All Things Mum

  As usual, I was undecided about where to go today since I am two kids down on Thurs - Fri. I was feeling rather tense and had been searching for new clothing patterns online so along with feeling crap I had an itch for something, anything crafty!!! I also had to return library books and had lots of laundry packing to catch up on. This morning after preschool drop off I realised that Miss 5's school hat needed to be dropped off so that was done and I felt like a good mum : ) She saw me along with all her classmates and she looked happy so I was happy. Which was far from what I was feeling yesterday and the day before. So after drop off I headed straight to Spotlight. I was in the lift thinking this place could be so awesome if they chucked in Coles or Woolies. If only, in my dreams. Moving on, with two kids in the pram I collected a few things I needed; dress zips, piping cord, a free magazine, woo hoo. Heaven. I could feel the stress leaving me. I felt relaxed...

This was a really large mens polo shirt. A size 2XL to be exact. I traced a t-shirt my 9mth old currently wears and then used the armhole to cut out a sleeve using the existing sleeves so I could keep the hemmed end. The first time I botched up the sleeve but the second time was fine. I also used the existing collar and kinda just sewed it onto the collar, then flipped it and top stitched it again to flatten it. I have no idea how this is going to fit him as he was asleep while I was doing this. Still it looks really cute right? I love navy on little boys. The big boys seem to look good in it too. I saved myself about $15 for a polo shirt like this at the shops.   I thought I'd chuck in a pic of the pattern I used to make my last top. I'm not sure how they got the neckline so flat. Maybe it's the smallest size I need for the neck. I'm going to have another go again soon with some black knit in my stash. Have a glorious weekend.

I'm always noting to myself to make my 9mth old some pants. We seem to have a short supply to support his growing body and gees, they get big fast. Yesterday I pulled out some Kwik Sew 3126 toddler pj pattern.I copied out size T1 onto cheap baking paper and had myself a pattern for some home/lounge pants. Note: I added an extra inch along the top (waist) area and another 1cm to each outside leg seam. When I made this up in a cotton, originally it wasn't roomy enough so that's why I added a bit extra even though this is a knit fabric. It fits him very well and the length goes all the way to his feet but when sitting they ride up a little. This knit is from Spotlight. It's cute little grey stars and feels really soft. It's really easy to sew up some pants. It takes me longer to figure out my overlocker settings. I sew up the front and back crotches together first, then open up the pants, placing front and back together right sides facing. Then...

Don't Judge Me Cos I Ran out of Cinnamon, should have been the blog title. While I was blog hopping yesterday I found this link to a really good looking cinnamon scroll with a twist (excuse the pun). I started the dough part this morning and didn't realise I threw out some expired cinnamon last week until I got to the mixing part. The first thing that popped into my head was Nutella.Ok,it was the second. The first was a much healthier apple filling. Moving on, I am glad it turned out and it had a really nice crunch on the bottom. Nothing better than quenching a summer thirst with a 5min banana smoothie in a Bonne Maman jar. I like my smoothies with vanilla ice cream, one small banana, milk and a dollop of honey. And this little sweetie agrees.

In keeping with my stash busting theme I made this yesterday. I can't say that it's perfect but I really like this top. Can you believe I knocked this one up in a day? The only part that didn't come out well was the neckline... again. I should have thought more about it before cutting but I was hoping for some miracle. At least the baby stayed asleep. This was a size Large using the basic t-shirt pattern from my Japanese Overlock book. I used up some knit fabric that I bought from the clearance table. It's a lovely white/greyish blue striped fabric which was about $5/metre and this top only required about a metre of it. The neckline is more stable using a method like binding a quilt with an extra strip of fabric to enclose the seam. That way the seams are not exposed. The back gapes a little along the top so I might have to use the smaller size next time??? I'm not sure. It's comfy though but I wish I had a really good basic women's t-shirt/top ...

We ate this delicious beef salad. It's kind of like a Thai Beef Salad but I sloshed in my mums sweet chilli sauce and added some pan roasted peanuts. Really yummy and healthy. I went to the dollar store and picked up these pillow cases for $2 each. I figure they could be turned into pj pants for the two little ones or a pillowcase dress. I also picked up $1 Early learning books for the older two. I love bargains. I also visited my local library while I was waiting for my appointment for my pap smear. It was a good way to spend 40mins. I also love my scanner at home. I scanned a cardigan pattern from the May Gibbs Knit book, recipes from Marie Claire's Fresh and Easy and a few tips and techniques from Quilting Basics. It's not a huge library but hey, the books are free and pretty good. Life is still really busy and my prayers go out for those in NSW who are trapped in flooded areas and displaced. I can't imagine how they are coping right now bu...