WONKY KITS BEING ASSEMBLED!

Every time you do something 160 times it takes a while. I picked this magic number out of the air, that was my target for the number of wonky kits I wanted to have ready for the Stitches & Craft Show which starts officially in 21 days...and I am officially ILL with nervous excitement. My horror dreams have started (ie show starts and the last fifty things on my to-do list have for some reason been completely ignored!) I am SO GRATEFUL my sweet mother Mazzy has come down this week to help....as I have a full time job and there are only so many minutes left in the day once I get home from work. She is also going to help me at the show and I am so proud to have her there, as she was such a huge stitching inspiration to me when I was growing up. In addition to helping with all sorts of show-related tasks, she is CALM and RATIONAL and without her support I reckon I would be a MASSIVE basket case.

The good news is the kits are well underway: my studio desks are covered in bits of paper:


I must admit though, that the kaleidoscope of colour truly soothes my soul...

Juicy Roo Postcard

With the Sydney Stitches & Craft Show rapidly approaching (did I say rapidly? I meant to say RAPIDLY!) I am crossing things off my to-do list, however not as frequently as I seem to be adding things! But every now and then I have a win: today I received my postcards. I wanted to have a Juicy Roo themed give-away for the Show. Given the majority of my goodies for the Show are fabric based, it only seemed appropriate to have a pic of Juicy Roo stitching madly with her ever-faithful furry feline friend watching on. I was really pleased with the print job, all colours came back exactly as expected, even with pantone guides sometimes there can be a shift depending on paper, varnishes etc. All in all I am stoked! They'll be super fun to give away.

Here is the front:


And here is the back, with some room to scribble a juicy message if need be:

Lily Caroline pic, as promised

I promised to post a picture of Lily Caroline once she was completed. She is the newest addition to the rapidly growing wonky family...here she is, inspired by my grandmother who taught me how to draw little birds. Isnt she sweet?

WONKIES GALORE

Question: What does a stash of 99 wonkies look like? I'll show you. It looks like this:



Time is ticking away for the Stitches & Craft Show and my goal of 100 wonkies is almost realized, leaving me time now to finish the kits, and then start on the cards, tshirts, aprons and bags (of course I am deluded to think I can achieve the final 2). What fun! Never a dull moment when creation takes over.

Lined Pouch

One of the (many) things on my 'to do' list before the Stitches and Craft Show is post a project on the Living Creatively website. I've been tossing around some ideas for this: a tote bag, a cushion cover, an apron.....but I think I've decided to put together a project sheet on how to make a lined pouch. I love lined pouches! I've made a few as gifts and they are always well received. Here are some pics of the one I made for my friend Gina (alias 'Genius'). The zipper can be a bit fiddly truth be told....but they are worth the effort!




This fabric turned out to be perfect for lining: thanks Catriona!

My Grandmother Taught Me to Draw Birds

Her name was Lily Caroline. Isn't that a beautiful name? She left this world when I was 6. I remember a lot about her though. She taught me how to draw birds and fish. Little birds appear frequently in the indy crafter world and I am no exception. The little bird that reappears in the world of Juicy Roo over and over again is the same bird she taught me to draw...(ok maybe I juicy-roo-afied the tail bit!) I thought I'd use my little bird as an embellishment on the belly of a Wonky....and it only seemed fitting that I would name the wonky after her. Lily Caroline (i.e. the Wonky!) has not been finished yet, but I'll introduce her formally as soon as she is stitched up. She will make her debut at the Stitches and Craft Show in Sydney. Am I crazy for naming Wonkies after people and things that I care about?