Making t shirts

I have been giving the overlocker a bit of a workout lately. I have been downloading and printing out a few free patterns, sorting through the stash of stretch fabrics, and reading up on sewing blogs for tips and pattern reviews. I started with the scoop top from "Skirt as top" -


The first was a dud,as I couldn't get the neck binding right. This one worked fine! Fabric from Rathdowne remnants - bought recently for this project, 1m $12 I think.
Thanks to some timely posts by Thornberry, I am getting better, using her stretch t shirt procedure.



Then I tried the Jersey top free pattern found on the Peppermint Magazine website. Fabric mostly from the stash-a $10 bag of mixed stretch pieces from Rathdowne remnants last year. I have now made 3 of these, with a couple more cut out. I have even changed thread colour on the overlocker from black, to navy, and now red! Thank goodness for all those wonderful sewing bloggers out there for lots of sewing hints, and also for the Statewide Sewing Centre in Coburg, because they stock overlocking thread, so I can grab a new set of colours when I am doing the fruit & veg and grocery shopping!

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Hooked on fishing

Over the school holidays we went to Torquay, twice. The boys went fishing, caught a fish each, and now they are totally hooked! After the first fishing trip, we came home and they dragged all the fishing gear out of the shed, and got the fishing books off the bookshelf, and studied fishing.
When I say "the boys" I mean all 3 of course, although my H has always enjoyed fishing, we have been waiting for the boys to get interested. Of course the act of catching, cleaning, cooking and eating the fish it what it is all about, and what finally got them hooked. After the first trip, before we packed the gear for the next weekend (Easter), there was some sewing to be done -


We had one fishing rod bag I had made years ago, but the boys decided they needed one each, to carry and store the rods, as well as reducing any tangling in the car. Luckily I just happened to have 2 different camo fabrics in the stash, so they have a new fishing rod bag each. Now we just need to find where the fish are biting!

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Loom craft

Look what my clever nearly -eleven-year-old niece has been making -


Rainbow rubber band craft seems to have taken over primary schools everywhere! I even saw some dropped bands on the ground in the yard at Victorian College for the Deaf when I was there for a meeting last week, which must be extra tricky for the kids there to sign and make bands at the same time, flying fingers indeed!
I thought there must be a book out - 'cos all the youtube videos the kids are watching are chewing through our download! - and luckily found this one locally at Collins Books on Puckle St., Moonee Ponds yesterday. I found it via Amazon first, all the reviews were good, then checked the Collins website, because we were heading over that way anyway. And they had it in stock! I ended up buying 3 copies! ( for friends etc)
Great activity for kids -boys and girls, got to appreciate anything that gets them thinking and creating! Plus with this constant rain at the moment, it is a terrific indoor activity! And me - I have got some sewing done lately, but keep forgetting to take photos!





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