What's on my sewing table at the moment

Well there is somehow not as much getting under the sewing machine as I plan. I just don't seem to have the steam after dinner to get things done.

BUT I have started a couple of things and have worked on them for the last few nights. This is after having some full days doing fun school holiday things. We have scooter-ed around Lake Pegasus after a lovely morning tea with friends. That time ended up with swimming in the middle (in our clothes as I did not think to bring togs), dodging the sprinklers and having a generally lovely time.

We have also been on the miniature railway out at Steam Scene, raced on the hydroslides at Jellie Park, the males all went to see the new Hobbit movie and all this in the first week of the school holidays. ( I managed to squeeze some work in today while they were at the movies).

Anyway..... I have started a refashion of this denim jacket.


And started to piece together a big pile of scrappy 60 degree triangles. These triangles have been in the making for a long time. Whenever I have sewn strips leftover from a project I cut triangles from them. Jakob is in need of a few cushion covers so I thought that was a project that killed two birds with one stone. The only things is that I have a LOT more than I realised. So I have started the top of his cushion cover, started another cushion cover for a much bigger cushion but I still have leftovers. Hmmm...

Not sure how to use them up so am thinking of putting a strip between them all, am liking this look so far. 

So still sitting on my sewing table are the cushions, the backing (black with white dot) and the patched triangles. 

I link to these places.

A finished refashion and a new tool

About a year ago I bought this nightie from and Op Shop. It is a really pretty cotton lawn but rather old fashioned in it's style. Gathered from the top with lace it just kind of hangs over you. So I never really wore it. Then one of my nighties got so old the fabric ripped in the wash. I cut it down the middle and used it as a pattern to refashion this.

Old style top the the nightie

I cut the skirt off at a reasonable height and then gathered the material onto some piping that I had made for the bean bag refashion. Then I cut a new top out and sewed with some piping and bias binding. I was halfway through making this and it was sitting on my sewing table when my purchase arrived in the mail.

What excellent timing. A 2.5cm bias binding maker. No more boring shop bought bias for me, funky stuff to come!! (well that is the intention - we will see how it pans out). I tried it out on some matching red fabric and it made lovely bias binding for the shoulder straps.

The whole outfit even looks a bit Christmassy.

Linking up to Finish it up friday as well as many other places - check out the links here.

Grrrrr........

The bare garden

On Tuesday I could have happily chopped the chooks heads off!!! (and perhaps that of my husband).
at 7.30pm Jakob yelled "the chooks are in the garden!!". Boy and were they in the garden. My entire salad area is decimated. Gone is the basil, coriander, lettuce, mizuna, beet and all the things that were just getting reading to be our cutting salad garden for the summer. Now it is bare land.

Aaron had apparently been in the chook enclosure and when he shut the door he heard the click but did not check and the door had not latched properly. Grrrrrr.

Now we will be a month behind in eating from our garden. I was very unhappy and all Aaron could say was "Oh well". Hmphg.

Our Genius

Last night at the school prizegiving three students at the school were given awards for outstanding results in international exams. Our Jakob was one of them. We are so proud. He completed the University of South Wales Global exams earlier in the year. He wanted to do the Mathematics exam. This covered children NZ and the greater pacific region in year 6. (which includes Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand etc. ) He achieved a result in the top 1% and has received a certificate for High Distinction.
When they gave us his exam back we thought we would go through and work out how to calculate the few questions that he did not get right. Neither Aaron or myself could!!!!

Kaiapoi Christmas Santa Parade

Yesterday was our town (Kaiapoi, NZ) Christmas Carnival and Santa Parada. We always try to stay at home for the parade weekend. Had a lovely (albeit rather windy) day. A few snapshots.

The males in my life all patiently waiting

I wanted this trike!

Our local community garden had an amazing float

Santa and the parade had ended.

My Op Shop find

I am super excited with this Op Shop find. Paid more than I usually do $10, but it works really well. Cleaned it up so it sparkles and I am going to wrap it and put it under the Christmas tree as an extra for the boys.

I link to The Op Shop Show off.

Refashion an Op Shop find.

Well my latest refashion I did complete in a night. I guess it could just be called an adjustment. I chose the top at the Op Shop for several reasons -

Before

After

• I loved the pale pink colour
• It is linen
• It has sleeves

But it was too long, down past my bottom and then it looked like I was trying to hide myself. I also absolutely loved the neckline details and thought that it would look more cohesive if the same feature was on the bottom of the shirt.

the neckline detail that I replicated along the bottom of the shirt

So I chopped off about 5 inches from the bottom and straightened it. Added a self made binding to and top stitched it around the bottom to allow for a frayed edge like the neckline. Took the sleeves in more at the bottom binding. Sewed on new buttons.

Now I have a cool summer shirt for the days when I feel that I have had enough sun and need to cover up.

I link to these places.

Spring produce

I could not resist a photo of the produce I picked from the garden on Monday after the wedding. What I had not included in the photo was the strawberries that headed the way of my mouth.

So the night of the Christchurch bloggers get together I turned most of the raspberries into Jam as the boys told me that they had just had enough!! Already, so early in the season. With the veges I made a gorgeous fish pie and did not tell the boys that I sneaked in some broad beans.

At the bloggers get together my Secret Santa had me picked - I got a book of old fashioned traditional recipes from the southern USA and some absolutely gorgeous lace and ribbon peeking out from a Kete.
How lucky am I! My santa could not have picked better for me.

I link to these places

Do you see what I see?

That's right - there is nothing there - because I cleaned the windows!!  (I still have half the house to do).

This is all about a comment my friend Steff said. She said that all she had done was clean the windows and who wants to read a blog post about that. I thought she should have. I blog about all sorts of random things because I feel like it. If people read it or not it does not really matter. If they like it it's a bonus but if they don't it is no skin off my nose.

I blog because I enjoy it and it is a record of our family happenings etc. It is my pleasure. I also really enjoy reading unexpected posts from other peoples blogs. It keeps me interested, often gives me tips and makes me feel that everyone has normal everyday lives.

So Steff - I cleaned my windows today. It was 26 Degrees C and a lovely day for it. I took particular attention to the rubber surrounds etc that I often miss. I enjoyed doing it and did not feel it was a chore. I love it when I can make my normal everyday jobs enjoyable. It seems so much easier to do in the summer I have to admit.

I link to these places

My husband is wrong and my husband is right!!

I completed a refashion of my original refashion!!!

The first refashion

1. My husband is right. Yes the dress did not quite work, I still don't think it is perfect and as flattering as some things I have made but I have now worn it twice and enjoy doing so. As you can see in order to try and make it a bit more cohesive I bound the neck edge with orange. I do thing it works better.

The first attempt

2. My husband is wrong. He recommended putting the netting on the fascinator as it was for the wedding we have just had. But I felt it just did not work. So off came the netting and I was thrilled that I did it. I got quite a lot of comments on my fascinator!! (take that two ways - either it was just so fab, or they felt they could not make comments on the dress!!)


I link to these places

The mess that is our house

After the big wedding I came home on Monday to a full day at work completing an ACC WSMP audit. We passed!!! Yay. Then on Tuesday the vinyl layers came in. Wow the place looked like a construction zone but they were quick and then they got out of there.

Yep they even took the doors off the hinges! What a great job they did. Very professional

So on Wednesday (my first free day in a while and Aaron had flown away for work) to celebrate the vinyl down (no the bathroom still is NOT finished) I completed another full coat of enamel paint on the door frames in the hallway. I am trying to make the most of the fact that the carpet is not anywhere near being put down!