The Moomin's kimono

8.05pm: The Moomin gives me a letter that says it's world-themed fancy dress day at school tomorrow.

8.06: Go into panic mode. We don't own any ethnic fancy dress, and I doubt we can get away with sending her in a Charlie and Lola dressing gown with a tea towel on her head.

8.07: Realise I'm going to have to sew something.

‎8.08: Decide on what is hopefully the easiest thing to sew, a kimono. After all, it's just strips of fabric sewn together, right?

8.10: Finally get the Moomin to stay stood still so I can measure her by lassooing her with the tape measure.

8.12: Go back into panic mode when it dawns on me that I don't have the first clue how to sew a kimono, and that the Moomin's not in bed yet.

8.30: Come back down after getting the Moomin to bed. Lay out fabric on the floor ready to cut.

8.32: Shout at Mr Deravelled for putting his feet on the fabric i have so carefully laid out, and mutter about him always getting his feet in the way every time I try and sew a kimono for the Moomin for school.

8.40: Plan out my pattern. Try and do calculations in my head, and go mad.

8.42: Get calculator, and figure out pattern.

8.46: Measure and draw pattern onto fabric with biro, as someone has eaten my tailor's chalk.

9.45: Finish cutting out all the pattern pieces (it took so long because Mr Deravelled made me spaghetti hoops on toast for supper, the sweetie).

9.46: Go into panic mode about how late it is already. Decide to pull myself together and press and pin the pieces instead.

10.08: Start sewing.

10.29: More pressing.

10.35: More sewing.

10.54: Pressing.

10.59: Sewing.

11.45: Pressing.

11.52: Sewing.

12.28am: Mr Deravelled shows his support for my struggle by going to bed.

12.46: Run out of thread in the bobbin. Search for another bobbin with some thread already wound on it. Eventually locate one - but the new thread's a different colour! Decide that I don't care.

12.50: Put new bobbin into machine. Continue.

01.25: More pressing.

01.29 More sewing.

01.30: I manage to bend the needle in quite a spectacular fashion. Spend time marvelling at the amazingness of the bent needle.

01.34: Replace bent needle with shiny new one that isn't bent. Continue sewing.

02.04am: Finished! Bed time!

Do you like it? I used one metre of Laura Ashley cotton/linen fabric. It's gorgeous and stiff, so was the perfect fabric for this project. I quickly sewed her a red cotton Obi to go around her waist, and finished it all off with a metre and a half of pink velvet ribbon.

Underneath the kimono, the Moomin is wearing an authentic light cotton under kimono, all the way from Japan. It goes with my 1940s sillk kimono that I've had for years.

What do you think?

All change!

So, you know when I promised that I was going to be a good blogger from now on, and post regularly. And you know that I said that back in January, and haven't actually posted again since? Yeah, sorry about that. :/

Ok, so where did I leave you last? Ah yes, I needed to change my hours at work to fit around the Moomin starting school. Well, they weren't keen at all on the idea, and refused to budge. So, after several in-depth discussions with Mr Deravelled whilst we were in Edinburgh for our wedding anniversary (it was lovely, btw. There were rose petals on the bed and chocolate dipped strawberries and everything! - I know!) it was decided that I would (very politely, of course) tell work where they could stick their job, and instead work for Mr Deravelled's web design and multimedia company, doing the office management and marketing side of things (and, hurrah, finish at 3pm so that I could pick up Miss Moomin from school).

I've never done office management or marketing before, so it is a very steep learning curve for me (especially now I've turned 30!!), but I'm so glad Mr Deravlled offered me the job, as I'm really enjoying the whole networking and company accounts thing (who'd have known?!). I even now own a proper suit. And I have business cards. And a fancy computer on my own desk. It's all good!!

So how have you all been? :)

Gemma x

They grow up so fast.

Tomorrow is the Moomin's first day at school. I am excited for her, but also so sad that she isn't my baby any more. It's the foundation unit, so it's not "proper" school until September, but it's not nursery any more, and she'll be getting a uniform to wear, so it's close enough.



And to make things more complicated, a change in circumstances means that I need to change my hours at work so that I will be able to pick her up every day from school. But work aren't willing to drop my hours.... argh.

Whoopie New Year!

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year, and that by now your heads are back to normal!

As part of my Christmas present, Mr Deravelled bought me a recipe book full of recipes for whoopie pies, and a whoopie pie baking sheet. As I have never made whoopie pies before, I was eager to have a go. I set to work yesterday (with some help from the Moomin, of course!) and made chocolate pies with vanilla buttercream filling. And they are very yummy, if I do say so myself! I made 22 pies, and now only have 6 left, so they are proving very popular!! If you get a chance, pick up a copy of the whoopie pies book and have a go yourself!

It's back to work for most of us on Tuesday. Luckily Mr Deravelled and I have a weekend away in Scotland to look forward to for our wedding anniversary next weekend, and then my 30th birthday celebrations the weekend after that! I think it's important at this time of year to have things to look forward to. There's nothing worse than coming out of the party season looking at the whole grey month of January stretching out in front of you endlessly. Mr Deravelled and I have discussed booking a two week holiday away every January, so that by the time we get back the month will already be half over. Good plan, huh? ;)

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend.

Gemma xx