All Wrapped Up!

Monday is usually a work day for me, but I took today off in order to get myself to a chiropractor.  I've had a very bad headache/migraine for eight days now, and really was getting quite sick of myself!  So after being cracked, poked and prodded, I got out a free tutorial I saw recently and tackled it (whilst watching the Oscars - ssshhhhhh!).

 

Isn't it gorgeous!?!  Jess from Craftiness is Not Optional provides a free pattern for a reversible wrap top.  I have changed it up a little here and there and I have up-sized it using the same steps I shared in my tutorial HERE.  This is a size six.  Jess's tutorial is really easy to follow!

 

I just love this Amy Butler print!  The little yellow flower print co-ordinates beautifully!

 

Miss Chloe was VERY happy when she got home from school and discovered she had a new addition to her wardrobe......

And even more delighted when I pointed out she really had TWO new tops!

Now, what can I make next???

What Annoys Me

Each morning, I pour myself a bowl of cereal and come upstairs to check emails and the interwebs.  This morning, I read a blog post from Mia Freedman, over at MamaMia.  And I sat here nodding in agreement, and shaking my head at the poor journalistic efforts of some knob called Joe Aston??  To put it in a nutshell, Mia said "My kids can call me Mummy.  Anyone else who uses it is being a dick."  And further "Using the term "mummy" as a patronising prefix to describe the things women read, write or say is becoming increasingly common.  Mummy blogs, Mummy porn, Mummy wars......they're all condescending put-downs and it's time we killed them off."  Perfectly said Mia!

Do you want to know what gets ME annoyed?  I brought it up in a little handmade business group I'm involved with, when someone asked what bugs others in regards to Facebook pages.  

I really don't like the term "Mummy" or "Mumma" when it comes to describing an item for sale, or when referring to one's customers or followers on a Facebook page.  

There.  I've said it.  It has always made me cringe a little, which some people don't understand.  So this is why....

Although I make clothing for children, and now, quilts for children too, I have always been very careful not to label my customers.  As much as I know that the majority of said customers are women and a vast majority of them, Mothers - I also know that I have many customers who are Aunts, Uncles, Dads and Grandparents.  I would never want to A. possibly offend someone who either isn't or can't be a Mum and B. Narrow my market, ie. labelling an adult's garment as a "Mumma Skirt" could turn away possible customers, or referring to your customers in your posts as "Mummas" could potentially kill off sales to women OR men who like your handiwork but are put off because of such terminology.

My point is that regardless of whether you are a WAHM or not, you have a wide audience and possible customer base, including Men.  So by addressing your likers as "Mummas" and only Mummas, you are narrowing your reach.  Yes, I am a mother to four kids, but I am by no definition only a Mother.  I am a woman.  So in my very humble opinion, garments and goods made for women should be labelled as being made for women - not only Mummas.

The lovely ladies in the before mentioned group and I had a great discussion about why such a thing would shit me to tears.  And thankfully it was all taken exactly the way I had intended.  To make people think about the labels and terminology they are using when marketing themselves or their goods to others.

So - what's annoying you?

** Disclaimer - I am in no way, shape or form some kind of marketing genius.  I'm just a woman, who happens to be a mother, who happens to have a somewhat successful little handmade business.

Day 2 Challenge....Amongst other things

When I decided yesterday to jump in the deep end and take part in the Kids Clothes Week Challenge, I really had no idea it would take me to such a place of frustration!  Yesterday, day one, piece of p*ss!  I tackled the Scooby Doo pj's with a flurry of excitement!  I decided not only to make them for my son, but for the two girls too, and am putting them away for Christmas.  So I finished the shorts of the pj's and will do the tops another day....

Apologies for the crappy photo!  It's almost 10pm and I couldn't be fagged finding my camera.....

I will also say that along with these three pairs of pj pants, was another five!  I had orders for Scooby pj's, so they got done in the line up too!   Psst......If you would like to order some for your own kids, there's still plenty of fabric available and the pj sets I make are HERE!

So in the excitement of getting Day One's project done, I decided last night to tackle a new pattern, that I could just whip together today.......fail.  I printed off the pattern and spent the following hour scratching my head trying to figure out how the hell it all went together....and eventually gave up and went to bed.  Cue 1pm today, when I got it out again and was determined to wrap my head around it.  Approximately one hour later I literally said to myself "I'm just going to wing it and see if it turns out"!  This is how far I've gotten....

SO far - SO good!  It's a new playsuit/romper pattern, and upon trying it on Chloe - it seems to be working!  Hooray!  I'll be finishing this baby off tomorrow.  It's a Christmas present for my gorgeous little niece.  What do you think so far??


In other Breaking News -

Me thinks these carrots are past their best by date?

I decided whilst watching X Factor last night that I need to grow my hair.  And given that my hairdresser appointment is next week, I paused and captured Nat's hair......that top pic shows she DOES indeed think!!!!

I've had a lovely day, with a couple of good news stories - but nothing I can share right now!  Let's just say things are looking up in the world!

Do your kids know who Scooby Doo is?  Do you take photos of hairstyles you like to take to your hairdresser?  Or am I strange??

Another Manic Monday - with a Challenge

Good afternoon!  What a fantabulous day I've had so far - here's a run-through......

Woke up feeling like the massive gross knot that had been in my throat for a few days had finally left - hooray!

Found Chelsea and Cadyn were downstairs already in their school uniforms - hi-fived myself upon realisation that the two weeks of school holidays had ceased!!  Woohoo!

Rounded them up and took them to school very happily.  Not so happy to get to Cadyn's bag hook and find several piles of crap that had been left there for TWO WEEKS.  Including a bag of sopping wet swimming clothes from the last day of school (just savour the thought of that smell), a random pink jumper from their "pink day" AND the piece de resistance (said with French accent) - THIS:

Mmmmmm......nothing like cheese and crackers with a good dose of penicillin......this beats the wet clothes smell.

Dropped Chloe's kindergarten forms in and worded up the kinda teacher that I NEEDED the two longer sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays due to work - she seemed lovely enough, and will hopefully remember my cheerful disposition when allocating Chloe's kinda sessions next year!

Swimming - same, same.

Took seven of the ten smoke detectors I bought from Masters back for a refund.  Yep, I was kind of cajoled by a salesman that we NEEDED to have a smoke detector in every single room of our house.  Andrew did not concur.  Refund done.

Rang the concrete dude and confirmed we would be getting our new driveway ASAP! Yippee!  No more freakin mud being trawled through the house.

Remembered to email the basketball club about a uniform for Cadyn.  Figuring he can't really play naked next season?  Although it would be amusing....

Remembered to cut off the electricity at the old house.  Yep, it's been left on whilst they were selling it. But now it's SOLD.  Got grumpy at the guy on the other end of the phone who told me I would be charged $43 just for some sod to read the farking meter.  Greedy.  

And this was all done and dusted by midday!

Now I'm off to my sewing room.  FINALLY Cadyn has asked me to make him something.  Well, I lie, a year or so ago he asked me to make him some shorts, which I did. And he refused to wear them.  Couldn't give me a reason, just wouldn't.  So I sold them.  Win win.  This time round, he's claimed some Scooby Doo fabric I bought a shit load of, and wants pj's.  So, I'm joining in a bit of a challenge over at Elsie Marley - KIDS CLOTHES WEEK CHALLENGE.  Pj's today, who knows what else I'm going to get made over the coming week?

How's your day going?  Do you sew for your kids - and do they wear what you sew??

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??

Sewing in a Shoebox

Today marks a momentous occasion!  The first time I have ever sewn in the new house......and the newly named - Shoebox.

Picture this - I want to set up my sewing machines.  But in order to do so, I have to take boxes of fabric out that I don't have enough shelving for.  I don't have enough shelving because I have a sewing cabinet in above mentioned shoebox.  I now need to sell the sewing cabinet in order to make room for new shelving, which will then be filled up with the fabric that is now living in the space under the staircase!  Phew.

So, I basically did all of the above before I could even contemplate printing out the new pattern I had downloaded the other day.  I had Chloe home sick with me today, and really wanted to make her something special to wear on her birthday - which is this coming Sunday!  After clearing all the crap out of the way, I discovered my overlocker needed re-threading.  FARK!!!  Those of you who have overlocker's will understand my frustration.  Got it done though......I was on a mission.  I asked Chloe which fabric she would like for her new dress and her response was "Surprise Me!"  So cute...

I sifted through the few organised collections of fabric already neatly popped into the shelves, and found some gorgeous prints!  Although, they weren't purple - and I wasn't sure if it would pass her approval.

Needless to say, I cut out the fabric (on the dining table, because I have no room in the shoebox) and read through the instructions on the iPad (because I have no room for the computer in the shoebox).  And start sewing!  Only had a few hiccups - iPad was quickly running out of charge, and I had to set it up with the charger dodgy brothers style to keep up!  Chloe kept coming in to try and play whilst I was sewing - which used to be ok - but not in the shoebox!!

Anyway - a few hours later - this is the result!

I am extremely pleased with myself!  I have never used a pattern with a placket before (didn't even know what one was actually - it's the part at the back that forms the opening!).  I've also never done such detailed pleating......

PINS ANYONE????

My cheeky little monkey was very pleased indeed with her new party dress!  Although not so pleased she has to wait until Sunday to wear it!

Conclusion to the story - You CAN sew in a shoebox!  If you want to give this pattern a go - head over to PATTERNS ONLY and let the girls there know I sent you!  They are lovely!

Do you sew?  In a shoebox?

Reality Cheque and Other Random Crap

Reality is hitting here.  We REALLY have bought a house.  Shit.  We have a mortgage.  Shit.  Don't mistake my cursing for regret - I am VERY excited.  But I am also VERY scared!  Yesterday I posted a very big pile of papers off to the conveyancer, after signing my life away - a million times.  Enclosed was also a VERY hefty cheque - for stamp duty - BOOOOO!  And today, two VERY big envelopes arrived from the bank.  More signing required it seems.

Today's school newsletter announced that I am retiring from the uniform shop!  Made me laugh.  Also received a letter from the kid's new school welcoming them.  Reality...again.

I have started doing what I do best.......shopping.  I made a very quick one hour trip to Spotlight on Monday, I only needed one metre of fabric.  I ended up in the homewares section and came home with half a dozen cushions, bath mats and curtains.  Whoops.

I also purchased some amazing fabric online last week, (on sale - thanks to The Intrepid Thread) as I am planning how to decorate the girl's bedrooms.  Andrew has suggested perhaps I have been watching too many episodes of "The Block"?  I haven't given him the real story - I've been spending too much time on Pinterest.  God I love that search button and the gasp of air that leaves me as I have a whole screen full of divine decorating ideas in the specified colours!  Bless the creators of Pinterest....

The other thing I have found myself doing, much more often than I used to, is taking photos of random things of interest.  If I find it somewhat amusing/disturbing or just plain wrong, I whip out my iPhone and file it away for future reference.  And You are the lucky ones that get to share them with me!

This text message came through last week in relation to my eldest son's basketball game.  I pee'd my pants laughing at the voicemail's text version of events.  Mostly because the club he is playing for is sometimes lovingly referred to as "Bosnia" instead of its correct suburban name.  Trailer Park Jets seemed quite fitting.....

I was strolling through Target yesterday and was deeply distressed by the sight of these revolting jumpers.  Not only are they in bizarre colours and prints, they are also knitted AND in the "groovy" section of the menswear department.  As I stood readying myself to capture this image, I was even more disturbed that a middle aged woman stopped to lovingly feel them and consider purchasing.  Shame.

Up until a couple of years ago, when Masterchef hit our screens, I had no idea what an actual proper macaroon was.  All I recalled were the coconut macaroon biscuits that were in The Woman's Weekly recipe books of the 80's.  It seems they're all the rage these days?  I took Ms Chloe for morning tea at the shops today and had my first ever macaroon.  Mine was the Lemon Tart version on the right.  Chloe's was the ghastly BubbleGum on the left.  I wasn't overly thrilled.  I need a chef.

This little beauty is the latest creation at Ms Midge.  I did a pattern review for The Oz Material Girls, which you can find HERE.  They are the prettiest ruffle skirts ever!

Finally - I am off to the Gold Coast in precisely EIGHT MORE SLEEPS!  Not that I'm counting.  I will be gone for three whole nights - CHILD FREE!  Not that I'm excited.  I will be spending the entire time with lifelong friends, and will be going to our 25 year primary school reunion!  I am so very excited but have one very big concern

WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO WEAR????
HELP

Help required!

I wouldn't normally throw it out there like this.....but I truly cannot decide which fabric range to purchase next!  It will be used for my February collection of dresses and outfits.  So, I'm going to leave it open to you - my lovely customers!  Votes shall be tallied over the next couple of days, and one of the "voters" will receive a little somethin somethin for their efforts!  So - go on - Vote!

Option Number One - sigh....

Option Number Two - Something different for me, but maybe not so different for everyone else!

Option Number Three - A bit geometrical and floral!

Option Number Four - amazing colours together.....

Well, there are your options!  Please comment on this blog post to be included in my little gift giveaway!  Ps. Thanks in advance to Jewel for the use of her photos (sorry I haven't asked you!!!)

What lengths would you go to.....

.....To get a brand of clothing?  Really, this is a serious question.  I ask this because I have just read on the page of an extremely popular brand of little girl's clothing, that "fans" of this brand will go as far as paying for flights from interstate, to attend a market, in the hope of picking up these items!  And I'm shocked.

I am guessing that this now confirms that I am not a "brand snob"?  I have never been overly worried about where I have bought my clothes from, nor my children's.  It still irks me, even after ten years of being together, that my husband prefers to wear branded clothing - whether it be sports socks or t-shirts.  And what is irking me even more, is that I now have a teenage boy who is becoming more and more aware of the so-called "importance" of wearing or owning branded items.  Don't get me wrong - I understand the pressure kids are under to feel like they fit in, and are not looked upon as "dorks" lol.  So we were lucky to go to a huge warehouse sale for a surf/skate brand earlier this year, where we got almost $1500 worth of clothing etc for the whole family for around $250!  Can't look a gift-horse in the mouth.....

So, what's your take on this?  How far would you go?