More plastic than fish - what can I do?

Have you heard that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans? (source)

The amount of plastic waste in the world is just shocking and single use plastic items are a major cause of this.  

Take a look at this short trailer for a new documentary coming soon, which highlights just how bad the situation is.

There are steps that we can all take to make a difference and stop the increase of plastic waste. 

Single use plastic bags are something we can all manage without.  By carrying a reusable bag in your handbag or car when you go out, you can avoid your need for single use bags.

You could go a step further and have a set of reusable bags for your weekly grocery shopping.

I have had a set of these for years now and never get plastic bags. They are made from old bed sheets and are remarkably strong!

As my own contribution to help reducing plastic waste from single use plastic bags, I have created an e-book of sewing patterns so you can make your own set of bags and a stylish personalised handbag to carry them in, hidden in a secret compartment at the bottom of the bag so you are never without them!

The book also includes tutorials for a simple handibag made from a pillowcase and net bags for your fruit and vegetables.

I sincerely hope that this book will help others make their own set of reusable shopping bags and so help reduce the need for single use plastic bags.  I am also donating $1 for each book sold to the WWF to further help preserve and protect this amazing world we live in.

For more details and to purchase this ebook for the bargain price of just $3.99, click here.

Thank you for your support!

The end of plastic bags!

How many plastic bags do you think you use each week when you go grocery shopping?

I used to get around 10 a week from our supermarket, but for the past 5 years, I've been using my own reusable shopping bags made from old sheets.

Until this year, I kept those bags in my car, but frustratingly there were several times I forget the bags and left them in the car when I went to do my food shopping.

My solution?  A secret compartment in the bottom of my handbag where I keep my shopping bags so I never forget them!

Of course I had to design and make the handbag - and used my favourite thing to sew with - a pair of jeans; so the handbag is also very sturdy.

It even has side pockets with some eco-friendly produce bags for the few pieces of fruit and veg I occasionally buy from the supermarket rather than the local weekend market.

Now I use this handbag all the time and never forget my reuseable shopping bags. I also keep a couple of handibags in there for times when I do a bigger then usual weekly shop!

Each year, by using my own custom made reusable bag set, I avoid the use of around 500 plastic bags! And that's just my little family!

Imagine if everyone used reusable bags for their weekly grocery shopping - what a lot of single use plastic bags wouldn't be needed and wouldn't then be left to pollute our environment and endanger our amazing animals!

So if you'd like to make your own set of shopping bags - you can buy my ebook which contains full photo tutorials for all of these bags, including the handbag.

And this book cost just the same as a cup of coffee - AU $3.99 

( If you live in the US, the exchange rate is such that this converts to just under $3 !).

Not only is this book a bargain buy, I am donating $1 from each book sold to the WWF, to further help protect our amazing animals and environment.

Wouldn't this make a great gift for someone who sews and cares for the environment for Christmas?

You could even package it up with a pair of old jeans to get them started!

If you'd like to buy this book, you can go to 

My E-books page and click on the links there.

Alternatively you can just click the 'BUY NOW' button below this  picture.

Thank you for your support.

Teaching Kids to Sew

Can your kids sew?

My kids have shown an interest on and off for years and I've helped them make things here and there.

But this year I decided it was time to add a bit of structure to their sewing learning - while still trying to keep it fun.

So I created a series of tutorials to help kids learn to sew using a pair of jeans.  

My girls used a pair each of coloured jeans they'd grown out of.

By sewing with an old pair of jeans, the kids also learn about upcycling and making use of materials you have, as well as learning a series of sewing techniques that are gradually built upon so that by the end of the course they should have enough knowledge and competency to tackle most free sewing tutorials you find online!

One of my daughters' friends has also been testing out the tutorials in my book. Here are some of the first things she made.

A fabric basket and tissue pocket.

And a cute pencil case!

Apparently, she enjoyed the sewing so much that her mum had to take her to the charity shop a few weeks later to buy her another pair of jeans to sew with! 

So if you'd like to get your kids sewing, in a fun (and cheap) way - just using materials and fabrics you have on hand. Then do take a look at my e-book - there are more details here.

Or alternatively you can just click on the 'BUY NOW' button just below this picture. 

The book costs just  AU$9.99 . And if you live in the US, with the US exchange rate as it is now - it's only just over $7!!

It would make a great gift for someone for Christmas - perhaps packaged up with an old pair of jeans to get them started!

Happy Sewing!

Teach your kids to sew with a pair of jeans - an E-book

It's finished!

This year I've been working hard on this e-book course to teach kids to sew.  It uses a pair of jeans as the main fabric for the nine projects included in the book.

I chose a pair of jeans because I personally love sewing with denim, it's strong, hard wearing, looks great and only improves with age.  Sewing with old clothes is also a very eco- and budget friendly fabric source option, which is something I feel strongly about.  It teaches kids to use what they've got for sewing resources - the tutorials making use of all parts of the jeans from the zip to the pockets and even the waistband!  

Most people have an old pair of jeans at home that they can use for this, or there are always plenty of second-hand jeans for sale in charity and op shops for just a few dollars.

The nine tutorials in the book build up skills and techniques gradually, but each project is achievable for kids to make either by themselves or with a little help from an adult.

Through the course of the book, kids will learn skills like appliqué and putting in zips; and also how to read tutorials and patterns that use both written instructions and photos to make each step clear and straightforward.

My own two daughters, aged 10 and 12 have been my pattern testers for this book. It was great to see their sewing confidence grow as they progressed through the tutorials. They started out with the super simple and very fast project - tissue pouches.

and then went on to make things like bags, soft toys and zipped pouches!

By the end of the book, once all the tutorials have been completed, the sewer should have the confidence to be able to browse through the endless sewing tutorials available online - both here on my blog and on many other fabulous blogs and sites - and try making lots of new things!

To purchase your own copy of this book to teach someone (or perhaps even yourself) to sew, for just

AUD $9.99

click add to cart and follow the prompts. 

Alternatively you can go to my sales page to buy this and my other e-book (Eco-Friendly Shopping Bags)

Thank you for your support of my blog and my sewing tutorials.I would love to hear from you if you use this book to help kids (or adults too)  to learn to sew!
Happy Sewing!

Coming soon - Teaching kids to sew - my new ebook!

Over the past few months I've been working on a new e-book for teaching kids to sew.

My girls have been brilliant helping me as pattern testers! A friend of theirs also tested some of the patterns too, which was awesome!

I'm impressed how good they are getting with their sewing skills!

Take a look at now neat the zip is on this pouch my youngest daughter (aged 10) sewed!

The book is now just having the final touches put to it ready to launch at the beginning of next week.

This will be my second e-book.

Last year I released my 

Eco-Friendly Shopping Bags E-book

Which only costs the same as a cup of coffee, and $1 of that goes to the WWF to help protect this amazing world we live in.

My first Ebook is a free one for subscribers to my other blog - 

Be Our Best

That one is for teaching your kids their Times Tables in just 5 minutes a day!

My first two e-books continue to be popular each month - I hope my new one will be too!

I'm very excited about it's launch next week.

I hope you'll like it!