Fab Friday...

Today I am finalizing a mending job for a lovely lady I met through the Australian Nappy Network.

It's okay Katrina I haven't forgotten you, the elastic in your nappies is nearly finished!!

I am also working on some of those things I said I would do for my week off.

I bought this pattern a couple of years ago at the op-shop, its an old spotlight "get creative" pattern. 

Its a very basic pant, and once I've tested it out and know that it fits well, I will add pockets, belt loops and other lovely pants essentials that aren't included in the pattern paper. I have enough fabric here for 3 pairs of pants and have one pair cut, interfaced and ready to sew up later today.

I also have to re-make a batch of mini cheesecakes. I decided (and mentioned on facebook) that I would make some mini cheesecakes for calisthenics morning tea (for the mums) on Saturday. The Mr stole 3 from the batch for himself and the guys at work yesterday and today took the rest of the batch cos they all wanted more! So I'm looking forward to making a bunch of little cheesecakes today too. I also bought an awesome tool to help me when I am baking them (trust me, when I tell you about this, you will be excited and want one!)

What are you guys up to this lovely Friday? Are you mending? Baking? Sewing? Painting? Relaxing? I'd love to hear what you are up to!

Bidding....

I am the highest bidder... hopefully it stays that way for the next 8 hours!!

Please please please!! (sending out those vibes to a greater being!)

A Few Sizes Smaller Means...

A DESPERATE NEED FOR NEW CLOTHES!!

As I mentioned the other day, I have been on a diet since November. I didn't tell anyone about going on a diet, I just decided it was time to lose weight.

I have always been overweight. I had serious spinal surgery at the age of 12 so I wasn't really allowed to do sport as a teenager, and the love of chocolate, lollies and cake along with lack of exercise made me very overweight. When I was 16, I decided to lose weight and lost 30kg on the weight watchers program. Over the next few years, due to changing my lifestyle, I then lost another 10kg but when I had my son a couple of years ago, I put a lot of weight on.

So long story short, after seeing a photo of myself in November I made the decision that I didn't want to be as big as I had been when I was a teenager and made the decision to lose the weight once and for all. I was imparting a very unhealthy lifestyle on my kids, and although I was going to the gym I was eating a lot of the wrong foods and had put on 10kg last year.

I did some research on healthy eating and looked at some popular diets and also spoke to my health care professionals and decided that I would go on the CSIRO diet as it seemed to be something that would work for me as I need rules. If I am told I can have chocolate sometimes, I will make that sometimes every few days...

I have since lost close to 20kg and have a couple of kg to go and I feel great. But there is one thing that I am lacking at the moment... CLOTHES!!!!! All of my clothes are a size 16 and I am now a size 10 - 12 so I have been searching for patterns to sew and clothes to buy that I might enjoy wearing and that will look good on me. I have lived most of my life in jeans and t-shirts but now I feel like embracing my lovely feminine body and wearing dresses and even skirts!!

I am thinking of using this tutorial that I found last night... and maybe even making a few more of these...

What is your favorite girly, wintery patterns for this year? I am thinking things I can wear with my tights and either flats, boots or heels :)

p.s. I recommend speaking to your doctor if you are considering a weightloss expedition like I did xo

The Weekend...

This weekend is an incredibly long one in our house. Mick is a tradie so he has Saturday through Wednesday off for work so I decided that yesterday I would relax as well. 

As its my first market of the year next Sunday, I thought I might relish in my last weekend off, since I have finished my orders for the week :) So yesterday afternoon, I traced off and cut out this pattern, whilst watching Harry Potter with my family. 

My original plan when I bought this pattern was to make the mini dress. But when I measured myself, I needed to add 3" to the length for it to be the length it was on the cover, so I am making the"dress" from this pattern as it will sit at the mini dress length for me... Oh the joys of being 5'11"!! (I also measure a medium bust, large waist and small hips!... hows that for a weird body shape for you?!?!)

Anyway, so I hope to sew this up today... I also spent yesterday reading this book which I had half finished and lost. But now it is done and I'm onto the next one in the series. I am determined to finish them before the last movie comes out so I know what is happening. I am slightly addicted!

I've also been watching the Auctions very closely :) Make sure you go and bid on them to support this good cause :)

Something to brighten my day...

Firstly... Don't forget to bid on the auctions! Links over on the far right side bar!

You might remember that a little while ago, I found a button on the ground at the market... Not long afterwards, my sister came to visit me and turned it into a beautiful flower which I proceeded to leave on my bench... (I'm so very organised... :-| )

Anyway, I was tidying up yesterday and found it so I turned it into something to brighten up my sewing room...

I stuck some magnets to the back, and now it will sit on my order board :)

So it was a lovely little bit of improvisation that I will notice every day :)

(ps dont look at the brown bit, I may have spilled coffee on it...)

What is something you have improvised on that turned out to be something to brighten your day?

Out with the Old....

... and in with the new...

Apparently there was a very very secret squirrel mission going on around here for my birthday. I had mentioned to a friend that I had intercepted some calls and eavesdropped so I knew there was something coming and thought it was for my sewing room...

BOY WAS I WRONG!!! On Saturday afternoon, my lovely boyfriend called me into the other room and there stood a new oven. I was completely shocked! And also taken by surprise as I was expecting something else, I don't know what I was expecting, but a new oven, I wasn't expecting that at all!!

My old oven still cooks stuff, but it needs a new element in the grill and a new thermostat as that has never worked and I am constantly burning things in it. A new oven was on the bottom of my needed things list as I knew we couldn't afford it, so I was just making do. 

I can't even begin to express how grateful and spoiled I feel to have a new oven. I LOVE to bake so I will most likely do a lot more of that from now on! 

Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou to my lovely family for getting this for me, I am a very lucky lady.

As for the old oven... not sure what to do with that... I'd love to donate it or give it away, all it needs is a new thermostat and a new grill element. Not sure where to even start looking to do such a thing, might look into it :)

Don't forget about the auctions either... Links in the far right side bar :)

Pattern Frustration

Okay so my jacket is coming along swimmingly, but for the moment, is at a standstill so I can get a few nappies sewn otherwise the store will be empty on store stocking! The coat is NOT the source of my frustration.

Quite a while ago, I downloaded the coffee date dress pattern from Burda Style. This dress is really cute and I am was looking forward to making it for myself. I went out yesterday and bought some lovely grey fabric which I will team with a black sash, Im not really a bright colours person. I prefer my black, grey, navy, white and like to accentuate with the occasional splash of colour with accessories. My lovely boyfriend tells me it is because I am emo.... (yes I used to be in a rock band).

Anyway, back to the source of my frustration... prior to printing the pattern I decided to have a quick look at the sizing chart. Let me paste a copy of it here for you for reference...

Women's Size Chart

Burda size		32	34	36	38	40
US Size		0	2	4	6	8
Height	Inches CM	66 1/4 168	66 1/4 168	66 1/4 168	66 1/4 168	66 1/4 168
Bust	Inches CM	30 76	31 1/5 80	33 84	34 3/4 88	36 1/4 92
Waist	Inches CM	23 58	24 1/2 62	26 66	27 3/4 70	29 1/4 74
Hip	Inches CM	32 1/2 78	34 86	35 1/2 90	37 94	38 3/4 98
Back Length	Inches CM	15 3/4 40	16 40 1/2	16 1/4 41	16 1/2 41 1/2	16 1/6 42
Sleeve length	Inches CM	23 1/4 59	23 1/4 59	23 1/4 59	23 3/4 60	23 3/4 60
Neck width	Inches CM	13 33	13 1/2 34	14 1/4 35	14 1/2 36	14 3/4 37
Side leg length	Inches CM	39 3/4 101	40 1/4 102	40 1/4 102	40 3/4 103	41 104
Front waist length	Inches CM	16 1/2 42	17 43	17 1/4 44	17 3/4 45	18 1/4 46
Bust point	Inches CM	9 1/2 24	9 7/8 25	10 1/4 26	10 3/4 27	11 1/8 28
Upper arm circumference	Inches CM	9 7/8 25	10 1/4 26	10 3/4 27	11 1/8 28	11 1/2 29

Okay so the source of my frustration? I thought for sure I would be a 40.. that would give me lots of room for my 

height, I am a size 14 in Australia.

Height... apparently everyone is 168cm... yeah I am 180cm tall... what about all those supermodels out there Burda style?!?!

and apparently i am a few cm too big around the bust, waist and all for size 40. I am not sure why... I was under the impression that a size 40 was equivalent to a size 20 not a size 12! I am so confused! I have seen women who are larger than me (especially in the bust) in dresses that they have made from this pattern... 

So now... I have to print the pattern and then add 12cm in length... to be tall enough! I wouldnt think that a size 14 is an unreasonable size to cater for... and perhaps I am too tall to wear nice clothes after all... 

I will not let this conquer me though... I will alter the pattern and it will look awesome on me... you just wait and see.

So the question is... do I print out the pattern and just HOPE that it fits or do I do a whole revamp of the pattern?

Ahh what is a girl to do??


Edited to add:
After much deliberation I have re looked at the pattern and it goes up to a size 42. Which is equivalent to my measurements and an Australian size 14. So we will cross our fingers. I will check out the length when I have finished printing the pattern and perhaps add to it from there. No doubt I would have to add length anyway as running and bending to pick up a 2 year old is really un lady like things to be doing and therefore not short dress activities!