rory's hat finally finished!!

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)

heights (early june)

A 87cm
E 105.5cm
R 112

mermaid skirt

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 :)

sewing at last

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...

shirts for rory

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

the model

thanks girls :o)

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!!

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

quick shorts for rory

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