Warm winter outfit

I love seeing miss O in pink! This pant and jacket set is from Ottobre, 4/2008.http://www.ottobredesign.com/lehdet_js/2008_
4/index.html?en The fabric is sweatshirting, with a FOE trim around the jacket, and minky bumblebee appliques.

Winter dress

I acquired this lovely red knit fabric, embroidered all over with butterflies and flowers. I knew miss O would love it. I turned some of into a nice dress for winter. It looks quite big on her, and it is a bit big yet, but it will be ideal for putting layers of warm clothing underneath in winter. The pattern is Burda 9829.

Dress-ups for the kids

I wanted to try something a little different. Miss-7 loves to play dragons, so I did a google search for dragon dress-up patterns. I found this one, http://www.instructables.com/id/Baby-Dragon-Cape/

Purple polyester velour, lined with green polar fleece for a bit of structure under the light velour, plus white polyester velour for the detailing - spikes and wings.

I was going to make one for Mr T in different colours, but he immediately requested a red ninja costume. Hmmmm ok, I can do that!

Red poplin, basic linen pants pattern from an Ottobre book, and the top from a kids costume book. I had to create the hood pattern from scratch, going by images from google and T's head measurements. Turned out pretty good! He was stoked!

I couldnt forget little miss O. She loves My Little Pony, and I had heaps of pink sweatshirting, so I made her a Pinkie Pie dress-up. I used the same instructions as for the dragon dress-up.

DaRNCaT patterns

I tested a couple of patterns for my friend Shar, who creates DaRNCaT patterns for kids http://darncat.com/ http://darncatpatterns.blogspot.co.nz/ and http://www.facebook.com/DaRNCaT.Patterns These patterns are so quick and easy to follow.

First was the Jessie Junior top. I made this one from polar fleece with FOE trim.

I did another one, this one from sweatshirting with minky, and FOE trim.

A dress from the same pattern.

Unisex leggings from knit fabric - this pair is a Pumpkin Patch fabric.

Merino flower power

The top is merino with an applique cotton flower. Ottobre 1/2010. Pants are a basic legging pattern, corduroy with matching flower trim.

Something for myself

I made myself a tunic from a lovely soft merino blend fabric. So warm for winter.

The pattern is from Ottobre, 6/2008 (yes... its a kids pattern... I fit the 158cm size!).

Merino/cotton baby set

This gorgeous fabric is a lovely merino/cotton blend, perfect for baby clothes. I made this before the arrival of baby #3. The top is an Ottobre pattern, book 1/2006. http://www.ottobredesign.com/lehdet_js/2006_1/index.html?en The pants are a basic Burda pattern. I edged it with soft Fold Over Elastic (FOE) and later added snaps by the ribbons as they kept coming undone.

Margaret Bag

Early 2009 I decided to try making myself a bag. This lovely pattern came from http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2011/12/margaret-bag-patterns-now-available.html Unfortunately the pattern is no longer available for free as too many people were using it to sell bags from her pattern.

It is fully lined and has interfacing to hold its shape.

Clothes of the past

Some of the clothes I made 2005-2008-ish

Reversible cow/lilac pants

Polar fleece jacket and pants. Jacket lined with cotton.

Corduroy overalls

Sweatshirt in cotton rich fleece aka cotton sherpa

I was so proud of this gorgeous yellow top, complete with my first attempt at a zip. I was devastated when I realised the overlocker had cut through some bunched fabric on the front and I had to take half of it it apart and put in a seam down the front. It went under a wee pinafore and the seam was hidden.

Christmas Day dress and matching headband, cotton velour

Long sleeved bib

Nappy/bib/wipes set

Sleepsack - cotton knit outer lined with merino

Overalls

My steps into sewing

My mum always had a sewing machine in the house so sewing was not a new concept to me. It wasnt until Intermediate when we had sewing as part of the technology program, that I really got into it. I remember making a pair of satin boxer shorts and asking the teacher to rate them out of 10 for me. She gave me a 9, only because my internal seams didnt all face in the same direction so they would sit flat. I have always remembered that and always make a point of having my seams sit flat!

I didnt do much more sewing until my oldest child arrived, 8 years ago. I jumped into the world of modern cloth nappies and caught the sewing bug again. The only MCN's on the market in NZ were Fuzzibunz pockets and Snazzipants fitteds, prefolds, and Bummis covers. There were more available overseas but "cloth nappies" were still thought of as flat white squares with fluffy pants overtop.

I made my very first pocket nappy from a free Ottobre pattern. It had polarfleece on the outside with a layer of nylon hidden inside, and microfleece as the stay dry layer. It worked! But I needed to make more and try new things. Next was a fitted made from flannelette, and I cut up old flat whites to make the fold-out absorbant layers.

Greenbeans opened their online store not long after that, bringing in PUL, snap presses, and FOE. I made so many nappies for Miss E, and to give away to other babies. Then I moved on to clothes and widened my skills some more. Dresses, pants, slippers, bibs, overalls... I tried them all. Baby #2 arrived, more nappies were made, and a new selection of boy fabrics for more clothes. When he was about 2 years old I started sewing for a WAHM (work at home mum) who created Little Buttons modern cloth nappies. She would send me a box full of pieces to turn into covers and pop naps. I was disappointed when she sold the business on and I was no longer needed, but it meant I had more time for my own sewing, and a new hobby of knitting.

Now baby #3 is 2 years old and I am sewing Little Buttons again, along with clothes for my kids and my own label of minky bibs and cotton velour wipes, Button Pie.