Harvest dress

This girl could look cute in anything! This dress didn't turn out as nice as I thought, but Lainey pulls it off somehow. I used the same pattern as last time (the black, pink and green one).

Boo!

It's halloween again! It seems like it's only been a few weeks since last halloween.

The costumes this year were based on a Pinocchio theme, as you can see. I really loved how the costumes turned out, but I have to admit that it was a lot of effort, and probably not really worth it, if I'm honest. Luke had a meltdown when I was putting the face paint on his hair, and I almost thought we would never get out of the house. However, the kids looked adorable, and we had fun at the MASA carnival.

Luke enjoying his popcorn. He just enjoyed watching what was going on and joining in with the games (including pumpkin bowling, cake walk, fishing pond, and colouring)

Many people thought Lainey was a skunk, which I can completely understand, because I forgot to add a tail. Oh well. If they could just put two and two together they'd realise that she was Figaro.

Unfortunately, Trev was working, so he couldn't come with us (what a surprise!) but we have some fun stuff lined up for the coming holidays, so it's okay.

By the way, you can really tell winter is on it's way. We had a nice snow storm last week and it's really quite chilly. But not so chilly that it keeps us inside- we still get out to play once or twice a day. You have to when you live in a little apartment, unless you want to go bald early!

bonkers about conkers!

Have you ever collected conkers? Or better still, had a conker fight? Conkers are the fruit of a horse-chestnut tree, and are one of my favourite autumn traditions.

We always used to go gathering them with dad. He would throw sticks to knock them out of the tree, and the kids would gather them up. Apparently nobody does this in America, because the tree I went to had hundreds of conkers, already open, on the ground! So I didn't even have to lift a finger- Luke did all the work (and loved every minute of it)

I really want to have a fight, but I keep getting my needle stuck in the conker, so I haven't got it threaded yet. But until I do, I can enjoy the sight of these shiny beauties in my home, reminding me of my childhood.

On another note...here's the apron I made for my Trev's mom for her birthday. Not a great photo, I know.

And finally, just because I can't resist. And who could resist those cheeks?!

The dress turned out ten times better than expected. If only she'd keep the headband on...

She is a girl, after all...

I've started to get so excited about dressing Lainey up. I'm sure you've been looking at my pictures of her and thinking 'why does Sian dress her so plain?' or 'Why does it seem like she's always dressed as a boy?' I think it's taken a while for me to realize that you can really have fun with a girl, and there are so many cute clothes and fabrics out there. Like this funky fabric that I found on clearance a while ago. I think it was under 2 dollars for about 3/4 yard.

I decided to make a dress, since that's what Lainey is lacking at the moment.


And then I made a matching hairclip, to go on her headband. I love how the clip turned out! It really echoes the pattern on the fabric. I found out how to make the flowers using this tutorial.

The pattern is Simplicity 4243. It was quite easy to make, the trickiest bit was applying the binding to the armholes. Apart from that it was simple. I have another one of these dresses cut out and ready to go, in a different fabric.

Girls really are fun!

pjs to pjs

For Christmas last year, my lovely sister Sophie gave me some cute froggy pyjamas. I loved them and wear the bottoms frequently, but I never really like to wear the tops- they're always too warm and I prefer a t shirt.

Then one day, I got the idea in my head to turn it into pjs for Lainey. There wasn't enough fabric for trousers so I just used green flannel to make those. I used the buttons, hem and cuffs of the original shirt.



I did make the sleeves up and they came out a little long. Better than too short, though, right?

Chair

Remember this chair? Trev and I designed and made it ourselves! The top part, that is. It sits on a barstool that we had lying around. I posted about it a while back and mentioned my plans to paint it green.




Well....here she is in all her glory! I really love the way it turned out. The green paint was a free sample I ordered a while ago, and I just happened to have a suitable fabric on hand to make the seat pad and ruffle.

It's really easy to wipe clean, and throw the fabric bits in the washing machine when needed. I love it lots!

By the way, I wish I could take credit for the ruffle, but I can't. My mum did it for me while she was visiting last week. It is held in place with Velcro.

first of many, I hope

This is my first ever scatter cushion. I used clearance fabric, piped with some from my stash. I didn't put a zip in because the fabric is not washable, so when it gets too dirty, I'll just cut it off and make a new one.

I like how it turned out, and Luke has already started using it as a cover for his cache of cars.

Teeny-weeny quilt

This is Lainey's new little blanket, for taking to bed with her. It's made of pre-cut squares of heart fabric, purchased on ebay about 3 years ago. I simply pieced them, used fusible fleece as batting, and quilted by stitching 'in-the'ditch'.

I am happy with it. Lainey loves it, because there are so many different patterns and colours in it. The best bit is that I managed to teach myself how to miter the corners on my binding, using a tutorial I can't find anymore, otherwise I'd link it.

This is a small quilt (maybe 25 inches square) It'll one day be perfect for a dolly's bed, and it has given me a taste for quilting and I can't wait to do more!

Luke's raggy

Just a silly little thing really- adapting Luke's 'raggy' to make it a bit more attractive! It used to be simply a pale blue textured fabric. I sewed some 'Cars' fabric to it, then did wavy stitching to hold the two layers together. Fortunately, Luke loves it and is just attached to it as ever :-)

Outside blanket

Well, it was going to be an outside blanket, until we decided that it's actually just the right weight and size for snuggling on the couch. So, now it's an inside blanket. But that's okay.

The top fabric is from Ikea, about 5 or 6 years ago. The bottom is denim I already had, and that's what gives it a bit more weight, which I love.

bits

Recently, I've been doing all sorts. Crochet, knitting, sewing, home decor stuff...I've been starting projects galore and jumping from thing to thing without finishing any of them.

One thing that I'm way excited about is my crochet. I started making little flower motifs. I thought I could use them on headbands for Lainey, hats, clothes, whatever. So I promptly whipped up a little stash. (sample pictured below). Then, I thought, maybe this is what I could sell in my Etsy shop! Not sure though, but it's a thought.

I asked Trev to make a tall chair for Luke to sit at our bar. He got right on it (what a good example!) and it was finished a few days later. Finished, that is, except for making it look good, which is where I come in. We decided white with the red vinyl pad but it's not working so it's going to be green. Watch this space for updates on that!

This is for a wall display I'm doing in our living room. It came together really cheaply and I actually love it, and the way it fits in with our scheme (that I have planned...)

So, that's it for now. I've got 5 or 6 other things on the go and I'll add them soon.

Breathable crib bumpers

Lainey is at the stage where her arms and legs are always escaping through the bars of her crib. I'm a bit scared of traditional bumpers, it just seems like a baby could suffocate with them. So I came up with this simple idea to make them breathable.

I used a mesh material that I bought, oh, a year ago. I trimmed it with satin blanket binding, and made ties from bias tape. It's one piece that kind of weaves in and out of the crib bars (at the corners) and joins with velcro.

I used lavender, so that it will go with the quilt that my mum made and sent over for Lainey. Isn't it lovely? I love Beatrix Potter!

4th July outfits

4th July stuff- simple shorts for brother and sister, and a last-minute felt star for Lainey's head.

I really need to get on board with the whole bow thing. People are always thinking Lainey is a boy.

Sophie's bag

I finally made a buttercup bag. It was a birthday present for the lovely Sophie. I think I'm going to make some more as Christmas gifts.

Blessing dress

I've been seeing a lot about 'refashioning' online lately, in the crafty circles, so I decided to do a bit myself. Instead of buying new fabric for Lainey's blessing dress, I used a ladies white dress I bought at a thrift store for $5. I adapted a pattern I already had (some adaptations were by design, others were made in a late-night frenzy of desperation) The pattern was Simplicity 9784.

I like how it turned out, though I did cut a lot of corners, knowing that she would only wear it once.

Bandana skirt

I made this little skirt in about 10 minutes, and it cost about a dollar. I love it, and it matches perfectly with a little top that my mum sent over for Lainey. You can find out how to make one here. The tutorial is for a size 2-3 years skirt, but I trimmed the excess fabric from the top and didn't add the trim.

By the way, I have quite a few projects on the go at the moment. I'm working on them as and when I find time. This was so quick and easy it jumped right to the top of the pile.

Speaking of simple...

A little bag for the beanbags to live in. I had this fat quarter of froggy fabric in my stash and it seemed like a good use for it.


Although this is a simple project, I'm quite excited about it, because it's the first time I used french seams, which I only just learned about. Now I don't need to complain about my lack of serger!


Still gathering inspiration and being amazed at what is out there. I'm learning so much.