.Insta-life.

Lately on Instagram...

 1, 2, 3 & 4: I'm determined to be organised with family birthdays this year, so every couple of months I get ALL of the presents ready for the next few months, wrap them, pack them up and post them off.  And to save money on postage (Australia Post is a killer now!) I'll send all of the family member's presents in one parcel with instructions not to open until the big day(s)!  Usually I start off the year with good intentions, but by about now my enthusiasm has fizzled and the poor people with second half of the year birthdays miss out.  So far, it's working...

 1. My little house elves are finally paying off! ** 2. Tommy happily obliges to a quick trim at the family salon after he helped Jaron buy a new pair of clippers. ** 3 & 4. Cute face (and arm) painting.

 1. Big and little Tommy are smitten when they get to meet and jam with Lorin Nicholson - an inspirational blind guitarist. Little Tommy now wants a guitar for his birthday. ** 2. Lil gets clever and devises a sign so that "when you ask me to do stuff I can just hold it up!" ** 3. Smallies read together. ** 4. We took a little pre-baby trip to Hobart and the highlight was the hotel room and swimming pool!

1 & 2. Seems like there have been family birthdays galore in the last month with more to come in the next few weeks. On Sunday we celebrated both Jaron and little Nancy - I'll share the recipe for Jaron's triple chocolate mousse cake topped with fresh and chocolate-coated raspberries tomorrow!

.Waterfall Blouse in yellow knit.

A few people have been asking me if the Waterfall Blouse pattern works in a knit fabric. The answer is yes! I had a go making one when I was just about finished writing up the pattern and it worked perfectly.

The only thing I did differently was to bind the neckline as I would usually bind a tshirt instead of using bias binding as the original pattern states.

I found that the shirt was way too long for my liking when made out of knit fabric - perhaps because of the way that it clings to your body more? So I ended up trimming a couple of inches off the length before hemming. I would also suggest going down a size for a more fitted top when using knit fabric. I sewed the same size I wear in woven fabric and it ended up pretty roomy, which is fine for maternity purposes, but I'd want it a little smaller if I wasn't pregnant.

One of my pattern testers used a knit fabric to test the pattern and she put a fitted waistband on the bottom of the top for hers. It looked amazing and I'm planning on using some of my left-over fabric to do the same once I'm not pregnant anymore to help the top look a little more fitted. 

These photos were taken 2 weeks ago...I'm amazed at how much I've grown in just 2 weeks - and scared to think about how much bigger I'm going to get with 4 weeks to go!!!

.Uptown Girl in laminated cotton.

I've been wanting to try an Uptown Girl jacket in laminated cotton for awhile now. Actually, I bought this fabric about a year ago for that exact purpose but I guess it's taken a decline in weather temperature for me to cut into it!

It's been about 2 years since I last made Lil an Uptown Girl. These jackets keep fitting and fitting...and this one is super roomy on her so will fit for at least 2 years! Lil is on the small size for her age and doesn't turn 6 until August. I made this jacket in a size 6 though, I like the extra length - particuarly because it is a raincoat, and I wanted to be sure that it will fit her for awhile because laminated cotton is pretty pricey.

I didn't want the jacket to be too bulky, so left out any pellon or wadding from the inside of the two layers. Instead, I lined the laminated cotton with flannelette from Fabric2Go to give it some warmth though. Because the laminated cotton blocks out the wind, and the flannel is nice and cosy it actually ended up really warm and toasty and will be perfect for all winter chilliness and rainy weather. (Find flannel here, and discount code avaliable here at the moment.)

We were in luck last Saturday when we stumbled across free face painting at some shops for the kids. Lil is a face paint junkie - makes me want to invest in some good quality face paints and learn how to do it myself!

I can't go without some pics of Tommy's super cute pirate face. He was SO excited and spent the rest of the day with exclaiming "Argh...captain!" in a very grumpy voice!

We're not sure what the hand on top of his head has to do with a being a pirate, but he sticks it up there every time he is playing pirates so it must be important!

SUPPLIES:
Make It Perfect, Uptown Girl pattern
Amy Butler laminated cotton, Lark, Floral Couture
Doodlebug Design flannelette, Candy Stripe

.Show Your Stuff! Winners!.

Voting has closed for the Show Your Stuff competition.  Thanks to everyone who helped out by voting for your favourite!

Now, to announce the winners...

Congratulations to elizajanes1 for her gorgeous Milkshake Skirt. Look at all the effort she has gone to, to hand-dye her fabric. I love it teamed with the neutral denim!  

And the second highest number of votes goes to ChellaHa who has shared this super sweet Frothy Skirt - love everything about it!

Well done girls! You've won a copy of ALL Make It Perfect patterns released during 2013! Let me know your postal address and I'll send you out a copy of the patterns released already this year as well as a signed copy of my book!

And a BIG thankyou to everyone who entered and to everyone who has supported me by purchasing my patterns and reading my blog - if I could, I would choose you all as winner!

.Three new Creative Cards.

Today I have three brand new Creative Cards to share with you! 

Scarves and Cowls

Baby Shower

Frothy Skirt

If you are not familiar with Creative Cards, they are a fun, compact mini pattern. Make It Perfect Creative Cards come as a single folded, high-quality A4 card and contain all of the step-by-step instructions and templates needed to sew fast and easy projects. Creative Cards are perfect for people with little pockets of time to create! Best of all, they are priced at a very affordable $5.50 (RRP in Australia), making it even easier to pop into your shopping cart for a very achievable project.

Let's take a look at these three new cards:

SCARVES AND COWLS

There’s nothing like a quick accessory to give your outfit a boost.

Scarves and Cowls Creative Card will lead you through the basic instructions to create four simple and unique scarves and cowls.

These projects are so quick and easy to sew, you will find yourself making them for special gifts and to fill your own wardrobe.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to colour and fabric combinations and different embellishments, we’ve given you a few to start out with to get your creative juices flowing! 

BABY SHOWER

Bibs and blankets are two essential baby items that every new Mother needs.

A Baby Shower bib and blanket set is the perfect gift to quickly sew up for a special friend or for yourself if you are expecting.

Backed with sensationally soft and cuddly minkee fabric, the blanket is the perfect thickness to swaddle your baby in.

While the bib is super absorbent and provides excellent coverage to keep baby clean and dry.

FROTHY SKIRT

Your little girl will feel dazzling as she floats between party and play in her fizzy Frothy Skirt.

With just the right amount of bubbliness at the hemline, the skirt provides that little bit of extra glam – perfect for a special occasion!

For more photos and information about these three Creative Cards, head to my website.

To win a copy of all three Creative Cards, leave a comment on this blog post.  Giveaway will end on Friday 26th April and winner will be drawn at random.

.Show Your Stuff! TOP 10.

The Show Your Stuff Competition has officially closed! So many lovely creations shared in the Flickr Group - thanks for your entries :)

It was VERY hard to narrow it down to my top 10 favourite entries...but here they are:

 A: The Versatile Wrap #1          B: A+ Skirts

 C. Downtown Boy          D: Frothy Skirt

 E: Little Explorer          F: Milkshake Skirt

 G: Serendipity          H: Shearwater Kaftan

I: The Honey Blouse          J: The Versatile Wrap #2

Now, all you have to do is vote for your favourite!

PLEASE ONLY ONE VOTE PER PERSON!!!

 Voting will close at 10pm on Wednesday 24th May when the winners will be announced - so, spread the word and good luck!
{Voting has now closed - thankyou!}

.ON: growing, nesting labour.

With just over 4 weeks until D-day, I've got lots running through my head at the moment. I quite like the rush I get leading up to having a new baby...my To-Do List gets even longer than usual and I actually manage to work through it at a faster pace than usual because I know that soon enough things will change dramatically and I'll be lucky to cook dinner and get the washing each day! Here are some of my thoughts this week...

On Growing:
 

Me at 11 weeks pregnant vs. 35 weeks pregnant.

Funny how you forget just how massive your tummy is going to get! When I was 11 weeks I thought I had a poking out tummy - ha! What I'd give to look like that right now!!!  It seems like the last couple of weeks I have gone from feeling comfortable with a nice sized tummy to getting very large and a lot more uncomfortable. Sleeping is hard, even when I am really tired. I'm just trying to view it as my body's way of preparing me for sleepless nights in the future. But, I have to admit that this is the best late stage of pregnancy I've had out of all four babies. I don't know why, because I am older and busier this time but think it might have something to do with starting much fitter and continuing my gym regime throughout the entire pregnancy. I've only just started to slow down now, but still manage to make a couple of classes a week and plan to keep doing so for the next month.

On Nesting:
I love this instinct! I have set myself a goal to clean out every single cupboard in the house before I have the baby and I'm about half way through. Our house is for sale (anyone want to buy it - please?! We love this one but have great plans for the next one!) and if it happens to sell just after I have the baby I want to make sure that I'm not stressed out trying to clean and pack at the same time so I am getting rid of junk and clutter while I have the time and energy.

Aside from doing lots of cleaning jobs, I've been sewing like a mad woman! New patterns, birthday presents for the next few months, kids clothes, baby clothes...I've got a big "To Sew" list and I seem to be adding to it as quickly as I cross items off! 

 

This big pile is a peek at what I've sewn over the last two weeks - mad woman, I tell ya! - but sewing really is a relaxing pastime for me. Some people prefer reading, others watch TV, but I find joy in making! I feel like I'm bonding with the baby as I sew things for him. I imagine what they will look like on him and get all excited about finally meeting him. And when I get my act together, I'll photograph all of these goodies to share over the next few weeks too!

On Labour:
My attention has also been focused on labour. It's no secret that I'm a labour-junkie. It's hard to explain...I feel the pain and in the moment I don't think I'd be telling you that I'm having fun, but I love the rush of labour - the lead up to it and the moments right after. I'm getting a little excited about doing it again! I've been very blessed to have straight-forward and relatively short labours though - and in my mind I can't see this one being tough after the last three, but I keep having to remind myself that it could be a killer and not to get my hopes up too high! (See Lil's labour story here and Tommy's here - Oscar's was 7 hours and very "text-book", I've got it written down in a journal and should transfer it to the blog sometime for safekeeping.) Aside from thinking about labour, I've been spending a bit of time watching as many episodes of One Born Every Minute that I can get my hands on and have watched the Call The Midwife series too. I love seeing how different women respond to labour and how their labours progress. Call The Midwife is a very educating peek into how pregnancy and childbirth was dealt with in the 1950's - watch it if you haven't already. How things have progressed and improved with time! If I had to choose a new profession, I think I'd choose midwife. Or maybe a doula? Anything to get me into as many labours as possible!!

.Mermaid Mini Poppy.

When Lil put on this Mini Poppy dress for church a couple of weeks ago, I realised that I have never taken photos to share with you. Lucky we were a smidge early for church and managed to squeeze in a few photos before we left!

I think the Mini Poppy is one of my most favourite little girl patterns. Not too fussy, but still cute. And I love that it suits older girls just as much as it suits little girls too, making it very versatile.

 

We need to start thinking about the winter wardrobe and I think a few more Mini Poppy dresses will be in order! Although she will be wearing this one forever because once it is too short for a dress then it can be worn as a tunic/top with some leggings or jeans.

SUPPLIES:
Make It Perfect, Mini Poppy sewing pattern
Indy Mid Blue 6GSM Light Weight Denim 
November Books by Kokka, Mermaid in Green