Boys Big Bum Baby Pants

Hello.

My son's Kindy teacher asked the other day if I could make her something for her little grandson. 

I didn't have many baby boys patterns to choose from.  I decided to make her a pair of pants using my

Big Bum Baby Pants pattern.

This is a great pattern that can be used for boys & girls.

I made a couple of matching bibs to complete the outfit :-)

Loveheart Dress

Hello.

I wanted to share this dress I made for my daughter yesterday.

It was the first time using the Lily Bird Studio pattern Sasha Jumper Dress.

I just love it! The patterns are so easy to follow.

I purchased this pattern because my daughter is starting Kindy next year

and I thought it would make the cutest little school dress.

This little dress was made from quilting cotton that has a natural calico look to it.

I picked it up on special at Spotlight for only $4 p/m.

I love a bargain!

I used little pink loveheart buttons on the back. They are not an exact match for colour,

but they are close enough to be ok.

I have a little bit of fabric left so I will see if I can made a little matching piece for my baby.

I'll be sure to post it when I do :-)



Ben & Mia Pants

Hello.

I bought 3 PDF patterns from Lily Bird Studio, including the "Ben & Mia Pants".

I made a pair for my 4 year old son.

Front with Pockets

Back

This is such a great pattern, as are all I purchase from

Lily Bird Studio. They are so comprehensive. The pattern was emailed so quickly and has detailed instructions of every step. This pattern actually had 49 pages so I just printed out the pattern pieces and just referenced from the computer. Saved heaps of paper and ink this way :-)

I decided they were quite a dressy style pant and they would look great with a little tie so I made one using this tutorial from See Kate Sew.

I slightly altered the design and made it adjustable using 4 press studs on the back. I actually don't think I followed the directions/pattern properly because my tie was not long enough

to fold over the neck piece as the tutorial explains.

I just folded the top of the tie over the neck piece and stitched it closed and added a piece around the top to give the illusion it had been tied.

Now I just need a special occasion for him to wear them :-)

Green Pleated Bag - Free Pattern & Tutorial

Hello.

I made this little bag up the other day.

I used the free pattern and tutorial I found here.

I like the way this bag turned out but next time I will make a few changes.

I don't like such a stiff bag so I will use a lighter weight interfacing and

I will move the straps a little closer to the middle.

It was supposed to close with a magnetic stud but I decided not to use one.

I figured the bag was deep enough that nothing was going to fall out.

I like having the pocket on the inside so I can easily find my phone.

I wanted to sew a little fob for my keys in the lining but I forgot. Grrrr...

I made my own navy piping which I am pleased with.

It is actually really easy and I'm going to use it much more often.  



Urban Girl Wrap Skirt

Hello.

Well I was so excited to receive my pattern and fabric I ordered with my $25 voucher I won from Shabby Fabrics. I really have not made that much for myself so this time I was thinking about me :-)

I used to wear alot of wrap skirts in years gone by. They are really comfy and quite flattering.

This is what I ended up with.

The pattern is called Urban Girl Wrap. It has the option of having a ruffle all the way around it. I prefer it a little less frilly. I also shortened the pattern by a few inches as I'm not very tall.

I used the Michael Miller fabric Antiquity Quatrefoils. It is not too bold. I nearly had a major disaster though. I was supposed to cut 3 pieces for the tie and silly me only cut 1. I then used ALL of the rest of the fabric to make the bias binding. When I discovered my mistake I called my local Spotlight store to see if they had any.

They didn't.

I ended up cutting the 1 piece I had in half which gave me 2 pieces 1/2 the width I needed. This was enough to get the job done but it was only just wide enough to put in the buttonhole to thread the tie through.

I am still really happy with the result and have worn the skirt a few times already.

I will definately make another one for myself down the track.

Liebster Award

Hello.

I want to say thanks to Cass from Cass Can Sew for acknowledging my blog with the

Liebster Award

I feel I have let you down a little bit lately because I really haven't blogged about my sewing projects.

I have been sewing alot, getting myself ready for the Baby & Childrens Markets next weekend.

I am going to blog about my win from Shabby Fabrics once I have finished with this post.

But first I must pass the honour of The Liebster Award to

5 of my favourite blogs that have less than 200 followers.

This is going to be tough because I love reading about

Cass's sewing exploits but I can't give one back to her.

I also love reading Pam's blog - Theading My Way

and Roslyn at - Sew Delicious

but these 2 blogs have also already been awarded one,

so my choice for the Liebster Award goes to

Melly Sews

Cristy Crafty

Old House Mama

Cookie and Claire

Sarah Jane Sews

So to all of you that I have nominated,  pass it on to 5 of your favorite blogs with

under 200 followers and keep spreading the love.

Fabric Traders Giveaway

Hello.

I would just like to let all you Aussies out there in blog land who love to sew that Fabric Traders online store have a super giveaway. Check out their website for the Super offer, but be quick.

The offer is only available for the first 50 who blog about this special.

Good Luck!

Pink & Yellow Dress

Hello.

I made this little dress yesterday with some of the fabric I had left over from this skirt.

It is kind of my own creation. I mixed up a couple of patterns to get this final product.

Once I had finished the pink dress I thought that the bodice was a little too long so to disguise this I added a yellow sash made from the same type of fabric.

I think that this actually makes the dress look nicer, especially teamed with a matching yellow t-shirt.

I used little pink press studs to fasten the straps at the front. I only used interfacing on the back straps so I'm a little worried that the press studs might rip the fabric at the front. The fabric is quite sheer so we'll see how it goes.

Perfect for a picnic...

and climbing trees?

Yay! I Won!

Hello.

I just have to say a big

THANK YOU

to Lindsay from The Cottage Home for holding the Shabby Fabrics Giveaway.

I saw the notice on Facebook to say the winners had been drawn so I clicked the link.

When I scrolled down and saw my picture I just started laughing.

This is the first prize I have won since I have started blogging and I couldn't be happier.

I have entered quite a few competitions and I am soooo glad I won this one.

Thanks heaps to you and Shabby Fabrics.

I'll be sure to post what I make from my win, so stay tuned.

4 Layers Of Pink

Hello.

Yesterday while I had my machine out and I thought I'd try a slightly different version of the On The Border Skirt I made here. I took the basic measurements for the yoke and the main part of the skirt but added a larger top ruffle and a bottom ruffle to complete the skirt.

I picked up all of this fabric from Spotlight at an unbelievable price. It was all off the cheap rack at only $3per metre. I bought just over a metre of each so I have plenty left for future projects. I just LOVE Spotlight!

This skirt was supposed to be a super quick job to complete but as is usually the case I spent the majority of the time unpicking. I had to resew the gathering stitch on the bottom ruffle about 4 times because I kept pulling it out. I was getting a little frustrated because I was so close to finishing and things just kept going wrong.

In the end it only took about 2 hours to complete (including stopping every 10 minutes to feed the kids and change nappies etc...) and I probably didn't spend more than $3 for all the materials.

I just adore my labels.

Overall I am very happy with my afternoons work and I'm already thinking what my next project will be! 

Stripwork Skirts

Hello.

I made these two little skirts a while ago when I was on my Pink Fig Stripwork Skirt marathon. All up I made probably 6 of these little skirts.

This is the size 3 skirt.

This is the size 6 months.

I love that they almost match but still have their own unique look.

This is an awesome pattern that you can use to make a cute party skirt, a light weight summer skirt (like the two I made here) or use a heavier fabric that will be suitable for Winter. 

The beauty of sewing patchwork or stripwork skirts are that they are very affordable. You can match cheaper plain fabric with a small amount of expensive printed fabric for a unique look.

I already know that I am going to have too many skirts in my girls wardrobe this year because they are so much fun to sew :-)

Refashioned Baby Pants

Hello.

When my oldest daughter cleared out her wardrobe a while ago, she gave me a bag of clothes to give to the Salvos. I quickly looked through it and found a lovely peach coloured "chic-a-booti" dress. It had a beautiful lace layer covering a plain peach dress.

I thought I would use it to make my first refashioned item.

I had purchased the Big Butt Baby Pants pattern from Made By Rae and turned my daughters dress into these cute pants.

I used the lace layer over the plain peach fabric to give a soft, delicate touch.

On the bum panel I put two lace strips over the plain fabric.

Overall I'm pretty happy how they turned out.

I love a bargain and these pants cost nothing but an hour of my time.

:-)

Peasant Costume

Hello.

My 9 year old daughter had a choir performance and she needed a costume. She was a villager child in medievil times. I made her this skirt and top.



The top was made with the Pink Fig Lily Top pattern and was made to hang out over her skirt with a thin belt that tied around her waist. But my girl has a habit of tucking all of her tops in so we adapted the design slightly.

I made a belt twice the thickness of the original and that hid the waist band of the skirt. The skirt was actually made from a valance I bought from the op shop. This was super easy to make because all I had to do was sew a side seam and add a waistband.

To finish the outfit I made a head scarf which was just a triangle with the original belt sewn onto it for the tie.

And now she was ready to "march to the top, to the top, to the top, marching to the top of dragon mountain"

(that was the song she sung at the performance)