All Things Mum

29th Dec 2007 A new life A blessing :: Happy Birthday Michael! :: One whole year ago I pushed you out without any pain medication. As I lay there with my eyes closed I envisioned a flower opening. The midwife wanted to give me an episiotomy. What? Already? After the first one with Little Miss I really didn't want another one this time around so I gathered up my energy and pushed really hard. After 20minutes of pushing you came out as quiet as a mouse. I held you on my chest and said "Hello little one" Now you're not so little and you find many things funny. You laugh at Peek-a-Boo . You have a light brown patch on the back of your head along with four teeth. You've even taken your first step unassisted. So, here's to many more years of cuddles, fun, laughter, and LOVE. ~Happy Birthday My Son ~

Merry Christmas everyone! It doesn't feel very Christmassy around here (it's Christmas Eve already here)but after you've wrapped up some presents there seems to be a little excitement growing. That's my sewing corner and my new (old) set of drawers for my crafting/sewing station. I'm soo excited, can't wait to cram it with little bits that I won't be able to find later ; ) I managed to get Little Miss into her tunic this morning with the turtle neck I made before from the same book. We popped over to our neighbours and gave them a box of chocolates and card. I was relieved we came back without a toileting incident as we're training in underwear. I think she looks very cute in it even if it is a tad bit long. Have a very Safe and Happy Holiday. I hope you all have a terrific break or just enjoying some special time spent with loved ones.

When I saw this in my pattern book I didn't think much of it. Until I saw it made in a beautiful plaid fabric from the Japanese Couture Addicts site. I bought this nice check fabric from an Asian fabric store. It was cheap and it's very light cotton. Perfect for our summer down here in Australia. Oh and I figured out why the shorts didn't fit Little Miss. Can you guess? I forgot to add the seam allowance when cutting out the pattern on the fabric. You see, all Japanese patterns DO NOT include a seam allowance. You have to add a 1cm allowance and check that some parts require more. I decided to cut out the 120cm tall size. Little Miss is only 90cms but this would give her more room. Plus, I also didn't add a seam allowance either in this pattern. I ended up with this. It reminds me of a school girl's uniform / tunic. Above: Front and Back Views Tiny little fake pockets. I figured out the easiest way to do this (is to not follow the book). I took my two semi-circles...

Here's my new hair cut (and new sunnies to match) I was reluctant to cut it short for a long time for a few reasons: a) I didn't think my face could handle short bangs b) I imagined having long tresses like Angelina-Jolie and the infamous c) My husband doesn't want my hair short But, I got fed up with it, I didn't care how it looked and I let my brother have his long awaited bob-cut. Well, I love my hair now. I shake it to feel it's lightness whenever I can. It is now sooooo much easier than having a ponytail or bun each and every boring day. People seem to say that it suits me and hubby likes it too (bonus!) Also on the plus side: Showers are faster and so is hair styling. "How do I style my hair?" I asked my brother, the hairdresser "Shake it" he says "Oh" I say and laugh with my sister I don't think I'll ever have long hair again...

Ok, this was one of the easiest projects I've done and it would be perfect for a beginner. You can finish it within a day if you had toddlers or say 2 hours if you had kid-free time. I really needed a new skirt to wear to work (I'll start part time on Monday) and the Amy Butler Barcelona Skirt pattern seemed the perfect one. Don't mind my daggy home singlet. To start off I bought some Cavalier Garberdine from Spotlight only because it reminded me of what we used for Home Tech back in high school. At $7.99per metre I couldn't go wrong, even if I did. There were more expensive versions of this black but I thought I'd stick to my budget and buy the nice stuff once I'd worked out this skirt. I totally forgot to buy a matching black invisible zipper and ended up putting a beige one. With that in mind, I thought to myself 'wouldn't it be nice to take some pics for everyone to see how I went with the zip, since it's a contrasting colour?' So here goes.....

Well, it's now Sunday evening here in Australia. I've been really pleased with the comments and so happy that you like the shorts and my blog. I couldn't wait until I could type out those names, put them in a box, give them a shake and let Little Miss pick one. So, the winner is trinitylou!!! My sympathies for the others, I wish we all could win every givewaway. I ,myself, have not won one yet so I know the bitterness of not winning. On something totally off the topic, I gave my hair the CHOP yesterday. You know how it is. You have long hair for such a long time and then you have children. Then, all you do is tie it up in a ponytail every day. I've been wanting to chop it off for a while now and finally decided it was time, plus I'd had enough and didn't care whether it suited my face or not. I'll post a pic of my new hair do later. Off to find a contact for trinitylou...

Entries now closed. Today I decided to make some shorts for Little Miss Two +3mts. *edit: now part of the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway day. Click on the hand for the list. I found inspiration from the French site for Japanese Couture Addicts from the Sassy Girls Clothes Japanese book I own. Yes, it's a mouthful. I just wanted more time and luscious fabric. I really love the plaid tunic and I have always admired the shorts that were made from the pattern. I had bought some double-sided gingham from Leslie (as you do) and had no idea what to make from it. It's like a linen blend and being double-sided I really did want to make use of it. However, double-sided things are not to be... for now. I digress, I made up the shorts in the usual size (the smallest - 90cm Toddler) and guess what? the darn waist was too small!!! About 10cm too small to be exact. I don't know how or why the pattern is like that. I yanked off her nappy and it just fit. I squished her into it. What a shame. Ev...

I bought these lamps when we first moved into our home. They matched our walls and were a plain beige with a slightly greenish tint on the base. They also started to come apart. I bought this Michael Miller Lil Cowgirls fabric a while ago just for this project from Quilt Fabric Delights . I traced the template for the lamp and glued it in with fabric glue. I think a spray adhesive would have worked better. I should have added a little more to go over the edges. It's been sitting near my sewing machine for quite a while. I mulled over how I would finish the edges. Since it's quite round, the bias I cut wasn't working well. It would wrinkle a little as I pressed it into the edges. Then I bought some frilly edging to put on the bottom but I'd underestimated the length and you know my pet peeve about measuring [blush]. Finally, I used the Ric Rac I bought a few weeks ago. I decided to have some of the edge stick out so that it hides the unfinished edge of the lamp. I ...