Mama made Monday; pj bag and an mp-whatsit case

My son Anthony (aged 6) chose this fabric for his pyjama bag.

It's just a simple drawstring bag, took about 15 minutes to make and he's very pleased with it.

And there was enough fabric left for a case for his mp4 player.

I sandwiched a layer of wadding between 2 rectangles, sewed them together - added some velcro to fasten the flap and folded into a little wallet, topstitching to hold the sides in place.

Here's the lucky recipient.

That's his happy face apparently.

6, going on 16.

Tablecloth Dress

I bought a square tablecloth in the charity shop. It was 50p.

"Now, what am I actually going to do with that?" I thought to myself.

"I know, I think I'll make it into a dress. Won't worry about a pattern, just cut some bits out, stitch them together, and hey presto..."

Now, I know, it's not the greatest dress in the world, but it's the first dress I ever made!

And it did use to be a tablecloth!!

Another bag, but I'm keeping this one for me!

This is my bargain bag!

I bought a small (27" x 35") remnant at the curtain shop for 20p, and the buttons were a free gift from my knitting magazine.

For the lining I used about 10pence worth of another remnant of cream cotton.

This is my first attempt at a corsage type flower embellishment. I think it's turned out rather well for some rough circles held together with a button. I put it through the washing machine to get it to fray. The scrap of lace is from my cardmaking stash.

(My bag is based on this tutorial, more or less!!)

Clean plate kid's curry sauce

My boys think I should make lots of this curry sauce and sell it in Tesco!

This is enough for 2 - 3 smallish children.

Heat a splosh of vegetable oil in pan and fry a large clove of crushed garlic (or a squirt of garlic puree from a tube.)

Add a chopped tomato or two, about 150 ml passatta (or about a quarter tube tomato puree and some water) and a quarter teaspoon curry powder.

Simmer for 10 minutes or so - if it reduces too much add a bit of water.

Stir in two teaspoons of ground almonds and cook for another five minutes.

I usually use this sauce with chicken, but it also is fine for prawns or vegetables.

Hope your children like it as much as mine do!

Stripey bag

I bought a load of pieces of fabric from the local curtain shop - pages from a sample book.

Of course I didn't know what to do with them at first, but today I cut them into wide strips and sewed them into a large rectangle. I folded this large piece over to make a flap over bag and lined it with some yellow fabric.

The handle is made in a similar way - stitching 3 pieces into a long rectangle.

I'm pretty pleased with how it has turned out, although it took longer than I expected it to. Didn't get any housework done this morning. Shame.

And now it's for sale in my misi shop.

cakey picture

Applique practice; what better subject than cake?

Healthy - ish cake!

This is a bran loaf.

Fat-free, egg-free; you could make it vegan if you used soya milk.

In a large bowl stir together:

2 cups dried mixed fruit

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups of All-Bran cereal

2 cups milk

Leave for a few hours or preferably overnight.

Mix in 2 cups of self raising flour.

Bake at 160 degrees for about 1 and a half hours.

I like mine with a bit of home made marmalade.