Wow - so long since I've blogged!!

I just logged in to this blog and realised it's been since May!!!! since I've put anything on here.  Well a good reason for that is this year I finished my post grad teaching degree.  Yes, so next year I can start working at a primary teacher.  Yay!  I can't wait, and the best thing about it is the opportunity to be creative and think up great ideas to inspire my students while making sure they have fun while they learn. 

I recently went to the Jeannie Baker exhibition at Newcastle Library, and while I was there picked up the education kit, with lots of inspiring ideas and activities to use with primary students.  I can't wait to have a fabric collage lesson, especially considering I have such a huge collection of gorgeous fabric scraps.

Next year I'm looking forward to making some one off ladies skirts, more purses and just generally being creative when I'm not working.  These holidays I have already had time to make myself some new clothes and a couple of presents for friends.

Here are a few pictures of things I did manage to make during the year.

Merry Christmas to all my customers too - thanks for supporting my creative addictions!

Carolyne

 I made this dress for Holly for her school Christmas Carols night

 Size 1 dress made with gorgeous Dutch Fabric

 I love this fabric, so made some ladies skirts too, including one for myself.

 Echino is one of my fave fabrics, looking forward to making more skirts next year

 Made this skirt for myself using 'Nature Walk' 100% organic cotton fabric

 Japanese Tensha bead earrings, nearly all sold out now

 These resin and Chiyogami paper earrings proved to be really popular

Fabric earrings

More skirts

Here are a few skirts I've been making lately.  As I am so busy with uni and prac teaching, these are great as they don't take long to make.  I'm having fun using the mountains of gorgeous fabrics I have stashed too!

These are all available in my made it shop. 

Upcyling

This purse used to be the bottom of a maxi dress, but I decided I wanted the dress shorter.  Now I have 2 of these purses to put in my madeit shop. 

Decisions, decisions

I recently made myself this skirt, and now I want to make more!  Since wearing it a couple of times I've had requests to make some.  It is such a simple design, but can look amazing with some of the gorgeous fabrics around at the moment.  That's the problem, deciding which fabrics to buy.  I think I'll only make 2 or 3 in each fabric,there's nothing worse than mass produced clothing and people turning up in the same skirt/dress/top in a small town!  So I will have fun looking at fabric sites and deciding what to get.

Yesterday I made a skirt for my friend Jacqui's birthday but I didn't take any photos as I was in too much of a rush to get it posted.  I used the Echino Patchwork in the Autumn colours - but I did take a photo of the card I made with some Echino fabric offcuts and buttons on recycled card. I stitched the fabric to the card with a zig-zag stitch, the top button is an Amy Butler brad and the bottom is a cute wooden butterfly button I bought from an Etsy shop.   I like it!  I hope she does too.

Echino pinny dress

I have such a huge stash of  fabric, it's actually pretty ridiculous as I'll never get time to use it all, but you know what it's like when you see it and have to have it.  Echino fabric is one of my faves so I thought I'd better use some and made this little size 2 pinny dress.  I hadn't done any sewing int he school hols so now I've made this one I feel inspired to make more.  I also bought some gorgeous fabric from Holland and the the next one will be made using that. 

I love this!

Here is a gorgeous quilt made by my friend Jacqui - she is so clever and although she works just about full time she still manages to create some really original and interesting things.  this quilt is made from vintage sheets, which makes it even more special... love it!

Happy New Year

Well things have been pretty quiet on the creative side here in the school holidays, but I've been able to clean out my office and workroom and get ready for the coming year.  I will be going completely online once I get more stock online and out of the Pod Collective shop.  It's been a fun time being in the Pod Collective shop but I'm going to focus on working from home and concentrating on finishing my study.

I have recently opened a shop on http://www.ethikl.com.au/rubylimedesign/ so with this and my made it shop http://www.madeit.com.au/storecatalog.asp?userid=20196 I will be busy enough looking after both of these.  Although I will be busy with uni and study this year, I am hoping to still have time to make a few things to put on my site.  I will concentrate on using some of the gorgeous fabrics I have in stock, making some more little girls' dresses and some more shorts for boys too, as I have lots of great fabrics for boys.  I am looking forward to creating some interesting and unique pieces by upcycling for my Ethikl store and using some of my clothes I no longer wear to do this. 

I can't say how fortunate I feel that I am in one of the few areas not devastated by floods.  I can't imagine how the people in those areas must be feeling or going through.  Watching it makes me feel sick so how must it be to be living it.  I am hoping to get involved by donating some of my stock to raise funds for the affected people.  

 Fair Trade Bags in my Ethikl Store made by villagers in North Western India

 Glass tile pendants - only $12.95

Some of my newest fabric purchases!

As I haven't been making much lately I've put on a few pics of things I've recently put in my online shops and some fabric I'll be using soon.