New Online Fabric Shop

I was just searching for stockists of the Ottobre Magazine and I just came across a new online fabric shop here in nz called Snip Its

They are the nz agents for Ottobre Magazine and

 Young Image Magazine

..... but best of all they specialise in European Jersey Knits and Interlocks......



Image Source





Image Source



And the lovely Farbenmix ribbons



Image Source



 they have just opened so there is more to come,

but go check it out for something different

Snip Its

My Creative Space This Week

I have a number of projects on the go at the moment

The first is a cushion finally finished

I started this butterfly cushion before Lil Miss was born.

It kept me busy with needle and thread in those last few days.

All I needed to do, was stuff it and sew up the gap.......

 that took me nearly two years!!!

I'm so glad I have finally ticked that off my mental list

That rest are works in progress.

My Olearia Cardigan is past the sleeves, and I only have four more repeats of the gathers before I can move on to the sleeves.

My hands are giving me grief at the moment, so I'm taking this slow, knitting a few rows in the evening and at school pick up.....

My last active WIP is a pair of trousers for Middle B

I promised him I would finish these in the school holidays,

just been and gone! woops!

And one more thing I also finished a playsuit this week 

blogged here

Check out more creative spaces here



Not the Prettiest but Practical

Lil Miss has all these pretty clothes, and alot of them I find myself reluctant to send her outside in so after reading this post 

here at Dee Construction,

I thought a playsuit/overall was the perfect solution.

It fits the bill, does the job.... so that's all that matters right?

Mike and I had a joke, that if it was white and had a hood.... it could pass for a medical examiners suit at a crime scene.

The pattern is the same one I used for her footed PJs here,

I guess thats why its looks more like a jumpsuit.... than overalls

I'm thinking I probably should have added a collar

then it may have looked better... maybe for the next one.

 Still so far she's had fun running around after the chickens,

playing in the mud pit our boy's made

which is now full of stones, much to Mikes frustration

when mowing the lawns







The pink fabric was not a deliberate choice.... it was actually thrifted from a cast off given to me, it was originally a adult skirt with pink tulle overlay.... I think, I'd hope, part of a costume?

The fabric feels semi waterproof, and is a lycra blend.... so it has enough stretch to fit over her clothes.... the fact that it is bright pink.... let me reiterate, definately not my first choice!

Pickled Onions

We spent our weekend taking it slow, pottering around the house cleaning, Mike started a beer brewing and we pickled onions.

Mike and I, sat there tears running down our faces, topping and tailing and skinning a large sack of small onions.....

 believe or not it was quite satisfying. 

Middle B came to investigate..... and we asked if he wanted to help.... of course money was discussed, the offer was 3cents a onion.  So with every 10 onions peeled he earnt 30c.

By the end of it all, Little J had joined in....

and we had all laughed cried, and shared stories together.....

 Middle B had earnt $2.10c and Little J... 90c.

This is something Mike and his Dad used to do, and apparently his household was famous amongst his friends for the pickled onion and cheese sandwiches

So keeping up with tradition, our kids are pretty excited about trying one once the 3 weeks is up! 



Considering they love gherkins, capers and pickled smoked chillis.... I won't be surprised if they enjoy these just as much......

so we will see!



Loving this week

Of course like many I start this week with:

Loving the winter wonderland we woke up to Monday morning

We knew it was coming, and we knew there would be more than the previous snowfall, so we prepared ourselves on Sunday and stocked up on a few essentials for the next couple of days.

Many wheel barrow loads of wood was stacked inside, playdough was made and movies ready for when chaos and fighting broke out.

Loving this creation by Big J

Complete with removable skull and brain

Last of all loving that I won Mousehouse's giveaway here

and it arrived the other day

I am looking forward to creating something with the apple fabric. and when out and about the waterproof bag

will be perfect for my homemade wipes... 

I already have used one of the gift tags..... and to my surprise the cute little crocheted apple has a bell in it, lil miss has loved that!

Linking up with others at paisley jade here

My Creative Space

I have just finished the third hat in the last couple of weeks

And now I am snuggling up and sitting infront of a roaring fire

keeping warm and starting a new cardigan for my lil miss.

All the while technology, cleans our dishes, washes nappies and dries our clothes, I'm so glad the polar blast didn't leave us without power...lucky!



The pattern is Olearia by Tikki and I plan to do the allover gathered version, which I know will take a bit of time.... so we will see whether I change my mind or not :)

See more creative spaces here

Snap Wrap Take Two

So as promised here is the second version

of the dress that I drafted here

This is the Snap Wrap, Ran out of Fabric Vest!

Ideally if I had more of this fabric, it would have made

a cute dress...... but hey that's life, so I settled for a vest

This girly is getting harder and harder to get non blurry photos of,  these were the best of the bunch.... and unfortunately for me... (blush)

they were the ones that show off the

 lack of cleaning, my oven door receives

Bribery consisted of ice cubes, she loves them!

Anyway the good thing about this was, 

I got the bodice out of two fat quarters.

Good for stash busting

And for a change I added simple epaulettes.

I think I'll be sewing more of these,

in different versions

ready for summer.... ahhh summer can't wait!

Linking up to the usual

Tea Rose Home Link Party

http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/

Our Creative Spaces

Things I'm Loving this week

Loving that its Big J's first week of ski lessons with his school

I was told by teachers and mothers, that he did really well

Big J's verdict " They're lying "

my boy, always the optimist .... lol

Also loving this photo found via Pinterest.com

Source: designaside.com via Elle on Pinterest

Loving that my lil girl is finally in a big bed...

and in turn she has a new interest in playing with her dolls house.... also the move from the cot to bed, has been relatively pain free...

 as long as I close her door at night....

to prevent early morning mischief

Loving this impromtu music jamming session..... it all started with Mike lighting the fire in our room, then out came the guitar, followed by my flute, recorders and a harmonica

I showed Middle B how to play a flute, and surprisingly he picked it up quickly.... I remember when I was his age, 

it took me hours to make a sound. 

He's got some talent there and it needs nuturing...

Lastly loving that I got a call from Mike, to say he would pick up the kids today... yay! 

Linking up with Paisley Jade Here

Snap Wrap Plaid Dress

A number of weeks ago I made a bunch of outfits for Lil Miss

But with school holidays and general chaos, good intentions to photograph them had gone amiss....

add to that a toddler who won't co-operate....

So here is the first of that sewing frenzy....

the plaid snap wrap dress

I got the idea here and I liked the shape of this dress here

So this is my version that I drafted....

I was so happy how it turned out that I made another

( another post hopefully soon )

As shown below I sewed in a tab for attachment of the inside snap

And for the front snap,  I hid that under the ties at the side

I consulted one of my many vintage sewing books, and mitered the corners of the wrap hem...  I'm liking the professional touch.

My only wish would be, to have had more fabric.

Then I would have been able to have more flare and I could have eliminated the join below on the skirt of the dress....

can you see it? it screams out at me!

Apart from that, I love the fit... and that its a good transitional piece in her wardrobe.

Linking up to Tea Rose Home Link Party

          Our Creative Spaces

                                               The Train to Crazy Make it Wear it Thursday

                                            Take a Look Tuesdays at Sugar Bee Crafts

The Gallery: Birth

I am joining in with The Gallery here today, to tell a story that is special to me.

When I think about the word birth, naturally my children are the first that come to my mind.

My first child came with the all the wonder,  and that, that baby sleeping beside you is actually yours!, We were now responsible for a tiny human being.

My last boy.... and all his hair, plus the relief that the birth was over, after I gave birth with his spine facing mine...ouch!

Then there was my little girl, she was met with the announcement from my longtime midwife

 " Its a girl!" Finally!

Though they were all special in their own way one birth in particular stands out from the rest....  so I back up a few years before to my second child. 

 We knew that we were expecting a baby that would differ from the rest.

There was alot of anticipation and worry surrounding the birth... we had been to many specialist visits and amongst them a 3D scan, which pictures I had examined for months before.

We had also searched the internet to arm us with as much information as possible.

 But nothing would compare to seeing him for the first time.

The day finally came, a quick labour and the birth followed... much easier than my first.

The whole birth was like a dream, low lighting in the early hours of the morning.

She handed him to me on my chest. 

I looked at my son and stared into his glary eyes, I announced " That isn't that bad !."

Maybe thats not the words you expect to say when you greet your baby for the first time, but mine were a sign of relief.  I had a image in my head that was far, far worse than what stared back before me.

My little boy was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate, and unlike some parents, we knew what we were expecting..... but no one could prepare me for the relief of finally meeting this amazing little baby.

Though much of this was like a blur, one thing still stands out.....

I remember when everyone had left to catch up on sleep.... I sat in the room that I gave birth in, and after recieving quick lessons I fed him with a special bottle.... it was so quiet and I felt so lonely, though I had said it was okay for everyone to leave, deep inside I wished for someone to be there .. so much emotion filled me that I sat there crying, as I do now remembering that time. 

I looked down at my baby, and a sense of calm came over me.   I saw this wise old man in his face, staring at me.... it was from that moment that I knew he had already captured me, cleft and all... this innocent baby would take me on a journey that I never would have imagined, his little face would in weeks, come to grow into a amazing big smile, and months ahead I would actually mourn the loss of a his face, and the smile I had loved.

Seven years on and his cleft has long been repaired, there have been many related surgeries and many to come.  He has definately kept us on our toes and we would not change any of this for the world.

He regulary keeps us all entertained with his singing and downright loud, theatrical self..... like all my children I see great things for him in his life.....

What a night!

And not in a good way!

I'm tired and exhausted, and had one of my babies in bed last night.... Mike was kicked out, and stumbled his way to another room, luckily the bed was still set up from our guests...

sometimes being lazy works in our favour.

Lil Miss woke up late last evening, and though usually a readjustment of her covers and retrieval of her dummy would be enough to settle her.....the bags under my eyes are a sign that it didn't end like that.

Needless to say, after many attempts of settling her, and two hours of crying... she just was not convinced.

Pulling her into our large bed, just her and me, I would have thought there was plenty of room.....

 Not so!....I woke a couple of hours later to find her asleep, like a leech attached to the side of me....

 no wonder my neck is stiff!

But out of all this, came a special moment....

I woke this morning to the sound of ' ahhhh ' and my hair being stroked, followed with a kiss on my cheek..... before madam scrambled of the bed, pitter pattered down the hall,

 to greet her brothers. 

So though I'm tired, and lil miss has already shed a few tears,

that small moment has made up for the rough night, 

Saying that, as the day progresses, I'm hoping I can still share the same positive attitude.....

from past experiences?.....

probably not!