mojo and co

Purple girls

2010-10-20T21:52:00.004+11:00

For Audrey's birthday, way back in September, she requested a birthday skirt and t-shirt. The skirt had to use the butterfly fabric she'd picked from Spotlight not long ago. And on the t-shirt she wanted a number four ... no, a cake ... no, a number ... no, a cake with four candles on it.

Fortunately she was more decisive about the skirt. After spying the "Misty" skirt in Ottobre 1/2008 (#13) her mind was made up. Thank goodness.

It is supposed to have a fitted waistband with side zipper. We're not ready for zippered clothing quite yet. This version has an elasticised waistband instead for ease of self-dressing.

The t-shirt is from Ottobre's basic t-shirt pattern, with bonus puff sleeve added on. I used the puff sleeve pattern from a similar shirt, shirred close to the edge, and sewed it on together with the long sleeve.

The big girl is modeling the knit dress made using The Train To Crazy's free dress pattern. This is size 5 and it fits well. I added pockets. Good for carrying things in I thought. Silly me! Little did I know that two hands in low-ish pockets make stretching out and lifting up your dress irresistable! Sigh ....

Instead of the casing inside for elastic, I opted to use a 3-step zigzag to unevenly sew the elastic straight to the inside of the dress.

It's the current favourite for long-sleeve days. The dress has been washed several times already and worn straight off the clothes line.

Big Boy

2010-09-27T21:00:00.003+10:00

We once bought a giant plush dog from the local trash 'n' treasure market for a small girl. He was dubbed 'Big Boy' and the name stuck (unusual for the soft friends living here). Big Boy is still much beloved a couple of years on, keeping Hannah company in bed almost every night.

Now he's made it onto a t-shirt as part of a new set of much-needed pyjamas. First there was a brief photo shoot. He's the perfect model. Still. Quiet. Consistent. Much easier to photograph than children, who suddenly insist on keeping their head tilted back strangely once the camera is pointed at them. After printing onto transfer paper, the cut-out image was ironed onto white knit fabric, then stitched onto the shirt. Hopefully the washing machine is kind to him! I've been a bit slow to take photos of crafting projects lately, but made a point of snapping this one before the first wash - just in case.

The t-shirt is a plain one from Ottobre Spring 1/2003 which I've made before. I've also made these pants before (from NewLook 6641) with added ribbed cuffs at the bottom this time. The checkered flannelette is the not-quite-enough left-overs from her Dad's pj pants. Cuffs were an easy solution, with the added benefit of keeping her legs a bit warmer.

Quilted tote

2010-09-24T21:33:00.003+10:00

My first quilting! A small little panel that encloses a folded up tote bag. The project is from a Japanese book called 'Country Quilt' (ISBN 4893966251).

Partially hand quilted, in the style of the book. Slow hand stitching = machine quilting the other part. It was a belated gift ... haste was required!

When closed, the bag fits neatly into an adult hand. If there were to be a second version I would definitely make the actual bag bigger. It's a fairly small little tote. Cute though don't you think?

The awesome Four

2010-09-12T21:19:00.004+10:00

The littlest girl made it to Four. "Now that I am Four ..." has been a phrase heard often during the last week. Four is very different to Three. You can suddenly reach the high door latches and open curtains and you like different foods and are a bit braver.

Once, not very long ago, you were a wee little bub ...

... and now you're this cheeky little lady ...

... who always wants a hand to hold while walking ... who has such a loud voice in a small body ... who loves dogs and cats (plus rabbits and horses and penguins and bears and many others sometimes too) ... who is so gentle with our pets ... who loves skirts and dresses ... who looked forward to her birthday for at least six months ... who whizzes around and around the table on her bike ... who gets stuck on her words sometimes ... who loves music ... who quietly disappeared to her room for a while during her party to listen to her favourite CD ... who will begrudgingly try new foods and then chew on them for 10 minutes if she isn't so keen on the taste ... who hates tidying up ... who does a funny tongue thing sometimes when nervous or excited ... who loves purple and pink and red because they are girlish colours ... who still sleeps with her beloved blankie every single night.

The cake was a girlish one. Pink icing, flowers and cherries. I used this recipe for marshmallow icing, aiming for a tasty dairy-free topping. Worked great for cupcakes in a trial run, although I learnt that I'd need to ice the cake fast as it sets quickly. Also looked great on the one-big-cake that Audrey decided she wanted instead. And then I went to put candles in ... and cut it. Possibly chef's error, but it set pretty darn hard. Still delicious though.

Happy birthday little one.

Powder puff

2010-08-06T20:15:00.003+10:00

Not sure how they are decided upon, but I like that most of Ottobre's patterns have names. Hannah is modeling the "Powder Puff" raglan-sleeve t-shirt I made for her back in June. It's from 6/2008 (#20). The few small rows of shirring on the front were ditched in favour of some less complicated gathering.

Not that I have a problem with shirring. Although I did once have a problem with it. In the slight chance it might help someone with a similar problem I'm going to blah blah about it. Here goes. The elastic thread was feeding out of the bobbin casing easily and not getting enough tension to do those cute little gathers. After a fruitless Google search, I eventually realised that the bobbin elastic needed a firmer tug down into place so that the little arms could grab onto the thread better. When loaded correctly the thread mostly stretches when pulled on, instead of unravelling easily. Problem solved. Clear as mud?

Oh and there's the first machine embroidery I did! It's a curious kitty from here.

Hertta skirt and a pinafore dress

2010-07-11T21:24:00.002+10:00

There's new 'girlish' winter wear for the smalls, as per their requests. It was mid-Barbie-musical-statues-dance-game when I thought to get photos. Hence any blurriness and scantily clad fashion dolls you might spy.

Miss Hannah is wearing her 'Hertta' skirt from Ottobre 1/2009 (#19). I also made the 'Anemone stripes' tunic from Ottobre 4/2009 (#21) to go with it. Not the best choice unfortunately. When it's untucked, i.e. always, the tunic is a bit too long and hides the top half of the hearts.

Then there's the instigator of all this girlishness. I think Hannah would have quite happily gone on indefinitely wearing mostly pants, if it wasn't for her little sister constantly requesting skirts and dresses and more skirts. Come summer we'll all be happy. The girls because they'll not have to wear tights/leggings/socks. And me too because skirts are far quicker to sew than pants.

Miss Audrey is wearing her beloved pinafore dress from Ottobre 1/2007 (#6) along with a t-shirt from their 'Creative Workshop 301 - Best T-shirts' pack. There's an experimental needle felting on the pinafore bodice. I thought it would be faster than appliqueing, although in hindsight I'm not so sure. Kitty is nice and furry, and she's held up perfectly to one spin through the washing machine so far.

The sizing is weird for this outfit. She wears a size 98, and measures really closely to the size chart in the magazine for this size. But the pinafore will probably fit her better next year as it's a bit too roomy this winter. On the other hand, the shirt seems a size too small! Audrey loves them both though. I predict that she'll keep making me squeeze her head through the too-small neck opening all winter.

Fabric gift wraps

2010-06-27T20:18:00.004+10:00

It's been a while since my last swap. It ended disappointingly. Mobile made and posted. Waited patiently for a package to arrive. Nothing. No package. No response from swap organiser. End of story.

Time to try out this swapping thing again. Sooz recently called for participants in her 'Put It To Good Use Swap'. I put my hand up for five swap items. Here's a peek my contribution:

Fabric gift wraps, or gift pouches to be more accurate. They've got a flap on the back like an envelope, and are held closed with velcro. Unfortunately I forgot to photograph the back before posting. More photos on Flickr if you're interested.

Reusable wrap is something I've been meaning to make and use for a long time and never got around to. Fortunately the wee girls' old paintings have kept us well supplied for an alternative. Five fabric wraps later, I've still got none. But at least I have a pattern now!

I was aiming for a traditionally styled package, and not just a simple bag with a ribbon tied around it. These will fit a DVD or console game or chocolate bar or thin book in them. Do they look like gifts? At the very least, Hannah recognised my first not-quite-right attempt as a 'present'. Thank you biggest girl. The green spotty one was attempt two, which I'm mostly happy with. If you look at the corners the lining is peeking out. The remaining four were made with a slightly altered flap to fix this.

So all done and posted and on time too. I hope the recipients like them as much as I do!

Totoro and a new toy

2010-06-15T20:54:00.002+10:00

For once the new toy in the house is mine. Not new miniature foods and animals for the girls. Not a new smart phone for Jason. It's an embroidery sewing machine from my Ma. Not something that I'd previously dreamed of buying. But now that I've got one, the possibilities seem endless. Oh how I'd love to make up my own designs. But until then there are plenty of wonderful designs to experiment with.

I happened across this free Totoro machine embroidery design, generously offered by Just tutorials. After enlarging it a little, the finished embroidery made it's way onto a new t-shirt for Hannah. Little Audrey has also requested a Totoro t-shirt. A pink one. Or a purple one. Or a heart one. She likes hearts, so I'm told.

The shirt itself is made from an older Ottobre magazine - #16 from 1/2003. A first go at using size 104 for width and size 116 for height, and then for the skirt also. Seemed to work well, and easy enough to trace the patterns. A good pair of non-baggy-bottomed pants will be the deal sealer. The smalls are going through a skirt/dress fetish at the moment though, so it may be a while.

Then there was the skirt. I'm loving this pleated skirt. It's #14 from Ottobre 4/2007. So fast to make, and also cute on. I consider myself to be a fairly slow sewer. But in under 2 hours I had traced, cut-out and sewn a finished skirt. There was a single pattern piece, cut out twice. No pockets, no fly, no gathers, no buttons. An absolute treat after making the Tulip pants. I'm definitely not complaining about the skirt love in the house, even though winter is really not the best season for skirts.

Tulip pants

2010-06-14T15:33:00.002+10:00

There was a bit of duck spotting at Wilson Botanic Park. The big girl was clad in her new pink pants. Made from an Ottobre pattern, the 'Tulip pants' from 4/2009 (#12).

There are 12 individual pattern pieces that make up these pants! Quite some work to construct. But worth it I think. The result is very cute and girly. My only issue is that they're a bit baggy in the bottom region.

As it happens that is totally my fault. Up until this week, I've been sewing for the girls based only on height. But after a couple of baggy pants recently I took the trouble the measure them against the sizing charts in the Ottobre magazine. Little Audrey is almost spot on for the size 98 that I've been making her. But Hannah .... although the size 116 I've been using is perfect for her height, her width measures up as a size 104. Some experimenting is underway with merging two different sizes.

Miss Hedgie and friends

2010-06-03T20:30:00.003+10:00

Meet Miss Hedgie. A pincushion made last month for my dear Ma on Mother's Day. Hedgie thinks herself very pretty with her fat, red flower.

A pair of rodents heard there was another felty in the house. They ran over to greet Miss Hedgie. Although a bit concerned over her giant size, they got along famously for a couple of days until the new arrival went to her new home.

Bedhair again

2010-05-27T19:50:00.004+10:00

More pyjamas. Same Ottobre issue (6/2009). This time the ones with pants. And just for the biggest girl.

Pants are the clear winners in our household for winter. Nighties have been put away until the distant spring. The smallest girl (3.5 years) still insists on kicking all her blankets off while she's sleeping. She's then a little frozen girl-cicle with bare legs and a nightgown bunched up around her torso.

She got to choose the applique. It didn't take her long to decided. This was what she wanted:

Fortunately not all of it. Just the funny little car down the bottom.

The delightful image is from the Meomi 'Color Cloud Seeding' artwork book. We love Meomi. The monthly desktop images were used quite a while ago, with a much smaller Hannah always excited to see a new one up on our Mac. And many giggles ensued when we moved our mouse over all the interactive critters on their website.

So there it is. They are now her beloved 'car jarmies'. Such a rewarding audience to sew for.

Yawn

2010-05-19T19:40:00.002+10:00

Murray turned 1 year old a few days ago. The excitement of new toys and cake and doggy visitors was all too much for our Sheltie boy. Happy birthday puppins!

Nighties x 2

2010-05-17T19:25:00.003+10:00

What do I do with the littlest child? She adores her summery, ruffly 'princess nightie' which sadly has several licensed characters on it. It was great a couple months ago on those hot sticky nights, but the approaching winter is making it's presence felt. Plus it's a bit on the small side now and barely covers her little backside. What I did was make a winter nightie. Which then became two winter nighties. The eldest girl really needed new pj's for those legs that have suddenly shot out of her long pants.

I had two silly monkeys on my hands that morning. But you get the gist of what they look like. It's an Ottobre pattern from the 6/2009 issue. So quick to make as several of the seams are sewn only once, instead of the normal topstitching as well. The pattern asked for lapped seams (something like this), but I couldn't make that work on my overlocker and ended up using flatlocked seams for the first time. As I'm pulling on the two sides of fabric to make the seam lay flat I was not so sure how sturdy those seams would be. They've now held up to several nights of restless sleeping and a couple of trips in the washing machine. So far, so good.

Orvokki

2010-04-11T21:45:00.003+10:00

Winter sewing has begun, and just in time if today's weather is any indication.

This one is the Orvokki jersey blouse from Ottobre 1/2009 (#18). Worn with the pants I made last winter from Girly Style Wardrobe. Not the most stylish pants, but they're super comfy and have withstood many washes. And so so quick to make.

I'm really happy with how the shirt turned out. The fabrics are slightly different weights and textures, but luckily that doesn't seem to matter. It came together really easily. The only trouble I had was with the shirring. It's a little wonky if you look closely, and I need to learn how to secure the ends. Also the instructions only mention shirring the front, but based on the pattern pieces it was needed in the back also.

And doesn't she look happy with it? That's because I snuck out the camera while they were re-enacting Totoro in the back yard. A round of loud roaring makes two small girls very happy. What you can't tell is that she was in tears 60 seconds later. There was a minor sisterly dispute over a swing. Aaahhh ... the highs and lows of a pre-schooler's life.

The Ottobre's will be getting a workout over the next couple of weeks. Pyjamas, hoodies, a winter coat and a cap. They're all on the list. The very long to-sew list.

Bunny day

2010-04-04T21:01:00.003+10:00

Happy Easter! I hope the bunny was kind to you. As for us, we've enough chocolate here to last us until Christmas. At least!

Earlier today there was some fresh felty produce ready for gifting to small friends and relations.

But it wasn't long before the rodents arrived. First there was one quiet little cutie ...

... and then his sister turned up. She seemed pretty keen on the rosy red apples.

No harm done though. Except to my fingers. Several needle pricks still remain visible. Ouch!

For the needle felted guinea pigs (or piggies to the smalls) I followed some very clear photographic instructions from my current favourite craft book. So many cute animals in there. It even has a pika! Any David Attenborough fans will know this little critter from Life of Mammals (I think), where it rock-hops to and fro carrying flowers back to it's nest.

Dirt

2010-03-17T14:10:00.002+11:00

Take one handsome dog ...

... add a scorching hot summer sun and the result is brown. Brown grass. Then brown dirt.

I've been waiting impatiently for the end of summer to see this ...

... fresh green shoots from a scattering of grass seed. Just hoping they can survive another 30+ day.

Dolly girl

2010-03-12T20:05:00.002+11:00

My girls aren't doll girls. It's animals they love. Most of the time they treat their plush pets respectfully. They're much rowdier than our real pets though. Always meowing, or woofing, or howling or yowling. Occasionally the poor critters get babied, especially since their littlest cousin came along late last year. I sometimes wish they did prefer dolls. In the eyes (and voices) of a three and five-year-old, babies are a lot quieter than pets.

Our little friend likes dolls, so for her birthday I made matching clothes. I hope that orange is still a favoured colour!

My old Cabbage Patch doll, Sally, is modeling the outfit made from Ottobre 1/2003. Sally was very excited by this as she spends her days under Audrey's bed waiting oh so patiently for some attention. If I was to make this pattern for a Cabbage Patch doll again I'd take the width in on the dress. And take some wonkiness out of the strap placement.

My lovely model is wearing tunic 'k' from Girly Style Wardrobe. These patterns make up big. I thought this would be a little on the large size, but not swimmingly large. I've previously made dress 't' from the same book and had the same problem. Next summer it should fit perfectly!

Buttons and a hedgehog

2010-02-05T21:06:00.003+11:00

I've been Ottobre-ing again. This red buttony t-shirt is from the Summer 3/2009 issue. It's the 'Rosalind' t-shirt. I love how they all have names. Audrey is destined to get a pair of 'Audrey' capri pants. Very, very happy with how this one turned out. An eager pair of helpers materialised when the buttons were brought out. This little monkey decided she wanted a 'firework' of buttons. Not quite sure what she meant, but she was content with this arrangement.

I also made the 'Strawberry' tunic from the Summer 3/2008 issue. This has been dubbed the 'hedgehog top' after the little critter I embroidered for one of the pockets. The hedgehog design comes from a Japanese embroidery book called 'EMBROIDERY animals & insects 380' (ISBN 9784021904288). Such a cute book! There's several pictures from the book that have been kindly uploaded here. And there are heaps of pics on Etsy here.

5 + 5

2010-02-05T13:09:00.003+11:00

Five years and five days. That's how old our not-so-very-little Hannah is today.

We had our biannual mostly-family party on Sunday. The same beloved people that we've had for the past five of Hannah's parties. Just a few new littlies added over the years. I can't help wondering if it will be the last of this party type. Will there be kindergarten friends to invite next year? Games to organise? Party bags to prepare? Time will tell.

So Hannah at 5 ...

She's a bright little button. Eager to share her knowledge of the world. Especially where her little sister is concerned. Reading so many words, but still daunted by more than ten words on a page. A lot of time is spent drawing, making up different stories around the pictures as she goes. Small Schleich-style animals are still a favourite toy, but now felines and canines are not the only favoured animals. Giraffes, raccoons and chickens are often included in the games. Feeding our real animals is her favourite chore. In fact missing out on this is a cause for tears. She's keen to try new experiences, as long as she believes she can succeed. Easily pleased when it comes to clothes, food and toys, unlike her fussier little sister. This year she was introduced to the joy of the DS and Wii by various loved ones. It's a whole new world which she is embracing with glee. And if you ask her, she knows everything. But I don't think that is unusual when you're five.

There was a last minute request for a cat cake this year, but only after previous requests for a dog cake and a train cake and a number five cake. My preference is for tasty, less-sickening cakes, such as the apple and blueberry shortcake that we baked for her first birthday. But since I'm not the birthday girl, a marble cat cake was made. Complete with flattened fruit chews for eyes and nose and a brown Smarties tail.

I have to admit that I have been a bad mother this week. When I should've been writing about our beautiful five year old's birthday, I was sewing and playing Gardening Mama and Wii Sports Resort. Completely self-indulgent. I blame the sudden calm that arrived after the last two months of anticipating and planning for Christmas and birthdays and a party and the beginning of kinder. You may hear my sigh of relief as we approach our first event-free weekend in what feels like months.

Three more sleeps

2010-01-28T21:18:00.005+11:00

Hannah is turning five this weekend. Can you tell she's excited? Last week my vote went for phoning/emailing our party guests, but the birthday girl wanted proper invitations. Since she had oodles more enthusiasm than I did, they were left almost completely in her eager hands. She drew, she cut, I printed, she cut some more, she pasted and she wrote. Done and delivered!

A month of bags

2010-01-12T19:36:00.004+11:00

A grand total of four bags were sewn last month.

The first was dubbed the Mario bag by the smalls. I used Tiny Happy's shoulder bag tutorial. I've had it bookmarked for a year or more. Super easy to make. Very glad I finally got around to making one.

And not just one ... but two! This floral number is a variation on the first. A pleat to close in the top a bit, similar to Oh, Fransson!'s Margaret Sling Bag. Plus a narrower strap.

Not sure it was third time lucky. This one turned out smaller than I had hoped. Which doesn't really make sense since the measurements of the finished bag were on the book cover! The book is a Japanese one (ISBN 4529040011). There are unfinished edges and crooked stitching, just as the pattern asked for. Despite the small size, I love the roughness of this one.

Last of all was a birthday gift for last weekend. A lunch tote bag made to the measurements of a much-used paper gift bag.

And one of these days I'll make a bag for myself.

Dog's breakfast

2010-01-07T19:39:00.006+11:00

Here's a project I worked on before christmas. A surprise present for the girls. I forgot I hadn't photographed it. Until this afternoon. When I rescued one of the dogs from Murray's mouth. He's not my favourite pet today.

Fortunately Audrey's dog was still safe and sound on her bookshelf.

The ill-fated project comes from a Japanese book of felt toys (ISBN 9784529041171 / 4529041174). There's photos of most of the book here. I bought the book primarily for these dogs and some very similar cats. The tiny little food stalls are also very popular with the smalls.

The dog will be forgiven. It's a good thing he's so cute.

The end

2010-01-04T20:33:00.004+11:00

The festive season is officially over for our family. Jason returned to work today after a two week break. I'm alone with two little girls again. And I completely burnt the dinner. And I can't bear to face the charred remains in the pot yet. It's been a long day. I need a hot tea. And some chocolate. And some quiet.

Yesterday was long too, but for a better reason. We trekked over to the other side of Melbourne to visit the Werribee Open Range Zoo with a pair of grandparents. A great day, except for the part where we locked the keys in the car.

Some pics from my favourite part. Giraffes have got super long, strong tongues!

Another Sackboy

2009-12-22T19:26:00.003+11:00

Another Sackboy, by request. If you're unfamiliar with this little character, he stars in a popular PS3 game called Little Big Planet. And that's all I know. I've never actually played the game. He's kinda cute though.

This little guy is needle felted. Possibly not very well. I'm hoping to do a class next year to get some technique pointers. He seems sturdy enough though. I'm actually really happy with how he turned out. Unlike the previous crocheted version, I'd actually consider making another one.

He's posable, with pipe cleaners inside his arms and string jointed legs. The zip is a fake. Six strands of metallic silver embroidery floss for the zipper teeth. A sacrificial zip for the dangly bit. Yes I could look up the technical name, but it's three sleeps until christmas! There's still gifts to be made!!

Red

2009-11-28T19:25:00.002+11:00

An unintentional colour theme from some recent crafting.

This little fellow and his brothers are to be hung from the christmas tree on Tuesday. There's much excitement amongst the smalls about christmas this year. Apparently Santa has a Playmobil list for the good kids, and a deep-fryer list for the naughty ones. And if you're a Dad who is not so well behaved, your name will be added to the iron list.

Then there's my first attempt at sewing from Ottobre Design magazines. So many cute clothes to make! This tunic is design no. 13 from their Autumn 4/2007 magazine. The wee girl made a request: a red top with a blue apple on it. She's a taskmaster that girl. 'Is my apple top finished?' was the first thing I heard from her each morning. And then it was done ... and it was too big. We'll try it again when winter starts heading our way again.

Knits and I still don't get along, but this one came together pretty well. A twin needle would be a help. Look too close and you'll find my wonky topstitching. First-time clothing sewers would probably find the patterns a bit daunting. There are very few pictures to go with the instructions. Some basic garment construction knowledge goes a long way.

And finally there's the girl. She's version two of a doll pattern I'm making. The kids have briefly snaffled her for play, but five minutes later I collect her (and her shorter sister) from the couch upon which they've been dumped. I'm not taking it personally though. She's not so great at walking on a lead.

Melbourne weather

2009-11-27T20:52:00.003+11:00

A bright and sunny morning ...

followed by afternoon rain.

Tutorial: Fabric-covered CD coaster

2009-10-21T14:21:00.006+11:00

After a small spring clean it seems we have a teetering pile of out-dated CD's hanging around. It probably stems from our reluctance to toss previously useful belongings away. Does this happen at your house?

You probably have fabric scraps too, huh? Well Sew, Mama, Sew has dubbed October as Scrap Buster Month. If you're looking for ways to empty out your scrap basket, then it's well worth a visit. Today's tutorial is my eco-friendly way of trying to win some shiny new fabric from their wonderful store.

Ingredients (for one coaster):

2 x fabric scraps at least 14 cm square.

enough scraps to make up 55cm of bias binding

1 x unwanted CD

thread

Before you start:

You will need to use a fairly sturdy fabric, as the CD will show through lighter fabrics. I've used denim from an old pair of jeans. Alternatively you could line loosely woven fabrics with plain fabric or interfacing scraps.

Also it is important that when attaching the binding it is close to the CD. Otherwise the CD will slide around and the coaster will be a bit floppy. If necessary, trim the seam allowance down to allow the binding to be up against the enclosed CD.

Step 1:

Lay fabric scraps together with wrong sides together. Cut out a 14 cm diameter circle. To do this I drew around my CD then added a 1 cm seam allowance.

Bias binding:

Cut diagonal strips of fabric 4 cm wide. Join to form at least 55 cm of bias binding. Press binding flat with seams open. Trim off any over hanging corners. Fold strip in half along length and press, to make it 2 cm wide. Open binding out flat again. Fold one long side of strip to center crease and press. Repeat for other side. Fold two sides together along center crease again and press. The binding strip should now be 1 cm wide.

I forgot to photograph making the bias binding. Sorry. If you need more visual instructions then a quick search should help you out.

Step 2:

Place the CD between the two circles, right sides facing out. Pin the two fabric layers together around the CD, enclosing it in the center. Using your sewing machine's zipper foot, baste the circles together around the CD. Make sure the CD is tightly enclosed by stitching as close to the CD as possible.

Step 3:

Pin and then sew binding over the raw edges of the circles. Stitch close to the edge of the binding, which should also be close to the CD. Trim off excess binding, leaving a small overlap and sewing the binding end down over the binding start. Done!

Now you can pour yourself a beverage of your choosing and admire your handiwork!

Please let me know if you have trouble with my newbie tutorial-making skills. I'm happy to help and reword any points that may be confusing.

Spring shirt

2009-10-20T20:10:00.003+11:00

A new spring shirt for the big girl. From one of my first japanese sewing books (ISBN 9784529044370). Hannah picked this pretty floral fabric that I bought on clearance in the quilting section of my local Spotlight last week. Hurray! No dogs to be seen.

I'm contemplating making up the adult sized pattern. Would she be offended it I didn't want to wear it on the same day as her? Probably. Though at the rate this little bean sprout is growing she'll have outgrown it next week.

Made of wool

2009-10-20T19:58:00.002+11:00

Shhhhhh! Did you see that? That stripy tail there slinking through the forest? It couldn't be ... or could it???

Yes! It's the lesser red panda. A shy little guy. I think this specimen is embarrassed about his oversized ears and nose. Don't be shy small friend. We still think you're the cutest red panda around these parts.

From this book. Picture from the book available here.

The beach

2009-10-05T20:04:00.002+11:00

Sunday morning at the beach with our pocket rocket pup. Little Murray is almost five months old. This was his first taste of the beach and he lapped it up. Racing up and down the sand, only stopping for the occasional snack. Greeting fellow beach-goers and their owners. Not so keen on the wet stuff though.

Still pyjama-ing

2009-09-30T14:05:00.002+10:00

A summer set for the smallest girl:

Made with New Look 6641 again. Spawned from my indecision over whether or not I liked my dinosaur drawing for the applique. It grew on me. Now this set can be mixed with her winter set for these changeable spring nights.

A winter set for the biggest girl:

Same pattern. The pant fabric is from an old pair of my pj's with a torn seat. They were well loved so it's hard to see the egg print now, but they're still there if you look hard enough. That calls for an egg-related embellishment. How about our beloved dipping egg and soldiers?

Hannah loves them. I mean really loves them. Wouldn't-take-them-off loves them. So I love them too, even though the super soft knit was a [insert expletive] to sew. It was worth all the effort after all.

Thank you to Sew, Mama, Sew's Pyjama Party for the incentive to clothe two little girls in new jammies.

Jammies = jumping

2009-09-28T19:43:00.002+10:00

New jammies for the smallest girl. The fussiest girl. I made a point of letting her pick the fabric. Otherwise they may remain in the bottom of the drawer, neglected in favour of the worn out hand-me-down bear jammies.

The pattern is NewLook 6641. Great pattern. Easy to make, fits well and several different options to choose from. Lucky for me it goes up to size 8. Many years left before my girlies grow out of it.

I'm happiest with the t-shirt. I've never made a t-shirt before, harbouring fears of sewing with stretch knits. But the overlocker and I have made friends. Since making this set, I've made a second successful tee. And there's a third cut out for tonight! The little dinosaur came from Nanna, who has a new embroidery machine to play with.

She's not my stillest child. Never has been. Probably never will be. Dinosaur jammies are cause for jumping.

I heart needle felting

2009-09-24T19:54:00.001+10:00

Chh, chh, chh, chh .... That's what poor J has been hearing for the last few evenings as the needle goes in and out of the felted wool balls for the umpteenth time. But it's done. Delivered safely to the cutest little baby boy yesterday afternoon.

I've been wanting to try needle felting for months. The needles, mat and wool roving have been patiently waiting for other more urgent projects to end. My two adorable books have been flipped through many times by girls little and big. Orders have been placed by two adorable children. If only those barbed needles didn't hurt so much as they go into my fingers!

This mobile is based on a project in 'Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts: Fuzzy Felted Friends' - ISBN 9780811860666. It seemed to be the simplest project, perfect for a novice like myself. After a comical attempt at the bird in the book, the second successful attempt is my own design. That's part of what I'm loving about felting. Squeeze it a bit there, poke a bit more there. The shape is so easily changed. I've heard it fittingly referred to as sculpting with wool. It's the texture that I love most though. So soft and touchable.

More needle felting will follow. First though are some overdue jammies for the wee girls, pushed to the top of the queue by Sew, Mama, Sew's September Pajama Party.

Baby Jake

2009-09-22T20:11:00.002+10:00

Yesterday I became an Aunt for the second time. Baby Jake decided to come a few weeks early, just like his big sister. Lucky Mum! No matter what I tried, both of my girls played by the rules and came on their due date.

Here's his mobile as it stands tonight:

Just six balls to go. So no time to write. More needle felting to do.

Wearable art

2009-09-17T19:33:00.003+10:00

There's been a lot of drawing going on around these parts. I love seeing the concentration on two little faces as they draw yet another dog. Sometimes there are people, or a house or snail. Murray is a favourite subject now, with his folded ears.

What to do with so many artworks? I still haven't answered that question. They just keep getting added to the teetering pile. The best ones are deemed worthy of the fridge or bedroom door galleries. There's a scrapbook for each girl which we glue our favourites into. Paintings make great wrapping paper.

This week two drawings found their way onto a pair of plain t-shirts: Audrey's dog and Hannah's snail.

Their drawings were traced onto fabric, which was then attached to some iron-on adhesive. Cut around the drawings, leaving a small margin. Iron the fabric onto the t-shirt. I used three strands of embroidery floss doubled over, only after trying six strands and ending up with blistered fingers trying to pull it through the fabric. Backstitch around the drawing.

And the last picture is just because I was surprised at the difference in heights. It's not often I get them both still and side by side. At last measure there was about 20cm between them, but it doesn't really compute until I see it in photo form. The big girl just keeps growing up and not out.

A rattle and a book

2009-09-14T19:42:00.005+10:00

I'm going to be an aunty for the second time soon. For a baby shower gift I made this two-headed rattle from a Japanese book called Fabric Toys To Make At Home Ages 0-5 (ISBN 9784834756302). Fun to make, but more time consuming than expected.

There are six different animal heads to choose from. My little helpers picked the dog one. Of course.

Here's more of my favourite projects from the book, including the hungry critters that made me buy the book in the first place:

Twirly girly skirt

2009-09-11T19:36:00.002+10:00

Another skirt, this time for the big girl. It's a Pink Fig Girly Skirt. So so easy to make. What a breath of fresh air after making complicated pants.

The Hello Kitty fabric was picked by Hannah. Every now and then I get a break from all the dogginess of our household. She's "actually really liking cats now". For a whole hour even!

3 and 3

2009-09-07T19:16:00.004+10:00

Our baby girl is 3 years and 3 days today. The birthday is over. The party is over. Life here has returned to normal.

There were cakes ...

... and cookies ...

... and two eager bakers.

Mama made fruits ...

... and a party skirt of the birthday girl's choosing.

So little Audrey. What are you like at 3?

Full of mischief with a sweet cheeky grin. Rarely serious, but quick to scream the house down when things aren't going your way. Still adore poor old blanky, but usually just while sleeping and watching tv. It rarely leaves the house these days. Love helping at the supermarket. Like helping clean the toilet. Hate helping at tidy-up time. Most of your play is dog related. Soft dogs, plastic dogs, pull-along dogs, pretending dogs, drawing dogs. Often follow Hannah's lead, but in your own unique way. You worry about watching new shows on tv, holding blanky in front of your eyes until you're confident it's not scary. Santa is scary. Divers are scary. Costumed people are scary. The postman is scary. Love jumping, drawing, painting, stories and peanut butter. You're a big girl now and have been telling us this for months. The biggest girl in fact. Very quick to remind anyone who forgets and calls you little.

Happy birthday dear Audrey.

Pantaloons: part 3

2009-09-02T10:45:00.003+10:00

So pants number 3 ...

My favourite. I'd like a pair in my size. They look so comfy. Made from soft stretch cord that I just couldn't resist from Spotlight. Hannah picked the colour. Their only fault is that they are exceptional at picking up fluff.

The pattern is Burda 9626. They were meant to be fitted. Did I do any measurements? Of course not. The waist turned out huge. Now they're elasticised and adjustable with buttonhole elastic. Probably for the best though. My big girl still doesn't like having to do buttons.

Hail

2009-08-26T19:28:00.001+10:00

Yesterday it snowed. Almost. A dusting of hail is as close as it gets around here. Some dinner-time excitement for the small girls and I.

The Dogs

2009-08-20T20:07:00.003+10:00

So my parents got dogs quite a while back. It sparked the small's dog obsession that seemingly has no end. Now Hannah has an imaginary dog called Tess. Little Audrey (who is very soon turning 3!) can identify at least 20 different dog breeds. She often tells me "When I'm a Mum I'm going to have a beagle and call him Bob and will go to the pet store and buy a lead for him and a collar and food and toys and ...... "

Anyway, I digress. For a birthday gift for my Ma I made felt magnet versions of her labradoodles. The curly girl dog adores her soccer ball. The bigger shaggy boy dog howls loudly at strangers.

The dog shapes are based on the illustrations of Mei Matsuoka in the picture book "Burger Boy". One of our favourites found at a library sale, the story humorously warns against overindulgence. You can see some of the sketches she did for the book on her website.

I thought the soccer ball would be easy. How wrong I was. Much embroidery involved. But it is recognisable as a soccer ball so is deemed a success. Hurrah!!

Pantaloons: part 2

2009-08-13T20:01:00.002+10:00

May I present pants no. 2. Brown corduroy jeans from vintage Kwik Sew pattern 1029.

The envelope says 'slim sizes', but I ended up haphazardly slipping some elastic into the back waistband. It's worked out well since they now can just be pulled up and down without fiddling with a button and fly. Buttons aren't very popular with the big girl.

Both girls were industriously drawing when I remembered to pull the camera out. I didn't want to tear her away from her work. And she was still. A rarity.

This pattern came from my Mum and had been precut. About 25 years ago I was wearing jeans cut from the same pattern. Isn't that odd?

Friend or foe?

2009-08-13T19:50:00.002+10:00

Pantaloons

2009-08-07T19:59:00.002+10:00

I've been making pants. Three pairs so far. I'm just having troubles photographing them. I now know not to wait until after kinder. That particular pair will have to wait until next week.

This pair of pants is from the Japanese book 'Girly Style Wardrobe' ( ISBN 457911132X ). A quick look on Flickr tells me it's quite a popular book. Fast and easy (if you don't sew the wrong leg pieces together) and perfect for playing in. Big side pockets for storing treasures in.

Today's photos were taken a mid-morning. Pants rumpled from play, but no mystery stains and the sun was shining. It seems that's the best I can hope for.

Kinder old and new

2009-08-04T14:43:00.004+10:00

We decided a little while ago to defer Hannah's kinder until next year. She's quiet (like her mum) and hesitant to join in other kid's play. More likely she'll just be happy watching. So there's 'new' 3-year-old kindergarten for the rest of this year, then back to the 'old' kinder in the new year.

Within the familiar home environment she's only quiet when reading. Talking, shouting and laughing loudly with her sister from around 6:30am until 7pm when the light goes out. Actually both Hannah and Audrey have developed a fondness for reading loudly to their toys. Even reading is no guarantee for peace.

The first few weeks at the 'new' kinder have been a mixed bag. On picking her up I hear how she liked kinder and had fun playing with the other kids. But there have been tears when I try to leave her there. A few less tears though thanks to some bribery. No one ever told me that guilt and bribery would be part of parenting.

And on the other side I've got this wee girl who is busting for her turn at kinder. Or so she says. I suspect it's all about the snack though.

Murray's bed

2009-07-30T19:45:00.003+10:00

Old Sooka was permanently attached to it, pre-dog. Now this sleepy pup can be found here at least once during the day. The homemade bed is a success!

It's essentially a piped cushion cover with a removable pillow inside for ease of washing. It's made from fabric bought at Spotlight that I believe is called sherpa, with a fluffy side and a sueded side. The fluffy top may not last the distance as Murray loves to dig and pull at the bumps with his nippy little teeth.

I fought a major battle with the sewing machine when sewing around the first side. The thread was constantly splitting and breaking. Then I changed the needle. Aaahh. Magic. Lesson learned.

Once again I searched the web for ideas, but ended up just winging it. I did find some nice looking beds (here, here and here), just not what I was after at the time. At one point I saw this one which seems similar, then typically couldn't find it again later on. Maybe I would have had more luck searching for cushion covers, not dog beds.

Oh, and please excuse the lint and pet fur. It's already been in use for several weeks before I thought to get some photos.

Felt roses

2009-07-24T20:11:00.002+10:00

A happy birthday present for my Aunt. Two leaves and two flowers. They have super strong circle magnets on the back. I have a lot of these circle magnets. It was cheaper to buy in bulk. Everyone in my family will be getting magnets as a gift at some point. At least twice. Should I be apologising?

Does anyone know of a good felt flower tutorial? I had trouble finding one so just winged it. What you see is version 2. Version 1 (in all it's beaded stamen glory) now gladly belongs to the kids and is buried in a cluttered junk draw in the big girl's room.

Murray

2009-07-12T21:55:00.003+10:00

There's a new little man in our lives.

It's young Murray. He's a Shetland Sheepdog, around 8-weeks-old.

The cat-cat-dog hierarchy is still being battled out.

And just look at him run! Love that bouncy puppy gallop.

Thank you for letting me sleep all night long little guy. Just crossing my fingers for a quick end to toilet training!

The Farm

2009-06-24T19:13:00.002+10:00

At the smalls request we paid a second visit to Myuna Farm recently. It's a small community farm in south-east Melbourne, surrounded by suburbia.

Below is Audrey's sole reason for wanting to go. She would have remained in the guinea pig and rabbit enclosure forever having a 'piggy cuddle'. Didn't want to hold one of the super soft bunnies, just piggies.

Deer feeding? Yes and yes. Patting the huge buffalo? No and no.

Hannah is always keen to have a (very short) pony ride, and even managed a smile by the end this time! Audrey is not brave enough yet and is happier watching two other ponies having a disagreement nearby.

Evolving

2009-06-23T19:50:00.003+10:00

Three friends, all attempts at perfecting an old design. Each a little different from their predecessor. But not quite right yet. The eldest member of my test panel gets frustrated when Catta (the brown one) won't sit properly. Some fatter bottoms are required.

Dogga was feeling a little bashful. So now he has some knickers. The smallest tells me that knickers are not enough for her modest dog. He wants pants. And a vest and a jumper and a very pretty dress and ......

Goodbye saggy ... hello plump!

2009-06-05T15:41:00.002+10:00

We've been living in the past. Hanging on to our saggy old U-pillows for far too long. Looking longingly at the coverless, plump European pillows waiting patiently across the room. After only a couple weeks of prodding from J, the Euro pillows are coverless no more! Pre-sleep reading has just entered a whole new comfort zone.

The bird silhouettes are from a free stock photo. So much better than the simple 'V' birds I'd originally imagined. Don't look too closely though. After thread disasters, there are around three different shades used for these birdies. The tree is just a simplified sketch of what's on our quilt cover.

My furry helper seems to like them.

And the felt food love continues

2009-05-12T19:47:00.002+10:00

Much to Audrey's dismay, this set was made as a birthday gift for Hannah's kinder friend. Lucky for Audrey I'm loving making felt food and will be making a second set for keeps.

If you're after a sandwich tutorial, I found this one on Snazzle Craft. I didn't end up using the tutorial though, just winged it with my own bread, cheese and ham shapes. The cheese and ham slices are needle felted together, both for speed and to test out my new toy. For the tomato slice I followed the tutorial found on One Inch World. I love how it turned out!

The apple gets the most love though.

I could look at that apple all day. It lived on top of my sewing machine for a few days. When walking past I couldn't help smiling at it and squeezing it. Is that cause for concern?? Audrey loved hugging an armful of 'soft food' too. So much nicer than the plastic play food.

I used a Japanese pattern from the Honda Quilt fair. To make the stem I rolled up a piece of brown felt. On the base of the apple there is a little star shaped piece of brown felt pulled in to make the leftover flowery bits.

Anyway ... I think I'm addicted. This isn't the last you'll see of felt food in this neck of the woods.

P.S. I couldn't resist this blurry photo of the gift giver. Hannah was given the task of decorating a brown lunch bag to pack the lunch into. You can probably tell that she's quite pleased with her writing these days.

Tutorial: felt carrot

2009-05-11T19:00:00.001+10:00

After several many requests from Hannah, I've begun exploring the world of felt food. First attempts were with some much appreciated guidance: a strawberry from here, a doughnut from here. Then I got really adventurous and made up my own carrot pattern! Here's a tutorial for anyone else who has hungry bunnies or kids:

Materials: orange felt, green felt, stuffing, orange thread, green thread

Pattern: carrot pattern PDF

Instructions:

Cut out one of each pattern piece from felt.
Fold carrot piece along fold line and stitch sides together to form a cone. Trim away seam allowance close to stitching at both ends of the seam.
Turn right side out. Stuff firmly.
Using orange thread perform a long running stitch around top of carrot.
With green felt, fold one of the short ends over about 2mm and then keep rolling up felt to form a short carrot stalk. Using green thread stitch free end of green felt strip to the layers of felt underneath. Tie off green thread.
Pull on orange gathering thread to close up top of carrot. Before completely closed, push stalk into the opening until only about 1cm of stalk remains visible. Close up carrot around stalk.
Insert needle through stalk to opposite side. Take needle through a fold of orange felt close to the raw edge. Insert needle back through stalk to opposite side near another raised fold. Continue taking the needle through the stalk and carrot top until all of the folds of orange felt have been sewn to the stalk, and the stalk is secured in place.
Using orange thread, make long decorative stitches around the carrot from top to bottom. Tie off thread. Done!

Please bear in mind that this is the first time I've put together a tutorial. Hopefully it's understandable. I'm happy to answer any questions or hear any constructive criticism you may have. (Oh, and if you notice that a couple of the pics have extra seams please just ignore them. They were from an earlier more complex version.)

Poppy

2009-04-21T13:46:00.002+10:00

Who does that fluffy tail belong to?

Oh! It's Poppy Rabbit! You've finally got a tail and face!! That must feel better. You probably want some clothes now, huh?? Winter is approaching and the nights are getting colder. But it's wonderfully warm in the Autumn sun, plus it's lunch time now. How about a carrot instead?

Mmmmm ... felty carrot. Delicious!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T20:29:00.003+10:00

Happy Easter! I hope the big bunny was kind. He treated our girls to an indoor egg hunt, books and a big wooden farm set perfect for their beloved plastic animals. Very early in the morning our cranky, loudly-meowing old cat was given some instructions from Hannah: "Quiet Sooka! Today is a special day and we don't need you to ruin it!" And, no, I'm happy to say that's not something she's heard from her parents. We learned many occasions ago that a 'special day' brings out the worst in our little darlings. My standards for 'special days' have been chipped away at over the years. I now just hope to get through the day with some shred of sanity and patience remaining.

Just moments before their wrapping, I remembered to photograph some of the Easter pressies I've been working on:

1. Leaping bunny magnet for a magnet-loving niece. I've since seen a tutorial for a similarly shaped felt rabbit here if you feel like making one.

2. Happy and Sad Carrot magnets. A vegan-friendly Easter gift.

3. Half-dozen rainbow-coloured, beanie eggs for my niece. The first two I filled with rice, until 'machine-washable' crossed my mind. I love their versatility! She can empty and fill her carton, or toss them at her parents, or put them all in a pot. And if they're still around in a few years she can practice juggling them!

For the egg shape I used the pattern generously provided by retro mama. To make them fit in the egg carton I reduced the pattern piece by about 1/4 inch around the outside.

Just bunny and me

2009-04-07T19:49:00.003+10:00

Today was an exciting one. It was my first 'work' day! My wonderful mother cared for my girls for most of the day, including one very sick and grizzly Audrey. Meanwhile I ignored the housework (and the toy potato on the floor) and dedicated the time to working on a project for my long neglected shop. There was peace and quiet and it was great.

A bunny prototype is slowing emerging from the pattern pieces, with long dangly limbs and a big round head. Trying out thread jointing. Eyes pinned in place. Faces trouble me, so she'll be expressionless until the end. One fluffy tum added. A fluffy tail to follow. Then she needs some clothes! Warm clothes for the coming winter.

Floury fun ...

2009-04-07T15:30:00.004+10:00

... or how to occupy two small children for an hour:

Take previously mentioned small children outside. Also take a plentiful supply of flour, a large tray (so you can delude yourself into believing the mess will be contained), assorted kitchen tools (two of each if you don't want disagreements) and a variety of small plastic animals.

Pour a heap of flour onto the tray, then add the children.

Take obligatory photos of messy children ....

... and any four-legged friends that were unfortunate enough to join in the fun! (Note floury patch above her right eye - she stubbornly refused to let me get a better photo.)

Makin' patterns

2009-04-01T20:49:00.004+11:00

The mimicry performed by small children always delights me. Actually, take that back. I just remembered two small girls at the dinner table, the smallest copying the biggest as she discovers blowing bubbles in her milk. Not so delightful after all.

I actually found time to craft during daylight over the weekend. Gasp! The project? Pattern making for a long-limbed bunny.

Hannah was making patterns too. Hannah who has recently discovered she can draw more than just dogs. Hannah who "is really good at drawing now", if she does say so herself. Her mum agrees.

Here lie the fruits of my little mimic's labours, complete with instructions on each piece.

A flutter of butterflies

2009-03-05T20:28:00.004+11:00

Aaahhh ... swap number two complete and posted!

Mobile = fiddly + touchy

I finally managed to get everything to hang nicely and not get into a tangled mess. One curious toddler vigorously making some butterflies 'flutter flutter' doesn't help much either. I'm curious too, but more about how long one of these mobiles would take to make without all the experiments in making up individual bits and pieces. This one seemed to take eons, but that might have been just knowing that the postage deadline had passed yet again. Sorry swap partner!!

Penguin and Unfortunate Bunny

2009-02-27T20:45:00.002+11:00

Now that Jennifer has received her package for the swap I can share a pair of softies made a couple weeks ago! The warm looking penguin I made from a Japanese craft book called 'Animal Mascots' (ISBN 9784391624205). It's a milestone for me ... first completed project from a Japanese book! He's little ... maybe around 10cm tall? The scarf was not in the pattern, but he'll need it. It's snowing in his new home. Meanwhile my arms are sticking to the computer desk ...

And for Biscuit (Jennifer's dog) I made an Unfortunate Bunny. I thought I'd take an accidental similarity to Roadkill one step further. Is it a step too far? Does the gentler name help? Hmmm ... some pondering to be done before I try another flat critter.

The Three Bears

2009-02-24T19:45:00.002+11:00

Aren't they a cute trio? These little guys were kindly made for me by Jennifer as part of the Celebrating Handmade toy swap organised by Bird and Little Bird. The 'saddle' on the smallest polar bear was promptly occupied by the second polar bear when my biggest girl caught sight of them.

This was my first ever swap. I've been interested to try one out for a while now, and ended up signing up for two! Next up is the mobile swap hosted by elsie marley. Being that's it's due to be posted in a few days and all I've got to show so far is a few dud butterflies I'd best get moving!

Birds

2009-02-23T19:59:00.004+11:00

This bright little pair of fridge magnets is for sale in the OzBushfireAppeal Etsy shop to help raise funds for those affected by the Victorian bushfires still sweeping through our poor parched state. All goods for sale in the shop have been kindly donated by fellow Etsians and have free international shipping. Best be quick though as the shop will be closed down after 31 March!

Our big kindergarten girl

2009-02-05T14:57:00.003+11:00

From all signs and reports she's loving kinder. Aaahhh ... big sigh of relief there. Today was her first mum-free session and she practically ran most of the way. Unfortunately there were some two-year-old legs setting the pace. No tears were to be had, except from two overtired girls when we returned home. I haven't experienced upsets of this nature in a long time. Such a contrast to the peace and quiet of the one-child household we enjoyed earlier in the day!

And do you think she took one of her practical backpacks? No ... she wanted the pretty and sparkly puppy shoulder bag.

Has it really been 4 years?

2009-02-01T20:57:00.003+11:00

Much excitement was to be had in our household this weekend. A birthday and a party and then it continues tomorrow with our big girl's first day at kindergarten!

Hannah turned 4 yesterday. This was an eagerly anticipated event by the birthday girl. It was all about the presents this year. Nothing specific on her wishlist ... just so long as it was wrapped and waiting on the coffee table. There has been talk of tearing the wrapping paper off of her gifts for weeks. And she followed through, with minimal encouragement needed to unwrap the next gift and the next. I don't think she even noticed that I'd resorted to leftover Christmas gift wrap.

What's Hannah like at four? She's an adorable little person to be around. I feel so very lucky to be the Mum of such a happy, sensitive, good-natured daughter. Sometimes full of chatter and awe about a new discovery from the world that she lives in eg. this week's blackouts. At other times she'll sit peacefully reading her books. She hears and remembers almost everything, even if she doesn't make it known at the time. There's a very vivid imagination in that beautiful head, with many crazy and/or familiar stories acted out by a variety of toy animals. Her relationship with Audrey has blossomed in the past year, growing from a mere tolerance of her presence to enjoyment of her company. Spontaneous hugs and kisses for her little sister are intermingled with the inevitable shouts and screams throughout the day.

Favourite activities? Writing letters and words, especially 'HAnnAH'. Drawing, colouring, painting, cutting and pasting. Walking, dressing, training, selling, and buying dogs of any size. Learning to use the computer. Chasing and being chased by Audrey. Having races up and down the hall. "Say 'ready, set, go' Mum!"
Favourite viewing? Playschool, Huckle, Blue's Clues, Maisy, home movies
Favourite books? Anything with dogs. We can't leave the library without borrowing at least one non-fiction book about dogs. Richard Scarry still rates highly. She's hard to pick specific favourites for as we usually read something only a few times before it's put aside for a different book.
Favourite toys? Anything dog is popular, although other animals occasionally get some play. Schleich dogs, plush dogs, collars, leads, bowls, bones and treats. Also stickers, crayons, pencils, Littlest Pet Shop, Sylvanian Families, Lego, puzzles, play food and kitchen.

No matter how many times we told her she was three, her answer to "How old are you?" was surprisingly different every time. Hopefully four is a more memorable age than three was.

Happy birthday beautiful girl!

Sssshhh ... it's a secret

2009-01-27T15:47:00.002+11:00

I'm child-free for the afternoon. Yay!! Before I make dinner I wanted to share a surprise gift I've made for a special girl who's turning 4 soon. Only 4 more sleeps! Her excitement for the big day is infectious.

Her beloved Big Boy needs something to wear. He lives up to his name and won't fit in all the old doll clothes the other poor puppies get squeezed into.

His new coat is reversible, with blue rain jacket on one side and warm wool on the reverse.

There's even a pocket big enough to hold a treat or two or three.

Little miss three is almost four

2009-01-22T13:19:00.002+11:00

... so it's time for some party preparations.

First up ... invitations:

Another collaged card, featuring pieces of an Aldi catalogue, Home Beautiful magazine, poster from maternal child health and a page from a damaged copy of 'The Grapes of Wrath'. The question is so that Hannah can write her name inside each card. This is a fairly recent skill that she is understandably proud of. I was so glad they were finished that I'd sealed them up in their envelopes before thinking I might like to take a picture. Fortunately I'd saved one to hand deliver.

Next ... party hats:

The doggy friends that plague our house wanted party hats too. Take one cereal box and trace a circle onto it, eg. from a plate. Cut out the circle then cut it into two halves. Decorate as you please then curve around to form a hat shape. Staple the overlapping sides, then attach some elastic. So easy to make!

This feels like the first birthday where she has been genuinely excited about it. 'Is it my birthday yet?' is a question I have answered many times in the last week. Maybe it's just about presents, but I like to imagine that it's also about being that little bit older. Four sounds much older than three.

The last photo is one of those pics where my baby (in her shop bought hat) suddenly looks older. Is that what anticipating your birthday does? I'll be sure to let mine slide by quietly then ...

The fate of beloved friends

2009-01-19T13:02:00.006+11:00

These poor pooches got a much needed trip in the washing machine today. At about 35C it's a perfect day for laundering constant companions. You'll be dry in no time Coco and Chester.

Roadkill, Sackboy and a pair of bags

2009-01-11T14:10:00.003+11:00

I've made a start to crafting for the new year. There were still a couple of belated Christmas gifts hanging over my head, plus a birthday gift for today. Without the pressure of getting gifts ready for Christmas I kind of feel at a loose end. On the other hand I'm really excited about being able to make something for our little family again, once these obligatory projects are finished.

First up is a belated Christmas present for my parents' new furry children. One of their favourite toys is the head of an elephant toy with the stuffing removed. So here's my first attempt at making something similar. It was fast. Designed and sewn in one evening. The limbs and tail and ears were sewn on a couple times to delay their removal. It will ultimately be destroyed, but hopefully later rather than sooner. The similarity to roadkill was unintentional!

Sackboy was humming along, but I've run out of yarn! Grrrr. Here's a progress shot. I'll be tracking down a new ball of yarn no matter what it takes. He's been a fiddly pain in the rear. I'm actually liking him more with the recent addition of eyes.

For today's birthday I've made a shopping bag from the purl bee tutorial for an apple picking tote. It made up really nicely, with easy to follow instructions. The fabric is a reversible light denim so it's nice and strong. The straps are made with the reverse side of the fabric. I added 3 inches on the width to accomodate more groceries or what-not. No handsewing is always a bonus too. There's also the most delicious chocolaty, biscuity smell in our house after some birthday-gift baking.

Finally, after some tears about a torn tiny paper bag, Barbie got a new bag too.

Hello 2009!

2009-01-06T20:11:00.003+11:00

Sorry I've taken a while to welcome you. I've been taking it easy, enjoying J's two weeks of leave. It's been so nice to have him around for more than three hours a day!

I DO have some plans for you:

1. De-clutter, starting with those towers of unwanted books threatening to squish a small child.
2. Make more clothes. Lots more.
3. Spend more time on making goodies for my shop.
4. Play more with my too-quickly growing girls.
5. Ride our bike more often and further.

Handmade christmas #5

2008-12-24T13:44:00.003+11:00

Aaahh ... so close to the end. This is the second last Christmas gift for this year. Just poor old Sackboy left. Then there are some extra post-Christmas gifts which I didn't have time for ...

The barn is my favourite gift made this year. And the one I've had the most trouble keeping the girls away from! If I had time I would have made up a couple little accessories to go with it (eg. feed trough, hay bale). Alas it's Christmas tomorrow, and it'll be well loved regardless.

I lazily followed the tutorial from UK lass in US. Mine is a couple inches bigger than the tutorial measurements. I also didn't have any of the plastic she used, and am doing my best to avoid the shops at this time of year. All the wrapping and binding with tape and such seemed like more time and effort than I wanted to expend. Unfortunately thick interfacing didn't work so well. In the end I had to shove pieces of cardboard through an unintentionally enlarged turning hole. All's well that ends well though.

No barn is complete without the obligatory dogs in our household. Lucky I enjoyed making it as I foresee more of these in the future.

Finally I hope you and your families have a happy Christmas!

Handmade Christmas #3 and 4

2008-12-20T19:19:00.003+11:00

I've procrastinated on Sackboy. He currently has two arms with posable fingers and only part of his head, the poor fellow. I'm just not enjoying making him due to (a) having a time limit and (b) the lack of creative flexibility. It's just not my usual it-doesn't-look-like-my-sketch-but-still-looks-cute way. So he's been abandoned temporarily for more enjoyable Christmas gift projects.

First up .... some bird and cloud fridge magnets for someone newly out of home. After around a decade in my own home I still use far more junky free advertising magnets than I should. Thought I'd give her a headstart.

And for a friend's daughter who is starting kindergarten next year I made a backpack. She's far more girly than my two little ones. So out came the pink floral that's been gathering dust. Her mum thought she'd like her name on the bag too.

I used this pattern from the Husqvarna website. The large gaudy flowers were discarded and I cut the main bag piece a couple of inches smaller. Not sure whether or not I will use the pattern again. Moderations are required if I do. Does anyone know of a good kids backpack pattern?

Cat amongst the fairies

2008-12-12T13:01:00.002+11:00

A fancy dress partying we go ...

The littlest fairy's outfit, made from Wee Wonderfuls' free fairy dress-up instructions.

The bigger fairy's outfit, made hastily from a circle of tulle plus some scraps of curtain fabric and ribbon. She was originally going to be wearing a frou frou tutu, but our tulle is all of the scratchy, stiff type. Many complaints ensued.

She much preferred her Mum's cat ears and tail anyway. From a vintage McCall's pattern (9233).

And the winner is ...

2008-12-05T22:42:00.002+11:00

# 116 - Nonlinear Girl

I'll contact you tomorrow to find out where to post my good friend Bunki.

Thank you to everyone who commented. I've found many interesting new blogs to take a peek at. Not that I needed more reasons to waste time on the computer ...

Our easy candle Christmas cards

2008-12-04T19:25:00.004+11:00

We love Kids Craft Weekly. And since the little people of the house love, love, love getting mail, how could we not join in to the card swap?

After a couple of false starts involving cotton wool and marbles, we decided on a very easy candle card.

First of all we cut up a pile of coloured strips from catalogues to use as the candles.

We then made up some coloured glitter glue using glue, red and yellow food colouring and glitter.

Constructing the cards was easy:

Step 1 ... glue on the candles.

Step 2 ... draw the wicks.

Step 3 ... paint the flame.

Step 4 ... leave to dry.

The only problem we had was the volume of cards required. 11 cards is a lot for my girl who is used to doing one-of-a-kind artworks. She got bored after the first half. The latter half have ended up with very large flames, and long or bent wicks. All done now though, and only a couple days late.

Handmade Christmas #2

2008-12-02T21:28:00.003+11:00

Disclaimer: I take rotten photos of bags.

Made from the free Margaret Sling Bag pattern by oh, fransson!. Great pattern. Simple, clear and well photographed instructions. My only problem was that for some reason page 2 of the pattern kept coming up blank, even after some very kindly help from Elizabeth.

It's larger than I expected, but I'm happy with how my first lined bag has turned out. And it was made for my good and busy friend who has three kids under four-years-old. So perfect for toting around all the paraphernalia that goes hand-in-hand with small children.

Next on the list ... a crocheted Sackboy.

Give-away Day!

2008-12-02T20:00:00.004+11:00

Hello to any visitors from Sew, Mama, Sew! (and anyone else stopping by of course!). I've decided to let Bunki go to a new home as part of Give-away Day. It's the least I can do to give back to the crafting community for all the great free tutorials and patterns I've used or saved for another day.

So here he is. He's a cuddly, big-eared cat. I think he'd rather be a bunny with his big, tall ears. There's a natty orange scarf to keep his neck warm on cool days.

If you would like to give him a home, then just leave a comment below. I'm not fussy about what. If you're feeling generous I'd love some new-to-me links ... something fun for small kids? your favourite pattern or tutorial? a delectable morsel? Even just a 'hello' will do if you're time poor.

I'll randomly pick a winner on Thursday evening (4th December). Good luck!

Edit: Thanks for all your kind comments! I'll leave the give-away open for one more day. Tomorrow night (Friday 5th) I'll select a random winner to give visitors from far-away a chance to enter.

I should be tackling my lengthening to-do list ...

2008-11-25T14:13:00.004+11:00

A treasure from yesterday's visit to my favourite op shop. I couldn't resist the urge to see if all the pieces are there. Can you spot a blurry Wally (or Waldo)?

Handmade Christmas #1

2008-11-23T10:12:00.003+11:00

I have a scary list in my head. I'm scared to sit down and put it onto paper. The days and time left until christmas and the number of gifts left to sew just won't add up I expect.

Here's gift 1, just waiting for a trip to Spotlight for some dark velcro. This one is for my mother-in-law who has recently converted her daughter's bedroom into a sewing room. I love how it's turned out. I'm already thinking past christmas when I will make one for myself. Then Ollie-Mr-Fluffykins won't be able to eat my pins!

I used the tutorial from Keyka Lou. I suggest reading all the instructions (not like myself). Particularly the helpful hint on hand sewing closed the opening which would have made life a bit simpler.

Balance

2008-11-19T14:51:00.003+11:00

Parenting is a strange thing. They talk about how kids love routine, but I love it too. Like knowing that Audrey will have a nap after lunch every day, unless she's had a car kip. But Hannah has reached an age where she has outgrown naps. First it went to every second day. More recently it's been twice a week. But for just over a week there's been no nap for our biggest little miss. And she's coped really well with the change. It's just me ...

I look forward to the quiet times of the day. Nap time, bed time, and the odd occasion where I find two girls looking at books simultaneously. I'm a quiet person by nature, and so is J. The noise of two children (or even one) has been one of the toughest adjustments to parenthood for us I think. But there's also comfort in the constant noise. Whenever the house falls unexpectedly silent, it's usually a cause for concern.

I'm finding I have less time with Hannah awake all day. Balancing all I need and want to get done in the day has become just that much harder. Everyone is still well fed and dressed in clean clothes, but I'm finding less time to gather my thoughts into some sort of order. Don't even mention writing them down. So I have a couple of little fairy costumes and an almost complete christmas gift to talk about, but they'll have to wait until another day.

Adventures in crochet

2008-11-10T16:03:00.003+11:00

I thought this might be fridge-magnet-sized. A slight underestimation. What to do with a palm-sized rose?

The pattern came from here, using 8-ply cotton and 3.50 hook. If you enjoy crocheting (or want to learn?) the My picot site is definitely worth a visit. Many beautiful (and free!) patterns for stitch designs and motifs. Plus well photographed instructions for basic stitches and UK-US conversions. There's knitting too, but I haven't explored that part yet.

This little fellow was supposed to be photographed in pieces for the Sourpuss pattern. I ran out of yarn before his legs were finished. Then after a failed two-legged-sitting-cat attempt I realised I had more of that yarn in the basket. Sigh. It was one of those weeks. But I do really like his embroidered tummy. So maybe it was a fortunate ditsy moment.

This is ... a favourite recipe I would like to share

2008-11-04T19:27:00.004+11:00

Tonight's dinner: Country Beef with Herb Scones

Although mine may not look so photogenic (this particular photo being from the linked-to website). I found this in an issue of Australian Table magazine. It reminded me of a dinner we used to have as kids.

I love it and J likes it. The girls ... well Hannah doesn't like "bowl dinners" ie. where everything is mixed in together. Audrey who I thought would like it for it's bread content isn't a fan either. But then if I cooked dinners the girls enjoy every night my repertoire would be slim indeed.

This has been a better-late-than-never entry for 'This is' run by three buttons who also chose the topic for the week.

Hat v. 2.2

2008-10-30T15:32:00.005+11:00

My model is napping today. I tried for a self-portrait. I really, truly did! My lavender bush did a better job of hat-wearing.

This hat is much more to my liking. Perhaps a little safari-ish, but I don't mind. My first millinery attempt seems a bit too festive in comparison.

There is no longer much resemblance to the original pattern I used. The brim shape is largely the same, but that's about it. My first couple attempts at a rounded crown were a bit pointy in differing places. Third time around was a charm. Next on the list is a smaller version which will hopefully fit one of the wee girls. I might even have a go at making a tutorial and printable pattern.

And here are the insides for those that like that sort of thing:

Too big and too small

2008-10-21T16:32:00.003+11:00

The females of our house need new hats. My little chickens' heads have grown since last summer, and I just want a change from my old lightweight camping hat.

This cat-furred hat is made from the free pattern provided by the Honda Quilt Fair, found thanks to mejika who made their lovely apple.

It's in Japanese so I had to make some guesses. I added a seam allowance when cutting out the pattern pieces as it looked small. This one is still a snug fit on my head, but unfortunately too big for Miss Hannah. I used interfacing throughout, but it probably only needed it for the brim. The other change I would make would be to the shape of the top of the hat. It's a little too tall and straight for my liking.

There's a version 2 on my to-do list, which I will aim at fitting one of the girls. But it will have to wait a little as I'm trying to set up shop!

Picture book favourites: Jan Ormerod

2008-10-16T14:48:00.004+11:00

Jan Ormerod is one of Audrey's favourite authors. She wrote a series of books based on the relationship between a Dad, his baby and a black and white cat in the '80s. Following on from this she wrote a second series about the same baby and cat, but this time with the very pregnant Mum. They are lovely simple stories, the shortest is told in around 10 words.

I bought these three books off eBay this week. We already have "Sleeping" and "Mum's Home", found within an ailing ex-library story treasury. To my delight the third book is now my favourite in the series: "Making Friends". The Mum is sewing a soft doll for the baby, while baby and cat play alongside her. Just perfect for our household!

A girl and her dog

2008-10-11T21:27:00.003+11:00

It was a pleasantly warm day in Melbourne today. Perfect weather for Audrey to wear her new-old dog t-shirt for the first time!

After rummaging through her summer clothes we discovered there were no dogs or bunnies or cats or any other fluffy critters to be found in the pile of shirts. How could that be? And so began my second attempt at applique.

This dog was inspired by the sausage dog t-shirt found here. I'm surprised how well it turned out. I was expecting trouble sewing onto knit fabric, but no dramas at all. This time I went for speed and zigzagged around the outline. No problems there either. Hurray!

Below is the wiggly model. I love that my wee girls enjoy wearing clothes that I've made (or embellished) for them. Yes, I know it won't last forever. Hopefully for at least a few more years though.

Kittle

2008-09-30T14:19:00.002+10:00

Who's that tired critter? It's Kittle! He's only little, made with small, chubby hands in mind. Some ribbon limbs for the tag obsessed. An embroidered face so there are no small parts. He was very quick and fun to make. Much more enjoyable than making the ribbon blanket.

Due to an oversight, this one is a manx. He's gone to a good home with my niece.

Distraction #2

2008-09-29T13:43:00.002+10:00

Hannah was stillish for a few minutes so here's the second, smaller tomato top mentioned previously:

Made using Butterick B4118. This top seemed really short so I added an extra 10cm strip of fabric along the bottom. Not obvious at all.

Back view:

And if you look closely at her forearm in the first picture you may notice one of the mosquito bites that has caused an allergic reaction. The other one is on her eye which is well puffed up, poor girl.

Second haircut

2008-09-25T14:41:00.002+10:00

Before:

After:

Her curls disappeared when I cut off all that hair. I hope they come back.

This is ... what I want to be when I grow up

2008-09-21T23:17:00.003+10:00

What a coincidental 'this is' topic. As I mentioned in my last post, my dream job will be making a living from a crafting life. I'd love to make and sell both patterns and handmade goods in a variety of mediums. My first trial amigurumi pattern is currently in the works. With luck and determination it should be the first of many.

I don't think I had a dream job as a child.

Through high school I did the subjects I did well at, which happened to be science and maths. I kept that up through a couple of goes at university, but could never see myself spending all day in a laboratory.

I've mainly worked in a variety of customer service roles over the last ten years, most recently in a bookshop. That's pretty nice work, although a little dirtier than most would imagine. And not just browsing through books all day either. Still, it was easy, relatively pleasant work. Emphasis on was.

My 'job' now is much better. Mum. Just Mum. Hurray for no more weekends away from my family!

Thanks to three buttons for hosting 'this is', and to bugandpop for choosing this weeks topic.

Distraction

2008-09-21T21:32:00.004+10:00

I don't know how to make patterns. I've typed up the instructions for Sourpuss. That was the easy part. Now it's time to make it look pretty, which I'm sure I will get frustrated with.

So naturally I got distracted on my way to the computer.

I'm very excited about this top (affectionately called the tomato top). It's the first clothing I've made for myself in a very long time, and it actually fits! I used Simplicity 4589, just adding about 6cm to the length. It's probably a size or two larger than I need, but I still love it. The pattern was fairly straight-forward, and their narrow hems worked surprisingly well. I'll definitely use both the pattern and the hemming method again.

I don't know much about the plethora of different fabrics available, other than the some of the more obvious ones such as corduroy and tulle. This tomato fabric is voile and after using it for the first time I'm now a fan. The weave has just enough looseness to fold nicely on the curves, and didn't fray too much.

There is also a top for Hannah cut out from the same fabric, unfortunately. While watching me cut out my top she commented that she would also like a tomato top. Silly me didn't think fast enough about the cringe-worthy mother-daughter-outfit aspect. Oh well ... a lesson learned.

Sourpuss and friend

2008-09-12T21:20:00.004+10:00

This is our newest crocheted friend ... Sourpuss.

I made him as a final test run for a pattern that I'll be making into a free PDF next week.

One of my dreams is to make enough money from crafting so that once both girls are at school I can a) work from home and b) do something I love for a living. Who knows if this is possible? I figure there's no harm in trying, especially since I'm finishing up my bookstore work in a few days. So this will be step 1 ... publish a free pattern to hopefully find some fellow crocheters willing to test out my pattern writing skills. Off now to familiarise myself with PDF making ....

A second second birthday

2008-09-05T05:58:00.006+10:00

Little miss Audrey turned two yesterday. Many years ago, when J and I were struggling through the first stressful weeks with our first newborn baby, some wise friends told us how quickly our baby would grow up. We didn't believe them at the time, and the first 12 weeks seemed to take an eternity. Now we've survived our second newborn, and both girls are no longer babies. We do believe them now.

What's Audrey like at 2? She can be an absolute delight with big smiles and laughs and songs, but the 'terrible twos' have also made an appearance. She knows exactly how she wants things to be and is not afraid to voice her opinion. Loves to chat, usually saying a single word at a time until her point is made.

There are new words and phrases being discovered everyday. Yesterday's phrase? "Yes I do". Yesterday's word? "Llama" during a visit to a local farm. Much of each day is spent following her big sister, even going as far as 'playing' with Hannah's imaginary pet dog Tessie.

Favourite activities are playing with the omnipresent small plastic dogs, reading, building with lego, having Mum play vet to her plush dogs, "chasing" with Ollie, drawing, and playing with houses (both doll-sized and cubby-sized). She's inherited her Dad's fondness for baked goods. And last but not least there's "gangky". Once a beautiful knitted blanket from Nanna M, now looking a bit worse for wear but still an adored comfort, especially when tired or upset.

Happy birthday to a "zery, zery" special girl!

eeuughh and aaahhh

2008-09-01T15:07:00.003+10:00

Eeuughh because I'm full of flu plus a bonus bout of mild conjunctivitis, hopefully excusing the lack of action around here lately.
Aaaahhh because it's the first day of Spring and there was some glorious sunshine earlier today and warmer weather is just around the corner!

Projects this past week or so have been mainly small and uncomplicated. Sewing on buttons, reattaching ribbons to doll hats, hemming curtains, a tiny doona ...

One thing that I managed to finish last week was a circular sack to house our Fabuland. Does anyone remember Fabuland? Born in the late 70's, I grew up in the 80's and spent many hours playing with these animal-headed lego critters. Now it's my girls' turn (thanks Ma), and I get to relive my childhood all over again.

Above is the opened sack, complete with Fabuland and a pair of busy builders. The sack is made from a large circle cut from a thrifted Ikea sheet, four narrow curved strips sewn on as casings and a single drawstring. It was quite simple to make, but took me longer than expected due to some design revisions. Initially I had envisioned two strings pulled from opposite sides, but then realised that said strings would be extremely long. Certainly longer than the little arms that will be using it. What I ended up with is a single cord and four openings in the casing for pulling up the drawstring which seems to work well.

And the girls can open the sack quite easily. So long as I don't tie knots in the cords and then pick up the sack by the cords thus tightening the knots then go to work and leave it for their Dad to open. According to Hannah, 'Dad forgot you just pull the string'.

This is ... my favourite children's book

2008-08-24T22:37:00.003+10:00

I love children's books and could go on and on all day about my favourites. But since it's late and I'm tired and ill how about just a couple?

One of our recent library discoveries that I love and had to buy for keeps is 'Fabian Escapes' by Peter McCarty. It's a simple, well-written story about a dog and cat's parallel adventures. Story aside, I did indeed judge a book by it's cover and was captivated by the beautiful illustrations. With two young girls we can't just buy one book (except when we feel like living dangerously). So we also have and love 'Hondo and Fabian' which is pictured below. It's an earlier book about the same characters and with a similar plot style. You can view more pictures from 'Hondo and Fabian' here.

I enjoy all things Richard Scarry, but to pick a favourite it would be 'What Do People Do All Day'. You can probably guess from the title, but it's about different occupations and workplaces. Story topics include timber production, road building and water. Perfect for the three-year-old with three hundred questions.

Thank you to three buttons for hosting 'This is', and to potty mouth mama for this week's topic.

A little birdie told me

2008-08-20T22:07:00.003+10:00

My baby turns two in a few weeks, so there is a pre-birthday to-do list that I'm working on. First on the list was some invitations to her party.

Out of all the invites I've made for the girl's birthdays these are my favourite. They were fun and easy to make, and the postage stamp cost more than the finished card. It probably helps that no computer was involved, unlike past efforts. When it comes to photoshop et al my visions far outstrip what few skills I possess, and many terse words are said.

Most of the paper used in the collage was from an old magazine. I'm going to make more of these for some thank you cards, but using some pieces of sheet music instead of 'tweet tweet'. I definitely see more magazine-paper collage happening here in the future!

Clowder of cats

2008-08-14T21:31:00.004+10:00

On the left is Bunki, recognisable as a cat by my littlest critics but (unintentionally) only small steps away from being a bunny. He's very excited about having a friend. It's mighty cold in Melbourne lately so she's nice to snuggle with. She also defends him from fluffy marauders. They've heard the rumor of Charlie's fate and don't want to be next ...

I've been tweaking and experimenting with Charlie's pattern and am not sure which of these I prefer. Any unbiased opinions or suggestions would be appreciated! I think I'm leaning towards the stripes, but with longer legs.

Audrey decided to help today:

"Dancing. Dance, dance."

The aftermath.

This is ... a work in progress

2008-08-11T14:07:00.003+10:00

This poor kitty has been hanging upside down (and earless I might add) for a couple days now. Sewing one minute ... tending to a should-be-sleeping child the next. The next night she was abandoned for the final episodes of Avatar. My aim is to relieve her from her awkward position tonight.

Thanks to three buttons for hosting 'this is', and to Debbie for nominating this weeks theme.

Bird pudding

2008-08-05T13:52:00.003+10:00

Last week we visited a bargain book sale run by our local library. Among many good picture books, we also picked up the Usborne Book of the Seasons (which is a slightly different version of this one). It's a wonderful book with many fun projects for children (Hannah has suggested we make snowglobes next).

One of the winter activities is 'Bird pudding' for our cold, hungry neighborhood birds. First we glued fabric onto 6 empty yoghurt containers for aesthetic reasons. Then I threaded a piece of yarn through the base of each one. We mixed about 1 cup each of breadcrumbs and oats with 2 cooked and mashed potatoes, then added about 250g melted cooking fat. This was divided between the yoghurt containers then left to set. The final step is to hang them upside down, and wait for the birdies to come flocking in.

This activity is probably better for older children but Hannah (3.5) was able to help with pasting, stirring the pudding and spooning it into the containers. I'm having some doubts about whether our southern hemisphere birds are hungry enough. This may be more suitable for bird-lovers in colder, snowier climes where food is more scarce. I thought it was worth a try though.

Our puddings have been hanging for a few hours now .... no signs of hungry birds yet. I'll let you know if we succeed in tempting some avian locals.

This is ... my trade secret

2008-08-03T21:45:00.002+10:00

Image (Living Room) originally uploaded by gchau

Don't turn on the television.

TV + couch + afghan + pillow + hot tea = zzzzzzzzzzz = no sewing

If the tv stays switched off then I manage to get some sewing done. Not every night .... I'm looking at you 'puter, aka time-vacuum ... but I'm getting there.

Thanks to three buttons for hosting 'this is', and to Amelia for this week's topic. I'm keen to see what tips others have to share!

Meet Charlie

2008-07-31T13:35:00.003+10:00

I made a softie pattern and it worked!! His name is Charlie, named after baby Charlotte who owns his older and slightly different brother. He's made from soft polar fleece, with an embroidered face and a crocheted scarf to keep him warm

Many unhappy words are said while sewing faces. I find them hard to do well. After a couple of goes (bye bye beady french-knot-eyes and simple three-stitch-nose) I'm happy with how Charlie's face turned out. Thanks to J for suggesting some curvy happy eyes to balance out the downturned mouth.

Next project will be another slightly altered Charlie. Hopefully one better inclined to sit, as this Charlie's legs just want to spring back to straight. They do say third time's a charm ...