[with love Heidi]

Glad the two threads work for you. I don’t think I even knew there was top stitching thread until recently.

I’ve made a couple of fabric lego men to add to some bought jumpers (sweaters), they look so cool, I wish I had time to make the field trip tee for them to go on but I’m sure I’ll make more.

[Sarvi]

Oh, those sound so cute — I can think of a Lego-loving young friend who’d adore that…

[Tamara]

They do sound cute – I am visualising them on t shirts and lots of other things. I have realised that Appliqué isn’t so bad after all!

I’m about half way through the “celestial” pinwheel tunic, yes the one that was requested to be worn last Tuesday night for our town meeting the stars. I had to redo some of the bias as for some reason my foot likes to push whatever is against it away slightly so I ended up with bit of the first stitching line showing – quite unsightly and I do like a nice finish. I was going to go in there again now and keep going but our dinner is ready so I better eat first – knowing this lot they wont leave any for me if I don’t get in first!

I got some gorgeous gorgeous Kate Spain floral in the mail the other day, earmarked for an Easter version of the dress and tunic, although it isn’t very sombre looking for our Good Friday service – too bad! I’m not wasting good sewing on traditional attire this year even though it will be seen as the same light as wearing hot pink to a funeral! I am hoping to have enough of the green bella to make a sketchbook short for N just so they can have a semi matching outfit and I am yet to decide on the colour of his pants.

Those two outfits will be four items ticked off the list of twenty to be made before the school holidays – that is my personal challenge, twenty items in 37 days (starting today) and the current tunic is the first cab off the rank so to speak.

[Lightning McStitch]

Oooooh LEGO men applique. That sounds right up my alley! I’ve got a few scraps of my LEGO brick fabric left over and was thinking about a bit of applique on a Field Trip T-Shirt.

I’ve been quite sidetracked from my haute couture knock off outfit. First came the Field Trip outfit, then the After School pants and now I’ve been distracted by some Japanese patterns that were begging to be made. And of course, a blog that had to be started, if only for the project outfit I’m meant to be finishing. I think it’s my certainty that I will NOT have a compliant model that’s making me lose interest in the sewing… Maybe she’ll surprise me, but I’m imagining her screaming “I’n’like it” (grammatically uncertain but most emphatically negative) and me wailing “but it’s Moschino darling”….

[meleliza]

That’s quite a challenge, Tamara! How do you fit it in? I can’t wait until September, when middle child will start kindergarten. I feel like I’ll have a little more time with both boys out of the house and only one school pickup. He has a September birthday and just missed the cutoff. So I’ve been waiting a whole extra year to get rid of that one.

Baby girl insisted on wearing the Roller Skate dress today. Insisted on wearing her Easter Birthday party dress yesterday. So cute!

[Sarvi]

Oh, that glorious period where they’re dying to wear mommymades — may it last forever.

[cybele727]

I do love this time when she wants to wear what I make. Now she’s asking me to make things. Every time she sees a jump rope in Flickr, she points and says, “you make foh me?”

She’s also eyeing the applique process quite closely. It is kind of fun to have a partner in crime with this.

Meleliza…”waiting a whole extra year to get rid of that one.” HA. I know the feeling. WeeGee will be 3 yrs and 9 mo when the 4 year old class starts. She will have to wait an extra year for missing the cut off of 4 by December 1. 27 days. And she misses the cut off. That’s all right, while I will be relieved to have her in school and someone else working on keeping her busy, I will be very very sad too.

I can’t wait to see the smocking.

[meleliza]

My youngest is October, so I’ll get a little extra time with her too. But that I look forward to because she’s so so very much easier. I could send her off to “school” this fall if I wanted. It’s certainly the trendy thing to do with 2 year olds around here. But I don’t see the need for more than two years of preschool. Also, it won’t be easy to come up with the money. I have promised her ballet classes instead.

[bren5kids]

I just completed my first pair of sandbox pants yesterday, in 6-12 mo for my fat little boy. I am so pleased with them, they turned out so nice, and helped to solve the problem of his Sunday pants always being so tight around his fat little belly. I usually take his pants off as soon as we get home from church because he looks so uncomfortable. I’ll post a pic in flikr as soon as I get a shirt made to go with it.

Justsewit, your comment about un-sombre clothes for good friday made me smile. I was raised wearing dark clothes to good friday services and black if at all possible to funerals. But it seems like nowadays people don’t really bother, and you just might see hot pink at a funeral!

Lightningmcstitch, I’m planning an applique for my next field trip shirt, too. I just can’t decide what to do-what would look good on a 6 mo baby? Squirrel, owl, hedgehog, deer, airplane, helicopter? I think I’m going to do reverse applique….

[Sarvi]

Waaah, now I’m missing fat baby belly!

While waiting for my Victory patterns I’ve jumped into a second crack at Wiksten Tova top. I’ve tried it once before and gotten very far — but there’s been so much great info on fitting/altering come through here since then, I’m inspired to try again.

[Tamara]

I sew during school hours Meleliza which on somedays goes from 7.10am to 4.20pm when the kids are on the bus. I mix that up with housework when my days are shorter (when the kids have activities after school)

Bren5kids the hot pink metaphore is a bit of a family thing – my Aunt wore hot pink to my Grandfather’s funeral which made my Nanna’s Scotch blood boil (they were born in the Edwardian era). My Aunt thought it was a nice outfit and didnt care about the colour. So we re breaking with tradition ecause we only get a Good Friday service and putting on bright happy colours eventhough it is technically like a funeral.

Sarvi, unfortunately it doesnt last. I was at least hoping it would last last the ten year mark but when the daughter loudly and publically proclaims in the shopping centre carpark that she would like bought clothes, you know the end is nigh! If she was big enough to fit the Victory patterns, I might just get her through to adulthood!

I suppose I am fortunate to have it last this long! So onto sewing this Celestial Pinwheel tunic before she get completely over mum made clothes!

[meleliza]

Wow, that’s a long school day! I’m lucky to get an hour every day during nap time, but some days I can get more. Baby girl likes to play at my feet while I sew, so I can get a little more time on Monday mornings when we’re home and the boys are both at school. Some rainy afternoons I might jut plop them all in front of a movie and sneak off to the machine. 🙂 but tomorrow is Saturday, so I’ll get a few hours to sump them on hubby. I hope to finish my dress and the few handstitches left on the inside of the communion dress.

[with love Heidi]

The lego men are finished, now I just need to find the birthday present (tea party dress) that I took to look for buttons with and I have now lost! and still don’t have buttons and I need to finish the hem. I’ll just go and take the pics of the lego men.

[Mama_Knowles]

I am almost done with the baby Easter bubble. All I have to do is add the snaps and buttons to finish it. I am deciding if I want buttons for the leg closer or snaps still. Over all I am very happy with it. I can’t believe I made it. : D

I will be starting the smocking on Sarah’s dress today. May I can get it all done today so I can start the sewing on it. I would really love it if I am able to get her whole dress sewn over the weekend but I am not sure with all the kids home of this is going to happen.

[needlewoman]

Goodness, all of you have been so busy and productive! – I’m jealous and impressed. I’ve finished Miss 4’s Icecream dress which really does look very sweet, and have just done the buttonholes on Miss 7’s Family Reunion, and will sew the buttons on shortly – (when I’ve stopped reading this forum). Last couple of days have been devoted to shopping for Easter gifts to take to Melbourne, and a variety of chores/phone calls because Easter is approaching so rapidly. Will post the dresses to their recipients on Monday with a couple of extra treats, and would really like to get some more stuff sewn to take with me to Melbourne v. early next Saturday. My sensible self is fighting with my frivolous self; fwd thinking suggests that it would be better to make the Music Box, and the Music Class shirt – even if I sew on the buttons in Melb so that I can try them on Miss 5. She’s btwn sizes at present, and I’d really like to see how they fit. The other side wants to make a cute little vest, and skirt that match, and a pair of cord. trousers for Miss 2 because they are quicker, and she’ll look so cute. What a pip!

Meanwhile, I’ve also been trying to do some serious tidying up. I organised my summer/spring fabrics (the ones I’ve selected for dress making, and packed them up, so as to leave my autumn fabrics in a big tray (lives in my bedroom as no room elsewhere). Very proud of myself but not so proud of dust on surfaces, and half Xmas decs still on floor. These are ones I bought cheaply afterwards, and need to find box (and space in cupboard to store them). Spent shocking amount of time last night deciding on fabrics to go with a Half Yard bundle of TYPE, a gorgeous retro range by Julie Rotherman that I’ve ordered from Fort Worth Fabric Studio. I’m thinking kindle/folder/ipad covers for nieces and friends for Xmas. Realised that my Denise Schmidt fabric I bought before Xmas will also complement this range, too. US postal rates have risen so it now costs $23 to get abt 8 yds of fabric to OZ so I’m very choosy.

Loved all the pics I’ve seen in the O +S group lately; you know who you are, you clever and creative women! I get such a kick from seeing your work. Pics of my dresses tomorrow/Monday.