keelysews... sometimes

Less than a week until I can sit at my sewing desk without somebody asking "shouldn't you be studying?". My last exam is Friday morning (woohoo!) and I've already got my Friday afternoon planned - DH is taking me out to lunch then I'm off to visit J and the babies (they're getting so big!) before the school run starts. Friday night is taken up with a school production; Saturday afternoon with a nephew's birthday party, but Sunday I plan on chaining myself to the sewing desk and woe betide anyone who disturbs me! I'm already practicing my "Do not disturb" face, lol.

I've managed to fit in some sewing-related activities over the past week around everything else.. I traced, and cut out a hoodie jacket for my DD1 from an original 1980s sweatshirting- white with fluoro yellow smiley faces printed on. It was a squeeze. I started off with less fabric than required for the pattern and then there was a corner cut out as well, but I got it all on in the end. It just requires me to dig out a white zip. Somehow, I don't think I'd have much luck finding a fluoro yellow zip. ;) Today, I went on a stash dive for specific knits. It was helped by 'the map' of my stash cupboard but it still required moving 14 boxes (possibly, just possibly, I might have a bit too much stash). Naturally, one of the boxes I needed was in the very bottom back corner. Then I traced out Ottobre patterns while the fabric preshrank. I've got tops and leggings to make for 2 nieces and a set for my DD2 for summer. That was as far as I got but at least everything is ...

Last week the number of sewing machines in my house doubled. First up, my parents gave my DD a second-hand machine for her 12th birthday. It's an old one - a Brother 803 (in fact I'm sure it's the same model I had in sewing classes when I was 10) and it doesn't have a manual, but it's simple and easy to work out. DD is very excited to have a machine of her own and has set it up in her bedroom. This did necessitate furniture reallocations and shuffling, but hey, this is encouraging another sewer/sewist and I need help getting that stash down. :) Then came another second-hand old machine. A Husqvarna 6440 which, according to the original warranty certificate, was bought in 1977. This was on Trade-me and I got it for $26. Apparently the main cam is broken. I've phoned the repair place that looked at the machine for the previous owner (that's the advantage of a small city - there are only a few places to check) and I can expect a bill of about $90 to fix it. Ev...

I've been terribly neglectful of my blog. Uni has been keeping me busy, but I've now handed in my (42 page!) research report. I'm slowly recovering from the effects of typing that much (RSI and, ahem, the effects of all the nibbles necessary for such an undertaking) and now I've just got a couple of exams to go this year. Then it's 8 weeks holidays, so I'll be getting some sewing done then. :) Because I can't wait to do something sewing, I've been busy stimulating the economy. First up, I decided to get those Ottobre magazines I've been thinking about before the dollar dropped too far. Winging their way to me are: 4/06 1/08 and 4/08 So when they arrive I'll have no excuse not to be inspired. But it's not just magazines I've been buying. ;) Yesterday, I 'forced' myself to head along to Spotlight's 20% off sale and liberated some fabric. (There goes the stash stats!) Brigitte brown/stars jersey knit; Sweethearts jersey Blue k...

Sometimes life throws you a curveball or two - and if you're my DD, you forget to duck and get hit in the head - again. (Or, you walk into a wall. ) After yet another visit to the ED with DD2 (this time she got an ambulance from school ) I'm threatening to buy her one of these.... or wrap her in a big roll of bubblewrap - it even comes in pink Somehow we have to stop her "bonking her boko" as my Nanna would say. Needless to say, no sewing, or schoolwork, has been done. (No housework either, but that I'm less worried about.) The closest I've come to anything sewing related is tracing off a pyjama pant pattern for a teacher at school for costumes. Even then, I'm afraid I did a quick ducking out of sewing the things. I don't feel too guilty about it. After all it's not my child's class and there are other mothers who sew at school, and I've sewn about 80% of the costumes over the last 10 years......... Ah well, at least it'll be easy to a...

Rhoto and Rachelle have asked what the Hug Rugs I mentioned are. Basically they're polar fleece blankets (given with love and hugs) which the Young Vinnies (the youth section of The St. Vincent de Paul Society) give to members of the community. This year was for new mothers, other years have been for the elderly or homeless. Although none of my children are currently in the group, the teacher running it at school was desperate for someone to overlock the edges. Sometimes the kids have also done the overlocking, but they were time-strapped this year so I just took them home. The kids then attach the labels and messages of support and go out to deliver them. It's a really nice way for the kids to give to the community and the recipients always seem to appreciate them.

If so then I get to add making a cheerful, smiley hearts sling for DD to my list. :-) As it is: Hug rugs for school done - Check. Nightie for me - On hold. Ottobre Jacket - cut out and sitting in the general vicinity of the sewing desk. I really need this but it's waiting on some spare time (if I can ever remember what that is). I'm making Jacket 17 from Ottobre 02-2006 but I'm using a Ponti Roma knit instead of a woven and I'm not going to line it. I have a mental image of what I'm aiming for, so we'll have to see if reality matches. ;-) Meanwhile, any faint hopes I had that a broken arm might slow down my youngest DD have been abandoned. I got a phone call from school last week to say she'd banged her head not just once, but twice, and wasn't feeling too good. Understatement of the year! White as a ghost, nauseaous, dizzy and double vision, on top of the fact that she'd had concussion only ten days before, meant we got to see another 5 hours of lif...