Tumeric and Carrots and Fabric, Oh My!

It has been ages since I last posted and now I have a long list of things to blog about, but this one couldn't wait. My Friday started as normal but after my morning coffee I got thinking about what I could sew as a gift for my cousins new babies. I started to sort through my stretch fabrics, looking for some inspiration, but none was found. I did have some lovely soft bamboo cotton knit that would make a very cosy onesie, however, it was cream and rather boring looking. That is when I decided I was going to try and dye some fabric! (First time ever). After realizing that my boys were not going to appreciate a shopping trip to Spotlight to buy some fabric dye, I started googling natural dyes and discovered that Tumeric was a very good natural dye and it didn't even require a mordant to fix the colour to the fabric. So, I got out my pot of tumeric powder and made up a brew...

Then I added my fabric;

What a lovely orangey yellow colour!! I rinsed my fabric in cold water and hung it out to dry. Then I stepped back to admire my creation seconds before it fell off the line onto the ground. (Woops - forgot the pegs). I bent down to pick it up and rehang it only to discover it was now covered in bright pink dots! What the?.... Where did this pink come from? I took my spotty fabric back into the laundry and dumped it into a bucket of water to which I added a small amount of washing powder. WHOAH!!!! Now the entire piece of fabric was peachy pink colour! (Rather pretty, but certainly not the orangy yellow it was before.) I rinsed out the detergenty water and slowly the fabric returned to it's orange colour. That was weird. So I began my investigationing..... It turns out Tumeric is an indicator for pH! Who would have thought??? I returned to my tumeric brew and tipped in a dollop of white vinegar and another piece of fabric. This time in came out bright-bright yellow!

Well that was fun!....And interesting....I wonder?.......purple carrots??.......

In it goes!...This is so much fun!

Rinse, rinse, wash , wash OH MY!!!!! The lovely purple fabric has turned blue!!!!!!! Could purple carrots be a pH indicator as well? Surely not? Lets throw some vinegar into the water just for fun.......

PINK!!

I didn't want to wash this one because the pink was so pretty, but really, what use is fabric you can't wash? So after a wash in detergent it went blue like the other piece. (Still a very pretty colour). Interestingly though, the Tumeric fabric which turns pink on washing, returns to orange / yellow after rinsing. But the purple or pink carrot fabric which turns blue when washed doesn't return to pink or purple with rinsing. So, is it really a pH indicator? Well, I think I have time for one more experiment..... I'll dip the blue fabric into some vinegar and see what happens.....

Yep! It's an indicator alright. Groovy man, I could make a weirdo Hypercolour T-shirt! Remember those? Sweat is acidic, so you could get some pink patches under the armpits! Eew, that's gross. Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll use this fabric for the baby presents. (Although it could be pretty funny when the baby chucks and her onsie turns pink from the acid in the spew!) He he...

I made it! (Just)

I did it! I have entered a top in Rae's Spring Top Sew Along Flicker pool!! Yeay!!! I was up till late again last night but I was determined to achieve this little goal. It was not an ambitious goal and I did have a whole four weeks to complete the task, but in usual me style, I left it to the last minute and entered a few hours before the deadline! (I seriously would get nothing done if it weren't for deadlines - "Deadlines I love you!"

I decided to make the Wiksten Tova Tunic! I realize that this is probably THE most made pattern out there in blogland right now and I am being incredibly unoriginal in picking this particular top to make, however, I LOVE IT!!! It fits me! I think this is the first ever top I have sewn for myself that actually fits! I don't need to alter the sizing at all (probably due to the fact that it really has no shaping to it - no bust darts, no waist - just like me ;-) And it is really very comfortable. I made this one with some Japanese Lawn from Spotlight. I think next time I will use a slightly heavier and warmer fabric so I can wear it during the cooler weather. If you haven't yet made yourself a Tova, don't be put off by the fact that every woman and her dog in Blogworld is wearing one, just do it! You wont regret it I promise!

Two more tunics??!!!

I can't believe that I have managed to sew a total of five tunic tops in one week!!! I think this is a new record for me. Here are the last two tunics; One for my niece in Brisbane who is turning 4 this week, and the other for my cousins boy who is 6 years old. I made the blue one out of an old bed sheet that felt so soft that I thought it would be perfect. I used the 'simple linen shirt' pattern from "Sewing For Boys". It's a great basic pattern (although I struggled to get the collar to sit right for some reason) which I think I'll try again one day. It's been fun sewing all these kiddy tunics but next on the list is definitely some tops for moi! Although before I get to those, I REALLY have to clean up my sewing space! There is fabric and patterns and notions ALL over the place!

3 nights - 3 tunics!

I haven't posted a blog for a while, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy sewing! Check these out.... These are for my cousins three gorgoeus girls who are visiting Adelaide from the sunny Gold Coast this week. I have always felt bad that I never sent the twins birth gifts, so Easter gifts it is! The pattern is the 'Sophie Tunic' by Sis Boom. It's a very easy pattern hence why I was able to make three of these in three nights! One a night - with no TV watching - makes a nice change to the norm. She also has a 6 year old boy that I'd like to make something for too,...any suggestions? I'm thinking I'd like to try a shirt,..hmm will have to check my fabric stash. I haven't started any sewing for me yet, but have great plans that involve the very bloggy-fashionable Tova Tunic by Wiksten - Now a $10 PDF downloadable pattern! And the Make it Perfect "Shearwater Kaftan". I also have to make another niece present before the weekend and I'm thinking that seeing as I'm in the groove, I might whip up another of these tunics! SO, without further a do, I'm off to the sewing machine! Good night! - although it may be morning before I get to bed! (Sleep is over-rated anyway). Oh, before I go, I'll leave you with this cute photo of Bobby enjoying the toy we borrowed from Aunty Kirsty. (Thanks Kirsty).

Ross turns 2!!

Last Monday we celebrated our beautiful boy's second birthday. I can't believe how quickly the past two years have flown past! And I am so happy that we chose to have a third child - our family was not complete without him! (Or his baby brother). Ross brings so much humour to our family. He is always making the girls laugh at the dinner table and he just loves the attention they lavish upon him. He has a smile that can change a "No, not now" - to a - "oh, alright. Now give me a kiss you gorgeous boy!!" And the girls also find it hard to resist his constant requests for "Liwee, Deedee, Doodoo?" Which translates to "Lily, Eden, would you like to jump on the trampoline with me?" We love you Ross! This is his birthday outfit made especially for the day! And finished on the day might I add (in the wee hours of the morning). We went with a cow theme. Ross is cow crazy at the moment. The only way I can get him to eat his dinner is to draw pictures of cows while he chews! He was just dying to sink his teeth into one of those cows!!!! (thanks Kirsty for your beautiful photos!)

Spring top sew along???

I have never entered any sort of online - bloggy contest or sew along before, but this month that is going to change! I have been meaning to sew myself some clothes for years now and something else always pushes it's way in under my presser foot! So I have decided to take part in this year's Made By Rae's Spring top sew along!!! Now I know it's not Spring season here in Australia, but our Autumn can still put out some pretty warm weather, so I still think there is plenty of wear time left before it gets too cold. Will anyone join me?

Seven things about me.....

There are probably only about five people that I know of who read this blog on a semi regular basis - three of whom are directly related to me! Another of those five afore mentioned people is Jane of the blog Lempo Bee. I "met" Jane a few months ago when I was googling random images of a particular fabric that I liked by a certain Japanese designer. There was a particularly nice top made from this fabric and so I clicked on the image and it led to Jane's blog. I think I sat there and read her entire list of blog entries! I discovered we had a lot in common...sewing, chickens, both live in Adelaide, love of polished concrete floors, old rustic things,.....he,he. Anyway,....to cut a long story short, Jane has kindly passed on to me the "versatile blogger award" - which asks that I share seven things about myself with my readers. So, here goes; 1. When I was little, I dreamed of becoming either a tree surgeon, (I loved the thought of dangling from a branch by a rope), or an entamologist. (A person who studies insects - I would catch bugs in jars, wait for them to die, pull them apart and look at them under my microscope! Nerdy - I know!) 2. I LOVE the smell of my baby first thing in the morning- all covered in sour breast milk chuck from the night's feeds....mmmmm, chucky.... 3. I am not, nor will I ever be, a morning person. 4. I am truly thankful for my family, my health, insulin pumps, and Bengali fish curry. 5. I have assisted several Electric yellow Ciclid fish to give birth to their babies. 6. A comfy couch or cushion + a glass of red + some chilli kalamata olives + good company = one happy Harriet! 7. I only wear make up to weddings. 8. I am a kick-ass Phlebotomist! 9. When I grow up, I now want to be a farmer. Woops, this was supposed to be SEVEN things about myself, .. 10. I can't count (obviously) Hope this was enlightning to ALL of my readers. X