knitting scarves

i'm in scarf heaven!

inspired by my friend bec's scarf i got my mum's wool scraps and my trusty addi turbos out and have knitted 2 scarves in 2 weeks.

it's so awesome to grab just a few minutes time out for my own little knitting world.

replacing elastic on nappies

My friend Kristy passed on a Bits For Bots nappy that needed new elastic. I tackled replacing it this morning & it was *so* quick and easy to fix!

METHOD 1

* I unpicked the front where it was sewn closed, then unpicked the velcro (just the loop at the front, obviously).

* Turned the nappy inside out (it hasn't been topstitched all the way around making this so easy).

*Unpicked the leg & back elastic. Then sewed new elastic.

* Sewed the nappy closed. and replaced the velcro.

Too easy! Took me less than half an hour.

METHOD 2

Another way of replacing elastic is to unpick only the leg or back.

This is a Honeyboy, where only the back elastic needed replacing.

* I unpicked the back stitching, & then the elastic.

* slid a new piece of elastic between the 2 layers and sewed. You could either tack the elastic on each end and then sew. but i think i just sewed the elastic straight on and cut it off at the end.

* Then folded the 2 layers of fabric inwards and sew it closed, just like you would close a turn and topstitched nappy.

I used the same technique for this home-made nappy
(turned and topstitched, like the HoneyBoy) that needed new leg

elastic.

It makes the crotch slightly narrower, which is what I wanted anyway.

And it also gives that 'frilled' look to the nappy. But I don't mind it :)

Cuddly Bub Nappy Recon

Inspired by another cuddly bub recon, I had a go at mine. It's a nice quick-dry design, but I could just never get the velcro system and I like a narrower crotch.




I have since cut the velcro back as it was too long. but otherwise it fits Benji well :)





I am not happy with the tension on my overlocker. I need to put some labels on my machine so I know how to adjust it (i was too lazy to get out the manual - silly)!





Yay! Another nappy back in rotation :)

Consumption rebellion

I'm starting to be affected by the consumption rebellion.

today i went to 2 op shops and bought some clothes for amelie - pants for $1.50 and top for $1. look new to me. such bargains!

this week i am going to locate all my nearest op shops and hopefully check them out. see what kids clothes they have. would be great to replace the kids kmart/target clothes with op shop ones. i'm sure this is old news to lots of people but ... !

also as part of trying to consume less, here is a bag i made from an old pair of jeans and some sheets (mum's friend gave them to her, they are literally from the 70s). it's using the tiny happy instructions - thanks for the inspiration pip!

http://tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/2006/06/shoulder_bag_tu.html

yup, i'm still into 'recon' sewing :)

The criteria for deciding what is worth saying

i read this on the natural parenting forum tonight, thanks to eilleen.

an excerpt from "Right Speech" (from the 8 Noble Truths):

The criteria for deciding what is worth saying
[1] "In the case of words that one knows to be unfactual, untrue, unbeneficial (or not connected with the goal), unendearing & disagreeable to others, he does not say them.

[2] "In the case of words that one knows to be factual, true, unbeneficial, unendearing & disagreeable to others, he does not say them.

[3] "In the case of words that one knows to be factual, true, beneficial, but unendearing & disagreeable to others, he has a sense of the proper time for saying them.

[4] "In the case of words that one knows to be unfactual, untrue, unbeneficial, but endearing & agreeable to others, he does not say them.

[5] "In the case of words that one knows to be factual, true, unbeneficial, but endearing & agreeable to others, he does not say them.

[6] "In the case of words that one knows to be factual, true, beneficial, and endearing & agreeable to others, he has a sense of the proper time for saying them. Why is that? Because one has [to have] sympathy for living beings."

so awesome ...

Fixing leg elastic on Cubblebuns

I'm feeling pretty clever! jo from NC gave me a Cuddlebuns nappy that had dead elastic. i have never replaced elastic on an overlocked nappy before .... but i thought i would give it a shot.

I unpicked the overlocking all along the legs, unpicked the elastic. then sewed new elastic and overlocked the legs. pretty easy actually!

It's certainly not a seamless finish as my sewing skills are so_basic. but i think it looks ok! (well, cept for the first bit, where i started overlocking & didn't realise "someone" had turned all my tension dials to zero!)

thanks jo :)

Getting Motivated

I'm gonna use this blog to keep me motivated.

My aim for this week: no more yelling.
keep it calm & in control. i had a big yell on the weekend with everything getting too much. but i'm gonna make sure this week sees no_yelling. i am interested to see how far my patience really goes ...

My success from last week: sewing.
I 'recon-ed' Amelie's old pocket nappies into 3 new all-in-ones. yee ha! wings needed shortening too and 1 bit of elastic had died. not sure they will absorb big toddler wees, but they're perfect for right now.

And in general, I want to maintain motivation for my home. Redecorating it to make it more 'us'. I have had lots of success lately with buying storage. Mainly for the kids but it has motivated me to keep on sorting through things and organising them better :)