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| Zips not for the dress...I just fancied it, as I've never seen them before... |
Sewing Plans For The New Year...
I'm keeping myself honest....I have to sew this for my girl now that I've said I would!
Water, Water Everywhere...
This young man loves throwing water balloons at his Uncle on Christmas day. It has to be one of his favourite activities...This year making water balloons has been much easier because we now have a water balloon pump...
It really was supposed to be a Christmas present for him. But Granny, being Granny gave it to him early knowing that it will keep him occupied and out of mischief for awhile....
It really was supposed to be a Christmas present for him. But Granny, being Granny gave it to him early knowing that it will keep him occupied and out of mischief for awhile....
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| Lucky buy, I bought the pump for $8.00 on sale... |
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| He got to 22 balloons then it was all too much. He gave up and started throwing them! Boys and water! |
Lets Throw The Snowball...
I knew it wouldn't last long before I started to make a mess again.....Actually I've been a little lost with no sewing to do. So I've been busy making games for Christmas to keep the children amused...Except my tidy house for Christmas is no more!
Throw The Snowball
You need:
* 1 cardboard box
* Some Acrylic paints, White especially
* Paint brushes, different sizes
* A pair of scissors
* Hot glue gun
* Anything you can use to make snowballs
Let's Start Painting:
* Draw or paint a Snowman onto a cardboard box. I just painted straight onto the box...
* Next paint in the background ( I could only find pink paint).
* Let the paint dry, cut a hole into the painted Snowman's mouth.
* Then use the hot glue gun to glue the flaps on the box so it looks tidy.
* Next I painted the whole box white.
Your Snowman is all ready to play...Oops, I forgot the snowballs. They just need to be a white ball shape. You can use Ping Pong balls, Polystyrene balls, Pompoms, White Marshmallows (not too sure about this one, there will be sticky little fingers everywhere).
Lets Play:
Put all the snowballs in a bucket. Draw a line with chalk on the concrete patio, or tape the carpet if you're inside (make sure it's a tape you can get off). The children stand behind the line to throw three snowballs one at a time into the Snowman's mouth....When a snowball lands in the Snowman's mouth, a prize is given to that child.
Throw The Snowball
You need:
* 1 cardboard box
* Some Acrylic paints, White especially
* Paint brushes, different sizes
* A pair of scissors
* Hot glue gun
* Anything you can use to make snowballs
Let's Start Painting:
* Draw or paint a Snowman onto a cardboard box. I just painted straight onto the box...
* Next paint in the background ( I could only find pink paint).
* Let the paint dry, cut a hole into the painted Snowman's mouth.
* Then use the hot glue gun to glue the flaps on the box so it looks tidy.
* Next I painted the whole box white.
Your Snowman is all ready to play...Oops, I forgot the snowballs. They just need to be a white ball shape. You can use Ping Pong balls, Polystyrene balls, Pompoms, White Marshmallows (not too sure about this one, there will be sticky little fingers everywhere).
Lets Play:
Put all the snowballs in a bucket. Draw a line with chalk on the concrete patio, or tape the carpet if you're inside (make sure it's a tape you can get off). The children stand behind the line to throw three snowballs one at a time into the Snowman's mouth....When a snowball lands in the Snowman's mouth, a prize is given to that child.
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| This was fun until I spilt the tester pot on the lawn and the dog stood in it.... |
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| We have a winner! |
The Weeping Gingerbread House
This year we made a 'Gingerbread House' (from a new recipe and template). The young man requested one and he designed all the windows in the house himself...
You know the saying 'Too many cooks spoil the broth' well that's exactly what happened when we all decided to decorate the house. It was a free for all, we each did a side each using a non-functioning icing set. I was into totally 'overkill', I just put marshmallows everywhere, especially on the roof to try and hide the bad snow job!
Even though the Gingerbread was very tasty and moorish, it went way too soft on the house the next day. The Lollipop windows melted also. I blame the rain and humidity...In the end the Gingerbread House looked like it was a house of tears...
Firstly though I'll show you how we made the windows...
Making Stained Glass Windows For A Gingerbread House
You need boiled sweets to do this, they have to be crushed, this bit gets messy...But we have found the perfect solution to this, just use wrapped boiled Lollipops. Pam's is the brand used here, they were just perfect.
The job of crushing Lollipops was given to the young man...
Once crushed carefully snip the corner of the wrapper and pour into the cut window...
Use a new Kebab stick to push the crushed lolly into the corner of the windows...
Mixing the crushed Lolly colours is fun too!
Baking the Gingerbread House
Icing and Decorating The Gingerbread House
Royal Icing
3 eggs whites
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
Icing Sugar approx 500g. Use as much or little as I needed
Whisk the egg whites and Cream of Tarter until stiff. Then fold in Icing Sugar beating as you go until consistency you need is reached.
I must admit this Royal Icing is very good for gluing the house together and covering the board. But I personally prefer a Royal Icing like the one below for decorating my Gingerbread House... Next Christmas I'll know better.
Royal Icing
Refer to Chelsea Sugar for more detail.
Who will help decorate the gingerbread house? The Granny, the Mother and the Child!
Who will help eat the Gingerbread House?
You know the saying 'Too many cooks spoil the broth' well that's exactly what happened when we all decided to decorate the house. It was a free for all, we each did a side each using a non-functioning icing set. I was into totally 'overkill', I just put marshmallows everywhere, especially on the roof to try and hide the bad snow job!
Even though the Gingerbread was very tasty and moorish, it went way too soft on the house the next day. The Lollipop windows melted also. I blame the rain and humidity...In the end the Gingerbread House looked like it was a house of tears...
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| This mixture smells divine. You can find the recipe here. |
Firstly though I'll show you how we made the windows...
Making Stained Glass Windows For A Gingerbread House
You need boiled sweets to do this, they have to be crushed, this bit gets messy...But we have found the perfect solution to this, just use wrapped boiled Lollipops. Pam's is the brand used here, they were just perfect.
The job of crushing Lollipops was given to the young man...
Use a new Kebab stick to push the crushed lolly into the corner of the windows...
 |
| Two toned windows.... |
Baking the Gingerbread House
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| Windows baked.... |
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| Imprinting the roof tiles and cutting with a knife the hot Gingerbread House pieces to straighten up.... |
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| Because we didn't do the base for the Gingerbread House, their was plenty left over for biscuits |
Royal Icing
3 eggs whites
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
Icing Sugar approx 500g. Use as much or little as I needed
Whisk the egg whites and Cream of Tarter until stiff. Then fold in Icing Sugar beating as you go until consistency you need is reached.
I must admit this Royal Icing is very good for gluing the house together and covering the board. But I personally prefer a Royal Icing like the one below for decorating my Gingerbread House... Next Christmas I'll know better.
Royal Icing
1 egg white2 ½ - 3 cups Chelsea Icing Sugar1- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
Refer to Chelsea Sugar for more detail. |
| Beating the glue icing.... |
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| So busy beating the icing I forgot about the rest of the baking..... Too late... I BURNT it! |
Who will help decorate the gingerbread house? The Granny, the Mother and the Child!
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| This part was easy as this Royal Icing glued the sides easily... |
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| Excuse messy Muffin tin I need a new one...Lollies chopped and ready for decorating! |
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| Now perhaps we all should have stopped here....Less is more they say! |
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| No we never stopped, the icing was went everywhere, especially where you didn't want it to go! |
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| The children never ate all the lollies....just what they wanted! |
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| The Weeping Gingerbread House |
Knight Costume
This is what I've been sewing, a Knight costume for Arthur. I drafted the Tabard, but used a Simplicity pattern for top and helmet. I lengthened the grey top as it was rather short, my Tabard was open at the sides...
I'll put the number of the pattern up at some stage. My sewing has all been packed away (for Christmas day). How sad is that? Now because it's all been packed away I have the urge to sew...But you know when it's out I do hardly any. However I have big plans for next year I'm going to make the more difficult sewing projects I have been avoiding all year...
I'll put the number of the pattern up at some stage. My sewing has all been packed away (for Christmas day). How sad is that? Now because it's all been packed away I have the urge to sew...But you know when it's out I do hardly any. However I have big plans for next year I'm going to make the more difficult sewing projects I have been avoiding all year...
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| The Tabard fabric is crushed velvet, it was a rather slippery sew...but I got there in the end |
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| The grey top is a winter weight stretch fabric |
Gingerbread Men Fundraiser
I would have liked a much more spicy gingerbread, but I'm not eating them children are (I didn't make them). This recipe was from Chelsea Sugar and you can find it here.
Unfortunately my metal icing set fell apart awhile back...When I'm in charge of the icing bag it really is a 'hit and miss affair'. I find it's no easy task for a novice like myself... Never mind though, the children won't notice my quirky icing of these 'Gingerbread people'. One snap and they'll be gone...and the money raised will help the people in the Philippines.
Unfortunately my metal icing set fell apart awhile back...When I'm in charge of the icing bag it really is a 'hit and miss affair'. I find it's no easy task for a novice like myself... Never mind though, the children won't notice my quirky icing of these 'Gingerbread people'. One snap and they'll be gone...and the money raised will help the people in the Philippines.
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| Bee busy I was...this is my favourite T-towel Hmmmm...my icing skill have gone down from last year! |
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| All iced with Royal icing...the end of the bag icing set I broke it! |
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| At $2.68 approx. These paper bags are great for wrapping the gingerbread men in. |
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| I found some old Xmas stickers to stick on the bag |
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| I've bagged them up in rows, then covered with Glad wrap to keep fresh for the stall... |
Small Christmas Bags
I think I need bows for my bags I'm making. Bows will make them look so much nicer. My fluffy wire stuff doesn't look too good...Oh well I'm off to the fabric shop. I guess I won't come out with just ribbon, there will be other treasures too...the joy of sewing!
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| French seamed the side seams and 2 thread rolled hem on the top... |
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| Organza Xmas bags... |
Children's Art at Christmas Time
Keep the artworks and scan them onto your computer. Then surf your way over to PicMonkey, a photo editing website (the basic stuff is free). Upload your pics and have fun playing with all the features and make yourself some Christmas cards. Children feel very proud and valued when you do stuff like this, it's always worth seeing that important look on their faces...
After you have finished editing the cards you have made, save them back onto your desk top. Now print them out, or take your print to the nearest copy centre. Remember to use a good quality card.
These cards are Christmas postcards and they are now already to send, or give away...
After you have finished editing the cards you have made, save them back onto your desk top. Now print them out, or take your print to the nearest copy centre. Remember to use a good quality card.
These cards are Christmas postcards and they are now already to send, or give away...
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| A Toucan Bird Christmas card...drawn by the little person in the house! |
Should I Have Stayed Home?
It's mental here on the roads in Christchurch so many detours and road works I could leave.
Now if I hadn't been detouring myself after grocery shopping I may not have ended up being hit by another car. I was just sitting there on the road wondering where I was going to turn because there was no exit.
When boom I was hit, the side of my car looks a bit nasty...I did swear I must say. Poor old man his foot slipped as he was getting ready to turn and I was the damage. It would never have happened if their was a road works sign saying 'Do not enter, there is no exit'.
The good thing though is that I have moved my sewing out of the dining room. I'm now stuck in a wee annex in the hall for now, at least my dinning room table will be tidy for a change.
Now if I hadn't been detouring myself after grocery shopping I may not have ended up being hit by another car. I was just sitting there on the road wondering where I was going to turn because there was no exit.
When boom I was hit, the side of my car looks a bit nasty...I did swear I must say. Poor old man his foot slipped as he was getting ready to turn and I was the damage. It would never have happened if their was a road works sign saying 'Do not enter, there is no exit'.
The good thing though is that I have moved my sewing out of the dining room. I'm now stuck in a wee annex in the hall for now, at least my dinning room table will be tidy for a change.
Chef for a day
For the last couple of days I've been busy sewing a new Chef's outfit. The green spotty Chef's outfit I drafted and sewed a few years back (bottom pics). It's way to small now so I'm sending it over to the girls so they can have fun with it...
For the Italian Chef I drafted the apron and then used a DD ring for the joining of the neck strap. I'm not too sure what I'm doing with the waist ties yet. At the moment they are long enough to tie in the front, but I think I prefer tying them at the back. I don't think it matters much to the Chef though...
For the hat I used a free pattern over at YouCanMakeThis. I cut out the youth size and then embellished the finished hat by making a Italian flag.
For the Italian Chef I drafted the apron and then used a DD ring for the joining of the neck strap. I'm not too sure what I'm doing with the waist ties yet. At the moment they are long enough to tie in the front, but I think I prefer tying them at the back. I don't think it matters much to the Chef though...
For the hat I used a free pattern over at YouCanMakeThis. I cut out the youth size and then embellished the finished hat by making a Italian flag.
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| The new Chef's outfit, I think he'll be making Pasta... It's not pressed I forgot to do that before I took the photo! |
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| Way too small now... |
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| And a little to big for the girls... |
Halloween
My ghost and witch for Halloween...
Both are made with a balloons for the head, one black, one white. I used a permanent black marker pen to draw the face on the ghost, then Voile (I was de-stashing) was used to cover the balloons. Then I used matching lace to tie off the fabric from under the balloon head. Next I went looking for the witches hat in the dress-up box to complete the faceless witch...
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| It's daylight savings here so it's not dark till really late... |
A Spicy Sort of Day
While cleaning my pantry I got side tracked by my messy spices, so I decided to make new spice jars out of old jam jars. Have you ever used chalk cloth to make spice labels then glue to attach them to the lid? What glue did you use?
The fun I had with glue, don't try P.V.A. glue it doesn't stick the labels well onto the metal lids. Don't try UHU glue, it just bubbles and eats up the chalk cloth. In the end I used a spray on adhesive which worked well, thank goodness...
Also I didn't have a chalk marker pen to write up my spices, so I used an old chalk pencil to mark the lids. It's all a bit 'rough and ready' but it's okay I can live with that, because no body sees my spices. Except the whole world now thanks to the internet...
The fun I had with glue, don't try P.V.A. glue it doesn't stick the labels well onto the metal lids. Don't try UHU glue, it just bubbles and eats up the chalk cloth. In the end I used a spray on adhesive which worked well, thank goodness...
Also I didn't have a chalk marker pen to write up my spices, so I used an old chalk pencil to mark the lids. It's all a bit 'rough and ready' but it's okay I can live with that, because no body sees my spices. Except the whole world now thanks to the internet...
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| Chalkcloth: www.fabricfixation.co.nz |
A Busy Life of Disasters
Sewing is now becoming a distant memory for me, so sad my life has got so busy...As many will know I live in a city that has been damaged by earthquakes. My numbers up and they want to fix my house, but I want it fixed properly so I have a battle to win...Just like many other people in Christchurch who are fighting for their rights and trying to preserve the equity in their homes.
Also I've been throwing out anything I can't move or pack up, as soon I may have to pack up the whole house to get it fixed. I hate this, I might as well move, it just seems such a pointless task... My sewing stash is safe though.
Also I've been throwing out anything I can't move or pack up, as soon I may have to pack up the whole house to get it fixed. I hate this, I might as well move, it just seems such a pointless task... My sewing stash is safe though.
To make matters worse I managed to kill my Mac. How did I do that? Too many photos, too many sewing sites saved, taking snap shots of everything and hoarding them all in case I might need them.
But I guess having 13,000 photos in iPhoto was just too much. I trashed them all but they all came back into iPhoto with 13,000 photos of one Iris... So I spent most of my time clicking on 13.000 Irises to get to the original photo and then saving them all to an external hard drive. Then it happened the Mac died...
But I guess having 13,000 photos in iPhoto was just too much. I trashed them all but they all came back into iPhoto with 13,000 photos of one Iris... So I spent most of my time clicking on 13.000 Irises to get to the original photo and then saving them all to an external hard drive. Then it happened the Mac died...
Live and learn though, I should have backed my computer up ages ago, But I've managed to borrow a laptop for now and this time I'm deleting as I go.
Happy Sewing everyone...
Faux Fur Burda Vest
What did I wish for most when sewing with faux fur? A pair of duckbill scissors to trim the seams to reduce bulk. I didn't have any, so I had to settle for nail scissors. But I do covet a pair...The truth be told I covet everything to do with sewing.
This was pretty much an easy sew except for the fur...the bulk was a bit difficult when lining. But I got there in the end and there was fur everywhere. I'm sure fur went up my nose as well!
This was pretty much an easy sew except for the fur...the bulk was a bit difficult when lining. But I got there in the end and there was fur everywhere. I'm sure fur went up my nose as well!
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| Burda Pattern Misses Vest 7289, view B A pretty basic pattern and easy to sew...I lengthened the pattern 1inch |
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| All finished and looking flash. Except my bow tying skills are at beginner level.... |
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| The lining inside is a printed cotton |
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| Side view with a top underneath... |
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| Sewing faux fur certainly was a handful...Fur went everywhere! |
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| Ready to wear, sewn with a purpose in mind... |
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