Some 'Agent 99' inspiration!

We are huge Get Smart fans in our house.  
We own the box set and the girls will often have a Get Smart-a-thon when nothing else is on.

I love wardrobe that Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) wore throughout the series.  The gorgeous tailored suits right through to the 60's swing dresses and short jumpsuits.  Being 5'9" and with the poise of a dancer, Barbara Feldon would have been a wardrobe departments dream.  Often accesorised with nothing more than a beret, scarf or simple belt - she very rarely wore jewellery.

These are just a few pics from the squillions of wardobe outfits that she wore.  I've teamed it up with some vintage paper patterns from the 60's that represent the style that she wore along with some fabrics.
These patterns are all from Sewing With Miss Dandy on Etsy.

Match it with some retro style or vintage fabrics from The Vintage Fabric Addict

It's our 2nd birthday giveaway!

The Haby Goddess started back on the 1st September 2008 after the idea came to me while on a weekend away with my family.
While deciding a name for this blog, my husband had offered "Haber Daber Doo"  which was quickly crossed off the list. I then settled for The Haby Goddess.
It's been an absolute blast and I'm still loving every minute of it. 
To celebrate and thank you all for your amazing support, I have put together a recycled bickie tin full of haby goodies to give away to one lucky person.  This giveaway is open to all my wonderful international readers as well. 


Included in this package is:
  • Elastic, bias & cord
  • Bias
  • Trims, Twill tape
  • Purse frame
  • Toggles & cord ends
  • Brooch backs
  • Crocheted flowers
  • Adjustable rings
  • Self covering button kit
  • An erasable marking pen
  • FQ of fabric
  • Magnetic bag closurer
This giveaway will be open for the entire month, closing on 30th September, 2010.  To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment (making sure I am able to contact you) sharing with us your greatest crafty moment.  It can be as simple the first time you put a zip in - it can be anything!!! 

Good Luck xx

New Stock & Sizes of Button Kits - Metal Looped & Flat Backed

Stock levels for the self covering button kits have been running very low for a little while now but they have finally been replenished today with new sizes of flat backed kits being added (more sizes are still on the way).
Head over to the 'Buttons' section in the online store for metal looped back kits, flat backed kits & additional shells without the tools.

Quick 10 minute sewing project

Over the weekend I did a tutorial for making towelling headbands for this new blog. They're an absolute sinch to make and will only take you 10 minutes tops! Make a few for yourself, for all the girls in your household or even add a few facial products and give as a gift pack.
  • You will need a piece of towelling approx 54.5cm x 15cm - you could even upcycle a bath towel that you no longer use.
  • Overlock the two long sides together and turn in the right way.
  • With the seam centred (as in image 2), press to hold line.
  • With the right sides matched & facing together, overlock across the top and you're done!

Weekend Haby Delights

Using your hemming foot attachment

Had a spare moment today to have another play with my sewing machine attachments. This time it was the hemming foot. This is such a nifty little gadget. I have a very basic Janome sewing machine but I'm sure most machines will come with an attachment very similar.
Foot attaches in the normal way.
Beginning with you fabric in the hemming foot is probably the trickiest part - I used an unpicker to thread fabric through into position.
The hem is only about 2mm in width.
Would be great to use to edge fabric which easily fray or just to add a decorative edge.

Spend 5 minutes with......

Next up in the series of very quick 'spend 5 minutes with' posts on The Haby Goddess facebook page, is Kylie Bickerdike. Kylie's label Blue Ginger Designs features gorgeous linens & hemp fabrics with the use of eco-friendly inks.
Click here to read more!

{Remember you do not need a facebook account to enjoy visiting The Haby Goddessfacebook page}

A green alternative for Toy & Cushion filling.

Over the last two years of Haby Goddess (yes, we're 2 on the 1st September!), I've had many enquiries about finding an eco friendly filling for softies, cushions etc. There really hasn't been a lot of options in Australia and the price tag often meant it just wasn't worth it.
Now there is Innergreen, an Australian company that has researched, developed and produced a sustainable fibrous filling that is made from 100% Natural Corn. It is silky soft, non-allergenic, has a very low flamimability, resiliant and because it's a fibre made from corn it's 100% biodegradable. The current range includes cushion inserts & toy filling bags. This product is extremely well priced for it's quality.

Innergreen Fire Video from Innergreen on Vimeo. www.innergreen.com.au

If you would a small sample of this product sent to you, please contact me with your details.

Weekend Haby delights

  • The Ribbons & Sewing Tapes from Holland Fabric house are such a fav of mine.
  • Modern Leaves of Grey and Chartreuse Pin Cushion by Chet and Dot
  • How cool is this Pink Ninja original needle keeper kunoichi by My Friend Amy?
  • Give your handmade items a professional touch or personalisation with some custom printed labels on soft stain by Hobby Time
  • Create your own designs with these pre-cut felt shapes by BBD Supplies
  • Ninja Embroidery Machine Design Patterns from Izabella's Closet
  • Heidi & Finn has a gorgeous range of pdf sewing patterns. This Chic Cocktail Swing Coat pattern and tutorial is just one of them.
  • Using organic linen & eco friendly ink, this powerlines printed fabric is by Roisin Fagan

Winter Clearance of all Wool & Knitting Accessories

As I wish winter away, and will on a few rays of sun, I have taken 25% off all Wool & Knitting accessories in The Haby Goddess online store including Amy Gaines pdf crochet patterns. I will not be re-stocking these patterns once they are gone so don't miss out!

Mixtape Issue 13 is finally here!!!

Issue 13 of Mixtape is finally here.
With the sad news that the Mixtape team is only producing 2 more issues after this one EVER, don't miss out as they are sure to become a collectors item to all crafting buffs!
This issue, as always, is jammed packed with awesomeness. There's interviews & articles on fabulous indie crafters, tutorials, reviews and more on pop culture & eco awareness.

Friday Haby Delights

This week's Haby Delights are bought to you in an animated gif that I just learnt how to do via a tutorial over at My Poppet. Mine is not anywhere near as creative as Cintia's but not bad for a first go. Head to the My Poppet blog here if you would like to play along!
  • Retro Mama's Pear Pincushion Sewing Kit Orange and Orchid Floral
  • Puiccomitta-Needle gauge is made from recycled plastic by Succaplokki
  • Apples & Eggs have a lovely selection of wooden painted buttons like these square floral ones.
  • You will find this Cherries & Strawberries double fold bias with lace trim from the Netherlands 'Holland Fabric House'
  • PDF Pattern for a pair of Vintage Flair Flats by Winter Peach
  • Knitting needle organizer by Mirka Design
  • In My Backyard creates this Little Forest hand printed fabric
  • This is one of the many gorgeous trims from Wholeport

Making Pinch Pleat Curtains - the result!

Over the weekend I started the curtain making process for our family home. In the last post I talked about materials & working out the quantities needed. Today I will show you the end results with a few tips along the way.
Sewing curtains is actually quite straight forward, but if you are working on large windows, trying to handle the sheer volume of the material can be the most difficult part.
  • I always press the seam lines so it is easy to sew and you will not needed to pin it.
  • I used a french seam when joining the panels of fabric together - sew wrong sides together, turn in other way and then sew right sides together. This seam is neat as no raw edges are seen.

  • When sewing on tape - you can take it right up to the top of fabric or leave a small overhang as I have done.
  • I also changed cottons - white for the tape upper stitch & matching colour to my curtain fabric in the bobbin which will show on the reverse side of curtain.

  • Add 4 pronged hook to tape to gather & pinch pleat your fabric and then you are ready to hang your curtain
  • To hem the curtains I hung them and did a quick pin at intervals. I cut my fabric, pressed the seams & re-hung to make sure it was even before sewing.

Spend 5 minutes with.....

Today I am starting a series of very quick 'spend 5 minutes with' posts on The Haby Goddess facebook page, with some very clever, crafty people. Hopefully you will start the week with a creative goal after hearing their stories.

First up is Georgie Girl, a boutique style label that mixes an array of divine fabrics with matching borders & bias.

Click here to read more!

{Remember you do not need a facebook account to enjoy visiting The Haby Goddess page}

Weekend Project: Making Pinch Pleat Curtains

Having just finished the extension phase to our family home, I'm now up to the stage of window furnishings. As I blew the budget on having the window furnishings in the master bedroom professionally made, I compromised with my husband by promising to make the family, kitchen/dining & lounge room curtains!
So with a tight budget, I headed down to the mayhem that is Spotlight on a Saturday afternoon, to buy everything that I need. I will break this project up into a few posts as I go through making them. But to start with I will give you an indication of working out exactly what you need to buy.

Working out the amount of fabric needed.
  • Measure the windows height (known as the drop) x width.
  • Typically, you multiple the width x 2.5 to give you a nice gather.
  • My windows are 2.7m wide so I needed a width across of 6.75m.
  • The drop is 2.1m so I allowed 2.5 metres for hems top & bottom (this is quite generous - I wouldn't allow anymore)
  • Find out the width of the fabric you wish to purchase. My fabric width is 1.2m which means I will need 6 widths of fabric (6 x 1.2m = 7.2m) to cover the 6.75m needed.
  • I will need 2.5m drops x 6 widths across = 15m per window.
  • I have 3 windows at this size so I needed 45m.
Other items needed:
  • As I have chosen to do a pinch pleat style, I purchased a suitable tape header (you get all of these from the curtain department counter).
  • I needed 3 x 6.75m = 20.25m
  • The tracks are adjustable in size and come in a range of colours so select what is most suitable for your window.
  • Even though the track came with gliders, I purchased an extra bulk pack.
  • When using a pinch pleat tape you need a pronged hook. In my case I needed a 4 prong, 25mm deep pleat hook.
  • Other items such as matching cottons & basic sewing accessories will also be required.

Friday Haby Delights

Is there a better way to end the week than with some beautiful haby delights?
  1. Wind your prettiest ribbons around these Bobbin Belles from Mq Square
  2. Ivy Designs has a great range of applique templates for you to add to your sewing projects like this bird on a branch.
  3. Reversible Aqua and Light Green Flower Ribbon by Rainy Day Ribbons
  4. Gina Purse Frames stock these lace zippers with antique styled pullers
  5. Hand screen printed fabric featuring Yardage Design's "Agapanthus", "Swizzle" and "Circa" motifs.
  6. Black Sheep Yarns has a treasure trove of buttons, these vintage buttons is just a taste.
  7. Melbourne based Poppy Lola offers a pdf pattern for this super easy, reversible vest.
  8. This Japanese pattern book is one of many sold by Japan Lovely Crafts. It contains full sized patterns.

Pettiskirt E-Patterns now available

These beautiful Dreamspun Pettiskirt kits are a best seller here at The Haby Goddess, the problem has been keeping up with the demand!
So while we wait for the next shipment due soon, the online store is now stocking the PDF set of instructions (without the kit) for you to make for own. These pages will be delivered to your inbox and you'll be ready to make these gorgeous skirts.
Colours that will be included in the next shipment of kits will include Baby Pink, Raspberry, Lavender & Lemon.

Sewing for tweens & teens - Are you game?

I remember all to vividly mum sewing for me as a teenager - massive hissy fits were sure to follow. Like the time she made my Year 7 high school uniform, or when she exchanged the baby pink cotton I wanted knitted into a little cardi for musty pink 8 ply wool - I'm amazed I can even function as an adult after such trauma!!!!

I have stayed clear of sewing for my girls now 8 & 12, but at my husband's recent 40th, our niece wore an very cute (& very basic) little skirt that she had made herself. So Miss 12 is now on the sewing bandwagon, wanting me to make a set of these cute skirts like her cousin's - one for each day of the week!

So while we look for fabrics, here's 10 great idea's for crafting for tweens & teens without scarring them for life!!!
    1. Pj Bottoms - even the coolest teens need these! This Make it Perfect pattern is now available in The Haby Goddess online store.
    2. What girl, at any age, doesn't love hair accessories? So try this Heather Bailey tutorial on making a headband.
    3. Who can go wrong with a notebook cover tutorial? This PDF tutorial is by Heart of Mary
    4. Ok, so you are feeling a little more confident your sewing won't cause hissy fits, you can now move on to this bubble skirt pattern by Hyperart !
    5. This oldie but goodie from Mildy Crafty will make any bedroom comfy with this detailed cushion cover tutorial.
    6. If you are a knitter and not a sewer, don't despair - here's a great scarf pattern that all Misses will love.
    7. With the amount of electronic devices young people have these days, make a phone or ipod case. They are very simple and you can use up scrap pieces of fabric you have laying around. This pattern is from Pacific Designs on Etsy.
    8. Fabric bracelets are so quick & easy that even the tweens & teens could have a go themselves. A cuff PDF tutorial from Edythe Anne.
    9. Brooches can be made to add to hats, shoes or bags. Use fabric covered buttons, yo-yo's or felt. Bella Symphony has put together a PDF tutorial on making this great brooch.
    10. Bags would have to be the most sure fire winner when sewing for tweens & teens. They can never have enough & there are tons of patterns & tutorials available. Try this messenger bag pattern by Keykalou

Tutorial: Fabric Nappy Wallet

This compact little wallet can really be used for anything (finished size is 31 cm x 17cm). It will fit 1-2 disposable nappies, a wipes pack, bags etc. Ideal for when you don't want to take your full nappy bag, great for the bottom of a pram or to keep in the car. There are a few steps involved & it can be a little tricky, but if you take your time it should be easy enough. All you need is:

  1. 2 contrasting fabrics 65 cm x 33cm each
  2. 1 x 65cm x 33cm piece of iron on lightweight pellon or interfacing
  3. 1 x 18cm strip of sew on velcro - cut into 3 x 6cm lengths
  4. Matching cotton
  5. Sewing accessories & a sewing machine set to straight stitch.
  1. Cut your 2 pieces of fabric & 1 piece of pellon/interfacing
  2. Iron pellon onto the fabric you will be using as your insert
  3. Fold fabric over into nappy wallet position so you can place & pin velcro tabs or any labels/appliques you wish to add.
  4. You will need 1 set of velcro tabs on the outer fabric piece inside the wallet as positioned in the top photo of this section.
  5. 1 set of velcro each for inside the pockets. They will be sewn on the inner fabric. Be sure to allow for seams so don't place your velcro too close to the edges. Measure all pieces so they will match up and are centred.
  6. Once pinned, close velcro tabs to make sure everything is aligned and placed in the correct position.
  7. Sew on velcros, labels etc.

  1. Sew both lot of ends together with a 5/8 seam, turn in and press. Do not press velcro as it will melt!
  2. Match velcro tabs in pockets of opened wallet and turn the whole thing inside out while keeping all tabs in pockets together. Do not worry about the velcro tabs of the top material inside the wallet, you do not need to match these. Flatten out the wallet (while inside out) aligning all seams ready for sewing together.
  1. Sew all together along one side of the wallet and then turn inside out to make sure it is sitting how it should be (like when it is finished). If correct, turn back into wrong way ready to sew 2nd side.
  2. The 2nd side is a little different because you need to leave a gap so you turn the wallet back into the correct way.
  3. Take one end of the outer wallets fabric as shown in the above image and sew up to the middle where you will meet the other layers fold. The pellon & inner fabric to this section will remain open to turn wallet through.
  4. Starting at the opposite end to where you have just sewn your outer fabric flap, sew along side seam, sewing pieces together until you reach where the outer fabric flap has been sewn to.
  5. Turn your your wallet through and you will be left with one inner section that needs sewing closed. This will not be visible as it is inside the pocket.
  6. You can either hand sew this hole closed or like I did - just fold edges in a sew. It will make absolutely no difference to the finished product.

Please feel free to contact me with any queries you may have.

Juggling Rag Balls

Maya*made is a fabulous little blog I follow, which is filled to the brim with craftiness. Today I wanted to share with you a great (& very simple) tutorial link from this blog on how to make juggling balls. Easy enough for the kids to help with and the finished balls will keep them (& you) entertained for hours.

Have fun!

Issue 13 of Mixtape out soon

The next fabulous issue of locally produced Mixtape is due out very soon!!!!!
But in the meantime, I still have a few copies of the Special Edition Kid's Issue available in the online store.

Ok so it's not for kids, its for parents/carers/family members. It contains some crafty things to do with little ones like Tooth Pillow Tutorial, Paper Doll Action Kids Quilt, it has a story on Post Natal Depression , also what it's like to find out you're going to be a DAD, cool things to do in the garden with kids, ACE kids books, & some very ACE mum/business women profiles & much more. 48pages FULL COLOUR $10 available here.

Adorable Japanese Sheep Kits

How adorable are these Japanese sheep softies? This kit from Olympus contains beautiful, quality Japanese fabrics with easy to follow instructions in English. Kit contains patterns, instructions, all fabric, thread for face and kit also includes stuffing. Approximate size: 10.5cm x 14cm x 7cm

'Croquis' is french for sketch

A croquis is taken from the french word sketch. In the fashion world, designers use croquis' in the initial stages of the design.
If you are a budding fashion designer or just love to create your own clothes, then you must get yourself one of these sketch pads.
The Hokey Croquis Fashionflat Sketchpad is a 40 page, spiral bound, pre-printed notebook. Each page has a standard front & back female croquis. The proportional lines of the croquis disappear after scanning so you are left only with your design. A side section is included for notes including fabrics, trims etc. This note pad plus preferred markers are available online at Hokey Croquis
Another fantastic tool is these free downloadable croquis forms from Designers Nexus Inc. There are pages of women, men & children poses for you to choose from.

Threads online has also created a family set of six croquis forms which are a little more proportionate. They include women forms in average, plus sized & petite.

A fabulous find

I often moan about being a terrible thrift shopper. 9 times out of 10 I'll come home empty handed from a visit to the local op shops. It seems everyone is looking for the same thing as me and they always beat me to it! Finding vintage fabrics, haberdashery, patterns & vintage mags always allude me.
But now I've found Suz's Space and she has found a solution for my lack of op shopping ability. This great online store sells second hand & part work magazines, she has a huge selection of subjects but it's the craft section that makes me drool.
Currently listing part works of the 1975 Golden Hands Encyclopedia of Crafts, Suzie has 3 different editions of this series with only selected issues of the 98 parts left - so be quick! The Show me how part series is also available and she is currently listing Stitch by Stitch which I can remember my mum collecting week by week all those years ago. At only $3.00 per issue , that's cheaper the local Salvo's. Postage is really reasonable too.
So get your kitsch fix and learn the basic techniques most of us have forgotton. Button pictures, decorative knots, how to sew suede, mounting cloth on panels, crochet strips and insertions and the list goes on. Visit: Suz's Space and head to the part work magazine section.