My New Shirt

DSC_1706, a photo by forkandneedle on Flickr.

I had really admired the 'Tova' shirt/dress by Wiksten that had been blogged about a lot! But the cost and availability of the pattern has led to my own creativity being stretched. So I decided to draft my own pattern, make in calico, adapt, the make for real. I am thrilled with the outcome! The green fabric came from Global Fabrics at least a year ago and is very prone to creasing. I am pleased with the fit, though I did have to take out most of the gathers into the yoke, to suit my buxom self.
Yeah a new shirt!

Harvest Time

The vege garden is all abundant!

First tomatoes!  First onions and second lot of courgettes.  Also a handful of snow peas (mange tout), and coriander.  The strawberries were made in to jam (yum!) and the raspberries into hungry tums.  Everything (except the raspberries) has been grown by myself, mostly from seed.  Thanks to my fantastic in-laws for an abundant raspberry harvest!

The lovely old basket came from my Nana's.  Will be great for taking smoko (morning and afternoon teas) to the shearers.  Am thrilled that my mother found it for me.  Thanks mum!

Clever Santa

Santa was very generous to the young lady in our family this year.  He and Mrs Claus had been busy using their scissors and sewing machines to make some pretty cool presents for K.
The biggest one was this tent:

Santa had used the pattern from Meg McElwee's ' Growing Up Sew Liberated'.

Santa had added a couple of extra features, including the clear plastic in the peeking out window.  He also added an extra piece of velcro to close the door.  Clever, clever Santa.

Santa also used the backpack pattern from 'Oliver + S Little Things to Sew' by Liesl Gibson to make a Babushka backpack.  The doll on the back is applique and pink piping was used between the front, gusset, and top and bottom backs.  Actual strapping was used but it does slip!  A great pattern - fantastic instructions and easy to make, though the denim did make it rather thick to sew at many parts.

Fashion from my Childhood

I found this book for $1 at my local second hand book shop.  What a delight!

Here are a sample of the patterns - I think I'll have a go adapting the culottes pattern to make shat we now call a 'skort'.  But it's the length of the dresses that really amuse me!

With a bit of lengthening I think I could actually use some of these - and there is plenty to choose from anyway!

Small Delights in the Garden

You have to go past all the weeds, but here are a sample of the deligth of an early summer, Canterbury garden.  All planted by self!!

The lavender to the left is 'Pacific Blue' and the right one is 'Dilly, Dilly'.  Penstemon at back.

Madarine 'Miho' to the left and Lemon 'Meyer' at right.

Lavender 'Hidcote'.  Taken from cuttings or grown by seed.  Put in to replace some awful ornamental grasses.

I love my chives!  Must remember to trim them back regulary to get new growth.

Our new spuds.  We have been easting these for a couple of weeks now.  Before this I had emptied out potatoes grown in buckets - definetely worth doing, but next time I'll start with two spuds per bucket.  They grew like rockets in the glasshouse.

Something to delight at the doorstep.  I love geraniums, but put effort in to keeping them away from frosts over the winter.  The federation daisy was from my grandmother's, but I don't know it's name.

Christmas Cheer

K and I have been busy making Christmas decorations and gifts for our house and others.  Here are some small felt gingerbread men and Christmas themed houses from 'Scandinavian Stitches' that we gave to our friends at Playcentre.

And this is what they looked like all boxed up, ready to go!

We also decided to make a cool hanging for our own place.  Using four colours of Christmas fabric, and the words typed in 'Gill Sans Ultra Bold' at 280 size and printed off.  I cut out each letter and pinned them to a doubled piece of fabric (wrong sides facing) and then sewed around it, leaving a small gap to stuff.  This was hard on my needle, but gave very good letter shape. though I did have to adapt the "I" as I wanted it to have a top and bottom.

I removed the paper, then trimmed with pinking shears, stuffed lightly, then sewed up the hole.  I hung these using baker's twine stitched along the backing.

I have also been to patchwork class recently and our lovely tutor gave us one of these each, tatted by a friend of her's.  Gorgeous!!

My Favourite Skirt for K

This is a favourite pattern I have drawn up myself and made successfully for K.  She wears it now at age 2 1/2 years.  It's super comfortable and easily adapted to different skirt fabrics or the addition of applique.  I have made it out of a generous fat quarter as well as out of mid weight denim, adding fabric flowers, raw edge appliqued on.  The waistband must be made out of a knit fabric with lycra, preferably cotton and lycra.  I have made a skirt for myself with a waistband out of straight lycra.  The width of the knit piece can be adapted to suit the child or the amount of fabric available.

To make:
1.  Cut out the pattern and join the two skirt pieces together before cutting out of fabric.  Two skirt pieces need to be cut out, with each on the fold line according to the '{' on the pattern.

2.  Match the sides of skirt (straight edges and sew at a 3/8" seam.  Edge the seam with an overlocker.

3.  Overlock the hem and fold up approx 1/2" and sew down with sewing machine.  The hem is the longer curve
4.  Sew short ends of the knit rectangle together to form a simple tube.

5.  Fold tube over to match unsewn edges.  Enclose seam within.  The unsewn edges can be tacked together.

6.  Mark out quarters on unsewn top of skirt and on tacked edges of knit fabric.  The seams can be used as some markers for this, with the two seams on the skirt to go at the side and the one seam on the knit to be used as the centre back.

7.  Pin at markers.  Sew these three layers (skirt and two of knit) together to form the whole skirt.  A small folded piece of ribbon or name tag can be added in at the centre back to make it easier for dressing.

8.  Overlock the above seam.
9.  Add any decoration to skirt, ie applique.
10.  Enjoy

Skirt can be altered for different sizes.  If you would like a pdf of this pattern, email me at: 'forkandneedle@gmail.com' and I'll send it to you.  :-)
I have done my best to be accurate, but no responsibility is held for any errors in interpretation.
:-) T*

Currently I am trying to add the pattern as a pdf but can't seem to upload to blog!!  Any assistance would be appreciated!