i like brooches...

i like really brooches. 

you just feel that little bit more happy going about your day when you wear them... don't you think?

they bring back those nostalgic dress-up memories too... and remember all those hours spent tinkering in your mums jewellery box and wardrobe? i do!

i spent a bit of time on  madeit this week... here are four of my favourites i hand-picked. nice hey?

do take a look at these shops...cause there other really sweet things in them too!

1. each to own 

2. little viking girl

3. and o design

4. radish and ruth

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here are the beginnings of the BIRCHseed brooch collection...

poppies...

a little birdie told me...

coriander seeds....

retro flower...

florence...

alyssum in the garden...

oh and there will be rings....

and lots of sweet little buttons too...

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these will come in more colours - like a nice turmeric yellow, tangerine orange and sky blue.

printed on gorgeous organic hemp fabric and made with the best quality stainless metal casings. you can even pop these through your washing machine!

not in my shops yet... but expect them there very soon!

:: are there any other colours that you would love to see the BIRCHseed brooches printed in?

oh yeh.... more over at our creative spaces today

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

Q: what does a native australian tree and a baby rattle have in common?

A: .... they both feature in v.2.0 of the BIRCHseed organic fabric APPLE softie baby rattle.

 this rattle is now 100% unique to any other baby rattle sporting a timber teething ring.... how? because the rings are hand-turned by a local wood-turner near my home town in northern nsw. 

wood-turning is one of those forgotten crafts of high skill (and bravery)....  a block of of timber is cut and centred into a super fast spinning machine called a lathe. 

the wood-turner then uses various sharpened carving chisels, held down hard with two hands, to progressively carve away the timber until the desired shape of the item being made is achieved. 

depending on the item being made, this process can take days/weeks/months. to give you an idea..... it takes roughly 1 week of production time to source the timber and turn out 10 rings for my rattles. its a slow process (kind of like my blockprinting really...) & whilst they cost 7 x's more than a curtain ring made in China, i think its worth it!

... and what is the timber he uses?

it comes from the native Australian tree .... Grevillea robusta, commonly known as Silky-oak. 





it is the largest species in the genus Grevillea.... its a massive version of those common bird attracting native shrubs often found in most gardens around Australia. it is found in eastern coastal, subtropical environments..... and lucky for me it is found in my local area, making this a sustainable choice for the BIRCHseed rattles. 

it produces a stunning bloom of golden flowers in spring that last for many many months....





not only is the tree beautiful... but the timber is equally stunning, with a unique grain that is only seen in this species of tree. it is prized timber for fine furniture making, and wood turning of course!

its fine grain is a perfect match for using with the rattles. 

oh and they still feature organic fabric, that sweet sounding bell and compostable corn fibre stuffing inside and double all stitched for added safety.

so there we have it....the BIRCHseed baby rattle is a totally unique, more sustainable and eco friendly product than before. 

perfect gift as for baby showers, new baby arrivals or just a tad irresistible not to get for you own bubba. 

:: available in red and green... do you think other colours could be popular too?

more 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

tutorial - how to make home made cloth labels for clothes and products

:: lots of people have been asking me... 'do you make your own cloth labels?'

the answer is... yes i do! 

... & here is the tutorial i have been promising for many many months!!!....  making your own labels can save you money (who's got a spare $600 to get them manufactured when you are just starting up a small home-based business?!)

using the method below, you will end up with about 55 labels (depending on your logo size per A4 printed page) that measure approximately 6 cm wide and 1.8cm high.

OK...so here is the method to my madness:


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Materials you will need:

• a computer with basic software like microsoft word or publisher
• a basic inkjet printer 
• tshirt transfers for inkjet printer (i use the avery brand which can be purchased at BIG W for around $20 for 5 pack) 
• natural cotton or linen fabric - about the size of an A4 piece of paper
• an iron
• some scissors or cutting blade & mat
• a few basic graphic design skills to make your own logo (or a file with your logo from your fav graphic designer)

1. Setting the layout for the t-shirt transfer sheet

• on your computer, using word or publisher (i use microsoft office publisher 2003) open a new 'blank document'.
• go to the 'page setup' (which is in the FILE MENU BAR at the top)... then click the layout tab...  then click the 'custom' option in the 'publication type' drop down menu.
• .... within this same 'page setup box', make your 'width' - 6cm & the 'height' - 1.8cm

• make sure that your page 'orientation' is set to - landscape
• click on the 'change copies per sheet' tab and select 'print multiple copies per sheet'
• also while here your need to make all the 4 categories of 'spacing'* - 0cm (zero) * the spacing should now say you have 5 across and 11 down
• click OK twice & this completes your 'page setup' process

2. Designing your logo

• design your logo by selecting things like the font, size colour until your happy with the layout
• or use the 'insert' menu > 'picture' to add a jpeg or giff of your logo
• make sure you have at least 1/2 cm of space at either side of your text - as this empty space is where you will sew your label to your clothes  / products

• click SAVE when your happy with your logo design

*** NB: if these 3 processes above were way too confusing, you can go to the Avery website here and use one of their simple address label templates (you will have to register first, which is quick and easy).

3. Run a test print 

• make sure your printer settings are A4 size paper

4. IMPORTANT - NOW YOU MUST MIRROR your logo / text now! otherwise when you iron on the transfer it will read backwards, and no one likes that! you can flip text a few ways...

• use your design software and look for a commands that say 'flip', 'mirror' or 'reverse'
• within your printers properties setup look for 'flip horizontal', 'mirror image' or paper that says 'tshirt transfer'.
• DO ANOTHER TEST PRINT NOW ONTO PLAIN PAPER (to check that its now flipped!)
• your printout should look something like this now...

5. Printing onto the transfer paper

• make sure your printer is set to 'transfer paper'... you will usually find this option when looking at your printers 'properties' or 'page setup'.
• if you can't find this option i recommend setting the printer to the 'best print quality' output. yes it will take a few minutes to print the page, but what this does is lay down a good amount of ink that gives the text on your labels a solid base to go through many many washes and not fade.
• when inserting the transfer paper into the printer paper tray, have the back of the transfer paper facing up, this means your print will come out on the correct side (i am assuming all printers will be like mine, so please correct me if i am wrong)

• ok so now your printed transfer paper is ready for ironing....

6. Ironing the transfer onto cotton fabric or cotton tape

• read the simple instructions (included inside the pack) before you begin this stage ... or go here for a PDF of instructions
• cut a piece of white or pale coloured cotton or linen fabric to A4 size and iron it so its nice an flat. let cool down.

• lay your transfer paper over the cotton, making sure that the Avery logo is facing you and the printed side is face down onto the fabric.
• Iron across the fabric, applying good pressure using two hands, for approximately 3 minutes. do not leave the iron in one spot for 3 minutes, otherwise it will scorch! just move it slowly for the 3 minutes back and forth. 

• once done, let the transfer cool for 2 minutes or so
• then gently peel the top paper off the fabric surface in one smooth motion

• if your transfer is lifting off the fabric simply place the paper back down and give it some more time with the iron

7. cutting your labels ready for sewing

• you now have a sheet of labels
• using a Stanley knife and mat (or scissors, like me) cut your labels out in strips to store, or singles to sew onto your handmade products

• i go fairly free hand here, as i like my labels to look non-perfect and a little raw edged. sometimes i will pull a few stray strands of thread and fray them a little. other times i will leave them more clean cut looking.

• if you are using cotton tape to make your labels, simply cut your A4 label sheet across in strips and iron on each individual strip. this takes longer, but the labels are perhaps the best looking this way (if you want that really professional finish). 
• nb: if you are making labels on a dark coloured fabric, you will have the purchase transfer sheets for this purpose and follow the directions, which are slightly different.
• also...you could try experimenting with other base cloths (as more chunky hemp / linen fabric labels can look really nice too).

• and if you have a rubber stamp made up with your logo (i hand-carved mine from lino), you can experiment with printing straight onto fabric - just make sure you use fabric ink/paint and heat-set them afterwards.

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& there you have it... a way to make your own labels at home. its a bit of a process... and yes, you need a good few hours to do this for the first time... but after doing the whole process once, it is much quicker the next time round!!

:: if you can't get your head around certain parts of this tutorial, or you have more improved and easier ways to do things, then pop up a comment (or email me) to chat and share :)

ps: if you would like to be notified when i post up new tutorials like this ( & my 1st giveaway is happening very soon too).... then subscribe here!

oh & dont' forget that there is more fun and games found over at our creative spaces today!