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Ruby & Stella dresses

OK, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've blogged... I'm really not very dedicated to this am I?!  I'm still here, still sewing, just very slack at taking photos of what I make and posting them...

I've been busy sewing for my little twin girls... they're 2 + 4 months now and so I can make size 3 dresses for them.  There are so many more options starting at size 3... very exciting!

Firstly we have a dress from Happy Homemade Vol 5.  I love it.  Chambray from Tessuti bought for me, last Summer I think.  Anyway, they will get loads of wear out of these.  I love it and think I'll be making more.

 Here is a McCalls I think... a great little pattern, and again I'll be making more - great for Summer!

 My first attempt at the Oliver + S bubble dress - I've been wanting to make this for ages but didn't have the pattern.  Thank God they released it as a downloadable one... it's so cute.  I'm thinking of some trim maybe across the bottom of the bodice, like Christy's :)

 Here is another one I've been dying to make for ages... I've seen so many lovely ones online... it's the Appoline from Citronille.  So cute... Love Liberty of London fabric.

 Another Oliver + S one... unfinished as yet.  I've got cute red flower buttons to put on the front.  It's a size 4 though, so it's a bit big.  I didn't want to buy the smaller size pattern just for the size 3.

I've been sewing lots of other things too... but I have no photos... how do you all do it?!

I seem to have this problem, I see things that other people make, I love them, so I make them.  Then I don't like them...  Like the Renfrew top.  First one I made was too small, so I made the bigger size, then it was too big... so I haven't worn them.  I've made about 3 dresses for Winter but haven't worn any of them... Does anyone else suffer from this?  I think I need to stick to kids clothes...  And Summer dresses for me, I love a Summer dress made by me... in fact I live in them in Summer.  I have loads of fabric ready for Summer dresses, so I really need to figure out how to take photos of myself...

Thanks for reading, sorry for being so slack,

Sam :)

Sewing sewing sewing...

Well I'm having all sorts of trouble with these photos... I can't seem to move them to where I want them, so sorry for the jumbled order...

Firstly here are my 3rd pair of Puppet Show shorts from O+S, I love these!!!  I have made a little chambray pair which are gorgeous, and another denim pair with Liberty trim... my girls look very cute in them!  They come together so quickly and easily and they're so cute!!

Here is a little Liberty top, the Ice cream social one, my first one, well I had to make two, but I've been slow to jump on this bandwagon... another great pattern from O+S...

  

Here are some bad shots of dresses I've made/making for myself... The first one is Vogue 1236 unfinished... I saw a photo of Princess Mary in a dress made from this fabric on the Tessuti website and I've tried to do something similar... the fabric is very light though and I'm not enjoying sewing with it.  I've lined it and with a belt I think it will be good.  The 2nd one is a copy of another dress I saw on Tessuti blog McCalls 6027 - my photo is terrible, I'm sorry.  It looks great on and I might even make another one I think... it was an easy pattern to make and it fits me like a glove! :)

Here are a couple of dresses for my daughters.  Again, I'm sorry for the bad shots. 

A couple of blouses for Ruby & Stella... both O+S... The first one needs the buttons and button holes done, I keep putting them off.  Perhaps I should go and do it now!  

Some more shorts from O+S for a friend's daughter...

The denim ones with Liberty trim for my girls...

Another dress for my girls... not great photos, but they are very cute on them... They're not very good models! :)

So there you go... my sewing efforts over the past little while...    I've also been busy buying patterns, something I do way too much of!!  I've bought quite a little collection of Citronille patterns, as well as some vintage dress ones for myself.  I also have a pattern from Christy that I need to make up.  I've got quite a few dresses for myself that need to be made.  I just need more time!  

I'm such a slack blogger.. I should have known I'd never have time to post... but I do enjoy sharing my sewing efforts with other sewers (and of course seeing what you're all up to!).  Thank you for reading.

Sam

Sewing for kids...

Well I've been sewing like a mad woman... it started with a little dress for a friend's daughters 5th b'day party... I was really happy with the result:

Then I started making shorts... and it seems I can't stop!  :) 

These are for a friend's son who is a good friend of my son...

These are for my Johnny:

So what do you think?

And there's more to come!!  I'm like a woman possessed... I need to stop!   I think I'm on the last pair...

Next is dresses and tops for my little girls and then I can make dresses for myself without feeling guilty!! :)   I'm really looking forward to that... we've been having lovely weather in Sydney... makes me want to sew Summer dresses. 

Quilts and cushions

I must start with a big thank you to Susan, little betty and Andi - thank you so much for your feedback.  I really appreciate it.  I've only ever hand quilted all my quilts before - I have made a few for babies of friends.  I have a new love for machine quilting!!  I love how the cotton shrinks and they go all crinkly.  I'm not sure though that you wouldn't have any tips for me Andi??  You do such amazing work!!  I love your quilts.   

On a roll with the machine quilting....  A UFO in the cupboard that I had started hand quilting but decided I didn't really like it all the much so hadn't got far with it... got it out and within days it was quilted and bound!  Finished quilt!  Now what to do with it...   ???   I tried the other way I'd read about of starting and stopping - 1/4 inch of sewing with very small stitches.  I didn't like it - I prefer the other way of burying your threads.  It's much neater.  How do you do it??

This is Stella's quilt - exactly like Ruby's but with pale pink binding.  I love all the Liberty fabrics with the Japanese and a bit of Heather Ross... my faves...

And, because I've had some of these panels for years... I finally made some cushions!!!  The top one I just bought the other week, but the others I've really had for years... I have way too many projects in the cupboard undone!!!

Finally here are my beautiful girls... going in for a kiss and a cuddle - they are so cute!!!  I am so lucky. x



My first attempt at machine quilting!!!

Well this is my first attempt at machine quilting... I think I did ok??  I'm not sure about my tension and my starting and stopping technique but I'm pretty happy with it.  I love the verigated thread, it's cool!  I have 2 to do, for my girls, and I started these quilts back when I was pregnant.  The girls are now 15 months old... so I finally bit the bullet and realised they were never going to get hand quilted, so I had to do it by machine.

I feel sad that I've given away so many quilts to friends who had babies that were hand quilted and my own babies have machine quilted quilts... but I just don't have the time or the energy with 3 kids now... I'm tired!

I'm having a particularly bad time of it with the kids at the moment so it felt great to get this done so quickly - now I just have to hand sew the binding down, which will be very relaxing actually, I'm looking forward to it.  And to machine quilting the next quilt too!  It's so quick I can see why people choose it over hand quilting. 

If anyone has any tips on machine quilting I'd love to hear... I really winged it! 

Thanks!