Oh, it's been a very long time, I blame the summer holidays. With Alex home all day, there's not been much time for me to make anything, let alone write about it. Still, back to nursery on Monday, so I shall try to do better. Some weeks ago I cut out the parts for a new IMKE shirt for Alex, and I showed them to him explaining what it was and how it was going to fit together and he was very impressed, so last weekend, he obviously thought he had waited long enough for it, as he gave me a stern look and said; so anyway mummy, are you going to make that top for me or not? Fair enough, I got the machine out that night and of I went. It actually took two nights to stitch together as the threads kept breaking, at first I thought it might be because the thread is cheap and maybe not so good, I got a job lot from e-bay some time ago, but it appears that it is getting worse, and it only affects the upper thread which makes me think my machine needs servicing. Shall have to look into that, if anyone has any ideas, please let me know! I think it breaks where the thread first descend from the top of the machine to the bottom, and at times it breaks every ten cm or so. I shall try if it works better of non stretch fabric, with a straight stitch.
Anyway here is the finished result:

The main body, the hood and the long sleeves are made in a turquoise jersey fabric, and the hood lining and and the short sleeves are in a yellow jersey with turquoise monkey faces. Alex likes monkeys. I think if I do another one of these for him, and I would imagine I will, I'll make the hole for the head a bit bigger, although the two I have made are a bit on the big side, it's a bit of a struggle to get it over his head, I've noticed that with other, bought tops too, so I think he might have a quite big head. Physically as well as figuratively speaking.

While this is the only thing I have completed over the summer, I do not want you to think that there has been a creative lull in our house. Oh no, Alex has been very busy, making and painting pictures and things.

This is what our dining room table has been looking like during most of the last few weeks. In this picture you can see a picture, in a frame, of a robot and his bright red van. 

  Here is a picture he painted today with bath crayons on the side of our bath tub, apparently it's Goldilocks and a singing bird. He has since added another person to it as well. I must admit that I am really rather impressed, and proud, by this. He's only three and a half! I pretty much still draw like that.

I shall try not to be so long next time, I'm planning to have a go at a pair of trousers to Alex next, but of course that is depending on the machine. Other then that I have quite a lot of unfinished projects on the go which could do with some attention. I started crocheting an elephant for Alex when we were on holiday, and I got the pattern and materials for a monkey for Tristan, then of course there is the birth samplers for both Tristan and cousin Poppy which I'm cross stitching they might have to wait a while for them though...