Halloween luminous ghost - DIY

Need company to go out on a Halloween Party? Make yourself a very friendly luminous ghost in no time and go haunting in the parks ...

You need a square of white fabric, black fabric paint to paint a face or iron eyes on with vliesofix (like I did here), the bottom of a PET-bottle and something that gives light like the electrical tea-light I had.

Fix those ingredients together with a piece of thread and ready!

Have a spooky Halloween...

boooooohhhhh,
Jane

Fall houses

Last weekend we had the most beautiful fall weather that called us outside into the garden most of the time. I got a lot of gardening done and the boys had fun playing ... and apparently crafting: Son no.1 came and asked to use my camera for making a picture of his temporary art: A sun! (all his idea!)

I wanted to show you also the deco houses in our living room, that are now decorated for fall! You can find pictures of the previous decorations in this year here, here and here.

The dried leaves are a bit everywhere, but this is how it is in fall. You should see my garden!

I leave tomorrow for 10 days to Germany for spending some time with my family. I wish you two nice weeks of fall - hopefully you can enjoy it! (And hopefully the shitty weather in northern germany changes too)

A bientôt,
Jane

bonnets and loops

Autumn is coming with a lot of wind and you should start thinking of protecting heads and throats from the cold. I made some light jersey loops and fitting bonnets for kids that are great for fall, but also for winter days, when it is too cold to be without something on your head, but not icy.

Both, loop and bonnet can be used from both sides, just as one feels like.

I like loops for kids, as they can't loose them as easily as normal scarfs that are always sliding from their necks.

The bonnets are cut low on the sides, so they cover the ears. I find it hard to buy bonnets that covers the ears. Most of them are straight and at least on the heads of my sons they are moving always up and the ears get cold and in some cases infected. 

For the bonnets I have two slightly different types. One has two points and the other three. I don't know if it is really visible on the photo, so here is a detail:

I am making slightly different sizes, but as the jersey is really stretchy the bonnets can be used for several years, even when the kids head is growing. I made the pattern myself, from the examples of two bonnets I once had for my boys.

One of the loops (the green and dark blue one) has been already stolen by my elder son, so I have to make some more for the shop and the market. I already ordered more jersey.

Do you like it?

If you don't want to leave a comment, now you can just quickly vote below each post, how you like it (if you do).

A bientôt,
Jane

Bibs with sleeves

I get already in Christmas stress. Too early? No, it's not! The next two weeks we have fall-vacation (we are leaving for 10 days to Germany, so less or no sewing), then it is already November and in the end of November there is the Christmas market where I have a stand. And between vacation and Christmas market there is also a Halloween-night-walk to organize for the school and the birthday of my eldest to celebrate. Do you understand that I am getting nervous because of all the ideas in my head to try out before the market and not enough time to manufacture as many things as I want/need? 

And like every year I ask myself: "Why didn't you start earlier?" :-) Always the same...

I made lately some bibs. I didn't made those since my youngest can eat more or less properly. I nearly forgot how messy it is to cut and sew terry cloth! Fuzzes everywhere! 

I am convinced that the only useful bibs are those with sleeves, as baby's like to hang also their arms in their plates and not only dripping sauce to their body. So I get rid of all simple bibs very early in my career as mom and made only sleeve bibs from a pattern I formed from one single bib I bought at a flea-market.

These are the six ones I sewed last weekend and decorated them with applications:

As my darling took my camera to a business trip, I had to activate an old camera. After some problems with the picture size and quality, I made photos and I will put them in the shop as soon as a friend corrects my french description. I also photographed some more things I made lately, but those are for tomorrow ... or Friday.

A bientôt,
Jane

Neck pillow

When I first saw this tutorial I didn't like the idea too much. But my elder son is now reading every evening in bed and he takes the most awful positions for either his head/neck or his back or his legs. So I tried out this neck pillow and it is working really well and is in use ever since (ehhhmm, a week now). Biggest advantage: it is not round, so it is not rolling away as neck rolls can do. 

Of course the little one wanted a "bone" too. Last night I made one for him and this morning I could take a photo of both boys lying on the floor reading ...

Bonne dimanche et a bientot,
Jane

Last triangle quilt

As I have nothing new to show, here are pictures from the last triangle quilt I made in 2012/13. It has been a birthday present for my husband, but it took from his birthday in spring (where I had finished half of the top) until middle of next winter until I finished it.

I used old shirts (you are right I have plenty of those, as you can see in several projects along the year) from him and my dad and two blouses of me. 

The backside is light blue fleece and I did only a minimum of quilting. The photo is done while the quilt was lying on frozen snow, this is why it is looking a bit wobbly, the surface hasn't been even.

The size is 195cm by 132cm. Very comfortable to wrap in on cold evenings on the sofa. (And I have my blanket again for myself :-)

A bientôt,
Jane

Star top finished

I finished the next 6 stars quickly on Sunday and found out that cutting squares in all shades of blue is also taking a lot of time. But it has been fun assembling the little pieces to one quilt top. Do you like it?

I like it okay. Stars are not a motif I would chose for myself, I think I would get tired about the pattern soon. But stars are "in", I see them everywhere, so why not in my newest quilt?

It is 90x90cm - baby quilt size! I hope the futur parents of the baby I make it for will like it. They wanted to have yellow and orange in color and I had immediately sun or stars in mind. But now, the most of the quilt is blue, so I am not sure I maybe missed the requirements.

A bientôt,
Jane