Melly & me

Sunrise

Soon I will be seeing lots of beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the beaches of Fiji!  So what a good time to show you the bag that those participants in the "Bagalicious" club will have recieved/or will be soon receiving.  If you have been part of the club then I hope you will love the July installment, which is my bag and matching wallet, "Sunrise"

For those who aren't part of the club, this pattern will be released in a few months, or there is still the option to play catch-up and join here.

Looking at this again is getting me in the mood for my sunny holiday tomorrow!  I haven't packed yet, but I have finished some work deadlines that had to be done which is a great load off the mind.  I have the camera charging, house/dog sitter arranged, and the commitment firm to leave the laptop at home (parting is such sweet sorrow).  So all in all I am pretty organised, and boy, am I ever ready!!!!!  

So until I return from a week of sloth and gluttony, may the floss be with you!

Melly. 

Are you Immersing yourself?

Rosalie, Leanne and I have been busily getting details organised for the "Immerse yourself in Stitching" retreat that we are hosting in September.  We are planing and designing projects, getting our kits organised as well as deciding on what lovely treats we want to pop in the goody bags!  It is so much fun and I think this is just going to be such an amazingly fabulous weekend.  

To any of you who have not heard of the retreat as yet, or have been thinking about whether you want to attend, I thought we had better give you a quick update.  Saturday the 18th September is now fully booked and registrations are closed, however if you are free on Sunday the 19th we still have a few positions available. If you have been thinking about coming along and sharing this wonderful weekend with us, I suggest you go check out this link to register online or download this PDF to register by post/fax.  We would love to see you there! 

And to update you on what else I have been up to.... Well I have been making a little bit of this...

A whole lot of that....

And then of course I cant forget binding this....

And of course dreaming about Fiji which is close approaching!

Melly.

Fiji awaits!

While I should have been working in any of the free hours I could capture this weekend, I decided to instead spend that little bit of time yesterday afternoon making up this gorgeous pattern from Make It Perfect. I have had this pattern sitting in my studio for a few months, with every intention of making it!  If you know me well, you know that intentions usually get forgotten, especially when they involve sewing for myself rather than getting onto that next design.  

Then I went to Daylesford a few weeks ago and was so excited to see the exact Japanese double gauze for sale that was used by Toni when she designed this kaftan pattern.  It is the kaftan on the cover of this pattern that really inspired me to buy it so I decided to buy the fabric (still wondering if I was wasting my money as intentions never usually come to life!!)  As I was buying it I was saying to the ladies, that I had no idea why I was buying the fabric as I would never get to it; I think saying it out loud made me want to prove myself wrong!  It could also be the fact that I am heading to Fiji very soon (a hardship I know - I am sure you all feel very sorry for me!) and my summer wardrobe is awfully lacking.  But whatever the reason, I actually DID IT!  Yay for me! 

Here is a bad lighting, self shot, taken in the bathroom mirror of my finished Kaftan.  

I followed Toni's amazing instructions and was so happy with the way the Kaftan came together!  The fabric requirements were spot on with little wastage, the instructions were clear and helpful, the design came together beautifully to truly recreate the design seen on the cover.  A perfect project to tackle in just 2 to 3 free hours and truly spice up that beach wardrobe.  I really recommend this pattern to anyone who is thinking about giving it a go - I am not sure how it would come out in cotton fabrics, I suppose more like a tunic; but the double gauze is just perfect for the job!  I adjusted my placket to be in-between the two lengths supplied and found this length perfect for me. The only advice I would give is that if you are built tall like I am, add 2 - 3" to the arm lengths.  I added 1" which is my usual addition to all patterns to allow for my longer limbs, but I think I should have added a bit more as the sleeves are still a little bit shorter than I prefer.  This is surely only a problem for giants like me and I figure they will be rolled up anyway while I enjoy the warmth and sunshine!  

Thanks Toni for such a wonderful pattern!  I now have the "intention" to make many more! LOL.

Melly.

Me??? Bake???

Ask my kids and hubby and they will tell you that I NEVER bake, unless backed into a corner and begged. I am not sure why this is, maybe because I know I will just eat it all up myself because I love it too much, or maybe I am just too lazy! Who knows?

But when asked to be a chef on the Moda Bake Shop, I figured, "this is some baking I can do!"    

If this baking is more up your alley too, then check out the tutorial here!  

....but please don't eat her!!!

Melly.

Daylesford Craft Experience.

I don't know if "experience" is the right word to sum up my weekend, I can think of other words to use such as "Blast", "Hoot", maybe even "Therapy"!!

To say that I enjoyed myself silly would be an understatement. I drove the whole trip home on a complete high and have not had so much fun in a long time.

The venue was wondrous, the food delicious, the organisers (Merrilyn from Threadneedle Craft Daylesford and Zoe from Purl's Palace) were warm, welcoming and wonderful.  I had a completely hysterical time meeting and spending time with Jodie Carleton of Ric-rac and was honored to meet and enjoy the company of Anette Eriksson.  Along with the lovely and talented Jody Abel, we made such a great team all together and believe me, you would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at our dinner together on Saturday night (there are photos, which I am sure will never be shared!)  There was too much fun had by all, and we all complained later of ouchy laughter muscles.

The ladies who came along were spoiled with the most wonderful goody bags, a choice of fabulous projects to work on, and a whole heap of fun.  There were amazing stitched postcards swapped, new friendships formed and a lot of yummy food consumed!.... oh, and a bit of stitching too!  I met so many talented, inspiring and like minded craftsters, and believe me I enjoyed meeting each and every one of you! 

I wish I had some more photos to share with you, but one side effect of having too much fun, is forgetting to stop and take photographs!

Thank you so much to everyone I came in contact with over the weekend, for making it one of the most enjoyable weekends I have had in 2010.  I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as I did!  Melly x x  

P.S.  While I am talking about fun, Patterns Only are celebrating their 1st birthday! Congratulations! Check it out to take advantage of free shipping, giveaways and the chance to win a year's supply of free patterns.