Sewing with 'help'

It seems as if I've been sewing like mad for the craft stall at the school fete this coming Saturday, but when I look at my pile of things to donate it's not that big!!

This is due in part, I think, to:
A. my habit of daydreaming whilst sewing
B. too much blog surfing in between sewing - you people are too interesting and therefore distracting!
and
C. very limited kid-free time...



Which brings me to the art of squeezing in a bit of craft/sewing/anything whilst keeping an eye on the kids. You know how it goes... "stop fighting!", "turn the TV off!", "you've just had a snack!", "leave the cat's tail alone!" etc etc. Until a little person comes up and wants to help and everything comes to a grinding halt...



We ended up making these felt heart mobile things together, which I'd been wanting to try for a while anyway. The boy decided they'd make a good scarf. They do look pretty, but that pile of donations for the fete hasn't grown too much in a week :-)



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In other news, the kids' grass heads have sprouted. Phew! My reputation is restored :-)

Softies for Mirabel

I stumbled upon the "Softies for Mirabel" project recently while reading the Meet me at Mike's blog. After checking it out I very much wanted to contribute. The Mirabel Foundation provides support to families affected by substance abuse and the softies project aims to give the children a toy, handmade made with love. You can read more here.

I think this charity particularly struck a chord with me as I'd recently been thinking about how very difficult parenting must be when someone has a substance addiction problem. Parenting can be hard enough for anyone, let alone someone with extra challenges.



And then I saw the harrowing and very sad Australian short film "Polly and Me" about the abuse and neglect suffered by some children in our communities. The film aims to raise awareness for this very important issue.

Something I took away from the forum hosted on the ABC after the screening of the short film was that it's OK to look and think and check to see if a child is alright. The paediatrician at the forum heart-breakingly told of how widespread abuse and neglect are, and urged people to get involved if they suspect a child is in danger. For so long our society has had a 'don't get involved' attitude when it comes to domestic violence and child abuse.



I made an extra bear while making a couple for the school fete, especially for 'Softies for Mirabel'. I hope this sleepy bear made with love brings a little bit of comfort to a small person.

My little ghost

When I was growing up Halloween was not (I think) widely celebrated in Australia. So I admit that it's taken me a while to get into the spirit of it, but this year I really enjoyed it. The girls dressed up and I took them first to a party, which was raising money for a fabulous charity to build a children's hospital in Sierra Leone, and then on to a little trick or treating. We also made spooky cupcakes to take to the party (no pics sorry) and put a few decorations at the front of our house to signal to children and their parents that we were in on the fun and games. And of course we prepared a basket of lollies to offer to trick or treaters!



My small girl wore this ghost costume that I made last year for the big girl to wear to a party. The big girl had let me paint her face too so looked the part, but the little girl is not so keen on face paint, so I let that one go (reluctantly :-)



I knew exactly the design I wanted to do and it actually came together well so was a real joy to make. I cut 2 almost full half circles from a piece of white cotton...



then added a hood (taking the shape from a hoodie pattern I had)...



put a velcro closing on one shoulder for ease of dressing...



and sewed some elastic into the arm bands to help keep them down. This also meant that when her arms were raised it lifted the sides of the costume out creating a more ghost-like shape.



The I painted the 'boo' on freehand in black fabric ink, and attached a plastic bat and spider with a few stitches so they could be removed for washing.



I also had to include a pick of one of the big girl's classmate's lanterns. It was so pretty that I'm inspired to make one for next year.

So apart from having 3 small children restlessly sleeping with piles of sugar in their bodies by the end of the night (the baby got into the lolly bananas while we weren't looking), it was a really fun evening and I'm so looking forward to next year! Hope you had fun too.

this moment

I'm joining Soulemama (and many others) this week with the Friday ritual of 'this moment' - a moment from the week to pause, savour and remember. Happy weekend to you.

DIY t-shirts

OK, this t-shirt doesn't look like an exciting thing to sew but it kind of is to me...

I've been thinking about how elusive the right t-shirt is to find. You know the one - clings in the right places, good fabric, right sleeve length, right colour, good neckline etc etc. Even though t-shirts are a wardrobe basic, especially for me being a stay at home mum, it's still hard to get a really good cut and style, something that's flattering and easy to wear.

It hit me recently that rather than trudging around the shops (which I hate these days, particularly with littlies in tow!) looking for the right cut, it might be possible to make it myself once I have a good basic fit. So I decided that I would take one of my 2 or 3 t-shirts that do fit well and draft a pattern from it. The intention is to tinker with it until I have a really good basic shape that I can then adapt into all sorts of variations.



With that in mind I raided my stash for a stretchy knit, choosing this fine black and white striped jersey that I got on sale for $2.50 a metre. Bargain! And even though I always hate to waste fabric (you should see my 'scraps' box!), at least it wouldn't be costly this way.

Then I chose my beloved but ageing old white Kookai boat-necked 3/4 sleeve t-shirt to draft the pattern from, lengthening the sleeves. This is the result, no hemming or alterations done, just 4 pieces of fabric stitched together, an OK start. Some adjustments to make, and some techniques to learn, like how to do a neckline without it stretching, but at least the basic shape is there. So, a few tweaks to come, then to have some fun...



Simple shapes that seem to suit me (I think?): boat necks, cap sleeves, bell sleeves, curved hemlines.



I've been drooling over this top (and most of the other clothes!) by the very talented Etsy seller Gaia Conceptions for ages. I've always loved a keyhole detail and can't wait to use the fine black wool jersey in my stash for a top featuring ties & keyholes. Hmm, methinks this shouldn't be the first adaptation I try. And better be prepared for the possibility of lots of unpicking!



And one of these very cute kimono tops from a free pattern by a Burda Style member - apparently cut from just one pattern piece and having only two seams. I'm intrigued. Thinking of a fine cotton/nylon midnight blue recently purchased from this sale.

Do you have a favourite t-shirt? Is it just me, or are the right t-shirts hard to find?

BBQ favourites

We had a BBQ here on the weekend, just because the weather was looking very summery (though it rained in the afternoon) and the kids always love it. I guess any break from the usual routine is a bit exciting when you're little!

So I thought I'd show you a couple of my favourite, fail-safe dishes. What does a vegetarian eat at a BBQ? I've tried lentil burgers, vegie sausages etc, but the thing I really love, and that I have to fight the carnivores away from, are these halloumi skewers (sorry, pic is pre-cooked, I was too hungry and distracted to get the camera out once they were cooked :-) I admit I have been addicted to halloumi since it became available here in Australia. This unique salty, almost rubbery textured cheese from Cyprus holds it's shape when cooked, so can be fried, grilled or baked.

Just cut your block of halloumi into even sized chunks and thread onto bamboo skewers (pre-soaked so they don't burn). My favourite companions for the halloumi are squares of green capsicum (peppers), whole small mushrooms and chunks of red onion (sadly rationed in the above pic through lack of shopping planning). The flavours complement each other really well and are fresh and tasty, with that salty kick that I love from the halloumi.



The second dish, pesto rice salad, is a firm family favourite, one that all the family eat, even the small boy (now 14 months, can I still call him a baby?). It's one of those dishes where if there are any leftovers they gets gobbled up soon after. Very satisfying for a mum to cook for her brood! I know it doesn't look very exciting, but the rice/pesto/lemon/cheese combo is divine, trust me.

The recipe can be found here. It's by the popular British cook Delia Smith, and appears in the book Delia's Vegetarian Collection, amongst others of hers. I've always loved the way Delia writes because she goes into great detail and often explains why something in particular is needed or how it works. Which is helpful if you're like me and like to cut corners occasionally - then you know when you can cut them and when not to. Anyway... my point here is that I have used bottled pesto (instead of making it fresh for the recipe) and it still turned out great.

So if you have a vegetarian coming to your BBQ or just feel like something different, I'd urge you to try these recipes. Of course the Mr and littlies know to ask nicely before they tuck into my halloumi - they've already eaten their boring old sausages and chicken kebabs ;-)


Green salad with roasted beetroot, adding some earthiness and crunch

School fete craft bee

This morning another mum from school and I got together to have a craft session in order to make some things for the school fete in a couple of weeks. Of course there was lots of chatting too and discussion about arty businesses that really got me thinking about how and where I see my working future - a topic which is always on my mind!



It was lovely to chat while working and collaborating on creative projects. It reminded me of those high school and uni days where you work in the studio on projects with others in this creative atmosphere full of camaraderie. Ah, those were the days...




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Also, the giveaway cuff has gone to Elizabeth. Yay Elizabeth! Could you please email me your details and I'll post it to you (bubala@optusnet.com.au). Thanks for playing everyone :-)