Need to blog

Ok so my blog has been on a semi-hiatus. Again. I know, it happens so frequently. Life is a little bit more than I can manage right now. I really don't know how others do it. I am trying not to be online so much and to do EXTREMELY overdue work around the house, garden etc.

Work has been extremely stressful. It's amazing how the relationship with just one co-worker failing can create so much chaos. Today I am in two minds; lodge the discrimination grieveance report or let it go? I think I really need to lodge it, it is discrimination after all not just a personality clash. Just happens to be the woman I'm having the personality clashes with though. Just to make it harder! My mum says quit, my coworker says let it go, my friend didn't know what to suggest. I feel so stuck, so very frustrated and it's really getting to me.

I have a little blog package I am hoping is in the mail today. I won a draw a few weeks back on another blog and it was posted last week. I will tell you all about it when it arrives!!! I can't wait to see what handmade goodies are inside.

Jessica and I went back to Perth at the end of May for her specialists. Nothing really new to tell you there. We return in another 3mths to do it all again. I took a few extra days this time and enjoyed a semi-break. It was nice, but hectic being in Perth with so many things to do and people to see. Actually, biggish news is we both got our hair cut. I had mine cut quite short. I am a fan of my long hair but was bored and decided it only grows back so there is no real harm. I had a fringe (bangs) cut in for Jessica. She's 7.5yrs old and never had a fringe and it was amazing to see how different she looks! I have exceeded my bandwidth so will have to put up photos another day :)

While in Perth I bought a few bits of fabric from Spotlight, nothing major. I got some curtain rings and drawstring to make Roman Blinds (one day, it's on that ever growing list of things I must do) but I did get quite a lot of fabric at thrift stores. I also got 2 small jars of buttons and wow were there some little treasures. I will photograph a couple of the more interesting ones to share with you.

I would really like to start working with wood! The Knock-Off Wood site is so inspiring and I have always loved woodwork. My friend and I were the only 2 who took woodwork as an elective in highschool (we did metal work too but I wasn't so fond of it). I have an outdoor table base a friend was throwing away and hope to give it a new lease on life. Trouble is, hardware store here is small and has a few basics but as I need a large amount of lumber I will have to travel 200km one way (2hrs drive) to buy it, then drag it all home on the trailer. Not so much fun :) But I am looking forward to a trip out of town, I want a latte!!!

At this very moment I am really glad I shared my blog only with those in my "real world" whom I love and trust. I've been increasingly frustrated with Facebook and the like as it's not really 'friends' and you can't really say what's on your mind. Last night when I was deciding "do I quit, or do I harden the fk up and work this out?" my facebook status read "hopes it continues to rain". That was NOT gratifying. I see many (MANY!) people constantly whining about work and colleagues on their facebook and it doesn't end in a good place. I try to keep things off those kinds of topics and if all else fails, I go find a quote which speaks to me in that moment and use it as a status. A recent example, I was missing a friend and I had heard in part the quote "Distance is to love as wind is to fire: It extinguishes the small and kindles the great." --unknown  Not only did I think the quote was beautiful, it really meant something to me in that moment so it became my status. That way I felt I had said what I wanted to say (in a round about way) but other people weren't prying into my life in a way I didn't want them to. I often use innuendo, am quite vague or cryptic. It bugs people but too bad for them really. Anyways, that was way off track!!!!!!! What I was meaning to say is I am glad my blog can still be that place I don't feel like I need to censor my words.

I have 20mins before I have to head to work and I am feeling all queazy in the tummy. I am really not appreciating all this uneccessary stress and tension. I don't want to have a bad relationship with ANYone let alone my coworkers, supervisors etc etc. I don't deal with this stuff well and my indecisiveness does not help. I am worried I might be seen as the "office complainer". The very first time I had a complaint I came "THIS CLOSE" to quitting! I didn't want to make that complaint then. I even called the 2nd in charge and asked how much notice they would require if I were to resign. I decided to step up, grow up, and go make the complaint. I can't say I regret that decision as I really do love my job, but it didn't serve to make things any better. If I do quit, I would be penalized by Centrelink a) for quitting and b) because Jessica is over 7 and I am deemed to be able to work no less than 15hrs a week due to her being in full time school. In a small, isolated town finding a new job that works around Jessica will be close to impossible. My current employers are extremely forgiving and allow me to have Jess at work with me on days she is ill or during school holidays and they also afford me that time off I need to take her to Perth. Granted, that time off is all my RDO's (Rostered Days Off) and annual leave time, but it often comes at short notice. If this one lady would just step up and act like a half decent human being things would be a whole lot easier. I don't honestly know what her issue with and yesterday she confronted me. She asked me "Is there a problem?" in a tone that implied she was unaware of any issues. Which is complete and utter BS given I have had 2 meetings with our superior to discuss these issues, the last being only April 30th! I don't honestly know what to do :(

There's no such thing as normal..

Ok, so how do we define "normal"? I don't even want to try. Though right now I am a little perplexed at Jessica's measurements. I had traced her a little pinafore from an Ottobre Design magazine even though I had no real idea of her measurements, or what the books measurements equate to in ready to wear sizing. Today I stole her for 5mins and did some measurements, and let me tell you, she was NOT impressed!

But what I find now is she is a typical size 6 (using a few sources here, Simplicity envelopes, online searching, Ottobre) all except her hip which comes up as a size THREE!!! Yes, size 3 hips.. On the Ottobre patterns she actually fits into the "toddler" category and she's 7yrs old!

She measures;
118cm tall
62cm bust
58cm waist (allowing for the little pot belly she poked out, I may have to redo this one)
60cm hips
26cm back waist
39cm outside arm
9cm shoulder width
76cm outside leg  and
53cm inside leg

I don't really know what this means for us. I don't really know how to buy pants that stay up but are long enough, we have this issue a lot. Oh dear.. I need some help! I want to keep sewing, but I don't want to sew things which don't fit. eek!

Holy Smocking!

I went back to a tutorial I was going to try once and never did, by Lia of Lia's Space for a pattern she calls Diamond Smocking. This is done in the "American Smocking" method I believe.

I re-sketched Lia's diagram not for any other reason than I bought my stitches closer together. Lia had a row of dots between which I am unsure it it were intentional or not. This is my diagram, based on the method explained here. Please see the original site for a written tutorial. Very simply take your needle up through the fabric at dot one, down at 2, up at 3 and so on and so forth. The other thing I did slightly different to Lia was I took my needle under just a few threads right underneath the dots on my fabric. It gave me these cute little 4petal type flowers. Lias's method bought 4 dots back together as 1. I probably should have used a larger dotted fabric for this example!!

On my quest to find smocking tutorials using the American style, I came across a great blog called La Sewista! where the author Bunny explains many smocking styles! I had no idea there were so many!! You can read about them here. She lists English (what I always thought was traditional smocking), American/Canadian, Counterchange, Italian Smocking/Shirring, and Picture smocking. In my travels I have also seen variations on the above forms with Geometric Smocking, Dot to Dot Smocking, Lattice, Continental, Grid Smocking... WOW!! Are you keeping up?! Although people who do English smocking (the variety that is pleated before embroidered, often with the pleats let out after construction) typically use a pleating machine it wasn't always so. With amazing precision those pleats were once hand sewn, often using a grid of dots much like the American smocking.

In close reach I found a copy of Australian Smocking and Embroidery Magazine (Issue 45 1998). This magazine is still  printed in Australia and popular world wide. It includes full paper patterns for the garments as well as smocking patterns (called plates) as well as all other kinds of useful info. For example, this particular edition shows you how to use a pleater to pleat a curved panel. The two pictures and examples below are photographed from the Australian Smocking and Embroidery magazine Issue 45, 1998.

Counterchange Smocking

design "Journey of the Heart" by Alexandra Baldwin (South Australia)

English Smocking (combined with Heirloom sewing)

design "Enduring Spirit" by Lyn Weeks (Illinois, USA)

I have absolutely no idea what I will do with my samples of smocking, but I have enjoyed the process and being introduced to some very clever bloggers along the way!!

Delicate and Dainty

I want to make myself a scarf. I don't wear scarves.. Hmm! I'd like to, I just think they look odd on me and I'm never quite sure what to do with them. But I am going to make one all the same and see what happens. I wanted flowers, and toyed with the idea of using all kinds of flowers. In the end I liked the pattern posted at CrochetMe enough that I will just do one very long chain of these sweet flowers. They're quite large. I'm using Bendigo Woolen Mills 8ply cotton which is so soft, like brush cotton, and a Brittany 3.75mm (F) crochet hook. Perfect! In all honesty, I think I should have used a slightly smaller hook so the flowers were tighter. I will see how this goes. I don't like repetitive and I don't like sewing in ends (for every flower there are 2 ends to tidy away). I might dress it up some when it's finished, but for now it really is a case of "let's see where this goes".

Smocking is NOT Shirring

I've been playing around with smocking. American Smocking apparently. I never knew there were two styles, one American the other English. I have a few books that contain smocking info and of course various issues of Australian Smocking and Embroidery magazines but I'd never actually done any! All that pleating and embroidery really put me off. Seems the American style doesn't need pleating, only well placed stitches. I say a post on the OnePrettyThing site for a smocking tutorial and decided I REALLY needed to try it. I dug out some remnants of spotty fabric (let's face it, I am far too lazy to draw all those dots!) and gave it a try. The tutorial I used can be found here.

These were rather large dots each spaced about 1.5cm from centre to centre. I really love the effect it gives! I did this row by row with just sewing cotton and a needle. I may go back over it with embroidery floss. (the measuring tape used is in inches) 

Although Kara at Craftastical! did a fantastic job of the smocking tutorial I still managed to muck it up! Below is the first try, on a much smaller dot printed fabric. The results are pretty cute, though now how it was supposed to be. I do like the zig-zag effect!

One of my pet peeves is people calling things by the wrong terms. This is smocking, it is NOT stretchy. Go for it, make it with elastic thread.. it still wont stretch. It's not supposed to. The stretchy thing you're thinking of is called Shirring! Smocking and Shirring are two very very different things! Shirring has, in the past, been called "poor man's smocking". So, if it's elasticated and gathered do the right thing and refer to it as shirring. It's not smocking. Smocking takes a whole lot more work!

Another common mix up is when it comes to multicoloured thread/yarn. Almost always called Varigated when the correct term is Ombre. Do you know the difference? If you're a yarn lover you really should..

While we're on the "peeved" topic. I am curious why people who sew and flaunt their "designs" are so lazy as to not add arm scythes to their garments? Don't know what an arm scythe is? It's that curve that goes under an arm, where you'd insert a sleeve. Now, most of the garments I am refering to are tanks, ties, halters. There are no sleeves. But for whatever reason these "designers" drag a garment (usually for a little girl) straight under her arms and around her back. It draws the bodice down in front, is awfully uncomfortable to wear, and means the back too will be low. I am guilty of this also. A ladies skirt I reconned into a dress for Jessica in a real hurry. It looks awful! The arm scythe (dip under the arm) makes a garment fit better, sit better, and more appealing to look at. Try it out!

Fluffy bunnies (of the non-allergic kind)

My co-worker (of sorts) asked me last year if I could make a rabbit costume for her daughter. They were going to a themed birthday party and the lil lady had her heart SET on a rabbit. Of course she said "I'll pay you" but I never asked her for anything more than a photo.   I couldn't get the pattern I wanted when at Spotlight so I settled on KwikSew 2711 which had a bunny, cat, dog and pumpkin. The ears were supposed to be wired and a headband underneath, I didn't do any of that!I even managed to sew the hood on wrong way round and unpicking overlocking (serger) stitches was too annoying so I literally cut it off and restitched it.

Nothing about it is perfect, it was only to be worn for 1 night. The tail was stuffed with fibrefill, it does up with a few tabs of velcro (hook and loop tape) and simple elasticated wrists, ankles and about the face. As it was a late early spring party I opted to make it in flannel so it was nice and snuggly and she could wear tights and a skivvy (turtleneck) underneath if she needed extra warmth. It was a couple of sizes too big, but that really just added to the cute factor!!!!! I've only just received copies of the pics.

The view from down low

When I decided to write about photos my daughter took with her new camera, it was this photo which inspired it. I loved her perspective. I can't say I even know where she took this photo other than "Perth CBD" somewhere! Yet, when I posted her photos I missed this one! The one that made me want to tell you all how clever I think my little girl is, how she has such a unique look on things. I've let her loose with my in the park one day with a bunch of her friends and she got some truly stunning photos then! This photo? To me this photo is creativity and perspective and a hint of how she sees the world. A simple yet elegant light fitting on a plain brick wall. Something I didn't notice, but Jessica did.

Bunnies and Bdays

Jessica and I took some time today to stitch a lil rabbit together. We found the pattern at Day to Day but is actually the design of Juliannlaw of Flickr. Jessi is a lefty so I cut out the pieces for her yesterday. We started by stitching on his ears, but the needle I'd grabbed was horrible to pass through the fabric so I did the first ear. After I found a sharper needle, Jessica stiched the 2nd ear with me holding it taught. I embroidered his face, she pulled the needle free. I also made 2 tags from twill tape, one is the date and the other says "By Jessica" so she will always know when she made it. I just used water soluable pen and ironed it. Have learnt the hard way that once you iron those pens they don't budge. At all. Ever! (Jess has a little dress which proves this..).

When it came time to work at the sewing machine her interest waned. She couldn't sit on my lap as the desk is too deep and she had no room for her legs, so she stood in front of me and I sewed and she removed pins. I reduced the stitch speed (love that option on my machine!) thinking she'd be sewing, but she didn't. Just helped guide fabric a few times but was happy taking out pins. When we started turning him right way out Jess rose to the task and giggled a LOT! at one point he had no ears or arms, and the thought that was pretty cool. Finally, onto stuffing. A task she really enjoyed!! To say I was surprised is an understatement. To me it seems the most tedious task, but she loved it. She kept "losing the hole" which made her laugh a lot!

Today is also my 28th birthday. My mum works away on a minesite so I woke up to a call from her this morning. Jessica and Nanna came in not too long later and Jess had chosen me a little teddy ornament which says "A Wonderful Mum". As she had her choice from my mum's entire store, I think she chose well :) Nanna said she could pick something else too, and she opted not to. I like that she was happy with her choice. It's very cute and always nice to have some affirmation. My friends and I went out last night for an Easter dinner a local motel's resturaunt put on. It was $35 for the buffet meal and made for a nice change.

The food was nice enough, I actually felt they could have done better and that the presentation of the room was lame. The bain-marie was in a room all by itself. The rest of the room was empty, and it was a huge room. It looked really sad! For desert they had meringue, pavlova and a fruit platter. A little disappointing to have meringue and pavlova when they're practically the same thing! Cissy didn't even eat desert. She waited til we got back to her house and ate an easter egg instead. So she, Helen and I then watched a DVD and I was in bed by 10pm. Been incredibly tired of late.

When we went outside to take a photo of Jessica's bunny creation, she asked me to watch her on the swingset, which is very typical of her. Swingset, climbing frame, dancing across the floor.. it matters not! She likes you to give your undivided attention. So she was her typical monkey of a self and was showing me how she could cross and uncross her arms while hanging from the top of the swingset. She rarely uses it to swing!! (and yes my yard is a dust bowl. I got tired of playing super-mum and opted to let it die! Though that's only what was lawn, the garden beds [for the most part] are doing well).

Jess must have some real upper body strength. All she ever does is hang from things. She was counting blisters on her hands in the car the other day, I think she said 21 over both hands. Sheesh!!!

Overload

I will have to get in the habit of blogging more regularly, then I wont feel so overwhelmed when I do decide to blog. Maybe I should set photos to upload before I go to work so when I come home all I have to do is write!

My little teaser the other day is the most adorable cross over baby jacket. I think the back is too big, the pattern piece was missing so I traced the front, but I get the impression it should have been narrower. The jacket pattern actually used bias right the way around the neck and sleeves, but I don't like bias much. Plus I had a completely un-used roll of the most perfect coloured ribbon! Scored it in a bulk eBay lot of lace. So, avoiding bias, I made my jacket reversible. I sewed the two wrong side together leaving an opening in the back to turn it out. Sorry my pics are crap, it was late! (**see note)   The jacket pattern is Simplicity 9647 size Newborn Babies dated 1980. Will upload a pic next time I am using the camera. Thank you to my friend Toni of ChickChat for gifting me the pattern (and many more! PS. go check out her scrapbookin!).

(**note) As there was no picture people reluctantly bid and as the seller said it was a plastic grocery bag full I figured "who cares?!". Turned out to some some seriously vintage, as well as fun, laces and ribbons. Many of which there were metres and metres of, and I think I paid $6 something for the auction and maybe $6 postage.

My Amazon.com order arrived Friday last week. I bought 2 "self help" books and Carefree Clothes for Girls. Now, I was going to shop "local" on the so called "Australian Amazon" at fishpond.com.au but for Carefree Clothes for Girls alone they wanted $49.99AUD!! Ouch! Now, the photograph of the invoice to the left is in USD but I can confirm at the time of purchase my total invoice was $63.23AUD! The books totalled $40.36 Aussie dollars and the remainding twenty-two or so was postage. Hmm.. Where would you have shopped as a single mum on a shoe-string budget?

I've been meaning to sew Jessica some winter pyjama (pajama, pj's) out of flannelette. I was horrified when trying to find some online that it was all $24 per metre!! Ok, so Anna Maria Horner and co, your fabrics are gorgeous.. but well an truly out of my budget. Oh how I'd love some Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Cath Kidston, etc  :(  I love to browse online but it gets a lil depressing after a while. So anyways, can't afford online flannel and live no where near a shop. So looks like I will be either buying jammies for the kiddo or they will have to wait for our next trip to Perth where I can go in store at Spotlight and buy some boring old unprinted flannel for $3.99/m. I might even splurge on a knit to make them more comfy (lacking warmth though).

How you know your kiddo is unwell...

It's 4pm and she is sound asleep in the back yard and not climbing or hanging from that yellow and red contraption she loves so dearly (it's a dome shaped climbing frame).

Unfortunatly when we disturbed her we found she'd had an allergic reaction to who knows what! These reactions are becoming more and more frequent and she's starting to get really frustrated and upset with her lot in life. Just yesterday she was eating BBQ Shapes and both top and bottom lip were ever so slightly swollen. Enough so she'd scratched it terribly and made her lip bleed. After she had some antihistamines and it had all settled back down her lips were all peeling and cracked. Not pretty :( She was really annoyed too as she LOVES Shapes! I tend not to discuss Jessica's allergies here too much as it's such a big part of our real world that neither of us enjoy. I do sometimes wonder if I should be doing more advocacy. While she is anaphylactic (could suffer anaphylaxis) to tree nuts, sesame and latex, her allergies are much more involved. She reacts to a lot more, and her skin prick tests even say she should avoid peanuts, orange, banana and others. We have a great team of Allergists at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children who believe removing foods from her diet which don't cause her any major dramas is more dangerous to her ongoing health. Her diet actually HAS to include banana and peanuts at least twice a week. Jessica also reacts to dust, almost every animal, scented things (like scented tissues and toilet paper). Sometimes it feels like "you name it, she'll react to it". But we also don't put her in a bubble. As a child's most susceptible years are from the ages of 10-25 when they are more independent, ascerting their rights as individuals, prone to peer pressure etc I teach Jessica now that yes your lip is itchy and horrible, but go take some antihistamines and you'll feel better. Or in the case of it reacting in the form of her eczema we apply the creams or run a cool bath. It's important to me that I teach her how to care for her own needs as best I can. I can't and wont always be there for her (as much as that pains me). We have our epipens, and she takes a "medicine" bag with her wherever she goes. I must admit, it's far easier to avoid food and read labels than it is dealing with the latex allergy.

Did I leave my mind at your place?

All afternoon yesterday I was feeling the urge to sew. Even though I have a long "to do" list I couldn't come up with anything I actually wanted to do. That changed.. Sometime after 9pm last night!!! After trying in vain to find a pattern I didn't have to trace, was the right size, was cut in the right size.. I finally found 2. So I had thought! One of them had been cut in a size 2, so I was under duress to use the other. I do like it a lot! Around 10pm I am pinning out this pattern for my daughter to have a new dress for "free dress" day at school today. Yes, TODAY!

Well, I was up til 1:30am, I mean, of course i had to unpick a few things. Infact, that is a gross exaggeration. I unpicked just one straight line. So proud of myself! Even on the most basic of items I usually spend half as  much time sewing unpicking!! My zip went in brilliantly first time around too. Jessi gets up this morning, asks if I'd found her something to wear and I show her the unhemmed dress. She liked it! "It's good you used bright colours" she grinned. Yes darling, I know how you adore all this garishly bright and make your mummy cringe. The only problem? It was miles too big!!!! Simplicity 8620 in a size 7 dated 1970, and it's a good 2 inches too big, basically 2 sizes! We went and found another dress to wear to school. The orange gingham tie is a real leap for me.. I'm such a matchy-matchy type and this doesn't match! But it does compliment. I think?

I have to catch up on posts. Been too busy admiring everyone else's blogs! But headed out to dinner tonight for one of my dear friends birthdays, and then it's my bday on Monday. Of course, it's also Easter this weekend and Jessica is looking forward to learning to sew. I can't wait to teach her! She all too often hers from me "not today honey" or " in a minute" repeated to her endlessly. Not this time! She wants to sew, let's sew! We're going to started with a bunny Melissa  posted and may move on to the horse she wants to make from an Australian Country Threads magazine (vol9 no10). See how quickly she tires of the rabbit first!!

pastels appeal

Too tired to write a post, but isn't that pretty? Will clue you in soon.

Poppets Perspective

As mentioned, Jessica got a digital camera for her 7th birthday from my sister and I. Here are a few snippets of her photos! You can really see her concerntrating and some of the scenic pics I really really like. She has nothing but potential, in an art form that has no bounds and is free (besides batteries).People (row by row); Her cousin Hayden, Myself - Hayden, Hayden and Nannie (my mum) - My sister (i like this pic!), Hayden with new shoes - My mum's best friend, Jessica's dermatologist (who had no idea Jessi was weilding a camera and when it flashed she laughed "Jessica! Oh my goodness that's going to be horrible. Delete that one". She is a lovely, lovely lady).

People again (clockwise from top left); Self portraits... this is one of a few she took... I was floored! I think my sister showed her how to do this though, so that explained it a lil. still wow! - me again - myself, mum and mum's friend at my sisters old house - my nephew Hayden and I waiting outside a hotel in Perth while mum was inside making enquiries - mum - mum's friend

Inanimate objects -- you think she's seen me take photos of my crafts a few times too often? :P The doll clothes were all new, so I suppose the wanted to document them. The top left photo the clothes were purchased from Pumpkin Patch but the others were all from thrift stores. She LOVED mum's different hair clips and took a photo of the similar one I was wearing too but it looked really weird. And I have to laugh at the photos of books. We went into a book store, just killing time. She is walking around taking pics. I was actually embarassed by it! Anyways, she took a few different photos of Mr Men books. When I asked her why she says "So I know what ones I don't have". Ok, that's a fair comment. The novels.. well I can only assume the images appealed to her in some way :)

Scenery (row by row); The tree was across the road from my sisters last rental, extremely tall and this day was full of parrots. Jessi was photographing the parrots. Flowers in Raine Square, Perth City - graffiti and scaffolding from bus window in Perth city where they're erecting a new entertainment centre, sunset clouds outside my sisters - another really nice silhouetted sunset, a Perth city tourist bus taken while we waited at a cross walk - she just managed to cut the bird out of this pic (top right of the photo) which is actually really good considering how high the tree is and how much zoom she must have been using, a lovely photo of a tree outside Princess Margaret Hospital for children that I had no idea she had taken.

My lil love

I have the most gorgeous daughter. When she isn't being 'when she was bad she was horrid' she is of course 'very very good' minus curls on her forehead. She has moments of pure love which are so delightful to see. She asks for a hug many times a day, but sometimes there is this gleam in her eye when she does, and you just know that in that moment, all she can think of is that hug and being close to you. Kids are so precious.



Last night she came in and said "look what I made you" and presented me with this lovely little picture. They're hearts, as people. She typically draws her people with clothes and adornments, so she really thought this one out. I melted, it was such a beautiful moment and an absolute surprise to me. I LOVE that we're holding hands! I have an amazing, wonderful daughter and I love her very much!





(and the lovely dry erase board was sent to us from our friend Jessie in North Carolina, and Jessica's barely put it down since it arrived! She has oodles or art supplies, and this simple little drawing board is her fave. We've played many a game of noughts and crosses on this little thing over the past week).

Capes and cakes

One incomplete scrapbook page. The bottom left corner needs something, I just can't work out what! But as it's been sitting idly on my desk for a week or so now and still no bright ideas, here it is. Kaisercraft Argentella papers & pearls, stash lace and trim, shabby "melted" flower with an old odd button in its centre, franchville brads and a little white flower out of a card making kit, and some black ink (office style! lol no fancy scrapbook/paper craft inks in this household). Inspired by this layout, found on pencillines.com

I actually used that teal trim on a skirt I made Jessi. I got her to choose from 2 different blue/teal fabrics knowing I wanted to use that trim. She looks at the finish skirt, namely the trim, and says "don't you have that in a different colour?". Erm.. no! *lol* Kids!!

This is the lil cape I want to make Jessi, and the fabrics I have chosen for it. Jess loves BRIGHT! The brighter the better. She makes me cringe.. but if I want her to wear it then I can at least start with something she might enjoy. Mum says "but it wont match anything she wears". So what? She's 7.. like anything she wears matches anyhow. Unless she's in her school uniform ;) The pink paisley fabric selvage reades "Watercolor Memories by Fabri-Quilt Inc Design #9635" and I do like it a lot.. just wonder if it's tooooo much on a big project like the cape. I don't recall where or when I got the fluffy cream stuff. Probably in a remnant bin somewhere. It's so deliciously snuggly I'd rather make a pillow case out of it so I can snuggle it!! The pattern, Simplicity 5480 is dated 1973. I think the term "vintage" is well and truly over used online, so I will not call this a vintage pattern!

Here are the baby shoes mentioned in my last post. I really enjoy sewing baby booties, usually from free patterns! They're all so similar to those being sold it doesn't make sense to me to buy patterns. But I splurged a lil this last week and bought a couple, including some of the "big 3" (Simplicity, Butterick etc). The brown suede is something I picked up in a thrift store and lined with a fabric my mum gave me from an old craft group we had locally (selvage reads "Marcus Bros Textiles Inc"). I love the little creamy flowery fabric, I think it would make adorable Amy Butler Kimono style pyjamas!! I don't have her book though. Anyways, simply lined with cream flannelette.

Suede shoes pattern - Prudent Baby
though I deviated from the pattern and made them from fabric, lined and as they currently have no snaps/buttons they're also reversible (hidden seams)

Floral Kimono style booties - Homespun Threads
I didnt like these once finished. The LOOK good but were awkward to get on baby's feet. I didn't take the time to make them reversible/hide the seams

I got a package in the mail today from my dear friend LeAnna. I actually thought it was my Amazon.com order at first!! There is a Vogue Sewing book (brilliant reference material!), a Sew Beautiful magazine, Craft Style magazine, Craft Stylish Quick Stuff to make and Where Women Create. I've already read 3 of them! So many gorgeous projects.. so many more things on the "to make list".. will I ever live long enough? *lol* and LeAnna also included a yarn doily in a lovely white yarn with hints of palest pink. I must say, it has a gorgeous scent about it. Perhaps she used a fabric softener or something. As everything in my household is washed in super sensitive powders etc I probably forget the subtle scents of laundry soap.

I've done a little baking this week. I made banana muffins and a chocolate cake last weekend, and another chocolate cake tonight. The one from tonight will most likely be binned! It was a Betty Crocker "Devli's Food" cake and it's really really BLERGH! It had 3 eggs, 3/4cup water and 1/4cup vege oil.. and it bloodywell tastes like oil! It's so gross. I didn't realise it came with a packet of plastic icing (frosting). I say plastic, cos not only did it spread like plastic, look like plastic, it tastes pretty darn plasticy too! And "super moist".. erm.. NO! I will never buy Better Crocker again. Ok, so I should have made a chocolate cake from scratch. It's not like I didn't have the ingredients in the pantry... So anyways, once this one is tossed in the garbage bin I will make another Greens Chocolate Cake. Now there was a lovely, moist cake with a nice sweet yet firm icing. mmmmm!!!!!! In all reality I should NOT make cake, or sweets, or any other yummmmmy thing cos well.. with only Jessi and I in the house to eat it... ummah! But I have a real craving for cake at the moment and have barely touched chocolate or icecream or biscuits in ages.. so a lil indulgence is ok. I will just have to remember not to make anything again for a few months, minimum!

Using Jessica's camera this evening to take photos (where mine is, I have no idea..) I found a heap of pics she's taken since getting the cam for her bday in Feb. She has some outstanding pics!! If I get patient and spend some time in PS Elements and collage them, I will share with you. Blogger is horrible at photo uploads!

What is beautiful?

You know how we see things in our lives that really speak to us? I had one of those moments when I first caught site of this YouTube post on a friends Facebook page. I've reposted it a number of times, such an important message! But soooo much louder as the visual aspect really adds to what words alone only hint at. Share this with your daughters. Even your sons! Explain how false a world we live in. Don't "I blame Disney for my high expectations of men" (for those wondering, that is an actual Facebook group I have seen many of my friends join!) and don't let your sons think that a real girl has no blemishes and porcelain skin!

You know what, don't just watch it, share it!

So much of what we see is edited, we just don't realise quite how much!

Here is yet another REALLY good, strong message.

Beauty is fickle, cruel and artificial. Just as we find treasure in others trash, we also perceive beauty on an individual basis. I can assure you every woman in the world does not agree that Brad Pitt is the sexiest man on Earth, just because Cosmo says so. We can't stop the media, but we can educate ourselves and those around us.

A chance to escape

I love books. I used to read far more, I just find when I am feeling glum I can't focus on anything, least of all words on a page. I finally picked back up a book I was reading, Vintage Alice by Jessica Adams (seen here) and Celebrity Bride by Alison Kervin (here), both of which were given to me by a fried who is in a mail order book club. She was away and four books accumulated which her mum failed to mention during their many phone calls. She arrived home having to pay for the novels, in which she had absolutely no interest. She very kindly offered them to me knowing I am a "reader".

Vintage Alice - Jessica Adams

I really quite enjoyed this novel. Through no fault of the story I put the book down for some weeks and really struggled to pick it back up. A love story, although not all roses with no thorns, and set in England.. it just wasn't what I needed at the time. I finally managed to get reading again and I quite enjoyed it. I was a little bit disappointed that the story of "Vintage Alice" wasn't what I had expected. It's more a journey. But the main character LOVES to sew and refashion and is planning a move to Aus. So there was plenty in there which I really did enjoy. The descriptions of Australia were just beautiful and at points I did wonder if any non-Aussies might understand some of the jargon. I guess this is the fun of novels, to lose yourself into another world..

Celebrity Bride - Alison Kervin
Admittedly, I would never have purchsed this book for myself. Infact, I rarely buy books at all. I picked this up the other afternoon after returning home from work, school runs etc. Hmm.. I had it read by midnight that night *blushes*. I barely put it down! That was a combination of enjoying the book and not feeling very well AND needing to not think about my own life for a while. I actually really enjoyed this book, even with its fairytale themes. And trust me, fairytale themes are the LAST thing I want at the moment! Just an ordinary girl getting caught up in the mayhem that is celebrity, it was really quite cute. In some cases I could forsee what was coming a bit too obviously which had me impatient for it to actually happen, but all round a very nicely written story.


I can't do photos at the moment. Kinda, sorta kind find my camera *blushes* I've sewn a few lil things and been working on a scrapbook page all week (yes, the very same ONE page!) but otherwise I have been more idle than I would like. I've pulled out a cape pattern and really want to make it for Jessi, but I am unsure if she'd wear it. I have this lovely soft soft minkee type fabric I'd line it with, it would be like wearing a big, snuggly blanket. I just get so disheartened when she says she doesn't like it/wont wear it. I keep hyping up the "you'll be the only little girl with a dress like this" and she's fine with dresses/skirts. I guess it's when I go to add in the slightly different pieces, such as capes *hehe* I want to make her some winter PJ's but looking online at flannelette for $24 a metre.. wtf?!!? I really wish I could get to Spotlight :( I am also wondering about winter clothes for Jessi. With her eczema she hates anything fleecy as it sticks to her skin (after she's scratched and it's bled/weeped) so.. hmm.. she needs some yoga style patns I s'pose, but they can't be all that warm! I don't even want to think about the impending winter just yet.


OOOOOOH back on the topic of books, I bought myself 3 from amazon.com the other day. Two of them about decluttering, then, rather ironically... a sewing book. Just to add to that clutter! I'll share details when they arrive. Haha. Anyways, enough babble out of me ;)

*edited to add in photos I took of the books on Jess's camera.. cos now I can't even find mine! *lmao*

Meeting Matilda

Matilda is the newest edition to a very large collection of dolls within our home. I purchased her from http://www.australiangirldoll.com/ for Jessica's 7th bday and she was an immediate hit. At the time of purchase she was a limited edition, but it seems she is now standard stock. I borrowed the above pics from Australian Girl as my photo skills are non-existant and do their gorgeous doll no justice! (copied from their website but compiled into one photo by myself, and I added their web address to the photo so you know exactly who there are and were to find them). The clothes shown are the ones I purchased for Matilda. I like the other dolls, but their seriously dorky outfits/prints on the clothes put me off. Jasmine (in the satin party dress) was my doll of choice before Matilda was released. Not so keen on the ugg boots and dress though.. Overall, I am very pleased with our new "big girl" doll, to break away from the baby dolls just a little. Something different :) It's not that the baby dolls have to be retired, but choices and options. I say this in the nicest way though, I wanted a dark skinned doll. Introduction at an early age is important to me and although we have friends and associate with people of all races and backgrounds, I still think it being inside your home has a positive impact on a child. So another day I will find her an international/non-steryotypical doll. Now I just sound like an idiot. So on to the doll!

I had actually wanted and American Girl doll for Jessica, but the only place in Aus I could find online selling them wanted nearly twice their retail and the actual website doesn't ship to Aus. The thing I love best about the Australin girl is the vinyl chest, as opposed to soft stuffy one of the American Girl. So this girl looks cute in her singlets and no soft body showing up! (she is wearing her white knickers in this photo. Some modesty please! lol). Her hair is kind of awesome too, in this photo it is being held with nothing more than a single, glass headed sewing pin!

I made Matilda a dress. Jessi actually loves the name of this doll btw, she has the name she was purchased with. Jess loves the film Matilda right now so it worked out rather perfectly. The dress is a tiny bit too small, sewn from Simplicity 3936 for the slightly smaller (well, I can only assume from how these fit) American Girl Dolls. She is wearing the white purchased singlet under the dress and bolero. The bolero is just a tiny bit too tight in the arms, the dress well; the straps are too long and the arm scythes and therefore bodice are too low. All are stash fabrics and lace. I really like this outfit. I still have to sew the snaps on the back.

I hand sewed these little pyjamas for Matilda using Simplicity 4347. A reproduction vintage pattern that I bought at http://www.sewingpatterns.com/ and printed at home. I love sewingpatterns.com! So much cheaper than buying a store bought pattern in Australia and the convenience for me living isolated ;) I had this overwhelming feeling that if I didn't handsew something, I was a bad crafty mama. I know I know, this makes no sense. But I did it anyway and actually found it quite enjoyable.

I made these lil overalls on New Years eve, all hand sewn while babysitting. I actually made them for one of Jessi's baby dolls prior to buying Matilda and had to cut 2 inches off the legs for them to be long overalls on the baby doll. But they fit Matilda comfortably as shorty overalls.

The embroidery was not rocket science, I simply embroidered one of the flowers in the fabric design and added a bead to the centre.

Also on New Years eve and from the same Burda 8380 pattern I made this adorable little back pack. Hand sewn like the overalls above. I highlighted some of the damask print on the flap with pink embroidery floss and weirdly enough, the purple button looked better than all the pink, green and neutral ones I tried!

Overall I am feeling a little bit better, I will go back and edit the details into the "Bubbles" post later.