How come it's October?

Every year I get to October and wonder what on earth happened! This one is no exception, and more so, for reason shown above! Last post was just after Valentines day for heaven's sake and here it is almost our wedding anniversary! ( Oct 21st in case you're interested! 10 years this year)
Baby number 4 was born in July (and there, you were just thinking I was a bit fat in that New year photo! own up;-) ) He's 9 weeks old today and oddly I've sewn more since he was born that I have all year -not all for him either.
It's all in fits & starts though at the moment, often with him in a sling, and I haven't mastered NAS (Nursing at the serger) and probaby won't!
My biggest goal at the moment is to tidy up my sewingroom, honestly you wouldn't believe the mess! and to get stuck in on my tracing & sewing list - we all need new stuff having variously grown shrunk, changed shape or been born recently.
DH showed an astounding lack of faith ( or should that be astounding astuteness) by visiting Marks and Spencer one lunchtime .... I keep threatening to make him some jeans, he just goes shopping...wise man. Right,I'm off to change a certain young man's nappy and then I'll do some picture updating here.

Chinese silk brocade bag

I've fancied a bag like this for a while
now, and so I tracked down some fabric and embarked on drafting the pattern
(not too hard ;-)!) and constructing my own with pockets to suit *me*!
The only thing I'd change is to maybe do a zipped
inner pocket (the large inside pocket (on the front wall) is fastened with a
magnetic snap.)I've had a bit of a sewing slump recently so this has been my
reward in between getting back into work sewing!

I'm rather pleased with myself and this bag I have to say!

30cm x 25cm appx, own pattern

close up of inside pockets and key tie

adjustable strap detail

piping close up - I kind of cheated and used ready made bias strip to make the piping -the original idea had been to make my own with the lining fabric -but actually the navy looks really nice and I saved myself a lot of work - though it was enough as it was!

Happy New Year!

Suffering from total & utter lack of sleep here! Got to bed at around 2am yesterday, but we have small children remember... yawn! It would have been fine if there had been a decent " curl up under a blanket with a box of chocs" film on in the afternoon... but there wasn't :-(
Sleeplessness compounded by being up with one of the aforementioned small children screaming with earache for most of last night :-( poor lamb (her not me...really!)

Anyway -back to sewing, it's an appalling picture, but believe you me, the low level "taken by a 7 year old" ones were worse! This was my End of Year sew for me.

This started off as Jalie 2005 -but as you can see has changed a lot along the way! I lengthened the sleeves and made them bell ended, lengthened the whole top to tunic length, adding in ease & shaping over the hips & bum! curved the bottom hem and gave it tennis tails. I redrafted the neckline totally to make the curved notch look -and it fits!. I mad ethis up in cotton interlock -kind of medium weight -and then dyed it made up.
Neckline close up