You can't make one without the other....

One thing I've learned as a mum is that if one child has something another will invariably want it too, even if they had no interest 30 seconds earlier. This theory was tested this week when I bought a soft toy for little man (the first time I've bought something for him that he didn't need!) and within minutes of arriving home with it it was claimed by Tig! But thankfully Caelan is only 10 wks old, so full on squabble and meltdown was avoided!

So you might recall a couple of weeks ago Caoimhe chose some purple furry fabric from the sewing shop. This weekend we decided to turn it into something...and rather stupidly I suggested a spider. Stupidly because 8 legs made it a bit tricky to sew together neatly. Still I managed with some help from my sister in law (thanks Fiona) especially the hand sewing which I hate! Although I did have the excuse of having to feed Caelan when it came to the hand sewing bit....thanks son :)

As you can see from the picture I couldn't, and didn't, stop with the spider. As the post title says, I couldn't make for one and not the other, unless I wanted to be responsible for the next World War. I had initially intended to make a smaller spider from the remnants of fur but sadly there wasn't enough left. So I decided to make an owl cuddly/cushion instead using an old blouse of mine, which I'll never get near again thanks to breastfeeding 3 kids, as the owl's face.

I'm quite enjoying sewing at the moment, though I am itching to do some knitting and crochet at some point in the near future...I just can't decide what I want to do. I have a box full of yarn that I should really sort through and then maybe I will be inspired.

I may find inspiration over on the crafty blogs linked up for  Handmade Monday  Some great crafters are linked there so have a look. As soon as I get 5 minutes peace (anyone know where I'll find that??!) I'll be over there.

In the meantime have a great bank holiday and those of you with children off for half term I hope you have lots of fun filled family time.

Til next time!

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Can you tell what it is yet....?

You might recall in my last post I told you about my trip to Bolton to buy some fabric. Well this weekend I managed to find a couple of hours to do something with some of it.

I'm not going to show you any close up shots because quite honestly the sewing isn't the best. I definitely need more practice! In case you are wondering, I made a ring sling. I am a fan of babywearing as some of you might know. I have a couple of slings already (ok I have 4 but who's counting?!) I had a ring sling for my eldest but never got on with it really. But then she didn't enjoy being in a sling much - I think I was too unsure of it myself. But I had to get a stretchy wrap for my second girl as she was a really clingy babe (and still is) and I found it a great help. Caelan has taken to it really well, probably because he's been in a sling since he was a few days old. So when I saw a pattern for a ring sling I thought I'd have a go and see how he liked it too.

It was not the easiest thing I've made even though the instructions were simple enough, and the finish was not how I hoped it would turn out. But even so I'm quite pleased that I did it. And I'm looking forward to getting a bit of time to do something with the remnants of fabric soon.

I'd like to link up with Wendy for  Handmade Monday. There are lots of inspiring blogs linked there so have a lootil next time!

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Fun in the Sun

How was your bank holiday weekend? I hope you found time to spend it with loved ones. For once the sun was shining and Monday was a lovely day here in the north west. We didn't want to waste it even though me and the eldest were a tad off colour and decided to go for a little drive out. That little drive out resulted in a lovely afternoon at  Standedge Tunnel visitors centre in Marsden. It really was a case of seeing the sign and saying 'shall we see what that's about?'

The girls loved it. There's an outdoor play area with picnic tables, and an indoor soft play area too. As well as a small exhibition telling you about the tunnel and a craft space too (unfortunately dosed on our visit) Just a few yards away there's a cafe where you can not only get the requisite ice creams for the small people, but also tickets for a boat ride too. We didn't partake on  this occasion but plan to on our return. We'll also make sure we follow the nature trail. Unfortunately our pram is just a bit big really for the trail so I'll make sure I take a sling for the little man next time.

It was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours with the kids and without sending much money too (always a bonus) If you're in the area then definitely take a look.

I haven't got much to show this week for  Handmade Monday I don't know were the week has gone to be honest. I did have a trip to a Haberdashery in Bolton earlier today and bought myself some fabric.... If you want to know what I'm going to use it for well you'll just have to wait and see!

Til next time!


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The Sewing Bee part 2

I would love to be able to say that I've been a busy girl sewing away to my heart's content, making lots of things well into the night. But I'm a mum of 3, 3 small ones for that matter, so you know how likely that is.

I have, however, managed to make a case for my daughter's DS. It only took me a couple of evenings, which is ridiculous but when you have a small boy demanding your attention it's not easy to sew one handed! Has anyone mastered it? I'd love to hear how!

I tried to make it as upcycled as I could. The only thing I bought for it was the velcro, which I thought would be more child friendly than a button. The case itself is made from an old pair of jeans of mine lined with an old sheet. The cat and the motif came from an old pyjama top of Caoimhe's. It didn't turn out quite as well as I wanted it to but I think it's ok for it's use, and I'm much happier with it than with the case I made for her leap pad.

In other news I made a chocolate Herman cake that I was actually happy about. My previous attempts have been a little flat and stodgy. So I doubled the amount of baking powder and used an extra egg. As well as using cocoa powder I used a packet of chocolate buttons from an Easter egg (yes we still have eggs left!) I also added a few raisins, well you have to try an offset some of the naughtiness don't you! When I get around to sorting out the new website I will be posting up my Herman recipes, amongst others though in the meantime if anyone wants me to post them I don't mind doing that too.

It's that time of the week when Wendy hosts  Handmade Monday so have a look at the lovely blogs linked up and see what folk have been up to. I'm about to sink into a lovely hot bath while the milk monster is being entertained by daddy. My peace might last 5 minutes if I'm lucky :)

Have a great week. Til next time!

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