Firstly, apologies to those who have dropped in and experienced a blog in disarray - I’ve been trying to fix up a few bugs with the website, and do a little bit of spring cleaning on the code, which resulted in some weird presentation glitches for an hour or so. Sorry about that :-)

I also wanted to mention that I’ve finally updated my Links list - I do try to keep up with a heap of blogs on a daily basis. I love what I find on these blogs and I hope you’ll be inspired by them too!

Okay, on to more Shmerpi. These two were a custom order - one with a Japanese theme and the other with a horse/girly theme.

I still enjoy making these little guys and I hope to have more in the shop by the end of October.

And yes, another vintage button lot won on eBay made it’s way to my home this week. Now, I just have to find a project which will actually use them!

Here’s the second batch of baby chibis.

This is Avelina. She’s made from a 1970s vintage print and button and celebrates all things vintage.

This is Lily. She’s made from a retro print fabric and reminds us that all good things are the result of inspiration AND hard work.

And this is Tatsumi. She revels in the joy of re-purposing and is made from an old linen, machine-embroidered skirt.

They are all currently up in the shop.

Now that Spring has sprung in our part of the world, I’ve been thinking about jazzing up some corners in our home. Problem is, hubby and I don’t exactly share the same tastes in home decor :-) So it will probably take some time to negotiate and agree on anything but in the meantime I can dream about these little gems that I found in an old copy of Inside Out:

>> Love the simple patterns and use of colour of the screenprinted fabrics and wallpaper by Aussie company Publisher Textiles.

>> Love the use of black and white in this corner. Vintage Marimekko fabric is hung on the wall, and flower wallpaper is used on the sideboard. Alternatively, I think you could achieve the same effect with the lovely wall decals from dvider (found via the glorious Print & Pattern blog).

This wallpaper is a great idea for an inspiration wall in your studio (from Chee Soon & Fitzgerald).

And finally something from Ikea. I’ve had my head buried in their latest catalogue (2007). Again, love the use of black and white (page on left) and on the right you’ll see a sample of their current fabric range - so colourful, sweet and simple - love it!

It’s one of those weeks where I just can’t concentrate and keep at one thing until it’s finished - it’s been fun jumping from one project to another, but equally as frustrating to step back at the end of the day and find that I haven’t actually finished anything :-)

Here’s what Ava’s quilt is currently looking like - it’s all pieced together and the backing is the yellow gingham that features on the quilt top. I’ve started quilting rows along along the white sashings. My sewing machine is holding up quite well (surprisingly) but we’ll see how we go as I start moving towards the middle of the quilt.

I’ve got a handful of custom orders on the go and here’s a peek at one shmerpi in progress. I really love that green fabric with the red fruit - so sweet!

I did manage to complete 2 little items (only because they each took less than 1/2 an hour to fnish!). One is a pair of booties for a friend’s newborn son. I used Heather’s Bitty Bootie pattern and found it very easy to follow and just as easy to assemble.

And I’ve been itching to make myself a fabric/quilted cuff after seeing all the groovy cuffs floating around craft blogs lately. Here’s my version. I used fabric scraps, some pretty trim, and velcro dots (to keep it closed).

And finally, more goodies were received in the mail: a range of vintage buttons sourced via eBay, and a carved ivory pendant and vintage 1950 cameo charms from this lovely etsy seller. Not sure what they will be used for exactly, but I’m thinking of getting into a bit of accessory-making . . .

I must admit that in the past, I was never interested in makng a quilt. I think it was because, after seeing so many amazing quilts in magazines and on the internet, there was this mysteriousness about them that made them extremely complicated (and personally unachievable) pieces of art in my eyes. Thanks to Denyse Schmidt’s Quilts and Kerr & Ringle’s The Modern Quilt Workshop, it’s only very recently that I’ve found patterns that seem more accessible and achievable, and appeal to my preference for a simple/clean aesthetic.

So with my eldest daughter, Ava, soon to be transitioning into a toddler bed, I found no better excuse to start on a quilt! Given my basic sewing skills (including my machine’s basic sewing functions), I wanted to make a straightforward quilt - straight lines and boxy pattern. I also wanted to incorporate a few basic colours (pink, green, yellow and lilac), and lots of white. After much searching, I found this coin quilt made by the very talented Hillary. She also provided these samples of other coin quilts.

So that was it - a coin quilt was the way to go for me. I made a slight change and came up with a more brick-wall pattern. And just to show how much of a dork I really am, I mocked it up in Microsoft Excel! It helped me to get an idea of how the colours and pattern would look together.

And here it is, lying on the floor in my studio (I’ve flicked the picture on its side). The first third is pieced together. I’m really happy with how it’s looking so far and I’ve found the patchworking of the various pieces really relaxing - a nice way to wind down at night after a busy day with the two girls. I’m thinking ahead as to what quilting pattern I’ll use - most likely straight lines across the white sashes and then just in the ditches for the coloured patches.

I’m note sure how long this is going to take but I’m really excited to see the finished the product!

It seems that I’ve been on a softie kick lately and it’s nice to take a breather and work with a different medium for a few moments. With birthdays, newborns, other celebrations, and swaps going on, I wanted to make some simple postcards to enclose with each package. These are three of what I’ve come up with so far:

The one with an apple on it is my favourite style at the moment, and is basically the merging of a simple shape (the apple) with scanned swatches of my favourite fabric. I’ve got a few more different shapes to try out with this method but really, the possibilities are endless and I think the end product is effective because it’s so simple and clean.

I also whipped up some tags for the new chibi dolls:

And finally finished the tags on these little critters before I post them off to Carly.

My two little munchkins have also been keeping me on my toes; I can’t seem to stop taking pictures of them together! It’s addictive, as is this website - I can literally spend hours trying out all the little effects! (thanks to Kristy for the tip!)

And finally, here’s Shmerpi number 3 for Morphe II - Shiva!

She’s made from wool-blend fabric, vintage and new cotton prints, vintage buttons and flower trim. She wears a skirt/apron fastened at the back with ribbon, and featuring vintage buttons and embroidery.

Shiva will be making the trip to Adelaide with her cuddle buddy, a softie cat made from a Kaffe Fassett print.

And here are the 3 Shmerpi creatures together before they head interstate, doing their version of “Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil” :-)

Here’s Shmerpi number 2 for Morphe II - Shakespeare!

He’s made from wool-blend fabric, vintage and new cotton prints, vintage buttons and elephant trim.

Shakespeare will be making the trip to Adelaide with his cuddle buddy, a softie rabbit made from 70s vintage fabric.

This little one is the first of 3 Shmerpi creatures that are bound for Morphe II. Shiloh is larger than previous Shmerpi creatures and instead of having a fleece body, she sports a wool-blend body. Her outfit is a mix of vintage and new cotton fabric, with vintage buttons. She also wears a removeable apron/skirt, which ties at the back with ribbon.

And to ensure that she doesn’t lose her little softie cat, her softie is attached to a ribbon which can be hung from the large button on Shiloh’s top.

And no, she is not named after this famous Shiloh :-) Her two friends, Shakespeare and Shiva, are works in progress and will be making their appearance very soon. I’m having so much fun making these little guys - I’ll be sad to see them go!

Nothing reflects the state of my world at the moment like my tiny studio:

Piles of fabric to be made into more Shmerpi creatures, a half-finished Shmerpi in the foreground that is meant for Morphe II, new chibi dolls in a pile in the background waiting to be stuffed, all amisdt the results of an inability to clean up after myself at the end of the night :-)

I do apologise if you have emailed me with a question and I haven’t yet responded and if I do owe you a swap or a softie, it may arrive at your doorstep a little later than I had hoped :-) We are all still recovering from a bout of colds and flu, and my 2-month old has begun catnapping and feeding poorly once again (most likely due to being sick). So crafting is the last thing on my list at the moment.

And here is my latest masterpiece - I call it “In the Hope of Getting Some Sleep“.

Window in my baby’s room covered in foil a la Dooce.