Only the kids are decorating the tree this year

In previous years, we would let the kids decorate the x'mas tree with whatever they like. Then after they had gone to bed, my husband and I would do a major edit to the tree decor. This year, I decided to just let the kids decorate everything and not edit anything. It's much more 'organic' that way. They used their Lego to decorate the bottom of the tree. They put their little stuffed toy into the branches. And they put the beaded and fabric ornament I recently made onto the tree too!

Tree decoration in progress by the kids

DIY Holiday decorations

I started making fabric and beaded holiday decorations for our x'mas tree. If I make 1 a day there should be about 20 new ornaments for the tree. The kids had also drew things on paper for me to make into stuffed 'whatever'. My daughter drew a cloud and asked me to make it into a stuffed cloud. My son drew a puppy's head and asked me to make it into a stuffed puppy head.

Pikachu girl

My daughter suddenly developed a love of the character Pikachu this summer. For the school year 2018-2019, she bought a yellow Pikichu hoodie and wore it almost daily. She saw that I had some remnant of yellow fleece and begged me to make her a pair of yellow pants to complete the all-yellow Pikachu outfit.

For a few weeks I asked to make sure that she would wear the yellow pants outside - not just for dressing up inside the house. If it's just for dress up then I don't want to waste my limited energy to make the dress up pants. She assured me for a few weeks that she would wear it outside, she would wear it to school.

So today I was feeling well enough to use the sewing machine. I quickly used a pair of my daughter's pants as a template and made the yellow pants. My daughter put the pants on right away with her yellow Pikachu hoodie to go to a family outing. I thought she would look like a giant banana at first but it didn't look that bad. Perhaps she could wear that to school. What do you think?

I attended my daughter's birthday party

This past weekend, I attended my daughter's birthday party at an indoor playground. I missed my son's party because I was in the hospital, so I was determined to get myself well enough to attend my daughter's party. Since I was so weak for so many days after the 2nd round of chemo, I really wasn't sure if I was going to make it.

The 2 days before the party, I made sure I ate and drank a lot, rest as much as I could and not get stressed out or rush around. On the day of the party, I rested in my bed until it was time to go to the party. I had a great time mingling with the other parents, and watching the kids having fun. Everything was going great until the 2.5 hour mark when I suddenly felt unwell. Luckily, my brother was able to drive me home quickly. But I did it! I consider it a small win out of this long journey of cancer/treatment, etc.

I think I will just continue to take these little wins each week to keep me focusing on the positive things in this journey. I'm going to have Immunotherapy tomorrow and I hope I won't get too ill from it. It is supposed to be less harsh on the body than chemotherapy. But knowing me, I'll get all sorts of uncommon side effects (e.g. vomiting, extreme shortness of breath, etc) that the nurses won't be expecting. I have prepared a list for tomorrow so that the nurses will have precautions on hand for me.

Hair loss, Hats and headscarves

I'm losing my hair due to Chemotherapy. I decided to just buzz it all off so that it's easier to clean up later.

Luckily I made lots of hats for myself during the last few years:

There are more hats that I didn't blog about. This is all good for the colder weather. But when the weather gets warmer, I think I will more likely be wearing head scarves. No problem there either! I have lots of summery fabrics in my fabric stash that I can just cut and serge the edges to make headscarves.

My daughter seems most concerned about my hair loss. She was worried that I wouldn't "be beautiful anymore". I am teaching her that a person's beauty does not only come from her hair. A person is beautiful because she is kind, compassionate, wise, sure of her own qualities and doesn't wait for others to validate her. A person's positivity can shine through an otherwise ordinary physical appearance which makes the person extremely attractive. I'll keep teaching this to her every day.

I'm also teaching my kids that just because I have cancer, I'm not shying away from society. I'm going about my daily life like everyone else, perhaps a bit slower. We went to a restaurant last night for the first time since I was diagnosed with cancer. I had my headscarf on and that invited some looks from the restaurant patrons at first, especially the children. But after a while, people got used to it and I enjoyed having my family restaurant meal as usual. I want my children to understand that just because someone has a serious illness, she doesn't have to hide from society. Unfortunately this is the same lesson I have teach to my mother. She would like me to hide from society until I have completely recovered with a full head of hair, as if I was never sick before.

1950s polka dot circle skirt and Happy Holidays!

I wanted to sew something for myself in December but as usual - Decembers are crazy busy months! Nonetheless, I sewed something for my daughter. Her school's Christmas concert was a 1950's themed performance. I had to make a costume for her that fit the theme. So I just quickly bought some off cut black/white polka dot quilting cotton from my local fabric store. I cut out a simple circle skirt. Then I rummaged through my stash and found some white cotton remnant fabric. I had just enough to make a petticoat. All were sewn together quickly onto a thick black elastic waist band.

I used the same polka dot fabric and tied my daugher's hair into a pony tail. She was really happy with it:

I don't think I'll have time to sew anything else before Dec 31. So I'll be able to do my review of my top 10 sewing projects this year!

Happy Holidays everyone!! Stay safe and merry!

A little purple bucket bag for a toddler girl

I have made this little bucket bag for my friend's little toddler girl. Her favourite colour is purple. This is the only purple fabric I have in my stash. I  added some home decor material on the top and some thrifted silver trim to embellish it. The straps are made with upcycled jeans remnants. The bag is fully lined with an upcycled bed sheet. I hope she will like it!

I quite like the combination of the purple with the green trim. Perhaps I'll make another purse for grownups with this particular fabric combination.

A little something for a toddler

When my kids were born, I made them stuffed letters that represent the first letter of their given name. I also made that for my expectant female friends. The letters usually make good gifts at baby showers because the expectant moms can use them as decorations for the nurseries. And when the babys grow bigger, they can play with them like a stuffed toy.

This time I'm making a stuffed letter for a friend's little toddler girl. She can either use it as decoration or a toy. I'm using this rainbow striped fabric that I think will go with any decor in the little girl's room. I hope they will like it!

Another Elsa inspired bag - this time with a Cape!

I'm still in bag making mode! And now I seemed to have infected my daughter with the same bag making fever. My daughter saw the first Elsa inspired bag I made and urged me to make another one. So I used the idea of Elsa's chiffon cape and made a bag with a cape!

A New Elsa inspired bag for girls

Since I started making the Teachers bags, I'm in a bag making fever! My daughter is always asking me to make girly accessories. So I decided to make a Elsa-inspired bag for a little girl, based on the Elsa dress I made for my daughter:

So this is the final result. It's a little bucket bag that measures about 8.5" x 7.5".

I am adding this to my little shop. I hope little girls who like Elsa will like it!

Refashion: Women skirt to Girl Jeans

My daughter has all of a sudden shot up almost 5cm in height this past month. So I needed to make her some new pants for school and play.

I thrifted these 2 women long jean skirts at my local thrift store for $5 each. One of those skirts had a stain on it but I can easily cover it with some applique. The reason I like using 2nd hand denim is that they have already been washed, shrinken, broken in. The fabric is soft and durable at the same time - excellent for kids' clothes:

I used one of my daughter's current too-short pants as a guide and made a pair of jeans that is longer
and wider.

I also used some remnant red linen fabric from my previous project to make a heart-shaped applique for the side pocket. Since the serger was already threaded with red threads from the last project, I simply cut a pocket shape from the jean skirt and serged the edge in red.

The length of the jeans skirt was just a tad bit short of the side length I wanted for my daughter. So I cut a piece of remnant red knit, encased a piece of elastic inside it and serged the whole thing to the top of the pants as the waistband.

I hope my daughter likes it! If so I'll cut the other jean skirt and make another pair of mama-made pants for her. There are still lots of remnants from that first skirt that I can make lots of accessories!

MAGAM May Project 2 - Girl towel dress/deck dress

My kids are a bit spoiled in some ways. They know that if they see some sort of clothing or fabric accessories or soft furnishings that they like, or something that they need at school, they can just ask me to make it. And they would 'demand' it to be made in 24 hours while they were sleeping. Of course I don't promise to make it in 24 hours just because they 'demanded' it! LOL!

A few days ago my daughter saw a girl with a deck dress made with towel-like material and wanted me to make her one. She rummaged through our linen closet and found a large thrifted yellow towel. And she asked me not only a deck dress, but a 'towel princess dress' (whatever that is).

So I simply folded the towel in quarters, cut a hole for the head, use an existing top as a guide and cut out the dress.

Then I serged all the seams and used stash red bias tape to trim the neck line. I made the dress a bit big because I wanted it to last at least 1 year. The neckline was too wide so I made a simple pleat at the back neck edge:

My daughter seemed to like this towel dress very much. She actually danced and pranced in it. More power to her! :-)

MAGAM May project 1 - Girl swimsuit

I was going to make myself something for my MAGAM (Make a Garment A month challenge) May entry. However, my daughter had been pestering me to make her something so I made her 2 things. She has swimming lessons every week and she wanted a new swimsuit. She saw another girl with a deck dress made with towel-like material and she wanted one of those.

I dug into my enormous fabric stash and found this navy polka dot swimwear fabric. I only had a very small piece of it but it was just enough to make a small child's swimsuit.

I had also just thrifted this very old girl's swimsuit pattern from 1971 for $0.99 at my local thrift store a few weeks ago. The publisher was Knit Knack of Canada. It's called 'Basic Knits #306 Girls' One and Two Piece Bathing Suit':

The patterns were printed on very sturdy paper and there were just 2 pattern pieces. I also like that the swimsuit has very low leg openings. My daughter has a nice full bum so low legged swimsuits are best for her.

It all came together very quickly. I didn't do anything fancy except that I added a full lining to the front piece. I already have swim elastic so I didn't buy anything to make this swimsuit:

I like this simple pattern because one can make modifications or add fancy design details easily. My daughter also does gymnastics so this pattern can be used to make a simple gymnastics leotard as well.

Next I'll be making my daughter a 'towel princess dress' (as she called it) for her swim classes, with one of the towels in my home. Should be interesting!

The review of this sewing pattern is at PatternReview.com.

Kid Pillow Lounger

While I'm still deciding what stash fabrics to use for my CopyCat red tweed jacket, I decided to make something for the kids. We recently renovated the basement and I found that we had inherited lots of pillows from other family members who had downsized their homes. So I decided to make one of these pillow loungers for children that I saw on Pinterest:

Source

So I refashioned one of the Winnie the Pooh bedsheets that my daughter no longer uses and make a quick lounger for her:

I know she will like it. Now I my son will probably want one too!

Top projects of 2016

I forgot to do a post regarding my favourite projects of 2016. There are many projects that I like but here are the top 6:

6. Girl Fleece Jacket
I made this jacket for my daughter as a x'mas gift. Unfortunately I didn't measure correctly and it was a bit tight on her torso and arms. I found this remnant purple fleece in my stash and saved the jacket from a complete fail. And thank goodness my daughter likes the change!

5. Chinese Cushions to Chinese Jacket Refashion
I was pressed for time to find a Chinese style jacket for my son's Chinese New Year party. After searching around town for 2 days in vain, I decided to turn these 2 Chinese cushions into a simple Chinese style jacket in 1 night. Just in time for his party!

4. Purple Silk Tunic to Dress Refashion
I thrifted this XL tunic a few years ago and had little idea what to do with it. Then I decided to make a dress out of it with a scrap knit band at the bottom. It's a beautiful purple that I like and it's super comfortable to wear for eating a big meal!

3. Self-drafted woven slim trousers pattern
I had long struggled to make trousers that fit nicely at the back. They always look baggy no matter what I did with the patterns. But then I had the 'a-ha' moment when I put the trousers on backwards by mistake. Now I have this nice fitting slim trouser pattern that I can use again and again!

2. White tweed Chanel-esque Jacket
I have never had a white jacket but this remnant sparkly tweed in my stash was just enough to make this little Chanel-esque Jacket. I wore it to a X'mas party and got compliments for it. It has just enough sparkle for special occasions but not too much that I can wear it on a daily basis.

1. The Red Cashmere jacket Refashion/Alteration
This is my most favourite project because I learned a new technique that can be applied to a lot of my own jackets as well as helping friends/family to alter their jackets. I have to thank Angela Wolf for this!

Holiday 2016 Sewing: 5th handmade gift - another children gift

The weather has gotten really cold here with very high winds. I thought I would make a very warm vest for my daughter since her body is not the best in regulating temperature.

I dug out this fleece backed faux sherpa material in my stash. I made a winter coat for my son when he was a baby. I knew this was going to be a very warm fabric.

I drafted the vest pattern myself and used lapped seams to sew the thick fabric. My daughter went through my button stash and chose these mismatched buttons for the vest. She has been obsessed with dressing like a 'lamb' so she made sure that the vest was reversible. And here is the final product:

My daughter wore it out and thought it was very warm. I still have some of that fabric left. Perhaps I will be able to make my son something too!

Holiday 2016 Sewing: 2nd gift finished - another set of Boy's PJs

I have finished another set of Boy's PJs. All the materials were found in my house. I used some remnant cotton flannel and sew a pair of very big PJ pants, using a self drafted pattern. Then I took one of the plain t-shirts from my son's room and sewed on a pocket with matching fabric. Another quick and easy but very useful Holiday Gift!

You can see how much bigger these PJ pants are comparing to the ones I made him 2 years ago. My son is currently between the 2 sizes.

Okay! Now I need to get on with the other Holiday sewing projects!

Holiday 2016 Sewing: 1st Gift finished - Boys PJ pants

I've been slacking in terms of holiday sewing. But now that November has arrived I must get on with it without delay!

The first holiday gift I tackled was a pair of PJ pants for my son, who has clearly outgrown the PJ pants I made him a few years ago. I dug into my fabric stash and found the exact same fabric I had used for his previous PJs:

I'm lucky that my son isn't too fussy about his clothing. Although the motif of the cotton flannel fabric may seem a bit 'babyish', he still likes it.

I didn't use a sewing pattern for these pants. Instead I just used the PJ pants I made him last year to make a rough template.

Then I enlarged the template to accommodate my son's growth for the next 2 years. Yes, I want the garments I make for my kids to last them for more than 1 year!

The pants were sewn quickly and here it is:

You can see the difference in size between these new PJ pants and the ones I made him a few years ago:

Next I made his PJ top to go with these pants. I simply cut out a pocket from the same pants fabric and sewed it onto a plain long sleeves t-shirt. Voila! Matching PJ set for my son:

Okay! One handmade x'mas gift down, many more to go!

I have joined Sew for 30 for September!

Sewist-extraodinaire Star's Threads suggested the 'Sew for 30' challenge for September. I have joined this challenge as well. As per her blog post:

'September is National Sewing Month in the United States.  We all lead very busy lives and finding time to do the hobby we love can be difficult so I'd like to encourage everyone to "Sew for 30 minutes" everyday during the month of September.   It's amazing what you can get done in little increments of time!  A seam here, a press there and before you know it - you have a brand new little something!'

So for this challenge I will try to sew for 30 minutes every day during the month of Sept. I have missed some days already but I'm not going to worry about it. We are going to be extremely busy this Autumn with home renovations, helping some elderly relatives move homes and the usual hustle and bustle with children. I'm going to try my best to get some sewing time each day to relieve the stress.

For past couple of weeks, I was able to sew some simple projects:

1. Girl applique t-shirt - My daughter wanted to have her t-shirt applique'd with her age for the school's photo day. So I used remnant fleece to make a number and sewed that onto her chosen t-shirt:

2. Boy applique t-shirt - my son also wanted the same thing done to his t-shirt for photo day:

3. Hello Kitty pencil bag - my daughter wanted a new Hello Kitty pencil bag for the new school year. So I just used remnant fabric and a thrifted zipper, traced the kitty shape and 'embroidered' the shape onto the bag. I also embroidered her initials at the back of the bag. Way to bust some fabric/notion stash!

4. Sweater knit skirt refashioned - I say refashioned - well it's really just adding a side slit to  the skirt. I like the glittery wool sweater skirt. However, it's not too comfortable to walk in (as I like to speed walk/march). So I decided to just carefully take out the yarn on the side seam up to just above the knee and voila! Much more practical skirt for me to wear this autumn/winter.

I'm pretty happy with the little projects I have completed so far. Hopefully I'll be just as productive for the rest of September!