[Tamara]

I am up to the waistbands and cuffs of 4 of the 7 sketchbook shorts I cut out last week. This heat is slowing me down somewhat but I am determined to at least get this lot of 4 finished before lunchtime today. I have to repin the waistband to the linen pair as I didn’t realise I was sewing with an empty bobbin (golly gee!) – I blame it on the heat and my heat induced malfunction!!

The last two are needing a change of cotton and I was intending to cut and sew some school shorts to save time (if it can at all be saved). They may have to just be cut out and done after I do the other things on the priority list.

[meleliza]

I am frustratingly sewing the same blouse I’ve been working on since mid december with no luck. Am in need of a diversion.

[dare moi]

I’m sewing something for myself! Doing my first draft of the ‘Rooibos’ by Colette. Noice. I am leaving all the kids on wednesday for a holiday by myself, and REALLY want something to wear that is new & ALL MINE!

xoxx s

[Tamara]

That sounds so exciting. Hope you have a nice break.

I have been attempting to sew an enlarged version of the 2 + 2 skirt with not much luck due to number of pleats and miss 9’s measurements severely clashing. I have one pair of class picnic shorts, one ice cream top and one ice cream dress to sew but not much else. Hoping to at least finish that lot before Thursday.

[Nicole]

Teeny tiny Tea Party dresses-cluck cluck cluck and Lisette Portfolio tops while cooking copious amounts of food that disappears in seconds!

[sadies closet]

I finished a music class skirt the other day and cut out a picnic blouse and Sunday Brunch skirt last night. Looking for small easy projects. I have two pillow cases for the boys that I need to finish. I started exercising last week and if I stick to it, he, he, I want to make myself some new spring clothes. A little incentive. OH, when will those Christmas cookies and candy be gone?

[Tamara]

I’ve been hiding away sewing my heart out the last couple of days. I managed to finish an icecream top and icecream dress and have almost completed a Music box jumper view b all in size 12.

One pair of the new shorts made for N were worn backwards and ripped when exiting the trampoline! They are NOT mendable!!!!

My machines are going on an overnight trip shortly and we will be making the most of it in peace and quiet!!

[meleliza]

I am still sewing absolutely nothing and having a rotten day. Back to school for precisely one week and my middle one is sick again! Me and the baby will be next, then my oldest and round we’ll go until June I suppose. I’m so upset and frustrated with this constant illness I’m thinking of pulling my kids out of school altogether. Really I am. It doesn’t look like I’ll ever get to sew – or do anything else for that matter – until they’ve left for college. Sigh.

[sadies closet]

Sorry to hear about your sick child, meleliza. It does feel that way some times. My four seem to pass things around too, and we homeschool. Hang in there!

[meleliza]

Thank you.

[Nicole]

It is hard when you have a bigger then average family,you tend to ‘share’ colds. We rarely go the the doctor but someone always seems to have a sniffle.

I get very cross when friends say ‘You are always ill” and they have 1 or 2 children. Double that and add a few people and I am sure we average out.

This doesn’t help you get more sewing done,sorry Meleliza.

[beachmom]

Tamara, Sounds like you’ve been getting a lot accomplished. Sorry about the shorts, that had to be frustrating. K (my oldest) ripped out one of the knees in her new jeans she got for Christmas. I had to bite my tongue and walk away!lol I ended up darning the hole…it isn’t pretty but she can at least get some more wear out of them.

Melanie, I’m so sorry about the constantly sick kids. I have 4 and yes, it seems like we’re always passing something around. I hope no one else gets sick!

I finished a pair of Sandbox Pants yesterday and am working, or will be working on a hooded knit shirt to go with it tomorrow. I finally cut into my merino wool jersey that I’ve been reluctant to cut. Boy, was that hard!

[Mama_Knowles]

Oh I would ove to homeschool my kids!! My sister and I where and we loved it. I agree that my kids are always sick in public school too. I hope veryone is feeling better soon.

I just finished a daiper bag for my toddler’s dolls and a baby carrier from the LTTS book. I can’t beleive how much fun it was to sew together! These will be gifts for 2nd birhtday this next week.

Now onto some Tea Party dresses! I love on the beauitful dresses that Nicole has made and now I am iching to make some for Sweet pea for her birhtday. I will be making a trip to the fabric store tomorrow and they still have the Strawberry fields in! Yippy!!

[meleliza]

Thanks, Nicole. I’ve been talking to a lot of people and it seems that having kids in two different schools this year (K and preK) contributes. I guess it is a big family problem I was an only and I didn’t go to daycare in my early years, so I’m really unfamiliar with this. I don’t actually mind caring for the sick kiddies, after all, it’s part of my job. The biggest thing is that I’m the kind who gets sick pretty easily and so I get just about everything they bring home. And I simply can’t get my job done I’ve been so sick this year. I’m asking people about homeschooling but also about nutritionists and alternative health care. I don’t know what the answer is, but I know that I can’t go on like this for years!

Anyway, enough. This is about sewing! I managed to get to Joann last night to see the new Lisette fabrics. I’m impressed with the quality of the substrates and found a few prints that appeal to me. I’m planning another Playdate dress so I can show you how I finish the neck. I just can’t make up my mind what fabric to use.

Melanie

[Tamara]

Alot accomplished could be the term – I am feeling rather industrious at the moment but there have been a few spanners thrown in to delay a few things.

I had to go all the way down to Perth to collect my sister in law and niece and I realised when I got home last night that I left one of my fabric parcels (I picked up from the post office on the way) behind at my parents’ place. That was sort of needed as I have a half cut out seashore dress waiting for the additional fabric so that it can be completed!

The other spanner concerns the relatives – they were supposed to come earlier in the month but one thing has led to another and with their own little life stresses haven’t managed to come until now.

In the meantime, I was supposed to be babysitting said parent’s puppies and because of the delayed visit they have ended up in the kennel (surely much to their disgust) only because one of them gets travel sickness (yes apparently it happens with animals also)and so m&d weren’t comfortable with them coming up to the farm. This in turn has cut our city vacation short and hence with relatives visiting and the horrible task ahead of packing away beloved late mother in law’s things, the sewing machines will have to sit quietly until I get a chance to get to them again.

So yes the sewing has been rather bull at a gate but only because I knew I had all these things I wanted to make and not a lot of time to complete them in. And then I have to start on school uniforms – but that will be for the vacation I think.

The overnighter bonding session didn’t happen in the end. I had all these crazy plans to cut out patterns and school skirts and shorts but it never eventuated. Nevermind I did something fun and got to meet the newest member of my family for the first time so it was still fun.

Meleliza, I hope your kids can build a resistance to the lurgys that tend to rotate around schools these days. I feel your pain – it’s good to have other sympathise with you. I only have two and my kids have been off quite a bit this last year – so much so that I got a letter from the school asking why miss 9’s attendance was so low. Trust me if there was a way to keep them from getting ill, I’d share it with every mum I know – and I thought my children were quite healthy!

All I can suggest is making sure they get their sleep and nutritional needs covered and if possible boost them with a multi vitamin. My kids get really tired (because of very early starts and late finishes) and when they do, down they go. So I can relate to what you are going through.

My 13 year old niece wants me to teach her how to sew whilst she’s here so that will most likely be my sewing task for the next few days. Hopefully we can use the class picnic pattern or something to make some shorts – something easy anyhow. She’s so small so I’m hoping she will fit the 12. If not we can fall back on other patterns. I could even get her to help me do the current projects waiting their turn but I think she may enjoy it better if it was for her – not only that miss 9 might be a bit put out. We shall see what happens.