Finally, some thing for me!

I finally made some thing for me!

I knew I wanted to make me some A-line skirts, but all the patterns I have (which I made myself, many years ago, pre-children) no longer fit. At the moment, I don't have the time, or the brain capacity, to make another new pattern.

Looking through pattern books in fabric shops is just not possible at the moment either, with two little kiddies in tow. I now go online and choose any patterns I want to buy. I used this New Look pattern, view A. So easy to make, and even better in this case, GJ's had this one on her pattern stand, just waiting for me. I was well chuffed.

I had to make a skirt out of this gorgeous red and white fabric from GJ's recent sale.

More of the same

Well, I said here that I was sure I would be making more of these shirred dresses.

And I have.

Ha ha, very funny

I was very excited last week to receive notification in the mail that my favourite fabric shop, GJ's, was having another sale.

Chris was not so excited. I meant I would want to buy more fabric. So he tried to convince me I had missed the sale by altering the notification.

Lucky for me I was not fooled, and managed to pick up a few different fabrics. I got the circuit board fabric for Chris, wonder what I will make for him with it?

Crafting afternoon

Abbey and I spent the most lovely afternoon crafting together recently. She was making a beaded necklace, and I was finishing off a few sewing projects. It was so lovely to sit together, in silence, and concentrate on our own creations. I hope we have many more of these sessions, it was pure bliss.

Twirling

Abbey still loves her rainbow dress. She wears it at least twice a week. I'll take that as a lovely compliment, as I made it.

The dress is great for twirling in as the skirt part is quite full. Here is a video of her practicing her twirling, while putting on a "show" for me.

Note to self: next time, take video in portrait mode, not landscape.

Sorry if you get a sore neck watching the video.

Door stops

This week I have been sewing these door stops. Instructions from this lovely book which I got for Christmas off Chris. So easy to make. Lots of fun mixing and matching different fabrics.

The one on the left is for my Grandma. I like it so much, I may just make one or two for our house. Of course, the one on the right is for Abbey's bedroom, to match her pillow case, and made with fabric scraps.

Lost in translation

In January, our good friends Jules and Ross's daughter, Jessie, turned one. I made this for her birthday present. It was supposed to be another shirred dress. It somehow ended up too short to be a dress, but is just fine as a little summer top.

Special hand made Christmas Presents, part 3.

This is my last blog about all the special hand made Christmas presents we received.

These gorgeous dresses were made by Abbey and Zoe's Auntie Stepfie. Stepfie is new to sewing, but picking it up very quickly. I felt very special to be able to help her late last year with the dress lining. Since then Stepfie has been sewing up a storm, yay!

Rainbow Dress

This is Abbey wearing her new Rainbow Dress that I made for her (before Christmas) with some of the lovely fabric I got from GJ's.

Abbey loves spinning in circles in this dress, the skirt is full enough to have a great twirl to it.

I made it using this pattern. I am not a big fan of the pattern, not sure if I will use it again. I did not realise until I started, that it is supposed to be fully lined, I only lined the bodice. You also add the zipper in last and this is really quite awkward to do.

I am quite chuffed, as she wants to wear it all the time - as soon as it is washed, it is worn again.

Yes, she is wearing gum boots/wellies in the middle of summer. Yes they are on the wrong feet. Again.

Whoops!

I was so excited to try out this shirred dress that I did not read the instructions properly. So I ended up with two: one for Zoe (3 months old) and one for teddy (3.5 years old) They are so easy to make, I will be making many more I am sure.

Of course, now Abbey wants one out of the same fabric. The same fabric she declared the day before I made these, that she did not like. Three year olds are so fickle!

Get them addicted young!

I recently fell in love. With GJ's Discount Fabric, when I visited it for the first time.

My friend Paige and I spent well over an hour browsing all the different fabrics, it was so hard to choose only a few. To make the visit more exciting for Abbey, I told her she could choose a fabric and I would make her a dress. She chose the pink patterned fabric, and I got the blue one for Zoe.

Look at her in the photo above, cuddling the fabric, she was so excited. She has called it her "rainbow fabric", and I am to make her a "rainbow dress" with it.


Abbey also loves taking photos with my SLR camera, and most of her photos have to have teddy in them - she took this one below, and of course, teddy had to be in it. Too cute, and not bad for a 3 year old.

This week I have been making....

Lots of baby bibs. These three are finished, and all for baby Patrick. Baby Patrick is little brother of Miss Darcy. They will match the applique baby singlet I made for him in July, if it still fits him - he has been busy growing.

I need to finish the others, and take some photos. I have had lots of fun making them, feels so good to be sewing again.

Fairy Dress

Last week I made this Fairy dress for Miss Darcy's 4th birthday. Abbey already has one, in a smaller size, that I made for her 3rd birthday back in April. Miss Darcy is a regular play mate of Abbey, and they have both enjoyed wearing this Fairy dress.

The pattern is McCalls M4887. It is very easy to make, just fiddly cutting out and sewing with this material. I was very grateful for the overlocker also, made sewing this so much easier.

Another one of my unfinished sewing projects is a purple Fairy dress like this for me. I really should do some thing about that soon.......

I made this

I made this, before I started my craft blog. A stuffed monkey for my nephews birthday. I had never made anything like this before, and was nicely surprised at how easy it really was to make.

I got the pattern from the lovely, and very helpful, Pauline at Funky Friends Factory.

Here is a photo of the monkey, flat, before he was stuffed, and before I put on his face.

Now Abbey wants one.....and of course, it has to be in pink, her favourite colour.

Applique

Last week I added the blue dinosaur applique to a baby singlet for dear friend Nell's baby Patrick.

Abbey liked it so much, she wanted one too. I let her choose which dinosaur she wanted, and was lucky to find a brand new, spare white t-shirt, in her size, in my sewing cupboard (hoarding can be a good thing!)

Now what can I make next?

18 months in the making.

Yay, it has only taken me 18 months to finally finish Abbey's bedroom curtains. I am so chuffed. I hope to get on with some "fun" sewing now the "practical" sewing is finished.

Sewing the curtain backing, I used clothes pegs instead of pins. I did not want to put any holes in the curtain backing material.

Material from Clegs sale last week.

I picked up a few remnants from the Clegs sale last week. I want to make a skirt for me with this black, red and silver bonded lace material. I got two pieces of this material, so could also make Abbey a skirt too, still not sure if it is "too old" for her or not. I will have to have a think about it.

Abbey is obsessed with pink - it is certainly her favourite colour, so I could not resist the pink shantung - not sure what I will make out of it yet. I love denim skirts, so the denim remnant will probably make a lovely skirt for some one. I just like the look of the check material, no inspiration on what to make with this yet. I also got some small pieces of purple and red fleece, I am sure I will make some more baby hats with this material.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to change the broken needle on the overlocker. I am well impressed that Janome overlockers and sewing machines all use the same needles, this makes it much easier. The overlocker is still not 100% - I have threaded the machine twice, and it is still skipping stitches. I will have another try today to get it working properly - I still have Abbey's bedroom curtains to finish. As I have been away from sewing for so many years, it is like I am re-learning everything all over again. All adds to the fun!