Tag: mums

Categories
Sewing

Sew an Easy Layered Skirt

The twins love wearing skirts and due to them being small and very petite they are hard to fit. So I have decided to make them. Yes more skirts and outfits are on their way soon due to my new sewing machine I got for my birthday. However this skirt was made with my old one.

I also love dressing the kids in different one of a kind clothes. It is great to have something no one else does.

So how do you make a layered skirt?

It is just like a normal skirt with an elastic waist, however you had a layer to it. For the layer that sits on top you need it to be shorter than the overall length of the skirt.

You can also have one layer on top, the second layer being the main part of the skirt and make a third for the border or accent trim for the end of the skirt. I have chosen not to do the third addition to this skirt and only did the two layers. I was thinking of using a border of the first layered fabric to hem the skirt and by using the same fabric on the top of the skirt, tying in the pattern.

What material did I use?

I used fine cord material for the main part of the skirt, which is the pink material and cotton for the top patterned layer. I chose this as we live in the Blue Mountains and it is getting colder. The kids love skirts but I would like them to be warm, hence the warmer cord. Using cotton for the top part of the layer works well as it has more flow and movement being a lighter fabric.

The fabric I used for the skirts. The pink and purple are cord and the pattern one is cotton. Will use the purple one for another project.
The fabric I used for the skirts. The pink and purple are cord and the pattern one is cotton. Will use the purple one for another project.

You can use whatever fabric you have available. One thing to remember is to make sure that each fabric blends and goes well together. You don’t want to pick something that does not match very well. I like to choose materials that have similar colours but not all of them and to have eye catching patterns. I use patterns on some material and not on others as too much pattern will be overwhelming and hard on the eye. Again, whatever you wish to use is fine. It is your creation and art here.

Also the type material is dependent on the weather so light cottons obviously for summer and heavier fabrics for cooler weather.

Note: Make sure to wash all fabric before use. This will make sure no colours bleed or fabric shrinks. You don’t want to make the perfect skirt to find it shrinks later.

What do you need?

  • 2 contrasting fabrics that work well together.
  • A big table to stretch and put all the fabric out, trust me this is great if you can have it.
  • Elastic for the waist.
  • A big safety pin to not lose the elastic.
  • Matching cotton for the fabric.
  • Binding or trim if you did wish to give the skirt a fancier finish/you could use the other fabric and make your own. Have not done this but know this can be done.

How do I measure my fabric for the skirt?

Well my kids are small so it might not be right for you if you have taller and bigger kids. This is what I did to get the measurements right.

For the top layer I needed to make this shorter but not too much as I had to allow for the hem and the waist band.

The top layer: 30cms that includes hem and waist allowance

The main and bottom layer: 45cms that includes hem and waist allowance.

Note: If you have a wider waistband for the elastic you will need to make sure you allow extra in the fabric or else the length will be shorter than anticipated.

Material that has already been cut. Now it is ready to make a skirt.
Material that has already been cut. Now it is ready to make a skirt.

You need to measure your child to see where skirts are sitting and for the length. I made a layered skirt before and it was all about 30cms. These skirts still fit the twins, however as they don’t have many I would make more. Since I looked at the old ones I realised that they had grown and I needed to make them longer so they could get more wear out of them.

With my kids the waist has not changed much just the length needed changing.

At least with this skirt if you have the wrong length you can alter it and add a new layer or just do the hem and be done with it. No one will know if you don’t tell them. I will keep your secret!

 

Step by Step Guide – Sew an Easy Layered Skirt

Step 1: Measure and cut out all your fabric. Make sure you have double fabric as it is for both sides of the skirt. I like to fold it over to make sure I cut double at the same time.

Step 2: Sew the edge for the top layer

Step 3: Hem the top layer as it will be harder to do it later when attached to the bottom layer

Hem the top layer. It is easier to do it now than when it is connected to the bottom layer.
Hem the top layer. It is easier to do it now than when it is connected to the bottom layer.

Step 4: Sew the both sides of the bottom/main layer of the skirt. Don’t do the hem yet as you will want to make sure that you have the right length when your child tries it on.

Step 5: Join both layers together. To do this you need to put both layers inside each other so they both meet together at the top. Once they are both lined up and pinned you can sew the top area together.

Joining both layers
Joining both layers

Step 6: Fold over just enough for the waist band up the top of the skirt. Depending on how wide the elastic is you might need a wide waist or it could be narrow. When you sew around the waist band make sure to leave a gap so you can add the elastic.

Step 7: Put the elastic in and make sure to check the size on your child before you sew it off and finish the waist. It is a good idea to get the size right first then you can close the gap in the waist and move onto the hem.

elastic2

elastic1

Step 8: Put the skirt on your model (otherwise known as your child) and see if it is the right length. If all good, do the hem. If not, take it up the right amount to make sure it sits correctly.

Now you have a finished layered skirt. I told you it would be easy. I am sure that this will be a hit at the next party or outing.

 

Now to see the finished product

The girls in their new skirts. I think they look great. What are your thoughts?
The girls in their new skirts. I think they look great. What are your thoughts?

 

 

Categories
5 years and beyond

A Happy Mother’s Day

How was your Mother’s Day? Mine was lovely. The twins created cards at school and were very secretive about them. I was told not to touch their bags on Friday and that they will organize, well that is a first. It was only due to the cards being in the bags and the kids needing to find a place to put them so I will not see till Mother’s Day.

The twins secured a place for their secret surprise for me and I was told to stay away from the oven. The kids have a set of draws they call the oven and it is in their room. Not an actual oven. The surprises were put in the draws and I was told to stay away!  I did explain that when you hide things you don’t tell the person you are hiding the secret from where your hiding spot is. They did not get this and were more than happy to tell me where it was. Very funny!

The twins Mother's Day cards they made at school
The twins Mother’s Day cards they made at school

Yesterday morning I got woken by Julia excited about the cards and telling me to get up and go into their room so I can get the surprise. I went to their room with two very excited girls to be presented lovely sparkly cards that they decorated and wrote in themselves. I loved it and it is wonderful to have cards written in their own hand writing. They did a picture of something they like doing with mummy and underneath the teacher wrote what it was.

Lillian's card for Mother's Day
Lillian’s card for Mother’s Day

Each child’s picture and activity was different and very them. Lillian loves swimming with mummy and Julia loves reading stories and books. I thanked the girls for their excellent cards and told them how proud I was of them and keeping the secrets.   My clever girls are doing very well with their art and writing.  Did you get some great cards that were created by the kids? Did they have a lot of glitter on them? Mine did.

Julia's card for Mother's Day
Julia’s card for Mother’s Day

I then opened my presents to discover I have bright pink slippers and speakers for the computer. I have not had speakers for ages so finally getting some will be nice.

My stylish and warm pink slippers!
My stylish and warm pink slippers!

Yesterday we also visited family and had a lovely lunch with my nana, aunties, sister, mum and cousins.  It was a great day but a long one.

How was your Mother’s Day? Did you have a good day? Was it relaxing? Let us know.

Categories
Wednesday Wisdom

Don’t Quit Your Dreams

How true is this! Keep believing and keep the dream! Image from Pinterest.
How true is this! Keep believing and keep the dream! Image from Pinterest.

Do you have wonderful day dreams? I do and I have some that are playing non stop and that I am working to achieve. Lately I have felt like quitting the blog, but I have stuck with it. I am sure that you have had moments where you doubt yourself. Having these thoughts are all normal and something I know others have gone through as well.

So I’m dusting myself off from the negative talk and doubts and soldiering on to build my dream.

I don’t want to think of something that might be, rather I would like to give it a go and see what will happen.

 

I love dreaming and dreams help build the future. Image found on PInterest.
I love dreaming and dreams help build the future. Image found on Pinterest.

Have you been close to quitting something? Did you hang in there? Is your dream now a success?

Let us know what happened? Did your dreams become a reality? Are you happy about your decision to continue with your dream or did you decide to move on and do something else? Send in your comments.

Categories
4 years and beyond

What if I was paid?

I wish mums would get paid for all that they do. Alas this is not so. So what would the amount look like like if we were paid a wage? What do you think you would earn if you were paid a wage/salary?  Check out this great infographic below:

What if Mom Got Paid for Being Mom?

Click image to see a larger version. What if Mom Got Paid for Being Mom? [INFOGRAPHIC] via H&R Block

Categories
News

Mothers Punished For Working

On way to the uni for the exam
On way to the uni for the exam

If you are a mother and have 2 kids and want to work you will not get much for your efforts. Sad to hear, but it is true.

According to an article by Stephanie Peatling in the Sydney Morning Herald due to having children, tax, child care costs and lost benefits, women are earning as little as 20 cents for every dollar. Is it any wonder that women are not returning to work?

There is no incentive to do so.

Also if you start to earn more money the more you lose in benefits that help you actually work in the first place, so a lose lose if you ask me.

I do understand that the benefits need to help people that need it, however if you lose the benefits that help you put your kids in care, how do you afford to work to earn the money?

I’m not understanding why women are still losing more their pay. Kids are a joint effort, the father or partner needs to help out too. The way this article reads the woman is the one that ends up getting less money and that is all just because she wishes to go back to work and try and get child care for her kids. Again the article does not say that men are disadvantaged due to this.

Aren’t men in the family with the kids and the women too? So therefore the solution to have everyone get access to jobs and be paid well should be a priority for all not just women.

It appears like one person out of the family is penalised for wanting to work and that is the mother.

According to the article:

“The worst situation was for families with two children where both parents earned an equivalent full time wage of $40,000 a year.

In that case, the woman kept only 20 per cent of her take home pay if she worked three days a week but 17 per cent if she worked full time.”

In the article it says that you need to have a high earning partner and you also need to earn a decent amount to actually get more in the hand:

“Families needed to have one partner earning $100,000 a year with the second earning about $60,000 a year and only have one child for the woman to keep more than 60 per cent of her take home pay.” This is still not right, you lose 40 per cent of your pay but it is an improvement on the other examples in this article.

I for one don’t see how earning this is possible with 2 kids to care for (hang on this example is for a couple with 1 child – so I would get less since I have 2 kids, Oh the joys), get to and from school and get to a day job all while caring and doing things as a mother.

This to me would only be possible if your workplace was flexible and you could work remotely part of the time or solely from home.  For me working from home is ideal, I earned a very good salary in the city, however the city is 2 hours away on public transport faster in the car.

However when you mix in caring for the kids and of course school drop off and pick up it is impossible to be everywhere for everyone. Also putting kids in child care negates earning any money at all, so I am not working currently (Until the dream job appears that allows me to work from home, then I will work, or until the kids are at school and more self-sufficient)

Basically the extra costs are due to child care costs. Due to the second child you fork out more money, no matter what the couple earned as soon as they had 2 children the woman took home much less from her pay over a couple with one child. I suppose this is obvious but it does not help the country and the population if we are saying just have one child as you will not earn any money if you have 2.

What to do if you have twins or more children?

You instantly have the second or third child and this gets very expensive for couples.

If you don’t have family or friends to help, child care is the next best thing, although expensive.

I have always thought that the more women that worked or contributed to the economy we would be better off. Although to do this women and families need help to allow them to do this. I am not sure what can be arranged and any fix would cost the government money in regards to benefits for families.

However in the article it states that, “If an extra 6 per cent of Australian women worked, the size of the economy would grow by about $25 billion a year, the Grattan Institute modelling found.”

Due to this great increase for the country and our economy maybe it is an important issue for the government to ensure there are benefits for women and families to allow us all to work. Having more money in the households all over would be a great thing for the individual and the family itself. What things and opportunities could you be exposed to with more funds? Who only knows as it is a guessing game without the funds to allow.

Ms Elizabeth Broderick who is the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner has said that “”Your brain isn’t delivered with the placenta” and ”My advice to all young women is to remain attached to the labour market”.

I do agree and that is why I have continued online study to keep my brain active and to have adult conversation. Also a completion of my Master’s in Project Management will allow more job opportunities in the future.

I do agree to it is a good idea to keep a job to be in the workforce, as women we are the ones that care for kids, aging parents and the sick. Due the caring and the breaks from the workforce we are left with a lower superannuation pay out and less to live off in our old age. Working also helps if there is a breakdown in the relationship and you are secure with your own ability to earn and have savings.

Money is power and allows you to have freedom to do things and go places.

However while I do agree with Ms Broderick in reality it is harder when you live further away from the city that allows you reach your earning potential, and you have no family to help and child care costs are too expensive that it eats up all the money you would earn. So if it is not going to earn me any money currently there is no point working, although I do miss it.

I want to work to help our family build our little empire and to also build something for me as an individual. While there are no flexible options and help to care for kids I will have to stay at home with my adorable and wonderful twins.

Ms Broderick also said, ‘”You can be committed to a family and a job and not have to choose.” I find this hard as this is dependent on how much money you have to pay for care, and if you have family to help you look after the kids. If I worked in the city and had the type of job I had before I would earn a decent amount, but it would be full time.

How do I get kids to school?  I would have to be at the office when they need to be at school in the Blue Mountains, and I would have to be in Sydney. Then who picks them up?  There is no guarantee when I would get home as I might be stuck in meetings and not get home till say 7 or 8pm.

I would have to hire someone to be there for the kids for before and after school.  Ms Broderick’s comment I believe is only so, if you have help and money to allow you to work. I currently have to choose not to work due to no help and no money. What about you?

Do you work as well as having kids?

One of my friends does and she only gets an extra of $30 a month after all the child care has been paid plus other bills.

Is it worth it to only get an extra $30 a month? I don’t think so? But that is me.

Have you got a flexible office?

Do they allow you to work from home?

Or have you started your own business to allow you to have your own hours and the flexibility?

 

PS. If it was up to me this is what I would do:

1. Give all working parents benefits to allow them to have subsidised care for all kids.

2. Mandate companies and businesses to have more flexible options and working arrangements. Maybe come into the office 3 days a week or work remotely and come in 2 days. Or it could be all done via a work from home arrangement. With all the technology and infrastructure we have, why do we still need to be an office these days?

3. With everyone moving further away from the cities and the jobs,  why not adopt a more flexible approach to working? All companies that I have worked for rave and rave about their work life balance and flexible options but they have never let me experience it. Working from home was never granted even after being at a company for over 5 years and my role was as a web designer that was all done online. Go figure.

Let us know your thoughts. Why not continue the discussion on our Facebook and Twitter pages.