Tie Dye Snobs?





We've really fallen for tie dye in our new summer collection it's so fun and vibrant and really has such a nice genuinely handmade feel to it, especially since no two ever come out the same.

I have noticed in the shops lately, lots of "tie dye" is finding it's way into the commercial stores, but it's not real tie dye, (as it takes too long to do, to be commercially viable), so it's just digitally printed onto the fabrics. I actually do conceed that some of the digital printed clothing ends up looking pretty nice but i must admit we do feel slightly superior knowing that ours is the real thing... could we be turning into a tie dye snobs? lol   

The pictures with this post are a sneek peek of the new dresses Mum dyed today, I have some really cool boys tees coming soon which I am hoping to post some pics up of very soon.

Hope you are all having a great weekend and Mum will see you tomorrow if your coming down to our Coffs Market! By the way - if you have your eye on any of the dresses you see in the pics they should be at the market too!

Summer lovin' in Wonderlandia

Despite a few annoyingly cold days I have definitely been noticing spring is here, my plants are growing, the lawn needs mowing and I have had a sudden urge to get a flatter stomach?

One unfortunate thing I've noticed is that as soon as the weather starts warming up, my calendar starts getting very full - between weddings, barbeques, christenings and birthdays it's pretty crazy - then December comes along... let's just say I understand why they call it the silly season now!

That got me to thinking about what Summer used to mean to me when I was a kid...

I really wish I could have one of those summers back! It was just heaven... longer days, later bedtimes, the beach, the pool, the sprinkler, a blow up pool at the end of a slippery slide - any water would do! And after swimming for sooooo long my lips were purple - eating hot chips with tomato sauce and wearing towels Dad used to roll into crowns on his leg... oh I could go on forever... I bet you all have some great summer memories too!

So this summer I am determined to get a little lazier, make a few less engagements, so I can take a little time to ditch the iphone, throw away my to do list and make some new Summer memories with my family!

P.S - While you're out making your memories, don't forget to take lots of pics - especially if your little surfer girl happens to be wearing an adorable Wonderlandian handmade skirt! Oh and if she is - send it in to us, we LOVE seeing your pics! It's so nice to see where our creations end up!

Bianka & Daniella wearing some new Wonderlandian summer skirts!

New Spring/Summer Range

Yes, it's taken us some time but we are back and feeling all glistening and new with our tropical bird inspired Spring/Summer range for girls and our Urban Surfer range for boys...

For the girls think Vivid Violet, Indian Yellow, Kingfisher Blue & Flamingo Pink, light, bright and cool with uniquely textured hand dyed fabrics. We are doing skirts, dresses, tees, kaftans and everything she might need for a tropical getaway, (or playing in the sandpit out the back)...

For the boys think dark greys and blues of a stormy sea and the concrete in the local skatepark, then add some of the glassy bright blues and foamy whites of that perfect wave... We are doing shorts, boardies, tees and everything he needs to showcase his innate coolness...

Keep an eye out for some pics coming very shortly!
     

Tangerine Dreams...

Everyone knows Retro cool is back and I suppose it's because it reminds us of a time when things seemed to be so much simpler, the days were longer, the crowds were smaller, the streets were safer - and we didn't have to carry the whole world around with us on our mobiles, yep, back in the "Wonder Years"...

Mum was reminiscing of exactly these times when she whipped up this great new reversible dress - it's her nod to the times when your Mum sewed your clothes, you could buy things with 1 & 2c pieces and eating out was only for special occasions.


One side is made from the softest brushed tangerine cord and features a cotton pocket and elephant applique going right round the base ; the reverse is 100% cotton, with a fresh & fun little elephant print. Like all our reversibles; it's cut for comfort and fully overlocked.

As mothers ourselves - we love these dresses; you can add clothes underneath and over the top to make them as warm or as cool as you desire and if your little "angel" gets a little messy - just flip it over and she's good as new (who has to know?) lol

Think marbles, corner stores and writing letters to Grandma on Mum's "special paper"... 

Oh and if this post got you thinking about getting the marbles out of the back shed like it did me then click here to check out the rules to some super fun marble games - Enjoy!!

Manda x

Queen of Hearts...

Mum woke up this morning feeling that a new winter skirt was in order and I just love what she has come up with... it's a queen of hearts themed skirt in a lovely thick herringbone patterned fabric with gorgeous deep red cord hearts perfectly appliqued all along the bottom - so adorable!

I can just see it with some white tights underneath and black mary janes - or why not some bright red gumboots! I think this is one for special occasions like tea parties with Mad Hatters or perhaps playing Croquet with the queen...

It's hot off the sewing table right now - so be sure to keep a look out in our Etsy store and our markets for this sweet new addition which will come in a variety of wonderful colours and rich warm fabrics (and with some better pics of course)!

Manda x

P.S - If you would like to get this skirt for free don't forget to enter this months blog giveaway to win vouchers to spend in our Wonderlandia store!!!

Mini Me

Whilst I was in Sydney a friend of my daughters asked if I could sew a dress for her 4mth old niece. She wanted the dress to be a mini version of a party dress she was wearing to an upcoming event.

I agreed and so we met up and went looking for the matching fabrics and colours. Sadly, we couldn’t find the matching colour, but she decided to go ahead any way and have the dress in white.

It was a real change from what I normally sew and consequently I spent quite a lot of time unpicking errors, but what a sense of achievement when I finally finished - and it looks just like mums, so cute!

They are going to look so cute in photos - and they will always have the dress as a treasured memory, you never know it could be the start of a family tradition...

Watch out wonderlandia followers and customers - you may see some Chiffon clothing popping up in our store in future ...

Wonderlandia out and about!

We have had so much fun doing markets over the last few weeks, starting with the very successful Allies Attic at Cronulla, then continuing with Narrabeen market at Berry Reserve the next day and just last weekend I found myself back in Sydney again for the Allies Attic Easter Market at Mosman Art Gallery.

We had an overwhelming response to our clothes and art, particularly at the Cronulla markets and we'd really like to thank everyone that took the time to come out to visit us - it's just so lovely to meet people that appreciate what we do, it really keeps us going.

I'll be back at the Coffs Harbour markets outside the Yacht Club as usual from this weekend coming. As I have been down in Sydney so often lately I haven't been around as often as normal. Can't wait to catch up with everyone again! The next Allie's attic isn't till the 22nd of May so I'll be staying put for a bit!

Oh and how cute is the above pic - it was taken by Chantelle from Forever Bliss Photography as a part of a photo shoot for Allies Attic, how cute, we just love it! We can't wait until we win lotto and get to do our own Wonderlandia photo shoot with a professional photographer - LOL :)

The elephants go marching out!

I am so happy with the response to my mummy and baby elephant denim pinafores, so much so I keep running out of the fabric for the lining, we sell out of them at each market and have had plenty of orders too. So if you have come to visit us and weren't able to find the elephant pinafore in the size you were after make sure you come back soon as I have sourced some really great new great fabrics that I am going to experiment with which I think will be just as cute (if not cuter), so look out for lots of different coloured elephants coming up!

If you have any ideas for cute applique you'd like to see me create on a pinafore I'd love to hear them - so far I've created a few different owls, a giraffe, two types of whales and of course the mummy and baby elephants... Liz

New cord & cotton Easter skirts

Yesterday, after making up some new reversible dresses, I found myself with a big bag full leftover fabric that I couldn't bear to waste. So I set about making a few hair clips - but there was still so much fabric left...

Working around the akwardly shaped offcuts, I came up with an idea for some bright and fun skirts that would be just perfect for Easter. To begin with, I cut the fabric into strips, came up with some fun colour combos and hit the sewing machine running - before I knew it, I was testing out all the embroidery stitches on my machine, sooooo fun!

I shirred the skirts at the top for stretch to allow them to fit for longer and increase comfort (both so important for growing kids) But, still not ready to stop embellishing - I went super frilly with a fourth layer of ribbon!

You can see some of the finished products in the pics above, they are all one offs and will be available in our Etsy shop shortly and also of course at our market stalls - the next market is on at Cronulla Sutherland Leagues Club this weekend (sat 20/03) and then Sunday at Narrabeen Market Berry Reserve.

Hope I did ok for my first blog post - as a Grandmother I am proud to say I'm feeling very "with the times" right now...lol

Liz

My Mum is blogging!

Yes it's true - my uber talented Mum (Liz) who designs and handmakes all Wonderlandia's adorable clothing has decided she wants to blog about her upcoming clothing, successes and failures, inspirations and even some sewing how-to's!

So keep a look out for her posts - the first of which is coming right after this one!

Manda

Pinafores to die for!!!

I am so infatuated with our new Autumn/Winter clothing that I couldn't help but put our Pinafores up on Etsy early!

Are they adorable or what?

Each dress is 100% handmade to order, has a hardwearing denim outer (perfect for play) and is fully lined in brightly printed 100% cotton. I just fell in love with these bright patterned prints and I know you will too!

Oh and I haven't even gotten to my favourite part yet - the animal applique! These are individually hand drawn, cut out and appliqued on with fusible webbing and satin stitching - so they'll be on there firmly for the lifetime of the dress, and with a diagonal pocket sporting cute ric-rac along the top, how could they get any cuter???



You can wear these dresses alone, with a tshirt or a long sleeved tee depending on the weather oh and team them with some white or bright leggings and you've got a showstopper of an outfit!



So far the range includes elephants, sheep, whales, giraffes and owls with a few more to come yet and Mum (who is obviously off her rocker - lol) is selling them made to order for only $40 each - head into our Etsy store to check them out www.wonderlandia.etsy.com

WEAR ME!

Now the little Diva's and baby Studmuffins in your life can stand out for all the right reasons thanks to our new Wonderlandia inspired clothing...

When working on our new clothing for Wonderlandia we were focused on two things first and foremost - quality & comfort then of course, style and indiviuality.

The features of Wonderlandia clothing includes:

• All garments are overlocked for a professional finish
• interfacing is included where required to assist the clothing in holding it's crisp shape
• Any applique are attached with both fusible webbing and fully satin stitched to achieve maximum durability
• 100% cotton fabrics have been chosen for comfort and breathability
• elastics used are as lightweight as possible whilst still providing the support needed to keep little pants and skirts in place
• All our clothing has been created to be as long wearing as possible with adjustable sizing where practical and larger cuts to allow your ever growing little ones to get the more wear out of each item.
• all our garments have excellent results when cold machine washed and line dried... so they are ideal for us busy Mums!

Creating the same thing over and over again is definitely not our thing - Mum and I love to put our creativity and love into each garment. In fact, most Wonderlandia pieces so far have been created as one offs or in very limited numbers which makes them all the more special.

We really hope you love what we've done so far, we've had a great time working with really fun bold bright prints and then changing it up with some sweet shabby-chic-esque floral prints...

Here are a few examples - please visit our Etsy store for more!