BigMiss has been doing a lot of baking and cooking for me lately. So much so that I can't remember the last time it was actually me doing the baking!
She has a really good kid's recipe book that has clear step by step illustrated instructions and just does it all herself. (The other day she told me she was going to do some baking and I wasn't allowed to know what she was making or come in the kitchen - and I totally trusted her!)
So when I heard about a school holiday cooking program where the kids have to make dinner each night for a week I thought it would be just the thing for her. It's an online program that runs nationally and includes daily challenges with chances to win prizes.
The first day was yesterday and one challenge was to do a Random Act of Kindness involving food. BigMiss decided to make a batch of brownies for our neighbor (a nice single lady that works long hours). She took it over in the evening when we saw she'd come home from work.
And for dinner she made Chicken Couscous Pile Up which tasted absolutely delicious! It was couscous (we dressed it up with apricots, pumpkin seeds and red onion as the recipe just had it plain) with fancy lettuce on top, a crumbed chicken schnitzel on that and topped with chopped tomatoes and plum sauce.
Tonight it's going to be Beef (actually venison as that's all we have in the freezer) Fried Rice and the daily challenge is to do a themed over-the-top table setting. It will be interesting to see what BigMiss comes up with as she's spending the day at a friend's house today and will need to plan it all there!
I seem to be on a roll with the sewing lately.
I made this for the BigMiss over the weekend:
Well, actually just the skirt and leggings as I'd made the tee a week or so ago. (I think the tee makes the outfit look a bit busy - I didn't intend for it to be an 'oufit', she just put it on anyway.)
Pattern details:
Tee - Ottobre 3/2010 'Funky Sisters' design 31
Skirt - Ottobre 1/2011 'Indigo' design 18
Leggings - Ottobre 1/2011 'Cinnamon' design 17
Take one "unisex" (meaning: boy style) t-shirt:
Attack with an un-picker:
Add one "Funky Sisters" Ottobre* t-shirt pattern:
Mix it all together with a sewing machine:
I had to put the tag back in!
And you now have one very happy little girl!
The tee was a birthday present from J for BigMiss (from way back in June!) and it really was unflattering and big. She liked the idea of it, but didn't really like it so it got put in the drawer and forgotten about.
With the rearrangement of the bedrooms (when the carpet was finally in) there was also a rearrangement of the drawers and I found this tee back. J had originally said that I could 'just take it in at the sides', but this tee pattern was a better idea as I'd made it before and knew it looked good on BigMiss.
I'm very happy with the result and BigMiss has worn it every day after school, claiming it's her favourite t-shirt now!
*This is from issue 3/2010, pattern #31
BigMiss was invited to a surprise birthday party and was asked to make the birthday cake as her present.
After looking through the birthday cake books and not really choosing anything, I suggested making a number cake (the birthday girl was turning 10, which I figured was an easy number-shape to work with).
We made a chocolate cake, which she mixed up by herself - the recipe I always use is a 'put it all in the bowl and turn the mixer on' type which is really easy for kids!
The '1' got lollies put on randomly, but I suggested more of a pattern for the '0'
I let her choose a bag full of lollies from the 'pick-n-mix' at the supermarket to decorate it with and she wanted five different icing colours. She mixed the food colouring into the icing while I iced the cakes (she found it a little tricky to not mix the colours when putting it on).
She had great fun, and the birthday girl was impressed she had made it herself!
What do you think I do lots of when camping? (Besides getting sunburnt because I forgot to put sunscreen on.)
Knitting of course!
My latest - 'Sweet As...' ready for testing soon!
Though I think the sisters-in-law think I'm a bit crazy. I knit and frogged (un-did), knit and frogged, knit and frogged, then knit and frogged once more the same sleeve. I basically did one each day - each time I finished one the girls were in bed so I couldn't try it on to see how it looked.
But I had to get it perfect! (At least it was a short sleeve so it didn't take too long to do each time.)
It had to have just the right amount of 'puff'. Not too little (like the first one), or too much (like the second one), or started and ended wrong (like the third one) but just right!
Do you think I got it right?
In case you're wondering, the 5th sleeve was the one on the other side once I'd got the first one right!
Hi to all my new followers! And thank you to everyone leaving comments for my giveaway - it's really helping with design ideas!
There's still time to enter if you haven't already. I'll be doing the draw sometime tomorrow afternoon and will blog who the winner is straight away, so you have until I post again to enter!
Last week I did some tracing and cutting which has slowly been sewn together (as spare time appears amongst the mess that is our renovations). Today I finally finished!
These are the jeans I made for MiddleMiss. I used the 'Clarabella' pattern from the latest Ottobre magazine. When I got this issue and read that these pants are specifically designed for slim-hipped girls I knew it would be a well used pattern for me. MiddleMiss never fits any shop-bought bottoms (pants or skirts) unless they have adjustable waists and then they have to be so bunched up it's uncomfortable. Whenever I sew her pants/shorts/skirts I have to modify the pattern so much to fit (usually 2-3sizes difference between the waist/hip and length).
And, never one to make a plain pair of pants, I had to dress them up a little. The back pockets are just cut from some cotton I had in stash (I interfaced them to get more 'wear' out of them) with a strip of pink velvet ribbon across them. The front hip pockets are lined with the same fabric with the edge showing (kind of a faux-piping look) and the same ribbon to accent. All topstitching is done in matching pink, too.
They fit her perfectly and she hasn't taken them off all afternoon!
As the jeans only had the hems and belt-loops to sew, then the button to put on, I still had enough time left to finish off the other half done project.
This is using the same pants pattern, but cut down to short length.
Even though I had planned on sewing completely from stash, I ended up having to buy more thread for these shorts for BigMiss. But that's not too bad anyway is it?
I did the same with these back pockets also.
I could have done a size bigger for BigMiss as they're a little tight round the waist.
I think the problem though, is that the pattern is very high-waisted. These shorts fit LittleMiss also but the button can't be done up because it goes right across her belly button.
I'm going to change my traced pattern so the waist is 1-2" lower and see how that turns out. If I can get it right I think this will be a well used pattern for my girls!
Today has been very productive. For me, that is - nothing happened on the building front. They get a long weekend as they're waiting on more materials to arrive.
I spent the day holed up in my office keeping the sewing machines company.
It took me most of Tuesday to trace & cut a pile of patterns, then cut out the material for this t-shirt.
BigMiss is quite pleased with it.
I also made these easy bike-pants.
Artsy photo taken by MiddleMiss
I've been meaning to make some for the girls to wear under their school uniform for ages (little girls have no modesty when playing - or even just tying shoe laces!) I wasn't sure how the pattern was designed to fit, so only made one to see and choose what sizes to make each of them. This one fit MiddleMiss perfectly - without even having to put elastic in the top. (I'll see how it goes with wear as to whether I put any in.) I have to make a bigger size for BigMiss still.
Then LittleMiss felt she was missing out, so I spent the rest of the day cutting out and sewing up this top.
Excuse the still-half-asleep look
I'm not too sure if I really like it though. It seems too wide. It might end up going to cousin J for a birthday present in a couple of months time.
And yesterday I finally got around to blocking the top I finished knitting for BigMiss.
She had great fun posing for me!
I'm halfway through writing up the pattern for it, and already started on the prototype for the DK/8ply version.
Until our internet is back to normal speed that is.
I should be grateful, really, as I've spent less time than usual on the net since it's been so labouriously slow. But I've wanted to post about all the crafting I've been up to but can't bring myself to spend half a day waiting for pictures to upload.
Today is normally my child-free day (morning) but as my normal work days over the last two weeks have been interrupted by poor sick kiddies I'm spending it at work doing a little catch-up. And as I can connect up my laptop to the internet at normal speed while I'm here, I thought I'd also have a quick catch-up on what I've been making lately...
First up, I've been doing a test crochet for a lovely designer on Ravelry for a cute skirt pattern. I just finished weaving in the ends yesterday and took a few pictures to put up on my Projects Page:
This pattern is Coconut Ice due for release next month. I made it longer than the pattern says so it sits at MiddleMiss' knees. It's made in BWM Cotton 8ply in colours Teal and White.
Next up, I've been sewing a bit also. My step-dad's father passed away from cancer recently and Mum & P visited us over the weekend of his funeral. They bought a big box of clothes with them to sort through and put in the clothing bins and there was a fair amount of good quality woollen clothing that I had to keep. There were two knitted cardigans that looked hardly worn - great for unpicking. There were three heavy-weight jersey-type fabric cardigans that would turn into nice warm winter jerseys or jackets for the girls and there were two pairs of wool-mix dress pants.
So, two pairs of this (one a slightly darker brown than the other):
Turned into this:
A very nice dress for BigMiss who has been asking for a dress for the last two years! She likes it a lot, though I can't say the same for J - he thinks it looks like it's got a hoop in the hem when she wears it. I'm making a nice pink top to go with it so I'll get a modelled photo when I've done that too and you can give your opinion.
A close-up of the flower detail:
I couldn't buy anything decent to embellish it with so I just made a crochet flower and put beads at the centre.
The only other things I've been up to lately have been design/knit work on my own patterns some more. I finished the Amelia dress and am yet to write up the pattern for it. I've knit a little of (and frogged) the jersey for the prem twins, but have worked out all the grading for the pattern so just have to re-knit it and write the pattern as I go and it'll be ready for testing.
Here's a sneak peek at the Amelia Dress:
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