sewing up a storm

I found some brown check flannel at Spotlight which took my fancy, and was the only one of its group that didn't look bogan. I wanted an overshirt/dress with the all necessary buttons down the front. I'd had the pattern for years but had never made it, and I liked the way it has the long pleats down the front (can't be seen too easily in the photo sorry).

The tie at the back helps to give it shape as well.

So here's the coat I made last year from Waverly blanket ends. It's fully lined with brown bemsilk as well. It was my first attempt with a Burda pattern. They're a bit different but I didn't have a problem, not like I do with Vogue...

It's wonderfully light and cosy. You know those times when it's nice to be wrapped up warm and cosy in a blanket? This coat can do that too.

In the last few days I made a couple of skirts. I bought the Anna Maria Horner book Seams to Me and it's lovely. One of the projects is an A-line skirt and shows you how to draft the pattern yourself, something I've always wanted to do but thought it was too hard. Silly me.

So the skirt above was my trial run, to make sure I had my measurements right and it looked okay. I used some more of my Swaffer samples and it'll make a great summer skirt, just have to wait 6 more months then.

Here's the winter skirt, made with fabric I've had for years and years. I originally wanted to make a full length A-line skirt but this one being just below the knees will be more practical. The black is a fairly heavy cotton that's been brushed on one side and the lining is a patchwork weight cotton which looks rather Japanese-y. I'm wearing it now and is very comfy. Yay!

I had to share this. It's how I manage to keep up with blogging/Facebook/Flickr etc... I prop a cushion between me and the desk, feed Tamsyn with one hand and use the other for clicking and one handed typing (frustrating for a touch-typist!). She's about to slip off the cushion but didn't. It was also a good opportunity to show off another cardigan I knitted before she was born (another Ravelry pattern). It's a cross-over cardi with little i-cord ties in some cotton bamboo blend and looks just gorgeous on her.

baby elephant walk

Have I prompted the tune to play in your head for the rest of the day? Don't worry, it's stuck in mine!

One of my dear sisters made an elephant for Tamsyn. Shannon has never been much of a sewer, but with her female siblings all able to sew we felt confident that the skill was there although untapped. Better yet, Shannon doesn't own a sewing machine so therefore hand stitched the elephant. She did a fantastic job.
This photo is to give you an idea as to how big the elephant actually is, yep, bigger than Tamsyn! It also shows the blanket I made for her. It's a Waverly blanket end, bought at their sale last year. Waverly has a yearly sale where you can buy blanket seconds, doonas/duvets and lots of blanket 'ends'. I've even made a coat from these, must take a photo of it, it's so lovely and warm. All pure wool of course. Anyways, Tamsyn's blanky is in a dark grey. I made a binding in some groovy orange fabric (don't know who by sorry). I wanted a dark colour because it will regularly go to Bruny and as I've said before, the oyster lease is a very grotty place - so I needed something that would hide it.

The basinet that Tamsyn sleeps in is from her pram, which it can be easily removed from. This works fantastically as I can have her sleeping in any room, particularly the sewing room. My little girl is 6 weeks old today, can you believe it? In the last couple of days we've noticed that she can focus on more distant objects, that is, further away than Mum's booby, and it's lovely to look at her while sewing and see that she's watching what I'm doing. Bless her.

Bruny baby

I've been a bit tardy haven't I. It's not that I haven't had anything to blog about, it's more a case of not having time. Last week it was more important to make a new top, as I'm desperate for some post-pregnancy clothes (of which I'll blog about too). So instead of doing one big post I'll try to do a few smaller ones during the week.
Last weekend was Tamsyn's first trip to Bruny and she did really well, despite the weather. There's been record rainfalls down south, some of which we witnessed on Saturday. So while baby was snug (recognise the hat?) her Dad kept working on in the driving rain.
If it wasn't work that absolutely had to be done then we wouldn't even have bothered, but the work was done and Ant is feeling happier for it.
I've also managed to get some bag sewing done. A friend asked for a new backpack to use when they go to Thailand in August, she loves lime green so the Prints Charming fabric was the perfect choice. It was nice to be back on The Thug again too.