[Nicole]

I often take out darts from the front as my tummy is quite round and if I gain weight that is exactly where it goes.

I have finished my Lisette Portfolio trousers and Souvenir blouse,both are lovely but a wee bit tight(!) I may have been sampling a bit too much of my cooking lately.

Next to sew is two little red blouses for Tilly. A red chambray CC Chickadee and I was going to make and Ayashe out of some sweet red voile with dandelions printed in white but I think I might go with a 2+2 as it is quicker to iron and I love it so much.

After that I am drafting the Book Report for Elsa,she would like it in a knit and I am really excited to make this one.

[Tamara]

Busy doing the slightest of enlargements to some much loved Oliver and s patterns, in between a frustrating download session of a simulation add on that has tKen some five hours with no success! I would rather be turning all of my attention to my sewing!

[Mama_Knowles]

I am wanting to try a book report in the knit too Nicole but this scares me! I am afraid that I will stretch the knit out while trying to sew this. You’ll have to tell me any tips and tricks to make this.

I don’t seem to have much sewing time either Tamara. I would love to have one whole day a week just to sit down and sew. Maybe door with a lock on it too. ; )

I have that mommy tummy too! I think it happens to most of us after little ones. Unfortunately mine looks like I am expecting, I had started exercising a bit ago but had to stop. I hope after I get everything sorted out I can work on losing mine because I have started to sew for myself!

Right now I have a few Lisette patterns traced and I am working on cutting them all out. I am making a pair of the Souvenir top and shorts, Diplomat tunic to go with my jeans, The Passport dress, and three non-Lisette skirts. One skirt is a grey chevron pleated skirt with yellow band at the bottom and the other two are using the Cloth kits pattern. I am trying to lose weight so I think I will make the cord skirt in a smaller size for fall.

I also picked up the Continental pattern but at the moment I don’t have the right fabric for this although I am excited to make this! I just love, love Nicole skirt and top she made. I am not sure how much I will get through before I switch to Jacob and baby Prince C clothes but I will try my best. I have some more fabric I need to get pleated for another knicker smocked bubble for baby in a light blue. I have too see how much I can really do!

[meleliza]

Nicole, do you have pictures to share? I’d love to see how they turned out. I was just catching up on your blog looking for them and saw some of Hugo in his carpenter gear. How handsome he looks! Turns out I quite enjoy a firstborn son. They make you so proud, don’t they?

I will probably let the waist dart out a little, as I have the very same mommy tummy, but I can’t get rid of it altogether in this fitted style. (Plus, I’m not above wearing a pair of spanx or two to get rid of it for a special occasion.) My weight all shifts down too, and I believe this is very normal with age. However, my ribcage is narrow and since its the only part of me left that is narrow these days, I like to highlight it. The problem I have with waist darts is how to achieve a smooth dart between my 41″ full bust and my 32″ ribcage. The geometry there is a tricky.

I got not a stitch done yesterday, but I’m hoping today I can have most of the day. I have lots of projects and don’t want to let myself get too carried away with this muslin. After all, the busy Liberty print will hide minor fit imperfections.

[Tamara]

I would love to sew for myself but like you Sharon, I am attempting to lose weight. Well I have to do it in order to not have to increase the sides of all the patterns I use! Once upon a time I fit the very normal size range and then I had children, but I only have two so what is my excuse really – time will let you in on that one. As for the mummy tummy, again I only have two babies but I think it goes with the territory the more you have (I danced for some ten years as a child and through my teens so the stomach muscles are pretty good). And there is nothing wrong with spanx – just a modern day and much more comfortable corset.

The change of routine at your place sounds like it gets to you sometimes does it Sharon? I mean we all need some space from our children as they do us and I can imagine with three at home during the day and having all three dependent on you for their different activities would probably have you nearly driven crazy sometimes! I applaud you though for actually doing it. Takes guts!

The lock on the door would sound great! Should we be neighbours I would be happy to come and give you some “mummy sewing time”. Then your young student can fill me in on what he has been learning! It is really important to tune out for a while and just do something for yourself.

As to the tracing I was supposed to do over the weekend? Huh! I was delayed that much I gave up after doing just one pattern – music class shirt

So it will be tracing out some Ottobre t shirts, cutting some corduroy badminton skirts, an after school top or two and at least one pair of the pants in denim with the frills. That’ll keep me busy for a little while.

The Book Report dress in knit would be perfect – I have earmarked some fabric for that which should be at the post office today (I hope).

[Masha Richart]

I am impressed by all of you sewing for yourselves – I’ve seen pictures of Nicole and Melanie recently on Flickr and blogs, respectively, and am inspired but also scared. I’m just eight weeks postpartum so am jigglier than normal. I think perhaps a knit skirt with a fold-over waistband is about as much as I can commit to, both time- and figure-wise, right now. Though I have been eyeing the Moss skirt from Grainline Studios, and even picked up some twill for it while back in the U.S.

Meanwhile I am finding that two toddlers and a newborn really leaves very little time for sewing. My husband managed to get them out of my hair long enough yesterday that I whipped up two toddler-sized mei tai carriers (so cute!). Next on my list is a couple lazy days skirts as it is already quite warm here (and pants are persona non grata according to my daughters).

[Nicole]

The fact that you are sewing at all with two toddlers and an eight week old is marvellous!

I am sewing more for myself since I started a ‘rota’ system this year,one item for each family member,one after the other. Why not find a flow-y peasant type blouse that won’t require fitting. I love the Portfolio tunic by Lisette,it still looks good over sized and I found it great to pull up and feed(nurse). I wore leggings and a breast feeding singlet underneath.

Thank you Melanie,I have some photo’s in my flickr stream of the clothes but not modelled. I have put them away for 2 weeks while I cut out wine&nibbles(blush).

I enjoy my son very much indeed and I think having lots of girls helps with his niceness. When he has his mates out the noise is incredible.

I finished Tilly’s 2+2,so pleased with it.

[Tamara]

Lets face it, boys are fun! So enjoy him roundtheworldgirl and work miracles with your machine in between – half your guts, thats what I say! When my two were very small I just used needle and thread and the machine was for nighttimes and daytime naps only. Lots of really great patterns to use for nursing mums these days – the changes in the last 11 years have been huge!

I tried my Portfolio tunic on today – I made it ages ago – and I am tempted to make another soon.

Today though I am cutting out skirts and after school tops along with making use of my smocking pleater!

[Masha Richart]

Thanks ladies. Nicole, I have the Portfolio pattern – I should look at it. My problem is that the nursing “girls” are roughly the size of my head and so anything not fitted, or at least knit, makes me look like I am still eight months pregnant. I may just save that sewing until I have more time and have hopefully dropped some of the pregnancy weight.

[Nicole]

Awesome,as big as your head!

I love it.

[Mama_Knowles]

I have the same problem roundtheworldgirl. I have been trying to lose weight but it is coming off so slowly, baby boy is 9 months old now. I had to buy all new tops and pants for my old ones were not going to happen any time soon.

I made a skirt using the clothkit pattern for myself is a bright poppy fabric yesterday. Other than it looking huge, well I am huge at the moment, I am pretty excited. I plan on pairing it with a black short sleeve shirt. I made the size 18 because my poor belly is still so big. : ( I think I will make the one in cord a size 14 for fall though. Something for me to aim to fit in. I think it is next on my list to sewn up! I plan on making Sarah a matching skirt as well. : )

[meleliza]

I miss those days! (And so does the hubs.;) ) Seriously though, Anna Maria Horners book has a really sweet nursing top/dress that I made and got a lot of wear from. I cut it up when I was done to reuse the scraps for another top similar in style but non- nursing. Fwiw, I don’t think you need to even consider working on the weight at a tender 8 weeks post partum. Besides, you’ll get plenty of exercise if its a boy. Somehow they require a lot more chasing. Did I ever mention that my oldest son crawled at 5months old? And I mean clear across the room full steam ahead too. Natural born athlete, that one.

[Tamara]

5months!? Wow! I was on the cusp of getting worried when my son at 17 months started walking! He was a bottom skidder and they tend to walk later but it didn’t stop him getting into things!

I managed to cut out three badminton skirts yesterday and I traced the 158cm size for Ottobre 301 basic t shirt, the fitted version. But that is all I did as the day was cut short due to having to pick my son up from school – gastro we think! It resulted in two trips to town!

So today with a poorly boy to check on once in a while, I may bring my machine inside and get started on the badminton skirts then go and cut out the t shirts ready for tomorrow.

When boys get sick they seem to drop like flies! But they are also masters at pretending too!

[Mama_Knowles]

Sounds just like my hubby!

[Sarvi]

We’ve had a coolish week and I’m returning again to the modified Sunday Brunch I’ve been working on .. we shall see how it goes …