Nautical Tote

Mr Daddy and I are having a childless trip to Sydney this weekend, needless to say I am very excited.   I thought I might need a new shopping tote for all the wonderful things I am going to find.  Thinking about the Harbor, Bondi and Ferry Trips I was feeling nautical and remembered I had some awesomely brilliant fabric left over from last years  Flowerpress Brooch Swap.   I also had a spare brooch left over to dress the bag with - perfect!

A side 

B Side

Inside -
(not the most interesting contrast just all I had had was heavy weight.)

Crochet Ikea Stool Cover

After a very long blog Hiatus I have finally got some pics together and am ready to post again...

Our world has ground to a bit of a halt as Miss S's epilepsy had got out of control again.  We seem to be making progress at the moment so fingers crossed we continue and will find our normal again.  The only good side to some more time in hospital is that I have got some high level crochet done!

I made sure I always had my cotton and hooks in my bag and found it a wonderful thing to be fiddling with at times of stress and during all those long waits.  (I am sure some ambos found me very odd hooking away in the back of an ambulance during a long hospital transfer but so much nicer to focus on your hook than on reality don't you think?)

Anyway this is what I made.

Then I found these awesome new stools in Ikea for only $6.99

 I threaded hat elastic between the last white and red circle and fitted it over the stool just like a shower cap.

Ta daa, such a nice way to put all that time to use.

So Many Things to Make

I am so excited, this morning I got an email to tell me my parcel had been delivered, what the???  I went to the front door and sure enough there it was, but what was it?  It was the Sew Tessuti fabrics I had ordered.  My first ever big piece of Liberty Tana Lawn and a couple of meters of Stretch Cotton. all beautifully wrapped up in a vogue pattern paper, tied with a bow and complete with a hand written postcard wishing me much sewing joy!!!  How good is that, what a way to start a stay at home day.

7.48am I ripped into it so quickly there was no time
for photos showing how gorgeous it all really was.  

9.15am washed and on the line and nearly dry. 

10.20 am Washed, dried and ironed ready to be cut and sewn.

I am planning to make a red pair of these.
 I was seduced into this pattern by the words, beginner, simple and slim.

Happy Garden Spots

My garden hasn't had much attention from me for months now.  It doesn't get enough sun in winter to grow any fruit, veg or flowers and I am pathetic at being cold.  I did pop out the backdoor on the weekend and say hello to some of my favourite spots.  They seem to forgive me for the lack of attention and look lovely regardless.

Agaves and Aloes

Collection of succulents in pots and my little pond up high on the
 plinth, so as to keep the dog out.

More pots under the Lilly Pilly's at the back patio.

Round the side.

Sew Tessuti Favourite Top

I had been eyeing off this free Sew Tessuti pattern for a while but was too scared of knit fabrics to have a go.  Last week I decided to be free of fear and give it ago, and I love my new top!!!  It really did take about 45 mins, with the cutting out making up about 30 mins of that time.  I used a Metalicus fabric I got from The Fabric Store for only $6 a metre!

The most fabulous snugly winter top ever, superb for layering.

I added about 5 cm to the sleeve length and have my next top all cut out and ready to sew. 

 l love it with my new scarf, I am living in these clothes.

Pom Pom Trim Scarf

You know that feeling when you are just a bit fed up with all your clothes and feel like you wear the same thing day in day out?  I had that last week and the only cure I know of, is to make something.  I had this fantastic bit of yellow Spotlight sear sucker and some pop pom trim just perfect for a new scarf, all for about $6.

150cm by 50 cm wide, fold in half length ways and sew inside out to make one great big tube.  Turn the right way in and hem the rough edges inside the tube.  Trim with the pom poms to make it lovely.

I figure when I am sick if it as a scarf it can become a table runner.

Friendship Bands

Friendship bands!!!  I have imparted the ancient knowledge of friendship band making to my daughters and hence met one of my parenting obligations under the UN rights of the Child Convention.

Toes are so under rated as a crafting tool.

Not too bad at all girls

Miss M flagged first and decided to tidy up my embroidery threads - how lucky am I 

Neat Freak, OCD call it what you will, I love having my one super neat kid.

Pretties

How beautiful are these little buttons.  I am not sure what I am not sure what I am going to do with them yet, I am just playing with them at the moment.  

I have been feeling like doing some stitching but can't come up with a design I like.  Then Miss S did this drawing for me. I think its fantastic and it has exactly the right amount of whimsy I was looking for.      Time to get tracing.

Dolly Quilts and Ding Bats

Holiday activities... I am trying to involve the children in my new sewing machine.  My theory is that if I make things with/for the children they won't dob on me when Daddy gets home and say "Mummy neglected us all day - again."  

Dolly quilt and pillow for Miss S's Dolly
(I am still not making much of a dint into my stash)

Melly and Me Bats for Miss M and Master B.
 I will add Mr Dadddy: they did choose their fabrics, trace and cut out
the patterns and do some of the sewing.
There are no mouths on ours (Melly's have mouths and are soooo cute)
 The children just wanted to play with them - fine by me.

Oooh little bubba bats how sweet.

Tova Top in Grey and Yellow

I am addicted to this pattern and can not stop myself from making it.  This is my third Tova garment in as many weeks.  What better way to try out my new machine right?  Please excuse the iphone photos, the kids were trying on clothes in the Myers change rooms and I thought I would take the opportunity to use their full length mirrors and excellent lighting.

Cotton fabric from The Fabric Store

I have no idea who those fighting children in the background are. 

A New Machine

Its Happy New Machine Day to me.  I am the proud owner of a brand sparkling new Janome DC2101.  It is probably quite a modest machine compared to many others on the market,  but I am loving the one step button hole.

All my sewing years until now I have been very happy using Mum's 20 year old Janome.  I was going with the waste not want not philosophy.  Why would I buy a new machine when this free one was working perfectly well?   Mum was over the other day and had some firm words with me, which pretty much gave me the permission to fork out for my very own new machine.   Mum's machine will make its way to my sister.  And so the circle of sewing machine life continues....

It's got lots of Buttons.

A Bag for Felix

We recently had a Christening to attend for a baby that usually lives in the UK.  What do you give as a meaningful gift that is light weight and folds up to nothing for the trip back home?  Something made from fabric of course.  This is the little drawstring toy bag I made for baby felix.  Using the most adorable vintage man print flannelette fabric.  I used a stitchery pattern from The BirdHouse and altered it slightly to suit.  Last year I made a similar bag for my Mater B and it is still one of his favorites.   

Chooks - Our Girls

Its winter and my chickens are getting old.  We have had these girls for about three years now and we are getting some strange eggs, it is amazing really they are still laying at all.  We get about 3 eggs every 2 days from 4 chickens (which is chopping block time by my usual standards.)  Last week it was like lucky dip, what kind of eggs are we going to get today?

Lots of different colours...

An enormous egg and a tiny, tiny little one...

The biggest egg ever, normal size and the smallest egg ever.

What a fabulous week of eggs, great work girls.

Paper Chains

Do you remember making paper chains as a child?  I spent some formative time in the UK as a kid and we made paper chains there ALL the time.  On any and every occasion we would get out the paper strips and chain up.

Here in our house we have a mountain of scrapbooking papers, as pretty as the are, they are not being used.  So bring on the paper chains.  We cut them into 6 x 1 1/2 inch strips, the kids had a stapler each and raced to see who could make the longest chain fastest.

It was fun and no-one was accidentally stapled
(which was a great concern of mine given the frenzy of activity.)

Perfect decorations for Master B's birthday.  

Bugs on a Leaf Cake

It's birthday time at our house.  Birthday cakes are a serious business in our family, but this year Master B kept coming up blank when we asked him what kind of cake he wanted.  We were out and about recently and found this great Insect cake mould in Wheel and Barrow.   (Long story short - Kmart have the same mould for lots less than I paid in W & B.  I am not sure if the Kmart one is of a lesser quality but for the amount of times it will be used I doubt it matters.)

So here is what we came up with: Butter Cream Leaf Sponge with Chocolate Ganache Insects.  I am not as excited as some years and I always struggle with my control issues when the children want to help...

Marshmallow Flowers by Miss M, heavily decorated bugs by Miss S.

Overall it did look very fun and the bugs and flowers were in huge demand.  

Happy 5th Birthday Master B

Miss Molly Makes Dolly

Did you see this Dolly pattern in issue 14 of Molly Makes?  Well my children and I did and they all said "please Mum, please can you make us one, please we will help, oooh she is so cute."  They were right it is a seriously cute doll designed by Laura Hunter .  I thought it looked uncomplicated enough and really it is, I was just silly and tried to make three at the same time, with three children helping.

It started off ok they all choose their fabrics and cut out their pieces then left me to do the rest.  So the project dragged on a bit.  But they are done now and are infectiously cute.  I especially like Beau Bottomly the only chap in the trio.

Mr Bottomly still has a couple of pins holding him together where I need to hand stitch.

All in all my frustrations  aside I think they are great and so do the kids.