End of Feb!

I can't beleive it's already the end of February! hats off to all you dedicated bloggers out there - I still haven't got to grips with it yet.

My 'dress a girl' update
Well I guessed wrong about how many dresses my bolt of fabric would make. It totalled 16.  I also managed to commandeer an 'offcut' bolt of fabric that had been donated to school.

 It is lilac with a kind of damaskesque leaf in it. The headteacher wasn't sure what they would use it for so was quite happy for me to take it. It is only 18 inches wide so makes smaller dresses for age 3,4,5yrs. So far I have cut out 12 kits including a pocket and contrasting bias tapes and sent them in to school with instructions for any willing volunteers to sew as part of the schools part in the project. I have another 24 dresses cut out at home and still more fabric left on the roll! It feels like the never ending porridge pot.

they look cute though.

I also found some striped bedding in a sale and made a coulple of dresses to try it out

it has made 14 kits and scrunchies to match.

1st Parbold and Dalton Guides

The Guides started on their pillowcase dresses last night along with some of us mums to help. I took in my sewing machine, D 5's little machine and even my mums old Victorian hand-driven singer workhorse of a machine which is still a delight to use (even in it does sound like the bell on an old trolley bus) The Guides were very enthusiastic. They will continue with them next week and should end up with about 10 dresses as part of their 'Together We Can' badge. Hopefully we will have some pictures of the Guides to post next week.

These Booties Are Made For Walking

I gave baby M's mum the booties and she loved them, then came home and made some knee length ones  for the following week.

They went down such a storm that several others have asked me to make some to buy. So I am  making a block batch of different sorts to take in soon. Also perfected a new two tone 'Mary Jane' shoe pattern which I will make in several combinations.

 Oh to have a little one again - nope that moment of reflection has rapidly evaporated.

Sweethearts for two sweethearts

Saw a pattern for a crocheted heart and just had to make some in different sizes to create a wallhanging for the birthdays of a friends two little girls aged 4 and 2

then their mum asked me to make her an apron to use at the pre school she works at within Our Lady's Primary School - Little saints

I printed  their logo from their website, traced it then hand embroidered it onto the bib front.  I dont think it turned out too bad, do you?

Also a toddler apron and baking bag for a friend of hers

So all in all a busy couple of weeks. D1 came home for a weekend from Uni and D's 3, 4 + 5 had school hols. Happy days.

 

D2 finished the crinoline

D2 finally finished her crinoline and corset as part of her Design for Performance degree. Neither of us want to see steel boning again. It breaks drills!!! She only has to design + make 1901 style Polish costumes for 30 cast members of 'The Wedding' by mid March on a very limited budget. First skirt prototype done yesterday. This is going to be a long month of sewing for D2 and assisting pour moi

one week older

Oh my goodness how exciting to see comments on my page so soon. Thankyou sooooo much to those lovely ladies although I think Emma was more thrilled about the praise for her throw (which she has almost sewn up now!) As for mine - no more progress. But I have been busy with other things

I Miss Knitting Baby Clothes
I saw some lovely bootees on baby M at toddlers last week and commented on how I missed knitting baby things. Mum of M said she couldn't knit and I could happily do some for her, so I came home and thought hey perhaps I will. I have so much wool in boxes in the loft that it needed a purpose again.
So I made 3 pairs to give to baby M tororrow

tweedy green

denim blue

Aran

I adapted a pattern from Knitting Pattern Central to suit my needs and I love the finished product, as do my girls.  More of these may appear in the future for sale, who knows.

Dresses

Whooh! I made my first pillowcase dresses yesterday, except they weren't from pillowcases. My friend Paula gave me a bolt of Laura Ashley fabric last year which she had bought years previously at a car boot sale and wondered if I could do something creative with it. Although it is really upholstery fabric it was light enough to make into dresses and being the perfectionist I am worked out the measurements to allow the print repeat to match on the front and back of the dress. The remnants had small patterns on to make two types of pocket. I made 2 yesterday and 3 today and have enough fabric to probably make another 5/6 so I am well pleased with my starting contribution to www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/  they also are a nice template for us to work from on the school workshop day.

two dresses with different pockets



with stocking tot and mini ted in pockets

so - 3 more stocking tots, 3 more mini teds, 3 pairs of bootees and 5 dresses - I think I've fullfilled my one a day pledge this week.