All the face masks I make have three layers, a nose wire, and channels at the side which can easily gather together to give you a better fit.

I've been making my masks out of three different fabric combinations. Read on if you'd like to learn more about each combo!

The DHHS has put out its recommendation for masks. They recommend three layers of fabric and suggest three specific fabrics. They recommend that the outside layer should be polyester or polypropylene which is slightly water resistant. The next layer should be a blended fabric such as a polyester/cotton blend. Finally next to the face should be cotton which will absorb the moisture in your breath.
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My DHHS masks are either poly/cotton heavy blend/cotton, or poly heavy blend/cotton heavy blend/cotton.

The two layer of blended fabric isn't exactly the same as what the DHHS suggest, but it's still the recommended 3 layers, and it still has some of the same properties (it should be a bit water resistant) while giving you more choice in what your mask looks like.

During my research I found this study and this article (the article is much more user friendly) which suggest a combination of fibres is the best way to go when making homemade, washable cloth masks. I’ve chosen to use a poly chiffon and cotton combination.

The cotton acts as a physical, moisture absorbent barrier, while the chiffon works as a water resistant physical and electrostatic barrier. Take that electrostatic nasties!

Ever wanted to make your own sleep mask? Excellent! This is the perfect blog post for you. 
Sleep masks are a wonderful scrap buster. If you don't have a piece of fabric big enough to cut out both pattern pieces you could always use two contrasting fabrics, or stitch some together to make a patchwork sleep mask! 

At the start of the year I wrote up my goals for 2018 (note, goals not resolutions. For some reason I feel that I'm setting myself up to fail if I use the word resolution) and seeing as now there's only just over a day left in 2018 I thought it would be a good time to reflect and see what I've achieved. 

Let's dive in!

G'day!

Chances are by now you're aware that I'm working on an Australian slang embroidery series (I mentioned it in this blog post back in July and they've started popping up on my social media accounts). So far I've finished three - 'She'll be right', 'Onya', and 'Righto'.

I love contemporary embroidery that combines the swirly, flowery gentleness of traditional embroidery with less gentle words. I also love language and quite partial to Australiana (both the song and all good things Australian). I decided to combine all three and this series is the result!

I have a not-so-good habit of seeing exhibitions in the few remaining days before they shut. Wonderland was no exception to this habit. I'm so glad I made it before it closed!

Everyone who entered Wonderland was given a map to help them find their way. They aren't any ordinary maps though. There were four different maps based on either the Mad Hatter, The Queen of Hearts, The White Rabbit, or the Cheshire Cat. I ended up with the White Rabbit. Each character had a unique map in both shape and contents! They also included a little chip which meant if you lined up Alice's bottom half  (on the map) with her top half (on a table) an animation would play ON THE MAP!

Life's been a bit hectic here for the past little while, but I did manage to get down to Melbourne to check out the Vikings: Beyond the Legend exhibition at the Melbourne Museum before it shut. I also won myself a couple of free tickets (thanks Catmantoo!) to the Cat Lovers Show! I went to both of them with my lovely partner (although he had to leave the Cat Lovers Show early - boo hiss boo) which was really nice. I don't mind going to things by myself, but it's always nice to have someone to share the experience with.

I won't write much more, this post is more about seeing some images from the exhibition and the show. I hope you enjoy them!

​I’ve not long finished working with Arena Theatre Company as the costume designer for their new show, Robot Song. I got lucky getting the job. Arena have just moved up to Bendigo, and they decided to find some local creatives to work on their shows. A friend of mine had not long started working for Arena as their admin coordinator and she put my name forward as a potential costume designer. I had an interview and after a few days I was notified that I got the job! If it wasn’t for all of that I would have missed out on an amazing experience being involved in a show like no other. 

It’s been two months since I last wrote a blog post. Two. Months. Where did that time go?
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I’ve been a bit busier with work recently, but that’s not the reason for my hiatus. It's partially because two months flew by faster than I expected, and partially a bad dose of writer’s block.

I’m not sure how many times I sat down to write a post and nothing would happen. Eventually I realised it had been nearly two months so I was determined to sit and write something! So here it is.
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You might be reading this thinking “Clearly the writer’s block isn’t over, this blog is horrible.” To which I say rude! Fair enough though. Thankfully this post doesn’t need to be the best blog I’ve ever written, that’s not what it’s here for. It’s here to get me posting again so it’s done its job. Well done blog post, well done.

Pictures are fun, so I’ll leave you with an embroidered hoop I made recently.

I’m thinking of making a series of Australian slang/sayings. If you have any suggestions let me know!
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Until next time xx

I love my cats. That probably isn’t a shocking thing to read if you’ve had anything to do with me. I love other animals too, but cats will always have a special place in my heart. Even when they rip the couch to shreds trying to sharpen their claws!

My current cats, Rogue and Ziggy, seriously love scratching the poor couch. Ziggy learnt about the joys of sharpening claws on furniture from Rogue, who learnt it from Moss, who learnt it from my old girl Midnight. They sometimes use the scratching pads and the scratching post, but their favourite is the couch. I miss the girls, but it’s a legacy I’d prefer not to have. So with a bit of rope, a needle, and some thread I set to work turning the torn up mess into a new scratching post.
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Read on to see how I did it, and to get an idea of how to do it yourself.

As I mentioned in my previous post I recently worked with Three’s a Crowd’s production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I started out just working on the costume team, but soon enough I had been recruited to the props team too.