Leap Year Day

I have a friend who was born on leap day - 29 February.  She says that she doesn't have a birthday and only celebrates when her date comes up.  That makes me so sad - I look foward to my birthday every year.  I say that she should celebrate on the 28th AND the 1st.

She is special - she should get to celebrate more than the rest of us!  Don't you agree?

Last year I made this for her.  This year I made her this pretty teal cross-body bag.

I posted it to her yesterday, all wrapped up in tissue paper and string and packaged in one of my pretty pink mailing bags.  If I must confess, I am just a little anxious - a) what if the postman doesn't bring it to her today? and b) what if she hates it?

Ava's little Croc's bag was my inspiration.  I think that I need to make another grown up version for me!  Maybe add a little fabric flower too.  Once I have made a few tweaks to the pattern and the way that I assembled it, I thought I might add a few to my shop or maybe create a pattern for it.  What do you think?

Just a about a week late

My intention for Kids Clothes Week Challenge was positive.  I wasn't 100% confident that I would find time  or energy for children's sewing related *stuff* every day...but, I was indeed hopeful!  High-hopes.  Very High Hopes.

Thursday: fabric arrived and was washed.  Inspired by those lovely fabrics, patterns were traced.  Friday: patterns were cut.

Saturday: fabric was cut.  {including my most favourite and very well worn maternity jeans - 2 pregnancies and 2 post-pregnancies...holes everywhere and hems worn through}

Then the rest spilt into this past week....and all I have to show for it is this little dress finished today.  And, only finished today, because Chloe slept for 3 hours this afternoon!

Poor little munchkin - for the last 3 weeks Chloe has been drooling more than she can drink.  We are more or less back on track this week, but last week was tough.  On all of us.  With two proper nights sleep in 7...us parents were walking zombies.

The little pile of cut fabric is sitting on my sewing table - soon to be leggings, long sleeved t-shirt and little knit skirt - all for Ava.  All patterns from the Autumn Ottobre.  Maybe tomorrow....

My burning question is when did Ava grow so tall?!  Last time I made her clothes she was a size 98cm....now she is 102cm tall (according to size charts 4 year old's are 104cm tall, she is 3 1/2).  So to allow a decent amount of growing room, I am sewing 110cm clothes!! (which is the next size up from the 104 in the Ottobre patterns).

She is growing up so sweetly...but far too quickly...

In between mopping all the drool, changing clothing and comfort giving, I have been practising plaiting this very beautiful, short, fine and very, very silky soft blonde hair.  Ava has been insisting on plaits in her hair - day and night.  The plaits are kept together with the very best ever DIY fold over elastic hair bands.  No snagging and super kind on her silky soft locks.

Fabric - Yay!

I love fabric.  Give me great big piles of it to snuggle into...as long as it was natural fibres...and I would be one happy bunny.

I went off in search of work pants the other day, with the girls in tow.  Not recommended!  We only managed one shop and one trying on session.  To be brief about it - I grabbed a pair of pants that seemed ok and ran out the shop (of course, paying first).  What I ended up with was a pair of nasty clingy, static-y polyester!  I do not like clingy polyester.  Needless to say they were returned.

When I sew for the girls, I always use cotton fabric.  Often with some elastine content.  I love the funky fabric that the likes of Dots n Stripes and Ottobre sell.  Those bright colours, fun patterns and funky stripes would be my choice for their clothing first time every time....but, they are pricey!  So I really don't buy them very often.

Ava is in need of winter clothing - simple stuff...leggings and long sleeve tops and a pinafore or two.  To get me started, I decided to buy a few pieces of fabric from one of my favourite shops.

The fabric arrived this morning and has been washed.  That is as far as I have gone really.  When I finish up here, I will be clearing all the *stuff* off of our dining room table and spreading out a few pattern sheets to trace a pattern or three.

...fingers cross that is a reality....

Kids Clothes Week 2012

I have just committed to doing an hour of something sewing related - for the girls - for 7 days, starting on the 8th.

My time is so limited....  but, Ava needs some new warm clothing!  Check in again soon to see how I am getting on!

Robots on the Brain

Remember my post about my robots being available to buy on Spoonflower?

Well, my sample finally arrived the other day!  I am so pleased with how they look.  I chose to print my fat quarter on their linen/cotton canvas.  They say that this particular fabric would be good for tea towels, amongst other things.  Well, they certainly are right.  It has a gorgeous weight to it and is lovely and firm with a dense weave.

I just have a teeny tiny dilemma now....will I use my piece to make something to sell...or something for us...or for a gift?  Whichever way I go - how the heck am I going to decide what to use it for!?  Pencil case - cushion - back pack - pillowcase - ???

What would you suggest I make and do with whatever I make?  Any and all suggestions would be gratefully received!

A Teensy Bit of Craftiness

Somehow, *things* seem to be really busy at home right now.  A lot of it being mischief making, with these two monkeys.  But mostly to do with the building work going on - really just paving...but a whole lot of it - Flower Daddy doing some of the work himself, at weekends too.  All in all, I am getting very little time to be crafty.  It is sending me a little bonkers.

But, yesterday, Ava had an afternoon snooze which kind of co-ordinated with Chloe's snooze.  Ava sleeping during the day means a  v-e-r-y  very late night...so not a great idea...especially with the crankiness that follows the next day.  Anyhow, it meant that I was able to sew a little.

So...did I sew something useful...or something for me to wear....or something for one of the girls to wear...?

Nope!

I sewed a dolls nappy!  Ava keeps using Chloe's 4+ nappies on her dolls.  It looks a bit ridiculous - nappy to armpit...  The nappy fabric is my new dandilion print in gold.  Which I rather love.  It was a scrap test piece.  {I based the nappy pattern on this one}

Oh...my camera also broke.  So, pics are a bit ick from my phone.

I will be requesting some *me time* this weekend of Flower Daddy.  I have new fabric that needs tending to - printing and sewing, pj's that need making and general sewing space tidy-upping!

If my request can not be fulfilled... I might just spontaneously combust.

A Skirt for Me!

Looky what I finished this morning...

A skirt for me!  It is a deep pinky-purply-fuschia-y sort of colour, in stretchy corduroy.  The pattern is from the latest Ottobre Woman's magazine and is pattern #12 .  You can see their skirt on page 4.

I must say that I am rather pleased with myself.  Especially after unpicking the zip and seams numerous times - I think that I cut it a size or 2 too big!  Also - little people distractions are not the easiest thing to cope with while trying to concentrate on cutting and sewing.

I used my new fabric designs for the pockets, pocket facings and waist facings.  Am especially pleased with the way the pockets turned out!  The raspberry poppy print is on a scrap piece of natural loomstate denim - wish I could find more of this fabric...

I think that I will be wearing my new skirt to work this week!

Almost Dead Sewing Machine

My sewing machine was stabbed...by itself...with it's own needle.  I thought that it was going to depart me for sewing machine heaven; or at the very least that I was going to have to pay someone an arm and a leg to fix it.  I must admit that I did panic.  That is until I realised that there was a little screw just waiting there for me to unscrew and try and fix my beeeeg boo boo.

This all happened while I was finishing Chloe's hooded bath towel.  Her second towel.  I started 2 for her about 8 months ago.  The first one was finished straight away, but this one needed a pretty fabric trim...and so was never finished.  Not that a fabric trim is hard work; it just needed brain power and a few minutes of uninterrupted peace and quiet for me to think.

Back to my almost dead sewing machine. 

I unscrewed that little screw....and other than the horror of a whole heap of fluff!  I found that the needle had bedded itself into my bobbin holder.

I have had my sewing machine for 3 years.  I am ashamed to say that I have never de-fluffed her.

Fortunately the bobbin holder slipped right out.

Yikes!  Right through the plastic!  I am sure as heck happy that was not my finger!  Luckily the needled wriggled easily enough out of there.

Thank goodness it wasn't actually as bad as it first seemed.

I plucked out the wads of fluff and used one of the girls paint brushes to clean out the rest of the fluff.

The brush that came with my machine was a tad bit pathetic.  The fluff just slipped straight off of it, which meant that any fluff in the places that a little brush could get and my fingers could not would have been stuck there for eternity. 

Ta dah!  All beautiful and sparkly and clean!

The purple trimmed towel is Ava's towel.  I made hers about 2 years ago.  The yellow trimmed towel is Chloe's newly trimmed towel.  They each have a second towel simply trimmed with pretty ribbon.

In case you are interested, I used this tutorial for these hooded towels.

Just in case you are worried about incapacitating your sewing machine by making these towels - my first 3 made up without a hitch.  I think that I was just impatient to get the last 1 finished.

Before and After Children

It is already over 2 months since I have been back at work - after a lovely years maternity leave.  Working in an office feels so alien to me these days.

BC (as in Before Children) I was pretty ambitious; not so phased about conforming with my 21 days annual leave; happy to travel for work; not so happy about working over time; had shelved my craftiness and hobbies; happy to wear a black suit and black shoes; happy to have a business-like handbag...you get the idea.  I had worked hard to get to the level I was within the company and was fine with it.

That was all good and fine and great.  But, I never expected my year off with Ava to mess with my values so much!  I remember worrying that I was going to be bored within 2 weeks away from work - NOT!  I remember thinking it would be no problem to stick Ava in care while I went back to work 5 days a week - NOT!  6 months into my leave and I didn't really want to go back to work...and was already thinking that a 2nd ankle biter might not be such a bad idea after all.

Over 3 years I was off on maternity leave for 2 - with a 1 year return to work break in the middle.  There will be no more little people in this house.  Two little girls is enough for us 2 parents to handle thank you very much.  So, no more maternity leave to look foward to.  It makes me very sad to think that I won't experience that freedom again.

AC (as in After Children) I am still pretty ambitious (but in a very different way); very much bugged by conforming to my annual leave allowance (travelling to South Africa with 2 little people costs a bucket - and 3 weeks away just doesn't allow enough time to visit family any more); not that happy to travel for work (although would if needed); not happy about working over time (it means that Flower Daddy has to pick up the slack); have my fingers dipped into about 10 different crafts; hate black - shoes and clothes and want to live in shorts; use a backpack (can't carry Chloe and hold Ava's hand and keep a bag slung over my shoulder all at the same time); want to be involved in raising our girls - disciplining, being a role model and all that stuff - not leaving all of that to the nursery...the list goes on and on and on...I am also pretty darn bitter that most of my income goes to paying nursery to look after our girls.

On the upside, I do get 3 days break from the girls when I am at work.  But on the 2 home days, the 3 of us are just so exhausted.  The girls are clingly and grumpy and plain hard work.  So I get nothing done.  I have hardly been near my sewing space in the last 2 months.  Frustrating.

I.  Need.  To.  Craft.

For my own sanity!

But, I can't craft when by brain capacity is being abused.  No sooner do I get any where near my sewing table and the girls need me.  As in Chloe falls off or on to something, or they start fighting with each other, or they need snacks or drinks.  It was easy when there was just Ava to entertain, but add a very active Chloe to the mix and it is just too much of a hassle.  So, I just don't bother trying to sew or do anything crafty.  Frustrating.

But.  But, but, but, but, BUT!

I am on leave until the beginning of September!  YAY!  It's only 5 working days, but the girls will be at nursery for those 5 working days.  Which means that I can cut and sew and print and design to my hearts content.  Now I just have to survive the next few days until my first day of peace and quiet next week.  I am counting the sleeps.

Scruffy Circle Applique {Tutorial}

I recently bought a few plain t-shirts from H&M with the intention of personalising them for Ava.  So, here is a t-shirt with appliquéd circles.  The idea is that when the shirt gets washed that the circle edges fray....hence the name "Scruffy Circles".

Let's get started:

Draw your circles on to some Wonder Under. 

Cut your circles out and iron them on to the back of your fabric, spacing them well apart.  This green fabric is a linen.

Cut your fabric out about 8mm bigger than your Wonder Under circle.

The Wonder Under is only there to keep your bits of fabric in the right place when you sew them down.  So, really, you could use anything sticky that is appropriate for fabric.

Then trace smaller circles on to your Wonder Under.

Iron those on to the back of a 2nd fabric, spacing them well apart.  This time cut the circles out something like 4mm bigger than your Wonder Under circle.  This yellow fabric is a quilting cotton.

Place your circles on your t-shirt to see how you would like to arrange them.  After seeing Ava wearing this shirt, I should have put the circles closer together and maybe also a smidge higher.  Peel the paper off the back of your circles and iron them on to your shirt.  I ironed on the big circles and then the small circles.

Sew the circles down.  I machine sewed, but you could also sew them on by hand with a back stitch or a running stitch.  If you are sewing by machine and are able to change your presser foot 'strength', then set it to the lightest it will go.  That will make it easy-peasy to sew around the continuous curve.  My machine has 4 levels: 0-3.  I turned my dial to 0 for this.  Leave a wider space between your stitches and circle edge on the bigger circle.  Remember to back stitch at the end.  I used a bit of fray stop on my thread ends, just in case.

Haul out your button stash and choose some buttons for the middle of your circles.

Maybe these lovely pink flowery ones?

Nope?  Maybe these spotty ones?

Nope?  Ok...then these pink ones.  And we'll stitch them on with orange thread!

Ta da!

"Mommy I can feel the buttons".  Please tell me that she isn't getting picky about what I do to her clothes already!?

Go forth and get sticking and sewing!

Cover the stains on an old t-shirt or decorate a new one...it could be a stripy shirt or a plain shirt - what ever floats your boat!  You could even use the same idea to patch holes in pants or shirts.

This little project really doesn't take very long.  I stole an hour or so, split into small bits - while the girls ate biscuits and made a general mess of my sewing space - to do this.  Which is why the back drops of these photo's are really not nice and neat and tidy...

I'll be back to update this page when the t-shirt has been washed!  Fingers crossed it doesn't fray into oblivion!

The scruffy circles survived the washing machine!  Oh boy...I would have felt like a complete idiot if this hadn't worked.  I am really pleased with how these have turned out.

 

Really pleased.

I think that I am going to try a heavier weight fabric next...maybe a denim?  If you give this a try, I would love to hear how you got on.