A new hobby

What has happened to the blog? Where have I been?

Spring has sprung upon us, we are breathlessly catching up with the things to do around the house:

• clearing out the winter wardrobe and replacing it with summer clothes from storage
• repotting and fertilizing plants, raising seedlings (tomato, onion, basil, peas)
• rearranging furniture to suit Cola's new expanding wardrobe and toys
• child-proofing the house again, now that Cola is able to play with doors, pull out drawers, poke electric sockets, crawl into the bathroom
• enjoying the beautiful weather outdoors with swimming, cycling and long walks
• having countless picnics in the park and the backyard
• and finally... having a new intensive hobby that take away most of my free time: sewing! (All that time reading on the theory during the day, and frantically sewing away into the dead of the night.)

These are the 3 finished items I've done while I wasn't blogging...

A ruffle dress. My first project. Wahoo!

Cost of fabric $10.

Time: 3 hours to draw & cut, 6 hours to sew the bottom ruffle, 6 more hours to put in the zipper and the waistband. So many endless nights of sewing! Strangely, the act of creation is so therapeutic and satisfying.

A cushion to match my rocking chair. My second project.

Cost of fabric: $2.50

I used to feed the babies on the chair for 8 hours a day. Love the chair. Now I've got a cushion to match. Luckily this only took me 1 night.

Pyjama pants, in the style to rival Peter Alexander. (A very expensive "designer" in Australia who specialises in sleepwear). I name my brand: "Jappy Alexander"

Cost of fabric: $4.00

I was drawing and cutting the fabric while chatting to my mum online on Saturday night. Mum's a fantastic dressmaker who used to make her own maternity clothes and my baby clothes some 30 years ago. Finished the rest of it on Sunday night while Tonton watches "The Matrix Reloaded" on tv to keep me company.