Happy (and relieved!) to let you know that my etsy shop has been updated with the following:

Happy Chibi Girl Coco

Happy Chibi Girl Chloe

Baby Chibi Doll Viveka

Baby Chibi Doll Matilda

Baby Chibi Doll Heidi

Sayeko the Shmerpi (#47)

Omari the Owl

Seahorse #5

Take ‘em Totes

Baby Chibi Doll Ana and Seahorse Softie patterns are also stocked.

More details and pics are here: One Red Robin Shoppe @ Etsy

I’ll probably be away from here for the rest of the week nursing 2 little sick bubs back to health :-) Be well!

Random Number Generator says that the Seahorse pattern goes to commenter #9 and the Baby Chibi Doll pattern goes to commenter #22 – so that is Anne and Michelle!!! Anne and Michelle, I’ll be in contact soon to request your mailing addresses.

Thank you everyone for joining in and leaving such lovely comments about the owl and the patterns! And thank you to those who de-lurked :-) It was lovely to hear from you. And a special hello to my beautiful god-daughter, Jess, who sent me an email wanting to join in on the draw as well – hi Jess!

Now I’m off to the sewing machine for the last few bits and pieces.

Here’s my youngest Chibi girl wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!

Omari the owl is ready for the upcoming shop update.

A Seahorse softie is still in progress.

Speaking of seahorses, the pattern/instruction booklets have returned from the Printer’s along with a new batch of Baby Chibi Doll Ana pattern/instruction booklets. They will also be part of the shop update.

I also wanted to mention that Pip over at Mikes is organising for handmade softies to be donated to the Mirabel Foundation in time for Christmas. Go here for more information on how to donate softies through Mikes, and go here for more information on the wonderful mission and work of the Mirabel Foundation.

Oh, and I just realised that it has been aaaages since I had a GIVEAWAY! So let’s have a giveaway! Up for grabs is one Baby Chibi Doll Ana pattern and one Seahorse softie pattern, which means I’ll be drawing 2 winners (one pattern each).

If you would like to be included in the draw, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post by 12 noon AEST this Sunday (28th) and I’ll announce the winners Sunday evening :-)

P.S. Just got back from my lunch break. For all you Melbournians, I popped into Magnation on Elizabeth Street to pick up a copy of the latest Frankie, and it came with a free cupcake!

It’s to promote Frankie’s new food magazine which is coming soon. So glad afternoon tea is all sorted :-)  How can you not love a free cupcake??

Happily in a sewing frenzy during any spare moment I can find (i.e. when the girls are asleep and when I’m not at work!).

So these 2 Happy Chibi Girls are all ready . . .

. . . as are these Baby Chibi dolls.

The Take ‘em totes are all done and I’m currently working on an owl, using up some of the wonderful vintage Japanese kimono/obi scraps I blogged about a few posts ago. The shop update will occur early next week. I’m still hoping to complete a Seahorse and a Shmerpi, and perhaps one more Happy Chibi Girl by then – but I’m also trying to be realistic :-)

Sarah from Quilt Fabric Delights tagged me with this meme that she created. It’s a good little exercise to re-focus on why we craft and create. So here goes:

1) When did you start to create and make craft?
Like many crafters, I’ve been creating things since I was a child. Back then, it was lots of drawing and sketching (with pencils and sketchbook always nearby), collecting ric-rac and discarded boxes, bottles, plastic containers, buttons, rubber bands, etc from around the house and using lots of glue and sticky tape to make pretend cameras, radios, doll houses, etc. Throughout school I always loved Art class the most and it consistently became my best subject out of all the subjects I had been undertaking. Then Uni and work-life came along and the creative side was pushed aside for a few years in favour of accounting and information systems :-(

2) Why did you start creating?
I re-discovered my love of making things when my first daughter was born. I was eager to give her unique things that no other child had. At the same time, I had also discovered the wonderful online craft community via Loobylu. So it all fell into place and the first thing I made was a soft toy cat for Ava using a pattern I found on the internet. She adored it and it spurred me on to experiment with designs and get more practice on the sewing machine.

3) Why do you create?
I’m sure most of you can relate to a ‘yearning to create‘. It’s definitely a means of expressing a part of yourself that could not be expressed any other way. If I don’t make something with my hands for a few days, I always feel off-kilter – admittedly, even a little cranky at times! There is an incredible sense of satisfaction and gradual building up of self-confidence when you are able to design something on paper and then make it come to life with your own hands. It’s also my escape from an increasingly hectic life.

4) What do you create?
Mostly soft toys and dolls based on my own designs. I also love creating mixed media collages – there is a wonderful peace and tranquility that comes with tearing things up, playing with images and textures, and making a huge mess with paint and glue!

5) Has this changed since you began crafting?
I now have the confidence to try new things like making clothes for my girls and making accessories like bags, bibs and scarves. I’m also trying to tweak softie/doll patterns I designed when I started One Red Robin almost 2 years ago, and give them a fresh look. I’m hoping to have new soft toys designs early next year and am really, really, hoping to finally have some of my fabric designs printed and available early next year too!

Now I get to tag 5 people!
So Cintia, Jade, Dana, Linda, and Mel – I would really love to read your answers to the questions above if you have a chance to join in on this meme!

1) Finally cut into some of my recent favourite fabrics (including fabric from Shannon and Lara) and combined them with linen on the outside and fun lining on the inside to make a new batch of Take ‘em Tote bags, for inclusion in the next shop update.

2) Working on some Happy Chibi dolls. This one is patiently waiting for the rest of her face and completion of her dress. Tights and dress are from one of Mikes’ vintage fabric stashes:

3) Found: 2 second-hand vintage 1960′s women’s knee-length smocks . . .

. . . to be re-purposed into some dresses for happy chibi girls, patchwork, and an assortment of other things.

4) Being happily inspired by this illustration from one of my favourite Classic Little Golden Books, “I Can Fly” (by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Mary Blair). More gorgeous illustrations (and further links) by Mary Blair here.

Happy Saturday all!

Thanks for all the kind comments about the mushroomy dress :-) Ava saw it hanging up on the wall in my little studio and asked if it was for her. When I replied that yes, it was indeed for her, she responded with “For me? Oh thank you Mama!” So she’s excited to wear it out this Sunday – hope to get some photos :-)

Back in June, I mentioned that I had been asked to submit a pattern and instructions to a magazine and I ended up creating Mr Cheery Chimp for that project. I’m happy to say that the pattern and instructions will be available in the next issue of Handmade Magazine Volume 25 Number 1, due out on October 26. The theme is gift giving and if you watch the little slide show here, you’ll get a glimpse of some other great projects in this volume. Here’s a screen-shot of the Chimp from their website.

I came home from work to find a copy in my mailbox, and this on page 134:

Sarah of Quilt Fabric Delights is also featured in this issue and has contributed the pattern and instructions for a gorgeous table runner and stunning backpack in this issue.

I’m not sure whether this magazine is available overseas. This magazine is available overseas. If you live overseas and would like to get a copy of this issue, you can either contact Handmade via their website for details of distributors or send me an email via the “Contact” option in the menu at the top of my website. I’ll send through a Paypal invoice for the cost of the magazine (AUD$8.95) plus postage. I’m not sure how many copies I’ll be able to secure once it’s available on the stands so first in, best dressed.

It will be a little quiet here on the blog for the next week or so as I buckle down and work on my shop update. I will probably post photos from time to time just so you know I haven’t been slacking off on the couch, watching DVDs and eating cupcakes – although I must say that that is probably what I’ll be doing after the shop the update :-)

P.S. I was contacted by Steve from Pretty Somethings to let you know about the Hand-Making Heroes – Handmade Gift Competition. It’s open to UK artisans and a prize of £1500 is up for grabs!

I decided to drop everything on Saturday night and get started on a dress for Ava. After seeing all the clothing Kate, Jade and Dana have been making over the last few weeks, I’ve been inspired and itching to give it a go.

I used some of the super cute Japanese mushroom linen (from Spotlight) and strips of brown linen. I picked a simple dress pattern from the Japanese craft book called “Girls Clothing“, which I blogged about here.

It took me a good long while to figure out the right pattern pieces to trace from the book! However, after cutting out all the pieces, it was a breeze to sew up.

Here’s hoping Ava will like it, and even be game enough to model it for the blog :-)

Stitching Night at Mikes last night was super fun and relaxing as always. Here’s my stitching WIP -

The illustration is from a Japanese craft book from Pip’s library. I originally thought that I’d cut around it and use it as a patch in a quilt for Aurora (love Melissa’s sweet embroidery on her quilt here) but now I’m thinking of using it in a patchwork for a cushion for her room.

I must admit that I’ve been bitten by the clothes-making bug and have a few more little projects for the girls lined up. However, I really need to focus and get cracking on the shop update, which will be happening towards the end of this month.

But first, must enjoy this gorgeous 27°C day withe the girls!

Ahhh, it’s a good Saturday :-)

Finally finished an overdue custom order of Baby Chibi Dolls from way back in August! The customer requested that 2 of the dolls be of the same print but in different colour-ways as they were to be gifted to her soon-to-arrive twin girls. Another Baby Chibi Doll was to be gifted from the twins to their big sister, whose initial was to be incorporated on the doll.

So here are Maisie, Michi and Maddie:

I also wanted to share few things that have been helping to make today a good Saturday :-)

First up, some vintage Japanese fabric! There is a shop in Australia on Collins in Melbourne up on the 5th floor called “Made in Japan“. They sell a range of Japanese goods from traditional teapots and kimonos to washi paper and assorted traditional fabric. I visit from time to time and yesterday they were having a little sale on everything in the shop. So I got to pick up these two Japanese fabric packs for about $40.

Inside are vintage fabrics pieces (different sizes) from kimonos and obis made from silks and cottons. On the right in the photo above is what the pack looks like unopened. On the left is what I found in one pack – 30 pieces of fabric! I’m thinking of using at least one pack for a quilt for Aurora – probably one of those blindly-cut-out-pieces-and-see-how-it-goes kind of quilts ;-)

More retail therapy resulted in some new additions to my little greeting-card collection thanks to Dymocks:

I’m also finally able to catch up on some movies! I haven’t been to a movie theater in years and this weekend I am hoping to enjoy these:

I also watched “Becoming Jane” and “Curse of the Golden Flower” last night. I’m definitely a fan of Jane Austen’s work and I had always been curious as to how her experiences in love and relationships shaped her writing and the development of characters in her own novels. I really enjoyed the movie although I must be completely honest and say that I did get lost in some of the dialogue – I had to go back in some scenes and replay them to try and understand what they were saying!

“Curse of the Golden Flower” was visually stunning – like “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers“, both of which I loved – but the supporting actors were, ummm, pretty awful! And the plot was weak. And the ending left me thinking “What??? That’s it??? But that doesn’t mean anything!!“. So I wouldn’t recommend that one.

But I do recommend going to a Stitching Night at Mikes! I’m looking forward to joining in on the one tomorrow night – my sis-in-law and her 2 friends are also coming along. I’m sure it will be a fun night!

Hope your weekend is filled with lots of loveliness too!

You see, this is what happens when you let different kinds of softies socialise with each other freely while you’re away from the craft room.

First, there was Sian and her demand for new Shmerpi clothes after having a few words to some Chibi dolls and Cheery Chimps. And now, it appears that the Chimps have been talking with the Pirate Shmerpi. The result? The Chimps are now convinced that they can be pirates too! It’s mutiny I tell you!

And if there’s one thing I have learnt from watching “Planet of the Apes” it’s this: we should not upset the monkeys or they just might take over the world!

So may I introduce you to Alabaster the Pirate Chimp:

And his brother Pablo – who I think is taking this whole ‘ahoy me hearties‘ thing too far but he insisted. Hence, he is the Chimp with the peg leg:

Sheesh.

Fortunately, Happy Chibi Girls Mary-Yoko and Mary-Yumi are more than happy to don their patterned shirts, linen skirts, stripey tights and curly coifs.

However, just between you and me, only yesterday I overheard rumblings within the Happy Chibi community about Happy Chibi Pirates as well. What next? Pirate Seahorses? I think not. Besides, it would be practically impossible for Seahorses to convincingly wear those puffy pirate pants . . .

But I digress. For now, you can find Alabaster, Pablo the Peg-leg, Mary-Yoko, and Mary-Yumi running amuck at Mikes.

P.S. Thank you to all of you who sent Get-Well wishes! The whole family has recovered from a horrible bout of the flu and hoping that it will be the last we see of that bug for the rest of the year :-)