Back to Blogging & 2015 Plans

Why hello there...

Did you miss me?

It turns out I had a somewhat unplanned but probably needed break from blogging over the Christmas and New Year period. A combination of returning illness, taking on a new (full time) job plus the general busy-ness of the Summer time all combined to knock me for 6 and ended up with me seriously downsizing my creative projects for quite a few months.

So what's new? Well where to start! I'm now working full time at Uni SA only 10 minutes from home. Originally I didn't want to go back to working a regular full time job since I knew it would severely cut into my StaceyMade time but when this position came up it seemed too good to pass up and well, here we are. Fortunately I work with a great team and it has been a really positive change.

Festive Red hair at Christmas

Yes, sadly this does mean StaceyMade is on the back burner but I am still sewing up occasional projects for the shop and, after almost 3 months off, have finally taken on a full custom order again. I don't want to burn out so I am being really careful about not taking on too much but I don't want to let the business fizzle out when I think it has so much potential to be the right choice for me. So it's just ticking along in the background for now.

The same goes really for everything not work related in my life right now. Some minor medication tweaks in August ended up sending me into a spiralling decline and meant that while I was really happy to start my new job, after 3 months off, pretty much all I had energy for was work and nothing to spare left over. I'm hoping to have finally turned the corner now but I'm still a long way from 100% and thriving. So my motto for the year's beginning seems to be "slow & steady & one thing at a time".

Loving this hair colour - maybe next??



Other New Things? I had Ruby Red Cherry Bomb hair for about 2.5 months over Christmas - sadly it is very high maintenance so I'm now a more subdued red colour but I did love being a "brighthead" and despite how much I hate it when hair colour washes out I am still dreaming of having bright Red, Pink or Purple hair...watch this space hehe. I also re-upholstered our dining chairs since it's been 13 years since their last change and wow, upholstery is seriously hard work. The chairs look great but I don't know if they will hold up through another re-cover so this could be their last hurrah. I'm pretty darn proud of the results though, worth the blisters and sore hands in the end I think.

I have still been sewing during my little blog hiatus - a couple of cute dresses for the Summer and some nice basic tops. Oh, and a giant adult tutu...because WTF not?! I'll post on them separately since I don't think I will get much chance to sew for myself in the coming month or so as I have a big custom job plus some gifts and smaller repairs to work on for other people. I've been feeling very uninspired creativity wise lately (being exhausted all the time and gaining weight while just feeling yuk will do that to you) so hopefully these outward focused projects will help kick-start my enthusiasm for my own projects.

Magical tutu-ness plus a nice basic T-shirt

In terms of 2015 I have a varied run of projects coming up. There is this custom job which, at least in the muslin/fitting stage may involve a sister project for me; some half finished tops to wind up for work wear; in March is a special little lady's birthday which will hopefully involve an Elsa costume plus a Thurlow trouser-a-thon with some sewing gals; September and October we have 2 weddings (1 family and 1 close friends) so there is definitely going to be at least one demi-couture lace and silk outfit in the works! Phew!

Some upcoming projects - one is finished and one is languishing, can you guess which is which?

I'm also having a go at the Colette Sewing Wardrobe Architect Series (check it out here) in an effort to sew more mindfully for myself. I'm right at the limit for number of clothes I own - Yes I hear your expressions of shock and outrage - and really only want to sew things that are going to get a decent amount of wear this year. I liked the concept of the Wardrobe Architect when it first came out but wasn't really interested in sewing too much "cake" for myself at that point. Now I have the StaceyMade shop as an outlet for all my pretty girly fantasies I'm suddenly more interested in sewing practical, but still pretty, stuff for myself! As a result of all this musing I ended up with a Pinterest account and oh my god isn't that a time waster of pretty things. Follow me at www.pinterest.com/staceymade to see what I'm pinning.

I'm sure there is loads I'm leaving out but can't think of anything else to include here right now...I wasn't sure the blog was going to survive into 2015 but now I'm actually writing a post it has made me realise how much I missed it so I think it will live to see another year!

Here's to more blogging in 2015

OXOX
- Stacey

Gifted Distractions: Quilting with Elephants

Phew!

After the conclusion of the Me Made May Madness I feel as though I have a pile of projects I just want to dive into but I have once again been distracted! 

 

This time it's by a quilting project - not for me but as a little gift for a lovely collegue about to go on maternity leave. I should also mention I decided to make this quilt only 2 weeks before I wanted to give it... Hmmm time for speedy sewing, so I picked a design that doesn't have to be perfect (at least compared to normal extra-precise quilting designs) I've always wanted to try my hand at rag quilts in flannel fabric ever since I saw one at a craft fair years ago. The flannel is so cuddley soft and the fluffy quilt edges give this type of quilt a more casual, almost shabby-chic appeal.

How cute is this fabric??!! Bright Coloured Elephants!

I used this tutorial and bought my fabric at Tricia's Discount Fabric here in Adelaide. Tricia has a wonderful selection of quilters flannel and I was instantly drawn to these cute elephants! I picked out 2 supporting prints and bought some wool/poly batting as I like how puffy it looks when quilted plus I know it's warm having used it in our bed quilt a few years ago. The staff at Tricia's are fantastic and really know their stuff, if you're in Adelaide it is a great place to shop.

After cutting the seams, before the final wash and dry

I actually was a good girl and pre-washed these fabrics on a cold machine wash so the finished quilt will be machine washable for all those baby messes! The final thing to do after trimming the seams is wash and dry the quilt in a dryer so the seams fluff-up into the rag finish.

The finished quilt after washing and drying

The actual construction went pretty quick - thanks mainly to Mum's invaluable help folding and cutting the squares at the start. I finally learned to chain piece which helped speed things up. In the end this baby was done in about 10 hours! While the finish is not perfect - proper quilters would weep most likely - I really enjoyed this technique and would definitely consider making more of these quilts in the future.

It's quite big for a cot quilt, particularly compared to the normal cot panel size so it will be nice as a top layer in really cold weather or even as a play rug on the floor.

You may also have noticed I have revamped the blog look a little - I'm still playing around with how I want it to look/feel so any feedback on what you like or don't like will be welcomed!

I really wanted to post this last weekend but I didn't want to blow the surprise of this gift so I held off until now. I will be internet free for the next 2 weeks so sadly there will be no blog action until July now.

See you next month!

OXOX

Stacey