A German magazine – kleinFORMAT – about design for kids have featured my illustrations in the current issue of their magazine!

Here’s the feature on myself and One Red Robin (in German), and illustration from my sketchbook:

And here is the paper doll illustration I contributed (which I had SO much fun doing) in their cut-out-and-keep section:

I am so thrilled to see my illustrations in a magazine! This magazine is full of wonderful independent artists and designers and I’m truly humbled and grateful to be included (I just wish I could understand German!). Thanks to Michi and the team at kleinFORMAT!

When the lovely and uber-creative Jenny Doh asked me back in 2010 if I’d like to be part of a new book she was working on about crafts for kids, I was surprised, delighted and humbled. And even more so when I glimpsed at the names of the other mums/bloggers/crafters who were also contributing to the book – many of whom I looked up to for many years and was greatly inspired by.

So it was quite a warm-fuzzy-happy feeling to actually receive the finished book in the mail a few days ago and hold it in my hands. And this one is definitely more endearing to me since it also features my two daughters!

Hand-in-Hand: Crafting with Kids presents craft projects from 20 mums who blog and craft – many of whom you may know or follow already:

Amanda Soule, Maya Donenfeld, Ali Edwards, Pam Garrison,
Nicole Spring, Abby Glassenberg, Dana Willard, Samantha Cotterill,
Cindy Hopper, Jessica Okui, Carly Schwerdt, Jackie Boucher,
Merrilee Liddiard, Jean Van’t Hul,
Kristin Zecchinelli, Ella Pedersen, Beki Lambert, and Rachel Faucett and Jenny Doh.

The projects range from decorations, books, to toys, cushions (and even stilts!) – all projects that kids can make with adult assistance. So you’ll find that the instructions are easy to follow and understand, and that the materials are easy to source. What I love about this book is that it also presents how each contributor encourages creativity in their own children and what they do to foster a creative life.

I flicked through the projects with my daughters and they are keen to give a few of them a go. They were also thrilled to bits to find themselves in an actual book!

The project I contributed is a simple Owl cushion that can be either machine-sewn or hand-sewn and can be embellished to your child’s content:

You can pre-order Hand-in-Hand: Crafting with Kids on Amazon now and it will be officially released to bookstores on April 6th. You can also watch a cute video Jenny made about the book on Youtube here: Hand in Hand: Crafting with Kids by Jenny Doh

To celebrate the release, I have two copies to giveaway thanks to Lark Crafts!

If you’d like to enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post on: your favourite craft activity as a child. Please submit your comments by midnight April 2nd and on April 3rd I will randomly draw 2 comments and announce the winners. Please leave only one comment per person :-) This giveaway is open to all no matter where you live on this great big planet!

Thank you to Jenny for the opportunity to be part of this awesome book!

I mentioned in a previous post that I’m big fan of Gorman Clothing and after seeing their recent Autumn/Winter 2012 collection, I was inspired to illustrate some of my characters in their clothing. Soon after posting up the illustration, Gorman contacted me with a request to use the illustration on their website and I was OVER.THE.MOON!!! How could I say no?!

So after some further refining of the illustration to clean up some lines and smudges, I sent the image through.

And this morning, I woke up to find a lovely email from Freya from Gorman letting me know that it’s now up on their website!! <insert massive girl squeal here!!>

One Red Robin on Gorman website

My illustration will also be used for the invitations for a new Gorman store opening in the Asia-Pacific region!!

Thanks so much to Freya and the team at Gorman for this opportunity. I am beyond excited and grateful. <insert happy dance here>

Visit the Gorman website now to see!

I’ve received quite a number of emails regarding what doll/softie patterns I actually sell under my Pattern Press range, which of my patterns are available in books and magazines, and what patterns are available for free here on this website. So I thought I’d pull together one big blog post to (hopefully) clarify.

I have a range of softie/doll sewing patterns currently published and distributed by the wonderful Pattern Press. Which ones you ask? Ta-da! These:

Unfortunately I’m not able to accurately keep track of all the stockists that stock these patterns but I have tried my best and have a list of stockists HERE. If you can’t find a stockist in this list for a specific pattern you are after, please contact Pattern Press and they should be able to point you in the right direction. I do hope to add more patterns to the range but this will most likely happen next year.

I also have patterns that are available in a number of magazines and books. Below are some of these patterns:

You can find what pattern is available in what magazine (title, issue date and number) or what book (title) by clicking this link: One Red Robin Published Projects. If you would like to access these patterns it would be best to contact the magazine or book publisher.

I do have a number of free patterns/tutorials available right here on One Red Robin. Below are some of the freebies I offer:

You can find all of my free patterns/tutorials by clicking this link: One Red Robin Freebies & Tutorials

Please note that ALL of my patterns (regardless of who publishes them or where they are published) are for personal use only – they are not to be made to sell or for commercial purposes. However, if you are interested in using any of the patterns for fundraising/charitable purposes, please email me with the details.

And finally, if you have made any of the patterns/tutorials, I would love to see! There is a flickr group where you can post up your One Red Robin creations: One Red Robin Sewing Patterns: Softies & Dolls

Remember this little fella that I made last year?

His name is Norm and he’s in the March issue of Homespun (12.3)!! If you want to make your own little Norm the Garden Gnome, make sure to pick up a copy of the issue (it’s also got a bunch of wonderful stitchy projects from a range of fantastic designers).

From the Homespun website:

Thank you Homespun!

I’m so happy and excited that this book is finally out!!! Some of you may already know about Craft Hope but if you haven’t heard of it before, Craft Hope (the blog) was borne out of Jade Sims’ desire to combine her love of crafting and her desire to spread hope to those who have lost hope.

A few years ago, she started the blog and asked crafters to first contribute pillow-case dresses for girls at a children’s shelter, and then handmade dolls for children at an orphanage. The response was massive! And since that time, she has coordinated a number of craft projects, which all go to benefit a charitable cause.

The beauty of the Craft Hope book is that it not only provides patterns for a diverse range of easy projects, but that each project is paired with charitable causes. This means you can take the initiative and be involved in a number of charities year-round, or even co-ordinate efforts in your location.

I was really privileged to be able to contribute 3 easy projects to this book: the Ruby doll, patchwork scarves for adults and kids, and sock monkeys (the hands you see in the photos belong to my 4-year-old, who was eager to help):

The book itself has been beautifully put together. Also, $1 from the sale of every book is donated to Global Impact.

Here are all of the other designers who have contributed to the book: Stefani Austin, Ellie Beck, Amanda Carestio, Christina Carleton, Lisa Cox, Maya Donenfeld, Malka Dubrawsky, Molly Dunham, Celine Dupuy, Cathie Filian, Wendi Gratz, Betsy Greer, Jenny B. Harris, Vickie Howell, Rebecca Ittner, Rebeka Lambert, Kathy Mack, Kaari Meng, Manda McGrory, Aimee Ray, Eren Hays San Pedro, Amanda Blake Soule, Blair Stocker, Amanda Swan, Beth Sweet, Susan Wasinger, Dana Willard, Rebekah Williams and Geninne D. Zlatis!

You can follow Craft Hope on Facebook too; read an interview with Jade Sims over on Lark Crafts; and keep up-to-date on giveaways and designer interviews over at Craft Hope’s Month of Hope.

And speaking of giveaways . . .  I’ve got a copy to giveaway to a lucky reader!!! To be in the running to win a copy, please leave a comment on this post, answering the following question: “If you could craft anything for a good cause, what would it be and for what cause?”

Please leave your answer by midnight, Sunday 22nd August (Australian Eastern Standard Time) and I will draw a winner on Monday. This giveaway is open to all readers (Australian and International).

The Craft Hope book was released a few weeks ago and is now available at book sellers worldwide (online and bricks-n-mortar).

Have you heard of Craft Corps?

It’s the brainchild of Craft Extraordinaire Vickie Howell and celebrates the Craft Community by featuring and promoting the profiles and stories of crafters from all over the world, from different walks of life, and with different crafty passions. In fact, if you haven’t done so already, you can submit your profile to the Craft Corp website here and be part of the Craft Corp community!

Vickie published a book back in May as a means of documenting the growing global Craft Movement. The book includes interviews with 30 well-known crafty/creative peeps like Amy Butler, Natalie Zee Drieu (CRAFT), Denyse Schmidt (DS Quilts), Jessica Marshall Forbes (Ravelry), Faythe Levine (Handmade Nation), and Jay McCarroll (Project Runway). You can find the full list here.

Vickie also collected profiles of 60 everyday crafters and I’m thrilled to be included in the book! (This book has been 2 years in the making – which is why my age is listed as 32 :-)).

In fact, I was very humbled to find my mug shot opposite the feature on the super nice and amazing Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching :-)

I can attest to the fact that this book provides inspiration, ideas and meaningful insights through the interviews/stories of the profiled crafters & designers. After reading the book from cover to cover, I was also overcome with a sense of excitement and refreshing optimism about this huge Craft Community that exists globally – it is clearly making its mark and making the world a better place :-)

You can pick up your copy from Amazon, or for Aussie readers, from here.

Thank you Vickie and LarkBooks for providing the opportunity to make a small contribution to this wonderful project!

I have been just itching to share this with you! Have you seen the new craft book: “One Yard Wonders“?

Following on from the success of the book “One Skein Wonders“, Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins have put together this wonderful craft book full of simple projects that you can sew up using just one yard of fabric.

I got my copy in the mail today and I can honestly say that this is already one of my favourite craft books. There are 101 projects covering household decoration and storage, craft organisation, on-the-go storage, clothing for adults and kids, bags, accessories, kids toys and even sweet craft projects for your favourite pet! The front of the book covers all areas of sewing fundamentals.

I am also thrilled because I have one project in this book!

Now you can make your very own Peg Bear using just one (actually only a 1/2) yard of your favourite fabric! :-)

Other projects from the book that I really like -

Adorable elephant by Sarah Faix:

Toddler dress by Rachael Theis:

Folklore bag by Lauren Booth:

Kitschy apron by Mother’s Apron Strings:

and laptop sleeve by Becka Rahn:

If you like to sew (no matter what skill level) this will be a great addition to your library, especially if you are keen to make quick-to-sew gifts this Christmas. If you know someone who likes to sew, this book would make a fantastic Christmas gift!

You can buy the book over at Amazon, or if you’re in Australia, you can now find it stocked online at Fishpond.

Congratulations to Rebecca and Patricia for the great job that they’ve done putting this book together and thank you for giving me the opportunity to be involved!

Well, not necessarily a glossy day outside – the wind is howling and it’s bucketing rain! So I am at home with the girls and catching up on some lovely “glossies“:

The new Frankie features an interview with Jenny Hart with pics of some of her amazing embroidered artwork. You’ll also find a quick interview with Sarah Blasko, spotlight on Allison of Lark, toy art My Little Ponies (who knew?!), and a really cute wall art project by Pip.

In the new issue of Peppermint there is a well-written and enlightening article by Tess Curran on DIY/Made with Love focusing on the online craft community, sustainability in craft, and crafting with a conscience.

She interviewed a range of designers and crafters for the article (and I was fortunate enough to be one of them – thanks Tess! There’s a pic of my Ze Bun-buns just above the pic of Allison :-)).

Here’s the list of those she interviewed:

Remember Patience?

Well, after waiting patiently for a few months :-) Patience has made her debut in the latest issue of Handmade Magazine (Vol 26 No12) -

All instructions and pattern pieces to make your own little Patience are in the magazine.

I received my official results from the Run Melbourne yesterday and I did a little dance – I actually beat my personal best time for a 5km and had a new personal best!! I was so surprised! But now, looking back, I guess it makes sense as I was struggling so much throughout the whole run, it must have meant I was really pushing myself :-)

By the way, I just found out that we now have until JULY 30 to meet the $1000 goal for Mirabel! Yay! Donations can be made via this link.

It’s been a wonderfully relaxing day at home. I think I am ready to start sewing up some softies tonight :-)

Friday already?

It has been a good week. I received this in the mail:

What is it you ask? Well, I signed up for the Mother’s Day classic fun run to be held on Sunday, May 10. I will be doing the 4km run. That up there is my number to pin to my shirt and a thingamabobby to tie to my shoe to record my time.

This is a surprise to most of my family and friends because I have never, ever, ever been sporty or athletic. Ever. I told them about my participation in the fun-run this week and I have never heard so many collective gasps in my life!

I shunned all manner of sport since forever (I was the girl who, without fail, would go to catch a ball and get hit with it square in the mouth, with my glasses flying off my face) and always just passed P.E. in high-school. I especially hated running events – why run when you can walk; what’s the hurry I say? But with the encouragement of my hubby (who has been sporty and athletic since forever), I have been exercising regularly over the last 6 months simply to be fit and healthy, and must admit that this is the fittest I have felt in a long, long time. If there is any time in my life that I can even imagine I can do this, it is now.

But also and more importantly, all funds raised from the event will go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, which is the leading community-funded organisation in Australia raising money for research into the prevention, detection and treatment of breast cancer. My relatives have suffered from Breast Cancer – only one out of the 4 that were affected has survived. It is a horrible, horrible disease. And this is why I am also running – to help raise funds into more research (and it doesn’t help that my dad reckons it is highly likely I will get the disease at some stage due to my family history!).

It is always awkward to be asking for money when the economy is so bad and there are so many other charities that also need help – but I will ask that if you have a few dollars to spare ($2 or $5 or $10 or $20 or more), that you will consider sponsoring me for the run. Your donation will go straight to the NBCF (not me!) and if you live in Australia, all donations over $2 are tax deductible and they will send you a receipt.

If you would like to sponsor me, you can find my sponsorship page by clicking on the Mother’s Day Classic pic over on the right-hand side bar.

I have begun to train for the event. I went for my first 4km run a few days ago and except for that split second in the last 100 metres when I seriously thought I was going to collapse and die right there, I was actually surprised that I managed to complete the full 4km :-) Of course, the next two days I waddled around like a heavily pregnant woman since every muscle and joint in my legs hurt like crazy. That’ll teach me not to warm up properly before hand!

And in other news, Ze Bun-bun #4 has found a new home with a little girl (yay!), and the pattern and instructions for my Myrtle the Turtle softie is now available in the latest issue of Sew Hip (there she is in the bottom-right corner):