Sew much fun

I have a brand new nephew! He arrived in the early hours of November 28th, and oh how I wish I could meet him and have a cuddle!

Waaay back, as soon as I heard that my sister's family would be welcoming a new addition, I signed up for Kelly's {Make} A Bag Sew Along. Having recently acquired a sewing machine, I was smitten with the idea of making Kelly's bag and accessories as a 'baby bag', something cheerful for carrying nappies, wipes, goodies for big bro' and the like. Now, I am a complete beginner who barely knows how to thread the machine, but Kelly's tutorial instructions are so detailed and easy to understand that even I could follow along (just don't ask me how many times I sewed fabric pieces together the wrong way round)! And in doing so, I picked up so many techniques that by the end of the project I was even brave enough to create an extra item all by myself (sorry, I spend all my waking hours with a 3 year old by my side!).

I chose bright, summery fabrics to match the season in Australia, but still managed to find coordinating Japanese prints. And look inside! It's lined and has pockets! (Can you tell how excited I am that I could ever make something like this?)

And here's a peep at what went inside:

And inside that:

I had a few strips of fabric left over, just enough to piece together a changing mat - OK, I confess that I rushed this a little and so it might not last the distance ;-)

I enjoyed this sew along so very much that I can't wait to join in another! I've definitely caught the sewing bug, no longer am I afraid of my machine... I am now even brave enough to crank up the speed dial :-D Following Kelly's beautifully presented instructions has given me a new found confidence, and I can see myself making patchwork covers for anything that might gather dust in the house (watch out kids)!

Introducing...

Remember the nappy cakes I showed you earlier in the year?



I had so many people telling me that they thought I should sell them that I am testing the water by introducing them in a new blog:

www.cakesagoogoo.blogspot.com

Please take a look and let me know what you think, and kindly spread the word!

Yoroshiku ne!

No cuddles : (

Once again, after a rather noisey weekend, peace has descended and so I have a little time to write.

Yesterday we went to meet the lastest addition to the F clan for the very first time! He arrived on Monday and both he and Mum are very well although, this being Japan, they are still in the hospital. We arrived to find S in her (very, very nice) private room, but where was the baby? In the baby room, naturally. She took us for a viewing through the sound-proof window (visitors are not allowed to hold the babies until they are released from hospital):



He looked so tiny and adorable, snoozing away but squirming all the while. There were only two babies in the room, the other was a teeny weeny premie who was crying his little heart out. A nurse sat at a desk in the same room, but she never went to check on him or give him a cuddle. Actually, I was quite shocked by the set-up. There is no rooming-in. The babies are on a 4 hour schedule and the mums are summoned to feed them at fixed times. In between feed times, the babies stay in their bassinets in the baby room, while the mums rest or do their own thing. If the babies cry, they are just left to scream it out. Seems very harsh for little newborns. I don't get why the mums don't seem to want to be with their babies. When we asked how S was feeling, she sighed and said that she wasn't getting much sleep as the nurses come and wake her up for feeds round the clock - my heart bleeds!!

On the food front, Saturday was nice and easy as K had picked up some bargain sushi for his dinner:



All this for just 380 yen (just over £2)! For the children and myself, I made a simple bake with gnocchi, which was sooo nice I could have eaten the whole lot on my own, given half the chance:



Gnocchi bake with spinach and mozzerella

250g gnocchi
175ml pasta sauce (I used tomato and garlic)
1 ball of mozzerella, cut into chunks
50g fresh spinach

Cook the gnocchi and heat the pasta sauce, stirring in the spinach. Combine all the ingredients in a dish and bake at 190c for about 15 minutes. Mmmmmmmmm.