If you haven’t come across Mena’s (from Sew Weekly) collection of Make this Look it is well worth a browse.

When the pattern arrived I saw that it had a maxi version with a wrap front.  I had a look at a few reviews of it on pattern review and thought it was worth a go.  It turned out really really well.

The plan was to do it in a nice drapey knit fabric.  But then I came across this crepe/chiffon stuff at spotlight on the bargain table for $2/m.

Because the fabric is see through I had to add a lining to the whole dress.  The pattern has just the top lined so it really wasn’t a stretch to add it to the skirt.

The wrap around top is not part of the foundation of the dress.  It is kind of just added on to the front.  But is is so very effective.  And because you know that the drapey bit is on top of the dress, there are no concerns of it slipping and being too revealing.

The only modification I made was to reduce the amount of fabric in the skirt by almost half.  I did this because I read a post on Styling You (about finding a Maxi dress that flatters) that said you should avoid dresses “billowing with meters of fabric”.  It turned out perfect.  Though to enable walking I needed to add a back slit to both the dress and the lining.

So moving away from quilting cotton I went to knit fabrics.  I seem to have got the hang of them now.  I made yet another Mission Maxi dress.

I love that pattern – it the 5th time I have used it.  This is my favourite one yet and I wear it all the time.

So next,  for something different I thought about sewing with lace.  Susie lent me this book (Sweet nothings) which has lots of great patterns.  There were at least 5 or 6 in there that I would make.

I first attempted the camisole.  It is made with a knit fabric for the bodice, fold over elastic for the arms and stretch lace trim for the neck and hem.

Unfortunately it turned out a little big across the chest as I think I stretched it when sewing the elastic on.  Then because I had nothing to lose and had written it off as a learning project, I got a bit carried away.

I added a wide band of stretch elastic to the bottom hem, thinking that it would look cute.  It just made a short top look stupid.  So then I decided the add the rest of the knit fabric to the bottom and finished it off with the stretch lace hem.

And viola – I have a new nightie.

It is still a little big around the arms and chest.  I wouldn’t wear it to the shops, but for bed it is fine.  It even passes the Would you answer the door in it? test (not clingy or see through).  This is something I consider when buying my PJs – I do like to spend as long as possible in them.

The other two things I made from the book so far were a pair of undies

and a cami in some 18cm wide stretch lace.

I am waiting for some elastic for the straps to finish the cami.  They both turned out fine. And I was surprised how simple and forgiving sewing with lace is.  Not sure how much wear these two items will get.  I am very much a Bonds/Triumph black, beige and white kind of girl.  So I don’t think that I am going to start making my underwear but it is nice to know that I could if I wanted to!

He was very excited. We have been talking about it all week.

After breakfast I told him he had to get ready for school.  His face went blank with shock – “Big school” he said “I’m going to Big School?”.

Then it was time for photos.  I just wanted one decent one.  And I think that was all I got!

(It is a bit messy, but it does look better IRL)

Mine are fairly straightforward.  Basically keep going and don’t fall off the wagon.

I have mentioned before that my goal is to complete 10 events this year.  I find that having an event like a race looming is a really great motivation for me.

I did the resolution run with Susie on Sunday.  It was 11km (2 laps city to southbank) and it was quite hot.  We run really well together. It was our best time and we finished strong.  The run for me was more about keeping up my running over the Christmas period than the actual race.

So that is one down! For the rest of them the majority will be 10km runs but not all events are offering that distance.

So far I have decided that I want to do

Jan – Resolution Run

24 Feb – Brisbane City Raid

18 Mar – Brisbane Twilight Run (10km)

6 May – Noosa Winter Festival (10km)

27 May – Hawaii Hibiscus Half Marathon (5 miler)

30 June – Gold Coast Marathon (10km)

15 July – Jetty to Jetty (10km)

5 Aug – Brisbane Marathon (10km)

Sept – Bridge to Brisbane

Nov – Inaugural Currumbin Classic (10km)

But there is also the City to Surf (12 Aug), Sydney marathon (16 Sep) and Melbourne Marathon (Oct) to consider if I can convince Hubby that we need a weekend away.

If I can’t get out of my shifts to do any of these events the plan is to substitute it with a city run with Susie.  We would probably try and do the Resolution Run course again to see if we can  improve our time.

I can’t explain it, but it appeals to me. I can’t draw particularly well but I can create “art like” pieces using Zentangle principles. I am really enjoying it.

Zentangle.com and  Tangle Patterns are two fantastic sites with lots of help and inspiration. Not surprisingly there is a big Zentangle blog and Flickr community.

I have been spending a fair chunk of time researching, creating my own Zentangle folder and sketchbook.

Rebecca (fitmumma) also provided me with inspiration to create an art journal with her that has a fitness/health theme. She is going to provide weekly prompts on her blog. I haven’t ever done anything creatively like this before but I am going to take up the challenge. So with an old A5 sketchbook I tangled a title page.

(I thought I would try an instagream photo to make it look more creative!)

Then using what I had on hand (the kids wind up crayons) I attacked the first prompt which was 2011 achievements.

I am not sure how I will go with this challenge. I think it could become quite personal and not sure if I will post each weeks efforts. So we will see how I go and how long I last.

2011 was a huge year for me. Basically I think I upgraded to donna 2.0 over the last 12 months. I am fit and healthy, happy and confident. I lost 20kgs and I can run 12km.

On the crafty side of things, 2011 saw me do a stash challenge with Susie. It motivated me to finish lots of projects that were neglected and work through a huge to do list of things I wanted to make. The challenge pretty much cured me of any further stash enhancing and now I have adopted a buy to use NOW philosophy.

My sewing skills have improved and began making more complex items and wearable garments for me.

So what is in store for me in 2012.

I have a shiny new gym membership that I plan to abuse. They hold challenges through out the year that I am keen to participate in.

I am undecided if I will do another round of the 12WBT. I haven’t ruled it out though – maybe round 2, Lean and Strong.

I have a lofty running goal of completing 10, 10km races. My only obstacle I can see at this stage is not having shifts that suit on the race days. I might have to adjust my goal to either 100km or just 10 races. Then I can do some of the shorter events to make them count.

Craft wise – firstly, I have 4 projects that need some attention (one for each craft)

- a half knit jumper

- a crochet hexagon blanket that is still in its infancy

- a quilt that needs binding

- and a few stitching projects.

I would like to think that I will finish these before I move on to something new in that craft. eg. finish knitting the jumper before I start knitting something else. All other projects that I had started, were in queues or on lists have been discarded and forgotten.

For my sewing – I am slowly working my way through the collette sewing handbook in an attempt to improve my sewing and finishing techniques. I would love to make some more clothes that are a little more detailed (advanced) and not made from quilters cotton. I need to explore and use different types of fabric. I am also going to try and be more mindful about what I make and how it will fit into my wardrobe.

I am looking forward to sharing my 2012 achievements and crafty projects with you. Here is to a fabulous 2012!

Instead of a traditional feast I went with the idea of making everybody their favourite dishes.

After a quick family survey I was out voted by the kids for waffles for breakfast to make use of the waffle  machine that I had bought hubby.  My choice was for pancakes, bacon and maple syrup.

All the little girl wanted was a banana pocket sandwich for lunch and a sausage in bread for dinner.  Who was I to disappoint.

For lunch hubby wanted an Oporto Otropo burger.

I did my best – but should have bought some “official” sauce as the Nando’s one from Woolworths was good but not quite right.

For my lunch I tried to replicate my favourite Subway salad (chicken, jalapeños and southwest sauce) but was only to be let down again by my choice of sauce.  I used another Nandos sauce -  perinaise but I think I would have been better with a simple south west salad dressing.

The little boy doesn’t have a lot of food opinions.  He had his standard circle ham (German Veal) and cheese sandwich for lunch and went with the flow for everything else.

So this was our christmas lunch.

The weather held out and we had a terrific day.  We got the kids this slide – best $100 ever spent!  We got it from A-mart allsports but I think it was in a Target catalogue too.

The kids were spoiled with lots of gifts but were not overwhelmed.

I was lucky enough to receive a few running related presents and some lovely surprises.  If you have not tried an apple trackpad instead of a mouse it is worth checking out.

So even through it wasn’t a big day for us it was special.  I think the favourite meal thing might become a new tradition.

I hope that you had a lovely christmas too.

To enjoy them together we decided to do a small sew along of sorts.  We were only allowed to read up to the first pattern.  Then once that pattern was made we could move on to the next chapter and pattern.  Doing it this way has also given us something to chat about along the way too.

The book is a sewing handbook.  The emphasis is on sewing techniques and skills with a few patterns included.  When I first saw the book I thought the patterns would be the highlights with the sewing skills bit as fillers.  I couldn’t be more wrong. There is so much to learn from this book.

There were a few main points that I took away from the first few chapters.  One was putting more thought in what to sew and how to include it in your wardrobe (including choosing a suitable type of fabric, colour or pattern) rather than creating a one off piece.  Another point was taking the time to make the garment correctly – not skipping steps, fudging things and taking the time to finish it properly.

With a little thought about the colours I wear and what was in my wardrobe I decided to make the first pattern (meringue) out of a heavy cotton gingham in a pink/coral colour.

The pattern is quite simple – an A-line skirt with a invisible side zip, waist facing and a scalloped hem.

But I made the effort to do each step right and took the time to finish it properly.

I even hand stitched the facing for the hem in place and overlocked the seams.  I wouldn’t have normally bothered because I hate changing the threads in my overlocker.

And here is the finished product in all its glory with a new top I got in Sydney at Diana Ferrari – it matches perfectly!

I made the size 8 and it fits.  But the skirt does sit quite high on my waist and it could be a little bit longer. But I think that  this is the style of the pattern.  If I made it again I would probably make it a few sizes bigger to sit lower on my hips, which would also increase the length.

This morning I added a hand made label so I could tell the back from the front.

Then I was doing the zip up to hang it in my closet – it got stuck – I yanked it – and I broke it.

FCUK it!!

I have thrown it in the corner and right now I am not sure if I could be bothered replacing the zip.

I didn’t even get the chance to wear it!

Anyway – thought I would share a new picture of my kitty Ruckus.  See in the top photo how fluffy he was.  He is getting a little old and hasn’t been grooming himself properly which was resulting in a lot of matted hair.

That’ll learn him!

I found this fabric at spotlight and though it isn’t “me” it was cheap.  The width of the fabric selvedge to selvege was long enough to make the dress a nice length.

I omitted the facing in the sleeves because they are just annoying on the other dress. I really have to sit down and fix that one day. So for this one I just did a simple double fold hem. It gave the sleeves a little bit of weight and stability too.

In an attempt to make this simpler I cut the back as one piece (on the fold) which omits the need for a button closure. I also cut the skirt and top as one as well hoping not to lose too much print.

This wasn’t such a great idea. It was a bit fiddley to find the waist and attach the elastic. Also not having the waist seam meant that you can see the stitching for the elastic. I wouldn’t do it again.

For this dress as well as the last I didn’t make the elastic tight enough. It just sat like a sack on me; so I added more elastic over each hip to bring the dress in.

The voile is not drapey enough and doesn’t sit as nice as my first one. It is a good cover up and easy to wear. The fabric does crinkle and look untidy quickly.  So, this dress will mostly be worn at home because the iron and I generally aren’t on speaking terms.

This time I chose the fabrics – just some simple pink poplin.

The pattern is a tutorial that I found at Grosgrain from Tea Rose Home.

For the bodice there are two downloadable pattern pieces. It is only for one size and fits about a 5-6 year old. The top of the dress has an elasticised neckline and arms. Though I took the elastic out of the arms on my version because she complained they were too tight.

The bottom of the dress is just three tiers of gathered layers.

Normally when I do gathers and tiers I just wing it often adding a lot more fabric. I think this has been why I haven’t been happy with the results. There doesn’t have to be a lot of fabric to get a full look. Especially when adding further fuller layers. Simple is often better and I forget that.

It is a good dresss. She likes it. It looks good and appears comfortable to wear. And it is pink – couldn’t go wrong there.