Rasita My Family, My Animals, My Food

This is all I seem to do in my free time, or the time I make.
I am still working on the jacket. Tonight I fixed up and finished the collar, I think! I also sewed up the sleeves, but they are yet to be put on. All this took me 1.5hrs to do! I am starting to feel the time diminish and the kids all have their sewing projects to do and be done.
My dad sent me some birthday money, and the kids some money for the local show which they are entering into. They spent some of their money on material so that they could make up some entries. So this means, 3 extra projects, on top of the other projects that need to be done for the show. The kids are also entering cooking.
We have a busy next two weeks ahead of us! That is how long we have to complete all of their entries!

I am still working on my jacket and today I have been on a steep learning curve to do with instructions and attaching/making collars on jackets. I think I finally have it.
I was telling hubby about how confusing the instructions were when I looked at the pictures again (I need pictures) and it clicked, well at least I hope the right idea clicked.
I haven't even started teh lining yet! Though that should be the easy part.

Apart from trying to be creative, we have a dinner date with some neighbours of ours. They are indian and vegetarian so it should prove to be interesting. I will have to make something seperate for the girls as they aren't into spicy foods. The date is yet to be set but it will have to happen sometime in the next 6 weeks, before they move.
They are really interesting people and our kids like to play with their son, out on the street, playing frisbee. Sometimes us adults even get involved.

Tonight we all played a game of uno, something the whole family can play. It was fun and M4 was a little upset when she won, as she didn't have any cards left! She was happier loosing.

Well I should get back into the jacket, I am about to baste on the collar and see if I have got it correctly. This has to be the most difficult part of the jacket so far and, hopefully, once it is done, it shall be smooth sailing for the rest of it.

Day 19 got as far as filling two bobbins with appropriate coloured thread for my jacket construction. I had meant to do more but the day caught up on me and I sank down into the comfy recliner and watched a little Boston Legal.
Day 20 was way more productive and I ventured into the scariness of sewing while the kids were awake and around to distract me. Fortunately they ignored me pretty much and went to play outside. Though I did find myself saying a few things to my sewing when I realised I had to unpick black thread on black material! It was pretty much invisible. Fortunately it wasn't a big mistake and was quickly remedied.
So far on the jacket I have sewn up 8 of the panels for the outside. I still have the lining, facing, collar, hand sewing, etc to go. If I continue like this it should be done by the weekend.
A seamstress's definition of an adrenalin rush is sewing the first lot of seams, on a scary project, correctly. So far so good! The main problem is that I cannot understand the instructions all that well so it is a case of using my know how and what I can get from the pictures!
It is still a scary project, and the biggest/most complicated one I have done yet.

Today I made myself a phone cover, as I lost mine the other day. I know where it would have been lost but the drive back there to get it was not worth the trip when I could easily make myself a new one. So I did, I made one out of some faux suede samples I have and leftover hot pink cotton. It isn't the neatest job but I had kids nattering away at me, asking for toy phones so my thinking process was somewhat interrupted. If I make one another time, I know how I will put it together (with a little extra seam allowance also).
Once I finished that I dealt with some quick and easy, made of scraps and faux suede/leather samples plush mobile phones. They look rather dodgy but the kids like them so that makes me happy.

The first phone I made (with M4 sitting on my knee) was a simple thing stuffed and sewed up around the edges. She drew little buttons on it (and on a nearby bed pillow) with a pencil she had handy, and has gone to bed with it now.

The second I just cut across a scrap of material, and gave the phone a curve in it, sewed in a scrap of faux leather around the curved part. Then gave it over to M11 to stuff while I sewed up the next one.

My motto should be "When there is housework to be done, and you haven't time to finish a project, start a new one".
Well, it isn't quite like that. Tonight I worked on my jacket some more. This time I managed to cut out all of the lining. It is a bright pink cotton. I think it will go well under the black faux suede and make the jacket more suitable for QLD weather.

I didn't go for the funny pocket things on the front of the jacket, but a pair of hidden pockets, which will be positioned differently to what they are on the short jacket. Some patterns, no matter how good they look just scream out to be altered to some extent. I can't help myself. Going completely by the rules just doesn't seem to work all that well, when it comes to some things. Other times the rules should be followed, and other times, you shouldn't keep that outdated baking powder, it just doesn't work after a while!

Well, tomorrow will be a big day and hopefully I will find some energy to do something creative, even if it is only a few photographs. The kids have their athletics day, all day. I will have 4 kids to look after, sort out and make sure they go in the proper direction, separately!

(If you turn your head sideways, you can see the pattern I am making the jacket from, the long, well fitted one.)