Around Here - Botanic By Night NightGlow

My friends Birthday was this week so I gifted her a ticket to the "Botanic By Night Nightglow" which was held at the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens.  It's a 16 Night Season from 6.30pm to 10.00pm from 25th September, 2026 to 10th October, 2026.

It was such a beautiful event with small red lights along the pathway and soft music playing along the 837 metre stretch.  I booked us for the 8.30pm session as I figured it would be less busy at this time.  We arrived half an hour early as I wasn't sure about the parking so we entered at 8.00 pm and it was no problem to go in early.  These events have times so to spread the crowds out over the evening but very flexible.  We were there for an hour to take it all in and we loved it.  I've been to the City Botanical Gardens Lighting events but this was very different and I loved it even more.  The animals were huge and apparently made out of "Lantern" material and one of the staff told us they they came shipped fully built so you would need some big shipping containers.

The photos don't do these animals justice as the lighting was beautiful and the photos look a little dull but can highly recommend if you are local to go as it's a beautiful event.

DINGO

GREEN TREE FROG

EMU

    

BUSHTAIL POSSUM

KOALA

IBIS [AKA BIN CHICKEN AS WE CALL IT HERE]

    

ECHIDNA

KANGAROO

Around here - Sewing Diaries - Quilted Zip Pouch

Last week I found this little Quilted Zip Pouch Pattern by Rosie Caldwell on Youtube and decided to give it a go.  You can purchase the pattern from here which was $12 AUD.  Like all the other patterns I have recently purchased online you print them out at 100% on your home printer and then glue or tape them together and then cut the pattern out from there.

I cut out the two smallest ones being pattern A and pattern B.  I made the pattern B first and gave it to my friend for her early Birthday present. 

This is the finished size for these two patterns including the zip size.

        A - 12.5cm x 10cm (4.9’’ x 3.9’’)                A - 10cm (4’’) ZIP SIZE

        B - 17.5cm x 14cm (6.8’’ x 5.5’’)                B - 15cm (6’’) ZIP SIZE

Out of 10 I would say this was a 9 as my corner end away from the zip wasn't perfect but overall it turned out great.  They are pretty simple to make and following along watching her sewing video makes it easy to work through the project.  The colour of the fabric is a really lovely blue which is more like the middle picture as the lighting in the first and last image makes it look a bit dull.  

I can highly recommend her pattern and video instruction.  The pattern comes with 7 different sizes of pouches you can make from an IPad to Laptop cover.  These pouches have batting/wadding in them to give them that nice soft quilted look.  The main pattern pieces are cut out larger than the actual size, then you quilt the piece then come back and cut it once it's quilted so to allow for fabric shrinkage when quilting.  They make a great little gift and I used a plain calico for the lining but having a pretty fabric inside I think would be nice.  Like brown with poka dots on the outside and maybe pink inside would be lovely too.  There are lots of free patterns and tutorials on line however I liked her pattern and tutorial and I like supporting small business also.

The blue below is the real colour of the fabric.

#sewing #handmadegifts #simpleliving #sewingdiaries #homemade #crafts #quiltedzippouch #slowliving #downsizing

Around here - Sewing Diaries - Toddler TV Quilt & Picnic Pants Set

In this post I showed you the toddler pants and top I made for my nieces 3.5 year old and the baby shoes for the new baby.  Since I had left over fabric from the toddler picnic pants I figured why not make a little TV blanket for the 3.5 year old.  The pattern for the Picnic Pants is here.

For the Quilt I cut out 4.5 inch squares and sewed them together and then quilted either side of the seams both vertical and horizonal.  All I needed was the backing fabric which cost $4.00 and a binding fabric which cost $1.50 so not bad for $5.50 using the leftover toddler pants fabric.  The blanket ended up measuring 28 inches x 32 inches.  Anyone that does quilting or scrapbooking will know these crafts are measured in inches even though in Australia the metric system started in 1970's.

Finished Quilt 28" x 32" [71cm x 81cm]

The back of the Quilt

      

Another Picnic Pants set I made and paired it with a little

$2.25 T-shirt from Kmart which I sewed on the little heart

The butterfly Picnic Pants

#simpleliving #hobbies #handmade #sewing #crafts #janomi# #toddlerpants #homemade

Around here - Sewing Diaries - Burb Cloths

You know in a previous post I showed you my new Janomi Sewing Machine I bought which I am loving.  It's been ages since I've really been crafty and sewing is bringing me so much joy at the moment.  Last Saturday I saw an IG post where someone had made some Baby Burb Cloths and thought they looked quick and easy so I headed down to Spotlight to buy some fabric.  I ended up buying 25cm of 7 different flannel fabrics as there were so many cute patterns I couldn't decide so I bought them and each piece ended up about $1.50.  The seagulls with the chips I think was $1.88.  My niece lives near the beach so I thought this was very appropriate.  I also needed some white towelling material and cotton bamboo wadding for the middle.  Honestly they are a really quick easy sewing project and great for any Mum with a new baby.

Once the materials were cut out it only took about 10 minutes to make one.  As I wanted the cotton bamboo wadding in the middle the way you layer the fabric to sew and turn inside out is as follows:-

1st layer - Wadding

2nd layer - Main fabric right side up

3rd layer -  Toweling material right side down

Then pin them together and I overlocked around the whole thing leaving a leaving a 5cm gap for turning inside out. Once it was turned inside out I used a chopstick to poke around the inside edges so they were all pushed out and then pressed it with the iron.  I also folded neatly the 5cm gap that was opened and then ironed it so it was ready for me to sew around the edges with the sewing machine.

The finished burb cloths and the shape of them are great as it sits on your shoulder perfectly.

The pattern I used is a free pattern from Sew Crafty Me.

Spotlight still had their big sale on so it cost me approx $30 to make 7 of them and also I have enough to make a matching bib out of each of the fabrics.  I did end up making one bib with the green sheep fabric however I think the neck section is too small.   I tried another pattern and while the neck was bigger I still didn't like the pattern for a few reasons so I'll go back to the drawing board on a pattern.    The baby won't really need bibs until they start on solids in 6 month time so I think I'll look for a bib pattern for a 6 month old.  If you know of any free patterns let me know.

#sewing #janomi #craftprojects #simpleliving #burbcloths #hobbies #handmade #babygifts #simpleliving #crafts #sewingprojects #sewingforbeginners

Around here - Toilet Pods & Other DIY Cleaning Recipes

I have been making my own cleaning products for years and once you have a few ingredients everything is made with similar ingredients.  My recipe for Toilet Pods is from Vitalia in Brisbane and they have lots of online DIY recipes available.

TOILET PODS

INGREDIENTS:-

• 1 Cup Bicarb Soda
• 1/4 Cup Citric Acid
• 1.5 Tablespoons Castile Soap
• 15 Drops of Essential Oils [Vitalia suggest Purify, Lemon or Lemongrass]
• Ice Cube Tray

METHOD:-

1. Stir the bi carb soda and citric acid together until combined.
2. Slowly stir in the castile soap and Essential Oil. Stir until the mixture resembles wet sand.
3. Pack the pod mixture into an ice cube tray and let dry at least four hours. If the mixture expands above the tray, firmly press back down.
4. Once dry, remove the pods from the tray and store in an airtight container.

To use, simply drop 1-2 pods into the toilet, wait until the pod stops bubbling, and scrub away!

Other DIY cleaning recipes I use are my home made laundry washing powder as described in this post. 

Also Miracle Spray recipe which I wrote about.

  I found the Miracle Spray info on Wendy's blog when she was on A Current Affair TV program years ago.  Wendy also had a great blog post on how to clean your home just using dish washing liquid and water which is worth a read.

Around here - 10th August, 2026 - Sewing Diaries

Last week I posted that I had bought myself a new Janomi Sewing machine and was going to make some gifts for my niece's new baby and her 3.5 year old.  I finally turned my spare room into my new sewing room and whilst it's not finished it's now usable for the most part.  I still have to bring my Ikea Bookcase upstairs from the garage which will go into the wardrobe for storage.  I just need to saw a tiny bit of timber off the bottom of the bracket so the bookcase will fit inside the wardrobe however Rome wasn't built in a day as they say.

Onto my sewing adventures for the past week where I made some toddler pants and baby shoes.  I ended up going back to Janomi and buying myself an overlocker something I thought I would never be saying.  I've never had any desire for an overlocker however after sewing the toddler pants and doing an overlocker stitch on the new sewing machine which is time consuming vs an overlocker, I decided it was worth it as Janomi still had their big sale on.  I also got a further discount as the overlocker had been opened and taken out of the box to be photographed but not used.  I ended up getting the Janomi 454D which retails for $1,149 for $499.  This will make finishing edges on clothing so much neater.  Before I walked out of the shop I got a lesson on how to thread the machine and how to use it as one of the main things people say about over lockers is they are difficult to thread and this is where a lot of people come unstuck.

My sewing all started out with wanting to make some toddler pants and the reversible baby shoes for the new baby.  

I made the toddler plants which have two pockets on the back of the pants and to finish off the outfit I popped into Kmart and bought some $2.25 white long sleeve tshirts and appliqued a strawberry onto the front.  This way it's a whole outfit and very cute if I do say so myself.  As they live in Perth where it's very cold I used flannel material for the pants so they will be warm and Spotlight had 50% off flannel when I bought it which was great.  The pattern is called "Picnic Pants" by a New Zealand Mum and you just print it off at home and sticky tape the pieces together which has detailed instructions on how to do this.  You just print the pattern at 100% [ie don't fit to page] on your printer and then make sure the test box on the front is the same measurement which means the pattern is correct size.

I also bought some lables from Amazon to sew into the back

of the waistband to give it a personal touch.

Next up are the baby shoes which are reversible so I bought 4 lots of fabric and the first pair are a dark blue pattern on one side and boats on the other as they live near the beach and I needed a tiny print as the shoes are so small.  This is where I got the pattern for the baby slippers from and this is her instructional video which was brillant.  It says you can make them in 2 hours even if you double the time, basically you can make them in an afternoon. 

As they were tiny they were a bit fiddly I had my laptop with the video instructions next to be which was much better than trying to read the intructions I had printed out.  I did end up making a 2nd pair as the first pair I missed catching a tiny bit of fabric in the sewing and also I used white thread so the 2nd pair I matched it with the navy thread which was much better.  The pattern comes with 6 sizes from newborn to 2 years old.  You just print the pattern at 100% [ie don't fit to page] on your printer and then make sure the test box on the front is the same measurement which means the pattern is correct size.

This is the finished baby shoes and I'm so thrilled with them this is the little boats on one side. 

This is when they are reversed with the dark blue print.

I'm loving having a creative outlet again and a hobby to focus on especially as I now have my dedicated sewing room.  If you have any lovely patterns you have made let me know.

I've also bought this dinosaur pattern and some material to make a dinosaur for the new baby and I have the other two flannel fabrics to make 2 more toddler pants after confirming the size I am sending over is the right size for her.  I sewed the size 3 "Picnic Pants" however she will be turning 4 in a few months so I need to decide whether I make the 3 or the 4 for the next two pants.  According to the measurements her Mum [my niece] gave me the ones I am sending over should be perfect but want to double check before I cut out and make the next two pairs.