Finished!

Took a little longer than I thought. I did loads in the summer, but as soon as I went back to work, things slowed down....

 

 

Washed and drying on the Sheila maid...

 

 

For baby Daisy-May

 

Nearly there....

 

Well, I've finished the top...

 

 

for imminent grandchild number 3......looks like today's the day!

 

 

 

I've been a little bit distracted

 A surprise visitor turned up in the garden late on Saturday night.....an albino ferret

 

 

and after B&B we took him to the local RSPCA shelter the next morning, but as it was Bank Holiday weekend, they couldn't take him. We put up posters, reported to the vets, forums and Facebook, to no avail, so the RSPCA collected him today... he was a friendly little chap too.

Baby mobile

I made this jungle mobile using my Sizzix and recycled card and packaging.

 

 

This was a gift for my great nephew's 1st birthday. He had an animal themed party.

 

This lion used to be chocolate wrapper.



 

Grandmother's flower garden quilt....still going

It's getting bigger...15 coloured flowers and 10 white so far....although it didn't turn out as big as I'd thought, so I'll keep going. I'm aiming for approximately 120cm x 150 cm for a cot quilt.

 

Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt

I've started a quilt! This is probably my favourite design. I've dabbled before in quilting...my first quilt made for my eldest daughter is now treasured by her daughter (even though looking at the stitching now some 20 years later is shocking!) So, with an ever expanding family, it's time to make a few more heirlooms.

As a teaching assistant, the long summer holidays provide the time and patience to do a bit of sewing.
This one is for me - as I fancy changing my bedroom colour scheme to a sunny yellow, with a patchwork sunflower inspired quilt.  I've made about 20 so far...

 

 

Then of course getting side-tracked, as you do, I started another one, this time using Moda's 30's playtime fabrics

 

 

 

With a new baby granddaughter on the way soon so I better pull my socks up!, I've managed to sew 9 so far, and I will fill in with white flowers with a yellow centre.

 

 Of course, granddaughter number 1 has taken a fancy to it, and has taken an interest in sewing at the grand age of 5, so she has 'helped' me create a few of these. This kept me busy whilst I was babysitting her when her poorly mummy was in hospital with the unexpected early arrival of this little chap, my grandson, a masterpiece himself...born 6 weeks early at 3lb 6 oz.

 

 

 

'For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.…' Psalm 139:13

 

Now a healthy 6lb 13oz, fattening up nicely on his clever mummy's milk

 

 

 

 I really don't think I can sew fast enough to keep up with the demand....dreaming of giving up work to sew all day....

 

I feel another quilt coming on...

 

 Now if only I could finish one at a time!

 

Happy 18th Birthday

 

 

I have to share this one!

 

My son recently celebrated his 18th birthday, with a family trip to LEGOLAND, followed by a family BBQ. This is the Lego cake that his girlfriend's sister made...isn't it great?...it looks like him too!

  

 

Easter Cards

 

I cut out a stencil to create the sunray background, which the children sponged onto the card. Again I used wallpaper for the collaged hills, and newspaper for the cave. The children drew their own angel, and with a little help, made a twiggy cross. Then embellished with buttons and sequins.

 

 

The cirlces were die-punched for speed and ease. The twiggy cross was a little tricky - we had fun collecting the twigs. They needed a little help tying the wool - but that is a skill that they need to achieve.

30 cards later...For a year 1 class.

 

 

And previous Easter cards...I really should take more photos of the things that I make, but it's always rush, rush, rush!! The next cards were made with reception children, using printing, folding and collaging.

 

 

I used to use my Sizzix a lot. The thing about working with 60 children to produce an item over 1 or 2 days is speed and preparation. I'm always trying to use recycled goods for craft as it's:

1.  cheap 
2.  easily available

 you can get a bit carried away buying craft materials and it becomes expensive when working with this many children. So here, we printed the paper using a drawer liner from Ikea. It was plastic with dots on it. The children helped me look for letters in the newspaper, which were collaged and then photocopied. The bird and leaves are Sizzix cut outs, and the wing is actually the easter story, folded by the children into a fan - so lots of skills used here. I do take my machine into school and let then help when I can - they are just fascinated by it!

 

 

 

and some gift bags filled with little eggs as their treat....punched out shapes and collaged by the children, using up left over bits and bobs - yes there's that printed paper again!

 

I work with older children now, so I don't provide so many shapes, as their skills are better.

Father's Day Cards

 

I didn't have much time to think about these...but a lucky find in the kitchen cupboards led to these cupcake cases rosettes for Father's Day cards. Handmade paper sets off the background with spotty ribbon, simple idea and quite effective too. I managed to whip up 30 in 1 hour with the children.

 

 

Sewing on Card

I've used a wallpaper sample book and newspaper to create these sunny sunflower cards. Stuck down with a little glue, then sewn onto the card.

 

 

First Wedding Anniversary Card

 

This post is a little late, as it's nearly 2 years since the wedding.....but this is last year's card, simply made for a first 'paper' anniversary. I love sewing with paper and the reason I used newspaper is because my son-in-law was our local newspaper boy when my daughter met him.

 

 

 

I also made some larger hearts and sewed them together as bunting. Thinking cap on now for the second 'cotton' anniversary....

The kitchen

At last the builders have gone...

 

 

The kitchen - solid pine with beech worktops was from the Old Creamery, with a Belfast sink. The floor tiles were Egyptian Limestone from Narduzzo outlet. Wall tiles were Valencia from Tons of tiles (cheap Fired Earth!). Range cooker from Belling. I was hesitant about the wood surfaces, as friends had warned me that they go mouldy. So I purchased a Drainer tray. So far, so good, except for leaving tins on the surface, even for a couple of hours they leave a ring, so straight into the recycling with them.

 

 

 

Mum's Moira ware - she was given it about 32 years ago and they were old then!

 

The plate rack was from a Charity shop - lucky find...

 but we added the extra shelf and plate holders. Now holding my Denby plates

The table was from the Pumping Station. Light are from Ikea. Walls in Clunch, Farrow and Ball

Finger Puppet Mice

Inspired by.....Finger puppet on CBeebies

 

We made these in school last week, but I wanted to make some longer lasting ones for the role play corner.

 

 

I had a piece of grey wool blanket, bought as a bag of scraps from Melin Tregwynt

 

 

And contrasting cotton pieces

 

I've sewn them together with a zigzag stitch - I tried one first, face sides together and turning it around, but it wasn't quite right as the blanket was too thick.

 

Sewn into cones with a tail added in the seam, then turned around.

 

The ears: I cut the circles with my ever so trustee Sizzix, then used heat and bond to keep the pink in place, then machine embroidered the onto the grey.

 

The ears were hand sewn on, with embroidered eyes for safety. I folded over the tail and hand stitched in for extra strength

 

 

 

Twenty mice later...yawn...these will go in the pet shop tomorrow. See link.