Letterbox Joy

These arrived in our letterbox today. From Pomadour24 at Etsy (check it out for more pix).

This one's ISBN978-4-579-11194-7 (oops forgot to crop)


This one's ISBN978-4-277-72252-0

Linen pants for autumn/winter

I made these for MissM. They are linen lined with lovely soft cotton jersey for warmth (I added the lining). From the lovely "Basics for Girls" (isbn 9784579111473). They are called "Easy Pants" and that is exactly what they are! I have never sewn pants before, and these were an absolute cinch. Now I am sewing more!

My first completed project for 2008!

This dress out of...

this book (ISBN 9784834725568).

This minus...

these equals...

this (much nicer).

I also increased the boob bits* because I knew bits designed for petite Japanese chests wouldn't come close to fitting my honky milk-jugs (and I was right).

Close-up of cross-over front.

Fabric from Spotlight.

Snaps (of me) courtesy of MissM (4yo).

*I have a PhD in sewing terminology, can you tell?

One step forward, four steps back...

...to using up my stash.

I made this ("Remake One-piece")

from this book (ISBN 9784579111473) for MissM.

After reading Pip's post today, I hot-footed it to Spotlight, and came away with these two lovely Japanese fabrics. (The second one -- a nice soft cotton -- was only $6.99/m!!!)

I was surprised and really excited to unearth quite a lot of Japanese fabrics!!! Not only the lovely spotty Cosmo Textiles ones, but I finally found the gorgeous mushroom canvases, and some beautiful paisley prints on textured cotton.

AND they have a wide range of Clover sewing accessories. I have already bought a tube turner, a small rotary cutter, an iron-on transfer pencil, fine quilting pins (ace!!), and today added two yo-yo makers.

On Wednesday I also finally managed to drag my butt to Patchwork on Central Park, where I bought these two rolls of fabrics...yummy!

Sweet Escape

Some Japanese sewing books/magazines which arrived today from YesAsia, and a tiny sample of the yumminess contained within.

Top to bottom: "Basics for Girls" (ISBN978-4-579-11147-3), tops; "Pochee" vol.3 (ISBN978-4-529-04432-5), overalls; "Wide Pants" (ISBN4-277-72236-9), pants; and "Pochee" vol.1 (ISBN4-529-04294-4), baby dress, patchworks.

The Winter Shirt ... and other stories.

Here is the finished shirt. I'm surprised at how small it turned out, considering I made the 110 cm size, and my bigg'un is about 106 cm (aged 3-and-a-half...yikes!). I swear I stayed true to a 5 mm seam allowance! Oh, and I figured out why I was having gathering issues: because I was gathering too widely. But I figured that out after I'd sewn it and was comparing it to the magazine pic. Live and learn.

This is something else I whipped up in the last week -- thrifted felted jumper cut into a pocket shape to embellish this plain windcheater. For my lil'un. (Excuse my un-ironed bedsheets!)

More op-shopping saw me score these patterns (do they qualify as vintage? When did patterns last cost $1.60?). I am very much looking forward to making my children wear the items I sew from them...bwahaha.

Little Things

I've been busy sewing the winter shirt for my 3yo girl. Corduroy is quite tricky to gather nicely, I found (I'm blaming this on my general lack of gathering experience), and after sweating over it for a while I finally gathered it satisfactorily, and sewed it.

Then I felt like crying a little. But I picked, re-gathered and re-sewed, and it came out alright. Will show when it's all finished (not long!).

One more little thing: this is the only television in our house (circa 1984). That makes me very happy.

Doll Nina

This arrived today!!

Yay!! I'm gonna be making dolls and their clothes!

Will post some inside pix soon, but can't at the moment due to bouncing an almost-six-month-old on my lap who has decided she doesn't "do" sleep between 9pm and midnight. Which used to be the only time I had to myself. Pfffffft.

Here dey are...

The Good, Bad, Badder, and Ugly

Good: My 3yo was invited to her VERY first birthday party yesterday! (Not counting ones of friends' kids -- this was her first independent invitation.)

Bad: This means I missed the Melbourne Design Market I had been looking forward to for six months!

Badder: The party was a McDonald's party!!!!

Ugly: Unrelated, but all four of us have been sick all week. Luckily we're better now.

During this week, I STARTED MY FIRST JAPANESE CRAFT BOOK PROJECT (in reality rather than in my own head)!!! Now that is a major step. It is this shirt, and I am making it with "winter white" pinwale corduroy and this trim. So far I have cut out the fabric. Now to sew.

Also this last week I wrote a piece about soap-making for the new craft magazine Mix Tape by Nikkishell and 62Cherry ("mixtapezine" to me looks a lot like "mirtazepine" which is an antidepressant. Appropriate, really!) (I am a pharmacist by profession).

Superb!...uzzy

Here is my latest Superbuzzy crop.

Here is what I envisage (L-R):

1. Apron, or parts thereof.
2. Sewn kitcheny things (placemats? baskets?).
3. Nothing. Can't bear the thought of cutting this beautiful delicate print. Or maybe shirts/dresses for my daughters.
4. Bags for my girls.
5. Mmmmm. Not sure. Something milky. Maybe also a bag or two for the girls.
6. Patchwork cushions, from "Cotton Time Plus."

息を弾ませる

I received these in the mail this week!
Here is what I plan on making (first) from each.

• Girly Style Wardrobe: every item. Starting with this "Milly Molly Mandy" blouse. Named thus because it reminds me of Milly Molly Mandy's adorable pink striped dress.

• Easy Embroidered Fabric Goods: this basket. I will use it on the bathroom shelf, to house my three-year-old daughter's hair accessories collection. Also these booties for my four-month-old girlie.

• Mom* & Girl Natural Clothes and Goods: this beautiful camisole, plus matching plain white one for me (couldn't be bothered scanning any more!) and this dress and blouse. Then everything else.

* Official spelling, not mine.