:: flower petal rag rug (something I've been meaning to make for ages!) ::

These past couple of days I've been working away at this mat. My energies probably could have been spent more productively, perhaps.  There is a project I really do need to be working on.

 But this sewing project grabbed me.  I've been meaning to make one of these mats for ages, you see.  Since I first saw similar mats in a holiday place in Fiji...in 2003...10 years ago!

Before I can mobilise my energies for the other project that I really do need to be attending to, I appear to have 'needed' to craft and craft and craft...

I think what I'm actually doing is the rumination and 'turning over of' in my mind what I'm about to dig into that I really do need to attend to (-you know - that other thing)...

 And in a way, creating this mat, tidies up a lot of fabric scraps into something lovely and useful.  Scraps from items of clothing I've made for Phoebe, curtains for her room, dolls clothes, op shop finds - like the, ahem, "contrasting" retro curtaining for the backing...lots of memories...

quite randomly-shaped pieces were cut - I quite like a project like this - completely freeform

and spiralling ever inward, just like my thoughts and feelings as I sew...turning over memories and imagining new ones to come out there in the future...

....is now!

:: snowcoat ::

you wouldn't normally get to see this - because I'd be a little reserved about going public with my 'makes'.  I was 'encouraged' to post this today :).

We have some travels planned to a home education camp in the middle of Winter - somewhere where it's highly likely there will be snow, even!  It does get cold here, but not that cold.  And Miss P did not possess a warm enough coat to help layer in the warmth....

...that is until a lovely 100% pure NZ recycled (upcycled?!) wool blanket in 'sunshine colours' snuggled up next to some floral retro sheet scraps in the ECS - 'essential creative stash' - and the above pattern (I did learn the skill of pattern-drafting, yet - for $10 I have saved myself HOURS in that rusty skill department!)

Also in our stash were some lovely old buttons, Miss P particularly liking the faceted clear glass one...and here she is - one happy and warm girl in her new 'snowcoat'.

As well, this snowcoat ticks my 'use what we've got' box - in total, I spent only the $10 for the pattern. The blanket probably cost between $2 and $10 (op-shopped long ago for another project), the sheets were left over from previous curtain-making efforts and the buttons, thread and interfacing from the 'collection'. And I feel even better for that :).