mackenzie&smith

Sewing for blokes

2010-09-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

If you are anything like me, buying pressies for blokes is a bit of a struggle... And I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've never actually sewed anything for Simon before! So, this fathers' day I decided to right that wrong.

So, some vintage inspired love - PJ shorts and eye mask (extra large - inspired by Phoebe's post).

A belated Happy Fathers' Day to all those terrific dads out there!

Resting the Eyes

2010-08-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

The days are definitely getting longer and the sun is streaming through the windows earlier - which is wonderful because it means summer is getting closer all the time. But it's still cold enough to want to stay in bed that little bit longer... which is when handmade sleeping masks are called for.

So I decided it was finally time to update the stash of sleeping masks that we have around the house - and I took the opportunity to also make a new one for when I travel (I always have a special one that only gets a run when I'm travelling - its part of my routine to feel as comfortable as possible when on the plane!). These are great because they are super comfy, fully reversible and can be machine washed.

And an extra-large one for the guy who hates bright mornings (and doesn't mind robots)...

These have long been a favourite gift of mine to make for new mums or for anyone going on holiday, but I always like to have my own assortment at home as well. I had forgotten how fun and easy they are to make... so much so that I think I'll make up a little batch to give to guests when they come to stay...

There's just something about new cushions!

2010-07-25T05:02:00.001-07:00

Both Sal and I have recently moved and are both keen to get our new sewing spaces set up as quickly as possible so we can get right back into the swing of it!

For my part, I am now well and truly settled into my new sewing room - I feel very spoiled to have such a generous space dedicated to all things sewing. To get the list of projects rolling, I started with cushions for our new place.

The fabric is Echino - I brought it back from a recent trip back to NY as a memento of my visit to the recently relocated Purl Soho - the new store is divine (and right across the road from the place I first lived in New York). I have always loved working with Echino fabric, and added an extra something special by backing the cushion covers with some beautiful linen from my stash.

We also brought back the cushion inserts from Muji in New York. They are such comfortable cushions, it was worth the effort to haul them back home with us.

There's just something about new cushions - they add that something extra special to a new home!

We're still here!

2010-07-25T02:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time between posts... but we are still here!

Despite our prolonged absence on this blog, mackenzie & smith has been as busy as ever - with markets and direct orders (thank you everyone!), as well as lots happening besides making and creating. Both of us have also been enjoying holidays and the joys of moving house (overseas for Sal and her family). Thank you for your messages of support and curiosity about the direction we are taking with m&s... we have a lot planned!

Autumn/Winter Sneak Peak

2010-01-31T13:59:00.000-08:00

It is hard to think about winter while we are still sweltering in January, but that is just what we've been doing.

In preparation for the next Mathilda's Market on 28 February, we've been experimenting with new designs. Our favourite (for the moment) is this gorgeous jacket made from pinwale cord and lined with the softest cotton. And no jacket is complete without a super cute hood. We'll be making these from size 0 to size 4. But in limited quantities, so be sure to get in quick if you want one!

Thanks Miss Gen for being such a lovely model!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-16T21:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all - we hope you all enjoyed a safe and happy holiday season and have a wonderful 2010 ahead! We have been enjoying the break from the regular daily routine, but are now both back into the swing of things...

We are thrilled to be be taking part in Mathilda's Markets again when they return to Canberra in February:

The Markets are only 6 weeks away, and we have some great new ideas for new products that we're looking forward to launching at the Markets - we hope to see some of you there!

tis the season

2009-12-14T02:18:00.000-08:00

Like Phoebs, I've been busy doing some Christmas orders and Christmas pressies, some lovely tote bags & shopping totes among them...

These shopping totes are for Elliott's gorgeous carers Laura, Shara & Patricia

And this is going to Catherine's lucky cousin

We hope you all have your Christmas orders in!

We've been blogged!

2009-12-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the lovely people over at Mathildas Markets for featuring m&s on their post on the Canberra Markets.

Look here to check out all the other great stallholders that we got to meet on the day!

In the meantime, we are enjoying the flood of Christmas orders. We're finding the old favourites - our pot holders and bib sets - are still popular!

Random gratuitous cuteness! Tenuously sewing related...

2009-12-02T01:33:00.000-08:00

So, our PM&C markets were a great success, with lots of new people checking out M&S for the first time.

But apart from markets I've been busy catching an unsteady almost crawler, spending time with lovely friends, and trying my best to be on top of Christmas preparations - as these photos attest.

23 days and counting my friends. Your almost last chance to put in some Christmas orders from Mackenzie & Smith - personalised totes anyone?

Sal

PM&C Markets Friday 27 November

2009-11-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

Late last week an exciting opportunity came across the M&S desk!

Mr Mackenzie's work (Prime Minister & Cabinet) is having an inaugural Christmas market this Friday 27 November from 12 until 2pm. The market will be held outside, at the entrance of the PM&C Building, 1 National Circuit.

We will be selling lots of fabulous gifts for Christmas, so if you have some time in your lunch break come along and get in some Christmas shopping!

Market success!

2009-11-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

The Mathilda's Markets last weekend were fabulous! Canberra is really embracing markets these days and, despite 30+ degree weather, people showed up in droves... thank you to all of you who stopped by the mackenzie & smith store! It was a very busy day for us and exceeded our expectations in lots of ways.

Most of all, we enjoyed meeting so many lovely people - customers and other stall holders - and seeing the other wonderful items that people had created. The team at Mathilda's Markets are incredibly organised and professional, which made it a breeze to participate. We already have the next market (in February 2010) in our sights!

But first, we have the Christmas season fast approaching and we are back to filling orders for the gift-giving season. As was confirmed at the market, our bib rolls continue to be popular, as well as our tote bags and twirly skirts for little girls.

As the temperature starts to soar, we are also finding that our little bloomers are very popular gifts... just the thing for little girls to run around in on those hot summer days!

These bloomers are so cute and are only $25 per pair ($35 for a set with a matching onesie or t-shirt).

Sneak Peak!

2009-11-13T02:35:00.001-08:00

A little teaser of what we have in store for Sunday's Mathilda's Market. We have been sewing up a storm in preparation for our first market, including doing some sewing on holidays.

This is Sal's set up a few weekends ago when she stayed at the beautiful Mollymook Beach. You can see through the window to the ocean just across the road - sewing with a view - does it get much better than that?!

Giveaway!

2009-11-05T22:49:00.001-08:00

To promote Mathilda's Market in Canberra on Sunday 15 November, you have the chance to win a prize pack of beautiful handcrafted and limited production baby and kids goods thanks to Mathilda's Market, valued at over $600!!

Included in the prize pack is a mackenzie & smith bib and cutlery roll as well as lots of other goodies.

Click here to enter, and answer the questions at the bottom of the page. The competition closes on Sunday 15 November.

Sneak Peeks!

2009-11-01T23:44:00.000-08:00

Mathilda's Market are less than two weeks away now... and we're very excited to be part of them.

Mathilda's Market are held in capital cities around Australia, with a particular focus on baby and children's products:

Mathilda's Market showcases and sells beautiful handcrafted and limited production baby and kids goods. We carefully handpick our stallholders to bring you the most divine and original clothing, accessories, homewares and toys for the little ones. Our exquisite wares are lovingly made by some of Australia's most talented crafters and designers – many of them parents themselves.

It's a shopper's heaven for those who want to stylishly dress their children or decorate their kids' home environment, but don't want to buy mass produced, chain store items.

We're thrilled to be listed among the other stallholders for the Canberra markets and are really looking forward to meeting them. There is an ever-increasing community of Canberrans getting involved in handmade clothes, arts and crafts so it will be great to meet many like-minded people- stallholders and visitors alike!

Here is a sneak peek of some if the items that we are creating for our stall:

A delicious bunch of little girls' skirts...

Some of our popular tote bags... this particular one has been made for a special girl's birthday, but will feature as a sample of our customised totes at the market...

Zippered purses in assorted sizes... (which also serve as handy cosmetic bags/catch-all's for mums!)...

Coordinated sets of onesies and pants...

There's lots more to come... we hope to see some of you at Manuka Oval on Sun 15 Nov!

Preparations for Mathilda's Market

2009-10-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

We're looking forward to taking part in the Mathilda's Market in Canberra in 5 weeks- thank you to all of you who have shown a such enormous support and interest in coming out and seeing us all set up! We will post more details closer to the date...

In the meantime, we are (happily) being kept very busy with direct orders, Christmas gifts and - of course - stock for the market. Today was all about onesie/pant sets for little boys and girls.

This little set was made especially (and somewhat belatedly) for a little boy here in Canberra. We're trying out options for elastic waistbands that sit flat at the front, and I think this one worked out very well. It would look a lot better on a 6 month old though!

We are making up batches of all the favourite m&s items- including bib & cutlery sets and the zippered tote bags- as well as some new additions to mix it up a little!

Twirly skirts!

2009-09-26T01:10:00.000-07:00

This being Canberra, the wonderful Spring weather that Phoebe reported last weekend has disappeared and we've been plunged back into the depths of winter. Today, the thermometer has not hit 10 degrees, and we've had winds and intermittent rain! This might not be great picnic weather, but it is perfect weather for a spot of sewing!

In anticipation of the return to better weather soon, I've made some twirly skirts - the perfect Spring and Summer uniform for little girls!

The skirts are super comfy because they are made from 100% cotton with an elastic waistband. And the cute little pockets are perfect for storing toys, rocks, flowers or other essential little girl items!

These ones will be for sale at the upcoming Mathilda's Market where Mackenzie & Smith will be doing our first market stall. So, please come along on November 15 between 10 and 2 and say hi!!

Sewing on the weekend

2009-09-20T04:10:00.000-07:00

We had another gorgeous, sunny weekend in Canberra- it has been very relaxing to potter away in the sewing room with the gentle breeze coming through...

It was a busy weekend for tote bags- the ones shown below have been made for Stella and Indiana to take to ballet classes.

I finished the weekend off with a set of bibs for a little boy who will look very sharp in coordinating green and brown (the m&s colours!).

The projects and ideas are stacked high, so I'm hoping that there will be plenty more weekend sewing to come...

Speaking of which, I can't wait to try more projects from my latest addition to my bookshelf - I had to get hold of it when I saw how it has inspired Sally!

Phoebe

Housing the Stash

2009-09-20T03:52:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for months and months for the perfect way to store (and display) all of the lovely fabrics I have been collecting over the years.

This gorgeous cabinet and hutch has been a pleasure to fill up with all of my goodies... including my three handprinted matryoshka dolls that I bought back from the Stitches & Craft show.

It has transformed my sewing room into a place that I have happily spent all weekend in...

Phoebe

Exciting new product!

2009-09-10T03:04:00.001-07:00

It is so much fun coming up with funky new designs! The latest is a baby picnic roll. It was designed by a mum who was sick of loose items floating around in her baby bag.

This roll contains 1 bib and 1 set of quality cutlery (fork and spoon), and rolls up neatly to stash in your baby bag for when you need to feed bub on the go.

The roll is designed to hold multiple bibs - you just clip or velcro them onto the tab in the roll.

This roll contains a pink striped set as shown, but we also have pale blue and black available. We are able to do the roll in a range of colours as well, please email us for more info.

And they are available for a limited time for $40.

Getting out there!

2009-08-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

We've been busy little chickens at mackenzie & smith, trying to share our love for beautiful fabrics and precious items with a wider audience.

We're so excited to be part of the Handmade Virtual Markets.

Many of you Canberrans will know Handmade - Canberra's quarterly Upmarket, which brings together talented artists, designers, stylists, craftspeople and gourmets all at one destination. It is a unique event to connect the makers of beautiful things to people who appreciate the quality, handcrafted and locally designed. Now, they have expanded

We're also listed among other talented creative types over at Canberra Handmade.

www.CanberraHandmade.com is the new web portal for artists and craftspeople residing in Canberra and the surrounding area. It is a great starting point to find brilliant original items and find an amazing range of talented local people which will enable you to shop local and support our community. The website also provides a calendar of local events to keep you informed along with links to art and craft groups, markets and galleries to help you be creative.

Shop update!

2009-08-12T05:14:00.000-07:00

Despite the opportunity to order custom handmade goodies through this site, we've also organised a shop on the fabulous handmade website ETSY. Our etsy shop allows you to order our products in real time from stock already made.

Check out the growing selection of goodies at http://www.mackenzieandsmith.etsy.com

Handy Tote Bags

2009-07-26T03:41:00.000-07:00

We have recently incorporated a new design into our range.

We designed a practical and versatile tote for Eva, who has been looking high and low for that perfectly sized bag for friends with young children.

Our totes are zippered and neatly carry the basics for youngsters' outings- a bottle, a fresh nappy and wipes.

We hope Savannah and her Mum enjoy their custom-made gift from Eva...

... these have proven to be a huge hit with the grown-ups, and I made this one to help Sally celebrate her birthday.

Happy Birthday Sally!

$45 ($50 for customised lettering).

Pot Holders

2009-07-26T03:33:00.000-07:00

Thea ordered a stylish set of pot holders to supplement her mackenzie & smith vintage apron...

These make a great addition to any kitchen and are a fun and unique gift!

These are the ones decorating our kitchen at the moment...

$30 per pair

Special orders!

2009-07-12T01:54:00.001-07:00

Yep, we're up and running taking special orders!

Be just like lucky newborn Louis and order your handmade goodies via mackenzieandsmith@gmail.com

Dresses!

2009-07-04T18:43:00.001-07:00

These are our first batch of little girl's dresses for our upcoming etsy store launch.

These gorgeous cotton dresses feature our cute covered buttons on the shoulder and are sized 00 (3-6 months) and 0 (6-12 months).

$50 each.

Branding...

2009-06-29T03:38:00.000-07:00

So, we're taking orders and have also been getting ready for our formal launch, especially our big shop launch on etsy!

To get you excited, here is a sneak preview of some mackenzie & smith style....

singlets & shorts

2009-05-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Applique singlets
Available in a range of designs for girls, boys or either
$10

In a set with coordinating pants
$25

Onesies

2009-05-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

Super cute appliqued onesies in a range of designs for girls, boys or either
100% cotton
Sizes 00, 0 and 1
Short sleeves $25

Pear Purses

2009-05-01T01:23:00.000-07:00

Colourful pear-shaped coin purses.

Measure 15 cm long by 13 cm (at the widest point)

Entirely hand-made

$35

Sleeping masks

2009-05-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

Perfect for travelling or restful weekends away!

$25

Aprons

2009-05-01T00:58:00.000-07:00

Vintage-style

100% cotton with accent waistband and pocket
$45

Bibs

2009-05-01T00:54:00.001-07:00

100% cotton front, lined with flannel for extra absorbency
Available in a range of designs for boys, girls or either
Set of 3 $35

New designs!

Travel bags

2009-04-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Dirty laundry bag & shoe bag

Perfect for weekends away
Just wash and keep stored in your suitcase
Made from durable duckcloth
$20 each or $35 for the set

Baby quilts

2009-04-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

Heirloom quality baby quilts
100% cotton
100cm x 100cm
Available in a range of designs - girl, boy or either

Backed in cotton
$80

Backed in super soft chenille
$90

New design!

Burp Cloths or change mat throw

2009-04-24T22:02:00.001-07:00

These versitile burp cloths can be used as a change table cover as well
100% cotton
Available in a range of designs for boys, girls or either
$15 each

Packaged as a set with one bib - $35

'Poppy' Dress

2009-04-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous baby dress made from 100% cotton in sizes 0000, 000, 00, 0, 1 & 2
Available in a range of designs
$50