Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday that Martin was a baby in my arms and on Thursday he is  starting at an under threes Montessori program.

A big boy needs a back pack to start school. I wanted it to be one that he could open and close by himself and carry just what he needs - a nappy and a piece of fruit! 

A big M on the front so everyone knows who it belongs to and an easy to open and close button and elastic - a boy has to be able to get to his treasures by himself!

Adjustable straps mean that it fits just right ...

and is perfect for climbing and exploring!

PS - stay tuned for a tutorial!

I found this dress in an outlet shop. It had a broken zip and cost $9!!!

It's a women's size 12, but even with a fixed zip, it isn't really my style.
However, I loved the fabric - the print was very sweet and the contrast ruffles and a little bit of lace had real potential. This women's dress with a girly feel could become a pretty dress for one of my girls!
It was a very simple process. I cut the skirt off below the waist trim and ripped out the zipper. I inserted the sash at wait level and sewed up the side seam. I then put an elastic casing at the top. The ruffly shoulder straps were shortened and restitched onto the casing.
Here's the result:

It was supposed to be a dress for Pippa. However, even with bribery, she refused to model it! I still like the idea of it being Pip's dress - the extra length on her would look sweet. I think I will have to shorten the shoulder straps for her. I always do that - in an attempt to not make things too small/short/tight, I make them too big/long/loose. I must learn to trust my measurements!!!
I really enjoyed this project. A $9 investment and an hour of my time. That works for me!!
It has also sparked lots of ideas. I have skirts and maternity dresses that I have horded because I love the fabric. I have half finished woollen coats and dresses that I started to make for myself years ago and know I will never finish. Now I can be cleaning out a cupboard and sewing at the same time. I can be making sweet dresses for my girls and not spending any money. That also works for me!

I thought it would be perfect for this week's 'adult inspired' theme on Project Run and Play.

 I was pretty sure I had some blue spotted fabric in my stash - unfortunately on closer inspection I discovered it was a curtain off-cut from Mart's bedroom.  My second choice? A geometric floral that's a little bit girly and a little bit grown up.

Take a basic a-line  pattern with some fullness added to the front, a neckline re-cut into a gentle scoop, two wide sashes inserted into the side seams to tie into a big, beautiful bow and voila - my child friendly version!

B is for bunting...

and beanbags

for a beautiful baby boy's birthday!

I've been fiddling with this idea for a while now.  A week ago I blogged about a hair clip holder that I made out of felt, but I much prefer the stiffness and crispness of my second attempt  - the same basic pattern, but constructed out of fabric.

Clip the corners and turn the pocket through so that the right sides of the fabric are on the outside. Roll the seams between your thumb and finger  to make sure that they lay flat. Iron your pocket.  It should look like this (though mine is a little wonky!)

Now it's time to attach the pocket to the out fabric...
Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of your outer fabric.
Fold the outer fabric in half with the right side out.  I placed my pocket on the back of my hair clip holder, but it's up to you.  Place your pocket 3.5 cm from the centre fold, 3.5 cm from the short side and 3cm from the bottom of your lining piece.  Pin it carefully.  Make sure that the opening that you used to turn the pocket through  is at the bottom so that you sew it up when you stitch the pocket onto the outer fabric.

Carefully sew the pocket to your outer fabric.  Don't forget to leave the top open!

Next, the straps...
Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of your strap fabric. 
Fold the strap piece in half lengthwise and iron so that you have a crisp centre fold.  Make sure you iron on the fabric side  - you don't want to fry the interfacing!
Unfold the fabric and fold each long side to the centre crease you just created and iron again.  It should look like this.

Fold the strap in half lengthwise again so that both raw edges are folded to the inside.  Pin and press.

Top stitch down either edge of the strap. Cut the strap in half.

Take your lining fabric and fuse the interfacing to the wrong side. Fold the lining in half and iron to create a centre crease.  Centre the straps on either side of the crease and pin them on.

Sew the bottom and top of each strap to the lining. 

Next step? Attaching the elastic for the button...
Measure the elastic so that it fits your button snugly.  Pin the elastic to the back of your outer fabric halfway down the short side.  Make sure the loop is facing inwards. (have a look at the picture...) Sew the elastic to the outer fabric. It's important that the elastic is super- secure. Make sure you sew over it a number of times.

Trim the ends off the straps, clip the corners and turn through.  Press carefully and pin the opening closed.

Top stitch around all four sides taking care to close the opening that you used to turn the hair clip holder through  to the right side.

Last, but not least the button...
Sew the button onto the front of your hair-clip holder. Make sure that you line it up carefully with the elastic button loop.  Try to sew through the outer fabric only...you don't want messy hand stitching on the inside of your beautiful finished product!

Give it a final press and you are done!

Firstly, and most importantly if you are looking for Caroline's beautiful creation for Project Run and Play, just scroll down a little. It's the next post.

We are on holidays!
It's a funny sort of holiday. I did the maths and there is approximately one hour between 9:30am and 4pm when all our children are awake! With Will's morning and afternoon naps and Pippa's middle of the day nap there isn't much time for family activities. So we either split up, spend a lot of time at home, (lucky we are staying at my lovely sister-in-law, Katie B's gorgeous place) or all go out and manage overtired children.
Despite all that, we are having a fantastic time. Maybe it's actually a pretty good balance.

We've caught up with friends at the West African Children's Festival at the Immigration Museum. The kids loved the craft activities, face painting and drum workshop. They took their dancing lessons very seriously!

We went to Heronswood, the home of the Digger's Club, where they preserve and sell heirloom fruit and vegetable seeds and plants. If you ever need inspiration for your vegie patch, this is the place to go. We saw herb gardens dancing with butterflies, parterre gardens of vegies, passionfruit vines dripping with fruit and tomatoes, oh the tomatoes! I don't even like tomatoes and I wanted to plant all 40 varieties  they sell in our back garden! It was the perfect place for a picnic, a walk and a delicious afternoon tea of scones, jam and cream.

We've also been enjoying the Children's Garden at The Royal Botanic Gardens. Nothing beats a fountain designed for children to play in on a hot summer's day!
We loved the Mirror Exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. It is an exhibition featuring collages from the recent book, Mirror, by author and artist Jeannie Baker. The book is amazing and the collages used to create the book are absolutely breathtaking. It was great to show the children the art behind the book.
Let's not forget Brunetti's. A truly amazing combination of cafe, gelateria and pasticceria. An absolute family favourite!

And that time at home? Well, it hasn't gone to waste:

I have been playing with our new sewing machines and having lots of fun. I finished my dress (Madeleine took the photo!). It's loose and cool - perfect for a hot summers day or a trip to the beach. The baby blanket is slowly growing and I've had fun with some embroidery from a Japanese embroidery book. I plan to make this piece up into a very sweet triangular pouch using the tute by innocentia via whipup.
So all in all a pretty good holiday - catching up with friends, eating well, lots of fun activities for the children and some time for sewing. Who could want for more?

How much do you love peasant dresses for little girls?  They're a wardrobe staple around here. Last night  I was inspired by Project Run and Play to alter Leila and Ben's Sweet Little Dress pattern.
The result?  A hybrid kaftan - peasant dress  ( a kafant or a peastan perhaps???) that's a little more dressy, but just as cool and comfortable as the original.

Instead of a casing, I split the dress front and bound it with a tie front. I also skipped the casing on the sleeves and hemmed them to make them nice and floaty.

I cut the dress a little shorter and added an elastic casing to the hip to make it into a comfortable, dropped waist style.

I think I've caught the pattern refashioning bug.  It was such a fun, quick project to complete and I love the result!
If only I didn't have to bribe Lizzy to put it on...

Let me present to you a little sound bite that can be heard in  my house after breakfast, every single morning.  The location is always the same too - right in front of Lizzy's wardrobe. It goes a little something like this -
"No.  I won't wear that.  No, I don't look beautiful in jeans.  No... that skirt is too scratchy...No...it's not pink...No, that skirt is too short and it's denim."
Cue tears and hysteria from Lizzy and general noises of frustration and dissatisfaction from me. 

I like clothes, I'd even go as far as to say that I love children's clothes, but Lizzy and I have reached a point where our tastes are starting to diverge.  Me? I'm a tailored kind of girl - neutrals, denim, maybe a bit of colour here and there in shoes and bags.  Nothing earth shattering or out there - definitely no frills. It seems that  the clothes that I pick for my children are the same too.  Denim, navy, red, a bit of pink but definitely no Disney. I think they  look pretty cute and stylish. 

Lizzy, however, doesn't agree - unless it's pink, soft, long ('how can you dance if you can't twirl your skirt, mum?') and ruffled, she doesn't want to have anything to do with it. As a result, the wardrobe has become a battle ground

After one too many skirmishes I've decided to capitulate. Before I know it, my beautiful baby girl is going to want to wear dresses that are too short, t-shirts that are too tight and, god forbid, adorn herself with a tattoo or a piercing (probably both).  Who am I to complain when she prefers Liberty prints to navy stripes?  She's her own person.

I've recently discovered the Japanese Happy Homemade pattern books (who knew that sewing was an international language?) and am making their beautiful , simple dresses up in the most girly delightful fabrics you can imagine.  Oh... and I'm making them long!

The result? A little girl who can twirl who way through the day and looks cool, comfortable and cute.

After all, you can still look for lizards in  a long dress...

reach for flowers for flowers in frills ...

and play with your baby brother in Liberty!

As we struggled to pack everything we needed into the car before leaving Sydney for our holiday, I blamed the kids. "When you travel with 3 three children under 6, you need to bring a lot of stuff for them." I said to Rob. "We can't do without a travel cot. Will still has reflux. He and I are always covered in vomit so we have to bring plenty of clothes. Don't forget we need to pack Will's backpack carrier."
Without complaint, Rob packed the car. He squeezed essential items into every nook and cranny. He packed into our car more than I believed physically possible.
When we arrived in Melbourne, it became increasingly evident that it wasn't the children who were to blame.
I had packed a few (essential!) sewing items for myself:

1. sewing machine (Well, I couldn't possibly buy 8 brand new sewing machines on Sunday and leave for a holiday on Monday without taking one of them)
2. wool and needles to make a baby blanket for a friend (I have to have something busy to keep my fingers busy on a 9 hour car trip)
3. 4 sewing books (Inspiration!)
4. a dress I didn't quite finish but am hoping to complete and wear in Melbourne
5. secret sewing business for my Mum and Caroline, who both have birthdays in February
6. my tin of embroidery threads and a variety of embroidery projects (Variety is the spice of life!)
7. some sewing projects for Madeleine (The best way for me to get some sewing time when the little ones are asleep is if she and I can sew along together.)
8. a beautiful piece of cotton/linen to make a shirt for myself (I needed a project to try out the new sewing machine.)

Thank goodness I only packed the essentials.
Hopefully, as the children get older, there will be more room in the car for my stuff!!

It's no secret that I'm an organisational nightmare.   Small bits and pieces do my head in and I have this horrible habit of just throwing things in a drawer and shutting it again very quickly.

The other day  while scrounging around (again!) for Lizzy's hairclips  I came up with a plan  - a needle-book inspired clip holder.

It was a super quick project to run up.  Co-coordinating felt (pink, of course!)

A little hand stitching to add some glam...

and felt and ric-rac strips for stability and style! 

It can hold 16 clips, but if you needed to store more, I'm sure you could add extra 'pages'.  Add a pocket to the back for a comb, and you've created your own portable hairdressing station!

If only the organisation of my linen press had such a simple solution...