A sense of mortality!

Isn't it funny the way which having Children change's us!

I'm not just talking about the head on collision with gravity ( boobs, bum and tum!)
The inability to drink more than 1/2 a glass of wine without feeling smashed!
The loss of all sense of time! I only gave birth yesterday, so she cant be 20months already!....Yet haven't i known her all my life!
Nor the complete loss of marbles.....
Supermarket cashier - '' that will be £65 please madam''
Me - ''Bollox I've left my purse at home!''
'' Shit and my door keys!''
'' F**k AND my phone!''
And I'm not even going to mention the complete lack of fitness and the near coronary attack after walking 1/2 mile up a 90degree hill to wait 20mins in the cold with a bad tempered baby for Nanny to come home with a spare key!

No!
I'm talking about an inability to watch horror/ disaster movies without balling my eyes out and having nightmares for a week!......even if the film is really crap or supposed to be funny!
Because i do not want my baby to drown in a tidal wave, get eaten by a vampire or turn into a zombie!

x K

N.b This post was inspired by Sundays 'Doctor Who' and yesterdays viewing of '2012'

Vintage smock

Ive had this vintage fabric for a while now, I think it must have been a bed sheet at one point! It is my experiment fabric!....you know, when your just trying out a new pattern and you don't want to risk the 'good stuff'!

I'm not sure the colours quite right for The Whirlwind, It makes her look very white!Good job she looks like me, else people might think i stole this baby!

I think i may need to loosen the elastic round the bottom of the sleeve as they keep getting stuck half mast up her chunky arms.

This is The Whirlwinds favourite spot to watch T.V. It drives me mad! I mean seriously you could watch our TV from across the street its so big, but she is only happy unless her face is right in it and her greasy paw prints are all over it. We even bought her a cute chair from Ikea to sit in, ( you can just see it in the previous pic!) She does love this chair and will happily sit in it whilst munching a snack, but the moment Yojojo, Deli and the gang come on screen that's it, shes off to kiss the screen!


Admiring the new fishies!

Thanks to Louise at sewscrumptious for the link to that fab zip tutorial, by flossieteacakes (scroll down to the 2nd tutorial) Haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but went out and bought a hand full of zips in preparation, hopefully one eve this week will give itself up to me!

x K

Boxing day dress

Another shift dress i know, but they are just so easy to sew up during nap times! I found this wool check in my local fabric shop, it instantly shouted 'Christmas' to me! The picture doesn't do it justice as you cant see the silver thread sparkling through it!

My demented overlocker (yes still having issues!) actually came up trumps doing the ruffles, they were so much fun to do. I have also left the bottom flatlocked for now, still deciding if i will hem it or not, but at the moment i think i like the flatlock detail.

I think it makes the perfect Boxing day dress for the Whirlwind, teamed with a long sleeved red tee and some black tights.

I loved the way this looked so much, i couldn't help thinking that it would translate to a really cool bag or purse. So of course i had to give it a go.......

This was my FIRST EVER attempt at sewing a zip, and lets just say this 10cm purse took about 50hrs longer to make than the 2T dress!

Next time i will definitely have to look up instructions! Anyone know any good zipper tutorials?

Not toooo shabby for a first attempt. I feel there will be lots in the making for Christmas.....only 6wks Arrrrrrrrrrrrr!

x K

R.I.P Boris!

This week our goldfish died!
He was 5yrs old...Yes that's right FIVE!......Surely this must be some kind of goldfish survival record?
Neil bought him for me as a house warming when we moved into our first flat in October '04. I remember him ringing me at work to tell me he had just bought me a gerbil!!!! WTF!
Needless to say i was more than relieved to find he was pulling my leg and he had in fact bought 2 goldfish.
Boris had many mates join him in the first 3yrs (all named Buffy) but none of the others lasted more than 6months.
We always bought different colours/ breeds of goldfish so as not to confuses which was which! some for ridiculous prices considering how long they lived, yet Boris only cost us 50p.
It was very sad, we could see he was 'on his way out' when he started swimming lopsided, and then bloated out like Marlon Brando!
Finally on Sunday he dropped to the bottom of the tank and bellied up!
Gone!
The Whirlwind keeps going up to the empty tank, throwing her arms in the air and shouting ''Gone, ish gone, ish gone bed, byebye ish''
We took her to the pet shop on Mon to pick out some new fish.
We have decided to go tropical this time so only bought the heater to convert the tank, and will go back at the weekend when it has warmed up.
R.I.P Boris
xK

what a difference a year makes!

I made this little fleece jumper for Ruby exactly one year ago! I was so impressed with myself doing it, as i had no pattern....just copied a dress i loved, bought from Tesco! and i had no sewing machine at the time so it is all hand stitched. I loved it, and the whirlwind wore it loads last winter. I cant find the original pics of her in it but you can see them on my facebook here and here

Today i found a secret stash of the same fabric that i never even knew i had! so obviously i had to make a new one for this year.

This time i just went for a plain shift jumper, with a front pocket.......i must have been sooo brave last year doing those button holes!

Isn't it just the cutest though!I bribed her to sit still for all of 5 seconds by letting her have ago on the hair drier!......And the green bottles all over my living room floor are homemade skittles, a game which the Whirlwind is currently OBSESSED with!

I also figured out a way to use all of last years tights that are now to short in the leg....Just cut the legs off about an inch from the crotch seams and voila....Knee length sox with matching pants......
Complete the look with one of Daddys beanies!

xK

Pattern testers r us!

I had a very exciting project at the weekend! I basically put myself forward to test a pattern for the lovely, amazing, wonderfully talented ( can you tell i have a huuuuge girly crush on her!) Amanda from Kitchycoo.

Amanda makes the most amazing, cute, cool kids clothing, using the maddest kitchest most fantastic fabrics ( Seriously! I want to be her, be her best friend and be her child all at once!)

After much begging and pleading from her committed group of fans...or is that fans who should be committed!...She has finally dipped her toe into the world of Adult clothing, by recreating her famed toddler reversible asymmetric coat into big girl size....yayyyyyy.

PICK ME! PICK ME! i shouted when her call went out for testers of different shapes and sizes to do trial runs for her.

I tested the 10/12 pattern. I used two shades of poly cotton, for the test, but i have every intention of making up another in a bold print....the hunt for the perfect fabric has commenced! I have yet to sew on the buttons so have just used a couple of brooches for now.

Can i just point out how bloody impossible it is to take a decent picture using the self timer function....i have about 10 pics of the back of my head, and what the hell are you supposed to do with your hands????

This is a really versatile jacket....i added a belt in the last two picks for a dressy look...i think it works!

I look like a right dork in these pic's, and most alarmingly.....I really look like my mother!

Amanda YOU ROCK!

x K

Swine flu V's Man flu!!!!

IM STILL HERE! (she screams!)
My computer is still broke!
My' camera is sill broke!
And after a VERY late night, at a party with Alexander O'neil and Jakki Graham! ( love a bit of 80's soul!) ....i am feeling decidedly 'Broke 'myself' today!

Any-Hoo i shall be spending my afternoon Whirlwind free as she had a sleepover at nanny and grandpa's last night and they are showing her off at friends today....yayyyyyy!
I will be stitching up a storm, trying out a pattern for (the mad as a hatter) lovely Amanda over at kitchy coo.
I will be back tomorrow for a show and tell of the results!

Oh and the reason for my looong absence? My o/h has been struck down this past two wks with what started as swine flu....but definitely turned into man flu the last two days....anyway he has had his laptop glued to his abdomen.....whilst lying in a constant horizontal position for 12 days, demanding about a thousand cups of tea a day. He mad a miraculous recovery for the party last night!!! and football this afternoon!!!! and thank god he is back at work tomorrow, Call me heartless but once he was on the home straight, looking after two demanding 'children' was well!!!!!!

x K