Warm and woolly

In between birthday celebrations and party prep I have been sewing!

We decided that turning five was a very good reason to take the girls on their first trip to the snow - which for one reason or another has just not happened til now.

You never quite know what you will get when asking them to pose!

I remember going to the snow on camps as a young adult without the appropriate gear and feeling cold and miserable, so I was determined the girls would not be the same.

For that reason I made the most of The Fabric Store's recent sale and picked up some stretch merino in these gorgeous 'jewel' colours to make some layers for the girls.

The merino is very thin but super-warm and comfortable to wear, yet also has excellent water-repelling properties.

I chose two shades of their favourite colours each and made leggings and a long-sleeved top.

It is beautiful quality and was an absolute dream to sew, so smooth and lovely.

Still a little shy in front of the camera!

The tops are all made using Toni's Big Basic Tee pattern - I used the boy version as I didn't want the gathered sleeve head on this occasion. This is a great 'go to' pattern for me - quick and easy to put together and lots of options when it comes to mixing and matching fabric and also sleeve and band hem options.

Miss G's top is a size 6 with size 7 length on the sleeves and body and the other two are size 9's cut to the 10 length.

My purple-people-eater

The larger leggings are made using Ottobre 4/2013 pattern 30 and the smaller ones are also Ottobre, issue 6/2012 pattern 26, again with a little added length.

She finds it easy being green!

At one point today each of them declared they were too hot, so I think they well and truly did the trick.
Oh and these shots were taken after having been worn all day and for four hours in the car, so you can see they don't crush either!

I bought a metre of each and had enough left over to make 'the guy who lives here' a top too, with a blue body and green sleeves and there is still a little more left over, so we will see what becomes of that.

When you're on a good thing...

This little pattern has been an absolute winner for us over the years.

This is possibly the last time you'll see it as this little one finishes kinder (pre-school) at the end of this year - and to date these have been the perfect warm and comfortable kinder dress.

It's the Make It Perfect Sprout dress.

Most people comment to her "I love your coat..."

Small kid chose this fabric last winter at Spotlight, I cut it, it sat, the seasons changed and then this year I thought I'd better get it made or it won't fit her.

This is a perfect fit - size 5, no flannel inside this time, just a quilters cotton.

Large aqua patterned button was just right on this one

She loves it, will wear it without complaint, she's warm and dry and pretty cute in it.

Winner all round I say.

I've made a few of these before, you can see them here, here and here.

Along with her hand-me-downs she now has four - and her favourite is the one with the robot pattern she inherited from her sister, a fabric that I almost said no to.

What would I know about girls fashion...

Personalised PJ's

At the very end of the school term Miss L was invited to a PJ party.  

She surveyed my (fairly extensive) fabric collection and declared none of it to be suitable for her new PJ's and suggested a trip to Spotlight for her to choose something new.

(What have I created...)

Apparently she no longer likes pink, it's all about blue now.

Because I can't show you the whole shirt it looks a little odd!  But it has her name appliqued on and then I did a row of simple backstitch around the edge to highlight it a little.

The pants are the Make It Perfect Slumber Party pattern - I just didn't do the contrasting cuffs.

A simple ruffle was done to cover the stitching at the sleeve edge of the store-bought top I used.

Very basic but much-loved Pj's.

They make a really quick and easy gift if you know the size of the birthday girl or boy, and I haven't met a kid yet who doesn't like getting clothing with their name on it.

Sprouting from Sewjourn

I'm back!

Life's been a little busy around here.

Unfortunately I don't just sew and play with kids - there's a bunch of other stuff I have to fit into my day that keeps me from the sewing machine.

You know, stuff like being on committees for both kinder and school, keeping up with friends and family, assisting in a number of classroom activities in the school with both our older girls (so twice the amount of classroom help!!), chasing work, doing work, helping people with IT/design stuff because they are not very tech savvy, running kids to and from activities, running, going to the gym and of course keeping things running on the home front.

So anyway - the weekend just gone involved none of that. It was one of pure indulgence and fun.
Yep - Sewjourn again!!

I won't go into all that we got up to because what happens at Sewjourn stays at Sewjourn!

Let me sum it up by saying the conversations are enlightening, funny, serious, uplifting, heartfelt and always sincere.

The sewing is creative, inspirational, experimental, enjoyable and relaxing.
The company - wonderful sums it up I think, though there are many other adjectives that could be applied.

There are a few pics to give you a feel for the weekend on Lara's blog.

And here is one of the garments I sewed, a Make It Perfect Sprout dress for Miss G - who doesn't like to wear her sister's hand-me-downs (aaaahhhhh), but who very happily put this new snug and warm dress on today for kinder - with no fuss.

It's always a winner for me this one.

I also sunk my teeth into some StyleArc patterns, a Clever Charlotte I have been wanting to try and finally finished off an Oliver + s cape I cut last winter.

More on those another time....
I need to catch up on some sleep!

KCWC - Day one

Well here in Australia it is technically day two - but I thought I'd show you what I got up to on day one first.

I had to break the time down into small 'bites' but in the end had more than an hour to sew - because I am a night owl!

So here's what I got up to...

Oops - needs ironing again, it was shoved in a bag so I could unpick poolside!!

This is a Big Basic Tee from Make It Perfect, it's view A - the slim fit top, done with contrasting sleeves and neck binding.

You can see that I have unpicked the hem - I wasn't happy with it.

I realised as I went to sew the sleeve hems and body hem that I had broken my last twin stretch needle, so chose a stretch zig zag stitch on my machine instead to complete them.

But the stretch stitch warped the shape of the lower hem - making it a little wobbly and it was going to annoy me, so I unpicked it and will re-sew it tonight.

The mushroom is an iron-on velour from Crafty Mama's.
These are dead-easy to put on, give a professional look to a simple garment and Lisa is expanding the range all the time so there are always great things to choose from - for girls or boys.

They are as varied as a retro camera, geckos, truck tyre tracks, deer, stars, jungle animals, crowns, hearts, birds and cute little hedgehogs.

Today has been tough for fitting in sewing.
I've managed the unpicking (no fun!!) - and that might be it for today.

Tomorrow is a public holiday - so despite family plans I hope to get at least an hour in.
Wish me luck!

PS - if you are looking at this on a reader pop over and check out my new header and blog design, with a new font, clean, fresh and simple.

Honey, honey, how you thrill me aha!

As a child of the 70's and 80's, there simply had to be an ABBA analogy given the title of Toni's new blouse - introducing...

THE HONEY BLOUSE!

I made this using some voile that I picked up at Spotlight and I love the result, it drapes really nicely.

It's a cool and comfortable top to wear and I can see it being on constant cycle through the wash in the summer months.

The Honey blouse has a twisted band feature on the neck and arm bands and a cute side tie that you can tie in a bow or let it hang down like I have here.

It was really quick and easy to sew and as always it is lovely to make something for ME.

I will definitely be making more of these for summer - in fact I have more dots on hand ready to cut.

If you want to win yourself a copy of the pattern, head on over to Toni's blog and enter her giveaway, it closes on Monday October 3rd - so don't miss out!!

Flora and fauna

I told you I'd be back with the finished Tee's - just took me a little longer than expected!

Here we have three daughters and one niece wearing their new Make It Perfect Basic Tees - now 'dressed up' with some Crafty Mama's iron-on velours.

These things are seriously great.

For a start they cost about $4 each (for the single designs, there are sets available), then Lisa sends them postage free in Australia, so the cost is minimal.

There are a bunch of different designs, sizes and colours - things for girls and boys.

They are super-easy to put on- you just apply a hot iron with no steam, let them cool, peel off the backing and iron again. 

Done. 

Too easy.

The smallest child chose the skrirrel (her words not mine!) - she loves it.

I thought the mushie and two little deer went well with stripes...

And the kids seem happy.
They were good comfortable tops to wear all day long at the zoo - so that is all that counts!

Go get yourself some.

PS - sorry for the vast array of cheesy/odd/awkward grins here today - it was the day of the strange smile I think. They were all a bit wacky!

A shirt for all seasons

Toni has been at it again and has developed a fabulously simple T-shirt pattern for kids big and small called, appropriately, Basic Tees. 

There are long and short sleeved versions as well as a long-over-short sleeved variation.

The girls shirts are slim fitted with a gathered cap on the sleeve and the boys are slightly wider with a straight sleeve.

The pattern includes some great tips for sewing with stretch so don't be afraid! Have a go.

I tested it out in a boys size 4 for my neighbour's son.

A simple freezer paper stencil of a cassette tape was the finishing touch for this one.
Made from lovely stretchy Stella - available at Crafty Mamas.

I did a girl's size 7 with the contrast hem - a very easy detail to add interest to the shirt using just two colours of fabric.
The pink spot for this is not very stretchy so I couldn't use it for the neck.
The contrast band added the extra 'kick' I wanted.

I also did a girls size 8 with stripey sleeves and a solid front - I plan to add some velour iron-ons to these last two so will show you once I have - they are the perfect finishing touch to shirts like these.

As you can see the combination options are endless.
Rachel did a single colour boy version and a girl's shirt with the short-over-long sleeves, so pop over and have a look.

Go and visit Crafty Mamas for all your stretch fabric such as Stella and Campan knits as well as an amazing variety of European knits from companies such as Lilofant, Hilco and Znok.

They are excellent quality and Lisa usually has some fantastic mix packs so you can get some of the cool and groovy prints to mix and match with solids and stripes.

While you are hopping around on the net visit Toni's blog to see some more great tops and also get yourself in the running to win a copy of the pattern. The competition closes Wed 17th August.

It's love!

Love Chirps actually.

That's what the fabric used for this little vest is called.

It's by Farbenmix and I got it a while back from Crafty Mama's, I'm not sure that it's still available.

We've been waiting for the right project for it and so when I asked Miss L to choose some fabric for a new vest she went straight to it.

This is the Kid's Vest from Toni's book, I made it a little larger than the size five thinking she needed it. Looking at her she probably didn't, but at least it will last a while now, and it's roomy and comfortable.

Instead of lining it with pellon or batting I just used polar fleece for the inside fabric, so it's lovely and snug - just what you need for keeping your back warm on these frosty days.

There are a few rows stitched across it to give it a quilted look, and in the second pic you can see the cute zipper pull I got from Nikki's shop. 

You should grab yourself some - they are a sweet little touch to finish off a project - we have a small collection of them.

This is a quick and easy vest to make and it is great for 'dressing up' some plain old jeans and a long-sleeved top for a day at the park or kinder.

The zip is a bit bright but there was nothing to match the light blue, so I went for a contrast.

Nothing like a pop of colour to make you smile.

I hope there's some colour in your day.

Sprouting up

No not the child, (although that is right too!), the dress.

Keep your eyes peeled over at Toni's blog for the release of Big Sprout - the upsized pattern for the fabulous winter dress, Sprout.

My girls love their Sprout dresses - they live in them over winter - and I love that they are always so warm and comfortable in them and that they love them so much, which makes choosing an outfit in the morning a breeze.

Big Sprout is just as easy to make as Sprout - and lined with flannelette it is cosy and warm.
For kinder, Miss A just pops on some tights and her 'kinder' boots - the ones that seem to always end up with scuffed toes and we're away.

This is such a great winter pattern to have in your stash - and I was onto Toni about upsizing it from the size 5 as my taller than average chick needed a larger one this year.

Can you tell she's pleased with it???

And yes for those of you with an eye for fabric detail - that is Denyse Schmidt you see, picked up at Spotlight and teamed with some standard red flannelette for 'pop' factor.

Go out and grab yourself a Big Sprout - you'll be glad you did.

Wonderful Wonderland

There's a lot I haven't shown you of late. Here's one little project I completed before I headed off to SIT, a test pattern for Toni at Make It Perfect.

This is the newly released 'Wonderland' dress and it's very, very pretty!

It has this lovely detail where the pleated skirt is actually attached on the outside of the bodice - you can see it better below.

It has ribbon trim on the sleeve and bottoms hems so no need to turn under hems and press at the end which is nice.
It buttons up the back, and for once I had just the right buttons in my stash.

I actually bought this fabric a loooong time ago from Spotlight intending to make an Ottobre dress with it and just knew it would work great for this little dress, and I am really happy with the result.

In case you are wondering the hairclip flower is froma tutorial by Make It and Love It.

Ashley has some great tutorials, and this is made in the lovely Heather Bailey felt I bought at Calico and Ivy.

It's one of three I made at SIT, in the whole day. Don't let that mislead you - they are very quick to make!

MIP Monday

It's an exciting MIP Monday this week, as today is the day that the Make It Perfect book is launched.

Congratulations Toni!

Now you should be able to find one in a bookshop near you.

This is what it looks like...

Pic from here

There are a few blogs hosting giveaways of the book.

So if you can't wait for Santa to bring it then head on over to

Chunky Chook

One Crafty Mama or

Red Pepper Quilts

and try to win yourself a copy.

Just to tempt you further, here are a few more test patterns I made for items in the book.

Picnic in the Park Capelet.

Ideal for over a dressy outfit for stylish warmth

I couldn't resist making this pattern up in the lovely thick red wool that I have had waiting for the perfect project.

It's a very sweet little cape that hangs nicely around the shoulders but the shaping at the bottom leaves the child's arms free, for gathering flowers to take to Grandma's perhaps...

The perfect button was on hand too!

The Butterscotch Skirt is a sweet unisex pattern with a front placket detail.

This one would make a great beach cover-up if made it one size larger - or added a little length to it.

Little Miss G was very happy with her froggy shirt!

The Snacktime Vest is another great unisex pattern.

A vest is ideal for keeping small busy people warm at the park, without the bulk of a jacket or jumper.

This one is made in some Sandi Henderson Farmers Market, this print is still available in the Meadowsweet 2 range.

Ideal for keeping your back warm on cool days in Spring and Autumn

 I even made a couple of things for me, including the Gelato Skirt that I made using some fabulous Pippi Joe 'Orchard' print in red and the same lightweight denim I used for this dress.

This skirt has red topstitching throughout to complement the fabric.

Go out and grab a copy and get stuck into some sewing!!
Whay are you still here?
Go I said!

MIP Monday

About this time last year I teased you all with a series of sneak peeks of garments I was working on for Toni at Make It Perfect.

Well now that Toni has done the big reveal I can show you what I was up to!

Let's start with skirts - always a winner in my house.

This litle skirt is called Vanilla Splice.

It and the apron skirts below are made using part of the same pattern - just with different variations.

Look how small my baby is!

She still loves this skirt and wears it heaps.

These two Tea Party Apron skirts have been a huge hit and worn endlessly - in fact it has been hard to post some pics as they are wearing them. You might actually have seen them before on my blog but not realised!

And here is the littlest again in the Fizzy Frothy Bubble skirt - very sweet and puffy.

Made from some of my very treasured Heather Ross bikes fabric - we love this skirt.

These are just a few of the patterns I tested - I'll post more next Monday to tempt you further!

In the meantime add this book to your Christmas list as you won't be disappointed.

There are lots of patterns to chose from - made using clear and simple instructions.

Head on over to Rachel's blog to check out some of the test garments she made.

My Creative Space : Slumber party

It's PJ's galore in my creative space this week.

This parcel of PJ's landed at its Sydney destination yesterday so I am safe to blog it now.

Firstly some love heart 'Superwoman" jammies for my sister.
With all that she does in a week she deserves a Superwoman shirt - so I made her one!

It's done using a reverse applique. So I pinned the flannelette to the inside of the shirt, traced the logo onto the front using washable marker then stitched around the logo.

Next you carefully cut out the hirt from the sections you want to appear in colour and you're done.
Check out this tutorial from "That Darn Kat" which I used if you want to see more.

You can use this technique for any shape you like, they're easy and fun to do.

Next up some yellow birds for one of my nieces - I sent her a shirt and some fabric to make up her own shirt design as she had some great ideas for herself.

She's a clever and crafty kid so I hope soon to post what she has made (hint hint, Imogen!)

This green and purple combo is for my other niece - with an extended cuff as she's quite tall! These are her favourite colours, what were the odds of finding this fabric!

And last. but by no means least, some snowboarders for my nephew. I did reverse appliques on his shirt as well, cutting around the figures.

I love the checked cuffs on these, and was really pleased to find a coordinating contrast for him.
I used black twill tape instead of ribbon in the top of these pants so it's not too girly!!

All pants were made using the Sweet Dreams pattern from Make it Perfect.

I just appliqued onto store bought tops to make it faster and easier.

For reference - the small size was a perfect fit for my 12 year old nephew, and I used the medium for my 14 and 16 year old nieces - adding an extra 2 inches onto the pants for the tall young lady!

The kids prefer the elastic to be attached to the waistband so it has no chance of rolling, so I did this for theirs. I sewed the elastic on before folding over and securing the waistband and then inserting the ribbon.

It has made the waistbands more stiff, hopefully it will loosen up but I have to say I prefer the finished result doing them the way Toni states in the pattern, by putting the elastic in a casing.

Now it's on to more summer sewing for me, though there are still one or two winter projects calling my name...

Find the more decisive crafters at Kirst's place, where she is deviating from her quilt for a bit of speed crafting.

Once upon a time...

... there were two little Princesses who grew so tall

that they didn't fit into their mum's favourite jacket pattern anymore.

but then....
the pattern-making-Fairy-God-Mother made a new pattern!!!
In sizes 6-10, big enough to fit them both for many more years to come.

(Pattern cover pic from Make It Perfect)

Their mum (let's call her the fabric-hoarding-Queen!!), then jumped online and ordered some very special Far Far Away 2 fabric, covered in Sleeping Beauties and Rapunzels to make the new jackets from.

and everyone lived happily ever after!

To have your very own happy ending with a Big Uptown Girl jacket, pop over to Toni's blog and win yourself a copy of the pattern.

(The Queen realises she should have pulled out the Royal Pressing Machine and ironed that fabric after washing it and before posting a pic on the royal blog!)

Livin' in her Uptown world

I couldn't help but hum the lyrics to the Billy Joel track Uptown Girl when I was tracing/cutting/sewing this little jacket, as it is indeed the Uptown Girl jacket by Toni of Make It Perfect.


I must confess, I have had this jacket pattern for quite some time with the intention of sewing it up, but had just never got far enough down the 'to do' list each winter.
So it just kept getting put off.

It's such a sweet jacket.

Fully reversible with a hood and fold up contrasting cuffs, and gathering on the front and back yoke so it's 'dressy' enough to wear for a special outing.

I did it with cotton quilt batting inside intead of Pellon. Jen had done it and said it was nice and soft and warm and I agree, thanks Jen.

I also added a snap at the top and put the button over the top just for show. Claire had done something similar to this with magnetic snaps and I had the same trouble with the machine having trouble with the layers.

So thanks ladies for sharing what you did as you made this.

Despite the way it looks in this pic - the jacket is even!

I made this out of some really lovely heavy red and white woven cotton from Spotlight.

Nic made this gorgeous skirt using it, and I'm pretty sure Tania used the same stuff to make her lovely skirt with too.

The lining is just simple navy with white hailspots from Spotty as well.

I also made a flower rosette brooch to wear on the navy side to give it a lift, but the smallest rejected that out of hand.

"Off, no-like" she said in her clear little voice grabbing at the afore-mentioned brooch. So it's sitting on a shelf at the moment...

This pattern goes from sizes 0 to 5. But I have it under very good authority that it will soon be coming in larger sizes.

I can't wait to whip another couple up for the big girls.

Stay tuned for the coordinating Dortje pants and the moment where I consider whether I have taken it one step too far...