The 3rd Annual Crafty Mamas Retreat!

And I have no photos!

I am a blogger and i didn't take any photos that I can share with you!

The reason for this is that the sewing that I did was mainly boring stuff!

Cant really take interesting pictures of what I made.

14 pairs of flannel PJ pants that I made from flannel that I picked up at Sl at the end of season sales.  Never again will I make PJ pants (famous last words hey!) but yet again- I think the kids wil never again need any more!

I also made some PJs out of a spandex rib knit from Crafty Mamas- and oh they are so lovely!  The boys wanted to wear them all week!  Really want to make a pair for me.

A nightie for the girls
2 nightie/ PJ sets for the girls

Go To dress

Ottobre top that Lily wont wear!  It has frills at the back, and in her 3yo wisdom she thinks that the frills go at the front, so it wont fit her properly.

So I have done some major stash busting.  My next project is some yarn work (knitting/ crochet) and also to make a top that fits me properly!

onto next Craft retreat- I am already planning for it!

and all they are talking about is what she was wearing...

Well the night after the Royal Wedding, the biggest party of my daughters childhood happened.  And to me what she wore was of almost as much importance as what the Royal bride wore.

Pitty I didnt get it finished on time properly... guess I am not fit to be a Royal designer! Yes the buttons are falling off!

anyway.  Ottobre 1/2008 vest,  Juju embroidery on the back in sparkly fabruc

Rara skirt by Young Image Spring/ Summer. I actually changed the pattern quite a lot to make it easier (or more logical anyway). Made the waistband and bodice of skirt (whats it called?) out of knit instead of woven. It worked out better imo.  Basically its just the top of the skirt, with a waist band.  Then the body is a-line, and you do 3 ruffles and attach it to the a-line skirt evenly.

I would have liked to make a tee to match but ran out of time. 

the Eddie cap on a spunky little man!

the Eddie Cap tutorial can be found here. Its quite easy. I have to admit, doing the pleats was not that easy, well it wasnt hard, maybe fiddly is more of an accurate term. And the way I did the band is a little different to how the instructions said.

The buttons are from Tessa Ann. Arnt they georgeous! Perfect for a budding rock star!

The little man is a wonderful friends son who has just turned 5. Happy Birthday!

frills and frills and more frills- oh and dont forget the bias!

Its the little girls birthday coming up soon!  And of course she is frilly and pink.  So what should I do?

Feliz of course

Now we all know that a project this size cannot be completed without some sort of stuff up!  Such as ruffling 3.5mt of purple gingham instead of the pink!

And then of course you have to chose the colours of the bias to hem it with... white, pink, purple!  And of course  'they' don't sell powder pink bias anymore, making the colour choice that much more interesting... I turned to the white bias!

So it will be 5.5mt + 3.5mt (9mt) of ruffles plus 5.5mt + 3.5mt+ 3.5mt (12.5mt) of bias! that's not including the 3.5mt that I ruffled by accident!

Well its either the bias or I am making best friends with my rolled hem.  Not yet fully decided on that.

sorry OL- it will probably be the bias.

Lets hope I finish this soon, as I still have a chair bag and library bag to complete!

Ottobre Sudoku skirt X2!

These were meant to be finished prior to Christmas, but playing a little of fabric chicken (as apposed to yarn yardage chicken which is when you are not totally sure if you have enough yarn for a project) anyway, I ran out of fabric for the ruffle on the bigger skirt.  So the project got out on the back burner untill I figured out what to do.

Not a good thing to do!  When I did finally get the fabric, I got all excited and started sewing it all together.  Put them on the girls, presented it to all my Crafty Mamas, and realised that each piece is meant to be a different height!  EEEKKKKK! 

Not sure if you can see it here or not, but this is the other one I made a couple of years ago.

thats ok though, its still a gorgeous skirt! Plenty of twirly action.

perfect to play Barbies in.

or just to carry your baby around in your Ergo. 

And coz I love it so much- a collage.

Ottobre 1/2009 Sudoku skirt.

Has it really been that long?

Has it really been that long since I blogged?

I hope everyone had a fab Christmas.  My niece and nephew got spoilt with a little of my sewing.

Ottobre 3/2009

fabric: denim from SL

Farbenmix Hilde with an added hood

farbric stella from CM

And a 4yo boy who would not co-operate!

patchwork skirt for my niece, designed by me

Fabric: various places.

MIP Afterglow in gifted fabric

On my doorstep a few weeks ago was a parcel.  I bolted inside and ripped it open.  Inside was some georgeous fabric from the lovely supermum Karen.  She saw this and thought of me and my girls.  I tell you what, when someone thinks about you like that, it makes you feel like a million bucks! 

Then a few weeks later I received a parcel from a shop which I frequent- Crafty Mamas!  Inside was the new pattern from Make It Perfect- Afterglow.  Thank you Mrs Crafty Mama!

Saw the pattern, saw the fabric, the 2 were perfect for each other.

This pattern was a little more tricky to do than I first thought, but now I have had a go, the next one will be easy.

The placket at the back, sew the facing on BEFORE you cut it...

The pletes, well I think the next one will be easier

I did cheat and use ready made bias, home made bias and me dont tend to get along.

Then we added a little feature hem at the bottom just coz I could (well my sister did it, I cant take credit for that part)

So I very cute, and easy play dress.  Perfect for any woven cotton fabric that you want to show off! 

My Christmas Crafty Adventures so far

Last year the end of the year snuck up on me and unfortunately I didn't get the chance to spoil the people who had done alot of 'work' for us.

People such as teachers, kinder teachers, and others who had helped us on the journey of 2009.  So this yea I have decided to spoil them!

 Many of the same people have been in our lives this year, so it made it alot easier.

I have made a journal with an embroidered cover and ribbon, as well as a key fob for those who have really helped alot this year.  The ribbons are Farbenmix, Spotlight and others from Crafty Mamas, Love Chirps embroidery from Huups, Flowers from JuJu.

For those who have given my children lifts from school, making it possible for me to work a little, and also given me a break from driving (with 2 kinder runs to different kinder and a school run it can be rather exhausting), the teacher/ assistant who is willing to have time for me at the drop of a hat.  The kinder workers that have spent more time on 'us' than I will ever know.  And of course then there are those who have just lent us support!

And then there is the swimming instructors, the person who smiled at me when I was feeling down, the work colleague who listened.

I might also buy some fresh cut soaps to go with some of these, as I am finding it hard to resist the need to share her art! (I just hope they are not thinking that I think they smell! Coz they don't!)

I must thank Sara (Willow and Moo) for showing me where to find the tools to make the key fobs.  And also for getting the ball rolling with the journal covers.  My sister also helped with her graphic design talent.

10th Of Blogtoberfest

So I have finally finished a WIP for my little girls. A denim Ottobre dress with wooden buttons and ribbon. I really love the results, and so do the girls...

So Ellise, please smile!




Do you like your new dress *nodd*
well show it off to me:

Maybe if your sister is in on the photo you might both smile, come on and show mummy your new dress:

maybe some action shots may help

oh well- hope you all like it! 

embroidered skirt that didnt turn out as i expected

This is a simple little skirt that I made for my niece.  But unfortunately it didn't turn out as I expected it would, so it has happily found a new home.

a couple of embroidered flowers that are stitched onto felt then sewn on.

A ruffled hem, with 20 denier nylon under the skirt to give it a girly feel.

The lady 4yo of the house happily picked it up and would not take it off, a good sign that she likes it!

And really if it fits my 4yo I don't think its going to fit my 2yo niece who my husband describes as a pocket rocket!

Ottobre 301.

Crafty Mamas forum has the occasional sew-a-long, where a few people commit to making a particular pattern.  This time it was the Ottobre 301.  Although I should be doing my embroidery challenge (I did attempt it for the record- but more on that later) I decided to try the 301.

It took about 15min to trace the pattern, and had I not messed up the neck it would have taken about 45min in total to sew together!

The result- very effective and happy. Size 98 for my 2.5yo.  I cant wait to get my 303 (the adult version) so that I can make myself one!

here are the brag pics (in the PJs).

ta daa

ta daa again

and for some reason blogger wants this sideways.

What I have learnt:

• 
  
  not to take a seam allowance on the neck or the binding.  Otherwise it wont fit over your toddlers head and you have to cut it off.
• 
  
  Binding is heaps easier to attach in the flat.
• 
  
  That after you cut off the neck binding, you have to attach the new binding in the round, and that is a pain!
• 
  
  that the top still looks good even if you cut it on the wrong grain. 
• 
  
  That this hilco fabric doesn't have alot of stretch on the wrong grain.
• 
  
  That I love Stella and hilco!

Maybe next time I should not cut it out in front of the warm open fire with my gorgeous kids running about...