This year we have had two babies join our family already. They both live far away from us so I haven’t even met them yet, but I did make them both a Baby Shower blanket to snuggle in as they grow.
These blankets are one of my favourite things to make for babies. I love choosing a special feature fabric and the minkee backing is so soft and cuddly (and super fluffy and messy to cut and sew with!)
This one was made for baby Sebastian. I think the toucans are cool and the bright colours and geometric shapes don’t look too “little babyish”. And of course, you can’t go wrong with Lizzy House’s pearl bracelets fabric for borders!
And this one for baby Odette:
I’ve had this Ikea fabric for years so it was nice to finally put it to use. It is bright and fun and a little bit quirky. Both blankets are backed in soft, snuggly, smooth white minkee which feels lovely against baby’s skin.
SUPPLIES: Make It Perfect, Baby Shower creative card Dan Stiles, Safari Soiree, Toucan Tango Lizzy House, Pearl Bracelets in Verbena Ikea, Barnslig animal print Aneela Hoey, Sherbet Pips, Play Dot in Bubblegum
Over the last few years we have unintentionally started an Easter tradition of giving the kids a special new book with their Easter eggs. I don’t think I set out to make it a tradition, but I love new books and adding to our collection so Easter seemed like the perfect excuse to give the kids a new book each.
I pretty much always buy online so sometimes it can be a bit tricky to know exactly what a book is going to be like without actually flicking through it first. This year, when I was researching new books to buy for the kids I realised how much I rely on the recommendations of others when it comes to buying online and thought that it might be helpful to other researchers out there if I shared some of my favourite picture books too. Now, I’m a bit of a a sporadic blogger at the moment so I’m not promising too much, but here’s the first installment in my Favourite Children’s Books series…and it may very well be my last too if I don’t ever get around to writing another one!
The books I want to share with you today are by a French author, Herve Tullet and they are awesome. The first book I bought by Herve Tullet was actually at a bookshop (rare for me!) when we were holidaying in New Zealand last year. Herve Tullet takes interactive picture books to a whole new level – much more than a lift-the-flap, touch-and-feel or pop-up variety, Press Here is a super clever interactive picture book where the children are specific directions to follow, and the book responds with the turn of a page. My kids haven’t tired of this book and it has been read over and over again for the last year. From the first page the children are given specific directions like “Press the yellow dot and turn the page” and “clap your hands twice” – every time a page is turned, the dots change position, colour and size. Sometimes the lights are turned out and other times dots grow and grow and grow. It really is an amazing book where the kids feel in control and a little bit magical.
I also love that this book helps young children with fine motor skills, counting, learning directions (left, right, up, down) and they also learn how to follow instructions in anticipation of what will happen when the page is turned. It’s such a great concept and the story never gets old. After the success of “Press Here” I went on a hunt for other books by Herve Tullet. The next book we bought was “The Book With A Hole.” This book is huge and not so much a story to follow, but a platform for imaginative story telling, art adventures and play.
On each page, the children are given a simple black and white picture or image created around the hole in the book and are often asked a question – did the lady in the picture below eat too much?
What is the cat watching on TV? In response, children can use their imagination and carry the book around place images in the hole or draw pictures to create a scene which they can then insert in the hole. My kids seem most content popping their own heads in the hole! This is a really long book, heaps of pages, prompts and images to keep you going for ages and no two answers will ever be the same.
“Mix It Up” is another book similar to “Press Here” which focuses on colours – what do different colours make when they are mixed together?
Sometimes the children are asked to take an imaginary dab of paint from one colour and rub it on another…
Other times they shut the pages of the book together and squish colours together, when the page is turned the mixed colour appears – magic again! Like “Press Here”, “Mix It Up” is read over and over again and is great for learning colours and learning what colours are made when mixed together.
“The Game Of Finger Worms” is another book with a hole, this book is a board book so suited to babies and toddlers and you are instructed to draw a little face on the tip of your finger before playing. The text is very simple, the highlight is the surprise of popping your finger through the hole and wriggling it around. It always creates laughter with the little ones and they like to poke their fingers through the holes too.
And the final Herve Tullet book in our collection is “The Game Of Let’s Go!” Similar to “The Game Of Finger Worms,” this is another board book aimed at small children. To be honest, we haven’t really got into this book like we have the others but if you have a very imaginative child (or adult) who is into telling stories in your family, then I can see how it would be a lot of fun.
The first page of this book gives instructions but the rest of the book is without words. Instead, on each page there are raised green pathways to follow (they are kind of velvety-feeling) and you are supposed to trace the lines with your finger whilst closing your eyes and coming up with a story to match along the way. It definitley has potential, but you have to be in the right kind of mood and we haven’t really latched onto this book yet.
I think you can tell we are huge Herve Tullet fans around here, and if you are looking for a new, special picture book for some littlies in your life, then I highly recommend his collections!
(I wrote this post because I wanted to – nothing sponsored and no one gave me anything, I just think this guy is pretty awesome!)
I’m almost to the end of my un-blogged sewing projects. Like these three tops. The change of season always brings around “wardrobe crisis” – usually in the category of tops. Last year’s are tired, worn out or I just need something fresh and new – you get it, right?! Plus ALL of my knit tops end up with a couple of little holes right in the front, a few inches above the hem. I have no idea why, but more often than not I am getting rid of tops because of these little pesky holes! Does that happen to you? So frustrating!
So, for this top I used my Skippy dress pattern, but didn’t add the skirt to the bottom. I love this style – it has a lovely relaxed fit, the half-sleeves are always a win and the kangaroo pocket in the front and gathered sleeve caps help set it apart from a regular tshirt.
After these photographs were taken and after I had worn the top a few times, I ended up taking off the hem band and shortening the length a bit to make it more snug around my hips. It has a much nicer fit now. This fabric was purchased from Ixat (no longer avaliable) and I originally bought it as a “boy-friendly” print with intentions to use it for one of the boys but it was quite lightweight and I thought it would suit an adult better than a child so it became mine!
And another one of the same…Skippy dress turned into a top. This fabric is also from Ixat (also out of stock), but much thicker and with a better recovery than the arrow print and you can see how much that effects the way the finished top looks. Knit fabric varies so much, using different fabrics for the same pattern can give it a totally different look.
All of the trims and bands for this top were made using a really good quality black jersey with great stretch and recovery. The waistband on this one was cut exactly the same size as the one in the arrow top but it much tighter here because of the recovery (how much it “bounces back” when you stretch and let it go) of the fabric. Unless you have someone to guide your sewing decisions, sewing with knits is a real trial-and-error process until you get to know what is going to work, how things will turn out with different fabrics, etc. I loved this fabric uncut, but it is pretty “out there” as a top! I have to be in the right mood to wear it and have actually changed the sleeve bands from the solid black fabric to the triangle print to try and tone down on the contrast so much but I’m not sure that was the best move?!
And the last Spring top make is using a different pattern altogether! This one is the City Girl Top. I bought it during a sale from Pattern Anthology a long time ago and hadn’t used any of the patterns yet so thought I needed to at least give one of them a try!
The fabric I used was purchased on clearance from Crafty Mamas, it was really cheap so I thought it would be good for a trial-run before cutting into a more expensive fabric. I think I would like the top more in a solid print, but the fit is really nice – very comfortable to wear as it is nice and loose and flowy, but the cowl neck and pleat in the front are just enough “extra” to give it a more dressy rather than casual look.
So, now we are half-way through Summer (although it doesn’t feel like it some days!) and I have Summer wardrobe crisis going on! Need to sew some short-sleeved tops and a swimsuit or two ASAP!
I just realised that I have a new pattern which hasn’t been officially shared on the blog – shocking! This pattern was released with One Thimble magazine (an Aussie-run PDF e-zine), just as we moved house and then we were without internet with over a month so I didn’t had a chance to give it time to shine until now!
If you are new to sewing or just looking for a project which you can quickly sew for yourself or as a gift for friends, then look no further than the Festival Skirt.
Refresh your wardrobe with a Festival Skirt. A timeless style you’ll be finding an excuse to wear often. The super comfy and versatile (yet stylish) elastic waistband is a relaxed alternative to fixed waistbands, zippers and buttons.
The Festival Skirt is an effortless wear with side pockets for a casual feel and a chic puffed skirt. Simply grab your favourite fabric and you’ll have one sewn in no time!
Sometimes you just need a quick, simple sew – right? This skirt is just that, but still oozes with style and funk! The Festival Skirt is great for Summer, easy to pull over your swimsuit at the beach or pool and keeps you nice and cool.
The Festival Skirt is designed to have a “puffy” finished look, because of the elastic waistband, the fit is quite forgiving so if you want a less puffy look to the skirt then just size down a bit or use a lighter fabric with a softer drape – such as double gauze, voile, lawn, silk or rayon. I have made a few of these skirts made from quilting cotton too and they result in a much more full skirt, but still just as great looking!
Truth be told, I’m still trying to get into the sewing groove…it always takes awhile to find the time during the Summer school holidays, but playing at the beach, working in the yard and hanging out with the kids have taken priority lately. And I like it that way.
I was cleaning out some folders on my computer last week though and found a few items of clothing that I have sewn and never blogged about – kinda helpful to keep the blog rolling along!
This is a Skippy dress I made awhile ago – I think this may be the first short-sleeved version I have shared on the blog?
I choose to go a solid chocolate brown for this one. A little more subtle than the loud prints I am usually drawn to. And it gets a good workout. As fun as it is to sew with bold prints, these plain basics are always the ones that are easy to pull out of the wardrobe without much thought in the morning.
I really love the gathered cap sleeve option on the Skippy dress. This sleeve is gathered both at the top and the bottom of the sleeve, creating a full and even puff. The edge of the sleeve is finished off with a thin band.
I’m determined to break my sewing fast today…whip up a few “needed” items then start work on a new pattern because it’s been awhile!
My kids haven’t tired of this book and it has been read over and over again for the last year. From the first page the children are given specific directions like “Press the yellow dot and turn the page” and “clap your hands twice” – every time a page is turned, the dots change position, colour and size. Sometimes the lights are turned out and other times dots grow and grow and grow. It really is an amazing book where the kids feel in control and a little bit magical.
The text is very simple, the highlight is the surprise of popping your finger through the hole and wriggling it around. It always creates laughter with the little ones and they like to poke their fingers through the holes too.
