My Creative Space

Today, I'm almost certain that I've finalised the shape of the next purse pattern. I thought a scaled-up version of the Shell purse would look good on the 200mm curved frames.

I should know that the sentence "I'll just scale up the pattern" should be said without the "just". The subtlties of shape, line and proportion are tricksy little beggars, and take a bit of tweaking. Sometimes they take a LOT of tweaking.

I got bored with calico around toile #6 and moved on to wasting perfectly good fabric on purses that look wrong, wrong, wrong.....

...and sat up all night beading a frame onto a purse that turned out to be a bit ordinary...lacking that certain something.

And so it was, that with heart all a-flutter (and a little excited squealy thing happening in my head), I pinned the latest incarnation to a frame and thought, "this could be the one". I won't be sure until the frame is on, but I have high hopes. I'm thinking glamourous 50's styling here. I'm excited.

So... in answer to the next person who asks me if you can just scale up a purse pattern to fit another frame, my answer is yes.... but not "just". I think it'd be quicker and easier to buy another pattern.

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Pop on over to the hostess with the mostess to see what's happening in other creative spaces around the globe today.

My Creative Space

I'm surrounded by piles of stuff again. Lots of works-in-progress and class preparations. I have piles of interfacings for tonight's A Sharper Edge workshop.

Piles of knit fabrics and toiles (in various stages of un-finished) in preparation for my Draped Tops class.

Piles of pattern plots to check through and test...

And a lovely pile of skirt length fabrics from Z&S Fabrics. These ones are all from the house of Henry Glass.Excuse me while I get back to it... I've a few things to do.

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You can check out other creative spaces around the blogosphere if you head on over to Kirst's.

My Creative Space

While the wee girl busied herself with building an art installation (in the doorway of the office) today, I was able to snatch some moments to work on my new purse idea. I was reminded of how much I love silk...

On the yarny front, I just have to weave in some ends on this Country Kiddies top and I can send it to a special baby girl. I know I could have been a bit fussier with some seriously dodgey stitches, but I figure she'll only get a few months wear out of it anyway. 'Twas more about the journey.
I'm having a re-think on the knitting vs crochet option for this varigated cotton yarn. In super-bright colours, I didn't like the way that the colour broke up - but that's because I only saw it do what it's doing around the neckline of this top. I like what it does around the body on this top, and I think that effect would look great in brights. Hmmm..... food for thought.I've also been snatching moments to study up on new (to me) techniques in this book. I'm determined to expand my knitting repertoire (to include things for ME!)

To see the bloggy round-up of creative spaces, pop on over to visit Kirsty. She's the lady with the list!

My Creative Space

Is under construction.....

Not quite as I'd planned....

This is the office. I'd carefully measured the Ikea desks and - working from the official floorplans of the room - planned the layout carefully. What I didn't count on was the skirting boards and minor inaccuracies in the floorplan making the room 2cm too small to fit the desks, no matter which way I arranged them.

There was much deconstruction and reconstruction (wound around a very long but ultimately fruitless call to the Optus helpline, trying to get the internet to talk to my computer...), a ditching of one major desktop and finally something that resembles a work space.

I'll be moving the office equipment and all the stock in as soon as I can. Hopefully we'll be ready to rock on Monday.

For more creative creative spaces, see the linky list over at Kirsty's.....

My Creative Space

Is being packed up and labelled... we're on the move.... All going well, we'll be moving in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted. It's just amazing how much space my creativity can take up... how many cupboards and shelves and boxes..... and how much is yet to be done (actually, that's not so much "amazing" as "completely daunting").

Of course, it's all terribly useful, but I'm having to cull a bit. The "freebie" box in the hallway is looking a bit full.

As I clear out cupboards and shelves, I'm reminded of when I was a kid and cleaning up my bedroom took forever (read: I'm finding lots of forgotten things to play with!!).

Many thanks for good wishes for lurgie-riddance. It's still hanging in the background a bit but I'm much better, thanks. Today I hardly noticed it at all ....although that might have had more to do with the accidental self-inflicted stab-wound in my arm (a long story..... actually, a moral tale about believing all your mother told you about holding scissors safely...).

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Pop on over to Kirst's to see what other creative and crafty types have been doing.

My Creative Space

Includes my page-load craft - this Groundhog Day Olearia.

 

With lots of disruptions to family life in the last week, my knitting time has been somewhat fractured, my mind somewhat distracted.  I keep losing the instructions and losing my place.  I keep knitting the wrong row. 

Right now, I'm back to where I was on Monday morning.

In the non-knitty creative space, there's been quite a bit of photography, photoshop and web updates - including 25mm magnetic snaps.... which I've spent too long on already but am considering re-shooting.  They're actually really shiny.

Pop over to Kirsty's to see what everyone else is up to.

My Creative Space

Smells like lavender....

See what else is going on in the creative blogosphere over at Kirsty's.

My Creative Space

Is at the dull end of the creative process.

And I don't think I'll be going with the working title for this one.

Kirst's is where it's at today. See what's happening in the creative blogosphere over there.

My Creative Space

Looks remarkably like it did last week...

There has been progress, but I'm still chipping my way through the edits on the text and making mental notes** on which images and diagrams I must prepare for the design team (they're currently working on the layout and I CAN'T WAIT to see the sample pages!!!).

**I know, I know... I should be making lists. I'm just not good at that.

My evening and weekend creativity is all about the Oriental Lily (Big Sister Version). I'm making it as an oversized tunic/pullover rather than a dress - hopefully, it'll get some wear next year, too (if the small and fickle member of the family doesn't decide that she "hates" the colour before then).

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Head on over to Kirsty's to see who else is showing off their creative space today.

My Creative Space

...looks like an office sprouting up in the middle of a craft explosion (read: no cleaning - just a new layer of mess).

Ann Marie is back in the office today (no staff training necessary) so I've started chipping away at the edits on Le Book. Trying not to look at the sewing machine, the craft books or any other distractions.

Trying not to think about going home to finish the last few rows on the In Three's Cardi I'm working on.

....so I thought I'd join My Creative Space!!! Pop over to Kirst to see who else is looking for distraction.... I mean.... "sharing their creatve space".

My Creative Space

Yesterday I confidently announced (not here, thankfully) that I "just have to sample up the kids berets, take a few photos and the new Kids' Beret pattern is finished"....

Today I'm back to the drawing board. I wasn't completely happy with the proportions in the crown.

Rest assured, a well-developed pattern for well-proportioned kids' berets is on the way (for headsizes 50cm-56cm). I just have to make sure I'm completely happy with it first (and I'll keep my big mouth shut until such a time).

To take a peek into the world of creative spaces, head on over to super-Kirst's....

My Creative Space

Has stacks in it again...
The latest stack is berets in various stages of construction and embellishment. More news on this little diversion soon.

And stacks of yarn, hooks, needles (from multiple trips to Spotlight this week), books (from Lara's collection).... and scarves (hot off the hook).

The new bag pattern is still in pattern-testing stage. When the feedback comes back, I'll finish the final tweakings and polishings and it'll be ready to go (so you still have a little bit of time to enter the pattern giveaway if you haven't yet). I'll be back with news about that - and another thing - soon.

In the meantime, I have a few crochet motifs to learn....

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Thanks Super-spacer Kirst for hosting. Head on over to hers to see what everyone else is up to.

My Creative Space

It's all up-close-and-personal here. Delving into the minutae of making a well-finished bag and turning it into step-by-step instructions.

Trying to put the "HOW TO DO" (rather than "WHAT TO DO") into plain English. Plain and succinct English. (Tough gig for a chatterbox like me).

Hoping I'll get this new bag pattern finished soon.

(I'm also wondering what a thief would think, if ever they stole my camera..... ?)

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Head on over to the hostess with the mostest to see what everyone else is up to this week.

My Creative Space

Is turning Japanese...

Results will be posted in about a year's time.... (sorry).

More creative spaces here.... thanks Kirst.

My Creative Space

Is full of piles of stuff. I have them all over the place at the moment....


Things to take to Sewjourn on the weekend....


Things to make for the book (quite possibly at Sewjourn)...

And samples to return to GJ's display (taken for the Stitches and Craft Show display).

Never one for making lists (which horrifies some people!!), I tend to make little visual to-do lists for myself in the form of piles of stuff. When the mess is clear, I know that the to-do list has been ticked off.

(Yes... I know lists are smaller and tidier, but the pile system works for me and lists don't - probably because lists are so small and tidy that I lose them!).

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Pop over to Kirst's for more creative spaces.

My Creative Space

I was in the sewing cave for a while today, with my old-faithful machine. It felt like home to me. I wondered why I have never ever tired of sewing. I marvelled at trying to guess the (thousands of?) hours I've spent at this machine over the last decade and a half.

I also wondered what possessed me to make something in hot pink satin.

There was also much excitement over preparations for tomorrow night. A dishwasher full of champagne flutes and several boxes of bottles stuffed into fidges throughout the building, name-tags and guest lists...... one sleep to go.

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Other creative spaces can be seen over at Kirsty's. Thanks Kirst - you're the mostest!

My Creative Space

Tables are filling up.... Getting ready for the Show.

Patterns and kits galore.

I also started a new purse pattern for the show (...am I mad?) and have been cooking up lots of ideas for super-specials to have for customers who visit us there.

Oh... I forgot to mention in yesterdays post, that there are also 40mm antique brass rings going out at 20%off - until they're all gone.

Check out what's going on around the global village of creative spaces over at Kirst's....

My Creative Space

Hasn't been tidied since last week.......or was that two weeks before that?

It's all going on, and the clock is ticking too fast. I'd be lost without Cam and Leah (holding the fort in the office and stock control) right now, and my super team of secret-squirrel pattern testers. THANKS, TEAM!

I've been working dayshifts and nightshifts on the book. Not much else.

*My apologies for the lack of bloggable craft on several of your favourite blogs lately. Blame me. I swore them to secrecy.

The only non-rummaged-through fabric in the place is this new bundle that arrived yesterday. I'm still at the stroking tenderly stage with it.

I had to find more of the green Rhapsody floral fabric (to go with the orange one I was looking for) and while I was there I also stocked up on some bits from the Blush range by Basic Grey for Moda and some sweet American Jane florals. Gotta love a daisy.

(I found the orange fabric at another shop but wasn't super-happy with the service - so no linky blog post for that one!! The Quilt Shoppe were great, though.)

Also on my desk by mid-morning today was the new SEW DARN CUTE book that I won on Chunky Chooky's blog giveaway YESTERDAY. Now THAT's service!!

I have a feeling this one will be much-used in the great indoctrination plan . Lots of very appealing projects for beginners - and I think a fantastic resource for Mummy-and-wee-one sewing ideas.

And Stitches & Craft Show preparations...? Well - we're getting organised (I hope). And the organisers? They've been doing LOTS of organising, too! You can DOWNLOAD THE SHOW GUIDE from here.

Jodie's been getting organised, too.... three new patterns and a talk about blogging. Sheesh. I'd best get my skates on....

See all the other creative spaces on show over at Kirst's place. They're probably tidier than mine.