how to:

How to: Crochet a Popcorn Stitch – Video Tutorial

How to crochet a popcorn stitch video tutorial
I was so pleased with myself when I learned to Crochet a Popcorn Stitch, whilst making this trivet from a pattern in Handmade Glamping*. I love the three dimensional texture and cushioned effect it produces.
Because crochet stitches are much easier to learn when you watch someone actually doing it, I thought it would be helpful to make a little video showing you how it’s done. If you already know how to do a Double crochet (US)/Treble (UK), like the one granny squares are made with, then you practically know how to do a popcorn stitch already. There is just one extra step.
Watch the video to see how.
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How To: Hexagon Table Runner

Rainbow Hexagon Table Runner tutorial
I’ve used an ingenious but easy construction technique to assemble this rainbow hued Patchwork Hexagon Table Runner. After making hundreds of Paper Pieced Hexagons, and sewing them all together, I thought a table runner was a nice project that would to show them off to their full potential and that I could see and enjoy every day.
Hexagon project edges can be tricky to work with, I didn’t like the idea of squaring off the sides, as I’d lose the beauty if the zig zag edges, and binding all those corners wasn’t an option, so it took me some thought to devise my construction method. I like to imagine all the steps in my mind, truth be told, I wasn’t even sure it would really work until the final stages when it all came together perfectly. I’ve share some tips to keep your hexagons organized as well as a few methods of stitching them together. You could also make coasters and place mats with the same method.
I hope you enjoy this project, it was over a month in the making…
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Emma’s Flower Garden Birthday Party (& Devilled Egg recipe)

Emma’s birthday always sneaks up on me. It’s usually around the same time as Easter so all the chocolate bunny hoopla tends to be quite a distraction. I always have the best intentions for organizing a proper party and actually inviting her little friends, but alas, between school holidays and the Easter break, it never happened.
Luckily for Emma, her aunts, cousins, and grandparents kept calling me to find out ‘what time they should come over for the party?’, so like it or not, I had to throw a party!

So what does a time poor mum do when she needs a little birthday party theme inspiration? Get out the old Women’s Weekly Birthday cake book and hit Pinterest of course!
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How To: Patchwork Duvet Cover

I finally found time to make a patchwork duvet cover for Emma’s new big girl bed after making the fitted sheets. Originally it was going to be plain on both sides made from vintage sheets, but I started poking about in my fabric stash and thought it may be fun to patchwork a top together. After working out my measurements (not brilliantly as I will explain later), I had a ton of fun picking my fabrics and arranging the pattern. If you’ve always wanted to try patchwork, this triangle/chevron design is super simple and can be made to look really different depending on how the blocks are arranged. Feel free to play around.
I’ve included the pattern and measurements to make your own, but be aware it is based on Australian standard single duvet size, which is different to US and European sizes. You could adjust measurements or use this design to make a quilt instead. I’ve included some handy links for this option.
I’ve used metric measurements in cm throughout as our duvets are made to metric sizes.
To make a single bed duvet cover (Australian Standard size) 140x210cm read on…
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Making Peg Dolls – A book review

Today I’ll be reviewing a book generously sent to me by Margaret Bloom, the author of Making Peg Dolls* and blogger at We Bloom Here. Both Margaret’s book and blog have a basis in the Waldorf/Steiner philosophy. Although we are not a ‘Steiner’ household, I do try to embrace some aspects here at home, especially when it comes to handmade toys and play. When Margaret suggested her book to me, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to spend some making time with Emma. Emma can be a little distracted at the best of times, so I was pleasantly surprised at how engaged she was when we made these little dolls.
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How To: Paper Pieced Hexies + Template

As you all know, I’m a big fan of using up every little scrap of fabric I have. My ‘affliction’ can be a bit of a burden sometimes especially when I’m tripping over big bags of fabric scraps on my sewing room floor. So a few weeks ago I decided to start making paper pieced hexagons using the smaller pieces, with no particular end project in mind, but as a way to start to reduce my overflow and busy my idle hands at the same time. Making hexagons is quite addictive it turns out, and the fact that it’s a portable project had me making them during Emma’s swimming classes, and even in bed!

I didn’t intend on blogging this patchwork project as there are so many hexie tutorials out there already, but an overwhelming demand from my Instagram followers for me to share a ‘How to’ means you are keen to see how I do it. Obviously I won’t be reinventing the wheel here, but I pride myself on finding the simplest way to do things, so hopefully you’ll see that hexie making wasn’t as hard as you always imagined.

I drafted up my own hexie template in photoshop and have converted it to a PDF for you to download and use. Read on for the template and instructions…
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Easy Cable Knit Skirt – A wardrobe refashion

Do you like cable knits? I do. I love the chunky texture of the cables, and the way they automatically evoke the feeling of ‘cozy’. I’m not a knitter but appreciate the skill involved in making all the patterns and designs, so sometimes I wonder why knitters spend so much effort making such labour intensive projects with less than pleasant yarns?

The sweater I’ve refashioned here was once a sad, shapeless and unloved acrylic sack, passed onto me by a family friend who no longer had a need for it. She knew that I like to felt knitwear, so thought it would be useful for one of my projects. Because acrylic doesn’t felt, it has sat around my sewing room waiting to be remade into something wearable.

Now that the weather is cooling down in Melbourne, it was the perfect opportunity to refashion the sweater into an Easy Cable Knit Skirt.
Both easy to make and easy to wear, I’ll be making a few more before the season is up.
Read on for instructions…
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How To: Make a Fitted Sheet

My baby is growing up, Sob!
Emma has grown out of her toddler bed and has graduated to a single bed (you call them twin in the States). We were lucky to enough to inherit this cool vintage one from a family member in great condition. I didn’t have any single size bedding so rather than hitting the stores, it was the perfect opportunity to make use of all those thrifted vintage sheets I’ve been collecting, the only hitch was vintage sheets are all flat, which is a pain in the backside.
No drama, with a few easy steps, all flat sheets can be converted to practical fitted sheets.
The instructions below apply to any sized sheet, so you can use this tutorial to make cot sheets right up to a king sized bed sheet.
Vintage sheets are great for this, but I if you don’t tend to use the top sheets that come in a sheet set (I use a duvet without a top sheet), it’s a great way to double the value of your bed linen purchase.
Read on for full instructions…
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