Busy Busy!

From time to time, I have a period of a couple of months or so in which I have lots of sewing to get done, and no time to write about it. This April and May have been very busy months, after a March devoted almost exclusively to making maternity clothes. A lot of catching up to do, as well as projects I wanted to get done before my new grand-daughter makes her appearance very soon. I've had no time to blog about these projects while in progress - that will have to wait till later. A few examples out of 20 things on the list. 

If you are interested in what was on my list (now completed) which kept me from the blog for a while, read on!


1) Re-do the seams on the pink maternity trousers (the seat seam of which had proved not strong enough for an active mother-to-be)

2) Make some new protectors for the seat belt straps in the baby seat - one had been lost, so I made a new pair. Actually, I might make some for my car. I'm quite short and the seat belt abrades my neck a bit. So I sometimes use a scarf round it to stop the rubbing. This would work better!

3) Cot quilt for the new baby - all the other girls already have quilts, so it seemed only fair!

4) New Izzy dress for Fleur in size 5 (she's 3 and a half, but tall) - more here:

5) New Izzy dress for Jane in size 4 (she's 3 and a bit). (More here.)I do particularly like this photo, as she'd not only wearing the dress I just made, but she's wearing on her back a rucksack I made her - you can just see the straps -  and carrying the holdall for her doll's clothes that I also made. Oh, and the sunglasses were a stocking present at Christmas.

6) A knit top dress in a pale rust zig zag fabric for Rose - size 3 - she's 2 and a half - the Suncadia pattern 

7) A kimono style onesie in lilac striped jersey knit using the House of Estrela pattern  for the new baby

8) A kimono for the new baby in pale blue flannel with puppies, from the Carewear pattern 

9) Another maternity top with short sleeves also using the pale rust zig zag T shirt material - this time planned also as a breast-feeding top, with a front opening placket. It doesn't look much hanging up, but it looks nice on. And is very practical.

10) A cotton breast-feeding cover-up in navy

11) Enlarge the Widi dresses I made for Jane and Fleur last year. Both are still plenty long enough, but getting a little tight round the shoulders

12) and 13) A baby dress (on the right below) based on the rickety rackety pattern, with a pink bodice and yellow and pink elephants material for the skirt; and a dress in the same fabrics (reversed) for the new baby's older sister (Jane) using a heavily modified version of the Cutting Room Floor peplum top pattern. However, as the Cutting Floor web site doesn't seem to support its own free patterns any more, I can't recommend that particular pattern.  I can suggest others that would work if you contact me.

14) Sunglasses case (nothing to do with babies or pregnant mummies or grand-daughters - those were for ME!)

15) Romper suit for new baby based on the Dana Made It diaper cover pattern - intended to be 3-6 months 

16) Make a pair of my daughter's maternity jeans into maternity shorts - it's too hot for jeans now, especially when you are over-heating - no picture of the finished job!

17) Run up a quick maternity skirt for same (using left over trouser top from Burda pattern that didn't quite work)

18) A tiny circular skirt to go with bought peach and turquoise onesies in 3-6 month size

19) In a similar vein, a tiny dress from the Summer Breeze pattern in 3-6 months, to go with the bought onesies

20) 2 small summer quilts so the grand-children have something to sleep under when they stay in a couple of weeks time

Whoosh! Even though I knew I'd been busy, I didn't realise how busy till I wrote it all down. 

Sadly, (7) and (8) may already be redundant. I'd been preparing for another early arrival, so these were in tiny sizes. But it doesn't look as if the baby will be that early, or that small now! But I'm sure the NICU unit will be grateful for unworn donations of premature baby clothing.

Now to get some of these on the blog - whilst also continuing to make lots of things!