Surf Baby

sewing ambitions on hold

2012-09-05T22:15:00.001+10:00

My sewing ambitions are on hold at the moment as my 7 month old has not only started crawling but pulling herself up to stand and is trying to cruise. This new sense of freedom has has driving me slightly insane with all of the things that she wants to 'discover'. By discover i mean eat or destroy things that she shouldn't be eating/destroying....the tv and all electronics seem to be flavour of the month..oh and power cables....i swear she's going to zap herself one day. So i haven't had much free time to sew lately. But i have a few ideas i'd like to try out so stay tuned...i'm still alive

Bubble Skirt

2012-08-30T11:00:00.001+10:00

I'm not a huge girly girl and my daughter rarely has skirts or dresses on. I kind of think that at this age (7months) it just looks funny when they're learning to wriggle around and crawl and a dress or skirt is in the way. Harlow is learning to crawl at the moment and seems to get very excited with less clothing on her lower half, which allows her to manuver more easily around the house. Get her naked and she's off!

BUT! i found a really cute and fairly simple pattern for a bubble skirt. This lovely blogger mummy has given two different sizes for this design (and both happen to be too big of my skinny mini) so i adapted the design to her measurements.

This is the link to the gorgeous bubble skirt tutorial: Handmade Baby Clothes

I haven't had much practice sewing in a ruffle so this tutorial had me practising a few times before i actually attempted the skirt. I will admit that it isn't my best work and i didn't worry about cutting the fabric straight or sewing straight (something i need patience and practice doing!!) i just wanted to see how hard it was to accomplish! So even thought this isn't my best work, i'll share it anyway and hopefully make another one soon!!

Unfortunately it is a little too small for my bubba (i miss measured!) But i think it's adorable!!

Blanket and Pillowcase for bubba!

2012-08-30T10:37:00.003+10:00

Before i gave birth i was given a cute fleecy (non gender specific) blanket. I had my daughter Harlow in January during the middle of summer so all thick warm blankets were packed away for later.

3-4 months ago i pulled out the blanket and fell in love with it. I started to look closely at the design and realised it was quite simple and i could easily replicate it. So this little project is for a blanket and matching toddler pillowcase (which i'll make with the left over flannelette fabric)

It's pretty simple even for the most novice of sewers. I actually pre-washed all the fabric to prevent it from shirnking after i'd made it - plus i kind of think that by prewashing it i'll stop the fleece from pilling.

So you'll need:

1-2M of Fleece

1-2M of Flannelette fabric

Matching thread

When i went to spotlight they had a lot of flannelette on the clearance rack for $2.99 a metre so i bought 2 meters of each design and ended up with lots of pretty fabric for my stash! With the fleece i simple chose coordinating colours and went with 1M each. Fleece on a roll is doubled up so its quite wide. I made my blanket to fit my daughter cot (which eventually will convert into a toddler bed). You can either make one to fit a cot, toddler bed or something smaller for say a pram or floor/play blanket.

(PS im so going back this weekend to stock up on more flannel!)

Basically all you do is cut the the flannel and fleece out to your desired size then place the front of the flannel face down onto the fleece...sew all the way around leaving a 1-2cm edge (if you're need more space just trim the edges when you're done). Make sure you leave a gap big enough to flip your blanket right side out.

Once it's flipped right side out, fold the opening in and sew it shut, sewing a reinforcing edge around the whole of the blanket. You may end up with a better finish if you iron the blanket before sewing the reinforcing stitch to give it a smooth even look but i just sewed away (as i didn't have time to worry about ironing). It is also better to sew in a second reinforcing stitch to make it more durable but i don't like the look so i kept it simple :)

and dahdahhhh! you have a cute blanket! Great for winter :)

As far as the pillow case is concerned i simply copied one of my own. They're pretty simple to make (i think one of the first things i ever made!). I have a floor pillow for my daughter to lay on when she's having her bottle so this set will be for her play area - play blanket and matching pillow case :)

Stay tuned for more sewing adventures!

Embellishing Onsies

2012-08-19T09:34:00.002+10:00

So i read this fabulous blog about different ways to embellish onsies and it gave me some great ideas!

I just loved the idea of sewing a doily onto a plain white onsie. And much to my delight it was pretty darn easy. I decided to just practice on an old onsie that my girl has and i order a single pink doily off ebay for a few dollars.

There really wasn't much to it to be honest. You pin it in place (i chose to have it slightly wrapping around the side). Apparently you can machine sew it but i wasn't to confident doing that considering i only had one to practice on and my machine needs a bit of a service and an oil. So i hand sewed it up the center of the doily (trying not to stretch the fabric) then around the very edge, making sure there wasn't any loose flaps that could catch on anything my bub plays around (or wandering fingers could pull on).

and..........

the finished result is remarkable cute :)

There are a heap of other ideas on that blog so when im feeling a little lazy i might attempt another, but this one i'll definitely be repeating :)

Today's project involves the dreaded garden and the zillions of weeds that keep growing! (i have the least green thumb when it comes to gardening so good luck to me!)

xx

sewing with jersey...eeek!

2012-08-15T23:12:00.000+10:00

So me being me, wanting to jump head first into the most difficult of projects stumbled across this lovely little blog tutorial on how to turn one your old tee's into a baby/kiddy tee dress. Fabulous! This girls says it only takes her 15min or so to knock one up....looking through the tutorial it seems quite simple, so off i go measuring up, marking seems and pinning where im going to sew.....i get to the sewing machine and start to sew, halfway through i realise nothing i happening, there is no stitch or thread going through the fabric! what the?!?!?!

So after doing a little reading i realise sewing with jersey isn't as easy as it seems.

But thanks to one of my favourite blogger's Prudent Baby it doesn't seem too far out of my reach. Granted it will take a trip to Spotlight for some supplies and some practice, but im hoping to conquer the all feared art of jersey/knit sewing!

First Project - DIY Iron On Transfers

2012-08-11T15:10:00.001+10:00

So my first little project was experimenting with some iron on transfers and embellishing some onsies. They have turned out quite good but im still tweaking it and i do believe i need a new iron!

(i never iron....i mean never...i don't really know why i even own one - probably only for sewing. I only buy clothes that don't require ironing or require minimal amount of ironing!)

So to give you a run down on how i did this:

- First i bought some (rather expensive) iron on transfer printer paper from Big W
- Next i sourced some cliparts (i chose vintage ones that were so old they're now public domain and incredibly cute)
- Next was refilling my inkjet printer with ink (this process needs the highest quality photo print setting which uses a lot of ink)
- then i loaded the printer with the paper and printed away. Once it was printed i let it dry completely ( i waited about 5-10min)
- Next i cut out the transfers (not too close to the ink though as cutting into the ink will make it run when you iron)
- Lastly placement and ironing - i used a piece of cardboard between the front and back fabric, but you can use layers of newspaper too if you want (you have to use lots of pressure - as in puting your whole body weight into it when pressing with the iron, no actual ironing movements just lift and press careful not to burn your fabric!)

............and WALLAH! HEY PRESTO! you have your own unique looking onsie :)

Note: I recommend practising on an old t'shirt so you know how long to press for without burning but long enough to make sure the transfer occurs properly. If you try to peel the backing off and it sticks to the design, stop leave it and re-press!

Welcome!

2012-08-11T13:36:00.001+10:00

Welcome to my new blog!

After giving birth to my beautiful baby girl in January i have become inspired to sew and create things for her. I'm not the best sewer in the world and definitely take the 'learn as you go' approach to most things (but that's half the adventure isn't it?). I have to also credit other fellow bloggers for my inspiration, after reading about a number of other mummy bloggers who are truly gifted and fabulous sewers i decided i wanted to improve a skill i was taught as a child.

Like alot of people i learnt the basics in home economics at school, but i was also lucky enough to learn at home as well. But as i grew up my interests leaned more towards baking and cooking than sewing and craft.

About a year ago after getting pregnant i was given (on permanent loan) a sewing machine to use to make some things before she was born. But being pregnant and working the last thing i wanted to do when i got home was sew. All i wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep! Almost a year on and my baby is nearly 7 months old, i've settled into motherhood nicely. So now here i am ready to embark on a sewing and craft adventure!

I'm sure there will be plenty of ups and downs along the way but nonetheless i am looking forward to beginning!

xx
Shelley