My Last blog post of 2010

Wow, I can't believe that 2010 is almost over - where has the time gone?  Think I must be getting old as when I was young a year seemed to last forever, now its over before I've really gotten my teeth into it!  So to that end I was determined to cram a couple of last minute crafts into the final hours of the year.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to find a copy of this book in the Works bookshop in Salisbury for a bargain £2.99 (sorry it was the last copy before you all rush down there to buy one)

Some of the projects in it were not to my taste, however they did have an idea for a felt pincushion.  As a pincushion has been on my to do list for ages, I made one.  I only followed their basic pattern for making the shape, I just decided to add my own design onto it.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

It's still a little bit fluffy, but I've now filled it with pins and it works well.  This is the other side of the cushion, just in case there was any doubt as to what its for!

The other project I've managed to fit in is to make some new cushions for our living room.  They were desperately needed as the ones we had were not washable and they were so dirty I resorted to washing them, only for them to fall apart!  Anyway these are the cushions I've made:

They're lovely and cheerful, and go with the wallpaper on our walls, which you can't see in this photo.  They are just envelope type backs, and I've just added a strip of the front fabric to break up the plain cream colour.

Hmm its now 4.40pm, and there are just over 7 hours left to this year, I wonder what else I can make before 2011!

Happy New Year to you all, its been lovely having your company since I started this blog at the end of August.  Here's to a crafty and fun 2011.

Sally

xxx 

Happy Christmas

What a lovely start to Christmas.  I'd signed up for the secret Santa swap at It's all about the Fabric and yesterday I received a wonderful package from Bonnie at Fat Chick Design. (Great Blog, if you've not visited I'd recommend it)

I'm determined to put them under the tree and wait until Christmas day before opening them, but surely opening one little one wouldn't hurt?

Some gorgeous fabric - how exciting - beautiful colours which will fit in perfectly with other bits already in my stash.  Hmm maybe I'll just open one more...

Ooh yummy, some chocolate to nibble on while I'm sewing.  I wonder what the soft squishy one is, maybe I'll just have a peak...

A gorgeous felt decoration - perfect for my tree, but equally as lovely after Christmas.  Oh, I seemed to have opened most of the presents now, I guess there's no point in keeping the others wrapped...

And the last book shaped one in the lovely Christmassy paper:

Wow, what a fantastic santa swap.  So thank you to Bonnie & thank you to Emma for arranging the swap, and thank you to all my lovely readers for your comments since I've started this blog.

Just want to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and hope that your New Year brings you everything you wish for.

Sally
xxx

Yay it's back!

I would just like to announce that my darling sewing machine has been restored to full working order and has now returned to its rightful place on my kitchen table. 

My wonderful delivery man battled through snow & ice, and even resorted to pulling on his walking boots and making the last part of the journey by foot - but he made it.  As you can imagine I was more excited than my six year old on Christmas morning!

So hopefully normal (chaotic) service will now be resumed on my blog!

I'm going to have a lovely crafty Christmas now!

Sally
xxx

Teachers gifts and Sizzix Dies

Tomorrow is the last day of school for my two youngest, and its that time of year when thoughts turn to teachers gifts.  This year I've bought the two teachers bulbs in a basket to grow.  It looked a bit plain and boring so I thought I'd jazz it up a bit.  This is how one of them looked before (forgot to take a photo of the other one before I'd done it)

And this is how they look afterwards. 

I weaved (wove?) a length of red gingham through the basket and then tied a knot at the front with another length of red gingham.  A bit more festive than they were before.  For the teaching assistants I've made small Christmas purses (like the ones I made here) and filled two with chocolate coins, and the other one with a felt flower brooch, as one of the TA's loved the one I made for my daughter.

Last weekend I treated myself to a Sizzix Big Shot cutter and some dies (my treat for working every Saturday for the last 3 months!)  I've been playing with it and these are the things I've made.

A cupcake or three!

Some horses.

The detail is just added with some fabric paint I've had knocking around for ages.  As I am sewing machine-less at the moment I haven't yet decided what to make from them, perhaps the horses may turn into a pencil case and the single cupcake into a bag (yes that is the leg of a pair of jeans that I cut off for my son when it was hot and he needed shorts!)  Am thinking of making a frilled apron with a cupcake on the pocket, but that is most definitely a project for after the holidays.

Sally
xxx

A Mad Week!

After a bit of a disastrous week which involved amongst other things, a sick bug (& an accompanying sleepless night), a sore throat/temperature bug, 2 school plays, 2 days of working, a carol concert, a hospital trip to check on my sons broken thumb and NO SEWING MACHINE - I've finally managed to get my secret Santa swap organised, wrapped and parcelled up. 

I'm quite relieved as for once I'd been a smidgen more organised than usual, and had already finished making and collecting the gifts before my machine broke and before the usual Christmas school madness began.

I have as yet not made it to the post office to post it, but that is a job for the morning - it should then be winging its way with lots of handmade love to the recipient, who I'm hoping will enjoy the things I've put in there.

Good luck to everyone else with your last minute Christmas madness

Sally
xxx

Granny Squares

As I am still without a sewing machine, I've decided to try to finish the blanket I'm crocheting for a certain person in my family who loves anything a bit kitsch and retro (& who I don't think reads this blog).

It's not a great photo, and there's nothing to scale it, but each of the big squares are made up of 9 6" granny squares, sewn together.  I need to make at least another 2 big squares, plus then I've got to edge it, I was hoping I'd finish it before Christmas, but I think maybe that is a bit ambitious :)

Before this I hadn't crocheted for years, I think I learned when a child, but had to turn to the internet for a reminder of how to make granny squares.  I must say I'd forgotten how relaxing it is to sit in front of the TV and just make something you don't really have to think about.  They make up fairly quickly too, I usually get a couple of the smaller squares made in an evening.

Anyway better go & get on with it.  Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Sally
xxx

My Sewing machine is poorly

Am feeling rather sad tonight as my sewing machine has succumed to the cold & has refused to work. 

It was merrily chugging along making a lovely skirt for Elisabeth at Sewciety, when it made a horrible grinding noise & froze solid.  I can't move the needle at all (although if I want to wind a bobbin then I can).

Luckily its within the guarantee period, so am going to contact Sewing Machines Direct where I bought it from in the hope that they will come & collect it. 

Am not quite sure what I'm going to do with myself in the meantime, although my husband did cheer when I told him & said that now he's going to get his wife back!  I doubt that very much, not while I have hand sewing needles and a crochet hook!

Sally
xxx

Finished Christmas Wreath

Here is the finished wreath.

I'm still not sure about it.  But I've hung it up on our living room door and am going to live with it for a few days before deciding whether to keep it up or not.

Has anyone else made one? 
Sally
xxx

A Break from Crafting

I haven't had too much time for crafting over the last few days, yesterday was our village Christmas festivities and I was working in the gift shop.  It was lovely, the Anonymous Travelling Market was in the high street, with food and gift stalls.  There were carol singers and Father Christmas even put in an appearance.  Luckily the snow and ice had pretty much defrosted so lots of people ventured out and there was a really festive atmosphere. 

This morning I'd planned a lazy day with a spot of crafting thrown in, but unfortunately my 10 year old was out sledging yesterday, making the most of the tiny bit of snow we had left, and he managed to run his thumb over with the sledge & then to make matters worse he fell on it!  So my relaxing morning was spent sitting in Salisbury A&E.  To cut a long story short, his thumb is broken, so he now has a splint and a sling and instructions to be careful.  Luckily for him its his right thumb, so he's hoping he gets away without writing at school tomorrow.

I did manage to steal half an hour this afternoon to do a tiny bit of crafting - I've decided to make a rag wreath to put on our front door.  I haven't had a chance to finish it, but here it is half made:

I'm reserving judgement on it until its finished - I don't know if its going to look shabby chic or just shabby.  Am hoping to finish it tomorrow & then make a decision on whether to hang it up or not.

Sally
xxx

Preparing For Christmas

Yesterday the Wiltshire scrapstore came to our school.  They collect waste from manufacturing companies, and then go round schools and childrens groups selling it.  They have lots of offcuts of felt, plastics, fabric, corks, you name it they have it at some point.  The only thing is that you cannot sell anything made from it.  Its so cheap that we often fill a large carrier bag with "stuff", come home & make and do for hours.  This time they had a lot of felt cut into strips and were selling it as felt chains for £1.50.  So I bought some and made it into these paper felt chains.

Obviously they will not be living permanently on my kitchen cupboards, I'm going to find a bare corner for it to live in.  I really love the way its turned out though, may try to remember this idea for next year and make some more. 

I've also been making some lavender bags to sell at the country market on Saturday. 

I made a few more Christmas Puddings to give to my friends.  This time I needle-felted the white and leaves on & used a tiny red pompom which I stuck on with fabric glue.

Procrastination over, tomorrow I really must get down to doing at least one of the huge list of things I've got on my to-do-before-Christmas list. 

Sally
xxx