From my machine

Seasons change and with the change comes the realization that children have grown and are in need of new clothing.  What's not to love about that?

Among the recent orders I have received was one from a lovely returning customer who purchased these two special occasion dresses, as well as a pair of bubble shorts.  They are now on their way to their new home.

It is inevitable that with the warmer weather arriving, the Christmas shopping season as has commenced, if the department stores and supermarkets are to be our guides.  What a surprise.

Along with clothing orders, I have been preparing for the Christmas rush by making Christmas tree garlands which are always popular in the two months leading up to Christmas.

The traditional red and green ties have always been available, but in the last couple of seasons I have added aqua ties for those who like something a little different.  They are particularly popular among those who are fortunate enough to spend Christmas in the midst of summer.

I don't know if it's a sign of entering the let's say more mature phase of life, but I take particular delight in witnessing the pure joy and excitement of young children when they spy Santa for the first time, or stare in wonderment at department store Christmas window displays.  Pure gold.

Available here.

Speaking of such events, what is more adorable than little toddler sisters all dressed up for a special occasion, be it a wedding (perhaps as flower girls), Christmas family parties or birthday celebrations?  And who doesn't love bows, lace and the odd pin-tuck?  These two special occasion dresses are the last I have in stock, the smaller one in size 12 months and the larger one in size 2.

The backs are just as pretty.  They are made of a lovely soft grey fabric which falls so beautifully, and the skirts are extra full.  If you know of two little sisters who you are dying to outfit in co-ordinating special occasion dresses, look no further.

And now back to those trees.

The eye of the beholder

Over the past several months I've noticed that my eyesight has been fading.  About five years ago an eye specialist advised that I had the beginnings of cataracts, but no action was required at the time.  I was not endeared to this particular specialist.  He had been a national sporting hero in his time, but any admiration on my part was quickly dispelled when he kept addressing me as "Old Girl".  Considering that he was only about a year or two behind me, how tempted was I to respond with "Old Boy", but he was holding a pointy instrument near my eyeball so discretion ruled.  However, he is not on my Christmas card list.

When I found it difficult to read the coloured print in magazines, I knew it was time to find a specialist here in Sydney.  After the appointment was made ("You do have cataracts don't you?  Doctor only sees cataract patients."), knowing that it would be many months before anything could be done for my eyes, I bought a pair of those cheap reading glasses from the local pharmacy. I put them on and WHOA!! The whole world turned instantly into a Technicolor movie.  What happened to my fading eyesight?  I asked Mr Fudge to look through my old glasses and he immediately became a candidate for a cataract procedure.  It was then that we discovered the problem.  The protective coating on the lenses was crazed, giving the effect of looking through a gauze curtain.

Noooooo ... the appointment with the specialist was rushing towards me and I could envisage the medical humiliation that would produce. Remember - he only sees cataract patients.  Oo-er.  Panic.  So I did what any honest person would do.  I rang his receptionist and explained that I had been called away unexpectedly and would probably not return for quite some time.  Then we Fudges drove to the nearest shopping centre and had our eyes tested at the optometrist with all those latest whizz-bang testing machines that do everything except your ironing.  It was explained that the protective coating on the lenses was only guaranteed for two years and that five years (shame, guilt) was perhaps asking a little much of it.  In the end we both came out with flying colours and my new glasses, which are only slightly stronger than my old ones, will be ready next week.  Oh, and I emphatically do not have cataracts.

Still, I'm holding onto those old faithful glasses, in fear that my colour sense may in fact only be accessed through those crazed lenses.

No wonder I thought I was going blind.  These garlands have been so popular that I have had call it a day with them for this Christmas.  To date I have sewn 370 individual trees and each garland of 10 is constructed with 20 different fabrics.

I now have only 2 dresses and 9 garlands on back order to make - 90 more trees and then it will be time to close the Etsy and MadeIt shops for Christmas and float away on a vat of wine.  With my old glasses firmly clutched in my hand.

Now that the birthday is behind us, bring on Christmas

Last Sunday the Fudge Clan celebrated our first born's birthday in style.  Three generations, spouses and an uncle gathered for brunch at our favourite restaurant in Centennial Park.

How satisfying it is to see the handmade gene passing down to the youngest family members.  Our seven year-old granddaughter provided her own birthday card for her aunt ...

... and Birthday Girl was equally delighted with the hand-knitted scarf in Spring colours, hot off her sister's knitting needles.

Now that the birthday is behind us, I can at last talk of Christmas.  Usually around the first week of November our middle child (who also answers to The Organiser), sends out the first Christmas Wish List email.  Tradition has it that her sister immediately sends out a response complaining that the Birthday Wish List surely should come before the Christmas Wish List.

A respectful distance has been observed since the birthday, and I can now officially slip into Christmas mode.  Mind you, with strong orders for Christmas dresses and garlands in my Etsy and MadeIt shops, the mode is well and truly worn in.

I've just shipped off the last custom order of clothing, so now it's back to the assembly line for the Christmas Tree garlands.  With a bit of luck I will have caught up with the orders by this time next week and then I can plan the Christmas pudding and cake.  And there lies another tradition.  My late mother's cake and pudding recipes are legendary and she would be thrilled to know that they are now being used by her granddaughter, and in time no doubt by her great-granddaughters.

Back to last Sunday, where Centennial Park never ceases to surprise and delight us with the lovable and sometimes the downright quirky.  This family of pugs (what do you call a group of dogs?  Pride? Herd? Mob? Gang?) comes under the lovable banner.  They were anxiously waiting outside the restaurant, hoping their owners would bring them something tasty for being so good.

And here is the quirky - the pigeon's contribution only added to the quirkiness.

The title, We Won, intrigued us all.  What was this Rugby player from the late 1800s wearing on his head?  Dog turd was the most popular response.  The children loved that idea, but was quickly dismissed.

And what were these cherubs up to?

No matter, it was a fine monument and one that caught the imagination of the children.  Curiosity got the better of me and I did find the explanation here.  Ah, an artist from the past with a delightful sense of the absurd.  Thank you sculptor Tomaso Sani for completing our perfect day.

Spring Fair

It's Saturday and it's time to put away the sewing machine and prepare for tomorrow's Spring Fair.  Here are a few things I have recently been working on which will be available tomorrow.

Sizes 6 months and 1 year

Cute baby elephants

Size 7

One of a kind, size 5

Mix 'n Match

Latest design

Apart from clothing, I will have the first of this year's Christmas Tree garlands on sale.

Speaking of Christmas, I will be taking orders for this adorable little Christmas dress.  I have one left in stock in size 1, so if you love it, be quick - they are selling faster than I can make them.

I do hope you will come to the fair if you are in Sydney tomorrow.  

I'm afraid my stocks are lower than usual due to heavy sales on my Etsy and MadeIt shops.  However, I will have an order book on hand and if you see something you like, you can order it tomorrow and if you pay for the item in advance, I will send it to you free of shipping charges.

See you tomorrow!

It's coming

How do you know when Christmas is coming?  When the supermarkets start packing their shelves with Easter Eggs of course.

Here at Hot Fudge Headquarters the machine has been working overtime preparing for the approaching season.  My Christmas Tree garlands will be hitting my Etsy and MadeIt stores on Monday 29 October.  They usually sell fairly quickly, so it might be advisable to mark the date in your diary.

However, on Sunday 28 October I will be selling them at the Corpus Christi School 40th Annual Craft & Fun Fair, along with lots of my Hot Fudge children's clothing.  So if you are in the area, why not drop by and say hello?  The address is 17 Link Road, St Ives.  Bring the whole family, as it promises to be a day of fun for all.  The hours are between 10.00am and 3.00pm.  I'd love to see you there.

Last minute projects

Sydney is bursting with beautiful hydrangeas and I can only assume they love their summers cold, unlike me.  As a small child I hated hydrangeas, mainly because they were growing in the garden of family friends where I stayed while my mother was in hospital.  I was desperately homesick for my parents and took out my frustrations on the hapless hydrangeas.  I didn't harm them, I simply hated them.  However, time heals and now I love them.

With the frantic rush to fill Etsy and MadeIt orders finally winding down, I can think about making something for my summer wardrobe - ever the optimist.  This hydrangea blue fabric has been languishing in my fabric stash for far too long, so I quickly ran up a skirt (well, the hem has to be hand sewn, but there's always tonight in front of the TV).

I bought this pretty Liberty fabric in London a couple of years back and it was time to stop wringing my hands and declaring it was too precious to cut.  The skirt was in need of a blouse and there is just the right touch of blue in it, so now it is sitting in front of the machine waiting to be sewn together.  If I am not wearing it on Christmas Day, please avoid the subject.

Now that I am over screaming every time I look at it, I have put the last of the Christmas tree garlands up in our own living room.  This is Garland Number 52 made this season, so you can understand my temporary aversion to anything with branches.

My only concern now is that I will forget to take the turkey out of the freezer and will end up tossing it into the bathtub full of hot water on Christmas morning.  But that's not going to happen ...

Ten days to go

It's summer here in Sydney ... apparently.  We timed our return to our city of birth perfectly; this has to be one of the coldest starts to summer in many a year.  However, ten days out of Christmas there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

We don't wilt under the heat of the Christmas tree lights.

The Christmas cake mixed perfectly without the eggs curdling in the Brisbane heat.

The Christmas puddings boiling away kept us warm.

The flowers don't wilt a day after they are purchased.

Yes, there are always plenty of reasons to be grateful. 

I've been lost in a forest of Christmas trees, as orders keep pouring in for garlands in my Etsy and MadeIt shops and private custom orders.

 With any luck, there will be one left over for Chez Fudge.

The sun is peeking through the early morning mist, with the promise that it will be a sunny day.  Sunny is good.  Sunny and warm is better.  Fingers crossed.

Can't see the wood for the trees

I'm taking a very short break from the sewing machine, as I am going a little stir crazy.  My Christmas Tree garlands have proved to be a tad more popular than I had anticipated and I am filling in orders and hoping that there will be time left to have some ready for sale at my stall at the Sacred Heart Pymble Moonlight Market on Saturday.

If you are in Sydney, please come by and say hello.  

Apart from the Christmas Tree garlands, I will have lots of children's clothing, cushions, bunting, etc.

Hope to see you there.

Deck the halls and trim the trees

My Christmas tree garlands are flying out the door faster than I can make them.

If you would like some of your own, you can find them in my Etsy store, or for Australian residents in my MadeIt store.  

They will also be available at the Moonlight Market at Sacred Heart Primary School, Pymble, on Saturday 26 November.  Once the final market for the year is behind us, Mr Fudge and I will bravely search through all the boxes in our storage locker for our Christmas decorations.

This was our tree last year, and in fact for many years before that.  It has been a good tree and many happy Christmases have been spent gathered around it.  However, this year we will be investing in a much slimmer tree, a necessity if we wish to have any sort of human movement in the living room during the festive season.  It will be our first Christmas in an apartment and although the living room is not large, the ceiling is quite high, so we will be on the lookout for a tall, thin tree.

Maybe something like this ...

  Oooo ... yes, this is more like it.

Christmas Trees

Today we are setting up our Christmas tree.  My philosophy is you can never have too many lights or too much tinsel.  Clark Griswald is my hero.

However, I realise not everyone shares my tree enthusiasm, so I have made some garlands for those among us who can't stand all that packing away and sweeping up truckloads of fallen tinsel in the New Year.  Not every household has a Mr Fudge who LOVES this chore. 

The Christmas Tree garlands were a big success at last Saturday's BrisStyle market and sold out quickly.  If you would like one of your very own, you can buy it here or at the BrisStyle Christmas Twilight Market on 17 December. Each garland measures 2 metres, with 10 trees which are backed with light green spotted fabric.  No two garlands are alike, so why not buy a few?  They make ideal gifts for those difficult-to-buy-for people in your life.