A Finley and Quinn Robe for Bethany

It has been FOREVER since I last posted.  This year has gone by in a flurry of settling into our house, then unsettling again to renovate, then trying to keep up with tradesmen and the kids and all else going on.  Anyhow, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel with the renos (more about that another time), and I'm so happy to be able to spend some more time with my blog, 'cause I love chatting with you guys!

Even though the year has been crazy I've kept myself sane with plenty of crafting, and I'm loving my first ever dedicated sewing room.  I feel very spoilt in this house to have it, and I love to tuck myself away in there to escape into my own creativeness for a bit.

One of my most recent sews was this lovely Finley and Quinn robe, which I was so super-lucky to test for Heidi of Pollywoggles.  I've tested for Heidi before, and when I saw the opportunity to test this amazing pattern I just couldn't say no.  Then to be invited to join the blog tour for this one as well ... well, that just makes it all the more fun!

So, for this project I took the time to go shopping for some fabric (rather than just using something from the stash because, well, I didn't have anything suitable any excuse for some fabric shopping, right!?!)  This pattern's great 'cause it will work for loads of different fabric types from fleece to fannel to cotton, and of course some minky.   This minky was on sale at my local fabric store, and blue is Bethany's favourite colour at the moment so it was just meant to be.  And boy is this robe soft and snuggly.  It did create a little fluffy snow-storm in my sewing room as I cut it out, but it was absolutely worth it for the end result, and I would highly recommend some minky when you have a go at this pattern.

So about the pattern ... Heidi has totally nailed this one in my opinion.  The length is great for a summer or winter weight robe, and the comfy loose-fitting style will suit any kiddo and is perfect for both boys and girls.  I also loved the way the collar goes on with this robe, and that Heidi has even thought to join the belt to the robe so it doesn't get lost ... no more searching for the belt, and finding it weeks later being used as teddy's scarf in the toy-box. (hmmmm we may have had a situation like that before in our house!)  Heidi has thought of everything.  It's an easy-to-follow pattern, and is recommended for a confident beginner, which I would totally agree with.  Anyway,  Bethany loves her new robe, and Hannah has told me in no uncertain terms that she needs a new robe too!  Lucky it's heading in to summer here in Sydney right now, so I've got a bit of time up my sleeve before she'll need it, huh!

So now for the important bit ... did you know you can get this pattern for FREE!!!!  Yep, the full Finley and Quinn pattern for all the sizes (12mths to size 10), and it's ABSOLUTELY FREE.  To get yours, head over to the Pollywoggles Patterns Sewing Circle group on Facebook, (and join up if you haven't already!) and you'll find the code to use when your order the pattern.  I just can't believe how generous this is when I've seen first hand some of the hard work with creating and testing and adjusting that Heidi has done to make sure this pattern is perfect.  It's free only for the rest of the year, so don't waste any time.

Oh, and if you head to the Facebook page or the website you'll also see some great pics of robes from some of the other testers.  It's one of the reasons I love pattern testing.  The same pattern can appear so different with another person's fabric choice or style options thrown in.  Did you see Zoe's post about her Finley and Quinn Robe yesterday? ... I love this fabric choice!

And coming up in the blog tour over the next few days are: The lovely Tamara from Lunatiek, then Bieke from Biezonder, and finally Rachelle from That's Sew Venice.   So much sewing talent right there with those ladies!

Anyway, thanks so much for having me Heidi, and of such a fun sew.

I'm hoping this post marks the beginning of some more regular posting from me, but we all know how life has a way of getting in the way sometimes.  I have a few drafts in the works, and I'm hoping to share them with you all soon!

Everyone loves a snuggly, warm, soft and comfy robe

What Are My Amazing Readers Up To?

So, I thought it was about time I again shared some projects from some of you beautiful readers who have used my tutorials to create stuff.  I'm still absolutely astonished that people would even bother to read my posts, but it puts the biggest smile on my face when I receive emails or Facebook messages from people who show me what they've made.  Go ahead ... keep sending those pics to me.  I really love to hear from you.

Today I thought I'd focus on two such projects from just the last few weeks.  Both of these readers have used my Little Birdie Pinafore Tutorial.

Do you remember this one?   My, check out how little Hannah was, and she really did have hardly any hair for the longest time!!  Where do the years go?  Sigh!

Anyway, this was one of my earliest tutorials, and definitely one of the most popular that's still being found and Pinned regularly these days.  It is a fun, quick sew, and I've made probably 5-6 of these over the time since that post.  Most of them have been to use as a Dorothy dress-up, because it's a good one if you need a dress-up tomorrow and don't have a huge amount of time.  Couple it with some red shoes and a Toto in a basket, and off you go!

And a Dorothy dress-up is exactly what the amazing Sarah-Jane has made for her beautiful little one.  Check it out!!!

Sarah-Jane was so kind to send me a bunch of pictures, and I think this little costume is just divine.

And did you notice the shoes!!!!!!  Sarah-Jane actually up-cycled a pair of shoes into sparkly ruby slippers.  Swoon!!!  So, so cool!

Thank you so much for sharing this creation with me Sarah-Jane.

And take a look at this beauty from the lovely Carly.  She has made two of these pinafores.  One for her daughter and another for her niece.  That flamingo fabric is to-die-for, and the lace ... oh my ... the cuteness!  I love how Carly has managed to coordinate the pink and white spot fabric exactly with the flamingo colour.  It couldn't be more perfect, huh!

Thank you Carly for sharing this little piece of gorgeousness!

Oh, and if you've used any of my tutorials or recipes to make something, I'd love to see a pic.  You can contact me via email or on Facebook any time.

The Willow Dress

A few months ago now, I was lucky enough to be included in the pattern test for the gorgeous Willow Dress by Nikki of Bubby and Me.

What drew my eye to this tester call were the gorgeous little flutter sleeves, and the chance to mix knit and woven fabrics.  The skirt is made from a woven, and the bodice from a knit fabric.  It makes this dress so comfortable to wear, and easy to get on and off for little munchkins that insist they can do it all themselves, and "don't need your help Mum!".

So I whipped up two of these lovely dresses.  The first was a size 4 for Hannah.  I'm not sure what type of fabric the pink with white spot is that I used for the bodice on this one.  It's very synthetic-feeling, light-weight, and feels like it might have some lycra in there somewhere.  Anyway, Hannah loves it because it feels smooth, so this dress has become known as the "smooth dress!" in our house.

The skirt I made out of a lovely floral cotton woven fabric that I got on sale last year, and that had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to be used up.

I found this pattern so user friendly, and so easy to come together.  I haven't used clear elastic before, but it's a genius way to stabilise the waist-band onto the knit bodice,  especially for the pink knit that was very prone to fraying and laddering.  I think I'll be using that method again.

Anyway, as usual when I find a pattern I like, I just can't stop at 1, so I whipped up this size 7 for Bethany.  The red knit I had sitting in my stash (actually I think I may have stolen borrowed it from my Mum's stash some time ago).  I matched it up with this quilting-weight cotton fabric I have had sitting in the stash because I liked it's geometric print when I spotted it on the bargain table at my local fabric store eons ago.  Bethany has worn this dress a tonne over our summer, because it's just a super comfy and suitable-for-any-occasion type of dress.  

Anyway, so this pattern has now been released, and is available via the One Thimble ezine here.  Thanks for having me on the test Nikki!

What's Mummy Been Up To of late? ...

Hello lovely people in blog-land.  I'm so behind on the posts I had planned for this year, but I thought I'd fill you in on why I've been MIA lately.  We've had a hectic but exciting time over the last few months, but there has still been time for some crafting, sewing and cooking.  Here's what Mummy's been up to:

Firstly, back in August we decided to sell our house and move to a new place ... not too far away from the old house really, but boy does it take a lot to prepare a house for sale!  And how all-encompassing is moving? ... emotionally, logistically, financially and did I mention emotionally. We only moved a month or so ago, and we're exhausted.  It's the first time we've sold and moved, so we've learned lots throughout this process, and we definitely have a new found respect for those who need to move regularly for work commitments or other reasons.  This is what our dining room looked like in the lead-up to our move ... I think we're pretty lucky we didn't lose either of the munchkins in the piles of boxes towards the end there.

Then we picked our last crop from our veggie garden, kissed our house goodbye (literally ... we're a little nutty like that!) and moved to our new home.

We didn't waste any time, and in an attempt to help the girls adjust and make the new house feel like their home, we got straight into the painting.  Each of them chose their colours (well, Hannah had a little help ... I had to adjust her colour choice from "rainbow walls Mummy" to mauve walls with the promise of some rainbow stickers).

We have since also had new carpet laid, so it was fun to just paint away without worrying about making a mess on the carpet.  The girls loved the painting, and Bethany's edging work was definitely the best ... she's a perfectionist, that girl, and with painting it totally pays off!

Then came all the end-of-year fun like this gorgeous ballerina's little ballet concert.  This included a Rapunzel-themed costume which she thought was the best thing ever!  We love our ballet because it's really low-key and just lets little girls be little girls without the make-up, big concerts, big concert rehearsals or expensive costumes.  

Since June, I've been working on a Christmas swap, the Santa Sack Swap  hosted by Cheryll at Gone Stitchin'.  This was my second year doing this swap, and I'll definitely be signing up again next year.  It's a really fun one.  When I signed up back in June I had no idea that we would be packing up and moving, and I did have a small panic when I remembered that I had committed to this swap which would be due to post off just the week before we moved, but to be truthful, this swap kept me sane during the craziness of moving.  It was lovely to have a project to work on here and there during that time.  

I was partnered with the lovely Noela, and she sent me the most amazing package of goodies.  The girls and I had a brilliant time opening them and marvelling at Noela's very impressive handiwork.

She made this beautiful patchwork tote, which will be just perfect for carrying around some crochet projects I have planned for this coming winter.  The fabrics are just lovely, and ric-rac ... I love it!  Noela is clearly a very experienced patchwork and quilting expert.

My favourite part though, is the beautiful embroidery on the front of the tote ... just perfect given our recent move.

Noela also gave me a gorgeous pin-cushion and sewing caddy complete with a cute little pair of embroidery scissors ... 

... the cutest little snow man christmas decoration ...

... a little felt bag with another amazing embroidery (I'm a beginner embroiderer, and Noela's beautiful stitching just left me in awe!) ... this was Hannah's favourite ... I'm sure she loved it because of the bag, and not because of the goodies inside, right!?! ...

... a beautiful embroidered monogram mat ...

And Bethany's favourite ... a gorgeous Christmas wall hanging, with the most adorable appliqués.  Bethany carried this around the house to find the perfect position for it to hang so that everyone entering our house would see it.  She just loves this one!

These are the goodies I sent to Noela.  She indicated she would like a stocking this year, so that was my starting point, and the rest just followed!

A Christmas Stocking ... (found the free pattern for this via Pinterest, and thought it was cute for something different!) and a little coordinating Christmas dove decoration.

A Christmas Apron ...

A little shopping list folder, in which I also included a sewing kit ... for those times when there's a wardrobe malfunction whilst you're out and about ...

Some crocheted coasters ...

And a little monogramed zipper-pouch with matching tissue holder (oh, and this is the front of the little folder)

Noela has written to tell me that she loves her goodies, and has put some of them straight to use.  I'm so glad she liked them.  Aren't swaps just the best thing!  The idea of making something for a stranger and making a new friend in the process is just awesome I think.

Shortly after this, we then celebrated Hannah's 4th birthday, just 2 days before Christmas, and she is stoked to tell everyone "Do you know I'm 4 now!".

Even though we've been extra busy this year, I did manage to find some time for our annual Christmas baking treat for friends and family.  It doesn't really feel like Christmas for me until some baking is underway.  This year I made caramels ... they're chewy, smooth, buttery and terribly unhealthy.  Pinterest helped me out and I found this recipe.  I just wrapped these little morsels in baking paper squares and popped a handful into tiny christmas gift bags for each recipient.  Yum!

So, whether you've had a busy time like us, or if you've been able to slow down and fully enjoy the joy of Christmas time this year, I wish you all the most blessed of Christmases, and a fantastic year to follow.  I'll be setting up my new sewing room over the coming weeks, and then I have lots planned including a few new tutorials for the new year, so stay tuned. 

Oh, and this beauty is taking pride of place on display in my new sewing room.  Isn't he lovely!  

A Little Girl Gift Idea

It can be really hard to find age-appropriate, yet fun and unique gifts for kids these days, huh!  Well, it was my niece's 11th birthday last week.  She's a keen ballerina, loves her art and is such a beautiful little thing.  Daddy had a great idea about getting her some clothing and letting her decorate it herself with fabric markers because she adores drawing and colouring.  Well, I just loved this idea, especially as it gave me the perfect excuse to pick up some of the Colour Me Fabric designed by Hayley of Welcome to the Mouse House for Michael Miller, which I've been looking for a reason to buy for the longest time.  I follow Hayley on Instagram, and have watched as she's created these fabrics.  I was so excited when I discovered them at a fabric store here in Australia.  In case you're wondering, I picked them up at Craft Depot.

Anyway, what to make!?!

I pretty quickly decided I'd make the birthday girl a basic elastic-waisted skirt, just because it would be fun to colour and wear her creation. I chose the paisley design for that.  I loved the idea that she could choose certain parts to colour, or she could colour the whole thing, or she could do it bit by bit with the skirt evolving with every wear.  

I also found this ballerina design which I thought would be lovely for her, but maybe a little too young for her to wear, being a tween and all.  So, in the end I grabbed a metre of the ballerina, and a metre of the paisley designs, and off I went.

After some thought, I decided that I'd make a cushion cover from the ballerina fabric for the birthday girl to decorate and use in her room.  I'm so glad I did, because she  loved this pillow and snuggled right into it.  And as we were having a family lunch to celebrate the birthday girl over the weekend, I thought it might be fun for the girls to all do some colouring after lunch together.  And it was perfect. From the 1 metre of paisley fabric, I managed to squeeze out a skirt for the birthday girl, and one for Bethany.  Then I divided the metre of ballerina fabric into a little skirt for Hannah and a 50"square cushion cover. I forgot to get a pic of the cushion, but it was a basic square with a zip in one side to allow the insert to be put in and out for washing.

For the skirts, I simply used the fabric width, cut to the right length and added a couple of inches for hemming and waist-band.  I sewed the side-seam and hem, then folded the top down 1/4", then another 1" and sewed around to create an elastic casing (leaving a 1" gap to insert the elastic).  I threaded the 3/4" elastic through, sewed the gap shut, and done!!  These skirts literally take about 15 minutes from start to finish.

All that was left was to grab a cushion insert and some fabric pens.  I found both of these at Ikea.  The cushion insert was the perfect fit, and was only $5, and the fabric pens were great for just over $5.  It's worth shopping around for the fabric pens, as the ones I initially found in a craft shop were $16.  What a big difference, huh!

So, the birthday girl loved her gift, and all 3 girls enjoyed some craft time together, which is always a good thing.  The two bigger girls spent time comparing colour choices and helping each other decide which parts to colour, and Hannah had a ball being included with the big girls, and getting some extra help from the adults around too.  Oh, and just a tip ... we slid a piece of cardboard between the front and back of the skirt to stop the pens from seeping through and marking the other side of the skirt.

Daddy took some great shots of the girls hard at work...

Here's the birthday-girl's artwork so far!

And here's Bethany.  She's such a perfectionist with her colouring!

Oh, and little Hannah looked so cute concentrating hard on colouring a ballerina's hair blue!

And here's where they were up to by the end of the day ... Hannah had some help from her doting great-aunts.  I think adults can have just as much fun with this as kids!

So, I think this is a keeper of a gift idea for a little girl.  And I think it's the perfect excuse to stock up on some of the Colour Me fabrics for my stash ... you know, just in case a quick little girl gift is needed any time!