Gone and back

We're back from our holiday! Short but sweet.

A few things I noted:
• It's impossible to get tired of watching sunsets on tropical islands
• Having a massage really is one of my very favourite things in the whole world
• Not cooking, cleaning, or doing the usual routine for a week is bliss
and:
• Even 4 hours is a long time on a plane with 3 children under the age of 6
• Toddlers take their tantrums with them on holidays
• The above point is made considerably more bearable once a pina colada is consumed, preferably poolside (responsibly of course :-)

But overall we are extremely lucky to have such a lovely holiday away with our little brood.

Here are some quick holiday pics. I'm itching to get into my 'Kids Clothing Week Challenge' so will keep this short... a couple of holiday pic sets to come later in the week...



The 'Sophie tunic' comes in handy for some crab hunting and racing, not to mention a game of 'crocodile, crocodile', where the multi colours worked for her!


Who me, tantrums?? Surely all is forgiven with this cute pose, mama!


The hotel joined in my long lasting pink and green fad by supplying gorgeous green beach towels... hmm, thoughtful


Gotta get that craft fix in their somewhere! Little bag made by the very clever pool weaving man with skills passed down from his grandmother. Big girl collected shells in it until the customs man took it in Sydney.


What do you do when you're on holiday, the littlies are napping and you're desperate to 'make stuff'? Some origami crane making does the trick. Seen here nesting in another of the clever weaving man's baskets.

Holiday sewing over! Now for the holiday...

Phew... holiday sewing was officially over yesterday at lunchtime, and I've got to say I was glad to pack it all away! I did end up spending a few too many late nights sewing when I probably should have been doing other stuff... fun stuff like cleaning. But I really enjoyed it and I'm sure my sewing skills have improved. I learnt a lot from the patterns I made and it's given me confidence to do some things I thought I couldn't. Ican't wait to do some more - after a break!

Here's the list and what we ended up with:

For the big girl:
- 'Sophie tunic' kaftan to cover up from the sun yes
- messenger bag to carry her things on our adventures yes
- a pair of shorts "Can I have shorts please Mama? Shorts, a shirt and a bag". OK then. Does anyone have any ideas for girls shorts? She has been obsessed with skirts and dresses for so long that this has thrown me! no. improvised by cutting the legs off an old pair of jeans and hemming them with some spotty fabric
- ruffle top

For the little girl:
- ruffle top yes, too cute!
- popover dress "I want butterflies Mama, and spiders" Hmm, will have to see if I can find a fabric with butterflies and spiders - wish me luck! no, didn't get this done, sorry little girl, maybe for summer. I did find lots of pretty things to take in the girls clothes stash though :-)
- messenger bag yes

For the baby:
he doesn't really need anything but can't be left out, so:
- a sun hat no, we'll use the lovely one that Crafty Deb made him
- shorts/trousers monkey pants made - my new favourite!

plus a hat and a beach bag

- - - - - - -



Coincidentally, Elsie Marley is having another Kids Clothing Week Challenge starting very soon. I'm really keen to give it a go after my own little challenge, but this time to share with the KCWC community. Would you like to join me? Come on, you know you want to!

OK, we're off now for the much needed holiday! I'm hoping for lots of playing with the kids, swimming, playing games, reading, and a bit of relaxing too. I'll be back here some time next week :-)

Matchy-matchy

When I was little I remember mum making she and I matching strapless sundresses. The fabric was a lightweight cotton with a large red and white rose print. There was elastic at the top and waist, the hem was just below the knee and there were splits up the sides. They obviously made a big impression on me. Skip forward probably about 30 years and I'm making my first matching (kinda) outfit with one of my girls.



My girl asked for a 'pretty top' when she saw her sister's the other day, saying that they needed matching tops to go to dinner in when we're on holiday - and how could I refuse that request :-). She was fascinated with the gathering and asked me how to do it (a little fellow sewist in the making maybe?). But I was out of the 'lala' fabric, and while I would have loved to whip out for some japanese echino double gauze, unfortunately something from the stash would have to do. She chose this lovely orange and red graphic print voile that I got from my favourite fabric shop a while ago. It is so soft that I knew it would work well on the floaty 'Ruffle top'.



I'd used the fabric earlier in the year to make a 'Shearwater Kaftan' from Make It Perfect, and loved the kaftan so much that I bought more fabric with a view to adapting the pattern to a dress and maybe cutting it on the bias to further the drapey quality.

So now she can take her pick and match her sister or me :-)

Ok, back to my packing!

The Sophie Tunic beach cover-up (with ladybirds)

Here's the 'Sophie tunic' that I finished on the weekend for the big girl. Her little sister has plenty of nice clothes suitable for the beach and sun but my big girl seems to have grown out of everything lately, as you do when you're little.



I had in mind a beautiful soft spotted fabric for this tunic but she had other ideas, but when she saw this fabric that I'd bought to make a skirt for the little girl she loved it. There are flowers, butterflies and ladybirds - what more could a girl want :-)? So the shirt's turned out a lot more cutesy than I'd intended, but she loves it, and that's the important thing. I tried to temper the busyness of the print with the contrasting trim and set the facing on the outside to make it a focus - the pattern for this top includes different sleeve lengths and facing inside or out, so you could get quite different looks from the one pattern.

The pattern itself was easy to understand and enjoyable to make and has a good level of finish so I feel I can just throw it into the washing machine and it won't uinravel (unlike some other things I've made!).



Final holiday sewing project to show later today hopefully!

Pretty top with lala's

There's been a bit of rivalry here during 'holiday sewing' for mama-made items - whenever one of the girls has seen me making something that was not for them they'd ask what about theirs? And since she first saw the Ruffle Top pattern and fabric laying around, my little girl's favourite phrase has been "where's my pretty top with lala's (flowers)?" I was able to put her out of her misery this morning (after a late night!). Here it finally is...

When I saw this pattern I knew my little girl would love it - very girly and floaty, as is her want at the moment. And the contemporary floral voile works well with it. I bought the fabric years ago, just because I liked it. I find I'm never sorry when I do this because sooner or later that fabric you love finds the perfect project and turns into something you love :-)



The detail is just so cute on this top and I really enjoyed making it. It was hard to photograph it in a way that showed it properly so I'll endevour to get some good action shots of little girl on holiday to show off those gorgeous ruffles. If you like the style I'd urge you to make it. Hey, and the pattern's free (go to link above to download it)! Those Oliver+S people are so generous.



Now, the only problem is that the big girl loves it too and has said how much she'd really love one of her own "so we can wear them together when we go to dinner, Mama". Pass the matches for my eyelids please, someone. I can feel another late night coming on...

Hat in a hurry

After nearly knackering my sewing machine the other day sewing through 8 thicknesses of heavy cotton with a fine needle (hmm) for the girls' bags, an emergency visit to the sewing centre was in order this morning. The lovely repair man is now my best friend after patiently sorting it out for me. With my holiday sewing list still going I could not have my old buddy Singer 201k (1956 model) give up on me now!

So, tail between my legs and armed with 4 new packets of needles in varying thicknesses (?), we headed home. While the boy slept and the little girl painted and drew I made this hat for myself. I do already have a sun hat, made last summer from this Amy Butler pattern, but it's in a really strong print that clashes with most others, and also I felt like a change.


Peek-a-boo

After Crafty Deb made my boy a lovely little hat and t-shirt combo when he was born, I bought a copy of the pattern for the 'Lazy Day Hat' from the fabulous company Make it Perfect. There are 4 different sizes in the pattern, from a size that fits a small child up to a larger adult. I enjoyed making it, though speeding along trying to beat the clock in nap time is maybe not so wise. I love the fact that it's reversible, and as I've used a plain colour it should be pretty functional.


It's always more fun to wear someone else's hat than your own

And here's the groovy boy version from CD. Love the print.



Enjoy your weekend. I have a couple of patterns with fabric all cut and ready to sew (that's the tedious bit, right?), hopefully I'll show you over the weekend. Wish me luck :-)

Adventuring bags

The girls are both so excited about going on holiday. I wanted to make them a messenger style bag each that they could take onto the plane, and then on our adventures, with any little things they'd like to bring. So far the suggestions have been food and toys. Sounds good to me!



I made each bag with heavy cotton, lined them and added a flap at the front and velcro closing so that it's easy for little hands. No buckles or other fancy things, but hopefully these will do the trick.



And inspiring me today are these very healthy, strong weeds that we saw on the walk home from school. If only the things I plant would grow so well! I love the simplicity of their design. I'm so desperate to get a digital SLR with a great macro lense as I love doing close-up shots. Did you know that Flowerpress has a great couple of posts on photography? They're worth checking out.