Needles and Haystacks

Looking Back on 2011

2012-01-02T13:52:00.006Z

My sewing machine has been hibernating for the last couple of weeks. The children are off school and I have to compete for space with jigsaws, colouring books, dress-up dolls, Sylvanians...to name but a few! I try not get impatient about this, and go sew in another room, because in a week the children will be back at school, and I will miss them!

So to amuse myself I made some mosaics of my sewing over the past year...

I made these things for myself and some of the other adults in my life.

I made a blouse and skirt for my mother, and a shirt for my husband...both were nerve racking, but the results were very rewarding.

Also in this is a bra, which I wrote about here, and I got a great response about it...which was really nice...all I wanted to do was tell people that sewing lingerie is not that difficult!
I also sewed a swimsuit/tankini for myself...can't remember if I blogged about it, but probably not!

For the children...

and

It is funny to look back at all of these clothes. Some have been worn everytime they have been clean and dry...and some sadly have never been worn. I have two very fussy little ladies who refuse to put on certain things...really life is too short for arguements...so I am hoping that they will still fit when the girls grow out of their "I want to be a boy" phase!

When I have not been sewing, I have been knitting a bit...

And of course, I managed to fit in a couple of quilts and quilt tops.

The two on the bottom went to two friends' baby boys, and the other two are keepers. The top RH one is on the wall upstairs, and top LH one will be quilted by hand before too long, hopefully!

Thanks to you all for reading along during the year..and I wish you all a peaceful and Happy New Year!

Our New Favourite Song.

2011-12-22T15:58:00.003Z

M and her class in school did a version of this, and as much as I'd love to share it with all of you....I'll spare you......but since we love the song I'm posting a youtube version....

Christmas Crafting

2011-12-21T20:51:00.002Z

I went to a sewing day at the beginning of December and attempted to make some mittens for the children for Christmas...I was not one bit happy with them..I have to remake them if they are ever to use them...I don't know if I want to do that. So, disheartened with all of that I decided not to make anything more for Christmas....famous last words!

In the last week or so I have made this lot..

For the two little girls, for treasures...(click on the photo for the link to the free pattern)

For CDs in Colm's car...

For T and his lego, most likely...

For Maeve...she is getting a little something for Christmas that should fit nicely in here...sorry, it's a secret!

My SIL asked me to make her a case for her specs...

I am not a great knitter, but when Realtin asked me in the local haberdashery, for the umpteenth time, to make her a fireman...well how could I say no....And how could I not make Blathin one too...

I also got a gift from my mother the other night, they're an early gift for Christmas..

...aren't they lovely! Thanks Mum!

Discoveries

2011-11-23T12:25:00.007Z

One of the things I had hoped would happen when we started to renovate this farmhouse of ours, was that we would uncover some interesting things that had been covered up for many years. However, I didn't think this would happen, seeing as Colm has known the house all his life, and lived in it for 24 years of that. I have also known it for quite a while.
So when Colm's mother mentioned a covered up window on a bedroom wall....we were surprised to find this....

It may never have been a window, it may have just been an alcove, but it is a lovely shape and will be left like this (hopefully) if it is not suitable for opening up.

We spoke to our Architect and Structural Engineer about putting a window in a particular spot, and I remembered that I had seen something on that wall when renovations were done in the past...so after a few minutes and a jack hammer (Colm manning it not me!) this blocked up, dinky little window appeared....

Put the big find as far as we are concerned is this....

It appears to be a big fireplace, which has been filled in. (There is a range cooker in front of it at the moment, it is under a duvet to protect it) It is brick either side and on top, and the beam has been cut out, apart from about 24 inches on the right hand side. The timber would appear from what we can see to have spanned the full width, and finished under the white clock/timer on the left hand side.
What will become of any of these finds remains to be seen.....I daren't dream too much!

ps. I'm sorry about the quality of the photos, they were taken on my phone. You should be able to click on them and see them a bit bigger, but possibly a bit more blurry!!

Tin Anniversary

2011-11-18T21:07:00.003Z

Yesterday was our tenth anniversary.
A while ago I sewed somthing for Niamh from The Perfectionist Confectionist. We agreed that no money should change hands, but that she would make me a cake at some stage. We decided now was a good time.
Niamh thought that buttons and ribbons would be a good place to start, and I can't think of a better place!

We cut this beautiful chocolate biscuit cake this evening...the children were so excited! C's sister was here too...she's a total chocoholic!

It says "Love is all you need"!

We have had a busy week in the run up to our anniversary, my sister and her two children came to visit Monday to Thursday...it was so lovely to see them.
Today we had a site visit from our Architect and Structural Engineer...so interesting!
Tomorrow is swimming lessons as usual for the bigger children, but Sunday all 6 of us will get our glad-rags on and go for dinner...Italian maybe, just to celebrate all the changes that we have had to our lives over the last 10 years!

Tokyo Subway Quilt.....at last!

2011-11-08T10:08:00.003Z

Last December the children's school was shut due to very heavy snow.... so I decided to start a new quilt. I know...why on earth!
I ordered some white fabric, from Rags for Linda, which my trusty Postman brought, despite the snow.
(My Postman was off work for 9 months the previous year, after he had a slipped on ice and broke his pelvis.)
I had decided to make the Tokyo Subway Quilt, which is a free pattern from Oh Franson. I started cutting and piecing the little 2.5 inch squares. There are 25 blocks, and each block is 8 squares by 8 squares. That's 1600 sqaures in case you're wondering.

I am not a very precise sewer, so it was a real challenge, but I think I improved as I went along.
As the snow melted, I worked on this in fits and starts. The problem was that you needed to leave the stacks of squares set out as you worked on them, and I kept knocking them over! I eventually got it all pieced, the backing pieced, and then got it sandwiched. At that stage I put it aside for a while until I worked out how I would quilt it. I don't have a walking foot on my machine, and was really afraid to try the straight line quilting the pattern suggested. So I eventually took the bull by the horns and started hand quilting.
I used some quarter inch tape as a guide and sewed inside each of the coloured lines.

I rather like the back...I had cut several extra squares, for various reasons, and when the white cotton piece I had for the backing was too small, I pieced the spare squares and added a strip of Ikea heart cotton.

The plan is that this will hang ustairs in our landing/reading area. I hope the children will enjoy looking at it, as much as I do..it is rather mesmerising to follow the coloured lines, and how they go under and over each other.

As usual I am looking for advice too....as I mentioned, I do not have a walking foot on my machine, and I have found one that will fit my machine, but I have been told that for a walking foot to work well, that a machine should have one kind of built in, rather than a retro-fitted one, like I would be doing....anyone added one to their machine at a later date, and if so, does it work well?

Ottobre Shirt and Skirt

2011-10-31T08:26:00.003Z

A little while ago I had a big clear out of clothes from my wardrobe. I had several things in it that were never worn because every time I put them on, (outside of the shop where I bought them with a shop assistant telling me they looked great!) I never felt comfortable....so I just put them in a black bag and donated them to a charity shop. It felt good to think that I wouldn't feel guilty for buying them in the first place.
I also got rid of several skirts bought cheaply in chain stores, that were too long or a bit big in the hips. However they were good basic colours, like black and brown, so getting rid of them left me short of skirts.

My husband's older brother was 40 a little while ago, and yesterday was his party. It was combined with an early Hallowe'en party for all of the children.
I decided to make a blouse/shirt to wear out of some retro yellow floral lawn fabric that I've had for a long time. I have had mixed luck with this pattern, but I decided to chance it..the pattern is #44 from Ottobre 4/2004. I am very pleased with how it turned out. I did end up taking the sides in a couple of inches, but I left this until I had the whole thing made. I tried in the past to do it while making it, and failed miserably!

I then decided that I "needed" to wear a skirt with the blouse...so I made this skirt from some stretch denim that I had in my stash. It is #9 from Ottobre 5/2007. The denim is a tan/black cross-weave (also from my stash), so I thought it would need to be worn with black boots, but brown boots are good with it too. Win-win!

There are several skirts in this Ottobre issue, and they use the same basic pieces. I made one for my mother a while ago, and had to take it in lots. I forgot that until I was making this one...I had to take it in about 4 inches in the waist!

The skirt is so comfortable...I wore the whole outfit to the party yesterday, and felt pretty OK!
I will of course wear them separately most of the time.

Last but not least...the children dressed up for Hallowe'en...well 3 of them did. They decide to all dress as pirates, and the eldest two rooted out some stripey tops from my box of clothes to be re-cycled into new clothes. Good job I'm not so good at getting around to that!

She's not picking her nose btw!

Sewing Basics for Boys

2011-10-15T07:02:00.004+01:00

I constantly change my mind about whether or not sewing basics is worthwhile, but the bottom line is that I don't really shop, and when I do, I now look at the clothes that I buy and think to myself that I could do at least as good a job.
So a little while ago Tadhg needed new swimming trunks. I made him some about 18 months ago, but swimming lessons every week in a public, highly chlorinated pool had taken their toll on them, so I decided to make him some more.

I buy the "Matt 4 Way Stretch Fabric" from In Fashion Fabrics I got Olive green this time. I used the Seamus Trunks Pattern from Ottobre 3/09. He asked for a little extra length with this pair.
He does have board shorts but chooses these tighter fitting trunks to wear to lessons, he says they don't go all puffy!
The best news of all is that after a year and a half of lessons that he has learned to swim......a little anyway, but it's progress!

I also decided to join in with Peter from Male Pattern Boldness in his latest sew-along....Peter does the best sew-alongs. I sewed some jeans and a shirt in the past with him. This time he was making boxer shorts and I wanted to give them a proper try, in a woven fabric, for Colm. I used an old pyjama pattern from the 1950s which once belonged to my dear Aunt Maggie.

Peter mentioned that the rise in vintage patterns can be too high, and it was. I ended up taking off the waistband and lowering it by an inch and a half. I also added a button and button hole to the fly. I made a mess of cutting the plaid, I should have taken more time and put more thought into it!

Another Quilt for a Baby Boy

2011-09-26T11:15:00.002+01:00

Some friends of ours had a baby boy on Tuesday last. I debated about whether to make him clothes or a quilt, but eventually the idea of a quilt sat right with me.

I cut 35 6" squares from some of the reds and blues in my stash. Pieced them together...and quilted straight lines, 1/4" either side of the ditch. I bound it in red, I finished it whilst watching a great movie called Incendies....you should try watching a very intense movie, in French, with subtitles, whilst hand sewing on binding...maybe not the best plan.....it was a great film though!

Our New-Old House

2011-09-19T13:07:00.014+01:00

We have started into our new project...the house where my husband was raised....or reared as we call it in Ireland! Usually pronounced "Rared"! I will let the pictures speak for themselves....I would be afraid of what I might say...

This is one room which we stripped the wallpaper off and took a partition out of. This is in the second storey.

Partition with a "test hole" kicked in it!

Partition removed...

Stairs to the Attic...3rd storey.....

The attic from half way up the stairs..

And this is after loads of work clearing it out...it is now entirely clear, except for the water tanks.

The attic stairs, from half way up..

Oh yes, I almost forgot the cellar...how could I! I emptied this over a couple of afternoons...

In an attempt to make you feel cleaner and happier (I know, I was there!).....This arrived all the way from Thailand the other day...thank goodness for small mercies...

Fiona Pinafores

2011-09-14T21:57:00.003+01:00

Every once in a while a pattern comes along that I just fall in love with....the Patterns by Figgy's Fiona pinafore pattern is one of those!
I had been eyeing it up for a long time, and when I finally caved and went to buy it, I spotted that it was also available as a PDF...yay! Instant gratification!
I printed it all out, traced a size 4/5 and asked the girls about which fabrics they might like...you see, my 3 year old twin girls would really rather not dress like girls...they do however, need at least one dress each, which they can wear to special occasions.
So, anyway, they agreed on some fine navy corduroy, and some fine grey corduroy. For the contrast the agreed on some Liberty for the V&A, which I bought a while ago.

Neither of the fabrics is floral...they appear to be floral, but on close inspection, they are not...so it's kind of win-win! Floral is girly, don't you know!
The dress goes together in a very interesting way...very hard to explain, but I learned several new techniques...never a bad thing!
I used some buttons from my recent buttons buying spree!

I must admit that I love the back nearly as much as the front...not often that happens......

Haberdashery

2011-08-30T14:18:00.002+01:00

I have been stocking up on bits and bobs that I need for making clothes.

I hate it when I plan a garment, but cannot start it because I haven't a zip for it, (even a basic one) or worse still, making a garment and not being able to finish it because I don't have any buttons.
So I went on a bit of a bender, buying buttons and zips.

Each bag was 450 grammes, and although I could see some of what was in the bags, more of them were a surprise.....I liked them so much, that I went back for more.....

I also bought some zips from the same ebay seller, and another seller too.

I am hoping to stock up on threads too. I usually use Coats Moon thread. It comes on 1000m spools and can be bought quite reasonably on Ebay (where else!). I just need to decide on colours. Anyone any secrets about useful colours that you always have in your stash? I need to get black, white, beige, red, navy, brown and grey.

I have also finally bought myself some pinking shears. I am waiting patiently for them to arrive!
Needless to say, I won't be buying any fabric this month, nor next!

Cornish Holiday

2011-08-05T08:23:00.010+01:00

We have been back from our holiday to visit my sister in Cornwall for over a month and I thought it was about time to share some photos.

We went to the Lost Garden's of Heligan, as usual.

We met up with my Sister and her husband afterward and my BIL treated everyone to ice-cream...I had lemon curd ice-cream, and Maeve had honey-comb....mmmmm!

The others had chocolate and vanilla...all lovely.

We went on a train journey to my new favouite place... St Ives.

My Sister came with us and she looked lovely...as always!

Colm played with the kids on the beach so that my sister and I could have a quick look in the wonderful shops in St Ives.

And of course I had to get some fabric while I was there...my favourite being this which I ordered from the V&A museum

It was worth the 14 hour journeys in both directions!

Ottobre Tankini for Women

2011-07-29T16:49:00.004+01:00

My old swimsuit was bought from Land's End about 10 years ago, and has served me well, but the time had come to replace it. The latest edition of Ottobre Woman had a great pattern for a Tankini which I wanted to try. I was wary though....Would I be wasting my time, and would I look like crap in it....Ottobre are very good at showing their designs on real women, but the swimsuit was only shown on a mannequin....I took a chance. I had some inexpensive swimsuit fabric which I bought on ebay from In Fashion Fabrics. It is sold as dancewear fabric, but it seems fine to me. I have made Maeve a swimsuit in it too, in Navy. The colour of mine is Niagra.(I think!)

I made a couple of changes...I made a bigger bra part...for obvious reasons, and the pattern told me to. Well basically, it said if you have big boobs make a bigger size bra...same thing.
I also made the legs slightly longer on the shorts. I did not want a bikini style bottom, nor did I want short that cut in, so I added a doubled piece of fabric to the bottom...the lower legs make up for the lower top...I hope!
Apolgies in advance...it was cold!

No modeled photos of the bottoms...not a hope!

I made the straps differently to the pattern. I added them later, hence the seam at the shoulders. I think this style is better for me. The original pattern was Halter-neck, I made them criss-cross type things.....a word to the wise...do not pin the straps on, and put the top on to see how it looks, and then try and pull it off over your head...you will stick pins in yourself! Get someone to help you with this.

I wore it swimming everyday on our holiday. It was great....we were only splashing about with the kids, but I felt good in it (well as good as I ever do in a swimsuit!)

The whole thing is completely lined and it weighs 13oz...yes I did weigh it..!

If you are not a subscriber to Ottobre and would like to sew something like this, Amanda over on Kitschy Coo has done a tutorial on how to make your own Pin-up Swimsuit. It is fantastic, and free!
Good swimsuits are very expensive, but fabric can be bought quite cheaply, and it really is not difficult to sew.

Violet Blouse

2011-07-20T08:01:00.004+01:00

A while back I made myself a Colette Violet blouse. I debated for quite a while, about whether or not the style would suit me, looking over and over at the photos online. I have nothing like this in my wardrobe, nor have I ever. I took the plunge and as with all the other Colette pattern I own, I was not disappointed.

I used some fabric that I have had in my stash for a while. I bought it from Dots'n'Stripes last summer. I could never find the right project for it, but this seem like a good one. It is about shirting weight.
I had some facetted red plastic bottons from my local haberdashery shop, which I bought on a whim, but could never find the right place for them.

The top of it fits a bit differently to other things I own. Where the top two buttons are, kind of sits on your chest, instead of fitting closely. This took a bit of getting used to.
I will make another soon. I have have lots of comments about this one and it is so easy to wear. I can even put it on over my head, only opening the top button!

PS...sorry for being away for so long. I will try, before long, to fill you all in about our adventure to Cornwall, and some of the other things I have made recently. I have also been painting my kitchen on and off for some time now...hopefully it will be done soon.

Happy Birthday T!

2011-06-06T21:32:00.004+01:00

Our little man turned 7 yesterday....

How on earth did that happen....?

He got a new bike....

And a cake all to himself.....We did help him with it of course!

The strawberries are the very first of the season from my mother's garden.

He is such a wonderful boy, and we love him dearly! Happy Birthday T!

Reserving Judgement...

2011-05-31T21:53:00.002+01:00

When I was 12 I headed off to boarding school...I was very shy and self conscious. I was joined by my life-long friend, Miss V. I can remember someone rushing in to tell us about this gorgeous boy who was in our year. I can still remember seeing him for the first time...he was so handsome. He wore almost white ripped jeans...I can still see him.
That was it, he was too beautiful to ever talk to...and so I didn't, or at least not that I can remember. In three years, I was too shy to get to know him. Miss V did however become friends with him. I left after 3 years and went to another school, Miss V stayed another year, and the handsome boy stayed the full 6 years in that school.
Many years later Miss V met the Handsome boy and his Girlfriend...they had bought a piece of land not too far away.."you must meet him" she told me...she also told me how beautiful his girlfriend was.....of course she's gorgeous I thought, but she's probably a total blonde bomb-shell..."all high-heels and hair-do".
The Handsome boy married his girlfriend, Miss V went to the wedding.
Soon after I had our twins, Miss V contacted me to tell me that she was bringing the Handsome boy to meet us at an event we were at one Sunday afternoon....I waited for him to arrive..
When he walked towards me, I knew it was him, he looked the same....but I was not overwhelmed. He was very pleasant, but 4 children stopped any great conversation, and it was all a bit quiet.
Soon after, we were to meet him and his wife at a charity fancy dress...I braced myself for meeting the dolly-bird. We didn't dress in fancy dress, but the Handsome boy and his wife dressed as Smurfs! They had their faces covered in blue face paint, so I still didn't know what she was like! But both Colm and I chatted to him for ages, after all, I wasn't 12 anymore.
We then made plans to visit them at their house.
I finally got to see his wife, without face-paint...and yes, she was 6ft, blonde, but so lovely. Not a bombshell at all..I think my son fell in love immediately, and my girls all love her too. She is so easy-going, and thoughtful.
As for the Handsome boy, well he's still handsome, but he is such a lovely person that I don't see his looks anymore! We have all become fast friends.
A while ago the the Handsome boy and his his lovely wife had a baby boy, he is so gorgeous...of course!
I made the baby this quilt....

It was such a pleasure to make something for them, and him.

So the conclusion I have come to is that you shouldn't judge anyone as the person you were when you were twelve. People change...including me!

So when my cousin, from America, contacted my mother, to ask if he could visit, I was wary....you'd think I'd have learned!....last time I met him I was 14 and he was 16, that was 20 years ago. We got along fine, but I thought that he would find me dull, boring, and in a bit of a rutt, unlike him, who is very successful in his work. I didn't expect that we would have anything to talk about.
I was out on the farm doing my little bit of work, at my Mother's house when he arrived...I walked back to the house, my twins were inside, but I didn't rush in, like I usually do. I changed out of my boots and finally went in. He stood up and gave me a big hug, he looked the same guy. Just a bit older.
We sat and chatted for about an hour at her house, and when I suggested that he might like to visit our house later in the day, I didn't really expect him to say yes, but he seemed keen. So he arrived in the evening, and we chatted about the Grandparents we share, and my Aunt (his Mother) and his Aunt (my Mother), his brother and sister, and my siblings too. He chatted patiently to my children, and then met my husband, and shook his hand like he was really was pleased to meet him.
We talked for several hours....what had I been worried about!

Will I ever learn!!!?

The Two are 3!

2011-05-26T13:48:00.004+01:00

On this day three years ago, I gave birth to two little girls....look at them now....not babies anymore...sniff....

R and B

Realtin was born at 7.00pm, "normally"...I daren't say naturally, everything was managed to the last that day...and I could understand. Our pregancy was not without trouble!
Blathin was transverse, (I think she may still be!) and was delivered by C-section 32minutes later, at 7.32pm.
They were born at 36 weeks, weighing 6lb 10oz and 6lb 10oz.

B and R on day one!

B and R, ready for bed on thier first birthday.

R and B, with Daddy, having a snooze before their 2nd birthday party started.

They bring me delight every day. They are wonderful company....but when they kick off....oh my, can they test your parenting skills. So much so that my Mother congratulates me every year on their birthday, on making it to another birthday!

They love each other very much...

and their teddies too!

They also love having lots of fun....

This is them going down a huge inflated slide with C at a cousin's party....it was probably 15ft (4.5m) high. C would sit on the top, grippping the girls, and would have to rock himself to the edge, and then over it!

Look...No muffin top!

2011-05-10T12:15:00.003+01:00

Jeans have been a problem for me for a long time. I ddon't know who they make jeans for anymore, but it's not me...I could understand if the waist was too small, but no, it's the hips and arse that are too small with all the jeans I try on.
My waist is the area that I would consider to be my problem, so this doesn't make any sense. I can easily pull up and down most of my RTW jeans without opening them....?!

My sister offered my some of her old jeans, and she wears hers much lower....they gave me an horrific "muffin top"...not a good look!

So in an effort to find some comfortable, well-ish fitting jeans, I decided to join Peter again for a sew-along...this time for jeans. I chose #10 from Ottobre woman 5/2007. I didn't really expect them to fit....honestly, after all the RTW jeans that have not fit, I didn't expect them to fit straight from the pattern...but lo and behold they fit so well....perhaps the styling needs tweeking, but the fit is great....comfortable anyway. You see, I wear jeans all the time, except if I'm in bed, or exercising....or for special occasions, of course, but for work and for good, I usually wear jeans.

So here we are....from the back...

From the front.....

Side on....

I kid you not when I tell you that I am going to recycle/donate all my other jeans (bar one!)....I refuse to wear them anymore....and I will be making more of these....for sure.

Big Decisions and Other Stuff

2011-05-02T21:30:00.005+01:00

Sorry it has been a bit quiet around here. I haven't felt much like writing. I think I have been talking too much in real-life. It's been busy around here, or should I say busier than usual.
We bought a house, yes, you read that correctly! We have bought the house where C was raised. It is in our farm-yard, and his Mother lives there now. She is building an annex onto her other son's house, which is underway. The house really needs gutting, certainly a new roof, new heating, new electrics, blah, blah. It is a major under-taking, and we have no idea when we will be able to afford to renovate it. We will be keeping our own house, as it is also part of the farm. We will live here until we get the other house suitably renovated. It is a very old house, almost certainly from the 1800's. We would love to renovate it sympathetically.

So after a stressful day of signing papers, to buy the house, we were feeling fairly tired of it all. I got a text early the following morning to say that a friend's husband had been killed in a car accident. So for the last couple of weeks my mind has been taken up with thoughts of her and her family, a 9 yr old and a 1 yr old. Not to mention going to the funeral, most certainly one of the saddest ever. What do you say....she is not Irish, they moved here from Eastern Europe for a better life. Nothing I can ever do feels like enough. Thankfully her Mother was here at the time.

We have also made the decision that M will not be making her First Communion along with the rest of her school year. It was a hard decision, but we feel it is the correct one. We may arrange it for when she is older, or not. We will decide later. There are too many reasons to list here, but it just wasn't right for us, right now. So there will be no white dress, for now anyway. M will go on the day of the Communion, and she will wear the navy and white dress that I made as a trial dress. Thank you to everyone who shared your stories of your own white dresses, I enjoyed reading them all.

Anyhow...on to lighter things....if you are still with me that is!

This is what I've been up to...T got a Sketchbook shirt and a Huck Finn cap

The girls got new-ish tops

I got a new tunic

M got new skinny jeans

And a skirt

And my Mother got a new Skirt too

I think that sewing may possibly help me when I'm feeling overwhelmed....what do ya think!!!?
Click on the photos to find out what pattern I used for any of the clothes, it should be in the description. As Colm's great Aunt would say..."I've enough talking done!"

Easter Bunnies

2011-04-18T20:35:00.007+01:00

I rooted out these two lovelies and gave them a little clean. I thought they would be nice on display for Easter.

They belonged to my Aunt Maggie who passed away a year and a half ago. She meant an awful lot to me...she was my Father's only sister, and since he died when I was young, she was a huge part of my life.
The bunnies lived on the mantel of her front room, and every Easter, and Christmas they watched us eat and chat. Apparently they are Sylvac rabbits.

Maggie and me. I was probably about two at the time.

Happy Easter to you all if you celebrate, and if not, have a lovely weekend.

The Weekender Bag....Conquered.

2011-04-13T22:36:00.005+01:00

I have wanted to make this bag forever, but have been too much of a scaredy cat!

It is the infamous Amy Butler Weekender Bag.

I am very glad I did try it....it was not simple, but I have made more difficult things. I think I may have used interfacing that was a bit too light, which made sewing easier than it should have been, but on the other hand I made the bottom out of leather.

I am sorry that I didn't spend longer lining up the pattern on the handles, but I was impatient....have I ever told you about my impatience before!!!?

I did however take time to match the side pieces, and they are still not right....I give up!

My only big issue...almost...was that when I was pressing it after putting the whole thing together....I melted a section of the plastic zipper!!!! I nearly cried, but thankfully when it cooled and hardened again, I was able to break off the melted bits and the shape of the teeth was still intact, just shallower.

I bought the fabric a long time ago from Amanda, she quite often has stash clearance sales.
The pattern came from www.gonetoearth.co.uk along with the heavier interfacing, and the piping cord.

I also managed to finally get the final piece of Anna Maria Horner's, Good Folks fabric from Gone to Earth, which makes up the full set. I bought several of these from her a while back, but I was only short of one she hadn't got in stock.....now I need to decide what to make....definitely a quilt, just not sure which one!

I just love how these all work as a collection, some of them look a bit plain, or a bit bold, on their own, but all together, they come alive.

Bra Making....Inspiring Places

2011-03-30T20:54:00.010+01:00

I thought I would put together a list of a few places which I have found interesting and useful when it has come to making bras. ......................................................................... Heather's blog...lovely, helpful Heather, I think she may be planning a new tutorial sometime in the future, but she's also busy studying. Heather sews lingerie for herself, her mother, her friend and her daughter, and a few others besides! She has been a great help to me. ........................................................................ Sigrid- Sewing Projects...this lady sews amazing lingerie, and other clothes too. ........................................................................ There are several other blogs from The Netherlands, all in Dutch, but full of links and wonderful photos. This one and this one are good places to start looking. These blogs all link to one another, so you can just hop from one to the other. ........................................................................ This is a very helpful place, full of sewing tutorials, some specifically about making lingerie. These are really detailed tutorials...Bras from start to finish. Also various types of bra, partial band and full band, and lots more besides. Well worth a look. ........................................................................ There is a Dutch lingerie sewing forum, I have no idea what most of it's about, but if I see the word Foto, I click on it! ........................................................................ As for supplies.... ElingeriA is wonderful. They sell kits which are a great way to get the makings of one bra and two panties (hate that word!) (If I call them knickers, panties are what I mean). I think they run courses on lingerie making. They also sell a vast number of patterns too. ........................................................................ Kantje Boord looks wonderful, but from what I can gather, their postage is fairly steep. It's all in Dutch. I might get one of my Dutch friends to help me sometime to navigate this site. ......................................................................... Bra Makers Supply in Canada has kits too and lots of other great things. They also ahve a list of teachers who teach using their methods. ......................................................................... Danglez is a website which sells supplies, but they also make Bra and knicker patterns, and a wonderful swimsuit one too, which they sell in their own shop as well as in Elingeria. ......................................................................... Merckwaerdigh is another pattern and supply shop. They again sell through Elingeria too, but also have an interesting Ebay shop, where you can buy kits and swimsuit fabric, as well as grab-bags of elastic. ......................................................................... Otherwise, if you just google "bra making supplies", you'' find anything else available...there is a whle new world out there! ........................................................................ Finally there are a couple of books available on the subject...I own The Bra Makers Manual...it is absolutely fantastic! It comes as a CD or book. I chose the book, it's twice the price, but well worth it (to me) to be able to thumb through. Elingeria sell several other books. ........................................................................... These are just a few of the places that I have found inspiration from, or have bought from, or wished that I could have! If anyone knows of anywhere else that I should add, please let me know, I would happily add to the list. Also, if there is anything else you want to know about...let me know and I'll try and point you in the right direction if I can't answer myself.

The Basics of Bra Making

2011-03-30T12:25:00.030+01:00

All the time I hear people who are shocked to hear that you can make your own bras, and when I tell them that it's not that difficult, they don't believe me! So here goes... This is by no means a tutorial, but rather a rough guide to how a bra is put together. Firstly I suggest you get a pattern that you think is about the correct size. Think about your favourite RTW bra, and examine it after reading through some pattern descriptions. You would be surprised what it is that makes it your favourite. I chose mine because I hate the feeling of a band low down. My favourite RTW bra had no elastic under the cups, a partial band bra. Other bras are put together differently, but it will give you an idea of what's involved. Next trace your pattern, and cut out your pieces, paying particular attention to the direction of the stretch...this really does matter! I use pins to hold the fabric, and a small rotary cutter to cut the main parts, using scissors to snip any remaining bits that I couldn't do with the rotary cutter. Next, if I am adding lace I do that now, there is a knack to getting the two sides mirrors images of each other, but that's for another day. Next, you sew the top cup to the bottom, or sides together or however many parts your cup is in, they vary. Do follow the picture and notches, these don't go together how you might think they do. I know, I have to double check every time. I tend open the seam and top-stitch both sides separately, I feel it gives a smoother finish, but there are lots of ways of finishing this seam. You sew the bridge together next, this must have no stretch from side to side. I use three layers, two of fabric and one of nylon sheer. I hate the nylon sheer rubbing, one of my pet hates about some of the RTW bras I have had in the past. With 3 layers, I have the nylon sheer in the middle, with lycra next to my skin. With this bra, I used lace as the outside layer. With my pattern, you sew on the straps, mine are made of the same fabric as the cups. Next you sew the bridge in between the two cups. Then you attach the elastic to the bottom of the two parts of the back band. You do this by using a zig-zag on the right side of the fabric, and then turning it under, and using a 3-stage zigzag. There is a plush side on this elastic to stop it from rubbing. I have found that using a wider, (15mm) plush elastic, suits better.

Next you sew the back bands to the outsides of the cups.

Now you sew the casing onto the seam allowance of the cups, this is tricky and you need to take your time and be precise, and follow the pattern instructions. In the picture, the right hand side is sewn on with a wire in it, and the left hand side is partially sewn.

After this you sew on the elastic that goes along the back bands, all the way up along the underarm, and up the straps (or not up the straps, depending on the pattern). Again, this is done by sewing the plush elastic on the right side and fipping it to the wrong side and sewing again.

And around now you also put the finishing elastic on the top edge of the cups and up the straps, if they are fabric. I like the look of Fold-over elastic, I think it gives a nice smooth finish, but you can use other elastics too. You can see the finised edge in the final photos, I must have forgotten to take one!

Next you sew on the strap elastic to the band and again there are various ways to do this, but I have made a couple of alterations to my pattern, and this is how I like to attach mine now.

After this is on, you sew on the hooks and eyes, using a zipper foot. I usually go over it a couple of times...wouldn't want it to come apart!

Finally, finish the straps according to your pattern. Recently I have been making fabric straps, but find that they are too stretchy, even with elastic on the two sides, so I have sewn some strap elastic over them, and it gives a nice broad, but firm strap. They are very comfortable. The strap elastic is sea-green on this bra.

The lace at the centre is not quite as exact as I'd have liked, and one cup is slightly high at the top, on one side......I think it'll pass muster though!

And for those of you who wonder how it fits.....I apologise in advance if you weren't wondering!!!!

I am sorry for the poor lighting in the photos, and for the scribbled out last photo, but like I say, it's more of a rough guide, and just to show you that they REALLY are NOT that difficult!

BTW....I am still working on the wrinkles across the centre seam. I am still tweaking the pattern.

Oh yes and a back shot....do you know how diffucult it is to photograph you own back! I will follow this post up with some websites and links to other blogs that are way more knowledgeable than me. A lot of them have in depth tutorials of how to make a bra. It will take time though!

Edited to add....The fabric which I am using for this bra is extremely strong, unusually strong, normally the bottom cup of the bra would be lined with something non-stretch., and the back band would need powernet to make it stronger. Sorry, I'm quite spoiled with this fabric.

Sundresses for New Twins

2011-03-25T09:47:00.002Z

Some neighbours of ours had twin girls a little while ago....We were so excited for them.They have two little boys already, very similar ages to our children when our twins were born. They are not especially good friends of ours, but more like just good neighbours. We know her parents better.....they own our local Post Office/Pub/Shop! It's that kinda place!
So when it came to getting/making them gifts for the babies, I struggled...would they like something hand-made...not everyone does. What type of thing should I make...something for their room....or should I just go buy them a voucher for a shop, where they could buy essentials for the girls...
But no...I decided to make them sundresses...in a country which hardly sees enough sun to warm our backs! I think this recent spell of good weather went to my head!!
March, they say, is "A month of many weathers".

I used a Farbenmix pattern which I won in a giveaway a long time ago...It's called...wait for it....Zwergenverpackung. There are several other patterns in the packet, aside from the dress. However the dress is very like the free Pop-over Sundress from Oliver+S. I am really hoping, that if the parents like them, that can be worn over long-sleeved tops when the weather is less kind.
The floral fabric was only half a metre, bought locally, and the spotty red fabric came from Dots'n'Stripes a while ago. Dots'n'Stripes also sell the Zwergenverpackung pattern.

Nature...

2011-03-20T22:18:00.003Z

We are lucky enough to live in the country, we love what we do. When we are out on the farm we see all sorts of things. Ireland was lacking in lots of wild creatures due to intensive farming, but following a special scheme for farmers to try and protect the environment, there has been some improvement. We also try very hard to make our farm a place where nature can thrive. Every year we plant new trees and hedges.
I can tell you where every oak tree is on our land, where the crab-apple trees are (whose fruit I use for jam). Also where the damsons grow (more jam). I have strong opinions about how hedges should be cut to have the best nesting areas for birds! Our rivers are fenced in such a way to keep the farm animals away from the water, to let the wild-life thrive. Riparian zones, no less!

We have a long stretch of land along a pretty large river, about 30 mins away, which is where we graze a lot of our animals during the summer. I get to go there almost everyday from April to October..I see lots of normal things..rabbits, hares, swans....one day I almost walked into a fox as I turned a corner, around the end of a hedge! However occasionaly you get to see something very special, like Kingfishers and Otters. I can't tell you how excited I get when I see things like this!

At the farm where we milk our cows, about 10 minutes from our house, we have a resident Buzzard...there were very few in Ireland until recent years, but they are slowly repopulating the country, so we consider this a great honour. We see a kestrel regularly and occasionaly a sparrow hawk, and again, rabbits, hares, all manner of birds, including a heron who lives on a small river on the land.

We have land at our house too, which has a beautiful fast-flowing river at the bottom of the farm....a really lovely spot to sit and think....not that I ever do, but if I did, this is where I would go!
After milking this morning, Colm drove in our lane at the house, and came into the house and told me that he had seen something unusual in the field, and that I should go out with my camera....so I changed the lens and off I went in search of treasure.
This is what I found....

Isn't he/she beutiful....

A White Hare...now I know that white hares are not that rare in the "wide world", but in Ireland, they are really quite rare. It seems that following our very harsh winter that hares have started turning white. There is even a survey of sightings of them.
They turn white sometime during the winter and moult back to brown in Spring, which this one seems to be doing.
It was so incredibly exciting for us to have seen this creature, let alone to get a chance to photograph one...we are not serious birdwatchers, or nature watchers...just a couple of people trying to make our farms better places for birds and animals to live, whilst still trying to run an efficient, money making business.

Happy St Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T07:59:00.001Z

I heard this on the radio yesterday and it immediately brightened up my day!
Do listen past the first minute, the first singer is an aquired taste, however the next few are more mainstream. This is basically a bunch of Irish singers and musicians having a bit of fun whilst singing a very traditional song. Some of the lyrics are a bit rough, especially Damian Dempsey's....Pure class!
I hope it gets you dancing around the kitchen the way we all are! The kids are off school today for St Patricks Day and tomorrow too.

Featuring
Sharon Shannon on accordian
Dessie O'Halloran on Violin and Vocals
Mundy (in the cream shirt) Vocals
Damien Dempsey (the tall one with the black shirt) Vocals
Jon Kenny (in the black blazer) Vocals
And many others...obviously!

The original lyrics in case you want to sing along...

Come single belle and beau,
Unto me pay attention
Don't ever fall in love,
Tis the devil's own invention
For once I fell in love
With a maiden so bewitchin'
Miss Henrietta Bell
Down in Captain Kelly's Kitchen.

With me too-rah-loo-rah-lay,
Me too-rah-loo-rah-laddie.

At the age of seventeen
I was 'prenticed to a grocer
Not far from Stephen's Green
Where Miss Henri used to go sir
Her manners were so fine,
She set me heart a twitchin'
When she invited me
To a hooley in the kitchen.

With me too-rah-loo-rah-lay,
Me too-rah-loo-rah-laddie.

Sunday being the day
We were to have the flare up
I dressed meself quite gay
And I frizzed an oiled me hair up
The captain had no wife
And he'd gone off a fishin'
So we kicked up the highlife
Below the stairs in the kitchen.

With me too-rah-loo-rah-lay,
Me too-rah-loo-rah-laddie.

Just as the clock struck six
We sat down at the table
She handed me the tay
And I ate what I was able
I ate cakes with punch and tay
'Till my side had got a stitch in
And the time passed very quickly
With our courtin' in the kitchen

With me too-rah-loo-rah-lay,
Me too-rah-loo-rah-laddie.

With me arms around her waist,
She slyly hinted marriage
When to the door in haste
Came Captain Kelly's carriage
Her looks told me full well
And they were not bewitchin'
That she wished I'd get to hell,
Or somewhere from the kitchen.

With me too-rah-loo-rah-lay,
Me too-rah-loo-rah-laddie.

She flew up off my knees,
Full five feet up or higher
And over head and heels
Threw me slap into the fire!
My new Repealer's coat,
That I bought from Mr. Mitchel
With a thirty-shilling note,
Went to blazes in the kitchen.

With me too-rah-loo-rah-lay,
Me too-rah-loo-rah-laddie.

I grieved to see my duds,
All besmeared with smoke and ashes
When a tub of dirty suds
Right in my face she dashes
As I lay on the floor
Still the water she kept pitchin'
'Till the footman broke the door,
And marched down into the kitchen.

With me too-rah-loo-rah-lay,
Me too-rah-loo-rah-laddie.

When the Captain came downstairs
Though he seen me situation
Despite all me prayers
I was marched off to the station
For me they'd take no bail
Though to get home I was itchin'
And I had to tell the tale
How I came in to the kitchen.

With me too-rah-loo-rah-lay,
Me too-rah-loo-rah-laddie.

I said she did invite me,
But she gave a flat denial
For assault she did indict me
And I was sent for trial
She swore I'd robbed her house
In spite of all her screechin'
And I got six months hard
For me courtin' in the kitchen.

With me too-rah-loo-rah-lay,
Me too-rah-loo-rah-laddie.

No Sewing, only Painting

2011-03-14T22:39:00.003Z

I have been forcing myself to steer clear of the sewing machine...I have been too busy painting my kitchen. The cupboard doors, the wooden ceiling, and the tiles have been painted so far...the two little ones say..."You not paint me Mummy!"......I will try not to.
I try to do a bit every day. In the mornings while the little ones are busy playing and the bigger ones are at school........ I will get it done in time.
I am slightly obsessed with Listette patterns at the moment....I would love to buy a couple...maybe he Portfolio pattern....? After seeing Nicole's version of the Portfolio dress, I am seriously tempted.
I can plan loads in my head as I paint all around me!

Negroni Shirt and a Birthday

2011-03-07T22:49:00.008Z

Sunday was C's birthday and I made him the Negroni Shirt as part of Peter's sew-along. It was such a fun sew-along to take part in, as I have mentioned before Peter is a tonic!

I made the short-sleeved version, I felt a bit of a cheat, but C has enough long-sleeved shirts (plus it was easier!....see, I am a cheat!)

It was a really interesting garment to make. All the seams are flat-felled, a new thing for me. The yoke is doubled, and the method of putting that together makes no sense when you first look at it, but when you have the shirt to stage, it makes total sense.

I used Pamela Erny's tutorial to make the facing without any bulk. Another new skill learned....and it is a really nice finish.

The fabric is apparently ex Paul Smith, it is a tiny gingham check, it looks almost beige from a distance (which I don't like) but I think overall it is really nice fabric. It is very heavy for a shirting, and takes loads of steam to get creases out.

The only thing that I am not happy with is the bottom button, it is too low....I spent so much time working out the distance down from the top button, that I never considered how high/low the bottom button should be. I tend to panic when I get to the button and button-hole stage.

When I was trying to take his photo, he stood against the wall and was stock still....I told him to relax...so he started messing, as usual. So just as I'd try and take a photo, he'd jump about! This is what most of the photos looked like....

I also made a chocolate cake, his choice.

We also had roast leg of lamb with all the trimmings for dinner, his mother and sister joined us.

I wondered quite often during the preparations for his birthday, how much we would have done for his birthday, had it not been for four over-excited kids.
The kids really expected him to be as excited as they were, and while he had a really great day, it is hard to get excited about birthdays after about 21!

What a Week...

2011-03-01T21:41:00.007Z

Well technically it has been 8 hectic days, but that doesn't have the same ring to it.
C and I decided that I would bring T to the Doctor on Monday morning to have his rash checked out. Believe it or not, at the age of 6 and a half, this was the first time he has been to the Dr with any illness or ailment. He has been to hospital for an injury (his sister shut a door on his finger when he was 18 months and it had to be stitched back together!). He has been to the Dr for routine checks as a baby, but he has not been otherwise. Poor boy didn't know what to expect....he was great though. She said she thought it was a Staphylococcus skin infection. He was prescribed antibiotics...another first! But when the pharmacist saw him she had other ideas about what it might be. I tend to agree with her, but who am I to say. Either way the treatment was the same. However the antibiotic he was given, tasted so disgusting, that I had to use bribery, and all other powers available to me to get him to take it. We found orange juice was the best thing to mask it.
Because of this unplanned delay, packing for our journey was put back until after lunch. The kids went a bit wild as they ran about throwing things in their back-packs!
Then the door-bell rang, it was a lady from a mining company who had done a survey on our land, to say they had found an anomaly and wanted to investigate further...now that sounds very exciting, but I'm not getting excited, this is probably never going to amount to anything, ever...but the poor girl was hardly able to speak, with wild children packing for their holiday!
We tried to get everyone to bed early Monday for the 5am start the next day....needless to say, I didn't get to bed as early as I'd have liked.
Tuesday atarted at 5am and the 4 kids and I kissed Colm goodbye and hit the road at 5.20. I had to stop for fuel on the way, the only other people there were the bin-men! We reached the ferry terminal in Dublin at 7am, using the Port Tunnel to get there faster, well worth the money.
We sailed at 8am, spending 3 and a half hours the ferry. I had booked a cabin, with a TV and tea/coffee making facilities! Another expense, but a worthwhile one.
We drove to my sister from Holyhead, but poor T was terrribly car-sick, using a bag, then a lunch-box and eventually only having a towel to vomit into! Poor boy was green by the time we arrived.
We went to Attingham Park with my sister and her kids on the Wedneasday, and then The Scottish restaurant. I took a drive too...and found this oxbow (?) in the Severn.

Thursday morning we packed to come home and left my sisters house before 10am. Both the older kids were car-sick almost immediately, so we stopped at Rhug farm shop and get some popcorn, which seemed to help. We also picked up some Tyrells mixed root chips (crisps) for Colm.
We made it to the ferry in good time and sailed at about 2pm. When we went to collect our cabin keys, the guy behind the desk told me that they were upgrading us to a suite! The kids loved it!
We arrived back home at 7pm, Colm had dinner ready for us...it was so nice to be home.
I must say, I had the best travelling companions....ever. The children were soooo good. Not perfect, but just right. I would take them again tomorrow.

Friday started with a bang....Colm and I had to go sign some legal forms at 10.30am, nothing very important, but I had already made the appointment before I went away.
It was also the day of the general election here, to elect a new government, so we went to te polling station and cast our votes, then we rushed back home to check on a heifer (young cow) who we had left in labour! She was just fine and had delivered her first calf safely on her own. They were lying together, looking very happy! I never tire of that!
I then realised that Maeve needed a new swimsuit for swimming on Saturday...so off I went about making one. The fabric was one I had bought on Ebay and had sent to my sister's. I used the Sea-horse pattern from Ottobre summer 09. I made the straps elasticated.

Saturday we went to swimming lessons, and I watched on, dreading a wardrobe malfunction....thankfully it all went well. We went on to collect a friend of Maeve's on the way home, a sleep-over had been planned for a while. This girl has stayed over-night several times, so she knows the ropes here. However another person's child always does things differently.....I don't think my food is her favourite!! I managed to fall fast asleep before the sleep-over girlies! How bad is that!
Sunday we went for lunch in a local pizzeria, and dropped the extra child home afterwards. Colm and the older children, cleared out our poly-tunnel (plastic green-house) and planted some seeds. I think I will get some courgette and tomato seeds...they do so well in the tunnel. I used to plant loads, before the twins were born.
Monday, Maeve woke with a sore throat, I debated for ages , but in the end she went to school, but arrived home on the bus, absolutely exhausted. I was getting worried that she was getting the same thing as T had had. After a bit of paracetamol, she improved no end, and has continued to be fine.
They both headed off to school this morning, but Realtin started crying and holding the front of her nappy (diaper)....I feared a UTI, but after lots of drinks, whatever was bothering her seems to have passed.
I went to the yard after collecting the kids from the school bus...neither of them wanted to help me this evening..... I feed the calves morning and evening. Today the big kids sat in the car, but the little ones "helped" me. I found a calf chewing some twine he had found , and I put my hand in his mouth to get it out and the little sh*t bit my finger and drew blood! I managed to get the twine out after! My finger throbbed for ages.
Later this evening, just as Colm came in from milking the cows, I had sent T upstairs to do something, and we heard screaming, both of us ran upstairs to find him holding his bleeding nose....he had tripped on his floor rug, and fallen face-first against the leg of his bed...his nose is all swollen and bruised...poor, poor boy. I hope it is ok not too bad in the morning. I think it will be!
It is Colm's birthday soon (the 6th), so I am trying to finish his Colette Negroni shirt in time for that.
Also, today I decided to paint my kitchen ceiling......

Sorry for the long, long post...I hope all is well with all of you out there.

Sailboats for the Ferry

2011-02-19T22:52:00.003Z

I have a terrible habit of making things in preparation for going on a trip...So in anticipation of a forthcoming journey....I made some Sailboat trousers for T

A Sailboat Top....poor T is sick in this photo...he had a terribly sore throat and then broke out in a rash all over his back and tummy...thankfully he has improved during today...rashes always freak me a teeny bit.

I made the little ones two Puppet Show tunics

These were to be a quick project...but they took quite a while....I learned lots in the process. This pattern is now out-of-print, so I am very glad to have one...I can see myself making more of them...I will be wiser next time...I had barely enough of any of the fabrics...there are selvages in the seam allowances! Because of this they took ages to cut out, and the fabric in the bodice of the spotty one had to be matched and fussy cut. Oh yeah and I really don't like two of the three fabrics...I'll know better next time!! I do love the tunics though. (Despite being icky pink)

The trip I spoke of is a journey to my elder sister in England. I will be going on my own with the 4 kids. It is an hour and a half to the ferry, a 3.5 hour ferry crossing and a 3.5 hr drive to my sister. I feel mixed about the whole thing, but I made a promise to myself, a long time ago, that my kids would know their cousins. I miss seeing my sister and I am really looking forward to seeing her and her lovely family. However, I will miss my darling husband and the reassurance he brings to me when he sits beside me in the car.
Tomorrow I will clean out the aforementioned car with a shovel and a yard brush.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Sewing a bit for me...and him

2011-02-11T17:05:00.005Z

I made myself a Colette Crepe dress a while ago, with some very sheer cotton/silk mix fabric. I made a muslin for the top, but as this dress is a wrap dress, I feel that it was pretty impossible to properly assess the fit. I did alter the waist dart, making it more curved, fitting under the bust better....however, now that I have the whole thing made I feel that the shoulders are too loose. I have pretty big square shoulders, so I am surprised by this.
I feel that you could pull the back of the muslin to fit, but with the real dress, you are limited by breathing, how much you can tighten the ties! I made the back a bit narrower while I was making it...it only helps a little.
I also decided to line this fully....I ran into problems finishing the outside edges of the wrap skirt...the lining was heavier than the main fabric, and it push outwards, showing and puckering. I am a terror for not following instructions totally, and then I have to work out the solutions myself...this makes me bored eventually....it is not of course the fault of the pattern....however I have heard people complain about the properly made ones, with facings...apparently the facings show through.

I ended up doing all the hems by hand, because the fabric was so fine..the outside edge of the skirt is also hand sewn.
I have decided that sheer fabrics and I are not compatible...my hands are too clumsy...I constantly feel like I will do damage.
Anyway, it is not my favourite Colette pattern..... mind you, I love, love the others I have made, so I had high standards for this one to meet....but strangely, Colm says it is his favourite!!!

Speaking of Colm...I have been busy making a muslin for his Colette (what else?!) Negroni shirt..I am joining in with Peter's sew-along...I am finding the pace great...although I have decided to leave the shirt project as a side project, not my main project. I find I am very impatient with sew-alongs. Peter's wit is worth reading though...he brightens my day! He is getting through several steps of the pattern each day, a much better pace for me than some sew-alongs.
The fabric for the muslin is some awful old bedlinen...it won't even iron properly, but I have some lovely ex Paul Smith (supposedly) shirting for the real thing.

I learned something new about my husband...his shoulders are not even/level. I kept trying to straighten him and the shirt, but couldn't. I mentioned it when I posted the photos on Flickr, and Peter informed me that lots of men are like that...stands to reason, I suppose...most parts of our bodies are not symmetrical. My feet are different sizes...and a few other bits too.....
Oh yeah and that reminds me....I made this a while ago....

It is my usual Pin-up Girls Linda pattern. All supplies from Elingeria.

Purple Paisley Nature Walk Pullover

2011-02-05T08:29:00.002Z

Ater seeing her brother's Oliver+S Nature Walk Pullover, M asked me to make her one. We had a look at suitable fabrics...she chose some purple-ish fleece that I got from Dots'n'stripes a while ago. It is actually a navy background with magenta paisley swirls on it, but the overall effect is purple.. She chose some magenta corduroy to put inside the collar. I was unsure....I shouldn't have been...she chose well. She really loves it.

This is fast becoming a favourite pattern in this house...I am currently trying to figure out how I can make myself one!

O+S Sunday Brunches and a Nature Walk

2011-02-02T22:39:00.006Z

When I first saw the Nature Walk pattern from Oliver + S, I wasn't drawn to it, but after seeing a couple of wonderful versions on Flickr, by Nicole and Shasta, I had to have it!
Not like me, I know!
Anyway T was so excited that this was a "boy pattern"...of course it is totally unisex, but he is just happy with the boy on the envelope!
So I made him this.....

When he came in from school today, I had just finished it...he was keen to try it on, hence the school tie....

The sleeves are a bit long for him, I will probably shorten them. I made him a size 8yr...he is 6 and a half, he is 128cm tall. It fits really well in the body though. Maeve really wants one and I think I may just add a bit of length to this size for her, although she is 138cm. The sleeves are perfect on her, and it is nice and slim fitting.

I made these Sunday Brunch jackets for the little girls in the hopes that they would stop wearing their Ottobre coats from 8.30am until 5.30pm.....(I wish I was joking), but instead they wear these under their Ottobre coats!
I put them on in the morning on the way to the bus and they refuse to take them off.....some fights are not worth having...it will pass as the weather improves...I hope!

She is fed up with being photographed btw!

All the fabrics I used are from Dots'n'Stripes and both patterns are Oliver + S.

Assessing the Situation

2011-01-29T18:00:00.006Z

I will start at the beginning for this post (be warned this is a long one)....about two years ago, when the girls were only about 6 months old, I walked into a local fabric/craft shop looking to get some jewellery making supplies...this was going to be my latest greatest hobby! I was bored with card-making...(I still make cards, I'm far too mean to buy them!)

While I was waiting for the shop owner to finish with another customer, I had a look at the lovely fabrics on the shelves....I had never made a garment, but I had made curtains by the shed-load, so I had an interest in fabric and colours.
When she finally got to serve me, I told her how lovely one particular jersey was, and bit the bullet and asked how difficult it would be to make a top. She told me that if I could make curtains/cushions/jewellery/cards, that she was sure that I could make a top from a "very easy" pattern....she told me to phone her if I had a problem.

I held my breath as I cut into the jersey, trying to remember all the things she had told me...I made a wearable top...in fact I wore it to a wedding party with white trousers, and to a christening too...I still wear it occasionally.
I was hooked from then on...I went on to make the little ones a couple of simple pinafores, and several more tops and even some trousers, all from "Big 4" patterns. I made T some trousers from one of these patterns....they would have fit me!

In the meantime a Dutch friend of mine loaned me an Ottobre Magazine, in Dutch! I had no idea what the instructions said, but I still managed to make a few, very wearable garments for the little ones. I immediately subscribed to the magazine for a year, in English this time! I also ordered several back issues, including the original one that my friend loaned me. 1/2008.( Which ironically was only available in Dutch, with seperate English instructions!)
These are two "Maya blouses" (from the borrowed Dutch magazine) the first garments I made from Ottobre. I remember bringing the 3 younger kids to Kindermusik, the two girls wearing these, and feeling as proud as Punch!

This year will be my 3rd year to subscribe......and I have to admit that I am underwhelmed. It probably not the fault of the current(or last) issue, but I have barely looked at them.
To tell the truth I have enough Ottobre patterns to last me a lifetime. I am uninspired by a lot of the over-the-top designs of late....but then maybe I have just seen enough of Ottobre...? There are several things in the latest issues that I possibly might make, but I probably have an equally nice one in another issue.
Ottobre is the best value around as far as I am concerned, I hear people complain all the time about the price, but one issue of Ottobre is the same price as one single pattern in my local shop. Or for that matter, the same price as most single patterns from any pattern company, printed on paper, rather than a PDF. With Ottobre you get 40 designs, spanning a huge size range.

I have recently discovered Oliver + S patterns, which are expensive, and postage from most places that stock them is expensive too. But I find the need to think less both about chosing what to make and how to make it, which is a bit of a relief. Like Ottobre, the fit is excellent.

Is it just me being fickle, or have I just grown bored because I have seen enough Ottobre....and yet I hear several people on the Ottobre Yahoo group that they have every Ottobre ever printed....Will I come to love it again...is it just a phase.....has anyone else had the same problem?

By the way, I have not fallen out of love with most of the issues I already have, like 1/2008. I adore many of the patterns in them and will one day make them.

I am totally self taught when it comes to garment making, well, I learn loads form the internet, but no-one has ever sat me down and taught me. I am extremely stubborn, and like to do things without help, so learning from Ottobre, with little or nothing in the way off illustrations, certainly was the hard way, but I am glad I learned that way. However I think I am now quite happy to sew with illustrations!

I am waiting for two new Oliver + S patterns to arrive, and I am soooo looking forward to them arriving.....as I do with every Colette pattern that arrives......this is how it should be.....

I used to worry that I would go off sewing, but I never have, I am delighted about this, it brings me such enjoyment.

I have not bought my kids any clothes in ages....I buy school uniforms because they take such abuse, and the (awful) fabric that is in the RTW ones, wears better than any fabric I can buy. I also buy them socks and tights. Everything else they wear, I have made or, is either a gift or a hand-me-down. (from cousins or friends)

So to conclude, I have decided that this year will be my last year subscribing to Ottobre, I can always buy single issues if I see something I really like, I know it works out more expensive that way, but like the clothes in the sales, I would rather pay a little more for something I really want than have loads of stuff that I don't want.

Any thoughts...anyone?
Sorry for such a long post.

Sure it's Grand

2011-01-23T08:57:00.005Z

C and I bought each other a framed print for Christmas......Not everyone's cup of tea perhaps, but we love it...just our style...it makes me smile every time I look at it. It has taken pride of place in the kitchen.

The are available here. Along with a stronger version and a milder version!
Thanks to Niamh for bringing them to my attention.

Oliver +S Bubble Dresses and an Ottobre one too.....

2011-01-21T14:26:00.005Z

Firstly, thank you to everyone who shared their sewing mishaps...I felt better afterwards!

Our family has an occasion coming up during the summer....it involves religion, so I will avoid the details if at all possible! I do not like discussing religion....
Anyway, Maeve is the main girl on the day, and she needs a special dress (in White!!!!), so I made a trial run of an Ottobre dress. She will be able to wear the trial dress during the summer.
I used the Taffeta Princess dress pattern, from 3/2008. I only had a bit of the navy polka-dot left so I didn't add the bottom piece, I just used the brighter fabric all the way down.
Both fabrics are from Dots'n'Stripes.

The little ones will also need something to wear. Nothing extra special, just a couple of nice dresses. I bought some Boden fabric forom SewFabrics on eBay a while ago, and decided on the Bubble dress pattern from Oliver + S for it. I love Oliver + S patterns!
I had some problems with the topstitching on the sleeve part of the dresses, I have the red dress done, not a well as I'd like, and I may take it out or revisit the blue one, I haven't decided yet! I have re-done them both about 3 times already!

I am pretty happy with all the dresses. Maeve needs a smaller bodice on her final dress, it is floating away from her body a bit, I think one size smaller in the width should do it. That is the reason I did a trial run first though, right!?

The Sad Story of My Shirt.....

2011-01-13T21:33:00.004Z

I decided recently that I needed a new shirt....I had made a shirt from Ottobre (#44 from Winter 04) a while ago...I love it and wear it all the time, but it was a tiny bit too big on me, so rather than re-trace a whole new pattern in a smaller size I decided to alter the pattern I had already traced.
I used some of the lovely lawn cotton that I bought at the Knitting and Stitching Show, when it was in Dublin....
My plan was that I would not add my usual 1cm seam allowances and that would make it a little bit smaller......I never took into account that with Princess seams, there were 6 seams altogether...4 princess and 2 side seams....that, by my calculations, mean that I reduced the girth of the shirt by 12cm, 2cm off each seam! I didn't want it that much smaller!

Thankfully I have a mother who likes shirts....she was quite glad to take it off my hands...
I was so annoyed with myself that it took about a fortnight to finally make button-holes, and I let my Mother sew on the buttons herself! The least she could do!
(The photo at the top was taken before I did button-holes)

This is a valuable lesson...for me...I don't for one minute think that any of you lovely seamstresses or seamsters out there would make such a stupid bloody mistake....but if by some chance you have, do share with me...it would make me feel less bad....!

Ottobre PJs

2011-01-03T15:58:00.006Z

Ok so that title is a bit of a cop out...I can never spell pajamas or pyjamas or what ever way they are meant to be spelt...spell check tells me neither is wrong....!?

Last year, I made the 4 kids jammies for Christmas, all the while I visited my elderly Aunt twice a day, as she was at the end of her battle with cancer in a nursing home. Needless to say I made several mistakes...for those of you who know Ottobre, I used the pattern from 4/03, which are traditional flannelette jammies. That's 4 collars, numerous buttons and buttonholes...they got finished by Christmas, but only just. I found them a chore, mainly because my mind was elsewhere.

So this year I promised that I wouldn't do the same, and strangely enough, I stuck to my guns, but on St Stephens Day (26th Dec) I took out my machine and made these...

......no pressure and no distractions. However I only made the little ones jammies, and I used the pattern from 6/09, which is a long-john style bottoms and a raglan sleeve top...so easy to make and they fit sooooo well...I love that about Ottobre.

The spotty fabric and the pink ribbing came from Dots'n'Stripes a while ago.
The petrol blue ribbing came from Myllymuksut
The pattern is Ottobre magazine 6/2009 #34 and #35, in size 98cm.

Happy New Year to everyone who stops by here...I hope it is a happy, healthy and safe year for all of you.

Handmade Hobby Horses

2010-12-29T08:35:00.006Z

As I have mentioned before, I made the "The Two Dolls" hobby-horses for Christmas...So at last I can share some photos of them with you. Of course I could have done this on the 26th, but I have been lost in a sea of Lego since Christmas day!

The red one is Realtín's and the blue one is Bláthín's.....

I am really pleased with the end result...the girls are so-so about them...they were quite happy to use their older sister and brother's, so why should they change now! I am sure that in time they will be pleased to have their own.

The main fabric is from Ikea, I used shortened broom handles for the stick, and some recycled twill tape from a Moda precut pack for the reins. Their manes are jersey scraps and their nose-bands are ribbon scraps. Their ears are interfaced scraps of quilting cotton...so really a project of scraps and recycled bits.

They were quite easy to make, the hardest part was hiding them from the girls!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T21:59:00.004Z

Merry Christmas to everyone who stops by here...I hope you have a lovely few days, where ever you are spending them.

We will be at home eating a traditional dinner of turkey, glazed ham (redcurrant jelly and mustard glaze), brussel sprouts (with bacon), roast carrots and parsnips, roast potatoes and sage and onion stuffing. Followed by the less tradional Tiramisu and/or Bread and Butter pudding with cream.

I have all our little ones in bed, awaiting a visit from Santa Claus during the night. It has been a long anxious day for the older two...it is hard to fill your time when you are so excited!

Take care everyone, especially if you have to travel....see you in a few days to show you a few of our gifts...especially the hobby-horses I made the little ones...I'd have loved to have shown you but I didn't dare!

Keep Calm and Hope for the Best...

2010-12-17T14:02:00.004Z

A slightly more up-beat title than it would have been, had I written this yesterday...I had in mind for a title...one of the following...."I wish I liked Christmas more!", or " I hate Christmas, and I hate Christmas trees more!"
Can you tell that I was feeling a tad stressed?
I think things are kind of back under some kind of control...apart from the screaming toddler at my feet.
I have wrapped nearly all the gifts today, and apart from a few token gifts, I have everything bought or made.
I made my eldest sister this apron, at her request...it is from Seams to me

My mother is going to their family for Christmas so she will bring it to her.

For her husband, I made some handkerchiefs....

I am hoping to make them something else, but have to remind myself....no pressure!

The tree saga, in case you are interested, basically consisted of a delayed tree, finally delivered... over excited kids, broken lights (only after they were on the tree, they worked on the ground), new lights.... again, over-excited kids, an over-excited grand-mother...and just when we had the last decoration up...the whole lot fell...all 9ft of it! (Almost 3 metres) I put it back up, shut the door...it is still leaning against the wall....it will get sorted.
I swore a lot...

I managed to get to the shops for an hour last night and picked up some gifts that I wanted to have out of the way, I'll figure out the rest, somehow.

Tonight is one of my favourite nights in the run up to Christmas, and one I try and enjoy...it is the school choir, singing carols...a very special night, all the lights dimmed and candles lit.
My kids are still too young to join the choir, but Maeve will have a bit of speaking to do.

Oh yeah...and we all had a stomach bug over the last week...just for added fun...

I hope you are all coping alright...

M x

Snowed in...

2010-12-07T09:57:00.008Z

Well not technically, but the school has been closed for a week now, since last Tuesday. We have been advised against unnecessary journeys, so I have only been out to the local pharmacy yesterday for provisions. Sunday we went out in the Land Rover to town (20 mins drive) and got lunch and some Christmas gifts that I wanted to have in storage, I really didn't want to find on the 23rd of Dec that the shops were all sold out.
While in Argos, buying toys, it became apparent that their plastic bags would hide none of the gifts they held, so while I debated about buying another 3 plastic bags at 22c each, to hide my things, a lady came up and placed a black sack on the counter and said that I was to have it. I could have hugged her, a bit of good will goes a long way. I thanked her three times! I will pass on the gesture one day soon...next time I get out maybe....
In the meantime, I have been baking most days to feed hungry children, who are either playing in the snow, or suffering from cabin-fever!

I made two of these in one day, using this recipe which I originally found through Nina

The other one was eaten warm, and this one was iced after this. The original recipe was for individual mini rolls.....they are delicious.

Some friends of ours had a baby boy a while ago and I made him this quilt....

The top photo is of a mini quilt I made for Christmas, for hanging on the wall. The tree part of the pattern came from here. I have, for quite a while, followed the blog of the lady who designed it and she makes the most wonderful things.

So I suppose being snowed in isn't too bad.....except that I am my own best customer when it comes to baking, so I have probably gained several pounds!

Colm is managing on the farm, with some difficulty. The milking machine, which is used to milk the cows morning and evening, has to be drained to within an inch of it's life, not a drop can be left in it...and it is a big system with loads of pipe-work. If water freezes in it, it will not work, full stop. All the water has to be kept defrosted as best as possible...almost all our animals are indoors, and as usual, also have to be fed. Traveling to the yard which is about 5 minutes drive on the road, is made easier by the fact that we recently bought an oldish Land Rover, which is a bit of an animal in bad conditions. So at least he can get up the two slopes on the journey.
Everything is just more difficult for him in this weather, and yet he goes around in only two sweaters over a two t-shirts (short sleeved t-shirts). Oh yes and blue latex gloves, seriously, like the ones doctors wear! If he has to weld he wears a cowl to protect his face under the shield...he got incredibly bad chilblains last year, on his nose after welding in the snow. I had to dress them twice a day.
My Mother tells me that after living in New York State for the first 21 years of her life, and then moving to Ireland in 1965, that she got chilblains, and had no idea what they were...it seems to be the damp cold that causes them. She still suffers from them, on her feet. My best friend gets them on her thighs...nasty things!

New Bedroom

2010-11-28T15:38:00.008Z

At last we are in our new bedroom...I know, I probably haven't mentioned before this, that we were working on it...but it has been going on for soooo long that you'd have all got bored and left by now.
Last year we converted quite a bit of our upstairs. It had never been finished off fully by the previous owners and we never really used it properly, only ocasionally for summer visitors when the house was very full.

However there was one room which we never touched in the conversion. It was to be our bedroom. During the conversion we stored stuff in it and after the kids rooms were done we emptied it and gave it a lick of paint and moved into it.
So this summer we set about ripping it apart and insulating it properly. We put in two Velux roof-lights, we took off all the hardwall, insulated, studded and replastered the whole lot, stippled ceiling and all! We got new carpet fitted in it and the upstairs hall and the landing.

From the door...

It was a slightly odd shaped room with a chimney breast in it, so we moved stuff about..(not the chimney)..and added a walk-in wardrobe (closet).

The whole project has taken ages...for loads of reasons, none of them within our control. The older children have been sharing all this time, I had planned that they would be back in their own rooms by the start of school on 1st of September! So much for that!

From the bed...

And yes, we have a TV in our room, and yes it's ancient.The colours are sometimes a mile off, we watch cows calving on it, via CCTV, as well as normal TV! Maybe Santa might bring us a nice flat new one, which we can hang on the wall, and hide the sockets!

The wardrobe/dressing room/closet is behind where the chest-of-drawers is, the door is around to the left.

From the wardrobe door....

Anyway, enough moaning...We are thrilled with the end result. It feels like a proper grown-up master bedroom. (aside from the 2 quid paper lampsade!)

The curtains are lined sheer linen and need a bit of attention, they have lost a button and a hook or two. I made them several years ago.
The wall colour is Farrow and Ball Shaded White.
I have owned the dressing table since I was about 10.
The bed we bought when we moved into the house, over 8 years ago, it is made by Willis and Gambier...we love it.
The chest of drawers was being thrown out by friends of ours, so of course I took it.
The TV is inherited from my Aunt! Literally!
I bought the chair locally in shop that my friend refers to as "The Dead People's Furniture Shop!"
I don't suppose anyone cares about all of this...!

I thought I'd show you my bed-side books at the moment...both are amazing! Colm is also reading the smaller one....

9 Years On...and Still Having a Laugh!

2010-11-17T09:21:00.007Z

Today is our 9th wedding anniversary. It doesn't feel anything like that long!

I am married to probably the least romantic man in the world...We had a joke going between us for a long time, when anyone asked if Colm was romantic, I would turn to him and ask how often he had given me flowers and he would reply..."Twice"...I would ask how he could be so sure and he would say..."Because we have two children!"...The answer is still twice, I have not had flowers since Tadhg was born...nor a box of chocolates, nor jewellery, and certainly not any fancy underwear..(probably why I took up making my own!)

However....I did marry a man who makes me laugh daily...

Laughing nine years ago....

A couple of weeks ago....still laughing...

Not only does he make me laugh...
He treats me as his equal.
He helps me with the children as soon as he walks in the door.
He is generous.
He never argues.
He is extra kind when I am hormonal!
He makes me tea (or coffee depending on the time of day)
He tells me I look lovely when I get dressed up..(Hardly ever, but not his fault!)
He always backs me up when it comes to raising the children.
He tells me he loves me.
He kisses me goodnight every night.
He always kisses me goodbye. (even if someone sees him)
He is a great father.
He supports me no matter what.
And lots more besides...

He also wears things I make him and tells me they are great..

...that is truely romantic in my eyes...

I love you Darling...Happy Anniversary.

PS...the boxers are self draughted, copied from some of his own...definitely worth making, if only for the laugh you'll have when getting him to try them on for fitting purposes..this is best done before you add the elastic....for maximum laughter!

Ottobre Winter Coats

2010-11-05T11:41:00.007Z

I have been slogging away at winter coats for the three younger children. T has been wearing the same coat to preschool and school for 3 years now, so he needed one badly. I made the girls two Sparrow coats form Ottobre 4/09. I made size 86cm last year and the girls are now 92cm and they just about fit them.

I made them size 92cm this year. I debated for a very long time about these. I ended up using some corduroy from Dots'n'Stripes. The lining is quilting cotton, I think it's by Hoody for Blank Quilting...long story about how I got it.

They are interlined with cotton batting. The ribbing came all the way from Finland from Myllymuksut. They have a massive array of colours of ribbing, amongst other things.
There are meant to be pockets in the front, which I left off. They are a bit puffy at the moment, but I'm sure the girls won't be long about knocking the corners off them. I love the pixie hoods on them. They make the tantrums a bit easier to bear!!!

Tadhg's coat is the Dennis Duffle from Otobre 6/07. The shell is an unknown fabric given to me by a friend, but originally from Fabricland (mind your eyes). She told me at the time that it was too green for her...I didn't know there was such a thing!

He loves it so much.... why wouldn't he be, when he hasn't had a new coat for 3 years...!
I made the toggles, I bought the buttons locally and used shoe laces and leather from my mother for the triangles. They should be more centred, but I'm hoping no-one will notice, I mis-judged where they should fasten and so had to move the 2nd side. It is lined with olive lining and interlined with wool (aka an old blanket). The hood, pockets and tabs etc are lined with quilting cotton, just a fat quarter in fact. I asked his opinion on it and he informed my it was a bit too Autumn-ish and not Wintery enough..it has acorns and oak leaves on it!

This is him waiting for the bus, to wear it to school for the first time. I told my husband how ridiculously excited he was and he reminded me that there are lots of kids who wouldn't wear anything hand-made!

PS...I forgot to mention the extra closure on T's coat. I retro-fitted a zip(per) to the inside of it, if I had considered it on time it could easily be added into the seam on the left I used the stitching on the right to sew it on that side. It just seals it all up a bit better, I think anyway.

A bit of Retail Therapy and Nobody Laughed....

2010-10-30T11:16:00.011+01:00

The Knitting and Stitching Show came to Dublin over this weekend and I brought my post-op Mother along...'cos that the type of thing we do after surgery! She wanted to go. She, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, is a weaver and was keen to get some supplies. She did however, only go to the stands where she had specific things to get...and some more random ones that caught her eye...in fact I think she might have been to them all! And there were a lot! The whole show was jammed with people of all ages, all on a mission to see as much as possible, and to buy all the things they "needed". Maeve came with me and it was so lovely to have her to help me chose things and I must admit that I felt like teenager in her company, not the pulled and dragged mother I feel like nearly all the rest of the time...it was good to have a day out. My sweet husband minded the 3 little ones. So it was a great day apart from the terrible weather, which left driving conditions less than good, and on the walk in and out of the show, we got thoroughly soaked! It was quite a distance.

I was in search of 10mm knitting needles and saw lots...but what did I pick up only 8mm needles! And some lovely undyed merino mix yarn.

There was a really nice travelling shop from London called M Rosenberg and Son, where I got some lovely cotton lawn. It is so pretty. They had so many lovely fabrics, including bright yellow wool coating....I'm kinda glad I didn't get that, as much as I loved it! I did get two lawns, but this is my favourite...

I also picked up some quilting cottons, these three are Moda Neptune, I was always sorry I didn't get a jelly roll of this when I had a chance a year ago...anyway...

I also picked up a few ceramic beads to make a necklace for me...

Maeve also got some lovely beads.

But after reading Amanda's post on Kitschy Coo on leather, and since my mother recently bought some leather for making gussets of woven bags...when I saw these small leather skins (for 5 Euro...which is nothing!) I bought 3, (taupe, pale blue and blue/black)...my mother, it turned out had already bought 3 as well!!! Great minds.

Also after my conversations with Andrea, about her "Stipend" for fabric and wool shopping, I'm glad I set myself no limits...I would have only broken them!

By the way, I wore the head-piece to the wedding, which is now a week ago...thanks for all the advice...No-one laughed at me, or at least I didn't hear them!
In fact we gave a couple of our neighbours a lift home, and I asked Colm to throw my Lady Grey coat into the back (3rd) row of seats to make room for our passengers, the wife said..."Oh, your coat is gorgeous, I was admiring it in the church...you looked a million dollars in it!" Then I told her I had made it...hardly anyone knows I make clothes.
My brother-in-law also told me I looked well, and that he liked the "yoke" in my hair (that's local speak for thing-a-me-jig) although he also told me my dress was a bit low in one spot! Good job I know he also couldn't care less! It is his idea of being polite and complimentary, rather than leering and pervy!
This is us at the end of the night, a bit be-draggled!

Muffin Tunics and Wedding Head-dress Advice

2010-10-22T10:35:00.010+01:00

I made these for the girls a while ago

They are Muffin Tunics (Ottobre 1/2008) without the bottom piece and they have no openings at the back and slightly different cuffs. So not possibly no longer Muffin Tunics?!
They are a lovely fit and seem easy to wear.
I promise the stripes are straight in reality! Wouldn't you wonder how the one on the ground is the one with the helmet on, instead of the one on the trike?

You wouldn't think to look at them that they refuse to sleep in their beds at bed-time, now that they've moved out of their cots...or that they get up at 5.30am every morning!!!WTF! Moving swiftly along...grrrr!

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes for my mother. She is now safely over her operation and is recovering at a friend's house until after the weekend. We have a wedding to go to tomorrow, so she'll have somone to look after her there...I think my MIL will have enough to look after with 4 kids!

On the subject of the wedding...What do you think of this? Would you laugh at me if you met me wearing it at a wedding? I mean the head-piece btw...obviously if you met me wearing a grey fleece to a wedding, I wouldn't blame you for laughing!
I got my hair chopped yesterday...I should get it done more often....

It is from a tutorial over at No Big Dill. It's not that I think it's laughable, in fact I think all the things Katy makes are brilliant...It's just that this was originally made for a child for a hair-band (I made it on grips/clips)...Would I as an adult, wearing a hand-made dress and a hand-made coat (possibly) look like an episode of Blue Peter? It's the Grey Parfait in case you're wondering...trust me, it looks better in reality than in photos!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone...M x

PS... both tunic fabrics are form Sewfabrics on ebay, the floral is ex Boden. Ribbing is from Dots'n'Stripes.

Lady Grey

2010-10-09T09:04:00.003+01:00

Lady Grey, originally uploaded by bred2make.

I finally got to make my Lady Grey coat. I bought the fabric and the pattern back in July....Had to have them...Don't you know!

So I couldn't find the motivation to start it, too much else needed doing. Then Gertie announced her sew-along, for this very pattern...and I thought "Great!"...

I made my muslin with the group, but it turned out that the final part of the sew-along isn't until Halloween...you see my mother is to have surgery on her spine on the 18th of this month and I really needed to get this done before then. She will be coming to stay with us for a while after her operation....
We also have 2 weddings coming up soon and I needed the coat for them, in case I need a coat, I have no other coat any way suitable.

I have absolutely no doubt that the coats following Gertie's instructions will be waaaaay better, but I will hopefully use her instructions for my next Lady Grey.

I followed the pattern's instructions to top-stitch all the collar and lapel edges....and when I asked s friend she suggested that it looked wrong!!! So I took out every top-stitch...it took ages, but I do think it sits better. I made the tie shorter, and otherwise it is exactly as per instructions...I think?!

The fabric is 80% wool 20% polyamide, and was not expensive, 5 Euro/metre, and the lining was inexpensive cotton, with a bit of polyester lining for the sleeves.
I would feel much better making it next time in better wool. This is my first attempt at a coat for myself.

Knitted Cowl

2010-10-07T10:14:00.006+01:00

I decided a while ago that I wanted to make myself a cowl or shawl for winter, so I ordered some Debbie Bliss Chunky Cashmerino in Teal and while I waited for it to arrive, I knitted up this cowl from a free pattern I found on Flickr...

Meanwhile Tadhg claimed it for himself....

The pattern is perfect for beginners as it is only plain knitting, no purl and nothing fancy, just a rectangle, It falls neatly and is very flat at the back due to the way it is sewn up. I used some cotton yarn which I have had forever.
It is far from perfect but he loves it and I really won't mind too much if he loses it at school! It is not prescious...just well loved.
Here is a link to the pattern.
I did knit up the shawl in the Debbie Bliss yarn, but I need to photograph it in day-light....Guess what Maeve has claimed that one!!!!

Jump Rope Dress

2010-10-02T06:54:00.005+01:00

Jump Rope Modeled, originally uploaded by bred2make.

I'm so behind in blogging about things recently....You may remember that I said I "needed" the Jump Rope pattern from Oliver + S...well I got it (of course) and I made View A in a size 8yrs for Maeve.

I love it! Apart from all the ironing it will need...did I ever tell you...I don't iron! Except when I'm sewing!

Maeve has already worn this to a friend's baby's christening. The girls wore their bubble dresses.

The fabric for this dress came from Dots'n'Stripes

The pattern is from The Life Craft...who seem to be very reasonable for patterns and postage to Europe seems very good too. It certainly is the cheapest place I've seen Oliver+S patterns this side of the Atlantic.

The next Oliver + S pattern that I need is the School Photo dress....

Have a wonderful weekend!

Colette Chantilly

2010-09-20T14:35:00.002+01:00

Colette Chantilly, originally uploaded by bred2make.

I made myself a dress a while ago. It is another Colette pattern...the Chantilly this time.
I had to shorten the midriff part by about an inch because it kept creeping up to my natural ( non-existant) waist.
I also unpicked every bit of topstitching I did around the yoke because it made the yoke stick out on me.
Other than that there were only a couple of minor dart adjustments.
The bolero is not the type of thing that I would normally wear, but anything that covered my sides made me look terrible. It took all the shape away from the dress. So I made this shrug from fairly nasty polyester ribknit I bought online a while ago, but it is quite good made up.
I used the Ottobre workshop, ladies top (I can't find it or remember what the number is). I used the sleeves and the top of the back and I modified the top of the front to a similar shape to the Brooklyn shrug from Nancy Langdon/ Sabine Pollehn's book... "Sewing Clothes Kids Love".
I am really pleased over all. All I need now is somewhere to wear it!

Loot....

2010-09-13T11:47:00.010+01:00

I was lucky enough to win a lovely giveaway a little while ago...Iveth over at Madamoiselle Cranky Pants is the lovely lady who hosted it. The prize was some beautiful bunting...

I think it will go in M's room, she is in need of a bit of extra TLC. Extra homework in school and a re-jig of the pecking order in the school yard has led to some new pressures, which she is finding a bit hard.
Almost as good as the prize itself is the card that came in the parcel..it is a postcard of one of Iveth's pieces...

`
It was this image that I clicked on whilst browsing Etsy, which led me to Iveth's shop, and then her blog and then to facebook and eventually to this prize!
Iveth makes the most wonderful jewellery, which she sells, like I said on Etsy, under the name The Angry Weather.
And to top it all off it was all beautifully packaged...

Iveth had in fact written a post about this but thankfully I didn't see it!...I loved the element of surprise.

This parcel was all the sweeter this morning because I had just driven 20 miles (for 30 mins) in the pouring rain with one of my two and a half year olds screaming to the point of almost vomiting...all because Daddy didn't come with us!
There really is no reasoning with two year olds!
Maybe one day soon I will tell you about our recent visit to have the little one's eyes checked...but I need to recover first! The only consolation is that the eye Dr told me that one of her kids bit a total stranger on the thigh when he was 2!
It could always be worse!
Have a nice day everyone...and thanks Iveth!

I Have a New Obsession.....

2010-09-10T13:55:00.008+01:00

I have been aware of Oliver + S patterns for a long time and have admired many of them, but I have never caved and bought one. Recently I decided I had to have the Bubble Dress pattern....Had to have it I tell you!

I want to use it for making the little ones dresses for a family occasion next year, but wanted to try it out first.

So it has been floating around my kitchen for a few days while I decided what fabrics to use. I decided on some coral coloured corduroy which my friend Siena gave me.....

and some more of the green corduroy left over form making Maeve's Sarita Jeans....

They are much more visual than Ottobre patterns, which really doesn't bother me either way, but I know some people claim to be visual learners/sewers....I'm sure Oliver + S patterns would suit them well.

The dresses went together really well. The first took a bit of time, but no more than you'd expect of a fully lined dress.
The lining is cotton from Ikea with hearts all over...from the kids section. Because the photos are taken from below, you can see it, but from straight on it is well hidden.

I got the Bubble dress pattern from Millie Moon
Since then I have decided that I need the Jump Rope Dress pattern......

Upcycled Underwear

2010-09-04T18:15:00.009+01:00

I promised my kids a long time ago I'd make them new underwear ...hoping to be in time for school. School started last week.....
I have made these Ottobre knickers and boxers a
couple of times now and my kids will choose these over bought ones any time. These new ones will bring their collection up to 8 each. They take a while to make, especially the boxers.
So this time I tried a few short-cuts....

I didn't use binding for the leg cuffs or to enclose the seams on the boxers. I hemmed the leg openings with a zigzag. I sewed the seams inside out, as per the instructions, but I just topstitched them down.

I made the girls ones with boxer-style elastic on the waist too. I thought it would be nice for a change. I got all the elastic from
www.elingeria.de a while ago. It seems to be really good. I look forward to hearing how the kids like it. There is another girls pair, identical to the stripey pink ones, but they got stolen away from the sewing machine as soon as it had sewed the last stitch! Thats how much they love their old ones!

All the fabric I used to make these was from old T-shirts. Lots of people give us hand-me-downs from their kids, and while I'm usually thrilled with the them, quite often we get T-shirts for Maeve that I don't like much...ones that have pictures of girls or sparkles and always with stupid phrases..like..."Girls with Attitude". Or ones that were brought home from a family holiday...not our family's holiday, theirs! So I have used these in the past to make underwear and it makes me feel better to put them to good use than to recycle them to who-knows-where!

By the way speaking of underwear patterns...I see Amanda is giving away a unisex underwear pattern over at Kitschy-coo...they are really great....go have a look for yourself.

Plentiful Plums and a visit to A&E....again!

2010-09-02T16:46:00.011+01:00

Yesterday I gathered these...they are the last of our plums on our tree. This was taken before the girls mushed some of them!! Argh!
The wild damsons are ready in the hedge down the lane...I might gather them this evening.

Today I ended up in A and E in our local hospital. B fell and banged her head on a stone as she climbed out the door of the car. Nothing major but it still needed attention.

Thankfully a good friend of ours was the Triage Nurse on duty. We were seen very quickly and by a very nice Doctor who glued her poor head!

All she want's now is a bath...which she can't have!

Believe it or not today's hospital visit is the first time my twins have been separated for any length of time. R was bit upset at us leaving, but she quickly cheered up. I never intentionally did this, but it just seems to have happened that way.
The Triage Nurse has twins who had never been apart for 24 hrs by the time they were 21 (at least)! I always said I would never let that happen, but I would imagine it easily could.
Raising twins is a complex issue!

Baby Boy Jacket and Back to School

2010-09-01T16:54:00.008+01:00

I find baby boys difficult to make the right thing for...girls are easy, a dress always seems to be the right thing. For boys, trousers don't seem to be enough, but a whole outfit seems like a lot..Maybe for a family baby, yes, but for a not-very-close friend's baby..what do you make?
I have made a quilt in the past and that was my other option. I also could have made a ball, but that was all hand stitched and you have to be in the mood for that!

My friend Lisa had a baby boy the other week. He is called Robbie and after a stressful start he is now home and doing well.

So This time I tried a jacket...it is reversible, fleece one side is fleece and the other is jersey.

The fleece side looks a bit plain, but i think it will be ok. I might put buttons on that side...they'll only be fake, as I sewed in snaps as closures.
Overall I'm pretty happy with it. I am hoping it will fit him by the time winter arrives. He is currently 2 weeks old and 6lb 13oz.
Pattern #7 from Ottobre 6/2007. size 62.
The fleece came from Dot'n'Stripes a while ago.
The jersey is from Sewfabrics on Ebay.

On another note our kids started back to school yesterday. Today they went on the bus for the first time..I found it difficult to hand over control to someone else! So I followed the bus into school!!...Of course...what else did you expect me to do!!
Needless to say they were perfectly fine..We have had a couple of tragic bus accidents in Ireland in recent years involving school buses, and thankfully they have now improved the standards on the buses. Both accidents were close enough to here..one was from a school my friend is a teacher in and the other the next town to where I went to school. I tried not to think of these accidents as I waved them off to school, hopefully tomorrow morning will be easier.

The photo pretty much sums up yesterday morning....everyone doing a different thing...it's hard to get back into a routine.

8 years

2010-08-19T08:23:00.012+01:00

8 years ago we were still coming to grips with the fact that we were parents for the first time. Our Maeve was born on the 18th of August 2002 weighing in at 9lb 6oz (4.25kg)...She was a "Honeymoon baby". Born 9 months and 1 day after our wedding day!
She wasn't the easiest baby, or maybe I wasn't the most natural mother, but we muddled along and got through it.
Now she is the most wonderful young girl who amazes me daily...by being so good and kind.

Amongst her favourite gifts were a Knitting Dolly (knitting in her jammies, of course!) and an Usborne Doodling book...(or maybe they're my favourites!)

And of course Nigella's cake got an outing....again! (it wasn't so good this time...a tad heavy...don't know why....but the chocolate icing/sauce makes up for it!)

Sarita Jeans

2010-08-05T09:13:00.008+01:00

Both of the older children have shot up in height since last autumn and as a result are in desparate need of new trousers.
I found this lovely green corduroy in my local fabric shop when I was in the other day.

I used the Sarita Jeans pattern in size 134 from Ottobre 1/2009. The only thing we changed was the back pockets, which we replaced with the pockets from the Butterfly cords in 4/2009. I also put some Farbenmix ribbon on the pockets.
I also stitched some elastic into the back of the waistband.

Beignet buttons...and can anyone recommend a book?

2010-08-02T16:41:00.013+01:00

I think the Beignet buttons will be changed.. I feel they're too summery, and Olive green ones would make the skirt more wearable in winter...I still haven't found the right ones though. I also need to find a nice brown or green skinny belt and I think I'm going to move the belt loops up. They fall well below my waist...not that I have one anymore!

Otherwise I like the skirt, and I love the wool that I used.
Sorry it's a bit crumpled, but I brought it to my Mother's this morning for her opinion (she doesn't like the buttons.... never did!).

Anyone got any advice on a good, simple book to help me with fitting issues. I have never had any tuition and am self taught when it comes to garment making. I feel like I don't see things properly when it comes to fitting. Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.
I have had books from the library that have bored me to tears!

Can you handle another candle..?

2010-07-31T11:37:00.007+01:00

That was the on the front of one of my birthday cards...sometimes I wonder! (However I could handle a new bag, some fabric and some new patterns!) It was my birthday on Sunday the 25th of July. I was 34.

I have had a really nice handbag for a couple of years now...I got it after the girls were born. I love it but it's getting shook...(local for wrecked/worn out!) so I suggested to my darling husband that another one could be bought on sale in a local shop...I also mentioned it to a few other family members and they suggested giving me money towards it...for my birthday..imagine that! So this is what I got..my choice.

It's an Orla Kiely bag...as was my last one. I am not usually swayed too much by designer names...but this is my third Orla bag and both my sisters are probably on their third ones too....I think it'd be fair to say we love them! The ones we have (can afford) are laminated cotton and wipe clean. She also does beautiful leather ones. And bed-linen and wallpaper, all of which I love!

On Sunday afternoon we went to town, where my local fabric shop was having it's annual remnant sale...How nice of them to have it on my birthday...(yes a Sunday), when I have a childminder (their father!)
So I treated myself to a few pieces of fabric. Mainly cottons, all lovely.

My sister also sent a lovely Boden top...another brand I can be swayed by!

I also ordered a couple of sort-of Birthday presents for myself from Colette patterns...a Beignet skirt and a Lady Grey coat.

I have the Beignet made...but I am finding it difficult to figure how to wear it...It has a high waist and most people seem to wear them with tops tucked in...which makes me look worse than usual!... so when I figure what to do....I'll get some photos of me in it! In the mean time...what do you think of the colours...the fabric is wool, so it'll be for winter. I am wondering if olive green buttons might be better...(all 12 of them)...although I love the colours together...I wonder if they'll be limiting?

To top off my birthday...my husband cooked dinner, sort of...he organised it, but he had to go milk the cows Sunday evening, so I cooked it and we all ate it together when he got back...that was good enough for me!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Parfait Mark II

2010-07-24T08:23:00.007+01:00

I finally finished my second Colette Parfait...it took a while, but I really wanted to do a proper job, and not my usual ..."ah, sher (sure), that'll do" job. As I have read several times, the second Parfait goes together much easier than the first. This is very true.

I had some fitting issues again, especially under the arms, I'm not sure they're quite perfect still, but at least it fits. I made the front of the bodice a size smaller this time and left the back the same (a friend suggested that I probably have a broad back).....at least, I'd say!

I made a full lining for this one and it worked out well..I cut bodice and midriff pieces from the pattern, and I made a simple a line skirt for the skirt part. I hand stiched the understitching part. I had to interface the V in the lining at the front, it just kept losing it's shape as I sewed it. I'm not sure what the horizontal line across the bust is about, I never saw it until these photos...

I must also add here that if Sarai, the designer of Colette patterns, gives a tip on her patterns, you'd be wise to follow it! On each Parfait I made, when I put in the invisible zipper, it puckered..I took it out and interfaced along the place for the zipper and when it was sewn in it didn't pucker. (like Sarai said!)

I am very pleased with the dress. I am not sure about the bits at the front of my arm-pits. I think they look high, but then they cover the fatty bits there! Some other Parfaits that I see are looser there, but I don't think that would help me much either?!

Maeve took a photo of the shoes I plan to wear with the dress...they are sort of a mink grey.

In other news....Colm and I have been distracted by a new project...another one...I know!

It is a 1978 Toyota Landcruiser...in fact we have two...hoping to make one decent one. I am in charge of paint-stripping and rust removal at the moment...Colm is in charge of all mechanical and body work...I'm still undecided as to whose job is more important?!

C started it the other evening, after 10 years of laying idle in a field..it started no problem, but covered the two older children (who were sitting a bit away) in a cloud of black smoke and dust...all you could see were the whites of their eyes!!

This is the look we're aiming for.....

Have a lovely weekend.

Colette Parfait

2010-07-06T22:36:00.013+01:00

I managed to nab my poor husband before supper and got him to take the modeled shots of my new Colette Parfait Dress. Why I'm standing like a pregnant woman is a mystery! Also I have what is known around these parts as a Farmers tan!

This was a prctice run for a dress I want to make. I had heard a lot of people say that their first Parfait could have been better. I never make muslins...but maybe I'll change that...but then I seldom make anything for myself.

I got the fabric from Julia at Sewfabrics It is lovely lawn cotton. The pattern came via eBay too from Tracy.

I love the fit of this dress. It covers a multitude things...tummy mainly!

The bodice is lined with white cotton, because the main cotton is so sheer. The skirt really should be lined too.

My main fault in making this dress was misunderstanding the way the midriff section would sit..I thought it would sit flatter and I used a fabric that is too stiff and it puckers, next time round I'll use a similar weight of fabric to the main fabric...if not the same fabric.

I sewed the buttons on, they don't open. I don't need them too. There is a zip in the side which allows you to get in and out easliy. The buttons came from my local fabric shop..in other words they could be at least 20 years old and smell of moth-balls! I love them though. She had only 3 large buttons, and some matching smaller ones.

I didn't put the pockets on..they're made, but I'm not quite sure if I will leave this as a dress...I'm thinking of making it tunic length...would I be mad...? I never wear summer dresses...4 kids (two of them 2yr olds) never make wearing skirts or dresses a lady-like experience! It never gets hot enough here anyway!
The other Parfait dress would be for evening wear.

This is the fabric I plan to make the next one out of..all I need to find is some time now!

This fabric is from Nicole at Dots'nStripes
The pattern is from Tracy the Material Girl

New Baby Girl's Dress

2010-07-06T15:50:00.001+01:00

Baby's Pinafore Dress, originally uploaded by bred2make.

For a friend's new baby girl...Lara is her name. It is from Ottobre 6/2007 pattern #9. It was my first time making it and it seems wide, but I'm sure it will fit for a long time. I left off the ribbon and bow and added a button instead.
I got a cuddle with her the other day and she's very lovely...as are all babies! And before anyone asks....no it didn't put the longing on me!
I am currently trying to finish another dress...a much bigger one...for me. I'm almost there!

Holidays Behind Us...

2010-07-02T15:43:00.020+01:00

Well, We're back from our much anticipated trip to Scotland for a camping trip. We had a ball! We had quite a bit of driving to get to Comrie Croft near Creiff. 3.5 hours to Belfast and the same to the campsite on the other side and a two hour ferry crossing in between. The kids were really good.
They slept really well every night, which was one of my big worries...the little ones have been sleeping really badly recently. All the staff were really nice at the campsite and the facilities were brilliant. Hot showers, better than the ones at home!
Our pitch for our tent was one of my least favourite pitch when I saw it first, but once I got used to it, it was perfect.......

with views to die for.....

We arrived on Saturday and the campsite was full to capacity, but on Sunday the whole place emptied...we wondered if it was something we'd said!?
I had arranged with Nicole to come and visit on Sunday...Nicole and I had, up until then, only had conversations by email and one or two by telephone. When I mentioned that we were going camping to Comrie, we decided that maybe we could meet up...I was nervous...what if we had nothing to talk about? I needn't have worried...Nicole was lovely and we spent a long time chatting about all sorts..sewing and children mainly but other things besides. Our husbands being the gentlemen that they are, watched the children while they played nearby. Nicole and Alan's daughter Leoni is beautiful. I don't think my four children all together have the energy of that girl! She cart-wheeled her way everywhere! Nicole's husband Alan was, as I said earlier, a real Gent, like my Colm, he seemed really easy-going and was just happy to let us ladies sit and chat, and drink instant coffee out of plastic mugs...we were camping don't forget! It was a real pleasure to meet all of them and hopefully we'll meet again some day.

We tried not to do too much travelling while we were there...no need really...we went to a wildlife centre nearby...(which was pretty dire, in our opinion ) And to a falconry place, where the big kids and I got fly an eagle owl.... very exciting!

We went to Loch Earn...where the adults tried to teach the children how to skim stones...

And to the local park...where we had some more free fun...nearly everything on holidays seems to cost you money....don't you find?

And finally on the last evening...we decided to visit Drummond Castle..not knowing much about it and not expecting much....Wow! The avenue alone in was worth a visit! But the whole place was so beautiful..so immaculately kept...

The children's main cource of amusement was all the naked staues!

So all in all it was a brilliant holiday. (apart from the midge bites!)

Arcadia Quilt Finished

2010-06-17T11:03:00.007+01:00

I finally finished my latest quilt...not that there have been that many!

I bought the fabric as a Layer Cake (10" x 10") from Nerybeth Fabrics over a year ago. I found it hard to decide what to do with it and how to do it. I eventually took out all the fabrics with orange in them, and only used the brown, blue and yellows. The taupe background fabric is from my local fabric shop.
I cut each 10 inch piece into four 5 inch squares. and used half and half background and patterned. I used a flannelette sheet for the batting, so it is really only a summer weight quilt.

It measures 65" x 85" and fits a single bed(twin in America?) but I think it will go accross the end of a double or our own King (American queen?).
I stitched in the ditch on the main part, but did a bit of hand stitching at the ends, where I added a plain strip.

I love this line of Moda fabrics. I made my sister an apron with some a while ago too. Another thing I forgot to photograph! I love the colours in this quilt. The blue is one of my favourite colours and the yellow is really sharp and fresh.

Don't expect to see another quilt for a while though!

Jail Bird Bra

2010-06-16T16:38:00.008+01:00

I made this bra a while ago, but like most things I make for myself, I can't wait to get it on and see if it fits...and then it has to be worn for a day to see how comfortable it is, and then it gets washed, and then the washing gets forgotten and I have no clean bras and I have to wear it straight off the washing line, and so on, and I forget to photograph it!

I have been in discussion with Amanda from Kitschy Coo about various things including bigger busts and how to accommodate them. Our chat gave the kick in the arse I needed to get the bra from the drawer and photograph it...I'm kind of on top of the laundry situation right now....I even found the elusive black bra I "lost" a while ago. It was the very first one I made. (It was under a pile of other clothes, in case you thought anything else when I said I'd lost it!)

I suppose one of the reasons I also didn't photograph it is because I am a little disappointed with it...The fabric is just ordinary clothing jersey and really it stretches a bit too much on the top part of the cup (the bottom is re-enforced) That'll teach me to experiment.

Also I managed to cut a tiny hole in it while I was trimming the seam allowance of the centre seam...I'm sure there are people who pay good money to have a bra with holes in the centre front, it wasn't the look I was going for IYKWIM!

It of course matches these knickers I made a while back.

I have now remembered several other things I've made and not photographed! I'm off to seek out some of them.

Edited to add...the fabric was a piece I bought on Ebay form Sewfabrics. All the other things needed to make these came from Elingeria, including the patterns.

Mega Sale

2010-06-15T07:45:00.003+01:00

Just to let you all know, that Amanda over at Kitschy Coo is having a Mega Sale. She is selling some fabric from her stash, her own original patterns and some of the wonderful clothes she makes. Take a look. She is a very talented lady and extremely funny too!

My Boy

2010-06-08T17:08:00.012+01:00

Our boy turned 6, last Saturday. Instead of the usual family invitation for cake and coffee, he had two friends over to play. We had cake with them instead. The cake is from Nigella Lawson's book Feast. The mothers stayed while the boys played and Colm took a few hours off and joined us. We had a lovely afternoon, sitting outside, while the boys played with Lego and generally acted like boys! ie...shouted, tumbled, ran around and jumped off things!

His name is Tadhg and for those of you not familiar with the Irish language, it is pronounced Tye-g, and has apparently no true English version, but Timothy is the closest.

He was rather a large baby when he was born at 10lb 4oz (4.72kg, apparently)...

He has had problems with nightmares for the last few years and frequently came into our room in the middle of the night, until a couple of weeks ago. He also slept with a sheet/comfort blanket every night. A while before his birthday he told me he was ready to kick both habits! (Apparently the nightmares have lessened) And I am very proud to say he succeeded with both....

As he went to bed on his Birthday....We had a lot of this....

To get a photo like this..... sans spectacles

He is an incredibly curious boy and likes to know how things work. (unavoidable, I'm afraid, it's in his breeding)...he is brave and kind and we love him dearly.

Hospitals, Owie Dolls and a Birthday Party

2010-06-03T16:43:00.019+01:00

Well, life has been pretty busy here recently...hospitals seem to feature a lot in the lives our extended family at the moment! Thankfully everyone is ok now, but we've had a few hairy moments...
My Husbands brother and his wife have four children too, and their 3rd child ended up in hospital with a drain in her chest to take fluid off...scary stuff...she's only 3 and a half...poor mite. My SIL stayed in hospital the whole time the little one was in, which ended up being 3 weeks..she didn't get to see her other children that whole time. It was a worrying time for everyone.
To help keep her entertained, I bought the "Owie Doll" pattern from Lier. It is such a clever doll and perfect for my niece's age group...

The pattern includes loads of instructions for accessories...too many for me to make, I did make lots, but certainly not them all!

The instructions call for a fabric that I wouldn't even know where to look for around here, so I chopped up a hand-me-down micro fleece jumper of Maeves...ssshh...she doesn't know! It worked quite well, the velcro stuck to it quite well. I don't think mine is the most photogenic doll, but she's really cuddly...(a bit like me)
My mother went into hospital for a fairly routine epidural to relieve pain from her curved spine and had an "episode" (for want of a better word) and had to have CPR! The team doing the procedure got more than they bargained for with her! They kept her in overnight and thankfully there's no stopping her now!

We had a little family get together on sunday for the girl's birthday....

The photo above was taken about 30 minutes before the guests arrived...

the calm before.... 8 kids under 8...but I was just glad they were all here safe and well...

And of course we had cake..well...cakes, actually...there were two cakes back to back.

Saturday is Tadhg's birthday...so another cake is being planned....I think Nigella (Lawson) might win out this time...

We are also back on track for our camping trip to Creiff in Scotland in a few weeks. I had become overwhelmed with stuff here and had changed my mind about going, but have since realised that a break away would be the best thing for everyone. I am in the process of buying a new tent...our Lidl one has had it's day!

Birthday Girls

2010-05-26T17:07:00.009+01:00

These two little ladies turned two years old today.

Realtin (pronounced rail-teen), meaning "Little Star" in Irish...Born at 7pm naturally...

And Blathin (pronounced blaw-heen), meaning "Little Flower" in Irish...Born at 7.32pm by C-section...

I made them a couple of new dresses for the occasion. Both Onion 20022. As recommended by Astrid

They delight and challenge everyday and some nights too!
Happy Birthday Little Girlies!

Works in Progress

2010-05-15T08:40:00.007+01:00

My new WIP....
I had it laid out on my hall floor at this stage, making final decisions on what to put where...

Cee tagged me with a challenge and I am to post a photo of the eighth photo in the eighth folder in my photos....

The photo is of the two girls, taken almost exactly a year ago...they look so young.
It is their second birthday in a couple of weeks and it is hard to believe that almost two years have passed already since they arrived in this world, it seems like only yesterday that we were driving home from hospital with our two tiny newborn bundles in the back of the car.
So I suppose these two, and the older two are also "Works in Progress", all, ever changing, ever learning , ever teaching, ever challenging, ever inspiring, ever surprising, but always fun to watch as they progress through life...

A Bit of Hand Sewing

2010-05-06T16:06:00.007+01:00

I have been working on some hand sewing recently...I hand pieced this ball as a gift for a friend's baby girl. I got the pattern from this book, by Anna Maria Horner I love it..I used lots of bits of fabric from my stash, and whichever way you turn it you get to see a different combination of fabrics.

I also started another project a while ago, something for myself this time.. It is from Natalie Chanin's Alabama Stitch book. It will be a Bloomers Skirt. I made one of these before and I wore it lots over the winter. I decided to make another....

I love hand stitching...it sorts my head out a bit, when it's all a-muddle. We have a lot on our minds here...we are possibly going to take on a new project that will involve a lot of work and money...no not another baby! I can't say much more, but when I can I will...for now I'll just keep stitching. I can't seem to find the concentration to do "real sewing", with a sewing machine.
I am also busy painting the upstairs hall and landing, which is very satisfying...I love painting, believe it or not. However it is not always easy to find time to paint with the kids around, not in good light anyway.
Happy Thursday to you all...not long until the weekend now!

Anyone for Swimming?

2010-04-27T20:42:00.015+01:00

My mother swims several mornings a week, and recently spent quite a bit of money on a swim-suit. It began to disintegrate quite quickly....not impressed! We discussed where she might go to get a new one and at what price?! So of course being the good daughter that I am, I offered to make her one! What was I thinking!?
My Mum is not tall, about 5 ft (152cm) and has a short torso... (not helped by her recently, diagnosed curved spine) and like me she needs some sort of self bra thingy...without padding! So the plan was for a racer back, one piece swimsuit in a small size with a shelf bra. Not the easiest pattern to find, mind...most swimsuits are for "lounging" according to my mother! No lounging for her, I tell ya!
We ended up going for Kwik Sew 2962. I was really impressed with everything about it. We chose a swimwear fabric with an Opal background and Blackberry coloured pattern from Elingeria
The front...

The back, with the shelf bra showing inside...

I waited anxiously outside the bathroom while she tried it on and lo and behold...it fits her! Only just...We were a bit over the top in our shortening it, but it is fine...it will stretch...won't it?!

Before I started Mum's swimsuit, I decided to to a bit of practicing on that type of fabric, so I made Tadhg the boys swim shorts form Ottobre 3/09. They worked out really well too..very cute on... (the fabric is dark green, it sort of looks grey)

Maeve also got new swimmers with the tiny bit of left-over fabric from my mother's swimsuit. I used the Seahorse swimsuit pattern also from Ottobre 3/09.

Spring into Action!

2010-04-23T15:49:00.005+01:00

We've been having a lovely spell of weather here despite the volcanic ash way above us....and we've been hanging out in the garden a lot lately...

Twirling and swinging....

Dizzy..

Tears because Daddy has left....

Laughter because Daddy has left....

A slightly unbalanced see-saw....?

Brotherly love...

And sisterly love...despite feeling awful......(she's doing much better now)

I hope you are all enjoying Spring too........

With or without sneaky cows....!

Spring Top ...Ottobre 5 2/07

2010-04-17T20:33:00.004+01:00

Spring Top ...Ottobre 5 2/07, originally uploaded by bred2make.

My entry for Spring Top Week over at http://www.made-by-rae.com/
I made this using the bodice of Ottobre pattern #5 and the sleeves of pattern #2 from Ottobre 2/2007.
Not the simplest of things to put together, the neck piece is woven cotton and the rest is jersey from SewFabrics. Stripe was probably not the best choice either, because I had to line everything up constantly.... But I love it...it is so comfortable.
I think I will use this pattern again.
Do you like my pensive look?...I was trying not to look at the camera, whilst trying to minimise my double chin! There was a cow behind me too, who kept trying to sneak into the photo!

Finally Finished

2010-04-17T13:04:00.005+01:00

I started these a while ago and have only just finished them, last night, in bed in fact!

They are my first attempt at socks and I'm really happy with the results.
They are knitted on 3mm double point needles and the yarn is Opal Picture for Bergere de France.(Special sock yarn) Believe it or not, this is how the yarn knits out of the ball. All the stripes and fairisle stuff happens automatically. I knitted the first one quickly, but I lost some concentration on the second one. And yes I know they are different...ehhhhh...I planned it that way!

I really wanted the learn to knit socks and just figured it out as I went along. I used this as the basic pattern, but I didn't do the rib, only plain. I made the men's size, I was glad I did. My feet are biggish, size 41 (European). You can make them as short or long as you like, both the foot and the ankle parts. Youtube is a great source of instructioal videos too. But to be honest I didn't understand how to "turn a heel" until I got to the heel and just did it!

Socks are a great project to have on the go...I kept mine in my handbag and did a little whenever I got a chance. Because to rounds are only short, it's easy to do a bit and put it down, not like a big sweater. I have a new ball of yarn already to start the next pair!

What a Week and Sneak Peek.

2010-04-10T08:40:00.010+01:00

Here is what I worked on yesterday...

It will be my entry for Spring Top Week. For those of you who weren't involved last year, the worthy winner of last year's competition was Astrid with this beautiful top. Astrid has been such an inspiration to me, always willing to help, whenever I have asked her. Her's was the very first blog I read! This year she is one of the judges of Spring Top Week.

As promised..a photo of the finished bra...

Very sorry for the lack of modeled shots (not!) The world is not ready!

We've had quite a week here, well, over a week now...Our Maeve has been really sick, She probably hasn't been so a doctor due to sickness since she was three...she'll be eight this summer. We went to the doctor twice and the hospital once, in three days. It appears that she had some virus, which caused vomiting for two days, along with aches and pains, fevers and terrible stomach cramps for a further four days. The second dr who saw her, who was our own GP, (not the on-call Doctor, who saw her first) was concerned that the stomach pain might be her appendix! So off we went to A&E in our local hospital where we sat for 3 hours. When we were eventually seen, the pain in Maeve's tummy had gone away!

She was to go back to school Monday, after Easter break, but didn't go back until yesterday. She wasn't 100% this morning, so she's back home with me for the day. Hopefully she'll be back on track by Monday...but this has really knocked the stuffing out of her. She is really tall and slim at the best of times, and a result of all this she has lost weight..her appetite does seem to be coming back though, which is a relief. She has got so thin over such a short while.

Anyhow, the weather is beautiful here at the moment, despite there being a cloud of volcanic ash somewhere up above us...so hopefully we'll get out to the garden for some of the afternoon.

Have a happy weekend..and take care...watch out for nasty viruses!

Not for the Faint-Hearted...

2010-04-09T15:11:00.008+01:00

I have been sewing underwear recently.... no need to avert your eyes just yet...there will be no modeled pictures..not in this post and not without prior warning!

Firstly I made an underwear set for my nephew's fourth birthday...

Both are from Ottobre 4/04. I hope they will fit him...I made both size 116cm.

I have also made myself a new bra..I bought a pattern and a kit a while ago and made a few practice bras and then one really well fitting bra...then the inevitable happened...I got too full of myself and made a total wadder! (That's what I understand they're called!)
Anyhow...I have since dusted myself down and tried again and I'm so glad I did. I made another almost perfect bra. I used the Pin-up Girls Linda Pattern and this fabric. It is amazing the different styles and shapes of bra that are out there, and how they fit and why they fit. I had a think about it and decided that I needed a bra with little or no band on the bottom, under the wires. I have a little ridge..(read..roll of fat) at that point which makes bands uncomfortable on me.

I now have two well fitting bras, that are very comfortable ....if only I could find the first one I made! I think it lost when we changed to our new bedroom.

I wear a 38DD(38E) (80E) in RTW but ended up making a 36E(80E). Not an "extreme" size but, believe me the choice gets limited once you go above a C cup.

I also made knickers to match..( knickers in this part of the world are panties, that word "panties" makes me cringe for some reason!). I bought a simple pattern, nothing fancy, It is a Danglez pattern and I have made the "skimpier" version. They offer very good coverage..I'd say the bigger ones would give Bridget Jones a run for her money!

I will take a photo of the finished bra and knickers when I get a chance..

Heather has been a huge help to me...she makes amazing underwear for herself, her daughter, her friend and her mother! And she's a tonic! It's seldom I don't laugh at least once when reading her blog.

So without further ado...Some knickers I made last night....

Now all I need is some more supplies to make a bra to match.....

BEWARE: Lingerie making is highly addictive!

I will try and tell people wher I get my supplies at the end of each post...enabling is what I think it's called!

Vest and boxers: All fabrics from Dots'n'Stripes Pattern from Ottobre 4/04

Knickers: Main fabric from SewFabrics Pattern and elastic and lace all from Elingeria

Happy Easter

2010-04-02T09:30:00.005+01:00

Happy Easter to you all. I hope everyone has a good weekend, whatever you get up to.

Obviously we survived our trip to visit our family in England. It was a busy few days and we all enjoyed it. I worked out that we travelled 30 hours over four days, with one day of rest in the middle. Eight of the travelling hours were on a ferry, the rest were driving. All the children travelled really well, and were so patient.

I managed fine without Colm, and didn't miss him too much, but what I didn't expect is that the older two children missed him terrribly. Maeve especially found it unfair to be away while he was home alone. I am glad I did it, but as soon as I got home I started thinking about our family holiday this summer. The one where we'll all be together! We're hoping to go to Scotland camping for a few days.

By the way there were two boxes of fabulous fabrics waiting for me when I arrived with my Sister. All I need is a bit of motivation to finish a few other projects and I start into them.

All go!

2010-03-23T11:32:00.008Z

It's all go here at the moment. We're trying to get organised for our trip to visit with family in England this weekend. I am travelling without my handsome husband and am feeling under pressure as a result. The farm is just too busy right now for him to leave, but it is Easter holidays for the big children. Admittedly my sister-in-law is coming with me and will be a massive help with the children, being a paediatric nurse, she's the ideal travelling companion to bring! But all the preparation is down to me, trying to remember everything and which bag to put it in, etc..

Why I feel pressurised by this, who knows, I ALWAYS pack for EVERY trip and always have, including my husband's things, when he travels with us!

This will be our first big outing without him and I feel a huge weight is on my shoulders....what if the car breaks down....what if...what if....He can mend just about anything and he keeps me calm when things go wrong...and I will miss him... soppy I know, it's only four nights! But I will miss his company and the re-assurance of him being in the passenger seat beside me. I always drive because I get so travel-sick. Anyway it is a journey we need to make, the children are getting older and we like to visit family once a year, so they can see their cousins and I can see my sisters. Usually we go as our main holiday, but this year we're hoping to go for a week of camping somewhere else.

Our ferry leaves Dublin at 8am and we are about an hour and a half away from there, so kids will be lifted from beds at an un-Godly hour and put in car-seats and I will cry as I kiss him good-bye and than be embarrassed when my sister-in-law sees me! I'm teary just writing this!
I hope I still feel like this in twenty years! Sorry for the gushy post...not like me normally...now get a grip woman and do some packing!

I made a couple of new tops for the little ones to wear while we're away, I thought they'd be nice and comfy for travelling, we have about twenty hours of driving over four days.

I used the Kamomilla pattern from Ottobre 01/2010. Size 86cm. The sleeves are a bit baggy, but that's ok, I suppose. I have been practicing with my over-locker and used it to do everything except the top-stitching on the neck binding. The fabric is from Sewfabrics on eBay. The ribbing is from Dots'n'Stripes. Both of these lovely shops have sent large parcels to my sister, for me to collect when I get to her. I save on postage that way, It means the only clothes I can bring for myself, is a change of underwear, but it will be worth it!

No I didn't really mean it.....but not far off it!

Just in time for St Patrick's Day

2010-03-16T14:12:00.013Z

I started cutting out the Silverlake jacket from Sewing Clothes Kids Love, on Sunday. It was Mother's Day here, so my husband cooked dinner for all of us, so I had some spare time. I have been sewing it up since and instead of having it ready for our journey to England next week I moved the deadline forward to tomorrow, St Patrick's Day. (green, you see!)

The colour does not photograph well for me, the green is in fact a much brighter colour.
The outer fabric is a nylon waterproof fabric from here, the lining is a stretch corduroy...the bain of my life!....and the red is just quilting cotton, both bought locally. (you can click on the photo to enlarge it)
I should have left the zip a bit higher at the bottom, it would have been easier to finish, I suppose you live and learn. I had to get a 26inch zip and had to cut it which was fine but doesn't look or work quite as well.

We think the red ric-rac is going to be taken off...I don't like it as much as I had hoped and Maeve isn't bothered about keeping it. Any opinions?

I like jacket, and will probably make one for Tadhg in time. I just need to find the right fabric. (and steer clear of stretch corduroy!) He has almost grown out of his own light weight jacket, so I'll be on the lookout.

I am amused to see how much online "stuff" there is about St Patrick's day, we here in Ireland don't seem to get too excited about it. It is an important day and one where families do things together, like watching a parade somwhere or on TV, but we don't dye rivers green or crazy stuff like that!
We won't be doing anything extra special, just a quiet family day, like a Sunday. Colm will take the day off, save for milking and feeding, which will be nice. It has been extremely busy recently.

Today, the older two children wanted to paint after school and seeing as tomorrow is a day off and they had no homework, why not.

The little girls did some finger painting, for the first time.....I'm not so sure they really understood what the paint was for......

And yes, she is wearing a cycling helmet....anything for a quiet life......

Such scoundrels!

The older two love painting and I really should set them up at it more often. It is all too easy to say no.....

Happy St Patrick's Day to you all.

Two Insa Skirts and More New Shoes

2010-03-13T14:30:00.007Z

I made these two Insa skirts for the two little girls from my new book that I won on Nancy's blog. I am sure this is an easy pattern but for some reason I made hard work of it! My fault I'm sure! I didn't even embellish them in any way. My fabric choice is a bit muted, but I suppose thats only the case when you compare it to the skirts in the book!
I am sure they will be very useful skirts, especially during the summer.

I ordered some fabric from a lady on Ebay...My first time. It was rather a good experience, which I wasn't expecting. I thought it would be impersonal and awkward. Far from it.... Turns out she recognised my username from Flickr and asked was I the person who sewed for my twins...I was so chuffed! She also sews Ottobre clothes. Anyway, I bought two metre pieces of Boden fabric and a piece of green waterproof fabric for a summer Jacket for Maeve. I am hoping to my the Silverlake Jacket from "Sewing Clothes Kids Love". I finally have the plan straight in my head and I'm ready to trace the pattern. The quality of all three is lovely, something I always worry about when buying online.

Finally, we have another walker....and she got her first real shoes today. Let me just say...the shoe shop staff will not forget our family in a hurry! Tears and gnashing of teeth were the order of the day...the little girls, not me...I managed to keep it together!

Have a lovely weekend..

New Knitting

2010-03-10T12:14:00.004Z

My new fingerless gloves/wristwarmers are finished. This was my first time to knit on four needles and I really enjoyed it. It was a quick project, which is my favourite type of project!

I have to thank Nina for the advice, encouagement and inspiration.

I used a pattern which was free over at A Friend to Knit With

The yarn is Tivoli 100% wool which I bought to knit a baby's cardigan about 15 years ago! This is the left over wool. I'm not a hoarder or anything!

I am really enjoying the lovely spring weather we're having but it doesn't give me much of a chance to wear my gloves!

I thought I'd share with you what the girls were up to the other day.....

Who knows but they thought it was brilliant fun!

I sent the children off to school today all prepared for the photographer, and they have changed the date! I sent them on Wednesday the 10th of February preened to within an inch of their lives, because I didn't read the note properly...correct day and date..wrong month! I will most likely forget on the day the photographer finally does come!

Have a wonderful Wednesday.....

He has caught up...again.

2010-03-07T08:25:00.010Z

Yesterday was my husband's birthday and being nine months younger than me, he has caught up with me for a little while.
We baked him a chocolate cake and filled it with raspberry cream. I topped it with cream swirls and raspberries (out of the freezer, originally from our garden). The end product is not very masculine, but I didn't hear any complaints!

I used a piping kit that I inherited from my Aunt Maggie. It works brilliantly, except for the time I squirted cream up my sleeve....The children found this hilarious!

I made bunting a while ago and it made it's debut appearance yesterday.

For his gift, I ordered a print from Dee Beale. I bought it from her etsy shop. I got it framed locally, I had wanted to get it done in a white frame but sadly they didn't have the right one.

Colm's mother came over for dinner in the evening, and of course the cake died a quick death...only a bit left for coffee today....

So slightly belated, Happy Birthday Colm x x x

Another Cilla Pinny and a New Hobby

2010-03-05T10:23:00.008Z

Another friend of mine had a baby recently, this time a girl. Her name is Kate.
I made her the Cilla Pinafore from Ottobre 6/2008. I made a size 68cm to hopefully fit her in the autumn. I used babycord, a plain pinky colour and some Stenzo patterned cord. (The same combination as the girls Onion trousers) Both from Dots'n'Stripes.

It is really quite tiny, I hadn't realised until Colm picked it up to look at it and I saw him holding it. How quickly you forget !

I put a box pleat at the front instead of gathers and snaps instead of buttons.

I have been reading Nina's blog and she is about to start a knitting project and she inspired me to do this.......

Just what I need, another hobby!!! I have to say I am enjoying it, I have never knitted anything other than straight on two needles and this is so much fun!

I'll hopefully have something a bit more finished to show you next time.

Have a lovely weeekend.

El Porto Duffle Bag

2010-03-01T11:39:00.011Z

In the parcel that arrived last week from Nancy was a pattern for the El Porto duffle bag. I had seen the one that Nicole had made for her daughter and had spoken to Maeve about making one for her, thinking I'd buy the pattern. Little did I know the pattern was already winging it's way to me.

I used all sorts of fabric to make the bag. I counted eight in total, All scraps, or from my stash. Maeve helped me to choose. She had the final say on what she wanted where. She is so pleased with the bag. Her year in school is to start swimming lessons soon, and this will be the bag she will bring.

I have to say it holds lots, I know because I had to fill it for the photos! I'd say it would hold everything for an overnight stay, for a child, easily.

It went together really well. I left off the pockets on one side. It already has seven pockets! It was also a great opportunity to use some of the wonderful Farbenmix ribbons I already had and some of the new ones Nancy sent.

I also finished the little quilt I started the other day. I am quite pleased with it. I cut up a woolen blanket to use as batting. It's nice and soft as a result.

On Saturday we were invited my friend, Penny's, place. A few years ago Penny opened a shop that sells quilting cottons and she also runs classes there. This invite was to the new extended 'Just Cotton' shop. Of course while we were there we had to buy something!

Surpise Package versus Midweek Slump

2010-02-25T11:50:00.019Z

A little while ago a friend of mine had a baby boy. I decided to sew him an outfit and set about making it the other day. It was to be a raglan sleeve top and corduroy dungarees. Simple, I thought....
It's not very often that things get the better of me, I'm rather stubborn, ( also I usually get bored first) but these two did. I made several mistakes on the top and the corduroy I was making the dungarees from kept coming apart at the seams (possibly something to do with the overlocker?)...so I gave up... I took a break from clothes making and made this for him.....

It is only a quilt top, so far, but I just had to get away from garment making for a bit. Hopefully later I will put the batting in and the back on. I'll try and get the quilting done and binding on before too long or I might get bored with it! Each piece was 6 inches square before sewing. I'm hoping it will be a good size for a car seat or pram.

Before I hit this 'wall' in making clothes, I made the girls these....

They are made using Onion 20022. I love them. They fit the girls really well. Astrid recommended the pattern to me, she has made loads of things with this pattern.

Anyway on to some other news... I have been stalking the Postman recently. You see I won a giveaway on Nancy Langdon's blog Fledge. Nancy is the woman behind the Studio Tantrum name and has recently co-written this book with Sabine Pollehn of Farbenmix patterns, ribbons etc.

So, what happened is, my name was picked out as the recipient of a "Surprise Package"...so here is the surprise in all it's glory.................

Oh, you'd like to see inside would you?.....

I thought you might............

8 pieces of wonderful ribbon and a label. Each of the ribbons are held with the cutest little clothes peg flower...........

A beautiful piece of fabric, I presume it is cotton,.... I may keep it for myself!

Some cute little ducks......

Nine patterns, thats right 9! Including the El Porto bag. I had just seen Nicole's version of and had spoken to Maeve about making her one for a possible trip next month.

A beautiful Studio Tantrum card..
Even Nancy's writing looks creative!

And last but not least...The Book...

I remember back to when I started sewing, a year ago, I began to browse the internet for ideas. I stumbled upon Nicole's site Dots'n'stripes and discovered a whole world of patterns and fabric I didn't know existed. A friend had introduced me to Ottobre around the same time, so I knew about that, but I recall looking at Farbenmix and Studio Tantrum, with all the wonderfully colourful clothes they produced and thinking that they would be waaaay beyond anything I'd be able to make, way too complex. But here I am a year on and despite the occasional slump, I am confident enough to try most patterns and nearly always very pleased with the results.

I am so looking foward to making new things with these patterns that Nancy has sent me, so thank you Nancy for the prize and the inspiration.

My Mother

2010-02-23T11:59:00.009Z

I thought I'd share with you, where some of my interest in making things comes from....My mother..
She is currently retired from farming and now works for herself as a basket maker and a weaver. She is really very talented and produces oceans of work in every year.
She has two websites,.... anyone at all can have one!

(my husband says that a lot, especially about our twins!)

Just some of what she makes. She also spins a lot of wool for rug making.

When she was a young, married woman she was dress-maker, she studied nursing in New York and Nursed in St Lukes before she married. She farmed from the time my father died, until I took over.

So she was led a varied and colourful life so far and although we don't always see eye to eye, she is an inspiration to me, and has passed on the gene that won't let you rest until you create something new!

More tops for me....

2010-02-18T20:44:00.007Z

I ordered two back issues of Ottobre women a little while ago with plans to make a couple of new tops for me. I am fed up with my Vogue pattern for knits that I used for the grey floral top I made a while ago. I gave the top to a pregnant friend the other day, by the way! So I wanted to try a new pattern for knit fabric.

This is the first one I made...... Really sorry for the poor photo.....

I had the coral coloured fabric in my stash and the green was ribbing I had too. I made this as a wearable muslin and really just threw the fabrics together, but everyone seems to like them! I am really happy with this pattern. I could imagine I'll make it lots....

On the other hand......

I think the body language says it all!

I've tried everything to make it look better but to no avail! I look like a 'Sack of Spuds' in it! ( That's a bag of potatoes BTW)

I really like the fabric and I think I can hack it up and make it into a skirt for the summer.....all that work on those pin tucks.......

The children are on mid-term for a couple of days, so we're trying to catch up with a few people that we haven't seen in a while.

Creative Valentine

2010-02-15T11:11:00.008Z

Yesterday was Valentines Day of course. As a blog I read said...we don't 'do' Valentines Day!

The day started with children waking at 6am, and very kindly Colm got up with them at 6.30 and let me sleep on until 7.30. I checked out a few blogs after breakfast while the kids played in their pyjamas. I nearly fell off the chair when I read my name in a blog saying my name had been chosen at random to recieve a surprise package! Yay! What a way to start the day!

We had a lovely brunch when C got back from the yard. The girls went for a nap and I finished the applique on these T-shirts. The older two chose the designs they wanted. These were their Valentines gifts. They were plain white on Saturday.....

With all this 'Celebrate the Boy'stuff going on there have been tutorials on Rae and Dana's blogs about applique and dyeing. Basically, I was inspired, again! These were lots of fun to do and both kids reckon that these are their favourite T-shirts. (you can click on the picture to get a closer look)

Maeve was given Cath Kidstons book Make and both the designs are from the book.

My darling husband spent his time doing a bit more to one of our ongoing projects....

This is the porch at the back of our house. It is our laundry-room and boot-room, as well as the main way into the house. It is where dirty hands are washed and muddy boots are left......needless to say it is not the easiest room to keep clean and tidy. Hopefully this will help......

So not a bad Valentines Day all in all. Of course I got the usual aray of beautiful handmade cards from the children.

Today I was longing for the Postman to arrive...I was expecting a pattern..Onion 20022. It arrived at last with a lovely bonus of some appliques, to make up for the delay! Also in the post was two Ottobre Woman magazines which I had ordered. These are my first Ottobre Woman...We'll see what happens, I'm very unsure of the designs, they're not styles I would normally wear, so I'm not sure what will suit me. Oh well, I'll try something soon.

I managed to make the girls a couple of pairs of trousers from the Onion pattern today, despite my brain and hands not working very well together...

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and wish you a wonderful week ahead.

Still Celebrating....

2010-02-11T20:38:00.004Z

We're still in full swing Celebrating The Boy.
I bought this fabric a while ago at Dots'n'Stripes.....

With plans to make these.....

Little Buddies Tops, originally uploaded by bred2make.

The plan was to try and make as 4 tops with only 0.6 metres of each of the 4 fabrics....I managed it...phew! I had a little to spare, but no allowance for cutting anything wrong. I had the small piece of the cars jersey from a previous top I made him. He's very pleased with them all. He needed new tops very badly......... He's getting so tall.

I also made him this hat from this tutorial . I would highly recommend it, for boys or girls. Blathin has decided that it is her hat, so it looks like I'll have to make her one, which means her Realtin will want one too!

I made this in about two hours, it was so fun to make, as I said highly recommended. The peak looks wonky in the first photo but it is just how he pulled it on! He's in his school uniform, in case you think I dress hin in a shirt and tie for fun!

New Machine

2010-02-10T11:43:00.013Z

For a while now I've been thinking of getting an overlocker, but couldn't bring myself to buy a new one. A friend of mine mentioned to me that the one she had bought a while ago, was sitting idle, after a difference of opinion between har daughter-in-law and herself, on the subject of hand-made clothes for the Grandchildren! I tried my hand at mediation, as the DIL is also a friend, but to no avail.

So, the upshot is that my friend decided to sell the overlocker/serger to me at a much reduced price, despite it only making two garments! It is a Bernina 800DL. She bought it in the Netherlands, where she's from, so I bought some English instructions, just in case I had difficulty reading the Dutch ones!!!
So last Saturday, I headed off, child-less, to collect the machine and get some tuition on it. The short version is, that having only used it twice, my friend, Siena, was no expert on it, so I took it home not sewing, and had to learn from scratch. Needless to say, I am glad I have English instructions! I have the 3 thread stitch working spot-on but the 4 thread is giving me trouble, I'll come back to it.

On the way I stopped in my local fabric shop, taking advantage of the fact that I was on my own, and got a couple of plain fabrics that I thought might go well with the Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley fabrics I got here a while ago.

And I also picked up some very fine, printed, corduroy.I was thinking of a skirt for myself perhaps?

But the thing I wasn't expecting was that my friend Siena was not only getting rid of her overlocker, She also decided to de-stash. I came home with all this.....
and this......
She also gave me several unopened cones of thread for the overlocker......

Such a generous friend.... I love being at her house, it is so peaceful and lovely (maybe that was the lack of children!) I always enjoy my visits with her. She and her husband moved from Holland to Ireland in the 70's and lived near my father, he was the first Irish person to speak to them, they then introduced my parents and the rest is history, as they say. The two families have remained friends over the years despite several several changes of address. So thank you very much Siena. For the overlocker, the fabric and all the kindness.
PS. I forgot to mention that it was this lady who introduced me to Ottobre magazine too!
Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday

I'm Not Worthy!

2010-02-07T08:38:00.006Z

The lovely Nina, over at No's familie has very kindly given me an award for being creative and inspirational! Me?!

Thank you very much Nina, you are too kind.

As part of the award I have to nominate seven other blogs which I think are creative, so I've nominated Astrid, Nicole, Ria, Beachgirl, Joy, Winter Tree and Kathryn.
I hope none of you mind.

I am also supposed to tell you seven things you might not know about me;

1. I was christened Mildred Madeleine.....not many people know that one!

2. I am married to a 'Younger Man', only by 9 months but it still counts.

3. I was born in England, but I have an Irish and an American passport.

4. My favourite colours are blue and green, I like them best together or mixed, as aqua, duck-egg or teal, even my wedding dress was Duck-egg blue.

5. Star-bars are my favourite chocolate bar.

6 I would love to own a Land Rover Defender and travel over land through Europe and Africa in it, with the whole family.

(We met the people in the photo above when we were camping, they had travelled over land from the Czech Republic, This is what we'd love to do one day, We'd have a Defender though, not one of those fancy ones! Those are pop-up tents on the roofs btw.)

7. I sew with a Husqvarna Viking Emerald 118.

Many thanks again to Nina, and if you haven't already, check out her blog and her giveaway.

Happy Sunday to you all

Our House

2010-02-04T20:07:00.009Z

When Colm and I got married we were 'of no fixed abode'. We didn't own a house, we lived in a mobile home for bit and stayed with his mother for another while. We were both farming separately, about 20miles (32km) apart. We each had a herd of cows which was calving and needed tending to and I often stayed the night near mine and him near his. I was also pregnant with Maeve, our honeymoon baby!
When we were married a few months, when friends of ours approached us, saying that they were selling their house and land , and would we know of anyone interested. No long after, ( about a day) we decided to buy it! We sat at their kitchen table and made the deal. While we were there another man rang to say he wanted it!
We moved in about a month before M was born.
It was originally a cottage, but was hugely extended in the late 1970's. The last family had 8 children in family at one time, (not all their own) but they all lived here and needed beds! So this house was built by their father to suit them.
Wait for it.......it has 9 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a kitchen, 2 livingrooms, an office, laundry/boot room. I think that's it!
Needless to say, that is way too big for most families, including ours. We never used upstairs in the first 6 years we lived here, It had never really been finished in the 80's, and we hadn't touched it in our time here.
Over time the ceilings upstairs had deteriorated due to leaking chimney flashings, and poor heating was only adding to the problem. So the time had come to tackle the issue....

We demolished all the internal stud walls that were there, and started afresh. we changed nearly the whole layout. We insulated all the walls and ceilings as well as we could. Many's a night we sweated and swore while we cut up and put in place, rolls and rolls of insulation. We got new roof windows in, got new stud walls put up, new plumbing, new electrics and got the whole lot replastered. Then I got to paint it all, with the help of my freind Lisa.
It was a huge undertaking, but with the big slow down in the building trade here, we got lots of great work done at great prices and we did lots of the work ourselves.

Just before Christmas we all moved upstairs to our new rooms.

This is what the kids rooms look like now......

The girls are asleep in their cots in the last photo, btw.

There is still a lot left to be done, our bedroom was only given a lick of paint, it wasn't included in the main renovation, it's upstairs but kind of seperate. The bathroom is being used but is far from finished! And guess what, the cows are calving again, seeing as it's spring, so I'll have to wait another while until that slows down, in about May, maybe!

If you'd like to look at the whole process... all the photos are here

Of course now the problem now is we're not using the downstairs bedrooms at all..... We may in time turn it into separate guest accomodation or a granny-flat for one of our mothers, should one of them need it. It would lend itself to this kind of thing because they're all in the single storey part of the house.

PS.I meant to mention that Astrid's blog was a huge source of inspiration, and she was a answered many mundane questions about insulation and roof windows! She photographed every step of their renovations, which I pored over, often!

Take care, where-ever you are reading this from.

Two New Tops

2010-02-02T22:00:00.009Z

On Saturday I got some fabric for a top that I've been planning for a while. I had seen the fabric in my local shop some time ago, and finally gave in to temptation. It is cotton, but it is so fine! I was quite nervous working with it.

I had made a top before with Butterick 5328 and was very happy with it. I made a few small adjustments to the fit, but very minor. Also, this time I made it with 3/4 length sleeves.
I also made another top with a remnant of cotton jersey that I got a while ago, I'm not so happy with this one, I think it makes me look very 'Matronly'!
Any toughts!? It is Vogue V8390. But I probably made it a size too big, again!

I also made these, they might help with fitting into the bigger top, if I keep eating as many as I did today!

I read about them on this lovely blog and the recipe and the recipe is from this equally lovely blog. They're very good, just right for an after school snack. I really enjoyed the process of making them too. Not my usual one-step tray-bake!

The Boy

2010-01-30T13:27:00.005Z

You may see the new button on the sidebar of my blog. Rae and Dana are hosting a whole month of boy projects.

Both these ladies are extemely inventive and last year Rae hosted Spring Top Week which I took part in. You sometimes need motivation to do the things you've been putting off for a while. I am very much looking foward to seeing the projects they come up with.

' The Boy' I'll be making for......(He looks so different without his glasses)

He brought a book over to me last evening and read several words. He then amazingly proceeded to read all the book, granted it only had two sentences on each page! But up until this he has been learning phonics in his first year in school- he's 5. (6 in June). He figured it out by himself though, or maybe it's Osmosis? Every evening we read to them and there are books everywhere in the house. This is my favourite at the moment. Highly recommended to anyone who has kids around 6 or 7 and doesn't mind explaining what a few rude words mean!

He is such a great boy, he deserves a few things just for him.

Have a great weekend, whatever you get up.

Ruttunen Trousers

2010-01-27T17:21:00.012Z

Yesterday I traced a pattern for some trousers for Tadhg from the latest Ottobre. He had his heart set on the Ruttenen trousers, which are jean-style. Pockets and a fly-zipper..... I decided it was time to face demons....
I traced the pattern while he was in school put didn't dare cut them out, because a final decision hadn't been made on fabric. He had his eye on something totally unsuitable, of course. So when he got home I had a little chat about how the tougher fabric would suit a 'tough' boy like him, etc, etc..
So yesterday evening I set about cutting them out and sewing them up. I was only thinking how well they were going.. when things started to go pear-shaped. At one stage I had sewn the zipper completely closed. Not a good idea. So.... time to go to bed!
Today I got back to them. They were not difficult to do, they just have lots of steps to follow. I'm really happy with how they turned out. I used a Kaffe Fasset cotton as the facing fabric. I also put two button holes in the facing in case I needed to put in some bottonhole elastic....I did, because as usual I would rather make something on the big side than make it too small. I'm never sure whether or not this is a good idea.

The fabric that Ottobre used was a distressed corduroy, all wrinkled... a bit like mine really. This was a shop soiled remnant that I bought in my local fabric shop a while ago. I joked with the owner about how I get my children to rub chocolate into certain bolts, so that I can buy it reduced in the future...I don't really, but it is a thought! The wrinkles are purely from my lack of ironing it thoroughly after I washed the chocolate marks out of it. Oh well, might as well start as I mean to go on!

The button is from my button jar, Tadhg is suitably impressed by it. I'm not surprised!

I didn't put on the fancy red stitching, the instructions were a bit vague for this and I was happy enough not to. Also I don't have any rivets for jeans, but if I get some I can add them later.

On Sunday evening I ordered a new pattern, Onion 20022, as recommended by Astrid. She has made lots of beautiful things from this pattern and I thought it would be worth a try. Raglan sleeved tops suit my little girls really well, the Kukkopilli blouses I made almost a year ago are still going strong but a pull-over style would be easier. Hopefully I will still get some things made for Maeve from it too, she wears a size 128cm and the pattern is from 92cm to 128cm.....We'll see.