Smoke and Stashes

We are in the middle of a heatwave and the island is struggling with terrible bushfires to the south, the east and north-west with watchful eyes on low grade fires in the upper midlands.

We are totally out of harms way here but the smoke is affecting my asthma so I am laying low inside as much as possible. The heat forces me in doors anyway.

From inside I hear the fire helicopter going over head on a regular basis, rattling the windows and sounding more sinister than reassuring (too many movies I guess).

I am making the most of the opportunity inside and have made a pair of pyjamas for my 3yr old nephew who will be visiting this month from Melbourne. They remind me of the vintage print of my childhood and many a night I went to sleep on hot summer nights like these tracing the cowboy and Indian images with my eyes across the wall paper in my cousin Pete's room.

I am very excited about my nephew's visit and when it cools off a little, I want to give the cubby house a coat of paint. Both of his parents work for Circus Oz  and I smile a little because he is coming to do a circus school camp (with his parents of course) out at Golconda past Lilydale.

I was originally going to do buttons but then I remembered I had press studs and they always seemed a bit retro cowboy to me. 

The pattern was using New Look 6746 and has sizing from 3-8. I would rate this for intermediate to experienced sewers. Beginners should seek some guidance from a mentor as the collar and inner facings are a bit tricky and the instructions were a bit short on clarity. It was only because I used to make this style for my own girls that I managed it.

I have also been making peg bags and they are great for using up bits and pieces.

I used the pattern here and it is dead simple. I opted to sew mine up all the way around and pull through the hole for the hook though, making the base stronger with machine stitching. 

I was aiming to get these made in time for Christmas gifts but they didn't run to schedule....Next year!

Between gifts at Christmas, new cushions for the lounge and curtains for the cubby house and a couple of aprons, I am making some serious in roads into the stash.