MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Hey!

This is Grace and this is my first post! Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope you eat some yummy food, sing some silly carols (six white boomers - check it out!), and remember the reason for the season!

Hoping you and your family are all safe and well,

~ Grace ~ & ~ Sarah xx

One done, nine left!

Yesterday I finished the first of the gifts in my Christmas Challenge. I made a wipe-clean calendar and message board for a family to use and record their busy lives. I really like how this present turned out and it was super easy. Here's what I did:

1. On Microsoft Publisher (or similar) create a calendar image to the size of your frame.
2. Print it onto matte photo paper, trim and stick together.
3. Pop it all in the frame and you're done!

See what I mean - its super quick and easy! My only trouble was that my cat knocked the frames off the bookshelf and I had to glue/staple them back together but if you don't have a cat this shouldn't be a problem hehe!

I'm off to start my next present now so have a great day,

~ Sarah xx

The List

Guess what's happening this time next month.... Christmas!!! I love Christmas, its my favourite time of year but I can't believe how fast the year has gone. So much has happened, and its been a great year but wow its gone fast. I better get started on those presents before I run out of time!

So here's my unfinished grand list:

1. A wipe-clean calendar and message board for a very busy family like this one.
2. Three bath towel sets similar to these ones.
3. A flowing summer dress using this tutorial (p.s. the tutorial is a .pdf file in right column).
4. An applique bag - I know the image I want to use just not what style of bag I want to make.
5. A craft kit for a crafty friend - Hello Kitty cross stitch anyone! I got a whole heap of cross stitch patterns from this cute website unfortunately the website is gone now.
6. An organisation centre which combines the wipe-clean calendar and message board with a few other things.
7. More to come...

As well as those plans I would love to remake my wardrobe but we'll see how we go between work and Christmas preparations. I get a lot of inspiration from these two blogs:

• Made - I'm going to try and make some of the cute outfits that Dana makes for her daughter big enough to fit me!
• My Mama Made it - I love the idea of transforming all my boring t-shirts into one-of-a-kinds.

Have a great day,

~ Sarah xx

I'm Back with a Challenge

There are so many things I want to make from some of the blogs I follow - there are so many seriously talented people are out there! There are too many projects to choose from some times. I decided my attempt to make a small dent on my HUGE to do list would include this challenge...

For Christmas I need to make all my presents for friends and family for less than $21.

I think it'll be a great way to use up my HUGE stash, make some one-of-a-kind gifts and save a heap of money. So here's the deal I need to make gifts for at least 10 people and I have less than 20 days. So far out of my $21 budget I have spent $7. I bought two 11 x 14 inch dark brown wood photo frames for $3.50 each at a 50% off sale at my local craft store. I plan to make some dry-erase calendars and messages boards.

I just need to put together my list of things to make and get started - Wish me luck!

~ Sarah xx

Summer Cami

I think I have fallen in love with re-fashioning men's shirts - plus its so easy, my kind of sewing. So far I've only done three re-fashions, two peasant style and now a cami. This was probably the most' interesting' refashion so far since I made it up as I went. It was made out of another men's short sleeve top and took just over 2 hours which isn't too bad. After a lot of deliberation and trial/error this men's shirt became a skirt, then a blouse and finally a cami. Originally it was going to be a skirt with huge pockets where the sleeves had been but when I tried it on and it didn't fit well. Then I thought about making it a boat neck blouse but I'd already cut too much. So it became a cami by deflaut which kinda worked out well. Basically I just cut and pleated until the shirt fit around my chest and added straps. There are three pleats on each front panels and three pleats across the back (one box pleat and one normal on either side). This top is still a little big for me but I think it will be nice to wear with a cardigan or over a tank top in the warmer weather.
~ Sarah xx

Small Satchel Bag

In December our cousin is having her first baby and I thought it would be nice to send along a small present for her since her baby would be getting plenty of things from other people. I was going to make a bag big enough to hold all the baby things but then I figured that maybe just a small satchel for those times when you don't need a big bag would be good. I used this tutorial from 'mmmcrafts' because it looked perfect so I set off to make it. I used a printed canvas-like furnishing fabric for the exterior and a polka dot poplin for the interior. Three hours later I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the bag was to make - thanks to the clear instructions in the tutorial. I'm really happy with how it turned out because in the past I have been a bit reluctant to give handmade gifts because I thought they're look a bit sloppy or something but this one doesn't. The only thing I changed in mine was the pockets. I moved the back pocket to the front and I make two pleated/elasticized pockets on the inside (own pattern). It worked well and I think these small changes will make the bag useful if my cousin does choose to keep it as an emergency nappy bag etc. I think I'm going to make myself one of these bags too since they're quick (3 hours) and easy to make. Thanks Larissa from mmmcrafts for such a great tutorial!
~ Sarah xx

Summer Peasant Blouse

As everyone in the northern hemisphere is waving goodbye to the warm days of summer, here in the south we are just beginning to welcome it back. We have been having some unseasonably warm weather for early spring so it was about time to break out the short sleeves! This summer peasants blouse was refashioned from a men's shirt by following this tutorial from 'My Mama Made it!' When I saw this refashion I knew I had to make it straight away - so far I've made two! I forgot to take a 'before' picture but it was just your average short sleeve men's shirt. I followed the tutorial exactly and left the sleeves as they were. Depending how this shirt goes I may change the sleeves into gathered cap sleeves - but I'm not sure yet. The only problem with my shirt is that the underarm area is a bit tight but it's not uncomfortable. It was a really easy re-fashion and only took about 30 minutes. It will be such a great blouse to wear on hot days and as a coverall. Thanks Alexis from 'My Mama Made it' for such a great tutorial - I love these shirts. Oh, and thank you to Grace for her beautiful photography, it's a million times better than mine!
~ Sarah xx

Hey everyone!

This is the very first post of 'always graceful sarah' and we're so excited to be joining the creative blogging community! We'll keep this intro short and sweet - We're two sisters, Sarah and Grace who love to be creative and make things. We try to craft as much as we can, particularly sewing and we love to browse other people's blogs for inspiration. At the moment we're participating in Wardrobe Refashion and it's a lot of fun trying to work out what we can make for odd pieces of clothing and other things! Join us as we record our creative adventures and have a great time making, creating and sharing our love of craft!

Love,

Always Graceful Sarah xx