Science Bag

It's the Kindy Dad's Science Night this Friday night.  Master B and Mr Daddy are off to kindy for a night of backyard science.  They have a list of materials they need to take with them including - the obligatory toilet roll tubes, tin cans, string, straws etc.  So that means I need to make a boy science bag to put it all in!  Perfect project for that gorgeous boy fabric I got a few weeks ago from my beloved Thread and Ginger. 

Messenger style, with velcro to secure so supplies don't escape.

Kid size

Nice and deep for those long cardboard tubes.

Easy adjustable sizing with a knot tied at the top.

Instant Scarf

I (like many women) have a built in barometer to let me know the season is about to change and that is when I come to loath and detest all my clothes.   You know when you are so sick of wearing the same thing for months on end and want to take the lot to Vinnies and start again.  It's not quite time to get the summer gear out and there is no point in buying anymore warm gear.  So I made do with a new scarf...   

Really easy, just a meter of fabric from spotty, cut in half and then sew the two ends together with a french seam.  I over-locked around the edges with a three thread rolled hem.  If I were making it for anyone else I would properly hem it on my sewing machine and even change the threads to match.

Makes my winter uniform of grey on grey with a pop of black much nicer.

Magic Pony Paddock Cake

Well the last birthday for our family for the year is done, phew and a pat on the back to Mr Daddy and I.  When Miss S requested a pony cake I was less than enthused but after a bit of negotiation we managed to come up with a Pony Paddock Cake.  The chocolate biscuit fence is a bit metaphorical and they drink from the magic waters of the M&M trough.

M&M in Magic Pony Land stands for Magical and Medicinal.

So far the unicorn ponies haven't worked out how easy it would be to get over the fence.

These are the ponies who auditioned for the cake but didn't make the cut.

 

More Birthday Cup Cakes

The last in the Trilogy of childrens birthdays is upon us.  Miss S is 7!  We cranked up the production line and pumped out 30 cup cakes to take to school today.  We kept it simple and went for an individual monochromatic scheme which collectively formed a rainbow:)  As seen on Pinterest - Love you Pinterest!

The children were responsible for sorting the M&M's into bowls of each individual colour.  Master B was in charge of Blue and took it very seriously, he wouldn't even touch the colours that weren't his.  Miss S did bust Master B eating some and was outraged at the gross contravention our hygiene rules.   She screamed out "NO" which prompted him to spit the whole mouthful of blue back into the blue bowl.....  I don't know who was more upset him or her.  Fortunately we managed to get fresh blue M&M's but I would suggest the immune compromised pick another colour cup cake.

Love this Mag - Mollie Makes

I love this Magazine, have you seen it?    Mollie Makes - it is new and from English quite like Frankie but with heaps more craft.

After lots of waiting and chasing I managed to get issue one and three from a local news agent. The first copy came with a little craft kit,  how good are English mags for their high quality Gifts With Purchase.  I love a good GWP.  I haven't been able to get issue two and issue the copy of issue 3 I got was without a GWP craft kit but I think it was supposed to have one.  Kit or not it is still a great mag that is really on trend.

This is the GWP kit, everything you need to make this pouch, how good is that!

This is my finished pouch, I am not great at following instructions so fudged a few things
 and I think my bird needs an eye.
 I also machine stitched it as I was sitting at my sewing table when I cut it out.
It was too tempting to machine it, subsequently I feel like I cheated.

Can't Have Too Many Pin Cushions

One of my lovely friends gave me this tea cup pin cushion she made and I love it, I take it all around the house with me as I potter around doing various projects.  

I found this little well loved jug for $2 at one of our local flea markets.  It was very dirty, judging by the water marks probably due to being used as a pot plant holder.  It has a crack or two and has lost much of it's glass glaze surface so not suitable for liquid, but perfect for a pin cushion!

Before 

After

 Really easy to make: I just rolled up a big ball of scraps,
 Covered the ball with one of my recently purchased beautiful woolen squares,
Secured the big ball with one of the girls hair bands and stuffed it all into the jug!

Little Grandad Man Pants

During each of my pregnancies, before we knew baby's gender I would be really worried "What if it's a boy, boy shopping and crafting is really disapointing..."  As my first two babies were girls I didn't have to face the commercial world of poor shopping options or look past pink fabric.  However baby number three was a boy!

I can only do so much Ben Ten and Spiderman, I don't like t-shirts with teddy bears in monster trucks or obnoxious ditty's about how cool his Dad is.   I have since learnt that boys can be really fun to make clothes for, and I am having a great time making things for him in a pink-less pallet.  This is what I made yesterday ... we call them Little Grandad Man Pants.

Master B loves soft flannels, pockets and measuring things.  Mr Daddy wasn't keen on the exposed selvedge hem line ( he was quite rude in fact.)  Master B loves them and told Mr Daddy in no uncertain terms "the fluffy bit are the best bits they feel so nice."  I think they are frills for boys!

I

Bits and Pieces of Beads

We have just had a lovely long weekend thanks to a pupil free day and I got a little of bit of creative mojo kick in.  It's been missing for a few weeks due to my head being else where.  I did a little bit of sewing and have some exciting ideas floating around for all that fabric I have picking up of late...

One tiny little bit of mojo goes along way, it even managed to float around while I was getting dressed this morning and made me get these beads out.   I made it last year by restringing all my odds and ends, favourite bits from broken things, glass beads from grandma and even a bead from a broken hat pin.

 I had forgotten how much I loved it and how happy all these beads make me.

 There was even enough for a bracelet.

                  

Busy Garden Days

Had a bit of a back yard blitz in preparation for Spring which is peaking it's head out from around the corner.   Added compost, turned the soil, culled the unproductive, planted and re-mulched now I just have to keep the dog and the chickens out!

Freshly composted and planted bed all ready to grow, to a lettuce seedling this looks
like a Sheridan bed linen photo shoot.

Relocated the little compost bin, looks like a Dalek lurking under the mango tree.

New growth on the lemon tree that I have been nursing along for the last 2 years.
I have tried every remedy known to Gardening Australia.
This is your last chance lemon tree or it's Mr Daddy's chain saw for you.

Fabric is so Lovely

I have been buying more fabric, it's just too hard to resist.  I haven't done any sewing in ages and can't see any happening in the immediate future either.  However I do have time to visit my favourite shops and buy more fabric.  Funny how that happens, isn't it.

I love these squares of wool, they are only 6 x 6 but will make something fabulous  I am sure.

I got this flannel and tape with a pair of baggy shorts for Master B in mind.  How cute to trim one leg with the tape.

Or maybe do something with all of them together?

And who could go past these retro boy fat quarters, they were screaming boy bag to me.

 I am actually feeling quite inspired now, maybe some sewing will happen on the weekend...

The Citrus Family

Mrs Mummy had a sleep in this morning the and children were so good and left me alone.  I could hear the sweet tones of happy noise in the distant back ground.  The sound of well behaved children playing together beautifully then I came down stairs and discovered why!

 The contents of our fruit bowl had been turned into the best play set ever - eat your heart out Fisher Price.  Each piece has it's own name and unique features and personality.

Count Dracula or better known as Victor, 

One eye, for obvious reasons.

Candle head and the tomato twins - NB tomatoes don't make a good drawing surface.

Lots of imaginative play and....

Only one fatality!

Miss' M's B'day

Two parties down and now only one to go, Miss M's 9th birthday party was yesterday afternoon.  It was due to be last week but we had to reschedule due to a sick younger brother and sister.   Miss M said she wanted a Wedding Cake this year as her birthday cake, a touch of the bridezilla in the making me thinks.  We compromised with a chocolate layer cake.  

As I don't have three cake tins in progressive sizes we had to do a bit of cutting and slicing to shape our layers.  So it was a bit wonky but Smarties and Freckles distract any eye from such imperfections.  Miss M added the mouse to the top, from our collection of icing creatures and I think mousie makes the cake.

1/2 Hour Maxi Skirt

I have decided it's all about the maxi skirt for me this spring.  It's going to take along time to get these legs ready for summer after the winter lock down.  I got a fabulous piece of Lawn from Spotty the other day and literally make this skirt in half an hour before making dinner.  That is my kind of sewing!  This is how I made mine...

0ne piece of Spotty Lawn length 2m by width 120cm.
Cut 12 cm min from the length this will become the elastic waistband yoke.  
Trim waistband piece to fit  around broadest part of hips - size 10 to 12 approx. = 1 meter.

Sew two ends of  yoke piece to make a big loop.
Sew together two length ends to make a large tube.
 Gather fabric at the top of the tube,  baste and pin to waistband yoke

Secure with seam and trim excess fabric - this is where an overlocker pays for its self.

Turn over yoke to cover trimmed seam and sew leaving a 2 cm opening
between start and finish seam to allow elastic to be threaded through. 

Finish with another seam line for strength and an extra row of stitching on the tope edge of yoke
where fabric was folded.  This will help keep the elastic in place.

Not the best colours to show up seams but if you squint you may be able to see.

Thread through elastic and join elastic ends.
Hem to desired length and job Done!

New Buttons

Don't new buttons sunny a place up.  I have a set of red vintage styled Doodlebug buttons that I picked up ages ago.  I can't walk past a well presented pack of buttons, they wink at me and call my name till I make them mine.  (The legal buying them way of making them mine, not the shoplifting illegal way.)  I love to liven up a cardi that has seen better days with some fresh buttons.  Here is an old Target cardi with it's original buttons falling off.  

My Cardi with it's new buttons, much nicer I think you agree.

I worked with a lady once who really did have a button phobia.  She couldn't wear buttons and nothing in her house had any buttons.  If someone in the office had a button pop off a blouse she would stand on a chair until the wayward button had been found.  Isn't that amazing, it was really serious for her, she could make jokes about it and knew it was irrational but had no idea where her phobia had come from.  Imagine if I had a fabric phobia, we would be rich.