Cute

I have a new hobby!  Commissioning artists to draw a family portrait of my partner, The Kitten and I.

This was spurned by the first one, that my sister commissioned for my on my birthday last year.  Commission info here - $5!!

This next one is by Pea (commission info here) and for someone who claims she'd never drawn portraits from photos before, I think this came out super cute! 

This next one is by Blythe (commission info here).  I'd never had a caricature done before, I think it turned out really rad! 

I got this one back this week.  It's by Rachel (commission info here) and I really love the cartoony style and our big grins! 

I still have a couple in the pipeline, and am always on the lookout for more.  I'm going to make a whole gallery of them :)

Which do you like best?

~Tan

365: 341-365

Well, that's it!  Done and dusted!

I really did enjoy my 365 project.  If nothing else it forced me to think creatively.  A lot of days I would challenge myself to take a photo of something or in a way I hadn't done before.  A lot of days I also got lazy and took photos of my cat or knitting!  A large portion of my photos were also taken on or around public transport - it turns out to be the main place I generally have a moment to spare for a picture.  Also I like trains.

341.  View from the commute home.
342.  Train cops.
343.  The morning sky looking glorious.
344.  The Kitten in her whovian state.
345.  Fabric fabric fabric.
346.  Stitching in the ditch, one of my sewing tricks.
347.  Completed skirt!  Pleats are the best.
348.  Precious Hugs, a childhood toy that I can't part with (even though she looks a bit creepy now).
349.  Heart candy for V day!
350.  Giant sheep head at the National Wool Museum.
351.  Organising the Hanstan collection.
352.  Some of the bollards in Geelong.
353.  Patterns patterns patterns.
354.  A new tureen!  A gift from Lisa and a most prized addition to the collection.
355.  Another commute view.
356.  New project new project new project. (channelling Grace Helbig - You've been prazed!)
357.  Baby chart spotted while thrifting.
358.  Donut break during sewing day.
359.  Taking a stroll through Chinatown.
360.  The Melb Greater Union is closed!  Wah!
361.  Rad graffiti.
362.  The Victorian State Library.
363.  Cute postcard.
364.  Awesome newly acquired teapots.

And 365?  I thought a selfie might be appropriate!

I haven't started another 365 project, though I think I will in the not too distant future.  At times it was challenging but I really like looking back at my year in photos.  I'll have a little break first though!

~Tanya

Making a new ba-ba

Ba-ba is my niece's favourite toy.  It's a little hand-made bunny my mum picked up from a craft market.  She sleeps with ba-ba, plays with ba-ba and finds comfort from him.

Ba-ba is looking a bit worse for wear (ie rank), so I thought I'd try to make him a friend and possible replacement in the likely event that ba-ba is lost or falls apart.

Ba-ba is the one on the left, and the replacement, creatively named 'Yellow' by the niece is on the right.

Not bad eh? I essentially traced around ba-ba and tried to make Yellow as similar as possible.  I used a bit of left over quilting cotton and some polar fleece, and felt for the face.  I did a bit of embroidery for the face, the first time in ages and I kinda like my version a bit better.  I didn't realise I flipped the eyes until after, but I think it makes Yellow look happier than ba-ba.

Ba-ba is still the preferred bunny, but the niece is playing with Yellow and that's a start.  She did at one stage try to bite his face off, but I'm trying not to take that too personally.

 I used the machine to sew it together, and getting those arms on was extremely fiddly.  I hand stitched the legs to the torso enclosing the stuffing at the same time, my machine just did not like the thickness and wasn't getting enough traction on the polar fleece.



I really hope Yellow will be loved half as much as ba-ba, who will no doubt be loved to death.

~Tan

p.s. if anyone knows who made the original ba-ba please let me know, I'd love to give proper credit!