Do you remember the $9 dress with the broken zip that I made into a dress for Pippa? Well, there was a Madeleine project as well. You can imagine in our household that I have to be very mindful of sharing my sewing time around. There is often a gentle (or not so gentle!) prompt from one of my girls if they feel like they are being hard done by on the sewing front!

So in the interests of being equal -  Madeleine's skirt. It started as a woman's size 14 skirt.It was $9 and it also had a broken zip.

The bits I liked about it were the fabric and those cute pockets. I also liked the pleating in the skirt. The waist band was quite peculiar - it was pieced on an angle and had funny offset belt loops.

Madeleine was so excited by the concept of having a grown-up skirt re-modeled for her that she didn't want to wait for anything fancy. She said "Just cut the top off Mummy and put a piece of elastic in for the waist". In some ways I think I should have taken her advice, but I wanted something a little more challenging.

I made an exciting discovery - the inside of the waist band had been finished with the same contrast fabric as the pockets. So I made it narrower and flipped it so you can now see the binding. I kept all the fullness from the original skirt and made lots of pleats to reduce it to the size of the new waist band. I made sure I positioned the pleats so they sat either side of those gorgeous pockets. I didn't want them disappearing into any of those folds. I covered some buttons with the left over fabric scraps and added some button holes to the waist band.

This skirt has been very popular to wear to school over summer . It's very cool and a little twirly!

There are a few other bits and pieces you may be interested in.

1.     Madeleine takes her modelling very seriously!!!!

2.     We have a new page where you can find all the tutorials we have created.

3.     I haven't forgotten the promised tutorials. I apologise for being slack. Life has got very busy for us over         the  last 4 weeks. I hope to have felt morning chart and the knitting needle case tutorials up and running         in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

Pippa started school yesterday. Well sort of! She joins Madeleine and Lizzy at a local Montessori 3-6 year school after her birthday in June and to prepare her, she is doing a transition program - two mornings of Montessori a week by herself. This is the first time she has been cared for by anyone other than family, so it is a big change and adjustment for all of us. We have all been feeling a little uncertain:

But we keep reassuring each other that it will be OK.
And it is!

It's time to begin a new adventure!

Did you notice Pippa's new bag? It actually a version of my heart shaped purse. (If at first you don't succeed - try, try, try again!). I cut up my favourite maternity dress to make it. The fabric was hand screen printed by Prints Charming. One of the  most common phrases associated with Montessori education is "Help me to do it myself." This bag was designed with this in mind.  It has a large zip but a small handle - perfect for little hands.

It opens up wide,  Pippi can access all of her essentials (a change of cloths and a snack) easily.

Today was day two - there were a few tears. Understandably, I don't think she is completely comfortable at school yet, but the bag seems to be working well.

PS  If you asked Pippa why yesterday was a big day, she'd be far more likely to talk about excavators than school!

Our neighbours are building a pool. We had one very excited little girl!!!

I always find this time of the year a little confusing in the world of crafty blogging.  For most of the year, when I read the blogs I enjoy,  I can be in the UK one minute, Canada the next and back to  Australia, without being aware of my rapid trip around the world. Right now, as I sit in the heat of a particularly sweltering Sydney summer, I have to say it throws me a little when I see tutorials for gorgeous mittens, hats with ear warmers and deliciously snuggly cowls.

All of this warm, cosiness just doesn't seen quite right, when the most appropriate piece of attire in our part of the world is this:

And the only way to stay cool, is to play with a bucket of water in the middle of the lounge room:

And it is oh so hard to sleep when you are a little one in this hot, sticky weather.

Will loves sleeping in a sleeping bag. In fact he loves it so much, I don't know if he could go to sleep without it. He has been using a waffle cotton one, well used and loved by his older sisters. It has been washed so many times, I watch him holding the bottom of it in his little hands as he drifts off to sleep, appreciating its softness. The problem is it's just too hot to use it right now.

So to survive the heat of February, I have done a little more upcycling! Rob's super soft preloved business shirt has become a cute, cool sleeping bag for Will.

I used his current sleeping bag as a pattern and cut it so the buttons and button holes became the opening of the bag. Some bias tape finished off the neck and and arm holes.(If you look closely you can see how much this heat has addled my brain!  I managed to attach the bias tape so the wrong side is the right side if you know what I mean! I didn't work this out until I had done both arm holes, so decided to do the neck the same way. You have to understand - this was an emergency. I had a child who was too hot to sleep!!!) I finished the side and bottom off using French seams - I didn't want any rough bits rubbing his gorgeously soft skin. And the heart - well I do love my little boy! I'm also hoping this sleeping bag will be special for both of us. If it makes it a little easier for Will to sleep, he and I are both going to love that!

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!