my ottobre collection...

http://www.ottobredesign.com/
3/2006 - on way, should arrive in the next week
2/2006 - on way, should arrive in the next week (women only)
1/2006
4/2005 - maybe, i can't remember if i ordered this back issue or not LOL
3/2005 - on way, should arrive in the next week
2/2005
1/2005 - on way, should arrive in the next week
3/2004 - i have this mag but have misplaced it - i do have the patterns
2/2004

finally!

updated my list of blogs :) now i can hopefully stay in touch a bit more. i think i'm still missing some though...

i'm exahusted today, had my first outing with all 3 kids - was the littlest one was the problem! lol i even had my mum with me and still damn exhausted. hmmm

finished my mothers bracelet and loved it, but it now seems to be stretching a bit with the weight of the beads :( am VERY disappointed, as i used the tigertail they recommended. too hard to cut it open and remove a few and retie, plus, what if it just keeps stretching?

starting cutting some more pj pants for emelia out last weekend but didn't get far. life has been a little difficult lately with sick children (rory the sickest) and not much time to myself (or energy). this afternoon is a bloomin' miracle as ALL THREE ARE ASLEEP (OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) hopefully we won't pay later when it's bedtime... (ryan doesn' usually nap)

new ottobres should all be here in the next few days! the latest plus my back orders :D wich my velour would hurry up, by the time it gets here it'll be summer again... ok ok, by the time it gets here and i actually get it cut out and made up.... lol

Fiona's Sewing Blog

Fiona's Sewing Blog

testing the 'blog this' feature as i have no idea what it does LOL

more beading :oD

i finished my mother's bracelet today and it's gorgeous, i'm in love with it LOL funnily, i was trying to have it totally random but ended up with all the names together in one part of my wrist once i wrap it around - which was what i really didn't want!

tomorrow i'm going to duck back to the store and get some cheap beads and make emelia a cute little bracelet :o)

step by step

one of the girls on eb was a bit confused by the sewing instructions she was trying to follow, so i was trying to explain how i sew my pants. so i got all inspired this afternoon and decided to take step by step photos of making a pair of pants for emelia.

here are the photos

I used the same kwiksew pattern with my alterations. i tried to make them a bit more bootlegged than straight this time but I don't think it worked. I added (very roughly as i didn't do a paper pattern, just used the grid on the cutting board, which i couldn't always see!) a cm on either side of each piece, for the bottom 16cm of the legs.

the pocket i once again cut freehand from a scrap - i wanted to sew something under the pocket just to give some contrast (like a little bit of piping or something) but the fabric (a light weight printed cord i got on special at spotlight last year) is off-white and i only had bits and pieces in white or cream, both of which looked terrible!

they're not quite finished yet, miss rory wanted attention (damn her LOL) so I still have to do hem and elastic. hopefully i will get them finished first thing tomorrow and she can wear them!

Mother's Bracelet

yes, because i NEED another hobby (especially an expensive one LOL) I've become obsessed with the thought of beading. so I decided to make a Mother's Bracelet, inspired by those on www.gigglengroove.com (Geoff offered to buy me one but at $190 I thought it was a bit much for him to spend). Mine doesn't have as much swarovski crystal (though i may get more) and the names aren't sterling silver. I'm quite pleased with it though - the colours are much nicer together in RL (there are no green, orange or pale pink beads LOL).

only problem is that it's not quite long enough (they were flat out in the store www.beadstreet.com.au as they have a sale on for 3 days) so i have to duck back tomorrow and get some more beads to fill it out.

click on the pictures to see them in more details.

Robert Kaufman / Cradled in Cloth co-op

#31 & #33 - ladybeetles, to make New Look 6473 styles C&D
#6 - green stars, to make summer pj's for ryan
#21 - cats on purple, to make summer pj's for emelia
#22 - pink butterflies on chocolate, to make ottobre 1/2006, design 11, Girl's blouse

7 yards @ approx $10 pm

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CradledinCloth1/
http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabric/over_the_rainbow.asp

Rory's pants

here are the ones i made from tracing the pair i bought. they are just two pieces. i thought they were too big in the waist for her but fit perfectly! now i wish i'd stretched the FOE on bottom a bit more to make them frilly LOL

ignore dh's face, he wasn't really that crabby!

more PJ pants...

I used the exact same pattern (my kwiksew alteration) to make pj pants for Ryan and Emelia. I'm soooo pleased with Ryan's - they look great and they were quick to do, maybe two hours or less to make two pairs start to finish. Emelia's on the other hand were a PITA!!!!!!!!!! they look good other than being too long, but that stretch terry is sooooooo annoying to sew, especially when using FOE which stretches too - aaaaaagh!!!

next on my list is a l/s tshirt for emelia from ottobre and my nappy bag.

I'm ordering some fabric for trackpants & shirts thru alice. i also ordered a few back issues of ottobre including the woman one, can't wait til they get here!

quick update!

hopefully over this weekend i can update my list of blogs to add all the new ones i've come across! lots of people i know online - hi!

unfortunately my 'babymoon' has ended and i am getting nearly nothing done these days! (my kids have all slept LOTS for the first month of their life). i have finally finished the little pants for Rory, though the process of stitching the FOE on the waist has stretched it a bit. i nearly got emelia's finished today but no luck!

i can't scrap at the moment because (a) i have NO creativity and (b) rory is living in our study / spare room / scrapping room, so i can't get in there! but next friday i'm having some of the girls from eb over for a scrapping night so hopefully i can get something done! i'll have to remember to print out some photos.

and last of all, i am totally insane. i'm thinking of taking up beading. like i can afford and have time for yet another hobby LOL but i finally made it into bead street, the store in belconnen and now i want i want i want!!!!

yay! i got a 2nd hand sewing cabinet today!!

(so now we can actually eat at the dining table lol)

Dolly clothes! (birthday gift)

well i've nearly finished the doll outfit i mentioned in my last post - it turned out to be a LOT more time consuming than i expected! I have to hem the headscarf yet but otherwise it's done...

the pattern is a 1975 original :o) i made view 5 (the red one on bottom right)

i hope bernadette likes it!! (her party's not til easter monday)

FOE!

i'm so excited, I got a parcel from the US yesterday and couldn't work out what it was. opened it to find my new stash of fold over elastic! it's not available here... it's gorgeous around the necks of little tshirts etc (pumpkin patch use it a lot on their girls' stuff). i'm hoping it will help make my creations just a little more professional
here's what i got http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8269695603&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1
and the pink top is an example of a pumpkin patch top

pants, pants, pants

I need to make pants for all 3 kids (and myself - i wish!). I need to make trackpants, pj pants and i'd like to make some fancier pants with cargo pockets etc. I have lots of nice cord and denim to make them (and velour on the way).

Ryan and Emelia wear the same size, though hers need to be shorter atm. I started with a simplicity pattern and made size 3 - as that is what Ryan is starting to wear now - out of blue polar fleece. these are the blue pants in picture. they are HUMUNGOUS! they will fit him next winter, not a chance he can wear them this this winter! silly me put knee reinforcements on - AFTER sewing them up! aagh! i swear, my brain is just FUDGE.

then I decided to have a go at the kwiksew pattern (i want to make ottobre patterns, but not just yet til i'm a bit more confident). knowing from the tshirts that it was small, i made the size 3 (note - emelia is also wearing size 3 tops this winter, at 18 months, but size 2 pants are too long for her still). I changed the pattern to make them more of a straight leg style and cut them out of some homespun i got thru a babybear co-op. Apart from stuffing up the elastic (sewing it on the right instead of wrong side, having double stitched it on i was NOT undoing it LOL. luckily the pants are plenty long enough in the waist and I was able to turn it down twice to enclose it in a casing (i hate elastic against the skin). so this pattern was successful, though it could be a little wider for both children. next I want to have a go at giving it a slightly bootleg look...

my next project (which I've already started) is an outfit for a doll, for a 3 year old girl - Ryan has been invited to her birthday party. I'm using a Simplicity pattern my mum gave me, from 1975. it's sooo cute! I'm making a pinafore, bloomers and headscarf set, and if that doesn't take too long I may make a dress out of the purple homespun left from Emelia's pants.


sizes for my reference:
Ryan 40cm waist, 98cm tall, 34 mo
Emelia 43cm waist, 87cm tall, 19mo