Winter wonderland skirt - in spring.

The self indulgent sewing continues...

This is my favourite skirt pattern - so easy!  And fits great.  I love the wide waistband and back pleat... looks good for easy office wear.  And the best part?  No zip!!  Obviously you need to use fabrics with a bit of stretch, but these days fabrics with a stretch are easy to find.  So the skirt just pulls on and is so comfy.

What do you think of the fabric?  I picked it up at a closing down sale in a local fabric store (Carmel's fabrics) for about $4 a metre.  Kind of a weird winter theme.  I liked the colours and the pattern definitely makes for a unique skirt.  Although it is quite distinct, I don't want to wear it too often with the risk of people saying "she's in THAT skirt again"!!  Ha Ha.  So I had better keep making some more clothes ;)

It's Melbourne Cup day here today which means a public holiday.  We are just relaxing around the house until soon I will be taking the girls to Southland to get their hair cut!  Saskia has decided she wants to cut off her long hair... we will see how we go, she may change her mind ;)

The sewing continues

Here we have the next top all made up!  The black and white jersey which has a lovely feel and was really easy to sew.  It's very stretchy so I stitched in some stay tape around the back neckline and shoulder seams to help it keep it's shape better.  Have you ever used stay tape before?  Here's a good summary of the hows and whys etc Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing.

I like it!  It's very comfortable.  Perhaps a tad on the large side, so to make it a more practical I would wear a black camisole/singlet underneath.  I downloaded this pattern from Burdastyle.com.  This is the first time I have downloaded a pattern from here and it all went very smoothly - highly recommended.  I will be downloading more patterns from here in the future.  This is the pattern pic from the site for the "Summer top".  I don't think I will be making up the dress but I might make this style top again.

We have a very busy weekend ahead... moving 2 square metres of mulch into the garden, cleaning up ready for a family party tonight with overseas guests and Joe is picking up his new kayak which will most definitely mean a trip to the beach tomorrow to try it out!  I hope the sun comes out for us!

Have a great weekend everyone... x.

Tie-dye tunic dress

First top made up!  This is the light weight knit I blogged about here.  When I started sewing I realised it was a bit more light weight than I thought!  Still, I think it looks nice as a kind of tunic dress.  And being so light is probably a good thing coming into summer.

This is the pattern I used - picked it up at an op-shop somewhere along my travels thinking it was a nice basic shape.  Obviously I omitted the sleeves, cowl neck collar and side button details.  I didn't need to alter the actual shape of the bodice too much.  Just shorten and add a band.

Can't you just tell I LOVE posing for the camera... NOT!  That's the problem of making clothes for yourself and you have a sewing blog.  I kind of need to post pics of the clothes being worn on the person they are made for.  I am thinking this summer I am going to be making a lot of clothes for myself.  I enjoy making clothes for the girls, but they have soooo much already.  It's time to stock up my wardrobe!  Especially with clothes I can wear to work.  This of course means I will need to practice some better modelling moves - blue steel anyone?

Saskia took some of these pics and she did alright!  She loved telling me how to pose until she had had enough and said "I want to take some more pictures... but not of you".  Oh ok!

I have already started on my next project... looking forward to showing it to you as soon as I finish it!

Bye for now, xo

Fabric hunting in Brunswick

I have wanted to take a fabric trip to Melbourne's Brunswick area for ages.  Brunswick has many great fabric shops and as part of my "reinvigoration" I needed more fabric!  Specifically fabric to make clothes for myself.  I still have a heap of cutesy cottons etc to use for little crafty projects and kids stuff, but nothing really to make into clothes for myself.  I ended up buying fabric from two shops:  GJ's Fabrics and Rathdowne Fabrics - there was soooo much to choose from!  Some really nice winter knits and great quality stretch jersey, but I really wanted summer weight stuff so I could make clothes for this coming summer.  I told myself I had to come back before winter next year and stock up for winter sewing!  It was well worth the 2 hour return journey...

This is a lovely cotton sateen from Rathdowne.

A stretch cotton mix which is a great weight for a skirt.  From GJ's.

Polyester/rayon/spandex knit, which drapes lovely.  Also from GJ's.

A lightweight cotton - not quite a voile, but close - GJ's.

Really cool stretchy knit - photo doesn't do it justice.  From Rathdowne.

So there you have it!  No excuses about not having anything to sew up.  I just need to decide what I am going to sew first!

I am back! Invigorated!

So here I am.  Back again.  Feels good, I must say!  Nice to know study is over until March next year and I can concentrate on getting back into some fun stuff.  Starting with a bag for Lucia.

She has been asking for her own library bag for AGES.  And I finally finished this for her.  It's ok.  Not my favourite.  But considering it has been a while and I am a bit rusty, well... its ok.

What I really missed was having an excuse to take HEAPS of photos of the girls.  It really is amazing  how many photos of the girls I take while I blog compared with no-blogging!  This summer I am looking forward to adding to the catalogue of blogged photos :)

It will also be nice to have some more shots of Lucia.  Now that Saskia is at school I get the feeling that my day at home on Fridays will be my making days with Lucia as my little off sider.  Consequently she will be around to do some serious modelling for me!  Although looking back on some older posts, methinks Saskia got her fair share of modelling in!

I also haven't bought any new fabric for so long... Lucia chose Aneela Hooey's Little Apples range for the appliqués - not even sure you can still get this, but really lovely... Lucia has good taste.

And I stitched down some ribbon bought from Ribbons Galore for the "L" to sit on.  I am not rapt with the end result - a bit too much - looks like someone hasn't crafted for a long time and tried to throw everything at it!  No restraint Lexie.

Anyways, there you go.  New post almost done and dusted.  How easy it is to settle back into the blog typing mode.  You would think I have lots to share following my blogging hiatus, and yes I probably do.  But for now, I am still a working mum and my bed is calling... I am hoping to begin sharing what I am up to, what I am making and what we are doing regularly again.

So feel free to stop by and check in every once and a while... x

Saskia is not the only one going to school!

Today I received an offer to study from Charles Sturt University - and I accepted!!!

I have spent the evening enrolling in my new course:  Master of Health Services Management

How exciting is this?!  I have been thinking about this course for a long time and finally I feel like I am in a good place personally and professionally to be able to commit to some serious study.  The course is offered part-time by distance education and will take 3 years to complete.

I am concerned that I will have to sacrifice some sewing time for study time!  But that's ok.  I am ready to deal with that.  However, I am thinking that blog posts may become few and far between.  I don't expect that updates on my studies will be riveting blog reading so I will spare you that trauma.  I may post the odd interesting thing but I can't promise anything, we'll just see how we go over the first semester.  Ok?

So, back to my course...  my first subjects are Perspectives on Health Care Systems and Management of Health and Aged Care Services.  This is exciting to me and I can't wait to get my text books - I just hope my enthusiasm continues for the next 3 years!

What am I hoping this course will do for my career?  Well, I hope it will give me the necessary piece of paper to apply for some senior management positions within aged care organisations.  It seems you can get to a certain level (Director of Nursing, Residential Manager etc) but without some kind of Master's degree this is where you stop on the management ladder.  I like the idea of having my options open looking ahead 5-10 years and I think this course will do that - as well as being interesting and relevant to my current job.

So there you go!  Another exciting chapter about to begin in my life.  Wish me luck!

xo

More school stuff sewing

You would think that sewing a drawstring bag to hold Saskia's Tupperware lunch boxes all together would be simple right?  Can you believe this little bag took 3 attempts to get right!

I love the Tupperware lunch boxes, but the long one is so long that it doesn't fit many standard lunch bags.  I like the idea of a lightweight fabric bag to keep all her food together for the day.  It makes it easy for me to pack the bag and then it is just one bag that needs to go into the school bag.

At Saskia's school ALL food needs to be rubbish/packaging free - this means no clingwrap, no muesli bar wrappers etc.  So hence the Tupperware.  And she has 3 separate food breaks in the day!  She has fruit snack at 10am (fruit only) then play lunch and then proper lunch!  So the lunch bag keeps everything together nicely.

The first bag I made was too big, the next too small and finally I was fed up with not getting it right so the third one I decided to cut into the "good" fabric and whatever size it turned out was going to be it.  Luckily the third one fitted perfectly :)

Fabric is Aneela Hoey's Little Apples.

A German Cute N' Comfy dress!

Isn't this cool?  I lovely lady over in Germany has made a Cute n' Comfy dress!  It gives me such a thrill when I hear of people using my patterns.  I would love to know what she says about my pattern!
Read (if you know German) or look at her Cute n' Comfy post here:
Mizoal Blog

Saskia'a first day of school!

Well... Our big girl is off to school!  It feels like we have all been counting down the days recently as we have ALL been so excited for her.

Joe took the morning off work and we all walked to school.   Saskia's school is St Louis de Montfort and is only 1 km away and is a lovely short walk.  Sas didn't show any sign of anxiety or trepidation - just a HUGE smile that didn't move all day.   Mum and Dad were pretty good too - I almost shed a tear when I read the lovely letter we were given from Miss Townsend (Sassy's teacher).  The letter was gorgeous and read as follows:

"Dear Parents, 
Here is a little gift for you (tea-bag) as you leave your precious one with me on the first day of school.  After you've gone home make yourself a hot cup of tea.  Remember that together we will endeavour to make this a very special first year of school for your child.  
Thank you for entrusting your child to me for the coming school year.  I will do my very best to be your child's guide in learning and exploring this bright, new world.  
Sincerely, 
Emma Townsend."

A simple message, but the timing was perfect and just added to the confidence I have in the school.

She has a lot of friends already - there are about 6 kids from her day care centre, 2 from our Mum's group and 1 other family friend that we know, and they are all in her class!  So when we all got to school it was more like a nice reunion as she hadn't seen all her friends for so many weeks!  Lot's of laughter, hugs and excited giggles.

Of course Lucia was interested in all the excitement too!  She needs NO encouragement to pose for photos!

After we left Saskia at school, Lucia and I went to Southland Shopping Centre for a bit of a wander around.  It was such a novelty to hang out with just Lucia.  I am really looking forward to spending some nice quality time with Lucia on our Fridays.  My only concern is that Lucia wont start school for another 3 years!  That seems so far away!

And the other nice thing about St Louis' is that it is Joe's old primary school!  Yes, he went to St Louis  too.  It is lovely to have these links with the school and Saskia is so proud that she is going to "Dad's school".

 So, the first day of school is over.  The countdown begins now until Monday for the second day of school!!  It can't come soon enough for Saskia!

Have you ever made a circle skirt?

They are SOOOO much fun!  

Twirl, twirl, dance, twirl, pose for mum's camera, then twirl and dance some more.

They are pretty easy to make, but the maths can be a bit painful if you are not so familiar with pi.

This is a rough guide of how to make it:

1. First, take some measurements of the person you are making the skirt for.  You need a finished length and a hip measurement.  (64cm finished length for Saskia, a tall 5 year old and 60cm hip)
2. You now need to find the radius of the hip circumference.  To do this the equation is: radius = circumference divided by (2xpi) or R = C/2PI                                                                                For Saskia's skirt it looks like this:  
• r = 60/(2x3.14)
•   = 9.5cm
3. To find the length you are cutting the hem of the skirt, add the hip radius (9.5cm to the finished length plus a couple of centimetres for seam and hem allowances).  This gives us 9.5 + 60 + 2 = 71.5cm.
4. Get a BIG piece of fabric (I used a vintage sheet I picked up at an op-shop.  These skirts take up a surprisingly huge amount of fabric.  So it is not very cost effective to use your best designer fabrics).  1 single bed sheet was used to make these 2 skirts and I had only scraps left over.
5. Fold the fabric in quarters.

1. With your fabric folded in quarters, place your tape measure at the top corner and measure down one edge 71.5cms and mark with tailor's chalk.  Continue moving your tape measure across the fabric in an arc marking with your chalk as you go.  
2. Now do the same with the hip radius of 9.5cms.
3. You should end up with two quarter circles drawn - one with a radius of 71.5cms and one with a radius of 9.5cms.
4. Cut out the circles.
5. Cut a waistband (rectangle) - The total hip measurement plus seam allowance: 62cm x 5cm.  This is wide enough for use with 2cm wide elastic.
6. Stitch the waist band ends together right side facing.  
7. Overlock one edge of the waist band.
8. Press the waist band in half
9. Stitch the raw edge of the waistband to the skirt waist.
10. Measure the length of elastic required for your model, add a couple of cms and then stitch together.
11. Place the elastic inside the waistband casing and fold the overlocked edge over to the wrong side of the fabric and stitch down.  I find it easiest to stitch from the wrong side and gradually easing the elastic inside the casing as I stitch, moving the fabric along as you get closer to the end.
12. Now hem the skirt anyway you choose.
13. You are finished!  Time for twirling fun!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Also, I am adding this post to Our Creative Spaces - joining in on the creative sharing that abounds in blogland :)