J's Superhero Cape

I've been wanting to sew J a cape for a few months now and I finally got the chance to make it this week.  I'm really pleased with how nice the applique stitching looks after a few practice runs. 

Who doesn't enjoy having a little help from a superhero :)

Jeans & Sandpits

Well what a week it's been! It's been a bit quiet in here of late because we all succumbed to a nasty dose of food poisoning and then we've enjoyed the more beautiful parts of life, kinder Christmas concerts and watching the kids enjoy the sunshine :)

One of my 'to do' projects finally got done at last, some added cuffs for J's too-short jeans.

Dinosaur fabric is a must!

We might just get a few extra months out of his fav jeans now (excuse the bad photo)

Sandpit fun in the morning sun :)

I hope you're all enjoying a great pre-Christmas week!

New patterns I ♥

I could VERY easily browse for new sewing patterns all day long :) Here are some new ones I'm loving right now...

The Sweet Grace Dress by Nina Bonita Designs

Vivienne Skirt by Violette Field Threads

Jewel's Stripwork Peasant Dress by Create Kids Couture

The Rebecca Dress by Sis Boom

Happy sewing everyone :)

Fat Quarter Baby Skirt

How great is an easy project that leaves no scraps! I found a great little free pattern showing how to make a fun little baby skirt out of exactly one fat quarter of fabric, I just wish I'd discovered it sooner :)

A little flower skirt for a first birthday present and a red one for O

O is rockin this outfit lol

Pudding for all

Does it get any better than baking a delicious homemade sticky date pudding with your kiddies? When your air conditioning isn't working and your little ones are so hot that nudity is the only solution it does

J being a great helper!

And O doing some pretend baking of her own 

Yum :)

Retro Christmas stockings

I had just enough fabric leftover from the kids christmas outfits to make matching Christmas stockings so why not :) Using this great little free pattern it was an easy afternoon project!

Reversible Pinny

I love a good pinny, retro and cool at the same time :)

                         

                      

Outer and inner fabric cut out

The two layers sewn right sides together, arm and neckline curves have been clipped and pinked

Turned, topstitched and buttons added to the shoulders

Ta da :) A pretty easy little project for summer

My joys

Looking at my kids faces, I can't help but feel thoroughly blessed :)

Peter Rabbit All in 2 nappy

My first attempt at an all in 2 nappy was both a success and a horrible failure lol. Using the Darlings Diaper pattern I thought I would try making an all in two with side snaps which is a design that always fits our 18mth old really well.

Hemp snap in all done :)

 Sewn together with elastic added (before turning)

 Turned, topstitched and casings sewn, I love the joy of turning something right side out and getting a sneak peak of the finished result :)

Adding generic snaps was a disaster though :( Even my poor husband was roped into trying to save the nappy lol. I really need to invest in a proper snap press!

 The finished result :) Apart from the snap fiasco I am very happy with it

Toddler bloomers

My 18mth old still looooves to walk on her knees most of the time and it seems that toddler shorts in the shops are ridiculously skimpy (why is this?).
So a pair of long shorts with added elastic and a cute pocket was the solution :)

Homemade footpath paint

Equal parts cornstarch & water + food colouring = cheap and fun footpath paint :)

Christmas outfits for my little ones

I was determined to finish sewing a Christmas dress for my 18mth old and a shorts and tshirt combo for my 4yr old before the start of December.
And I did :) My son loves gingerbread men at the moment and my daughter doesn't mind at all what we dress her in so it was my pick, yay!

First blog :)

So this is blogging.  I know there's about a million blogs highlighting the creativity and simple amazingness of crafty mums (and just mums in general) and I am taking a big breath and throwing my modest lot into the same arena.
Please follow along is you like

x mel