Hope you all enjoyed (or are enjoying) your weekend. Just wanted to pop in and say that there are only a few hours left on the auction of Fiorella Fawn, which is part of Nuffnang’s Queensland Flood Relief Appeal. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal.

We are in the midst of a big move at the moment, so I won’t be making fawns (or softies in general!) to sell until much, much later on in the year as I won’t have access to my sewing machine and fabric for quite some time (I know, how will I survive?!) . So, if you are keen to own one of my fawns, please do bid on Fiorella over HERE – and you’ll be making a important contribution to the rebuilding of Queensland’s flood-affected areas.

I’ll be on a blog break this week to focus on the big move, and also to work on a project for an upcoming collaborative book, which I am very excited about! The deadline is approaching soon, so I better get cracking :-) Meanwhile, please help yourselves to some of the freebies/tutorials I’ve posted up over here. And with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you may want to try my free Sweetheart softie :-)

It’s been a busy week! I haven’t had a chance to sew anything but I’m hoping this happy mail received today will get me back into the craft room :-)

Some lovely linen from Linen Me on etsy, and a few pieces of my designs printed on to fabric by Spoonflower:

I’m especially delighted at how Woodland Cutout in pink on linen/cotton blend . . .

. . . and Little Mushroom Girl in grey and red on cotton turned out :-)

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Don’t forget that the auction of Fiorella the Fawn for the Nuffnang Queensland Flood Relief Appeal is still open! Please do bid HERE!

Firstly, thank you to those of you who generously bid on Fidelity the Fawn in the auction I held for Make It Perfect’s Queensland Flood Appeal! And a special, special thank you to the wonderfully talented Kathy of Pink Chalk Studio for her winning bid of $250!!!

Nuffnang Australia is also holding a special auction of items on eBay donated by Nuffnang bloggers. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal. As part of the Nuffnang community, I have donated one of my favourite fawns, Fiorella :-)

You can find all of Fiorella’s details and place a bid over HERE. The auction for Fiorella ends on the 31st of January.

I am thrilled that Fidelity is going to such a creative and inspirational home. I am sure Fiorella will find a wonderful and loving home too!

As mentioned in the previous post, I tried my hand at making a Bunka-style doll.

To make the doll, I referred to the photos in this tutorial by Naramachi Beniya as a guide: http://www.naramachi-beniya.com/bunka-tukurikata.html

However, since it was in Japanese and did not provide pattern pieces, I drew up my own pattern pieces and put it together using my interpretation of the photos. I understand that traditional Japanese Bunka dolls are made in specific way, which is why I am referring to my doll as Bunka-style and not truly a Bunka doll.

I thought I would share how I put my Bunka-style doll together if you are interested in making one.

You can download the pattern pieces and instructions (in a zip file) from here: Bunka-style Doll Pattern & Instructions by One Red Robin (size: 4.8MB)

Although I’m really happy with the way the doll has turned out, there are a few things I would change with the next doll:

1. Use muslin instead of calico
2. Try a 2-piece pattern for the Head and see if this will produce less wrinkles and a smoother shape overall
3. Use a slightly heavier fabric for the Bonnet (the Bonnet on this doll is quite floppy)
4. Use a one-piece gathered panel for the bottom part of the dress for more volume
5. Try colour-fast fabric markers for the face
6. Maybe add some shoes :-)

If you make one, please do let me know as I’d love to see it!

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The auction of Fidelity the Fawn for the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal is still open! Please do bid HERE!

A few years ago, just after I started this blog, I stumbled across a Bunka doll. From my limited understanding, a Bunka doll is a traditional Japanese doll that was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. “Bunka” translates to ‘culture’. The dolls are made in a very specific way, and they wear a bonnet and most often, a one piece dress.

To get a better understanding of what a Bunka doll is, here are a few links: traditional Bunka dolls  can be found in the Bunka doll Flickr group; Jamfancy made a sweet Bunka doll using the traditional method; more intricate Bunka dolls can be found here; and Boopsiedaisy makes gorgeous Bunka-inspired dolls seen here.

So when I first stumbled across these dolls, I put them on the top of my “To-Make” list. And it stayed on that list for a very LONG time! But now that I’ve resolved to make more things just-for-fun, I knew that trying to make a Bunka was first off the rank.

I searched the net and found a few tutorials in Japanese, but no pattern pieces. So going on my interpretation of the photos and using my own pattern pieces, I came up with a Bunka-style doll (I know it’s not a true Bunka doll).

I really, really enjoyed making this doll! I’m already planning to make another. There are some things I would change in my next version but I’m really happy with the way she has turned out. I hope to share a tutorial in my next post about how I put this one together :-)

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The auction of Fidelity the Fawn for the Queensland Flood Relief Appeal is still going! Please do bid HERE!

As mentioned last week, I am joining Make It Perfect’s Queensland Flood Auction Appeal to help support those affected by the devastating Queensland floods. All proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Queensland Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal.

Up for auction is Fidelity the Fawn:

Fidelity is:

• Made from a floral Japanese fabric, charcoal grey wool flannel on the ears and underside, red polkadot cotton print bow, wool felt, plastic safety eyes, and polyfill;
• 42cm/16.5 inches tall (head to feet);
• Firmly stuffed and can stand on her own;
• One-of-a-Kind;
• Suitable and recommended for children aged 7 years and older only. Suitable for decorative purposes and very gentle play.

Care: Spot/surface clean only.

How this auction works:

1. Bidding will start at $20 (Australian Dollars).
2. You can place a bid by leaving a comment on this blog post with your bid amount and email address.  Please make sure that your bid is higher than the previous bidder.
3. Your bid must be in whole dollar increments.
4. This auction is open to everyone, and postage is FREE.
5. The auction begins NOW and will END at 9AM on Monday 24th January 2011, (Australian Eastern Standard Time).
6. At the close of the auction, I will contact the winner (please make sure your bid comment includes your email address).  The winner will pay the winning amount directly into the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal and send me proof of payment via email.  Once proof of payment has been received, I will post your fawn to you.

Thank so much for participating in this auction and happy bidding!

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Thank you also to all of those who participated in the Tote giveaway. I really do appreciate the lovely words of support encouragement :-) The winner was randomly chosen and is comment #31, which is from . . . . .  WENDY!! Wendy, I will be in touch with you soon!

I have fond memories of the friends I had when I was 6 years old – school friends and family friends. There were lots of outdoor games and running around – tiggy, hide-and-seek, tea-parties, water balloon fights, climbing over fences and climbing up trees, neighborhood wrestling matches (I’d always get beaten by the very stout and solid 3-year-old), making toffees for school fetes, and having our own ‘secret’ book club :-)

I took the photo above this past weekend when my girls had a play-date with family friends. I adore all the colour in this photo but most of all I love the memories attached to it from the day. Here’s hoping they will remain great friends for years to come!

Also, I just wanted to let you know that I am in participating in Make It Perfect’s Queensland Flood Relief Appeal Auctions. Next week I will be auctioning off one of my softie fawns and 100% of the proceeds from the sale will go the Queensland Government Flood Relief Appeal. More details on the auction in the coming days!

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Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments on the Tote Bag giveaway! Today is the last day to enter over HERE.

So I’ve made up a list of things I want to make for our home this year. First on the list: Placemats! To replace our rather old, grotty, ones :-)

Like bibs, placemats are such a quick and satisfying project :-) Possibilities are endless! For our new set, I decided I’d make reversible ones.

Using some thrifted/vintage fabric, it meant that for breakfast we’d have mats that were sweet and cheery (please ignore unintentional wonkiness!):

And then for dinner I just flip them over. I’ve used a mix of striking IKEA fabric, dark blue linen, and cute ribbon for a little bit of formality (and the dark fabric should be able to mask some accidental spills!):

I’m thinking about making another set in order to use up some of my thrifted/vintage bedsheet collection, and this time with little pockets for the cutlery. And perhaps I need to practice sewing straight lines too :-)

Some placemat tutorials you might like to try:

• Patchwork Placemats Tutorial Round-up on Sew, Mama, Sew
• Easy Reversible Placemat by How To Gal
• Quilted Placemats by Pink Penguin

Placemats: Simple, quick, and useful – gotta love that!

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In more important news, as you may be aware, the state of Queensland in north-eastern Australia is currently suffering through significant and devastating floods. The town of Toowomba was hit by what was described as an ‘inland tsunami’. Many residents are missing and the death toll is rising. Queensland’s capital, Brisbane, is flooding rapidly as I write this. If you are able to donate to help those who have lost loved ones, their homes, and their businesses, please go HERE.

After I completed my last fun-run for 2010, my eldest pleaded to join me in an upcoming fun-run. How could I possibly say no?!  I wasn’t sure what fun-runs were on offer for kids but after a quick google, I stumbled across the City2Bay Fun-Run.

The event was held yesterday morning – 2011 being its inaugural year. There were 3 events: Family Fun-Run of 1.5km, a 5km race, and a 10km race from the Docklands to St Kilda beach. This year, funds from the event were donated to Challenge (Kids with Cancer Charity).

The Family Fun-Run was a simple out-and-back course right along beach. Being the inaugural year of the race (and also a slightly cold and overcast morning), there weren’t too many people participating and my eldest and I enjoyed a leisurely run/walk, taking in the scenery along the way. Despite the short-distance, the race is timed and it was nice to run to the finish line with competitors in the 5km cheering us on as they waited for their race to begin :-) All competitors also received a medal at the finish line, which (of course) was a highlight for my little girl.

The Family event is specifically designed with young kids in mind so if you’re looking for an easy fun-run with your kids, this is a good one to consider. If you’re running with a child under 6, you also get free entry into the Family event :-) I really enjoyed being able to share one of my favourite things-to-do with my daughter, and she was happy that we were finally able to run together. My eldest and I are hoping to do this again next year – and my youngest is keen to join us too :-)

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Thanks so much for the lovely comments received on my Tote Bag giveaway! To enter the giveaway, please go HERE.

Diving into my first giveaway for the year :-) I managed to spend some time in my craft room recently, before preparing for the return to work on Monday. It was SO GOOD to be sewing again. I heart having my own my craft space – though it does need a major clean out soon. And in line with my 2011 resolution of sewing for fun, I whipped up a roomy tote using my Woodland Cutout design that I had printed onto a linen/cotton blend base by Spoonflower. Since I actually have quite a collection of tote bags, I thought I’d give this one away :-)

As mentioned, it’s made of my Woodland Cutout design in grey+blue with sturdy black denim straps, and lined with black+white gingham on the inside. There’s also a button closure with a leather loop. The bag (without straps) is quite large and measures 32cm x 38cm. It’s roomy enough to carry your favourite magazines, notebooks, books, a bunch of groceries, etc.

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post. Entries close on Friday, 14th January. The winner will be announced on Monday, 17th January :-)