A winner and a recommendation

Hazel did the requisite this afternoon and chose Margaret from near Melbourne, who said "I would love to win a copy of this book, it looks awesome. I gave birth to my third (and last) daughter last Sat, so am in total clucky mode.  I have made her a few things but if i can find the time would love to make more."  So it sounds like the book will be put to good use.

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A couple of months ago I came across a recommendation for an online book seller The Book Depository, located in the UK.  The thing that really caught my eye was the "free shipping worldwide" because as anyone who has ever tried to buy from Amazon from outside the US knows, shipping is often more than the book you want!  I had a look at their prices compared to our own local online bookseller Fishpond and I was stunned.  The first book I had a look at was Martha Stewart's latest Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts which I'd seen reviewed about the place a lot at the time and found it for just under $50 NZ.  On Fishpond it's $75.99.  The same price differences applied to pretty much every single book I checked out and I was floored.  Really it seemed too good to be true, but the recommendation had come from a reputable blogger (whose name I've since forgotten!) so I didn't dismiss it right away.  But really I still wonder why the price difference? I feel a bit guilty ordering from the UK when I feel I should be supporting the local act, but with that kind of price difference it's hard to.  I wonder if there's something I don't know, something I should be taking into account that would sway things the other way?  Or are the local book sellers just robbing us blind?  All morality aside,  Mat and Hazel gave me a pre-loaded Visa card for my birthday so I went for it:

I'm sure I'll be 'reviewing' these books in the near future!  The books arrived really promptly, though all separately packaged which seems a bit odd. Still, no complaints on my part so I can thoroughly recommend The Book Depository!

and for Hazel:

The Moomintroll books are a bit old for her ("when's the next picture?" she says) but she actually seems to quite enjoy them despite that.  I just couldn't resist getting them and hope she enjoys them as much as I did/do!  When I was in Sweden in 2007 I spotted a very cute little Moomin apron in a shop window and had to have it.  She was just turned two at the time, and looking at this photo I just want to kiss those little cherub lips!  She was happy about the apron and the Klippan felted wool bag but a bit unsure about her mummy being home after 3 weeks!

Autumn photographs

We've been having a lot of wet weather here the last week or so, and some pretty spectacular storms that roll over for a brief time, pour, and move on and we repeat that ever half hour or so.  The weather here makes me laugh cynically when people in Edmonton trot out the phrase "if you don't like the weather then wait 5 minutes" because they really have no idea what they're talking about.

There are even a few roses bravely flowering on, it's been a very warm May so I shouldn't be too surprised I suppose!

A Hazel orginal

The other day when I was deeply involved with the Kid's Clothing Week Challenge Hazel was determined to keep me company and to work on something of her own and she began to make a stuffed toy.  She drew out the shape and the face and attached the arms and legs, and then needed some help with turning into an three-dimensional toy.  Then she helped me sew it up and told me what eye, mouth and hair colour to use.  It's based on how she usually draws herself

And here is her toy

She really likes and refers to it as "me".

Bunny Nuggets!

My friend Jess is a mad-keen knitter and you may remember her from this gorgeous squirrel and other fabulous cardigans.  I'm always torturing her by sending her links to cool knitting patterns so she can add them to her endless 'to do' list (hey, what are friends for?) and awhile ago I sent her the link to the Bunny Nuggets one.  If you haven't seen it before then you're missing out - if you knit you probably need to make some, if you don't then read the instructions because they're funny and then send the pattern to a knitting friend and you might get a package in return with...

Bunny Nuggets!!!

I just about died when I opened them up, not just because they've got cute little eyes, or slightly madly wonky ears, or because they're soft and touchable - but because they've got the BEST fluffy tails.

They've been a huge hit in the house, even going so far as to be spotted in a manly Swandri pocket

Mat would probably like me to point out that it's a vintage Swannie that he found for TEN DOLLARS at the Salvation Army in Whanganui op shop in Wangers (he made me change it to that) and it fits him perfectly.  It is his pride and joy. :)

Presents for Baby Benjamin

My nephew Benjamin arrived at the beginning of May, a very welcome addition to the family!  We're off to see him tomorrow (or the day after depending on how recovered from our colds Hazel and I am) and we'll come bearing gifts - handmade of course :)

The booties are the ones from Handmade Beginnings, the bunny is a Mooshie Belly Bunny from the Chez Beeper Bebe tutorial

I loved making the little pompom tail, so cute!  Actually the whole bunny is madly cute, Hazel is dying for one of her own - in pink naturally, and even Mat's been spotted cuddling him.

The hat is from another Chez Beeper Bebe tutorial, this one's the Bat Baby hat and the tutorial comes with some wonderful little toys as well.  It's lined with the same sherpa as the slippers.

I'm off for the weekend but have some posts scheduled for while I'm away, and of course the drawing for the Handmade Beginnings book on Monday!

Q & A with Anna Maria and some booties!

Part the second to the Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby (the giveaway is the next post down), isn't it nice being able to string this out over a couple posts?  I eat my chocolate bars the same way, small nibbles make them last longer.  Mat eats his in about 3 bites and then gets annoyed because I still have so much enjoyment left.

H: The first thing that always strikes me when I see your projects is your fabulous use of colour and pattern. When I set out to combine colours and patterns, no matter how hard I try, I always seem to default to the safe and conventional.  Do you have any advice for those of us who are a bit challenged in this regard?

AMH: Well, outside of the obvious process of first laying colors together side by side as swatches, there are a few tricks that I like to use.  One is let every main color in the palette have two versions of itself.  For instance if you have blue, orange, and lavender in your palette (which sounds totally weirdo, huh?) make sure there are two versions of each.  Two blues, Two oranges, Two Lavenders.  The two versions of blue might come in the form of one being mroe royal, and one being more tourquoise.  The two versions of orage might be one bright orange and the other rust.  The two versions of lavender might be one dusty grey lavender and the otehr deeper purple.  So in other words, the difference between the two shades might be in lightness, intensity or murkiness.  But providing both shades in one palette sets it on the ground and gives one color something to refer to and sort of keeps the peace.

H: The Dad Bag was a bit of a surprise to me which made me realise that guys seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to sewing for a new baby. You mentioned in a recent blog post that your husband swore he'd never use it - even though he does, do you think that's the typical reaction of men to sewing which is why there's a dearth of projects intended for them? Or do women just tend to sew for themselves?

AMH: I think yes to both might be the case!  If I were to sew something for my husband in secret then offer it to him under the guise of having BOUGHT it for him, he would likely say, oh wow, thanks!  Right?  I do imagine that most men equate a sewn item with a woman's item because that is what we are doing at the machine most of the time.  Nevertheless, keeping a pre-baby sewing to-do for Dad was something that was important to me.  And I am pretty sure it's been appreciated, just as my sweet husband is appreciated!

H: When I first went back to work after having my daughter I had an awful time switching mind-sets from being a mummy to being an academic. It was much easier to go back the other way! I often wondered whether it was me or my profession that caused that - working in a more creative/artistic field, do you find that disconnect trying to work while having Roman sitting in the same room?

AMH: Hmm.  I would agree that there are several fields of work where the transition from mothering to working is a bit smoother.  And in fact, I imagine the same for just the work/life transition in general.  But every career has its challenges and distractions.  Having creative work can some days go hand in hand really well with mothering however, other times you really can't predict when and idea is going to drop into your lap and inspire hours of work to realize.  So the biggest challenge for me is being able to harness the spark of creativity and hang on to it until the most opportune parenting time arrives.  It requires SO much patience.  But I have learned that knowing myself and my family really well helps.  Don't expect the impossible out of yourself or anyone around you.  We all have our schedules and our limits and the key is finding the workable overlap in all those variables where you can make some things happen.

H: With the introduction of the voiles into your range, do you find yourself designing differently than you did when it was only the quilting-weight cottons?  Which comes first, the project or the fabric?

AMH: Most definitely.  The volies just felt sooo sweet and soft, and I wanted the prints in the first voile range to reflect that sweetness.  So the finer hand lent itself beautifuly to the finer prints.  Anymore the fabric and the prints are being realized at the same time.  My next collection will include home dec, quilting weight, voile and velveteen.  Therefore while its all still one collection with a very large but cohesive color story, each of the different base cloths gets to take its own slightly different direction with color.  For instance the voiles are very wearable colors due to the fact that many will end up being used as stand-alone apparel fabrics.  The quilting cottons have a broader range of colors and are beautifully bright, etc.

H: So many women seem to pick up sewing again, or start for the first time, when there's a baby on the way - theirs or someone close to them.  What is it about a baby that makes people want to get creative and express their love and excitement in such a material way - pun fully intended! :)

AMH: I think the intro to my book can answer that perfectly!  I mention that the sewing I do for my babies is very much like my way of nurturing.  And I am quite certain I am not alone there!  And when we hear baby news, something just jumps inside the heart and makes us want to provide- not just for baby but also for the expectant mom.  By design we want to care for others.  Sewing just happens to be a wonderful way to do it! 

Thank you so much for such thoughtful questions!

H: And thank you Anna Maria!

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I got the booties done last night - just in time to take them down to Benjamin tomorrow.  They're so cute and scrummy soft, I wonder if you could scale up the pattern to adult size?  Certainly to Hazel's size wouldn't be too hard.  So just to make it harder, I made them the first time out of knit fabrics to match some other things I'd made (more on that tomorrow) but they still turned out well.  I suspect they'll be a bit big, although I've been told he's got very big feet for a newborn so it may work out just right!

The outer is this wonderful stripy jersey I picked up at Spotlight years ago and though I love it Hazel won't have a bar of it so it's nice to be able to use it on something.  They're lined with cotton sherpa and have cotton quilt batting so they should be fairly warm for the coming winter. Oh who am I kidding, it's here already! 

Handmade Beginnings Blog Tour and Giveaway

I was incredibly excited and flattered to be asked to participate in Anna Maria's Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby blog tour.  There may, just possibly, have been skipping down the hallway.  In addition to this review there is of course the book to be given away, and there will hopefully be a Q & A with Anna at some point (Quilt Market has kind of gotten in the way of that a bit).

I have her previous book Seams to Me and it's a tough act to follow, but when Handmade Beginnings arrived I wasn't disappointed!  Now I have to admit that the fact it was a book about sewing for babies didn't thrill me to bits as I've unfortunately done my dash in that regard (having babies that is!) so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it all.  But!

First off yes, it's a book about sewing for babies, but in a very inclusive way. You don't have to be the mama or even family as many of the items would make fabulous gifts from a friend.  What I especially liked though, was the way the book strives to include the whole family in the process of having a new baby, whether it's the first or sixth!  When I think about other baby books I've read in this vein, that aspect seems (now) to be sorely lacking as they focus solely on the mother and baby.  What you get in this book are projects that include dad, siblings and the house, as well as mum and baby.  I think the only ones missing out might be the cat and dog ;)  The other thing that particularly struck me was that so many of the projects don't have to be about a baby.  Obviously the baby clothes are but the maternity clothes are specifically designed to be used pre- and post-baby, and the home decor items are obviously very flexible in terms of use.  So if you think you might have some sewing for other people's babies in your future but are thinking "what's in it for me?" then I can tell you "plenty!"

So here are some of my favourite projects. Let's start off with the baby stuff:

These booties are so adorable.  In order to be a good blog tour host I had planned to make a pair for my new nephew and show them off here.  I cut everything out on Sunday and ironed the outer fabric pieces before I started sewing.  I took the ironed pieces and...well I put them somewhere and I haven't been able to find them!  Literally 5 minutes later I was searching around and it's 2 days later and they still haven't shown up. And yes, I've checked the fridge and rubbish!  After waiting a couple days to see if they turned up somewhere incredibly stupid I recut the pieces and started sewing this afternoon. So far so good and I'll get pics up as soon as I can.  Anyone want to take bets on where I put those bits of fabric?  Ummm yeah, so really cute booties and I love the way they're constructed, a bit out of the ordinary way of these things.

Everyone's been showing this jacket photo and it's not surprising considering how cute that wee boy is!  I'd like to try making it for either my niece or nephew but need to do some measuring.

These pants are super-cute as well, I like the way you can mix and match fabrics to your heart's content or just go one colour each side and still get that flash of the other side on the cuffs.

One thing I really noticed when Hazel was born was how easily Mat got sidelined if we didn't pay attention to him being actively involved.  Now I'm not saying he would have actually used a Dad Bag if I'd made one but I think chances are he might have (he does love his 'European Man's Carry-all') and it would have made him feel pretty pro while he was at it.

Now this is one of those neat pre- and post-baby items that I love

Lovely maternity dress or top (it does both).  I like the clean lines and the fabric looks great.  But you say you're not planning on being pregnant any time soon?  Well look at this!

A non-maternity version (also good for bfing on the fly) and I'm looking forward to making it.  Check out Meg's version over at Sew Liberated.

I love some of the little toys too, the stacking boxes are particularly cute

although the first thing Hazel asked when she saw that photo was if I could make her the dog and I had to tell her that the pattern wasn't in the book. There was some displeasure expressed at that.

There are also toys for the older children like this swaddled doll that comes with nappies

Although there are lovely quilts in this book (see other blogs on the tour for reviews of those) I actually like the simplicity of the little mini-quilt that comes with this project, particularly done up in those gorgeously lush fabrics.

The Daydreams mobile would look lovely in any room, or just the shade on its own

I also loved these embroidered letters, they lend themselves to so many uses and spots in the house

The detail on the B is wonderful

Thanks to the lovely people at Wiley Publishing (and they really are lovely!) I have a copy of Handmade Beginnings to give away. I'm going to limit it to New Zealand and Australian residents only for oh, a variety of reasons, but the rest of the world won't be left out as there's lots of copies to be had from earlier stops on the tour. US residents can enter into the sweeps for a really great prize: a Singer Confidence 7470 sewing machine, 5 yards of Anna Maria Horner fabric, and a copy of the book Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby.  Between sweeps like that and Anthropologie, you guys really do make the rest of the world want to emmigrate sometimes.

If you'd like to enter to win a copy of the book all you need to do is leave a comment below and make sure you put your email into either the Disqus form or in the body of the comment.  I will use the random entry picker commonly known as Hazel to choose the winner from a hat on Monday 31st at 3pm NZ time, when she gets back from créche.  She's been asking me when she'll be able to do that again for ages!

For more reviews check out the other participants on the blog tour.

May 3  Craft
May 4  Indie Fixx
May 5  Sew Mama Sew
May 6  Pink Chalk Studio
May 10  Wise Craft
May 14  House on Hill Road
May 16  The Purl Bee
May 18  All Buttoned Up
May 19  Alabama Chanin Journal
May 20  Homemade by Jill
May 21  True Up
May 22  Oh, Fransson!
May 23  Prudent Baby
May 24  Sew Liberated
May 25  Handmade by Alissa
May 26  Hazelnuts
May 27  Petite Purls