FNSI and TTT...

I finished my second Christmas outfit this week. The first one was for a little girl. Here's the second.

Once again I've used the 30 Minute Shorts pattern from Create HOPE Designs. This time I've sewn red topstitching along all seams, (except the inside leg) and above the cuff. I quite like the effect.

I added an appliqué of a star to the store bought t-shirt. Around the outside of the star, I've added two lines of running stitch in red and blue, to make the star stand out a little more.

Another quick and easy project. I still have lots of Christmas sewing to do. Let's hope I don't have to do a last minute dash to the shops because I don't finish all I've planned.

Last week I said I'd create a post on the FINAL version of the wedding dress transformation. Here it is.

Linking up to Friday Night Sew In and Think Tank Thursday.

Sew Mama Sew ~ Giveaway Winner...

I had so much fun for the week of Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day. All in all there were over 500 giveaways divided into six categories. I made it all the way through the Sewing Supplies and entered almost every one. Yes, that took me a while! The best thing is, I've found lots of fabulous new blogs that I'll continue to read.

Our winner has been drawn by Random.org...

Congratulations, Lucija!!! I've sent you an email. Thank you to everyone who visited Threading My Way during the week of the giveaway.

Sew Mama Sew ~ Giveaway Day...

Early this year, I thought it was about time I found out what blogging was all about. Through my RSS feed, I subscribed to a few blogs. I read everything they posted, but I didn't ever participate by commenting.

In May of this year, along came Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day. There were SO many prizes that I wanted to win. In order to be in the running, that meant I had to comment. I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about doing so. However, my desire to win something was stronger. I was like a mad woman, reading and commenting.

It was all worth it, because I did win something; a pattern of my choice from Little Lizard King. More importantly, though, I found lots and lots and lots of fabulous blogs that I wanted to read and so I began following them. This in turn led to me starting my own little blog.

So, here I am participating again in Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day. Not only do I hope to find more fabulous blogs, but this time I'm giving away something as well. I'm hoping I'll be lucky and win something like last time.

With further ado, here's what I'm offering to one lucky reader......

1 yard of fabric: Paper Dolls by Sheryl Rae Marquez,  # 28118, from Windham Fabrics. 

To give you an idea of size, these gorgeous little paper dolls are 2 inches in height. Aren't they just adorable?

What do you have to do to win?

• Leave me a comment telling me what you would make from your Paper Dolls fabric, if you win.
• I'll need a way to contact you if you win. If you are a no reply blogger, or if you don't have a blog, leave your email address with your comment. You can write your email as...
  

That's all you have to do... leave me a comment and a way to contact you if you win.


Bonus entries (not mandatory):

• Follow Threading My Way and leave me a separate comment below. The GFC box is in the sidebar at the top of the page.
• Like Threading My Way on Facebook, then come back and leave me a separate comment below.

Three chances to win!!! Leave separate comments for each.

• Giveaway is open to international readers.
• Giveaway will finish at 5pm PST, Friday 16 December (That's about 9am EST, Saturday 17 December in Australia.)
• The winner will be chosen by random.org

Have fun during the week of Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day. I hope you find lots of blogs that you will want to follow and good luck winning something.

Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to reading your comments and I hope to see you again.


Edited to add: In replying to comments, I've found a handful of commenters whom I couldn't contact. If I can't contact you, then you won't be able to win this giveaway. If you are a no reply blogger, please leave an email address with the comment. If you are unsure whether you are a no reply blogger, it might be best to leave an email address with the comment.


This giveaway has now closed. Winner announced here.


Congratulations, Lucija!

FNSI and TTT...

Do you remember the wedding dress that I transformed into a day dress? The dress has undergone another transformation, although not quite so drastic a change this time. Last night I finished the alterations, but I didn't have time to take proper photos.

Later on this week, I'll do a full post on the FINAL version of the garment!!!

That's all I did this Friday night; not a lot, but a finish never-the-less. As soon as I write this post, I'm going to begin sewing a couple of dresses for the Australian branch of Dress A Girl Around the World.

Then, I have lots of Christmas sewing still to begin. Only 15 days left!!!! I'd better get a move on!!!

Linking up to Friday Night Sew In and Think Tank Thursday.

Christmas Outfit...

This little outfit was so quick and easy to make. Once again I used the 30 Minute Shorts pattern from Create HOPE Designs. It really is so quick and easy to make up. It's the perfect pattern for a beginner sewer.

Instead of a cuff this time, I added three, little pleats at the front and at the outside side seam. On top of that, I sewed a strip of navy, grosgrain ribbon.

The t-shirt is store bought with an appliqué of a Christmas tree added. Can you tell I'm addicted to appliqué? I'll do a post soon showing how I appliqué on a t-shirt.

It was late at night (actually, it was in the early hours of the morning), when I was ready to appliqué the Christmas tree. As I didn't want to wake Mr TMW (and because I'm impatient), I thought I'd experiment with appliquéing by hand. I've just done a blanket stitch around the edges of the tree. Even though it has been fused to the t-shirt,  I don't know whether it will fray with washing. Anyway, I like how it looks. To make the tree stand out more, I've added a simple row of running stitch around the tree. I know it looks a little puckered, but it's not. I really should have ironed the t-shirt before I took photos. I tried stitching a star above the tree, but it didn't work. To finish it off, I added a few navy buttons. To my eye, the top button is in the wrong position. It should come down a tad. If it annoys me enough, I'll move it

To complete the outfit, I've made a couple of hair ties, once again using this tutorial for a flower headband by Cass Can Sew. I've secured the hair tie to the flower with ribbon. It's very easy, but next time I'll take photos, if you would like to see how it's done. As you can see, the buttons are upcycled.

That's it; a very quick and easy little outfit to wear for Christmas...

Surprise ~ Pay It Forward

My friend, Tanya, from  Craft Couture by T. C. wrote a post that attracted my attention today. That's not surprising, as Tanya sews the most gorgeous things. However, today's post was not about a sewing project she had done.

Tanya is offering to make something for the first three people to comment on her post. Sounds like fun! I was the first to comment, which means Tanya will make a surprise for me. I like Tanya's style, so I just know I will love the surprise gift that she makes.

As part of accepting Tanya's offer, I will make a little surprise gift for the first three people to comment on this blog post. There are conditions to signing up. Please read the conditions before you comment.


1. I will make a little something for the first 3 people that comment on this post. It will be a surprise and may arrive at any time in the next 365 days. (Yes, a year. Good things come to those who wait!)


2. To sign up to receive a gift from me, you must play along too. Pay it forward on your blog by promising to send a handmade goodie to the first three people that comment on your blog post.


3. You must have a blog.


4. After commenting on my post, you will need to post this (or similar) on your blog. If you haven't posted in 48 hours, then the next commenter will be chosen.


If you would like to receive a surprise gift sometime between now and December 2012, leave me a comment...

A Little Bit About Me...

Kat, from Diary of a Flutter Kat, is hosting Nosey Parker in the Neighbourhood and I thought I might join in so you could find out a little bit about me and my little corner of the world.

I live in a semi rural district on the outskirts of Sydney, NSW, Australia.

We are close enough to Sydney, to allow us to conveniently travel in when we want to, but far enough away, that we can enjoy the lifestyle that a semi rural district offers. Here are some pics showing the views from both the front and back of our property, taken at different times of the day and in different seasons.

The houses where we live are detached, as the properties are on acreage, so there is plenty of room. Our block is just under an acre, but it is not uncommon for home owners to have 5 or 10 acre properties. The farms, as you can see in the photos, are of course, much larger than 10 acres. We are fortunate, in that our neighbours to the front and the back, live on farms. They take care of our magnificent views. 

The house blocks that are closer to, or in the actual town, are smaller, but most of the houses are still detached. There are some that are semi-detached. In the next town, there are a few flats with three storeys, but these are in the minority.

We built out of the town, to enable us to have a little more land. We like the space and this also enables us to have lots of gardens. I divide most of my spare time between sewing and gardening. Here are some pics of our garden.

We used to keep chooks to provide us with eggs.

Clearing weeds to create new gardens.

There is no shortage of things to see and do if you live in or near Sydney. Here are a few pics of places we've visited. 

Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens in the Blue Mountains...

Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens in the Blue Mountains...

Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens in the Blue Mountains...

Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains...

Remains of convict built road between Sydney and Newcastle...

Hunter Valley Gardens about 2 and a half hours north of Sydney...

Terrigal Beach about 1 and a half hours north of Sydney...

Grand Pacific Drive about an hour south of Sydney...

The view from our accommodation on an overnight visit to Sydney...

We depend on cars to get around. We are too far out of the town to walk and the public transport system is not very good. There are buses that go between the towns, but they are few and far between. Closer in to Sydney, public transport becomes more reliable and is therefore used more.

I've enjoyed sorting through photos, choosing the ones to show you. I hope you've enjoyed your little glimpse into my world...