As you may know, I have decided to put my sewing work on a more official, business footing. As part of that transition, I have decided to separate my family and general home-related posts from my work-related posts. I will soon be moving all of the latter to the Pip ‘n’ Milly Creations website (www.pipnmilly.com) and the former will shift to http://thewinkingfrog.wordpress.com (family/home stuff).

The new Winking Frog blog is active now and that is where all new crafty, domestic, family, scenery, cookery posts will be. I might even do a giveaway in a few days…..

We are working on the move now and hope to have it all completed very soon. Please feel free to visit either or both. I would be grateful if you could leave a comment so I know you have found me!

Don’t forget to change your bookmarks and links!

A favourite little boy turns 3 tomorrow, so I had the perfect excuse to make a deluxe grab ‘n’ go placemat!

Birthday gift for Quinn

Grab 'n' Go placemat for Quinn

Sorry for the long gap between posts. It has been a whirlwind of activity around here, between settling in to a new routine with the start of kindergarten, playschool, business, job-hunting (DH), puppy-sitting, enjoying the last warm days of summer, playdates, sewing and general home life! We have been getting the house and garden sorted out, ready for the winter months ahead. It tends to rain a lot here, so we don’t spend a lot of time in the garden over the winter, so we needed to create some new storage for the playthings. DH has been occupied with replacing the rotten steps leading to the garden (side effect of building with wood in a rain forest climate!), staining the fence, to protect it from the afore-mentioned moisture, making a gate for the archway he built earlier in the year (in order to keep the pesky deer out of our veggie patch and flower beds), picking up soil for a new flower bed, planting a hedge and generally tackling my “any chance you could do …. list”. He is a superstar.

It has been a very exciting time for my little business, too. The new placemat is a great little product and I am so happy that other people like it too. I am working on a number of new handbags, but I am keeping those under wraps until later in the month. I have an amazing retail opportunity coming up. I will definitely tell you more when it is all confirmed.

Halloween is fast approaching, so when I need a breather between sewing for others, I will be working on costumes for the girls. They have decided to be a witch and a cat this year, teaming up to go as a pair! Last year they were a super hero (OOAK, of course) and a one-eyed, one-horned flying purple people eater (remember the song?). I will, of course, be posting pics of the little cuties when the costumes are done. They both seem to have quite specific ideas of what they want, so I hope I can satisfy them!

I am always thinking of things to make, as you know. I lean towards items which are practical, functional and fun to sew. If they appeal to other people, so much the better, as selling things means I can fund my fabric habit! With Philippa starting school this week, I have been contemplating items which would be useful for her and, once the art smock was complete, I moved on to lunch time. She has plenty of bags and a perfectly good lunch bag which she used for preschool and does not want to part with. She has always taken a napkin to preschool with her to put her food on, so I decided to upgrade. I have been working on a grab and go placemat that will be useful for school and also for eating out, picnics and the like. I think I have cracked it and I am really pleased with the outcome.

Grab and go placemats

The ultimate placemat

The ultimate placemat

These mats are made with 3-4 coordinating cotton prints and the main body is interlined with fleece.  The pocket section is interfaced and holds stainless steel, dishwasher safe cutlery and has a flap to keep it all secure. There is also a pocket behind the cutlery pocket for a napkin – how clever is that! (The napkin can be used to wrap the dirty cutlery in – thanks for that idea, Tracy!) The ties are sturdy and made with one of the fabrics used in the mat, which rolls up neatly for popping into a lunch bag or handbag on the way out. The mats are machine washable and all fabrics have been prewashed and dried to prevent further shrinkage.

Something that will appeal to lots of parents is that this might stop kids putting their food on surfaces which may or may not be clean! We expect children to pick up bugs when they go back to school, but this is one way we can help. It is also an ideal component of a litterless lunch.

I would love to hear what you think!

I have just been reading a post on a lovely blog, Make Under My Life, and it inspired me to post something I have been thinking about for some time. It is a great passage that my parents have had framed and displayed at home and work for many years. I have to go make breakfast now, but I’ll try to come back and finish this post later!

Desiderata
by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career
however humble;
it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you
to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham,
drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

If you have a look over at my Flickr pics, you can see the hat I made for myself this week. It turned out quite well in the end, especially for a first attempt. I will definitely be making variations of this for myself, as I often wear hats and like to have a bit of variety. It will be interesting to see how it washes – most of my other hats are woven paper or straw and I’m not sure what you can do with them once they get dirty, which they inevitably do when you wear them in the garden. Oh, and when you let your children borrow them. And they eat chocolate. And transfer it to your previously pristine white hat…

The pattern I used for the hat was McCall’s M4400. As I made this on a whim, I didn’t have any interfacing handy and just used some muslin I had in stock. I also had to reduce the height of the crown as it was too big for me. The next time I make it, I think I will use medium weight interfacing for the brim and reduce the height of the crown at the pattern stage.

The main issue I had with making this hat was that I broke the needle in my sewing machine, which resulted in an unpleasant and worrisome noise. I took it in to the shop, where they prised the beloved machine from my fingers. It was quite difficult to leave it behind. When I learned that the chap wouldn’t be able to look at it until he returned from holiday some time next week I decided to retrieve it. At least I would have it in my possession. As it turned out, the very, very kind repair man was in the shop at the time and mended it for me while I waited! What an absolute gem! It was just a burr on the bobbin case, so he could do it then and there. I cannot tell you how very happy I was to have my lovely machine back safe and sound and working perfectly again. I felt rather lost without it.

Anyway, all is well now and I have heaps of projects in mind and a few orders to fulfill, too, so it is going to be a fun summer! Crowns, tutus, bedding, another kaftan, lounge pants, handbags, crayon rolls and maybe even some things for me!

I made a bag for my wonderful neighbour, Elaine. She is a lovely woman and is very tolerant of the girls talking to her endlessly and making her dog run up and down along the fence line. If we go out in the garden and he’s not there, they call for him! They also pick daisies and dandelions and pass them to Elaine over the fence.

Deluxe big bag with lots of pockets

Interior of bag

The exterior of the bag is made with home decor weight fabric with beautiful bold flowers on a warm brown background. The front features a divided, lined pocket. The lining is the same fabric as the upper facing inside the bag. The lining of the bag itself is a medium weight cream cotton and the base and pockets are made with a quilting cotton with a print of butterflies on a cream background. I wanted the interior to be light, so that it is easy to find things – I learned my lesson from making my own bag with a black interior – not so good! The interior of this very spacious bag features a key clip, as always, and pockets for cellphone, pen and notebook, as well as several other pockets. Even with the pockets filled, the centre of the bag is still available for carrying a sweater, shopping, snacks and drinks or whatever you need. The closure is a reinforced magnetic snap.

It seems likely that I have a herniated disk. The good news is that I don’t have to rest too much, just have to be sensible about what I do. If it hurts, don’t do it! The other good news is that it should get better on its own.

As promised, here is a picture of the needlework frame I found at the Community Market, which raises funds for local causes and sells all manner of things. Pip wanted to try it out, so I bought some muslin for her to practice on. She did really well and it was a few minutes before she decided to move on to something else!

needlework frame

My new baby

A very kind and generous neighbour has given me the most amazing gift. We share a love of Harrowsmith Country Life magazine and we were chatting over the fence about a recent article on spinning, when she suddenly asked if I wanted a loom! We thought about, discussed where it could go and decided that we would find a space for it.

loom

Itn’t she beautiful?! Turns out it is a 4 harness floor loom called Nilus and it was made in Canada by Leclerc. I have been reading the books and magazines that came with it and now at least know the names of some of the parts, but I think I am going to have to find someone to teach me how to use it. All in good time! The weaving that is on it is not mine, but will stay there until I figure out how the whole thing works. I will have a flock of sheep and a spinning wheel before you know it!

I am still here, but I have injured my back and am supposed to be “resting” and not spending all evening at the sewing machine or computer. No gardening, no running and no lifting. Feeling very miserable about it all. It is spring and the garden needs me! I can’t run, so my goal of getting out and doing a 5km race is having to go on the backburner. I am gutted about that, as I was so close to getting it done. May 24th is the hospital fundraiser run here, but it is not to be. I had been doing my physiotherapy exercises, running regularly, then wham! pain across my lower back and radiating down my right leg. Not fun at all. After 2 weeksm I couldn’t cope with the pain anymore and have been to see the doctor, so at least now I have some relief, but am very frustrated by the enforced inactivity.

On a happy note, DH and I went to the local community market at the weekend and made a very fortuitous discovery. Dumped in a corner, ignored by those who had no idea what it was, I found a floor-standing needlework frame. It was a steal at $5, especially as it is in perfect condition. Very excited about this – even more excited that Pip wants to use it! We had a brief session today and she learned quickly. I will post a pic soon.

These are the finished pieces for a custom order. I made some changes since my last post, adding some additional embellishment to the tutu and to a little vest to complete the set. It must be a winner, as my daughter wants one too, but, of course, she wants to pick her own colours!

Felt birthday crown

Custom birthday set

Tomorrow marks one year since my friends, Ann and Karen, opened their scrapbooking studio. They are holding an Open House event from 3pm-6pm, followed by a crop. If you are interested in finding out more, please check out their website, EllaBella Designs. If you are in the Nanaimo area, please stop by and be inspired!