[with love Heidi]

I was out last night and saw a skirt on lady in a trendy pub and thought “is that an adults music class skirt!?!” Well not exactly but it definitely had the side pleats at the bottom on one side. Now off to trace and make one for my 14 year old niece! Only 4 pattern pieces!

[Tamara]

One “Stink moody” costume almost complete – khaki field trip cargos already cut out and a striped Ottobre 301 I had lying around. I also made another Ottobre 301 t shirt in black this time to act as part of an EJ12 girl hero costume. I have been relieved of black cargo sewing duties for now – phew!

[with love Heidi]

Those costumes are sounding great! The Harry Potter robes I made at Christmas are getting used for book week here.

I have just finished my first music class skirt in mint green/pale aqua drill, what a satisfying pattern to sew. I just need a waist measurement so I can do the elastic.

[needlewoman]

I can only concur with Heidi: all the efforts described in the last few entries sound great. So pleased you are getting to use those marvellous HP cloaks again, H. I remember when you were working constantly on those.

The neon apron sounds wonderful, H, and I so approve of making something up from fabric to stash bust it, Ellen. It’s so annoying to find a sweet piece is no longer enuf to work with! I can relate to matching the fabric pattern; spent a lot of time this am. matching cars/checks in the 2+2 skirt I’m making. The Kokka cotton/linen handles beautifully, and my pleat maths is working well. The end result should have lots of twirl. Made more progress on last 2+2 blouse but since it’s navy, too hard to actually machine sew tonight. Weather has been absolutely putrid here today – lashing rain, and cold!! Unfortunately, week ahead forecast to be similarly wet. Don’t mind the cold but the rain is a pest to trail around in. Good sewing weather tho.

[Tamara]

If you could only divert the traffic of precipitation to the midwest Fiona…. Hopefully they will downgrade the temps and upgrade the chance of rain and amount for the weekend because I want perfect sewing weather too!

Finished the costumes with the help of a printed “logo” stuck on thanks to my hidden sticky tape. I just have to stick stuff in N’s hair to make it stick up and assure him it won’t hurt!

Hoping to get some quilting done on the little quilt top I put together on Saturday, today whilst filling in time inbetween the parade, woodwork and school finishing for the day.

[with love Heidi]

Just finished my third Hopscotch of the three I set myself to make. It is colour blocked to use up what I had left of those colours in the stash. 🙂 It is reminding me of a hopscotch combined with the book report dress as it has a contrasting drop waist skirt and cuffs!

[Tamara]

Oh yes! A colour blocked dress… knit fabrics here we come! I think I will put this on the list to make for open night at school.

I was home alone today and did some sewing! Yay! The little quilt (the top that took 2 hours to construct) is now half quilted.

[with love Heidi]

I have just made miles of double fold bias binding for a messenger bag for Mum’s birthday. Skype is so great because she was able to choose her fabrics, out of my stash, from the other side of the country!

[Tamara]

Wow! You sound like you have got lots on the go.

I plan to bury myself in finishing this small quilt tomorrow. It’ll be a better alternative to drown the sorrows than the traditional method.

[Masha Richart]

You’re a machine, Heidi!

I’m plugging along on a modified Family Reunion for older daughter. I made it out of a lovely burgundy/white chambray that I found in the $3 section of G Street Fabrics back in Washington.. It has 3/4 sleeves and a Peter Pan collar in place of the facing. When I drafted the collar, though, I neglected to take into account the folded plackets in the back, so my collar overlapped. I considered leaving it that way, but ended up ripping out a few inches of stitches in the collar and binding the attached it to the dress, then turning the end of the collar back inside out and cutting and resewing it. It was quite fiddly but worked ok. Still have sleeve hemming, hem facing and buttons/holes to do. Then to decide whether to do buttons in the front or leave it plain.

[Tamara]

I managed an hour of quilting today and finished the “aqua bits” of the little quilt. I did a bit of unpicking as the stitching was a bit off in some areas but it went well all in all. I will endeavour to finish the main part tomorrow and (hopefully after a very good night of sleep) I will be able to actually complete it.

On the weekend I would like to pleat up a dress using some special city weekend fabric and do some smocking as well as a few other things that are small-ish projects like an ironing board cover (because I need to replace the one I have and this will go in the patchwork section) and some potholders (it speaks for itself).

I intend to spend the majority of next week pulling long hours at the machine – or maybe become a machine like Heidi!

[Masha Richart]

Finished the dress last night, hooray! It turned out exactly the way I imagined so I’m happy, even if I did have to resew each of those darn pintucks three times (and they’re still not perfect). I got a shipment of fabric, patterns and serger thread in the mail last night, too – hooray! Included were a Kwik-Sew pattern for a toddler flannel nightgown and six yards of Valori Wells flannel to make three nightgowns, one for each daughter and also for my niece. I was pleasantly surprised at the Kwik Sew pattern – the paper is nice hardy paper like those in the O+S patterns. Also got a pattern to make baby a few fleece sleepsacks for winter. I’m packing today for our trip but if I get a change I’ll cut out those nightgowns to sew on my return.

[with love Heidi]

Yay for exciting packages!

I am sewing up 4 drawstring bags from Ltts to use instead of gift wrap and got some Winnie The Pooh to line the messenger bag with.

[Tamara]

Sleep sacks are marvellous for cold weather – I used rather expensive ones when my kids were little but they were so worth it.

I love Winnie the Pooh too! Love how these classic characters are now printed on fabric for us to enjoy further. It makes sewing so much fun.

I have finished the main design of the little quilt and will got on with the white part this evening. The aim is to complete the quilting and have the binding on so I can stitch that down during the week.

[needlewoman]

The 6 patterns I ordered in the O+S at the end of July finally arrived yesterday – yesssss! I think the reason that Nicole’s guinea pig has to work so hard to get the Internet, and Flickr going for her is that he has been taking time out to row my order across the Pacific – it certainly took some time to get here but worth the wait. Ive been a devotee of Winnie the Pooh et al since childhood but only the EH Shepherd illustrations will do – not the Disney variety (although, I must confess to a sneaking liking for D’s Tigger). So pleased you have new patterns/fabrics to look fwd to working with RTWG; it’s what keeps us sewists going, isn’t it when our other lives are tiresome and tiring?

Loved the pics of your quilt blocks on Flickr, J – good luck with the rest of it.