Floral knit top

After having some trouble with the grains on some voile, I decided to ditch that project and start on something else. I used the #9 pattern from Ottobre 3/2007 but made the straps continuous (rather than tie up) and didn't add the frills.



I think I will make the coordinating shorts (#10) - with the changes I made, this project was super quick and I am sure they will be staple summer items for the years to come.

Dyeing is fun...

We always have a lot of fun at MG, I think because we do a lot of crafty type activities. These are the rompers that I dyed the other day. The red was scrunch up randomly, banded and dyed, the yellow was folded and banded up, and for the orange I made a few rolls and banded them up. The orange is my favourite and will stay as is, the other two I want to make into tee shirts.


I also took along the new shirred top that I had finished for Jalisa to dip dye. Not so happy with the results, too much polyester in the content = a washed out colour.

Vintage linen dress

This fabric was a recent op shop find. I managed to get a bias cut skirt and a dress for Jalisa out of the 3m piece (though the skirt is sitting half finished in my WIP box).



I used my own basic bodice pattern. The skirt is between 2.5 and 3 times the bodice width - which makes it quite heavy and hard to gather, but the results look lovely. I added elastic to the straps so it can be slipped on. The photo is not the best - there must have been some dust on the lens, but since I have only 3 weeks til bub comes, I could not be bothered to organise to reshoot some photo (and have to drag Jalisa away from here new cubby.

Daddy's girl

So while Jalisa enjoys playing Mummy to her dollies, having tea parties and "going shopping", she adores anything mechanical (except the vacuum). The picture tells it all really.


She was so excited going with Daddy and Grandad to pick up her Uncle's new truck.
All she could talk about on the way home was the new truck and today she is still loving looking at the pictures Daddy took of the truck.

Polka dot bouncer cover

This has been a work in progress almost all of this year. It had been stalled for some time because I needed to trace of the strap and once the strap was cut, I had trouble figuring out what to appliqué onto it. This morning when I was up really early (3ish) I thought I might as well try and finish the project before the baby is born, that a finished not-so-creative project is better than an unfinished waiting-for-inspiration project.

Actually, forgive me. It is not quite finished - it needs snaps (to be done once bubs is here for placement accuracy) and some Velcro. But I am showing it off anyway.

I made the pattern by tracing the frame of the bouncer and measuring the old cover to get the measurements for each panel. When I started the cover, I think I was going for a funky, modern, gender neutral. It would have been better with a different coloured strap, I think, but I did not have any suitable GN/non stretch/non pattern fabrics on hand other than the black.

A slice of watermelon

Ages ago I made a pattern for some one piece pants/shorts but I realised today that I will need to change it so that it is easier to hem. At the moment they are way to narrow. Yesterday I finished off these pants, but according to DH, they are strictly stay at home pants.

Some pink for summer

Finally can show off one of Jalisa's summer outfits - I have been sewing quite a bit but until this morning, had not finished a complete outfit.

I adore these shirred tank tops (two others cut out at the moment, plus plans for others). I was inspired by a top from Ottobre (#11 from 3/2007) but since I had a pattern I had drafted myself, I just needed to shir in the same position as they did. Usually I shir most of the front or back but I quite like the gathered effect in the space between the shirring.
I picked up this vintage linen fabric while out op shopping in Boonah. My first thought was another summer dress for Jalisa, but since there is 3m I may make a skirt for me (bias cut and flared knee length).

For a while now, I have put off sewing a lot of things for me because I tell myself that I already have plenty of things to wear. But I have decided that it doesn't matter that I already have x amount of skirts or dresses or tops etc, if I have the time/opportunity to sew and the fabric on hand, I should be sewing for me as well as for my children. As long as the kids have enough clothes that fit, I will no longer excuse myself from sewing non-essential items for myself.

Thread problem - or is it the machine

I really do not like having a bad sewing day when I am making stuff for other people. I am having a problem where the thread is not feeding through to the needle properly - it bunches up and kinda only lets 1 little strand through. Is this the thread or is this the machine? FYI, I use Guttermann thread, and it has happened with several reels.

Girls night in

Our mums group decided to throw a hen's night for bride-to-be Sarah, since all her family and friends live out of town. We all had a great night (lots of food, talking, dancing - you get the idea).

What do you think of Sarah's dress? It features bows on shoulders, gathering under bust (delightfully highlighted with a little alfoil bling), thigh high front split and a bustled back. Very glamourous and cost effective.

Unfortunately it did not last the night, so with much regret, Sarah will have to find another dress to wear for the big day.

The V8s are in town

Jalisa and I were able to visit the track at Willowbank (which is only 15 minutes away) to check out the V8 supercars yesterday (with Wayne of course). We were able to get a whole 1 picture before the camera died, so at least Jalisa was standing in front of one of the HRT cars --the one Todd Kelly drives.
The cars were practicing on the track - a lot louder (with more backfires) than I expected but overall it was fantastic.

I have been working on this nappy bag for a little while (I blame lack of mojo) so I am glad it is finished. The bag is based on a Burda WOF (8/2005) pattern, though I added fabric handles, changed the base/sides, added internal pockets and did not do the 6 pleats (decided to do a central inverted box pleat instead).

I used a heavy black pique fabric for the outer, with a very stiff interfacing (probably a little too stiff for pleats). The lining is a poplin, the pockets are the pique and the binding is a stretch poplin with a soft interfacing.

I have learnt that pleats do not mix with pockets and that it is a better to use similar weights of fabric when adding pockets to the lining. I added snaps to keep the sides in at the top when out and about (I liked that better than having the sides stick out).

I thought I would add a picture of Jalisa for good measure, jumping on her new trampoline that Wayne thoughtfully assembled in the lounge room (meaning hours of jumping and tantrums when it was time to go out)...