I'm a mei tai convert!

You may remember that I finally finished my mei tai baby sling back in July and was mightily pleased with the result. It was Gretchen (who writes the June at Noon blog) that first floated the idea of the mei tai in my direction but I wasn't convinced I possessed the sewing know-how to make one. Then the mum of one of Lillia's school friends showed me the mei tai she had made to carry her 4-year-old during last year's snow fall, she showed me just how simple they were and I decided I might have a go after all. And now me and my mei tai are inseperable. It gets slung in the baby bag as one of the essentials - nappies, wipes, drink, sling... During the summer it really came into its own and I became a fully fledged baby carrier!

Here I am at Elham Valley Vineyard carrying a sleeping Phoebe in her mei tai and a tired Lillia...




Waiting for the miniature steam train to Dungeness...




Soaking up the sunshine on the beach at Folkstone...




After a day walking around Port Lympne animal park it was ideal for Lillia and her aching feet, now that's how you give a piggy back!




Mei tai on the "Monkey Trail"...




Mr Snipsnaphappy is a convert too...




And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, my mai tei frees up my hands for holding my wine glass...you can't ask for more than that!



How did I survive before? Even popping to the supermarket I quickly pop Phoebe in her mei tai, it's quicker than getting the pushchair out of the boot and she just loves it. I have two more of these to make for my sister-in-law and one of my best mates so there will soon be more converts I am sure. If you fancy making one yourself the links to the tutorials I used are in my previous post here.

Ali
x

A summer in Kent

Hello!!

My laptop and I are very nearly ready to part ways. After 7 years (how long is that in laptop years? 100?) it is now coming to a spluttering halt. I am going to need to fork out some cash this month to get a new one but until I get paid that just isn't an option.

Well I am sad to tell you that I am back at work after ten months off on maternity leave. But I am happy to tell you that the smiling person with the two beautiful girls below is Me!

 

We had a wonderful summer break and I thoroughly enjoyed the last few weeks of being a stay-at-home mum. I have very mixed feelings about my return to work. I work four days a week, three of which I work in an office in London and on those days I leave so early in the morning my girls aren't even awake and I am home with half an hour to spare before bedtime. It's not the life I had planned. But more on that another time. I have so much to share! So many crafty projects, crocheted loveliness, navel gazing and lots of other things.

Today I thought I'd start with a mammoth post to share with you our wonderful summer break down by the coast near Dover in Kent. The photo above was taken at Goodnestone Park, a real surprise of a place where we spent a wonderful day. The tree we are on is quite possibly the most wonderful tree I have ever come across, I mean seriously, look at it...

 

I love big old trees and we stayed playing around and on it for quite some time before continuing our adventures around the grounds. Goodnestone Park has a big grand old house and the most gorgeous walled garden, one day I would love to live in a house with a walled garden, though perhaps on a slightly smaller scale :)

 

 

 

 

 

When we were tired of walking around it was time for a spot of tea and cake (of course)...

 

I was delighted to find an array of mismatched china teacups lined up alongside the cakes, as well as other cute little country style details...

 

 

It was one of those days where you decide last minute to go somewhere and it turns out to be a gem.

We stayed in a cottage on an arable farm in Kent, a beautiful location with loads of walks right outside the front door. Lillia used to hate walking and I don't think she's the world's biggest fan now to be honest, but she did enjoy investigating and finding big lumps of chalk to take home and use on her chalkboard.

 

 

Meeting the local residents...

 

Our neighbours...

 

We visited quite a few award winning vineyards whilst on holiday. I love my wine as you know and I really love good English wine - Chapel Down and Biddenden being among my favourite producers. We've been for lunch at Elham Valley Vineyard a few times too, which is a lovely place to visit. Though my favourite English wine of the moment is definitely from Barnsole Vineyard in Kent, well worth popping down there and buying a case or two of their award-winning tipple.

Handmade masks at Elham Valley Vineyard...

 

One of my favourite day trips was when we took the mini steam railway from Hythe to Dungeness. If you have never heard of Dungeness it is one of the largest areas of shingle in the world, it's on the coast of Kent and is home to a large nucleur power station...as well as many very rare varieties of plants and insects I believe. If you haven't been, go. Seriously, it's the strangest place you will ever visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our travels around the county we also spend a glorious few hours on the beach at Dymchurch (aptly titled "Children's Paradise) where Lillia built this rather amazing creation...

 

But by far one of my favourite places to visit in Kent is Port Lympne animal park in Lympne. It is set in endless beautiful grounds overlooking the edge of Kent and out to sea. Every time I go there I enjoy it and it always seems to be sunny, granted £8 for 3 ice-creams nearly made me faint, but you can't fault it otherwise :)

The view from Port Lympne out to sea...

 

 

Monkeys...

 

On safari...

 

So it has been quite a summer, and to be honest even if my laptop had survived I probably wouldn't have had time for much blogging of any kind until now anyway. And now I am back at work my time is more precious than ever, but the call of blogging is too strong to resist!

I hope you've enjoyed my photo tour of Kent, see you very soon :)

I'm still here!! My laptop has unfortunately died....bear with me whilst I try to resolve this technical impairment, think it's going to be an expensive month! Ali X

Mei tai baby carrier!

Phoebe is now almost eight months old.  Breastfeeding has ceased, in fact milk in general is consumed far less and she favours the huge variety of fruits, vegetables, meats and fish that she is munching her way through.  Like her sister this little girl loves her food.  Unlike her sister though Phoebe is now a whopping 21lbs!  (Lillia was only 18lbs at 1-year-old.) 

Quite a few lovely people told me about the "mei tai" baby sling when Phoebe was still tiny (ok, she has never been tiny...but smaller than she is now anyway) but it has taken me until now to get around to making one.  One of the school mums gave me some information and links and I scooted about on the interweb for a bit and eventually made my very own mei tai!

(me faffing about getting it sorted..)

I make a lot of stuff, as you know, but seldom have I felt this excited by something I've sewn myself for two main reasons.  Firstly whilst following the tutorial I learnt that you can rip fabric to create one long accurate piece.  I never knew this! Endless fun! (I am now thinking of all the long things I could possibly make in order to rip long pieces of fabric - draught excluders, curtains, snakes...) Secondly, even though it is essentially a square and three long bits sewn together it holds my 21lb baby as though she is a teddy bear stuffed with feathers...and she loves it...

(me looking like a human being at last!)

I used a combination of this tutorial and this one and made some bits up.  I used two bits of fabric for the body panel - I sewed them together right sides together leaving the two openings for the straps un-sewed.  I then turned it out and pressed the seams, then I inserted my straps into the holes with about three inches inside, pinned them and then sewed a sturdy x-box to secure them. 

This way I had a good sturdy reversible sling and it was very simple.  I used a heavy canvas type fabric from Ikea, I bought two metres and used the full length for all the straps, which fits me (and hubby) perfectly.

Although she likes the front carry she especially loves the back carry...

Hubby requested that I make the sling in a "manly" fabric so he can use it too.  I think I chose quite well, just look at Mr Snipsnaphappy, manly man! Grrr...girls...lager...football...

Wish I'd made one earlier now!  And Phoebe wasn't the only one who wanted a go...

It can even hold a 5-year-old without batting a mei tai eyelid.  Impressive.

So, as you may have picked up I am VERY pleased with the mei tai and hubby and I are looking forward to putting it to good use on holiday as we trudge around the glorious Kent countryside. (A big thanks to the two girls who shared their mei tai making wisdom in their tutorials!)

xx

Holiday pressies

When we were little our summer holidays involved either an eight-hour train journey to Scotland to visit our grandparents, or we travelled the two-day car-trip down into France to go camping.  To keep us entertained...and more importantly quiet...my mum used to give us a little bag of things to keep us occupied.  It was because of this that I got into modelling with Fimo clay actually which I still love to do now and it even makes me some money :)

Well we are off on holiday in three weeks (our first holiday in two years, not that I am ridculously excited or anything) so I have collected together a few items for Lillia to keep her entertained on the journey and whilst we are there (we are holidaying in the UK so lets face it it will rain).  So of course I HAD to make a bag for all the goodies to go into...

The fabric was given to me and has been awaiting the right project until now.  I was going to make my usual double handled carry bag, but then I thought a shoulder bag with a velcro closing flap would be quite cool so...voila!

And inside there are goodies waiting to be played with, plus some edible goodies too...

I am very much looking forward to using the pom-pom maker...it may just cure my fear of pom-poms :)

I'll give this to Lillia on the morning we go on holiday, she will be very excited, I can't wait :)

And while we're talking about goodies I have a little goody of my own...

I have been hearing so much about the new UK craft mag Mollie Makes that I signed up for the 3 issues for a fiver offer to see what it's like. I haven't read it yet (I'm saving it, you know how it is) but I shall let you know what it's like. It came with a little free craft project so I am already impressed...

Just one more week of school then the fun can begin!

:)