One Hour Craft

Have you ever had a hand towel in your kitchen - so you can wipe those grotty hands on a towel rather than on the teatowel?!?  Great idea hey.  Here I will show you how to edge towels and add a loop for hanging them.  These can also be used in the bathroom.

What you will need to do this project: a fabric cutting matt, a rotary cutter, a ruler, a fabric pen or pencil, pins, scissors, fabric, a hand towel (or towelling from a fabric shop), and a sewing machine. 

The towels are edged with home-made bias tape.  Why use the sad range of polycotton bias tape that you can buy out there (that balls up quickly and looks dreadful) when you can make your own out of any pretty or groovy fabric you like?  I found fabulous instructions by Shelley Rodgers here http://pir8.freeservers.com/quilting/CBT to make continuous bias tape.  Thankyou!  These instructions are very similar to the way my dear mother taught me how to make bias tape.

Step 1 

I made my bias tape super wide for effect.  I cut it out 2.5 inches (6cm) wide.  (After sewing it onto the towel it was super wide on the front and thinner on the back of the towel).

Step 2 

After making the bias tape, I simply sewed one edge of the tape onto the back side of the towel (right sides together for tape and towel) with a straight stitch. 

 Step 3

I then folded the other raw edge of the bias tape over slightly and ironed it flat.

Step 4

The next step is to fold the bias tape over the towel edge (and iron if you like) and sew into place as shown.

Step 5

To do the corners I simply cut the bias tape 1 inch longer than needed and folded it in and continued stitching.  In the finished project you can see how I just overlapped the fabric at the corners.

To make a loop to hang the towel onto a cupboard handle or hook you can use tape or ribbon of any sort.  I used some spare bias tape, folded it in half with the right sides together and sewed along the edge making it as wide as you like, then turned it inside out (right sides up), zigzag stitched the raw ends and sewed it onto the wrong side of the towel in the middle of the long edge of the towel at the very edge. 

And here you have 2 designer hand towels!

These towels were made as a gift to coordinate with a specific kitchen.  Imagine the amazing fabrics you could use to make some groovy towels to match your space  …  Go on, go ahead and make one.

Em xx

I have had the travel bug for a long time now. Well, a lifetime to be exact. I also made a promise to myself that I would go away for the next Christmas holidays.

I decided the other night that Millie and I will go to the USA at the end of the year (Mid-December 2008 - End of January 2009) (our summer, your winter). Seven weeks in all.

Yes, of course I will be taking my little sidekick, the delightful and amazing Millie. Having lived in the USA for a few years and travelled there a LOT of times, it is a comfortable and familiar place for me to take my little one. Our last trip there, Millie was only three, so it is definitely time to return.

Now, I have an even better idea. Why not visit as many crafty bloggers as I can and get to know these gorgeous ladies in person?

I am also looking to see great arty, crafty happenings, go on some hikes and maybe even a little skiing.

Having just made this decision the other night there are several questions which run through my mind like, “how the heck will I afford this vacation?”, “how will I do it so that I feel safe traveling just myself and a little girl?” and “what will I do for Christmas?”

Can I please have any ideas you can share. Can you please suggest anything that comes to mind, great hotels to stay in, great packages, art-craft related things I should not miss, wonderful places to see. Since my silly comments are only working for some, please email me at mariabinns@hotmail.com.

I would like information on craft fairs at that time, things I really should not miss, offers of a meal or a meet-up in your city and basically anything you can think of really.

So, far things on the list are; taking Millie to Disneyworld (no way I would get away with not taking her), going to visit an old friend in Washington DC, going to San Francisco, a trip back to Boston (where I used to live) (oh and Filene’s basement I still love and miss you after all these years), a trip to Whidbey Island in Washington State where my family lived for a short time when I was ten. New York with a little girl? I think I will because I am more than keen to meet up with Ismoyo.

I am planning to make a video journal of the trip and take loads of photos to share on this blog.

But for now. Ideas?

Thanks
Mia

We know a creative girl who is one to keep your eye on!  We thought we’d let you in on the secret…

*drum roll* Presenting … Rachael Barkess - the extremely talented artist / designer of rubbergob.  Rachael designs funky, unique and beautiful cards and prints.  Some of our favourite designs are the owl above, and the gorgeous kids prints - ‘kissing scooters’ and ’blue robot’ (and if that isn’t cool enough - check out the ‘pink robot’!).

You can read about her creative ways at her blog.  And you can peruse and even buy some gorgeous rubbergob stuff from rubbergob.com.au or the rubbergob ‘etsy’ store.

For those of you in Perth, you can meet Rachael (& Janine her business partner) at Unwrapped this Sunday.  This site has cards by rubbergob can be seen on this web page - blue teapot “potty” card and red forks “fork you” card . 

This will be an exciting event to see designers in Perth selling their wares.  It is located at Mends Street in South Perth from 2-7pm this Sunday the 16th of March. 

You can also find Rachael illustrating occasionally at industryinquietplaces.blogspot.com/

Inspiring!

So, maybe we will see some of you wandering around at Unwrapped.  Please come and say hello to us if you see me or Mia!

Em

PS Thanks to all those who have given us great feedback on our thong pattern (more about that later). And Mia has gorgeous Easter links coming….

“Joy and happiness in living, love for all existence, a power and energy for work, such are among the lifelong results of a right cultivation of the feeling for beauty and art”.

Rudolf Steiner

I have been getting a load of reader mail lately asking me the same question. How do I encourage my little girl to be artistic? Is she really into it or is it just me pushing her to make stuff?

The answer to that last question is - YES!

Milly, my 8 year old, is one of the most creative kids I have ever met.  When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I will do is walk into her room for a good morning kiss and cuddle. And every day. Without fail. She is sitting on her floor or at her little desk, making something. Sometimes she makes books, recipe books, story books. She makes necklaces, cards, drawings, collages, paintings, cards. She sews. She is just hooked.

To encourage her to be creative and love using her hands,  has been a conscious decision on my part, since she was a little baby.  In fact, every six months since she was born I sit down and write down my parenting goals for her for. And every time I do this, one of them is to encourage her to be creative.

“Education is not the filling of a pale but the lighting of a fire”

William Butler YeatsI have put together some tips to help you raise a creative child:

1. Tap into your child’s natural curiosity.

Children are naturally creative because they are curious about how things are made and about how they can make things. Encourage this by talking to them continually about the things you are making and involving them in your problem solving sessions. Often I will ask Milly questions like, “how do you think I could make this look better?”. or “what colour thread should I use to sew this softie?”. And, of course, listen to the answers.

2. Turn off the TV.

 Raise your child without the expectation that when he/she wakes in the morning the first thing she does is turn on the TV.  There is no need for it.  If you make TV an occasional treat, they will not look at it as a viable option for filling their time. When you remove this (or never have it there in the first place) then it is not something they think of as an option. If your child is in the habit of watching TV for more than half an hour per day, break the habit now!  I was so shocked recently to learn that the Australian government has just launched a new campaign to educate parents to not let their children spend more than two hours a day on a computer or watching TV.  TWO HOURS A DAY!  (that is 1/7 of the time they are awake!).  I thought that half an hour a day was somewhat excessive!
On that note, the biggest problem I have with children and TV is not what it is filling them with, but what it is leaving them without. As a primary school teacher, we see children now who have a distinct lack of imagination, very few fine motor skills, very few skills such as being able to use scissors, hold a paint brush, make a pom-pom, knit, weave, make their own cards. It makes me sad that their little lives are so limited!
When you take away TV as a habit for your child, replace it with something else. Try having a month without TV and every afternoon either set aside time to craft something with your child.

3. Read up on Steiner Education.

 I got so much inspiration from taking my daughter to a Steiner playgroup when she was two years old and doing a lot of reading on Steiner education. Children educated in the Steiner way are taught to use their hands while still very little. They are taught many crafts. They are taught to use clay, to weave, to dye wool, to paint, and many more skills.

In the primary years, these children are taught so much more than that. They are empowered to believe that they CAN make anything they want to with their hands. So many times when I talk to children (and adults) about making things I hear them say, “I can’t do that”. With Steiner children the attitude is much more likely to be, “how can I make that?”

4. Organise crafty playdates.

One of my favourite things to do is have play dates where all the children come over to make something.  I started doing this when Milly was really young.  Of course, that is not all they did! They also run around the backyard playing with the dog, jump on the trampoline, swing on our tree swing and shoot hoops.  But I also get together all the things and help them make a necklace or wrist band, or card. 

5.  Take your child to exhibitions, galleries, museums craft fairs, fabric stores.

Take your little one anywhere and everywhere you go where their creative and visual vocabulary could be increased.   Children get used to whatever they are exposed to.  Childen who have not been taken to art galleries, don’t like them.  Children who have mostly do.  When you go out to exhibitions and galleries, once again tap into their natural curiosity.  Ask questions like “which is your favourite painting?”,  “why do you like that one” and “do you want me to tell you how the artist made it?”.  Listen to their adorable childlike insights. 

Oh, and don’t forget to tell your child that they too could make art like that.

6. Make it all lighthearted and fun. 

There is nothing more offputting for a little bean than a parent who is too intense about their indoctrination attempts.  When you are creating with your child, keep it light!  If she is bored or has had enough of sewing a bag, let her finish it another day or finish it yourself!  Just realise that little people have a very short attention span and need constant activity changes.

7. Give up perfectionism

Yes!  I am talking to the parents here.  I have to fight the urge sometimes to ‘fix up’ the things Milly is making or to step in when it doesn’t meet up to my expectations of perfection.  I learnt my lesson a few years ago, when I did this one day and saw her completely withdraw from the activity within the space of a minute.  She never finished it and left to do something else. 

By giving up perfectionism you are allowing your child the opportunity to disover their own way of doing things, to make their own standards and to take risks.  You also help improve their confidence in their own abilities!

Part 2 will be coming in the next few days!

Enjoy your child!

Mia

(Photo of Mia taken by Em, “Yes she is back to blonde again!”)

Mia was looking so cute in her newly screen-printed tee and her groovy beads that I just had to take a pic!

This photo was taken as we had breakfast at the cool King Street Cafe in Perth to celebrate our birthday (being twins!). We’ll show you more of our birthday celebrations soon. But for now, more on the beads.

Rethreading a beaded necklace
Why not look in your jewellery drawer or visit your local thrift store and make some old jewellery come alive again?  The necklace pictured was originally a long strand of the large beads only. Mia bought it for next to nothing and set about reinventing it.  She added some small goldish square glass beads to separate the large ones and rethreaded the necklace using Tigertail and a magnetic clasp, to make it much shorter and much groovier.

Happy beading!

Em

 (Bold geometric tee designed and printed by Kate and Mia)

Hello crafty chicas,

Firstly I have to say a big thanks to all those lovely ladies who sent me best wishes. Wow, what a month I have had.  I am happy to say that I am recovering.  I have a sort-of diagnosis.  It is probably two separate problems, both manageable (more on that later).  And my body is liking the new food I feed it!  And I am back at work which is great.  I could not want for a more supportive boyfriend, dad, step-mum, sister, friends (Kate you totally rock!), daycare provider.  I feel so lucky!

After spending four weeks on a couch (and overdosing on Dr Phil and Oprah) I was dying to use my hands for more than taking small sips of water.  Kate and I came up with a fine plan of screenprinting.  She came over with screens, inks, squidgees and a million ideas.   Kate is the screenprinting goddess, having graduated with a fine arts degree majoring in textiles.  So I really spent the afternoon as a happy helper.

 (Twigs, birds and dragonfly tee designed and printed by Kate)

Kate came up with the design for the blue-ish tee with twigs and birds and dragonflies.  And I came up with the large geometric shapes.

There is no better therapy than making something with your hands.  And no better person to do it with than your best mate.

Mia

xxx

Hi ya. This post contains two parts, one very pleasant and the other not so. In fact, decidedly unpleasant.

(Flower the chicken. Photo by Amelia Binns aged eight and four months)

Part One: A chicken called Flower
My little girl had a self-proclaimed cough and a sore hip today (her sickness demonstration this morning included forced coughs and a limp that disappeared straight after). Since she is never sick (touch wood) I let her take the day off school. And since I am already home anyway (part two) I decided that we should have some bonding time. Maybe even make something since it is over a month since I have designed or made anything.
After a little chat, we decided to make a soft toy together. Made me laugh a little. I can remember about four years ago, reading Loobylu religiously and watching other bloggers with their obsession for softies – and really I didn’t get it. I couldn’t understand why anyone would make something so impractical. Now that makes me laugh. How can a toy that gives someone so much joy be impractical? Joy is the most practical emotion I know.

First Millie drew a picture of a chicken and coloured it in on a huge sheet of paper. I was determined that Millie do most of this so that she really feels it is her own. I then got her to colour in the picture in the colours she wanted to use.
After this I had Millie trace each separate part of the chicken onto a piece of tracing paper and cut them out. Then I had her choose which fabrics she wanted to use. This was definitely the toughest negotiation phase.
I cut out the pieces leaving a seam allowance. Then Mills and I sewed the chicken together. Millie did all the hand sewing herself and ironing and helped stuff the softy. She is so pleased with her effort and she said to me “Mummy, can you please put it on your site, I think other people will want to make one”. I think she is right.

Part Two: The Runs
I have been sick for a long time now. I haven’t wanted to talk about it until now because I keep hoping to wake up and have it gone. It has been brewing for a long time but it has now kept me off work for nearly three and a half weeks. I am now on unpaid leave from work which I find so stressful.
What have I got? Well let me tell ya, I would love to know and am getting really upset about not knowing. The symptoms are pretty ick- chronic diarrhoea and cramps. Oh and vomiting, and a rash. I know. Yuck. Tomorrow is D-Day. Going back to hospital for a lot more tests. A friend asked me today “How are you feeling?”, and I answered “Yeah, fine, except that my body seems to hate me eating”. Tonight I have to drink four litres of this gross liquid and I feel so sick. This stuff is disgusting and is making me gag with every sip. 500mls down, 3.5 Litres to go. But more than this I am sick of being sick. And scared.
But glad to spend some time with my gorgeous little girl who made a chicken and called it Flower.
Mia
xxx

PS I asked Millie why her chicken looks a little bit sad and she said, “Because her mummy is sick and she’s waiting for her to come home”. How sweet!

PPS Thanks to all who have tried to comment and it is still not working. All I can say is that it will be working soon! And thanks for the emails letting me know. You are all very sweet!

 (Sneak Peak Photo of our Silhouette Tees, available soon in our Etsy Store!)

Hi all,

What a day! Highlights for me were gardening, walking the dog and creating endlessly in my head… dreaming of silhouettes (more on that later), retro wallpaper, funky singlets / tanks and much more.

The highlight of my day was NOT when my toddler said, “Hey mummy, look at this!”. And before I knew it he had gently placed a piece of green snot in my hand! Aagh. It is definately different spending every waking hour with 2 little ones…

We are thrilled to have sold one of our comfy thong (g-string) patterns on etsy. Take a look at it on our one hour craft etsy store. We will add a large pattern due to demand.

Above is a sneak peak at a tee I have just finished to put in the store! It is part of the silhouette range. I am loving the soft cotton and simple but effective design. Grey tees with a similar design in various different bright colours will be available.

Will chat again soon. Em

PS Until now I have been a silent partner on one hour craft - this is my first real post on the blog! Yay. I have been behind the scenes creating & making, and encouraging the fabulous Mia. Well done Mia to date!

And finally, hello, to all you crafty babes,

Do you love wearing a thong but hate how uncomfortable they are? Well we at onehourcraft.com have come up with the perfect solution: A pattern to make a comfy thong. With no elastic on the back and perfectly shaped to fit your lovely bottom, you will want to make hundreds of these babies!

All you need to do to buy this pattern is go to One Hour Craft Etsy store, pay your $2.99 (please note this is all you will pay as there is no posting or processing fee involved) and we will email you both the PDF pattern and the clear and easy-to-follow instructions for The Comfy Thong. When you receive the pattern, simply print it out and get started making your pair.

Thanks so much to our friend Rachel for help on the graphic design side of things (more on the very talented and drop-dead gorgeous Rachel in the next few days). Em and I have been working really hard to get our shop up and running.   And there is loads more to come….

In the next few weeks we will be listing a load of other things we have been making, including some very funky t-shirts and more separates patterns! We are so excited to finally have our business up and running.

Seriously ladies, could anything be better than being able to design and make things with your twin sister? Nuh no way.

So, please come and buy from us! We will keep you posted on our latest items listed. And please join hands with us in a boisterous and rather silly circle dance, dreaming of the day to come when our passion will also provide an income!

And. Finally. We are back. You will hear from us a LOT again in 2008. Thanks for visiting and we hope you enjoy making your comfy thong. We will start up a flickr group to post your panties in a few weeks….

Please note that this pattern is only a small to medium fit.

Kiss Kiss

Mia and Em

PS Some extra ideas for making these panties:

• Use any cotton material for the front piece instead of t-shirt material, scraps are great.  Also ask your mum for lace scraps, rick rack etc.
•  Using a stretch needle on your machine makes sewing stretch fabric a lot easier.
• These make great presents.  We have already shared the love and have a lot of our friends who have already ‘tried out’ the panties.
• These panties require an average sewing ability.  If you are a beginner, team together with a mate who can help you.
• Why not have a panty sewing party?  Get together the girrrrls and their machines.
• If you have a bra and would like matching knickers, take it to the fabric store with you and match it up.  I have found on average these knickers cost about a tenth of the price of buying them in a department store.