I will sew again.

My fingers have started itching again... The urge to sew is returning 2 1/2 weeks post baby. I seem to be losing weight more rapidly than I did after giving birth to Bell so maybe soon I'll start work on my spring/summer wardrobe.

During my brief hospital stay I received some very nice comments on Desmond's green blanket (pictured in my last post). I love snuggling up with him for a breastfeed under it... it's so darn warm and was incredibly easy to make. I think I want to make more.

I might also dip my toes into the swimming pool of sewing again by 'jazzing up' (is that a totally Kath & Kim expression or what?) some of Desmond's boring old wraps with some applique.

The community nurse who visited me when Des was a week old convinced me she was impressed by some of the handiwork I have lying around... I can only imagine what she'd say if she read some of the blogs I worship. It was nice to have someone say nice things though and a little inspiring. She got a kick out of Bellana's ghoul family and thinks I should do a market stall. I want to make Bell a ghoul t-shirt.

Look at what I made...

Desmond Murray Fletcher 9lbs 3oz - born 17 July 2009 at The Wollongong Hospital at 11:24 am after a 2 1/2 hour (induced) labour.





He feeds ALL the time, and is a really big baby! We are all in love with him and getting used to having a fourth in our little family.

D...

Dear Baby D,

You are now 6 days overdue!

Hey baby, I want to meet you! We all do.

And I sort of want my body back so I can start on my spring/summer wardrobe!

You will be here by Friday at the latest... so I'll wait patiently until then.

Love Mama

Addicted to Applique and Blanket Stitch

I love blanket stitch. Something about it relaxes me.

After months of searching Spotlight's shelves I finally found the elusive iron-on adhesive... Heat'n'Bond. Ever since, I've been addicted to applique. I'm using up fabric scraps to make cards and finding all sorts of things to embellish. I made a headband, inspired by these, only I made the band slightly narrower. I used my old favourite jeans for the band, appliqued a couple of leaves and added a ladybug button.

Black Apple doll: finished

There are pictures to post, but my camera is packed in my hospital bag, ready for the moment baby D decides to make a move. Due date was yesterday so it could be any time now!

Once I finish my huge pile of works-in-progress I plan on creating my summer wardrobe. It would be so nice not to buy anything other than the odd op-shop item or fabric bargain. Because I'm a fan of lists, I'll have to start one. Here are 2 projects that I'm excited to try:

Peasant Blouse

T-shirt into ruffly cardigan

Some Gift Ideas

Finally finished my Black Apple Doll last night during Masterchef (go Andre!). She just needs to be photographed and wrapped and then she's ready to go into my hospital bag as a gift for Bell from her baby brother. She was completely handstitched - I kept my stitches really small and used strong thread. Hopefully she's robust enough to be Bell's playmate. She'll make an appearance on the blog soon. Now that she's complete, maybe I can go into labour.

Over the next few days I'm going to try and make these gorgeous headbands:

I had my hair cut pretty short recently and since I'm too time poor (or lazy) to blow dry it, these will be perfect. I reckon they'd also make really cute Christmas gifts so I'm going to add them to my list. Check out the link and enter the competition to win those actual headbands!

Here is my list of tutorials for potential gifts so far:

Awesome Fabric Headbands - pictured above, by Rae Gun Ramblings.

Felt - brooches, hairpins, sachets, mobiles - by Lupin

Roadtrip Pillowcases - by amazing mae. It's a shame I did pillowcases last year. These would have been perfect to give to my stepsisters. I'm going to have to find a reason to make them anyway.

Child's travel pillow - Cute as cute can be!

More soon.

Monster Madness

06 - Mema. Made for myself and probably my favourite of all.

07 - Arona. Made for a Star Trek and X-Files fan (just like me!). He's lumpy because I filled him with fabric scraps instead of poly-fill.

08 - Bertro is a bit of a hustler and a big fan of Terry Pratchett.

09- D'dot - Canadian monster for my Canadian husband.

10 - Sheila's monster soaks up some sun at the park with D'dot. I had an abundance of cot sheets. I couldn't let the cute fabric go to waste. I just had to cut it up (more of her next time).

Lying Awake at 3am

If I'm unfortunate enough to wake up anytime in the 3 'o'clock hour I find it incredibly difficult to get back to sleep... at least until 4.

I think about things that need doing. I think about food. I think about sewing. I am already planning out Christmas gifts... and with 2 kids I'm going to need to start sewing right about now. I loved giving handmade gifts last year - I think everybody on my list received at least one handmade item. Not only are handmade gifts special for the the receiver, they are rewarding for the giver. It's satisfying to see someone enjoying something you've made... and it is very budget friendly! I need to start writing down my ideas and without giving anything away I'll blog them and post any tutorials I find...

And...

I'm a winner!