be part of Elizabeth Market in November!

The year is flying by…and now there are only two weeks left before applications close for The Elizabeth Handmade Market’s November event!  If you create something beautiful and unique, and would like the chance to to showcase your wares at our market on Friday November 22, head over to the the website to apply before September 15.

100% of stall holder’s fees and the gold coin entry donations go to Elizabeth Home in India, a girls’ school which assists young women in acquiring sewing and computing skills so that they are able to return to their home villages and support their families.

It’s hard to believe that this is our third year of gathering together all these amazing designers to support the fantastic work of Elizabeth Home.  With your help, to date we’ve raised an incredible $10 000!  We are so grateful for your support, and look forward to seeing you all back at our next event on 22 November.

vintage lovelies and a much awaited egg

Once a term I go op-shopping with my mother…it’s an outing I look forward to so much!  A luxurious day spent chatting with my beautiful mum and rummaging for vintage goodness…doesn’t get much better than that.

And this time we found some wonderful bits and pieces!  Lots of gorgeous vintage patterns…

Not many of them are dated, but the two above are from the 1930s. I think a few of them are slightly older, and most are between 1955ish and 1975.

Beautiful threads on wooden spools.

Lovely hand-embroidered doilies and vintage fabric.

And I can never go past a vintage button!

In completely unrelated news – our chookies have (finally) laid their first egg!  It’s been a (very) long time coming, but this is one very well-loved egg indeed.  Lets hope the girls have now got the idea and that lots more eggs will follow!

more skirt photos

Here are some more reversible skirt photos!  I sold the lovely turquoise and vintage floral one at the market last week (thanks to everyone who came along!), but these two are currently in the madeit shop.  I’m loving the denim and red one!  $25 each

There are also lots of new bibs in the shop, including this one, which just may be my favourite bib ever.  $15 each

Isn’t the apple print sweet (haha)?!  It is from a beautiful panel of vintage illustrations purchased at the indescribably gorgeous L’uccello’s.

I’ve also been having some exciting adventures with piping lately (I’m not being sarcastic…it really has been exciting.  I love it when I try new things and they actually turn out better than I think they will!  This is the first time I’ve experimented with piping and it’s going well so far.  I made the piping above and have attached it…hopefully the goodness continues!).  Aren’t navy and yellow so perfect together?  These are currently in the process of becoming a dress.  Hopefully the finished product will be blog-worthy at the end…

skirts! and ironing

Lots of fun has been had this week making some sweet skirts!  Especially pockets…oh, how I love pockets…

These little cuties are coming along to this Saturday’s market in Trevallyn (10am to 2pm at Max Fry Hall, for any locals who have some spare time tomorrow!).  All approximately size 7 (would probably fit age 6 –9ish) and fully reversible, and of course all with splendid pockets!  It was getting dark by the time I finished up sewing the last one (I know it sounds like I put in long days…but it was actually only 4pm on a super grey, wet day) so I’ll post some better photos soon.

This little pink and green skirt was a custom order for a very special little birthday girl.

Skirts are so much fun to make…I’m really enjoying experimenting with the details.  I’d like to make some with detachable apron fronts next.  Hopefully other people out there like them too!

And now for the grumbly bit.  I spend lots of time ironing…just as much time as I spend at the sewing machine.  I have a gorgeous ironing board which makes the job so much easier, but I don’t have a super-duper iron to match.  I inherited my current iron from a dear friend, and it has been great.  Until it started leaking everywhere!  Now I can’t iron anything without ending up in floods of water and practically no steam.

This is my lovely ironing board (obviously not in my home as I don’t have any spaces big enough to take a photograph this white…but it is exactly the same.  Apart from the huge wet patches on mine from my leaking iron.  Grrrr.)

So I need to buy a new iron.  But where to start?!  I know I need a steam iron, and it has to be heavy duty because it will be used everyday.  So I need some help from any ironing enthusiasts out there…do you have an iron you love?  Or one you hate?  Anything I should look out for?  I’d love to hear from you!