A Day At Home With Bearhug & Honeybun

Meet Bearhug & Honeybun - the stars of a baby storybook I designed for this month's Homespun magazine! It seems this year's got off to a great start already, as these cuties made the cover - squee!

Designing a fabric 'quiet book' was on my to-do list for a looong time and I was so happy when Homespun magazine gave me the opportunity! A little known fact is that I would not be sewing and designing today if it wasn't for a friend showing me the quiet books she had made for her kids. This was about 6 years ago and I was heavily pregnant with Alexander at the time. I absolutely LOVED the books, so as soon as Alexander arrived I set out to make one for him. As I didn't know how to machine sew at the time, it was made from felt, and all hand-sewn, with over 20 pages of scenes and activities, collated in a big ring binder. I am proud to say that it was enjoyed by both my kids, and whilst the pages are looking a little tired and worn out it's still knocking around and regularly played with! That quiet book was the beginning of my creative journey, so it holds a very dear place in my heart. I'm so happy that hopefully, with this project, other sewists can experience the joy of creating a treasured heirloom for a cherished child as well!

This quiet book represents this teddy and bunny's home, so in the morning they have breakfast in the kitchen, they can take a quick shower and dry off with a towel in the bathroom, followed by a day's play, and at the end of a busy day they get tucked into their individual beds for story time and a lovely night's sleep. 💖 There is a template to add a personalised label on the back cover also, should you wish to do so.

The fabric I used is all Tilda, from my personal stash so mostly older lines. I love the soft and ethereal feel they give the book.

There is an interview with me in there also! This issue is now available at all major newsagents in Australia, and digitally from Zinio for readers worldwide (for only $3.50 - now that's a bargain!).

In other news, I am still in a bit of a holiday mode. Both kids are at home for the summer holidays so not much sewing is happening lately! We seem to spend the days in a blissful haze of bike rides, milkshakes / ice cream, walks around our lovely wine region, followed by dips in the pool to cool down. Though I did take a nasty tumble into the pool at the weekend, and bashed my knee. It was a pretty comical fall - I was scooping up some leaves when I tripped on the edge of the pool whilst walking along quite fast with the scoop. I had momentum so I thought I could regain balance by running along the edge of the pool for a few metres, flailing arms wildly. Then I tried to jump across diagonally to the other edge of the pool. Yeah, didn't quite make it, fell in (with clothes and shoes on), and hit my knee on the pool edge. I have a bruised kneecap bone which is a bit ouchy but no major damage luckily and I am hobbling around slowly - and it's my left leg so I can still sew. Small mercies!

I am determined to make this year as stress-free as possible, so I have carefully planned and mapped out my work schedule for the next few months. First up on my sewing table is a modern ombré quilt that I am making for Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine. Aren't these Riley Blake Confetti Cottons simply delicious? I will love this quilt, I can tell!