Plans for Penelope Part Two

I am hoping Penelope is up to the challenge of all this! I bought my first jelly roll yesterday, super cute fabric and 25% off - go Spotlight! This is it above all set out in colours. I think I am going to attempt a smple quilt with it - my first ever!

I am in love with this fabric, but now can't decide which gorgeous pattern to use it with.

I have narrowed my choices down to this:

Or this, both from here:

And more baby projects for all the bubs that are about to pop! Love my fat quarters.

Which I am going to use to make appliqued onesies like this from here:

And finally, the gorgeous Babushka fabric I am still drooling over:

Which will be used for a modified version of this from here:
So I definitely can't complain I have nothing to do! We have a long weekend for Anzac Day this weekend, so hopefully I can gets lots of crafty hours in.

Plans for Penelope Part One

Yes, after careful consideration I think 'Penelope' fits! The fabric above isn't mine. Unfortunately. But don't feel too sorry for me because I have gone slightly fabric mad recently, not to mention my obsession for PDF patterns. Is there anything cooler than finding the most perfect pattern at 11pm in your PJs while waching reruns of Friends, and having that exact pattern appear in your inbox sometimes just hours later? I think not.

A downside to this fabric and pattern obsession is my declining closet space and bank balance.

But the upside is I now have so many projects ready to go, I hardly know where to start! Very exciting. So here is a rundown one what I am planning on getting up to soon.


I bought this fabric:

To make this monkey crayon holder from here.

And I bought this fabric:

To make this boutique minky baby blanket from here:

And there is much more in the works...so much so I think it deserves a second post!

Wow - 100 Posts! Say it with sushi and apologies to Mr Dickens

I was a little surprised to see that this is apparently my 100th Small Pleasures post. I think this is perhaps the most prolific blog I have ever started ;) Yes, 100 posts isn't huge but hey, it's still a milestone and I feel like celebrating by sharing a couple of projects I am dying to get started on in the next day or two.

I have spent just about all of a certain Monkey's nap times in the last couple of days looking at craft blogs in all of their gorgeousness. I am absolutely drooling at some of the blogs and projects I have found, and more than anything I am very inspired by the idea of sewing now.

Of course, this enthusiasm and motivation for sewing up until this point has been born from my completion one very simple ruffle top. My confidence may be misplaced, and I can very well see myself throwing various items across the room when things start to get hard. But hey, for the moment I am inspired and we will see where this leads us I suppose.

I have been recording all the gorgeous blogs and will add them to SP soon, although I can see the list expanding forever more - the second I find another beautiful blog by some incredible person they have links to twenty more droolworthy people in the blogosphere.

But for the moment, please join with me in what I am calling Part One - A Tale of Two Fabrics.

I have two swatches of fabric I am dying to start with. One I bought from etsy at FreshFabricAustralia - a place I can see myself spending a whole lot of time and dollars if this sewing thing works out. I love this fabric, particularly because I have been looking for poppy fabric since forever and I found this most gorgeous one by Amy Butler.

The fabric I found

The second was much less sought after and quite literally just turned up in my shed. Many many years ago when I was still living at home and studying teaching at uni, our next door neighbour was having to give up teaching for health reasons (Very sad, she loved it to bits and was only in her early 30's at the time) and gave me boxes and boxes of resources from her classroom. I sorted through most of it years ago but one stray box was still at my parent's house a couple of years ago so they brought it down...where it has sat in my shed unlooked at ever since. But just the other day I was in there and noticed a long piece of fabric in the box. I think it may have once been a dust cover for computers or something but it is an ultra cute pattern and it really seemed to be calling to me to make some use of it. It was in really good condition so a quick was and it is ready to go.

The fabric that found me!

And now for part two - A Tale of Two Projects

So the question now is, what to do with these two beauties? Well the good thing about having a Monkey who is knee high to a grasshopper and half the weight is that I could easily make clothes with both and have heaps left. At the moment I am focusing on two projects - another simple dress or top, I am thinking maybe giving this toddler halter top a go from The Green Wife, although I haven't decided which fabric to use yet.

The other thing I am dying to try out is making a soft toy. I am obsessed with all things bird and owl for kids, so I had a good look for a free owl softie tutorial. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything with the exact look I liked until I hit etsy and found Oliver the Owl from mytinystar, perhaps the most gorgeous little owl I have ever seen. So I bought the pattern and now it is sitting there, tempting me to get started.

My gorgeous Olly - or he will be once I get time to make him

I will check back in once I have made a start - wish me luck!