Pinkerton Manor

Matt and I don’t do Valentines Day gifts, but I decided I still wanted to make something little and cute for him.  So, I made a bunch of lollipop flowers.  They’re cheap and super easy to make.  Here’s how.

Draw or download and print a flower template and cut it out.

Trace the flower onto some felt.  I chose dark red for Valentines, but I think I might try some other colours for birthdays and things later.

Cut the flower out of the felt and snip a little hole in the centre.  I found the easiest way to do this is to fold it into quarters and just snip the corner.

Insert your lollipop into the hole.  I also cut out a set of freehand leaves for mine, but I think that’s pretty optional.  Now just shape the flower around the lollipop a little and you’re done!

Happy Valentines Day!

I’ve been wanting to post a some progress photos of my latest projects all week, but by the time I go to take photos it’s always too dark and the photos aren’t very good. So, here is just one of my latest projects (the only photos that were semi-decent).

Data Structures In Pascal? It’s a hardcore university mathematics textbook, from what I understand. My uncle is a doctor of maths and I found it in my grandparents junk pile when they moved interstate. Random mathematics book, yes please! But now it’s not just any book. It’s a secret book.

Almost. I still need to hollow it out a bit more and clean it up, but it’s coming along nicely.

Back in 2007 my friend Steve drew a few sketches of what he named Demonio Llama.  So, for Christmas this year I made him a felt Demonio Llama.  I used The Shishi Girl’s Alpaca pattern and gave him red faceted bead eyes.

I still have to post it to him, so I hope he’s not reading this.

As of today I have finished both Curtain and curtains.  Confused?

I’ve been addicted to Agatha Christie for the past year or so and last week I started reading Curtain.  Coincidentally, I also started making curtains last week.  Our flat has quite a few windows (including one in the bedroom that opens out to the living area).  There are trees all around and it’s great.  We loved it when we first moved in, but now the afternoon sun shines right in and that’s not so nice.  Also there is a street light right outside one of the windows.  We did have a towel hanging over it (the window, not the street light), but curtains do tend to look better on windows than stripey bath towels.  And so, I made curtains.

It was my first time machine stitching a blind hem.  I’d heard it wasn’t easy to get right the first time around, but I seriously don’t know what those people are on about.  It was so easy!  And waaaay faster than doing it by hand.

I still need to make curtains for the front windows, but that’s not urgent and frankly I’m kind of over curtains for now.  I think I’ll make the camisole over at Weekend Designer in the meantime.  I’ve also fallen in love with American Apparel’s Le Sac Dress and I’m pretty sure I could make my own (and for less than $US38 too).

For now, I leave your with a photo of the possum that lives in our roof.

Last year I started making my own Christmas ornaments.  I thoroughly recommend it, it’s a lot of fun.  Here’s how it turned out last Christmas.

This year I’m making peg people.  Inspired by Martha Stewart and these cuties on Flickr.  Here’s a sneak peek of my work so far.

Two down, twenty four to go.  I plan on keeping six for our tree and giving the rest away as gifts.  Suggestions for characters are more than welcome (so far I’m making some more 18th Century style people, Mr T, a little drummer boy and a hobo).  And if anyone knows where I would buy teeny tiny screw in eyelets I’d be totally in your debt.

PS Photos of buttons are on the way, I swear.

When my little brother Louie was about 3 years old his favourite adjective was ‘good’ (or ‘dood’ as he said). So, one day I had a chat to him about other words he might like to use instead. We discussed words such as ‘awesome’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘fantastic’, but he remained loyal to ‘good’.

“I’m really good at helping Mum hang the washing out,” he told me.
“You sure are,” I replied. “And modest too.”
“No, Amie,” he corrected me. “I’m not modest, I’m fantastic.”
He learned a new word after all.

So, when I read the Craftster needlework challenge was going to be favourite quotes I knew exactly what mine would be. Unfortunately I didn’t finish in time to enter the challenge on account of a back injury which had me out of action for over a week. However, I really enjoyed working on it and I can’t wait to give it to Louie.

This was also my first attempt at stitching that wasn’t just backstitch or French knots. The border is laced double stitch worked in three colours. I really like the way it turned out.