in between the clouds ...

 ... there was some sun today, so I managed to take some new photo's of my fabric ...

I got this vintage yardage estimator on ebay (from the States) a while ago - it actually works pretty well too. Fabric available here.

natural design ...

I bought these at the green grocer this morning - I love the shape, texture and colours ...

The sign on the bucket said "Hakea Peach", but I can't find any references for that name anywhere. Perhaps some more plant savvy readers can help? I'm going to try and find the time this week to have a play around with some designs, using these beautiful shapes as a spring-board.

vintage spice ...

I snaffled these at the Camberwell Market this morning ... I love everything about them ...

They remind me of a tea towel design I never really finished a while ago. See what others have found this week, here. Have a great Sunday!

uuummm ... my computer sucks .... any advice?

Yep - my three year old laptop seems to be dying a slow and painful death. It's overheating, turning itself off, and taking FOREVER to load anything (which is why I haven't been doing too much commenting lately - sorry). I'm thinking about getting a Mac - I'm over Windows and all it's background programs and viruses. Any advice or recommendations for a replacement?
This is not my screen (yet), but the idea is a liitle bit appealing! (pic from here)

not everybody blogs!

I know this may come as a shock to regular readers, but not everybody blogs or even reads blogs! This became very evident to me at the Stitches and Craft Show, so I decided to start a newsletter - just every few months - with the latest news, products and ideas (and maybe some special offers once in a while) from Yardage Design. You can sign up too, using the little gadget on the sidebar - over there on the right. Have a great Friday!

 

P.S. You will need to confirm your newsletter subscription via an email that will be sent to you - sometimes these confirmation emails go to the Junk folder of your inbox, so you might find it there if it doesn't arrive in your inbox seconds after you click "sign up".

my creative space ... cushions

This week has been a huge week for finishing projects ... which means more time for me to tackle the ever increasing crafty "to do" list. New cushions for the family room have been on the list for months. Last week, I found some really lovely red linen/cotton fabric, so I printed it with a white artichoke flower with the veiw to it becoming a cushion. Yesterday, I got around to actually making it up ...

I make pretty simple envelope style cushions becasue they're quick and easy - here's how ... The printed panel is 45cm x 45 cm, so I decided to back it with some denim. I use a ratio of 1:1.5 when it comes to the backing fabric, using the panel as a pattern (of sorts - see below) ...

Then I cut the demin in half, overlock the edge and press over to form a hem. Then it's just a matter of sewing the hem ... in this case, I used a pretty, fancy stitch in a contrasting thread ...

Do that to both peices of demin. Then, with all of the right sides facing each other, pin your cushion together ...

Once you've sewn it around all four edges, overlock it, snip the corners, turn inside out, press and you're done! I use a 18 inch cushion insert for mine, but you could also use a 16 inch.

Once you've made one, you be whipping up heaps of cushions in no time!

ARTichoke fabric panels and Circa fabric available online here. More creative spaces here. Have a great Thursday!