DESIGN YOUR OWN... PILLOWCASE!

12 days ago a photo was posted in BOO! Designs Pattern Club that tugged at the heart strings of a lot of people including me.  It had the most likes and comments of probably all the photos ever posted in the club.  

This is that photo... 

I received a bunch of messages from strangers asking me how and if they could do something to help.  

I spoke to Alana, the lady who posted the photo and she asked that we do something for Pillowcases for Oncology Kids and from that a seed was planted! 

Introducing Design Your Own Pillowcase

I have created 4 different variations of pillowcase from the most simple that people who have never sewn can put together to something a little bit more challenging and fun!    It also includes some new ideas and techniques that you can incorporate into your existing BOO! patterns like patchwork and applique.

After thinking about it, I thought why help just one charity when we can collectively help more than that.  By charging $2 for the pattern, the profits can be donated to other deserving charities as well.

Among the other larger charities that Alana had mentioned to me was a small one that I thought would be the perfect recipient by the name of Hampers for Ward 3B Families. 

When $500 is reached, I will send the money to this charity and then choose another charity to donate to.

Read on if you would like to know more about 'Gracie's Story', 'Pillowcases for Oncology Kids' and 'Hampers for Ward 3B Families'.

Gracie's Story (by Mum, Alana)

On 22nd January this year, a very large cancerous tumour was discovered in Gracie's chest.  The day before we had been at surf club and Gracie was having trouble running. We thought maybe she was asthmatic, so we took her to the doctor. The next day we found ourselves in the cancer ward. They believe her cancer is treatable, but it is rare and hard to reach. We expect treatment to take the rest of the year. Perhaps the most sad part of our story is that we can't take Gracie home, as we live outside the safe distance from hospital while receiving treatment. Her Dad and sisters (age 3 and 6) can only visit on the weekends, and I alternate my time with her and at home, each for a week at a time. Her Grandma's are where I am not, taking care of my darlings and my home, and my Princess Grace. One week before Gracie got sick I opened my Rosie Petal shop on facebook. I continue to sew, but can't as much as I want to, but it is a welcome distration. I love checking up on the Boo! Pattern Club while we pass the boring hours in hospital. We get scans next week, so will soon know how well this first 12 weeks of chemotherapy has gone.  

Pillowcases for Oncology Kids

Our Vision for 'Pillowcases for Oncology Kids' is to provide every child undergoing treatment for cancer a pillowcase to brighten up their room.

We want to see every child smile :) and with all our pillowcases being made and donated with tonnes of love it is sure to put a big smile on every child's face when they reciieve a pillowcase from POK.
'keep smiling.....it's contagious'

Hampers for Ward 3B Families

My name is Crystal French I have a 5 year old daughter on ward 3B who has been receiving treatment for pre b acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. When we were first diagnosed back in March 2011 I was left on the ward for 3 days with no tooth brush, soap or anything. Not wanting to leave Christine's side I went without. 
I started Hampers for 3B Families Christmas 2011 and we made toy hampers for the family's on the ward for Christmas, since then I have made hampers for Easter, Birthday's, Mother's and Father's Day, as well as new patient hampers. All hampers are made out of 100% donated items, I don't receive from any corporations, or businesses it is purely out of the goodness of people's hearts. 

Design YOUR Own

So what are these 'Design Your Own' Patterns all about?

If you have the Shirred Dress Pattern you would have read that as a kid, I loved the concept of Choose Your Own Adventure books.  You come to a fork in the road and can either go left or go right.  If you go left, there is a bag of chips, if you go right, there is a block of chocolate.   If I got to the ending and didn't like it, I would start again until I got the outcome I wanted or I would cheat and flick back a few pages and change the ending.  I would have been searching for the chip ending by the way, I love chips!!

So what that all really means is that in the handmade world, I don't think it matters if 1 person has a pattern or if 1,000,000 people have that pattern, it is what you do with the pattern to make it your own that makes the difference.  The fabric you choose, the options you choose and the YOU that you bring to the pattern is what makes it unique.  Make it a different way every time or if you don't like the ending or want a more fabulous ending, then change it! 

I give you ideas by providing lots of options in patterns, but then, I encourage you to take it even further.  Take what you have learnt in one pattern and apply it to another (whether that be my pattern or someone else's).

You may ask why there are no flutter sleeves on the pinny pattern.  Trust me, it went in and out of the pattern and in and out of my head so many times that it wasn't funny.  At the end of the day, I simply didn't want to tell you how to do it, I wanted you to figure it out for yourself.  In hindsight, maybe that wasn't the smartest idea I have ever had, however, every single one of you who has added flutter to your straps has done it a different way, different widths, different shape and different amounts of gather.  If you haven't liked the first ending, you have tried again a different way the next time, or you have flicked back a few pages (reverse sewing / unpicked it) and changed the ending!  That is the essence of 'Design Your Own' and I love how you have embraced it!

I have SO many favourites and SO many that I love and am constantly blown away by all your photos in the pattern club, but here are a few people who have embraced the concept and run with it with fabulous results!

Patterns are available via my website with instant download. 

Yumminess Textiles

Two Little Tomatoes

From Pinny to Playsuit!  Bubtique

Formonsterandmiss

Miss Goodie & Co

Georgie Porge

India's Closet

Peapod Boutique

2000 LIKER CELEBRATION ***GIVEAWAY***

Lately, people have been telling me that when I post on FB, they immediately know that it is mine before they see the name.  I never really thought I had a unique style, I just make what I want when I feel like it, but seemingly I have a bit of a signature!  I thought about some of the other pages that I love and it dawned on me that most of them have a signature style too.  How well do you know your ‘handmade’?

I wanted to give away a rainbow dress when I got to 2000 liker’s and I thought, why not team it with a competition!

HOW TO PLAY 
Here are 13 pictures from some of my favourite FB pages.  Now, you have to guess who makes the item in the picture.  Every day, I will release one more business name until all 12 (hint) names are released.

To enter the competition, you need to send me the list of business names that correspond with the numbers on the pictures.  Don’t guess on FB or give it away, because that will decrease your chance of winning!!!  Once you are happy with your list and think you have it right, send me an email to boodesigns@bigpond.com with the title 2000. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON!

All correct entries will go in a draw where the winner will get a rainbow twirl dress for FREE (Size 0-8)!

The winner will be drawn at the launch of my ‘Splash of Colour’ market night (date and time to be confirmed).

Tell your friends, because I will only give away a dress if I reach 2000 liker’s before all business names are released!

FAMILY TRADITIONS

Every Sunday my Mum, her best friend and my beautiful Aunty set out at 5am to go shopping.  They start with a local market that has local produce and 2^nd hand gear.  My mum takes her time to make sure she doesn’t miss anything good, so she never makes it from the 2^nd hand bit to the fruit & veg bit before her partner’s in crime hunt her down and tell her it is time to move on to the next activity. 

The next activity is garage saleing.  It is a very carefully planned event where mum’s friend, Carole, sits down the night before to plan out what is the most logical order to hit them and puts big stars on the ‘best’ ones (no bric-a-brac – very bad word!).  Before the days of the GPS, she would also look up the UBD to get all the navigation from one to the next as write it all down as well.  Now there is a GPS, they take great pride in going different ways to the poor navigator and listening to her say “wrong way, do a u-turn, GO BACK”.  In addition to completely ignoring the navigator, they usually debate over the best way to get to the next destination.  On the way home, they hit any fete’s that might be on, which usually results in a couple of yummy home made cakes or biscuits.  I know all this because I used to go, before the kids and before the sewing, but now I get to sleep in til 6am instead!  I could usually be found in the backseat of the car with a sandpit, matress, trampoline or similar on my head.

You would think that all sounded like a pretty big day, but when they get home, the real party starts.  Mum and Dad’s place is a hive of activity on a Sunday.  The extended family and friends all come for a visit to see what garage sale find they can fight over.  Dad cooks up a Sunday brunch of scrambled eggs, pizza, frittatas or sausages on the BBQ for all to enjoy.  There can be anywhere between 5 and 35 people show up throughout the day.  I take the kids and give my husband some ‘alone time’ and usually take any sewing I have got done that week to show off before it gets listed and sent off to new homes.

Sadly this week, Mum and Dad are on holiday’s, which is very inconsiderate of them, there was no Sunday get together and everyone was responsible for arranging their own breakfast... oh well, there is always next week!

A VALENTINE'S TO REMEMBER...

Last night my friend Fiona and had dinner together and then went to the Roxette concert who were more than adequately supported by 1927.  With the audience basically screaming the first few songs, I started to wonder whether we would actually get to hear Roxette themselves sing at all!  The atmosphere was awesome.  Lots of singing, lots of standing and dancing (which I don't normally do, but it is a little hard not to when everyone in the entire place is doing exactly that)!  A big fat boo goes out to the party poopers who grabbed onto the beach balls that were intended to be hit around and kept them as collectables.   Today I had the Roxette album in the car and the kids were dancing on the way to kindy.  Jesse didn't even mind Aaron and I singing or dancing when normally we get told very clearly "STOP that, I don't like it!".

I couldn't help but admire the europeaness of Per's outfit and started daydreaming about a new euro style dress and by the end of the concert had a lovely little image of a dress in my head which I really need to sketch before I forget it... might even get time to make it one day... if you see a 'concert dress' sometime, that is where it comes from! ha!!

I had planned to release my Splash of Colour Collection before now, which will be my 2nd official collection, but the handmade market has been a bit inundated with market nights around Valentine's Day, so I thought I would hold off for a few weeks and try to get a few rainbow dresses made to pop in the collection as well.  I have had a lot of requests for matching shirts, so the collection includes some lovely mix and match separates and so far 13 pairs of frequently requested shorts!

I have been working on a new little mission with a friend too, so keep your eyes peeled for some clues to that soon!  So exciting!

FOR THE LOVE OF SPLAT...

A few seasons ago on an episode of So You Think You Can Dance, one of the girls had this cute little costume which was covered in paint splats and I LOVED it.  I couldn’t quite remember what it looked like and looked online but never found a picture of it.  Since then I have had a image in my head of what it looked like and decided that I needed some like it.  

Every time I went fabric shopping, I would look for it or ask the sales assistant’s if they had anything like it (which was met with some very puzzled expressions).  I searched high and low in shops and online, but always came up with nothing.  I had gotten to the point where I didn’t think it existed... then I found SPLAT!  I nearly fell off my chair when I found it while doing random searches. 

I showed Mum and she looked at me as though I was mad and said
“YUK, it is revolting, just ask your fans!”
So I did!

Only 40% liked it, so sadly, I lost.  This did not discourage me one bit, in fact it made me want to do something awesome with it, however, when I went to buy it, it was GONE.  I looked everywhere and asked a bunch of places, but couldn’t find any more of it until someone kindly offered to order more in for me.  Phew!

So, I got it and I loved it more than any other fabric on my shelf.  I was a bit scared of it as I wanted to do something different with it and make it rock, so it sat on my shelf looking at me for some time.

My 11 year old niece flew in from Darwin for Christms and I offered to make her a dress out of any fabric on my bulging shelves and she picked this one!   I told her that her Grandma HATED it and that made her love it more as well! 

My beautiful niece, Kirralee

My niece said to me that since Grandma hated it so much, it would be soooo funny if I made something for Holly out of it too... so I did!

 

My baby girl, Holly

Here is a dress I made in an alternate colour way as well... oh splat, how I love thee!

WHY I LOST MY SEWJO

I was totally excited about doing a fabulous Christmas Collection.  I was using a fabric that I had not seen anywhere else that I just LOVED, and yet, I couldn't finish it.

The reason why?

THIS 2 INCH PIECE OF FABRIC

Yep, I am not kidding... I have had this top sitting on the back of my couch for 3 weeks unfinished because I simply don't want to sew on this piece of fabric! I have 3 tunics waiting on belt loops like this but I just can't bring myself to finish them. I have another 10 dresses sitting 80% finished on the back of my couch too, because I don't want to make the binding.

This week, I hit my fabric shelves to make something else because I just couldn't stand the thought of sewing on those belt loops!

I am even updating my blog so I don't have to sew them on!!!

This is actually the first time I have done any assembly line type sewing... i.e. cut out all the things you want to make... and sew them in a logical way to save time.

My conclusion is that it doesn't work for me!  I love to make one dress at a time until it is finished.  I think it has so much more love in it by doing it that way and that is the way I will do it again from now on... as soon as I finish these Christmas things that is... maybe not tonight... maybe not tomorrow... but hopefully before Christmas!

Rather than a big market night, you will see things released as I finish them, listed randomly.  I think that gives everyone the best chance of getting something!

Keep your eyes peeled for

'I'm Dreaming of a Blue Christmas'