Back to sewing

It's been a while since I updated this blog, and a while since I did much sewing. Instead, I was enjoying views like this one! We spent a glorious month in Canada visiting family and friends, and exploring the west coast. After two weeks of lovely weather and relaxing on the coast, I was ready to move there forever.

Although I didn't do any sewing, I did find a lovely little wool shop in Victoria, BC. The Beehive Wool Shop carries a large selection of wool, a lot of it from Canada. I had to resist the temptation to buy a skein of the most wonderful, soft yarn by Handmaiden called Sea Silk. Handmaiden yarns are made in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Sea Silk is 70% silk and 30% Seacell, a fibre made from seaweed! Luckily, I 'dragged' my mother there, and she bought a skein, so I can see what it looks like when it's knitted up. I did not leave empty-handed, though, and have a skein of another Canadian-made yarn called Serenity Silk by Zen Yarn Garden. I also have cotton and a fingering weight wool to make each of the kids a cardigan (for those rare occasions in Singapore when you actually need more than a T-shirt!). So plenty of knitting to keep me busy...

But since it's back to sewing again, here are a couple of things I finished before we left on holiday.

First, the oliver + s Class Picnic Shorts, made from the left-over fabric from the diaper bag, and a small piece of fabric left from the oliver + s Ice Cream Dress I made last year. See...it pays to horde even the smallest scraps!

The shorts were quick to sew and look cute. I made a size 2, based on A's measurements, but either she's got a longer inseam than I expected or the diaper takes up more room than it should, so they are a bit snug in the crotch. I think next time I'll make the size 3, seeing as how the elastic back can compensate for the increase in the waist measurement. Otherwise, they are cute and great for the Singapore weather.

Once her brother got a stuffed pig, of course A wanted something too. So now Daisy the Dinosaur (courtesy of the Melly & Me pattern) lives in our house...

She was supposed to have horns, but I was told very specifically that this dinosaur could NOT have 'teeth'. I was secretly relieved...the horns are the most fiddly part of this little creature. 

And my first, post-vacation dress:

A modified oliver + s Badminton Dress. This one's for A's friend M, whose mum didn't want the ribbon band across the front, but it still looks pretty cute without the extra detail. I think this might be my current favourite oliver + s dress! Next up, I'm going to make the Badminton Skort with matching top (with fabric I've had for a year!).