Can You See Me In The Back?

We love watching Grand Designs.
The presenter wears a myriad of beautiful shirts which Hugo often admires.
Recently,Kevin wore a pink Liberty version. I do not know the name but I have a snippet in other colour ways.

Hugo really liked it and requested one for his birthday.

Now I will admit I had a few issues about this.

1. Liberty is jolly dear!
2. Hugo is growing like a mushroom so it wouldn't fit him long.
3. I don't have a Liberty shirt so why should he get one?
4. Its very girly

I don't mind men in pink.
Jed has a pink and white gingham shirt I made him which looks fantastic but he is a mans man!
Hugo is,quite frankly,still a bit pretty for such a feminine shirt.

His birthday was fast approaching and I needed to re-size the Sketchbook shirt to fit this lad-o-mine!

I had a 2 yard piece of Modern WorkShop which the girls didn't fancy. It is a beautiful cloth but I knew I wouldn't be devastated if the resize was not spot on.

Re-drafting patterns is not my strong suit.
I just add a bit here and there and try and make the numbers add up.
I keep sizing up this pattern because it is without doubt the simplest shirt pattern for boys I have ever sewn!
And I have made a lot of boys shirts!

The Results?

I was very pleased.

I added too much depth to the collar so I will reshape that. Hugo really liked the collar buttons.

I used two cuffs pieces to make the cuffs and I cut the placket strip on the bias.

Hugo is big on details so he liked the extra buttons on the cuff.
I think the chest pocket is a bit high?

It is a good fit with growth room.

He likes the print but doesn't love it.

He will definitely wear it but....

After a fish through my stash we found some very nice cotton voile in a navy floral which has a feel very similar to Liberty and I will make that next!


But not until I have made my Melbourne Cup dress!


x N

Happy Birthday Beamish Boy Part 2

So it was Hugo's birthday yesterday and he turned 14.
Presents? You may ask...
Party?
Cake?


Well not exactly....

There were off course presents cleverly wrapped by his sisters.

Boxer shorts from Elsa.

A fish bracelet from Lidia(Yes she did choose it herself and he insisted he loved it and wore it all day)!

A DVD(I Shouldn't Be Alive) from Zara(Who was poorly and still in bed asleep).

I had made him a new shirt.....(more on that later)

And from Dad? What lad doesn't want a 45 m roll of camo fabric bought cheap from E-bay?
Does he have plans for this!


When my tribe have a birthday I let them have the day off school providing all their work is up to snuff.


Hugo was and requested his day off to be spent on the building site where he recently scored an after school job.

He declined a cake and asked instead for a lasagne to take to work and share with the builders.


So he spent his day digging ditches and came home with the biggest smile on his face and was asleep by 8:30 pm.


x N
PS Thanks for all the birthday wishes,he was chuffed!

Happy Birthday Beamish Boy

Hugo Thomas Edward Keller
It was a big name for a little baby

Hugo 5 weeks

But he grew and soon there were another two...

A sweeter big brother you could not find.

Birthdays came and went.

And he did indeed grow into his name.

I love the fella and I am so proud to be in his life.

Happy Birthday Cobber!
x Mum

Sunday

Sunday,it was hot!
So we did what Australian children have done for years.
We set up the slip and slide!

Now this is a proper job.

Not the 'black plastic with a brick on the sprinkler'' version I made with my friends as a child.

With some dish wash liquid squirted on it so you slid really fast.

It would get sand on it from dirty feet.

That would cut your skin as you slid along.

Sometimes you would shoot off the end.

You had to look out for little tackers!

Or you would knock them flying!

Someone always had a dog that would bark like mad and try to nip you as you did your run up.

You would stick the little ones,

In a bucket,

To keep them out of the way.

Because you knew if they had a go,they would fall over.

x N

Don't You Love It .......

When a stuff up turns out well?


I was making up two pairs of Nature Walk pants for the Twins. The orange ones were great!

So I started the pink ones-and finished the pink ones-as Elsa wandered into my sewing room and queried if I needed her for an elastic measurement-bugger!

Although I was tempted to hide them in the back of a cupboard I bit the bullet and repaired them straight away!

Using my elastic as a guide I stitched a casing.

I unpicked a little piece of the inside seam.

Then I threaded the elastic through the opening.

I stitched the elastic together and then sewed up the opening.

Ta-dah!

A little something with a shoe lace....

Ta-dah!
Now for the modelling...
The Twins were in a bit of a silly mood.....

Hopscotch Tops and Nature Walk Pants.

I gave up at this point.
I guess they like them!