Beanies: Slouch in Motion and Shoots

I released my very first try at a writing a knitting pattern earlier this year, it's called 'Slouch in Motion' and is about to be upgraded to include both 8ply/DK and 10ply/Worsted weight instructions.

I must admit I have become a little bit obsessed with knitting lately, I knit a little as a child then again tried it as a teenager (I used to watch Mum and Grandma knit a lot when I was growing up). I took it up again about 8 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child, and my interest in the craft has been increasing since. I have always had ideas of garments and accessories I would like to knit, but always thought designing something myself was just too far out of my comfort zone! Slowly I have realised that I follow patterns less and less, and improvise more... When the chance came up earlier this year to participate in a course run by Kelly Brooker, of PEKAPEKA, an introduction to beanie design, I decided it was time to see if I could get my head around the actual process of knitwear design!

...And the Slouch in Motion pattern was created as a result. Now when I say I've become a little obsessed, let me explain. I am now partway through knitting and/or writing up patterns for a girls summer top, a girls dress, four more hats, two cowls, a childs vest, and a hoody! And that's not mentioning all the ideas of other things I want to try too - a shawl, variations on the vest design, a skirt and other little dresses! And that's not to mention all the gorgeous patterns already published by talented designers that I want to knit too!!! Oh dear, not enough time unfortunately, and also because there are just so many things I want to knit I came to a bit of a standstill after my first pattern release, working a little on one thing, then another, then another and not completing anything!

I have committed to the next beanie though, which will simply be called 'Shoots'. It has jumped the queue, as I had planned to test three other designs before it was allowed to come to life... but it couldn't wait. Here's a preview,

I hope you like it, if you would like to be part of the testing team when it's written up, edited and ready to test please email me at mymymykids@gmail.com.

Dolly Bottoms Sewing Pattern release!

I've been promising it for a while now and here it is, the Dolly Bottoms MCN Sewing Pattern...

Link to free pattern

Grab it download it print it and use it to make sweet nappies for dolly - have fun! This pattern is licence free, meaning you may use it to make items to sell. Being as it's a free pattern I am not offering sewing support for it as I do with the Lolly Bottoms MCN Sewing Pattern and it doesn't have detailed instructions like my other pattern either but it's pretty easy, I think you'll have fun with it! If you don't have a snap press just use the ribbon option, or attach some squares of velcro/aplix instead.

Thank you for your interest I hope you have a great time making little mini MCN! Please note, there is a licensed and non-licensed version of the Dolly Bottoms pattern. This is the unlicensed version, the licensed version is only available as finished nappies from my amazing network of Boutique Licensed Lolly Bottoms Makers.

A bit of girly holiday fun - Mini Tute inside!

Well Mya is on her end of year break now before throwing herself into Grade 2 next year so it's looking like there will be some digging around the internet looking for ideas of things to do over the next few weeks!

I thought I'd share one of our activities with you though, we made a few of these the other day (cause it seemed like a good idea at the time) and now the plan seems to be to eventually make enough so that the girls can both be Rapunzel with their long woolly hair. All will go well no doubt, till the arguments start on who is the real Rapunzel and who isn't!!

Anyway, this is how we made some hair plaits - I made them as a girl, you probably did too, but I thought by sharing it might be something you hadn't thought of to do one day and you might give it a go, my girls loved it and have worn their plaits flat out since we made them:

Step 1: Choose some scraps of wool, three lengths that are just over twice as long as you want the finished plait to hang. Loop the mid point of the three strands over a little toe and plait (holding two strands together to make each plait strand):

Step 2: Plait the wool to the end of the length and tie off in a simple tight overhand knot, trim off any uneven ends and slide the start loop off toe and slip onto a hair clip or bobby pin.

Step 3: Make as many as attention span, and supplies allow! Oh, then model for the camera like you've been doing it professionally all your life:

I hope this gives you a quick and easy little something to do at home these holidays, the girls really did get a lot of enjoyment out of it and was so easy for all of us to be a part of!

It's Christmas Time already at Lolly Bottoms!!

Please join us this Friday (15th November 2013) at Lolly Bottoms for our first group stocking - and what better excuse for a first group stocking than Christmas?!!

Stocking nappies are being uploaded from:

• Izzpired
• Made by Mummy Designs
• Honeybums Nappies
• The Cats Meow and
• Foxie MCNs

and they are all ridiculously cute and (as always) ridiculously well made high quality items!!

Album link is here: LOLLY BOTTOMS CHRISTMAS STOCKING and it will be open for purchase via first to comment at 9.30pm Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time (9.00pm South Australia Time, 8.30pm Queensland Time, 8.00pm Northern Territory Time and 6.30pm Western Australia Time).

See you there!

Lolly Bottoms Licensing and Licensees!

I have been announcing Official Licensee's and sharing their gorgeous creations on Facebook these past few weeks so if you follow my page over there you no doubt will have noticed a post or two!

So Sweet (Lolly Bottoms) Licensing is, in itself, an easy process for my licensees... BUT this does not mean it's as easy as asking for a licence and being approved (as I'm lead to believe is the case with other licenses). Official licensee's have sent me a sample of their work (or two, or three) and this has been checked off against a list of details that I believe are important in protecting the integrity of the pattern. This is to provide our customers with the same size, same fitting, same boutique quality nappy no matter which licensee you purchase from.

I have made a shift in my business here at My My My to support other nappy sewing WAHMs in their home businesses. My goal is to provide our customers with a network of trusted businesses who are offering the same great fit and well made MCN pattern.

I want all our customers to know that you can purchase Licensed Lolly Bottoms from this small range of high quality WAHM businesses and receive the same nappy design (not an LB with extra rise, extra snaps and altered front panel that doesn't actually resemble or fit like an LB... for example!).

You can be assured that we all offer the same fit and a guarantee that your nappy order is made to a excellent level of handmade boutique quality. Licensee's are chosen based on their quality of sample, so if you haven't heard of our latest talented addition, be sure - she knows how to make her nappies and she's GOOD AT IT!!

Click through to find links to all our current Nappy Creators: Where to buy Lolly Bottoms!

Where do you buy your nappy making supplies?

These are great Australian stockists of high quality fabrics and notions who will have you covered with what you need to start making Lolly Bottoms:

Bamboo Fabric Store: www.bamboofabricstore.com.au – sells beautiful, ethical, ecological bamboo blend luxury fabrics and clothing.

Draigerai: www.facebook.com/Draigerai – co-ops running all the time in various fabrics and notions you will use in nappy making.

Fairy Fabrics: www.fairyfabrics.com.au – stock nappy making supplies and dyes.

Makeya: www.facebook.com/MakeyaHandmade – creates custom hand-dyed bamboo velour for luscious inners.

Minky Heaven: www. minkyheaven.com - a brand new webstore selling delicious custom dyed minky and gorgeous machine embroidered and appliquéd nappy cuts!

Minky Mania: www.minkymania.com.au – providing quality minky whether by wholesale or small craft project size.

Nappies Covered: www.nappiescovered.com.au – stocks high quality supplies stocking everything you will need to make a nappy.


PUL Fabric Fanatic: www.facebook.com/pulfabricfanatic – as the name suggests, here you’ll find all kinds of awesome PUL, predominantly cotton and polyester laminates.

Snaps Australia: www.snapsaustralia.com.au – visit here for poly-resin snaps, presses and high quality bamboo fleece.

Wickedly Woven: www.wickedlywoven.com.au – home of the amazing custom milled and dyed FusionTM minky and fleece.

Wrigglebots: www.wrigglebots.com.au – Australia’s largest online stockist of quality minky, stocking only CPSIA certified fabrics.

Want a FREE custom LB?

Now that I've got your attention LOL I will go on....

As some of you you I have launched a new MCN business with my friend and business partner, Anna.

RAWr Nappies means a huge amount to us both, it is not only an opportunity to throw ourselves into building what we hope will be a successful business to help our families financially but also, if successful, we look forward to it being a vehicle to promote that there are more eco-wise and sustainable choices out there for young families. Hopefully we can play a part in someone choosing to use more natural and less disposable materials in their day to day life.

RAWr is our passion. My My My! is also a passion for me, but as a creative outlet. RAWr is more of a "lets stand up and try to get people thinking" - lets do our part in promoting a more green minded lifestyle.

So now that I've spilt my guts I want to ask you for some help in getting our new passion 'out there' - will you help??

I wanna offer you a deal - what say you help us promote RAWr on Facebook a bit by sending friends over to our page? Ask everyone you refer to post on our wall to let us know who sent them, and the person who sends over the most people according to the wall posts will score themselves their very own totally customisable Lolly Bottoms MCN! Oh and anyone who sends more than 50 people over can choose a free RAWr Stuff n Snap too!

We want RAWr boasting 1000 likers so we can host more giveaways too SOooo when we get to that milestone that will be when I can announce who has scored the custom LB!

*Please note, the custom nappy will be open to almost anything your heart desires. But I won't embellish with crystals (I don't like them, they're awful) and I won't attempt to source almost impossible-to-source fabrics (though I do have misty sea and fairy floss here to use for appliques and they are probably the hardest to get nappy fabrics at the moment anyway).