New Ironing Board Cover

this was the "quick" project i started yesterday as a warm up to making ryan's school pants. somehow this "quick" project took me 24 frustrating hours.

I was going to use this tutorial to do it but due to the knots in the string in my cover i couldn't lay it flat, then it turned out after i'd cut the edges off (without measuring, which is probably not advisable) that my cover was so old - around 12 years (it doesn't get used much) that it was all twisted out of shape so it made a very badly shaped template.

so i couldn't do it the way the tutorial said to. so, forgetting that i'd cut 1.5" off the outside of the cover i made a channel and put a cord in, tried to get it on the board and of course not even close.

so in the end i cut the cord out of the old edge, fitted it to the new cover and then attached a nice wide elastic all the way around it. if i was a professional ironer it wouldn't be good enough but given i only ever iron when sewing and now the occasional school uniform, it's fine. and won't need doing for another 12 years i hope ;p

New Pj's

As I'm not working at the moment (I was on an 18 month contract and have not had luck finding a new job, other than 3 hours tutoring at University) we can't afford to buy the kids the new pyjamas they need for winter, so i decided it would be easy enough to make them some :)

little did i know how hard the pattern pieces would be to trace off! there were so many pieces with lines so close together and i felt like i was going to go cross eyed tracing off the pieces. i swear it took longer to trace than to sew ;) luckily most ottobre patterns aren't that hard!!


i used 2 fabrics from my stash (thank goodness for my stash) to make them, using design #20 from winter 04/2005. they are pretty big on him but will at least last next year that way too ;)

Emelia's library bag

she thinks it's soooo beautiful and even wanted to take it for news so she could show everyone how beautiful it is LOL

the iron on butterfly and letters were from lincraft. the fabric was from my stash and was a pink ribbon (breast cancer) design i got at spotlight a few years ago. i used a decorative stitch to add extra prettiness ;)

Mum's birthday present

Mum's "handbag" is a calico bag. i decided for her birthday I would make her something prettier.

i bought 2 fat quarters of Moda fabric and made this bag. it was a little smaller than I'd planned but still worked out OK. only problem was mum wants to make a shoulder strap for it (i thought she only ever carried it by the handles) and there's barely enough fabric to make one.

i did little drawstrings on the sides so that when she's only got her purse / keys / phone she can make the bag a bit smaller.

Heights - March 09

Ryan - 118cm (5y 10m)
Emelia - 112.5cm (4y 6m)
Aurora - 94cm (3y 1w) *





* Rora was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in December 08, and as it causes malabsorption her growth had been stunted (we thought she was just shorter like our mothers and sisters) but since she has been on a gluten free diet she has grown more than 2 cm and put on more than 2 kg!!! she seems to be growing as i look at her!