a top a day-Sunday

Here's an English icon that is instantly recognisable! Being away from home has definitely reignited my patriotism and I just had to feature some iconic London images on my t.shirts.

Man, this was SO fiddly to make and probably the most difficult t.shirt task so far. Drawing the bus was tricky and as for zigzagging around all those insy windows well let's just say I'm pleased I'm up the duff so was off the wine last night!

I do love this design though and loved using some recently acquired London fabric as the traditional advertising strip found on London buses.

One thing I do miss about London is hopping on my trusty number 8 bus which took me straight from my front door to work. The number 8 also runs 'a night service' which more often than not took me straight from the pub back home again.

I'm going to make a boys version of this top too. Watch this space for more designs later in the week!

a top a day - Saturday

I was so excited when I came up with this Helta Skelta design but was met by some blank faces when telling my girlfriends. It seems Helta Skelta's aren't very Aussie and nobody had any idea what I was talking about.

I still had to go ahead and make it though as I have always loved the old fashioned English fairground scenes and Helta Skelta's are such a romantic symbolism of these. I remember every fair I went to as a kiddie had the obligatory Helta Skelta and it was always red and white striped!

So I created my design with red and white striped fabric (no brainer), some vintage trim for the slide, some sparkly fairground sequins and a ribbon for the flag. Every item is appliqued (besides the sequins which are hand sewn) and secured with machined zigzag stitch.

Are there any Aussies reading this who knew exactly what this was or is it just an unrecognisable pretty design?

a top a day -Friday

I loved making this t.shirt. Cutting out all the rainbow stripes and sewing on the gold sequins was possibly my favourite sewing experience to date.

Funny, as a mummy to two stepdaughters and one daughter I really don't go in for sparkly bits at all. I would always choose the white canvas plimsolls over the pink sparkly sandals any day!

However, I did need to feature a rainbow in my designs as that symbolises my beautiful nan who I lost 3 years ago. Every time we see a rainbow Kitty says 'look mummy there's Marmar's house' as I told her once that Marmar lives on rainbows now. So rainbows have a huge place in my heart and 'Somewhere over the rainbow' was played as my nan's exit song at her funeral (sang by Carly Simon my mum's favourite singer).

My mum is completely opposite in me in that she is obsessed with anything sparkly. So I added that 'bit of sparkle' for you mum and loved every second of it!

What do you think of this design? Do you like sparkly bits?

a top a day (our creative spaces)

This week has certainly been a learning curve for me with the slow launch of some kitty n' kitsch t.shirts. I have introduced a t.shirt a day and am learning a lot as I go.

I have been in a very cosy comfort zone sewing my buntings for the past 2 years that I feel like I've mastered the art with those and could happily sew them with my eyes closed.

However, clothing....is another ballgame. Thinking up designs has been easy peasy, the drawing and cutting of applique has been easy peasy, BUT the zigzag stitching to secure the applique has been a challenge. I only just worked out by Thursday how to change the size of my stitch which made it a bit easier when swerving around the curves of this unicorn rocker!

I will be introducing a further 3 tops this week and then will start work on my boys designs. I guess practise makes perfect.......

For more crafty loveliness pop over here....

a top a day-Wednesday

Kitty is completely obsessed with umbrellas and feels the need to take one out hail, rain or shine. Shame she wasn't born a pom like me she'd be in her element as they get a lot of use over there!

So, I thought I'd better make her an umbrella t.shirt. The umbrella is a mix of cotton fabrics with pompom trim and the raindrops are felt.

Any thoughts?

a top a day...Tuesday

So the top today is an Apple Tree design. The tree has been made using vintage green velvet, some appliqued spotty apples with embroidered stalks and a trunk made from 20 year old quilting fabric donated to me from my sewing retired mother in law!

Would love to know your thoughts......

a top a day....Monday

I remember the conversation two years ago when my mother in law and myself decided to start making and selling clothes. She was going to make chenille pants and I was going to embellish matching singlets and t.shirts. Hence, the idea of kitty n' kitsch.....

...... however, after countless market trips, Madeit investigations and Facebook stalking I was feeling really uninspired on the clothing front as couldn't seem to come up with anything original and felt chenille had been done already and done so well that I felt the competition was way too high.

I had made some personalised buntings for some friends as pressies and then friends of friends started to order them and before I knew it I had my Madeit shop up and running selling those instead.

In the past month or so I have been inspired by some things that Kitty loves and have been dying to make some shirts to symbolise them. So I began playing around making shirts for Kitty and putting them through the wash which has been a great learning curve as to how I can successfully put the t.shirts together (I'm no fashion expert!-especially when it comes to sewing).

In the end I decided to use a combination of vintage and contemporary fabrics secured with applique and have found machined zig zag stitch has been the most affective way of adding that extra security to the design when going through the wash (if anybody has any better advice here I'd love to hear it!).

For this week only, I am going to post a t.shirt a day and would love to hear some feedback on them. At the moment I have only done girls designs but have some boys ideas drawn up, I just have to make some patterns.

I also wanted to share my divine brooch that I just won in the Made By White giveaway. I have been eyeing up her gorgeous stuff for so long and am so happy to own one of her lovely creations.

Next top tomorrow.....