Tempest Ahoy

Photos: Some recent craftiness

2011-11-16T22:38:00.000-08:00

Some recent creations, including two happy customers!

Circular patterns

2011-10-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

Print out your own circular patterns, thanks to The Scientific Seamstress. For those times when you need to trace a circle, but a jam jar just won't do it! Good for all kinds of handicrafts, not just sewing. Circles included are from 1" to 58" in diameter.

Make Your Own T-Shirt Pattern

2011-09-28T04:47:00.000-07:00

Found a great tutorial I just had to share - Mad Mim's 'Basic Fitted T-Shirt Pattern'. Make your own pattern with these great pattern drafting instructions.

Image Source: Mad Mim

Standard measurements - useful tool for those who sew

2011-09-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

If you sew/craft for children who may not be in your household, or may be napping as you sew...here's something great from Sugar Art Crafts. Follow the previous link to get a full size table of standard measurements for kids' sizes 3-6! A great resource that I will be using too.

Image: Sugar Arts Crafts

Garden Stone Tutorial

2011-09-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

This is such a lovely idea...and a nice, personalised touch for your garden or courtyard.

Image: Sunset Gurl Design

Sneak Peek - Kids' Messenger Bags - Robots & Bright Blue Denim

2011-09-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

Kids' Messenger Bag

2011-09-18T03:41:00.000-07:00

Found this great tutorial over at Zaaberry. Can't wait to make some of these CUTE messenger bags for some of the little people in my life.

It didn't take me long to find some matching fabrics to use and prewash/shrink! As they're kids' bags, I anticipate they may need the occasional wash, so best to preshrink now, so the fabrics keep their shape once sewn.

Here, take another look at this cuteness:

Image: Zaaberry

Get the tute at Zaaberry!

Nautically Embellished Polos - A mini tutorial

2011-09-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

At the moment, everything nautical seems to be en vogue. Stripes, rope and anchors are popping up everywhere. People really seem to be enjoying the trend - for example, for kids; The Girl Creative's Sailor Pants tute (as well as a guest Sailor Skirt post), Sew and The City's simple sailboat softie tute, Kalleen's Sail Away School Dress; and for adults, the Asymmetrical Maxi Dress by Sew Petite Girl, DIY Nautical Headband, Nautical Belt tute, Nautical Dress Tutorial and there's even nautical nail art video tutorials on YouTube!

Image: DIY Nautical Headband by Presser Foot

I saw some $6 kids' striped polo shirts at K-Mart, and decided that I could turn them into something a little more special - and nautical, of course, to fit in with the upcoming Southern Hemisphere summer. They were OK on their own, but pretty basic.

They were already striped, so that's a good start for the nautical look.

The thing about embellishing a shirt like this is that you can choose how far to take the embellishment. One of the easiest things you can do is simply change the buttons. I took the polo with me to the craft/fabric store and matched the size of the buttons to some shiny anchor buttons. It is important to get the same size buttons as already on the shirt (or as similar as possible). Otherwise, they most likely will not fit through the buttonholes.

Snip or unpick the threads holding the buttons on, and remove. Set them aside if you like, for a future project!

Now sew on your new shiny buttons, in the same place as the old ones. Double your thread or use embroidery floss (like for cross stitch) for extra hold. Slip the new buttons through the buttonholes and check it out!

Below you can see a side by side comparison of an unchanged polo and one that has simply had the buttons changed. You could stop here if that's fancy enough for you.

I wanted a design on the shirt as well, and settled on an oversized anchor. A quick google image search for 'anchor template' turned up this delightful number from Craft Ideas, which you can download here.

You can also use a store bought iron on patch if you prefer to skip this step. If so, iron on the patch and you're finished!

Print out your template and cut it out.

Iron a fabric square a little bigger than the size of the cut out template to some double sided iron on interfacing. You may know this as Wonder Under, Vliesofix or Heat & Bond. Any of these is fine, just make sure it's the double sided stuff, to make this easierand quicker for you. You can use single sided iron on interfacing, but that will make your job a little harder.

At this step, I traced around the template onto my interfaced fabric, with my fabric pen that disappears when you wet it, and then cut out the shape. It's easier to cut after being interfaced, the cut will be straighter as the fabric is sturdier.

The pen is definitely a worthwhile investment! If you don't have one, any pen or chalk will do, or if you are worried about marking your design, just pin the template to the fabric and cut.

Now iron on your cut out anchor shape to your polo shirt, following manufacturer's instructions. If it didn't come with instructions, google 'double sided fusible interfacing tutorial'. There's heaps of them out there.

If you used single sided iron on interfacing, you'll now need to pin the shape to your shirt and sew around it at this point.

Your shirt should look a little like this. Note one polo has new buttons, one without, to show you what the polo would look like if you choose not to change the buttons.

If you don't like to sew, you can finish here, although sewing around the shape will make it last much longer through laundering and tumbledrying.

For the sewers, simply topstitch around the shape, don't worry too much about keeping a perfect shape. If the thread is the same colour, no one will even notice that corner is not perfect!

If you want to have a contrast here, you could use a different colour topstitching thread, or even a thicker thread. You could also handstitch around it with embroidery thread if that takes your fancy.

In any case, you're finished! Trim your threads and get someone to try on their new shirt.

Apologies for the iPhone pics! I really need to get batteries for my real camera soon!

Adding Pockets to Pants

2011-09-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

If the idea of sewn in pockets (as opposed to patch pockets) scare you, this tutorial by Shwin & Shwin makes them seem a little easier.

I know I will be combining this tutorial with the tried and true Kid Pants pattern for my next pants project! I'll make sure to let you know how they turn out.

New vest

2011-08-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today I finished this little vest for my niece's birthday present, although this post will be delayed so it stays a surprise until after the party. The fabric was so lovely I couldn't resist, even though it was more than I'd usually pay for fabric for a child's garment. She's only little, so it didn't take much, and she's worth it!

It has a really lovely, bumpy texture, and hangs nicely. I combined it with pink denim to ensure it had a decent weight and hopefully washes well. Let's face it, toddler clothes are going to need washing!

I pre-washed and tumbledried my fabrics, as usual. I do this with all my apparel fabrics before sewing, or actually with anything I think might need washing in the future. This way, it's less likely to shrink by a large amount when washed after wear, and the seams stay nice. It drives me crazy waiting for the fabric to be ready for sewing, but it's worth it for the end result.

I know I hate it when I buy something at the shops, and then it shrinks weirdly in the wash and never sits the same way again.

I used a button on this one, without a snap, due to my new buttonholing skill! I love how it turned out. Originally, I had intended to use the patterned fabric on the inside of the vest, but it looked so cute, I couldn't bear to hide it ;)

I've made 2 of these previously, and I really recommend this pattern.

Happy Birthday, munchkin. Love you.

More Kid Pants by Made

2011-08-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

I've been on a bit of a sewing blitz, getting some projects done that have been on my mind for a while. I just love Dana's Kid Pants pattern, and have been making quite a few. Still have a few to go, along with some requests from friends. They really are a great pattern, and there's a great tutorial to go along with it for beginners.I've enlarged it as the kids I was sewing for are bigger than the made pattern size.

Here's how some of my latest turned out.

Buttonholes - TICK!

2011-07-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

So excited - I have finally figured out how to do buttonholes on my sewing machine! It may sound like it's really easy, and to be honest, once you have the right foot and understand which switches to flick, etc, it really is! I decided today was the day, and I was going to figure it out.

Cue 20 minutes of me feeling a bit sweary and wasting bits of scrap material (also: this is how it has always gone before when trying to make a buttonhole). This was also how I felt about zips until I actually gave them a try. Now I love them!

All of a sudden, I realised there was one more setting I had to adjust. I had never noticed it before. D'oh! Adjusted - and my machine basically did it for me!

Behold, my first ever wonky buttonhole.

I'm very proud of it. It may not be perfect but now that I know I can do it, I can work on making them even better. Also, I tested it with a button. It worked!!!

I'm looking forward to doing more and more, as they have uses beyond just fastening buttons. It opens up some patterns to me that I had been avoiding because of the heavy button component...now I can give them a try!

Great Appliqué Tutorial

2011-06-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

I love appliqué-ing different shapes and designs onto clothing, bags and zippered pouches...sometimes it just adds a little something. Here are some of mine:

Easy Felt Applique

Tempest Ahoy Small Zippered Pouch

Tie Appliquéd Shirts

If you are new to appliqué, you may want to check out the following tutorial (via What The Craft) as it takes you step by step and is really well explained.

There's heaps of different ways to appliqué...I personally love using Wonder Under (sometimes called Vliesofix in Australia), which is double sided iron on interfacing. In other words, you iron the shape on to the interfacing, and then you can iron it on to your project before top stitching around it. I find it adds stability and it's easier to place your appliqué.

Kid Pants

2011-06-05T04:11:00.000-07:00

Some Kid Pants made this weekend with some funky IKEA coordinating fabrics. I found the pattern was a little too skinny and short in the rise for the kid in question, so added co-ordinating strips of fabric down the sides and a separate waistband for more wiggle and wriggle room.

Hula Hoop Rug

2011-06-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I love this hula hoop rug tutorial, by Nicole Blasenak Shapiro, as seen on Family Fun! What a fun thing do do with some old t-shirts or fabric scraps.

Appliquéd T-Shirts

2011-05-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

Had some fun making tie appliqués for some kids' shirts over the weekend, what do you think?

If you want to give it a try yourself, head over to Crap I've Made's Appliqued Onesie tute. It really is quite simple and I've already had random compliments from strangers! They look great. Thanks, Char!

Sewing machine is still alive!

2011-04-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have had the time to do any new sewing, but last night and today I leapt on the brief window of opportunity that I have to sew over the coming weeks.

It felt great to get some things done that have been on my mind for ages. Gifts, new items for sale (not yet in the shop) etc. The sewing itself is great for me though. It's not just sewing an item, the end result. It's the whole process for me, an excited meditation of sorts. I sort out problems, think of solutions and bliss out.

It's the process of sewing itself, and other forms of creating. Maybe you're not a sewer or a crafter, but I think many people have a hobby like this. Maybe for you it's reading, running or gardening. Maybe it's dancing, singing or cooking. The feeling is the same. Tell me, what's your hobby?

Mini-eco's Printable Sewing Cards for Kids

2011-03-27T02:59:00.000-07:00

mini-eco has posted a free printable to help those with curious children. If your kids love crafting with you, this would be a great way for them to stay occupied while you do your thing, learn a new skill and create something lovely. Check out these cuties - mini-eco's printable sewing cards, with a great tutorial to accompany them.

Hooded Towel

2011-03-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

Once there was a little kid who had a brother who had a hooded towel. The kid wanted one too.

So I fixed that problem! Now both little kids have hooded towels with removable, snap off hoods.

It was quite easy to do - I used 2 towels I found on sale for $4 each and a strip of cotton canvas my mother gave me from a past project for decoration. The fabric has dinosaurs on it so is just perfect.

One towel is the portion that covers the body, I cut part of the other one to make the hood. I saw a tutorial for this project online a while ago, but I didn't use one. Basically I just looked at the existing towel we had and copied the design.

Funky Belts

2011-03-20T04:26:00.000-07:00

Check out this awesome belt tutorial from Elsie Marley. I made two of these tonight for kids aged 2 and 4 and they just adore them.

Always great to see things you make being appreciated by little ones, they are so honest and expressive you know they mean it when they tell you they love something!

I did make a variation which I believe makes them even better. I love her version - great, especially if you have an awesome fabric that you want to use. This time, I wanted to speed up the process though, and make them a little 'rockstar' as the 4 year old just loves his 'rockstar style'.

The simple change I made was using cotton webbing instead of sewing fabric and interfacing etc. I really love the end result! Better non phone pictures coming soon. Meanwhile, if you need a belt to keep your little guy or gal's pants up, give this tute a try!

Fluid Dress

2011-03-10T03:25:00.000-08:00

How cool is this 'Fluid Dress' from CasualProfanity.com???

Fluid Dress from Charlie Bucket on Vimeo.

Win a Tempest Ahoy Dino Hat!

2011-02-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

If you head over to Charlie Moo's, you can enter for the chance to win a Tempest Ahoy Dino Hat! Good luck!

Make sure you check out the rest of the site too, owner Joanne is just great and has lots of interesting things to say and sell!

White Lotus Cooks

2011-02-05T02:56:00.000-08:00

I can't quite remember how it happened, but somehow on Monday night, I discovered White Lotus Cooks.

Image: White Lotus Cooks

Please do yourself a favour and visit her site...wonderful recipes, gorgeous food pics and rich story telling behind each one.

Gorgeous Hat

2011-02-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

Kristen from Rage Against The Minivan has posted a link to Krochet Kids, which has these GORGEOUS hats, handmade by women in Uganda, and soon Peru also. This company does good work to help women rise from poverty. As for this sunny yellow hat - WANT. That is all.

Image: Krochet Kids

Cute Slippers

2011-01-30T23:29:00.000-08:00

How cute are these slippers at Craft with Confidence?!? Love em. May have to make some for the upcoming Australian Autumn :)

Image: Craft with Confidence

Queensland Floods

2011-01-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

The devastating floods in the state of Queensland, Australia have been wreaking absolute havoc here in the Land Down Under. People have died and many have lots their homes. It is truly a devastating time for Brisbane, Ipswich, Toowoomba and many other QLD cities and towns. Flooding is now also affecting northern NSW and even Victoria.

I read a little while ago that the amount of land affected by the floods in Queensland alone is equivalent to the size of 2 times the size of the state of Texas, USA; or Germany and France put together.

Please, if you can, donate to the Premier's Appeal for the floods. The Premier Anna Bligh is basically like a Governor in the USA; this is a legitimate disaster appeal.

Many of us Aussies donate to these causes all the time, like Haiti and Hurricane Katrina. We did not think that soon it would be here again; Brisbane's last major flood was in 1974. The next bit, the clean up, will take a long time and will cost many billions of dollars.

If you would like to find out more about the floods, there are constant updates here.

Image: Michel Itel

Image: Carolyn Smith

Image: Shannon Newman

Image: Dave Hunt of AAP

Image: Brent Clayton

A lazy January Sunday in the Southern Hemisphere

2011-01-02T02:54:00.000-08:00

Was such a lovely afternoon...sorry about the phone picture quality :)

Merry Christmas One and All

2010-12-25T00:25:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to my dear readers!

I hope the day is magical for everyone...even if you do not celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a wonderful day anyway!

My day will be spent with my family, a pancake breakfast, a nice lunch, happy present openings, long lazy langushings and general fun.

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace. ~Agnes M. Pahro

Some more free Christmas printables

2010-12-21T21:36:00.000-08:00

For anyone that has run out of steam, time or money...here are some great Christmas things to print for you and yours. All you need is some paper, maybe even some cardstock or photo paper.You could even get these printed as photos.

Photo: Little Paper Dog

There's also printable art...

Asja Boro at Feed Your Soul

From: Make It Perfect

Rachael Smith at Feed Your Soul

...more gift tags...

Photo: Monita at Mushy

...printable notecards...

Photo: Eat Drink Chic

...and some printable gift wrap and bags!

From http://www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/gift-bag-template.html

From Creature Comforts

And of course, there's even some cuteness for little ones...

From http://42ndblackwatch1881.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/vintage-valley-of-the-dolls-best-dressed/

From VOL.25

Christmas cards

2010-12-11T00:28:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again...time to get my Christmas cards ready to send. Actually, it's a tradition that I actually really love and enjoy.

The last three years, at least, we have been sending photo Christmas cards...some may consider it cheesy; I think it's a beautiful reminder of what is important at this time of year. Looking at other people's cards reminds me with a pang how kids just grow like weeds! Especially when they are not nearby to look at throughout the year. I love receiving them. More and more people seem to be avoiding posting pictures of their kids online, so for some families it may be the first picture you've seen all year. Even people without children can have a photo card that says something about what they have been getting up to in the past year; perhaps a holiday snap or a wedding picture for example.Yup, photo cards really are my favourite kind.

One of my favourite photo cards that we have received over the years would have to be from my husband's mother and grandmother. They had some lovely portraits done that year and one of the pictures was the star of the card. It looked really lovely and is a nice keepsake for our family.

We're planning on sending some memories and maybe a keepsake of our own this year again; hopefully people will enjoy receiving it as much as I enjoy picking out a Christmas card to personalise. This year we'll be going through Shutterfly as I hear their product is amazing. So far I have had a ball perusing the options and even digressed beyond the realm of Christmas cheer and started looking at the gorgeous birthday cards and also the photo calendars, which would make great gifts too! I like the fact that you can also choose religious designs or generic depending on your preference.

In addition to simply having great stuff (which is my honest opinion), Shutterfly is also offering free cards to people just to let others know about their great stuff. It was a no brainer for me. I am really looking forward to getting my cards in the mail as I have had so much fun deciding.

It's beginning to look a lot like Chistmas

2010-11-29T13:58:00.000-08:00

I had plans for this year when it came to Christmas. Plans that included crafting many a Christmas decoration and gift. Unfortunately, life has not allowed me the time this year so far...maybe next year?

Here's a little something that anyone can do...all you need is a printer and an empty frame!

Image: eighteen25 via it'sthelittlethingsthatmakeahouseahome

Head over to eighteen25 for the short and sweet tutorial.

My new glue gun

2010-11-17T19:50:00.000-08:00

I had to buy a new glue gun last night; mine has gone AWOL. I bought this one in the hardware store instead of the craft store. Much heftier, and for the same price ($16). You can even choose to use it with or without a cord. It has a stand! And a tray that catches hot glue drips. I'll never but one of those rickety pink glue guns again! At this stage it can absolutely handle my glue gun needs :)

Just thought I would share in case you are heading to a craft store to buy one. STOP! Check our your local hardware store and see what they have first, it could be better.

*Not a paid OR unpaid review; just my honest opinion!

Pink, Green, Zip!

2010-11-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

I've been sewing some of these little zip cases; this is today's effort.

I love the bright, happy colours of the fabric used in this one.

I've tried different patterns etc, but I have learnt that with zippered things, it takes practice and you really need to adapt ideas to your own way of doing things. You develop a 'zip groove'. Wow, that was bad ;) So this is a practice one.

Such a cute size, perfect for some make up or a few gadgets like your phone, sat nav or some cards and cash.

Buttons and elastics!

2010-11-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

As some of you that are 'likers' on facebook may already know, I have been creating some cute fabric covered button hair elastics today, and I am in looooooove.

Love pretty polkadots!

Sweet florals :)

And other fun uses!

Japanese Eye Candy

2010-11-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

It's so secret that Japanese fabrics and patterns are huge in the crafting community at large.

One of my favourite Japanese crafting sites is komihinata, where various projects are posted; always simple, always lovely.

Image source: komihinata

If you speak Japanese, you are all set. If not, Google toolbar can automatically translate the page. Or you can just marvel at the creations, which is not hard to do. Just simple, sweet loveliness and eye candy to brighten your day!

I am not affiliated with them in any way. I'm just sharing the beauty :)

Hey there

2010-11-12T03:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I have been on a semi hiatus lately :) I'm back, I promise.

We've had a spate of weddings in our extended family...lovely things! How I love weddings. They were all extremely lovely and reflective of the bridal couple's personalities, my favourite kind.

There's also been minor illnesses in our own family; a spate of flus, including the dreaded swiney, over the last few months have been very draining.

On top of that, I have been performing some contract work for various companies since around September so have had much less time to work on my beloved Tempest Ahoy and this blog than I would have liked. I'll still be doing that work for a month or so but will be working hard on a work-work-life balance :) I've been enjoying lots of aspects of working part time outside the home, but certainly have been missing aspects of being at home as well.

Add in some overseas travel and I must say, I'm a little drained and a persisent flu of some nature has me feeling very *ugh*.

I'm back and even though I faux promised my lovely Facebook likers (SORRY DAHLINKS) a shop update a while back, I definitely am working on it!

So loyal readers, tell me; what's up with you?

Katie Makkai - Pretty

2010-11-09T04:24:00.000-08:00

Short but Sweet: Homemade Irish Cream

2010-09-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Skip to My Lou has a great recipe online for some Homemade Irish Cream. What a great gift idea!

Image Source: Skip to My Lou

Another cushion: Argyle

2010-09-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Loving this argyle cushion I spotted courtesy of Craftzine originally blogged at Bugs and Fishes.

Once again, you can make it yourself! This one is made out of felted jumpers/sweaters, but you can use any felt. Get Laura's how to at Bugs and Fishes.

2010-09-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I love Dana from Made's gorgeous faux chevron cushion! What a great idea. Head over to the tutorial and you can make your own, too. At the moment, Dana is Celebrating Yellow, so make sure to check it out!

Image Source: Dana at Made

Video: On Handwork

2010-09-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

Making something from hand is such a rewarding experience, be it sewing, knitting, crochet, needlework, workwork or any other number of handiwork crafts.

I found this video really interesting, and how Renate talks about knitting being a form of meditation rang true with me. I know anytime I am crafting, I am lost in my own little world, and it does feel very meditation like. I also liked the importance she placed on handicrafts within our busy, modern (often cold) world.

Video Source: Fibercraft Studios on YouTube, via Craftzine

Crafters, and others interested in any kind of handmade skill, do yourself a favour and watch this great video.

Guess what? Crochet!

2010-09-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

My very first foundation chain :) Wobbly and bumpy. But I did it!

It took me a while to figure out how to do it from the booklet...but all of a sudden I realised what I was doing wrong, which mainly had to do with how I was holding the yarn.

The ones since have been much neater and more even. I'm still proud of this one the most though!

Crochet?

2010-09-15T22:52:00.000-07:00

I have gotten my hands on the first issue of a serial crochet how to...and I am looking forward to taking the plunge and figuring it out. I have to go and see what other issues I can pick up now so I don't miss out on anything!

It's something I've always wanted to learn how to do. Years ago, when I was still a child, my grandmother did show me how to crochet two knitted squares together. I remember the occasion like it was yesterday, but do not remember the technique at all. Typical! I do remember how to knit though, simple garter stitch and stocking stitch, and that is due to her guidance.

I would just love to be able to crochet something like this, that I blogged here:

Photo Source: The Coveted

Or this that I blogged just recently:

Or this:

Image Source: Crochet Me

Maybe one day. Now, step one: figure out some BASICS. Any tips?

Busy Tempest Bee!

2010-09-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

Apologies to my regular followers, I have been a little off the bloggy radar recently.

Life has had me run off my feet, and to be honest in the next couple of weeks, it is only going to get busier. I've managed to get some crafty stuff done, mainly to add to our Etsy shop, so I am eager to have some time to do some purely recreational stuff again soon. Soonish.

There is so much to do at the moment, I have resorted to using a list. One of the items on said list is to write a more specific list in a certain category. Cuckoo, I know. But for me, lists help me get stuff done...and make the anxiety over GETTING it done a little less.

For me, there is nothing like the satisfaction of crossing things off a big list!

Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering how you guys get organised or deal with competing demands and many tasks/stress. Please share!

Photo: A monster for a monster lovin' kid!

2010-09-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

Photo - hard at work :)

2010-09-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

Feedback from our Crap I've Made giveaway winner!

2010-09-01T02:53:00.000-07:00

We were so thrilled to receive a wonderful testimonial from our Crap I've Made giveaway winner yesterday.

"I received the package and my kids went crazy! My little boy had this cute little turtle hat that he wore when he was a newborn that I really loved. When he put his dinosaur hat on, it brought back some really sweet memories. Thanks so much! I didn’t expect to have crayons in the crayon roll. Now I can boast being the only one I know with crayons from Australia. I also loved how the roll matched the hat. It even smelled good when I opened the package. Thank you again for your generosity".

- Linda Leary, USA

Thanks so much for taking the time to write to us, Linda! We love hearing what people think of our products! We also super duper thrilled to know that your kids loved it!

Cute cloches

2010-08-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

when I see this cuuuute stuff it makes me wish I could crochet!

Image Source: Aesthetic Nest

So this free pattern is one for the crocheters!

Printing on fabric using a home printer

2010-08-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Image Source: My Repurposed Life

The best idea I have seen yet for printing onto fabric with your home printer! Gail at My Repurposed Life uses full page labels with the fabric. Check out her tutorial on how you can do it too here or via her button below.

A reminder

2010-08-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

Great advice :)

My favourite line: "Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t".

For those of us not lucky enough to have been at BlogHer 10

2010-08-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

HomeHer10 from Suzanne Broughton on Vimeo.

Would LOVE to actually get there one day! BlogHer that is! Had enough of HomeHer!

Shirred dress tutorial

2010-08-10T01:44:00.000-07:00

I love Threadbanger.

They have this great video tutorial that is a good example of why. You can make your own shirred dress very quickly (or slowly if you prefer). If you can sew a straight line, you can make this dress. HONESTLY.

They call it a summer dress, but you could modify the straps (or leave them as they are) and wear over a turtleneck with a cardigan in the cooler months.

I'm planning on making a few of these over the next few weeks. I'll let you know how mine turn out!

Tempest Ahoy Etsy Giveaway @ Crap I've Made!

2010-08-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

You could win a Tempest Ahoy Dino Beanie and crayon roll! Enter to win at http://www.crapivemade.com/2010/08/giveaway-9-tempest-ahoy-dino-beanie.html today!

Crap I've Made Giveaways!

2010-08-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

Char over at Crap I've Made is having a huge week of giveaways to celebrate her recent 1,000,000th hit!

Congrats Char!

There will be giveaways posted every four hours over the next few days.

Keep an eye out, you never know what or who may be giving something away. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

These are so much fun to make

2010-08-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

They really are. :)

Appliance Art...?

2010-07-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

So I found this today and I just had to share.

Love it or hate it? They come in magnet or sticker options for your appliances.

Woulda put a picture up to show you, but the images are copyrighted and won't allow a good old right click action.

Peanut Butter Cups = YUMMO

2010-07-26T22:56:00.000-07:00

Today I have been kitchen crafting :)

The first thing I made were these scrumptious Peanut Butter Cups. Pretty good if I say so myself! Check out Mom. Undecided. for the recipe. A good blog, too! Mine were messy looking, but still DELISH.

Earlier today I saw another recipe, this time for a homemade beauty recipe. I'm a sucker for a nice homemade or handcrafted beauty treatment, so thought "why not"? After all, it was ten past three and I had nothing better to do (housework doesn't count, I said BETTER hehe).

I whipped up the Parsley Facial Toner from Homemade Mamas. They have heaps more projects that I will be trying in future, too.

I don't have acne, or oily skin, but I thought I would give it a go and see how it works on my sensitive skin, which is prone to breakout with some commercial products if they are too harsh. There's no nasties in this recipe, so I was keen to try it.

If you have parsley growing in your garden; and an electric kettle like me, this will take you barely any time at all.

Sewing with leather

2010-07-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had the good fortune to get some small pieces of really good quality leather. This stuff is thick and so, so soft. The texture is just beautiful. I decided I would have to try to sew with it; it would be an absolute shame to ignore it :)

I decided I would try my hand at making an I-pod pouch for the hubs; it's small but useful, and in leather I think they seem like they are a little luxury in your day.

I've never sewn with leather before, so it was a learning experience. Expecially as this leather was extremely thick and soft. These are my two very first attempts, which I think are not bad for a first try!

I decided to use the red as a contrast rather than to be matchy matchy.

I added a press stud closure to one pouch, the other I left as a simple leather pouch.

Basically I just measured an I-pod and left enough room to sew a seam.

Now I think I've got the hang of making them and figured out how to do even better with my next lot. As I practicised making these, I was able to improve the straigtness of my seams (the leather can slip around a bit so it takes patience) and the overall appearance.

Here are some tips I have found for anyone who wants to sew with leather:

Use a proper leather needle

Sew slow

Use a longer stitch length than normal

One tip I have heard is to dust leather lightly with baby powder so it slides through your machine easier.

Please take caution with this, do it at your own risk. I tried it and think it worked for me. If you have a Teflon foot for your machine, you probably won't need to do this.

Don't use pins, they mark the leather. Try pegs or paper clips if you need to keep it in place.

You can't unpick (will leave marks) so SEW SLOW! :)

Whaddya think?

Stuff

2010-07-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

Here at Tempest Ahoy, I love sewing. When it comes to knitting, however, my best is a garter stitch scarf. The sewn/other crafts in the shop are mine, all the knitted items in the Tempest Ahoy Etsy store have been made by my Etsy partner; who has just started a new blog about her knitting adventures.

Please head over and give her some bloggy love! Her blog is only brand new, so I'm sure she would love it.

And if you haven't been to stick beak at the Etsy shop, I would really appreciate it if you would and pass on any feedback to me at tempestahoy (at) gmail.com...any and all opinions most welcomed and considered. Perhaps you have some advice or recommendations, or just your impressions...

Although I will blog about the Etsy shop here occasionally, I'll still be blogging about other stuff as usual. The place where I will be sharing most of my day to day shop updates and perhaps hosting some secret giveaways in the future is our Facebook fan page - http://www.facebook.com/tempestahoy.

New friends here at Tempest Ahoy

2010-07-15T01:26:00.000-07:00

Check out my new buddies. They'll be helping us model stuff here and there when we add stuff to our Etsy shop, and basically for our amusement in general.

Meet Prudence.

She's a classy gal, if a little immodest. Geez.

That's better. Sheesh.

We're also getting a little help from her friends, Priscilla and Cecil.

Talk about attitude!

Psst. If you are on 'the' Facebook, search for our fan page, Tempest Ahoy :) It's the one listed as 'Company'. Be sweethearts and 'like' it and I will love you all forever hehe.

Tempest Ahoy Etsy Bound!

2010-07-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I've opened up shop on Etsy with a family member to share some of our crafty projects here and there, as well as some gorgeous vintage cards we recently were lucky enough to obtain.

I'm not the pushy sales type :) but I would love it if you would like to check it out (see gallery to the right) and feel free to 'heart' or favourite our shop if you are an Etsy customer already. The stock that is currently online will keep being added to over the next few weeks, so please check back regularly.

We're just brand new and only just starting to announce to friends and family! Naturally, I had to blog about it as soon as possible. Let me know what you think, but please be gentle! Friends and lovely peeps, please feel free to share our link! Will be establishing a Facebook page for the shop very soon.

At the moment, we've got some cute dinosaur hats and crayon rolls for the kidlets as well, and will be offering more flowers etc very soon. Please bear with us as we add to the range!

We can be found at http://etsy.com/shop/tempestahoy.

Tempest Ahoy's CSN Giveaway Winner

2010-07-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

The winner of the CSN Stores Giveaway for a $40 voucher is...DRUM ROLL...

The delightful Mandi!!! Never win, eh? Looks like your luck is changing!

Stay tuned, everyone, in the next few days I will be announcing some HUGE news for Tempest Ahoy!

More ruffles

2010-07-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

My cute new bag. Inside is blue with a red polka dot pocket and a magnetic snap. 'Upcycled' yesterday from a boring cloth grocery bag I bought at a craft shop for around $1. Needs a little more ironing, maybe.

Once you ruffle...you know the line.

US/Canadian readers: Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Only a few days to go!

Felt pillow

2010-07-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a felt pillow yesterday and today, on and off. I saw some great ones in Target that I wanted to emulate:

Yes, that is a picture of a picture on my phone. Sorry! My phone and I...well, it hates me. It doesn't like to perform basic functions like emailing photos, or you know, picking up calls sometimes. So I am getting a new one soon. Anyway, I'm hoping the picture is good enough for you to see the pleated rufflly goodness. That was my plan. Picture fixed! Pleated ruffly goodness.

Unfortunately, when I started to cut out the pillow, I noticed that there was not enough of the same coloured felt to copy this. You need quite a bit of length in the strips you are going to ruffle to do this kind of effect. Ah, well. Next time.

THIS time I decided to make do rather than run down to the craft shop and do some normal ruffles and sew them in a random fashion on at each end. I am very pleased with the result!

I even made the closure all fancy like (he he) with an exposed zip in the back rather than the flap I had initially planned on. It's not perfect, but it's OK. Functional!

I'm thinking of doing another pillow with either a cut out in the felt or a cylindrical pillow with a single ruffle down the middle to match. Also thinking of taking some better pics this weekend. Stupid lighting!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway before you leave! Good luck.

Some cute new floral fun

2010-07-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

I've been having fun making more satin and felt flowers recently.

This blue one is attached to a ribbon headband.

Headbands and clips and pins, oh my.

Giveaway

2010-06-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

I have another giveaway for my amazing readers! How can I say no to hosting a giveaway when I know one of you fabulous people will win!

I love looking at homewares and furniture online; whether it's Microsoft Windows shopping (hehe) for a new vanity, lounge, kitchen or dining suite...and all the accessories that go with those big ticket items.

Accessories and homewares...so much fun to choose. I'm thrilled that CSN Stores is offering my US & Canadian readers another chance to win a $40 voucher to spend in any of their online shops. Head over to their site to see what you like.

If it was me, hmmm...what might I choose...

Le Creuset 9" Square Baking Dish with Bonus 5" Baking Dish in Caribbean

Sengware Square Plates

Le Creuset Mortar & Pestle

Birdcage Teatowel

Le Creuset Cool Tool Potholders

Flirty Aprons Girl's Apron in Blue/Chocolate

Le Creuset 14-Ounce Petite Strawberry Casserole

Can you tell I am a Le Creuset fan?!? I love these colours; the yellow, red and Carribean blue together are really gorgeous, I think. Makes a kitchen all bright and lovely.

Please leave a comment to enter :) New followers welcome!

For a bonus entry, visit one of the CSN Stores and tell me what you would choose.

Entries close 8th July 2010.

Shipping charges may apply for Canadian readers.

Yummy baking day

2010-06-30T02:53:00.000-07:00

Today I have been industrious in the kitchen; making kid friendly 'Invisble Apple Muffins' and also Cheesymite Scrolls. I will be making some Tuna Patties for dinner as well.

I found the Invisible Apple Muffins recipe at kidspot.com.au, always handy for recipes, especially for children. I made a slight 'tweak' and added grated dates, some cinnamon in the mix and some shredded coconut as well. I would have added sultanas/raisins as well but we have run out. A really easy recipe. I will be hanging on to this one. The taste is subtle, perfect for young kids. Tastes a little like butter cake, with slight apple-y goodness. They won't even know they are eating apple.

For Cheesymite Scrolls, you really don't need a recipe, although there are heaps out there. Spread an even coat of Vegemite (or Promite or Marmite if you are so inclined) over a thawed sheet of pastry. Sprinkle with cheese (your choice; I use Tasty or Colby, Cheddar) or a mixture of cheeses. Roll into a log. Cut log into evenish circles. They don't have to be pretty to taste good! Put on greased tray. Bake for 15 mins at around 200 C.

If you don't like Vegemite, try these with pesto...yum.

Coincidentally, I found my favourite Tuna Patties recipe at kidspot.com.au a while back too. I make variations depending on when I make it and what's in the fridge, but it's a great recipe.

Easy to pack a whole lot of vegies in there. I dice them really small with my favourite kitchen item of all time...Tupperware 's (Australia / USA) Happy Chopper. I really, really love it. Unfortunately, they didn't pay me to say that. I just truly think it is incredibly awesome.

American readers please note - Australian cup measurement=250 mls

So true

2010-06-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

"This is the thing that no one can really explain to you, before you live it, before you feel it deep in your heart in that place that you didn’t even know was there until your children came and called to it, is this: that you will always miss them, always even as you crave and relish your solitude, even when you experience that aloneness as a kind of bliss, even when you thank the gods that you got to spend the night without a toddler attached to your hair, you will miss them. You will keenly miss them. And the heart never gets used to that." - Her Bad Mother

This is so true! There are many people out there that have expressed to me a bafflement that one would ever want to have a break from their children. It's also true, these people rarely have children themselves. There's this idea that it's unnatural of a mother to need space, fun or independence; God forbid ALONE TIME.

"You made the choice to have children," is the mantra. "Suck it up".

I just love how Her Bad Mother expressed the feeling. Good gravy, alone time is wonderful. Be it 20 minutes or hours. No one grabbing at you, begging for another this, that, the other, wrestling with siblings and knocking their bodies on the furniture. A coffee that is at least warm the whole time you're drinking it! Bathroom breaks in peace with no one following you. B.L.I.S.S. You never understand how precious that is before you have children.

So yeah, alone time = wonderful. But it's so true that you miss and pine after them the whole time you are alone. Your heart always seems full to bursting with your children. Motherhood, huh?

And for those that utter the mantra...just wait. :)

Free Printable - Light Candles Quote

2010-06-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks to The Graphics Fairy for the vintage frame image.

Australia's First Female Prime Minister

2010-06-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Today Australia's first female Prime Minister Julia Gillard was sworn in by Australia's first female Governor General Quentin Bryce.

Image Source: http://ninemsn.com.au/img/2010/news/2406_gillard4_nh_sp.jpg

A historic day for Australia.

I shed a tear watching the swearing in ceremony because of the symbolic nature of the occasion.

There was some political hoopla that lead to this appointment, including the previous PM standing down. No matter what your political persuasion or perspective, a very historic day indeed.

Now, let's celebrate the occasion (even if we mourn the fact former PM Rudd was dispatched), and move on to letting the new PM do her job. And let's hope various media outlets cease referring to her as 'Australia's First Lady'!?!

She is now the Prime Minister, not married to one, please afford her some respect for her office.

The fact that she is not married and has no children also has no bearing on her political career. Who cares??? Stop mentioning it!

Read more here if interested.

Free Printable - Strength Quote

2010-06-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

"The Coffee"

2010-06-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

Oh, I can't stop drinking the coffee. If I stop drinking coffee, I stop doing the standing and the walking and the words putting-into-sentence doing.

- Lorelai Gilmore (from TV's Gilmore Girls)

STORY. OF. MY. LIFE.

Spotted at Mmmcrafts.

New headbands

2010-06-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

I made some new headbands with my trusty glue gun and a tiny bit of sewing...

The pink & black felt one is based on Yoonie's peony tutorial with less layers and the other is just different sized circles of white satin, edges burned/melted and embellished with a bead. Many people have done variations of these, I did these without reference to a particular tutorial, they are very easy.

Giveaway Winner!

2010-06-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Charlie Moo's Party Bags is...

Lexi's Mommy! Congratulations! Please contact me so I can send you your prize :)

Everyone else stay tuned as we will have more giveaways in the future as well as some big news coming soon!

Retro ideas of today's fashion

2010-06-05T05:24:00.000-07:00

World; apparently, we're doing it wrong.

Another giveaway!

2010-05-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

A while ago, you 'met' Joanne, of Charlie Moo's. She's one of the people featured in my ongoing Creatives series, a series that, in true creative fashion, is not bound by a regular schedule but instead added to rather haphazardly :)

Joanne is an inspirational entrepeneur. You can read more about Joanne and her exciting business here. Recently she won Dorset Business Mum of the Year 2010. Congrats, Joanne!

Joanne's primary focus at Charlie Moo's is party bags and good quality toys to fill them with!

Thanks to Joanne and her genorosity, I have 2 cute handmade fabric Charlie Moo's Party Bags to give away; they will both go to one lucky recipient anywhere in the world.

CUTE, huh? Perhaps you know a child that could use them to collect precious treasures in; perhaps as a treat bag for your own children; as a jump start on more Charlie Moo's bags for an upcoming birthday; maybe as part of a stocking stuffer or gift bag in your Christmas/birthday stash.

Tell me I am not the only person with a gift stash. Please.

At the moment Charlie Moo's is not organising International orders through their site...but a little birdie tells me if you contact Joanne directly, something may be able to be organised for International fans.

To enter: please leave a comment! I will announce the winner here on my blog next Tuesday, please include your email address in your comment if you do not have a public profile so I can let you know the good news! I will send to any normal address worldwide.

If you want to be really wonderful, followers can head over to Charlie Moo's; pick your fave item and come back here to tell us what it is and why for a bonus entry (separate comment). Feel free to become a follower for this purpose!

I'm sure Joanne would love to hear your feedback!

Owl Softie

2010-05-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

I have been on the look out for something to make for a friend's baby shower. She's having a baby boy :D

Well, I was running out of time, so I was really glad to see The Rubber Punkin's Owl Softie Ribbon Tutorial again. I had seen it ages ago and 'meant' to make it but had not gotten around to it. Ah. Like so many projects.

Here's Emily's version:

Source: The Rubber Punkin

Cute, huh? I thought I would give the tutorial a try.

Here's my little owl.

I decided to topstitch around him in a constrasting thread to secure the opening and basically to reinforce it against little teeth just a little more.

He's really quite lovely.

Here's a picture for some size perspective.

Very easy to follow pattern and tutorial. Thanks, Emily.

I made up one of Noodlehead's Diaper Pouches to go with my little owl. I found it to be a very good tute.

Here it is (above) before a final iron...

It was quite fun to make, and they seemed to like it :D. I put a newborn nappy inside with a packet of wipes, and paired it with the owl and a bottle of baby shampoo.

It all went in a homemade (thanks to the overlocker/serger) orange organza bag, tied with organza orange and yellow ribbons.

Next time I will try a fabric flap, this time I used some cotton twill tape.

Fancy some homemade pasta?

2010-05-30T02:26:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Blue Cricket Design, who shared the Pioneer Woman's homemade pasta recipe.

I've never tried making my own pasta, although I have thought about doing it for a while. I guess I never bothered because it seemed like it might be really difficult. Um. Not-so-much.

Have you got eggs, flour and a rolling pin? Cool. You're set. Really.

That recipe again is at this link.

Great Tutorial for inserting press studs/metallic snaps

2010-05-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

I needed to insert some press studs today for the first time and just thought I would look for some instructions first. These are the neat and tidy looking ones you bang in with a hammer, not the sew in type.

I found a great (and amusing) tutorial on CraftStylish by PepperberryAndCo. Very easy to understand, unlike the odd diections on the pack.

I only made 3 changes/diversions from the tute. I interfaced (fusible) behind the stud site; hammered on my desk over a towel (naughty) and used a mini dumbell to bash it instead of a hammer. What? It was handy!

DIY Watercolour Paints

2010-05-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Creative Jewish Mom's DIY watercolour tutorial is certainly worth a try. For your own kids, the neighbours or little nieces and nephews.

The ingredients are pretty common pantry items, so check it out!

She has a great blog, with lots of creative and crafty ideas.

Funky laces

2010-05-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

Source: Craftzine

How cool is this idea listed over at CRAFTZINE?!?!

Toddler hat

2010-05-25T03:39:00.000-07:00

Today I tried out this cuuuute tute on U-Create, a guest tute by Abby from Sew Much Ado.

The name - 4-In-1 Bucket Hat.

The verdict - yes.

What a great tute!

I really enjoyed making my first hat...it can be a bit tricky to get the seams right between crown and band, but now I have made one, I think it would be much easier next time. These ones are a bit crooked, but to be honest, when it's worn I could not tell. I've heard hat sewing is a somewhat learnt skill.

I still have at least another 2 to make, one for another hat needing child and one for a baby shower. The child wearing the hat in the pics actually had a head measurement of 1 and a half inches more than the measurement given in the pattern, it still fits fine and also fits a child of the pattern's head measurement. The child pictured was ~~cajoled~~ asked once to look down for the photo, it doesn't actually cover their eyes but gives good sun coverage.

This was a great tutorial. Thanks Abby, and Kari too, of course.

Fabric is a cute Japanese print - D's Selection Tip Top. A beautiful medium weight cotton...a dream to sew with. Had that lovely, buttery designer feel to it. Yum. Thanks Mater, for the great pressie!

The Apron

2010-05-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the apron I have been hard at work on for a friend, I delivered it to her on the weekend. Excuse the picture. The apron's not wonky...but hard to get a good pic without a model! I wasn't that brave.

I spent a lot of time getting the seams right; neat and tidy. The apron is fully lined but I didn't take a picture of the lining. Here's a heads up - it's white :) I also interfaced the apron ties to help them keep their shape for as long as possible. The colours here are a little off. It's much pinker, not as blue. What is the deal with that??? Also the thread used was pink, not white as it appears here. Also the ruffly pocket is not wonky either, although it is placed on a slant for effect and ease of use.

The little flower is detachable in case the apron needs to be washed. Let's face it, a properly used apron will need a wash every now and then! I kept this in mind while sewing, and also prewashed and ironed the fabric.

I'm planning on maybe selling some of these. I just have to get my behind in gear and make some more.

Once again, threads have been snipped now - hehe.

Here it is with me pulling a tie so you can see it's not actually wonky. Did it work? LOL. When I start selling my aprons, I will be using models and a photographer, for sure!

My friend seemed to really like it, which made me so happy. She said it was too pretty to bake in. SCORE.

Thanks to Modest Maven for the pattern; although I changed the strap, ties and added a ruffle pocket and ruffly flower too.

Easy Felt Applique Tutorial - No/Low sew!

2010-05-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

My local 'discount' department store has some children's clothing on special in season. In winter it is $6-8 for a plain sweatshirt/pair of sweat/track pants; in summer it's around the same for t-shirts and shorts. It's an easy way to add to their wardrobe without costing too much money. However, they are plain and boring.

Blah.

A good way to make their new piece of clothing look much cuter is to add an applique to it. I'm still new at applique, but thought I would share how I recently updated 2 cheap tracksuit tops to look a little more kid friendly and more personalised. These can be great for a gift too.

You do not HAVE to sew to do this. Awesome.

I decided to use felt as my applique. It's strong and hardy, and you do not have to worry about it fraying too much. Bonus. You can also use fabric, but the edges will fray. That can be a cool look, just make sure you top stitch at the end.

Find an applique shape that suits the child you are embellishing the top for. I decided to not get too fussy with mine as I find simple usually looks best.

I chose this dinosaur from freeaplique.com and a some stars that I drew with the shape tools in Microsoft Publisher. You could use any similar program; you could even use the clip art in Word. Remember you will be cutting out the silhouette of the image, so it must be obvious by the silhouette what the object is, unless you are planning on getting fussy and adding heaps of detail.

Some ideas: dinosaurs, mermaids, stars, guitars, crocodiles, initial, robots, flower, hearts, bunnies, cars, tools, etc.

Next, print the applique pattern/shape and pin to felt. Cut to shape. Don't worry about being too exact, as you can trim later.

Take out pins. Trim any yucky edges to taste.

At this step, I like to pin my applique to the tracksuit top to see where is looks best. At first, the plan was to centre the images, but I like the look of them slightly off centre.

If you have the child handy, get them to try on the top so you can see how it will look when it is worn. If they are not around, just keep in mind where the clothes may look when worn. For example, if you want to put an image on one side, make sure it is not TOO far over or it may end up being half hidden from view, or under an armpit :)

If child is cooperating, you can move the felt shapes around to get them where they look good.

It's optional, but at this stage I chose to interface my felt. Felt is much stiffer than other fabrics so you could *possibly* miss this step. I decided I would go with it and try and preserve the appliques' shapes through the many envisioned washes in the future.

If you don't want to do this, sew shape to top. You're done.

Use some Wonder Under, Heat N Bond or similar double sided fusible (directions) and iron it to the felt shape. Trim paper so it doesn't show on the 'right' side (picture below pre trim).

If you're using double sided iron on interfacing, you can now peel the paper off and iron your shape in place on the top.

Optional: Topstitch around shape; it helps it last longer and just adds a nice finish. You can do this neatly or in a crazy, messy modern style. I like it a little crooked - a lot of kids clothes are being sold that way at the moment and I think it's cute.

If you're not using double sided fusible, pin interfaced shape to tracksuit top in place. CAREFULLY, sew around shape. You can use a zig zag, but a plain stitch looks fine.

Stitch around shape even when using double sided interfacing, if you can (warning, terrible picture below).

DONE. Easy as. Now take that kid to the park and show off the handmade goodness.

This is not just for kids, either. I can see some luuuuurverly adult tops being made the same way, perhaps with some layered flowers or scrolls. Hmm.

Cuteness on a stick. Or, on a kid.

Oh and ignore that hanging thread in the last pic. Thanks :) It has now been snipped.

Mother's Day

2010-05-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Some mummy-ness:

A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them. ~Victor Hugo

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. ~Pearl S. Buck

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. ~Honoré de Balzac

She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along. ~Margaret Culkin Banning

Giveaway winner

2010-05-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to everyone that has entered my giveaway. Thank you to my regular readers for your support, and to my new readers - welcome!!! I like you already :D

The winner was chosen randomly, thanks to Random.org.

Now, for the drum roll...

The winner is...

Chris from Pickup Some Creativity!

Congratulations, Chris! Please email me so I can pass on your details to CSN Stores so you may receive your prize!

I've been a follower of Chris' blog for a while now, it's great! Make sure you go and check it out.

Stay tuned for another giveaway coming soon - this time open to readers from everywhere! Also I have some exciting news that I can't wait to share with you guys and some brand new project ideas.

To all the mothers out there - have a Happy Mother's Day!

Giveaway!

2010-05-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

I'm really grateful for my wonderful readers. I just love getting your emails and comments, and I love exploring your blogs too! So when I was approached to do a giveaway, I just had to say yes! Mostly because you guys are fantastic and I want you to get PRESENTS! Haha.

The really great thing about Tempest Ahoy's very first giveaway is that YOU can choose what it is; whether it involves track lighting, soft furnishings, lamps, decals, whatever!

CSN Stores has been kind enough to offer one of my US/Canadian readers a $40 (US) gift voucher to spend online. You'll be sent the gift certificate to use as you wish on any of their 200 + websites. Feel free to put it towards a larger purchase if you like.

Here are some suggestions (in other words, what I might choose if I was able to be the lucky winner). My selections are each under $40. How great is their range?!?

From CSN Lighting

From allmodern.com

Entries:

(1) Become a follower, and let me know in your comment!
(2) For an extra BONUS entry, blog about the giveaway and let me know in the comments (with the URL!). Please link to Tempest Ahoy (http://tempestahoy.blogspot.com) in your post.

That's it! I will be choosing the winner randomly on Saturday...get your comments in!

Once again, thanks for reading.

Please note that there may be shipping charges; or in the case of Canadian readers, international fees, for certain products.

Stay tuned; in future there will be another giveaway for more International readers too! I hope to offer many more giveaways to my readers in the future.

Upcoming Giveaway

2010-05-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to announce I have my *very first Giveaway* coming up for my American and Canadian readers. It's a perfect opportunity to say OMIGOSH-like-totally-thank-you-for-reading-my-ramblings!

Can't wait to tell you more.

Buttercup bags

2010-05-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've made 2 Buttercup Bags from Made By Rae.

One as a gift for a friend (which I forgot to take a picture of - d'oh! Bad blogger); and another for myself :)

A bit crinkled, but looks good! Oh, iron, wherefore art thou???

I made from the stash, so didn't get cotton to exactly match this quite unusual colour combo. I like the contrast.

The colour here is probably truest to form; but in real life it is more mustardy and navy, not quite this bright.

Thank goodness for sunny days - you don't need a flash.

I was really pleased with the way they both turned out. Because this one was for me, I rushed it a bit more, but I still like it :) I think I've worked it (making the bag) out now, the next one will be even better! It really is an awesome pattern. What do you think?

More Purl Bee Rose Barrettes in the making

2010-05-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

Rose, ungathered ;)

These are so cute! Love them. Tute here.

Don't look at my hand sewing! I said don't! Hehehe.

Mani Pedi Bliss

2010-04-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I had a manicure and pedicure yesterday; using a voucher I got for my birthday at last. It's been so long since I last had one.

My fingers and toes look so prettied up. And the playlist in my head keeps playing, "Walking on Sunshine" even though they are BRIGHT pink.

Happy weekend!

Apron in progress

2010-04-29T01:19:00.000-07:00

Cut out, ready to pin. I just liked this random pic!

Homemade Deodorant

2010-04-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I just had to get on the bloggy bandwagon and try my hand at homemade deodorant.

Thank you, How About Orange for the great tutorial! It rocks. Her picture below, mine looks similar, but with fingerprints in it...hehe. I couldn't wait to try it, sorry.

I made three lots of the deodorant and still had some ingredients left over. It smells yummy (I did two lavender and geranium mixtures and also a lemongrass one), and so far they have worked really well.

It's so easy, that you'll wonder why you haven't tried it before. I even used metric cup measurements (I'm assuming it's using US ones in the tute), and it worked like a dream. The result is like a balm, you just run your fingers over it and apply a bit to your underarms. If it's a bit runny at first, just pop it in the fridge.

All you need is coconut oil, baking soda (bicarb), arrowroot powder and essential oil of your choice. Really. Oh and a container to keep it in. You could even put it in one of those empty deodorant containers (the solid style roll ons).

I absolutely love the smell and feel of the coconut oil; it's semi solid, not a liquid at room temp. Delish :)

No aluminium or other nasties in there, which is a definite bonus. I am impressed!

Ohhh yes.

2010-04-24T23:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things are cool.

Sometimes things are AWESOME.

Yes, that is a Tardis (from Dr Who) birthday cake!!!

The Domestic Scientist blogged about her cake here.

Zipperdee Do Dah

2010-04-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

I sewed my first zip yesterday! It was much easier than I thought!

Not perfect, the sewing is a bit wobbly but it is functional. I'm going to keep practicing and get them as straight as possible.

I'm so excited. Now I can sew a zip in, there's so many more projects I can make, that I used to avoid. I have a specific one in mind too, will share soon :)

If you haven't sewn a zip before; google a zipper tutorial. Grab your fabric, your zipper foot and a zipper. Get going! You can do it too. It's not hard!

Now, as for today, I have some projects to finish up, and an apron to cut out!

Oh Miss Friend! Apron Material selection.

2010-04-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

For the girly girl apron!

Photo looks a bit more blue than reality!

The Yellow Wallpaper

2010-04-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

I remember reading this short story (The Yellow Wallpaper)in high school. I've always remembered it. There's lots of yellow around at the moment, I guess it made it pop into my head!

Good ole Wikipedia explains, ""The Yellow Wallpaper" is a 6,000-word short story by American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine.[1] It is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature, illustrating attitudes in the 19th century toward women's physical and mental health".

It's an unusual story, strange but also compelling.

Gilman explains why she wrote it here.

Let me know what you think!

Knee deep in crafting

2010-04-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

Oh, how exciting, I can now return to the sewing machine! It has been frustrating confining my efforts to hand sewing while I've been healing.

I've been working on a sewing project for a friend's birthday next week...I wanted to give myself enough time to get it finished, was not sure how long I would be able to sit at the machine. I had no trouble finishing it though. YAY!

No photos...not until next week when the birthday has passed!

I also have an apron to get cracking on for a friend of mine, which I hope to start next week. I am so pleased I will be able to sit down and just sew...bliss. I've been enjoying flicking through my patterns in preparation. I was lucky enough to get a book of Japanese apron patterns a while back, so I will most likely choose one of those or modify another pattern. The vibe is pink and girly. It depends on what pattern I choose as to what material can be used...and there are so many lovely patterns!

In other news; my house is coughing and spluttering. At least the people inside are. Yuck. I really hate being sick, yet I am one of those people that gets whatever is getting passed around, lucky me.

Mysewingcircle

2010-04-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Have you guys heard about this new community?

Go and check it out. You know you want to!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2010-04-08T23:15:00.000-07:00

I made liquid laundry detergent today. Yay, me! It's something I have been *meaning to do* for an eon. I can't believe I was so lazy now, it is very easy and cheap too.

All you need is borax (handle with care; I wore disposable gloves), washing soda, pure soap (Sunlight, Lux Flakes, Ivory, Velvet) and water! I also added lavender essential oil, which smells great, and next time I will try eucalyptus and see which of the two I like better. You could make it any essential oil that catches your fancy though. Hmmm. Now I am thinking of rose and geranium.

I used Jodie's recipe she posted on this forum, I found it through good ole Google.

International readers, please take note; the cup measurement used is a metric cup (250 ml). US cup sizes (giggle), both legal and customary, are slightly smaller. They are 240 ml and 237 ml respectively. I don 't believe the measurement needs to be absolutely exact, so I would probably add another 1/4 of a cup or so to even it out.

If anyone is still using the old fashioned IMPERIAL cup measures, use a little less than a cup.

It makes 10 litres, people. For those of you in the US, that is a little over 2 and a half gallons.

I used some plastic milk cartons (3 x 3 litres and 1 x 1 litre one) to bottle the mixture. We go through about a million litres of milk (it seems that way ;p) a week in this family, so it felt good to reuse them. I'll be giving some to my MIL too as we've both run out of the store bought version - at the perfect time!

~~Will post pics later today~~! DONE.

Naturally, I will not be held responsible for any mishaps with the recipe, it's not mine, so please use at your own discretion. I find it works great for me. Follow the directions for handling the borax and the washing soda and all should be sweet. Litre is not a typo, we spell it that way :D