[needlewoman]

Goodness, despite Christmas barely being over, you ladies are hard at it, again. So was I, today. Finished and delivered a Seashore Sundress for Miss 4 (5 on New Year’s Eve) which is her Xmas/birthday gift, and a pale pink old fashioned floral Music Class Blouse with short sleeves for Miss 6 1/2. While the SS was fit to be photographed, the blouse was still damp and wrinkled when collected. But I have asked for photos. I bought the fabric in Melbourne way back in April; blouse to go with a pinafore of dark brown with pink spots/pink ric rac to hopefully extend use of pinny. Tried the charcoal denim Clever Charlotte Starling dress on same child, and length is just enough, but sleeves need to be shortened another 1/2 inch or so. It does suit her colouring, though. I think she has grown, again!!

Traced off two Popovers tonight; a size 6, and size 8. Have to work on upgrading pattern to size 10 c/o Heidi’s handy link. Size 6 will be toffee apples on pink with red/white spots, and size 8 will be dark grey with dark yellow inch wide spots, and other yellows and greys for contrast. Size 10 is a lovely butterfly print with orange and blues for contrast. Size 8 and 10 need to be ready by early January when girls and their big brother come to spend a week with their grandparents in Adelaide.

Quite a few to dos – another Seashore dress (which I was surprised to discover is quite an easy sew), a couple of Badminton tops, dresses, and skorts, a Music Class skirt, and several Roller Skate dresses in baby sizes. So fingers crossed that January is not impossibly hot to work in.

ALL Christmas gifts, sewn and unsewn got to correct destinations on time, and were well received. Thank goodness. Such a lot of work for a very wide variety of ages; I calculated that I wrapped and posted over 40 gifts, and of course, others that were hand-delivered. I can remember when my Xmas list was less than 10 – but people will have babies, and then, they have babies etc. Nerve wracking but good fun. Thank goodness for O +S; reliable patterns that please parents, and enfants.

PS: On Christmas Eve, I bought some beautiful blue floral lawn to make myself some new summer nightdresses. 3 metres for approx $27 because 140cm wide will see me glamorously attired. Haven’t sewn lawn for yonks, any tips from the voile/lawn lovers out there?

[Masha Richart]

FInished the tunic – very happy with it, fit-wise, although I don’t love the fabric now that it’s all made up! The tan/black check is just not a good color combination for me. I will wear it with bright scarves, though 🙂

Next up, two skirts for the girls, a la Lazy Days but tiered, in gray corduroy with German woven ribbon with cherries on it. They will be Christmas gifts (as it’s not over for us, not quite yet).

Needlewoman, I find lawn very easy to sew – just finish the seam allowances well and be sure to use a delicate needle.

[needlewoman]

Thanks RTWG, I’ll make a note of that. I love grey with red. Why isn’t Christmas finished for you yet? Another Nordic feast day?

[Mama_Knowles]

Do you have pictures up yet rtwg?!?

[Tamara]

Ok, the next playtime dress/ tunic I make will have the buttons in the front! Imogen has decided she likes it this way instead.

No sewing today again, we are hop footing to town for supplies.

[Masha Richart]

Fiona, we are Orthodox Christians and observe the Julian calendar – Christmas falls on January 7 for us! So we are still in Advent. Sharon, I am wearing the tunic and will have my husband snap some photos in a few minutes before I head out to the store.

[needlewoman]

Ah of course, RTWG. I’m very used to my Greek and Russian Orthodox friends celebrating Easter at a different date to the Gregorian calendar. At the risk of sounding flippant, I would have appreciated a couple of extra weeks this Advent to make my preparations for Christmas less hectic – I’m still recovering! And still sewing Xmas gifts for little girls. Luckily, my friends are more tolerant of my efforts than I am about myself. I look forward to seeing pics of you, and of your little girl’s skirt. How’s the house going?

I can understand Imogen’s desire to have buttons in front; the Nana of Miss 3 commented on the various coloured buttons I sewed on the back of her Xmas Music Box; Miss 3 asked “where?”. LOL.

Did a little retrospective work today; shortening a Figgy’s Ofelia dress for a friend’s grandchild (nearly 3), and re cutting a Popover from a size 7 to a size 2 because I didn’t centre the fabric properly the first time around. So I refolded it to line the checks up correctly, and fitted a full length size 2 pattern on the new centre front/back. Another yoke, and bias straps, and voila. A dress for new parents to take back to the UK for their little girl to wear next summer (northern hemisphere). Nothing else done today except some tidying up in my sewing room.

[mcholley1]

Just placed a mood order for the silver dot brocade in a recent blog post here! Can’t wait to get started on a party dress for my girly!

[Tamara]

I’m going to sew today! Hooray! I have some table runners to finish before this new dining setting gets here so I can get onto them today and because I have gone and indulged in my kindle edition skinny quilts and table runners books, I am spoilt for choice of what to do next in that arena.

I do have to make some more short for the boy, this time to try the fly front out – we were still putting them on back to front and I am wondering if this has anything to do with getting them over his somewhat girly hips?! I need to measure him again. But I am disappointed that I couldn’t get any black drill at Spotlight yesterday as I wanted to get to sewing some school shorts now just in case we were caught short with time. Oh well, next trip I suppose and it will give me the time in between to practise the fly front as he needs everyday shorts as much as the school ones.

I did manage on my shopping trip, to pick up some new Lisette prints but I want to use them for selfish sewing.

So today is a completing/ finishing off projects kind of day but I am so glad I get to do anything in the sewing nook – I was having huge sewing withdrawal.

[with love Heidi]

I am now making a summer dressing gown for my husband! Another one of those projects that was asked for quite a while ago!

[Tamara]

Managed to sew the main part of the table runner together. Now I just need to sew on the border, baste, quilt and bind.

[Mama_Knowles]

oh mcholly! What a lovely dress that will be!

Today I am sewing a leopard printed corduroy Music class skirt for Sarah for New Yeats Eve. I going to make it Nicole style and add velvet ribbon atop the pockets. I going to pair it with her white long sleeve music class shirt and her dark pink cardigan. I also hope to get Caspian’s flannel sketchbook shirt and afterschool cord pants done too for New Years eve.

[Tamara]

Well it is New year’s Eve here already and well, no party here just the usual for us – quiet at home and watching fireworks in Sydney – on the telly.

I want to get on with completing this table runner I was working on yesterday and hopefully will have it up to binding stage so I can stitch the binding on tonight.

Happy new “ears” (as my little sister used to say) see you in 2014!

[Mama_Knowles]

Happy new Years Tamara and all you gals!!

[with love Heidi]

I finished the dressing gown yesterday, truly a “scrooge” project, I just eked it out of the fabric i had by adding some contrast! But it n done and very wearable.

I have pinned a Seashore sundress, Sunday Brunch Jacket and Tea Party diaper cover (that one was already traced) in size 6-12m in pin whale corduroy wit a lace overlay down the front of the dress and on the yoke of the jacket. Pure fun sewing 🙂