Shift Dresses

 The twins are not really into wearing jeans, they prefer leggings, a shirt and something over the top, like a shift dress or a smock type top. These are bigger versions of these dresses I made a few years ago. I made them bigger all over not just the length, but I think they are a too wide, when I make them again I will redraft the side and the armhole.
I used some navy corduroy with a pinstripe for one and some corduroy doll fabric from Spotlight for the other one.

Little Red Riding Hood

After buying the Tessuti Cape pattern for myself I thought one of the girls might like a cape and remembered that the Oliver & S book Little Things to Sew had a pattern in it for a Red Riding Hood Cape.

I made the smaller size (which says up to size 4) for Eva who has just turned 4. I used a quilted fabric from the stash for the outside as I wanted something that would really keep her warm. The lining is a cotton from the stash which looks suspiciously like a Liberty fabric, but is definitely not, it feels different and the print on the real Liberty is a lot smaller I think. I have no idea where I got it from, maybe a op shop or it could even have been Spotlight.

This is a pretty simple pattern and the instructions are easy to sew. The only alterations was making the holes for the arms a little big bigger after trying it on Eva.



One Fat Slug

My One Fat Slug Etsy shop is open again. Just a little bit of yarn in there at the moment, but more is being dyed and it will be added when it dries and I can get time to take photos.

Spinning and Knitting

We are having beautiful autumn weather here at the moment. The nights have been quite cold and I have been searching Ravelry and planning things to knit (and once again the to do list will probably take the next 200 years). I have been wanting to make a Selbu Modern for a couple of years and recently bought some Rowan Fine Tweed which I think will be perfect for it. I haven't done any Fair Isle knitting for many years (and I think the small bits I have done were self taught) so I have been reading Mastering Color Knitting by Melissa Leapman which seems to explain everything really well.

With the mornings being very cold at the moment the front verandah in the sun has been the perfect place to be in the mornings. The girls and I spent the last days of the school holidays out there. They played and rode scooters and I spun. My lack of practise over the last few years is showing a bit, but hopefully it will knit up ok.

 

Easter Holidays

The Easter school holidays seem to have disappeared. They were busy this year.
Eva turned 4 and all she wanted was a dinosaur cake. It won't win any decorating awards, but the girls loved it.
Chris and I had 5 days in Melbourne - kid free. Yes kid free. We had looked forward to it all year and made the most of it by spending time with my sister and her family, watching football, seeing some comedy, shopping and eating our way through Melbourne. A definite highlight was lunch at Chin Chin (thanks Suzie), I think I should give up eating Thai right now as I am not sure I will ever eat something as good again.
There was not much craft related. I managed to get to Tessuti and buy the New York Cape Pattern and there was a quick trip to the Australasian Quilt Convention as we were staying close by. I was glad to go and see the quilts and look closely at the amazing work that was put into them, but I left feeling a little flat. I think I expected to be inspired by something new, something different, especially as I had not been to a craft show in a couple of years, but there was nothing that really excited me and I felt there was little that could be called 'Modern Quilting'.
And now there are hundreds of loads of washing to be done and children to be fed and hopefully after that I can find a little crafting time.

Cap

While reading instructions for making skirts for the girls a few weeks ago, I noticed a great cap pattern on the other side of the page (Ottobre 4/2006). I thought it would make a great present for my nephew's birthday this week. I used corduroy for the outside and fully lined the inside with quilting cotton.

I cut the smallest size which was for a 50cm head, but it fit the twins heads which are about 52.5cm. So I sewed a strip of elastic into the lining before I attached the lining to the cap and am crossing fingers it will fit. Although we all know that children don't shrink, they grow and it will fit him eventually.

Simple Shawl

A shawl, for a friend, who is going through a very difficult time.
Pattern: Simple Yet Effective Shawl
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock
More details on Ravelry.

Molly Jacket

I had big plans to knit all the girls something new before winter, but the weather has started to turn cold and I have only managed one cardigan so far so I realised I needed to get sewing. I thought I would start with a few more Molly Jackets for autumn. Milly loves the one I made for her so I made two more for Grace and Evie.
Both were made with some cotton drill from Spotlight and lined with some Spotlight quilting fabric I found very cheaply a couple of years ago. I did want to use bigger buttons, but the button racks were pretty bare in Spotlight when I was last there. There was no white or navy and these were the only navy ones in Textile Traders.
I love these jackets, they are great over dresses or jeans, I might have to try a version with long sleeves.

Pyjama Pants

The chicken pox seems to have come to visit our house despite everyone being immunised so lucky my sewing mojo is coming back as Grace and I will be stuck here for a little while (crossing my fingers only one gets it and it stays very mild).
Pyjama pants are not the most interesting sewing, but they are quick to make and with 3 girls all needing a couple of new pairs for winter, sewing your own is a lot cheaper than buying them (and you can avoid the licensed characters which seem to be all over the pyjamas in stores). I usually buy fleecy cotton at the end of the season when it is only a couple of dollars a metre so I had a little stack they could choose from. For the shirts I used winter t-shirts from last year that still fit, but are more pale grey than white and I just appliqued a scrap circle of the left over pants fabric to each shirt.

Ottobre Skirt

After subscribing to Ottobre for about 6 years I have a nice stack of them. At the start of each season I flick through them and see what I should make for the girls and now my girls flick through them and find things they would like me to make them. They often manage to find things I have not noticed at all. One of those things was a skirt from 4/2006.

This one is for Grace and she chose a scrap of corduroy from a dress I made a couple of years ago (that Eva now wears) and some of that lovely lightweight denim that Spotlight was selling at the start of last year which seems impossible to find now (lucky I bought lots).

This is a really simple patterns and the curve is so big that it is not hard to sew at all. Now I had better start Amelia's which is off course identical, but uses a scrap of corduroy from the dress I made her.

Snuggler

The Lotta Jansdotter Snuggler has to be one of the most perfect gifts for a new baby. This is for a new niece. Made with quilting cotton on the outside and cotton flannel on the inside. I think that is a good combination for this time of the year, a little bit snuggly, but not too hot. It is a pretty simple pattern that went together quite quickly. The only tricky bit was where to put the velcro, but that becomes very obvious once the rest of it is done.
We didn't have a baby to test it in so Eva wanted to try it with her doll.

Tova

My Tova pattern has been sitting on my cutting table since last year and it took the change in weather this week for me to sew one. I really need some cooler weather clothes. I used a voile that is lovely and flowing and will probably wear a long sleeved t-shirt underneath.
The pattern is really well explained and drafted and it went together perfectly and did not take long to make.
The only modification I need to make next time is for a tiny bit bigger across the bust and upper arm so I will just extend the sleeve sides a touch and the sides of the front and back at the underarm.
I like this pattern in the voile, but am not sure how it will sit on me in a slightly heavier fabric. I have seen so many that look great on people, but they mostly have a different shape for me. I like it as a top, but think as a tunic it may become sack like. I have plans for a second Tova shirt, but for tunics this winter I think I will go back to the Schoolhouse Tunic as I like how it fits after I made modifications last year.

New Hat

Poor Eva I had promised her a new hat in her favourite apple fabric at the start of summer. I actually cut it out about two months ago and finally last week I made it. Just in time for autumn to appear.
I made so many hats for markets last year that the thought of making one more was too much. Even after a few months break I think my days of production line hat making are over and I will just sew them for the girls.
Thanks to my friend Ali for the cute little singlet that Eva has been wearing every second day.

Toe Up socks

Five years later I have a pair of socks. Ridiculous considering the second one took just over a week to finish. I hadn't planned on knitting it so fast, but I really wanted to know if doing a different toe and heel would make a toe up sock that fitted my foot. The answer is yes, I love Judy's Magic Cast on and love the gusset slip stitch heel which came from Socks from the Toe Up.
More details on Ravelry.

Toe-up Socks

Searching through my knitting basket the other day I rediscovered this lonely sock which I finished about four years ago. Yes that's right, four years ago. I am not positive why I never started the second, but I don't think I loved the short row toe or the short row heel. I thought I would try Judy's Magic cast on for the second sock. Love it, it may convert me to toe up socks. I think I might try a gusset slip stitch heel and if that works then I will definitely be converted.

Windmills Quilt

This has been a WIP for so long that a few times I never thought it would ever get finished, but it is and I am so glad as I love it. It was made with a jelly roll of the original Flea Market Fancy. I love the colours in this line of fabric and I love them mixed with the background which is a brown with aqua spots.
It is the same patterns as this one I made a few years ago. I thought it would make it easier to write the pattern for it as I made another one. Somehow I have finished it without starting the pattern writing (I wish the writing part was as fun as the designing and sewing!!).
So now I need to find something to bribe myself with to get this pattern written up.

A New Direction

I have been thinking a lot the last few months about where I am going and what I am doing. I did a lot of sewing for markets last year and have been feeling a bit burnt out. The though of sewing 50 hats and 10 elephants at a time was not appealing at all anymore. So at the start of the year I decided to take a break from markets for a while and will see how I feel about them in a few months.
Instead I want to write more patterns and design new things. I think I have been promising to write up my giraffe pattern for at least 2 years. I have ideas for new toys, but have had no time to do it. So this is my aim for this year to actually get this done.

Which lead my to think about my copyright policy, especially after reading a few posts on Abby's blog (including this one) and a twitter conversation with Amy, who has changed hers.
So now you can make toys and quilts from my patterns and sell them. There is more information on my copyright page, but basically, acknowledge that you used my pattern, no mass production and don't sell or share the actual pattern.

Little Cross Quilt

Another little cross quilt. This one was made with 1/2 a layer cake. As I didn't want the blocks to become too small it is not wonky. The sizes of the crosses are still randomly cut, but they are all perfectly straight.

No Knead Sour Dough

I have made quite a few loaves of sourdough over the last year and a bit, most have been ok, a couple have been good, a few disasters, but none have been great. So I thought I would try some No Knead Sourdough. There are a few recipes out there based on the No Knead Bread from the New York Times. I have tried a few variations, some were too wet, some too dry so this is what works for me. I think it is worth experimenting as I think your starter and the flour you use can make a difference.

- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1 5/8 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 1/4 cups flour (I used a high protein white flour)

I made it exactly as the instructions in the No Knead Bread recipe. My mixture was too sticky to knead, but not too sticky to handle when you have to. It had risen beautifully after 12 hours.
This is definitely the best sourdough loaf I have made.

Baking

There has been less sewing and more baking around here the last few days. I think it has been the change in the weather. Finally a few cool days so I didn't mind having the oven on during the day.

- Lots of tomato pasta, especially pasta with tomato, rosemary and bacon.

-Pretzels are always a winner around here. From this recipe.

-More experimenting with no knead sour dough bread. There was a complete disaster a few weeks ago, but I have nearly found something that works for me.

-Chocolate Mint Brownie from the current Delicious magazine. (One of the yummiest things I have EVER made.

-Vanilla Bean Ice cream from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (love this book)