Thumbnail image for handmade plan for christmas – 40 days to go

handmade plan for christmas – 40 days to go

We have a moratorium on any new 18″ dolls. Each of the girls have 1 American Girl doll and 1 Maplelea doll, and also have several pets that go with them and lots of outfits. After our big purge of toys this summer, and a re-org of their play areas, I challenged them to choose […]

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Thumbnail image for free printable – sewing safety rules pdf

free printable – sewing safety rules pdf

I created a  set of rules to hang on my craft room wall, and review with my girls, each and every time we sit down to sew. The patterned background is based on a quilt I designed (but have yet to make) and is in keeping with the colour scheme and retro theme of my […]

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Thumbnail image for choosing a sewing machine for kids

choosing a sewing machine for kids

Our eight year old, Ava, really wanted a sewing machine for her birthday. It turned out to be surprisingly challenging to decide what the best option would be for her. Ruling out the toy machines wasn’t difficult though. A quick scan of the reviews on Amazon, and it is very clear why most of them […]

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Thumbnail image for pictorial – how to sew maileg mouse dresses

pictorial – how to sew maileg mouse dresses

Over a month ago, I promised a tutorial for the handmade maileg mouse dresses. To expedite this, I’ve uploaded the pictures I took while assembling. If you have any questions, please add them in the comments. n/b I follow a ‘good enough’ sewing strategy. For example, all of the thread is white, I don’t finish […]

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Thumbnail image for day 30 – office (finally)

day 30 – office (finally)

I’m likely to go to a day 31 on Bootcamp, as I still have to finish organizing my craft room, and a final tidy of the storage room (so maybe day 32?). I’ve been avoiding the office. It’s a major bone of contention between MJP and I. He had 4 records boxes of old papers, […]

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Thumbnail image for kids sewing party – craft schmaft owls

kids sewing party – craft schmaft owls

Our eldest, Ava, is about to turn 8 and REALLY wanted a sewing party for her birthday. Sigh. I tried to redirect to crochet or knitting, but she really, really wanted a sewing party. This is problematic for a few reasons. I am not very good at teaching groups as I tend to demonstrate how […]

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