A picture

Ok, its still not quite finished (the dress that is), but i did manage to sew on the tulle yesterday. I did it during big fat gypsy weddings, most appropriate for sewing what felt like miles of the stuff! (the dressmaker on there, thelma, has my total admiration!)

So to keep you all entertained her is a picture by my little artist, thats what she wants to be when she's all grown up (or so she says!)

Can you guess what it is?

look away now if you don't want to know

its a FOX!

Don't forget my giveaway!

Giveaway

 Now Closed. Do come again next time!

Well, i've been meaning for a week or so to have a giveaway cos i now have 50+ likes on face book! I have scoured the house and have found some items which may tempt a few of you to comment!

So i the package that the 'lucky' winner recieves will include:

 A heart fridge magnet (you get to pick which one - or one of the birdy ones if you'd prefer)

 a pattern for a kiddy waist coat

 A cross stitch  - stitch a photo (you send a picture off and they make it into a cross stitch pattern for you.

And a set of fat quaters of theses fabrics.

There will probably be some chocolate involved as well as all the best parcels have chocolate in them!

so

leave a comment, tweet it, face book it, blog it, use my little picture that i took in the lab!

I'll pick a winner (or rather my random number selector, aged 6, will pick one for me) on march 11th ish assuming i remember!
good luck

ok, its not finished yet and its driving me round the bend!

I haven't finished it! it seems to be taking forever and everytime i look at it it seems to be laughing at me!

 I will beat you silly dress! (and you better look good when your done!)

Still have to finish the sleeves (bind in white i think) add buttons and holes and sew on the tulle i added to the 'underskirt' (its fully lined!) to make the bottom of the frock as puffy as it is around the waist!

I must be mad taking on such things! AND IF IT LOOKS GOOD I'LL PROBABLY MAKE A SECOND TO SEE IF IT SELLS! (please kill me now!)

Anyway -  to make sure i keep up with my resolution to make one thing every week, last night i produced this -

Apple crumble - a tiny bit burned on the top but most tasty with custard (yum yum)

also looking yummy is the cupcake picture tiny made -  wonder if you can get edible feathers?

pancakes

Ok, we had pancakes last night, well it was pancake day.

i made the batter using fantastic juvela gluten free mix (i think this stuff is fab for baking with).

Then cooked pancakes

Tiny put sprinkles on hers

My lad went for the more traditional lemon and sugar

And i had left over bolognase, cheese and

had a cadburys twirl finger in a pancake for pudding

And yes, the children asked if there wqas batter this morning cos they wanted pancake for breakfast! i'll be cooking them for weeks!

Yey, i almost finished the frock!

Ok, i didn't quite get it completly finished but its very very close!

This is where i'd got to on saturday night. It took alot of talking myself into doing it. I didn't know if the sleeves and collar  and changes i'd made would work and by procrastinationg it ment i hadn't screwed it up.

So one deep breath later i'd done it, and it doesn't look half bad.

Yesterday i added the skirt, a full circle so tiny can twirl.

Doesn't look bad really. Just have button hole and buttons to add. I bort some cover it yourself buttons, so i'll give them ago as i think that would be the finishing touch. 

Do you think its worked? Not bad for a piece of fabric which set me back a whole £1!!!

Blogger award

Get me! i've been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award by Rae of Felt by Rae. 

That very kind of you my dear, many thanks.

There are rules to this award and they are as follows:

• Add the button to your blog
• Thank the blogger who awarded you
• Mention 7 random things about you
• List the rules
• Pass the award on to 15 amazing blogs
• Inform each of them  by leaving a comment

Now for the random things about me...

1.      I dissected humans at university

2.      I research gum disease!

3.      I once ate a terry's chocolate orange in 1 min and 34 seconds (each segment individually) but still didn't win the race!

4.      I used to peel the skin off of peas before i would eat them

5.      I lack tack (i have foor IN mouth disease!)

6.      I bake a mean chocolate cake

7.      I'm mildly obsessed with doctor who!

Blogs:

ok, 
this is the bit i'm rubbish at, so many blogs... and most of the ones i like have been awarded this already... 
Give me a few days and i'll up date this.

Trying something.

I tried something yesterday. I made a pattern for a frock for tiny! 

The bodice is based on one from a different frock but its been tinkered with, i'm giving it a circular skirt (although that may just lead to huge amount of knicker showing twirling!), and i'm trying a collar and some little cap sleeves (the collar and sleeves can be left off it they look rubbish.

I even ventured to cut it all out! didn't used the fabric i'd thought i'd use as it a one way pattern and wouldn't work for the circular skirt, but i found something that looks ok in my stash (and it was a cheap buy so if it all goes wrong i won't fret over it!).

You never know i may get it done over the weekend and have picture for monday! (although having said that i now know i have zero chance of getting it done!)

And for your entertainment, here is my lad with his 'creations' from yesterdays holiday club - an evil alien and some space ships!

creating.....

What ho all,

Yesterday was spent creating, but not with fabric (i was just too tired to even lift the scissors last night, or watch big fat Gypsy weddings!!!!!!! but not tired enough to stop me eating icecream)

I took the children to Bruton park in Solihull (along with a friend and her lass who's the same age as my lad). They have a nature centre in the park and yesterday they were making kites. 

Bin liner, sticks, sticky tape and string (plus a bit of cardboard loo roll and a paper clip). Tiny had lots of help from me (although i did have to resist the call of the coffee shop!) but my lad did it all himself.

Off they went to fly them

This involved lots of running from them while i me and my chum sat on our backsides with coffee! My idea of a great time in the park! After some duck feeding and loads more playing/climbing/screaming etc etc we went home.

For christmas my husband got me this...

I adore doctor who but i'm quite sure he had smaller people in mind when he purchased this! Mixing the goo is tricky, i tried twice and ended up with lumps in it both times. The lumps were smaller the second time and after lots of mixing (and a few muttered rude words) it was put into the mould by the lad.

Here is the 'flesh' doctor who that we made and tiny is showing a solidified goo blob!  (and a rather natty hand knitted cardy that my mum made for her)

Despite me being tired they still seemed to have boundless eneregy (where do they get it from???? why won't they share it with me?) so they went outside on their skates and hit each other with hockey sticks played nicely togeather.

i stayed in the kitchen with a nice warm cup of tea, watching them from the window (i do love them but i lack the urge to go and stand outside getting very very cold whilst comentating on their game!)

Tiny has now gone to stay with my parents for a couple of days and the boys are out tonight so i have a clear carpet to get some fabric out and do some cutting.

Weekend catch up..

Ok here is a weekend catch up .....
 Friday was wild west day

on the way to school Tiny saw a 'Mingo' (this is what she calls flamingos). It was a heron but she insisted it was a grey mingo, probably a baby who has lost its mummy!

I managed to finish off some fridge magnets, i'll be lucky if we don't have to keep ALL of them! (tiny again!)

And i finally got tiny to model that frock - i think she looks cute, but then again, i am her mummy!

Fridge love

What ho,

 Well after all that cowboy making i've switched to something different. I'm having a try at fridge magnets!

This is my first attempt. Tiny adores it of course but, she said, it would be better in pink! thats small girls for you!

I've got a number more cut out, in different colours which i think i may decorate with some buttons. 

It is interesting sewing with a magnet, it keeps sticking to the machine, and i keep fretting that i'll trash my lovely machine cos the magnets will injure it some how!

Anyway, i'll show you some more when they are done!

Continuing the cowboy theme.....

 Last night was a continuation of all things cowboy. The outfit is now finished but i won't show you it complete till after wild west day! (and yes I've already started plotting Tinys outfit for when she has wild west day in about 2 years time!)

After making a poncho for the lad (from a freebie brown fleece blanket my mummy had) there was a bit left over so i made a waistcoat type thing. Not fancy in anyway but it will keep my friends lad a tad warmer!

Here it is modelled by my sons shirt! He has 3 checked shirts and has selected this one. The others are now on their way to another friends house as i suspected (correctly) that 6 year old girls do not, in general, always have checked shirts!

I then (after a visit to the land of Internet for design features) made holsters for his colts/peacemakers/plastic guns!

I didn't think they were bad but this morning he seemed wholly unimpressed. Perhaps he'll like them when they are on!

Ye-Ha etc

cowboy spurs -tutorial

Ye-ha! My lad has wild west day on friday at school so being slightly mad i said i'd make him some spurs! So if for some reason you ever need a set i'm giving you this tutorial!

You'll need:

Bottle caps

Wire,

Bodge tape (also called gaffa tape) or foil and tape/glue

Ribbon or string

1: Take bottle caps and remove from bottles (you may now drink the contents but i don't suggest continueing till the next day!)

these were from the very lovely 'other helen' who has a chum who brews beer - cheers!

2: put a hole in each cap - roughly in the centre. i used a nail and a heavy thing!

3: measure out approx 50cm of wire (this does kiddy spurs ~size1 uk, you may need to increase or decrease). Thread on 2 bottle caps so the 'frilly' bits sit togeather, and bend the wire in half.

4: Bend each side of the wire back on itself, and twist togeather, leaving a loop at the end that is away from the caps

 

5: now cover the wire in bodge tape - (or foil). I used tape because it covered up the 'sharp' ends of the wire.

6: twist the wire together just next to the caps

7: now shape the wire round the cowboy boot (or whatever your cowboy/girl is going to be wearing)

8: Thread ribbon/string through the loops, and run it around the boot/shoe and tie it up

yi-ha you now have spurs!

Ride-em cowboy!