Spoonflower.com  is a fabulous American site that prints your designs onto a range of quality fabrics like organic cottons and bamboo.

60's potholder60's fabric designI had a shot at designing some fabric using an old vintage potholder for inspiration.

Agapanthus photoAgapanthus fabricAnother photo I took of an agapanthus blooming in the front yard morphed into this design.  You can see your work in fabric form for as little as $5US for an 8x8 inch swatch.

Spoonflower can also put your fabric design up for sale on their site and you'll receive a 10% commission for your trouble!Just a few of the hundreds of home-grown fabric designs at Spoonflower!

Digitally printed silk organza with hand-frayed trimPopped into Easton Pearson Exhibition (at Brissie's Gallery of Modern Art until 8 Nov).

Lots of garments on display. 

Nice glimpse of their workroom, with racks of pattern blocks, bottles of sequins and bolts of fabric.

Paper Doll Activity

Especially enjoyed the "children's" activity.

GOMA supply ladies and mens cardboard figures and photocopies of fabric textures, so you can make your own paper dolls. 

Loved it - couldn't help noticing there were no actual children cutting and pasting, just teenagers and adults!

Spent a week camping on Moreton Island - big outdoor kitchen shaded by casuarinas,  the Blue Lagoon instead of taking a shower, the roar of the surf as you drift off to sleep... Yep, got pretty good at blocking out the sound of the 70 school students we took with us!  Every year I organise craft activities for our church camp.  This year was particularly primitive - no electricity, (what! no power tools!), no running water (bye-bye screenprinting) and worst of all no budget. 

Tie-tanic - handcrafted on Moreton IslandOur recession crafts were made from donated scrap fabrics that were sewn into props for our "formal" dinner night on the beach.  I thought the boys would enjoy a handsome 80's print tie to wear over their T-shirts and boardies.  And for the girls, who wouldn't want an an attractive corsage! (How-to instructions at Pink Paper Peppermints).  Scrap fabric CorsageTurned out to be a lovely night - who knew that dancing on sand kicks up so much dust? - it looked like we hired a smoke machine!

Getting the guys at our camp interested in craft takes some planning.  Samples of mancrafts from previous campsHere's some mancrafts that have proved popular over the years -  leather wrist cuffs, Maori bone-carving, hardware jewellery and macrame friendship bands or anklets (technically known as manklets for boys). 

Great resources:-

Summer Crafts by Marjorie Galen (easy macrame instructions)

Hardwear - Jewelry from a Toolbox by Hannah Rogge (lots of cool jewellery ideas from gear you can buy at Bunnings!)

Another gem from Garth Johnson's Extreme Craft blogAnd for the ultimate mancrafts visit Garth Johnson's fabulous Extreme Craft website!

My sister-in-law Kia runs her own indie craft business at www.kiahingfay.com making darling softies and applique kits for crafters.My nephew Finn makes a lovely torso model for his Mama's applique kits!

Frankie magazine is currently giving away some of her digit dolls. Visit the Frankie website to win some!

Bit the bullet and took the pledge!

At Wardrobe Refashion, you can sign a pledge for a minimum 2 months, to not buy new clothes, but craft and create your own instead.  Participants can log their progress on the WR blog. 

Here's my first entry:-

Once upon a time, I was an idealistic teenager who came to Brisvegas to do Environmental Studies at Griffith Uni.  Over the years, I've kind of fallen off the green bandwagon, but lately have decided to hop back on.

Why?  In the eighties when I was studying,  lecturers insisted " the sky is falling, the sky is falling!" and a couple of decades later I realise their dire warnings were true...ish... Though the sky hasn't fallen, it has big holes in it, and in certain parts of the world (China for instance) it is in fact constantly brown, not blue.

Re-fashioning clothes is just one little thing I can do that's green, clean and a lot of fun!

So here's some I prepared earlier...

Giant size man's shirt becomes little shift dress...

And here's a skirt refashioned from a pair of pillowslips...

I've signed on initially for 2 months and I'm hoping we can encourage each other to get busy re-fashioning.

I'll try and post some instructions for anyone new to sewing on my website, which is geared at beginners learning to sew.

Thanks for reading!

Carmen @ Clothesline

From French Sleep Deprivation Study blog...At the WR blog, have already spotted this fab refashioning site...

We'd love to see more photos of what you've made from Clothesline projects.  I know it's hard to get a good shot, so here are some tips for nicer photos:-

1. No-one looks good hit with on-camera flash indoors.  Red eyes, bright white skin on a dark background  - a supermodel would look bad.  Shoot outside in the yard during daylight hours.

2. Now we're out in the open, pose your subject under the shade of a tree.  (Photographing in full sunlight can wash out some colours.)

3. Don't have your subject squinting into the sun.  Alternatively, don't have them with their back to the sun, so that they're just a backlit shadow.  Most flattering is when the light source is off to one side of your face.  (If your face looks too shadowy, real enthusiasts can use a white sheet or large white cardboard (out of shot) to reflect light back onto the darker side.)

Had to laugh at Julyne Derrick's About.com article:  How to look 10 lbs thinner in photos.  Here's just an excerpt:-

The secret is in the pose. (That, and the fact that they (models) starve themselves a week before events and get sprayed by professional tanning people and wear gut-sucking Spanx and ...). Back to the pose. Here we share five secrets to appearing 10 pounds thinner in photos. You can practice these tips in front of a mirror, but we suggest locking your door first so as not to be caught appearing vain.

Secret No. 1: Turn partially sideways to the camera, planting one foot in front of the other. Point your toe to the camera and place your weight on your back foot.

Secret No. 2: Pull head forward slightly to minimize any appearance of a double chin.

Secret No. 3: Hold arms slightly away from your body. This keeps upper arm flab from flattening out and therefore appearing flabbier (much like thighs do when one sits on a couch).

Secret No. 4: Pull shoulders back, chest forward and gently suck stomach in. Be careful not to suck stomach so far in that your ribs show, thereby causing those who later see the photo to cluck to themselves in a bemused, sing-song voice, "She's sucking i-in."

Secret No. 5: If you can get away with it without looking like a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Girl wannabe, try the look away trick. To do this, look away from the camera, then turn towards it, breaking into a smile just before the camera clicks. Your smile will appear fresh, not frozen. This trick takes practice behind closed, locked doors.

When taking a photo it's also important the photographer does not snap the picture from below. This adds another 20-50 pounds to the 10 pounds automatically and annoying added by the camera.

Yes, you can laugh, but it's good advice.  Dare you to try it!

August is Ekka (Exhibition) time here in Brisbane - cream-filled waffles, bone-crunching rides, sheep dog trials and showbags! For those afraid of swine flu, here's a showbag you can get without visiting the show...

I so enjoyed making a goodie bag for the HEIAQ (home-ec teachers)conference (all that cutting, stamping and glueing is quite therapeutic!), that I've put together a limited number of extra ones.

The Clothesline showbag contains:

1. In the Beginning pattern pack

2. Black library bag with hand made Clothesline logo

3. Extra long (3m) tape measure in a tin (metric and imperial - good for American books and projects!)

4. 0.9m black jumbo ric rac (nice apron trim)

5. 2.4m red twill tape (for apron straps)

6. Big bookmark with a list of our favourite sewing resources

7. Tiny sewing repair kit (to keep in your handbag)

Price is $35 AUD. Sorry can't offer free postage as they're a little heavier to post than the  regular pattern pack. Plus $5 postage = $40 AUD. Order yours at our store ... 

How come all the handicrafts that come out of Japan are so darn cute? They even have a cute word for cute - kawaii.

from Design Collection for Kids 365There are lots of Japanese craft books in print, but they are mainly written in Japanese. So it's a matter of looking at photos/diagrams and working it out from there. My sister-in-law Kia found this cute bag, but couldn't decipher the Japanese instructions.

It's not quite the same, but I managed to make my own version of this one handled bag.

It was so easy, I'll post how-to photos shortly - it's a great project for raw beginners, providing nearly instant gratification.

Not to mention it fits in with our green theme - what better way to quell the uprising of the plastic bag, than by making your own re-usable cloth bags.Make them any size out of scrap fabric -this one's recycled from an old cushion cover and pillowslip!

August 2009Thank you, Sarah Tarca, for a free plug in this month's Girlfriend magazine!  

Aaah...my guilty secret is out!  Reality TV ... Since Masterchef is winding up, my new addiction is likely to be Project Runway Australia (8.30 pm Wed on Arena) - I even have a friend record it for me as I don't have cable. 

It's amazing to see a) men sewing and b) what people can whip up in just a few hours.  Last year 2 of the 3 finalists were from here in sunny Brisvegas.  Wonder how Queenslanders will go this season?

from ReadyMade April/May 2009Wandering past City Beach, saw some patched denim jeans and said to myself "That'd be so easy to do!" Here's how to attack them, courtesy of a great re-fashioning article in ReadyMade  magazine.

Try it out first on some old jeans- I found a great $8 pair of Levis at an op-shop.

Went out op-shopping recently with a big group, looking for 80's clothes for a fancy dress party. Found that some people hate op-shops, there were cries of "let's get out of here, it smells!".

Personally, I love op-shopping (sorry, Mum). One day I bought a Miss Sixty vest, Country Road shirt, vintage gloves, couple of hand-embroidered cushion covers,and still had enough change from $20 to buy lunch!

For op-shopping novices, here are some tips on thrifting from cult 13-year-old blogger, the Stylish Wanderer.

from Sunday Mail 7.6.09

Summer Rayne Oakes, author of eco-shopping guide Style Naturally was in Brisbane recently for Greenfest. (Missed it, I was out of town, but if anyone went, let me know!) The Cornell Uni graduate modelled these looks from eco-friendly companies for our local newspaper.

Nice to see it's no longer hippy, brown-sack type clothing, in case you were worried!

Lots of the pictured clothing ranges use organic cotton, and here's one of the reasons why.

This story's from Matilda Lee's book Eco-Chic...

"At just 8 years old, Modachirou Inoussa already helped his parents in the cotton fields, and 29 July 2000 started as a day like many others. Modachirou had worked hard and ran back to the house feeling thirsty. Finding no drink, he set off to search for his parents. On his way, Modachirou found an empty container, and scooped up some water to drink from a ditch. That evening he did not return home. A village search found his body next to the empty Callisulfan bottle innocently used to quench his thirst."

Just another death caused by pesticides used on cotton, the world's largest non-food crop. Why do we never hear about them in Australia? Practically all of the estimated 3 to 5 million poisonings each year happen to small farmers in the developing world. Most don't use protective gear, and the costly pesticides are often the most expensive things they own.  Lethal chemicals are kept inside homes to prevent theft. And using empty pesticide containers for water or food is common...

Hmmm... what do you say after that... except a big Yay! for green companies like Sosume (pictured) who use pesticide-free, organically grown cotton fabrics.

Still working on skirts made from a pair of pillowslips (see previous entry) ...

When I told Remo about my sewing business, he insisted I wear something I'd made to our next church meeting.  Luckily, this pillowslip skirt can be made in an afternoon. (Excuse strange pose - I photographed myself in the bathroom mirror!)

Other experiments include this comfy version made from a pair of really soft, Country Road pillowcases. Thank you Vicki O. for your feedback - and yes, writing detailed instructions is high on my to-do list!  

Thought y'all might be interested in how ideas for new patterns come about.  This one started with a note from a teacher, looking for an easy wrap skirt project for her year 9 students.  Came up with this little mini  skirt, which I quite liked. There was just one problem - as with most wrap skirts, a strong breeze and it all unwraps rather quickly! 

 

Hoping to avoid wardrobe malfunctions, I looked into another wrap skirt style that is a large tube shape (so it can't fly open, exposing your undies!).  Round about the   same time, I spied these little dresses in British magazine Sew Hip, made from a recycled pillowslip.

Figuring one pillowcase would not accomodate my hips, I started work on a wrap skirt made from a pair of pillowcases.  Here's some of the work in progress...Front of Pillowslip skirt Back of pillowslip skirt Basically, two pillowslips join to make a large tube shape, which you clip into place with press studs, wrap and tie around your waist.

The ties are made from fabric trimmed from the pillowcases.  It's simple and fast, as it uses some of the seams and hems already on the pillowslips.          

Here's another version that uses a pair of pillowslips that had a blue contrast panel.  Cut it shorter for a mini version. 

 

Just a little story today...

Ann Wells from the Los Angeles Times writes:

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package... He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite, silk, hand-made - the price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.

"Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least eight or nine years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion."

He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me.

"Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you are alive is a special occasion."

I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death...

I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life... I'm not "saving" anything: we use our good china and crystal for every special event - such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom...

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now... I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and lustre to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes I tell myself that it is special.

Out op-shopping, I found this huuuge men's shirt that looked like it'd never been worn.  It's big - I'm talking Biggest- Loser-before-shot-size big.

A little elective surgery  -  I cut off the sleeves and took the sides in. Knowing how to take in the side seams on a garment is a useful thing.  Try it out on your Clothesline pattern garments,  if you prefer a closer fit. 

Here's how...

1. Try garment on inside out.
2. Pin excess fabric - a bit like in picture at right, but don't pin in so close. (Clothesline patterns don't have buttons like this shirt to help you get in and out of them.)
3. With pins still in place, carefully take off garment to be certain you can get in and out of it OK.( ie don't make the waist so skinny that you can't get it over your ample bosoms!)
4. With an ERASABLE marker, draw lines where pins are.
5. Remove pins and stitch along drawn line.
6. Trim seams to 1.5cm wide.
7. Zig-zag finish seams.
8. Think to self - "Boy, that was easy, I'm not scared of altering clothes any more." 

For this shirt dress, I put a rolled edge hem on the armholes and also sewed in a couple of darts along the bust line for a better fit.

So... that's how dejected Biggest Loser shirts get born again. Give recycling a go - it's eco-friendly and a fun and creative skill for the new recession.

Hi all you Frankie-o-philes, who spotted a tiny article in the May/June issue of Frankie magazine and came to visit.  I've included it here, because it pretty much sums up what we're all about.                             

My craft show souvenirsCraft shows here in Brisvegas are often fairly ordinary affairs, with a good turnout from the over 60's.  But I'm pleased to report, when my sister-in-law Kia and I hit the Stitches & Craft show (www.stitchesandcraft.com.au)  yesterday, we were pleasantly surprised at some great stuff for sewing fans.

Entry was $16, but  found heaps of freebies after that...

• Fashion Parades - Burda Style had a  parade of very cool clothes made from free and low cost patterns from their website.  And as for the Craft Parade - Where else could you see a black-leotard-wearing model carrying a sock monkey down the runway? ( I suppose the crafts can't walk down themselves!)

• Craft Bars - Pull up a bar stool and sew a pincushion with Liberty of London fabrics.  You can also embroider a pair of handguns, a drum kit or (my choice) a shhhing librarian, courtesy of Sublime Stitching.

• Incubator - A row of stalls from Indie Craft businesses - my favourite, Thread Den - a great Melbourne Sewing Lounge -  had vintage patterns and handmade clothes (fabulous 50's style swimsuits!) for sale.  Online store coming soon.

• Reconstruction Zone - Lots of op-shop finds, buttons, trims, tools and a fleet of Brother sewing machines and overlockers to play with, thanks to Wardrobe Refashion.  Take a look at the set up here on their website.   A great concept, though I do think the addition of a few books like Megan Nikolay's Generation T  would've helped some of us get some ideas!

And when you need a rest, head upstairs to the cinema (we took our lunch up there, re-arranged the couches, let Kia's little boy Finn have a run around) and watch:-

• Handmade Nation - a film about Indie Craft movement in America, based on the book of the same name.  My favourite bit - an interview with a great little business called Buy Olympia.  (Showing footage of their warehouse - " In the days before Pay Pal and Etsy, we'd stand right here packing orders, working out postage...then after 4 months, we bought a chair...)  Found that funny, and at the same time, dangerously close to home...

Hope this helps you decide whether to make the pilgrimage to the Show (runs in Brisbane 29 Apr to 3 May 09, Sydney 19-23 Aug, Melbourne - you missed it but it's on again 10-14 Mar 2010.)

Download this free t-shirt design at www.green isthenewblack.typepad.comToday, I'm officially starting work on Clothesline's next pattern range which has the working title "Green is the New Black".

Before you think I'm jumping on the sustainable clothing/environmentally-friendly bandwagon just because it's fashionable, let me whip out my green credentials.

Hanging on the wall in the Pool Room of my parent's house is my framed and faded degree from Griffith Uni. It's from their School of Australian Environmental Studies and dates back to the 1980's. Yep, I was a greenie before some of you were even born!

I've fallen off the green bandwagon a few times over the years, but you don't have to be a hippy-loving, cause-fighting, non-leather shoe-wearing, organic-eating, kombi-van-touring, do-gooder to be green. Just do the little things that you can.

I'd like to learn how to make my wardrobe a bit greener, so I've hunted down some background reading to get ideas.   Sifted through some very dull tomes, but found a few gems like these two easy reads.  Source them at amazon.com or put them on hold at your local library.

Tamsin Blanchard - Green is the New Black. For those who love to be ethical, dream of cheap clothes that don't cost the earth -  clothing with a conscience!

Summer Rayne Oakes - Style, Naturally. One-stop resource for all things green. Great profiles on ethical fashion design labels.

Plus out of Brisbane, Peppermint, a new eco-fashion magazine to hunt down... Happy reading!