whoops!

I've let the last 12 days go past without any posting which I am kicking myself about. I have been very busy finalising the end of this semester at uni and ensuring I put in as much effort as I could to get the marks that I really want. I like to work hard as I think it pays off later in that I have learned as much as I can and do not need to really re-learn, just refresh.

A few things I have been up to...

 Sewing.

Celebrating another successful year for Miss-R at Calisthenics. Also celebrating the fact that we don't have to go to calisthenics practice for a couple of months.

Giving magical mummy cuddles.

Taking far too many "selfies".

I've also been doing lots of yummy clean-eating cooking, attempting to sell my car (without much luck so far), going to watch the MR play inline hockey, writing assignments, getting marks back for assignments, procrastinating, and working. I love my life, so busy and so many things that I get to do every week.

What kind of busy person tasks have you been up to or are you enjoying a more relaxed lifestyle?

blogtober 23rd: missing

Yes, I've been missing the last few days of Blogtoberfest. I have desperately wanted to post, but had computer issues, university assignments, and I decided to change my photo editing software because perhaps the previous software had something to do with the first excuse.

I have returned, I still have lots of assignments to work on and complete. One of which is a big, annoying and incredibly confusing research report that I am sure you don't want to read about. But thankfully life goes on, in a few weeks these subjects will be over and new ones will begin and I am gaining more knowledge about the profession that I will hold one day in the not so distant future.

I did promise to try to de-stash some patterns this month, and with only seven days remaining I really do wonder whether I will get another item sewn up with all of my other commitments. But I do want to start. I have two patterns that I would like to get sewn up in the near future.

Both of these patterns are yet to be opened and I am intent on doing so before the end of the year for both of them.

One is Vogue v8365 (I can't find a link to the pattern anywhere!). I am not really a shorts person generally. I don't know why, but I just think I look weird might be my height. Don't even get me started about how ridiculous I look in 3/4 pants! Anyway, I was looking through my stash of patterns and this one I had prepared with fabric chosen and everything in the folder with it ready to go. So I will divulge the desires of past-Amy and make up these shorts. Probably in view A. Short shorts are always more friendly than ones that finish just above the knee.

The other pattern is the Claire Cami Dress by Serendipity studio. This pattern has five different lengths to choose from from cami, tunic, short dress etc. I will probably (once again) head to the short option. It is getting close to summer.  I'm really looking forward to wearing one of these dresses actually.

Thirdly, and not pictured, I want to make another Anna Mini Dress. I love a good summer mini-dress and I made the longer length last year and I never wore it because it was at a silly length for me (and I made it too big). This pattern is obviously third on the list because I want to finish something I haven't started before first.

Well, its time to go make the lunches...



What photo editing software do you use?
Do you look funny in knee length shorts too?
What is your favourite Summer clothing item?

Blogtober 16th: on working with children.

Finally, a wrap up of the items I completed in the KCWC.

I wanted to get some great modeled shots of the kids' new clothes, but working with children... yeah well we all know how that saying goes...

Mr-O tells me this is the best way to look at his new pants. By looking at the cool green fabric through the light of the window.

I was able to get him away from the window for a second before he went back...

Miss-R LOVES her new skirt, and as soon as she put it on, she ran out to the back garden to complete a very important test...

The twirl test... and it passed with flying colours.

Maybe one day soon I can get some great modeled shots for this blog, but for now, we can just see the clothes being enjoyed. That's all I wanted.

Are your kids unwilling models too?

Do your daughter's insist on checking the twirl factor on every skirt or dress?

Are you keeping up with Blogtoberfest?

Blogtober 13th: KCWC day 6

Today I gave myself a similar deal to yesterday. Rewarding myself with sewing is turning out to be quite satisfying. So after a lovely Saturday morning sleep in, some awesome breakfast and some reading time, I set to making Miss-R's Milkshake Skirt. 

The Milkshake Skirt is actually really easy to sew. MUCH easier than I had imagined, what with all those coloured panels. But it comes together really easily with only 3 pattern pieces. I have used the grey linen again (that's the last of it!) and some Happy Mochi Yum Yum by Monica Solaro-Snow as my accent fabric. 

It has meeblings in the selvage (bloomin iPhone games...)!

I am excited about how it will look when I finish it. I am also realising I have made both of the children items of clothing in grey and green... Totally un-planned, perhaps it has something to do with my mood. 

 

I actually gave myself a bit of reward time today. A few hours of study behind me and a skirt almost finished to show for my hard work. Hopefully I can finish it in the morning so Miss-R can wear it to watch daddy play hockey.

What did you get up to today?

Do you make strange connections to iPhone games too?

How do you reward yourself?

Blogtober 12th: KCWC Day 4 & 5

Yesterday my space was not so creative, and my place was full of tired, cranky parents. Mr-O made the executive decision to spend most of Wednesday night awake, coming into wake me five times during the night. Teamed with an early start to sit in traffic before a long, busy day at work, and then awful traffic on the way home, I didn't sew yesterday. In fact last night I didn't do much of anything other than mumble instructions to children about eating their dinner, brushing their teeth, and going to bed.

I did make a decision about what to make for Miss-R though for the KCWC. I am playing along with Karen from and so I sew this month and de-stashing some of my patterns in her great pattern de-stash. No, I'm not giving them away. The plan is to take some of the patterns out of the stash that I haven't used before, and use them! So in light of my blogtober plans to make, and to fulfill unfulfilled sewing promises, I will be making Miss-R the Milkshake Skirt I promised her back in June.

It's amazing what sleep can do, its so refreshing, and with only 2 visits from Mr-O during the night, today I decided that sewing would be a reward for me. 

I so desperately wanted to get into the sewing room and finish off Mr-O's pants. But I do have commitments to my study and I use Friday mornings to get a lot of reading done generally. So my deal with myself was to complete an hour's study before rewarding myself with some sewing. A good deal I do think myself.

And so today I give you the finished product. The shorts should be around 3/4 length on Mr-O, I will try to get some modeled shots up by the end of the week. I made a few changes to the original idea of the pattern, and so didn't follow the instructions at all, just used the pattern pieces.

The original pattern called for the pieces to be made into lined pants that can be turned up at the bottom to create a cuff that is held up by tabs with buttons. The problem with this is that Mr-O hates buttons. He pretty much lives in trackpants, won't wear a polo-shirt, and don't even ask him to wear a button up shirt! Making him something without buttons is the only way to get him to wear it.

The pants also have a stretchy drawstring. We are big fans of drawstrings here as pants that have the pull in waists have buttons also, and on the inside, meaning they are doubly horrid to Mr-O. I am thinking I will add in a bit of topstitching to the top of the waistband though to prevent this drawstring from digging in (the original tutorial probably asked me to do that but as I didn't read it...)

So there is my first finished item. It looks probably not much like the idea the pattern asked for, but it is what I had in mind.

Was your space creative yesterday?

Do your kids have clothing that they simply will not wear?

Do you know how to stop 4 year olds visiting their mummy 5 times a night?

Blogtober 10th: KCWC day 3

Today is day three of the Kids Clothing Week Challenge (although if you are in the US it is still day two).  I have put my dress sewing plans aside for the week so that I can use my sewing time for the kids challenge. 

I cut out the pieces and set to sewing today. I must admit, I have ditched the instructions completely as I have a slightly different finished product in mind than the original pattern intends. 

I pottered away for about an hour and a half today, making sure that every seam is straight and finished. I also made sure I did understitching in the pockets (not that the pattern asks for it)  to make sure that they sit flat and don't pop out as Mr-O runs around. 

I am even doing double top stitching in lime green to make the shorts have a more professional look.

I am really pleased with how well these are coming together and Mr-O is excited about having some new shorts to wear when the weather warms up. Can we wish it to warm up by sewing shorts and crossing our fingers and begging the sun to come out and defrost us??

I got the shorts almost finished today with only a few little tasks left to go. I will work on them again on Friday morning as I have work all day tomorrow and won't have time to actually sew. I have other kids clothing sewing plans for tomorrow evening, inbetween the reading and studying and general organising of small children. 

Are you playing along with the Kids Clothing Week Challenge?

Are you dropping by for the first time via Blogtoberfest?

Are you wishing for the warm weather to arrive like we are?

Blogtober 9th: KCWC Day 2

Today I continued on with my plans for the Kids Clothing Week Challenge. My how quickly an hour goes!! I finished choosing a pattern last night and put away the fabric that I wanted to use and chose another. And an accent fabric too.

The main fabric is the grey linen that I used for my camera bag. And the other is part of the Riley Blake "scoot" range  by Deena Rutter. I have decided to use this tutorial to make the shorts. I am going to alter them slightly as I have a similar, yet slightly different image in mind for my finished product.

I have my pattern printed out and ready to go and I plan to cut, pin and sew tomorrow in my hour. 

My dress progress? Well I haven't started it yet as Mr-O and I have been very busy playing today. But it's on tomorrow's to do list for sure.

What have you been up to today?

Have you been keeping up with Blogtoberfest?

Do you sew clothing for your children?

KCWC: day 1

I have made the ever so impulsive decision to participate in the kids clothing week challenge this week.

The challenge???

To spend one hour per day making clothing for your children. I have so much fabric and so many unfulfilled intentions that I have decided to play along.

I took some photos of this fabric earlier that I'd like to make some funky little man shorts for Mr-O out of.

I am off to spend some more time planning these shorts.

Blogtober 8th: planning

I mentioned in my intentions that I want to make things this month. This has been food for thought and today I have been dreaming away at work today about sewing. I have been thinking about wanting to make a dress. I had the fabric in mind, it's been in my stash for a while and I have the notions I need to make it up. When you are serving hundreds of coffees to customers all day, you need something to occupy your mind, or you do go slightly insane.

I have been thinking about this fabric...

I bought this fabric a few years ago wanting to make a skirt that most likely left my mind's focus due to orders that I had or stock I had to make. 

I am thinking that I'd like to make a strapless dress as this is a stretchy fabric, and I want something quick and easy, plus, I am a big strapless dress wearer when the warmer weather visits us.

I have my finished product blurrily hanging in my mind (it was a 8 hour shift okay?!?!). But here is some vague images of what I would like to do...

from here

 

from here 

from here

I hope to make some progress, or finish this project tomorrow. I am pretty single minded and like to finish what I start fairly quickly.

What do you think about when you are at work?

Do you dream up finished projects before you make them?

Are you looking forward to the warm weather as much as I am??

my creative space

This week, I have been doing some hat sewing.

I signed up at the beginning of the month to a hat sew along over at Solomon's Sewing and started quite quickly on sewing up my first Sunkissed Hat for Miss-R.

She chose some Dr Seuss fabric for one side and some flower pot fabric (I'm sorry I forget the name of it) for the other.  I am certain that the Dr Seuss side will get much more wear than the flowerpots as she is in love with The Lorax at the moment. She alternates between reading the book on my phone and watching the movie many times a day, I am certain she knows the entire thing off by heart!

The pattern was quite easy to sew as it had easy to understand instructions (as with all MIP patterns). So for a novice hat sewer like myself (this is my first hat), it was quite an easy and enjoyable project. 

turning the hat 

 top stitching

 

 of course, I ran out of bobbin just before finishing the top stitching...

 sewing on the velcro.

I will definitely be trying to make a few more of these hats. Mr-O has spied this one and said he would like one (most likely with pirates on it) and Miss-R wants another in purple. Who knows, maybe I will get time to make them before the month is out.

Check out some more creative spaces over here...

Maybe you can join in yourself. What are you creating today?

Sunday Snippets

 

Joining in with Tinniegirl for Sunday Snippets.

Leave Your Hat On!

After my success playing along with Cam during August, I have decided to do another sew-a-long this month.

Carmel from Solomon's Sewing is doing a Hat Sew-a-Long for September and I decided to sign up.

A while ago I won this hat pattern. And with Spring now (supposedly) upon us, both Miss R and I need new hats. (Mr-O has so many hats he could open a hat store). 

Why not head over and sign up? I'm sure you'll have fun!!

I Finished!!!

This month I took part in the Choose Your Own Bag Adventure Sew-a-long.

The basic gist was that you sign up to sew a bag in the month of August. BRILLIANT! I thought, I am definitely playing along. I have a massive stockpile of fabric and need motivation to whittle it down (so I can buy more fabric of course!!). So I decided to make a camera bag.

Now my decision to make a camera bag wasn't a whimsical... "oh yes... I will make a camera bag.. that's going to be nice and easy". I have never really sewn many bags with success. I made a messenger bag a few years ago for our niece for Christmas, but that is about the extent of my experience. But... I decided.. I am going to give this a crack. It is supposed to be an adventure after all!!

After a lot of looking at pictures, deconstructing the items in my head and drawing/ drafting/ cutting and sewing. I can proudly announce that...

I MADE A CAMERA BAG!!!!

As you can tell... I am very excited and very impressed that it turned out perfectly. It is just the way I had imagined it in my head which makes me so so proud!! There are seriously so many layers in this bag. There is the fabric, two layers of interfacing and also padding. I am proud of my little Janome for making it through without a problem.

I decided to make the bag without "sections" as I want to be able to just put the camera etc. in the bag without having to worry about pulling it apart necessarily. It also means I can put other things in the bag if I need to such as my keys/ purse/ spare undies for the lil man.

Super impressive (even if I do say so myself!).

And Oh my goodness I love this pink fabric... I will have to do something with the leftovers! I am thinking padded covers for my camera lenses.

Head on over to Curly Pops and have a look at what everyone else made :)

Coming up...

A few weeks ago, Cam announced that she was going to be running a bag sew-a-long in August. I am in a serious sewing drought so I told her that I would most definitely be sewing a long!!

Now as a bag addict, I have officially been on handbag ban for 18 months now as I have so many that if I buy anymore I will be in serious trouble! So I sat and thought about what kind of bag I would like to make for this adventure. Some of you, who read my previous blog might know that my wonderful mother purchased me a DSLR for my birthday back in January... WOW!! I have been cautiously taking it out of the house, terrified of dropping and breaking it since. So I thought to myself... hey! why can't I make a camera bag?? I have seen a few around and thought well why not?!?!

I have set to researching fabric, patterns, tutorials, construction ideas and such and have a small amount of an idea what to do. It is ALWAYS a good idea to have an end product in mind. As a very visual person, I need to know what I am making. I am often saying to the MR "if I can picture it in my head then I will have no problem making it".

So today's task is to sit down with textas and paper and draw myself a sketch so I can make a plan and sort out some dimensions. Then I can get started with a good idea of what I am doing (totally not an excuse to play drawing!!). As I said to the MR the other day.. I am going to take my time, do it slowly and properly and make something beautiful for myself!

So wish me luck as I fill up my pin-board with ideas and head over to Cam's yourself and sign up to sew along too!

My Creative Space

This week in my space I have been pottering around making a few things here and there. 

I made a pair of super bright, very cute pj pants from some flannel that I bought from Cam when she was de-stashing ages ago. This fabric was supposed to be turned into baby wipes to sell at the markets with WeePantz. But baby wipes weren't really a top seller and I never got around to making them up. The plan in my fabric choice was seriously to blind someone's eyeballs. The MR HATES orange for some reason unknown to me - good reason to wear it if you ask me!

 

 

They have this cute ribbon on the back. Yes, purposely child-like. My kids can't have all the fun right?? But, alas - I made them a little too small, so they can sit in the sewing room for a little while til Ive lost a few more kilos I think otherwise they will be more like stretch-less flannel leggings... oh I know you want some!

 

I spent some time tracing out this pattern for Miss-R. I know, I know, I said I was going to make her this skirt first, but Miss-R got really excited and chose her fabric for this one so I will make this first for her.

This arrived today too from crafty mamas. After looking through the online preview of the designs the other day I thought there was probably only one or two things I wouldn't like to make for summer once it finally arrives! So I went ahead and bought it... Gotta use up my fabric stash right?!?!

I am also researching for my bag adventure next month, which I am super excited about.

There are lots more crafty peeps sharing their spaces over here - check out their awesomeness :)

a bit too quiet...

It is a bit quiet around our house this week. Mr-O and Miss-R had a wonderful time away at Granny's Farm last week, in fact Mr-O bawled the whole way home because he really didn't want the holiday to end! This week, it is so quiet, although the children came back from the farm on Friday, my Miss-R is away visiting her dad this week.

It's amazing how when both children are away you celebrate, stay up late, go out to dinner, have spicy food, sleep in etc. etc. But when only one is gone you are reminded of the void. Mr-O and I are having fun spending some time together, he follows me around the house, gives me loads of cuddles and kisses and we get to hang out. I do so miss my little miss though and am looking forward to her coming back (even if it isn't for another few days!). Although I hear she is having a wonderful holiday.

So here I am, sitting under a doona because I simply cannot stand being cold and I have a pile of books so so very tall to look through tonight to work on my assignment. The MR is out at hockey and I am making the most of my time alone. I also have a HUGE pile of boxes, full of fabric ready to be shipped off to their new owners tomorrow. It is nice to see some empty shelves in the sewing room. Makes my fabric addiction so much less obvious!

Hope your Tuesday was fabulous!