Wednesday 23 March 2011

22nd March


With all these Me Made posts I haven't done much about making with kids recently.
We have been reading this book a lot recently and current project is the water clock from it (T's choice). We were given this book as part of a job lot from some friends with grown up children. It was published in 1976 but is full of good projects and ideas. Lots of games, craft and a science section. Reading the introduction the only bit that felt dated was the advice to ask your local hospital for old syringes, gloves etc. This seems so shocking now in our HIV-aware and health and safety culture.
Anyway it is a great book and when I checked there are some copies on amazon here. (Iam not benefiting in advertising this, just wanted to share) After the water clock is done I want to make a shoe box loom!


Puppets are a big thing here at the moment. We made some sock puppets last week. Of course Little I wanted pink ones.
I am feeling screamingly fed up on the sewing front. I have managed to half sew in the sleeves for the U.P. dress. While altering a skirt on sunday I broke my machine needle. Ever since then the machine has been doing strange things, needles jamming, needles unthreading. I changed size of needle and fiddled with the tension. It just jammed horribly while sewing the U.P sleeves. I just realised that I never found the tip of the broken needle and think it could be in there jamming the machine. I wll have a look later, otherwise I think a trip back to the sewing machine shop is due. I feel as if this U.P dress will never be done. I have made so many stupid errors on it. I feel like screwing it up into a ball and putting at the back of the scary understairs cupboard.
Instead I am going to go for a walk near T's school and take some deep breaths, probably stopping to buy some chocolate. And I shall be mainly wearing the outfit featured below:
Me made dress Simplicity 3964, refashioned yellow cardigan, Gap jeans via charity shop.

Hope your sewing projects are going more smoothly than mine. Grrrr...





7 comments:

  1. Mmmm I have yet to read a blog post saying "The UP dress came together beautifully and the instructions were super-clear"! It has put me off buying the pattern for myself.

    Yesterday, I replaced a needle but didn't push it up far enough and promptly snapped it again on the bobbin casing. I hope you sort yours out today.

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  2. Hope you have managed to sort your sewing machine out! xx

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  3. Ooh, great water clock project and thanks for the link to the book. Exactly the kind of thing my little ones would love. And bon courage with your sewing machine, hope it's all resolved easily.

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  4. I'm not surprised your sewing machine has done you in. Maybe it's the universe telling you to take a break? Love the sock puppet. What is it about them? Give a sock a couple of eyes and it automatically has a personality!
    ps. glad you are liking Savvy Chic - wouldn't it be coolto write a book like that one day? :)

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  5. Oh no! I hope your sewing machine is back to normal soon. Perhaps it is time to take a step away from the UP dress? No use in killing yourself over it.

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  6. oh dear...i hope you've been able to sort out your poor machine. those are the sort of things that drive me to pop open the wine at 4pm!
    love the yellow cardi. looks like a breath of spring air...

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  7. ugh i finished the UP dress and hate it. i knew half way thru the muslin i would probably never wear it, but i finished it inspite of that. i was soooo wrong. if you're not gonna wear it, don't finish it :)

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