Little Jems - free tutorial and pattern

What is a 

Little Jem?

This is...

You might recognise this little character from my profile picture!

I started making these Little Jems a few years ago, when a friend and I had a market stall to sell some of our handmade goods.

My Little Jems were always a best seller. They were popular with both girls and boys - and were also bought as novelty gifts for adults too!

They are made with scraps of PVC drainpipe, fur, velour and a little stuffing - although other fabrics can be used!

They aren't just cute little cuddly creatures - they are also little storage containers..

They can be used as desk tidies..

Jewellery holders...

or even as drinks holders:

They can be made in any colour and have been well loved and a big hit with the many kids who have bought them or received them as gifts over the past few years.

So, why am I telling you all this?

Well, I've decided to make a pattern/tutorial so that others can make  these little Jems for themselves.

I no longer have my market stall, having decided to put all my efforts instead into my blog.

But these Jems are too cute to stay hidden in Far North Queensland, Australia.

 My tutorial and pattern to make these Little Jems is now available for FREE here on Creating my way to Success.

It also includes the templates for the tags I used to sell them - and ideas for developing the pattern too.

So....

Would you like your very own Little Jem? or do you know someone who would?

They are a tried and tested item to make for sale in markets..

Loved by kids for their soft cuddly fur, cute faces and neat storage inside!

Their uses are many and varied:

Limited only by your imagination!

To get the FREE tutorial and pattern download,

 simply

click here

I do hope you have fun making these little guys - and if you do, please do send me pictures! I'd love to see them!

Happy Sewing!

I'll be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons can be found on the bottom of this page and whose direct links can be found on my linky party page.

A Round Tuit 154

Good morning!
It's a busy morning for us here today as my eldest daughter is off on her school camp for a few days!  All very exciting - camping, canoeing, hiking and abseiling! What a great experience it'll be. I used to love school camps and I have to admit I'm a bit envious of her going off to do all of that with her friends!

It will be nice though to get some time with my younger daughter at home too!!

Hope you've got a fun week in store too!

Now to the party.................

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Tuits are very hard to come by, especially the round ones. For years people have been saying, "I'll do it as soon as I get a round tuit". Well now you can have one of your very own, and all those jobs that have needed doing will finally get done!

<center> <a href="http://jembellish.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20Round%20Tuit"><img border="”0”" src="http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac329/jembellish/Blog%20buttons/ARoundTuit.jpg" /></a><center> </center> </center>       Here's my favourites from last week's party:   First of all, these yummy looking  Cheesecake filled Strawberries from Happier Than A Pig In Mud:

There are heaps more tasty ideas over on this blog - go check it out! http://happierthanapiginmud.blogspot.com.au/

Next, this super cute crocheted 
amigurumi Giraffe from The Philosopher's Wife:

Isn't it gorgeous??
Lots more to see over at Rachel's blog, so do go and say hello:
http://philwife.blogspot.com.au/

Finally, this awesome tutorial for a
 quilted pillow cushion with a hidden zipper from Made By ChrissieD:

Chrissie has a fabulous blog with lots of great ideas and projects - so head on over to take a look at:
http://madebychrissied.blogspot.com.au/

For those featured, feel free to grab a 'featured on' button from my buttons page.

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Now it's your turn:

Link up your own projects - old or new - no rules - just share your creativity and inspiration!

I'd love if you grabbed the button - then you can have your very own Round Tuit!

And of course we all love visitors and comments so do visit some of the other links!

By linking up here you're giving me permission to use photos from your post in features here on my blog.

I will feature my favourites on facebook during the week, and also on this post next week.

Sunday motivation

Weekend clothes upcycling - a new plan and challenge

As part of my renewed focus and drive to grow my blog, I've decided to delve further into the world of clothes upcycling.

As you may know, I have an ongoing clothes upcycling linky party, which now has over 450 projects and ideas linked up.

This resource is constantly growing and is a great source of inspiration.

However, what I would like to build up is another resource where you can easily look up types of clothing and get ideas and inspiration of what to do with that particular item of clothing.  For example you may have a favourite t-shirt that has finally worn through and is no longer really wearable, but you still can't bear to part with it......so then you could search this resource for ideas for upcycling t-shirts.

So week by week I'm going to research and collect all the information I can find about upcycling particular items of clothing. Then I'll collate each post together on an easy to navigate page so each post is easy to find for future reference.

I'm also going to do a ruthless cull of my own wardrobe, and use the information I find to help me upcycle my own clothing, so I will have some extra examples of the ideas and inspiration put into practice!

To keep me accountable and make sure this resource gets made - here's the plan - week by week and clothing item by clothing item.

A post each week on Saturdays.

June

1st - jeans

 8th - jeans part 2

 15th - dresses

 22nd - dresses - part 2

29th - tank tops

July

6th - swimwear

13th - t-shirts

20th - t-shirts part 2

27th - skirts

August 

3rd - shirts

10th - shirts part 2

17th - underwear

24th - trousers / pants

31st - baby clothes

September

7th - pyjamas

14th - hats / caps

21st - shoes

28th - shoes part 2

October 

5th - sweaters

12th - shorts

19th - socks

26th - leggings

November 

2nd - track pants

9th - jackets

16th - scarves

23rd - belts

30th - cardigans

As you can see, these posts will start in June - giving me a little time to start researching and making them as packed full of information and ideas as I can. 

If you notice any items of clothing that I've missed - or you have ideas or projects that you'd like me to feature or include in these posts then please leave me a comment, or email me (you can find my contact details here).

Next week I'll post any revisions and or additions to this plan!

So for now - I'm off to clear out my wardrobe and see what items of clothing I have to work with - and also start searching the internet for even more ideas and inspiration!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend - and that you'll come back each Saturday to join me in exploring the fascinating world of clothes upcycling even more!

Fat Quarter Shop

The Fat Quarter Shop

A one-stop online shop for all your sewing needs.

Today I was browsing fabrics with an animal theme...

Madhuri Blue Elephant Yardage by The Quilted Fish for Riley Blake Designs:

Timeless Treasures Lime Tossed Animal Yardage:

5 Funky Monkeys Cotton Fat Quarter Bundle:

Gumball's First School Day White - Gumball Tossed Yardage:

Fandango Batiks Green Tonal Riding Horses Yardage:

And that is just a tiny peek at the amazing selection Fat Quarter Shop has!

You can search for almost any theme you could imagine, and they will have fabric to suit!

But don't just take my word for it - go and take a look for yourself at

The Fat Quarter Shop

Happy Fabric Shopping!

Giant fabric origami bag

One of my most popular tutorials is for this fabric origami bag:

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a lot of pageviews on my blog coming to view this tutorial from a forum in Holland.  When I went to look at the forum, I found a picture of a larger version of this bag.  Unfortunately, although I bookmarked the page, it now won't show up in my browser, so I can't credit the inspiration behind my own larger version of this bag!

I used some pretty fabric that my girls chose from Wholeport.

I simply followed my own tutorial for this bag, but cut the fabric 80cm (approx 31.5") square.  Then instead of drawstring ribbon, I cut 2 strips of the outer fabric, 118 x 10cm (46.5 x 4"); double folded them lengthwise and top-stitched to hide any raw edges; then threaded one through each side of the bag casing and stitched each strap together in a loop.

I'm really pleased with the result:

I think it would make a great beach bag, or just general tote!

I also had some fun playing around with the effects I can use on my new birthday camera...

I've only had my camera for 2 days, but haven't had a chance to explore all it can do yet!  Looks like it might save me some time editing the photos on the computer, with all these cool effects on the camera itself! Can't wait to get snapping!

Have you ever tried any fabric origami?  This bag is very simple to make - equally easy large or small.

For the tutorial so you can make one for yourself - go here!

And for some great fabric choices - why not try Wholeport!

I shall be linking this post to many of the fabulous linky parties whose pretty buttons are on the bottom of this page and whose direct links can be found on my linky party page.

(This post is sponsored by Wholeport. All opinions are my own, but I do receive free supplies in return for the post.)

Many creative uses for a single object

As I've been looking at creativity over these past few weeks I've found in several places the idea of brainstorming as many different uses for a single object as possible as a way to encourage and stimulate your creativity.

This made me think of something I did a couple of years ago.

I had several old silver windscreen shades that I kept because I just knew they would come in useful one day!  (we all have things like that in our cupboards, right?)

Well, I decided it was time to finally use these things - and so I came up with several different uses for them:

A fabric pie or pizza box:

Insulated lunch bags:

(the silver shade provided the insulated lining for these)

A little Space Jem!

Drinks coasters:

 Placemats:

And even a shiny clutch purse!

 I think I managed to find some good creative uses for these old windscreen shades - and used up most my stash - although I do still have some silver scraps left!

So - I thought that it was time to flex those creative muscles again with something else I've been collecting knowing I'll find a use for them one day!

Rice bags:

Last year I found these in our local supermarket.  Previously we'd only been able to buy rice there in large plastic bags, so when I saw these lovely cloth ones I changed to buying them straight away - more eco friendly to have a cloth bag rather than a plastic bag. Plus they have a sturdy zip and are re-usable......for something!

However - I'm now amassing quite a collection:

13 bags and another in the cupboard still with some rice in!

So - rather than just endlessly saving these bags - I think it's time to do something with them!

Putting it out here on the blog should push me to actually do something!  

By next Wednesday I want to have made at least one thing from these bags!  Come back then to find out what I've come up with!

Meanwhile - any and all suggestions and ideas are very welcome! Please do leave me some comments!

What have you been saving that you need to get around to using - come on, I'll bet there's plenty other out there hoarding things - let's get creative!!