The big dog photo post, to get it out of my system, before we resume normal programming

Looking back through my photos of the past month or so, one thing dominates. This furry beast who has brought so much joy to our family. 

Well, everyone except for the cat. Elodie is not happy about Skylar. Still not happy. But I think she's just going to have to suck it up.

I made Skylar another coat out of knit fabrics... it turned out a bit big and floppy. It keeps her warm but Andy calls it 'her nightie' and insists it will never leave the house.

 She also likes to 'wear' this crocheted rug and will happily cruise the house in it.

 She helps me with sewing.

 

I fully realise not everyone will be as besotted with our dog as we are. I think my parents find her vaguely annoying. I don't always like other people's dogs. It's okay. But I have to do this doggy bloggy post because Skylar is making me - all of us -  very happy right now.

Andy loves her so much he was inspired to make her a toy: this felt bone (with bonus meaty bits). I did the sewing but he did all the rest. He said 'Now I can throw her a frick'n bone every morning'... so this has henceforth been known as 'the frick'n bone'.

 Skylar likes the frick'n bone.

 

Below is the photo I sent to the Dog and Cat Management Board to go on her official Green Collar card, which shows that she has passed her Green Collar test and is allowed to walk in public without a muzzle on. Hooray! No more face cage or coat with 'L-plates'. Look at those little whiskers! Good lord, I could eat her up.

Such a sweetie.

Clem quote: "I want to marry my dog!"
Charlie quote: "How did I survive for 13 years without a dog?"

Okay, enough now. Time to press 'publish' and go to bed.

- Jane x

Victory Patterns Hazel - my 'watermelon dress'

As soon as Andy saw this completed he dubbed it my 'watermelon dress' and Clem followed this up by saying I should embroider some black pips along the hemline. I don't mind... I'm quite happy to be a giant watermelon in the gorgeous summer weather we've been having. And I do love this dress - the Hazel by Victory Patterns.

I've been wanting to make this dress for ages and when the samples for these linens came into the shop, I knew I'd found my Hazel fabrics. It's pretty much inspired by the pattern cover but I put my watermelon-pink on the bottom. They're both 100% linens.

I was halfway through making this dress when Victory Patterns designer Kristiann actually popped into The Drapery for a visit! She had let us know she was coming to Adelaide and said she would try to call in. She was utterly and totally lovely, and tall, and effortlessly glamorous... truly a rockstar of sewing pattern design. We were a bit star-struck, teehee! So I was all the more inspired to get this dress finished to wear for Christmas.

ridiculous pose #273

I made a muslin, which was a very quick and easy process because honestly the most complicated part of this pattern is the neck tie, which isn't too hard really anyway, and not necessary for the muslin. I cut a size 10 and the only modification I made was to take out about an inch in the bodice at the 'lengthen or shorten here' line. Oh, and I left off the sleeves and finished the armholes with self-fabric bias. Apart from that it was a nicely cool and loose, yet flatteringly fitted shape. Just perfect for a 33 degree Christmas Day in Adelaide, with plenty of room for a big lunch!

I top-stitched the neck tie, which wasn't in the instructions but I felt would make life easier when ironing this linen after a wash. The linen makes a somewhat pouffier (if that is even a word) bow than the fabric on the pattern cover but I am mad for linen so I rather love its creased bunchiness.

The skirt is lined, and I used an organic cotton cambric which is super-soft (excuse the creases). I hand-stitched the hem on the outer skirt and also hand-stitched down the bias on the armholes. I'm learning to enjoy some of these slow-but-satisfying hand-finishing touches that make a garment feel a little more special in the end.

That's a friendship bracelet on my arm. Jasper made it for me, which kind of melts my heart.

I love this Victory Hazel dress to bits and I would love to make it again. Totally recommended.



- Jane x

Anna Maria Horner + Melody Miller

Anna Maria Horner's beautiful Painted Portrait Dress pattern meets Melody Miller's gorgeous arrows cotton/linen blend (by Kokka)... a match made in heaven! (Well, South Australia. But it's pretty nice here.)

This is my second version of this dress, which I made before in linen, here.

I actually made it a while ago but it spends a bit of time hanging in the shop as a sample (I want everyone to know how awesome this pattern is!) so it's taken a while to blog it.

Things I love about this pattern:

1. It's loose and easy to wear, but has lovely shaping so it's not just a big ol' sack. The side panels and yoke effectively give it princess seams.
2. Massive great capacious pockets.
3. Incorporation of one button - chance to find that perfect button from the stash!
4. Totally wearable on its own or layered with things under and/or over it.

I had some fun figuring out the pattern placement with this beautiful border print fabric. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I ummed and ahhed about using the scalloped border and flower again on the yoke, and cut it out to try, but in the end just went with arrows. The yoke is fully self-lined so the flowers and scallops ended up inside! It's quite a fabric-efficient garment. I can't remember exactly how much I used but it was definitely less than 2 metres (1.7 maybe?).

If I made this pattern again, and there's a high likelihood of that, I would probably try to figure out a minor FBA. It's a size M and in the linen, which had a bit of 'give', there's a bit more breathing space than this version. Shouldn't be too hard to add a teeny bit of width at the side panel where it meets the bottom of the yoke, should it? (Tips welcome!)

- Jane x

rare and lovely

Bless the littlest one for waking up with a croupy cough this morning, but otherwise good spirits. With nothing pressing but a late afternoon meeting, I have been able to spend rare and lovely hours cosying up with him today. How lucky am I?

The fire has been on, the winter sun has been streaming in through the windows, the back room fairly clean and tidy after efforts yesterday. And the most constructive thing we have done is a 300 piece jigsaw.

With all the boys at school now and me so busy with two jobs, it's a real gift when things align and I have the perfect excuse to achieve nothing but being here with my Clemmy. He's still so little really and asked "is this a pecan?" about the toucan on the puzzle.
He's actually been much, much nicer in recent months, after his, um, difficult phase last year. Far more content, adaptable and reasonable in his attitude. Seems hard to believe I bought a book called "The Explosive Child" now. (I did. It's still next to the bed. Maybe it worked?)

Back to reality's to-do list tomorrow... recharged by today.

- Jane x

things he said

Our littlest one is getting bigger and I think I'm okay with it. The 'last time' things were hard: last day of Kindy, last day of childcare, last regular Thursday morning with Grandma. School? He's loving it and he has his big brothers there to take care of him. I've been really busy. I'm far more positive about it all than I predicted I would be.

I've been keeping a record of the funny little things Clem has said. The following is the contents of a document that's been sitting on my computer desktop and added to for a while now. I don't wish he'd stay little forever but I sure do want to preserve the memories of his littleness.

gingerbread cook

“My tiny ear is very dead.”

"hometel" (what 3y.o. Clem called our hotel base on holiday in Sydney)

“Mama can eyebrows grow?” (Yes) “Mama I guess we’ll have to cut my eyebrows when they get longer and longer and longer until they get down to my tummy.”

“I keep trying to swallow that slug thing down but it comes back up. In my throat. Mama it’s slimy. Do you have one?”

idly singing: “tiny kangaroo bounce… tiny kangaroo bounce… tiny kangaroo bounce” (for Tie Me Kangaroo Down)

“Mama did you have teeth when I came out of your mouth?”

birthday schoolboy

Seeing Georgie Parker on Better Homes & Gardens: “Mama, how did she get there? Did she just crash out of the walls from Play School and just drive there?”

“I’m not four years old. I’m four years new!”

Clem, feeling his chest: “Mama, is your heart hard?” Me “Well it’s a very strong muscle, but it’s not hard like bones.” “Well can it get… can it be broken?”

turning five is exhausting

Long day, Andy out at a meeting, giving cranky Clem a Yakult as dessert and as I popped the straw in he said "is that the last straw?" ... I had to laugh.

Clem: “Mama and Dada, look, I made a butterfly!” (making a shape with his feet) Us: “Oh that’s beautiful darling!”  Clem: “And now…” (changing the shape) “… a dead one.”

“Dada, did you know your hair is part of your eyebrows, because it’s almost starting to touch it.”

don't be fooled by the sweetness

About Justine Clarke, children’s singer: “Mama, Justine doesn’t fart, never ever. And she never ever goes to toilets.”

Clem on the toilet: “Owowowowow it’s a spiky one… it’s a puffer fish kind of one…” (I collapse laughing) “Mama it’s not funny… well it’s a tiny bit funny.”

“Mama is as beautiful as a bird.”

Me to Charlie, about a small school t-shirt: “It’s not the end of the world.” Clem: “Mama, when is it the end of the world?”

Clem, looking at the clothes I chose for him for kindy: "Mama, they won't like that, or that." Me: "Who won't?" Clem: "The girls!"

just hanging

Clem went on an excursion today: "There was an explorsion at kindy this day and we saw a worldpool. And the person talked about the Aborniginal stuff."

I took Clem to visit his baby cousin and afterwards he asked me "How did they know his name is Curtis?”

Doing a wee at the same time as Andy: “You’ve got a giant willy. It’s got smoke coming off it.” (er, it was a cold night)

"Mama, one day I would like to grow some snapping plants. But when they get too old, can you put a string around they mouths so they can’t bite you? Make it very strong?"

"They’re not called women. They’re called womans!"

saying goodbye on his last day of childcare

"Mama, because you eat caffeine coffees, that’s why you’ve stopped growing. But I don’t want to stop growing."

Clem: "Mama, what's at the end of the rainbow?"   Me: "A pot of gold!"   Clem: "No."   Me: "Oh, what then?"  Clem: "Purple!"

reluctant to leave his last day of childcare, doing an endless puzzle

(discussing the goldfish in the pond outside and why they hadn’t reproduced) “We had a daddy fish and he laid some eggs and maybe when he was sitting on them they got too hot so they didn’t hatch. And he died because he got too hot as well.”

"Mama, ‘bye’ in French is ‘konichitty – bood – yeah’."

"I don’t have very listening ears because they’re blocked."

I commented that the piece of wood he was holding had been eaten by termites.

“Termites? Hahaha! It’s ter-na-mites! Not termites. Haha!”

"I’m five and I’m completely five and I go to school!"

all dressed up on his first morning of school

family of five with the newly minted five-year-old

(By the way, a few days later, I cut their hair. All of those mopheads. Not too much, but this was getting ridiculous.)

I do hope that's not quite the end of the 'funny Clem words' document. But he is bursting with pride about his growing up and for the most part, so am I.

- Jane x

a tribute on the smallest's 5th birthday

Whew, it's only Tuesday and it's been quite a week already.
Daylight saving began on Sunday.
Monday was Clem's first ever day at school, so we not only had to get everyone up, organised and out, it was also an hour earlier.
He had a great day.
Today he is five. At 5.38am this morning he shouted "birthday!" in delight.
Despite the early awakening we still managed to be a little late for school.
Everyone has a bit of adjusting to do with this new routine and nerves will be (have been) a little frayed.
But I would like to repeat the wisdom of my wonderful, patient, clever, dear husband, uttered at just the right moment this morning:
"Life's a pain in the ass, but I wouldn't want to be doing it with anyone but you."

Back at ya, babe.

- Jane x

this moment

Inspired by Soule Mama: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

and for his tenth birthday...

...Jasper requested all-in-one dragon pyjamas. Now that's the kind of challenge I like!

His original concept sketches were a touch more ambitious,

 but he's genuinely thrilled with the end result and so am I. (Scroll on down for details.)

He was simply jumping out of his skin to be reaching double digits and had been counting down the days for a month or so. He's always been a very intense, jump-out-of-his-skin in excitement kind of chap. He was a 'surprise' baby; Charlie was only five months old when we discovered I was pregnant again. Jasper has such an insistent, vibrant energy about him that it seems as if he willed himself into existence.

And yes, he just about burst a few capillaries over these Skylanders Wii game characters he wanted (moderation in all things, ya know), and  this awesome huge book that Andy found him, about all that fossil-rock-dinosaur kind of stuff he adores.

 He sang along to his own 'Happy Birthday' over a carrot cake Charlie volunteered to bake for him.

 Charlie also made him a fabulous card... from an eleven year old to a ten year old, check it out:

And so, some more about the pyjamas.

Pattern: Kwik Sew 3714
Highly recommended and there's even an adult version of this pattern... everyone else in the family is eyeing these enviously. I stuffed about with the placket for a while but it was my fault, due to some dodgy tracing. The sizing was spot-on for Jasper. There's meant to be some elastic at the back waist inside a casing but I decided it didn't need it. There are even pockets!

Fabric: Cotton sateen with a little spandex, from Spotlight.
I was not totally sure about the texture because we were hoping for something more snuggly but Jasper and I were sold on the dragon-esque print. In fact it sewed like a dream and is lovely and soft with a little stretch across the width. Jasper designed and cut the wings from some orange velour from my stash. I zigzagged them on using the walking foot. Collar and cuffs are some cotton knit ribbing from the stash.

He'd wanted a separate tail but when I suggested an applique version like the wings, he was very happy. Original plans for a hood were discarded. He was, in fact, far more flexible with his artistic vision for these than I expected.

 Feet are meant to be a non-slip 'grip' kind of thing which I didn't have. I substituted scraps of polar fleece which are warm but a bit slippery.
The finished pyjamas are reportedly very comfy and have even passed the bouncing-on-trampoline test.

Happy birthday to our wonderful Jasper. It's a privilege to share this wild ride with you.

- (Mama) Jane x