getting market ready

its raining & my son has a day at preschool today, so i am making some little things to sell at my next market...

zip purses in assorted shapes and sizes....

a new butterfly print...

the signature apple print... (shape 1 above & shape 2 below)

up-cycled metal zips from my mothers sewing collection she handed over to me last year

vintage floral sheets used for the lining...

organic hemp denim on the back (and organic hemp base cloth for my prints too)

such fun to make, especially as no two are the same...

:: which shape do you like best?

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& lots more exciting things over at our creative spaces each thursday too so click here to visit

House & Garden magazine feature

my apple mac linen cushion was selected by the House & Garden Stylist for inclusion in a fruity feature of their March ed.

it came about through me listing a shop on a great new online market place called down that little lane . 

Check them out on FB here and the Blog here.... (...and if you like what you see apply! ((you must apply as this market place is full of unique and top quality items)) ... & yes, they are currently looking for new shop sellers... )

Tessa, the lady behind this new market place was contacted by the H&G stylist who had selected out of all the amazing products - my cushion! 

yippee..... free advertising and its quite exciting seeing my BIRCHseed stuff in a mag :) 

:: i would love to hear if your goods have been featured in a magazine/s 

market makings for Christmas

BIRCHseed will have a stall at 3 upcoming christmas markets. so i am making some festive trinkets to sell along with much of the usual BIRCHseed stuff.

i found this really great idea for embroidered fabric baubles over at the amazingly creative prints charming site. perfect for the blockprinting process i use and just so sweet don't your think?

here's how i made this bauble....

begins with a few sketches in my art journal

then out comes the silk cut....
drawing the design onto the pre cut lino and carving

inking up and test on paper, then fabric..

(the fabric i used was a scrap piece of linen tea towel i had left over from another project)

to complete the bauble, i hand stitched different colours of embroidery thread into the fabric print.

then i cut a nice red & white dotty contrast backing....sewed the two pieces of fabric together leaving a small gap to add some stuffing inside....





 hand stitched the gap closed and threaded some cotton twine through the top to hand the decoration on a tree.

and thats it done!

my aim is to make 6 different bauble designs that i will sell at the markets in kit form (where you can add your own colourful stitches) and quite a few more that i will complete and hang in a branch on my stall table.


:: do you think i should add them to my online shops for a bit of festive fun? would you sew & embroider some yourself too?


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ps:  if you love markets & live around northern nsw...

 the first market is on the 26th november, in a little quaint town called stokers siding. its an old fashioned craft market held in a 100 year old hall. some of my friends will be there too - helle of gooseflesh /  kathy of oiko.

the second market is to be held on saturday the 3rd of december at the stunning tweed river art gallery. this gallery is worth a day trip in itself... a gorgeous contempory space set high on a hill, overlooking the tweed river, amongst some of the most stunning rural land you will ever see.

the third market i was invited by my friend ruth, to share a true 'christmas spirited' market run by the city church in brisbane, held on the sunday the 11th of december.

DIY - handmade bias binding

want a chunky, organic-looking bias binding? 

this DIY takes your through the process of making continuous bias binding from bits of fabric you have at home in your stash or upcycle some old pillow cases / sheets / table clothes etc.

(i chopped up a 100% cotton curtain left over from cushion making project...)

1. grab your piece of remnant fabric & fold in half (good sides together)... now draw a square, probably at least 10 inches wide...

2. my squares measure 14 x 14 inches

3. cut squares out

4. pin squares together and sew 3mm in from edge all the way around the 4 sides. use a straight stitch set on 2.5

5. draw a diagonal line across from one corner to the other like shown...

6. lay fabric back on table

7. flip the fabric and do the same on the other side - BUT you actually want the two lines to form a 'X' when peeking at both sides - so just lift the other side and check

8. snip off 1cm from all 4 corners - this is so the scissors can be inserted in the following steps

9. snipped- corner close up

10. now cut across the diagonal line on one side...

11. flip the fabric and do exactly the same on the other side - BUT when you get towards the centre of the line, be careful not to pick up and cut the underneath layer, have a peek when you get to the middle just to make sure

12. with both sides now cut, begin to open the square from the centre

13. keep gently pulling open the square till the square begins to look like a tubular rectangle

14. lay the rectangle tube flat on the table

15. iron open & flat all sewn seams

16. close up of ironed seams

17. with your fabric tube flat on the table, draw a vertical line 6 or so inches in from the left side as shown...

18. with your ruler and chalk, mark and trim the top and bottom edges to neaten

19. now draw 3cm (1 inch) horizontal lines all the way down the right side of the 6 inch vertical line

20. begin cutting the lines all the way down

21. till you have a piece of fabric that now looks like some deep sea jelly fish!

22. open your fabric from the 6 inch side until you have the un-cut section of the fabric tube centred on the tabel

23. now, this is where the continuous bias comes into play... draw and match up the lower left side cuts with the upper right side cuts

24. until it looks like this...

25. begin cutting along the lines from the top - & trim the irregular top edge off square

26. keep cutting the lines all the way down... i inserted a piece of A4 paper in between so as not to accidentally cut into the underneath layer

27. cutting, cutting cutting....

28. when you get to the bottom, trim the irregular edge to make square

29. and viola!! you should now have a lengths & lengths of bias binding!

30. a great way to keep your bias binding flat and neat is to make a holding spool... i used an old ikea cardboard box cut into this shape

31. tape one end to the cardboard spool

32. now just wrap the bias around the spool & store till you need to use...

33. the binding put to use as a raw edge around a cotton singlet

34 - 36. you can now make bias binding in any colour / fabric to add to your handmade apparel.

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once you have mastered this technique, watch out... it becomes a tad addictive!

:: would love to hear what sewing tips and tricks you use at home to help make your things 

just that little bit different....

more goodness over at our creative spaces today

organic hemp and cotton tea towels... a scrumptious new textile for BIRCHseed

:: time to show you my new cream-de deluxe BIRCHseed tea towels...

they are made from a blend of hemp and certified organic cotton. 

these are the type of tea towel that you will have in your home for the next 20 years.... they are heavy weight and strong, because hemp is the strongest natural textile of them all, its even stronger than linen!

i have predominantly printed my tea pots so far in these colours

... and chookies in green and brown

(... the piggy chopping board was handmade by my pop some 25 years ago)

i feel a bit funny about selling a tea towel around the $30 mark.... i had to save long and hard to be able to purchase a bulk amount so i could print on them. but if you could reach out right now and just touch these.... 

you would see why i have gone to the effort to include them in my BIRCHseed range, as they feel and look amazing. and they only get softer and sweeter with each wash.

.... oh and did i mention they are certified organic? and made in Australia!!

so there you are... my new tea towels will be added to my madeit and etsy store this week.

 i will post alerts via my facebook page when i list each one (oh and i will continue to sell my $12 tea towels too, as  i know paying $30 for a tea towel is not for everyone :)

:: have you ever paid $30 for a tea towel for your self or as a gift for someone special?

more creative spaces today here

other things i make -- handmade flower girl dresses

you may be wondering what i got up to during my 2 week holiday.... 

some sewing of course!

... a few months back, my lovely neighbour (who also has a wonderful blog you can view here) kindly asked if i would make 3 flower girl dresses for her late august wedding. 

i jumped at the chance to do this girly project, as i up until now, most of the things i make are for the boys in my life. with some spare time during my holiday, i was able to sew to my hearts content, add the finishing touches and hand the dresses over to my very excited neighbour. 

... it was nice to be surrounded and immersed in ribbons, frills, flowers and tulle for a while.

... it was also nice to have a project that required such attention to detail. i especially enjoyed the days when i sat quietly in my sunroom (with many cups of tea) and hand-stitched the finer detailing on the dresses.

2 inch gross grain ribbon was gently hand stitched around each waistband

handmade tulle petticoats to add fullness and pop!

i have never used so many pins ever. 3 layers of tulle
stacked under each other that go round & round & round...

the beautiful toile fabric used for the bodice and contrast trims

fold upon fold... very full skirts with contrast hem

and trim was added to the base of the waistband ribbons

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thank you kind neighbour... for allowing me this indulgence in some girly sewing pleasure. 

:: may your wedding day be perfectly beautiful xx

apples -- part 2

... & the apple-ation continues...  (i just invented the term 'apple-ation' to highlight the celebration of apples!)

here -- i share with you the many & varied items i have created to date using the humble apple print...

bean bag chair for my son

brown paper gift wrap 

apple mac linen pillow

100% cotton tea towel

organic baby rattle / teething ring in green or red

toddler / baby cotton singlet

organic fabric combo pillow - made by joint efforts of BIRCHseed & The Organic Mamas

toddler / baby singlet with green apple motif

fat 1/4s of  fabric - as featured on crafting a greener world

fat 1/4 of fabric ready for making

baby bib - a completely home-designed, sewn & handprinted item  

organic onesie - SOLD OUT

phew, thats alot of apples. -- BIRCHseed 'apples' can now be found across most states in australia and around the globe in places like singapore, new jersey, connecticut & new zealand.

if you would like to join in on the 'apple-mania' (another word creation ooops!) you could purchase one for yourself if you pop over to my shop.

oh &... i love making new stuff, it excites me!... i will continue to post in this series when i have more apple items to share with you. until then ...

:: is there anything you would like an apple print on? just pop up a comment & we can work together on creating something completely and utterly for you!

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