My best friend is a gentle giraffe

A couple of weeks ago, SweetP shared her list of what her three girls will get for Christmas. The list looked like this:

• something to play with
• something to share
• something to read
• something made by mum

Like many others, I am trying to not get caught up in the consumerism and pressure of the Silly Season. I love this list. Although I'm already a little beyond it (I've been stashing bits and pieces since the middle of the year), next year it will be game on.

In the spirit of the list, I have committed myself to making at least one thing for each of the kids. (Well, between you and me, I've been dying to make this for the Princess for ages, and christmas was just the justifcation for a blissful hour spent at my favourite fabric store buying the pattern and choosing fabric!)

Introducing Mrs Perkins*.

Doesnt she have the sweetest face?

She's made using this pattern from Melly & Me. They have lots of very lovely patterns for softies (and very funky bags - shame I can't muster the courage to finish the one I've got on the go!), but this one has always tugged at my heart-strings.

She was remarkably easy to make - about an hour to sew, then about the same to stuff! And a bit of fiddling to do the finishing. But I'm terribly pleased with her. PJ has been fascinated by the process, watching all the pieces come together, and has demanded a Mrs Perkins of his own. I have other plans for him though.

I hope the Princess likes her. They're about the same size! And if she doesn't well then I'm quite happy to give Mrs Perkins cuddles. When I'm not cuddling the Princess of course.

* Mrs Perkins is the name given to her by Melly & Me. I'd like her to be called something else but I'm not very good at thinking up witty or clever names - any suggestions??

The answer is sewing in the wind

Phew, after Blogtoberfest I needed to have me a little lie down!

But it hasn't been all feet-up here at Chez Kitchen-Table. There has been crafting. Not so much knitting, but lots of sewing.

For some bizarre reason, I cannot justify in my mind sitting down and knitting during the day. There's some ancient hind-part of my brain that feels like it's wasted time, and I should be out in the fields or milking the cow or something.

Sewing, on the other hand, is a justifiable pursuit, as it involves moving between table, ironing board and machine, and is somehow more active than knitting. If i knit, I want to have the teev on, and that is a no-no for me during the day. The exception is when I'm feeding Grace and would otherwise be staring at the wall, since I can't knit - or sew - and feed her. Television during the day feels very lazy, passive perhaps. See Mum, you did have some influence!

But I digress.

Much of the sewing has been for gifts, so I can't reveal it yet.

But the first item was gifted on Monday, to Bec's newly-three-year-old Charlotte, so I can show you. And in the words of someone much more famous than me, I'm loving myself sick over it!

The hat is from Kwik Sew pattern 3079, and the bag was based on this tutorial. Of course I made it much harder for myself because I wanted the bag to be reversible, so it's a little gumby at the side-seams. The hat is also reversible, lined in the same plain purple cotton as the bag.

The birthday girl was pretty impressed - you can see the hat on the intended noggin here.

As for the other projects...all will be revealed in the fullness of time. And at the pleasure of Australia Post.

Day 18: Sew much fun!

Har har, yup, Queen of Da Pun over here folks. It's been a long day.

I've been trying to get more sewing done in the last few months; the cloth nappies for the Princess were the start, but I've got heaps of things on my "must-try" list.

Reverse applique was one thing on my list. I'm not a huge regular applique fan, but do like the funky look of reverse applique.

So when I found this fabulous tutorial, I had to give it a whirl.

This is just a cheapy all-in-one suit (or onesie, if you prefer) from the local department store, a scrap of pretty fabric and a very easy design.

Sweet, don't you think? And very, very easy (Yes, Amy, you could certainly do it!!). Please excuse the crap-O-rama photo, it's late.

I see lots more of these in my future. Like in about 15 years when I have more time.....

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And I forgot yesterday, but the Blogtoberfest Inspiration Word for Sunday is chain. Thanks Sean via Bells!

The Princess's new clothies

When Pirate Jim was a mere bump and we were getting ready, as you do, I was quite determined that disposable nappies were the way to go. I had read what little information there was on the question of disposable vs. cloth, and to me there was no question. The production and landfill costs of disposables were preferable to me compared with the cost of producing and washing cloth nappies.

In my mind, though, cloth nappies = the large terry squares that I was nappied in back in the 70s. That had to be folded, that leaked, that needed pins and horrid plastic pilchers and to be soaked in a stinky bucket of bleach, that had to be somehow dried in winter. All that water, detergent, power, time...it was not for me. I had my arguments sorted and I was quite adamant.

But every time I ditched one of those things in the bin, I felt just a little uneasy. Although I liked to think I was trying to tread lightly, since cotton is so intensive to grow, all that water and detergent and power, yadda yadda, I thought that there had to be a better way.

Luckily there are many, many way cleverer people in the world than me, and they had it sorted ages ago.

I stand here before you, admitting I was wrong, and shouting from the rooftops that there is a better way. I am a true believer!

In the months before the Princess was born, I became aware of this "new" thing: Modern Cloth Nappies, or MCNs as those of us in the know like to call them (Yes, as usual I'm light years behind. Stop laughing down the back).

I did some research, talked to some friends who were there before me, got myself a mentor (not a compulsory step, but when you're like me and need hand-holding for something new, it helps) and I was away.

Pockets are my nappy of choice, and I love them. They are easy to use and dry so quickly. I wont bore you with the details (I suspect I'm nearly the last person on the planet who knows about these anyway), but suffice to say I am sold. Love them.

I wasn't initially sure about what they looked like or how they worked (thank goodness for my very patient mentor!), so I bought my initial stash (yes, we MCNers have another sort of stash - another selling point if you were still wavering!!) from a respected seller who carried lots of different brands and types.

But then my mentor suggested building up the stash by sewing my own. I was astounded - I could do that?

Yep - and I did. Lots of free and purchased patterns are available online; I found one that I liked, bought in the supplies and had a bash.

Behold, nappy stash!

Aren't they groovy? And it's enormously satisfying - not only am I reducing all that waste but I made these myself. The first one (front centre) is a bit gumby, but it still does the job.

Bring on summer so the Princess can get out in her funky new bum wear!

And whats even better - shhh, don't tell Beloved - is that now I have the perfect excuse to maintain yet another stash: the nappy fabric one. Sometimes I am so sneaky I amaze even myself!

Goody two shoes

I'm not sure if blogging twice in one day gets me brownie points, but as Amy pointed out, it was still her yesterday when I posted on my this morning, so maybe I'll count that as yesterday and this as today.

Today was a fabulous, lovely, shiny day - it was warm (26oC), sunny and lightly breezy. The Princess and I headed to our local plaza / mall to do some clothes shopping for me. It was a much more successful expedition than I've had in the recent past, and I was even fiscally responsible enough to lay-by everything instead of buying it straight up. Aren't I good?

Then after a lovely impromptu lunch with Kuka, who works very close by, we came home, threw the doors and windows open, and while Princess G slept, I finished off a little sewing project.

I've been trying to make a pair of these shoes for about two weeks, but kept getting stymied - first I didn't have the right interfacing, then I didn't have the right thread, then I didn't have the right elastic....

Anyway, today, I finally did the last 30 minutes work required, and was very satisfied with the result.

The pic is a little too blue; they're actually light and dark purple. And the sole pulls in a bit where the tops and heels join, but I think that's because the soles might be too thin to resist the elastic (just two layers of cotton, no interfacing or fleece).

Sweet, na?

I've got lots more of these planned. They use a teeny amount of fabric, and take only about an hour or maybe two to make, now I know how to do them.

Wow, two posts in less than 24 hours - whoda thunk it?