[Tamara]

Oh I adore that saying Needlewoman – what a beautie! And thanks so much, I’ve been reduced to a simmer over the price (think gritted teeth)

Cleaning, dusting and putting up furniture has been on my list and taking away precious time from the machine! It has taken much longer than thought and there is still so much to do. My yearly cleanup didn’t happen last year! I am so very very glad the children have good sized storage now because we needed it and now they have room to put all their stuff, not to mention room for more mum made clothes.

I still haven’t finished the pjs for little J, my nephew but will just hem the shirts and what I have done and save the other lot for another time. Kids always need pjs anyway so it isn’t like it is a life or death situation.

I was hoping to whip some shorts up for the kids but haven’t due to the dragging out of the internal makeover – so ambitious am I!

Anyway, I may get the chance later this week to do a pair and then possibly won’t have the chance again until next week.

There are lots of things on the list though so I will keep ’em coming. Miss 10 chose three other prints for Fairy Tale dresses which have to be done – she just loves the pattern so much. I have a simply colour print earmarked for another sketchbook for N and of course there will be several t shorts made before the month is out. I can concentrate on the quilts a little at a time, the only problem is I am using the one machine so it takes a bit of swapping. Clothes first I think and then once that is underway with a nice little pile each, I’ll swap.

The east of the country is already in the new year so I have 1.5 hours to go until 2012 is no longer. Happy new Year to everyone (again).

[Mama_Knowles]

I am hoping to get to a LTTS messager bag I have been wanting to make for my aunt for Christmas. Yes I am tad late! But better late than never. 😉 I have had the fabric here for a while so no more waiting.

I seen this shirt I am wanting to make Sweet pea out of the Family Reuion top. I have the fabric washed and waiting on me. I even dreamed I was sewing it last night. I also want to make a pair of sketchbook shorts to go with it. They are knock offs form Zara. I am really hoping that they turn out!

Happy New Year ladies!!

~Sharon~

[Lightning McStitch]

First day of the new year, and I’m using that zig zag stitch again!

[Robin]

Finished the quilt top. Wonder when I’ll quilt it?

Spent some time researching sergers. On a forum somewhere there was a discussion on why anyone would like their clothing to look store bought when home sewists could use couture finishes. Today I made a pair of sandbox pants with flat felled seams on the inner leg and crotch. Oh I was pleased with myself. So pleased in fact that I finished the outer leg seam with french seams sewn at 1/2″ instead of 1/4″. Needless to say the pants do not fit my daughter!! And the waistband is a mess, but boy I love flat felled seams now.

Happy New Year!

I took a really good look at our store bought clothing today while researching pant seam finishes. I must say we generally all do a much better job than the clothing industry does. Seams don’t line up, serged seams coming undone, threads not clipped…

[Lightning McStitch]

Oh Robin, that’s exactly the kind of triumphant screw-up I’d do.

I’m about to start on the Brickvention outfits proper ( http://www.brickventures.org.au ). All the LEGO based stuff so far has just been using up the leftovers after having cut out the garments. Beware, the LEGO fabric onslaught on the Flickr group has only just begun!

[needlewoman]

Cleaning and organising always (!!!) takes longer than you ever think, I find. I’m slowly working through my must do home reordering jobs, but still a while away from more dedicated sewing. Which brings me to my latest brainwave. Have some lovely brown with pink spots fabric that’s heavier than quilting cotton, and there is just enuf to make a 2+2 Pleated Skirt in 3T (and another untried O + S pattern would bite the dust). However, I could use some advice as to where to place an extra seam. There is enuf fabric for the front pattern piece, but only enuf for the back if I join two pieces of fabric together before making the pleats. Any advice for this paticular pattern from fellow fabric cobblers?

Lightning, I think should be afraid, very afraid. Are you talking about outfits to wear to the Lego convention? or fabric with “lego” patterns on it? Or something else altogether? I’m scared to ask but can’t resist cos’ love your stuff on flickr.

Last thing, I promise. Does anyone know why the 2+2 pattern is called this?

[with love Heidi]

Love the sound of those Lego patterns, but I like the sound of the convention even better! I used to love going and seeing the Lego shows when they came to town and marvelling over all the amazing things you could do with a bit of Lego.

Lightning, I showed my husband your Lego bucket hat he was amazed by the fabric choice and when he found out that there was a site that you can design your own fabric and have it printed he was amazed and got straight on his computer to have a play

Not sure how much I’m going to get done today as I have come down with a cold. 🙁

[Tamara]

I wonder if they have a hot wheels convention? We are working on expanding our already expanded interests with N this holidays so that school will be a little easier with both little and big people. He has Lego but not lots – a trip to the toy shop will cure that! Thankfully Murray is asleep so can’t roll his eyes!

I didn’t get to my annual big thorough clean last year so this year it is twice the amount as usual and it is B.I.G! Three days to put up two wardrobes, clean and organise two children’s rooms. I am proud though because I manage to fit the essential playthings in the cupboard with nothing oozing out into the floor space this time! Means extra tidy and possibly easier for the kids to keep it that way. The next step is doing the other rooms bit by bit and replenishing stocks of linen as we go. It is only a tiny house but I feel that doing this is going to take at least another 6 weeks to get it in the order I want.

So on the sewing front, I did just the t shirt hems of one small top yesterday as the belated present for my nephew J. One out of three ain’t bad! At least it could be a test run because he has shot up in the air since October – arms and legs eleven!

I won’t get into the sewing room until at least Monday afternoon and event then it will be to just clean up the mess! I am craving for some time with the fabric and machines again!

[with love Heidi]

I have finally put up my Harry Potter (Hogwarts) robes pics into the flicker group and the mermaid tail I made earlier in the week. Still behind, I have more things that need to go in, but I find it so time consuming, Advantages of being sick, can spend the hours in front of the computer.

[Lightning McStitch]

Time wasting on the computer is fun Heidi, but I’d still wish you well instead. So cool to hear of a hubby getting excited by Spoonflower. I think mine has been secretly impressed but is trying not to seem interested lest I make him something!

Fiona, I’m talking both! The kids will be going to Brickvention this year dressed in LEGO fabric garments courtesy of spoonflower, Oliver + S and me. It will unbelievably dorky, but while they’re little and mostly malleable I’m getting away with what I can!

Tamara, there is a hot rod gathering at Castlemaine in country Victoria each year. Apparently it’s the hot rod capital of Aus. Don’t know why? It also has a very impressive arts festival. Go figure….

What am I sewing? A Jump Rope View A. Only my second View A, but I’ve realised it’s the 6th time I’ve used the pattern, and if I may say so myself, I nailed that placket! In fact I sewed it so nicely I’m kicking myself I didn’t cut it with more care. It would have been stupendously good if the pattern had matched. 🙂

And on that boastful note, I’m going to stop sewing for the night before I sew a sleeve on inside out or something equally moronic!

[needlewoman]

Now then, Light”g, you can’t have everything. While you have so much expertise to spare, can you advise me about where to put the extra seam in a 2+2 skirt?, please?? See a few posts ago for details.

PS: I’m brilliant at pattern placement in fabric. I love the Jump Rope pattern, and really hoping Liesl will have a sale soon.

[meleliza]

I hope to finish off a blouse for myself today, but I’m feeling rather lazy on this last day of vacation and the day is half over. I also have to let out the bottom of oldest son’s uniform pants by 2 whole inches! I cannot believe how much that kid grew since September. His school pants are positively floods, so that needs to be fixed before he goes back tomorrow. I am really, really *not* ready to be back to the grind!

[Mama_Knowles]

I am slowly working on a messenger bag, very slowly. I have yet to cut it out but I do have it pinned out now. It is the last day of vacation for the kids so I not planning on working on anything too much today. I do hope to finish it though by the end of Friday so I can start on some birthday sewing for my almost 7 year old son. 🙂 A new pair of pj’s is a must for him!

[Lightning McStitch]

Sorry needlewoman, the 2+2 problem skipped me by as I read…

Looking at a skirt now, the seam will show, at least at the bottom hem wherever you put it, so centre back would make the most sense. The centre back is in the depth of an inverted box pleat. The one I have in front of me came out of the ironing pile (see Nicole’s blog for how to avoid ironing the pleats by sewing them down) and so the centre back looks quite exposed but I think it would be well hidden when the pleat is formed.

Alternately, if you wanted to try and hide the seam a bit more then the point halfway between a FOLD and a FOLD TO HERE line is the recessed fold of the pleat, then the seam would be nicely hidden for almost all of it’s length. The problem would be at the hem, where it would show (if the amount of fabric pattern didn’t allow for perfect pattern matching) and perhaps the fact that it would be off centered would be worse than having it visible anyway.

Hope that helped.

[with love Heidi]

What about making the seam on a fold line for the 2+2. Feeling much better today! My jobs are done so I’m going to attempt to put in zips and finish hems of in my WIP (I think it should be WHS, “Work has Stalled”) Vintage A-line dresses from about 3 years ago.