Still no sewing machine …

The man at the repair shop said “It doesn’t look good. It’s the panel.” I’m not sure what he means by “the panel” but it doesn’t sound good. Another man is coming to look at it today or tomorrow. I feel lost without my sewing machine.

Sean could have bought a couple of old machines for me from a clearing sale auction on the weekend, but he didn’t think I would want them! What was he thinking?

On the plus side though no sewing machine means more time for other things. Like housework. This morning I got up at 7:30 and so far I have had breakfast, done the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, stripped the bed, remade the bed, cleaned the ensuite, had my shower, put 2 loads of washing on, started folding the clean dry clothes and its not even 9:30 yet. It helps that Khye is still in bed – he’s having a long sleep this morning.

It is also a cold, wet, windy day which means I’m not distracted by the sun and tempted to relax and waste time outside in the warmth and fresh air.
A couple of days ago Sean surprised me with a softie that he made! He designed it (it’s a horse), sewed it and stuffed it all himself! Last night I finished it off and gave it some eyes and a mane and this is the result.
Khye hasn’t seen it yet but I hope he enjoys it. Speaking of Khye he is still asleep and its now 9:45am….

Sewing Machine Disaster! (And September Market News)

I had plans this arvo to sew up all the teddies, elephants and octopuses I had cut out earlier in the week. But I’ve had a disaster! My sewing machine has stopped working. Well actually it does work but as soon as it is turned on it starts sewing – and sewing hard. I don’t even have the accelerator pedal plugged in. I have booked it into the local sewing machine repair centre and hopefully I’ll have it back tomorrow. Here it is all packed up ready to go.

In the meantime I’ve had to settle for writing. But ‘cos it is such a nice day (apart from the horrible wind), I am writing this on paper first while I sit outside in the beautiful sunshine.


I think spring has arrived!



I have been sick this week so haven’t felt like blogging and as such haven’t reported on the market last weekend. I thought Father’s Day might keep a lot of people away, but it was fairly busy. I made my first sale at 9am and it didn’t stop until after 1pm. There was lots of positive feedback and one woman even came back to tell me that my stall was the best thing she had seen all day!

The elephants attracted a lot of attention as did the teddies, octopuses and woolly balls. There will be a whole range of new ones for the October Market – the first market of the summer season – just so long as my sewing machine can be fixed in time!


This is one of the new in-progress teddies waiting to be finished.

New addition to the spunkee zoo

This past month I have been working on a new softie. I found some grey wool fabric in my stash perfect for elephant skin. So I designed a pattern and this is the result.

He has contrasting red fabric inside his big flappy ears and his embroidered eyes make him suitable for young children. Here are a couple of his other elephant friends.

And this is Khye’s elephant designed and sewn by his uncle. Ellie is made from scrap denim and isn’t she gorgeous!

Don’t forget the Gisborne Market on this Sunday. I will be there with the whole spunkee zoo!