Lavender ladies tutorial

Wow, look at all these great handmade gifts already! I thought I would share with you a simple, quick gift to make.


These sweet little lavender ladies are a modern take on the old fashioned lavender bags that go into your underwear drawer or under your pillow. They make perfect gifts for friends, teachers, colleagues or ‘secret santa’ (Kris Kringle) gifts.

To make a lavender lady, you will need:
Fabric of your choice (approx 2 x 20cm square)
Felt to make the face
Embroidery thread
Needle for embroidery
Sewing machine or needle and thread
Pins
Dried lavender (you will find it in craft shops or health food shops)
Stuffing




To begin, fold your fabric over with the wrong side showing. You don’t need a pattern, just draw two overlapping circles straight onto the fabric (use chalk or pencil though, I used a marker so that you could see it in the photo). For my lavender lady the big circle’s diameter is 12cm and the smaller circle’s diameter is 8cm. It doesn’t need to be perfect though! Cut out your little lady and put aside.


Next, cut out a little round face from the felt. Again, just draw the circle straight onto the felt and cut it out. Mine is 4.5cm in diameter. Stitch on some little eyes and a mouth using embroidery thread. If you are making a few lavender ladies, try stitching different expressions on them.


Stitch the face straight onto the head of the body.




Now, lie the two body pieces right sides together and pin them securely. See those two pins at the bottom? They are very important! This is the gap you are going to leave so that you can stuff the body. Stitch the two body pieces together using a sewing machine or hand sewing. Don’t stitch across the gap.




Turn your lavender lady inside out. Looking cute, isn’t she? Start to stuff your lavender lady, alternating between stuffing and spoonfuls of lavender. All up, I put about 5 tablespoons of lavender in mine.


Once she is all stuffed, hand sew the opening at the bottom together.


And there you have it – a very sweet little lavender lady. I tied a little ribbon around her neck to make her look a bit more festive.

A Colourful Christmas

(Clockwise from top: Spice Cubes, Turquoise Holiday Trees, Tiny Dot in Petal, Turquoise Jingle Jangle, Orange Little Flakes from Michael Miller's Christmas Spice collection. Tiny Dots from Patty Young's Andalucia collection.)

I know, Hallowe'en isn't even over and yet I'm planning my Christmas decorating! What can I say? Christmas is my favourite holiday of the year and any excuse to start early is just fine with me.

Pink, orange, and turquoise may seem like an unusual holiday theme, but it works perfectly for me. I am planning on making new pillow covers for the living room, a skirt for our tree, and a table runner for our dining room. For the front porch and the dining room table, I'm making glitter pomegranates and oranges, as well as a glitter sign for our front door.

I'd really like to try my hand at these snow globes and this beautiful glitter house by Red Heads Craft More Fun:

(Image from Red Heads Craft More Fun. Tutorial here.)

My dilemma: Martha Stewart or Cathie Filian glitter? Which do you prefer? Input on your favourite glitter is welcomed! :)

the "it" list... October 29, 2010!

theitlist

Today's list has a decidedly fall feel. Take some time today or this weekend to peruse these awesome blogs! The list is hoppin' this week!

  • good life for less has the perfect fall outfit from the perfect summer dress. Check it out!
  • adella avenue kicks off a great new series that pits East vs. West. And whether you live on either coast or some where in between you'll love it. This week she chooses fall shoes suitable for each coasts' weather!
  • merci blah blah goes all spooky on us with spooky library decor. It's making me rethink my own Halloween decorations. I just love all these spooky but inspired rooms!
  • jewelscapes definitely inspires with this fall outfit popping with yellow! I just love this look... yellow is so alluring this time of year! And you know she always has each outfit perfectly accessorized!
  • closet confections fakes it 'til she makes it... why spend three grand on a coat when you can get a perfect alternative from Forever 21. I love this coat on her!
  • good tots! pulls together 3 great maternity looks all using one pair of jeans. If you are expecting a baby or know someone that is, you will love these looks!
  • you can call my chris has a fun series called "fight the frump" - this week she features bold tights. They are a great way to not only avoid looking frumpy... but to look down right festive!
  • really cute stuff has your hard-to-buy-for Christmas list in the bag. These monogrammed notecards are super classy and practical. They are perfect for teachers, co-workers and long lost friends.
  • rose a la mode is seriously rocking winter shorts. I am so inspired to try this look, she has it perfected!
  • dressing mommy is giving away a gorgeous pair of JessLC paisley earrings. Go.... go enter NOW!
  • karina, ink whips up an adorable fall place setting using apples and other fall goodies. She makes it look effortless - I'd love some of these on my fall table!
  • fashionably southern gives lace a try... and likes it! She tracks down some great lace tops - some of which I am completely in love with for fall!
  • sweetie pie pumpkin noodle celebrates vanity this week... get a sneak peek into the stylish vanities of fellow bloggers and inspiration galore for creating your own vanity spot at home!
  • one hundred inspirations gets you this great fall outfit that Reese Witherspoon is wearing for only about $100. This is definitely a look to snag!
~~~

Interested in learning more about the "it" list or being featured on it? Click here for details!

La Inglesita on her 15 bags mission

Hi everyone, I'm Maria and I love designing and sewing clothes for my children that I blog here. This year I planned to give handmade gifts to my girlfriends so this blog is just what I need. As a good fabric addict does, I have accumulated yards of beautiful fabrics over the year. Now it's the perfect moment to get them out of my stash and use them. I'm going to make 15 (yes, fifteen, 1 and 5 ) of the Charlie bag, following this tutorial by verypurpleperson. 
I will start in a couple of weeks so if any of you has made it I'll be very glad to receive advice.
Thank you in advance for all your ideas and happy making!

Challenge #69 - Color Challenge - Purple and Silver


Hello CSAYL Friends! Well, this is the last week of October and next week will officially be the start of the Holidays. It's amazing that in less than 2 months, it'll be Christmas! Well it's time you get going and start creating your Christmas cards.

This week we have an interesting color combo challenge for you! Thanks to Jacqui, she came up with this great color combination: Purple and Silver! Wow, what a wonderful color combination!



Here's how to play along with us: just insert the link to your card below (click on the blue "add your link" button). If you are unable to link it, please comment this post with the link to your card. If you upload your cards on SCS or PCP, please add the keyword: CSAYL and the title "CSAYL69".

We can't wait to see what you come up with. Hope you'll play along this week!!

Check out the awesome cards created by the design team:





Michelle - Creative Journey