Sunday 28 December 2014

Merry Christmas!! And a Happy New Year!!

Hi lovelies!

Did you have a good couple of days? I hope Father Christmas brought you every thing you deserved? Good.

Shall we talk New Year yet? Have you thought about your goals? I want to grow my business and get my house in order. We have already decided to re-do the kitchen, so I want to take a month to do each room in the house. Not necessarily a paint and new carpet job each time but a sort out and re-organise. With this in mind I have been trawling the internet to try and find some inspiration and came across this great Blog with some fantastic resources in it www.goingreno.com.

Shaunta lays it all out neatly and to the point and is a great pick me up!

http://goingreno.com/2014/12/01/introducing-going-reno-planners/ is the link to her two planners, one for me and one for this blog. I'm hoping that using these will sort me out!!!

Speak soon!!

Thursday 11 December 2014

Holiday Stress....

Why do we do it to ourselves? Why do we add things to our already hectic lives?

I saw a comment on Facebook the other day, 'When did Christmas get so stressful?' This was from a lady with a new baby, a toddler, a husband and a dog. She had decided this year to start doing the Elf on the Shelf thing. And she'd just heard about the North Pole Breakfast, so wanted to do that.

I politely told her that it is only as complicated as you make it. We didn't put the tree up till last Sunday. Before then, we only had the Advent Calenders and that was plenty for my two! Not that they aren't excited, they are, but there is so much going on that they just don't need any more stimulation and I don't need any more stress! We have Nativity plays, Christmas Fayres, dance performances, toy day, stay and play, Christmas Dinner at school, family parties......

I think that's why I love my sewing so much. It's my chance to shut off from all that stuff and just focus on the next bit of fabric going over the feed dogs, and that's it. I have been working on a very special piece that I will be able to share after the weekend and I didn't want any more worry on top of that. Having got the girls dresses and mine sorted, the blog tour done, I could concentrate on this project. I can't wait to share.

So, my tip for the Holiday season? Keep it simple. It's way more special to be relaxed and have fun.
XxXx

Friday 5 December 2014

All Tucked In For The Holiday Tour!!! :)

Hi Lovelies!

Have you missed me?

I have been super busy, what with school Nativity plays, trips to light up forests, Campervan weekends away, and the odd bit of sewing.

After the fantastic Superhero Tour, I was asked by the lovely ladies at Every Thing Your Mama Made to take part in their All Tucked In for the Holidays Tour, featuring their Riley's Night shirt/gown pattern in knit. There are many cotton patterns out there but few in knit fabric which is odd! What I loved about this pattern is the lovely side detail. It is a real Wee Willie Winkie-esque pattern and looks so cute!

I had to make two, of course, one for each! Millie's was first.....

Isn't she cute????
The fabulous neck detail was what I was going for on this picture, but man what I would do for those eyelashes!!!


These jammies are great for talking on the phone to Nana or watching the t.v.
Then I had to make Rory some too, only I ran out of the butterfly fabric! Fortunately she liked the red, so that was all good!




                         Here is the lovely side hem detail that I adore, so cute and traditional.

                                                   And then here are the goofy shots!!





 Okay, so how was the pattern I hear you ask?

Well, as with all the EYMM patterns I have made so far, the cutting and sticking part was very easy. There are very clear lines fr lining up the pieces and the nesting makes it all quicker. I am in the unfortunate position of needing to print both sizes due to the ages of my girls, but hey! That's what happens when there is such a fantastic age range!

The instructions were clear, to the point and didn't leave any room for error. I even asked Hubby to have a read to see just how newbie-friendly they were. His response? I don't know what the bits are called, but I can follow it! Believe me, this is high praise.

There are a few options for this, long or short sleeves and either a long night gown - as I did - or a shorter night shirt. Your knit has to have the right stretch in order to make the hems and collar but it's not too difficult to sort out if not and you are given instruction for this. There is also an adults version, Callie's.

If you have got this far, well done! You deserve a special code and price for this fabulous pattern! Coupon code SNUGASABUG, good for 30% off any Riley's Nightgown & Sleep Shirt or Callie's Nightgown & Nightshirt purchase (including the bundle) at www.eymm.com until 11:59PM PST on Dec. 11, 2014. Please do check out the other stops on the tour, these ladies are amazing!!!




Monday 24 November 2014

And breathe.......Oh no, wait, can't!!!

Howdy all!

Can you believe this year is nearly over?!? Goodness me, where has it gone?

We have been super busy the last couple of weeks and it doesn't seem to be slowing down yet. Rory took part in a national dance competition yesterday in Blackpool and it was amazing! She was so good, I was so impressed how this little 5 year old handled all the noise, pressure and excitement of performing at the Opera House. She was also picked to go back on stage while the judge read out her comments so that was extra special.
This was taken at home after the performance. How fab does she look??
My two dancing girls!!

Anyway, no time to rest, I've got another blog tour coming your way!! Yes, very soon I will be taking part in the EYMM All Tucked in for the Holidays Tour!! I will be showcasing the Riley's nightgown in knit for both the girls, and probably popping a pair of The Plucky Butterflys' shorts on underneath!

I'm blogging on the 5th, but I will be sharing before then, so keep looking!!

(And no, I didn't make her dance dress!! :D )

Friday 14 November 2014

Busy, Busy, Butterfly!!!

Hey lovelies! Have you missed me?

I have been somewhat inundated with Superhero orders, thanks to Children in Need having Superhero for it's theme! Cheers Pudsey! :D I was very good and donated £2 from each set to Children in Need so a lovely donation of £10 has gone from Rory and Millie's Wardrobe. *warm and fuzzy feeling*

I have also had the lovely chance to test another pattern!

I first bumped into The Plucky Butterfly a couple of months ago when I was venturing into the world of knit. I fell in love with her Rissa Roo Pixie top and it was next in line for purchase when I was actually lucky enough to win it! It is now a staple in our household with lot's of options, the girls love the cute ruffle and Daddy loves that it covers their butt! So, when a message popped up on my Facebook that the Butterfly was looking for testers, I jumped in!

The Beach To School Knit Bottoms are amazing. That's all really. What can I say? 3 fits, 3 styles and 5 lengths? Erm, yep, that's my kids clothed for 10 years as it runs from 2-12 years old! Oh, and there's a doll pattern as a freebie!

Rory loves her trousers. We had great fun taking pics and she gave them a full workout. These are the slim fit but I like that they are not legging slim. I have two extremely active girls and worry that their trousers may be indecent, no worries here!




That was the longest length. The shorts were also great, although we will keep them for pj's here in the UK! These were fab for just popping on under her jammie dress or under those long dressing up princess dresses to keep bums warm.



These were such a quick make, I managed to get both pairs done from printing to wearing in about an hour, and I am not that fast! The yoga waist band means no extra elastic to buy and there are options for ruffles and flounces on the longer sizes.

The Butterfly's instructions are a joy to read and full of her own personality. They are a joy to read and I had a constant smile on my face while making them.

Please, go visit her website and buy the only bottoms pattern you will ever need!!

Saturday 1 November 2014

Remember, remember...

Hi lovelies!!

How was every bodies Halloween? All good in your costumes? We ended up with far too much chocolate and sweets, will make the kids advent calenders easy to do though!

I have finally come up with a logo I like!


What do you think? It was great fun to make. I added all the words that were important to me and my shop and the program made it into this pretty butterfly for me! All I've got to do now is work out how to use it as a watermark. :)

I've hit over 150 likes on my page, so I'm running a sale until 9pm Monday 3rd of November


Buy the Shoes and get the Hat free!!
These shoes come in children's sizes 0-13 and the hat goes from infants up to adults. They are £7 each or two for £10 plus P&P. Just drop me a message with the sizes.

Saturday 18 October 2014

Blog Tour and a Super New Pattern!!!

Wow!!

I feel really privileged and surprised. The amazing ladies at Everything Your Mamma Made & More let me not only test for them, but they have added me onto their blog tour!



The Little Superhero Set was ridiculously easy to make up and there really are loads of options. In sizes from newborn to 10 years and a doll size, it comes with plenty of different appliqué patterns and the letters of the alphabet so you can personalise your outfit in so many ways.


You can use absolute scraps to make the set, and with three mask options, it's really easy to keep the little ones happy. I chose to double up on the mask just because the colours were fab!


The cuffs again take so very little to make up that I didn't need to really buy anything!


I had been informed that Rory wanted to be Colourful Girl, so that work out well! There is a belt as well, but she didn't want that. All that was left was to make the cape.


It is reversible and I made the inside black as she has a Harry Potter Party to go to soon, so it's two costumes for the price of one!

I made this entire set, including cutting out, in around 90 minutes. It really is that simple yet effective. She was running around so quickly, she didn't even want to put shoes on! There are no tricky bits. You are walked through the steps so simply, everything is explained clearly.


I enjoyed it so much, the next day I whipped up a set for a 5 month old....


Super or what???



         Use the coupon below and get your little ones Halloween sorted or just fulfil their Super dreams!!!


Monday 13 October 2014

Fabric, fabric everywhere, but never the right one.....

Gah! My hubby delights in telling me I have too much fabric and can't have more. No, what I don't have is storage space, so it has to sit on the floor under my table. And in the basket. And in the box.

No really, to be fair, I don't have that much, and it really is the wrong type! I have some bed sheets and some upholstery fabric. Not good for making dresses. I have thin poly cotton and satin. Not good for winter things. Gah!

What I want to do is sell clothes and nice things. But I need the right fabric for that. But I need to sell things to afford nice fabric. That good old catch 22.

On the plus side, I have a fabulous new pattern to test and take part in a blog tour with!! And it really is 'super'!!! Can't wait to show you on the 18th!

Saturday 11 October 2014

Autumn Colours!!! Mmmmm!!!!

Gosh I love the Autumn!!

Not just because it's both my girls and mines birthdays, but I love the colours! I love the changing landscapes. I love being able to spot the old birds nests when the leaves fall and the beautiful contrast of the conifer trees still with needles on. Then we have Halloween, Bonfire and Christmas and then the promise of a New Year. I'll even put up with snow!! ;)

As I said, we've had three birthdays in the house in the last few weeks, and it has stretched me ever so nicely! Both girls wanted new outfits, but I can admit on here to being slightly Millie-biased in the whole clothes making malarky as Rory has to wear uniform to school. So there is less time for my oh-so-fabulousness!! :D In the end, they both had to wait as I was waiting for some gorgeous hi cat knit fabric to do the Rissa Roo Pixie Shirt from The Plucky Butterfly with long sleeves for the winter.

Here's the fabric....


And here's the dress!!


She has her sleeves rolled up as we were at a soft play for some-one else's birthday!! It's been a busy month!! I managed to get a size 5 and a size 3 out of 1 metre of knit with long sleeves. It's a fantastic pattern!!

I also had a party to go to and managed to whip up a pencil skirt and a lovely top. It was quite nice sitting and listening to the other ladies talk about where and how much their dresses were and working out I had spent about 50p on the top fabric and £1.50 on the skirt!

I am a little bit excited.... I am going to be taking part in a blog tour!! Little old me!! I shall be making a 'super' quick costume for Halloween or any kind of dress up. Drop by on the 18th for my post!!

XxXx

Monday 6 October 2014

Well..... The best laid plans!!

Morning!!! A very sheepish, sorry I've neglected you, morning, but morning all the same!! :)

Those of you who follow my Facebook store, Rory and Millie's Wardrobe, will know I have been quite busy. I had the absolute JOY of being asked to test some Elf Slippers. These were unbelievably easy and simple to make up and so quick too!! In fact, I cut the fabric and then decided I wanted a brew. Once I sat down with the cuppa, I quickly sewed up both slippers and my tea was still hot enough to drink! How amazing is that?

From this.....

To this!!!!

I now have some puffy paint to write the kids names on the bottoms to help them be a bit non-slip too. Shame they only go up to kids sizes! Bells are apparently 'optional', but I didn't have any small enough to fit on the points.:)

I then managed to get a couple of orders for my retro hair bands! The girls at Rory's school are showing a bit of school pride now.

We have a relatively strict code of red, white and grey so these just about fly under the radar! Very pleased with them.

And last, but definitely not least, I won a pattern from Plucky Butterfly Designs. This lady has a whole heap of personal challenges yet still brings wonderful patterns into the world. She had a breakthrough at home and decided to share the joy. I chose the Rissa Roo Pixie Top. It was a lovely, easy, first introduction to knit fabric and came together super quick. Lot's of options make it incredibly versatile and both the girls loved it. It even got a thumbs up from Dad!!
Because of the way I got the pattern, I decided to share the joy. We have a boy at school who has physical issues and is supported by a charity, so every Pixie Top sold includes a donation to Head Start.It's my way of paying it forward and reminding myself that there but for the grace of God go I!!

 And she loves it!! I've even ordered some 'shudder' Hello Kitty fabric just for this! I will be making some long sleeved versions with it, just ready for the winter.

SO, long story short, I didn't make the Mandy K dress I was going to, but I have been busy!!

Speak soon!!
XxXx

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Nearly school.... To make or not to make???

Morning all!

This time next week Rory will be getting ready for her second day at full time school and I am still struggling with this question. I have uniform that her Nana bought, but there is a bot of me that wants to make her something to wear! I even purchased a pattern that would be perfect; the Happy Days Dress by Mandy K Designs, and I even have some red and white gingham ready. But..... would I be committing a playground faux pas by sending her in home-made? She loves my dresses but will she get laughed at? I just want to wrap her in things lovingly made for her rather than mass produced somewhere.

Is it strange I'm more bothered about this issue than the fact that she is starting full-time school? She is so very ready for full time, challenging, engaging school that I can't wait for her! She is still at that lovely stage where she can't wait to go and is ready hours before she needs to be. This was her last year on her first day of pre-school:



I followed a blog where a lady made her tween daughters clothes for an entire year for school. Now that's that's dedication! And no uniform!! She did it to highlight the lack of tween patterns out there and to show her daughter the value of handmade. A very valuable lesson I think!

That's it, I've talked myself into making one! Pics to follow! ;)

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Shocking!

OMG!!!!

I am so sorry guys, nearly a whole year with no posts! I have several drafts where I started to write this apology and then they got shelved as something else happened and so on and so on.

Part of the reason for the radio silence is I have started to sell my handmade clothes! It's all been a huge learning curve, and I'm nowhere near the top of it yet, but it has been fun and frustrating in equal measure. The trick of finding what sells, how much for and in which fabric is constantly puzzling, as is getting the shop out there.Facebook seems to make it harder and harder unless you want to pay to promote and when people don't interact with you, you drop off their radar!


I have had great fun and made some new friends in the whole cyberspace that we work in. The nice thing is I am able to pay for fabric to make the girls' dresses and things, so whilst it ain't paying the mortgage, it's paying for something!



Check it out at www.facebook.com/RoryAndMilliesWardrobe!! Mention this blog and get 10% off your order! :)