new bearded men and chickens

Bearded viking doll, bearded super hero doll, bearded merman doll and cuddle chickens in my etsy, madeit and bluecaravan shops (along with custom bearded folk man dolls). And yes, as fun to make as they look!

wanted: crafty sewer assistant

sew print by masacarphotography

Hi!I need an assistant!

My stockists are growing, and I need to step away from the sewing machine to design new ranges. I am looking for a crafty sewer/ sewing machinist to work with me in my sewing studio, mostly sewing but may be some cutting, stuffing and finishing. You need to be pretty quick, and we can chat about payment per piece or per hour. Suitable for a friendly, creative type with just a few hours a week to start (good for mums too).

Please note that you would be hired as a contractor, not an employee, so you may need an abn (but that's pretty easy); and I'm in Brisbane, so you'll need to live close by. If you're on my blog, you probably already know what I do, but you can see more here.

If you have any questions, or would like to meet for a cup of tea and a chat, drop me a line at pepperstitches(at)yahoo(dot)com; and if you know of anyone who might be interested, please pass this along! That would be ace!

Pepper x

what I did yesterday

Made a little guitar for a custom order. Not finished yet, I will add the strings and a little guitar strap too.

nice crafty places to visit

(make and do; my all time favourite)

Like some sewing or crafty or design ideas? Maybe look at pretty pictures? Need a bit of inspiration? Here are some nice crafty places to visit and stock up.

:: WhipUp (book reviews, tutorials, crafty links, blogging tips)
:: Craftbits (looads of projects, rated by users with a gallery too)
:: The Making Spot (tutorials. Lots and lots of tutorials)
:: Dollar Store Crafts (swell projects to make from dollar store & recycled things)
:: Craftster (so many projects, so very many, and crafting/DIY/eco forums)
:: Craftzine (tutorials, ideas, recipes, DIY, patterns, forums):: Craftsy (tutorials, online classes)


I've left out blogs for now. As you know that may end up a very long list indeed.

Do you have any favourite crafty websites to share?
Please pop a link in the comments!

my creative space- dolls

I've been making some more dolls from calico and vintage fabrics. They are fun to make and to hold, but I'm just.not.sure. about those faces. Do they look too surprised? Just innocent? Do they need a nose?




What do you think?

*update* thanks for your lovely comments! I decided to alter the eyebrows a wee bit, and am much happier. I have named them Agnes, Abigail, Anne and Ada, and they are in my etsy, madeit and bluecaravan stores now x

make do and.. spend?

via

So I was in a shopping centre yesterday, and I walked past a Sportsgirl store with a giant poster in the window. As they do. This proclaimed in big letters MAKE DO AND MEND, with some suitably young model types holding wool and looking, well, young and crafty and model-ly, surrounded by crochet blankets and other suitably handmadenessy stuff.

Which made me stop in my tracks, and stand there, a little confused. Isn't it the antithesis to use that phrase as a marketing campaign? It's like punk being fashionable; it's the polar opposite of what the whole thing was about.

'Make do and mend' came about during war rationing and having a whole lotta less. It’s about using what you have, learning skills to make things, going without, mending where you can. Not about consumerist spending on fashion clothing and accessories. Not at all, actually. This is not even handmade or ethical clothing, but mass-produced pieces made in large quantities in overseas factories with dubious labour practices.

After I was confused, I felt a bit affronted. Sportsgirl have no interest in making do or mending, they want to sell more stuff, and think they can target a new market with crochet hooks and buttons. How dare they offer up with a price tag the very thing that generations of students and artists have pieced together with their own hands, wits, skills; and generations of householders and struggling mothers before them. Making the best of what you have, using traditional skills to provide for your family, using your own ingenuity; now on sale.

It makes me cranky.

(ps. some peeps in the interwebs seem to think it's a good thing, and others think it not-so-good. If it is making more people learn to knit, is it ok then? What do you think?)

25 things to do with a glass jar

via

1. make it into a home for a pet snail

2. make a lovely terrarium and keep it on your kitchen shelf

3. keep the sun with you all day (and night) with a sun jar

4. crochet a cover for your jar from your favourite colours

5. make it into a cloche to protect a new seedling in the vege patch

6. keep it on your dresser for your spare change. after a week donate it to a homeless shelter

7. make iced tea in your jar, and take it on a picnic

8. make a time capsule with your family and friends

9. make infused vodka for the weekend

10. make a jar pincushion to hold your sewing pins

11. pick some flowers and make a painted jar vase

12. make an educational matching game (or this one) and play

13. use it to make salad dressing, and store it in the fridge

14.every day write something you are thankful for and put it in the jar

15. use wire to make a handle and turn it into a tealight candle holder

16. pick some rose petals and make a potpourri air freshener

17. make some sand art in your jar and use it as a paperweight or bookend

18. pop it in the kitchen cupboard and use it as an extra drinking glass

19. pretend it's christmas and make a snowglobe

20. fill it with biscuit ingredients and give it to a friend

21. cover it in fabric and use it to hold your pens

22. stock up at the markets and make some jam, or pickles, or chutney or relish

23. use lots of little jars to make this awesome spice rack

24. use it to hold your crafty bits and pieces

25. revert to childhood and make a papier mache volcano experiment

what else could you do with a glass jar?

PepperStitches Pocket Cushions Project in Kids Crafternoon

I have been invited to participate by the lovely Kathreen from Whip Up in a sewing book for kids called 'Kids Crafternoon'. How exciting! Hooray! These are the samples of my sewing project in the book, a 'Pocket Cushion' that reuses pockets from old clothes and are perfect for hiding secret treasures in. The book is due for publishing in July next year, I'll be showing you then anyway!
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I am very excited, yes?

hooray hooray, it's shop update day!

All of these things are in my shop now (etsy, madeit, blue caravan) and some more too.

Every order this week comes with a free cute hair bow. Lovely!
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Gretel & Lucy, custom chickens

I just made these custom chickens and popped them in my etsy shop for pickup. I was a bit stumped for a while, figuring how to go about making chickens, but I think I did okay in the end! They have little details to match the descriptions too, like the brown chest ruffles on Gretel and the white patch on Lucy.

This is the real Gretel and Lucy (cute names, huh!) I have made a pattern now, so will keep custom chickens as a made to order item in my etsy shop. It might be good for friends or little ones who have pet chickens. I like chickens.

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This was my chicken, Henny Penny, who mysteriously fell off the back of a truck near my work. I took her home and fed her up until she was fat and sleek. I like watching chickens, it's very calming. I had a duck too.

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To go with the plush chickens I might make eggs- does anyone know a simple egg pattern?

why yes, a giant giraffe please.

So I made a giant giraffe, I did, see him there. He is from one big woollen blanket, and is quite big, really. I'm not sure what I will do with him now. Put him in my shop perhaps, and share the giant giraffe love. For now he stands in the corner of the studio, looking cheeky.

What would you do with a giant giraffe, if he came to your place?

etsy craft party @ notebook

The etsy party on Friday was just super. We came, we chatted, we made. We each recieved a sweet goody bag. We ate heaps of deliciousness. We laughed.

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There were brown owl friends who are always funny and lovely and encouraging too; and I met other crafty peeps like Michelle (who made me laugh heaps!)and Alex (who is super creative and holds crafternoons! and made that retro crafty holder in the photo up there) and Britt (who makes adorable mug cosies, (I want this one)) and Jackyln and Amanda (who is releasing a line of beautiful stationary) and Anastasia and other people too and hope to see them all soon.

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I made a brooch (see that linen one with the yellow button?) and learnt how to stitch hexagonal paper pieces (thank you Amy) and had a lovely time. Plus I won one of the awesome door prizes! A pack of this fabric donated by the ever-super Badskirt! Woot!

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Etsy ought to have more birthdays. Heaps of thanks to Corrie from Retromummy who organised the whole shebang.

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Aceness.

my creative space

I'm afraid there's not much goin' on in my creative space right now, my sewing machine decided to splutter and die last week (I know, great timing, right?) and I already have a bunch of patterns cut out and lined up, so can't bring myself to add to the pile. I ordered a new machine (yay! on special too!) and other assorted supplies of course.. and I'm waiting waiting waiting for them to arrive.

Until then, here are some antler boys and girls that I finished by hand, they have embroidered faces and hand stitched antlers and little hand knitted scarves. They were fun to make, and fit nicely in your hand. (They're in my shop now)

Catching up on lots of blog reading, and making notes on my business plan, and seeing.as.I'm.a.wee.bit.hungover.today considering making pancakes and watching tv.

(see more creative spaces here!)

Oh! Deer!

Here are the deer I finished last week, I think they turned out pretty deer-like after all. They're in my shop now, and I'm cutting out some more in lots of colours including pinks, greens and blues to suit all deer lovers.

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I sure do like antlers.