Dino Aqua Shorts

I have just finished my first Ottobre pattern and I have the say that....I am really happy with them. Its the Aqua shorts from Summer 3/2008. They look super cute on the little man. I just hope that it warms up and he gets to wear them before he grows out of them as I forgot to add a seam allowance to the elastic casing. Oops! And I appliqued a stretchy bonds t-shirts with an extra dino...(excuse the crappy photos. I think I need to play with the settings on the camera as its taking grainy photos)

I get It!

I finally succumbed and ordered two Ottobre Magazines and they arrived in the post on Monday. Now I get what all the fuss is about. The designs are fantastic and the detail is amazing...where to start. Well I have nearly finished a pair of shorts for Master A - the Aqua shorts and I have a list a mile long to start on for the girls, including:

• Jigsaw Puzzle Pinafore
• Desert Pants
• Polka dot blouse

And the list goes on...Now I just need to get some kid free time. I am also hoping that Ottobre will help me overcome my fear of sewing knits. Surely it can't be that hard. Right??

A Sewing Fraud???

Some days I feel like a crafting fraud...nothing gets done around the house but the basics ie washing and entertaining the kids. But I have been sewing and I am really happy with the outcome. I drew up a pattern off a pair of overalls that Master A had grown out of but extended the legs and also the body. I will make a few changes next time - square off the front bib, make the straps a little wider and perhaps make them square. The other thing I worked out that you shouldn't do is sew when you are sleep deprived. I stuffed up the cuff and I didn't have the energy to fix it. So I added a little tab detail and it looks sweet. The material is a fine cord that I picked up at the op shop. I love cord on little kids. It washes well and looks fantastic

Some Sewing...

Wow I have become really slack with posting on this blog! I must try a bit harder. There hasn't been much time to craft in this house since the girls have returned to school. I was trying to do something every day but that seems to have flown out the window. I thought that having two mornings a week to myself would allow a bit more time to sew..but I am actually busier now than if the girls were at home.

Some flannelette wraps and adorable reversible cloth booties for little Charli who entered this world on the 21st April.

They are made from old kimono material, with a soft pink baby cord for the sole and lined with a retro print cotton voile.

Amy Butler Lounge pants for Mum - Happy Mothers Day Mum. For the trim I stitched on a contrasting cross grain ribbon and I elasticised the waist rather than put in a draw string. Mum was happy with the fit. I think I would prefer the waist to sit a little lower on my hips so I will have to work on the pattern.

We had a visit from Nanny last week and she was busy on the machine. She finished these jackets for the girls from this pattern

I have had the pattern for close to 2 years but we struggled to find some quilted cotton. I searched online and we asked at various fabric stores but no one knew what we were talking about. Then someone donated some to the fabric stash which was perfect. Nan made the bias binding and just lined the sleeves so that they can be turned back. Cute and very warm for the chilly Canberra weather we are having at the moment.

Vintage Smocks

I tried out a vintage smock pattern that I found with some patterns that came from Nan last year. I am really happy with how they turned out. It was my first time applying bias binding and I found it a bit fiddly on the first smock. I think I will make my own binding next time. These smocks are great for an extra layer of warmth for the girls when they go to school, its been chilly the last two weeks. We also made our little friend Amy one for her birthday. I love the fabric - it's the blue and red floral. I was so tempted to keep it but luckily there is enough left over to do one more for one of the girls.

Gum Drop Pillows

Here are the Amy Butler Gum Drop Pillows that I made for one of my sisters for Christmas. She loved them and I was really happy with how they turned out. As much as I love Amy Butler Fabric I decided against making them up in some of her gorgeous prints in case I stuffed it up. The cutting out was tedious but the sewing together was a real snack. I filled them with bean bag beans rather than poly fill. I have since bought myself some fabric as my lounge room is crying out for some of these. Now to find time to whip them up!

Not Much Sewing!

My models in the fairy skirts

Archie's shoes - Michael Miller Cowboys and Lightning Bugs.

Well there has not been a great deal achieved in the sewing department. Unfortunately sick and snotty kids equates to a tired and sleep deprived mum.

But I did manage to make Archie a pair of reversible cloth shoes except they are too small. So I will need to tweak the pattern and make him a bigger pair for winter. I also managed to get 2 fairy skirts sewn for playgroup. 2 more to go and then 4 capes, which I need to find a tutorial for. The dress up box at Playgroup is looking very sad so I offered to make some simple skirts.