Name Tag Swap update

Hello Swappers!

All the emails have been sent detailing who you are to make a name tag for, so check your inbox! If you signed up for the swap and you have not received an email from me, check your junk mail folder first and if it's not there email me and let me know!

This swap is a bit different in that you are not being 'paired up' with a swap partner and actually swapping name tags with that person. You will make a name tag for one person, and another person will make your name tag. So you won't know who is making your name tag until your parcel arrives in the mail, how exciting!

Don't forget the RED & AQUA colour theme for the name tags, and remember all finished name tags must be posted by 9th April 2010.

Any questions? Don't hesitate to ask, I'm here to help.

The Storm and a Wedding Day

On Saturday, The Bloke and I were heading off to celebrate a family wedding in South Melbourne and looking forward to a night in a fancy-pants hotel followed by a lovely sleep-in, late checkout and a leisurely brunch before heading home to the hills.

I had somehow pulled off the seemingly impossible task of arranging to have all 3 kids looked after overnight, and it was to be our first night away together in about 4 years.

I had my hair done, bought a new frock, and was feeling very glam and excited as we set off. We were so thrilled to be able to share in this very special family wedding.

Then the storm hit.

We were on Toorak Road when the hailstorm hit us, we pulled over and sheltered in the car. The hailstones were about as big as large marbles and sounded very scary hitting the car, I was terrified our windows were going to break. After the storm eased, we spent the next 30 minutes or so trying to find a road that was not flooded that would get us to the Church on time. We were having no luck, everywhere was flooded.

We were trying Swan Street when my sister called (she was at our place looking after the Junior Crafter and Poor Point 3). My sister took the kids into the hallway and shut all the doors to protect them from flying glass as the windows were broken by hailstones larger than golfballs. She said the windows were smashed, there was glass everywhere and rain pouring in. At one point she opened the hall door into the kitchen to see what was going on and a large hailstone flew in a broken window past her head and down the hallway!

This photo was taken by my neighbour

We turned around and came home immediately, but I knew it would be at least an hour before we made it home. I called my brother who was only 5 minutes away and he went straight to our house and started the clean up and boarding up the windows.

We arrived home to find:
11 broken windows (in our house and bungalow)
Weatherboards damaged by hail
The shed wall damaged by hail
Our Colourbond roof looks like someone has taken to it with a large hammer
Skylight broken and leaking water into the bathroom

My car (which was in the driveway) has hail damage to 7 panels, but luckily no broken windows so it is still driveable.

I am still unable to contact my insurance company.

We didn't make it to the wedding. We called the hotel and told them what had happened and asked if they might transfer our booking to another night (they sounded doubtful and said they would call me back this week). We ordered take away and stayed in feeling very grateful that it wasn't worse, devastated that we missed the wedding and just a tiny bit disappointed about missing our night away.

I called the mother of the groom and explained what had happened and was relieved to find out that the wedding went off without a hitch and the happy couple still enjoyed their special day despite the storm going on outside.
Congratulations Pete & Beck, we wish you a lifetime of love and happiness, and wish we could have been there.

Name Tag Swap Progress Report

Thank you to everyone who has signed up for the Sew It Together Name Tag Swap! There has been a fabulous response, I'm really thrilled that so many of you want to join in and I am so looking forward to arriving at Sew It Together and seeing all the fabulous handmade name tags, I really am.
I must apologise that I am running a little behind my initial schedule - I have extended the sign up period until tomorrow and I plan to finalise swap partners on Sunday night so you should receive an email by Monday to let you know who you are making a name tag for.

Happy Long Weekend everyone! (if you live in Melbourne that is...sorry interstaters!)

The First Birthday

My little man, referred to on this blog as Poor Point 3 or PP3, had his first birthday last week! We celebrated at home with a little afternoon tea for family and one or two close friends, it was lovely (apart from my constant state of shock that an entire year has gone by since he arrived!). Although I shouldn't really be surprised, he arrived after a 2 hour labour and his nickname at home is 'Speedy'!

The Birthday Cake, made by me.

PP3 is the sunniest, happiest little boy you would ever see. He is already walking, he is trying to talk and already has lots of words tucked away in his vocabulary, his favourites being 'more', 'book' 'milk' and 'Dee' which for some reason is the word he uses to refer to both his big brother and big sister (neither of whose names sound remotely like 'Dee').

Happy Birthday my gorgeous boy xx

How to make things Stiff with Curlypops

The great Sew It Together name tag swap is underway, and one of the challenges with making a name tag out of fabric is how to keep it Stiff...so to speak. Nobody wants their name tag flopping about limply on a lapel! So the very talented and lovely Curlypops set about investigating 'all things stiffening' and was gracious enough to write the following 'guest post' here for all our 'swappers' about the benefits of using fabric stiffeners. Thanks so much Cam, we are very grateful to you for sharing your, er, 'stiffy' expertise!


So to begin with, lets all chuckle that I'm going to give you some tips on 'How to make things Stiff'... and leave poor Gypsy to receive lots of weird and wonderful blog visitors from random google searches about all things stiff!


The great thing about the name tag swap, is that we can all think outside the square and do a bit of experimentation (if we choose to). The piece only needs to function as a name tag. It's not an item that is designed to be washed, and doesn't have to serve a particular function (apart from pinning or clipping on, and displaying a name).... which means that there's lots more options for running amok and not playing by the normal rules.

I tried and tested lots of different things, so I thought I'd share what I've learned.

I like to make mess and get covered in paint and glue, so if this sounds like you, then the following options might be fun.

There are lots of liquid type items that can be used to stiffen things (fabric, paper etc). Most of my experimentation has used fabric, as that is currently my favourite medium to work with. I started out with things that I already had around the house:

Please note:

If you choose to use liquid stiffeners, they take a really loooooong time to dry. This might be quite frustrating for a small project.

I've tried dipping fabric pieces in a bowl full of these liquids but they end up quite gluggy. I've had the best result by just brushing them on with a paint brush and then waiting for them to dry. If the finished item is not stiff enough when dry, you can add another layer with the brush.

Water Based Varnish

I've used the Jo Sonja's craft varnishes and also Cabots Crystal Clear from the hardware shop. Both do the same job - Cabots is more economical if you're using litres at a time (which is probably not going to happen), but it's also likely that you might find some in your garage or garden shed.

PVA Glue

Watered down PVA glue also works quite well. About two thirds PVA glue to one third water makes a nice mix.


Fabric Stabiliser

I've tried Sew Stable Fabric Stabiliser which is designed for applique and machine embroidery.

It worked quite well but this is actually supposed to wash out, so don't use it for something that you would like to permanently stiffen.


Fabric Stiffener

I actually found out about this product just simply by googling fabric stiiffener. It suspiciously smells exactly the same as pva glue..... a rose by another name perhaps?

It's designed to stiffen permanently - my advice is to wear old clothes in case of spillage.

The brand that I've tested is Craft Smart Fabric Stiffener, but I've had a tip that there's another one named Stiffy which is really good (I just have to track it down).

Varnishes can be purchased from hardware shops - Stabiliser and Stiffener can be purchased at Spotlight (look in the craft section amongst the various glues and paints).

Fusible Interfacings

Now of course if you'd prefer not to make a huge mess and end up covered in glue and varnish, but still want to get the stiff look, then maybe iron-on fusible interfacings might be a better option.


I don't have much experience with using these but I have have seen the results of lovely things that have been made with them - Vilene S320 - http://nicolemdesign.blogspot.com/2009/12/slightly-besotted-and-gushy.html

Laminating

Last but not least, I thought I'd test out my laminator, to see what would happen if I tried to laminate fabric. I have a home laminator which is not designed for heavy card, only plain paper.

I tested it out with an offcut from a crocheted tablecloth, a stripey piece of light cotton fabric, a piece of black felt, and a piece of heavy brown fabric.

The light cotton fabric and the felt laminated quite nicely, but it didn't work so well for my other two samples.

I hope this have given you some new ideas to try out, and remember to have some fun with it!

My Creative Space...or is it?

My Creative Space this week isn't really mine, I was more than happy to share it with my beautiful daughter and her friend.
I recently discovered this excellent tutorial over at Leonie's and I thought it would be a perfect project for my Junior Crafter to try with her new machine. We went to Spotlight where she and a friend each selected two fabrics for their reversible headbands and we came home to sew.

Pinning fabric

More pins

Ta-Daaaah!

And they are reversible!

Thanks Leonie for sharing the tutorial, and well done to two gorgeous little 8 year olds who persisted carefully with their cutting out, pinning, topstitching and thread trimming and had a wonderful time in My Creative Space this week. I'm so glad that my little girl loves making stuff as much as I do, and we have so much fun making stuff together.

For more spaces, visit here. As always, thanks to Kirsty for hosting this fun meme.

Name Tag Swap - housekeeping

Thank you to everyone who has signed up for the Sew It Together Name Tag Swap, I'm thrilled that so many people will be taking part in this fun swap!

Just a little housekeeping - if you signed up for the swap, can you please now send me an email and tell me:
 *Your first name as you would like it to appear on your name tag, eg, Jennifer/Jen/Jenny/Jennie 

*Your postal address which I will pass on to your swap partner so she can send you your completed name tag

*The name of your blog (just so I know who you are!)

My email address is thecraftgypsy [at] iprimus [dot] com [dot] au
Also if you know anyone who is going to Sew It Together who hasn't signed up, please mention the swap to them so they don't miss out!

Sign ups close on 28th February.

Sew It Together Name Tag Swap

Are you going to Sew It Together? Would you like to arrive at this exciting event wearing a very special, lovingly handmade NAME TAG of your very own? You would? Sign up for the swap here! Yes, that's right, I am hosting a Name Tag Swap for anyone who is going to Sew It Together in May.

Guidelines for the swap are as follows:
Name tags are to be no larger than 9cm in any direction (shape is up to you)

Name tags will include first name only. Make sure you email me and let me know how your name should appear on your name tag, we don't want any spelling errors!!! (Blog names will be included on the access pass you will be issued with at the event so will not be part of the name tag swap, name tags will be first name only).

Name tags should be in the colours Red and Aqua to tie into the colour theme of Sew It Together.

Name tags must have a safety pin or brooch finding on the back. They will most likely be attached to a 15mm wide lanyard which will be issued to participants at the event. Preferably the pin should be vertical for ease of attaching to the lanyard, however if the dimensions of your name tag require it then the pin can be fixed horizontally

You can make your name tag using any medium you like, however, as this event is SEW It Together the only thing we ask is that your name tag be sewn/stitched in some way :) Get creative! Think fabric, yarn, embroidery, applique, transfers, stitch sketching, squares, circles, flowers, quilting, stencilling, crochet, ribbons, buttons, paint...use anything you like as long as it is sewn in some way!

You will be given the name of the person you are making a tag for, but sshhh, don't tell them! It's a secret until it arrives in the post! And of course, you won't know who is making YOUR name tag until it arrives! What fun!

Completed name tags are to be posted directly to your recipient no later than FRIDAY 9TH APRIL to allow time for postal delivery before people begin packing up to make the trek to Melbourne! If for some reason you cannot post your completed name tag by this date, please let me know immediately, I'm happy to help in any way that I can to make sure everyone gets their name tag in time for the event!

This swap is only for bloggers who are attending at least one event at Sew It Together in May 2010.

If you want to join the swap, leave a comment on this post. Don't forget to also drop me an email with all your details which I will pass on to the person who will make your name tag.

Please read the guidelines of the swap carefully and only participate if you are happy to abide by them, and PLEASE make sure I can contact you via email! Any questions? Ask away, I'm here to help!

Sign ups start now and will close on Sunday 28th February. I will contact each of you via email by Tuesday 2nd March and tell you who you will be making a name tag for. Get creative and have fun!!!

Did you miss me?

Hello lovely Bloggy friends, I'm back! I have been lost at sea for the last couple of weeks, drowning in an ocean of ballet classes, family birthdays, working bees, immunisation schedules, a family member's health crisis, daily readers, renovation plans, a new baby cousin, meal plans, kinder orientation, earth moving contractors, tennis lessons and all the other madness that makes up my daily life!

Recent creativity at Chateau Craft Gypsy: not much! (unless you count my creativity in cramming scheduling at least 8 days worth of activities for 3 children into each week). I still haven't started finished the safety vests for kinder, my granny square is still in a bag awaiting some attention, but I did manage to throw together this last minute library bag for a dear little girl's 4th birthday last week. 

And I am working on another fun little project with a bloggy friend which we will be announcing very soon, stay tuned for that!

More on the safety vests

Not surprisingly I'm still struggling a bit with sewing vinyl onto nylon!

This is the pocket I'm sewing on; the angled bit sticking out to the right will work like an envelope flap and will be tucked in to keep the Information Card in place, so it can't slide out of the pocket opening.

The first challenge was how to keep the vinyl pocket in place on the vest in order to sew it. I can't pin it as the pins will leave holes in the vinyl, but blu-tack seems to work fine! Only, I can't put blu-tack on the vest itself as it doesn't come off (found that out the hard way, lucky it's a sample vest!), but the paper template is stuck to the vest with sticky tape, and the vinyl pocket is stuck to the paper with blu-tack. Can anyone say "complicated"?

Here is the vinyl pocket in place, ready for sewing.

When I went to Spotlight for materials (and advice) I was assured that I did not need a special foot to sew thin clear vinyl, apparently it will 'glide right through as the feed dogs are underneath'. I have done a little bit of research, and thought I may have to buy a teflon foot, but was again assured that my regular foot would be fine.  Fail.

Have you met my old friend Quick Unpick?

A quick fix was in order as I was not driving back to Spotlight to buy a teflon foot. Some powder, although a bit messy, did the trick.

With some powder on the vinyl it did glide under the foot for much better results (and wiped off pretty easily too).

I also discovered that reverse stitching to lock the threads is a bad idea when sewing with vinyl. Instead, I pulled the top thread through to the wrong side and tied off the threads before trimming.

Here is the 'envelope flap' out...

And tucked in to stop the card falling out.

So now I have the method sorted on the sample vest, only 60 more to go. Wish me luck!

My Creative Space

My Creative Space this week is filled with fluorescent nylon vests, metres of clear vinyl, and some upholstery thread.

Our kinder has just acquired 60 Preschool sized Fluorescent Safety Vests for the children to wear in case of an emergency evacuation. (We live in a very high risk area for bushfires so evacuation is a real possibility). Each child has an Emergency Information Card displaying their name and containing inside all their personal information that they must wear during an emergency. Previously they have been worn on a lanyard around the neck (which did create some safety issues in itself). However, now that we have these very bright safety vests, each child's card can be attached to the vest itself. The (fairly expensive) vests were the bright idea of The Bloke Who Lives At My Place, and were acquired courtesy of a local government grant. Upon enquiring at a few alterations businesses he was quoted $660 to have a clear vinyl pocket sewn onto the back of the vests. $660!!! Don't worry, I said, I'm sure I can do it.

I'll keep you posted. Thansk for hosting Kirsty! For more Creative Spaces, click here.

Fruit Cobbler

Made with fresh nectarines from a dear friend's tree (thanks J.B.!)

This is a recipe of mine originally created from a Choose Your Own Adventure Cooking session, now I use it often, you can use any fresh stone fruit, or use tinned fruit if that's what you have on hand!

Cream 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of sugar.
Add alternately 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup plain wholemeal flour, 1/2 cup plain flour & 3/4 teaspoon bicarb sifted in with the flour.
Add a small dash of vanilla extract.
Spread the mixture into a greased pie dish:

Next, add your fruit. I used nectarines. Just place them on top of the base mixture. The flesh of the nectarines looked a little green but they tasted lovely and sweet, definitely ripe. Maybe it's the type of nectarine?

Sprinkle some brown sugar and some shredded coconut on top (sorry, I'm a bit vague about the quantities...not very much, okay? Like in the pic! It's probably a heaped tablespoon or so of brown sugar, and about the same of coconut. I think. Lol. I'm clearly not qualified to hand out recipe advice!)

Bake it at 200 degrees C for about 20-25 minutes. If the middle is still gooey, it's not ready. If the crust is burnt, you cooked it too long!

I was planning to take a lovely shot of it when it came out of the oven looking all golden delicious, but I was too slow. It's the quick and the dead around here after dinner! I managed to shove some kiddies out of the way and take this pic for you:

It's delicious served warm with ice cream. Yum!