Pillowcase Dress

Oh, Adelaide.  You really do summer a little too well sometimes!  It's a little too hot to be down at the beach (especially while pregnant!), I don't fancy tackling crowds of crazy shoppers at the local shopping centre just because I want to look around and all my friends are back at work again.  What's a girl to do?... 

I know!  How about a trip down to Spotlight!  It was my friend's little girl's birthday on Boxing Day.  An afternoon spent making her a pillowcase dress sounded like the perfect plan.

So out came the good ol' Janome sewing machine again.  I scrolled around for the perfect pillowcase dress patter and came across this one from Baby Rabies.  It has very easy to follow step my step instructions with photos and sizing from 6 months to 4 years.

Within 2 hours I had 2 little dresses.  Note that I am still a beginner so everything takes me longer than what it should.  I can't wait to see what it looks like on!

What do you think?

Rainy Day Maxi Skirt Project

I woke up this morning feeling less than well and decided that going out for any great length of time was probably not going to be an option.  With all this new found freedom I have since finishing Uni I really struggle sometimes with what to do with myself while at home.  I don't wanna be that person that knows all the day time telly shows back-to-front.  I always somehow manage to talk myself into going to the local shops, usually the local Foodland (I really quite enjoy food shopping), to buy that really important thing I didn't know I needed.  But today, it was wet outside and I was housebound and needed to do something with my boredom.

Hrmm... I know! I'll drag out that green jersey knit I have had stashed away and finally make that maxi skirt I found on pinterest! 
And so with a mix of day time telly (ok, so I gave in) and later, some Crowded House I got to work on this rainy Summers day while our chickens were enjoying splashing around in puddles outside.  Armed with scissors and a tape measure I began to mark out and cut through the yards of green fabric, carefully measuring up and stitching each piece together as per the instructions.  I am really impressed with the end result!  Easy to put together, easy to adjust as you go along, and best of all it is sooo comfy! 

 

Check out Crazy Little Projects website for this awesome maxi skirt pattern.

A little tip...
Because I am a newbie to the sewing gig I did a little research on working with stretch fabrics.  If anyone would like to attempt this I suggest you use a test piece of fabric and have a play around with the thread tension, and stitch width and length.  For this project I had my tension set to 2, my width set at 1.5 and my length set at 2.  All pulling and puckering was avoided.

So here's the end result.  My teeny little 14 week pregnant belly sticking out in this photo.  What have you attempted to make from scratch?  Have you any sewing or fabric tips?

6 month update... Oh gosh, it really has been that long!

I should be studying right now but instead I have been scrolling through pinterest and friends blogs.  It's been ages since I've updated my little blog.  I could make the excuse of lack of time but I think I will put it down to priorities.  I'm the biggest time waster ever at the moment!

Its been an exciting 6 months.  I have become an aunty twice over.  My beautiful niece is 5 months and adorable nephew is 3 months.  Another little niece or nephew is on the way, due to greet the world in late February.  Yep, our families are changing.  It's exciting!

Andrew and I are also moving into our own house in December!  We have been renting for a few years now but finally we are able to move in.  The thought of being in our own place is exciting.  We are already talking about painting the two hideously coloured bedrooms, one minty green and the other baby pink with baby blue skirting boards.  The dark blue kitchen complete with blue lino floor, blue bench tops AND blue cupboards will have to go too.  The bathroom and toilet is also a renovators delight.  We are going to have fun with this place!  I'll post pictures when I can.

A new camera that I got for my Birthday back in July has inspired me to start taking photos again so I thought I would kick off my first post in 6 months with a photo of the day challenge, courtesy of the blog Fat Mum Slim, something starting with 'C.'  This is my very inquisitive Chicken!

I promise I'll update more often.  Heaps more exciting things to blog about in 2013, including crafty stuff, sewing projects, house rennos, cooking, holidays and heaps more!

So Ill leave you with the question:  What are your plans for 2013?

A fresh and welcome distraction

Everything is better than study at the moment...
While trying to write my paper on youth work and CBT I had a knock at the door.  Standing in front of me was a very blue Irish lady with two very blue bags in tow.  My first thought was, no thanks, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  I'm a bit of a push over like that.  She introduced herself as being a representative for Aussie Farmers Direct.  I have an uncle who is a farmer and I know how much the big supermarkets screw him over so they can sell milk for $1 per litre.  She got my interest and i was hooked.
As I'm sure many of you are aware the big foodies Coles and Woolies do their best to put smaller companies out of business.  I have seen a Woolworths petrol station planted strategically next to a independent petrol station.  Out of sheer desperation the owner of the independent has put a sign out the front urging consumers of petrol and gas not to support "Woolies the bullies."  Anyone who has driven North along Marion road will know exactly what I am talking about.  It breaks my heart every time I see it.  In the meantime, until people choose to go local or independent, Woolworths and Coles will continue to consume the entire world until it reaches breaking point.  Selling petrol, products and food at reduced prices is by no means sustainable nor is it particularly ethical!  I could go on...
Anyway, as a result of a normally intrusive door knocking technique I will now be getting fresh fruit and veggies, dairy products and  meats delivered.  It is a little pricier than buying from the supermarkets but I figure it will save me from buying stuff I really don't need.  No longer will I be tempted to impulse buy...that is until I need flour, toilet paper or spices!  I'm heaps excited to be supporting a cause that I have for so long believed in.  Go you Aussie Farmers!  May all those years of battle become a healthy partnership with a company that actually has your best interests at heart!
It really feels just like the old days where we used to have the milkman come to deliver milk right to our door.  I have such fond memories of seeing the pegs sitting on the letterbox each week communicating to the milkman how many litres we required.  These days, the pegs may have been replaced by a web ordering service but the great feeling you get when you wake up to find your milk on the doorstep will still be the same.  I can't wait to put my blue cooler bag out for the very first night!
There are no contracts, no entry or exit fees.  I figured 'why not give it a red hot go?'  If it doesnt suit me I am not obligated to stay on the delivery round.
So, if a lovely Irish lady dressed in blue comes to your door promoting fresh local produce, invite her in for a cuppa and a chat.  What a welcome distraction from study the last 20 minutes have been!

Interested?  Check out the Aussie Farmers Direct website here

Brave 1

Easter.  It's symbolic of death and new life.  Death of an old way of life and a resurrection into a new direction of life.  Although I am a proud Christian I don't believe that it is just Christians that benefit from this concept.  We all have choices and our choices impact our attitudes, decisions and our actions.
I don't want to say too much at the moment because its not place to do so but I have been journeying with someone who was sexually abused as a child.  She is not alone in this.  Take 5 people you know under the age of 18.  According to statistics one of those children is likely to have been the victim of sexual abuse.  That means that most of us would probably know someone that has been a victim.  For many, telling others about their experience is out of the question and they live their lives suffering in silence.  It can slowly eat away at them from the inside out and can impact their ability to function normally, manifesting in various psychological disorders.
For my friend, her suffering went for long enough.  We have seen her take something terrible and make the decision to turn it around and use it in a positive way.  She counts herself as a survivor, no longer letting this negatively impact on her life.  Now, she is ready to use her experience to help others.  A death to letting her experience eat away at her and a rebirth to changing the way her experience effects her life and attitude.
Through the past 12 months she has relived the trauma she experienced as a child and has recognised that even after 20 + years there is still no support for those children.  She has started a campaign to set up a Bravehearts foundation in South Australia.  Bravehearts aim to educate, empower and protect young people against sexual abuse through prevention and early intervention.  Not only do they have National crisis hot line (1800 BRAVE 1), they also provide preventative education in schools and specialist counselling for those at risk or have been a victim of sexual assault.  Braveheats is the go-to place for victims and their families and can guide them through the process of reporting and seeking help.  Can you see the value in this?
I don't usually get so fired up about these things but I know of at least 4 people that have survived sexual abuse.  I look at my friends kids, my pregnant sister in laws, the young person I mentor and the young people I work with and want them to be able to feel and be safe.  I urge anyone who has been through this hell, knows someone who has been through sexual abuse or wants to see children grow up in a safe environment to get on board with this cause.
If you want to find out more or make a donation (specify SA) please go to www.bravehearts.org.au
If you have been the victim of sexual assault please call 1800 BRAVE 1 (1800 272 831) Monday to Friday 9am-4pm.

Pumpkin Muffins

I've had a butternut pumpkin sitting in the crisper in the fridge for the last two weeks.  I figured it was about time that it found a home in some sort of cooking.  Scrolling through recipes I found a great recipe for pumpkin muffins.  Lots of sweet pumpkin recipes call for canned pumpkin.  Not that I've actually been looking but I have never found canned pumpkin in the stores.  Anyway, not to be defeated by the fact that my pantry doesn't posses canned pumpkin I found a great way to make the most of my beautiful butternut and made my own and more than likely better version of the canned stuff. 

So if you do want to attempt this recipe and don't have the canned pumpkin this is how I made it.

Pumpkin Puree
Set the temperature on you oven to 150 degrees.  Cut 1/2 of a butternut pumpkin into pieces with the skin still attached.  Place pumpkin in a baking tray with 1/4 inch of water.  Bake in the oven for at least and hour or until pumpkin is soft.  Remove skin (this should be easy to do) and puree with a stick mixer.

Another hurdle I came across was that I have never heard of pumpkin pie spice.  I googled again and found the recipe here.  All it involved is cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.  Most stuff I guess you would find tucked away in your pantry so save yourself the expense!

Ok, now we can get to the fun part.

Pumpkin Muffins.

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see above link)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sultanas
• 1 cup packed brown sugar (I didn't have any brown sugar so I used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/3 cup golden syrup)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (see recipe above)
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (1/3 cup of milk with 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar left for 5 minutes)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 210 degrees. Sift flour and baking soda into a large bowl.  Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Make a well in the centre and add the rest of the ingredients and fold in until just combined.  Place into 18 greased muffin tins.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Always important to taste test!

Guaranteed you will never look at pumpkins the same way again!