Last month I decided to use up some fabric from my tiny stash. Because of the size of the fabric there where few options and I choose to make a funky pair of trousers for my 18 month old daughter. The pattern I used is called Dortje and is available for purchase via Farbenmix.de or you can find it in the book Sewing Clothes Kids Love from Nancy Langdon. I used the latter.
After choosing the fabrics and reaching the sewing stage I was a little worried the trousers would end up look rather clownish. I wanted to add ruffles, however would that make it even worse? I then decided to just take the gamble and, following the advise in the book, go overboard. So I added ruffles around the knee sections (which are rather big on this size, because I took up the trousers a little to fit my daughters height) and around the waist.
Ready to add ruffles... or not?!?
To make the ruffles I followed the advice in the book again. And used my sewing machine to sew a double line of thread, then pull one. It’s a technique that is quite effective and easy to do. You do however need to take care not to break the thread (obviously). A good tutorial can be found on the Divine Caroline site. Be sure to check out their craft section, it’s got nice ideas!
Anyway here is the finished item. I still have some crochet flowers and butterflies (made from embroidery floss, see pic above) to add to the pockets. Although they are very over the top I think they work very well and my daughter seems to like them. She loves butterflies and happy colours. Not bad for a stash buster!
Pinterest is going bananas! Everyone seems to be joining in. Some don’t get it, others are simply addicted. I fall in the latter category I’m afraid. It’s fab. As a visual person I find it highly satisfying to scroll through endless pictures of the yummiest foods and the crafiest ideas.
Some of my boards
So how does it work?
Well first you need to sign up and wait for an invite or ask someone already on it to invite you to the party. Once in, you can create your own ‘boards’, these are a bit like folders. On these boards you can ‘pin’ (0r save) pictures. This you do by uploading your own or ‘repinning’ pictures uploaded by others. There is an endless stream of pics you can see (both new and repinned). If loads of people repin a specific picture, then you get a trend! Most pics click through to a website or blog where you can find more info, the recipe or tutorial.
Downside of Pinterest
(yes there is one or two)
First for crafters like me it can become an idea overload. There is so much going on that it’s hard to get away and actually craft stuff. I’m sure I have waaaaay more tutorials and patterns on my sewing board than I every have time to make. However I see Pinterest as an inspirational tool. A muse!
Another downside is that anyone can choose to follow you! It’s not like Facebook (for example) where you decide who to be friends with and who sees you stream. Others choose to follow you and you just have to accept it. There are no private ‘pins’ (yet, this is something they are looking into). And before the terms changed on April 6th you gave up any rights to images you uploaded. That is now changed, but what doesn’t change is that your pic can go viral in hours. This can of course be a good thing when you are promoting a website or blog post.
So if you wish to have a look, let me know and I’ll invite you (once I find out how to )
Just wanted to share a sneak peek of the new sock pattern that I’m working on. It’s in the final stages and I hope to publish within a month. Let me know what you think!
Are you free to dance? A silly question at first glance. Of course you are! But, can you actually do it? Free dancing that is! It’s a lot harder than many think.
I stumbled onto a video featuring Shiva Rea last night. In it she explains the history of free dance and it’s suppression (mainly by religion and ‘civilised’ society) for the last 2000 years. Since the 1950′s and Elvis’ hip movements we have been rediscovering this instinctive movement form, yet many are still held prisoners by their minds inability to just let go and move…. Without thinking and without rules.
It sounds so simple: just move! Don’t think but listen to the music and dance. Yet I believe many even in my direct surrounding would struggle. Those who don’t do goofy behaviour and are introvert, even when alone or at home. I know a very polite, quiet pre-teen, who – unlike many children – doesn’t seem to have that free spirit of play and abandon. In fact I’ve never seen her display any such behaviour over the years. This is partly her character and partly her upbringing. She is an only child and spends almost every weekend with her grand parents, who are in their seventies. After watching the YouTube video mentioned above I realised she would probably struggle. Yet it would do her a world of good to ‘free’ dance. It’s a bit like yoga, funny enough. Those how say they are too stiff or not bendy enough for yoga would benefit more!
Shiva Rea's Trance Dance DVD
I own Shiva Rea’s Trance Dance DVD, which has yoga and free dance sessions on it. It’s great fun to play. On my first go I did struggle a little bit with the dance section. The brain does tell you that you look extremely silly. Similar to what it tells you when you first start meditating. However, afterwards I felt happy, fit and fulfilled. It lasted several days. Not bad for 15 minutes of fun and dancing freely. Perhaps this also explains the success of the Zumba movement. After all it is something we’ve been doing for millennia! And it’s slowly coming back.
This is a project out of the old box. I knitted it for Christmas 2008. My knitting pal Louisa had moved back to Sydney Australia, where they don’t need jumpers around Christmas. In fact they usually celebrate it with a BBQ and/or on the beach (fancy that!). Anyway I decided to give her a jumper anyway…. a very very small jumper!
Egg cosy for Louisa
It’s an egg cozy. The pattern is from Debbie Bliss Magazine autumn/winter 2008, but you can also download the pattern (for a fee) from Vogueknitting.com. For more inspirational egg cozies see Ravelry.com. My friend didn’t quite know what it was when I send it to her (me having forgotten to tell her). Hehe. But after explaining it, it all became clear.
I fell in love with the cute bunny I spotted in Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine, Fall/Winter 2009 way back when it came out. By July 2010 my friend was expecting her second child and although she didn’t know if it would be a boy or a girl, I gambled on the first. The bunny would be blue.
Bunny wabbit from the magazine
It knitted really quickly, but the essembly took a very long time. The stuffing was stored away in the loft and we kept forgetting to bring it down. Then came the sewing together and I must admit that I was rather slow with that one too.
Finally in August 2011 my friend and her family, including her four month old boy came to visit me here in the UK. Time to finish the bunny… E voila! Isn’t he cute? Just like the baby that is now pulling his ears. Good thing I triple stitched it!
I want to highlight all the items I’ve made but never blogged about. So in todays blast from the past a funky little beret, perfect for girls that love pink!
My friend from work, Leigh, who runs her own Quilting business here in England, Quilting Pleasures, asked me last year to knit a hat for her daughter. Amelia was then a beautiful girl of 5 years old, who likes things pink. Imagine she’s six now!
As winter was very far away I decided to find a summer yarn… Yep: cotton! I found a great uk based supplier (Create & Knit) of Peaches & Crème, that fab American brand that’s available in a multitude of colours and quite affordable.
Leigh choose a mix of pinks and whites called Strawberry Cream and I found a lovely free slouchy beret pattern with lace, called Spring Beret by Natalie Larson on Ravelry. I did adjust it to fit Amelia’s smaller head. It used up exactly 1 ball of the Peaches. So I have one left over to knit someone else a summer hat too. I say summer, but the hat is warm enough for usage well into autumn.
Summer Beret for Amelia
I’ve made some adjustments to the pattern, but I think it was still a bit too big for a 5 year old.
I love beautiful items. Especially for the home. Unfortunately my budget doesn’t allow me to obtain much designer furniture, but I still appreciate it greatly. I was looking for a replacement cat palace – more commonly know as a cat tree. We just call it a ‘palace’ because it’s a ridiculously big piece of furniture to have for two cats. But it has saved the sofa from the claws of our two felines. And Solo & Bella – as our furry friends are called – sill use it daily! In short a good purchase which, after three years, has seen better days. Time for a replacement.
Imagine my surprise that besides the bog standard cat trees, there are now some seriously designer goods. My eye was drawn to this cat scratcher called Leo designed by James Owen. It is like a sculpture and would grace and modern interior with it’s shiny metallic base. As early as 2007 Yanko Design reported on this item, describing it as:
“Leo can be had with either a stabilized or rounded base. The rounded base is gently curved and produces a slight rocking motion whenever kitty wants to sharpen its claws and engage in some playtime activity. The stabilized base is for the cat that prefers an inert foundation when it does it’s scratching. Leo is also offered in White Cedar and Maple varieties as well as 32″, 24″, and 18′ heights.”
The Leo however can’t be purchased anywhere. A great dissapointment! Another example of a great design concept but no company to actually produce the goods.
And then there is the Lotus Cat Tower. Which I think looks fab, be it a bit pricy at approx $400. It is stylish however and retailers know it. I’m not quite sure where they found the voice over in the presentation film on the Refined Feline website, but it is a bit odd to say the least. Have a listen yourself.
And finally we have the Cat Rondo. A round chair like piece of furniture for pussy cat that looks so good, it will probably make all the other furniture look shabby (well it would in our house). It’s designed by Christel & Otto Meyer and depending on the style you will have to fork out around $1000. Yep, so that one is out of the question too. But I think if I had the money this would probably be the one I’d go for.
I’m currently developing a Baby Shower Download Pack. It is in the last stages and I hope to have it ready in the coming months (bare in mind I have a little one and am about to return to work). In any case I wanted to give you all an idea of what it’s all about with these free downloadable Note Cards.
For the best results, print on thicker paper, like 200gsm A4 or US Letter paper. Although it works fine for standard paper too!
One of the many downsides of pregnancy, giving birth and breast feeding is loosing your body. I know some women delight in the whole mother goddess (as they often call it) look, but not me.
I felt like a blob. Then a blob in agony. To be followed by a blob with two extra blobs which where exposed more often in the last few months than ever before.
The whole “natal” experience (be it pre/pro/post or whichever ‘P’ you can think of) does away with any shame you may have had. But now, 7 months down the line and with a little one who is starting on solids I am sooooo ready to have my body back!
So after a ‘prep’ of three weeks (eating the stores we had that I now can’t have), I rejoined Slimming World on Tuesday. This is a British Weight Watchers kinda diet system which I had used before successfully.
In the coming weeks I’ll be updating the blog on my progress. I’ve decided write more about my personal experiences to overcome the writers block I seemed to have been suffering from.
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