My Sewing Blog

Another Simplicity 4206

2011-09-30T21:25:00.000+10:00

After adding a 3" contrast band to the first top and still thinking it needed to be a bit longer, I made this top adding an extra 1.5" to the main body and a 3.5" band at the bottom. I went with the band again because I love using contrasting fabrics and decided to contrast the sleeves this time as well. So if you ever use this pattern, as a guide it's probably best to allow an extra 5" or so for length (or maybe actually measure before you start!).

Another fabric from Spotlight (a while ago now) but I really love it, it was quite soft. Am loving the birds and really ended up loving the earthy coloured tones. After all, I'm such a sucker for pink.

M's friend kindly modeled for me this time. Without tears, no bribery required and she kept telling me how much she loved the top. Why doesn't my daughter do that??

The back

Simplicity 4206

2011-09-28T19:36:00.000+10:00

If anything, kids birthday parties are a great reason to sew.

One of M's friends loves butterflies so when the party invite arrived I thought I would make her something featuring butterflies.

With rarely any time to sew these days, I'm all about the quick and easy projects. I've never seen M's friend in a skirt or dress so decided to make her a top. I remembered I had this Simplicity pattern from the Sewing for Dummies range which I bought when I first started sewing.

The top is basically just a peasant style top which I've made before (as a dress) using the Leila and Ben Sweet Little Dress pattern. I don't have the bigger size pattern (besides my printer has run out of ink so I couldn't print off a PDF pattern anyway) and still can't believe that I am sewing size 7 and 8 for M now!

I loved making this top. It was quick and easy and turned out pretty cute. It was waaaaaay too short though which has me wondering if that is how most Simplicity patterns are? I made a top for myself using Simplicity 4589 and that also ended up being way too short.

Anyway, I was debating whether or not to add a contrast band to this top for some extra length and in the end I decided to which meant another trip back to Spotlight where I found the contrasting stripey fabric. Unfortunately I don't particularly love this butterfly print but I didn't have much choice, no time to order gorgeous butterfly fabric from the states :(

I could probably have made the band an extra inch longer, it still seems short. Even so, it's now a much better length than it was and looks fine on M.

My photos are terrible - sorry about that, no time for nice pics I'm afraid. These days it's an iPhone photo or nothing! Believe it or not, this was the best photo I could get of M modelling the top for me. She was cranky and most unhappy that I pulled her away from playing with her Zhu Zhu pets.

Since finishing this top I've made it again and will blog the next version in the next couple of days.

Quilted Zipper Box Pouch

2011-09-25T17:34:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I took mum along to a Moonlight Market. There was quite a big crowd there and a really good variety of stalls.

Mum was admiring some earrings by Belissima Glass but was unable to decide which colour pair she liked best so didn't buy anything. Now that I think about it, their prices are so affordable I'm not sure why she didn't just buy both pairs. Since it was mum's birthday the next day (and I still hadn't got her anything - whoops) I sneaked (snuck?) back to the stall and bought the red pair that she first picked up and said she loved.

Perhaps it was all the creativity in the room, whatever the reason I decided to come home and make a little pouch to put the earrings in. I found this great tutorial for a zippered quilted box pouch. I've had a quick look at the rest of the blog and really enjoyed looking at all of Lolo's creations. How cute are her pleated pouches, the linen is beautiful. I love the overlocked edges on her checkbook covers too. Cute! Back to the pouch....

It was a really simple sew with a cute result. I'd probably use some interfacing next time, it's just not quite stiff enough but it's ok. I'd also sew a little loopy bit into one of the ends to pull on when you unzip it. Oh and it's unlined too which I figured mum wouldn't mind but a lined version would be good to do.

I'm not sure why my stitching looks orange?? It's red, like the print on the fabric.With a gift voucher from one of mum's favourite shops her present was ready. Happy birthday mum!

Twirly Girl

2011-01-30T15:57:00.002+11:00

I've been wanting to make the Pink Fig Girly Skirt pattern forever and a day and was able to squeeze in some sewing time this week (yay)!

I was worried the fabric combination was going to be too busy but I am so in love with this skirt!

M is a very girly girl and loves pink which left me wondering if she would even like this navy and light blue fabric combination. Turns out she loves it just as much, if not more, than I do.

I finished it on Friday night and she has worn it for the whole weekend.

First she tried it on.....

and then she twirled.....

and danced.......

and twirled some more!

Don't you love the wall of fabric behind her :)

With at least 2 birthday parties coming up, I plan to make a couple more of these skirts for presents.

A Prize Winning Dress

2011-01-23T23:36:00.000+11:00

Rewind to sometime around October last year. We were right in the middle of all the weddings, packing up the house and ~~coping with~~ enjoying our new baby. One night I plonked myself onto the lounge in front of the TV to feed baby F and by pure chance I stumbled across a sewing show.

Sew What A Feeling was a series aired on Channel 31, a community television station broadcasting to Melbourne and Geelong. The low budget production was aimed at beginner sewers and was a good way to spend half an hour breastfeeding. I enjoyed the discussion on fabric selection, sewing advice and tips they gave on using an overlocker.

The ladies hosting the show run sewing classes in Melbourne and are unlikely to be moving to a prime time slot on mainstream television anytime soon, however they were likeable and have obviously been sewing forever and a day.

A sewing competition was advertised at the end of each show. Entrants were asked to make something from one of these patterns.

McCalls M5094

Vogue V8363

Butterick B5355

McCalls M5572

There was no way I could enter, my plate was full enough.....until I decided that I really wanted to give it a try and would just have to try and plug away it at whenever I could find the time.

So, I decided to make a new dress for M and chose the McCalls M5572 pattern and here it is.

Although a little big for her at the moment, M loves it. One of M's friends tried it on and it was a perfect fit on her. She loved it so much she has requested something for herself in the same fabric. (Lucky her birthday is coming up.)

On the last episode of Sew What A Feeling, I was super excited to see my name pop up on the screen as the winner of the open section.

One must wonder exactly how many entries were submitted for the competition haha!!

Fast forward to today....my prize was delivered! Thank you Sew What A Feeling :)

Sharing the Love

2010-12-23T01:49:00.003+11:00

A quick post to share free patterns from HomeSpun Threads.

Become a follower of the HomeSpun Threads blog and be sure to return the love by sharing the link on your blog.

That sure was a nice thing to stumble across but I wonder how long they will be free for?

The A+ Teacher

2010-12-18T00:38:00.006+11:00

This year, so early into M's schooling, we were extremely fortunate to have the best teacher ever. Ms F is everything you hope for in a teacher and is a genuinely warm, caring and compassionate person. From the first day of school this year right up until the last minute of the last day of school, Ms F had M's best interests at heart. It was a particularly sad goodbye, since we have moved out of the area and M will be starting at a new school closer to home next year.

I cried saying goodbye to Ms F and told her that all future teachers will be compared to her.

As a class, we gave Ms F a lovely present however I wanted to make her something as well to let her know how much I appreciate everything she did for M throughout the year.

Ms F is from Canada. She travelled back to Canada during 3rd term school holidays and will be going home again next year to get married. Her fiance is Irish so for both of them I made these cute little his n hers passport covers.

Please excuse the awful state of my ironing board cover

Next, I made some Christmas bunting. Secretly, the idea behind the bunting was to ensure that Ms F doesn't forget us and now she will think of us at least once every year when she hangs her Christmas decorations ;p

Although not sewing, Cookies in a Jar is still handmade and from the heart. I saw this idea on Bakerella's website a few months ago and knew I had to make it for her as soon as I saw it. After M and I assembled it, I couldn't stop looking at it. So pretty!

I am trying to be positive about M's new school next year but have to wonder if I will ever cry saying goodbye to another teacher. Hopefully I will.

In a Nutshell

2010-11-27T02:23:00.003+11:00

So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that, reverse it. ~ Willy Wonka

Things have been busy around here, busy in a good way. In the second half of this year alone, my husband and I squeezed a lot in.

We....

Sold our interstate unit
Bought our own house which we actually get to live in
Welcomed with much love our 3rd beautiful child
Packed up the family and moved into our new home
Went to a wedding in Yamba
Went to a wedding in Byron Bay
Went to a wedding in Melbourne
Celebrated our daughter's 7th birthday
Threw said daughter a completely OTT disco party

and are now preparing to celebrate Christmas in our new home with some good friends who will be staying with us.

Life is good.

Life is especially good because of this divine little boy.

He came into our lives late August and is already 3 months old. My second son is such a joy and the icing on the cake for me. How lucky I am to be the mother of these 3 beautiful children (one of which has the remains of tattoo's on both arms!).

Master F is making the cutest little noises, little squeals, giving us lots and lots of lovely smiles and I am only up to him once (if at all) through the night. He looks so much like his big sister did when she was a baby.

I miss my sewing but wouldn't swap the last 6 months for anything in the world.

Kids Messenger Bag

2010-08-14T23:54:00.008+10:00

FINISHED BAG

FRONT OF BAG

BACK OF BAG SHOWING POCKET

VELCRO CLOSURE (FAKE BUTTON)

BAG OPEN (VELCRO CLOSURE, ANOTHER FAKE BUTTON)

INTERIOR POCKET (OOPS A BIT TOO HIGH UP)

MATCHING CRAYON ROLL

CRAYONS TO SHOW SCALE (SMALLER THAN A TEXTA ROLL)

WITH FLAP DOWN (PEN LINES YET TO FADE)

Tote Bag with Zippered Opening

2010-07-08T00:22:00.001+10:00

My friend Y saw the tote bag that I made for M and wanted one for her daughter. However, said friend is fussy (!!) and wanted a pocket on the front, a zipper opening on the top of the bag and it had to be big enough to fit A4 books.

The zipper part scared me so I put the whole thing off....for ages.

I ended up using this tutorial for the top zipper.

And here's what I ended up with.

Overall I'm happy with the bag, but the zip I used was too long. I also hope the bag itself isn't too big, it is on the large side but at least it will fit A4 books.

It was fiddly to top stitch and therefore it isn't as neat as I would like but I had trouble getting the bag through my machine, especially the end parts of the zipper. I've only sewn bags on mum's machine before so I was a bit (read: very!) annoyed that my machine didn't seem up to the task.

A pencil roll was also requested so I made one up to match the bag. I've made lots of these pencil rolls after figuring out some measurements so that I can officially call this *my pattern* (yes it's basic but still!!)

Wow, no wonder I haven't blogged in so long, that just took forever to upload pics, seems a few things have changed with the Blogger format.....hmmm not so sure I like it :(

Long Shorts

2010-04-10T09:42:00.006+10:00

My skirt/dress loving, non pants wearing daughter told me last night that she would like to wear shorts today. I reminded her that she doesn't have any. She politely asked if I would mind making her some. Lucky for her I've been wanting to try this pattern.

I ran into some problems with the 2nd ruffle and am now looking into buying a ruffle foot. It was one of those problems you run into at midnight when you know you could get the job finished in the next half an hour but your machine doesn't want to cooperate with you!! I ended up going to bed and finishing them off this morning.

I love the trim fabric I've used, so much so that it was hard to cut into since I was only using it for a trim and I was wondering if it would be better as a top or dress.

An easy to sew pattern with cute results. In her words "I love them mum!"

I can't believe how big M looks in this picture. She is so loooooooong now, her legs just seem to go on and on and on!

Texta (Crayon) Roll

2010-03-20T16:36:00.012+11:00

I wanted to make a little something extra to put with a birthday present I had bought for one of M's best friends. I left it completely until the last minute (this morning!) but remembered seeing a tutorial on the lovely Emma's blog that I have been wanting to try (thanks for sharing the tute Emma!)

I've made a texta/crayon roll before but this tutorial looked even quicker.

I am happy with how it turned out however I didn't like seeing the stitching on the back of the roll (since you just turn up the bottom part to make the pocket and stitch through that to make the texta/crayon pockets). I love the bias edging so will try modifying the way the roll is put together and come up with my own version. I used 1 layer of whisper weft interfacing and found it worked perfectly to give the roll the tiniest bit of body. Previously the interfacing I've used has made the roll much too stiff. I like rolls with the fold down top flap which ensures the texta's stay put. I don't see the point (at all!) of the rolls that don't have the top flap??

I'm happy with how it turned out and with the cute little notebook, I think it was a nice little extra pressie to go with the main present.

FWIW mum's seem to love these as presents for their kids. I'm not sure if they just haven't seen them before but whenever I've given them as presents, the mum's genuinely have the most fabulous reaction, it's great :)

On with the pics...

Unrolled without texta's (had to do a dash to the shops to buy a packet)

Back of the roll. See the stitching of all the pockets? I will modify it so that this is hidden next time

Unrolled with top flap down

Rolled up, filled with texta's and sitting on top of the cute little notebook

Some little dresses

2010-03-18T18:54:00.009+11:00

I love making these dresses. I plan to try and make a few to sell, here are the first 3.

And this is the dress I think I have actually fallen in love with, a gorgeous fabric combo of blue and brown.

The next 3 dresses I'm currently cutting out and sewing have already been sold, I can't wait to show everyone what they look like!

I'm not sure what the best way is to go about selling things....facebook, via my blog, etsy...?

I don't want to conquer the world or anything, especially with a new baby on the way, however selling on a small scale would be perfect.

Tote Bags

2010-03-02T17:09:00.011+11:00

Two of these bags were made on the weekend, the fireman bag for my little man and the hedgehog bag is for Miss C's birthday this weekend.

The pink one was made a few weeks ago for miss M to use as a library bag. The interior was fabric I had second thoughts of using halfway through my swap piece so really the bag was halfway made already.

I'm much happier with the fireman and hedgehog bags because the lining is interfaced whereas the pink bag has the exterior fabric interfaced and you can see the bubbling (un-smoothness if that is a word!) on it.

I am completely in love with the hedgehog fabric matched with the red dotty fabric, which kind of just *happened* as I was sorting through my stash. I wasn't too fussed with the hedgehog fabric (which I bought ages ago) but the further along I got with the bag, the more I fell in love and now I wish I had more.

Swap - What I Made

2010-02-23T16:40:00.004+11:00

As per usual I left my swap item til the last minute, which coincidentally was the same time as I started to experience my first ever bout of morning sickness - blergh! What's with that...third time lucky??

So I wasn't too keen to make a start on my swap piece and admittedly it became a little rushed towards the end but I hear that my swap partner was happy to receive a bag for her hand sewing and has been using it. I put some goodies in the bag too, a quick unpick, some thread cutters, hem gauge thingymajig, folding scissors and a needle nest (a magnetic case for her needles) hopefully things she can keep in the bag for her hand sewing.

My partner requested modern country/romantic fabric which threw me a little and this is what I ended up with (after a million fabric changes, even whilst halfway through making the bag. I hate being so indecisive.)

*I have just noticed that these pics are before the bag went through the machine so there were no pen lines on the bag when I sent it off!*

I used this tute here, how beautiful is the Hushabye fabric range!

The tute says to sew 3 pockets into the outside part and after doing that on 1 side I decided to only do 2 pockets on the other side because they were so small I could hardly get my hand into them.

Swap - What I Received

2010-02-14T09:18:00.011+11:00

Our latest swap involved listing 3 things you would like to receive and our swap partners were left to choose which item to make. I was so excited this morning and as soon as M was awake we decided to open my present. M knew all about the swap as I had been explaining to her why I was making a present for someone I didn't know and I think she was just as excited as me! Thank you to my swap partner Bec for the fabulous goodies I received.

Off to a good start...I spy chocolate!!

A superhero cape!! One very excited little boy kept saying "I can fly, I can fly!" It has his initial on one side...

...and a lightening bolt on the other. I love the fabric, it's perfect cape material.

Hanging out on the floor this morning wearing his new cape

I have been wanting one of these for ages!! A beautiful Make It Perfect versatile wrap skirt. I love the fabric Bec has chosen for my skirt - gorgeous! I first saw this fabric on Mel's blog and love the colourway Bec used. She was so thoughtful and even included a button in case I need to make a size adjustment. There was also some velcro to adjust the neck size of the cape if need be, thanks Bec.

My beautiful skirt!

M claimed the chocolate as hers and was happy with the 1 piece I gave her and I've hidden the rest in the fridge for later.

Thank you so much Bec, I love everything you made and you have done a fabulous job. I feel very lucky to have received 2 things from my list. The overlocked edges of the skirt are even in coordinating thread and thank you so much for the extra item in the parcel too that I have deliberately not blogged about but am really appreciative of.

Art Smock

2010-01-19T14:55:00.003+11:00

I modified the Kwik Sew pattern that I used to make M's doggy dress up suit to make this art smock. I am pleased with how it turned out however it is much too halloween-ish for my liking. M chose the purple stars but we didn't have enough for the whole smock so I used the orange aswell.

Don't you love this pose!

My 1st Nicole Mallalieu Bag

2009-12-23T10:19:00.010+11:00

I was petrified of this bag pattern (the flap totally freaked me out) which I bought back in September and had worked myself up about for 2 months LOL. In the end, with some encouragement from Emma and me repeating to myself that it's only a 1 flower difficulty rating, I started on the bag as a secret santa present for a special cyber friend.

Overall I am happy with the finished bag.

There was no heavy weight interfacing in the shop on the day so I went with shapewell which is very stiff. I'm hoping the bag will relax a little with use.

I wanted to make the strap adjustable but couldn't source a slide buckle in time.

I could only find bronze rings which I love and think match the bag but when I finished I wanted to add a twist turn lock to keep the flap down and could not for the life of me find one anywhere in Melbourne. I had no time to order online so had to use the only one I eventually found by pure luck, which was unfortunately silver.

I originally wanted to use a magnetic catch but I think I missed the step where I was meant to insert it into the flap before stitching it to the bag?? By the time I realised, I was finished and there was no way I was unpicking which is why I thought a twist turn lock would be good, if only I could have found a bronze one :(

I was scared to chop into my bag to insert the lock but all was good and I'm happy with how it looks.

Because of the shapewell, I went a bit nuts trying to iron the bag after turning it inside out (the right way) and was devastated to see that I melted some stitching. At least that's what I think happened? Has anyone ever had disintegrating stitches before? I could have cried!

I also made a matching tissue holder.

and the disintegrating stitches!

Christmas Caroline Dress

2009-12-22T14:39:00.003+11:00

I had to make something Christmas-y so with not much time left at all, I made this Caroline Dress for M last night.

She wore it to the hairdressers this morning, here she is in her dress with her new short do.

Before we left

We're off to see Santa tomorrow so I'm trying to finish a pair of Little Explorers for the boy in some red dotty trim, Christmas-y without being OTT. Both new items of clothing will be worn for the Chrissy pic if there are no food/drink disasters between getting dressed and making it to Santa.

Goodie Bags

2009-11-28T21:40:00.009+11:00

Miss M, my beautiful, sweet, funny, smart, kind, light of my life daughter turned 6 this week. She had such a lovely birthday and today she had a party.

A month or so ago I started playing around making yoyo's and as I kept making them I thought they would be perfect for M's party bags. It was good to just plod along and make them when I had some spare time here and there.

Then, a few nights ago, I thought it would be great to actually make the party bags. A while back I picked up a bag of 8" long zippers for 50c at the op shop so the whole idea was based on those zips. Since I already had plenty of fabric and had a tute in mind that I wanted to try, it all made sense.

The bags aren't perfect, my zip ends don't quite push up and out enough, I would love to know what the secret is to get them looking better. Otherwise, I was really happy with how they all turned out.

Each pouch had contrast lining

The yoyo's have grown on me, the more I made the better my fabric and button matching became. I sewed the yoyo's to the hairclips in 3 different places to be triple sure they were nice and secure. Annoying and boring (hate hand sewing) but worth it.

I really wanted to give M's friends something sweet and special to say thank you for her lovely gifts. I didn't want any plastic type toys in the bags either and hope the girls will wear their clips and use their pouches. They actually look a lot like pencil cases and are a great size for all sorts of things - hair ties, ribbons, texta's....

Here are the goodies we put in each bag

The ties on the zips were a last minute decision, I thought it would help smaller fingers open the pouches and I also liked the dash of contrast colour it gives each bag.

Happy birthday to my gorgeous girl!

Before the party....

and after the party (looking a little overwhelmed!)

Handmade Kids Giveaway

2009-11-25T10:01:00.002+11:00

Lots of generous giveaways happening atm!

Handmade Kids are having a mega Christmas giveaway with boy or girl packs up for grabs. Lots of beautiful items in each pack, I am eyeing off the boys goodies. Good luck!

Retromummy's Giveaway

2009-11-25T09:37:00.002+11:00

Another super generous giveaway by Retromummy, such beautiful fabric that would look really great sitting on top of my fabric stash ;-)

Have a look around Corrie's blog while you're there, always lots of beautiful things to see.

My Lucky Day!!

2009-11-25T01:44:00.003+11:00

I was so shocked when I read a comment on my blog from the super talented Chelsea of Vintage Chic fame, telling me I had won something on her blog.

I was most likely blog surfing late one night and came across this fabulous giveaway on Chelsea's blog (see entry on Oct 2nd). With over 200 comments including mine, I didn't even give it a second thought, until Chelsea got in touch with me by leaving a comment on my blog to tell me I had won one of her Pink Fig Pattern Packs - OMG wooohooo!!

They have arrived and I can't wait to make.....oh no, which one first?

Thank you SO MUCH Chelsea :-D

Gorgeous Giveaway

2009-11-25T01:35:00.003+11:00

Perhaps you know a beautiful little boy or you even have one of your very own who is the right size for this gorgeous little play suit being given away by the lovely Emma.

I'm not sure which is cuter, the suit or little baby Dotty?? Either way, be sure to enter this giveaway for your chance to win this very sweet little suit which was made using one of the very popular Oliver + S patterns.

Happy Belated Birthday Master B

2009-11-25T01:24:00.005+11:00

Here are the presents I made for my beautiful nephew's first birthday. Another backpack (my 3rd) and another pair of Little Explorer pants (I've lost count).

Opening Day - What I Made

2009-10-30T13:44:00.011+11:00

When I found out I was sewing for one of Mel's kids, I knew I wanted to sew for Jaxon. My first idea was to make a magnetic fishing game but I think in the end time got away from me so I started looking for other ideas. I absolutely love reading vegbee's blogblueprints, she has heaps of fabulous ideas and the most amazing bit is, she has only been sewing for about 3 years, amazing!

A tutorial for a toddler backpack was posted at the start of October and I thought it was so cute and looked perfect for Jaxon. So away I went.

I was so pleased with the result and so was my little man, H. I couldn't resist H's plea's for it so gave in and said he could have it. I wasn't happy with the stitching on one of the straps so felt better about giving it to H instead of sending it to my swap partner. The "pack pack" as he calls it has gone everywhere with us which made me even more excited that Jaxon would surely love his just as much.

I love the egg shape of the bag and also that it has no clasp therefore allowing little hands to easily get things in and out. It's all about independence!

H wearing the backpack which ended up being his

Backpack V2 for Jaxon

Both boys' backpacks side by side, H's on the left, Jaxon's on the right

I've wanted to make some bunting for ages and thought this would be the perfect little extra to pop into Jaxon's bag. I searched for a tute and found this tutorial from a blog which has fast become a new favourite to read.

I was originally going to make the bunting only as long as Jaxon's name with the letters of his name on each flag but due to interfacing/shrivelling issues, that idea went out the window lol. The lengths of bias at each end aren't equal but it was strange, I really didn't care! I thought about fixing it but decided to leave it in case Mel ever needed to tie it to something. I'm sure if it bothers Mel she can easily fix it.

I would love to make bunting again but would use lightweight interfacing on each flag next time. I used a mixture of medium and light and the lightly interfaced flags are much nicer, I think the heavy weight interfacing makes them too thick. I'd also like to try turning the flags out next time instead of finishing them with pinking shears.

I cheated and bought my bias which I've never done before and wow, soooooooo great and cheap too without *wasting* so much fabric (that always annoys me, especially when it's the really nice, more expensive fabrics). I loved the idea of attaching the D rings which I saw on another blog I love to read, Badskirt's blog. I think next time I will make my triangles smaller and space them closer together, otherwise I'm happy with my first attempt at bunting :)

Mel thank you for such a fantastic blog entry thanking me for the gifts, I am so happy that you love them.

Opening Day - What I Received

2009-10-30T11:42:00.007+11:00

Today is opening day for our beginners sewing group swap. I opted to sew one item for someone and in turn nominted my Miss M to receive a gift. I will blog what I sewed once I know it has been received and opened, so stay tuned!

I was a bit naughty and opened my present last night, about 1/2 hour before midnight so almost on the official opening day (close enough!) I was so excited to see a beautiful kitty cat made by the gorgeous Emma who has become a good cyber buddy of mine. (Emma was also kind enough to organise the swap, thank you Emma!)

Catty has a zipper on her tummy and is a PJ bag, awesome idea! She is so well sewn and was originally a pillow pattern that Emma adjusted to make into a PJ bag pattern - sooooo clever!

The kitty cat was nicknamed "Catty" by Emma's little boy, who fell in love with Catty and was very upset when she had to be packed up and sent away. Emma has shown me photos (which I'm sure she'll put on her blog) of her boys loving and playing with Catty.

Last night I put Catty into bed beside M and woke up to a very excited little girl who thought Santa or the Tooth Fairy had been to visit. It was love at first sight for M who is completely crazy about cats. She loves that Catty has dots all over her and for that reason is calling Catty a leopard. M has not put Catty down all morning and has even taken her to school with her today. Because Catty is quite big, she has prime position by the window next to the teacher's desk.

Emma you have made my little girl very happy indeed, Catty is beautiful and I know how hard it would have been to take her away from your little men who adored her. I assure you she will be very loved here in her new home - thank you!

Sorry, blurry pic, but this is M getting ready for school still holding Catty!

Multi tasking!

Romi Jade's Lighting Giveaway

2009-10-27T16:25:00.002+11:00

Check out this fantastic giveaway at Romi Jade's blog.

It really bugs me that I need 3 lights on when I sew at night and if anything this giveaway has made me realise I should invest in some great lighting.

Oh to win!

A, B, C's

2009-10-27T13:24:00.005+11:00

I wandered into the op shop this morning and picked up this single doona and pillowcase set. Then I put it down again and wandered off. Then I walked back to the set and picked it up again. This fabric isn't my usual taste but for some reason I like it, it's cute. So I parted with my $4 and bought it.

What on earth am I going to do with it?

Fabric Shoppe Giveaway

2009-10-27T10:06:00.002+11:00

Blogging this before I forget....the Fabric Shoppe is having a beautiful giveaway which can be found here. Be sure to take a look!

Caroline Dress V2

2009-10-17T17:56:00.005+11:00

Here is the Caroline I made for tomorrow's party. The imperfections of the first Caroline Dress were probably not as noticeable this time around. I cut more of a notch than a chunk as a starting point for overlocking and I think the finish was a bit tidier. My hand stitching is terrible so this time I sewed the end of the tie closed instead. Not as nice a finish but it's hardly going to jump out at you. I am so glad I found the tip about tucking the thread tails back into the overlocked seam, makes for such a neat finish.

I don't even know tomorrow's birthday girl so I really hope she is into pink, I'm in trouble if she's not.

Unfortunately this was the best pic I could get of the dress being modelled

Caroline Dress

2009-10-16T22:15:00.005+11:00

I have been wanting to make the Caroline Dress for ages now and with 2 more birthday parties this weekend and the need to move on from popover sundresses, what better opportunity. The Caroline Dress is another great pattern from Frog Legs and Ponytails.

I loved making the Amelia Shirt (also by Frog Legs and Ponytails). It was a great beginner's pattern and I can now vouch for the Caroline being just as easy with a fabulous end result.

I made this dress for Miss P's birthday party tomorrow. I am pretty sure she likes purple and when I think about it, she is more of a purple girl than a pink girl. M, (P's mum), if you are reading this, pretend you didn't see it LOL!

I used my overlocker (serger for the international readers) and was having problems with the thread hanging off the edge. I was dreading tweaking the knobs and dials for fear of messing things up too much. I ended up adjusting the cutting knife dial and it worked! So the side seam on the main body isn't perfect but I was really happy with every other edge I overlocked. I also didn't know what to do with the tails of the overlocked threads so I did a google and found this website that had some really helpful photos. I couldn't believe my luck when I discovered that I actually had a large needle with a blunt end. The tails look so much better tucked into the seam like that.

I also want to practice starting and finishing overlocking a circular piece of fabric. After another google I found this tip. I cut more of a rectangle chunk out of my fabric (will try more of a notch next time) and it looks a bit messy where I have tried to finish it off but it's all trial and error I will get there eventually!

This has been a long post, time for some pics.

Wine Tote

2009-10-13T12:13:00.005+11:00

My friend's mother in law is currently visiting Australia from New Zealand. Each of my friend's 3 kids own something that I have sewn for them so naturally sewing came up in conversation the other day.

She asked me if I would mind making her a bag to carry her wine in since the bottle in the brown paper bag just isn't the look she is going for.

Off I went in search of a tute. I couldn't find anything I liked the look of so decided to try Flickr instead. I found this lovely wine tote which led me to a blog where I found the tute to make it.

I agree with penny carnival that the bag isn't quite snug enough around the bottle. I'm about to make another one and hopefully I can adjust the measurements (without messing up the whole thing) and make it a tighter fit.

Here is my version made with decor weight fabric for both exterior and lining and a layer of pellon in between. It was the first time I've had to square off a bottom and it totally did my head in and I'm still not sure if I've done it right (the bottom of my bag looks different to the one in the tute).

Anyway.....

Sorry about the blurry photo but I wanted to put in a shot of the bag in action

Flipsy Skirt

2009-10-10T22:15:00.008+11:00

I posted a pic of my Flipsy Skirt fabric way back in May when I first started sewing and blogging. I started making the skirt not long after but sadly it has been sitting in the corner for the last 3 months as a UFO.

I've made all of the loops for the skirt but the idea of sewing 20 buttons on has left me completely unmotivated to finish. I know it's not even going to be that bad to do, I just don't want to do it. The buttons I've got are all mismatched in pinks and greens and very cute.....I just don't want to do it! I know there are many Flipsy's out there minus loops, belts, buttons etc but I would like to *officially* finish this skirt.

As M was choosing something to wear to a birthday party today, the Flipsy popped into my head so I asked M if she wanted to wear it and she said....YES!

Then I decided how cute a matching headband would look with it (yep, loving these headbands) so I made one up and geez that felt good to be able to whip something up for her at the last minute (hey it was only a little something but still!)

I'll have to get a better photo of the flip side, it's the same fabric I used in the popover sundress here. Oh and I opted out of the stripey fabric altogether (what was I thinking?).

I tried to negotiate no socks, I lost.

Must take some better pics of the flip side

Another Popover Sundress

2009-10-10T15:44:00.008+11:00

I'm officially over making these! There are so many things I want to try sewing that when I'm making something for the 3rd time I just want to finish it because I'm itching to start on the next thing. Does that sound like someone who is new to sewing or what?!

Having said that, I love how this little sundress turned out. I made it for Miss R's 5th birthday party today and secretly (or not so secretly now) wish I could have kept it for my Miss M. I love love love the brown and pink combo and the dots are just too cute.

The headband is the icing on the cute cake don't you think?

Oh yes, there will be more popover sundresses and headbands, after all, there is another party next weekend yet to sew for.

Please excuse my little man, your eyes haven't failed you, he does indeed not have any pants on. I have deemed this photo ok for viewing since you can't see any of his dangly bits. I have deemed the photo of him peeing on the grass not so suitable and have therefore not uploaded that one!

Buttercup Bag

2009-10-08T13:54:00.005+11:00

I kept stumbling across versions of this free Buttercup Bag pattern from Made by Rae so I decided I would make one.

M has been waiting very patiently for me to make her something out of some Tweety Bird fabric we bought from SL months ago, actually it was probably one of my very first fabric purchases.

I'm disappointed with the top band on the bag, why did it turn out so skinny?? I interfaced everything and sewed the strap in between the layers instead of sewing it onto the outside like the pattern says. The magnetic clasp is probably too strong for this little bag but I only had a large clasp on hand. I love love love the bright yellow stars used for the lining. It's the perfect sized bag for a child, I would like to try making it again though after enlarging the pattern, apparently 130% is a good size.

Miss M is very happy with her new bag. When I get a chance I will make her a skirt in the same Tweety Bird fabric, she loves Tweety!

Mmmmm nice, bright yellow!

School Holiday Sewing

2009-10-03T13:39:00.014+10:00

I had some trouble the first time around when making the Make it Perfect Little Explorer pants. No use trying to hide the fact that I'm a beginner sewer and sometimes the littlest things just don't make sense to me...how was I to know I was cutting out 2 left legs per pair?? So I cut out the other legs and then both pairs officially sat there and became UFO's - until now. My little man has scored both of these pairs so the initial mistake was a good thing in the end because otherwise I probably wouldn't have got around to making him any in time for this summer.

I luuuuurve the stripey trim on this pair.

I've done the star trim before for my nephew but on this pair I did a stripey pocket instead of the denim.

I had a lot more success with this Oliver + S Popover Sundress than my first try. This one is *almost* perfect.

Last of all I made a cute and quick headband to match the O+S dress. These are both being sent off to Miss S for her 6th birthday which has been and gone. (I get there eventually but I do need to work on getting presents to people on time!) I will definitely be making more of these headbands. I used the tute by Blue Bird Studio and the headband you see on my almost 6 year old daughter's head started out as a 5" x 20" sized piece of fabric. The first headband I did was too tight for her head at 18" long, but would be perfect for a toddler.

I also need to give a huge shout out to my amazing parents who have helped me so much these holidays with my kids and without their help I would be nowhere near getting these 4 things finished (or surviving the last 2 weeks) - THANK YOU!!

Pleated Shoulder Bag V3

2009-09-26T15:38:00.008+10:00

This bag was made for C, whom I've never met before. C saw the bag that I made for E and liked it so much that she wanted me to make her a bag too so she asked my mum (C, E and mum all work together) and of course my mum said "sure, she would love to make you a bag!!"

I sent C some emails with fabric combo's and she chose this Amy Butler Lacework in Brown and Full Moon Dots in Lime combo, mmmmmm yum!

I used the same pattern as the Dick and Jane bag I made for the bag swap. This time the handles are a little floppier due to the lighter-weight interfacing but I think I prefer them to be that little bit stiffer. I used pellon for this bag where as I didn't in the Dick and Jane bag. I love the quilted feel and thickness of the pellon.

I did a huge zippered pocket so C will be able to store lots in there and I also made sure I got a longer zipper for this bag, no worrying about fitting your hand into this pocket.

I am really happy with the end result and once again, will be sorry to see it go.

ONE SIDE

OTHER SIDE

BIG ZIPPERED POCKET

I ended up making a matching pocket tissue holder as a little extra surprise - too cute!

Oliver + S Popover Sundress

2009-09-22T22:43:00.005+10:00

When I first saw this free pattern by Oliver + S I wasn't inspired to make it (!). It was only after seeing some of the dresses made by the girls in my online beginners sewing group that I knew I had to make one too.

I was disappointed with a few silly things I could have done better. The yoke stitching runs off ever so slightly (on the wrong side thankfully), the hem is pretty wonky and I forgot to tuck in the raw ends of the straps. I think there may have been 1 or 2 teeny tiny tucks on the armhole binding too. Next time I will go to bed instead of being too stubborn and wanting to finish.

The fabric is ok, it's sweet for a little girl (butterflies, flowers, of course M loves it) but the placement of the navy blue flowers annoys me so I like it worn better with the white side under the yoke at the back.

I also would have preferred to do the yoke in a navy blue instead of the pale pink but I didn't have any fabric in that colour (stubborn remember, couldn't wait....)

It seems to be quite long on M and plenty of room so I might even do a size smaller next time.

I like this dress but I don't love it. I will make it again though because I do like the pattern.

Retromummy's Giveaway

2009-09-18T23:24:00.002+10:00

Be sure to head on over to Corrie's blog and enter her giveaway. Thank you so much for such a generous giveaway Retromummy I am really, really hoping I win this one :-D

Mucking Around

2009-09-13T18:15:00.005+10:00

I wanted to try making something from a few ideas I had floating around in my head.

All I really knew was that I wanted to sew strips of fabric together and to try a ruffle.

There was no pattern which is why it's very wide on M and the straps were way too long (bad measuring on my part) so instead of cutting them I've folded down the extra length and sewn across it so the excess is tucked down into the back of the dress.

Regardless of the flaws, it will be a lovely light dress this coming summer and should she have a growth spurt, there is plenty of room to move in this dress, both ways!!

Another Little Munchkins Giveaway

2009-09-04T11:39:00.003+10:00

May the stars and planets be aligned and my name be pulled out as the winner of this beautiful pattern which Novy is giving away.

While you're over at Novy's Little Munchkins blog, have a good look around, there is so much to see! Lots of beautiful sewing, she is such a clever and generous girl. Thanks for hosting another giveaway Novy.

Simplicity 4589

2009-09-04T07:30:00.002+10:00

On completion of my pyjama's I enrolled to do a second 8 week sewing course. Instead of making the same thing as the other girls, this time we were all able to choose our own pattern. I started pattern surfing and found a few I liked and finally decided on this pattern after finding that it had its very own Flickr group! There are even more photos of tops made from this pattern floating around in Flickr.

I didn't find it as simple as the pattern title implies and was glad to have my sewing teacher, Ruth, alongside to guide me through it.

Now that it's done I can see that the neck isn't quite as rounded on one side as it should be. Apart from that I'm pretty happy with it. I would make it one size bigger next time and I added the contrast band at the bottom as I felt it was a little short on me. I did mean to cut it out longer but totally forgot to so next time I will try and remember to add some length before cutting into my fabric.

A big thank you to Chris for the beautiful Amy Butler fabric which was part of my goodie pack in the bag swap. Thanks Chris!

Tail Improvements

2009-08-27T18:33:00.000+10:00

I unpicked the tail. I took the stuffing out of it. I cut some coathanger wire and put it in the tail. I re-stuffed the tail (less stuffing this time). I re-attached the tail and put some bends in it. I am now happy with the tail :-D

Here she is, my little dalmatian.

I also ended up making a quicky skirt for her to wear when she took the suit off so she could still be dressed up for the day but the suit was on almost all day anyway.

Seeing Spots

2009-08-26T00:10:00.005+10:00

To celebrate Children's Book Week M's school is having a "Dress up as your favourite book character" day. Without hesitation she chose to be a a 101 Dalmatian and as she pointed out..."not all of them mum!"

This is the first time I haven't groaned and rolled my eyes upon hearing about another dress up day, I was actually excited about making her a costume (I've secretly always wanted to be one of *those* mums).

I found this pattern and some spotty faux fur fabric from Lincraft. The fur was ok to work with, quite messy and it became thick and bulky to sew in some places. Other than that, this was a really easy pattern and apart from the tail looking like something else (go on, have a guess at what I could be getting at!!) I am really happy with the end result.

Perhaps I overstuffed the tail...?

Ok, I've decided I have overstuffed the tail and with less stuffing it might look less like what I think it looks like.

Oh dear!

This is M wearing the costume before I had done the wrist/ankle elastic and also before I had attached the ears and tail. Excuse H's mismatched pj's, instead just focus your attention on the tiny little gap in M's mouth, she lost her first tooth!

Nothing to See Here

2009-08-15T01:41:00.001+10:00

**Apologies for the absence of hyperlinks, I am too tired (yawn) and will come back and edit my post soon**

Another birthday present.

A pair of Little Explorer pants in a size 3 and this time I appliqued a t-shirt with much better results than my effort with the baby bodysuit. Thanks to Mel for linking to the photo with the heavier applique stitching following my calls of help in a previous post. I think the tighter stitching looks much better and I am confident it will wash and wear a lot better too. I tucked the edges under this time aswell.

Do you think the dots are ok for a 3yo boy? I've loved them ever since I saw them. They are from a range called Baby Safari and I think they are quite babyish but I asked mum for her opinion and she thought the opposite (no surprises there) and said if anything she thought they were more "grown up". I would put my Mr 2 in a pair of these so I'm hoping Mr 3's mum (and Mr 3) like them too.

Another texta roll. This time I used some yellow stars since I bought some after wishing I had had it for the first texta roll I made.

Happy birthday to Mr 3 tomorrow, we can't wait to come to your party and celebrate your special day with you :-D

Summer Top

2009-08-12T22:05:00.010+10:00

It feels so good to be back in my blog with a new post, it's been too long....

This top was made from a really easy and great pattern from Frog Legs and Ponytails and is called the Amelia Shirt.

I had some trouble at my last sewing class with some armhole bias binding on a different top I'm making so I was scared to try again but it went on perfectly. I decided to use some of M's hair clips to keep the binding in place and it worked a treat, so much easier than trying to sew right up to the pins which is why I think I had problems last time.

Unfortunately this top isn't for me (sob, sob) as I love the AB fabric which I ordered in especially for my friend, whose birthday was yesterday. I love the style of this top and ordered enough AB fabric (different pattern/colours) to make myself one too. I had trouble deciding which fabric to use for my friend and ended up choosing this combo because I think it's more "her" than the other fabric set. FWIW I love both lots that I ordered and would've been happy with a top in either!

Bias binding being held in place with hairclips

Happy with the armhole binding

Finished!

...and me modelling the top

A Sweet Little Set for a 1st Birthday

2009-08-02T15:57:00.007+10:00

I've had my eye on this dotty fabric for a while now and thought it would look super cute as a trim on the Little Explorer pants. I hope Mr 1 year old and his mum love this little set which will be perfect for next summer, since we are already halfway through winter.

Another attempt at applique, this time around a square instead of superhero logo's. I thought a square would be easier (straight lines) but of course the stitches were so much more obvious on this little bodysuit than they were on the cape, which you had to look very closely at to notice any imperfections. I didn't know how to zigzag neatly around the corners and ended up starting new stitching for each edge (nowhere near as nice). I think next time I will turn the sides under to avoid fraying. I used fusible web and I thought it would *seal* the edges but it didn't and it ever so slightly started to fray but won't the zigzag stop that anyway??

Feel free to come forth with any tips to enlighten me on the art of applique.

I had a much easier run with the pants this time and will definitely be making more of these little sets, they are just too cute!

I LOVE this little tag!!

It will be good to do more applique and get better at it

Presents for C

2009-07-31T22:35:00.013+10:00

I really hope my beautiful little nephew enjoys these things I made for him. They were hand delivered to him interstate today, an unforgivable 2 months after his birthday. I'm sure at 3 years of age he didn't notice the absence of a gift from us on his actual birthday, but belated present giving was on my list of NY resolutions and it seems I still have some work to do in this department.

I wanted to make C a pair of Little Explorer pants and a matching Lazy Day Hat. Due to some major brain dysfunction on my part, the pants pattern and I just did not get along and I could possibly be the only person in the world that had trouble with this pattern (which I think is classed as easy). Now that I have finished the pants, I would agree that yes, this pattern is easy! I used the ribbon trick and added a little piece to show the back of the pants. Unfortunately I ran out of time to put together the hat, even though the pieces are cut out and sitting here waiting to be sewn. I will finish it this week and post it up instead.

I had C in mind when I posted about the texta roll. You will be pleased to know that the display textas were replaced with brand new textas, perhaps his mum would have preferred crayons though? Personally, I always thought textas were more fun when I was a kid ;-)

And last but not least is the reversible Superhero Cape. When I saw this tute I knew I had to make it for C. I'm so glad I made this last weekend when G took the kids out for the afternoon (since I ended up running out of time to do the hat). It was an easy little project but I was nervous about drawing out my own neck shape. I copied the tute as best I could and it turned out quite well. I loved using the felt and fusbile web. It also gave me my first opportunity to try applique which was much easier on the straight lines and a bit tricky around the curves. Again, I'm really happy with the cape and will have to make a couple for my kids and they will also make fantastic gifts, more things to make for the present box!

And thank you to my sister in law for her fabulous compliments on my sewing, it was so nice to hear such fantastic feedback on the presents.

Texta Roll

2009-07-23T23:54:00.008+10:00

Aren't crayon rolls so sweet!

I actually have someone in mind for the one I made tonight but his/her mummy may read this blog so I won't mention any names for now. I wasn't going to blog it but I just couldn't resist, I love the colours going on here.

I'll have to make a few of these up and put them in the present box since I think they would be the perfect addition to a present or even a gift all on its own.

The texta's in the pictures are display only (knicked from the kids stash), hence we have a texta roll and not a crayon roll ;-)

I used Novy's tute but forgot to pin the front pocket onto the inside fabric before sewing the lines in so instead of unpicking I pinned the pieces together and just stitched again.

Being the lover of interfacing that I am, I also interfaced one of the large fabric pieces.

The beautiful red ribbon was part of my goodies haul from Chris, thanks Chris!

I love the dotty fabric and love how it looks with the stripes. Next time I will use different fabrics for the inside and outside pieces, I would've killed for some yellow stars, why didn't I just grab a metre of that when I was buying the other fabric??

Rolled up

Unrolled, flap down

and....

Unrolled!

and the back

4 Li'ldarlins Hair Accessories Giveaway

2009-07-22T23:08:00.005+10:00

Congratulations to Chris from 4 Li'l Darlins for the successful launch of her new website for beautiful bows and hair accessories. I know first hand how fantastic Chris' sewing is and when M's school bow arrives, I will be able to tell you how awesome her clips are too!

Chris is hosting a giveaway on her blog, a very generous one at that. Be sure to take a good look around the whole blog though because there are lots of clips, crochet hats, bows and headbands but also make sure you check out the sewing posts (which stopped at the start of June due to a sudden clip and bow post explosion LOL) and you will see how clever and creative Chris is.

Mention this giveaway on your blog for an extra entry into the draw and at the same time you will be helping to support Chris in her new and exciting venture :-)

Happy Birthday E

2009-07-22T09:59:00.008+10:00

Last Saturday night, mum suggested I make a bag for E's birthday on Wednesday. It was a bit last minute, but how could I say no? E is a beautiful friend of mum's who I claim as *my* friend too :-D

With a full day already planned for Sunday, I whizzed off to Spotlight for some fabric on Sunday morning, knowing only that E liked "earthy" colours. I would have much preferred to order some fabric from Etsy but alas, not enough time.

I loved the combination I chose but then halfway through the bag I started having doubts that it would suit E's tastes. On completion of the bag, I changed my mind again and love the choice of fabric. (That is the Libran in me!)

I wanted the bag to be really structured so I used a heavy interfacing on the lining and then sewed pellon on top of that. It was fusible pellon but I didn't realise you can't fuse pellon onto interfacing, hence why I had to baste it in first. At least now my fear of using pellon has been confronted.

Both fabrics were furnishing fabrics which helped to add body to the bag. The weight of the fabric combined with the interfaced lining and the pellon made for a very thick bag. I'm glad I left such a wide gap in the lining for the turn through. I was dreading sewing the straps in but was surprised at how my (ok my mum's) machine handled it. It was thick and sometimes needed a hand but overall it did a great job.

I'm disappointed with the length of the zipper, I bought one a tad too small and can hardly fit my hand into the pocket. Maybe E can keep a 50 stashed in there for emergencies.

Other than the zipper, I love this bag. I love the size of it (not too big, not too small) and I loved making it. I think I was so much more confident making this bag more so than the Dick and Jane bag that I made for the bag swap and will definitely be using this pattern again.

Thank you so much to Emma for sharing this pattern with me.

PJ's

2009-07-18T13:27:00.001+10:00

This has got to be blogged before my first day back at sewing class today!!

This was a project selected for the class by our lovely and very talented teacher, Ruth. Apparently pyjama's are deemed a "forgiving" project for beginner sewers ;-)

I didn't want to blog my pj's until they were completely finished. Since the end of sewing class about 3 weeks ago, all I needed to do was sew the buttons on. I avoided doing it until last night and really have no idea why I put it off so long. It took me all of half an hour and then my pj's were done. Finished. Finally!

Excuse the fact that they're not ironed, at least they have buttons.

Dick and Jane Bag

2009-07-14T19:25:00.014+10:00

I am really excited to show off the bag I made for the bag swap.

Everyone in the swap put forward their likes and dislikes for the bag that they would be receiving. I tried to make my bag with the following things in mind.

* Casual
* Medium size
* Worn over the shoulder
* Bright colours like red's and blue's
* No yellow
* Retro!

I originally bought some red Antique Treasures fabric from Spotlight (which I love) but following some further research as to the meaning of "retro" I decided I was way off the mark and purchased some full on retro Dick and Jane fabric from this fabulous Etsy seller instead. I LOVE the Dick and Jane fabric and thought it was the perfect opportunity to use it. After all, what is more retro than that?

I found this bag pattern that I really liked so proceeded to make a trial bag using the fabric I originally purchased from SL. I was happy with how it turned out but knew I wanted to

1 - use a lighter interfacing on the contrast band around the top of the bag
2 - make it a 2 handle bag instead of 1
3 - add a zippered pocket

There were many attempts with the zippered pocket but I got there in the end and was so proud of myself :D I was, however, disappointed in one side of the bag. I wanted each side to look completely different but I only cut 1 square across whereas I should have turned the fabric around completely for a different pattern altogether. This resulted in one side having the words D&J perfectly lined up with the pleat between the words and the other side being off centre :-( That is my only disappointment with the bag.

Overall I was really pleased with the bag. If it just so happens that the recipient of my D&J bag decides it isn't in fact suited to their taste, please don't just pop it in a cupboard, contact me for all expenses paid return postage details...please!

Unfortunately I couldn't cut this out again since I'd already messed it up once already :-(

and this is the trial bag I made with the Antique Treasures fabric I bought for the actual bag before deciding to go with the Dick and Jane fabric instead. I saw someone else in the swap use this fabric but in the blue print, lovely!

$40p/m Japanese Cotton

2009-07-13T00:34:00.017+10:00

Would require you to double check all of your measurements and to cut carefully!! That is why I prefer to use more economical fabrics, such as this pillowcase from Dimmey's, which cost me $2 for the set. Go Dimmey's.

My pillowcase dress ended up with some side splits because I unpicked the bit that slips over the pillow. I like it. Thanks to Chris for the orange ribbon which was part of my goody pack from the bag swap.

Don't look too close, it's rough in places. Lucky I wasn't using Japanese cotton.

Sweet Little Dress

2009-07-11T23:38:00.000+10:00

After hearing some great reviews on the Leila & Ben Sweet Little Dress pattern, I went ahead and ordered it. It really is a sweet little dress and I wanted to make one. I think I am a very slow sewer as this dress ended up taking me the whole day to finish. I am also easily distracted which wouldn't have helped.

I found the sleeves a bit fiddly when I was trying to do the casings right under the arm, I haven't heard anyone else mention it being fiddly, perhaps it was just me? I'm wondering too if I missed the bit where it said to iron the casings and hem on both body pieces? I did it on both sleeves but only did it on one of the body pieces. Next time I will iron all the spots that require hemming or a casing.

Here's what I ended up with, it's a size 5.

Giveaway from Make It Perfect

2009-07-11T19:22:00.004+10:00

Everyone loves a giveaway so why not post about the Make It Perfect giveaway on your blog and

1) Let everyone know that there is a gorgeous new boys pattern to be won

and

2) Double your chances of winning. Anyone posting about the giveaway on their blog gets two entries into the draw.

What are you waiting for??

Stash Additions

2009-07-10T23:25:00.007+10:00

From SL earlier this week (can you tell I have a daughter?) I always thought I was a stripes girl, but looking at this, I think I am actually a dots girl.

And a conservative purchase from my local fabric shop today. There were several retro/vintage style fabrics, all gorgeous but I had to restrain and I chose only 3, plus some BOY fabric whooohoooo H might just get something after all LOL

My Bonus Bag, Lucky Me

2009-07-10T10:52:00.008+10:00

As if one beautiful bag wasn't enough! Thank you so much Emma, you honestly didn't have to do anything in return, like I said, I could spend hours fabric shopping and loved getting you some boy fabric to use.

I love that both bags that I received were completely different and I love them both. I think the tissue holder is such a handy little item and want to make one now too.

How awesome is the personalised label!! Very, very cool ;-)

Thank you SO much Emma!!

Whoops, I didn't put a card in for the person I sewed for, now I know for next time. Here is the cute card Emma popped in with my bag.

It's Opening Day!!

2009-07-10T08:56:00.006+10:00

Finally the big day has arrived. I feel so lucky and special, the goodies I received were beyond generous and the bag in itself is completely gorgeous! I love it and want to say a big thank you to the very talented Chris for sewing it for me. I only know Chris through our internet beginners sewing group and I don't know her that well but what I do know is that Chris is SUPER busy with 4 young children and a brand new business making gorgeous hair accessories. I also know that Chris spends many late nights and is often up until the early hours of the morning working on her new business so thank you Chris for finding the time to sew my beautiful bag. The extra goodies you included were a complete surprise and extremely appreciated, I love it all, thank you!

And so, without further ado, here is my haul.

Miss M's eyes lit up when she saw the doggy fabric, I've already got a couple of ideas for it. There is a beautiful piece of Robert Kaufman fabric with lots of red in it which I love and I couldn't believe the gorgeous, and not to mention, huge piece of Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabric, oh I feel so lucky, I've never owned AB fabric before!!! I love the copy of Homesewn, I've never read a sewing magazine before and can't wait to have a proper look through it and try some of the projects in it.

Oh and I also love the card Chris sent, it's a beautiful card and I must ask Chris where she got it from. Chris you also have beautiful handwriting LOL!

Opening Day Eve

2009-07-09T16:40:00.003+10:00

Tomorrow is opening day for the bag swap challenge, I am sooooo excited. The bag from my swap person arrived today and it FEELS awesome LOL. I *think* there might be a big button on the front of it....

I was also very lucky and surprised to receive another parcel at the same time as my swap bag today. I recently enjoyed doing some fabric shopping for a new cyber friend who lives in a small town with extremely few fabric shops (one!) I loved doing it and you can check out the haul I got for Emma here.

What is inside these post bags???

A Killer Skirt

2009-07-07T15:54:00.004+10:00

We joke in sewing class that sewing is an extreme sport. Last night proved that either A) sewing is indeed just that or B) I am just plain stupid!

The bulb blew on my machine. It was late. I didn't think. I started hacking away with a screwdriver forgetting I was still plugged in and switched on. Next thing there is a spark and a bang and the electricity goes out. I sat there a bit stunned and then realised that if it weren't for the clipsal safety switch, I might have been sizzled! It turns out that I didn't even need a screwdriver to get the bulb out *sigh*

So this really is one killer skirt and was made using this tute and I added a ribbon hem, really just an adult version of the Lazy Days Skirt.

and please excuse the mess in the background, I have kids!

Oh and I think that from options A and B.....B is correct LOL

A Hat

2009-07-02T14:31:00.005+10:00

A hat has been on the to do list for a while now. I love the Lazy Day Hats by Make it Perfect but thought it best to try a free sun hat tute before buying a pattern. My hat is a cross between using this and this. It's quite a floppy hat so I trimmed mine a lot because I was using fabric to suit a boy. The floppiness would work for a girl though and apparently I'm making one for M tonight LOL.

I found it fairly quick and easy and that is enough to justify going forth and purchasing said pattern ;-)

Here is the finished product. I made it reversible and love the look of the denim side. I'm hoping it will fit my nephew, yes, I should've taken his head measurement before starting, oops!

Denim side

Plane side

and here is M selecting her hat fabric!

Little Munchkins Giveaway

2009-07-02T14:08:00.002+10:00

There were several reasons I started sewing a few months ago. I somehow stumbled onto sewing blogs and loved looking at all of the creations people were making and the gorgeous fabrics being used. I still remember the first time I came across a post on a parenting forum from the writer of the Little Munchkins blog. Novy was asking for opinions on a jacket she had made, it was this jacket here. My eyes almost fell out of my head, what a beautiful jacket! From then on I began following Novy's blog, she is so talented and now it seems I can add generous to the list. Novy is giving away 2 Oliver + S patterns, with the winner being able to choose either the boy or girl pattern. Oliver + S are the brains behind the ever so simple Lazy Day Skirts. I've also recently stumbled across this pattern and would love to make the playsuit version of the teaparty sundress. So checkout Novy's blog and leave a comment for your chance to win one of these gorgeous patterns, even better, tell your cyber buddies about it on your blog and double your chances of winning by getting 2 entries. Good luck!

Bag Swap

2009-06-29T22:10:00.002+10:00

A few weeks ago I signed up for my first ever sewing swap. It's a bag swap. The girls that have signed up have each received a person to sew a bag for. No-one knows who is sewing for who. Some girls have specified their likes and dislikes for what they hope to receive, others have simply asked that the person sewing for them chooses a pattern and fabric they love and to have fun with it.

I have finished my bag for the swap. Since I've only been sewing for a few months I decided to do a trial bag and have since finished my *real* bag for the swap. I'm really happy with it and hope my person likes it. I am dying to post some pics and run through the love/hate relationship I had with my bag but can't reveal anything until opening day, Friday 10th July. Some of the girls in the swap have posted sneak peaks on their blogs but since I've always been able to leave the presents under the tree until Christmas morning, I will wait until the 10th.

Arghhh No Internet!!

2009-06-29T21:42:00.005+10:00

It's only been a few days but oh how I miss my internet. We won't have access at home until Wednesday so here I am getting a fix on a friends computer.

What is the upside of having no internet? Getting those boring little sewing jobs out of the way. This morning I had a pile of bitsy things to do, tonight it's gone!!

* I patched hubby's work jeans which truly have seen better days but alas, another patch has been added.

* I chopped the feet off H's fleecy sleepsuit and hemmed them so now they should last the winter.

* The elastic had gone in one of M's dress up princess skirts. Fixed, then worn for the rest of the afternoon (by her, not me LOL)

* 2 buttons sewn back on to M's school tunic. Old me would have done it the night before school started back, yay for me :-)

I don't get much sewing done when the kids are around unless I choose to sew with interruptions. They were pretty good this afternoon so when they both wanted to try some sewing I decided to encourage their interest in it. M has had a few goes on the machine before but of course H hasn't, he's only 2! I put the foot pedal on one of the kids little chairs so H could reach it and he actually did really well. The 2 bits of scrap fabric I cut for M ended up as a bag, she stitched all 3 sides and I added a handle for her. I'm so proud of her, she made her first bag! Here it is....

A Quick Scarf

2009-06-08T22:16:00.005+10:00

* Lots of polar fleece lying around. (Can't even remember why I bought so much in the first place??)

* Perfect colour match for M's school uniform.

* Quick and easy but it did require an attempt at a blind stitch which bored me after a few minutes so it's not perfect but looks quite ok.

* Result - a nice long, warm scarf for those chilly days when M has to be outside.

* Proudly modelled by H!

Lazy Days Skirt 3 & 4

2009-06-07T23:38:00.009+10:00

Lazy Days Skirt numbers 3 & 4 and maybe the last for a while (maybe?). I love them all. I was really happy with both of these, I love the fabric, the colours, the ribbons...I hope the lucky birthday girl enjoys them and since she put one on straight away, I'm sure she will!

FRONT - I don't think the photo does justice to the true electric blue colour of the ribbon, it's so much better in real life

Showing the BACK, I tried to make the ribbon fold over neatly and be somewhat in proportion to the seam as opposed to my effort with the pink LD skirt. I was happy enough with this effort.

FRONT - I love the colours of this skirt and am so pleased I went with an orange ribbon for the hem - gorgeous!

The BACK almost matches up (it was a fluke). I found it so much easier using fabric with a consistent, even pattern, it made it even quicker to make than usual.

Scuze the black fluff on the skirt!

And here is the birthday girl in her new skirt. I'm glad she opened our present last because she kept wearing her presents as she opened them and as you can see, the skirt was the 3rd layer LOL

Finally It's Finished

2009-06-07T00:44:00.005+10:00

And I couldn't be happier! This project dragged on way too long.

I avoided working on it for fear of things like buttonholes which, as you can see, I avoided completely and cheated by using press studs. The interfaced insert doesn't quite fit properly and that definitely put me off working on it further.

On the flipside, I love my hemming effort and I love how the pink press studs turned out. I picked them up, along with a nice strong tool to replace the plastic one I used on the change wallet, at Lincraft so I guess that place is good for something! The new tool makes it easier to put the studs in too.

And I will add some action shots tomorrow of M in her new dress. Edited 2/7 to finally add a photo of M in her dress.

Another Lazy Days Skirt

2009-05-31T21:11:00.004+10:00

Hmmm I'm not sure why I found this one more fiddly than the strawberry shortcake one, the fabric perhaps? It was much thicker and I found it harder to bunch once the elastic was in so maybe that was it. I'm a little disappointed with it but I'm sure M will love it. She loved it when she saw the pink ribbon lol. In the end I thought a red ribbon would look much better but of course she wouldn't hear of it so pink it was. I accidentally ironed the ribbon and it is slightly scarred as a result :-( All a learning curve though, here it is...

and a close up of my boo boo :-(

It's true, it really was easy!

2009-05-30T22:54:00.005+10:00

I can't believe it took me this long to stumble across the Oliver + S Lazy Days Skirt.

I will definitely be making more of these and have already got 2 lots of fabric (purchased after class today) to start on tomorrow. 1 fabric has lots of blue and I bought a blue ribbon to go with it, the colours are so gorgeous, I can't wait til it's finished and I haven't even started it LOL.

Anyway, I had someone in mind when I was making this skirt and I think it might actually be good enough to give as a present. I got some fusible webbing too and was going to do a matching love heart top to go with it.

Arghhhh I'm getting so sidetracked with other things to sew, what about my bibs, M's dress and the Flipsy?!!

Finally, several months later I am adding a semi action shot....

Bibs

2009-05-27T22:53:00.009+10:00

Here is my first bib made courtesy of this pattern and tute.

The pattern is in 2 bits to fit on the page but I cut it out and didn't stick it together and instead used contrasting fabric, which I must say I am a bit tired of looking at since it's my pj fabric. I made the same mistake on the bib at the bottom that happened with R's ballet bag, either the fabric wasn't taut enough or perhaps just too big? It created a couple of unwanted pleats. I unpicked R's bag when it happened but it wasn't worth doing for this bib so M has inherited it and can use it for her doll's. Other than that, I'm really happy with it....oh actually no, I will use a middle layer of terry next time, it was a bit thin.

THE GOOD SIDE

THE BAD SIDE

CLOSE UP OF MISTAKE - Why does this happen??

BIB SNAPPED TOGETHER

This is the next lot of bibs waiting for the other 2 layers to be cut. I ended up lengthening the pattern and also squared off the ends.

I love showing lots of photos :-D

No Sew Tutu

2009-05-26T14:53:00.001+10:00

Technically this shouldn't be in a sewing blog since it requires no sewing! Miss M loves her new tutu which I made using this really easy tute.

Digger Pants

2009-05-22T23:24:00.006+10:00

H is obsessed with diggers. There are lots of local roadworks atm and we seem to stop in the street and watch them working away and if we're in the car, I hear about all the diggers we pass by. H also likes a particular top he has with a digger on it which he loves so I figured the boy needs some digger clothes. This was the best fabric I could find with diggers on it, I guess it's lucky he loves trucks and fire engines too! Using this really easy tute, I made these tonight. Since they are only for playing or sleeping in, I deliberately tried not to worry about trying to make them perfect, besides I decided to line them with polar fleece making them much too thick for my machine so there are lots of little gaps where I couldn't get the needle in close enough to the seam. At least they will be warm for him to wear with the days being so cool atm.

and a pic of the pants on my little man

The Ballet Bag - Second Attempt

2009-05-22T23:17:00.005+10:00

It's done and I'm happy with it! Yep, there was more unpicking (again). I finished the whole thing and ended up with a kind of pleat at the top of the bag because it wasn't taut enough when I was sewing it, so I unpicked the whole thing and did it again. I've never been this anal about anything, how weird. Miss R loved the other bag but I'm sure she will *love* this one, I found this cute ballerina material which was perfect since the bag is for Miss R to take to ballet class.

ONE SIDE

THE OTHER SIDE

Whoops, I chopped all the ballerina's off the top on this side

Mistakes, the best way to learn

2009-05-20T21:47:00.006+10:00

Remember the bag I made for Miss C? Well her sister, Miss R, loved it so much she requested one too. Off she went to the fabric shop with her mum to pick out some cutie pie fairy material. Up for a new challenge I surfed around for an improvement on my basic drawstring bags and found this. It looked, dare I say, fairly easy, so I gave it a shot and, well, I did more unpicking than sewing. I didn't realise the bag was more like a pouch so tried to make the whole thing bigger but it was a disaster and I got it all wrong so kept adjusting things as I went. I managed to get the square bottom on but then there was extra material and the sides didn't sew up evenly. To save my sanity I ditched the bottom and just sewed up the sides. I was really happy with the fact that it was reversible but the shape was just too funny and G even asked if I was going to keep his cricket bat in it lol. Determined not to let this bag get the better of me, I decided it had to be altered, after all, that's what sewing is all about right? So, after some more unpicking and cutting, I now have a bag that looks more like a hot water bottle cover than a cricket bat bag! Oh well, I will attempt a proper bag for Miss C tomorrow after I have bought some more fabric. I am really proud that it's reversible though so that is something great to get out of this project.

BEFORE

AFTER

Ta Daa!

2009-05-11T13:45:00.009+10:00

I tried whacking the top snap in 3 times then decided to take the dog for a walk with H. Had a think about what I was doing wrong and then decided to make 1 more attempt before getting G to do it for me. This time it stuck. I am in love with this wallet, I think it's the planes.

Here it is all finished. I'm not sure if the pic overload is due to being so damn proud of this little number or because I'm a Libran and can't make a decision to save myself.

Oh, and I definitely need a new camera. I had to go outside for these photos, my camera refused to come to the party for any indoor shots.

Look What I Whipped Up

2009-05-11T00:57:00.006+10:00

Late net surfing and an urge to make *something*. I found this change purse and thought it was cute so I gave it a shot. I've been dying to use this gorgeous plane fabric, dare I say it but I'm a bit over the girly stuff atm, all my projects have been with florals, butterflies, pink....I need a break!

Will have to buy some snaps tomorrow then I can finish the flap.

Ugh more terrible quality photos, me thinks a new camera is in need of purchase ;-)

Dress progress

2009-05-10T21:53:00.003+10:00

My brain couldn't cope with what would seem an easy step, sewing in the interfacing to the dress. I had to unpick 2 attempts and I know it's still not done right but I was just glad once I got it in. Only the button holes and hem to go! I'm already really happy with it and like I tell everyone else, pretty good for my first dress :-D I tried it on M and it was perfect (in my eyes lol)

Plodding Along

2009-05-07T21:46:00.007+10:00

For some reason it didn't occur to me that I should also wash the fabric for M's dress that I so proudly blogged about pinning last night. Not sure why I thought to do it for the flipsy and not the other. Ahh well, it was quite late.

Now, all fabric has been washed and tumble dried and the side project dress for M has been cut out and stitched down either side. Honestly I am surprising myself each step of the way and can't wait to do more on it tomorrow. It's hard getting much done though with a 2 year old "helping". I was on the floor cutting out the dress today with an aeroplane balancing between my shoulder blades. Clever huh ;-)

Some pics from today

Er, aren't the notches supposed to match up??

Tonight's Effort

2009-05-07T00:11:00.003+10:00

Some progress tonight. I have finished cutting the pj pieces out, was a little slow in class on Saturday and at home I get nervous without the teacher standing by lol but it's done now all ready for the next class.

To further conquer my weird cutting fear, I revisited M's dress that I ended up cutting out after my first class as a side project. I ran out of pins (they're all on the pj's) but otherwise am happy to pin the pattern pieces and start cutting, yay!

I also pulled out the flipsy material and was about to start cutting but then thought I'd better wash it first so will do that tomorrow.

Here's a pic of the flipsy material, hopefully the 4 fabrics will not clash when assembled.

Prettying Up the Blog

2009-05-05T15:10:00.004+10:00

Have been having a play around with my settings, I think I'm finally getting this blogging stuff. At least it looks pretty now :-) No sewing since last Thursday, I'm starting to worry I will forget that one and only stitch I know lol.

My current WIP

2009-05-04T15:04:00.007+10:00

And here are some photos of the pj's I am currently working on in my sewing class

The first photo is with the main fabric of the pj's and the pale pink is the contrast fabric which at this stage is going to be the pocket on the top and I'll do contrast for the collar as well and maybe if I'm up to it I'll try and put cuffs on the wrists and pants.

C's Library Bag

2009-05-04T13:49:00.005+10:00

As you will remember, I took my 2 little darlings + M's little school friend, C, to the fabric shop. C chose this gorgeous floral fabric for her library bag. I got ambitious halfway through this and decided to line it with a bunny rug. I was sooooo pleased with the end result even though I would do some things differently, but it's good to experiment and find out what does and doesn't work. Sorry for the dark photo, it was night time and bad light!

Toot Toot Bag

2009-05-04T00:25:00.002+10:00

Following the huge feeling of pride and satisfaction the first bag gave me, I did another, this time a toot toot bag for H. It turned out way too big but I was so pleased with it, nice and tidy this time mum!

My First Drawstring Bag

2009-05-04T00:04:00.002+10:00

Here it is, my pride and joy, my first completed sewing project. Mum commented on the ends of the casing where the drawstring goes through but in my defence the tutorial was for a complete beginner (perfect!) and didn't address the hemming of the casing. I have since unpicked the whole top seam and unfolded the casing to fix this up, so there mum! The tutorial I used is here

Project PJ's

2009-05-02T18:29:00.000+10:00

This afternoon saw the completion of my second week at sewing school. We have all been assigned with pyjama's. Last week I cut out my pattern and our homework was to buy our fabric and some sewing supplies. I've been to two fabric shops this week but no, I had to wait until this morning to get my material. I raced home and threw it in the wash and then tumble dried it in preparation for class only to end up taking damp material since I ran out of time. It was all ok though and most of my pattern pieces have been cut and are ready for next week's class when we actually get to use the machines - how exciting!

Yes, I know I have promised pics, they aren't far away...

1 Week In

2009-05-01T00:13:00.000+10:00

I've been sewing for a whole week now. In that short space of time I've made 5 drawstring bags otherwise known as library bags. I took the kids into the fabric shop tonight along with one of M's school friends, C. C fell in love with the shop and immediately pointed out a lovely floral fabric. I asked her if she would like me to make a bag for her in that fabric and her eyes lit up and she politely said "yes please", it was very cute.

As I was making it, I realised it was only thin material and out of nowhere came the bright idea to line it....what the?! Before I could change my mind, I grabbed an old bunny rug of H's and muddled my way through it.

It's not even close to perfect but again, I feel such satisfaction and pride it doesn't even matter. Besides, I think it looks perfect ;-)

I will load some pics tomorrow.