Butterfly Longies - Custom finished.

I finished this pair of custom longies last night. I couldn't wait to get some photos this morning to show them off. They are custom made for a 2 year old. Mum doesn't use cloth but likes nice warm woolly pants,

They are knitting in Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic, hand dyed by me in mum's choice of colours.

There are short rows in the back to add a little extra bum room.
I didn't add as many as I normally add as these wil be worn over a disposable.

I embellished them with crochet butterflies and flowers.
Also made from Bendigo wool.

I made an i-cord as the waist tie and embellished it with flowers.
The flowers stop the icord being pulled through.

I loved making the butterflies.
I appliqued them to the longies and stitched on the bodies.

The cuffs are finished with a simple garter stitch.

I have three more custom knitted garments on the list and two quilts! Once they are finished I'll list a custom slot in the store.

Maternity Coat Vogue 1757

This is my entry into this months Crafty Mama Competition.
Great prize up for grab this month and lots of tough competition!

The cord came from the Craftymamas shop, it's beautifully soft.
The pattern is Vogue 1757 Maternity Career Wardrobe This is the swing maternity coat.

The Coat is lined with a vintage sheet. It's nice and warm. I managed to get the set in sleeves first time on both the outer and the lining!! Still a novel experience for me :D

I made another coat from this pattern 6 years ago. And love the style of it.

Another Baby dress.

Another Little knitted baby dress.
Pattern: Rollo a Ravelry link
Yarn: Anchorline cotton, Bendigo Cotton 4ply worked two strands together.
Needles: 4.5mm

The back is fastened with buttons.

The Golden Rule is not enough

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Also known as ethic of reciprocity.
Is such a beautiful rule, common across many cultures and faiths.

But it does not go far enough, in my opinion.

I was listening to one of my favorite Christian Songs this afternoon.
Go Do Something Beautiful
By Graham Kendrick

I can never listen to this song without smiling.
It lifts my heart, even when I'm angry, disappointed or sad.

It reminds me that it's not just about,
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
It's also about asking yourself ..

"Would Jesus do that?"

So.....
Go do something beautiful,
In the name of Jesus,
Do something beautiful.
Go do something Jesus would -
Do something beautiful.


It's what we do, not what we say that makes us followers of Christ.

Crochet Baby Sweater

Pattern: Crochet Baby sweater
Rav Link
Yarn: Bendigo cotton 4ply worked 2 strands together
Hook: 5mm


A quick little jacket.

Free Bandana Bib Pattern

I like the look of a Banadana bib.
Michael needs a bigger size than the ones I previously made.
I drafted a pattern for a larger version with a slightly curved neckline.
I scanned my pattern in and saved it as a PDF file to share with you.

Michael's Bandana PDF Pattern Click HERE
I've loaded the file to a free hosting service! so Should work now!

Start by printing out the pattern. Cut and tape the two pieces together

Cut two pieces using the pattern on the fold of the fabric.
The outer piece a printed cotton.
The backing an absorbent fabric such as flannel.


Lay the pieces right side together.
Pin them really well as the sides are on the bias and will stretch as sewn.
Sew around the outside leaving an opening where indicated on the pattern sheet.



Clip and grade the point, the curve and the rounded ends of the bib.
As shown in the photos above.

Turn the bib through the opening.


Press the bib well. Rolling the sides with your fingers to get them to sit nice.


Top stitch all the way around the bib.
I sewed 1/8 of an inch from the edge.
Sewing up the opening as you go.


Place your snaps or sew velcro to the rounded ends of the bib.
You may want to adjust the placement to suit your child.


Now go put it on your cute little dude!

My mum taught me to share when I was a child.
So I am sharing this with you!
I give this to YOU freely.
So please do not copy and sell this pattern, that is NOT nice and illegal.
You are welcome to copy and share this pattern freely with others.
You are very welcome to make items for sale from this pattern.

Any mistakes you find please let me know and I'll make amendments to the instructions and pattern.

I'd really love to see the Bandana you make with this pattern so please drop me an email!

Happy 7 th Birthday Liam

Happy 7th Birthday Liam.
Liam choose Burritos for his birthday dinner, which we all enjoyed.
For dessert we had Nan's chocolate cake, which Liam enjoyed decorating himself.

The years have gone by so quickly.
They are only children for such a short time.
I can still remember that first newborn cuddle.
I still remember the complete awe and joy of holding him in my arms for the first time.
I remember that wonderful newborn smell, our first feed.

I'll always remember the polite way he'd ask for a feed as a toddler..
"Booby, please mummy." He'd say as he climbed into bed with me.

He's growing into such a beautiful boy.
He's very loving and caring.
He adores being a big brother.
He's very clever and loves learning.

He may be one of six children but he is just as special and unique as any only child.
He may be in the middle of my brood but he's never lost or lacking in love and attention.

I feel so blessed and honored to call myself Liam's mum.

How will I be judged....

At the end of my life, I do not expect God to greet me with, 'Welcome good and faithful servant.'
I'm rather expecting I will be asked to account for my wrong doings.

Did you make the planet a better place to live?
Did you help your fellow man to overcome their pain?
Did you save the life of another?
Did you fill the belly of a hungry child?
Did you look after the earth's precious resources?
Did you hurt others?
Did you treat animals with gentleness?
Did you judge others?
Did you speak harshly of others?
Did you take anything that was not yours to take?
Did you act with compassion and love, even when you didn't feel like it?
Did you swindle the government?
Did you pay back your debts?
Did you return what you stole?
Did you lie?
Did you make amends for the hurts you did to others?
Did you tell the truth, even when you didn't want to?
Did you raise your hand in anger?
Did you judge others?
Is the world a better place because you have lived?

I believe I will be judged by my deeds not by how much I prayed. I think some of my answers may not be too pleasing.

But if I've left this world with children who can answer those questions with better answers than me, I'll be a proud woman. (we won't talk about the sin of pride!)

Wildlife in the Lounge

Cats are hunters and really don't belong in this country.
Saying that I have a cat! His name is Ollie. We got him because we had a problem with mice in the house. Since Ollie moved in we've had no mice, so he earns his keep.

But the down side is, he also kills wildlife. This time he caught a bird, unfortunately it wasn't a starling or a sparrow both of which are introduced pests.

Ollie brought his prey into the lounge and as I tried to rescue the bird Ollie let it go and it flew to the ceilings and perched on the reinforcing rods. I caught Ollie and evicted him from the house. Our ceiling are high and I couldn't catch the little bird. The cat got back into the lounge as the kids let him in, he was desperate to get back in and took the opportunity to continue the pursuit for his prey. So around the room flew the bird, the cat and I.

Ollie is an extremely good leaper and leapt about the furniture, climbing the curtains.

So the cat was chasing the bird, I was chasing the cat and the three of us raced around the lounge in a wild type of dance. It was probably very funny to watch!

Ollie was better at catching birds than I am at catching cats.
He caught his prey again and while he was distracted I caught him!
I think I rescued the bird in time.
I had the bird and the kids held Ollie, who was desperate to get his prey back!
I let the bird go out on the Bottle brush Tree.
As soon as I set the bird down on the branch it flew away.

Ollie is not happy with me!

Little Sister Dress

I've been baby knitting.
I fell in love with this little dress a while ago and really wanted to knit it.
Lilly is too big and I don't think Michael would appreciate it.
With another baby on the way I thought I'd take a gamble on the sex and knit this anyway.
If I end up with a little boy I'll gift this to a baby girl.

The dress is The Little Sister Dress a free pattern by Tora Frøseth
I had a few issues following the pattern.
Wool: Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4ply.
I had a few issues with the wool too.
I found it splitty to knit with.
It's a little hairy which makes the stitch definition uneven, blocking helped this considerable.
I embellished with three crochet flowers, stem stitched stems and lazy daisy leaves.
Needles: 3.5mm circular needle, this gave a slightly loose tension which I wanted to add a softer drape.

Bandana Drool bib

These are very easy to make.
There's a tutorial here.

A few tips to add.

• Make two at a time by cutting a square 12.5 inches and then cut it diagonally to make two triangles. Do the same for the backing fabric.
  
• Make the sewing and turning easier by rounding the corners of the ends that meet.
• Use snaps instead of velcro to fasten.

10 weeks 4 days Preggy Belly

Bub may be only the size of a small apple but my body must think he/she is already the size of a football! This is my seventh baby maybe my body is just assuming the postion!

Happy Birthday Your Majesty

Here in Australia we celebrate the Queens Birthday with a Public Holiday.
It always amuses me as in Britain they don't get a holiday.
Many in Australia believe it's time for Australia to ditch the Monarchy, but not me.
I like the tradition and don't think we need to prove we've grown up as a nation by ditching our Mother country.

Fern and I made Afternoon Tea to celebrate.

I didn't have time to bake a Victorian Sponge.
We had Scones with jam and Cream.
Tim Tam biscuits, because we are Australians after all!


Ribbon Sandwiches.
Even the kids tried them.
There was Smoked Salmon and Egg; Cheese, Ham and tomato;
Olive paste and Smoked Salmon; Prawn, Avocado and cream cheese; Ham and cream cheese; Cucumber and cream cheese and cheese and pickle.


Pete and I had tea from the little brown tea pot which was Peter's grandmothers.
The kids had Iced Tea.

I wore my 1914 Afternoon dress to celebrate.

The scones were a huge hit. I'm not sure the kids will want dinner after their Afternoon Tea.
James asked if we can do this every year. I think this may become a family tradition.

Oh my! Oh my! Am I spoilt or what?

I was browsing through our local paper today and what did I spy?

Someone selling a Bernina Artista 180 for.....$950!!

I've resisted buying an embroidery machine due to their price, but this was too much of a deal to resist.

The same machine is listed currently on Ebay for $2200!

It's in perfect condition, recently serviced by a service agent with an excellent reputation, with all service records included.

This is my very first attempt at using my snazzy new machine.
Oops I did the colours the wrong way around.
I'm so happy with my new purchase and can see many hours and years of happy sewing to come.

I'm back from retreat.

Back Row: Me, Tas, Peta, Sara
Front Row: Carolyn, TraceyH, Cinna, Indigo and Pobie

Travel Log:

Thursday 28th May

Left: Jamestown 5.30 am

Arrived: At Tas's place just after 9.30am back on the road by 10am

Arrived: Keith SA for a fuel stop and lunch at a great little bakery about 11.30am

Arrived: Kaniva, did a quick op-shop raid. Tas bought more than me! I picked up a couple of Top Kids magazines and a pile of vintage sheets. We won't discuss Tas's excesses in case Al (her DH) ever reads here. Back on the road.

Arrived Bendigo after 7pm. Mr Google got us lost and we had to pull over and get the laptop fired up to find our way to Rosa May Cottage. The cottage was fabulous. we felt very cared for by our host Dot. There was breakfast in the fridge, fresh flowers beside my bed, flowers in the bathroom, books and magazines to browse and the most amazing brass bed! I selected the bedroom beside the loo as any pregnant woman would do!

We went out for a walk to explore and find somewhere to eat. We fond a wonderful Thai restaurant housed in an old Colonial Bank building. Amazing building and food. We decided we loved Bendigo at this point. In bed by midnight after a nice hot shower in a claw foot bath.

Friday 29th May

We spent the morning exploring Bendigo and it's many delights. I was surprised how big Bendigo was. We first headed off to find the Woollen Mills, after a little Mr Googling and asking a couple of locals we tracked down the Mills and I happily raided the famous Back room. This time I spent more than Tas!

We headed back into town for a quick moring tea at the Bakery before heading off, on foot, to explore the town center.

The shopping is fabulous and I bought a book, natural Knits for babies and toddlers by tina barrett, from one of the book shops. Tas seems to have an internal compass for the best shopping and found a Shop called Doris that specialised in vintage clothing and another unique little shop called Bob Boutique, filled with handmade goodness and style galore.

After spending lots and grabbing a quick drink from a takeaway we got back in the car for the hour and a half drive to Sewjourn.

We arrived at Sewjourn just after 3pm. Tracey was there to greet us. Tracey co-ordinated our retreat and did a fantastic job. Thank you Tracey. Soon after we arrived along came Cinna, Peta and Sara. Carolyn, Suzanne and Indigo arrived towards dinner time.

We sorted out the sleeping arrangments.Both Tracey and I shared a cold so decided to keep our germs to ourselves by sharing a room. Tracey did her magic and got the heating working. We set ourselves up in the Studio and got down to work.

We took a break and headed off to the pub for dinner. Where I managed to eat the biggest steak I have ever seen! I was pretty hungry we'd missed lunch.

Back to the studio we went and we crafted and chatted and laughed until midnight. The studio is really well set up. The table was amazing with enough powerpoints for all our machines. There is a little kitchenette and we made drinks and nibbled on sweet delights as we worked.

Saturday 30th

We got up to the mist of a beautiful morning. Helping ourselves to breakfast and starting the day in leisure. Some of us headed into town to explore. Once more the op-shop was raided and Tas bought more than me! Carolyn and Suzanne found some bargains too. Next door to the op-shop was a wonderful Book shop. I could of spent the day in there. I bought a book Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren.

We headed back to the studio and back to creating we got. A variety of crafts sat around the table. Knitting, crochet, knitting machines, doll making, bag making and dressmaking were indulged. We nibbled on a mountain of homebaked goodies. Cinn and Sara went off to pick up Gilly. who managed to evade them and catch the bus instead!

Lunch was around 2pm and Tracey had prepared it all. Tas gave her a hand making things up and we sat down to a well set table with bowls of chicken and spinach soup and turkish toasted sandwiches. Just as we were finishing Nat (henny Penny) arrived with a lemon Merrengue for desert.

Back to the studio we went for another creative session. Each working on her own projects, exchanging tips and tricks. We learnt from each other. I pulled out the lappy and we let the girls on Craftymamas know what we were up to, just to make sure they were not missing out on the fun.

Dinner was at the pub again. Another great pub meal. After which we headed for the studio and more home baked goodies, crafting and laughting. I was the first to head to bed at midnight. Early pregnancy makes me tired.

Sunday 31st May

Tas and I had planned to be on the road by 10am but it was more like 11.30am by the time we had had a last chatter, were packed and ready.

We got up to the mist again and a magpie who wanted to be fed. We ate out breakfast in the lounge as we chatted.

Tas and I packed the car. There was a lot more in there for the return journey.

We headed off and were in Bendigo for 1pm and had lunch at the bakery we'd eaten at on Friday. We bought some special treats for our children. Back in the car and off we went. Tas did the driving. By this time I was finally missing my children. (it did take 3 days!) and I changed my plans of staying with Tas on Sunday night and wanted to drive home instead. Tas was very understanding and offered to drive to Adelaide so I could rest up to drive home from there.

The car drive went quickly as we chatted, learning a lot about each other and becoming good friends. we touched on topics such as motherhood, family, crafting and our wishes for our children. We have a lot in common. Thank you Tas for a very pleasant journey. we arrived at Tas's home just after 8pm. After unpacking half the car, a quick cup of coffee and detailed directions on how to get out of Adelaide I was on the road again.

Despite Tas and Al's great instructions including a map and Mr Google instructions I managed to get lost! and found myself in Hillcrest. I pulled ino a service station and grabbed something to eat and asked for directions. A rather burly biker managed to direct me to the Grand Junction road from which I found the Main North Road and I was back on track.

I travelled though the evening, going thought lots of sleepy towns and finally was home at 12.30am. Pete was waitng and was very happy to see me home. Michael had been unwell. Michael woke up and threw up all over me! I gave him a breast feed, which I was surprised he took as I hadn't fed him for 4 days and not expressed or been uncomfortable in that time. He threw up again. A change of sheets and a cuddle later he was asleep again and I crawled into bed for a well earned sleep.

I loved meeting all the Crafty Mamas. It ws a great weekend and we're already discussing the next retreat!.

More photos on flickr