kids clothes week | birthday crown

Poor Sachin, our middle child is a December baby. His birthday is close to Christmas and all the hustle and bustle of the festive season. There has been a guilt cloud hanging over me until today. This week, I'm playing along with Kids Clothes Week . It's always fun! Not sure how far I'll get given it is school holidays??

So finally, today while little one was sleeping..... a very patient Sachin gets his own mum-made Birthday Crown (like big sister and little sister). He may be 6.5 years old but all good things are worth waiting for....

Happy un-birthday buddy!

waiting..... waiting...... waiting....

neon

The neon trend may have been around for a while, but I do love it. Infact, I loved it first time around too in the 80's with my neon pink socks and jelly shoes. Remember those?

Click to see some of these Etsy treasures.

Miss Q turned 2

Our little lady celebrated her 2nd birthday last weekend. Gee whiz, that couple of years went by amazingly fast...

Quinn had a super day. Smile from ear to ear from the moment she woke up to the moment she lay her weary head. Kept up with the bigger kids all afternoon at the party -  trampolining, swinging, parcel opening, singing, running, eating, drinking, hip hip hooraying and candle blowing. She is one very happy soul who makes us laugh every day. We love her to bits!

The bear cakes were a hit. Kikki K tutorials here

KCWC | Spring Stripes

Did it! Last day today of the Kids Clothes Week Challenge. You should check out the Elsie Marley flickr pool to see what all the creative folk have been making. So, so totally inspiring to see the work of many talented mums sewing for their kids. If only I had the drive to keep this going. Having said this, Friday night DH came home from work and said "geez, glad you don't sew like this every week!". Not sure if you could visualize the mess that our house was/is in (I'm currently trying to get through 6 loads of catch up washing....uuugh). I'm not very good at multi tasking when I have a focused goal. Infact, I have blinkers on and can only think about that one thing - particularly if it is something that I am passionate about!

Anyway, I'm sure the family can cope with it twice a year. Thanks again Meg!

I made these Hipsters from Slimsters pants again for Sach like these and these. He's such a slim fellow and the pattern fits him perfectly. This time I changed it up a little by adding some bits - boy bits - buttons, tabs and a leather panel.

Admittedly, they are way too long but I wanted to allow for those growing legs. They're the kind of pants that look fine rolled up in the summer with a pair of thongs (or flip flops, as you guys in the northern hemisphere call them).

KCWC | polka dot pjs

I was all prepared to start a pair of pants for Sachin last night, when at bedtime Ruby couldn't find a pair of pyjama pants to wear that weren't either too short or ripped across the knee and threadbare. Ka-ching! went my brain. I finished the bedtime routine and bolted into my sewing room to find that yard of red polka dot flannelet I remember buying last year to make a cot sheet for Quinn (which is/was still on the list of things to do).

Pulled apart an old pair of retired Pjs to copy, and added a couple of inches as this kid is growing like a wildflower! Spring is here (so we're told although still waiting for some warmer weather) so these ones will go away very soon for next year.

They passed the lounge test!

KCWC | Cloud Dress

It's day 3. I have something more substantial to share. Phiew!

I have to say a really big thankyou to the wonderful Meg of Elsie Marley for hosting the Kids Clothes Week Challenge over the years (I first played in May 2010), as she is responsible for me learning to actually sew. Now don't get me wrong, I could sew, but now I feel like I am really learning to "sew sew". The real deal! Without blowing my own trumpet (eh.. too late) I am absolutely chuffed at my efforts today. This dress is probably the best technical thing I have ever made. I followed this pattern from Shwin Designs, which for me had many steps and components I had not tried before. I conquered pockets, pleats, button holes and lining. Woohoo.

I finished it just in time to wake the little lady up, give her a late lunch and go pick the bigger kids up from school. I ironed the dress, hung it on the hanger, stood back in admiration, and said to myself "there is no way in hell this is going to fit her!"

So we skipped the lunch, packed a box of snacks for the car and quickly whipped the dress on for a fashion show. While it is supposed to be spring here at the moment, today was freezing, dark and dreary, so we left the leggings on under the dress for practical reasons.

A M A Z I N G... It fit beautifully!

 Now for outfit number two....

KCWC | day 2

Awww... it's day 2 of the Kids Clothes Week Challenge and I'm afraid I don't have an awful lot to show. So with that out there, here's my effort so far.

Whilst I am a fan of daylight savings (turning the clocks forward one hour) as the light filled balmy nights over summer are awesome, there is a price to be paid when it comes to children and sleep patterns. This leads me to excuse myself for the lack of accomplishment on day 2 as I have spent the last 2 nights attempting to get numbers 1 & 2 children to bed, and whats more, to sleep before 9pm. The wise words of fellow South Australian mother, AKA Chapter Forty, sum up the situation perfectly "Whoever planned school holiday's end after day light saving time change clearly was NOT of the sleep deprived mother variety of human species" Here here I say!