So I’ve been getting sick of having so little space to do stuff, and at the same time, been getting sick of tripping over Caleb’s toys everywhere. I had my sewing machine on a corner table inside an old playpen (because it’s really not helpful to have a toddler playing with the foot pedal while I’m trying to thread a needle), and once Caleb worked out how to get up on the spare bed in that room, I had to block off that end of the room anyway because the ironing board & iron were blocked off by the bed. And I’ve been thinking about it for several days, and trying to work out how to do it, and I finally came up with a plan. Divide the Long Room in half and put my sewing room at the far end, and Caleb’s toys at the other end. So first I had to dismantle the double bed and stand it up against one wall. Then of course the playpen wouldn’t stay where it was, so I had to drag in the shelves that I was going to use for a divider. And then I realised they were too tall for me to climb over. Oops. No problem. That little set of drawers is low enough. So I climbed over that, took down the playpen, moved my sewing table into the corner, and moved the drawers up against the wall. And then I needed to work out what else I could use for a divider to replace the drawers, so that Caleb couldn’t get through but I could. The folded up playpen. Which also allows the cats to get through it and hide if they’re feeling the need for personal space. So then I put all Caleb’s toys in the new Toy Room end of the room, and then he decided to have a nap for the first time in I can’t remember how long. Ahhhh…a break.

So yeah, new sewing room, new toy room, and clean rest of the house. Mostly.

I haven’t sewed much lately, except to replace the leg elastic in one of my Baby Beehinds nappies. But that’s gonna change. Last week I went to Spotlight and bought 2 metres of denim to make myself a pair of pants. I’ve had the pattern sitting around for months now (bought at the same time as the one for Caleb’s too-big pajamas) and decided it was finally time to do it. But it’s no cheaper really than buying new jeans at Big W or wherever – the only difference is if I make them, I’m guaranteed they’ll be in my size instead of finding every size BUT mine on the rack. I’m really getting to hate that.

Mini-rant: Stupid clothing companies buy into the idea we all have to look like supermodels, so supermodels are all they cater to anymore. And I know I’ve put on a bit of weight since getting pregnant, but even before that, I had trouble finding pants & jeans that fit me. And op shops aren’t really any better, because you can’t give away what isn’t out there to begin with. And I’m guessing women who are lucky enough to find larger sizes that fit them hang onto them as long as possible to get as much wear out of them as possible, because it’s so rare to find them in the first place. End rant.

So I’ve had enough, and it’s time to make my own. One of these days I have to wash the fabric in a hot wash so it shrinks as much as possible before I cut it up. And after that, the pattern says it should only take an hour to put it together. And actually the pattern said something like 2 2/3 yards, so I decided I’d just get 3 metres, but when I looked at the bolt of fabric, it was really really wide. I don’t think I’ll get two full pairs out of it, but I’m guessing I’ll have extra left over that I can do something with.

We’ll see in a couple weeks.
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Step one is as before…get the baby to sleep.

So yeah, I started actually sewing Caleb’s pajamas today. I did a lot of things on this project I’ve never done before.

Here’s what the pattern on the fabric looks like:

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And here’s Caleb wearing an unfinished shirt:

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I think he has a little more growing to do….

So after that picture I added the sleeve cuffs (after some confusion about the instructions) and then we had tea, and watched a movie, and after the movie I went back in to work out button holes. My sewing machine has a setting for automatic button holes, so I did that. And it was a lot simpler than I expected.

And then I tested the buttons, and they fit through the holes. Always a good thing. The only thing I have left on the shirt now is sewing on the buttons – but guess what I don’t have in my sewing arsenal. Yep. No hand needles (except the huge ones I use for yarn). So off I go to Big W on Tuesday when everything opens again.

And lastly, here’s the nearly-finished shirt:

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Maybe I’ll work on the pants tomorrow, if I have time after we go to Gawler (we’ve got yet another Freecycle item to pick up).
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So I’ve been thinking the last few days that I need to get some quilting needles, which are meant for sewing things with several layers, or thick fabric, you get the idea. Looked at the website of my supplier (okay, so it’s just an online nappy supply shop, but “my supplier” sounds like I’m actually in business) to check on prices. Thought to myself, hmm, is that the cheap brand or the good brand? Decided I’d better go have a look at what I had in my sewing basket.

Quilting needles. A whole pack of ‘em. When did I buy them? I really don’t remember. Maybe they just appeared out of thin air. Anyway, at least now I don’t have to buy them for a while.

This morning I registered www.littleparapants.com.
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The nappies are finished. Yay.
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Got my thread. Got the leg elastic fixed on 2 of my Baby Beehinds. Got only 2 more nappy inners to sew before I can put the inner & outer together.

Getting tired of sewing, to be honest…but I have to finish these, and I have to sell them, because I’m going to kick myself if I don’t.
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Right in the middle of sewing in the absorbent part of the 4th nappy inner, my white thread ran out. Grr. So tomorrow I have to go shopping for more, dang it. I do hate shopping.

Hahahahahaha….
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Front velcro piece is sewn on all nappies. And I’ve got two of the inner pieces with an absorbent pad finished. Five more to go and then I can start sewing the inner & outer pieces together. Yay.

In other news, I have three Baby Beehinds sitting next to my machine needing new leg elastic. I’ll get around to that someday.
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I got some actual sewing done today. I sewed the back elastic onto all the nappy pieces. Tomorrow (time permitting) I’ll start putting the hook & loop pieces on, then start on the absorbent pad that goes down the centre.

Of course there’s a problem. I only ordered enough hook & loop for six nappies, but I ended up with enough fabric for seven. But I’ve decided I’ll keep one (so I know for myself how well it works) and sell the rest, so the one I keep doesn’t have to match the rest.
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So yeah, my nappy making stuff arrived on Friday. And I cut out some of the bits already Friday afternoon. We were gone all weekend so obviously I didn’t get anything done then. Monday I spent recovering & cleaning up from said weekend. So yesterday was the first time I had time to do anything.

And what I did was cut out the rest of the fabric bits. And hopefully today I’ll get some actual sewing done. I decided I’m doing all the nappies together, one step at a time. That way they’re all done at (roughly) the same time and if people happen to want more than one, they don’t have to wait for the second one. And hopefully the whole process goes quicker that way.
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