Dolly Drive

Nope, I'm not talking about the magazine I spent hundreds of hours flicking through in the 80's, I'm actually talking about REAL dollies!  Am I going bonkers?  No!  Although I very well may just do that now that I have committed myself to making a doll/softie.....

The lovely gals over at The Sewing Library (I know, I know - I'm a sewing geek!) have organised a fabulous Dolly Drive, and their aim is to provide Australian Children's hospitals with 1000 dolls and softies to donate to sick kiddies.  Fabulous yes??  They have teamed up with the amazing Sarah from Dolls and Daydreams, who just happens to design amazing little dollies and sells the patterns.  BUT, upon further investigation today (yep, I'm a bit late to the party) I've discovered Sarah also has a blog called Dolly Donations.  It's a fabulous blog with lots of great stories of dolly drives throughout the world!  And last Friday she wrote a post about our Aussie drive.

There are many, many amazing doll makers out in the world, and my kids are very lucky to own a few themselves, which is great, because I have never had the urge to make one......until now.  I have just purchased this gorgeous Nesting Dolls pattern, because quite frankly - the idea of sewing and stuffing little limbs makes me extremely nervous!  If my attempt at softie making is successful, then I shall make a couple to contribute to the cause.  And if it's a big fat fail - I will still contemplate sending it off (with an apology letter !) because the dolly drive is not about perfection, it's about chipping in for charity!

If you would like to join in the drive (1000 dolls/softies by the 1st of March!) please pop on over to the TSL Dolly Drive 2013 page and get stuck in!  I will be sure to keep you all posted on my progress or lack thereof with this little project!  I'm thinking Ms Chelsea may even like to join in the fun!

Chinky Pixie - A quick & easy book week costume!

Like a million other children this month, my kids have celebrated "book week" by wearing costumes to school today, dressed up as their favourite book character.  The kids have known about this event for quite some weeks.  And admittedly - so have I.  Cadyn decided from the day he knew, that he would be going as Specky Magee, basically because he is not a fan of getting dressed up, God forbid he would draw any attention to himself!  So, his costume was easy - his football gear already sitting in his wardrobe.  Chelsea, on the other hand, could not decide whom her favourite character was, because she reads so many bloody books it's almost impossible.  BUT, Sunday afternoon she decided on Chinky the Pixie - from The Magic Wishing Chair book, by Enid Blyton.

Let me paint a picture for you......  It's 2pm Sunday afternoon.  We begin googling images of Chinky.  By 2.15pm I'm admitting defeat, and telling Chelsea she will have to find something else, because there's no way I'm going to have time to sort a bloody pixie outfit!  Come 3pm and I've got some ideas from my sewing group on FB, and I'm in the car on the way to the shops.  Half an hour later I'm home with supplies and making a bloody pixie outfit.  I thought I would share, basically because it had me stumped for a bit until my brain warmed up!  So here it is......A quick and easy book week costume.

MATERIALS USED - 1.5metres Homespun Cotton $9.00; 50cm felt $6.00; Tights on sale $1!  Cotton, pencil, pins, scissors, sewing machine!

1. Grab a good shorts pattern.  The one I use is actually the bottom half of the Bailey Romper pattern, and it is THE easiest shorts pattern EVER.  You can purchase the pattern HERE.  

2. The PDF pattern goes up to a size 5, I have upsized it to a size 7, as shown in this photo, but given that Chelsea is a size 8-9, I upsized it a little bit more!  You can see my post about upsizing HERE.

3. To change your shorts from regular to Pixie style, just draw some jagged lines at the bottom and add a little length if needed.

4. If you have pinking shears (jagged edged scissors) cut your edges as shown above.  This will lessen any fraying.  I made the edges uneven on purpose!

5.  Two pattern pieces required now done.

6.  I was directed to THIS FREE PDF for a pixie/elf hat.  It's super simple!  I used felt for the hat as it has a little more stiffness/body than the homespun cotton.

7.  The PDF is for a toddler size hat, so once again I upsized it a bit more to fit Chelsea's head.

8.  Cut out hat pieces.  Then just a matter of sewing all around the edges, trim the curves and turn right side out.  Then hem the bottom.  

9.  Done!

10.  Shorts all sewn up!

11.  For the top I used another PDF pattern, this time it's the  Whimsy Couture Easy Peasant Top, which you can get HERE.  This takes very little time to whip up!  

12.  Instead of hemming the bottom and sleeves, I got out the pinking shears again and did the same jagged effect.

The End Result!  And yes - I know there's now a red hat - further googling yesterday found that Chinky in fact wears a red hat, so thankfully my good Mother had some red felt and I was sewing that at 9pm last night!  Phew!

One very happy Pixie!

Chelsea was very happy to report this afternoon there were NO other pixies at school today!  

Do your kids have dress ups for Book Week?  Are you a last minute costume gatherer, or far more organised than me??

The Fun Police Free Weekend

I've come to the conclusion just recently that I am, in fact, the Fun Police.  Thou shalt not have silly, crazy fun - for thou may just annoy me and not allow me to do what I want.  Well, the fun police left this house Saturday morning - at precisely the same time my darling husband departed for two days away, and I was left holding the babies.  I wanted to prove to my kidlets that I CAN in fact be lots of fun, and not the uptight, stressed out, do-your-own-thing-without-annoying-me kind of Mum.

This is how I did it......

I worded the kids up - got them intrigued as to how Mum was going to keep them amused all weekend.  I asked them Friday night what they wanted for dinner Saturday?  Nachos was the vote.  Also asked what the breakfast request was for Sunday - pancakes and raisin toast.  Not a problem.  Successful trip to the supermarket that evening.

Saturday morning began bright and early with our first game of basketball at 9.15am.  Successfully got out the door with no issues.  Check.  I then bribed them with hot chips before the second game - WHICH I WAS COACHING!  Please note: I have NEVER coached a game of anything in my life - so was rather nervous.  Andrew is coach extraordinaire, so I had a bit to live up to.  Lucky for me we were playing the bottom team.  Lucky for me the five girls I was coaching knew what they were doing and all actually listened to what I did actually have to say to them.  WIN WIN!!!  19-4 Victors!

From that little victory we moved forward to more.  Hot dogs for lunch!  Can you see a little theme developing??  Thank the Lord above for sunshine!!  It meant they went outside for a while.  Well, half an hour.  I didn't complain.  Whilst I set to finishing a few sewing orders, they all found something quiet to do - in between asking for snacks - which I said yes to.  Every. single. time.  We searched iTunes for a movie to rent, but then realised we had one iq'd on foxtel.  Movie promised for after dinner.  Next thing I knew - NACHOS!  Discussion had over nachos that the football wouldn't be finished until 7.30pm, which meant it would be too late for a movie.  They all agreed!!!  WTF???

Nom nom nom

 Chloe retired to her kids channels, whilst Cadyn, Chelsea and I sat and watched the second half of the footy.  It was a super game and we were all cheering, screaming and holding our breath as we watched the Hawks beat the Swans!  It was a really nice hour.

Bedtime.  Phew.

I sat up until midnight.  Sewing.  As you do.  Clearly.

7.15am.  Sunlight.  Wide awake.  WTF???

Chloe joined me not long after and after a few quiet games of wordsearch on my phone, the other two were hassling me for pancakes.  Let me be clear on something - I am a cereal girl.  In fact, I would be what is commonly known as a "creature of habit".  That is, I eat the same cereal every.single.day.  And I eat it as soon as my feet hit the kitchen floor.  So cooking pancakes before I have eaten anything is not my idea of waking up wonderfully.  But I sucked it up.  We shook the shit out of that pancake mix (yes, I took the lazy way out) and smoked up the kitchen as we cooked up a storm.  A bench covered in lemon juice and sugar, mixed with happy children IS in fact rather wonderful.  I even skipped the cereal.

Nom nom nom - again.

And the rest of the day?  Well, I spent my time washing and cutting my little dog's hair (no more rasta poodle), dry wretching whilst emptying the cat litter (Andrew will not be forgiven for leaving that SHIT to me), listening to Cadyn and Chloe playing like maniacs and pulling all the blankets and pillows off the beds to make some sort of play equipment.  There was more time spent out in the sunshine and trawling the internet with Chelsea to find what on earth she would be wearing to Book Week dress up day on TUESDAY.  

The cause of my heaving.....Just when you think it's all gone - you're left with this foulness.

Her choice?  The pixie from The Magic Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton.  Of course.  This was at 2pm.  By 3.00pm I had received some ideas and links from my little FB sewing group and found myself driving to Lincraft.  Home by 3.30pm with a bunch of green fabrics and tights.  Impressed to say that by 5pm we had that bitch of a costume done and dusted.  Yeh.  Oh, and thanks to that same Lord above (or whoever it is) for my non-costume-loving son, who has decided he will go as Specky Magee!  Easy.

Leftover spag bog was all that was left of our bribery-through-food weekend.  Oh, and Alvin & The Chipmunks, just to top it all off!

I asked the kids at the dinner table if they'd had a good weekend?

They said Yes.

Which makes me a very happy Mummy.  I'd like to say that the Fun Police have been banished, but I would be fooling myself (and everyone else).  I'm trying to come to grips with the kind of Mum I am.  Although I may not be what I would consider a fun-lovin, easy-going kind of Mum.  I still think I'm a good one.  And it seems my kids do too.  Amen.

Did you all have a good weekend?  Do the Fun Police have a place in your home??  Two hours until Andrew gets home!!!

Sexy Sewing

Just a quick post this afternoon between eating chocolate freckles (everyone loves them yeh?), swigging Pepsi Max (they did not sponsor this post unfortunately, I'm just addicted), squishing orders into postal satchels and getting quotes for renovations!!  Here's some useful information for you......

Sexy huh?

The lovely Renee over at The Sewing Library is celebrating their First Birthday!  She has an amazing prize on offer - and it makes sewing look pretty damn sexy!  Great opportunity for everyone (well except me, because I am one of the sponsors of said sexy prize, now I know how Karl and Lisa feel when they can't enter Today Show comps!) who loves sewing, would love to sew, or knows someone who sews to win a beautiful machine!  Pop over there and let Renee know I sent you!


Who knew carpet was so freakin expensive??  I mean really.....it's just big rugs on floors yeh?  Seems I am taking a master class in "how not to get ripped off by big companies" during the infant stages of our renovating.  Today was the 3rd hour spent sitting around whilst a strange man wandered around with his measuring tape.  Let's hope the quotes get cheaper - please.....


I keep looking at the rather large amount of "stuff" we have, everywhere, and wonder how I am possibly going to get it all packed and moved?  Remedied some of the problem by emptying out our garage of all the useless shit we have been holding on to "just in case" on the weekend.  Hard rubbish collection has perfect timing this time round.  Seems our crap must be really, really crappy this time round.  Apart from a few random items, it's all still on the nature strip.  Unheard of in this suburb!  Some people must roam from area to area, trailer hooked on, picking through others crap in the hope of finding good crap to transfer to their own crappy garage?  Noice.


I've sort of, kind of, maybe decided that the kids will be changing schools next year.  Our moving date will be some time in July, so I will have at least half a year of travelling to their current school.  Yes, it may only be ten minutes each way, but given we have only had to walk 300 metres to school for the past five years, I'm guessing I will be over it by year's end?  I have a school in mind, and they just happen to be holding their open night later this month.  I'm already bribing Chelsea with the news that they have piano lessons during school hours!  Bribery 101 will be my best friend in the coming months.....


Bella the kitten has made herself well and truly at home.  She now flies from one piece of furniture to another, and scares the absolute bejeezus out of everyone at some stage during each day.  Found her on top of the printer this morning after hearing it turn on.  Printer lives on top of three filing cabinets.  Still trying to work out the logistics of how she ended there....


That's it.  Must go and look productive.  Husband just pulled in the driveway!

WOODLAND COLLECTION - Market Night!

Yep - I decided I would cause myself some much needed hard work on the sewing front and hold my second Market Night over at Ms Midge!  I thought I would be very smart and give myself four weeks to get my act together and put enough time in to have a whole collection - but as always my timing is impeccable!  Those four fantastic long weeks just happened to coincide with two weeks of school holidays - fab.  Needless to say, I have been working against the calendar to get it all together!  

Anyway.....here are some of the gorgeous outfits available on THURSDAY night - the 26th of April.  8.30pm Melbourne time - be there or be square!

You can find the whole Woodland Collection HERE.

In other sewing news, I have made items for a couple of other events happening this week....

Little Pink Tea Party's 1st Birthday Showcase

Handmade Love Showcase - This is only ONE of the entries there!

And I still have to work on some goodies for The Sewing Library's 1st Birthday celebrations!!!  Man - a hell of a lot of celebrating going on this week!  Phew!

So - what do you think?  You like??

A Fabulous New Blog!

Good evening!  You may (or may not) have noticed I have a lovely and shiny new Button over there to the right >>>>>>>>>>>  This button connects you to the delightful Renee and The Sewing Library!  And if you don't know what The Sewing Library is - please pop over and have a look at their fabulous new Blog!  Renee's first post explains how the library came about and links you up to all the wonderful Facebook Groups she has been inspired to make.  I can't believe that a year ago, I had no idea what they were!  Now, I pop in daily to see what everyone is up to, and also pop in for advice, sewing tips and sometimes a very good giggle.  Renee is running a really great GIVEAWAY on the blog - so if you love sewing and would be interested in learning some great lessons - pop over and enter!

That's it for me tonight - I'm completely spent after a full weekend of work!  I hope you've all had a lovely weekend, and I'll be back tomorrow with more to say no doubt! xx