A doll for Alice

My little baby girl is going to be 1 tomorrow. Sob. Growing so fast, she is our little miss independent now, and has everyone in the house wrapped around her cute little finger!

I wanted to make her something to mark this very special birthday, and when I came across an adorable doll pattern by Hopscotch Lane, I knew I had found just the thing.



The pattern is a great one, very easy to follow, takes about 10 hours. I added a ruffly skirt (my own pattern) and also used a smaller flower for her brooch. I love the fact that her hair is so lush and can be put into any style, not just pigtails.

I posted a picture of her on the Down Grapevine Lane Facebook page a while ago. She was such a huge hit that I have been inundated with requests since! Here are two more versions I have made, one is a caramel blonde with a vintage pink dress, and the other is a red haired little miss with a mint dress. Which one is your favourite?

Bunting love - 2

I am finally starting to catch up with life! I can honestly say that I have never been so busy before (and that's saying something coming from a 90-hour-a-week-ex-banker!). I am glad to say that I am finally finding my groove, and dare I say it, even finding time for a few personal projects. Will share them with you real soon.

In the meantime, here's some more bunting love for you. This red, grey and white bunting is a particular favourite of mine. I love the bold colours and even though it has been quite popular for boy names so far, the design and the fabrics are quite gender-neutral.



And here is the same bunting again but this time with teddy and puppy end flags.



And in the pink corner, I present you this special pink and apple green bunting which was designed for a friend of mine to fit with her nursery decor. So bright and cheerful and the perfect colours for spring.



Next week we will be celebrating Alice's first birthday - she has turned into such a wonderful little lady and I am so very proud of her. I started Down Grapevine Lane when she was only 3 months old and I can't believe how fast time went!

On the cover of Homespun

This week was the most thrilling and proud week for me. I had my first magazine feature published in Homespun (leading Australian crafts magazine for those overseas). And not just published but actually on the COVER of the magazine - squeal!!



Remember my french knot Easter bunny project? Back in March I got contacted by the editor of Homespun magazine after they saw it on Pinterest. They had loved the concept and wanted to commission a piece using the same french-knot-sprinkles technique. After some brainstorming and a little graphic design we finalised the drawing - an umbrella and a pair of gum boots.



I took pictures at each step during construction so it could be turned into a full photo tutorial for the magazine.



The article has a little profile piece on me and Down Grapevine Lane as well.



The September issue of Homespun magazine is now in the shops, if you wanted to get a copy of the project tutorial for yourself!

Bunting love - 1

Long time no post! August has been an insanely busy month here at Down Grapevine Lane headquarters. I have been designing and sewing bunting - the new product line in my Etsy shop. And working on my second project for Australian Homespun magazine which I only completed and submitted yesterday. Also dealing with regular customer orders and keeping two pre-schoolers happy, clean and fed. No wonder I am exhausted!



I wanted to share some of my bunting designs here on the blog so you can see what has been keeping me so busy. I had no idea I would enjoy designing bunting as much as I do - the part I like best is the mixing and matching of fabrics. It's like patchwork, but on a bigger scale! Sometimes I cheat and use coordinating fabrics from the same fabric line, but most of my bunting have fabrics from all sorts of designers. Makes it more fun!

I have already shared two designs in previous posts (here and here). I will have to spread the bunting love over a few posts as there are quite a few different sets now and it would be too many photos in one post! Hope you enjoy these two - a girl's bunting with Lecien Princess Rose florals and a transport themed boy's bunting.