One more sleep to go....

Tomorrow morning I head off on a girls road trip.

I'm heading to Sewjourn, Lancefield ,Victoria to spend the weekend with The Crafty Mamas. We have plans for crafting, eating and laughing.

On the way there I'm picking up Tas from Adelaide and we are stopping a night at Bendigo. Where we have plans of spending up at the Bendigo Woolen Mills.

I won't be home until Tuesday, six child free days. Five nights of uninterrupted sleep!

Michael

Michael likes mummy's Banana and choc chip muffins!
I love this high chair, the best we've owned.
It's from IKEA.
Molded in one piece so no nooks and crannies for the food to gather in.
Really easy to wipe down.The tray pulls off so you can scrub it in the sink.
Without the tray you can push the chair to the table.
Michael likes to sit at the table with us.
The legs pull apart for easy storage. And it is cheap!

Trying not to get too excited....

I had an ultrasound today.
There's a sac in my uterus which contains an embryo with a heartbeat!
My doctor warns me not to get too excited yet as I am 42 and the chance of a miscarriage is greatly increased due to my age.

Pinwheel Scones - Easy school lunch

These are a favorite in my kids lunch boxes.
A great alternative to sandwiches
Quick to make, 10 minutes to make and 15 minutes to bake.

Ingredients

2 cups of SR Flour
3 tablespoons of margarine or butter
approximately 3/4 cup of milk
Handful of chopped ham
Handful of grated cheese
Approximately 1/2 a cup of Tomato paste or pasta sauce or pizza sauce.

Method

Put the flour in a bowl and give it a stir with a whisk to add some air.
Rub in the butter/margarine.
Using a spatula cut in the milk, you want a firm dough not sticky at all.
I use my hands to work the dough together and give it a quick knead.
Roll the dough into a long rectangle.
The dough should be about 5mm thick.
Spread the rectangle with the sauce.
Sprinkle on the cheese and ham.
Roll it up and slice it 1.5cms thick.
Place on a baking tray.
Top a little cheese on the scones
Put in a very hot oven for 10-15 mins.

Now you have to resist eating them!

Re-constructed Bum Genius nappy to Pull ups

Lindy, about 18 months ago, passed along a pile of Bum Genius nappies that needed a little repair work. I never did get around to doing the repairs but I have found a new use for them.
I've remodeled them into pull ups for Lilly.

I unpicked the nappy, which took a while. re-cut the soaker so it was thinner. making the inside narrower than the PUL means the PUL will roll to the inside when I sew the pieces back together.
I added the leg elastic to the PUL on the seam before turning the nappy to the right side again.
I chopped off some of the wings and made a tube of ribbing. Adding casings at the back and front for the elastic which I threaded and secured at the ends of the wings.

I inserted the ends of the wings into the ribbing and top stitched them together.
Now Lilly has another pull up for nights and it didn't cost me a cent.

Thanks Lindy!

I don't like sewing PUL

Lilly has started wetting the bed at night again.
I think because she sleeps heavy as she no longer has an afternoon nap.
She's got a little big for my fitted nappies so I have made her a pair of pull up nappy pants.

I bought this pattern back when Lilly was toilet training.
The pattern is Potty Dance Pants from Darling Diapers.

I don't like sewing PUL it's a real pain, it never feeds well.
I used some French Terry as the inside fabric and Hemp as the absorbent fabric.

I didn't get the elastic stretched right in the legs either, but it will do.

As a first go at sewing these it's probably not too bad.
I need to order some more PUL from my friend Jodie at Nappies Covered to make Lilly another pair.

Michael has never worn a disposable nappy. I'm rather proud of this. We have traveled and still managed to keep him entirely in cloth.

It's lucky I haven't given my newborn stash away....... ;-)

Playing with My camera - super macro

The first Camillia of the season.
So beautiful.

The lavender out the front of the house.

We pulled out the geraniums that were struggling and planted lavender it's a drought tolerant plant.

Binding with Bias - METHOD ONE - machine and hand

There are a few different methods of apply binding to finish the raw edges of garments. No one method is 'right'. Like most things in garment sewing there is more than one way to do this. You may even have a different one to the ones I'm about to explain. People seem to get so caught up with the 'right' way of doing things! The right way is the one you like best and works for you!

The main function in applying binding is to neaten and finish an edge so that it does not fray with wear. The reason we use bias cut strips is because bias stretches and will sit better on curves as it will stretch to fit them.

All my samples here are done on the straight but are also applicable for working around curves. Although for apply bias to curves I recommend you pin as this helps to stop it puckering and distorting. As the bias is sewn the foot and feed dogs can cause the bias to feed unevenly resulting in puckers. Using a walking foot to apply bias will also help to prevent it stretching out and puckering.

METHOD ONE - machine and hand stitched.

Apply the bias to the right side of the fabric.

Open up the commercial bias and line up one edge to the raw edge to be bound.
Sew along the crease with a straight stitch
I find I can sew straighter when I can see where I am going so I use an open toed straight stitching foot to apply my bias. On my Bernina this is my 1/4inch foot. (no37)

A Tip From Sara said...Tracy, I've been reading through these quickly, so might be commenting on the wrong method, but I was going to say that I use foot #10 and line the blade up with the edge of the bias and then I move the needle over however far I want the stitching to be. Works really well with bias. This is how the lady at the Bernina shop told me.



Fold the bias over the edge and hand stitch it to the machine stitching you applied it with.
I use a whip stitch when I do this and usually space it to every third machine stitch.

Pros..
It's very neat from the front as no stitching is visible.
I tend to get this right the first time. When I apply with the machine I sometimes miss catching the bias which means I have to unpick sections and rework.

Cons
Some don't like the look of the hand stitching at the back.
It can get caught and pulled.
It takes longer to hand stitch the binding than machine it.

Binding with Bias - Method two - machine -back first

Apply the bias to the back (wrong side)of your fabric.
Open up the bias and line the edge with your raw edge to be bound
Sew along the fold of the bias.

Fold the bias to the front.
Now straight stitch just along the edge of the folded bias.

(you can click on the photo to get a better look)

An option for this method is to use a decorative or zigzag stitch to catch the bias down.

Pro's
Quick
You can see as you sew that you are catching the binding down. Unlike with the method 3.

Con's
If you aren't good at sewing a straight line it looks messy.
The stitching is clearly visible on the binding.

Binding with Bias - Method 3 - machine -front first

Applying bias to the front (right side) of the fabric first.
Open up bias, line up the edge with the edge of the fabric.
Most commercial bias binding has one side folded slightly bigger than the other to make this method a little easier.
The edge you line up to the edge you want to bind should be the one that is a little smaller.
Sew along the crease of the bias with a straight stitch.

Now fold the bias to the back.
The loose edge of the bias is underneath.
You need to roll the bias to the back so that there is more bias at the back than the front.
This time we sew the bias down from the front.
Along the ditch created by the previous stitching.
Use a thread that matches your fabric not your binding.

Pros
This method is neater than Method 2
It can be quick.
It can be very neat as the stitching becomes hidden in the ditch.

Cons
Fiddly
I often miss catching the binding at the back. Resulting in either unpicking and re sewing or sewing the missed section by hand.

Binding with Bias - Method 4 - Flipping the lot

With this method the bias is flipped to the front, instead of folding over the edge. This exposes more of the bias resulting in a wider edge.
A seam allowance need to be added to the edge to be bound with this method.

Start by lining up the edge of the binding with the back (wrong side) edge of the edge to be bound.
Sew the bias on along the crease (as in the other methods)

Fold the entire bias to the front.
Press the bias and edge for a neater finish.
Top stitch the bias with a straight stitch along the edge.

This method of binding can be done by sewing from the right side or wrong side first.
This method is often used to finish hems.
If sewing from the front first you can use tiny hand stitches to apply the bias from the back as you would for hand stitching a hem.

Binding with Bias - Method 5 - Bias strips - double fold

All bias means is that the strip is cut on the diagonal grain of the fabric. The diagonal grain of the fabric is called the bias. You can make your own bias for binding edges and you don't need to buy one of those fancy binder makers either.

These strips were cut on the bias using a ruler and rotary cutter.

This is the double fold method.



Fold the bias strip in half and press well
A strip greater than 1.5 inches is needed as folding the strip in half narrows it.


On the wrong side of the fabric place the raw edges of the bias to the edge to be bound.
Sew with a quarter inch seam along the raw edge with a straight stitch.
Fold the binding over the edge and topstitch it down with a straight stitch.


You can also apply a double fold to the front of the fabric first and fold it to the back and hand stitch it down or machine stitch it in the ditch from the front.

Pros
A thicker edge which wears better. This type of binding is mostly done on quilts and blankets.

Binding with Bias - Method 6 - Bias strips -neatened

Binding with bias strips is easier than commercial bias. In my opinion. I can cut the bias strips in my preferred fabric and thickness.

This method involves neatening one edge of a bias strip.
I use 1.5inch strips for this method.

You can choose to neaten the strip in a number of ways.
By folding it over and straight stitching or zigzagging it.
Or even by just giving it a really good press.
It is important not to stretch it or distort it too much.

Place the un-neatend edge to the raw edge right side up.
Sew a straight stitch with a quarter inch seam.
Fold the strip to the back and stitch in the ditch from the front.

Pros...
You can use any fabric.
It's neat
You are less likely to miss catching the binding as the part flipped to the back is bigger.

Cons
Takes more time to prepare.

Mother's Day

I had a beautiful Mother's Day.

My children brought me breakfast in bed. I was showered with handmade cards, with poems that made me cry. Handmade gifts of a mug coaster and a pencil with a face on top decorated with grey hair like mine. I was given craft magazines to curl up in bed and read. Quilting books to inspire me and fabric to stroke and admire. Everything was so beautifully and thoughtfully chosen.
Fern made me a cup of tea, after being taught how to make one by Pete the night before. She's very proud of her tea making and has been offering me cups of tea all day.

I'm very blessed to be a mother.

Liam's poem

I have a Secret....

My mum has God's hands, she gives me hugs with them.
My mum has God's ears, she hears me sing a song.
My mum has God's eyes, she sees me playing DS when I'm not supposed to.
My mum has God's body, she grew me in her tummy.
My mum has God's mouth, she tells me to eat my beans so I am healthy.

There have been a lot of posts on blogs today about Mother's day.
You must go read Stitch Sista Sit's, Stich Sista Knits. This one has touched me the most. I think I could have written it. It made me cry, it is so honest and truthful and comes from a true mother's heart. Thank you for writing it.

Port Broughton

Today is Saturday.

It's Netball season, Fern and Rose play. Each week the hosting town changes. This week we traveled to Port Broughton. The Netball and Football competitions are programmed together. If we had boys playing football they would be over on the footie oval while the girls are over on the netball courts. It's a very social day. The mums and dads either sit in their cars watching their boys play footie or are standing at the netball court, freezing, cheering on their girls. It's a nice feeling of community.

Port Broughton is a pretty little seaside town. With playgrounds on the foreshore. After netball we made our way down to the beach. We enjoyed fish and chips overlooking the pretty bay. The kids played on the equipment. A couple of other Jamestown families were also enjoying the day. It's a little commercial boost to each of the towns.

I've been playing with my camera. I still haven't learnt to use it properly. More laziness than anything. I was chatting to some friends who suggested I should get a good camera for shooting photos for the Lilly Apron Pattern I'm writing. They advised me to get an SLR.

I'm a total techno-illiterate. I repeated the conversation to Pete and he looked at me with pity and smiled. "Tracy ..you have a camera as good as a digital SLR!" He bought me a digital camera for my 40th a couple of years ago. A Canon PowerShot S3IS. I only ever use it on auto as I'm afraid to touch all those buttons and dials.

It has a adjustable lens that makes things look close up.

This boat was off in the bay.

Can you see the boat out there on the bay? That's the one in the photo above.

I asked Pete, what does ISO mean? It keeps coming up in view finder.

It's a film speed says Pete. "Huh?" says I, "but I thought this was a digital camera?"

Oh dear, I have a lot to learn. It's lucky this camera just works on automatic isn't it?

One Day Beret

Pattern: One Day Beret a freebie :D
Yarn: Sorbet by Moda Vera

The yarn was given to me by Liz in a Crafty Mamas Swap

Longies for Michael

Yarn: Hand dyed Knittery Merino
Made for: Michael
Pattern: My Own
Needles: 4mm Addi Turbos 30cm and 40cm circulars

It's starting to get cold.
Sitting and knitting in the warmth appeals more than sewing in the shed.

Landscape dyes: Wallaby, Sturt's Desert Pea and Marine