Beetle Bug

Wow its been far too long between posts but nice to have a break so that I can concentrate on my health and spend time with my family.

A small bit of crafting has taken place. I whipped up this cute little bug from the Softies book for a little girl who turned 1 last week. It was a quick and easy craft project. Gotta love those ones!

(And yep its a crappy pic but I was in a hurry to wrap it and get it out the door to the party)

I am also just about to complete a 5 week camera course. I have been learning how to use my new baby properly. No more AUTO shooting for me. Here are some pics from Saturday's Field trip to the Botanical Gardens. I am loving my saturation button (perhaps a little too much!)

Made...

Finally back from a small break over Easter and we are now on school holidays. I am so looking forward to not having to pack school lunches every morning and race out the door at 8.30 for two whole weeks. Yay.

I have been doing a little bit of sewing. The weather is turning and winter is on its way. I have been inspired to do some sewing for the little man., thanks to this lovely blog. I used my all time favourite Burda pants pattern and followed Dana's instructions for making flat fronted pockets. To add a little detail I used the wrong side of the fabric for the pockets.
Love them and he does too! The material was a remnant sent from my Grandma who is a seamstress.

Pirate Ned...

Another Lazy Day hat from Make it Perfect. Wow..I love this pattern. It makes up pretty fast and it also makes wonderful birthday pressies.

This one is for a special little boy who turned 3 last week and wants to be a pirate when he grows up...

Thank You for the Inspiration

Don't you just love the Internet for inspiration and those that share wonderful tutorials? I know I do.... THANK YOU


I have been doing a little bit of sewing, mainly just birthday pressies. I have also started back at work..teaching at TAFE and unfortunately I imagined that once the girls started school that I would have so much more time on my hands. Unfortunately this is not the case...


A birthday ruffle shirt. Inspired by the shirts Karen made for her girls.

A drawstring bag filled (I used this tutorial) with goodies from Smiggle and a blank notebook from Typo for the grand price of $5.

A Travelling Art Show Pack..courtesy of this wonderful tutorial, which I amended slightly to fit my stationery

Busy Days...

Wow its been nearly 6 weeks since my last post. I am really out of the habit of blogging. I am still reading but finding that having 3 kids home on school holidays is just not conducive to blogging.

I busted out the sewing machine the other day and over two days, while the kids watched playschool I whipped up this Lazy Day Hat for the littlest man. He starts his first full day in care next week, when I return to work and I wanted something exciting that he could take to school. I used Ikea fabrics but I have to say that my top stitching, leaves a lot to be desired. What a great pattern. Next to make one for the girls.....

The Not So Festive Duds

The little man was upset when the girls got a new skirt for the festive period (he really wanted one!) ....so I cut into some red and white ticking but I realised that there was far too much white in for my messy boy. So we added some panels of fine baby cord in blue and red, appliqued a t-shirt and we are ready for Santa...Of course my husband thinks they look like American pants..Oops..that wasn't the plan..I just wanted to put some colour into his new duds.

Baby Sewing

Wow...what a whirlwind the last 2 weeks have been - concerts galore including Angelina and The Wiggles, Preschool concerts and afternoon teas for the teachers. We have our last day at Preschool on Thursday, which I am a little sad about but we are also very excited about what next year holds as the girls move into Kindy.

I have been pushing myself to get some sewing done for Christmas presents and all the little baby's that have arrived the last few weeks.

Burp Cloths for Baby E. These have been made from flannel bunny rugs and a yellow cloth nappy that we never used for the littlest man. I made burp cloths for Baby E's big brother 2 years ago and his Mum and Dad loved them. So I thought some updated ones for the newest member of the family would make a great pressie. I used this tutorial for the shape.

Festive singlets and baby bloomers made from linen for Baby E and Baby T. Perfect for the hot days we are having at the moment.

And a little set for Baby C (this one is for my sisters best friend). My take on the Otto Aqua shorts and a little top to match, all in festive colours.

And in other exciting news.. I am flying out to here on the 26th December for a week to visit my sister. I am so excited!!!

Festive Sewing...

I realised on Friday that we are on the down hill slide to Christmas and the girls had nothing special to wear for our upcoming concerts - Angelina Ballerina and The Wiggles, preschool graduation and Christmas parties. Their wardrobe is bursting at the seams but its nice to spoil them...

3 hours at the machine, including cutting and making my own bias binding and we have two little duck skirts. Prefect for twirling our way through the festive season. The white material is from an Egyptian Cotton Sheet that my sister left behind when she moved OS this year and the aprons, which are attached to the front and back are from Lizzy House's range..Red Letter Day. They looked super cute at the Angelina concert yesterday and I got stopped by two women and asked where could they buy them from...

Work Shirt Tops....

On one of my op shop visits I happened across two lovely men's shirt - Country Road & Abercrombie & Fitch....they came home with me and are now...

Two little summer tops, perfect for the 39 degree days we have been experiencing.

The girls love them and have nicknamed them.."work shirt tops" as they are just like Dad's work shirts.

The only thing I would change next time is longer sleeves so that they cover the girls shoulders a bit more...

It's nice to be sewing again...

I Fear....

Cushions Covers and Zippers......but I conquered my fear of cushion covers the weekend with this sweet little cover that we whipped up for our special friend Mia. It was so easy and I have lots of plans for updating my lounge with some throw cushions. I used this tut and a free print from the Otto website for the Babushka Doll. She is not perfect but made with lots of love...and I ran out of time to embroider her face, which is probably a good thing knowing how ordinary my hand sewing abilities are.

Happy 5th Birthday Mooska xox

Vroom Vroom Set

A tiny bit of crafting has been happening in this house. We have just finished school holidays and coupled with a 2 year old that has forgotten how to sleep..there has been no time or energy for much! I have a few things cut out and ready to sew..I am just waiting for the sewing bug to return. I have been buying some fabric online from the US..while our dollar is lovely and strong..its becoming quiet an addiction!

I did manage to finish this little set for my parents to give to my girlfriend that had this little boy back in June. A basic pair of wide legged pants and a little Osh Kosh top picked up for a bargain price..pressies don't get much. better

And in other exciting news....I won this giveaway over at Amanda's blog. I bought the other two prints to go with the series as we are decorating the little man's room in a transport theme. Oh my they are so lovely. My photos don't do them any justice. Thanks Amanda I am thrilled to bits..now to find some white frames and we can hang them on the wall

I am planning to share the giveaway love very soon...with something special!

Spring Fling Skirt

The kids were invited to a 3rd birthday party on the weekend, by the little girl who lives over the back fence. They have just moved into their house so its nice to get to know some more neighbours.

Having just returned from a week on the beautiful Gold Coast I was feeling pretty unmotivated to sew or do much. But I gathered my strength and dived into my stash. I am loving what I came up with. A double layered twirly skirt, with vintage sheeting on the bottom layer and lovely cupcakes on the top.

We added a treasure pocket (this is what the girls have called them as they are perfect for collecting all sorts of treasures, like shells, sticks and bottle tops!). It came together nicely and I can see myself making some more of these in the near future. I did make the pocket a little on the large size (it was gaping open) but I managed to fix this by adding a button and buttonhole to the pocket. Prefect for Canberra spring weather with a little pair of leggings underneath.

Ahoy Me Hearties..

Naff title..I know but I couldn't help myself!!

I am back from some time at my parents on the NSW mid north coast. Ahh..it was lovely. The weather was nice and I was kid free for a few days. Woohoo. Thanks to my lovely husband who held down the fort at home!!

Before I left I made this little outfit for my friend's new baby. After 7 years of heartache they welcomed a little boy 4 weeks ago. I am so happy for them, they totally deserve this little man!

I started off with the Ahoy baby shorts from Ottobre 3/2009 but made a few amendments along the way. I lengthened them, didn't add the seam allowance and added a cuff. Fingers cross they fit. They are made from a lovely blue and white striped linen that I inherited from my Granner's stash and cuffed the hems and waistband in some gorgeous kokka Dancing Rabbits.

And a little pair of reversible cloth shoes. I found this material at Spotlight last year a nice spotty linen and some cotton covered in animals. They are lined with little pigs and a wool flannel that I found at the Op shop. I made size 9-12 months for next winter.

I have been busy...

But can't reveal too much! I finished my swap yesterday for the Polka Dot Swap. I was worried about stepping outside my comfort zones and making something other than kid's clothes..But I did it and I love it...so much that I actually wanted to keep the item for myself (bad..I know). I am happy with the finish and also the colours, as putting colours together makes me nervous. But it worked and I hope my swap partner loves it as much as I do.....

Sneak peaks and all wrapped up and ready to send.......

July is a busy birthday month for us..We have 4 birthdays in a space of a week. I used this tutorial over at MADE to make some crazy quilted birthday cards. Its a great way to use up scraps and it also allowed me to try out some of the fancy stitches on my machine. I used some card stock from an art shop but you could really use heavy folded cardboard. I think I will be making more of these..they were so much fun

Crazy Quilted Birthday Cards

Its my Mum's birthday next week and I made her a Prints Charming Brooch. Its the first time I have done any hand embroidery and as long as you don't look too closely..its not too bad! It was a nice little project that I could complete sitting on the lounge while the kids were tucked up in bed. I hope she likes it. I think it would look great attached to a bag as well.

Prints Charming Brooch

And lastly..how cute is the littlest man in his Tin Whistle Robot Tee. Its hard to get a nice picture of him now..he doesn't sit still for any length of time.

Brrrr Its Cold Outside...

I have been sending the littlest man off to stay and play in about 4 layers to keep the cold out. He was desperate for a warm jacket. I searched my Otto mags for the perfect pattern and we came up trumps with the Little Ghost Fleece Jacket 6/2007. Its polar fleece fully lined with single jersey (minus the little ghost applique). I made a size 92 and didn't add the seam allowance, thankfully its a perfect fit. It came together so quickly apart from attaching the sleeves together. I came close to throwing the whole thing in the bin..I couldn't get my head around it. I find at times Otto instructions are so lacking. Thankfully my perseverance paid off and he had a warm snuggly jacket to wear to playgroup this morning. The only issue is the button holes. I interfaced the front panel underneath the button holes but they look like they are still going to stretch. I used much larger buttons than intended. I saw these buttons at Spotlight and knew they would be a perfect match. Anyway it just needs to get him through the next couple of months.

Sorry for the crappy photos..my model did not want to participate and its grey and gloomy inside to day

Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair

I left the little people behind for the weekend (with their Dad) and headed off to Sydney. Such perfect timing and planning on my behalf...The Sydney Craft and Quilt Show was on...Yay! So Mum and I hit the fair. There was so much to look at and so many people...

I picked up a cute Big Owl Pattern from Hot Possum and a gorgeous Flower Brooch Kit from the girls at Prints Charming. I really liked the scarf kits they had put together but by the time I decided I wanted one they had sold out! So I had to suffice with some covered button instead. I had planned to buy some fabric but nothing really jumped out and grabbed me. Although their was lots of beautiful liberty and Japanese fabrics but I think I had better use some of my stash first.

I really loved these gorgeous knitted dolls by Annie at ak traditions. I so wish I could knit....
I also like what Jane at Be Be Bold had done with the oliver + s patterns. She had made up most of the patterns in beautiful Japanese fabrics...Oh my. I had to hold on tight to my credit card. I didn't spend too much time looking at the quilts but what I saw was pretty spectacular.

On Sunday my sister and I headed out to the Bondi Markets. Lots of interesting goodies. I got this handful of lovely large vintage buttons.

On the sewing front I finished a little vintage vest for the little man. It was a kwik sew pattern that I found at the op shop some time ago. The only problem was that the size 2 was way too small in length.so I added an extra 2 inches on and top stitched it for detail. You can barely tell. I struggled with attaching the ribbing to the v neck. The instructions weren't really specific. It took several un pickings before I finally realised what I was doing wrong. (Some times I think my brain is mushy after 3 kids). It looks so cute on. I will definitely be making more. I just need to find some better sources for knit material.Spotlight and Lincraft are pretty hit and miss and the last two knits I have bought from Spotlight have had small holes in them! Has anyone got any ideas where I can buy quality knit from?