Baby Quilt 2

Baby Quilt 2 - the same as number 1.

 This time I also did vertical free motion quilting, but with bubbles to match the background.

Papercut Circle Top

I made the Papercut Circle Top on the weekend. It is a very easy pattern. It is basically a big circle with sleeves. The sleeves have a cuff which could be halved (I have mine folded up which I quite like) and the whole thing is bound. The binding took longer to make and sew than the rest of the cardigan (and looking at the photos now, the binding needs a good iron).

I used some merino wool blend jersey which has a beautiful drape. I bought it off ebay and the colour was called Dutch Blue. Everyone in my house says it is purple, but I am just not a purple person so I am pretending it is blue.

I don't love it hanging open, it might be different, when I am not pregnant, but I love it closed with a brooch. It is really comfortable and I will keep at eye out for more wool jersey that I can make another one out of.

Baby Quilt 1

The first of four baby (or lap) quilts I have been working on. I thought I had better make a few now as there seems to be lots of babies due in the next few months. I made the block a few weeks ago.

 It is a little hard to tell, but the background is little grey spots and circles. I free motioned quilted it with leaves in vertical lines.

 The back is a grey/yellow/white flower fabric, that I love. Wish I had of bought more of this. I rounded the corners and made bias binding. I tend to avoid making bias binding, but for some reason this time it just clicked and was really easy. Think I might be making it a bit more.

Maternity Sewing

I have done a little clothes sewing for myself in the last couple of months. Anyone who has sewn for themselves when pregnant knows that pattern options are very limited. So I have been modifying patterns I already own.

I made this pattern a couple of times last year and it is so comfortable. It did not take much modifying to turn it into a maternity dress - I just made it more a-line, more so with the front piece than the back. I just made one in black and have been wearing it a lot.

 The Katrin dress/tunic by Mamu Designs is also a good pattern that does not need much modifying. I am not sure where I bought this but if you google Katrin Mamu you find lots of options, some in Australia.

 I made this one out of some thin cotton stretchy fabric. I don't think I modified the width of this and it fits me fine at the moment. The only modification I made was to use clear elastic around the neck instead of facing it (facing on stretch fabric drives me crazy, binding or using clear elastic is so much easier).

 I bought this pattern recently - the Circle Top from Papercut Patterns. It looks pretty simple and is sooo much quicker than knitting myself a cardigan at the moment. I have some merino wool jersey perfect for it and will try and make it today.

The Tova pattern is also pretty easy to modify for an expanding stomach. I made one slightly more a-line at the front and when I placed the front piece on the fold of the fabric to cut out I moved it an inch or so over from the fold and then cut so there would be more fabric at the front.
I recently discovered that Megan Nielsen has nice modern maternity pattern. Not sure if I will try them as I think I can make do with what I have now, although I would like to try her Darling Ranges Dress next year.

Baby Kina

Poor little Evie, I took her to Perth this week to get her adenoids out and have gromits put in and she was feeling very sad and sorry for herself. Luckily she has woken up much happier today. She is never the same if she doesn't have her Dad and big sisters around.

I finished up this Baby Kina cardigan before I went. A really quick knit. I used some handpsun that I must have spun 2 or 3 years ago and it was the perfect amount for this project. It is definitely not the best handspun, but I think this is proof that even the dodgiest handspun will knit up ok. More details on Ravelry.

Ovest

One of the great things about the little town I live in, Bridgetown, is the lovely little shops on the main street. You can pretty much find anything you need and most things you might not find in a huge shopping centre where you only find chain stores. A new little shop called Ovest last year with the most gorgeous things for adults and kids. So many pretty things that would be perfect for the girl's bedroom. As well as the main street in Bridgetown you can find them online.

Macadamias and Kaffir Limes

It is always exciting to find friends with things in their garden you don't have. We traded some walnuts for some macadamias and kaffir limes. I see some white chocolate and macadamia biscuits in my future.

Now for a little more basting and then hopefully some quilting.

Walnuts

I love this time of the year, it is perfect weather for the girls to be outside in the garden. They love the walnut trees and they often climb them and play games in them. These photos were taken a few weeks ago when my sister and her children were visiting. There are not many leaves left now and we have gathered most of the walnuts, although there are still lots on the ground and the girls can be found down there cracking them. They still find it hard to get 2 in the palm of their hand and squeeze them together to crack one so Eva will get a rock and crack them like in the bottom picture.
I didn't manage much walnut dyeing this week, the time just disappeared, but there is always next year.

Rainy Days

 You do manage to come away with odd things from IKEA sometimes. These beads however are probably the best impulse buy I have made there. Great for rainy days, hours of amusement and they can do it by themselves. I just have to do the ironing to melt the beads together at the end.

 

Blocks

Blocks from my pattern in Modern Blocks. I think these will end up in small lap size/baby quilts.

Flowery Milo

There are some beautiful Milos on Ravelry, I especially love the ones with fairisle. So after discovering the Myrten Hat pattern last week I thought I would try the flowers on a Milo. The pattern fits nearly perfectly on a 6 month size (I only had to change the pattern by 2 stitches). Not the most perfect fairisle, my floats on the back were a little short at times, but blocking it helped a lot. More details on Ravelry.

I started a new quilt yesterday - a very stripey quilt.

Apple and Almond Cake

Thankyou for all your lovely messages on my last post!
I love apple season. My girls love apples and eat a couple each every day. Adding fruit to a cake always makes it seem a little healthier (when logically you know it is not).

Apple and Almond Cake

120g butter
1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
Vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups flour
2-3 tbsp milk (maybe a little more)
2 apples
Slivered almonds

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Add the vanilla and then the flour and milk. Mix. Grate one apple and mix in. Place in a cake tin (I use a square one) and grate the other apple over the top and then sprinkle the almonds over the top. Bake at 180 degrees C for about 35-40 minutes.

I love this smock top from Ottobre 1/2011. I made a few for my girls last year. This one is for my niece's birthday.

19.5 weeks

I have been working on another secret project this year. A baby. I am nearly 20 weeks and at the moment I finally feel ok (I did spend the a bit of the  few months mostly on the couch trying not too vomit), and in the last few weeks I have wanted to sew and make things. Such  relief to want to feel like that again. The girls are pretty excited, although Amelia has told me a few times that it is nice, but she really would prefer a pet.

A couple of people asked for pictures. So here is one Amelia sneakily took one when she was taking photos of my hat the other day.

Selbu Modern

A finished beret, just in time for the crazy winter weather to start. The pattern is Selbu Modern, a free pattern on Ravelry and the yarn is Rowan Fine Tweed is beautiful, just as you would expect a Rowan tweed to be. I was quite worried as I knitted that my floats were too long or too short, but it seemed to sort itself when I blocked it. More details on Ravelry.



Ideas

Yesterday was one of those days when the amazing images and ideas in my head could not be translated into a 3D object. I thought I was doing a bit better today until the very honest small children came and gave their opinion. I think it is time to cook and maybe knit by the fire for a bit.



Perth and a Picnic Blouse

Eva and I have been on a roadtrip to Perth the last two days. It looks like her adenoids will be coming out in a few weeks and gromits will be going in her ears. She doesn't seem too worried (unlike me), she was just excited to be in the city, drinking milkshakes in cafes and that girl loves a trip to Bunnings.



Picnic Blouse by Oliver & S in the same size I made Grace last year (I was too lazy to trace a new size out, I just made it shorter). The fabric was from Spotlight a few years ago.

Cosmo Caterpillar Pattern

My pattern writing mojo seemed to have left me for a while, but I think it might be back and the Cosmo Caterpillar pattern is finally finished. It is available as a PDF in my Pattern shop and in my Etsy store.

The pattern comes with a supply list and full instructions with photos to assist you. The pattern pieces are full sized and can be printed on A4 paper and there is a page of softie making tips and hints. And remember you can now sell things made from my patterns. All the copyright info is here.