I spent some time last week making a few new clothes for the children (they start school again in a couple of days), including these two dresses for Keira. They are small versions of this dress I'd made previously, and I also made one for K's friend and they had the best time choosing fabrics…

Thank you for your sweet comments on my last post- you are very kind and I'm excited by all the helpful suggestions! I think I'm going to busy this year. 🙂 I drew a name using the 'random generator' and up came #26, which was Brooke. Thanks again for taking part! I sewed the last…

I had fun making these cosmetic/project cases from some of the rainbow-coloured vintage linen that I'd been hoarding for a while. I've reopened my etsy shop for the new year, and thought it would be nice to start with some cheerful and bright goods. I think most of the linens I used to make these…

Today I have a guest-post up on Jill's blog, Today I Saw. Jill makes beautiful things and sends her handmade postcards all around the world, featuring drawings of her everyday life in London. I'm honoured to join in on her blog today. I hope your Tuesday is going well- see you again tomorrow.

Cicadas and bees are humming outside, the radio's going inside, it's hot and sticky, and I've made things even sweeter and stickier with a spot of jam-making. Thank you, K, for the bag of red-fleshed plums- we made jam with them. X Hope your Monday is going well and you're not getting into any sticky…

I'd say the majority of Keira's clothes are homemade, and of those, the majority were made using recycled fabrics of some sort. And now she (and her friend next-door) have a few more recycled things to wear, which should be useful when school starts again. Because you see, I discovered the easiest garment to make…

The dwarf-variety sweet peas that I planted in an old sink a while ago have burst into flower this week. I love them.

Tom and I have spent the last couple of days painting our living room a milky shade of white (actually, I think it's just plain 'white'- nothing fancy). The white-washed look has really brightened up the room and everything looks shiny and clean and I must confess, I felt strongly tempted to start painting the…

Here are the instructions for making your very own Beach Dress, as promised yesterday. It really is a dress for hot weather- mine is made from lightweight fabric, is knee-length and ties up at the nape of the neck. But I think you could also make it from a stretch jersey cotton or a fine…

It was a bright and hot weekend here in the South Island. Here are some glimpses: :: chocolate cake baked and eaten outside under the umbrella with help from next-door children :: some new (old) books from Tom's grandmother, complete with the orginal Harrod's receipt, dated 1964 :: a cleaned and organised children's bedroom (I…