Bubba pants

I’m so slack with this blog, but I have been sewing and making for the baby and enjoying it very much. So beware; you are just about to be bombarded with a series of posts about baby clothes.

20110817-102435.jpg

20110817-102448.jpg

20110817-102507.jpg

The blue and brown pants were originally a couple of dresses my sister sent to me for repurposing. Thanks Meg!

The pattern came from Amy Butler’s baby clothes book, sort of… I just wanted a basic pants shape in the correct size, so I deleted the contrasting band at the bottom and the side seams 🙂 (I borrowed the book from the library and this was the only pattern I traced, so I’m glad I didn’t buy it!)

You might also guess our baby’s gender, maybe…. If not, definitely from the next post 🙂

Posted in Art | Leave a comment

Jasper time

20110811-071757.jpg

20110811-071814.jpg

20110811-071826.jpg

20110811-071836.jpg

20110811-071843.jpg

Posted in Art | 1 Comment

Bootees

20110710-063915.jpg

Back when Jasper was little I bought a pattern for baby bootees. I made up the largest size and they were still way to small for him … I put it down to him being a big boy and didn’t think anything more about it until…

Today when I finished up a pair in the 3-6 month size range. And they have turned out to be extremely tiny. Tiny enough to fit Jasper’s 1/2 size newborn dolly :-(. I’m pretty cheesed off with myself… But on the bright side they do stay on the dolly’s feet unlike the socks that Jasper and I made for it!

I have been busy sewing… A hooded jumper for Jasper, bassinet blankets, Jasper pants etc. I just need to get some photos of them! Next on the agenda are some baby things… Things that might give away the baby’s gender!

Posted in Art | 3 Comments

Black cardigan

20110622-095352.jpg

Today I’m determined to finish making this cardigan, I’ve adapted a maternity t-shirt pattern from Burda and it seems to be working out pretty well.

So I need to sew on snaps and the last two buttons and theoretically it would be finished… But there are a few little tweaks I need to make before I’m totally happy;

1) The back of the neck has stretched out. I stabilized it with stay stitching prior to applying the binding but it didn’t hold given the weight and stretch of the fabric. I’m a little bit unsure how to accomplish this in a neat way. Hand stitching maybe.

2) I overlocked the armscye and it isn’t sitting well at all, this fabric doesn’t ravel so I really don’t need to finish the seam. So I plan to re-sew the top part of the sleeve settings and cut off the overlocked bit.

And then I’ll be done and I can start sewing some baby clothes 🙂

Posted in Art | Tagged | Leave a comment

Small

20110620-042237.jpg

Lately, I’ve been spending most of my creative time making maternity clothes – basic stuff to get me through a maternity winter and not worth of getting a blog post together for… Only just to say that I’m a lot more comfortable sewing with knit fabrics now.

My first completed baby item is the little clutch doll above. It didn’t take long to make, but I’m super pleased with the way it has turned out! I can see more of these in my future!

I’ve got a fairly long queue of projects that need to be completed, not least of which are 3 pairs of pants for Jasper who is growing and growing and growing! Here he is today getting grotty at out local park 🙂

20110620-044012.jpg

Posted in Misc | Leave a comment

Holiday!

20110513-032811.jpg

We’re enjoying a break in sunny Queensland. There is snow on the mountain at home which means it’s cold, cold, cold! So we are congratulating ourselves on on an excellent holiday choice 🙂

Stupidly, I left home without any sewing or knitting… And I’ve yet to stumble across any likely supplies. So my fingers are starting to get a bit twitchy! Lesson learnt!

20110513-032848.jpg

Posted in Art | 2 Comments

Pretty

From Japanese pattern book:

20110430-125242.jpg

To pretty dress:

20110430-125403.jpg

A lovely cotton pique fabric from Spotlight with a grosgrain ribbon sash which is hand applied at the front and loose at the back for bow tying 🙂

This dress is just about to be gift wrapped for a special little 2yo girl’s birthday party this afternoon,

A close up of the fabric which shows the colour more accurately:

20110430-125847.jpg

Posted in Art | Tagged | 2 Comments

A Little Problem with Red

20110423-011008.jpg

I had a brainwave to use up my tiny stash of silk fabrics to make a little hexagon bassinet quilt and almost immediately started tacking this gorgeous red dupioni over some hexagon papers.

After a while a little worry popped into my head ‘what if this red colour runs?’. So I tested a scrap under running water and sure enough… 🙁

So I’m not really sure how or even whether to proceed now. I might do some tests to see if I can find a way to make my original idea work.

Posted in Quilts | 2 Comments

X stitch

This is the cross stitch that I’ve been slaving over for a couple of weeks now. I found a link to the pattern on Needlework News an aggregator site for all things needlework (I’m blogging from my phone so no link, but it is easy to google!).

It is from a French blog called Canalblog which I’ll properly link to when I’ve finished the piece and when I get a moment on the computer.

20110422-015202.jpg

Posted in embroidery | Leave a comment

Musing

Time to capture some random thoughts!

1) today I used some freshly harvested kale from the garden, the plant doesn’t look fabulous with it’s moth holes and general neglect. But some of the nicer leaves went very well finely chopped into a risotto.
2) I’ve been working on a little cross stitch project. We have a new bodum French press coffee thingo and it needs a cosy 🙂 the cross-stitch will be incorporated into the cosy and I think it’ll be fab! (I have one small, weak coffee a week)
3) I’ve been making t-shirts for myself, finally overcoming my fear of sewing with knits! These are intended to be maternity tops and I’ve made them long and roomy in the front.
4) my embroidery kick is coming to a close. A bassinet quilt is next. I’m thinking different tea dyed shades for a pale effect.
5) I quizzed some mother friends if mine about how the ‘no blanket SIDS rules’ work in Tasmania where houses are poorly heated and bedrooms aren’t generally heated at all. Apparently people do use blankets anyway. Nobody wants to see a baby with hypothermia!
6) on that note I’ve been contemplating a baby sized crochet ripple blanket.
7) we are having a ‘staycation’ this Easter 🙂
8) the next post here will have photos. I promise!

Posted in Misc | Leave a comment