:: Blogtoberfest day 27 - the day AFTER the giveway ::

We have drawn our Blogtoberfest giveaway prize!!

Comments closed at midnight last night.  This morning I wrote commenters' names on slips of paper and put them into a bowl.

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Then shut my eyes and drew out ... Gill!!

{{I dated all the slips of paper too, in case I had to go back and find email contact details #hightechsystem}}

Congratulations Gill!!  - I sent you an email this morning.  Once I have address details, the Finn McTrickster ipad-zip-pouch will be winging its way to England.

{{bye Australia, helloooooo England}}

Vee and I have both been sewing up a storm today.  If you follow Vee on instagram (she is hellofromvee), you will have seen her gorgeous cushions that are headed for our market stalls.

I've been sewing up some home-ie ipad zip-pouch fronts - all with Metro Living, Pezzy Prints and a little bit of Reunion and Sew Stitchy.

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And I don't mean to sound weather-obsessed - but it is RAINING in Brisbane!!  Good rain too - and I know, since I grew up in northern NSW where floods were an annual event.  I know my rain #notreally.

Hope your weekend is a good one.  Thanks so much to everyone who has left comments with us during Blogtoberfest, your readership and interest are really appreciated.  We hope you stick around :-)    xoxo cat 

:: Blogtoberfest day 25 - bits and pieces ::

Popping in for a really quick post tonight.  

Vee and I printed more Home-ie panels today - we'll upload them to the shop in the next couple of days, along with our new #loveme #imnotneedy #loveahashtag #thepossiblenamesareendless cushion panels.  Did you miss them - here's another pic.

{{you'll be needing one of these}}

We've slowed a little on the sewing front this week - so much else happening - but have been working on a trio of matching cushions - for a friend headed to NYC with a couple of her good friends.  

{{iphone pic}}

Can't go wrong with the fab Alicia Keys words mixed with the gorgeous Prints Charming.  We'll have them stitched up and finished over the weekend.

In other news ... one more sleep ... til our Blogtoberfest prize is drawn out of a hat ... be in it to win it.  Leave a comment by midnight Australian EST tomorrow night (Friday 26th).   Here's what you're in the running for:

{{Finn McTrickster ipad zip pouch ... you know you'd love it}}

Fingers crossed for sewing time tomorrow.    'til then    xoxo cat

:: Blogtoberfest day 24 - awesome things ::

Oooh we're up to Day 24 of Blogtoberfest, and surely we've blogged at least half of those days ...?! 

Showing you some awesome things today.  

Very happy mail day yesterday, brought these to my door

{{so much to love, so much to love}}

They're designed and printed by Leanne Fanny of The Little House Martin on etsy - please go take a look.   Leanne hand prints her own designs onto fabric, tote bags and bunting.  And at the moment - tiny Christmas trees too!! 

I had to cut into the gorgeous owls straight away, and thought they'd go well with a good orange (yes, I really said 'a good orange' like I know what I'm talking about).

{{TheLittleHouseMartin owls + Anna Maria Horner Field Study feathers}}

{{I'm ready for my close up}}

 More AMH on the back:

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And Denyse Schmidt FMF spots inside.

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I so love it - it's for our upcoming market stall(s), and is big enough for an ipad and maybe a diary or notebook.  Oh so handy and cute and perfect for someone you love for Christmas.

In other news - our new Spoonflower order arrived yahhhhh!!  Vee rang to say it was here so I nipped over for a coffee before school pickup.  We are SO happy with how these designs have turned out.  Vee is a graphic designing ninja.  

{{it all adds up to #loveme}}

Do you love it? - we were talking about how 'needy' all the language surrounding social media is - all the like me, follow me, tweet me me me.  Combine that with the hashtag-obsession we've been developing - and Vee came up with this awesome design. 

And followed it up with this:

{{we do love a good hashtag - a GOOD hashtag, not endless hashtags #tagging #everything #the #photo-taker #can #think #of #that #may #be #remotely #relevant #to #the #photo ... ;-) }}

So all up - a day of awesome, fun things to share with you.

There are only TWO more days for our Blogtoberfest giveway - we close comments at midnight on Friday 26th October (Australian EST).  The randomly-chosen winner will receive this very large ipad zip pouch featuring our Finn McTrickster design, the awesome Curly Pops' chocberry granny squares, and AMH Field Study. 

{{all you have to do is leave a comment.  and have your name pulled out of the hat}}

So please leave us a comment to be in the running.

Hope your day has had some very fun moments.  'til tomorrow   xoxo cat

:: Blogtoberfest day 22 - multiplying tiny Christmas quilts ::

A super-quick post tonight - at the end of the third day in a row of 35 degree heat.  

The pile of tiny quilted Christmas-decorations is growing ... 

{{they are so fast and so fun.  and so cute}}

Our Blogtoberfest giveaway closes at midnight this coming Friday 26 October - that's midnight Australian Eastern Standard Time.  We will make a random draw from all the comments we've received on our October blog posts, and contact the lucky new owner of this Finn McTrickster ipad-zip-pouch by email.

Good luck!!   'til tomorrow        xoxo cat

:: Blogtoberfest day 21 - I'm dreaming of a White Christmas ::

No really, I am.  It's 35 degrees in Brisbane, so a white Christmas is a total dream ... ... ... 

Vee and I have been thinking over a few ideas for a little-something, literally a little-something, on our market stalls - something we can make lots of, fairly quickly, that is super-cute.

Helloooo, tiny quilted Christmas decorations.  Three so far.  Many more to come. 

{{Christmas centres, and scrap--tastic borders}}

{{do come in}}

{{Cherry Christmas centres, and oh, I spy Holiday Happy gnomas}}

As with everything we are busy sewing at the moment, these will be kept for our market stalls rather than uploaded to our Etsy shop.  If we have anything left after markets, they will become an Etsy pre-Christmas sale-bonanza.

Happy weekend to you all - hopefully your weekend has been cool and relaxing, with not a 35-degree moment in sight.    xoxo cat 

:: Blogtoberfest day 20 - one, two, skip a few ... ::

One, two, skip a few ....  99, 100.

Did you ever hear that one?

Somehow it's Saturday, and we last blogged on Monday.   Mmmm, not very Blogtoberfesty of us. 

Life's been happening, but not much sewing. 

Today, Vee and I were lucky enough to go along to a talk on social media, given by Jess van Den of Epheriell Designs and hosted by Brisstyle.

It was sooooo good - all about twitter, facebook, pinterest, online forums and our absolute favourite - instagram!!  We are not super-great on knowing how to link things from our blog - but we are (at)hellofromcat and (at)hellofromvee on instagram and twitter.  Come and say hi. 

In other news ... 

We are still madly trying to find time to sew for our two upcoming markets.  I've been working on some more typewriter and Jubilee Jack zip pouches.

{{typewriter and Jubilee Jack pouches in-the-making}}

On this way-too-hot BrisVegas afternoon, the kids have been doing their own stitching alongside me.

{{this is destined to be a pillow for a toy's head ... not sure which toy ... or how big the head is }}

{{this is like a fabric yo-yo ... not sure if it's finished or not, but it's looking good}}

We finally had to make a move from the sewing/playroom, which also doubles as the hottest-room-in-the-house.

{{clearly there will never be pics of me in togs ... anywhere ... ever ... EVER  }}

Last thing - our giveway!! - just leave a comment on any of our October blog posts, and you will be in the running to win a Finn McTrickster ipad-zip-pouch.  Comments close at midnight next Friday, 26 October.   That's midnight in BrisVegas.  Here's a reminder pic of the giveaway prize.

{{cute, huh}}

OK, it's time for wine.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  Hope it's cool whereever you are.  Unless you're in BrisVegas, when you really just need to be in air-con.    xoxo cat

:: Blogtoberfest day 15 - Jubilee Jacks ::

I was folding up my never-ending pile of fabrics-to-be-returned-to-the-cupboard and came across Amy's Jubilee Jacks.  I'd last used them for our Sir Finn McTrickster ipad-zip-pouch.

Amy has designed the Jacks with a perfect 1/4 line around each flag, so they're perfect for sewing-into-things.  And since they're called 'Jubilee Jacks', I thought back to England's Jubilee celebrations ... and thought that those flags should be flying - so came up with a few new ipad-zip-pouch ideas.

So far, there are these two.

{{the little hedgehogs are late for the Jubilee celebrations ... ssshh, don't tell them}}

I've had the little pink hedgehogs - also from Spoonflower - for ages.   They were also sitting in my fabric-to-be-returned-to-the-cupboard pile too ...  The sky in this one is a cute print I bought from Patches, and the grass and flagpole are part of the Reunion line.

{{Amy's Union Jacks are so cute - they're a hand-stamped design}}

The bunting flags are also from Reunion.

{{I think this bunting-version is my favourite}}

Cute, aren't they?  I have more Jubilee Jack ideas - just need more time to sew. 

Don't forget our Blogtoberfest giveway - scroll down to Day 10 for all the details.  Our giveaway closes midnight Australian EST, Friday 26 October. 

'til tomorrow     xoxo cat

:: Blogtoberfest day 14 - market sewing ::

Vee and I have plans for stalls at two markets before Christmas.

We are new to markets.  We have only done one before - a local Christmas market last year, which went really well.  We got together last week for coffee and to brain-storm a few ideas, and are now a little scared at the volume of goodies we think we will need - amidst all the usual busyness of term 4 life.

But off we go ... 

i-pad zip-pouches have made the list - as many as we can sew together in time.  Here are a just few of the fronts we have sewn up so far - all using the awesome Melody Miller Ruby Star typewriters, since we love them:

{{hmm, a cat heartworm article will keep you interested while out and about with your i-pad}}

{{no mention of heartworms here}}

{{Violet Craft's Madrona Road}}

{{eeek, a bit of colourful language has crept in}}

They've been fun to make up, and we have more to come.

Hope your weekend has been fun.  Ours have been busy, and over too soon.  

Don't forget our Blogtoberfest giveaway - scroll down to Day 10 for our giveaway prize and details.  We love to read your comments, and appreciate them so much.

'til tomorrow,  xoxo cat

:: Blogtoberfest day 12 - Lisey's bag ::

Our friend Lisey is off to Disneyland, so we stitched up a Lisey Meow Meow bag for her to take along. 

{{ready to say hi to Minnie}}

Lisey is a blue-and-yellow-loving girl, so we made the bag around that colour-combo.

And the back

On their way home from Disneyland, Lisey's family is stopping in for a bit of a relax in Fiji - hence the little hula girl (who is visiting Fiji from Hawaii perhaps ...).

The strap is scrappy, lots of little blue and yellow pieces, for a bit of I Spy fun.

Safe travels Lisey + family, we're looking forward to hearing your news and seeing pics when you get back!!  Maybe some like these:

Woo hooooo!!  Miss you, see you soon. x

So happy it's Friday, and we are one week down for the school term.  We have a busy weekend ahead, so if we miss a blogging day tomorrow, we're still here, just distracted.

Don't forget our Blogtoberfest giveway - scroll down to Day 10 for pics of the giveaway prize and details.

'til tomorrow.  Or Sunday.    xoxo cat

:: Blogtoberfest day 11 - Sir Finn McTrickster zip-pouch ::

So I've been purposely holding sewn-things back on you, since I knew I wouldn't have much sewing time today or tomorrow, or even over the upcoming weekend.   And when you're blogging every day thanks to the wonder of Blogtoberfest, I've discovered you've got to space out blogging the projects!!

When I made the giveaway zip pouch yesterday (go take a look!), I took the chance to sew up another pouch for the shop.

Meet Sir Finn McTrickster.

We've screen printed Finn in navy onto a Dear Stella chevron.  The awesome Union Jacks are a Spoonflower print by Amy of PennyCandyHandmade (who we love and is such a fabulous designer).

We've used Timeless Treasure sketch down the sides, and Tula Pink meteor shower across the bottom. Here are a couple of close ups. 

On the back is more sketch, and also Tula Pink meteors in a lighter colourway.  The zip-pouch measures about 12 inches square (about 31 cm square) - plenty of room for your i-pad plus a few other goodies.   Sir Finn McTrickster is in the shop now. 

In case you are wondering, the cute felt-shapes are from L'uccello in Melbourne.

We've had a much-needed cooler day with rain in Brisbane today - it's been about two months since we had decent rain.  The grass everywhere is brown and crunchy, which is not a good look.

Don't forget our Blogtoberfest giveaway - scroll down to yesterday's post for all the details.  Good luck!!

'til tomorrow.  Hope you've all had a good day.  xoxo cat

:: Blogtoberfest day 10 - our giveaway ipad zip-pouch!! ::

I managed to snaffle some sewing time today, so took the chance to make our Blogtoberfest giveaway ipad-zip-pouch!!

{{Finn McTrickster and his felt-shape minions}}

The zip-pouch measures a mahusive 12 x 13.25 inches (30.5 x 33.5 cm).  According to my tape-measure, a standard ipad measures 9.5 x 7.5 inches (24 x 19 cm) - so there is plenty of wriggle room for the zip-pouch to also carry earphones, a keypad, or whatever other goodies your ipad comes with. 

Finn McTrickster is our original design, and we have screen printed him in navy permaset fabric paint onto a Dear Stella chevron.  

We've used the gorgeous Curly Pops Go Granny in chocberry across the top and bottom, and Anna Maria Horner's Field Study down the sides and on the back.

The front and back have been lined with iron-on pellon and then lightly quilted.  As the 'cushioning' layers for this zip-pouch are only very light, it won't provide much protection if you drop your ipad - it's really only a very cute ipad-house.  There's only so much protection that fabric and a bit of light padding can give ;-)

Inside are Lizzy House's Castle Peeps castles in the yellow colourway.

An awesome giveaway prize, we think!! 

To be eligible - please leave a comment on any of our October posts, up until midnight Australian EST, Friday 26 October. 

It would really help if your email contact details are included as part of your comment - really, this just means to make sure you are not a no-reply-blogger.  

The winning comment will be chosen randomly by Vee and I, and we will contact you by email to let you know and get your address details.

Good luck everyone!  'til tomorrow   xoxo cat