Better Late than Never...

Okay so I finally finished the bibs for my market stall on Monday. They weren't quite ready for Saturday just gone, I had spent far too much time giggling with my kids and didnt finish them off! Hee hee! So the bibs are now done and ready for the next market .. yay!!

here's a pic of each style.. trust me, there's lots more!!

Tuesday Tip #4

Sewing New Patterns!

The first time you sew a new pattern is a little daunting. You open up the envelope and there inside is that thing you have been coveting for so long. But it can be scary! There are a few things you can do to make it less so and make certain that when you do sew your garment it will be just gorgeous!

1. Read Read Read...

Always pre-read a pattern before you even put pattern to fabric. The instructions are there for a reason!! (I tell this to my partner all the time when he's putting things together.) Just because we know how to sew doesnt mean we wont encounter a new technique we havent tried before. So get those instructions out, give them a good read, notice how the pattern is meant to be laid out, and look up any new techniques you dont know how to do. Information is the key to success!

2. Follow the Instructions and Go Slow...

Go slowly, the first time you try out a new pattern is going to be exactly that, NEW. So read the instructions carefully, even though you have already familiarised yourself with them... (I cant tell you how many times ive stuffed things up by not reading things as I go!)

3. If all else fails, try it out...

If you are still confused after your first read through, perhaps try it out on a cheap fabric instead of your good one! It means you will be able to try things out and remember how you can do things differently next time.

Have fun sewing all your new patterns!

For more Tips head over to Carmel's

Market Debrief...

Well, the market is over... It was a stifling hot 31 degrees in a non ventilated room with a glass ceiling. Oliver was hot and bothered but was so well behaved.

The positives?? Hmm I spoke to a lot of lovely people about cloth nappies. Gave out all of my business cards and the coffee stall was about 6m away. I only sold one nappy, but I think that the fact that I gave out ALL of my cards and added a few people to my mailing list makes it a positive.

I also met some other lovely crafty ladies as well. :)

So now that Im home, I have updated (and completely re designed) the website and now have it working just how I want it. As well as stocked up with market leftovers. Off to sew bibs tonight or tomorrow so that I can get my Christmas specials up and running. :) As well as make a few little dresses.

Okay, so now that's done, I also wrote my Christmas list. I made the decision to make handmade gifts this year for the children in our families. So there are a few of Novy's crayon rolls, a couple of sensory books, and a bunch of other handmade gifts on the to do list. I just hope I get it all done in time. Ahhh Im such a sucker for the constant deadline...

What are you making for Christmas??

Wordless Weekend

boredom wins sometimes

Tuesday Tip #3

My Tip for today is to
know your machine, how it works and keep it clean.

Dont be afraid to pull your sewing machine apart. Read the manual and look at the section for machine maintenance and remember to continually clean out all of the lint and dust inside the machine and oil it regularly. A great link with tips on how to spring clean your sewing machine is at craft nectar.

Its also important to remember to change your needle regularly. The lady at my sewing machine shop said that a needle is good for about 4 hours of sewing, otherwise it gets blunt and starts skipping stitches.

The best tip to do with cleaning your machine is DONT BE SCARED! for such a long time I didnt unscrew anything on my machine for fear of not remembering how to get it back together. It has only been since starting to sew really really regularly that I have thrown caution to the wind and picked up my screw driver.

Once you start cleaning your machine regularly you will notice how much better it works and how much happier your craft and sewing time will be.

For more Tuesday Tips head over to solomons sewing.

Monday Cooking Lessons

One of the things I love to spend my time doing is cooking. I inherited my keen cooking ability from my gran who was the most amazing cook. Her offerings at afternoon tea were always divine and even making simple sandwiches for a party was a feat and she would make them deliciously interesting every time. She was always willing to lend her baking, sandwich making or simple cooking skills at any opportunity. I would love to get my hands on her recipes to be honest because the things she made were down right delicious and she did something to every dish that made it different to the cookbook. (I think this was the addition of love)

So one thing I hope to pass on to my daughter Ruth and hopefully Oliver as well is a love of cooking. Ruth has always enjoyed baking and we generally make muffins, cupcakes, cookies or muesli bars each week. But our oven is broken at the moment (oh isnt everything in our house?!) so she hasnt gotten to do much cooking of late.

Today I decided it was cooking day and I decided to make one of my favourite things, pasta. I didnt think Ruth would be interested as she was playing a silly matching game on my computer (mummy needed a break) but she came over and asked if she could help. What I thought would have been a hindrance was a fantastic bonding time for us, and Im so glad that she has begun to inherit from me what I inherited from my gran. She even said at one stage "Mummy, You are teaching me to cook, I am learning" which was a beautiful thing to hear.

rolling out the dough. one of our favourite parts

the pasta waiting to be cooked. mmm it looks delicious doesnt it?

the finished product.

Chicken, mushroom and parmesan tortolini with creamy pumpkin and baby spinach sauce. (My own recipe)

Looking Back...

Last night I was up insanely late with the boy. Teething perhaps?? Please give me an answer magical baby and parent fairy!! Anyway, I was going through some old photos of Little Princess Ruth and thought I would share them. Yup, completely unrelated to sewing today, more about bragging to be honest.

all worth it...

Just a few minutes old. Well after she had recieved oxygen. She is so beautiful This is our first ever hug. Im pretty sure my first words to her were "hello... Im your mum". Pretty sure the nurse said something like "She knows that..." LOL!! All the wonderful emotions come back when I look at these photos because I remember how horrible the pregnancy was (I was very sick for the entire time) the very moment you witness in this photo is the moment when I think... "oh that was all worth it, because I am holding the most beautiful little girl in the whole world in my arms right now."

big bum!

This is one of my favourite photos I have of Ruth. She was about 6 days old. It was her first time in a cloth nappy. I didnt know anything about Modern Cloth or the alternatives that were available for "cloth nappying". I was so embarassed to take a baby out in such a massive nappy. I wanted to use cloth nappies so much, but at the time it was "So much cooler" to use disposables because there was no apparent alternative. So whenever I was in public I would use disposable nappies. Cloth was my secret addiction! hee hee.

I am now so glad I discovered Modern Cloth Nappies! Also the ability to stick up for my belief that cloth is a better option not only for the environment but most importantly, for my babies. I love my now very public cloth addiction and I am glad that I have the opportunity to share something better with every other mum in the world. :)

Now back to the present where I have 8 nappies ready to be given elastic, turned and topstitched waiting on my sewing table for me!!!

why is it they wont stay still when you want them to?