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.