brazen's crafts

New heights

2009-12-29T15:25:00.002+11:00

wow, it's a bit sad that the last blog post i did was also heights... and also that i never made the dresses i was measuring them for back in june :-|

i HAVE done craft since! will have to vow to blog in the next month and catch up a bit!!!

anyway, new heights, december 2009

Emelia
height - 116cm 5y 4m (114cm june 09)

Aurora
height - 102cm 3y 10m (95.5cm june 09)*

Ryan
height - 122cm 6y 6m

* rora has grown 4.5cm in the past 6 (gluten free months) and 10cm in the 12 months since her diagnosis!!!!!

Measurements June 2009

2009-06-10T10:01:00.003+10:00

about to make princess dresses for the girls ;)

Emelia
waist - 54cm
chest - 59.5cm
height - 114cm

Aurora
waist - 53cm
chest - 55cm
height - 95.5cm *

* rora has grown 3cm in the past 4 (gluten free months) and 5.5cm in the past 6 months since her diagnosis!!!!!

New Ironing Board Cover

2009-03-22T18:14:00.002+11:00

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

2009-03-22T15:40:00.002+11:00

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

2009-03-22T15:36:00.003+11:00

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

2009-03-22T15:30:00.003+11:00

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

2009-03-15T10:41:00.004+11:00

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!

interesting links

2008-11-25T14:36:00.001+11:00

i know, i have barely been doing anything...

but i have some links i've found and want to keep...

Pencil Roll Tutorial

Picnic Roll

Map Lamp

Finished and Fun in the sun!

2008-10-21T07:57:00.003+11:00

well i didn't get my kaftan finished til the day before leaving but it was perfect for taking! I wore it down to the pool everytime i went, not just for the dress up night ;)

here are the pictures i promised :D

oh and i had a FABULOUS weekend!!!

another challenge

2008-10-04T18:01:00.003+10:00

in 2 weeks i'm off to the gold coast for a child free weekend - and i CAN'T WAIT!!!!

anyway for our first night (cocktails by the pool ;p) we have a theme of dressing for the year we were born... lucky me, a 69 girl! i could have gone as an astronaut but thought it might be a bit hot LOL thought about being a hippy but then i was looking at a book i had borrowed from the library on western fashion for the past 1000 years and the picture of the late 60's was of a lady in a kaftan and tight 7/8 pants. i decided that was perfect for lounging by the pool!!

mum reminded me i had a pattern - simplicity 4067 but i discovered that i had bought it in the wrong size! aagh! so i had to resize it all by multiple sizes and i didn't do such a great job, but then again i have no idea what i'm doing lol i also lengthened it. unfortunately i didn't have enough of the matching material to make any pants, but i figure for the pool i don't really need them (and tbh the sleeves will make me hot and i would be even hotter in pants)

the top has come out a bit big, and the bottom, while it is big enough for my pear shape, is not big enough in the right spots because i'm so short between the waist and shoulders (and very long from waist to crotch). never mind, i'll remember that for next time, if there is a next time ;)

i am really really struggling sewing it too - the fabric i'm using is a very very light cotton - maybe a muslin or a battiste or something like that... anyway, on both my sewing machine and my overlocker, i have to stretch the **** out of it otherwise the stitching gathers as i sew / overlock. it's driving me a bit crazy but i'm nearly finished now....

tomorrow i need to get mum to help me sew some trim on to make it look really 60's (unfortunately the trim was $6 pm so i don't have enough to go around the sleeves and hem as well as the neck :(). i also am going to make a headscarf to wear, tied at the side of my face of course lol like the headscarf in the orange version here . hmmmm my kaftan is definitely not as big as the originals lol

i have just realised that i should have big puffy hair too, but i'm going to be swimming so not sure there's any point... lol

i did buy big sunglasses too ;)

ok, i will post a pic tomorrow once i have it finished!

Car Organiser

2008-09-21T17:04:00.004+10:00

well, the state of my car is disgraceful (i meant to clean and tidy it this weekend but it just didn't happen) and i'm sick of having stuff everywhere. so I googled ideas for making your own car organisers. i found this blog which had a great tute and i set to work.

i used a piece of corduroy which i had bought to make pants for ryan, but as he is my denim addict (will rarely wear anything else) i decided to sacrifice it to the cause - plus it matched our gorgeous (*snort*) beige interior LOL it was the perfect size to get 2 organisers out of, with the tiniest bit of fiddling (if you look closely the drink pocket has the wale of the cord the opposite way - totally intentional! lol)

i was a little over enthusiastic with how much extra fabric i included in the pockets, but now it's perfect for that notepad and tissues lol
the cord wasn't too thick to sew, though a layer of thinner would have been easier.

i had originally planned to have elastic run around the headrest and across the base of the seat, so it was mostly out of sight, but decided that probably wasn't the best option. so we do have unsightly white elastic down the front seats but i'm not really that bothered - i think the benefits outway the aesthetics.

next week i'll do one for the other side, i ran out of time as it took a little longer than i expected!

in other news i spent the past few weeks tidying and organising my sewing area, it's mostly done now and looking heaps better! just gotta sort out my fabrics and find something better to store all my overlocker and sewing threads in - what do you use?

12x12" canvas prints $29.98 at big w

2008-09-12T19:19:00.001+10:00

community service announcement lol

see here for further details http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/6544

Disco Queen!

2008-08-31T16:21:00.004+10:00

Emelia is having a disco party next weekend so i decided to make her (and hopefully rory) a disco shirt to wear! it seemed like such a simple idea...

it could have been worse but gosh this fabric was hard to sew! i couldn't get the tension on either my sewing machine or my overlocker right and it was impossible to get straight hems and edges with the sequins. i also made a few little mistakes but hopefully no one will notice.

Pattern is Ottobre 2/2005, Design 11. as Emelia is 110cm tall i made a size 116 but it is really too big. I'd rather big than small and she may need to wear a long sleeve shirt under it next week anyway if the weather's cold! I've done this one before too, loved it then!

WIP

2008-08-31T09:05:00.001+10:00

looking for more sewing blogs to read?

2008-08-27T11:49:00.001+10:00

try this!

thanks to the very talented teri from mermaids on whose blog i found it :)

i am no knitter

2008-08-26T08:20:00.002+10:00

unfortunately :(

i wish i was. some day i'll take the time to watch some youtube movies and teach myself how to do it properly - i think my main problem is how i hold the needles and yarn.

anyway, despite not being a knitter i do enjoy doing it. knitting is less forgiving of people who aren't good at following instructions though... that's why i generally sew or crochet lol

it's made worse by the fact that i only knit at night after the kids are in bed, when i'm tired and not good at concentrating, and wanting to go to bed myself!

i started a project for emelia and i am really enjoying it so far - except for the errors! ack! it's a lacy shrug and while the lace pattern is easy to do it's also easy to stuff up (if geoff talks to me for instance lol) and i honestly have NO idea how to undo it because of the way the lace is made lol. i just messed up the rib cuffs because i thought i'd dropped some stitches, picked them up, and then discovered that i hadn't dropped them at all!! aaagh!!

anyway, i will keep soldiering on...

by the way, i have started keeping track of my projects over at ravelry if you're a member there :)

6 things meme

2008-08-08T16:55:00.002+10:00

thanks S :)

1. Link to the person who “tagged” you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

1. S is amazing - she is not only very well respected at her job, which she does full time (by hours if not technically) but she is also a fabulous mum to 3 and another on the way, as well as trying for the simple life and doing things like growing her own vegies, keeping chooks etc etc

2. see above lol

3. (1) at the moment i wish my children would all run away for a good half hour. i am tired and want some quiet time to myself lol
(2) i get dyshydrotic excema when i'm stressed, mostly only my hands, but sometimes on my toes or elbows. i usually don't notice it until i've scratched enough to be annoying.
(3) i have no willpower
(4) i spent the morning at ryan's preschool for the first time. i have much admiration for preschool teachers lol i was exhausted and i didn't even do much!
(5) i'm wondering how old i'll be when i feel my nose stud is no longer appropriate?

4. i tag
Mands, who is a single mum to 2 gorgeous girls and still finds time to quilt!
Bec, who i just bought some yummy soap from and have forgotten to let her know it's arrived
joey, who only learned to knit a year or two ago and is incredible with the needles!
and 3 women who make the most gorgeous kids clothes for sale - ingrid, milly and tina - go check them out!

5. will have to do this over the weekend - gotta go make dinner!

6. will do :D

rory's hat finally finished!!

2008-08-08T16:37:00.002+10:00

it just barely fits :-0 (my kids have such huge heads lol)

i worked out the issue with the ottobre pattern and it's mainly that it tells you to start each row with 3 chain and count that as a double (treble) crochet - but that's actually incorrect, you shouldn't count it as part (on most rows lol)

the new and the old...

2008-08-03T15:48:00.002+10:00

well i managed to get one page done before i needed to finish (it's above) - and i found a whole heap of old pages needing to go into albums, including a few which i think i have never photographed before! i wanted to share my two faves of my gorgeous little boy (who is now 5!), they're down below :)

some card making....

2008-08-03T13:46:00.002+10:00

last month i went to my first stampin up party - thanks to hannah and nicola! i bought just a few basics to make birthday cards so that when we need them we can quickly make them instead of having to spend $5+ on buying them!!!

here was my first attempt this morning - i would have kept playing with it but it was for Hannah and she arrived to drop some stuff off before i had a chance to do anymore lol

considering colour combinations

2008-07-25T07:38:00.004+10:00

heights (early june)

2008-07-20T14:32:00.000+10:00

A 87cm
E 105.5cm
R 112

aaagh that ottobre hat!

2008-07-07T20:56:00.002+10:00

yes, i am now making rory one (same wool, different colourway) and i have made the same mistake somehow as last time - i am up to row 8 or 9 and it's pulling in too tight. problem is i can't remember what i worked out last time. perhaps it was that i didn't count the chain 3 at the start of each row as a dc even though the pattern says to. whatever i've done it's not easily worked out because i've followed the pattern perfectly.

now i really wish i had written my own version like i thought i should...

AT LAST !!! my WIP is finished!!

2008-06-21T14:53:00.002+10:00

i lost count of how many times i had to undo this and start again, at least 8. oh my goodness it was so frustrating. i'm not sure if it was me and my inability to read patterns properly, or the ottobre instructions...

anyway, this is the ottobre pattern i used here

i am now making some little flowers to go on it, pattern here

and i have to say thank goodness for youtube for converting US crochet to australian!!!

overlocker course update

2008-06-19T19:58:00.003+10:00

i have been enjoying it - when i make it!

i missed one week as g went to see the chaser show. i missed another 2 weeks because i wasn't well and just couldn't face going.

i went this week but achieved very little (still not well) and there is only one week to go.

i have really enjoyed it and have learned a lot. i never realised there was so much you could do with your overlocker!! i meant to leave the poor neglected thing in for a service and forgot. will have to do it next week.

we are supposed to pick a project to do during the course. a pillow was suggested but i just wasn't all that interested. in the end i picked this pattern and will make it for emelia from a chocolate brown uncut cord for the dress and a not-quite mint green for the shirt and leggings.

obviously it will take longer than 2 hours for me to make it, but i'm hoping to attend some of their 'sew what you like classes'. the teacher has told me she will help me to make new swimmers (with underwires) and bras for myself!! OMG i need new swimmers desperately but larger sizes with underwire are $200+ !!!! and i also need new bras even more desperately (all my 'new' not cheap bras are falling apart despite already having been repaired :()

they have a deal where you can attend 8 of these sewing 'classes' for $135, you get help on whatever you need and you don't need to attend every week, just when it suits. sounds great :)

another meme tag...

2008-06-19T19:46:00.002+10:00

from mermaids

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

i had met geoff about 9 months before and was waiting on the results of my interview for a job over here in canberra where he was living. (they took 3 months to get back to me, i should have known they were going to be awful employers lol). i was living in tumut, out on my own for the first time and loving it. renting a gorgeous heritage flat from my boss. was enjoying my job though i had apparently had a falling out with the girls at work - i only knew as they all stopped talking to me :-0 in august 2008 i finally moved to canberra and moved in with geoff just until i found another housemate (heh)

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

i'll say tomorrow as today is nearly over.

* bake something quick and easy for a morning tea playdate

* fold some washing, the pile is monstrous

* put the F&V from organic express away in tupperware in teh fridge

* make dinner

3. Snacks I enjoy:

golden delicious apples (now out of season, sob), little mandarins, soft cheese on crackers, cake of most kinds, coles brand stem ginger cookies

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

hire a cleaner and a nanny, hmmm maybe a housekeeper who did it all. put this house on a bigger block (love my house but the yard's too small), buy an embroidery machine, travel overseas regularly, give gifts to family, plan a spectacular 40th birthday, have massages every week!

5. Places I have lived:

tumut, gilgandra, kempsey, queanbeyan - nsw

canberra - act

milan - italy

northwood - uk

vermont - usa

6. Jobs I have had:

babysitter

waitress (hopeless lol)

fairy floss maker!

canteen hand

nanny

teacher

camp counselor

disability support worker

manager

project officer

and currently policy officer

7. 6 Peeps I would like to know more about (in no particular order)

whoever would like to do it - just let me know you have!

i've been tagged again!

2008-05-17T08:15:00.002+10:00

The Crone has tagged me!

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
i'd been going tout with dh for about 6-9 months and was just a few months away from moving to canberra to be with him.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
fold washing *sigh*
practice my overlocker skills
make a shirt or skirt for emelia
send g to canberra theatre to buy tickets for the chaser's show
survive my children, GIVE ME STRENGTH

3) Snacks I enjoy:
golden delicious apples
brie / camembert cheeses with crackers and chilli jam
slices and cakes (aagh)
scones with jam and cream

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
travel o/s regularly
buy a beach house
pay off my mortgage and buy a house on more land
get a cleaner too LOL

5) Places I have lived:
canberra, wagga wagga, milan, london (northwood), vermont

quick fleece hats

2008-05-11T18:22:00.001+10:00

just found this link on another blog, i'll definitely be having a go at these because we always tend to need 2-3 hats per child - as at least one always seems to end up at daycare ...

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=14ce76ecfd22f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=fleece%20hat&rsc=header_1

the secret to my addiction...

2008-05-11T08:59:00.002+10:00

a few weeks ago someone on eb mentioned bloglines... suddenly i didn't have to miss posts because clicking all my links was too tedious and time consuming to do, or miss blogs because adding them to my list took ages too.

now i have a few (*cough* nearly 100 *cough*) blogs subscribed to and bloglines tells me when there are new posts so i know to go straight to them. i can comment immediately and my only problem is that i keep adding new blogs, and i see so many recipes i have trouble remembering where i saw one i want to make LOL

do yourself a favour and check it out http://www.bloglines.com/

and if anyone knows why i am all set on being public subscriber and yet i never show up as public i'd love to know!!!

ottobre WOW!

2008-05-09T13:32:00.001+10:00

i have jsut discovered someone on flickr who is totally into ottobre and i am just wow at what she has made - love the colours and fabrics, she's into dyeing and fancy stitching, she has an embroidery machine (how jealous am i??? *sob*) OMG! she is amazing!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77223848@N00/

WIP

2008-05-09T12:28:00.004+10:00

last weekend i got the urge to crochet.

so when i went to lincraft i bought a ball of wool (a bit tricky as i was following an ottobre pattern and it talked about metres per 100g and i couldn't find any particularly close!) thank goodness for youtube as the instructions are in american crochet terms LOL

it's going slowly as i just do a row or two per night (i have discovered i can actually crochet while i read on the puter, wooh lol) and i had to undo 3-4 rows last night as i realised that i had messed up half a row really badly. anyway, here's a teaser...

ETA: aaaagh i think i must have stuffed it up somehow, it is not looking at all like it's supposed to - and i have no idea how, i thought i'd done really well at following directions !! OMG i am sooooo bad at following instructions, i just cannot do it lol

overlocker student

2008-05-06T21:59:00.002+10:00

tonight was the first night of my 8 week overlocker class. we didn't do a lot tonight (in fact nothing lol) but talked a lot and had some little demos (the teacher spent a lot of time helping some of the people who had 10-20 year old overlockers which hadn't been used in all that time!!!) as mine's a janome and the newer (cheaper lol) version of 2 of the others i didn't get any extra help.

we get to pick our project though so i'm going to do covers for my machines, just to keep the dust off...

the verdict is in...

2008-05-04T16:54:00.003+10:00

i stuffed up the invisible zipper! it's totally visible LOL i think i should have done it my way instead of tryign to do it the ottobre way with a non-functioning brain!!!! LOL

Such a Princess!

2008-05-04T15:13:00.005+10:00

Emelia's princess dress is nearly done :) i just need to do the zipper - an invisible one (which i have never used / done before so am a little nervous lol)

i ended up using a different pattern - the new Ottobre arrived and Emelia (who took it to bed with her two nights in a row lol) fell in love with this dress (3/2008, design 19)

i thought chances were the ottobre dress would probably be easier than the simplicity so went with it - so far it has been easy, even though i did stuff up the side seams of the bodice (but i wasn't feeling at all well yesterday so i have a good excuse)

i had to go out this morning to buy the zipper so i bought some ribbon to trim it with too - now i wish i could have trimmed the bodice with some too instead of my pathetic top stitching! i might try later if i get a chance, at least it won't be as fiddly as the ribbon on the bottom to sew straight as i'll have the top stitching line to follow :)

i have to put in a disclaimer too - i did NOT choose the fabric! it is totally not my taste in colours lol emelia picked it from mum's stash ;p i think it qualifies as retro as it's no doubt late 80's lol

here's the princess (with her new princess jiffies, what a blast from the past they are lol)

PS: as it's practically winter here now she'll be wearing leggings and a long sleeve shirt under it ;)
i saw a dress with similar sleeves in myer, made out of fine cord and with decorative stitching so if i can find anything suitable in my stash i'm going to have a go at making this as a winter dress, probably shorter.
PPS: this is a 104 and emelia is 3.5y and wears a size 4-5 top and size 4 bottoms

i've been tagged!

2008-04-30T07:47:00.002+10:00

thanks kylie lol

5 things found in my bag:

1. chapter 3 of the book my psychologist has me reading
2. the kids' swimming cards
3. aquim anti-bac handwash
4. elastics & clips for the girl' hair
5. lip balm (moogoo, mmmm)

5 favourite things in my sewing room: (or what I would have if I had a sewing room!)

1. ikea expedit shelf
2. window to back yard
3. ottobre mags
4. tv & dvd so i can put on old movies to listen to and keep little fingers away
5. my daylight lamp, thanks mum!

5 things I have always wanted to do:

1. travel more
2. lose weight *sigh*
3. have more money lol
4. have a great job with great people (i'm very close now, if only it paid more lol)
5. have a cleaner

5 things I am currently into:

1. stephanie plum books
2. choko bai jo (see my food blog for details)
3. writing policies lol
4. being online
5. checking my kids' hair for nits *sob*

5 people I am tagging:

1. will do this later, need to get ready for work now!
2.
3.
4.
5.

a princess dress?

2008-04-29T13:44:00.002+10:00

emelia has been invited to a princess party (on mothers day of all days) so i thought i might make her a dress.... am i insane? lol

anyway, i already have this pattern - a garage sale find.i'm thinking of doing the dark pink dress on the bottom right, it looks the easiest. i think. lol

i already have the blue or green organza left from the mermaid skirt (which hasn't been very popular incidentally, as it's too hard for the kids to find the middle and put it on without my help) which i can use and i'm thinking of trying to use another fabric other than a slippery satin.

what do you think?

everything old is new again!

2008-04-20T12:27:00.004+10:00

I dug emelia's overalls out of the mending pile this morning, pulled all the snaps out, undid the stitching and stitched them together all through the crotch. perfect fit for her and so cute! she'll get a lot more wear out of them than emelia did, especially with the poo sagas of recent weeks lol

will add some pics shortly...
ETA, my pic is corrupted somehow, this is one on flickr though

what a nightmare

2008-04-05T10:45:00.003+11:00

i have just spent the past hour trying to get my overlocker to work, even called the store for advice, and have now given up.

i'm trying to do a rolled hem (with a variegated thread) and the lower looper thread just keeps breaking. i have rethreaded the whole thing probably 12 times or more, no kidding. i have also changed the needle as they suggested.

i just don't have time to take it down there for them to look at as the party is at 1pm. i wish they'd bothered to call me back about their beginners class last year (or was it the year before? lol), i can't afford it now :(

thank goodness i found a cute handbag i'd bought for rory's birthday but not given as the girls don't really play with any of the handbags they have already...

birthday gift

2008-04-04T15:58:00.002+11:00

on wednesday ryan got his first preschool birthday party invitation!

i realised yesterday that rsvp was yesterday, even though the party wasn't til june (very early to send out invites i thought, especially with one day to rsvp!) anyway, called to rsvp and the party is on THIS saturday, someone got confused lol

i meant to have a quick look at the shops this morning but forgot and with our new tight budget i decided i should really try to make something.

the birthday girl is turning 4 and seems to be the youngest of a few children. she is quite tall and slim and seems to be from a european background and has a very individual style which is a bit funky and lot like ottobre. lucky eh?! lol

so i found some nice soft indigo denim and am making this skirt - luckily mum already traced off the wrong size for emelia which happens to be the exact right size for lejla :) i'm going to top stitch with either red or hot pink, i'm not sure if she's a pink girl...

Emelia (3y 7m)

2008-04-04T14:06:00.002+11:00

waist 53cm
chest 55cm
height 110cm

ryan - height 113cm

community service announcement LOL

2008-03-26T19:17:00.002+11:00

i have just set up a food / kitchen blog, to share my kitchen experiments and favourite recipes.
http://brazen20au.blogspot.com/

done!

2008-03-24T16:44:00.005+11:00

wooooo! not only did i finish something in a day but it was something for me too!!! yippee!! (the kids are just about sorted for winter, i want a whole new wardrobe i can't afford though so i need to be sewing...)

the jacket doesn't fit quite right - it's actually a bit tight across the shoulders and i'm not really sure how to fix that. other than that it's not too bad, could do with an extra cm all round perhaps.

i didn't put elastic on the arms as i decided i liked them as they were. they are also shorter than i expected, but luckily i love 3/4 sleeves ;) i haven't done the ribbon tie yet as none of my ribbon is the right colour.

i don't mind the style - it's probably not quite me for casual wear but suits very well for work. i'll probably make at least one more (i have several more velours waiting lol)

PS: do you like the photo ryan took for me? i asked him to take a photo of my jacket so he did exactly what i asked lol i supposed i shoudln't complain, at least there's no double chins lol!!!

nice rainy day for sewing...

2008-03-24T11:05:00.002+11:00

i'm trying to make myself a jacket to take to melbourne - something new :)

yesterday i drafted teh pattern to fit and cut it out. hoped to sew but didn't. today i'm sewing...

i'm making this jacket from Ottobre 2/08 design #10 in a chocolate brown stretch velour. interesting to sew lol

seven things meme

2008-03-24T07:41:00.003+11:00

I’ve been tagged by Dani

Firstly, here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
2. Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
3. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven Things :
1. I am hoping to sew myself a jacket to take to melbourne today.
2. both my girls are getting sick, only 4 days before we fly out, i am just dreading that it could be tonsilitis :(
3. too much is never enough
4. i am craving a decent cup of coffee - aldi coffee is good enough most of the time, but i want something better atm
5. i desperately want to be organised but never seem to get close
6. i can't stand whinging whining children - aaagh
7. half of the filling in the tooth i've been procrastinating on having refilled, fell out last night

I’m tagging
7 people who i will work out later today lol

ok, tagging...
dani / dsk
the crone
lynn / dreamweaver
helen / mini-grey
karen / phreespirit
traceyleigh

and i just can't think of a 7th person who i don't think would get annoyed with me lol (not that i think anyone on the list will actually do this lol)

Ryan's Library Bag for preschool

2008-02-24T13:27:00.003+11:00

still in shock that my boy has started preschool (and that he loves it so much!). even though i checked the list the week before it started i'm positive a library bag wasn't mentioned on it so i didn't have one organised when the note came home on wednesday saying that IF they had a library bag on friday they'd be allowed to borrow a book (if not, too bad so sad!!)

i work weds & thurs so no chance of making a bag on those nights, i am exhausted.

so i made it today. i used this blog tutorial for inspiration and a search on eb to get the idea and dimensions etc.

i totally stuffed it up but love it anyway LOL i haven't been feeling well today (dizzy & nauseous) so was having trouble concentrating. it was suppose to be blue on the outside and green on the inside, with the handle sewed into the seams hehe

i handstitched ryan's name on the label, and did the button more for practice for him than practicality.

mermaid skirt

2008-02-03T14:28:00.001+11:00

today i hosted a craft open house - only eilleen was able to make it but it was lovely to chat and catch up with her, and i achieved my aim of getting something done!

i had planned to start some winter clothes for ryan but hadn't tidied up in time (plus hadn't washed the fabric) and remembered i wanted to make a princess skirt for rory for her birthday. i found the instructions on a blog (i forget where :() last week.

I had some gorgeous green and blue glittery organza already and decided to combine the two, not realising that it would make a skirt that looked like a mermaids! the idea was to make a loop of elastic slightly smaller than the waist (i used my usual wide waist elastic but recommend you use as narrow an elastic as possible, as long as it's strong enough). you then cut strips of any shimmery / see through fabric and simply knot them around the elastic - voila!

the only downside is that there is glitter EVERYWHERE!

the photos show emelia modelling it for me :)

Heights January 2008

2008-01-19T14:59:00.000+11:00

Ryan - 111cm
4y 7.5m

Emelia - 102cm
3y 4.5m

Rory - 85cm
22.5 mo

heights October 07

2007-10-20T20:05:00.000+10:00

A - 82cm (nearly 19mo)
E - 100cm (3y 1m)
R - 106.5cm (4y 4m)

Tagged!

2007-10-02T07:40:00.000+10:00

Fiona (Deeva Gal) tagged me (lucky she told me as i don't read my own blog let alone anyone else's these days LOL)

Here’s how it works:
1. Players must list one fact, word, or tidbit that is somehow relevant to their life for each letter of their first or middle name.
2. When you are tagged you need to write your own post containing your first or middle name game facts, word, or tidbit.
3. At the end of your post choose one person for each letter of your name to tag.
4. Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them that they have been tagged, and to read your blog.
5. If I’ve tagged YOU (see below), please join in on the fun!

K - krazy, this is how i feel most of the time (plus i can't spell)
A - angry, is how i spent a lot of the past 18 months. luckily i am feeling much less that way now...
R - rich, i wish i was!
E - eating, i do far too much and need to cut it back
N - nerve, that's what i've got at the moment, a pinched one :o(

Now, I choose to tag the following:
Ingrid
hmmmm i'm not even sure who still writes their blog, i'd better go and check!

sewing at last

2007-09-30T09:20:00.000+10:00

i have just been too busy to sew - and not really in the mood to be honest. yesterday i decided to sew, as rory needed some between seasons pants. i started by repairing some pants that needed new elastic, as a warm up activity, and then moved on...

used ingrid's easy pants pattern and some brushed cotton from an op shop. then i cut up a worn out 2nd hand shirt from kmart and used it as a pattern to make the little purple shirt (the white shirt is also an ottobre shirt i made earlier in the year)

rory is sick atm so she wasn't really cooperating...

Inspired!

2007-07-21T21:53:00.000+10:00

started to catch up on blogging friends tonight - didn't get far before i was inspired by helen's blog and her disappearing 9 patch quilt.

i think I've quilted once upon a time at school - 20+ years ago! but i tend to have a bit of an 'i can't fail' attitude *sigh*

so i dug in my cupboard for scraps that i wouldn't use for anything much else and sat on the floor (being too lazy to clear the dining table after dinner) cutting them out. i have decided the cutting is the bit i hate most! but then again i don't have a rotary cutter etc, i was using a template and cutting 2 at a time with regular scissors. perhaps next time i'll borrow mum's lol

the sewing was easy though i've only done one and it's bedtime! the rest will have to wait. this can become a little blanket for emelia for her birthday - she loves to put things over her teddies, little people, the cats etc (hehe) so this can be for that.

the colours don't do it for me (i'd love gorgeous fabrics like helen's) but they'll do for this purpose.

i'd love to make a nice one for ryan ... one day... maybe !

Ikea long weekend gtg!

2007-05-27T18:01:00.000+10:00

how about 10am or 1030am?

shirts for rory

2007-05-15T08:55:00.000+10:00

it's been so long since i've sewn, what with being flat out with TW, having the kids home sick (and totally unable to sew when rory is around these days) and being sick myself...

I'd cut a heap of stuff out for rory on the weekend and yesterday got one shirt sewn before crashing into bed to sleep for hours. i cna't seem to get the neckline right, but I think i need to stretch the banding before I sew it on and that should work better.

the shirt is an ottobre one but i can't remember the details!

thanks for tagging me helen :o) i'll get to it later today i hope...

and will put my pincushion swappee's parcel in the mail express today :) (log in and see my flickr for a sneak peak) thank you again to ingrid for a gorgeous parcel and pincushion which I think you can see on her blog by now :oD

Op Shop patterns - 20c a piece!

2007-05-06T14:44:00.000+10:00

unfortunately the two i like best are size 10, which i am not and never will be LOL

who wants them?

the model

2007-04-18T09:29:00.000+10:00

thanks girls :o)

2007-04-17T21:46:00.000+10:00

you inspired me and believe it or not i made rory another pair of pants in around an hour or less instead of 4 days LOL

i used a funky uncut cord printed with spots that i'd bought at the end of last winter and sewed with a contrasting light aqua thread...

i went to spotlight today to get some flannelette to make rory some cot sheets - got some lovely bargains so now need to keep up this sewing bug!

I did it!!

2007-04-16T15:28:00.000+10:00

ok, so it was extremely simple - ingrid's easy pant pattern (2 pieces ;o)) and it took me about 4 days (it took me 2 goes over 2 days to cut one pattern piece out lol) but they are done! hopefully i'll get some time to do some more soon as rory has a distinct lack of pants and l/s shirts...

these ones were made from a pistachio ribbed velour with pink stitching. next on the list are some ottobre shirts in funky colours

Rory April 07

2007-04-15T16:24:00.000+10:00

waist 46.5cm
height 74cm

shhhhhh it's a secret but i might be doing a little sewing - don't scare me off!

Valentine's Day Swap!

2007-02-20T12:44:00.000+11:00

thanks so much Ingrid for our gorgeous goodies and i'm so glad Helen got hers so quickly!

Valentine's swap info

2007-01-11T08:41:00.000+11:00

1. Kids…. Ages….Measurements….
Ryan, 3.5, size 4 height just over 100cm (will check for sure later)
Emelia, 2 + a bit, size 3 (but any shoulder straps need to be set in or cross over to stay up), approx 95cm tall
Rory, 10 mo, size 0, will check length later

2. Fav. colours
blues, purples, pinks

3. What is garish about valentines?
We don't celebrate valentines either so most of it is except the sentiment

4. What do you LOVE about valentines?

5. What fabric, haberdashery item, sewing essential melts your heart?

i'm on a roll...

2006-12-30T12:15:00.000+11:00

a tshirt (for jammies) for ryan. made from some cute helicopter print knit (unfortunately a poly/cotton blend rather than straight cotton). he kept bugging me til i'd finished it and then put it straight on LOL i used a knitwit pattern from the late 80's which was so simple and just perfect.

the other is a vintage dress pattern made up for emelia. ufnrotunately it's too big :( but she is happy to wear it anyway (she is off dresses atm, so i was actually trying to make a pinafore LOL). i ADORE this fabric, which i got at spotlight in the sale. it was in the catalogue the week before and i wanted to go to solely get this fabric, but i love it even more in RL. i'm so glad i bought a whole 2m of it! i also made a matching headband which was totally fiddly, i think i must have done it the wrong way...

ps: dh has just redone my puter so i don't have a graphics program on it to resize the photos - so be warned if you click for a larger image they will be HUGE!!!

oh and of course blogger WON'T rotate the photos when i need them done!

call me crazy...

2006-12-28T22:06:00.000+11:00

but i think i'll make another romper for rory! i'll simplify it though, and i have the perfect piece of fabric in mind...

Here she is, i'm so so pleased! how funky is she?!

2006-12-28T18:33:00.000+11:00

Rory's Retro Romper!

2006-12-28T17:46:00.000+11:00

the past few months have been crazy busy and also with illness :o( but at last i got to sew! geoff is on hols now in the xmas - new year public servant shutdown so i have just claimed some sewing time! of course i didn't actually plan to make something which took a day and a half but anyway....
This gorgeous romper (i am SOOOOO pleased with it!) is design #4 from Ottobre 2/2005. I havne't tried it on Rory yet so i hope it fits the little madam lol

ok, she has it on, it JUST fits (she'll be wearing it a LOT in the next month LOL) and i've got photos which I will upload after dinner...

quick shorts for rory

2006-11-26T20:41:00.000+11:00

rory needed shorts as i didn't seem to have any for her, so today i finally got time to whip up a quick pair. i used the ottobre pattern i made her 3/4 pants out of and just shortened them. they worked out ok but i do need to play a bit to make them work better. the fabric i used was the doona cover i found in an op shop which i still love :)

excuse her expression, she wanted boobies not photos LOL

moomoo's skirt take 2...

2006-11-14T17:59:00.000+11:00

another moomoo skirt

2006-11-14T11:30:00.000+11:00

missy moo and her skirt fetish *rolls eyes* this was a remnant i got from lincraft last week, i think i have two pieces of it for myself actually! decided to just do side seam and gather but turned out the fabric was too wide to gather to the waistband elastic. so of course i made a simple job compicated yet again....

ended up putting pleats in it and then gathering the lot onto the elastic. then finished it off with the trim that belinda sent me a while ago. i'm planning to make a blue tshirt to match and finish with the same trim 9but planning to is not doing lol)

aagh, even writing on the closeup didn't get it the right way around

sydney sewing girls!

2006-11-07T15:05:00.000+11:00

thought it might be easier to have a thread here where i am not so easily confused about what we are doing LOL

saturday
2pm
Cass
Belinda

Playland at ikea

emelia loves her new 'pretty' !

2006-11-06T07:56:00.000+11:00

finally!

2006-11-05T21:34:00.000+11:00

it's been a crazy busy weekend but after we spent half the day putting up tents (practicing for our upcoming camping weekend with some eb friends) i decided i HAD to make emelia some skirts. she is half TT'ing and will only wear skirts most days. i don't have many and when i have to put her in 2-3 a day then we have a problem! lol

so i thought i'd whip up a few quick skirts.

well, that was the plan anyway *rolls eyes* i grabbed out some cheap (and nasty heh) printed cotton i had stashed away and cut out a twirly skirt. however i forgot you don't have to do the 1.6x measurement on the waist, so it is twirlier than twirly! i also decided that as i was goin to have to join it i would make it a feature so i cut the strips into rectangles and joined them all, seams out, with a decorative zigzag (which i figured would give more strength and better protection from too much fraying)

so anyway, i wanted to sew ricrac around the bottom but didn't have nearly 4m laying around so finished it with a decorative stitch with yellow satin thread.

et voila.

i'll try to get a photo of her in it tomorrow. i'm not that happy with it but it's a skirt and she won't care that i'm not happy! lol

E's flirty skirt ;o)

2006-11-05T14:21:00.000+11:00

first layer 50 x 1.6 = 80 + 2cm = 82cm

second layer = 80 x 1.6 = 128 + 2cm = 130cm

third layer = 128 x 1.6 = 205 + 2cm = 207cm

337cm of frill / 106cm fabric width = 3 pieces + 20cm

November measurements

2006-11-05T14:04:00.000+11:00

Ryan
3y 5m
height - 101.5cm (big growth spurt in sept/oct!)
waist - 48cm

Emelia
2y 2m
height - 92cm
waist - 50cm

oh and...

2006-11-03T14:25:00.000+11:00

no sewing lately - i've been soooooo busy and also having a bout of pnd which has had me to the dr and had me laying low. i feel like i'm improving though the damp and gloomy yet warm weather isn't helping, but hopefully i'll get there soon...

Thank you emelia!!!!

2006-11-03T14:22:00.001+11:00

she just found my missing ottobre magazine! (3/04) it was in the back of the tv cabinet - as if i ever would have found it in there! lol

tiny bit of sewing

2006-10-25T22:22:00.000+10:00

i've been just so flat out busy lately i have barely been able to sew. i'm actually hoping to get a quiet week next week (i have no plans at this stage!)

anyway last weekend i joined a gym. only - i have no clothes to wear to a gym! and even though i've lost 13 kilos (!!) i would find it hard to buy sportswear so i decided to make some.

this is the 3rd thing i've made from this pattern and they've all been wayyyy too big. i measured carefully, got mum to check the pattern against me... and still had to take about 3" off each side before they sort of fitted (really, they've turned out still a little big as i'm losing weight, but too late now)

i used the unbrushed cotton fleecy i'd bought from the mill and unfortunately between a flaw in it and having sold off the rest i now have not enough to make myself anything else which is a bit of a PITA. i can work around the flaw (5 lines wasting about 10" of fabric) to make some pants for the girls.

PS; these photos are disgusting (geoff can't for the life of him EVER take a flattering photo of me *sigh*) but they'll also double as photos to record my weightloss (unfortunately i didn't take any before photos as it was all far too terrible)

first softie!

2006-10-17T20:42:00.000+10:00

well, ok, i made a few at school but my first 'adult' softie. i decided to handsew him, which was a challenge as i never handsew LOL but i was pleased with him. i wish now i'd put more in his tummy as he looks a bit slim at his destination at Flossie's

i got the instructions here. he was a lot simpler than most of the other softies in our swap, but i didn't realise how gorgeous some of the others would be!

anyway, the pics are of dh modelling with eddie :o)

gorgeous bunnies!

2006-10-10T19:38:00.000+10:00

thanks to the talented Leah we got a parcel today full of bunnies!

here are the kids with their bunnies - they are very impressed and emelia is sitting on the lounge cuddlin them all right now :-D

my first ever compliment!

2006-10-08T09:33:00.000+10:00

geoff pointed out the shorts to ryan this morning. i went and got the tshirt of his choice and dressed him. while i was making my breakfast (porridge, which is still too painful to eat :o( i am in such agony today) he told me "these are great mum, you made them out there (pointing at the sewing area)" awwww

OMG, i am soooo clever! LOL

2006-10-07T22:56:00.000+10:00

and modest LOL

ok, in between bouts of pretty bad tooth pain i have been sewing today. these shorts took nearly all day but i think they were totally worth it. I think they look every bit as good as a $30 pair of pumpkin patch shorts.

they are ottobre 2/04 (i think) design #18. i was going to make them in a 104 but alice had already traced off the 98 and said they still fitted her RJD so i've made this pair to try on my RJD and will cut out another pair or two if these ones look like they'll work for next summer too, or ever if they'll last the whole of this summer (he usually goes up a size during the season which means he needs two separate wardrobes for summer and winter, ack!)

will post pics of him wearing them tomorrow :o)

PS: i made the images bigger than usual so you can see the topstitching clearly if you click on the smaller images here

some old sewing

2006-10-05T10:05:00.000+10:00

this is for my mum's benefit, to see the fit of the dress :o) (she made it for emelia last christmas, and the capris were one of my first projects last summer, they were full length pants on emelia last year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mum, the dress still fits with room to grow, but is pinafore length now on the ever taller missymoo :-0

teaser........!!

2006-10-02T15:29:00.000+10:00

i am making emelia something from ottobre! it has pintucks and decorative stitching was optional.... i decided to do it and wow! here is the partially completed item..

only problem is that i was using a pattern alice had traced off to use and she notes 'cut on fold' different to me :-| therefore my front has a lovely big seam down the middle. hopefully the fabric's so busy no one will notice...

stay tuned for the finished item!

lucky rory!

2006-10-02T10:38:00.000+10:00

yet another pair of spring capris! i haven't started the matching top yet though. this was some material left from a piece i'd bought and alice made emelia a top out of last summer (before i started sewing).

PS: rory's red cheeks in the last entry are because she is sick :o(

this is us!

2006-10-01T19:50:00.000+10:00

as the eb girls are sharing pics. sorry dh isn't in it but he was taking the photo!

more springiness for rory

2006-10-01T17:23:00.000+10:00

off for a walk, will post details later (love the pants, not happy with the top)

ok, back from our walk (to get the kids out of dh's hair while he gets dinner prepared, of course he can't cook with them under his feet *rolls eyes* lol)

so the patterns are Ottobre 4/2004, designs #4 & #5.
i love love love the pants! just a gorgeous style and fit! i am half way through a second pair already :oD I think i'll make another couple of pairs, plus some for emelia if they go big enough!

the top .... *sigh* i don't hate it, but it didn't turn out quite the way i thought or hoped. i don't like the applique i've done. i think you need a bigger design to applique, like the one in the magazine. the whatsydoovie in the front of the neck (slit, gap, whatever it's called) is just too big. it needs to be about half the size. and apart from the fact i put the ribbon on at the wrong angle i just don't like the look. next time i'll use a button and loop i think. the towelling is a lovely weight for a spring top but a major PITA as it stretched as it was sewn and overlocked. i will have to invest in some of that tape that stops stretching i think! and then last of all, there's the fact that rory doesn't look good in purple LOL

fabric swap?

2006-10-01T15:52:00.000+10:00

as per the eb sewing group

another spring romper for rory

2006-09-28T21:54:00.000+10:00

as my poor girl has no spring clothes - only heavy winter stuff and bare-it-all summer stuff, i cut out a ton of spring clothes for her last weekend (with mum's help) here is the first item i've made - this fabric was $3pm from spotlight and it looks fabulous on her! i stuffed up the bloody zipper again so will have to fix it later.

witht he pink velour version i made as pj's for her, i used an iron on motif which just 'made' it - it now looks fabulous! (will take pics later) so i bought a few today to try on this one too, as it just seems to be missing to me...

she is with her aunty 'susu' (as ryan and emelia call her!) in the second photo :oD

and.... i have just been reminded that i didn't report back on my sewing machine! i THINK that i just had it threaded wrong. i assume so as that is what fixed it LOL how embaressment ;o)

arrrrgggggllle!

2006-09-24T21:44:00.000+10:00

today was a big non-sewing sewing day!

our bbq plans were cancelled due to weather so geoff and reg took the kids to questacon while rory and i stayed home and sewed.

well, ok i didn't get more than 5 minutes of sewing done - i spent most of the day tracing patterns, cutting out and organising my patterns. mum came over in the morning and helped and then alice came over at lunchtime and did her own :o)

after dinner i started to sew at last! only to discover that something is wrong with my sewing machine :o( hence the argle! the tension is stuffed (i changed it to do the shirring) but i can't seem to fix it - if the tension is on 0 it looks mostly ok on the front but terribly loose and loopy on the back. if i turn the tension the other way even a tiny bit then the top becomes basically a straight thread (on zigzag) with the back thread looping right through from each side to the middle. so basically i'm STUFFED.

any ideas anyone? it's a brother bm2600...

brazen's crafts: woooh! bargains!

2006-09-23T11:42:00.000+10:00

brazen's crafts: woooh! bargains!

i've just done a rough count and i think i probably have about 60-80m of fabric (OMG) there were a couple of unopened bolts of 15m each. plus 15m of the dark grey fleecy on the roll etc etc

wow!

woooh! bargains!

2006-09-23T09:57:00.000+10:00

checking the paper this morning and there was a garage sale with sewing machines and fabric by the metre / roll. so mum and i headed over and arrived just after they opened at 8am. it was so busy! but i managed to get bargains galore - no really interesting fabrics but lots of basic fleecies, jerseys and ribbing that will last for years. got the lots below (i think you can't quite see some of it and there is also two rolls of twill tape you can't see at all) for $50 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i LOVE garage sales!

I've been tagged again !

2006-09-21T16:49:00.000+10:00

by Lynn (Dreamweaver) *waving hello to Lynn*

1. What is your current pet peeve?
my infected tooth :o(

2. Would you rather be annoyed or bored?
depends who i'd be annoyed with LOL probably bored. at least it's not a totally negative experience.

3. When did you last drink champagne?
not real champagne but i had a glass of omni at my sister's last weekend (and then she kept the bottle for herself dammit LOL)

4. Who sleeps in your bed?
who doesn't???! ok, i sleep there all night. geoff sleeps there anywhere from all night to not at all depending on who has woken and when and what mood they're in. rory mostly doesn't now as she is usually in playtime mode no matter what time of the night, emelia has taken to coming in early in the mornings (though she does more wriggling and chatting than sleeping) and ryan is pretty much the only one who doesn't since i kicked him out after rory was born. the two cats do on cold nights too :-S

5. What TV hunk can come knock at your door?
wouldn't matter who he was, he could knock but i wouldn't have the energy to let him in lol

6. Do you wear perfume?
not often but lately some eden by cacherel and chanel no 19

7.If you wrote a book what type would it be?
booooring. i'm a really bad writer!

8. When did you last go to the dentist?
don't ask, to many times lately. and for the first time in my life i wish i could do sooner than next thursday, i'm in so much pain :o(

9.Ooops, you've just had boy/girl twins- what are they called?
i think i'd been too tired to give them names! so probably just baby and baby hehe

10.How do you get your news- TV/Internet/paper?
from eb and dh

11.Do you believe the story that Naomi Robson was going to save a boy from cannibals?
who cares?!

12. If you could go back in history where do you want to visit?
the hippie 60's

13.I am having a fancy dress party. What are you dressed as?
a sleep deprived mum?? oh ok, maybe a hippie or a cowgirl lol

i'm going to tag
natalie
and helen

budding super model LOL

2006-09-21T16:07:00.000+10:00

oh gosh, this top was a bloody nightmare! lucky my cross dressing supermodel was happy with it LOL

the girls on eb made shirring look soooooo easy and i've been desperate to give it a go. so i used this scarf i bought at the vinnies in curtin. unfortunately i didn't find it as easy as i thought :o( 2 days, half a roll of shirring elastic and lots and lots of unpicking later i finally have a top which is finished but which i am not particularly happy with. still it is done and i think emelia will look very cute in it. i was going to make one for rory with the other half of the scarf but i think i'll try a new technique.

i will probably give shirring another try, but with a slightly heavier fabric...

look at me!

2006-09-19T19:48:00.000+10:00

emelia had to go to the mirror to look at herself in the new skirt LOL unfortunately it only just fits :o(

twirly skirt for emelia

2006-09-19T16:13:00.000+10:00

just whipped this up quickly (well except the ribbon which was a PITA). it was an ottobre pattern but no idea which one as it wasn't written on the pattern and i'd cut the pieces out before chirstmas last year LOL i'd bought the fabric after being inspired by an incredibly simple yet incredibly expensive fred bare skirt last summer (of course it looked nothing like this one, i think it had pleats in it lol)

i think i've cut the elastic too big again, uggggghhhh

the ribbon was a pain because silly me (brain totally fudged by this rotten and aching tooth) cut the ribbon 1.6 x the length of the bottom tier, when it was to be attached to the top tier...

what is needed for summer

2006-09-12T17:17:00.000+10:00

emelia - some plain, basic shorts and skirts, summer weight jackets
ryan - everything especially shorts
rory -

here's my girl

2006-09-11T21:41:00.000+10:00

me tagged?

2006-09-11T16:01:00.000+10:00

i haven't had time to go blogging lately and so i've only just discovered clair has tagged me! i'm too headachy and tired to do links but here is the tag thingie...

The rules of the tag are: List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets. Tag 5 friends and list them. Then, those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people. Dont forget to let the people you tag know by posting a comment on their blog!

so I will Tag:
susan (susan's scrap n sew)
penni
mousey
paula
and dani (dsk)

and my 5 weird things...
i was going to write that i talk to myself but seeing as everyone else did it's obviously not that weird lol

1. i used to have fillings done without ANY anaesthetic, now i'm so bad i'm going to have to have a general for my root canal so i don't freak out on the chair (if i ever get the referral, despite the constant pain and infection)

2. i find it difficult to eat food prepared by family if they haven't chopped all the ingredients the same size and shape. i have to concentrate to get past it.

3. i have huge ridges in my toe nails and smaller ones in my finger nails atm, most likely from the blood loss i had at rory's birth.

4. i am the lazy perfectionist where my house is concerned. hate it being messy and dirty but am too lazy to clean it! where are my housework fairies???!!!

5. i constantly compare my children. how else am i going to know if they're developing normally???!!!!

PS: why on earth did blogger turn rory's pj's upside down? good grief!

new pj's for rory

2006-09-11T15:45:00.000+10:00

as she's outgrowing all her others. i haven't had time to try these on her yet (she's asleep) but they are made from velour (pink as pink was the only colour zip i had lOL) and FOE. pattern is design 8 i think from ottobre 4/2005. sooooo easy to make. started this last night and it took a little longer than i thought because the zip was done differently (yet again)

my nose is still itching too - i'm sooooo over sewing fluffy material, ack.

found some time this afternoon...

2006-09-10T17:39:00.000+10:00

to make ryan one of his long overdue pairs of pants!

i'm very happy with how these turned out - and they only took me a couple of hours!

they're made from what is like an uncut cord with a diagonal stripe. the top and bottom panels are cut running the opposite direction. all the top stitching was done using a thick rainbow thread (for the overlocker but sewed well on the machine). i used a denim needle which made sewing this fabric a breeze.

the pattern is design 6/7 from ottobre 1/2006, the same pattern as i used with the fleece to make him trackpants a few months ago.

the only annoying thing is that even though imeasured the elastic around his waist i didn't take out enough and it stretched as i sewed it on. i find it so hard to get the waists right!

emelia's party dress!

2006-09-09T20:58:00.000+10:00

got it made in time - yay!

decorative stitching

2006-09-04T08:04:00.000+10:00

by request :oD juts click to see it in better detail

it is a feather stitch in a pink satin thread.