stop! hammer time.

Yippee! Who could forget hammer time. Just found the best pattern for hammer pants (aka harem pants, parachute pants, etc...).

I had started on some hammer pants some time ago, but then had an extended adventure in the land of unpicking as I had actually made the waist/crotch too long, and had tried to be really clever and attach a separate waistband, before I tried the pants on Baby Pickles. I'm not sure I am using the right terminology here, but let's just say that the waistband came up to his armpits - seriously not cool. If only I had used a pattern, I may have saved myself a rare and precious spare hour.

Here is Baby Pickles in all his hammer pants glory.

Apparently, hammer pants are an all-weather pant (!) and perfect for days that might include: trips to the park, eating raw potatoes straight from the vege patch, and hanging out with pugs. (Apologies for the photo quality - there's only so much an early-noughties, pug-chewed phone will do).

 

These were made from a fantastic vintage homewares (curtain?) fabric I found for just 50 cents at one of my very favourite local opshops. The opshop is a complete mess, but has some real gems if you are willing to spend time sorting, especially in the fabric and books section. The thrill of the chase! I thought I was really clever making these without a pattern, but the time it took to work it all out! I did like the little detail I did on the outside left leg, which was really just a loop of fabric stitched on (you can just make it out on the potato shot), but made them look a little more special...

Next time, I fully intend to go down the sewing from a pattern path - I could use the pattern I made whilst making these, but how cool are these pants via suburbia soup? And with a free pattern download to boot! Love it.

Watch this space for more Baby Pickles in hammer pants action xx

ps. after using the word hammer seven times in the one post I thought it may be illegal not to link here

 

 

work

You could be forgiven for thinking I had fallen off the planet, but, no, I have been busy with work. And other things too! I have been crafting up a storm, truly! And op-shopping like a woman possessed...

Oh, and on other news, Baby Pickles has been diagnosed with an egg allergy, so I have been learning to bake egg-free (this is my egg-free pumpkin loaf - yummo!).

Back soon xx

What Madeline's wearing this Wednesday

Hi there!

Introducing Madeline, my fabulous dress form (and friend, of sorts). Madeline is often used for sewing, but is used just as often for me to hatch and test ideas about outfits, accessories, ideas to sew. I was looking at her this morning thinking just how gorgeous she looked, and decided she deserved a photo. And perhaps even a blog post!

So, this is what Madeline is wearing this Wednesday:

Singlet, so old I just do not know where this one came from, or when.
Cardigan, old (now too small, read: tight) JAG jumper split up the middle
Vintage lace trims, opped for $2 for a huge bag
Skirt (yet to be stitched), vintage tablecloth
Necklace, braided tshirt strips from opped tshirt
Flower from miss rose and sister violet

Thanks Madeline!

How do you organise your creative thoughts? Are you a pinner on pinterest? Do you have a mood board? A journal? What helps you pull ideas together and know what's next?

Chat soon xx

speaking of husbies felting woollens...

 

So, once upon a time I had a favourite cardigan. Pure wool, picked up from an opshop (thrifted) for eight dollars and big enough to keep me warm through my first highlands winter, belly swelling with bub number three.

 

Mr Pickles did me a favour a couple of weeks ago by washing all of my woollens and then popping them into the dryer. And voila! Felt ;)

 

Once I finished sobbing (kidding) I decided to make myself a beanie.

 

It was a piece of cake really:

 

   

1. With my cardi flat, and inside out, I traced around the shape of a favourite beanie

2. And then stitched along this line

3. And then cut the stitched beanie out of the cardigan with my pinking shears

4. And turned the completed beanie outside out

5. Done!

6. Oops! Not quite. A few vintage buttons later and...

7. I had a new, cute beanie to wear! I really should have been looking more excited, but I was too busy trying to take a self portrait (it's nothing short of a miracle that my tongue's not sticking out).

 

 

And just in time for an unseasonally chilly, wet highlands day.

 

How about you? Have you done anything with felted woollens? I now have quite a collection to my name, so I'm on the lookout for new projects ;)

Chat soon xo

 

 

addictions, collections and moral dilemmas

Well, hello!

My name is Hannah. Did you know that already?

I am coming clean today. You see, I have an addiction... ah, a collection. Well, let's be fair, a couple, but I'm not talking about the fabric stash kind. I'm talking about vintage books. Vintage childrens' picture books in particular. It's all about the illustrations, which I just love.

Illustrations like these:

I see these books, and I just can't stop myself. Perfect condition, drawn in, split spine, completely and utterly falling apart - if they have illustrations I find quirky, funny, really just so ugly I am amazed they ever got published, or beautiful, they're popped in my handmade tote, coin purse lightened and off I go. To the next op (thrift) shop.

[Sigh.]

So I was looking at some of these in less than fabulous condition the other night, and thought I might need to take out a page and frame it for my boys. But it does feel wrong to extract a page from a book. Particularly one that has had at least one previous owner - I almost feel as though the book is just on loan.

But this would look gorgeous on the boys' wall, wouldn't it?

What do you think? Is it criminal to tear pages from a book? Or ease pages from a split spine? Or slide out a page wedged between other loose pages? Is this why colour copying and printing were invented?

These are the dilemmas I ponder when everyone else (hubby included) is in bed. Perhaps I need something to do, like folding some washing. There is plenty of that.

Chat soon xx

ps. i'm playing along with a month of home  - are you?

thrifting thursday returns!

It seems I have moved to a land of plentiful opshops and garage sales, filled to the brim with gorgeous vintage fabrics, doileys and, yes, japanese ceramics. I love my new little donkey, who only cost me 50 cents. Hooray!

Chat soon xx

sticking to a (yummy) budget.... oh, and more crochet

Today I bring you delicious leftovers! And a new crochet pattern discovered.

This week, we revisited our family budget. Because we have now been on one income for more than 18 months. And this wasn't part of our plan. However, daycare waiting lists being what they are...

So working to a budget are we! How do we do it??? Leftovers (oh, and staying in, and opshop adventures).

Yummy. Leftover pumpkin risotto, wrapped around a small cube of mozzarella, crumbed, fried and served with salad and veg... delicious! Anyone who might call them balls would have to be completely delirious (try square, flat, misshapen head... etc etc), but they were yum, and loads of fun for us to eat with our fingers with our wild boys, "stretchy cheese" ooozing out of the balls as we bit into them.

On a completely different note, I have also been go go go-ing for it with crocheting for Christmas. Yep, it's October! So what better thing to be doing than crafting up a storm for the lovelies in my life

.

I found the pattern below in another gorgeous vintage crochet book - Motif Crochet, a Coats Sewing Group Book No. 1010 - that Ipicked up at the opshop for just 50 cents - hooray! This motif comes from the Motif Stole on page 12, however it has another life intended, as crocheted coasters. Gorgeous. I'll make a set in this wool, but would also love to see this motif in a range of brights.

Other crafting has been underway, a stretchy dress refashioned for the summer, etc etc .... but more later (rest time is over for another day).

Chat soon lovelies xx





thrifty thursday returns!

Another day, another opshop!

Those of you who know me well know I love the 70s. Love the greens, love the mustards, love the burnt oranges... So imagine my delight when I stumbled across these lovely mugs!

I was so excited to find this gorgeous little squirrel, especially after having found an acorn sugar bowl a few weeks ago. Suzie the squirrel was made in Japan, and is a little irregular --- but so sweet! (and terribly out of focus, it seems! - apologies for this photo!) 

Oooh! and this painting, which I actually bought for the frame - had some big plans in mind for this, but Mr Pickles & I have since fallen for this painting, so it seems the plans will have to wait until another frame comes my way.

Oooh! Oooh! and some flying duck fabric (!) which shall be revealed later (I have exciting plans for this one).

And just because, here is my wee one, our little pickle, in a quiet moment this week. And yes, this is that blanket...  [Sigh] He's so lovely.

Have fun lovelies xo

a happy thrifting report, and some crochet success!

Our move to Sydney has been, well, mixed. I miss sunny Brunswick with all of its stimulation, beautiful friends, food and coffee, but love being closer to family, other lovely friends, and having a backyard for the boys to run about. One of the great excitements for me, living in the Sydney 'burbs is that it seems that many of my local opshops are yet to have been discovered and picked over by professionals or serious opshoppers. Yippee! So there often fab finds to be had. Some which warrant a post of their very own.

I have recently just ventured into the land of crochet. I am loving having something to do whilst sitting with hubby on the lounge in front of the telly, instead of having to remove myself to the backyard shed, where my sewing machine etc lives. So when I stumbled on these eight vintage pattern books I was beside myself! And only $4.



Whilst cooking tea for the boys I picked out  few favourites to try, and then whipped this up in less than an hour - just amazing!



This is from the (red) Paragon Crochet Book - a collection of favourite Medallions (popular reprint R1 - sorry, no year of publication), and is the Star Motif. Of course the design is meant for doilies, and much finer thread, but I wanted to try a beefed up version with some chunky yarn. It photographed pretty terribly (taking photos at night will do that, but I was too excited to wait!), but it is in a soft, variegated brown and cream yarn. And it's BIG - probably about 25cm diameter.

So, now I am looking for a use for this big star motif... any ideas? Some of the patterns in this book are just gorgeous and I am beginning to think about flash crochet blankets, whizzy-bang scarves, and lah-dee-dah cushion covers...  The pattern book would have me keep going and make a trolley mat from a number of these... any other ideas?

Yippee! loving crochet!

Chat again soon xo

to teatowel, with love xo

new boardies!, originally uploaded by summer pickles.

Come with me. Transport yourself back to a time when all things "Oz" were great. When the height of fashion was a Jenny Kee jumper, a fimo koala and cockatoo necklace, a white Ken Done tracksuit. Once there, you will find one of these - a gorgeous teatowel, celebrating all things Gold Coast - gaudy parrots, beaches lined with highrises, tiny bikinis...

Now, come on back to the present day and here I am, stumbling across that same teatowel at a local garage sale. Buying it for just fifty cents. And madly hurrying home to start sewing these fantastic boardshorts (modelled by our very own, very gorgeous gherkin).

These were easy! And I reckon they're pretty fab.

Thankyou to tinyhappy for convincing me pants would be easy (i have had this post favourited for a looong time, waiting for babies and courage), Kath for this post with the how tos and for Miss Cinti for the inspiration provided by her lovely tea towel dresses.

Hooray for blogland, the eighties, the gold coast and all things vintage! (And of course for very gorgeous baby models!) Now, to the opshops!

xo

great new book finds

Hi again and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Last month I was so behind with my posting that I didn't even get to show you what I bought with my birthday book vouchers and $ (thanks Mum, Dad and Auntie Mill). So, here is my show and tell of great new book finds (new to me, not necessarily new books).

At our local (beautiful) secondhand bookshop The Stray Dog Booksellers, I found this gem of a book, which some of my flickr friends have mentioned in numerous chats, The Readers Digest Complete Guide to Needlecraft. I was very excited to buy this book for only $22 (plus a couple of books I sold to the bookshop). I can't wait til all of the boxes (of fabric, beads, craft items etc) are unpacked again and I can play!

In Box Hill, I found these two beautiful books, and had to buy them from Sharon immediately! 500 Handmade Dolls is a book I get completely absorbed in, and is a real inspiration! I only hope that after many more years and many more classes I will be able to produce dolls which are half as stunning as some of these! Softies is probably a book that many of you are familiar with, as it features some of our favourite bloggers and softie makers, including Soozs, Two Little Banshees, and hop skip jump.

The Best of Handmade I found in an opshop some months ago in Dandenong (but since I am showing and telling my books, I have included it here), for the bargain price of only $5. This book was published in 1994, but to me has a strong late 80s feel about it - it is filled to the brim with Australiana. As it is an Australian book, it includes many of the classics you would expect - a folk art painted milo tin of an outback homestead scene, knitted and crocheted koalas, Australian flora cross-stitch and a brightly coloured Australian animals mobile.

Looking forward to sharing the craft that is inspired by these books, and I hope that some of you may be excited enough by this post to track these books down, in an opshop, secondhand bookstore, library or shop.

Have a fabulous week! x

guess how thrifty these purchases were!!!

Well! I had some success today checking out some of our great op shops in Melbourne... and this is what I brought home:


This is what this tidy little set of items includes....

3 craft books still with their patterns intact:
* 65 easy to make gifts (1973)
* The best of easy sewing for tiny tots (1992)
* The best of handmade (the Australian Womens Weekly) (1994)
A straight, pink check "tweed-like" skirt (mid calf length... fits beautifully!)
The following fabrics:
* 160 x 140cm brown felt... quite heavy, feels and smells like wool but I could be way off here
* 130 x 100cm licorice allsort pink (ie. pink with black and white stripes) heavy cotton
* 110 x 75cm "flutter bright" by woodrow studio
A fantastic green tshirt
An "interesting" mother of the bride type long sleeved top (with great pearl buttons all the way up the back) - 3D floral lace with sequins (to be pulled apart and made into a bag, or used as embellishments)
25 buttons (see close up below... check out the apricot fabric covered evening buttons... my guess is the 70s...)

Now, here is your challenge, to guess the price paid for all of these items...
Can you guess how much these purchases were?

Oh! I would also be increibly grateful for any advice on how I might be able to save this tshirt... I love it, but I didn't try it on... ...as turns out it just makes me look like a swollen, busty frog... BUT, I love it! So any ideas would be extremely welcomed (and I would be forever thankful... did I mention that I love this shirt?!?)

Thanks everyone, have fun!
xx