Is it a bird?

Have you had someone gift you some material that you're not entirely sure of what to do with it because.. well.. because it's a bit ugly? And, let's face it, since getting your sewing machine you've realised that you're quite the pack-rat when it comes to material.

Here's an idea, turn it into a super hero cape and gift it to your child's day care!

They're nice mermaids.. but really..

And the action super girls!

At least at the day care, the children can wear it (and they don't care what it looks like) and you don't need to look at it! Win-Win!

All in a day's work!

There were some dramas, this blog post was meant to be posted last night but something terrible happened - my laptop died. Thankfully we were able to operate and and saved the hard drive so I have my precious favourites and pictures, but, yes sadly, my laptop is dead.
There were some photos I really wanted - photos for this very blog entry.. and now they're back to being available (as the hard drive hangs haphazardly out of the handy husband's computer) and here we go.

As I've said, I'm on holidays, and being on holidays is a little more quiet as the children are off for a few hours, allowing me to sew - and to listen to loud music the contains swear words and, of course, to combine both things. I set about making another skirt across the last two days, it would've taken me about a couple of hours all up, but it was a lot of work for Me Of Little Attention Span so it took me two days of lazy work.

Pattern from 1983

Oma gave me this pattern, it included the skirts and the tops - yet to make the top.. knit scares me. But I set to work making a multi-panel gored skirt.. it involved a lot of cutting, 25 panels to be precise.

It is important to listen to Eminem while you cut fabric, donchaknow.

And once they were all cut, I admired them.

And then I got to sewing them. I decided to do it methodically. I cut in layers of 2, so I just sewed them all, then I sewed another 2 to another 2 (does that make sense?) and in the end I had my one lone ranger, number 25, to secure on either end.

 

This was more time consuming than I could ever anticipate. I had to sew 25 straight lines. I actually think I'm a bit of an expert in sewing straight lines now because I did it - a lot. I did it so much that I got to the point where I could put my foot to the floor and zip it through like some kind of ... person who can sew fast.

Doing the waistband was a bit of a worry, I don't think I did it right as it doesn't have the right amount of stretch, but that's okay, still fits. I'll have to look up on how to properly attach elastic with a zig-zag, I did a lot of stitch lengthening and what-not.

I have to say- I think my 'pin cushion' is ingenious. :D

And then it was done! And I love it. Cobey approves too, in fact the next day he made sure that I was wearing "the skirt" because "It is just so beautiful."

I have to agree, it's very spring!

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.

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*!

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!

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.

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!