A little bird told me ... Birdcage Cover Tutorial.

Mia has a fascination for these plastic birds that start to sing when you approach. They live in a plastic cage, with plastic flowers on a plastic branch and can usually be found in $2 shops or in the Chinese precinct. Heartful Birds, they're called.

Now, unlike Mia, I wasn't so enthusiastic about them. But when she started to wish that Santa could bring her one just like that, as if it was the best present on earth, I thought to myself: Well, why not? It's inexpensive ($12) and there is something quirky about them ... something I like, almost.

And then, just like that, I knew what to do to turn it into something really special. 

I got rid off the ugly packaging, put together the cage into two or three easy steps and I made a birdcage cover, digging into my stash of quirky vintage fabric scraps to match the somewhat retro look.

    And finally use my jelly roll. (Moda)

   And some of my favourite trimming.

After a couple of hours playing with my bits of fabrics, and wondering how to make a birdcage cover, it looked like this:

With lovely cross stitching details recycled from an old tablecloth picked up at a garage sale.

The top section is made from an old pillow case from Vinnies.

In the end, it is a present I am quite excited about. So cute and a tad quaint too. It goes to show that with a bit of imagination, compromises can go a long way. 

I can see Mia pairing it with the Tea set I bought her from T2.

How to:

1: Measure main body of the cage, from the top rim to the bottom. Add 1 inch. This will be the height of your fabric pieces.

2: Measure around the cage. Add one inch. This will be the width you need.
3: Gather your fabrics, cut to measure and play around. I didn't plan ahead but just put together what I thought would work.

4: Sew your pieces with right sides together

You should end up with a tube.

It should fit snugly around the cage like so; not too tight, not too loose.

I wanted the cover to be able to stand on its on next to the cage without collapsing, so I added a lining plus a layer of thin fusible Pellon. (thin thermocollant wadding)

Note: I don't give measurements because chances are, your cage is different from mine or you might want to do this for a real bird. In that case, lining/interfacing might not be appropriate as it could get a little stuffy under there?)

For the lining:

Cut the fabric of your choice to the size of the piece you have just created(the main body)

Cut the fusible wadding a 1/4 inch smaller all around. (this is to avoid bulk at the seam lines) Centre fusible side (usually of grainy aspect) against the wrong side of the fabric and press with hot dry iron, on the fabric side.

Fold your piece in half  with right sides together and stitch along the length.

You should now have two tube-like pieces of the same size. Insert tubes into one another with RIGHT sides together.

And stitch along the BOTTOM end of the main body.

Once unfolded it should look like this:

Push lining back inside the main body.

You should have a raw edge at the top

And a nice finish edge at the bottom.

Press.

Top part of the cage:

This part is a bit more tricky; not on the sewing part but on getting your numbers right. Of course, I got mine wrong and ended up having to add trimming at the bottom of the main body. It was a lucky mistake in the end, because I love this addition.

Basically, the top is made of 8 wedges.

And the important bit is that the circumference should be the SAME as your tube (main body). If not you won't be able to sew the two parts, body and top, together properly.

I measured the top,

I did a diagram to work out the size of the wedges.

And add 1/4 of an inch to the sides for seam allowance.

Pin the wedge to the fabric, and cut x8.

Stitch with right side together.

It should look like this:

Measure your circle to make sure it is the same size as your main body. Trim if you need, but it should match nicely.

Folding your circle in 4, cut a small circle at the top, like so:

This hole is to allow for the knob/arm on top of the cage.

Take another piece of fabric and use the circle you've just made as a template to cut another one. So you should now have 2 circles like so:

Stitch the two pieces, with right side together, around the SMALL centre hole. Turn over and press.

Top stitch around the centre hole.

With right side together, align the circle edge with the top edge of main body. If it looks strange, it means you're in the right position. As you sew, you will see that the circle's edge (the top part of the cover) needs hardly any help to align itself with the edge of main body. However, it is a good idea to set your machine on the biggest stitch possible first,(without reversing or stopstitch)to make sure it all fits nicely. If you are happy, stitch again with your usual settings and pull away the first line of stitches.

Zigzag stitch, and ... you're almost done!

As I mentioned, something in my calculations did not end up being quite right and the cover was a little bit (about 3/4 of an inch) too short. I could have left it, but then I remembered I had a beautiful embroidered trimming. So I went on and topstitch it.

et VOILA!

One cheerful, fun Christmas present done!

And one happy bird!

Spring Break on the South Coast

The spring break took us back to our little shack down the South Coast.

As humble as it is, we wouldn't swap it for the world.

There are birds and bees and trees and plenty of room to run and play.

It's a place where time stops. No high tech devices, no television but good all fashion toys and games collected at the local op shops and garage sales; treasure hunts as we call them.

We always find treasures, such as this vintage doll house, picked up for $2

and this is Polly and Pocket, the vintage way.

It is also a place for colourful skirts, made in a flash.

Fabric: Spolight

and pretty summer dresses.

Babylone

And although it's a place to rest, it seems we're always busy making things ...

Which makes me wonder if all families are like us, busy making & collecting stuff? By the number of crafty blogs around, I know we're definitely not the only ones!
It is back to school tomorrow and being free to be ourselves will have to wait until summer. We have so many projects in mind!

Spring Clean: Sewing Studio Tour

Spring is here, finally. Spring means fresh everything, new beginnings. It's hard not to look around the house and wanting everything to suddenly, miraculously, spruce up!
One  room in particular was looking all doom and gloom after being ignored most of winter: my sewing room. So I pulled up my sleeves and tackle the huge job of sorting everything; overflowing drawers, piles of fabrics, craft supplies and so on.
Now I wish I could post glamourous pictures like these:

But like most of you I'm sure, there was never a designated space in the house for my sewing. I had to make it happen ... in the garage. So no luminous room with white floorboards for me, but rather a dark an univiting space.
But, it is way better than having to use the kitchen table I say. So, although I dream of pretty rooms, I 
am very grateful to have my own space. In the garage. So don't be deterred if at first a space doesn't 
seem ideal, there are plenty of ideas out there that can help you organise it and make it special.
For me it's all happening here:

and here for the kids:

Because this room doubles as a guest bedroom, I have the luxury to have a double bed in
my sewing studio. 
I use to put it away once our guests had left but I like it as a permanent feature now. It's great
to have a snooze or cuddle area here. The kids love to come in with their books. The dog loves
it too! And if I work very late on a big project I can just crash here, without waking up anyone.


STORING BITS AND BOTS

A cut out plastic bottle+washi tape.

SPOOLS

I have chosen the pegboard option to sort my spools.

FABRICS

I also love my vintage suitcases; they're great for storage. They are due for a revamp, they are on my to do list, but it won't happen right away. (Click here if you want to check on my last suitcases' revamp.)

I hope you will have find some inspiration. All the pictures are sourced from my Work Shop Board on Pinterest. Just click here for plenty more great ideas.