All Things Mum

Today I finished wrapping up my gifts using last years Xmas paper. However, I decided to wrap my niece's present using this lovely fabric instead. I used the The Purl Bee's tutorial . It took me about 15mins all up and I used some twill ribbon that comes with the fabric I buy on-line. I think it looks really cute and special. Oh how I love Christmas time. I probably won't be back until after Christmas so I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year holiday! Thanks for all your lovely comments. I read every one of them with glee and I am always so happy to see that I have new followers. I hope that next year I have more time to dedicate to sewing and inspiring others however that may be. Cheers, Kim xOx

Hurrah, I've finished the bag I keep talking about! It's a special bag for a special sister who is always there when you need her. While my littlest one quietly slept nearby in the afternoon and my other two were soooo bored they fell asleep watching t.v. I worked as quickly as I could to finish this. At the start I was sewing with a baby in my lap! The body of the bag is Michael Miller Paula Prass Summer Soiree Black Nosegay. The band and handles is Moda Basic Grey #30168 and lining is Cherry Blossom by Chris Chun. I can't remember what the pocket fabric is, will have to check the selvedge if you're interested. Here is the bag all sewn up and pulled inside out. That was the fun part. Then squishing the lining back inside the bag was good too. As you can see I added a long pocket as a drink bottle holder cos she likes to go to the gym. I also inserted a zipper (not seen) on the larger pocket on the other side. AND I inserted a magnetic clasp just for good measure....

Finally, our tree is up. This years theme was pastel pink, aqua and silver. New bargain shoes for myself while I was Christmas shopping. New mug for my morning tea that always makes me happy. It also comes with a ceramic lid because you know it's not unusual to have cold tea around here. Hope your weekend is as good as mine.

This week I took joy in seeing the beauty of nature. These are the tops off strawberries and they were so beautiful I had to take a snap shot. I had some other capsicum top lovelies too but they are uploaded by nephews who have loaned my camera on another machine. Grrrrrrrrr. Are you all busy making your Christmas presents? I made a start on the Amy Butler Sling today. Don't know when it will get done but I will aim to have it done by mid next week??? Things have been crazy around here. I've seen three dr's about Little J as she has constant unsettled periods in the late afternoon/evening. It's driving us mad. Everything seems so much worse when there is crying. They all don't think it's reflux and the last dr just said "She's colicky" That's it. Colic. I've decided not to fight against the wills of God and just take each day as it comes. I shall be a stronger person for it, yes? She's on Infacol and I might try Infants Friend as ma...

A short version of my labour day : As this was my 3rd baby I was quite curious as to how it was going to happen. I've heard both the horror and the good stories. My last one was very fast and drug free so I was hoping for the same. My 39th week rolled around and I was getting a few pains and Braxton Hicks during the day. I didn't think anything would be happening until 4pm. The pains were getting strong and I had to stop for them. After 45mins of this I call the labour suite (sounds glamorous, doesn't it?) The midwife said I could come in so I kick hubby into gear, who took his time getting ready. It only took us 15mins to get there and didn't have one contraction the whole way. Once I got out of the car though I had to breathe and swing through one leaning on the back of the car. We got up to the reception and after sorting out our files our midwife Stephanie takes us to the labour room. Our hospital (Westmead) is state of the art, has a brand spanking new labour ward ...

I've never bought any of the Flea Market Fancy range. I discovered it and then it went out of production :( There's a petition on trying to get it printed again. Click HERE to sign up. If you head on over to Sew Take a Hike you can enter into another great giveaway. I am really hoping they do print Flea Market Fancy again cos it's just a wonderful selection of yummy prints. My favourite are the seeds and I would just buy them in all the colours. Toodles.

Hello people. I'm still here. Still sane. Not much to show though I did try to make a camera cover and failed miserably. If you know of a good tute let me know. Hubby bought me a new toy. It was on special so he decided I should have it. When I saw how shiny and black it was I was in love. Now I can blog in bliss. On the kiddies front I am doing well. We've reached the magical 6weeks and settling much better. Bub was colicky but is doing better since I've been watching what I've been eating. No acidic foods, less caffeine and stuff that gives you wind. I took them all out yesterday to a community expo and it was heaps fun. It was easier than I thought. Craft tables do keep them busy. We had the good 'ol sausage and bread and I caught up with other mums who freak out when they meet all my kids. So nice to connect with others you know. Good for the soul. The boy had fun running away from me in the school play field. Luckily I had Little Miss go fetch him which she ...

This is one part of my creative space. It's newest addition is my new lamp. I was sooo excited when Buyster Lighting sent it to me because I find it quite hard to sew with the eco globe in the ceiling. As I try to do some sewing in the evenings I really needed good lighting. The Madison lamp is a one light desk lamp in a black finish. It uses a standard (not bayonet) bulb up to 60W. The best feature for me is it's spring-reinforced adjustable arm. I can bend the head and the arm so it shines directly at my needle so I can see where I am sewing. This is particularly great when I am doing appliqueing. It has a heavy desk mount is not too heavy and not too light :: so it stays in place where I need it. The only thing that it needs is an extra tightening screw for the head so it stays firmly in place when you twist it to shine where you want. I found that it would not stay where I wanted it to and adjusted the arm to accommodate. It would be even better if it came in other colours...

Meet Madison. She's coming my way to show me the light at the end of my blurry tunnel. I'll be reviewing this lamp very soon thanks to Buyster Lighting. They have a huge range of lighting ranging from various lamps, ceiling fans, downlights, and wall lights. It would be a great Christmas gift for yourself or a friend. It is very important for sewers and crafters to have the right lighting . Especially when I (use to) have time in the evening to sew. I can't tell you how much I need this lamp. Those free bulbs we have just aren't bright enough and I have to squint to see the needle. Speaking of lights at the end of tunnels I have decided that instead of pencil cases, I would make Nintendo DS cases for my nieces and nephews. These game devices seem to be the third arm they are always carrying around and they are always being misplaced. Must go browse for fabric, methinks there'll be some extra for a giveaway next post.

Gratuitous baby photo . I noticed little curly eyelashes this week. Are you all busy preparing for Christmas yet? I know that if I don't start now I will be doing late night shopping and last minute things. So far my head is just a jumbled list of "little projects that could" This year I have decided to make pencil cases for the young kids. Last year it was pencil colour rolls. I might even get around to making some coin purses and Amy Butler bags. It means I should gather up supplies and scrummy fabric. Little Miss decided she wanted a little red riding hood so that's added to the list. Litte Boy has no idea about Christmas yet but we'll get around to something for him. The little koala is just loving being snuggled in this easy to make sling. All you really need are medium or large size sling rings and about 2metres of fabric. Sew up one end into the pair of rings and voila, the most comfy sling for bub and mum. Stay tuned. A little birdie told me there...

She: The one who takes up most of my time but gets cuter by the day. Her: Who keeps me on my feet and wants to see the baby all the time. Him: The mischievious of them all and makes so much mess. Oh so much. The other night my hubby's niece (niece-in-law?) came over for a sewing favour. We sat for a few hours, both dreary-eyed while I finished piecing together a lovely blue satin dress for her Home Ec class. I could have shaved off about half an hour but I screwed up with the invisible zipper, TWICE ! The first time I twisted the second part so it couldn't zip up, the second time I finished and then realised that the zip should have gone all the way up to the bodice instead of starting underneath the bodice. Such cursing needed to be had (in my head of course). Once it was all finished there was a huge sigh of relief and I could start my sewing itch being scratched. Once you scratch, of course, you need to keep scratching until you are satisfied. So many things I want to ...

I love all things Japanese. I couldn't resist taking advantage of how well our dollar is doing and let my fingers do the walking on yesasia. The book pictured above is New York Style for Kids. It has the cutest designs for the little ones. I can't wait til Little J is old enough for me to start on some of them for her. Above is Girly Style Wardrobe. I've read rave reviews on this book and I can see why. The dresses are beautiful and perfect for our upcoming summer. This bundle of 'My Favourite ' by Kiyohara & Co could be yours! It's part of a giveaway by the fabulous True Up blog. It's a blog on all things fabric and she even shares the same name as me! It's just the best eye candy so head on over there for your chance to win. A HUGE thankyou to Melinda for nominating me for the Kreativ Blogger award. I'm so humbled. It's nice to know I am making a little impact on the blogging world. I think there are rules that come with this award like no...

I've been tagged by Cherri over at CherriBerri to reveal some True Facts about myself. The rules are below: Thank the person who gave you the award: Thankyou Cherri. Post ten honest facts about yourself. Pass the award on to seven others. 1. I hated Computer Science at school but my past two jobs are computer related and I love it so much. 2. I do not have a green thumb although I wish I did. In fact I can kill a plant within a week and forget I even owned it. I started some seedlings recently but haven't transferred them to a bigger pot yet. They are still alive as we speak... maybe there's some hope for me yet. 3. I really enjoy having 7 sisters and wished I could see them more often. 4. I love children but 3 is enough for now and we will try for our last one in the future. That is if I haven't lost my sanity by then. 5. I am a procrastinator. If I don't write it down I'll just forget to do it. 6. I met hubby at work and we didn't talk to each other for th...

Jacqueline arrived at 5.59pm on the 12th October 2009. It was an intense but fast labour with only grazing as I had her standing up. We couldn't be any happier and glad to be home already. Little Miss and Little Man are adjusting quite well although they do tend to wake each other at night. We are resting at home and enjoying the time of 'firsts' with her. Not much else happening on the home front. Minimal cleaning, nil sewing, nil crafting and no thanks to things that are busy. It's a time to take things slowly and enjoy the peacefulness while it lasts ; ) Hugs and kisses from us.

Ironically this nest was found in our backyard. I am hoping it is a sign of good things to come. Oh, I have to let you know that A Spoonful of Sugar is doing a Giveaway! It's for a fabulous lamp that I seriously need. My eyes are getting worse! So pop on over and leave a comment over there for your chance to win. Good luck. So I've almost finished embellishing this once plain white nappy stacker. I never did have one for any of the other kids and I'll need this one for the newborn. I used the templates from Kellie at Don't Look Now . She has the most prettiest designs. I just need to do the edging on each of them and hopefully it will turn out nice. Little Miss has been busy with other cousins doing some painting. It's a good time to enjoy some crafting. Have a great weekend.

I love this baby beanie . I bought the pattern book from Sandra Rose years ago on ebay. This is the Eyelet beanie and it's so easy to make. I love how it looks like little diamonds. I started it a few nights ago and while I dislike the long wait to see the midwife at the hospital it actually gives me time to knit. (I also finished hubby's Irish Hiking Scarf a while ago). I am so spoilt! My prize has arrived from Nicole of Our Cozy Nest . Thankyou so much! As much as I hate to cut beautiful fabric I will put these to good use. For now they will be admired in my stash. The bassinet and cot are set-up, bags are packed and clothes washed so it's now just a waiting game. I hope bub arrives next week because my other two arrived in my 39th week. So if I don't post next week or after that you will know something is up... I'm terribly excited.

I finished my first baby quilt in time. Phew. I thought I wouldn't make it. I didn't follow any particular instructions which is why I came stuck in a few places here and there. I used one pack of a Wee Play Charm Pack, a dotty cotton print and one pre-packed craft size Warm and Natural batting. Firstly, I really liked the idea of the disappearing nine patch. However, I also liked the basic nine patch which, mixed in, isn't a good idea because you end up with bigger blocks using the latter method. Anyway, I trudged on and did my best to line them up (although I had to re-sew some blocks and use a smaller s.a) Fast forward to a few months later I finished the quilt top and then I spent one morning quilting it. I have never quilted before so I decided the fastest and easiest way was to quilt in long wavy lines. I started from the middle and made my way to the right edge of the quilt. I had to use the Hyflex gloves as they helped to manouevre it around. I was not use to ...

There have been a few exciting things happening around here. I was thrilled to win another giveaway! Since hubby has banned me from on-line shopping for a while then these things are especially a blessing and very special! Ha ha. Can you imagine my excitement when I decided to give shirring another go and it worked? Oh my goodness . I had tried this about 2yrs ago and I could not for the life of me figure out why it would never work. Then, the other day I read a post about it on Jelly Baby Blog and watched the Threadbanger video on how to make a summer dress. It looked sooooo easy. So I decided to give it another whirl. This time I did thread the elastic thread in the thread tension thing in the bobbin case. I started sewing and voila!! I was shirring with excitement in no time. It's a bit late to make a shirred maternity top since I don't have long to go. Perhaps a nice shirred summer top instead. Something to think about. Of course, I had to show *hubby* the end result. He ...

The days are quickly passing by. Weeks are churning slowly and I'm realising that my To Do List will not get done by a long shot since it takes a week to start and finish a project (at the least). However, this has not dissuaded me into doing some projects while time permits. Or when hubby hasn't trashed the hobby room with computer items and boxes, including unloading things all over my sewing table, grrrr, GRRRRR. I digress, the skirt is from the Japanese book (pic in right side bar). First I cut the pattern in size 120cms and then decided that it was too long when I tried it on Little Miss. So I cut the waist band part to meet the 100cms measurements. She is about this height. I omitted the elastic casing as the waist part already was waist level. This proved to be a hazardous idea as I didn't have enough fabric to make a casing as the ribbon gets in the way. I ended up adding a piece of extra material to make up for the shortfall. I remembered that Heather Bailey crea...

The wonderful Nicole of Our Cozy Nest is giving away some goodies. I am a bit biased about this giveaway because these goodies look so easy to make and it would be a nice present for the next bub. She has a great tutorial on Moda Bake Shop for a ribbon block and blanket. It looks super easy so if you have to make a baby gift for an expectant mother you should go there now! I love going there as it's always updated with free easy and new projects from talented bloggers all over the land. This hot weather is making me sooo lazy. However, I did make a start on a little skirt from my Sassy Girls Book (pic right) and hope to finish it tonight or tomorrow. Can't dinner make itself???