Friday 21 June 2013

A week... passes

It's Friday again, and I don't feel like I have much to report, not today anyway. It is cold and I am tired.

The weekend was good, I got some good sewing done which I'm working on a post about specifically.

Tuesday night the Hubster was out, so I spent the evening in front of the tv cutting out Miss S's next pair of pjs. (Was that really only this week?)

Wednesday, Miss A decided to try sitting by herself, and got increasingly good at it through the day, until she decided that her toes looked more interesting. I had some wheat over the weekend and she's been rather spilly this week because of it, but it has gradually been lessening. Lots of bibs and washing done. Last night she had trouble sleeping due to a blocked nose, so I'm rather tired now.... zzzz

We got the highchair out of the garage and gave it a clean, and then I've been working on a seatbelt for it, as Miss S used to always slip down in it, so would like Miss A to be able to avoid that if we can. I managed to figure out how it might work, and dug around in my notions collection for some clips and stuff from a deceased backpack, then went and bought some strapping. With a little bit of sewing we'll have an adjustable seatbelt for it, then Miss A can start sitting up with us for meals and be out of reach of our food (which she keeps trying to grab when she sits in laps).

I've done some little bits of PhD work, not nearly as much as I should have done, but forward progress is better than none. Made some contacts and am starting to get my confirmation report into shape.

I should be spending today doing exam marking, and that means a trip out to uni with a baby, because I'm not allowed to take the exam papers off campus. I went out yesterday but, because it is an extramural paper, there weren't many there to be marked yet. A got an email about an hour after I had left saying there was now another 50 there.  Sigh. Maybe I'll go out after Miss A has had a decent nap.

I'll to try work on a more exciting post (with pictures!) later tonight while the Hubster is out at youth group, if the girls sleep, that is.  Yawn. I might need a nap.

Thursday 13 June 2013

A little patch of sewing

The other day I did a quick bit of sewing, made some squares for Miss A to chew on. We'd been trying to find something she was happy chewing to help her teething. A lot of the teething toys she isn't yet able to hold in her mouth cos she's so young, but we found he quite happily sucking and chewing on her quilt. So I thought I'd make some more portable alternatives.


They were so easy to sew, just two squares of scrap sweatshirting, sewn together with a wide seam allowance so that when I turned then through I could just top-stitch around them and the opening was caught in too without me needing to handstitch (which I did later when I had time, but it meant they were usable right away). I made one a straight square with a colour on each side. The other one I sewing the sides of the squares together, then off-set them so each side was half of one fabric, half the other, and then sewed the other sides before turning through.

Miss A loves them. They can get quite soggy, but they can just be thrown in the washing machine, easy peasy.

I'm very happy with them. They were such a quick and easy project (10-15mins for two?), and so rewarding. And a good way to use up some small bits of leftover fabric. I'm almost all out of this pink printed sweatshirting, only scraps for things like this left.

A belated reflection

So I managed to miss my Friday round-up, but it was a very wearying week, so I was struggling to think.

We've had a friend staying with us while he tries to find a place to live, and finally moved out last Friday. (When I say moved out, he's been sleeping in his van in our garage for the last two weeks.) I was somewhat surprised by how much it has worn me out, cos it didn't feel too bad during, but post- I am rather knackered.

Then the Hubster's sister came to visit Saturday evening and we stayed up late talking (read: midnight). Opps.

Saturday I managed to finish the pj top to go with the star footsie pj pants, and despite only adding length, Miss S seems to be swimming in it a bit. Maybe they'll last two winters.


I've got some fabric for a second pair, but I have cut out Miss A some woolly singlets from some old merino tops of mine (that are coming apart at the seams but the fabric is otherwise fine) that I'll make up first.




This week I've managed to get a bit of PhD work done, not a lot, but keeping things moving at least. I've been discussing with my supervisors my confirmation event which will happen at the end of July  (showing that I've done work over the first 12mths of PhD enrollment by doing an oral presentation and giving a proposal/report to supervisors and 'confirmation panel'). So I need to get working on that. The report can mostly be a pulling together of various bits I have around the place. And then the oral presentation will be based on my critical literature review and research proposal.

I've managed two walks this week (none last week), even one in the rain cos I just needed the exercise. So I'm managing to keep that happening a bit, not as much as I would like, but that seem to be a theme at the moment.

More about another little bit of sewing in another post.