Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Well THAT didn't take me long!

Not long at all, under an hour was all I needed to make myself a skirt! Yahoo! I signed off from that last entry and set about it.

There's not much to say about it - it's 2 rectangles and some elastic. It only took me an hour because I included cutting, ironing and sitting down to ask twitter for recommendations on no-think TV I should watch on the holidays. I didn't need a tutorial for it either! I do think I need to wash it with some fabric softener though - or just wear it and wash it and wear it and wash it.
This is the print (smallish) on the other material I have, I think I might make a gored skirt to give it a bit more oomph!
I like it.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Holidays!

No, not holidays in the going away sense, but holidays in the Not Going To Work sense. :D I love these holidays, I don't have to rush out the door, I don't have to wake the kids up and be on their backs about getting dressed so we can leave before 7.30. All I have to do is lay their clothes out, wait for them to get around to getting dressed and then we can head out, drop them at day care (Oh yes, I am the type of mummy that drops them off even though I'm staying home) and them come back home and just chill out.

Or sew, sew without having to say "Eva, don't fiddle with that knob while I'm sewing!" (The stitch selector) or "Cobey, quit sticking my pins into the couch!" (Ouch!) And not to mention Eva's just worked out that I step on the foot peddle to make it go.. yup.

So anyway, it's holidays and I can sew. By the end of this fortnight break I will make myself at least one item of clothing to wear, it's looking to be a skirt since 1) I like skirts and 2) I have some beautiful material with which I shall make the skirt from. I actually found some more material in my stash so I can make two skirts! I'm tossing up if I just start with your basic elastic gathered waist skirt, or to add a gathered fringe to the bottom - I'll see how it goes!
I'd like to make a circle neck shirt as well, but I think I actually have to source a pattern for that one, stay tuned.

Oh, also yesterday Oma gave me a bunch of sewing magazines and a couple of skirt patterns (Gored skirts... acutally I could make one of those... hmmmmmmmm) and in the mags included some bag mags, I'll have to go through them!

Anyway, I'm feeling a bit titchy to start sewing now, so I might (finally) cut up my skirt material and get going on this venture. I'm a bit excited about making something *for me*!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

But it looked so easy!

I've been busy this last week, between friends visiting, work and signing up for a TAFE course, I've been a bit flat-strapped. I have made a few things in the mean time though, just quickly which I'll have to share a bit later.

On the weekend, however, a friend came over for- what is colloquially known as- a stitch 'n' bitch. We have been wanting to get together and do this since I got the sewing machine.. this is the second time it was arranged, the first time we all had last-minute commitments and this time two of us four were busy (One was cuddling her brand new, less than a day old bubba! tch! excuses, excuses) but that didn't stop Sharon and I from setting the machines up and knocking up a "quick" craft.

We weren't sure exactly what to craft, I had my eye on Martha Stewart's Reversible Purse, it looked pretty easy and it was something I had wanted to do. So we got to it, cutting, ironing, talking and yada yada.

It was fun!

We did take some action shots, why not..
Two hands for beginners...
But then the trouble started. I've looked at so many other blog links for people who have completed this and they all say it's a snap, easy, no problems... so how did Sharon and I get it so wrong? How did we spend 2 hours - yes, two-freaking-hours - on one step.. the step being the armholes.. it just was not working for us, I even tried some other way then was forced to unpick the lot.. it was not pleasing either of us at all.
Eventually, after a few tantrums, we did it.. both of us ending up with a less than perfect result... only aesthetics, a few wrinkles near the bottom of each handle.. but still.. it shouldn't have been that hard.


In the end these were our bags. They're cute - not perfect and pretty annoying that they took us so long! I took mine out the next day for a road test, it fitted my phone, keys and purse just nicely- and enough room for a couple of other small things stashed- and it hung nicely on my wrist. I will have to try this one again - maybe one of the other online tutes which doesn't have the funny J bit where the handle meets the bag? We seem to be blaming that. I'll redo and report!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Hoods and Rainbows! Oh My!

I've lamented before, if not on here than out loud, that sewing for boys is SO HARD. There are so few sewing projects at hand, especially for clothes. This week I've created one!


It isn't perfect, it's far from in fact. But I really like it. I can see the crooked hemline, the double stitching, where the machine ate the material.. and I can even see where I accidentally stitched right-side to wrong-side (including zig-zag) and then had to unpick it all.. but I am really quite proud of it, so long as no one looks too closely ;)


Cobey loves it too! It came about after I was talking to my mother-in-law on the weekend when I mentioned I was thinking of doing something with some jumper material (I called it Jersey Fleece, but I have no idea if I'm using the right words when I talk about material), she was sure she had some just lying about and found, not only the jersey fleece stuff, but also some very cute patterned material with a rainbow pattern and a flower pattern - too cute! I believe I have Sue to thank for those two.


I traced one of his shirts without the sleeves, then traced a hood.. I was going to do it as-is but then thought about how cute the rainbow would be lining the hood and as a pocket! What (nearly) 5 year old doesn't love rainbows?


Of course the most nerve wracking thing was attaching the hood. I ummed and aahed as to how to do it, I pinned, unpinned, repinned, threw it down, put in inside, outside, swore but eventually just did it - and it worked!


A trapezium for the pocket and voila! Warm ears, warm neck, warm hands! 

Cobey is so pleased that today's sewing project went to him instead of his little sister, for once.. although he HAS commissioned one for her already.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Sweater Dress II

I mentioned in the last post about how much I love repurposing. One of the favourite repurposing tutorials I've found in my travels is The Sweater Dress on Nap Time Crafters.

Now, I don't have a lot of sweaters, I'm more of a hoodies kinda gal, so this one involves me heading into Op Shops and keeping an eye out for sweaters I could use.

I've done it once before and it turned out really cute, albeit a bit big (it fit Cobey - and he's 3 years older... so, yanno) but I was keen to try it again and yesterday - while the boys went to the car races - we girls went to the shops and I lay my eyes on a turtleneck jumper with a small neck.
Cute Bed Socks Too ^^

It didn't take long to do this one. As the last one I did was a bit too big, I just lay it over the top and traced the outline - without leaving a seam allowance (which I probably did too big last time) which would mean, in theory, it'd be smaller.

And my theory worked! One cute, stripey, wintery dress, ready for my wee Moo to strut her stuff in!

On Nap Time Crafters she also offers a tute on how to turn a turtleneck into a cowl neck - but I liked this one the way it was. :)


Great dress to be wearing on a cold day like today!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Two Bags, Two Beanies.

There are a few things, odd projects, I've sewed in the last few days but they don't have enough to take up a whole blog post- but it's still fun to note them down here.

I was at my local sewing & craft shop (Spotlight) for a rotary cutter and assorted materials when I was informed that they no longer give plastic bags and would I like to buy a resuable bag.. piffle to that, I say! I have enough know-how and material to knock myself up a few to take with me on my next fabric binge. And that gave me just enough motivation to try two repurposes I had buried in my bookmark folder.

This bag was from Martha Stewart and it used a pillow case.

It wasn't too hard to do at all and a nice quick one. I (clearly) didn't colour match my thread and used the only spare pillowcase on hand - I'll be scoping out the opshops for some retro print ones, I think! Next time I'll change it up a bit, use two pillow cases to make it reversible and a bit cleaner.

I've also had my eye on the T-Shirt Tote. So I pulled a John Deere shirt that my husband once loved from the "Donate" bag and cut that to bits! It's not as polished as all those that you hem and what-have-you but it does the job, feels sturdy and I quite like it.
I'll keep this one in mind especially for event shirts!

I love repurposing, in fact I told a workmate who likes to opshop to "Find me something cheap and ugly, I need a challenge." I'll have to see what she's found!

The other pair of a project I've done is beanie making, or fleece hats, or cute winter head warmers. I'm in love with these, they look so good and seriously took me about 15 minutes. My kids like them too which makes it a bonus. They're super easy to make! I used this tute from Green's Going Green but forwent the pom-pom.

So now I have two kids with warm noggins! And rest assured, I'll be making myself one too!
The other fun part of this quick project was putting the beanie on my son's head when he was sleeping- he sleeps very heavily and I was too excited to wait for him to wake up before sharing with twitter and facebook!
teehee! He's like a wee, sleeping gnome.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The (not so) Incy Wincy Spider.

Incy Wincy, Itsy Bitsy.. what do you know it as? I was brought up (I'm sure) with the Incy Wincy Spider but I often see the Itsy Bitsy Spider hanging about. And sometimes he goes up the water spout and sometimes the garden spout! Tsk! Can't keep up!

When I'm not chasing after my children I'm working at a primary school as a teacher aide. I love my job immensely, I love every bit of it- the relationships I form with the kids as I watch them grow, the staff at my work are just these wonderful people, so smart and dedicated to the cause of educating children, we're all very passionate about it. I love educating children and educating myself in the process- kids can teach you so much!

Another part about my work that I love is being a kid again. Nearly all aspects of my work involves me getting in touch with my inner-kid- whether it's joining in conversations with them and understanding the trends and slang and then relating with something from when I was a girl, or getting into their heads and realising just how a child thinks and why they learn the way they do. Then there's the very obvious 'being a kid again' aspect of my job. Dress ups.

You can't avoid dress ups with a school job and it's one of those work requirements I particularly love. Our theme coming up in a week or so is Fairy Tales & Nursery Rhymes. I tossed up a bit of Cat & The Fiddle, I even thought about fashioning a spoon and coming with a dish to run away with, my next thought moved to the Incy Wincy Spider - can't be too hard, 4 more 'legs' and I'm done. I googled a bit to find the easiest way to do it and I found this. Thank you, Martha Stewart. So today I set about it. I made a quick black A-Line skirt with an elastic waist, taped two coat hangers together and then onto a hook, (Husbando wouldn't be a sport and wear it to make this process easier) then used some white yarn to turn it into a web, which was a bit  fiddly and time consuming but I'm pleased with the end result.



I love the actual Incy Wincy Spider I made as well. Can't wait for our dress up day!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

More Tiered Skirts (In fact more birthdays!)

Yes, another birthday! Today marks another little girl turning two - my family day carer's daughter's birthday. Following the success of Eva's much loved skirt (and more success following it not falling to bits in the washing machine and tumble drier!) I decided to make Dee-Dee a little tiered skirt too! Eva eventually understood and resigned herself to the fact that it wasn't going to be hers, but as soon as it was time to get dressed this morning she pulled out her birthday skirt so she would be wearing the same thing. Suited me fine because it meant I could get another couple of photos!

Dee-Dee's skirt is a little more consistent in terms of tier sizes, especially the top tier, and I love the fabric and it really suited her skin tone. I lessened the tension on the machine to make the gathers a little less tight (Thanks for the tip, Oma! Or I was meant to lessen the stitch length? eek!) so that helped in that I didn't need to swear quite so much when I was doing it.


It's so very cute, I think I'll be making a few more! hee! There -was- going to be a matching headband, but time and patience were growing short.. maybe next time!

We've been commenting on how tall it makes them both look!

Hanging out to find the perfect fabric to make myself one!