Back To School Roundup

School starts back this week - just 2 more sleeps.

DD is in year 1 this year, so needed a few extra items - an art shirt/smock, and a pencil case. I looked quickly online for a pattern for an art smock, but couldn't find one that I was happy with, so I pulled out my Enid Gilchrist books and flicked through. I found one that was roughly the right size, so using DDs measurements, drafted up a rough pattern. I didn't get it quite right, as when I sewed the sleeves on the neckline was rather uneven, so the casing for the elastic is far from perfect. But it will work and that is all that matters.

It is sewn from an op-shop bed sheet - a lovely thick cotton. The sleeve bottoms and neckline are gathered with elastic to make it easy for her to get on and off herself.
I think by the thumbs up it is satisfactory :)

Listed on the year 1 booklist is a pencil case, but I didn't want to buy one as they are not very nice quality at all. I also wasn't sure if she would use it, as DS didn't when he was in year 1. So I delved in the stash to see what we could come up with. This fabric was a remnant from SL, and the zip is a very old one that was given to me. I like that it matches almost exactly to the green :)

Packing the school supplies in bags to take to school, I noticed DS's pencil case from last year had started to get holes in it. He asked very nicely if I could make him a new one. So we picked some red corduroy (from the op-shop) and a bright blue zip from the stash.

Nice and shiny and new, all ready for school.

Cheers!

A New Toy, Essential Sewing and Some Vintage

Catching up............again! I really should update more often.......but I procrastinate.........and then have to do a huge post. Oops!!

There is a new toy in my house. It is a Bernina Bernette Deco 340! A stand alone embroidery machine that is just gorgeous. I have wanted an embroidery machine for nearly a year now. I would keep looking, but not doing much else, as I thought it wasn't ever going to happen. So I decided to get brochures, and go to the shops and look. Hubby, bless him, decided this meant I was really serious.


I was happy to settle for a second hand machine, if I could get one that would do what I wanted. But I didn't want to pay full price for something that I could grow out of (ie: too small a hoop, restricted with designs, or how you tranfer them to the machine). So with all that criteria, I looked. Janome was good, but too pricey. Brother was the right price, but I didn't really like them when I saw them in real life. Thought a Bernina was wayyyyyyy out of my range, but stopped at the shop on the way home. Well they had a great deal on with the Deco - free software, a thread pack and the usb stick for $400 off the RRP! Beautiful, beautiful quality stitching (and I have always secretly wanted a Bernina lol). Armed with this information, I set off home to convince hubby - as the sale price only ran for another 3 days! Well, he told me to get back in the car and go and buy it. Just like that! Gotta love him!
He had the first go at stitching a design - the Linux penguin. He was in lovely bright colours as that was all I had to start with (the thread pack wasn't in store, I had to pick it up later). I also did a dragon for DS and a butterfly for DD.



And the penguin in his normal colours (or as close as).


I made up some school pants for DS a few weeks ago - not very exciting, but essential. And at least I know they fit. The pair I bought from the school were too long in the leg and too tight in the waist (and he is a slim boy). Plus I prefer the kids to be in 100% if at all possible. I based the pants on an Ottobre pattern, #23 from 6/2007. I used the hip pocket design from #20 in 3/2004. The pants pattern is actually for lined pants - something I realised after the fact! So they are a little baggy on DS, but because they have decent hems in them, I can let them down and lengthen the elastic when the time comes.



I made my first lot of bias binding! Woohoo! How much fun was that! It was a lot easier than I expected, and I ended up with about 15 metres of it lol I needed it for a pinny/apron I wanted to make for DD, but I didn't have any bought stuff on hand. So I used some old fabric from my Grandma, and made my own with the Clover bias maker.
Then I used it on the edges of an Enid Gilchrist pinny, from her Play Clothes book. You have to draft the patterns yourself, she just gives you the measurements, and a smaller diagram to work from. I don't think it is any harder than tracing an Ottobre pattern really. Plus, I figure I am stretching my brain slightly differently. So the pinny is made from an old sheet and some old fabric, plus some old lace from the oppy. Pretty cool - and I got it all sewn in one day! Even better :) DD loves it (even though it isn't pink lol).




Well that is about it for now.

Cheers!