The Treadle Machine

     
I am unsure how time passed so swiftly 

But here we are 

Thinking a lot of home and our return in a couple of weeks

What is happening in my garden?

Many stories not shared, I can’t claim I am a proficient travel writer!

Four people in a small space, so much outside to see and explore, where is the plug anyway?

Packing sorting packing

Being held lovingly by a friends home

Watching Lily make a travel bag for her birthday dolls and small things

The treadle machine is a new experience and has a gentle sound and rhythm

I am impressed with her independent skill revealing itself with sewing this project

She began as a wee girl sitting on my knee ‘steering’ fabric or ‘driving’ the peddle for me

Look at her now!

Rainbow slippers and a non slip soul

my crafty fingers have been springing forth a multitude of projects in the past weeks

the creative processes soothe me while my inner processes spin me

there has been much sewing (a dear friend has lent me a machine while mine is still in the depths of storage, she needs a cake or something in gratitude…) of trousers, a skirt, a dress, curtains, mending, a witch hat, a witch dress, many cutesy felt toys {more photos and tutorials soon}

just the sunhats on my list did not eventuate…

some knitting of baby bonnets and some crotchet of boy slippers

he chose the yarn, row by row and the pom poms (bom boms)

this means he is more willing to keep his toes warm because he was a part of the creation journey…

clever mama moment!

lily made her own pair, proclaiming about how much faster crotchet is to knitting… IMG_0087

i painted on latex to make a slip free sole

{if only sometimes i could paint my own life with latex to prevent slip ups}

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the rainbow slipper tutorial

crotchet yourself a rectangle which is as long as the foot and wide enough to meet over the top of the widest part

gather the toes and stitch up the topside about half way

stitch up the back of foot section

you may want a gathering string around the foot entryway particularly for children

make and join on pom poms {essential for good humour}

if you can get a little paint on rubber latex, coat the soles evenly for non-slip and longer life

be warm toes and soul

xx

ps remember to make a second one…

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cedar loving being spooked by a hiding papa

{yes i made his vest and his doll… she had  bath later this day}

{did you enjoy all the bracketing in this post?}

Waking up to…

Early morning craftings
A little one joins in with big stitches
A big one guides (and bosses)
Together creating a new day of play and friendship
(and a lot of mama love and gladness)
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Cedar is making his first stitches on big weave hessian with tapestry wool and a big blunt needle, held on a little wooden embroidery hoop. Everything cost less than $10 from second hand shops except the needle! Kids up to about 12 like this pleasing art of free embroidery or drawing a picture first then stitching it. Actually even I still like this craft…
We sing
up up up I sew,
then down down down I go

To the up down stitching motion, so Cedar now has added up and down to his little vocabulary!

a little sewing…

borrowed a vintage cadillac of a sewing machine

{dear stitcher, i have missed you immensely in my life these last 6 months…}

finished the job at hand then

treated myself to a tiny playful sewing make i had seen

on another funky mama

patch together scraps of this and that

make a long snake for the characterless camera strap.

then had fun taking snaps in the mirror for you

go on make one too. it’s fun for you or someone you look at….

i love bringing handmade to the pieces of modern technology in my life

and seeing what others do to theirs…

 

 

what do you think?

are you going to make something to brighten up one of your gadgets?

xx

for practical directions

the dimensions of  my patches for my canon strap {4cm wide}

i made a patchwork strip of 10cm by 90cm

folded in half, right sides together and stitched long seam

rolled right side out

and slipped over the strap..