Pretending it's Spring

It's hideous weather here in Auckland today (and I don't think we are alone. The whole of New Zealand seems to be getting a taste of winter today). It's been bucketing down with rain all night and all today. After a late night visit to the Emergency Room with my youngest (who is fine today), I'm feeling in great need of a pick me up today. A day sewing with some gorgeous floral corduroy was just what was needed. Looking at these beautiful flowers and butterflys all day has allowed me to pretend it's Spring (in my head anyway!
The rest of me was freezing!)

I've just listed this little dress and hat on my Felt Shop. It's size 3-6 months but the dress would probably last longer than that. It's made from a printed cordouroy.

The hat has a soft rib edging.

I've got some homemade bread rolls baking in the oven and I'm going to make leek, potato and bacon soup to go with them. We're planning on doing quite a lot of this after dinner.

Hope your evening is warm and snuggly too.

Frustration

My oldest daughter goes to a school with a school uniform and with very good reason. Despite only being 5, she has VERY firm ideas about what she should wear and how she should look. The battles to get her to dress sensibly for Kindy were legendary and I was determined that a school uniform would feature once she reached the age of 5. I knew the alternative was all out war every morning before school. She generally has very good taste in what she wants to wear but as mothers of little girls everywhere will know, getting them to wear warm things in the middle of winter can be a huge trial. She also struggles with any new item of clothing I introduce into her wardrobe and generally has to be tricked into wearing it for the first time. All of this is very hard for me, because I would love to make her endless clothes but I know that each time I do, I will have a battle on my hands to get her to wear it. As a result, little Eloise gets an awful lot more clothes made for her than her big sister does and I get very excited when Madeleine actually requests that I make her something. I couldn't resist buying this pattern when I popped into Spotlight the other day to put some craft market posters up.

I got stuck into it yesterday despite having a list of other things to make as long as my arm. Its a fab pattern for someone like me who likes quick and easy when it comes to clothes. Its also a fantastic pattern for using up smaller pieces of quilting fabric of which I have plenty.

I made it in a size 3 for Eloise in this beautiful Heather Ross fabric and she loved it. When Maddy came home from school, she said she loved it too and could I please make her one (little flutters of excitement on my behalf!). I know Maddy loves this Michael Miller fabric so I made it up for her in that, staying up till midnight to finish it so she could wear it today.

Guess what? She looked at it sideways and told me she didn't have the right shoes for it and she might wear it in the summer. ARGHH! Oh well. I shall have to be patient. I know she will wear it one day. I will just have to trick her into it! I did manage to get her into it for a quick photo of both of them (bribery always wins!)