I have a little secret to share with you...

I have not one, not two but three children going off to school this year.  Granted Chloe will only be at kindy 2 days a week but they will be two full days.  Alex will be in pre-primary full time and Samuel of course being in Year 3 this year is also fulltime.

So whats the secret?  Secretly, I'm so relieved... yes, relieved.  Not happy (although I'm happy that school holidays are almost over and the end of the fighting and whining and carry on), not excited (well maybe a bit LOL) but relieved.  Do you know that feeling after a long days work when you get home and sort of fall into your favourite chair cuddling your favourite cushion and at the same time exhaling?  That's very much how I imagine my first day home alone to be.

Of course, I fully expect to miss them terribly and I'll definitely miss my little shopping buddy.  After all who else will drag me off too Bed, Bath and Table and The Body Shop if not Chloe.  But I also think about all the things that I want to do... sewing, cooking, sorting, organising, gardening.  Yes they are all things that can be done with kids around, so many people do these very things day in, day out with their own children around and manage marvellously.  I'm the sort of person that becomes very focussed on a task though and I find interruptions throw me totally so I guess I'm looking forward to being able to throw myself into things completely for a few hours a day. 

But February is going to be a very lonely month this year because not only are the kids heading off to school but hubby is off to site for three weeks as well from the 1st of Feb!!!  Gosh, I'm not going to know myself.  So one project that I especially want to do while he is away is the Negroni Shirt by Colette Patterns.  As an added bonus there is a sew along happening for this shirt which by amazing coincidence also starts on the 1st of Feb.  It's fate I tell you!!!  So the fabric has been ordered from Fabric Tales and should be winging its way to me as I type and I've got the pattern so now all I have to do is wait patiently for 1 Feb.

I love a sunburnt country...

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

Dorothea Mackellar OBE

 

I feel privileged to live in the country that I do.  Its a land of great richness and natural beauty.  But it is also a land of stark contrast and the richness and beauty of the land comes at a price.  As Dorothea Mackellar penned so many years ago, so it is today, a land of droughts and flooding rains.  Here in Western Australia we are experiencing drought conditions and 9 homes have been lost to fire just south of where I used to live and grew up.  On the other side of the country, our fellow Australian's in Queensland are being devastated by torrential rains and flash flooding - flooding which is sweeping away everything in its path, cars, houses, livestock, crops and people.

The Australian crafting/sewing/blogging community is as always quick to react when our fellow countrymen are in need and now is no exception.  Make It Perfect are currently running an auction event starting on Monday 17th January with all monies being donated to the relief efforts in Queensland.  Are you able to donate something to the auction?  Maybe your talent is more with the purchasing of items?  Even if you can only spare a dollar or two I urge you from the bottom of my heart to donate to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal (and if your donation is $5 or more pop over to Ric-Rac for the raffle she is setting up).

Australia, for all her beauty, richness and rewards, is a harsh and exacting mistress but we as Australians are stronger...

Embracing the new and the old...

I think half my reluctance to do anything sewing over the past number of months has stemmed mainly from the room I was working in.  We call it "The Front Room", its the formal lounge, a lovely room overlooking the lovely park across the road, but it had also become our dumping ground.  Not only that, I had my machines on two small coffee tables and was tracing and cutting on the floor.  In short, it was neither a comfortable nor creative haven.

Over December though I started having a massive clean up in there.  We now have some storage space in the roof which has been a life saver.  I had an intuitive and as it turns out accurate guess as to what my Christmas present might be - my wonderful hubby really splashed out and got me a stunning Horn sewing cabinet.  I worked like a little Christmas elf sorting that room out so much so that it ended up being the "Christmas Room" with the tree, presents etc etc and we had lots of fun Christmas morning ripping into our presents there (and it also gave me heaps of room to put together my wonderful cabinet and Chloe's new doll house).

There are still a few bits and pieces which we need to get rid of or relocate but for all intents and purposes its now "my room", a little haven that I can retreat to. 

Now that this rather large and daunting job is out of the way, I've been able to turn my attention to other things.  Obviously the sewing is one thing but amidst all the junk in the room was something that I had purchased a few months ago at a garage sale.  It was a lovely Singer sewing machine, working mind you, in its case and I got it for $60.  I was quite chuffed with my purchase at the time and intended for the lovely thing to be a display piece in "my room" when it was all ready.

So today I decided to do a bit of research on my little prize.  I needed to rethread it for starters because I think the kids might have pulled the thread out and because it didnt come with a manual I had to find that first.  As it turns out learning about an old Singer is relatively easy.  Singer actually provide serial number identification information online.  Because I have the serial number on my machine it was very easy for me to find out that my machine was made in 1952 and it was given its serial number on 1 April along with 40,000 other 201K machines.  Yes, as it turns out this machine is a 201K.

So you might say.  Well further research shows that this is a pretty decent little machine.  In fact, this is how one machine expert, Alex I Askaroff  has described the 201K:

 "Singer's 201k was undoubtedly the pinnacle of Singer's quality machines. The 201 had arrived on the scene after nearly a century of evolution. It had the very best features of all Singer's models and a price-tag to match.

The Singer 201K has gone down in history as Singer's finest model. Although technology has moved on, quality has not. The Singer 201K simply represents the very best that Singer's could make and was built to last a lifetime. Even today many professional sewers seek out this elusive model as no new machine can come close to this beauty for reliability and stitch quality."

 Those are some pretty big standards to live up to, but time and again as I continued my research people consistently were saying the same thing - this was possibly Singer's best machine ever!!!   So while I had been quite chuffed with my purchase when I first got it, now I was positively beaming with pride for my gorgeous new/old machine.

Whatever you do... don't anger the zipper gods!!!!

Do you have an item of clothing that you love more that any other item of clothing you possess?

(Yeah I know, this doesn't seem to have a lot to do with the title of this post, but bear with me, we're getting there, I'm just taking the scenic route!!)

Maybe you have a pair of trackie pants that have lived through and comforted you through every major aspect of your life.  Or maybe its a jumper that you swear you are going to be buried in.  For me, at around the age of 16, it was a dress that I had made myself.  It was nothing particularly special, cheap green cotton and princess seams reaching down to the ankles.  It wasn't made particularly well being one of my first sewing experiences but I absolutely adored that dress.  But it wasnt just the dress that I adored, it was the way I felt when I was wearing it.  Princess seams look particularly good on me (if I do say so myself).  Being of the hourglass persuasion the nipped in waist makes the waist look even smaller and it also does a pretty good job of disguising the bigger hips, thighs and bum as well.  In short, it made me feel like a princess whenever I wore it.

I was thinking about that dress, wondering just what happened to it and decided that I really needed another one.  And after asking Mr Ebay in just the right words I found not one, but two patterns which are almost exactly like my beloved dress, one with a very full skirt and the other not so full in the skirt.  And to top it off I also found a princess seam pinafore for winter!!

(Yes I know what you are thinking... what on earth has this got to do with the zipper gods.)


Just before Christmas, the lovely Eternal Creation was selling some of their overstocked fabrics and one in particular I grabbed with the purpose of making the fuller skirt dress.  But before I could contemplate cutting into my beloved Eternal Creation fabric, I thought I would do a test run with something else just in case.  The only fabric that I had with enough yardage was a very bright peachy coloured quilters cotton that I picked up a Spotlight for about $4 a metre.  Figuring that it must have been fate for fabric and pattern to be together, I went to work cutting the other not-quite-so-full dress.

The dress went together like a dream, I kept trying it on with pins in various places because I was just loving it so much.  And then, I angered the zipper gods!!

(And finally we get to the point LOL!!)


I happened to make mention on my facebook status that I needed a zipper, in fact here is the conversation:

 

And this is what angered the zipper gods.  I mocked them, said that zippers were easy and as a result they punished me!!! 

I decided I was going to use a Birch Invisible Zipper Foot which I picked up a while ago because it looked pretty nifty.  Firstly it took ages for me to actually work out how it went on let alone actually sew with it, the instructions which come with it are impossible.  And then when it did come time to sew with it I broke no less than 3 needles in 15cm of sewing which must be some sort of record for a 56cm zip.  And so after much praying to the zipper gods, putting on the regular zipper foot and doing it the old fashioned way the zip was in place.

So what have I learnt from this:

1. The zipper gods insist on perpetuating the myth that zips are insanely difficult to place.

2. Zips are never, ever easy.  Even if you find them easy, never admit to it.  Admitting to it will anger the zipper gods (see point 1).

3.This is why everyone says zips are difficult... because they've already had their run-in with the zipper gods and have learnt their lesson.  I have now learnt mine.  Zipper are notoriously difficult to install!  Keep that myth going... it'll keep the zipper gods happy and all your zipper experiences should be happy ones.

Now that my zip is in I've just got facings and hems to complete.  Have I gushed yet about how much I love this dress...no... I'll save it for another post because there is lots of gushing to come, I absolutely ADORE this dress already!!

Its been a parcel-y kind of day...

I've had 4 parcels arrive today, delivered by 3 different parcel guys at 4 different times LOL.  The last to arrive was something special for Paul which is going to be put together with something else special for Paul to make an absolutely blow-his-mind type something special... but more on that later.

Before that was a delivery from StrawberryNet which was lucky because I was kind of needing the moisturiser!!!

The first two that I received were infinitely more exciting though.  The first one came from Japan... to be precise it came from Fabric Tales.  I actually found this place when I was looking for printed bias bindings... and some rather cute cherry blossom bias binding might have accidentally arrived today in the package (I got the cream one...)

They also have the lovely echino chelsea double gauze of which I helped myself to a couple of yards.  But gosh they have some absolutely gorgeous cottons - the sweetest animal prints, delicate floral, traditional Japanese patterns

Check out these bunnies in their kimonos and tell me they aren't totally irresistible

What I loved most was these stunning reversible double gauzes.  I got this pink one...

but the one that I really, really, really wanted (bunnies and cherry blossoms) was gone in the time between finding the site then actually placing my order.

Shipping time was absolutely astonishing - from shipping to receiving was 4 days and that included a weekend!!!  I cant get things from the Eastern States in 4 days so I was thrilled to receive this today.  All in all, fabrictales.com has received a massive thumbs up from me and I cant wait to add to my collection.

The other package I received today was from Eternal Creation. Here is a bit about Eternal Creation from their website:

After graduating from the East Sydney institute of fashion design in 1994, designer Frances Carrington registered with Australian Volunteers Abroad, hoping to use her skills in a community in Africa. Instead she was sent to India. She was put in charge of the fledgling tailoring department of the Norbulingka Institute in Dharamsala, home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in exile. Her job was to teach newly arrived Tibetan refugees the finer points of tailoring and design. She oversaw the growth of the department from 2 to 15 fulltime staff by the end of her stay.

Falling in love with Indian and Tibetan culture, not to mention the fantastic landscape of the Himalayas, she determined that at the end of her tenure she'd find a way to use her skills to continue to benefit the local community in some way. In 1999, armed with a $5000 loan from her father she started Eternal Creation, with the aim of producing quality womens' sleepwear and accessories.

The early days were difficult. Frances started with only 3 tailors, in association with the Gu-Chu-Sum movement of Tibet, an ex-political-prisoners' organisation based in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala. Gu-Chu-Sum's 200-plus members are all former prisoners of conscience, some of whom have endured terrible privation and torture at the hands of the Chinese authorities. The organisation is dedicated to improving the lives of recently arrived political refugees by providing jobs, training, health care and accommodation.

The small tailoring unit slowly grew, employing several ex-prisoners and battling with fierce monsoons, water shortages and frequent blackouts, often simultaneously! One of the biggest challenges was training people who had previously led a pastoral or nomadic existence, to understand the concept of delivery deadlines and international quality standards.

With the birth of her 2 children, Frances found herself naturally gravitating towards designing children's clothes, and sales of her initial childrens' collection quickly proved that there was a market for her classical look, love of colour and immaculate tailoring.

As the sales of Eternal products grew in Australia, the company was faced with a difficult decision - outsource or expand? Outsourcing would bring with it the ethical dilemma faced by many designers: how do you know your designs are being made under fair labour conditions and not subcontracted to other factories that may not meet these standards?

Frances felt that outsourcing production would ultimately end up betraying the original reasons she started the company. So she decided to increase the capacity of the workshop, which would provide more jobs for the local Tibetan and Indian community as well as ensuring that Eternal Creation's trademark high quality standards were maintained. In 2005, Eternal Creation opened the Himalaya Tailoring Centre in lower Dharamsala, and today is one of the largest private employers in the area. Eternal Creation products are sold in over 200 stores in Australia, Europe and Asia.

 Now usually I buy stunning clothes for the kids from Eternal Creation, but recently they offered a few of their overstocked fabrics for sale and once again the offer proved irresistible.  So here's what I grabbed from them...

So as hard as it might be to believe, I'm now well and truly all parcelled out!! 

As the old saying goes...

the less you do, the less you want to do.  That has very much been the case here lately!  I wish I was a bear that could curl up somewhere and sleep away the winter.  Each winter seems to get harder and harder, is it getting colder or am I just feeling the cold more?  I just don't do cold, I don't do dark mornings and did I mention that I don't do cold?

So yes the less you do the less you want to do.  However I'm trying really hard to get a little motivation happening.  Its so hard though, now that I'm in this rut I don't want to leave, its comfortable, its safe.  But life wasn't meant to be lived in a rut.

One good thing to happen over the winter: we have had an area in our roof space fitted out as an attic so now some of the junk that was in the front room aka my sewing room is now stored up in the roof.  So as part of Crafty Mamas Sew UP Wednesday I'm doing a bit of a Clean UP Wednesday, I'm going to give the sewing area a right old sort out, anything that is not being used like winter fleeces can be put into the roof space, the mountain of papers that seem to have accumulated in there can be gone through, my Ottos need to be put back where they belong... well you get the idea.

I'm so hoping that the old saying works in reverse and that the more you do the more you want to do will soon be my new motto.

Childhood memories of the op shop variety

I did pop into one garage sale yesterday however nothing particularly grabbed me so rather than miss out on Flea Market Finds this week I decided to show some op shopping finds from approximately 25 years ago.  My Auntie was pregnant with my cousin and she wanted some woollen baby dresses.  Pretty, fancy heirloom type baby dresses mind you.  So mum used to dig through the baby clothes and would find heaps of ugly, scratchy, out-of-shape items (you know the sort, you probably find the same sort of things yourself) but every now and then she'd find a little treasure...

 

And sometimes they would need a little work around the neckline where they had began to fray and mum replaced all the buttons and ribbons.  Stains were soaked away and they were slowly restored to their former splendour.

 

So my Auntie used them for her girls and then they were loving stored away until the next generation.  When I found out that I was having Chloe, these were among some keepsakes that were passed onto me.

The wonderful thing is, I can remember Mum finding these and restoring them, transforming them from items unwanted into treasured heirlooms.  I look forward to a time in the future that I can pass these onto Chloe for her children and tell her the story behind them.

Some exciting finds todays...

It's been awhile since I've been op shopping or garage sale shopping.  Mum and I used to scour the local op shops together and since she has moved to Darwin it hasn't been quite the same.  In fact I had just said that very thing on Crafty Mamas yesterday.  So imagine my surprise today when I found that we not only had a garage sale happening in our street but also one just around the corner.  It had to be fate right!

First stop was the sale around the corner.  Not only did they have the most magnificent wicker bassinette that I have ever seen in my whole life (which I totally would have bought expect for the fact that its probably not suitable for a 3yo) but hiding at the back they had this charming embroidery stand.  I do have an embroidery stand already but its a cheap, ugly, pine monstrosity which is uncomfortable to sit and work at.  This gorgeous little thing is a hand made beauty but most of all its compact and compliments our home perfectly.  I was thrilled with it and the lovely lady that sold it to me is thrilled that its going to a good home.

At the garage sale in our street I was most disappointed to arrive and find a transaction already under way for a lovely bookcase.  Oh well, these things happen.  I was going through the clothes that they had and found this lovely pink top which I think with a little work should make a perfectly sparkly fairy princess dress for my resident fairy princess.

I'm so happy with my finds today, what a great reintroduction to the world of preloved treasures.  If you'd like to see some other really beautiful preloved treasures step over to Her Library Adventures and check out some of the other Flea Market Finds.

Pattern Alteration in ONE easy step...

Step One: Alter entire mind set!

All my life I've thought of sewing as something quite difficult, incredibly frustrating and probably not worth the effort.  The basis for this sewing outlook started for me at the tender age of 5 with "The White Dress".  Mum decided to make a white pinafore dress for a special occasion when I was about 5.  From what I can remember it had a fairly simply bodice, waist band, skirt and a side zipper.  While I dont clearly remember the dress in great detail, I can quite clearly remember the frustration and angst it caused Mum, not to mention getting called over every 5 minutes to try the damn thing on (well it felt like every 5 minutes anyway).  I dont remember her making any of our clothes after that, the machine only came out for mending.

That was my first experience with home sewing (and it wasnt even me doing the sewing) and its shaped my sewing life.  Fortunately as I complete projects I'm finding it easier to shake the ghosts of sewing past and as I do so I've come to find that yes while sewing can be frustrating and sometimes difficult it can also be particularly rewarding and often times far more simple that expected, not to mention you get to hoard incredibly gorgeous fabric.  That last one, I'm really good at!!!!

So here goes... step one: alter entire mind set...

When I received my yard of Minny Muu's Tiny Strawberries from Sew, Mama, Sew, Paul was home and the first thing he asked was "so what are you going to do with it?"  Now I had every intention of hoarding it away as I do but it doesn't go down too well when you say you are adding it to the stockpile.  So I kind of evasively said I didnt really know yet.  As it turns out that doesnt go down too well either because he immediately said "why did you buy it then?" (Well derrr dear... although that probably wouldnt have gone down well at all LOL).  "Because it was cute" was my reply and cue male eye roll.  Anyway, I was determine to make something immediately just so I could say "see, see, I've done something with it".

As I said, I had no idea what I was going to do with it but I knew it was going to have to be something simple to compliment the fabric.  A flick through my Japanese pattern book gave me the idea to do simple pleats in the front but I wanted two pleats not just the one pleat dress which is in the book.  A flick through my Ottos provided further inspiration in the form of this:

It was exactly what I wanted... well except for the glaringly obvious fact that its a winter dress which lets face it would be absolute overkill in an Australian summer and not really the best way to use such a soft light fabric.

In the past I would have thrown up my hands in despair and gone for the Japanese dress even though it wasnt exactly what I wanted.  This time I really thought about what I was doing, similar projects I had done in the past, how the dress was constructed and if it would be possible to alter it the way I wanted.  My recent experience with the Button Top and Cherub dress made me realise that I could very easily remove the sleeves and simply line the bodice (which would be a plus considering that the fabric is very light).  However the dress in the picture has a zipper and not being confident to do the lining and zipper I decided that the zipper simply had to go.  With no zipper in the back I didn't need two separate back pieces for the skirt and so I cut it out as one just like the front.  How I was going to keep the whole lot together at the back with no zipper was a complete mystery and it wasnt until I was top stitching that I had my light bulb moment and finally decided to do one simple ribbon at the top to compliment what would eventually be on the front.

Once I had it clear in my head exactly how I was going to construct this it all went together so very easily.  In fact, the hardest thing about the whole dress was the agonising decision on whether or not I should add the ric rac trim to the neckline and hem.  Fortunately a quick poll at Crafty Mamas and the overwhelming majority voted that ric rac was the way to go.

(Actually I'll amend that, the hardest thing about this whole project was trying to find the red thread to stitch the ric rac on with.  I found the bobbin no trouble but it took ages to find the cotton and I knew I had used it to sew on the ribbon at the front and I was determine not to buy another because I knew I had some.  Anyway I finally found it... lets just say, dont leave cotton reels out where new kittens might get hold of them otherwise they could end up in a completely different place from where you left them such as oh I dont know in amongst all your shoes in your wardrobe maybe.)

So there we go, more sewing ghosts banished.  Its nice to know that I am competent enough to make alterations if necessary and not just tiny alterations either.  That just because a pattern says "this is what I am" it doesnt mean that is exactly what it has to be.  I'm absolutely thrilled with the way the dress has turned out.  Its perfect, exactly what I wanted!!!

 

PATTERN INSPIRATION: Ottobre 4/2005 Pattern 1 Baby's Dress with modifications (Size 98cm)
FABRIC: Minny Muu Tiny Strawberries Natural from Sew, Mama, Sew
TRIM: Red French Baby Ric Rac from Ribbons Galore

It's always nice to have visitors...

...but it's also nice to get back into the old routine as well. There is something comforting about routine.

Back in Sept/Oct we had my SIL and her husband with us for 3 weeks. No sooner did they leave than we started getting ready for FIL and MILs arrival. They have just left (less than a week ago now) and we are starting to get back into the old routines of school runs and shopping. And no sooner will we be back into that routine and it will all be over for the year. Samuel finishes school on 4 Dec - YIPPEE!!!! I'm really looking forward to the school holidays.

This morning I only had Chloe with me, Samuel was at school and Alex at Kindy so I took the opportunity to have a browse around Spotlight. I ended up getting some awesome bargains. Remember the lovely red quilting fabric I used in Chloe's Cherub Outfit - $4 per metre (how typical hey!!!) so I grabbed a metre, I've still got lots of Cherub fabric so I thought I may as well. I even managed to pick up so really nice fabrics for the boys just for a change.

One range that I specifically went in to look at was the new Provincial range. I ended up getting the butterflies and the green scroll featured in the apron. Spotlight are certainly getting a better range of fabrics lately, you just have to look for them.

I've also had a bit of a spend up at Crafty Mamas recently. After seeing this to die for fabric over at Tas' blog, there was no way I was going to say no when I saw it for sale again at Crafty Mamas. And just while we are on the subject of Tas' blog, she was also the driving force behind my first foray into yesasia.com In fact, I ended up getting the Simply Chic one that Tas got plus one called Girly Style Wardrobe. I've also got another 20 books on my wish list for future purchase. And if hubby says anything I'm just going to say "Tas made me do it!!!!"

Its been all go here!!

Sorry I've been out of touch in blog land for such a long time - what with various technical difficulties, holidays and visiting rellies its been almost impossible to get near a computer.

At the end of September my wonderful sister-in-law and her husband arrived from the UK. Its always so lovely to have them stay with us and despite the fact that they were in Australia for 3 weeks it seemed to be over much, much to fast.

While they were here we decided to incorporate a family holiday into their holiday which saw all 7 of us head up to Darwin where we stayed with Mum for 10 days. Given that our rellies hadn't been to Darwin before, we did the whole tourist shebang!!! This included (but was not limited to) the Jumping Crocodile cruise, Crocosaurus Cove, Beatrice Hill, Fogg Dam, city centre, museum, wharf etc etc. Paul even took them to Katherine for the day (the kids and I stayed at home in the pool on this day, the 3 hour drive wasnt appealing). We managed to cram something in to every day we were there. Needless to say, by the time we got back we needed a holiday to get over the holiday LOL.

Of course with the end of the school holidays that wasnt to be. It was very quickly back into the old routine.

Just before we left for Darwin I was madly sewing up a few bits and pieces for Chloe. You've already seen the first part of the outfit here, its the little Button Top from Ottobre. But before we left I wanted to make a few other pieces to make a complete set... so I also made the Tie-Back tunic/dress and the Ruffle Back pants from that same issue. I did get started on the Daisy pants as well but in the end just ran out of time before we left (as it turns out it was probably too warm up in Darwin for her to wear those anyway).

So what I've ended up with is a gorgeous mix and match set. The little pants are perfect as a nappy cover under the dress or teamed with the top are just right for those super hot Perth days. The longer pants are going to be great for evenings out when something just a tiny bit longer is needed.

The tunic/dress is a bit longer than the one in the magazine. I added the appropriate hem lengths when cutting but when the time came to do the actual hem I decided to go with a rolled hem instead. The poplin is quite thin and if I had have done a proper hem it would have ended up with a noticable white band around the bottom which was not something I wanted. (All right, all right I admit it... the rolled hem was sheer laziness and it was only after I did it that I thought about the whole white band around the bottom thing.) The rolled hem suits the dress perfectly and the length is just right as well.

And did I mention how easily these all came together. I was thrilled!!! While the ties on the back of the dress look somewhat complicated, they are actually quite easy and the ruffle pants absolutely flew together. I even did my first waist band the "Otto way" and I was really happy with the results.

I'm still yet to finish the pants. Post holiday clean ups and a big 7 year old birthday party have meant sewing time (like computer time) has been non-existant. But from what I've accomplished so far it looks like these pants are going to be just as cute and just as easy as the rest of the outfit pieces.

Pics are on the way...

Baby Nay... where the love began

Like many of the fabrics in my stash, the Baby Nay has a bit of a story behind it. It began about 18 months ago when I bought this fitted nappy for Chloe from Hyena Cart


As soon as I saw it I knew that I absolutely had to have it no matter what. But at the same time I also thought that an outfit in the same material would make for an divine nappy set. And so with just the words "Baby Nay" to work with I set about trying to find the elusive fabric. And after many a fail attempt I finally did get my hands on some at Show Me The Fabric (and check this out, they still have 1 yard left here).

So yippe, I had 3 yards of the stuff. The very first thing I did was send off some to Zig Zag Wraps to get a lovely nappy cover made but after that the rest of it sat in the stash. This wasnt because I didnt want to use it, it was simply because I couldnt find the right pattern for it. And so Chloe grew out of the nappy cover and then the nappy and still no outfit.

But as soon as I saw the pattern in the Ottobre magazine I knew that was the outfit which Baby Nay was to become.

The contrast material is a quilting fabric from Spotlight. Ottobre use a gingham in theirs and I did start out looking at the ginghams but they had none of the really rich reds or pretty pinks like this. I did find a ticking which had the right red but being ticking it was quite bland, just the stripe, I definitely wanted something more striking but thought I could always come back to the ticking if nothing else presented itself. I only took a look at the quilting fabric as a very last resort, just in case and I'm so glad I did because this pretty material looks like it was made to go with the Baby Nay. The colours are a perfect match.

So the only thing left to do now is add some buttons to the back. I did buy some pink ones from Spotlight but they just arent right. They did have some really striking red foil type ones but they were so tiny. Might have to check out some different stores and see what I can find.

A few things that I've learnt lately...

I'm currently working on this outfit for madam from Ottobre magazine 3/2008 and in doing so I've learnt a few valuable lesson. Actually I'll amend that, I've had a few lessons re-enforced that I should already know.

1. When it comes to doing rolled hems especially around curves, slow and steady really does win the race!!!

2. Pinning before sewing is not necessarily the slower way to do things, particularly when you have to unpick twice before thinking "gee maybe I'll pin this and then sew".

3. When it comes to doing gathers, two rows of stitching is definitely better than one.

4. If your topstitching looks fantastic on the front... something must be wrong at the back (in this case the lining was caught up and wonky).

5. That a little extra time and effort really does produce great results.

I'm really happy with how this is coming together so far despite some of the moments I've had with it. I cant wait to show it off.

A minute to stop and think...

Dad has recently taken up a new position in Angola. As a family, we've been very lucky with Dad's job. Being in the oil industry has given Dad (and as a extension us) the opportunity to see some absolutely fascinating parts of the world.

Dad's new job is in Angola. He's just arrived home today after being there for his first 6 week stint (which will become 4 weeks from now on). The very first thing he said to me was "life is cheap over there". He didn't mean the cost of living but quite literally life, human life is regarded with very little value. The cost of living is in fact particularly expensive according to him which would explain the sea of slums that exist there.

Now I'm no stranger to what slums are like. Living in Sarawak we saw them on a daily basis. In fact a large open expanse (which was to become a new housing estate) was all that separated our house from a near by slum area. I woke up each morning and could see it from my bedroom window. I've walked through slums, I've played along side the children who live there, I've even preached in slums. But to imagine 1 million people living in such a situation escapes even me. 1 million people??? Its incomprehensible. But that is the sort of situation that exists in Angola (and in so very many other parts of the world unfortunately). Dad has to go out with a guard and a driver for safety. Occasionally he has to drive through a "No Go Zone". Its a slum with over a million people which is avoided by westerners because of the threat of violence. As Dad said, "these people see westerners as rich and they are right, after all we have clothes, most of them dont. Young children, even young women have nothing to wear. The older women dont have anywhere to wash their things other than a dirty river and as you drive past you see hundreds of women on the bank washing the clothes. You wonder how they manage to get things clean, but they do".

Dad has three students who share his religion and Dad is going to be taking back literature for them. As we've just booked flights to Darwin, I've decided I'm going to be taking up lots of clothes that the kids no longer wear, so that Dad can take them to Angola and distribute them (with the help of his three students) to the families in the congregation there that need them. I'd also like to try and make up a few little bits and pieces, maybe some pencil or crayon rolls, maybe one a month or so for him to take over there as well.

Dad's seen a lot in his travels but his voice today more than anything conveyed just how appalled he is that our fellow human beings have to live in such poverty.

A day without coffee...

is still probably livable but I'm not going to take any chances.

In all the excitement, stress, angst etc of this morning (including but no limited to fabric glue not sticking feet on costume properly, not being able to find the face paint when it was specifically left on the bench last night (thanks darling - NOT!!!!) and little Miss being a right little so-and-so), I forgot to have my morning coffee. After the assembly this morning, it was a quick dash over to kindy to drop off Alex and then home. I was going to make a coffee then but got side tracked and now here we are at noon and still no coffee.

So I'm now going to go and change the situation. Afterall, it probably wouldnt be a good idea to take chances today after the way my day has been going.

S.A.D. makes me sad

I know, I know, SAD is something that you would normally associate with a country shrouded in darkness for half the year, not a country like Australia. Although its not prevalent here, its still estimated that 1 in 300 Australians experience "winter blues" to some extent.

Beyond Blue has this to say about Seasonal Affective Disorder:

Seasonal Affective Disorder - More than the Winter Blues

It's not unusual for people to dread the passing of summer and the onset of winter. Balmy nights spent outdoors are replaced by colder, darker evenings which force people to spend more time indoors.

For some people however, disliking winter can be much more than simply missing warm weather and summer activities. Winter can become a severely debilitating and isolating time as they try to manage symptoms associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - but is it depression?

Associate Professor Michael Baigent, Clinical Advisor to beyondblue says SAD is a depressive illness that has a seasonal pattern. It's characterised by mood disturbances that begin in winter and subside when the season ends. It's usually diagnosed after the person has had the same symptoms during winter for a couple of years.

"The behaviour associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder is quite different from the mood changes a lot of people feel because of the change of season and the disruptions to their summer lifestyle. With SAD, the depression symptoms are more about 'slowing down'. People sleep more, eat more and usually crave carbohydrates which leads to weight gain. They'll have a lot less energy and won't want to spend time with others. SAD has a cluster of symptoms that makes the person look like they are going into 'hibernation'," Dr Baigent said.

The cause of the disorder is believed to be a lack of exposure to light. There is a much higher prevalence of SAD in countries with shorter days and longer periods of darkness such as Finland, Alaska and northern parts of Russia.

The pineal gland, located in the middle of the brain responds to darkness by secreting melatonin which regulates daily biorhythms including the sleep/wake cycle. It's believed that when this is out of balance, SAD can occur.

"It's important for people to get up in the morning and get some exposure to sunlight, ideally before 8am. Dawn and morning light is believed to be integral in regulating our biorhythms. Combining this with exercise is really important. If people feel this is not helping they should go to their doctor for more advice," Dr Baigent said.

On the whole I dont have too much of a problem with SAD. I try to spend time outside everyday but when its cold and uncomfortable outside its not really something you want to do. I also find that by about July my body has simply had enough and hibernation mode really takes over. I find it incredibly difficult to do just about anything. I find that even after a good nights sleep I'm still tired. And lets not talk about weight gain shall we...

So this is why I've had a month off so to speak. As spring gradually starts to take over I'm finding that my enthusiasm is once again on the up, starting in the garden (how could it not with all the beautiful spring blossoms starting to come out) but now progressing to inside activities too. And nothing beats waking up to daylight, absolutely nothing!!!

Modern day warfare...

I've got heaps to do and with school holidays on at the moment its just that little bit harder to get things done. But I've found recently that my greatest obstacle is hubby... or more accurately, hubby's latest project. I've recently inspired hubby to start researching his family tree, a project which he's jumped into with a great deal of gusto. In a previous life (ie the one I had before children) my line of work was in archaeology and here lies my inner turmoil of late.

I'll be at the kitchen bench cutting, or at the sewing machine/overlocker etc and I'll hear... "Honey, come and look at this". And I just know whats going to happen. The inner archaeologist will sudden emerge and the pull of the past will once again light up inside me. And despite the fact that I know full well that an entire evening of sewing will be lost, I'm helpless to resist.

I'm currently sewing up a gift for Mrs M@sk from Behind the M@sk. The only problem is, she's finshed cooking up her little projects... and I havent finished sewing up mine. Fortunately, knowing that new babies tend to end up with more clothes than they can possibly wear in a year (let alone the 2 to 3 months that they actually fit into them if you're lucky), I've gone for two outfits for next autumn/winter in the 6-12 month size range.

So now all I've got to do is entertain 3 children on school holidays in the midst of a massive though early spring clean/house overhaul, while trying to find the time/energy to sew all the while smothering the inner archaeologist who sits in the background awaiting those golden words "hey honey, check out this headstone!!!" with gleeful anticipation.

Not too hard at all...right??!!!

Stubborn is my middle name

I bet you're thinking "gee does this woman actually do any sewing or does she simply talk about it a lot?" Believe me, you are quite justified in thinking that. The sad fact of the matter is, I do talk the talk more than I sew the sew (or something like that). Take for example my recent "challenge". For some reason once it was "out there", I just couldnt do it. Its like I have this internal resistance device and it triggers once I have to do something. I can do just about anything on a whim or a fancy but once I have to do something the internal resistance device takes over and says nup, I'm not doing it because I have to do it. So I've come to the rather rapid conclusion the challenges are probably counter-productive for me and I'm best left to whim and fancy.

Thats not to say that I haven't done anything lately. I've actually tackled a few things. Firstly, I finished off a scarf that I started for Samuel last year. I'm not the greatest knitter in the world, not by a huge way, but slow and steady finally won the race. I love the result so much that I decided to make one for myself and guess what... start to finish 48 hours!!!! Awesome!!!!! This one was a little bit tricky as well (probably not for seasoned professionals obviously, but 'twas for me) because I put in a small gap to allow one end of the scarf through. I absolutely love it!!!!

Next thing that I tackled was the Oliver + S Pyjamas. I'm going to do a separate write up for these as I've got to get to Spotlight in order to get more white cotton to finish the hems but suffice to say I think they've come up a treat.


And last but by no means least, I've started cutting out the Make It Perfect Uptown Girl Jacket. I've decided (last minute as always) that red ric rac is definitely called for and so a quick stop by Ribbons Galore fixed that up, ric rac now in transit. Gotta love the internet for (almost) instant gratification.


I also found some absolutely gorgeous fabric at Spotlight which will soon become Uptown Girl Jacket #2. I'm thinking that this time rather than using the pellon, I'll use Procare lining to make a waterproof type raincoat. Still tossing up this idea but just for sneaky peaks here it is (and it was such a bargain - $5/metre)....

Spotlight was disappointing... (but check out the cute tute)

but its all we have to work with so we soldier on regardless.

Now of my four items I got a grand total of none. Yep, huge effort on my part. But that does not mean we left empty handed because I'm pretty sure that there is some sort of sewing law which states "thou shalt walk through the valley of pretty fabrics and thou shalt beholden fabrics. And she that beholden fabrics shall never be left wanting but for gold and will never leave the valley with empty hands"... or something to that effect anyway.

So yellow fleece, the only yellow fleece they had was baby poo colour, so not what I was wanting. I need bright yellow. The bright yellow they had was in polar fleece but I dont want polar fleece. To be honest I would love to get my hands on some bright yellow Malden Mills. Shall have to scout around some nappy stores.

Curtain stuff, well I'm decided to recycle the curtain bits and pieces already there. As Bob would say, reduce, reuse, recycle. Go Bob!!!!

Girly stuff for new found patterns. Once again, specifics already in mind. Hat, dress, jacket and I've got a fabric already here which I love and want to use for this but it needs a co-ordinating fabric and I was thinking a burgandy velvet or velour or something and guess who didnt take a swatch of the fabric I already have.

Lastly buckles, well I didnt expect to get anything even remotely resembling what I want so not in the least bit disappointed about this one.

I did get some blue mottled cord (I have this thing about cord, love the stuff!!!) and some bracelets for this extremely cute (and easy!!!) little purse/bag (Zofia of Crafty Mamas found this one so I'm passing it on too). Chloe loves putting things in bags so we got 6 bracelets for 3 bags which she can fill up to her hearts content.

Out and about

Anyone with a few little ones running around the place will well know just how difficult it can be getting out and about. Even though I try about go out while Samuel is at school, Alex and Chloe seem to have the innate ability to tag team - you go that way and I'll head this way. Add to that Chloe is rapidly approaching 2 and she's getting a head start on the terrible twos. It seems like she has gone from divine, angelic blonde angel to hellish, demonic blonde devil in just a matter of weeks. What happened to my sweet little petal *cry*

Anyway, I never seem to get a chance to head to Spotlight. Way too tempting for little fingers and trying to supervise two sets of little fingers leaves no time to actually look at anything. So from now on I've made a date with myself. Every Wednesday morning is going to be Spotlight morning. Samuel will obviously be at school, Alex will be at Kindy and Chloe can tag along with me. I've even got my shopping list ready in anticipation:

1. yellow fleece. Samuel wants some AIO pyjamas (the kind with feet). Actually if you ask him he'll tell you that he neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeds pyjamas with feet. And they have to be yellow. At least we have specifics to work with. Which is good because I can see them already completed in my mind. I know exactly what I want them to look like.

2. curtain materials for Pimp my Windows, pretty self explanatory really.

3. girly stuff. Last night I was going through a box of patterns and found some gorgeous girly winter patterns which I had totally forgotten about *kick in the bum*. So I'm really looking forward to having a look for a few girly bits and pieces so I can use a few of these patterns. Fortunately most of them are size 1-4 so still have a fair bit of use out of them for little miss.

4. overalls. Last visit I found some sensational striped cord and I've decided that its going to make so seriously funky overalls for Alex. Firstly I need to find the right patterns and I want some nice buckles. Not holding my breath that I'll find anything tomorrow, I think this is going to be something I'll have to look online for but you never know. If you dont look, you'll never find.

And on that rather philosophical note... it'll be happy shopping for me tomorrow.