Pregz Fash: Petite & Baby Doll

Hmmm.

If I were tall and it were summer time, the swishy baby doll cut dress would perhaps suit this little pregz Mumma-To-Be. After wearing this outfit, I worked out that I was more of an M.I.A type pregnant figure, and not a Heidi Klum type pregnant one after all. (Have I told you that occasionally that I feel that Heidi Klum and I could look like twinnies?)

ANYWAYS, M.I.A was gorgeous pregnant, so I'm quite happy having a new twinnie!

The hipstamatic photo above is at the National Gallery of Victoria, where we took Husbie's Mum to see the Napoleon exhibition.


Pregz Fash Featured:
- Red quickie dress I made in 2010 for the music conference I spoke at (not that you remember, but I always remember what I made my clothes for... the original event! WEIRD) and yep, the baby doll style is a traditional maternity wear cut, but for short arses, just doesn't look as nice. 


- The stripey cardi I made for Mother's Day theme at Sew Weekly 

- Little brogue heels I bought from ebay, only $13, but just nice with a little pregnant appropriate heel

Bump:
Again, over 5 months... not too uncomfortable, the usual fetal movement but I think around this time we could SEE more movement up front... ALIEN! I was so surprised to see the child is strong enough even at 5 months in utero to push and make my outside skin move around. WHAT?

Pregz Fash: Stretch Knit is Your Best Friend

Just remembered that we've taken a few snaps on my iphone over the past month or two! How time has flown! I'll bring you up to speed on the growing fetus. First up some Fash Posts, as apart from growing a human child (that's my number 1 priority!) the biggest thing about being pregnant is how to be comfortable.

My first four months were rocked with nausea, which is like (for me) being hungover everyday, all day and having waves of feelings of throwing up. I kept busy, because being distracted with work and seeing a lot of comedy festival shows kept that feeling away... so by May, where you see me above I was finally feeling comfortable.

During my fourth month, I lost my waist so all my 50s/60s fitted frocks were out, packed away until next summer... every week it felt like more and more of wardrobe was getting packed away! I borrowed some stretchy dresses from my darling bestie Amy, who seems to have a neverending cupboard of clothes (never throwing anything away helps!) as we all know I haven't been sewing! BUT, for my expanding mid section, I hit the op shops!

Pregz Fash Featured:
- The grey dress is long sleeve, hooded and stretchy and from Savers in Footscray and yep, stretch knit is my best friend right now. A lot of people have mentioned how fortunate a September baby is... so we (the babe & I) aren't overheating in the Melbourne summer... but being warm is tricky too. This dress is stretchy enough, but also a nice warm cotton knit. I always love wearing my dresses, so far they've been most warmest and comfy-est! This one might have been $4 thrifted.

- Melissa Shoes - Flats for the normal work day

- Autumnal scarf - a new present from my Mother in Law

- Teddy Bear Winter Coat - an old school present, I've spent more money on dry cleaning that this coat ever cost my friends to buy.

Bump:
Over 5 months in this photo, so over halfway! And the fetus is moving around like CRAZY! Very alien and awesome!

What to Wear for Winter: A few more weeks

The Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, has become a big deal for me and I'm so happy it came around this week. I'm not sure if it's living in Melbourne that makes me see it as a 'turning point' in winter, or if it's a marker that half the year has already passed? It always feels to me that July or August is 'mid year' for some reason, so I love the reminder that our days will get longer and less dark.

Anyways, it was also my week of entering the third trimester! I've been given 4 due dates in September throughout this pregnancy, and I haven't really been fussed to focus on the weeks because of those changing estimates. The baby will be born when it's ready to be born, but the medical system needs a due date! My midwife investigated and locked in September 12th, if you're wondering... and that's the same due date as NZ blogger & seamstress Kat! HOW funny, and I love a good qwinky dink! She's been sewing heaps of maternity gear this year along with the Sew Weekly themes, so you should go and check out her stuff.

As for me, I probably have a few good weeks of these warm winter jackets (pictured above at the train station) but I have a spare larger handmade jacket to don once these don't do up. My first handmade jacket was always too big, but I don't have the heart to ditch it because it took a lot of time & effot and the fabric was quite expensive at the time (a brown herringbone wool, that matched my red boots). Hopefully our freezing and darkest days are behind us as this year now turns with the passing of Winter Solstice.

Can you tell I've been watching Game of Thrones? I'm so wistful at the moment, and searching for poetry.

ANYWAYS, you may laugh, but I have been planning & thinking about some In Utero updates for you and I *have* been sewing (and a little op shopping) lately... as always, pinning myself (and Husbie) down for some daylight photographs is tricky. What's been really interesting, however, is that my sense of control & organising & producing is becoming more carefree, and fluid... and the hormones & feelings with this pregnancy tells me to just 'Let things go', 'relax' (I love that one) and a bit of 'This too shall pass'... so I'm kind of following my feelings and not pushing things. Just going with the flow...

And why not? Time moves so fast, it's just so lovely to go slow and enjoy these life changes.

xoxo

Too busy eating

Hi there! I'd love to share with you my busy gorgeous tripping-the-light-fantastic stories about being pregz & glamourous, rubbing shoulders with the stars... and sewing up my dreams ... but you know what I've been doing?

E A T I N G

Nom nom nom! When I'm not cooking at home, I choose anything off the menu, and my unborn child and I am happy. Before I was pregnant, I usually am quite picky about what I ate because I'm so small, I hate making/ordering larger portions and wasting foods. But like the pancakes above, there was nothing leftover! I'm not a diet-er or anything usually, I'm just careful about portion sizes, what's the variety of foods (as we mostly eat vegetarian) I'm getting... but I am a food lover. Just never this extreme!

What's going down well? Sweeties, like donuts and icecream... but of course not everyday... I try and stack up apples, prunes, strawberries and grapes instead... but as I'm heading to yoga twice a week and getting some great dog walks in... I also figure a donut every now and again won't hurt!

This pancake stack is from the Brunswick Foodstore, and we'd totally recommend stopping off there! Delish, and a varied menu! xoxo

Hope you've been well! I'm so feeling the ups and downs of pregnant life, but I hope to bring you some updates soon. Everything is super gorgeous and healthy, but my foetus is very active! It's not even 6 months and I'm getting kicked and pushed all over!

xoxo

An Autumn Collection

I may go on about the weather a bit too much for a sewing blog, but it is MELBOURNE and we all know the song 'Four Seasons in One Day' stems from this beautiful place... lately though, I'm hearing our good friend Sydney has a bit of Crowded House poetry about it... and this old M-Town seems to be a little more consistent... you dress in layers, and you can expect to use them... but it's less topsy turvy than other autumns and winters.

The blue skies come by a few times a week, and as the temperatures drops... the city still looks pretty. Here's just a few snaps from the past few weeks from my path to work each day. By car, train and walking, there's always something bright to look at... a shape here and there or a splash of colour... The Napoleon exhibition at the NGV looks interesting too...

Talk soon!

What to Wear for Winter: A NEW DILEMMA

Please excuse the iphone snap, but saying hi to you now is way better than waiting til the 'good camera' is ready on the tripod (Where is the tripod, actually?) and the sky is bright enough (it's totally wintery now) and/or Husbie is free to take a snap!

So HELLO again! And, here's a new dilemma! What to Wear for Winter?!

It's totally cold (after a gorgeous long summery autumn feel) this week, and looking at the forecast, I think we'll have mid-teens for a bit... no probs, rugging up is ok and layering is ok too... but every week, I'm a little bit bigger around the middle.

My darling red duffle from last year's 'Red, White & Blue' theme for Sew Weekly is perfect for now, and maybe be ok for another month to cover up the bump... but it's slightly cropped so if I start to point downwards (do pregz bellies point down to the ground?), it'll be exposed to the wintery elements.

But did you notice from the photo above? A toggle loop has been chewed off... a lasting goodbye from Doggie Darling methinks, as I took the jacket out of the 'Last Winter' box recently, and she had a little nibble. I can't bring myself to detach it now though, even though it probably looks uneven and grubby... darling little pup, she was!

As a seamstress, I'm starting to think I attract dilemmas though... 'What do I wear to this event?' or 'I've got nothing new in the wardrobe' and 'I need more cardigans!'... or is this what people who shop day to day think anyways? And then they just go out and buy the item? Our dilemmas, as seamstresses (LARDY DAH: grown up words!) is finding the time to MAKE the item you need, so that it looks good and is wearable when you need it!

More soon on wintery wear for bigger bump bellies!

Thank you again for all your caring comments for our baby news, it's such a special thing to share, and like a few of you said, even though we've never met, it's just so lovely to hear these sweet milestones in our little lives online! Very humbling with how lovely all of you are! GUSH!

Talk soon, xoxo

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Mum!

We spent a great weekend with my parents for their 40th Wedding Anniversary, but also, since it's Mother's Day today, we got an extra round of hugs and kisses with them today.

Wishing you plenty of family time, with your mum, your sisters, your daughters, your cousins... whoever you love and treats you motherly! My first Mother's Day in Waiting (I suppose) but not my first as a Mama of a Hound! xoxo

The photo of my Mum and I is probably 1978 or early 1979? At a hilarious place in the Blue Mountains called 'Megalong Valley'... and we're both so darling. Mum took most of my photos, but there's a couple of cute ones that Dad took of us together when I was young. I used this photo for my Sew Weekly inspiration and Mum said she had two crochet cardies that she wore when she was pregnant with me... this one and a pinky one, that I have now. I adopted it as my own as a teenager, and whilst it has a few holes, I'm going to wear it through winter while I'm pregz!

xoxo

A Crochet Finish

Last week, Sue asked me if I'd started crocheting a baby blanket yet... and you can bet your bottom dollar in my pregnancy nausea (I really dislike 'morning sickness' as a term, as it's not true!) state, any moments of resting (I did get into bed at 7pm some nights, it was too tough!) I'd pull out my granny squares.

I'm heavily into greys and charcoals for our house (just wait til you see our new couch - squee!) so have framed this blanket with a lovely lego like grey, with orange, yellow and ultramarine type squares... It's almost finished now, just need to pull all the loose ends through, and wash it out, steam it or whatever professional crocheters do... which will probably mean I'll just wash it and lay it flat somewhere right?

(I honestly can't remember what I did with my massive bed quilt when I got to the finishing stage?)

xoxo