tiny happy

wrapping things up

Kia ora, hello! How are you doing through these busy December days? I've been trying to wrap things up - finishing up various bits of work and other tasks, packing to visit family over the summer break, and literally wrapping things too, of course, in the form of Christmas gifts.

I thought I'd share a few things I've been making along the way. I had grand plans (like I do every year) but only made a few things in the end. 

A fun project was knitting up some mushroom ornaments, inspired by my friend Lizzie who sent me the link to the pattern for the wee 'charming mushroom ornament (the one with the hanging loop, pictured above). You can find it here. The other two mushrooms are little soft sculptures really, but I might add a hanging loop to those, too. The pattern is by Claire Garland and can be found here.

I made a big batch of fruit mince (using a Nigella Lawson recipe similar to this, but with cider and brandy added) and then baked a batch of fruit mince pies every few days for visitors, guests and to have with our afternoon coffee! I think I will give mince pies a rest until next year now. But I do love them!

Other little gifts made this season include:

• fabric pouches sewn from favourite leftover cottons and linens (I also used leather scraps to make zipper-pulls for each)
• little drawstring bags, personalised with children's initials (find my tutorial for those here)
• a set of pillowcases (but I forgot to take a photo before wrapping them up - oops!) made from my own tutorial found here
• tote bags

I haven't made these, but you might like the following projects if you're gift making:

• natural perfume, two ways
• jars of fresh lemon curd
• peace dove ornaments
• Jenny's fruit cake (this would make a lovely holiday gift if you pressed almonds into the top and wrapped the finished cake in brown paper)
• calming eye pillows
• lemon + honey or rose lip balm
• seashell mitts (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere!) or the super-simple Keira's fingerless mitts

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Whether you're in a making mood or not, I wish you a very happy festive season if you're celebrating it! I'm heading to the South Island for a short while to catch up with family and friends. Thank you so much for reading my blog this year - it's lovely to have your company in this space!

Lots of love, and see you in the new year,

Melissa

about two different dresses

Here we are in mid-December! I had good intentions to write more blog posts this year, but the months have really whizzed by this year. Something to aim for in 2023, perhaps? 

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the end of the calendar year, however you celebrate it where you are. As always, our December has been filled up with end-of-year concerts and gatherings, as well as much work to be finished up before the summer break. It's been a happy time though, with Keira finishing her high school exams, and Arlo coming home for the university break. Both will spend time washing dishes this summer and saving their pennies for next year's study. 

In this post, I was tempted to write about gift making but I think I'll try and do another post in a couple of days about that. I've been doing a little sewing and knitting in the evenings and have a few things to share in that department! I had wild ambitions to make many of my Christmas presents this year, but as it turned out, I've only managed a handful. But that's ok! I'll share them in my next post, along with some ideas for things I wanted to do, in case you are looking for inspiration.

I spent a few evenings sewing a dress for Keira to wear to her end-of-year school ball (like a prom/formal) last month, and realised I never got around to sharing it here. Partly that's because I didn't snap any good pictures of it - the day she wore it was rainy and she got ready for the event at a friend's house. Anyway, it was fun to make her something special like this, and I thought the finished dress looked fantastic on her, despite not having much photographic evidence!

I used the Papercut Maya Cami Dress pattern and made a toile first, which prompted me to do some major fit adjustments to the bodice pattern pieces. They were too wide and gapey, we decided. I re-drafted those pieces to better fit Keira but kept the body pieces the same, except to make them longer, so the dress is floor length. For the final version, I bought some viscose crepe fabric from The Fabric Store in a beautiful forest green shade.

I love the Maya pattern but have found the same fit issues when I made it for myself (as a black slip to go under other dresses). I might try re-drafting the cup pattern pieces for my size too, and having another go. The skirt part is cut on the bias and is pretty perfect, in my opinion. 

And because this is a tale of two dresses, I'm including a couple of photos of a dress I sewed for myself recently. I didn't use a pattern, but rather drafted my own by measuring a favourite second-hand dress I've loved wearing but needs replacing. The result is a super breezy and loose-fitting cotton dress for the summer.

I'm looking forward to swanning around at the beach, wearing it with my new sandals and a big sunhat!

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Recently I invited a dear old friend of mine around and we spent the afternoon drinking coffee and painting with watercolours. It was the best! I highly recommend it for a relaxing time, especially if you can schedule such a meet-up before the Christmas busy-ness begins. The evening before, at my request, Tom had cut a huge branch of roadside roses for me - I expect they were going to be cleared by council workers otherwise - and we set them up as a dramatic cascade on our fireplace, inspiring our watercolours.

And finally, I wanted to share some very lovely baking - almond fingers, which is a recipe originating from 1947 that I found in Ladies a Plate by Alexa Johnston (someone has shared the recipe here). They were slightly fiddly to make, but so worth it, I think, if you like almonds as much as I do.

Thank you, as always, for reading! I hope you are having a lovely week, and see you again very soon,

M X

simple drawstring pouches - a tutorial

This is a tutorial I've been meaning to share for a long while. I'm often asked for my pattern or instructions for these bags that I've made (and shared online) over the years. I'm finally doing it!

This Christmas I have an idea to use some fabric scraps and make little pouches for my nieces, each personalised with their initial. I intend to put some sweets, card games, or lip balm inside each, depending on the age of the child. The larger bags might even fit a small chapter book. I'm lucky enough to have 13 nieces! So I might not complete all of them this year. In any case, it's a fun project and I hope you enjoy making one, or a few, as the case may be.

In this tutorial, I've given measurements for a small child's pouch. But because the template is so simple, you could use it to create all sorts of pouches.

Size up to create a knitting project bag. Or cut the pieces even bigger to make reusable wrapping for a book or other gift. Large drawstring bags make useful travel companions - you can keep shoes or laundry separate in your suitcase. A tiny one, cut from velvet or silk scraps, would be nice for jewellery.

Take this 'recipe' and make it your own. Happy making and gifting!

You'll need:

Fabric scraps - I recommend something like linen or heavy cotton for the outer bag, and silk or finer cotton for the lining and casings

A ruler or tape measure, pins, iron, sewing machine, scissors, thread, safety pin

2 x lengths of 22" of a thin cord, narrow cotton tape or ribbon  

Embroidery thread, needle and hoop (optional)

Method (for child-size pouch):

Cut out the bag pieces. You'll need:

2 x outer pieces measuring 8" wide X 7" tall

2 x lining pieces measuring 8" wide X 7" tall

2 x casing pieces (this could be the same as your lining fabric, or different) measuring 9.5" wide by 1.5" tall

Press all fabric pieces. To make the casings, fold each short end in 1/2" and press. Fold in another 1/2" and press again. Then fold the whole piece length-wise and press once more. Set aside.

If you'd like to decorate the front of your pouch, now is the time. You could embroider an initial or something else, or applique or add ribbon... whatever you fancy!

Place outer bag pieces right sides together, pin then stitch around the sides and bottom. Repeat with lining pieces. Clip corners on both, and press. Turn outer bag right side out, push out corners and press again.

Take one casing piece. With raw edges together, pin casing to right side of front of bag outer. The casing should be slightly shorter than the front of the bag outer itself. Centre the casing so there is a small gap at each outer bag side seam. If it's too long, refold the edges and press again.

Stitch the casing to the outer, as close as you can to the raw edge. Take the second casing and repeat the process on the bag outer back piece. It should look like this:

Place the completed bag outer inside the bag lining, right sides together. Match side seams and pin in place. With a 1/4" seam, stitch around the entire top of the bag, catching all the layers together. It should look like this:

Turn the bag right-side out through the gap you left in the lining base. Press everything and check the casings were sewn neatly. Push the lining inside the outer and press the casings so they are pointing up and away from the bag outer. Hand-stitch lining gap closed.

Cut one piece of ribbon and attach the safety pin to the end. Thread it through one casing opening, then through the second, and tie the ends in a secure knot. Insert the second piece of cord in the same manner but in reverse, through the other casing opening. All done!