This blog post is brought to you today...

Thursday September 02, 2010 - 09:28 AM

By the numbers 5, and 11.

It's not quite the excitement of footy day, but numeracy day is good fun nonetheless. 

Pattern Review Wednesday - Make it Perfect Sprout

Wednesday September 01, 2010 - 11:04 PM

This week's pattern review is by Cherry who has made the Make it Perfect Sprout dress. 

Pattern: Make it Perfect 'Sprout' dress  

Fabric: Little Folks Diamond Mine, lined with Little Folks Forest Hills Flannel- by Anna Maria Horner  

Size: I made a Size 2 for Evie who is 23 months. 

  

For a dress that is fully lined and reversible, the Sprout dress was surprisingly easy to make.  It was a bit time consuming, but the end result was well worth it.  The Make it Perfect instructions were extremely easy to follow, with clear diagrams throughout.  I love how cosy the dress is lined with the soft Little Folks flannel, but it would make a beautiful summer dress as well in regular weight cotton (i'll be making one of those soon!).  

 

I was surprised at how easy the Little Folks voile was to work with- it is so light and silky I expected that it wouldn't behave as well as the regular cottons.  The only alterations I made was to add an additional button to the flannel lining at the neck placket to make it fully reversible, and I also stitched the top fabric and the lining together at the hem rather than leaving them separate.  I didn't have an elastic hair band to use for fastening the neck button, so I made a little loop from the main fabric instead.

 

Thanks so much for the great review Cherry! 

Thanks also to everyone who entered the pattern giveaway.  I promise next time I'll make it shorter so that I can pick a winner quicker!  I pressed 'generate' on the random number generator 5 times and got the numbers 39, 11, 17, 25 and 45.  That means the winners are:

Sally
Just love the bag and the PJ's!! Thanks for the chance to win!

Anne
Wow what a great giveaway, please count me in.

Debra
what a fabulous site - beautiful fabrics, great patterns, excellent service AND now a contest, thanks Annabel 

Michelle
These patterns look great! I’m working on the “Stitch me – Kitty” pillow right now but there’s always time for more!

Linda
oh wow… i got an overlocker 2 years ago.. poor thing gather’g dust..this would be the boost i need xoxoxoxo
 

I will email you all to let you know you've won, and ask you to list the patterns you'd like in order from 1 - 5.  Hopefully everyone will get something they can use :)

 

Heather Ross Far Far Away II - Yippee!!

Tuesday August 31, 2010 - 05:51 PM

It feels like so long now since I went to Sydney and ooooh and ahhhed over this gorgeous fabric.   

For more than two long months now I have waited for the delivery man to bring it to my door.  And today, thanks to not one but two broken doorbells, I nearly let that man get away.  Thankfully, in the nick of time, I received an intercom message from the man upstairs, to tell me there was a man downstairs, and I got to the door just as he was putting his slip in the letter box on his way back to his van.  Just as well, because there would have been a scene if I'd missed him.

This Heather Ross Far Far Away II is printed on a linen/cotton blend and as you can see is quite delectable.  These prints are already up in the store and the new Echino prints which also arrived will be up shortly.  Keep an eye out in the new products section as I am expecting a string of deliveries over the next couple of weeks.  Oh and if anyone knows a brand of doorbell which actually works, an email or comment would be awesome.

Lemons

Sunday August 29, 2010 - 08:07 PM

We have a super dooper big backyard, and right down the back corner of our backyard(where our hose won't even reach) there used to be a sick old lemon tree.  Then one day nearly two years ago we had a horrible wind storm, and a tree fell on top of the lemon tree, and then some Bougainvillea made its way over the two trees, and, well, that was the end of that. 

Or so we thought!  Last weekend we were going out the gate in our back fence and we were stunned to find this sight:

 

Poor old tree.  Today I did the right thing and went out with my secateurs.  Here's the after shot. 

 

I'd love to tell you I made pancakes with lemon and sugar for afternoon tea but I was way too exhausted for that!

Zoe's favourite skirt

Saturday August 28, 2010 - 11:33 PM

I made this skirt for Zoe one morning before a birthday party which she was going to straight from swimming lessons.  I was in my pj's and the present wasn't wrapped and the swimming gear wasn't ready....a fairly typical Saturday morning really.  When Zoe went to get her favourite party skirt on we found it was in the wash.  My response, which should have been to tell Zoe to go and choose a different skirt, was to tell her I could sew one just the same in time for the party.  And so I went to my stash, picked my favourite European cord, and started to cut, using the other skirt as a pattern.

 

Fast forward 45 minutes...I'm still in my pj's, the present still isn't wrapped, the swimming lesson starts in 15 minutes, and I'm sewing on the waistband.  By now I'm seriously berating myself for once again allowing such a ridiculous situation to eventuate.  

Anyway I push on, and fast forward another 20 minutes...we are only 5 minutes late for swimming and as I watch I start threading the elastic into the waistband.  I get Zoe dressed, wrap the present in the car park before we go into the party (hey I've done this at traffic lights on the way before so this was comparatively calm), and Zoe enters the party wearing a lovely new skirt.  

And did the other parents hear the hint of desperation in my voice as I ordered a coffee?  No - I don't think so. 

 

What really excites me about this skirt though, is not the way I managed to sew it in an hour without suffering long term psychological scaring, but the fact that it is now Zoe's favourite skirt, and it is the one she reaches for when she is getting dressed for a party.  That doesn't happen too often.  I mean she often likes and wears what I sew for her, but rarely does the item become a favourite.  

This was a comforting thought this morning as we were madly rushing to get ready for a birthday party...

Clearing a space #1

Friday August 27, 2010 - 09:07 PM

That's what I'm doing.  Clearing a space in my sewing room so that I can sew.  Well technically I can still sew with stacks of fabric, buttons and threads piled around me higher than the machine, perched on the front of my chair because the back of it is stacked with half finished projects.  But it's not particularly relaxing.  

 After the shelf collapse incident the other week, I have been to Ikea and purchased new shelves and have loaded most of the fabric from my sewing table/shelves/chairs onto them.  I also removed an old computer to make room for a set of wire drawers, which I figured could hold the fabric scraps and unfinished projects that sit in boxes under my sewing table and get in my way.  

 

Now when I went to move the box of unfinished projects I was pretty shocked by what I found.  So many projects I had forgotten even starting.  Two kids bags with everything sewn but the strap, a pencil roll which just needed to be top stitched, 2 pairs of boys pj pants (one of which only needed a channel for waist elastic!), and at least 4 girls skirts.  Ok...that's not all I found - that's just a sample!  I also became reacquainted with supplies I had bought for projects never begun - such as curtain fabric for the ensuite, a custom printed over-sized t-shirt to make into a nightie for Zoe and a stack of baby singlets to applique. 

Apart from being quite useless, I just don't have room to store all these half finished projects.  My sewing room is barely big enough to fit a single bed, and I have a lot of gear in there!  So - I have made a commitment to finish these projects.  Those that I don't want or don't need or don't fit anymore can go on the school craft stall in November.  

 

Feeling full of confidence I decided to start on the curtains  (yeah I know it's not an unfinished project but the fabric I bought over a year ago was taking up valuable room).  As is often the case, this project which for 12 months seemed too hard to attempt, was finished in under 2 hours.

 

I know it's not exactly a mind blowing transformation, but the curtains are clean and fresh.  I don't have to think about how much I hate the dirty lace each morning, or how I wish I could find time to sew new ones.  AND I have cleared a spot on my fabric shelves.  That's a win-win-win for me.  

Stay tuned for more inspirational stories of completed projects!

Footy day

Thursday August 26, 2010 - 08:38 PM

Today was footy day at school.

 

Very exciting stuff I tell you!

Pattern Review Wednesday - Tee for Two

Wednesday August 25, 2010 - 10:37 PM

This week's pattern review is the Tee for Two raglan t-shirt/dress by Patterns by Figgy's.  I fell in love with the simple but stylish t-shirt dress as soon as I saw it, but never having had a lot of luck sewing knits I was hesitant about trying the pattern.  When I was at Spotlight recently I saw several cute knits and decided to use the Tee for Two pattern to make some nighties for Zoe, and if they worked then I'd get some good quality knit and make a dress.  I have made two nighties so far, and will definitely be getting some good quality knit to make a dress using the same pattern.

Pattern:  Patterns by Figgy's Tee for Two

Fabric: Knit fabric from Spotlight

Size: I made a size 4/5 for my petite just turned 6 year old

The Tee for Two pattern comes with a full sized pattern sheet and instruction booklet.  It is described as a pattern for beginners, and this is certainly true.  The dress only has three pieces to cut out (plus the neckband), and because the dress is designed to be made with raw edges showing, there are no hems to worry about. 

Of course the only caveat to suitability for beginners is the fact that this pattern is designed to be made from knit fabric, and knit fabric is not always the easiest fabric to sew with.  Knit fabric shouldn't be difficult to sew with.  This pattern doesn't require an overlocker, or even a machine with a special stretch stitch.  The instructions explain how to use a small zig-zag stitch to sew the seams, and there is a fabulous tutorial on the Patterns by Figgy's blog with extra tips to make sewing with knit fabric a breeze.

Now I happen to have a fabulous sewing machine which sews through plastic and heavy cotton webbing without even needing to change the needle.  But my machine does_not_like_knit.  Ooooohhh no it doesn't.  It won't even put stitches in the fabric unless I have a Janome stretch needle in it (that's right - not just any ball tipped needle will do - it has to be a Janome). 

But I'm really happy with the second. 

I will definitely be making this pattern again, and can't wait to try out some of the other Patterns by Figgy's designs.

This weekend...

Sunday August 22, 2010 - 10:28 PM

I practiced my German...

 

 

August Giveaway x 5!

Friday August 20, 2010 - 01:22 PM

I have been meaning to give away some patterns for a while now, and have even had some patterns sitting in their own special giveaway pile, waiting for me to get around to posting about them on my blog.  In an attempt to get organised and clear my house of special little piles, I am going to give these patterns away in all in one go.  Well not all to one person...but there's just going to be one giveaway where I will draw 5 names to each win one of the patterns.   

So - if you would like to win yourself one of these patterns, simply comment on this post, and on Wednesday the 1st of September I will randomly pick 5 winners. 

Patterns to be given away are:

Kristen Doran Sling Bag Pattern, Make it Perfect Slumber Party Jammies, Modkid Sydney, Melly & Me Dee Dee, and Little Bird Matilda Dress (thanks to Little Bird patterns for supplying this one).

      

   

 

P.S. You might notice that you no longer need to go hunting around for the comment box - it's sitting right under this post just waiting to be typed into! (shame it took me a year to work out I could fix that in about 10 minutes - doh!).