Townmouse

New shoes

Ever since first spying baby shoe patterns in Japanese craft books I've been eager to try making a pair.

I made these for Adelaide yesterday and she wore them today.  The pattern fits quite well and they didn't come off her feet. 

Instead of doing a button and buttonhole on the strap, I hid a snap fastener under the button.  A neat buttonhole is hard to achieve on the narrow strap, so this was a nice, neat alternative.

Teeth?

My guess is teeth are working their way through Adelaide's little gums, as we're needing a bib more often.

This latest is trimmed in the last scant scraps from this little top.

A worthy read

I just finished the most wonderful book.  Dogboy was one of three books I proposed for book group last month.  Unfortunately we voted for a less worthy book and this one didn't get chosen.

It's about a young boy raised by a pack of feral dogs in Moscow.

Reviewers describe it as bleak, haunting, disturbing, intense, demanding.  Yes it's all of that, but it's also a touching, tender tale.  The relationship the boy develops with the dogs is beautiful.  The writing is believable and it's a book I could have read again straight away if I hadn't passed my copy along as I was so keen for another person to read it. 

I highly recommend you read this remarkable book. 

Holidays here we come

The boys have just had their last day at school for the term.  We now have a two week holiday.  Yay.

Spring weather is here and the days are getting longer.

Sewing summer clothes is so much more fun than sewing winter clothes.

A quick fiddle with my Frill Jeans pattern, and I made this pair of cotton pants for Adelaide for summer.

They are a size 0 (6 months), so will fit her over the summer - perfect for sitting in the sand and wiggling those little toes.

Liberty top

A mere 30 cms of Liberty fabric was all that was required for this little top.  (I actually layed Adelaide on the cutting bench in the fabric store alongside the ruler to see how much I would need.)

Adelaide has a growing number of these tops to wear now.  This one has more rows of smocking than the previous pink version and I like the way it sits across her shoulders.

I have put a new category on my blog, "Adelaide's wardrobe" as there will no doubt be many more posts about her clothes, as I continue sewing for her.

These tops are perfect to make as the smocking gives me a couple of hours of hand sewing that I can do when relaxing in the evenings.

Summer sewing

I have been bunkered down in the studio for the last few days, getting on top of work.  While waiting for Adelaide to wake from a particularly long sleep I whipped up this pair of linen pants this morning.

The great thing about sewing for such a little model is that no fabric at all is required.  These were made from a few scraps of linen and one metre of linen tape.  I like a pair of neutral pants that will go with anything in her wardbrobe.  And natural linen is the perfect fabric for summer.

To stop ribbons from fraying, simply apply a little clear nail varnish to the ends.  It holds all the fibres in place.

Father's Day

It's Fathers Day here in Australia.  The boys were busy early this morning preparing something special for Will.

 

Their thoughtfully collated menu consisted of:

• musille with yogert and watermillin
• rice bubbles with bannana
• creaps with your chees choas
• fiary bread
• juice - bear and apple

Who wouldn't want hundreds and thousands (sprinkles) on bread for breakfast.

The whole family enjoyed crepes, pear juice and, sadly, no fairy bread.

Favourite new find

Yesterday I ventured far to visit a new store with an old association.  Trenery is a new Australian label launched by Country Road, a brand that makes up a large part of my wardrobe.

My preferred style of dressing is classic, so I knew Trenery would be just my thing. 

I like simple, clean, well made basics that I can mix up with a beautiful Hermes scarf or an interesting Elk necklace.

I came away from Trenery with a few basic knits, the above bag and, surprisingly, a pair of pants that flattered my still not in shape post baby body. 

I'm a happy shopper.

Today I have done away with my maternity jeans and am feeling presentable in my Trenery pants and knit, matched with a favourite scarf.

Hello funny face

Here is the pink version of the little smocked top.

This has a smaller neck circumference than the blue one, so looks a little neater on.

Adelaide is at the age where she makes lots of little, sweet bird noises.  Here she is mid chirrup.

The sleeve detail is quick and easy.  I love a rolled hem too.

A hit among misses

This smocking business is proving trickier than I thought.  Like any new endeavour, its taking me a while to get the hang of it, and to create pieces I actually like.  The green version from a few posts ago was made into a shirt that ended up in the bin.

Part of the process, referred to as blocking, is where you predetermine the degree of gathering.  This is a step that I didn't really worry about initially.  Now I realise it makes all the difference.

I feel like I'm getting the hang of it now.  I've drafted a sweet pattern for this little bishop's neck top in a 3 to 6 month size.

A later pink version I like even more.  Adelaide will wear that tomorrow.

The up side of going to the dentist

I hate going to the dentist more than most things.  But a recent trip there turned out to be a positive one.  I had to walk past a lovely antique shop to get there, and I spied this great bench seat in the window.

I had been looking for a while for something to put opposite our front door and this seemed to be just perfect.  According to this quiz, via Simple Lovely, my home decorating style is Elegant Classic.    What's yours?