing and is the one we use for the classes as a spare or if anyone needs to borrow one. This machine is excellent and has lots of features like speed control and easy one touch button system.

3 - Go to a local Sewing Centre and get their help!

My machine came with a free lesson as well. If you look under Sewing Machines in the Yellow Pages or google Sewing Machine Centres you can easily find one local to you. You can then see a whole range of different models and machines and you can see them working. This will give you a great idea of what you like and what type of machine will be suit you.

A bowl full of cuttings!

2011-07-14T04:49:00.000-07:00

Guess what this bowl of wool cuttings mean?

Yes, that is right - I finally learnt how to tie in all the wool ends. When I decided to start a crochet project I thought I was being smart starting with lots of squares so that I could hide the less perfect ones with the ones that got better as I went along. I never accounted for the fact that there would be all the ends to sew in to the squares. Never the less I haven't minded it at all - I love hand sewing - fabric, wool, stitchery's, applique! I just love how they all look - even just as squares.

I have been working with this pile of fabrics -

I have been making some cushions and a bedside table cover with them. Remember the ribbon fabric I made a few posts ago - well this is the project it has gone into.

Quieter Days - well somewhat!

2011-07-04T03:04:00.000-07:00

Although it was a week ago Perth Upmarket was a fabulous day. I thought I was going to have a quiet(er) week after the day for a little R & R but have been blown away by the wonderful and continuing support from many of my customers and followers.

It was great to meet lots of new people and I love it when those faces I know drop by to see how the day is going and what is new at Tied with a Ribbon.

With some extra time last week I have been finishing some quilts for new impending arrivals - none which I can show you yet as I know those who recieve them read my posts from time to time and will have to keep a lid on them just yet but here is the Jewel Owl quilt I finished for a custom order.

It was very hard to part with this quilt - as you know it fitted in well with the colour theme in my own sewing room and would have loved to add it to my collection but I know it has gone to a home where it will be treasured and loved.

Here are some other projects on the go at the moment - you all know how much I love ribbons - well when I was given full creative licence to create some cushions and a bedside table runner recently I could not have been more excited - quite often I find it better to work with a brief and knowing exactly what the end result was to look like but being trusted to make creations with a colour scheme as a guide and the rest being left up to me was a little nerve racking. Here is a sneak peak - cant wait for the reveal!!!

In love with Jewel Colours

2011-06-21T23:39:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny how colours can make you feel. I have been working on a Custom Order quilt this week and I have loved working on this design. The brief was to have owls in the fabric/design and in Jewel colours.

I absolutely loved making this quilt. It reminded me just how much I love quilting and inspired me to get some of the quilt tops lurking in the depths of the cupboard out to get finished!

I only had to look around my room for colour ideas as the colour theme in my sewing room is Jewel colours. Here are some pics of my sewing room

I was very excited recently to be interviewed by the lovely Jemma from Handmade Kids. It was my first interview so I was very chuffed to be asked - you can read my interview here. Thanks again Handmade Kids for the great support you show local and Australian business.

Don't forget to come down and say hello at Perth Upmarket at UWA on Sunday 26th. I will have lots of goodies and several new items all for sale on the day.

To Market, To Market

2011-06-15T01:23:00.000-07:00

I think I said last post that it has been very busy behind the scenes here at Tied with a Ribbon Head Quarters. The next Perth Upmarket is on Sunday June 26th at U.W.A - so I have been getting lots of new items ready and giving some of my other favourites a makeover. If you are in Perth and want to get out and see some beautiful home wares, jewellery, clothing for kids and adults as well as great food and lots of other handmade items then come along for a great day out. Want to see all I have been getting ready for Market?

Introducing my new Felt Kit - Babushka Beauties. These are the newest addition to my range of Kits that encourage anyone to pick up some sewing and have a go - especially children. Although Babushka's are not new around I thought it was time to add these very girly treasures to my range.

I have also put together some fabric and embellishment packs which I have called - Sew Cute Scraps. These are a selection of fabrics, ribbons, buttons, braids and ric racs.

I love making Aprons - I love making each one of them as a one off handmade creation to reflect peoples personalities or to match the decor within the kitchen they end up in. Now all of my Aprons have one of my favourite recipes Tied with a Ribbon to them!

I have also been working on some Christmas Stitcheries together with Claire Turpin Design. I showed you a little sneak peak a couple of posts ago - here is the finished design - what do you think?

Kits of these will also be available at Perth Upmarket.

Look at my crochet squares - they are multiplying at a rapid rate - I love seeing the colours all stacked up. I just have to learn now how to sew them all together.

Here are 52 squares - the pattern still needs another 250 plus squares of varying sizes - so this will take a little longer than I first figured! But I am loving it.

I've become a Dot Com

2011-06-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

There has been alot going on at Tied with a Ribbon HQ over the past few weeks. I have been doing alot of behind the scenes work. Firstly in case you have not noticed my blog address has changed now to a .com. You can now find me at

www.tiedwitharibbon.com

I will still be posting here at my blog I have just changed its name so I have less addresses as such. It is re-directing all the traffic to come here no matter which address you use but you can update it in your favourites and readers.

I have also been working on new pattern cover photos for all of my Felt Kits. I recently had a photo shoot with Sheena Cooke Photography. It was a great day - I was so amazed at how creative she was and could just capture the right photo. I had a couple of models to put together some great Editorial style shots and I can't wait to share the end results with you. Although I have been working on my own photography skills sometimes it is best to get an expert. I will be revealing the photos over the next few weeks so stay tuned. Here is one of the photos I took of my Delicious Doughnuts.

On the topic of Cameras - my Ephiphanie Camera Bag arrived and to say it was worth the wait is an understatement - I absolutely just love it. It is a bit larger than I expected but I can put my purse and phone and use it as my Handbag when I want to take it out.

Here's a sneak peak at a Christmas Stitcherie I have been working on. While I might be alone on this I am a firm believer that it is never too early for Christmas so I have started on this new design which will be available soon.

I have been using Cosmo Threads to stitch the design and if you have not heard of them before they are well worth tracking down. I was introduced to them a while ago and love the Egyptian Cotton they are made from - they are beautiful to work with and have such a gorgeous lustre about them that make the little extra you pay for these well worth it.

Although none of the stores I rang locally stock them there are several places online you can buy these from. I got mine from Cookies and Cream Craft. Sandy has been so helpful with getting the Cosmo threads to me I was after. Her shop has lots of beautiful things to have a look at.

Look what has been keeping me busy lately!

2011-05-26T01:40:00.000-07:00

Well it seems to be the season for Crochet. Alot of the blogs that I have been reading recently all seem to have this theme running through them and I have been quietly dabbling in it myself.

There are some crafting skills which just seem to have alluded me! I have tried and tried and tried to knit, many attempts and many half looking rows of stitching and still it seems that this is one skill I will never master. I have tried fearlessly to win this battle especially as my mother is one of the most beautiful knitters I know and I am so sad this this skill will not be passed down to me!!

Anyway you have to love Mum's because when I sad to her a little while ago that I wanted to have a go at Crochet she could not stop laughing - mostly because she has witnessed every failed knitting attempt!

I don't know if this then made me all the more determined to conquer Crochet - besides when I was about 10 years old, I had been taught to crochet by my Nanna and I was able to crochet full size lap blankets on my own so I knew I could do this.

Of course I had to have a look around first at what I was going to crochet, what tools I needed, what kind of wool was I going to buy? I started at this Blog - Attic 24. I had see this blog before and I have to say that Lucy's tutorials have been fabulous. There are lots of small projects to get you started and to have a good practice on. I made lots of Granny Squares and really enjoyed learning to master them.

The next thing I needed some help on was what type of wool and hook I would need. Kelly from Tangled Yarns was wonderful. She gave me lots of help on what I was after and even took photos of the colour palette I had chosen to make sure I liked it as I was unsure of the colours without being able to hold them to see! Her shop is filled with lots of beautiful items and I will even need some more wool shortly to continue my project.

Well would you like to see what I have been making! I decided that I wanted to make a picnic blanket from a Better Homes and Gardens pattern I had and here are some of my squares so far

The wool is "Brown Sheep" Cotton Fleece and I love the feel of it as I work with it. I also think this has such a modern look rather than fluffy wool!

My stack of squares continues to grow and the reason I choose this project over one larger one mainly was so I could hide the not so good squares in amongst the better ones as I hopefully improve. I still have a way to go and I have to learn how to thread through all the tails and sew it together but so far I am loving it.

Sew Along Success!

2011-05-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

Wow - we have had such a wonderful response and start to the Sew Along Classes together with Claire Turpin Design ! It has been great getting into the "classroom" teaching and meeting lots of fellow sewers, stitchers and crafters.

At our Sew Along Social there was a big mix of different projects on the go. There was sewing, crochet, hand stitching, dressmaking, applique and lots of other projects getting worked on and completed. It was wonderful to meet so many different faces and with the next Social happening on June 7th it is exciting to see what projects will be out on that night.

Our first Sew Along for You class started last night and mostly I loved seeing the faces on the ladies with their completed Handbag Totes in hand at the end of the evening.

These classes have been devised with a real focus on skills. Skills like pattern reading, cutting using rotary cutters, tools used to mark patterns with and sewing techniques all aimed at having a professionally finished item and in this case a Handbag Tote at the end. These ones below are some of the finished bags.

Don't they look fabulous. There is an embellishment still to go on these bags but that is coming up! It was great to see faces filled with delight at their accomplished sewing as well as new friendships being formed along the way. Looking forward to next week - we are making a Cafe Apron.

So no matter what skill level you have if you are interested in joining us at one of our Sew Along Social nights or Sew Along classes you can check out the details in the Workshop page on the blog.

Holiday Crafting

2011-05-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

During the school holidays I have a bunch of regular little young ladies who love to learn to sew, craft, cut, stick and embellish. I love how enthusiastic they are at taking in these skills and to watch them engage together in a creative way. These are some of the lovely creations that they made these holidays.

With so much kids craft going on their has been little time for this big girl to do much of her own sewing at all. There has been no more progress at this stage on any more Scrappy Sew Along blocks - I am itching to get back to this.

I have been making lots of Custom orders though - I was asked if I made Tea Cosies. I have never been a Tea drinker - Coffee through and through for me! But the call for a manly Tea Cosy was made and here is what I came up with.

What do you think - "Manly" enough with a side of Retro???

It's Holiday Time

2011-04-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

I hope you all have had a wonderful Easter break with your family and friends. Our little family went away Camping. I have not had so many days away from my trusty sewing machine in a long time so the break was a good recharge. I did not think to much at all about all things Tied with a Ribbon but spent the days amongst wineries and spending time with hubby and the girls. I do admit though in amongst loads and loads of washing upon our return home I did have a sneak peak in my sewing room to make sure all was just as I had left it.

From my last post it was great to hear from some of you about the Scrappy Block Tutorial. I love reading your comments so thank you for taking the time to have a "chat". I promised I would show you the next blocks I have completed and here they are.

Sadly though there are no more to date - once I emerge from all the washing I hope to add to this pile instead. I have never felt the need to make a Picnic rug. The thought of putting down on the ground a handmade treasure has been a little more than I can bear but since working on these blocks I can't wait to be invited to a Picnic when Spring arrives!

With the girls home for holidays I am sure there will be lots of crafting going on over the next week. I have bought some children's sewing/stitching books which I am so keen to get working on with the girls.

One of these is "Embroidery for the Little Miss Crafty" by Helen Dardik

This book is full of wonderful projects for the girls and has lots of instructions on stitching and with lots of modern projects to make like Mobile phone covers. I went over and discovered her blog - Orange You Lucky the other day and was delighted at all the colourful illustrations and work that Helen does. There were so many things to look at and I even found this Pattern to download for a beautiful Bunny.

Although Easter is over I am sure I can stretch out the Bunny theme for a little while longer.

A Scrappy Quilt - A - Long

2011-04-17T04:19:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Aneela Hoey? If you don't know her name you may know her range of fabric - Sherbet Pips? Well I have been following her blog Comfortstitching for a little while now. I love her approach to design and the way in which her colours just flow. She is very inspired by her children and they feature as a large part of her work.

My Scrap bucket looks like this:

It is full to the brim! Although they are "scraps" there are lots of pieces of fabrics I love and usually the last little piece of my favourites are hiding in here. I use these alot in my works but at the moment the pile is a little larger than I like it to be.

When I was reading Comfortstitching through the week Aneela posted a Tutorial on a Scrappy Block Quilt A Long , I was sold. She talks about how addictive these little squares are to make and I definitely agree - here's one I made yesterday.

Since making this one I have made another 5 - I will show you a photo next time of my growing pile of Scrappy squares. I am not sure how big I will make it at this stage - but I think I might just keep adding to it to be more of a picnic rug size. I have gone with bright colours - green, yellow, pink, teal, purple and orange.

Camera/iPod Pouch Tutorial

2011-04-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

It was my youngest daughters birthday over the past weekend and as you may know she is a keen photographer at the ripe old age of 7. She loves taking photos and I was not so keen on her using my camera (Although since I got my new one, I have been happy for her to use the "old" one - lol!) Well she was lucky enough to get one from her grandparents and she was thrilled. She has been taking photos left, right and centre - all great but only one problem! There was no case for the camera - well I knew how to solve this by making one.

I have put together this Tutorial for several reasons - yes I know there are many, many tutorials on this type of item but I wanted to go through and practice my camera skills, photo editing and wanted to improve on the quality of the other two tutorials I have put on my blog so far. I had made this type of pouch before with students in my High School Textiles class so I knew this would be a great little project to adapt to the size to fit the new camera. I am very keen to hear what you think - about the turtorial, if anything doesn't make sense or even if the photos themselves are getting better!

Camera/iPod Pouch Tutorial

Materials

25cm x 25cm Fabric for Outside

25cm x 25cm Fabric for Lining

25cm x 25cm piece of Pellon (fusible, light weight)

26cm x 6cm strip of fabric for Handle

3.5cm piece of Velcro (hook and loop tape)

Cotton thread

Scissors

1. Print out Pattern and cut out.

Using pattern cut out the outside fabric, lining fabric, pellon.

2. Cut out Handle strip to required size and iron in half with the long raw edges matching.

3. Unfold the handle strip and then fold one long raw edge into the centre and press.

4. Fold the other long edge into the centre and also press.

5. Fold the strip in half and press together.

6. Stitch along the open long edge of the handle and down the other side for a neat looking finish. Set aside for later.

7. Iron the Pellon onto the wrong side of your outside fabric piece. (Make sure you stick it glue side down and use a steam setting on your iron!)

8. Take your outside fabric and fold in half, pin the side seams. With right sides together sew down both the side seams with a 0.5cm seam allowance.

9. To make the corners, pull out the corners to have the side seam facing flat (the right sides of the fabric will be facing) in a horizontal direction.

Place a pin across the seam and stitch the corner closed in the opposite direction to the side seam.

Repeat for the other corner.

10. Take your lining and fold the top of the Camera pouch in half to mark the centre. Place one of the sides of Velcro 1.5cm down from the top and in the centre. Pin and then sew around the outside to secure.

Repeat for the other side.

11. To make the lining repeat steps 8 and 9 as you did with your outside fabric.
12. Take your sewn outside fabric pouch and turn right way out. Take the handle and fold in half. Pin the handle in place at the right side seam with the loop falling down. Sew across the top to secure in place.

13. Take your lining and with right sides together put your lining inside your outside fabric to have the top raw edges matching. Pin at side seams and then around the pouch.

14. Sew around the top raw edge of your pouch 0.5cm leaving a 5cm gap so that you can turn inside out.

15. Turn you pouch out the right way and then pin and top stitch around the top of the camera pouch closing the opening.

All finished – your new pouch will fit many things. Not just for your Camera but your iPod or mobile phone will fit also. You might like it to hold you lipstick or make up – what ever you like!

Goings on this week and Giveaway winner

2011-03-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

After a fantastic day at Perth Upmarket last Sunday I have been left gobsmacked at the response not only on the day but also since continuing. Thanks to all those who came along and said hello. I was wonderful to meet some of my Blog and Facebook readers in person and I appreciate your support.

This photo was taken with my I-phone. Hubby said I wasn't allowed to take my camera as I still don't have a bag for it yet - but with a new Epiphanie bag on its way to me for Mother's day soon I will be coming out everywhere with me. Can't wait to show you it when it arrives.

I have been sewing lots of Bunnies and Easter Eggs this week. And I have also been sewing lots of new Aprons with Mother's Day coming up.

A few weeks ago now I won a Giveaway and won a great gift pack. I won a huge lot of embroidery threads and some mini hoop frames. The girls and I have been putting these goodies to great use. The girls used some Sublime Stitiching iron on transfers that I had and made these sweet little faces with all the supplies I won. This is my eight year old's stitching that she made along with some of our winnings.

And now for the winner of my Birthday Giveaway:

Melissa said...

I love the bouncing bunnies - too, too cute - my girls would love making these in our craft room (if I only had time.... only time...). Happy Birthday!

Congratulations Melissa - I will send you an email and get your prize off in the mail to you.

This week I want to spend a bit of time revamping my Blog. I want to add some pages and other features so stay tuned and hopefully I won't need a Masters in Computers to work it all out!!!

Birthday Giveaway !

2011-03-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it's here! My little, humble blog has turned one! I can not believe it has been a whole year since I started writing all about what I get up to in my sewing room. There have been lots of ups and downs with milestones and obstacles all to work my way through. I thought that the best way to celebrate would of course be with a GIVEAWAY. I have put together a little Easter inspired gift for one lucky winner.

The winner will receive a Bouncing Bunnies Felt Kit, 2 felt Easter Eggs, a bag of buttons and some ribbon to match. This will get your Easter gift giving off to a great start.

All you need to do is go over to my Face book page and check out the Photo Galleries. Tell me what is your favourite item and leave a comment on this blog. Entries will close on 24th March, 2011 at 7pm (WST). Make sure I can contact you through your comment and I am happy to post internationally. The winner will be chosen via random.org.

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!

In theme with Birthdays I have been spying lots of lovely things on the net in the past week which have now made my own Birthday Wish list. I'd though I'd share them with you:

1. Top, top, top of my list is this new Camera Bag

I came across this store - Epiphanie and fell in love immediately with these Camera bags. How wonderful that I can now extend my regular Handbag Obsession to include one just as adored and loved for my new Camera. (Hubby if you are reading I would really love "Belle" in the Turquoise colour!)

2. Next on my list are some new supplies from Sublime Stitching.

I do have some of these transfers and would like to get some new ones. I think these would be great to do with my girls and just because I love sitting and stitching. They may help pass some time on an upcoming camping trip. I am especially after some transfer pens and paper.

3. I have had my eye on a few books recently. Those who know me well know how I don't normally ready anything longer than a Recipe (except for the Twilight series!). Craft books are one exception and I love borrowing books from the library and growing my own library of craft/sewing books. I love flicking through the beautiful pages and photos for inspiration. These titles are top of my list!

Thanks for sticking by my for the past year to all my readers. It is humbling to think that others out there take the time to read my ramblings and see all I get up to. Here's to a wonderful year ahead!

Making with the Girls!

2011-03-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

As it was a long weekend a few days ago here in Perth the girls and I had some extra time for some crafting. As you know my girls would rather stick, glue and paint and craft anytime over electronic pastimes. Which is great don't get me wrong but the constant trail of pom poms, pop sticks, cut up paper and glue everywhere sometimes drives me a little nuts!

A little while ago I bought some beautiful Japanese Washi Tape from here. I fell in love with the range of colours and knew that the girls would love using this special tape. We made some gift tags first of all - using the egg template that you can find in my Easter Egg Felt Tutorial we cut out some white cardboard eggs and then the girls set about ripping the tape and sticking the pieces on in a bit of a collage fashion.

The girls wrapped up some Easter chocolates and used the washi tape eggs as Gift Tags, adding some ribbon for some gifts to be given at Easter time.

We also had some Styrofoam egg shapes which the girls then used to stick the washi tape to.

Watch out for my next post - I am going to have a GIVEAWAY. It will be my Blogiverssary this weekend. Yes a whole year since I started my little blog. Stay tuned!

Spotted over at Make it Perfect

2011-03-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

I was very lucky to have the wonderful Toni of Make it Perfect review Tied with a Ribbon as part of her Cool Shops.

Source - Make it Perfect

You can read the post here. I was thrilled to be a part of Cool Shops and was blown away at the kind and warm words Toni had to say about my little part of the sewing world.

Toni also reviewed my Bouncing Bunnies Felt Kit.

Go over and read the review and there is a special offer for a 15% discount on my Etsy store till the 1st of April. All you need is the code found at the end of the review. Go over and check it out, Toni's blog is full of inspiration.

I love my new Camera!

2011-03-03T00:17:00.000-08:00

I have been spending a bit of time lately playing with my new camera. I love it and I can definitely see that it was well worth the investment. I have been out and about taking some shots of the bunting that I showed you in a previous post. While it will take me a little while to work out all the things it can do I hope you too can see the difference in the quality of my photos (still need to work on setting up shots though!)

All the Easter Eggs I started a few weeks ago are now finished and so to are some bunnies that I started. With my next Perth Upmarket only a few weeks away I have been stocking up on these. I hope you have enjoyed making the ones in my Tutorial in the last post. If you have made some I would love to see some pictures. If you would like some ready made or a kit to make your own there are some in my Etsy shop.

I have been sewing lots of Aprons lately. This sweet cupcake Apron has been sent of to its new owner and I love my new Mannequin to help as a prop for my photos. I came across her in a Secondhand store a few weeks ago while on the hunt for a mannequin and she was just perfect. I also roped in one of my closest friends to model some of my Aprons for a Mother's Day Flyer which I will show you next post. You can see lots of my Aprons on my Facebook page in the Apron Album.

We have been celebrating lots of birthdays recently and this year I thought I would go with a PJ theme. They make a great present and I love choosing fabric that I will think will go with each kids personality.

A special thanks to those who have left comments on my last few posts. It has been great to read your thoughts on all the things I get up to in my sewing room and know that someone else is interested. I think I do tend to bore my family with all my talk about fabric, patterns, craft and all things sewing!

Tutorial : How to make a Felt Easter Egg

2011-02-22T22:33:00.000-08:00

How to make a Felt Easter Egg

Requirements

16cm x 10cm piece yellow felt

6cm x 4cm piece of pink felt
7cm x 4cm piece of blue felt
14cm ribbon
3 buttons
Co-ordinating cotton thread
Toy filling

Step 1 – Print and cut out Pattern pieces onto paper. Trace or cut around the egg pattern and top and bottom pattern pieces onto the felt. Cut out the felt shapes. Pattern is below and in the kits available.

Step 2 –Take one of your egg pieces and with your co-ordinating cotton thread sew a running stitch along the zig zag edges only of the top and bottom piece, through both layers.

Step 3 – Sew your buttons into position. You could alternatively sew a piece of ribbon through the centre or use brads to decorate your egg.

Step 4 – Take the ribbon and fold in half. With the second egg piece place the folded ribbon into the centre at the top and sew into place with cotton thread.

Step 5 – Place your front and back egg pieces together (with the ribbon in between the layers). Sew around the outside of your egg, using running stitch with your co-ordinating cotton thread through the two layers.

Step 6 – Stop about 2cm before the place where you started and stuff your egg using the toy filling. Sew closed.

Kits to make 3 of your own Felt Easter Eggs are available at my Etsy Shop here or ready made ones are also available.

Please remember this Tutorial is for personal use only.

Stitching for a new baby

2011-02-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

My oldest and dearest childhood friend recently shared the news that they are expecting a special new arrival. Baby number 2. Well this means of course that such news needs to be celebrated with some special stitching. This beautiful baby block is from the Melly and Me range and was so delightful to stitch. I loved the pre-printed panel and the instructions were very clear and easy to work through. I love hand sewing - I find it relaxing and such a great way to spend time in the evening.

This is the finished block and it is so sweet - it even has a rattle inside. So whether baby is a boy or girl I hope this little treasure will be played with and loved.

Easter eggs were on the agenda this week (apologies for the shocking photo quality - but is was late at night and the lighting very bad - but more on that later). I am getting ready for the build up to Easter and Perth Upmarket is only 5 short weeks away.

I am in the midst of getting a tutorial together to make these Easter Eggs. The photos are done and the pattern made, just waiting on some supplies and over the next week or so will upload the Easter Egg Tutorial to this blog. I will also have some kits to go with the Tutorial available (in a limited quantity) to make three Easter Eggs. These will be available shortly in my Etsy Shop and also available on the day of Perth Upmarket. If however you prefer to buy them ready made you can from here.

Now, I know what things I can do well - but I am even more aware of the things that I can't or just seem to try at but always come up short. Well I have made a list (you know how I love lists!) of the things that I need to work on and improve at so I have decided MAKE more time for these things. Top of the list at the moment is taking bettter photos. I have just a simple digital camera but at the end of the day my photos just let me down so I have invested in this new baby.

Isn't it lovely. Now once I figure out how to use it my photos should start to get much, much better. I have had some help with some photography tips (thanks Dad and Justine!) and by next post my photos should just blow you away (hah - good in theory). So off to read a big manual and report back next week with some progress.

Happy Birthday Mum!

2011-02-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

Today is my mums birthday. So many, many months ago I thought it was time to make something special for her to celebrate how important she is to me.

If you stop by this blog regularly you will have seen this quilt evolve over lots of posts. I was pleased with how this "Disappearing Nine Patch" came together. The actual top was quick to sew but as I decided to hand quilt, that where many nights were spent stitching inside the boxes with variegated Perle 8 thread.

I love the richness of the yellows, pinks and oranges and I used the white to give it a crisp fresh feeling. I am lucky enough to still be able to celebrate these special days with her as I know she herself has not been able to with her own mum. I hope she likes it and that it will find a special place alongside her to keep her warm and snug. Happy Birthday mum - I love you!

It seems a while!

2011-02-01T05:08:00.000-08:00

It seems a while since I have last blogged and while it is in my head to do everyday, the days seem to keep passing me by. So whilst I know there are other things that I should be doing they will be there in the morning! With both of my girls on school holidays the craft room has been in full swing. So if you will indulge me a little this post will be about what my girls and some other young ladies have been doing.

Miss 6 (nearly 7!!) is often quite happy just to sit and be in the room with Miss 8 and myself and will participate for a while - she will happily cut out oodles of fabric (good thing they have their own scrap bucket) but often tends to loose interest in all things sewing - well not the other day. She was like a powerhouse - I should have possibly employed her. First she wanted to make a Strawberry Felt badge - so this she did and I mostly was impressed not only at the end result but that she actually finished a project. Here is her finished strawberry.

A short while later she said that I had promised to make her bunting for her room! Whilst I had I didn't exactly mean at that particular point in time. So knowing that anything I was doing was going to go south at that point with her constant reminders I said to her to pick some fabrics that she liked that would go with her room. Miss 6 has a thing for colour - she can put colour together really well and I often marvel at how little time it takes her to put together such good selections. With some gorgeous Phillip Jacobs - Pom Pom Dahlias as her main choice we cut and sewed some Bunting for her room. The photo of the stack of flags below was even taken by her (she loves taking snaps!)

We of course had to immediately hang the new Bunting and now a room makeover is on the cards.

Miss 8 spent this entire time on her own projects - she does not need as much supervision and can read instructions for patterns now quite well. She wanted to make some felt ornaments to go onto her school bag. Without any help she cut and sewed this collection of characters.

Most of you will know that I love getting children involved in sewing, crafting, cooking etc. In the holidays I had some kids come and participate in some workshops. We had a great time making and sewing some felt cupcakes and ice creams and all the girls laughed, shared stories and made friends as they made their "sweet treats". Here are some of the finished items that look good enough to eat

Just as I developed a love of sewing and crafts as a child I hope these children will continue to explore these talents as they grow up.

I started on a new sewing project myself this week. This Kaffe print is one of my favourite fabrics and I am slowly running out of the last of this that I have.

Are you still there ? This was a long post wasn't it.

The view from my sewing table

2011-01-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

This week there have been lots of UFO's completed. This has been the view from my sewing table with me hard at work finally finishing off some projects that have been lurking around for a while. Often my own projects take much longer to complete than they used to.

This particular quilt was supposed to be finished last year to give to a friends daughter for her Birthday last year. Although her birthday came and went at least now I will be super organised for this years birthday as I finished sewing on the binding last night. I love sewing the binding on quilts - I find it relaxing to sit and hand sew and just put the finishing touch on special treasures.

Tied with a Ribbon has been spotted over at {KID} Independent.

The wonderful Indi put together a fantastic review of my treasures.

It is really exciting to see my handmade treasures on other blogs and I have to pinch myself that it is actually me. {KID} Independent are having a GIVEAWAY so if you would like to win one of my Sweet Strawberries or Bouncing Bunnies Felt Kit make sure to pop over and leave a comment on their post to go in the running.

Another wonderful thing that comes about through these posts is the friends that you meet along the way. I have also had the pleasure of meeting Hannah from The Dalli Cottage Collection. I love reading blogs and I especially liked her post on "Keep Dreamin". We all have a picture of what we would love our creative spaces to look like and often the reality of limited space, size and budget all impact on the actuality. Thanks Han for your spot also on your blog.

This week Custom order towels seem to be the order of the day - here is the latest that I have finished celebrating the arrival of a new baby girl.

Introducing!

2011-01-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

Introducing some new friends and items being added to the Tied with a Ribbon Range :

Funny Frog Felt Kits

Lovely Ladybirds Felt Kit

These kits have the pattern and instructions to make these new Forrest Friends. You can also make them as a brooch or key ring as well as a hanging ornament with a brooch bar, a key ring and ribbon included. These would make great starter sewing kits for children as well as adults.

Tooth Fairy Pillows

It has been "raining" teeth here at home lately and with my two girls came a request for something special to have for the arrival of the Tooth Fairy. So after consultation with what the girls wanted on the front of the pillows I decided to make what you see above - and then of course I could not help myself and made more and have put some in the shop also.

This is the completed Custom order cushion I was completing in the last post. I love butterflies and my sock monkey could not help but jump in to have a photo too!!

These dresses were made by some lovely ladies who came along and after a workshop completed these gorgeous dresses. (One of whom had not sewn since high school) They did a great job and this blue dress was also made by another lady. She took hers home for her little girl and sent me this pic after a little photo shoot with her. She looks so cute in her dress that her mummy made for her.

I have made more progress on the quilt I have been working on. The top came together very quickly but now I have been hand quilting the top - I have been using some Pearle 8 threads and slowly, slowly it is coming along.

All things Pink

2011-01-09T03:52:00.000-08:00

I love the colour Pink. Over the last few days all my projects seem to be shades of pink. I made this Petal Flower Cushion from this tutorial that I found a while ago. I always had a special little girl in mind for whom I would make this for. But she will have to wait for her birthday (luckily she can't blog yet - I think!)

The instructions were great. It did use alot of felt to create all the layers. I decided to go with four different shades of pink to create this effect rather than one solid colour.

I have been working on a custom order cushion for a customer that has also used pink. The request was for light shades of pink, blue, yellow and purple. Here is my progress so far

All my new patterns have now come back from the printers and I have been busy packing them today. The big reveal will be over the next few days as my first job on my 'To Do' list tomorrow is to get them listed into my Etsy shop and on display here for you all to see. So stay tuned.

I love Holidays!

2011-01-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

I love the Holidays. With lots of friends and family to catch up and spend time with this big school break over summer is such a wonderful time especially to share with my girls.

Well, while it may be holidays there has still been plenty going on in the Tied with a Ribbon sewing room. I have put the finishing touches on some new Felt Kits which will be available in my Etsy Shop hopefully by next week. This is a sneak peak at the making of one of them.

Because Christmas is now over it is safe to show you some of the presents that I was busy making but could not post photos about incase they were seen early by family and friends.

These are some Christmas Sacks I made for my nephews.

I made this swing top for my beautiful God Daughter.

This i-phone cover I made for a special friend to celebrate her birthday. It was from Janelle Wind's book Pieces of Me which I had bought a few weeks ago. It was very easy and I could not believe how quickly it came together.

I have been able to tick lots of things off my to do list this week and lots of other new creations are in the works. Now that Christmas is over I have been putting the finishing touches to my Easter range. I have made lots of Easter Bunny Party Bags and Bunny and Easter Egg Decorations which have been listed in my Etsy shop.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

Well after months and months of planning the day has almost arrived. I hope Santa is good to you and that the festive season is a safe and happy time for you all. Let the drinks begin and the over eating commence!!

Sweet Christmas Party bags that I have filled with some special treasures for my girls for Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas all!

How did it get to the week before Christmas!

2010-12-15T17:27:00.000-08:00

I know that I have been planning and making Christmas treasures for ages now but seriously - how did we get to the week before already!!

I had a parcel of fabric arrive last week from Ballarat Patchwork. They were having a sale so I treated myself to some fabrics and some books and Patterns. A girl can never have to much fabric (can she!!!).

I am especially keen to get started on one of the projects from Janelle Wind's Book - Pieces of Me. I finally entered the world of the 21st Century and got an i-phone and so what do you need most importantly when you get one? Yes of course you need a cover for it. There is a beautiful cover in Janelle's book so I hope to show you next time some completed photos of my i-phone cover.

I also made some Aprons for my girls with some Amy Butler laminated fabric that I also bought. My girls love art and crafting and mostly this involves lots of mess and paint so I wanted to make some Aprons that I could just wipe off. I have not worked with laminated fabric before so I was a little unsure of things like when I normally iron the press hems - how do I do this with a plastic coated fabric? And the fabric was folded so how do I get out the creases? If anyone can help me out would love to know the secrets of working with this type of fabric.

Surprise !

2010-12-08T21:34:00.000-08:00

Remember this parcel that I posted about a little while ago. Well the special little girl whom I had made it for received it over the weekend. So this was the surprise inside.

A Felt People set all with mix and match clothes and hair, with its own felt board to play with the people onto. I stitched ribbons and buttons onto the clothes to add detail to the clothes - Happy Birthday Bella.

This was another custom order towel completed this week. There has not been as much sewing going on this week as I would like between illness and Christmas Parties and Christmas school concerts it has been busy with the kids. But I have been working on some new ideas that have been buzzing around in my head for a while now. So lots of cutting, sewing, re-cutting, re-sewing and the like going on with mixed results so far. Hopefully soon I will be happy with some samples. This is one project in the works.

Tutorial : How to make a Gingerbread Man Gift Tag

2010-12-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

How to make a Gingerbread Man Gift Tag

Gingerbread Man Gift Tag

What you will need:

You will need :

White card

Ginger or brown felt

2 black brads

2 buttons

25cm ribbon

Ball point pen

Glue

Scissors

Gingerbread man template

Hole punch

Step 1 - Find a cookie cutter or Gingerbread man picture to trace around onto card and cut out.

Step 2 - Cut the white card to 7cm x 10 cm. Trace the Gingerbread man template onto the felt using the pen.

Step 3 - Cut out the Gingerbread man using scissors.

Step 4 - Push through the Brads for eyes and glue on the buttons (these could be sewn on instead).

Step 5 - Mark the centre of one of the short sides for the ribbon and punch a hole in this spot.

Step 6 - Thread the ribbon through this hole to make a loop.

Step 7 - Glue your Gingerbread man into place on the front of your gift tag. Finished!

You could use other Christmas shapes such as trees, plum puddings or stockings to make other gift tags.

This tutorial is intended for personal use only! Enjoy

Crafting with Kids

2010-11-24T22:36:00.000-08:00

As many of you know my day job is as a High School Home Economics Teacher. So introducing kids (and adults) to the world of all things fabric, buttons, ribbon, sewing etc is a huge passion of mine. As part of the Joondalup Upmarket , Tied with Ribbon is running a FREE kids activity Table. As you can see from the picture last Friday night we made Button Wreaths. This week we will be making some Christmas cards with Buttons. Come along and enjoy some Christmas craft for the kids and some shopping for the adults!

Custom Order central here this week. This Christmas Sack was made for a special little girl. I was asked to leave the tree blank as Grandma will be sewing on some very special heirloom charms for Emilia that will be added to each Christmas. A wonderful idea for a Christmas sack that will be treasured for many years to come.

This towel was ordered to celebrate the arrival of a new nephew.

Notebooks made to add to Christmas gifts for two young sisters.

In this special box is a Birthday present I have made for an upcoming birthday for a little girl! Any guesses as to what I may have put inside? I can't show you yet but soon.

And with Perth Upmarket on this Sunday at UWA - Winthrop Hall from 9am - this is what my sewing room looks like. Lots of Christmas decorations and other goodies being counted and packed to take along. I will be upstairs and make sure to check out the Market Guide which will have a special feature from me. I will be posting this next week on my blog as my first Tutorial but get along to the market and have the first look.

Sewing for my girls!

2010-11-17T20:51:00.000-08:00

Late last week I had one of "those" days. We all have them, nothing seemed to go right no matter how much I had planned and organised I just seem to have hit a wall. So what should one do - well 12 months ago "these" kind of days would have resulted in a huge shopping spree with wonderful new treasures and some explaining to do to the hubby due to the over expenditure. Well instead I decided just to do some sewing for me or rather for my girls. Things have been so busy at Tied with a Ribbon that I decided to make some pencil cases for my girls for school next year.

Inspired after catching up with some friends for dinner I took my Babushkas and Cupcakes and some scraps and made these pencil cases! My girls were thrilled that they had some special new treats.

My Custom order for Hair clip Hangers with a Pinkaliscous theme are now all finished and ready to be delivered to their new home.

And these cuties I have listed in my Etsy Shop.

I have had more Custom orders for Christmas Sacks this week and this one will soon be ready for Santa to fill with only 5 weeks to wait for a special little girl.

Starting on Friday Night Tied with a Ribbon will be attending the Joondalup Upmarket. We will be having a FREE kids craft activity table running with different craft activities organised for each of the five weeks. Felt Kits and Patterns will also be available for sale so you can make some Christmas Decorations of your very own along with inspiring kids to learn some new crafty skills. - Starting from 6pm in the Central Walk, Joondalup (19th November - 17th December)

Lots Completed

2010-11-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

Completed - Plum Puddings all ready for Market.

Completed - Custom Order Towel for a new arrival.

Started - An order for lots of Pink Hair clip Hangers.

Finished - Custom ordered Hair clip Hangers with names stitched into them.

Although there are lots of ticks in the completed boxes this week, I have lots of projects still on the go. I love making custom orders!

The Postman has been busy!

2010-11-04T01:22:00.000-07:00

This week the postman has made several special trips to my house to deliver some exciting packages.

Firstly these absolutely gorgeous buttons arrived from this Etsy shop - Buttons by Robin

Aren't these cute - I have a project in mind for these along the lines of the picture on the button - can you think what I might make? The buttons in this shop are just so sweet to finish off special projects.

Also my Divine Twine arrived - this will be used to wrap some Christmas presents as well as many other parcels.

Along with "baking" Gingerbread men I have also been making Plum Puddings. There are some ready made or Felt Kits available in my Etsy shop.

On Sunday I went to the Subiaco Craft and Community Fair. It was a hot day and wonderful to meet lots of new people. Here is my stand all set up for the day.

Freshly made Gingerbread men for sale

2010-10-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

These cuties have now been finished and there are some now available in my Etsy shop . So if you are "hungry" to get your hands on these pop over and have a look.

Other wise also avaliable in my shop are the felt kits to make these Gingerbread men for yourself.

I'm "baking" Gingerbread

2010-10-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Today I'm "Baking" Gingerbread men !

All this making is making me hungry!

Spotted!!

2010-10-27T05:14:00.000-07:00

Whilst anyway having read my last few posts may know I have been watching Gossip Girl and now have finished Season Three. With no more available yet her in Aus - what is a girl to do!!

Well in true GG lingo Spotted - Tied with a Ribbon over at the fabulous A Spoonful of Sugar. The talented mum and daughter duo - Lisa and Sarah have posted a wonderful feature on my work.

Thank you to you both for your kind words and support. It is amazing how small our world is and Blog land is no exception. I have been watching the work these women do and it is nothing short of amazing.

Also a big Thank you to all those who left such nice and warm comments on the Post on Tied with a Ribbon. And for those who live locally I do hope you will come and say hello on Sunday at the Subiaco Craft and Community Fair between 9am and 4pm at UWA on the Oak Lawn.

This Custom order Christmas Sack has been sent off to its new owner ready for Santa to fill to the brim.

Parcel Recieved

2010-10-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

You may remember from my last post this parcel. Well just look where it has found a new home Giggleberry Creations. The very wonderful Amy of Giggleberry has featured Tied with a Ribbon and my new Hairclip Hangers. Go and check out her blog and all the fabulous bunting that she makes. Thanks again Amy for your post on my creations.

Source : Giggleberry Creations

Amy has been planning her daughters Birthday Party and those who know me well would know how I love to plan a themed party. The Rainbow theme is so sweet and Amy has lots of ideas on how to pull it off in style.

Along with the Hairclip Hanger went some cute clips that I made for Milla.

There was also a new arrival this week and so that means that I can show you the finished custom cushion for baby Sasha.

You may remember the colours from a sneak peak a few weeks ago!

A busy week of catch up

2010-10-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

After all the time off, this week has been a busy week of trying to make my list of "To Do's" into "Dones"! What started off as a very long list and a frantic panic on my behalf has slowly been whittled away. So often I know exactly what is to be finished off in my head and so I start making my way through it only to be side tracked by other projects along the way - usually of the making and sewing variety rather than off the paper work completing. So after some helpful advice by Justine (thanks Justine!) I have been crossing off items on my written list.

Last post I showed you a sneak at what I have been creating and yes I have had rainbows on my mind. Introducing my new Hairclip Hangers.

These Hairclip Hangers have just been listed in my Etsy Shop. These Hairclip Hangers are a great way to tidy up all those draws and boxes of clips and ribbons onto one cute neat and tidy accessory. You can keep all your pairs of clips together down the sides and ribbons tie onto the centre sewn ribbon. These would make sweet gifts for young girls for presents or with Christmas just around the corner.

Also just listed in my Etsy Shop are Plum Pudding Felt Kits.

With Christmas just around the corner there is still plenty of time to make these to decorate and trim your tree this year.

I have also been working on some other orders this week. One custom order was for a Halloween twist on my Party Bags. So with some not too scary ghosts and the request for velvet some children will have an extra sweet surprise this Halloween.

And this special package has been posted with more to come once it is received at its new home !!!!

Some time away!

2010-10-06T03:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still here. It has been busy in my household these past few weeks due to school holidays and some family trips away which has meant that Tied with a Ribbon also was on holidays!!!!

I spent some time in Melbourne with my sister and had a great time. Much to her disgust the first stop on our trip was to a fabric shop! I have not been to Gee-Jays in Melbourne before but fond some wonderful fabrics. I picked out several fabrics and until pointed out by the lovely ladies there had not realised that I must have a thing for spots!

Some bright new colours that I have already cut into to make some treasures that have been in my head for a while waiting to be trialled and made.

So with some new fabrics and plenty of ideas I started about making this - can you guess what is on my mind?

There have been some other custom orders on the table this week with the start of a personalised cushion in these colours

So armed with some hand stitching to complete and Season 1 of Gossip Girl (don't judge!!!!) I have some work to do and pondering of a youth long since gone!!!

Look what arrived in the mail!

2010-09-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

I was expecting a special parcel to arrive at any time this week and today when the doorbell rang I knew exactly what was going to be on the other side.

This package came from Under the Mulberry Tree. Living in WA it is somewhat of a shame to miss out on special events that get held interstate. So when I heard about the "Immerse yourself in Stitching Retreat" being held in Melbourne over the past weekend I was disappointed not to be able to attend. So that's when I thought I would ask if the retreat could come to me. With Melly and Me, Rosalie Quinlan and Leanne I am very jealous not to have been there as I love these ladies work. They always have something inspirational to look at on their blogs and I have made many of their creations. I can't wait to get started on these projects. By the way I already ate the chocolates!!!!

Many posts ago I showed you some red and white Christmas Fabrics that were going to be turned into a Table Runner. Well as I knew that the Table Runner was going to be given as a gift I have not shown the finished pictures so here it is.

Back into the swing of things.

2010-09-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

After the events of last week life is going back to normal - well except for this stupid head cold I seem to have inherited!. Thanks to everyone for the wishes and flowers and kind words.

Sunday was Upmarket day and silly me forgot my camera so I don't have any photos to show you from the day but it all went well. It was wonderful to see lots of familiar faces from all my different paths. I was most especially touched by one lady and her daughter. They came up to me and said that they had purchased on of my Notebook Keeper Patterns and Kits from the June Upmarket. She wanted to let me know that they had a great time making it together and found the instructions easy to read and they have since made some more. That really made my day. Lots of people wanted to know which felt character was next in the works for a kit so I will put them on the "To Do List."

This is the next stage in my secret sewing project. All the squares have now been cut and re-arranged and sewn back together. I was amazed at how quickly it all came together. This is called a "Disappearing 9 Patch". If you google disappearing 9 patch tutorial there are a whole heap of tutorials around.

This big pile of Ribbon arrived earlier this week and just in case you didn't know, I just love ribbon. I am not sure it is possible to have to much of it. Mine is all stored on a hanging system called "Ribbon Ring". While it takes a while to sort them all out I just love how all the colours are organised (mine by colour) and don't tangle because they are hanging up.

Saturday is Stitching Day again so I will remember my camera and look forward to a fun filled day of stitching and laughter.

A week to reflect

2010-09-09T05:54:00.000-07:00

With the death of a close family member this week there has been alot of thinking and reflecting - about family and life. So this week I have some snippets of things in the works for family and friends.

Because those recipients are likely to read this post I can only show little bits with little explanation!!! (Not that helpful really I guess)

These are some Kaffe fabrics (plus a couple of others) which are being turned into a birthday present. I must admit that my love of Kaffe fabrics has taken a long time. I never really got how to put them together. All the beautiful colours confused me as I can work with a few colours at a time but all the colours in these fabrics just used to send me round the bend. Now I just love them and have been waiting to use them for this special project.

This is the start of a quilt for a new arrival - can't show you a bigger picture yet but I will keep up with the tease over the next couple of weeks.

My two girls went into my fabric stash several weeks ago and asked for some new tops for summer. This is the result - they have perfectly picked fabrics that suit them and now we just need the weather to warm up for them to wear them.

Well I hope to see you on Sunday at the Upmarket and I will be back next week hopefully in a brighter place with a round up of the Market.

Shopping on Etsy

2010-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

I love shopping! I feel it could almost be my part time job! Since starting Tied with a Ribbon I have not done of much of it as I used to - well not actually going to the shops as such. I now buy lots of things off Etsy. This week I treated my girls to these beautiful place mats from Pilli Pilli.

I love receiving parcels of goodness in the post. And already they are showing signs of appreciation with some spaghetti sauce.

This week things have been quieter on the stitching front and busy on the preparing side. I have had a chance to catch up on some bookwork, have some new flyers printed and some activities organised for later in the year.

These flyers along with some samples of my personalised items have now found their way to a beautiful Children's Boutique in Mount Lawley - Little Horrors.

Along with flyers being sent to the printers so was a new pattern. After several requests for these fellows introducing - Plum Puddings.

Lots of packing, sticking, cutting and counting mean that these are now available. These are one of my most popular Christmas Felt Characters and now you can make them yourself with the Pattern, Instructions and supplies to make them for your own tree.

They will be coming along with me to the Perth Upmarket which is on September 12th at U.W.A. Book the date in your diary and come along and say hello. I will have several other new items with me on the day.

It looks like Christmas

2010-08-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

Most of what I have been working on this week has a Christmas flavour about it. All those Christmas Fabrics that I showed you in my last post now look like this

Lovely Christmas Aprons - some of which have already gone to be tucked away as Christmas Gifts.

I have also been working with these fabrics which are going to be turned into a Christmas Table Runner to match its new owners Christmas Scheme.

And after all the Christmas Sacks that I have been making for others my two girls wanted to know where theirs were. So after discussions about which colour and characters each wanted I have been working on completing one for them each.

Love Birds

2010-08-08T03:33:00.000-07:00

Well I finally got to take the picture of the Machine cover that I had made a couple of weeks ago at Sunday Stitching. This sits on my mum's sewing machine, well one of her machine any how as a few months after making her the first one, mum upgraded her sewing machine only to suggest that she would also need a cover for her new machine!!!

The revamp has continued in my sewing room. Many, many months ago I bought this big white frame from Ikea, always with the intention to fill it with some sort of birds to go with the birds in my Babushka Quilt hanging on my sewing room wall. After the clean out I knew it was time to finally put something in the frame instead of continuing to trip over it. So this is what I put together (mostly with the inspiration from Claire!). The birds are simply machine stitched onto the fabric with a decorative stitch just inside from the edge and then I free hand quited the white background. I love that my sewing room is now coming together as I had imagined it.

These Matryoshka Dolls are from Kristen Doran. I was lucky enough to meet this very talented lady earlier this year in Melbourne. We share a love for variegated DMC thread and these dolls.

Under construction this week is this pile of Christmas Fabrics which just arrived in the mail. They are destined to be turned into an order for Christmas Aprons.

Sunday Stitching

2010-07-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. Every few months there is a group of girls who gather to craft. It was my turn to host this time and there were many different projects on the go. There was knitting

There was some fabrics that were being turned into cushions

And a couple of the girls were stitching Tied with a Ribbon Felt Kits.

These are Bouncing Bunnies

And this is the start of Gingerbread Men

And I was making a sewing machine cover for my mum. However with all the hosting duties and excitement of the day I forgot to take a picture of it. So I will go to my mum's today and do this so I can show you all next week.

Even though there was lots of chatting and plenty of cups of coffee everyone finished what they came to complete - surprising !!!

One beanie

One bunny.

Giveaway winner

2010-07-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Many posts ago I said I would show you my progress at my Christmas range. Well today this order of Christmas Sacks was collected by a special customer. They are large personalised Christmas Sacks, each has a different Christmas character on them. Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year so to be getting in early just means I can enjoy the season all that much longer.

These felt cut out people have been another custom order now completed. I really enjoy custom orders as makes me have to think outside of my comfort zone. These felt people with mix and match clothing will be going into a classroom for some young kids. I hope they enjoy playing with them as much as I liked making them.

And now for the winner of the Notebook Keeper Giveaway. Thanks to you all for leaving such kind and encouraging comments. Most people said they had looked over at my Etsy shop so thank you for your support.

The winner is - katiemorgan1976

RANDOM.ORG
True Random Number ServiceRandom Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:
5

Timestamp: 2010-07-22 02:06:07 UTC

Congratulations Katie, I will get your prize to you.

Will be back next time with some progress on personal projects. I am hosting the bi-monthly Stitching Day at my house with a growing group of girls this weekend. I love these days as they are a great chance to get to some of the things in my own sewing basket and a great day for sharing ideas and tips. Plus the food is always good too.

A clean room - finally and a GIVEAWAY!

2010-07-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Well at least now I can work in my sewing room! While the amount of sewing still is no where near optimum, I can now see the floor and have space to work. I like to be organised as those who know me could well say so. Being in a state of chaos just causes me angst.

I have worked on some little projects this week like this custom order brooch.

And this special quilt is now finished. If you have read my earlier posts then you may recognise this quilt that was under my sewing machine at the time. This quilt belongs to my friend Katrina. I hope she likes it. It has been a well travelled quilt as once I finished hand sewing a set of blocks I would send them to her in the mail (all the way over to America). When she came home last Christmas a large pile of squares was given back to me, to be all sewn up into this Chelsea Bloom Quilt.

Last post I said how it was my goal for the week to get my little online shop "Online". Well I did in the end achieve this. I have set up an Etsy shop - there is a link on the side bar. I have listed a small number of items at this stage and as the weeks go on I will continue to add new items in my shop. Go and have a look at www.tiedwitharibbon.etsy.com .

To celebrate this big milestone I am having my first Giveaway.

If you would like to win this Notebook Keeper sewn by me:

1. To enter leave a comment on this post (one comment only please).
2. Leave a comment before Wednesday 21st July and I will announce the winner in my next post.
3. I will post anywhere so if you live internationally you may also enter.
4. I will use the random number generator to pick a winning comment number.

EDIT - Giveaway is now closed

Not much sewing going on around here!

2010-07-07T01:38:00.000-07:00

Well since the Upmarket I have battled. Battled to get on top of this flu, battled to find the bottom of the ironing basket and battled to get anywhere near my sewing machine or sewing of any kind.

I have spent much of the week sorting, rearranging, tidying up, and doing bookwork. My sewing room was in desperate need of an over haul and this mess has had a makeover after several trips to Ikea.

I have such grand plans for all the sewing I would like to get done but I feel a little defeated at the moment.

There has been some sewing with this Christmas tree decoration getting finished. I have had the plans in my head for a while. With many orders to complete I am going to have to get a move on.

Another thing that has taken alot of my time is looking into Online options for my shop. I have been researching all the different ways to sell online and with many to choose its hard to decide. I think I will go down the Etsy line. I have set up the shop and profile, now all I need to do is to fill it with items so hopefully by my next post I will have some great opening news for my online shop.

Wow what a day!

2010-06-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

Wow what a day! I was blown away by the amount of people at the Upmarket. In the past I have been to buy and look myself and always known it was a sensational day out but being on the other side was a totally different experience. Many people came and said hello who had said that they have read my blog and I didn't realise that there were other people out there other than my friends and family who have come across my little craft and sewing blog. So a special hello to new friends and fellow blog readers.

The day was busy with a constant flow of traffic. Part of the success of the day has to go to Rae - my dear friend who had her own kids looked after to help me out. Rae has been there from the start and has been encouraging me all the way. Thank you Rae. Along with many of my other friends and family who came along to support me bringing with them others as well. Thank you all.

Besides getting ready for the upmarket there were orders to complete and new projects on the Horizon. These Felt Santa's were finished in time to go to there new home.

This Custom Order Cushion was also collected at the Upmarket for a very special girl.

The school holidays start next week so I will have some more time with my own two girls with lots of activities already planned. I will also be teaching some kids classes at Hot Possum. Check out their website for details or give them a call. We will be doing some hand sewing projects like this owl.

Lots of Packing

2010-06-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

I received back from the Printers the other day my next two Felt Kits. Introducing Bouncing Bunnies...

and Gingerbread Men .....

These will be available on Sunday along with all my wares at the Perth Upmarket. I am very excited (and nervous) as this is my first market and finally I will be on the other side of the table. So it has been all hands on deck around here with even my littlest girl giving me a hand to put together the kits. She very carefully counted out the ribbon and button packs for me.

I have been working on many custom orders this week. I had an order for Felt Badges which will be going to some special Teachers.

I finally got to eat the Chocolate Biscuits!

2010-06-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Well I did get those chocolate biscuits in the end! I was going to eat them anyway!! Many of the Aprons have already found new homes and the one for my sister should hopefully arrive on her doorstop today. This pic is of the few left. I will be busy making some more for the Upmarket next week.

I said many posts ago now that I was working on some Christmas goodies. Well I have been working on some felt Christmas Bauble Garlands. Here is the box in progress...

And here are the finished Bauble Garlands. Several of these have already been ordered and will soon on their way to new homes.

I have enjoyed sitting down and sewing these. Well I must get back to the sewing room.

I am a Woman on a mission !

2010-06-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

See all this cut out fabric - well they are Aprons in waiting. All cut, ironing and sewing to go. Today I shall not blog hop, I shall not net surf, I shall not eat a chocolate biscuit until these are finished!!!!. My sister was here in Perth recently and she has dibs on the top Apron with the black and white floral print on it. So hopefully by the end of the day I should have these complete and then I can eat the chocolate biscuits calling my name from the pantry.

This Make "Me" Boy Cushion was a custom order for a friends little boy's birthday. Here it is sitting on his bed - He is soccer mad so with a few extra touches to my pattern this is the end result. These patterns will be available at the Perth Upmarket and come in two versions - Make "Me" Boy and Make "Me" Girl. They have different clothes and hairstyles that you mix and match to suit your child. I have also had so much fun making them that I have decided that I will take custom orders for them if sewing the cushions yourself is not your thing.

Poor little Sewing Machine!

2010-06-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

My poor sewing machine has been getting a workout! I know that she can't wait to be put to sleep at night these days. Since my launch it has been non-stop here at Tied with a Ribbon central. Many of the orders are now on the way to their new owners and one such order was for this special custom made brooch.

This brooch will be headed to a Kindy Classroom. There are always lots of parents and helpers who give up their time to help out in schools. So this brooch is in special recognition of the "Parent Helper" of the day. I thought it was such a wonderful gesture of the mum who ordered it.

All those fabric and felt hearts have now been turned into Needlebooks which I will be taking with me to Perth Upmarket. This will be my first market so keep Sunday the 27th June free if you are in Perth.

I am working on getting an online shop up and running. This is a work in progress and which I hope soon to have launched. If you want to contact me in the meantime you can leave a comment or drop me an e-mail and I can reply.

Here is a sneak peak at one of my new designs which I am working on. Well next on the cutting table are Notebook Keepers. I will post a picture once they are complete.

A very BIG Thank You!

2010-05-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

From my heart to yours - a very BIG Thank You, to all of my friends and family who came along to my Launch last Friday. I have been overwhelmed by all of your support of my new venture and very excited to be creating all of your special orders.

These are some pics from how things were set out

A Fun Day Out

2010-05-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Today I went along to the quilt and craft show at the Perth Convention centre. Not only was I there to browse the beautifully stocked stalls with many temping delights but I also went along to the Quilt West presentations. My Mum had two entries in this years show and she received third prize for her “Playing with Angels” quilt. Well done Mum! You worked really hard on your quilt and the end result was just gorgeous.

This neat little pile of fabric and felt is eagerly awaiting being turned into Needlebooks in preparation for the next Perth Upmarket. I am really excited as this will be my first Market and hopefully the start of many more to come. So book in Sunday the 27th and come in to say hello.

Buttons and Ribbons

2010-05-11T23:38:00.000-07:00

Well I am not sure how it has gotten to be the middle of May already! I have been away hence the time delay since my last post. I have been visiting Family over in Melbourne. It is always good to catch up with loved ones and with several states between us it does not happen as often as I would like.

In the meantime my sewing room was rather full of packages and parcels that arrived while I was away, so a big tidy up was on the adgenda before any sewing could commence. Not only do I love ribbons (of course) but I almost equally love buttons so my stash has been refilled with some of my favourites awaiting projects and orders.

So eventually once I could see my sewing machine again, it was time to complete an order for Party Bags - A special order for a little boy and girls' joint birthday party.

Whilst in Melbourne I was able to pick up some new fabric. I saw and just had to have this fabric from Earthgirl Fabrics.

I am going to make some summer dresses for my two beautiful girls.

Some Progress and a Birthday Quilt

2010-04-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

This week I have spent some time putting together some Christmas ideas!! Now before you say it is only April and Christmas is still forever away, I have had some people ask what things I will be bringing out for Christmas. So as I like to be organised and Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year it has been fun playing with ideas with a festive feel. I will show you more as my plans and creations come to life.

Also on the sewing table this week have been some Mr and Mrs Monsters that have needed sewing and stuffing. What started as a pile of these :

Are now looking like this waiting to be stuffed!

A quilt that I have been working on for well over a year now is this Chelsea Bloom Lap Quilt. Usually I am a little quicker at putting together quilts but this one is special. My friend moved to America about 18months ago and I wanted to make her a quilt to remind her that I am always thinking of her even if she was far away. So I started putting all the blocks together and she received the first pieces of them last year on her birthday. Each month on her birthday number I posted some more blocks until they were all sent. If you have ever lived away from family and friends then I know you will understand the joy at receiving parcels in the post from afar. At Christmas she returned home for a visit and brought me back all the blocks to put together. And while this has taken a little longer to sew together I know she understands that it has been a busy year.

So here is a peak for you Katrina at what will soon be your finished quilt. I hope you like it.

Never too young!

2010-04-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Besides running Tied with a Ribbon my day job is as a Home Economics Teacher. One of the classes I teach is Textiles. This has become one of my favourite subjects as I love teaching the skills to make and create things and seeing how their ideas form into material artworks. My two girls also enjoy sewing - and whilst on a simpler level than the older students I teach they have become very good at using equipment such as scissors, pins and needles and thread to stitch their own creations.

Recently I took my 7 year old daughter to a "Mummy and Me" Class at one of my favourite shops Hot Possum. On the day we constructed a quilt top and the picture is of the finished quilt that has just been hung above her bed. She did most of the machine sewing herself and sewed together all the blocks in the order as instructed. I helped a little and of course did the rotary cutting and ironing. She knew from the get go she wanted a quilt to hang in her room. I did the quilting with just simple lines as I wanted to have her work be the focus and we sewed all the leftover scraps together to make the binding.

Too many Easter Eggs !!

2010-04-08T03:30:00.000-07:00

I am sure that I am not the only person to have eaten one, two or maybe more Easter Eggs than I should have. Luckily its only once a year. Between the extra long weekend and the girls being on school holidays things here at Tied with a Ribbon have not been as productive as usual. However the break has been nice. Its kind of like the calm before the storm as once all my patterns come back from the printers things will be full steam ahead. I am planning a little Launch in May to have a "Ribbon Cutting" ceremony for my business and I have alot to get ready before then. Here are some of the Headbands that I have been making this week.

A week of BIG progress and a Birthday Party!

2010-03-31T01:44:00.000-07:00

When I decide to start my little business there were many things I wanted to achieve. Well today I made a rather big step forward as the first of my range of Patterns went to the Printer. I have been working on these since Christmas - Devising, making, sewing, re-sewing, writing pattern instructions, pattern testing, having the patterns tested by others and now finally they will soon be ready to package. My sneak peak from last week is my Boy cushion.

We celebrated my little (well not so little anymore!) girls 6th birthday last weekend and by the cake around many of the kids mouths it seemed a roaring success. If you remember all that Dougnut Fabric here is what they looked liked - Party Bags for all the kids - and even a few big kids (Yes you all know who you are!!!!).

I hope you have a wonderful Easter and that the Easter Bunny is very kind to you all.

Special Orders

2010-03-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

I have been kept busy this week with many special custom orders. I love making items for people with specific uses or colours or to suit a particular need. This A4 size notebook was for a customer who needed it to fit her work folder and so my regular sized Notebook Keeper got up sized to fit. I like working all the measurements and recalculating to create a new product all together and I hope that its new owner becomes the envy of the Boardroom.

All the little bunnies have found new homes and I have been sewing and writing instructions for a couple of patterns I hope to release soon. Here is a sneak peak at one of the projects.

As I am new Blogging I have been reading all about "Blog Etiquette" and would love to know if anyone has some useful posts or sites they have visited that would help me to grow and develop this little blog of mine.