Hop to it!

Working on Liam's and Noah's hats for the hat sew-along. Less than three days left. I like to believe I flourish under pressure. These scissors with the big handles and tiny, pointy blades are great for accurate cutting.

Do you leave things to the last minute, too? What are you making today? Do you have a favourite pair of scissors? Would you like to see some more Creative Spaces?

Hat Parade #3

Suzie, aka Floosy Girl from No Moa has been sewing up a storm! Suzie has made several hats, all using the Oliver + S bucket hat pattern. I love the Hilco fabric she has used for this one (above)



Two of Suzie's hats have been made of fabric that was hand-printed by her daughter for a school production. One of them sports a bouquet and a feather. She will definitely stand out from the crowd in that!



You can read more about Suzie's hats here, here and here.

Next up we have Aimee from All the Pretty Threads who has made two reversible hats using the Oliver + S bucket hat pattern.


I love the Saffron Craig fabric used to make this hat (above), and the Tula Pink fabric in this other hat (below).


Amy from Chapter Fifteen has made her hat using the Make It Perfect Sun-kissed hat, which is perfect for wearing with a ponytail. I love the Doctor Seuss fabric too.


So how is your hat making going? It seems like these hats are coming in two by two, can anybody just make one? We have less than a week left to go, but there is still time to sign up. Click the button below to find the sign up list and make a hat before the end of September.

You Light Up My Life

When Noah asked for a "torch" birthday cake, I thought I might construct somthing using my nut-loaf tin.



But then he said he wanted a yellow torch, like daddy's.



A yellow, (Eveready) dolphin torch.



That lights up, just like a real torch!!! *faints!*



Thankyou, Amy Badskirt for the idea of using one of these.



That really, really helped!



And happy fourth birthday for yesterday, to my amazing Noah. There is nobody in the world quite like you.

Hat Parade #2

Mellita of Sew Hot Right Now had buckets of fun making two hats using left over fabric from other projects.



Mellita used the Oliver + S Bucket Hat pattern, which is available as a free download.



Jenni has also made two hats using the Oliver + S Bucket Hat pattern. Jenni has never made a hat before, either. I really like the John Deere hat. I reckon I could easily round up maybe half a dozen little (tractor-loving) boys that I know would love one of those.



If you are looking for some hat-wearing tips, Nikki has posted some on her blog, along with the hats she has been busy making.



Coco of Coco's Loft has made her hat using Vogue 7600. Coco used fabric left over from making a blouse. It has a lovely wide brim.


******** SPECIAL OFFER! ********

As part of my sew-along, 

Stitch 56 is offering my readers a 

10% discount 
off You Sew, Girl! hat patterns.

You can buy one or more of the hat patterns
Adult Hats, Fedora, or Kids Hats

 and receive the discount.

Just enter the coupon code

CARMELS-HATS

at checkout when shopping at Stitch 56

******************************

Have you got some scraps in your stash that you could turn into a hat? You have nothing to lose. There is still plenty of time to join in. Some people have already made two hats. Some of them even in the first week and without having ever made a hat before. This means that potentially, someone of any skill could make eight or more hats in the month of September..... or at least one!


Oh, and don't feel like you need to have a blog in order to join in. You don't have to have a web-address to add yourself to the list, just leave that bit blank. Let me know when you've finished your hat and we can add it to the flickr group and talk about it in here. The more the merrier!

Doe, a Deer...

The main reason I started this hat sew-along was because I went to put Amélie's hat on from last year and it didn't fit. Amélie didn't care, she wore it anyway, on top of her head.



I went looking through my stash and found this fabric with baby fauns and apples on it. It has been in my stash for years. I originally purchased it from Retromummy, back when she had her on-line store running. It's not quite pink, sort of slightly apricot and has been difficult to match with other fabrics. I decided to match it with the red in the apples and went with this red spot that I found at my local quilt shop.



I made my hat using the Kids' Hat pattern from You Sew Girl. I trimmed the edges with some cute binding that I bought a while ago from The Haby Goddess. I could see that the hat required further embellishment, so I added a hat band.



I think the hat-band really finishes it off. It is easily removed for washing and can be tied at the back or side, either loosely or in a bow.


If you are thinking about joining in with my sew along, there is still plenty of time. Just push the button above to go to the sign up post. We are only half way through the month and already several beginners have finished their hats. Some of them have even finished TWO. I still want to get at least two more made. One for Liam and one for Noah. Let's see how we go...

More Hat Sew Along links here:

• Sign Up Post

• Getting Started

• Hat Parade #1

• Flickr Group

You Socksy Thing!

I finished my socks. Actually, this is old news. I finished them two weeks ago. I knitted these using "David's Toe-Up Sock Cookbook" pattern. This pattern is more like a recipe that helps you custom-make socks that fit your feet. It is availabe as a free down-load on Ravelry. The yarn is Crazy Zauberball in Tropical Fish, that I won from Yarn, Glorious Yarn! I knitted the yarn half-way for the first sock and then used the rest for the other sock. I love the way the colours almost match up, but still are quirkily different.



I'm in love with my new socks. They are way more cosy and warm than any other socks I own. I am a bit of a slow knitter though, and cannot see myself actually being able to keep up with my own sock needs. I'm thinking I'd be wearing them out quicker than I could knit another pair.

Previous posts about my crazy socks:
Sock it to me
Putting My Best Foot Forward
One Step at a Time

Hat Parade #1

Ok, so we are approaching the mid-way point of the sew-along, and some people have finished their hats already. I will come back and talk about mine (above) in another post, but is that not the funniest photo ever of Noah and Amélie?



First up we have Ms Midge. Ms Midge effectively got two hats for the price of one none when she made the Oliver + S bucket hat. The Oliver + S bucket hat is available as a free down-load and is also featured in the book, Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. Ms Midge chose to make the hat reversible, and if you check out her blog, you can see how she has made it with NO HAND-SEWING! Gotta love that!



Ms Midge had never made a hat before now, but you cannot tell. It looks great both ways.



Next up, we have Jen from Ava Pot Pie. Jen has already finished TWO hats! Jen also went with the Oliver + S Bucket hat and made a hat for each of her daughters, Ava and Emily.



You would never know that Jen is also a novice to millinery, having also never made a hat before. I have a feeling lots of people will be getting hats this Christmas.



And finally (for now) we have a hat made by Melanie (who also happens to be my cousin) for her daughter, Adara. Melanie made the Kids Hat by You Sew, Girl! and also, had never made a hat before.


So don't be scared. You can do it. You can find the sign up post by clicking the button above. Join in. Make a hat before the end of September. Have you finished your hat already? Be sure to let me know.

Cute as a Button

I've missed blogging a couple of things lately. One of them is this cute little zipper pouch that I pattern tested for Nikki. I know Noah loves little pouches to put his treasures in, so I made this for him. I really expected that he would choose the monkey fabric, but he chose the buttons instead.



This pattern is the You Sew Girl Coin Purse, which has been re-done with lots of new pictures to show the whole process and is available as a downloadable pattern, so you can get started on your purse right away.



I added this cute little aeroplane zipper pull too. Isn't it cute?

Hat Challenge - Getting Started

So how is everyone going with the Hat Sew-Along so far? There is still plenty of time to join in if you haven't already. I spent a bit of time last week sorting through fabric and patterns deciding what I was going to make.

Before you get started, you are going to need some fabric, a pattern and some good interfacing as well as a few bits and pieces, like matching thread.



The best way to begin is to select your pattern. The pattern will tell you which bits and pieces you need for that pattern. Once you have the pattern in your hot little hands, it is easy to work out if you need to go and buy some fabric, or if you have what you need in the stash already.



Looking at the list of participants, there is quite a range of different hats being made. If you're still trying to decide, here are some suggestions:

Kids' Hats, by You Sew Girl **recommended
Adults' Hats, by You Sew Girl
Fedora, by You Sew Girl **recommended
Beret, by You Sew Girl
Kids' Beret, by You Sew Girl
Bucket Hat, by Oliver + S **free tutorial
Reversible Toddler Hat, by Sew Much Ado **free tutorial
Vogue 7600
Sun Kissed Hat, by Make It Perfect
Lazy Day Hat, by Make It Perfect
About a Boy, by Make It Perfect



There are also a couple of lovely baby hats in the "You Sew Girl book by Nicole Mallalieu.



I have nearly finished my first hat, I'm thinking it needs a little something extra. I will come back and show you all when I'm satisfied with it. I will also post it in the Flickr Group when I'm done. I would love it if you posted your finished hats, or even a few sneak peeks/peaks and progress shots in the Flickr Group too.

Sign-Up post here.