Kids Clothes Week Challenge Extended

I suddenly went quiet (and so did my sewing machine) on Kids Clothes Week Challenge on Wednesday as my darling husband passed on the flu to my son and me. I woke up feeling much better yesterday and decided to spend nap-time at the sewing machine to catch up on my KCWC sewing. One pair of shorts for summer for my son was in order.

Continuing on with my theme, I used Ottobre Design magazine Issue 3/2010, Pear shorts pattern. However, I decided to skip the side pockets on the legs. I haven't really done pockets before, so I thought the front and back pockets would be more than enough of a challenge for me (and let's face it - the average almost 2 year old boy isn't going to notice)! The fabric is a medium-weight cotton drill that I picked up at my local fabric chain (that same one that I hate - why am I always there???).

I must say, the pattern instructions confused me a few times, and it felt like I spent as much time on the internet searching for explanations and trying to understand the steps as I did at my sewing machine. I think I confirmed to myself that I'm still a beginner, and the next step into intermediate-level sewing is going to take a while.  In my frustration, I also decided not to finish off my seams - I just wanted to make some progress. But, it's for a 2 year old boy, so I'll be lucky if he gets 6 months wear out of them. I doubt they'll fall apart before he outgrows them!

I haven't tried them on the little man yet, but I'm happy with the way they turned out. The little details - top-stitching, a bit of a cuff on the front pockets, fake fly - included in the pattern make the shorts look store-bought (as long as you don't look at the stitching/finishing off too closely! Part of me would like to whip up another pair straight away, while I've got the techniques all worked out in my head, but no time for that at the moment. I'd like to make something for bub before she arrives, plus have a few ideas of things I'd like to make for myself to make the first few weeks with bub a little more stylish (plus a whole house to go crazy tidying!).

So I'll call this a wrap on Kids Clothes Week - 5 days of sewing way more than an hour each day over 10 days, 3 T-shirts and a pair of shorts for the boy complete. Thanks for hosting this again, Meg!

Feature at The Train to Crazy

A quick interlude from Kids Clothes Week. Andrea over at The Train to Crazy is also expecting a baby in October, and has a theme of Sewing for Baby this month. Today, she's featuring a tutorial I put together for a Baby Kimono:

Head over, say hi to Andrea and check it out! And you may as well check the giveaways, discounts and other great projects she's featuring for Sewing for Baby Month while you're there!

Kids Clothes Week Challenge - Day 2 (plus Twin Needle Sewing)

It's Kids Clothes Week over at  Elsie Marley this week. The challenge is to spend an hour each day for a week making clothes for the kids in your life. There are over 300 participants to keep you motivated. Check out the Flickr pool here, and my Day 0 and 1 achievements  here.

Another day, another raglan T-shirt for my son:

I think I'm getting better at sewing with knits, although it's not very neat in a few places as I was rushing. (My husband came home from work at lunchtime with a serious case of Manflu, so I was trying to finish quickly so the overlocker/serger wouldn't disturb his sleep.)

I forgot to mention that I used a twin sewing needle for the hem of the grey T-shirt I made yesterday. It's the first time I've used a twin needle, and there's nothing about it in the manual for my sewing machine (even though the Janome website lists twin sewing needles as available accessories for my machine - Memory Craft 3500, if anyone's interested...). I decided to wing it based on general information about sewing with twin needles on the internet, so I rigged up a second spool holder on top of machine:

(Yes, that is a bamboo skewer stuck in my bobbin winder!)

I then threaded the machine with both threads as per normal, just splitting them at the thread guides on each side just above the needle. My googled understanding is that you select a normal straight-stitch, and because one needle is a little bit longer than the other, both needles will pick up the one bobbin thread. My first test strip was pulling the fabric together between the two rows of stitches, so I reduced the tension, and that helped.

I didn't really stretch the fabric when I was sewing my test swatches, but I did a bit when I was sewing the hem of my T-shirt, so the stitching on the back looks a bit bunched up. The hem has a lot of stretch in it though, so it should survive being worn by a toddler! The hem looks a bit snazzier than the usual single row of stitching (or crooked two rows of stitching), but I don't think it's that much nicer to justify the bother of winding another bobbin and changing the needle on a regular basis (yes, I'm a bit lazy with my finishing off!). I'll save this for special occasion sewing. It is nice to have another tool in my sewing arsenal though!

Kids Clothes Week Challenge - Day 0 and 1

It's Kids Clothes Week over at  Elsie Marley this week. The challenge is to spend an hour each day for a week making clothes for the kids in your life. There are over 300 participants to keep you motivated (and rumours of prizes...). Check out the Flickr pool here.

I've decided it's time to get my son's summer wardrobe organised (since I'm an Aussie). I've bought a few T-shirts and pairs of shorts here and there, but with a new baby on the way, I have a sneaky suspicion that the washing machine may not get operated as frequently as it should at times, so I better make sure he has plenty of clothes. T-shirts and shorts are the order of the day.

I recently subscribed to Ottobre magazine and loved the look of most of the clothes. In fact, while I was flicking through and commenting on how nice everything was, my husband said to me "We've got a lot to do before the baby arrives, and NOT ALL OF IT IS SEWING!". Hmmm....Anyway, I'm giving at least a couple of the patterns from the Summer 3/2010 edition, starting with the raglan T-shirts. I decided not to get quite as fancy as the magazine, but used the basic patterns (since I really wasn't confident about sewing with jersey/knit, and in my abilities to follow the patterns!).

I found the fabrics at my local chain fabric store (starting with S for the Aussies who are interested - I don't like mentioning the name as I really detest my local store, but have few options for a walk-in store!). I was actually really surprised to find some cute boy prints (although I was worried they were a bit too pyjama-like for day-wear, so I'm using the prints just for the sleeves to start with). The ribbing was mostly from my stash, some of which I'd found in my local thrift stores (I don't even remember buying the grey!). Here are my first creations:

A pretty good beginner attempt with lightweight knits, although it is a bit gathered in some places. I'm considering putting an applique on the front as well to make them a bit snazzier. We'll see if I get the motivation (and courage - I'm a little nervous about the knit factor)!

OK, I'll confess - I actually started the challenge a day early. My husband took our toddler for a long walk yesterday, and I made the most of the free time by jumping on the sewing machine. I made the blue/yellow/train top yesterday, and the gray/white/ghost top today (with cutting the material out for this one and another T-shirt last night). It took me about 2.5 hours to complete the first one (with some seam-ripping and swearing - sometimes I just don't think!), and 1.5 hours for the second (including fabric cutting time).

One more photo of my cute little man:

The plan is to make one more T-shirt tomorrow, then start on some shorts. For people wanting some Fall/Autumn inspiration, check out my last Kids Clothes Week Challenge summary here.

The world of Cook Clean Craft

It's been a quiet week for me blog-wise, but there's been a flurry of activity on the home front. Bub #2 is due in a month and the nesting instinct has gone into overdrive. I've got lots of projects to show you, but by the time I finish each day, all I can do is have a lie down. Any blog posts I write in that state would be boring drivel, so I keep waiting until I have more energy. Camera memory card problems and a teething toddler, recently moved to a big boy bed, who suddenly got very needy after Dad returned from a week away, haven't helped matters. Hopefully, the worst of that is over and I'll get back to my typing!




It's also Kids Clothes Week Challenge again at Elsie Marley this week. The challenge is to spend an hour a day sewing for the kids in your life. I've got an enormous pile of fabric and lots of ideas for my son's summer wardrobe (and maybe something for the baby too), so stay tuned to see what I get up to. It's not too late to sign up if you want to join in the fun!

Also, stay tuned this week as I have a great tutorial to share (if I do say so myself)!

Hope you all have a great week, and look forward to sharing all my nesting with you in the weeks to come!

Lentil and Coconut Soup

I am a long-time subscriber to Delicious magazine, but have to admit that I have a tendency to drool over the pictures, write out a list of recipes I'd like to try, and then put the magazine on the shelf - never to be touched again. However, I'm getting a little bored with my lazy meat and steamed vegetable meals that we've been having lately, and would like to add a few new recipes to my repertoire. Maybe even get some value out of all these magazines!

I started with the Tuesday Night Cooking section - quick dishes designed for the busy mid-week. Lentil and coconut soup caught my eye in the July edition (Issue 95, page 106) since I bought a big packet of red lentils a while back, and have no idea what to do with them.

Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
450g bacon rashers, cut into 1cm strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks (white part only), sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes (I only used 1 since I was serving this to a toddler!)
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken stock
400g can coconut milk (I used coconut cream as it was what I had in the cupboard)
Juice of 1 lime
Coriander (cilantro) leaves, to serve

Procedure

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the bacon for 4-6 minutes until golden. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towel.
2. Heat olive oil in the same saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the leek and garlic, cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Stir in the chilli flakes and lentils.
3. Add the stock and coconut milk, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Remove from heat and stire through bacon.
4. Add lime juice and divide amongst serving bowls. Garnish with coriander (cilantro) leaves.

Serves 6. I served it as a main course with toast (although some Roti or other Asian-style flat-bread would have suited the dish better!). This was such a tasty dish compared to what we've been eating lately. I love the South-East Asian flavours of coconut and chilli, and the lentils and bacon made it quite a hearty dish. This one is definitely going to be cooked again!

My first crochet project - Baby Blanket

As I've mentioned previously, when I was pregnant with my first child, I decided to teach myself to crochet. The first project I tackled was a baby blanket from the Learn to Crochet booklet I bought at my local craft shop. Nice and simple - all single crochet in a rectangle in a baby-friendly wool, and then a couple of rows of single crochet around the edge in a fluffly wool (sorry, I made this a while ago and don't have the exact details of the yarn anymore).

I studied the diagrams for how to single crochet and plunged into the project (it's just a blanket, so no worrying about gauge for me!). As I went along, I knew something wasn't right with my crocheting - it didn't look quite like the pictures. I decided there was no going back, and continued on - once again thinking, it's only a blanket so as long as it's all the same, it doesn't really matter.

When I started my next crochet project (Square Man and Long Skinny Dude), I did some googling to work out what I did wrong. The instructions in my book only showed making the stitch on the foundation chain, where you only pick up one loop of the previous row, so I did that for all the rows. Trap for young crocheters! I was actually supposed to poke the crochet hook through the two loops of each stitch. Oh well, just makes my blanket all the more special and unique!

It also ended up way too small to use for a baby, but I'm sure will make a great doll's blanket sometime down the track. You've got to start somewhere!

What was your first crochet project? Have you made something where you knew you were doing something wrong, but went ahead anyway? Let me know in the comments.

Superwoman's Tips On Spring Cleaning

With my husband away on a business trip this week, I thought I'd have lots of free time in the evenings to write all the blog posts that are floating around in my head. Alas no, Bub-to-be is draining all my energy. So for this week's CLEAN post, I direct you to "Superwoman’s Tips On Spring Cleaning" on the Lifehacker Australia website.

I really wish I had friends like this:

Spring clean with a friend (who doesn’t talk too much) to spur you on, cheer you up, patch you up or wipe you down and — ideally — complete the job for you when you get stuck or bored.

I'm going to have to find a copy of this book! Looks like lots of great pearls of wisdom.

Apple Sultana Chews

I spotted this recipe for Apple Raisin Chews at Healthy Home Recipes on Twitter the other day, and thought I would give it a go. (Side note: Yes, I'm on Twitter @CookCleanCraft) I don't normally like to cook from recipes that don't have a picture - I like to see what it's supposed to look like before I commit my time, but for some reason, this recipe drew me in. Here's what mine looked like:

The end result was somewhere between a biscuit (in the Australian-sense, so cookie, if you prefer) and a muesli bar (Granola bar - man, such a simple review, but now I have to run a translation service in my blog!). I think it would make a nice bar or slice, if you'd prefer. It was a great way to use up some homemade apple baby food I had in the freezer. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
2 cups (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
225g (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup applesauce
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups quick or old fashioned oats
1 cup sultanas

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
3. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add applesauce, egg and vanilla; beat well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Add oats and sultanas; mix well.
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
5. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack to cool.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Next time, I think I might add dried apricots instead of sultanas or raisins. Any dried fruit would work!

Tutorial: How to Sew a Box Pleat

Box pleats are a different touch to the standard gathering and pleats. I've used them for curtains and skirts, but I'm sure there are a thousand and one other uses for them. The three sets of London Blinds I've made use a box pleat to create the decorative pull-ups, and I've also made simple box pleat curtains to cover small windows in doors:

Here are the steps to make a box pleat:

Prevent Rust Rings on the Bathroom Vanity

Do you like to keep your cans of hairspray and/or deodorant on the bathroom vanity? Somehow water gets everywhere in the bathroom, the bottom of the can gets wet, and you're left with an ugly orange ring on your bench-top.

Now you can remove the offending by sprinkling a little bicarb (baking soda) and then rubbing it with some vinegar on a cloth or sponge. However, I'm a big fan of the principle that mess prevention is better than cleaning. What can you do to prevent the ring in the first place?

1. Find another home - Put the cans in a cupboard or on a shelf when they won't get splashed. (This comes down to what space you have available and personal preference.)
2. Sacrificial surface - Stand the cans on a tray, plate or a piece of fabric (go crazy with the modge podge and craft something up to match your decore!).
3. Seal the cans yourself - coat the ring on the bottom of the can with clear nail polish.

One less thing to scrub when you're cleaning the bathroom - sounds good to me!