Handmade Hand-me-downs

Here is a pair of BabyBird shorts:

Notice anything special about them?

No?

That's ok, they're really not that special. They're a bit faded and could probably do with an iron. But this pair of shorts makes me proud, they give me faith in my brand and the passion to keep doing what I do.

Ok. Ummm.... why?

Well, here are some facts:

- They are one of the first pairs of shorts I ever made under the BabyBird brand.
- They are approximately 2 years old
- They are a size 1 and created from heavyweight cotton
- They have been worn at least twice a week for say, 9 months by my eldest son
- They have been worn approximately twice a week for say, 5 months by my youngest son
- That's a whole lot of wear and tear on the knees and butt. A whole lot of washing, drying, time spent in the sun, on the grass, in the sand, in the dirt and rolling around with dogs.
- They are still in one piece and I've never had to mend them or fix up the stitching.

Most of my customers will notice that I do not overlock my seams - they are zig zagged, just like grandma used to do. It may not look as nicely finished as some clothes you buy, but I think my little roadtesters have shown that the shorts do withstand the rough and tumble of little boys.

BabyBird shorts are not created in a production line. They are not sewn in a factory somewhere in China. They are all made by me, in my sewing room - usually with kids playing on the floor near me. Often they are made late on a Friday night while my husband watches the footy on tv upstairs. They are made with love and care, so they can be passed down from child to child. The fact that they last and last makes me proud of my little brand. I hope you like them too.

From Little Things...

... Big things grow.

Happy 3rd birthday Ollie. We love you more than you could ever know.

Market Wrap Up

A fantastic day was had at the Boutique Markets yesterday. It was really hot (probably the death rattle of summer) but it was perfect really, as it meant lots of shorts and singlet sales.

Dog Treats from Rocstar:

Our Kitchen Garden:

Fantastic Knickers from Razzama Dazzle:

And of course, BabyBird:

Ok, off to replenish stock in time for Mathilda's Market on Saturday!

Sorry Little Blog...

I've been neglecting you lately, haven't I? I know you'll get over it though, you're a tough little thing. There has been so much going on. I will paint you a picture:

1. Lola pug is sick and needs surgery. She is struggling to breathe, as apparently over time her tendons have slackened and her soft palate is now partially blocking her airway. She is booked in for surgery next week.

2. Hoodie sales have been keeping me mighty busy. Lots of orders to sew.

3. Eddie is teething. He is getting molars, which is weird, as he doesn't have all his little front teeth yet. He sticks to me like a limpet on a rock, making getting things done quite impossible.

4. It's market time. Boutique Markets this weekend, Mathilda's next weekend. Lots of sewing to be done for them both, yet the above points are making that difficult. It's a vicious cycle. I did manage to whip up a pair of jeans yesterday that will make their debut this weekend.

5. Easter long weekend. We spent it away with family, so no work was done. Whoops.



This week shall be dedicated to work. Hopefully I get some done.

And the winner is...

The winner of the hoodie/shorts giveaway (according to random.org) is commenter no. 7 - Jen Sprent! Congratulations.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter. Let's do this again when the Facebook Fanpage hits 300...

Giveaway Time!

I have decided to have a giveaway to celebrate the BabyBird Facebook Fanpage reaching 200 fans.

One lucky fan will win either:

(a) One of the new winter hoodies in blue/black (sizes 00-2):

or

(b) A pair of the Giant Squid shorts (sizes 00-6):

Excellent! How can I win?

1. You must be a fan of the page to enter, so join up here.
2. Just post a comment below, telling me what winter clothing your little one (or you) can't live without.
3. Winner will be drawn randomly next Friday morning.

Good luck!

More Hoodies

So much sewing happening here this week. So much sewing, for not so much product really. I can't believe how much longer hoodies take to make compared to shorts. Luckily, they're really cute, so I can make an exception...


They will be making their market debut at the Boutique Markets at Portside Wharf this Sunday. So pop down if you're in Brisbane. They really are fabulous markets.

'Saturday...'

'When these open doors were open ended...' - Fall Out Boy


Love that song.

So Saturday, the best day of the week, because you know there is still another day of the weekend left after this one. I've been a busy bee over the last few days, with mostly work related stuff. I have been creating:

- Corduroy hoodies lined with flannelette
- Corduroy pants with cute little cuffs
- Women's tees
- New softies

All inspired by the sudden change of season. And yes, I am working on all of them at once, coz that's just how I roll. Here is a picture of one of the hoodies:



This afternoon, we are going on a little adventure to IKEA. I must exercise some restraint and only buy fabric. What's the bet I don't though?

Tell me about your weekend plans...

It's all about me!

Well, today's post is anyway.

People that have been following my blog for a while might remember my post about trying to lose some weight. It's such a cliche, but since having babies, flab lives in places where it never used to. A friend of mine says that she could make another baby from the spare skin she has after having babies. That's true for me as well. Things have changed. On top of the extra skin (quite literally), I have stretch marks, but I've learnt to live with them. They're not angry and purple anymore, they have faded to a silvery tone and in a way, I'm kind of proud of them. Bodies are amazing, aren't they? Look a how far it can be stretched out:


So anyway, it was time to get rid of the weight that I joyously put on while eating for two. I started around September last year and the first 4kgs or so came off quite easily with some time at the gym. And then it stopped coming off, I lost motivation, it was Christmas, food was good... But I found some motivation again around 6 weeks ago and I have lost 5.5kgs since then (11.5kgs in total). I'm getting back into size 12 clothes, which is really exciting. I'm actually fitting back into clothes that I haven't worn since before I had babies. It's like having a new wardrobe again! It's slow, but it's do-able - I have 9.5kgs to go.


That transformation has been slow, but being the impatient girl that I am, I wanted a new look - fast. So I changed the one thing that I could transform in a couple of hours...

And then I changed it some more...

It's a drastic change, but I needed it - change of season and all that. I'm growing my hair out and being platinum blonde wasn't great for it's condition. So what's new with you?

What a Week!

What a crazy week I've had.

I received a pile of orders for the new style martingale collars...

I had a few orders come through on madeit....

I was excited to be part of a brand new blog featuring handmade products for kids...

Then I got sick. And now Eddie is sick (well, he's either got my cold, or he is having a bit of a reaction to his vaccinations - either way, he is now my velcro baby and is making it very difficult to get things done).

At least I'm on the mend, which is good. Today is a lovely recovery day - nice and cool and rainy. The first day of autumn and I have jeans on! Jeans! Looking forward to winter at this rate.

And now for something completely different...

Re-use, recycle, upcycle, re-create, reclaim... All words to pretty up the act of making something new out of something old. I do it all the time, mostly using tablecloths, tea towels and doona covers and turning them into shorts. It's heaps of fun, I love going on those little op shop treasure hunts and finding something that makes me squeal inside and look around nervously, like I can't believe I have found such an amazing little treasure.

Retro Tablecloth Shorts:

Phantom Doona Cover Shorts:

Some people find the idea a little bit weird and icky, but I have a lot of customers that get as excited as me about the whole process. There's something really special about having your child in something that you know you won't see anywhere else. Let's face it - while you can still get away with dressing your child (until they start saying 'Wear that? No way mum!'), they are a reflection of our creativity and good taste. Am I right? Or is that just me?

Singlet with Doiley:

Old Curtain Shorts:

Anyway, last week I decided my poor neglected pooches needed a new bed for inside their crate. Dog beds are expensive, so I scoured my local op shop and found everything I needed for a new bed:

Skinny roll out mattress (in the perfect width!) - $9
Calico (on the back of a doona cover, I used the front for shorts) - $6
Stripey Wool Blanket (full of moth holes that required some creative cutting) - $1

So, as is the normal procedure with all things second hand, they were soaked in very hot water and Napisan, followed by a hot wash and then thrown in the dryer. Not very eco friendly, but satisfies my inner germaphobe. The good thing about this procedure is that it felted the wool blanket, so it wouldn't fray or unravel.

I cut the mattress in half so it was perfect dog crate size, I sewed a cover out of the calico and then another cover out of the wool blanket. This way, the mattress would last longer and not so much of the doggyness would get to the mattress (I can just wash both covers instead).

Happy Pooches:

My Weekend In Pictures...

So much happened this weekend, it was crazy. It would be way too long if I posted everything, and you know the old saying about a picture and a thousand words...

Saturday 9.30am:

Eddie's First Birthday Party.

He wasn't sure about the cake.

Understandable really. But it was my first proper cake effort. Ollie was stuck with cupcakes for his first and second birthdays.


Cake tasted ok though.




Still not sure about the look of that whale.





Sunday: 8am - 1pm

The BabyBird Stall - Boutique Markets at Portside Wharf

Monster Softies.


Personalised Singlets.



Lots and lots and lots of shorts.



Hats.



The Stall.



Sunday afternoon 3pm - 5.30pm - Doggy Playdate.

(Guess who took the camera, but forgot the card?)

Pictures taken when we got home. Sandy, wet, tired (Lola) and not tired (Harry).



Now I need a weekend to get over my weekend.

The End.

Happy Birthday Ed

I can't believe you are one already. Where has the time gone? It was when your brother turned one that we decided to try for you. From the start you showed your cooperative nature by suprising us with your conception within a month. And there you grew, safe inside, under my heart and already so loved. My pregnancy was easy, I was hardly sick at all, but how I grew. I was huge. I was so sick and tired of people joking that the scan had missed one, that there must have been two in there. That you were going to be a giant. I had heard it all before, when I was pregnant with your brother, so I didn't believe that you were going to be big. I was wrong.

After the horrendous induction process with your brother, I decided that you were going to come into the world on your own steam. But when you still hadn't entered the world after 40 weeks, I enlisted the help of the beautiful Corinne to get you moving. Anything to avoid a medical induction. So after some lovely acupuncture that sent you wiggling around, I had some mild dragging pain that lasted the rest of the day. It turned into proper contractions at around 8.30 that night. You were on your way and I had gone into labour on my own, something that was a brand new experience for me.

At 1am we decided that it was time for hospital, but were sent home again because I was only 2cm dilated. Only 2cm! How on earth was I supposed to get to 10cm? So your dad went to bed, but I was in too much pain to sleep, and the sleeping tablets they had given me didn't work. So I paced around, trying not to wake anyone and ended up in the bath for four hours. At 6am I couldn't stand it anymore, so we went back into the hospital. I was 4cm dilated and admitted.

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur. At around 4.30pm I was 6cm and my waters were broken. The midwife told me they were like kangaroo hide, and there was no way they would have broken until you were born. A monitor was placed on your head to check your heartrate. All of a sudden, everything was accelerated, within half an hour, I was 9.5cm, the midwives could see your head and that's when everything changed. There were no contractions, no breaks, just pain. I started screaming, but didn't realise I was doing it. The room was full of people very quickly, but the only face I could focus on was your dads. He was getting upset seeing me like that, so turned away with midwives comforting him. My uterus was begining to rupture, opening up along the old scar from where your brother was born. It was time to get you out, and quickly.

So off to surgery we went. It's a blur of strange faces, blue scrubs and white ceilings. Lots of noise, but that was coming from me. Four people to hold me still while a new epidural was placed in my spine (the fourth attempt). True to form, your heartrate never changed. Through all the drama, you were calm, the eye of the storm. On the table, curtain up, your dad squeezing my hand. In the light above me, I could see the reflection of the surgeons working, so I concentrated on watching them get you out. And then, there you were. All white, wrinkled and concertinaed, like an accordian squeezed shut. They held you in the air and your limbs started to unravel and you cried, an amazing sound that every new parent holds their breath to hear. You had arrived. And they were right, you were a whopping 4kg. A whole kg heavier than your brother at birth.

Your father took you away, out to meet your very worried grandparents, while I was stitched up. And when I was wheeled into recovery, you had the biggest feed ever. We laid there for over an hour and a half while you suckled away, knowing exactly what to do. And you were big and warm and perfect and mine.

You were such a calm, content baby. A pleasure. Everyone warned me that because your brother had been easy going, that you would be hell on legs. But we proved them wrong, you were even easier. Our happy little slug.

Happy Birthday Eddie. We love you with all our hearts.

Maternity and Newborn photos by Alicia at Savvy Studios.

Note: I attempted VBAC with Eddie (vaginal birth after caesarean). Obviously it was unsuccessful, but many, many women have successful VBACs. Even though you'd think I'd be upset with the way it turned out, I'm not. I feel really good about Eddie's birth. So much happier than I was with Ollie's birth process. If I was in the same situation again, I would make the same decision. You can read more about VBAC here.