WOYWW......

As we creep ever closer to the big day my sewing seems to be piling in through my door and guess what?....I took a long weekend off to go to Centre Parcs with my darling hubby, Mark Gina and little Theo....just what the Dr ordered if it wasn't for the long walks needed to get everywhere.  I must say though that I took my walking stick with me and I managed most of them.  I have photos to share but I will keep those for my Friday Smiles Post so please call back on Friday and why not join in the fun by linking up your own smiles too....all are welcome.

So on my desk today is....

The latest 4 completed bears, made to hold special memories for 4 young children who lost their daddy far too soon....I really hope they will help them to get through their first painful Christmas without him.

Meet Mooshie Rabbit.  He has come to be fitted for a blue onsie with a shark fin on the back!.....Don't I get some challenges?

The outfit is actually for Rabbit who Mooshie was bought to replace if Rabbit was lost...but of course he never will because Rabbit is now well 'loved' and looks nothing like Mooshie :-)  

I hope to complete the challenge later today so, if I remember, I will try to show you a pic of him next week.

On my sewing machine are the next three Memory bears awaiting completion.  I am expecting another one later today and several more are coming tomorrow.....all wanted for Christmas!

Along side all this I do hope to finish my Christmas cards and get them in the post and to finish the peg people for the Grandchildren to hang on their trees this year......busy busy busy.  I do plan to get round as many of you as I can later.....but that may mean in the next day or so. :-)

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 301

Here we are catching up with the weekly smiles.....I will be absent this Friday so have posted automatically so everyone can link up but I may not be able to leave you comments for a few days....but I will be reading your posts on my Ipad so please link them up below.

My smiles are all Christmas related this week.  My family have been enjoying early celebrations.....

Amy and gang enjoyed a weekend in Whitby with friends and these 5 are just the best of friends....it's so lovely to see them enjoying time together.....and I really love their matching onsies.

Here they are playing 'pass the snowball'.....don't ask.  I really don't know how to play it but I know they enjoyed it. 

Here they are colouring in the Christmas table cloth....what fun :-)

Michelle and gang moved houses last weekend and even in all the chaos Bob and Betty elves turned up on Dec 1st and this year they have brought their cousin Buster with them for fun and games each night.

When you're a teacher you just have to go that extra mile for the kids in your class and this is Shell playing Rudolph one of the days this week.  What fun eh?

That's my smiles for this week.  I will catch up with your all as soon as I can this week.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Hello. Happy Wednesday to you all.  The big day is fast approaching and, as yet,  I've still not had time to finish making my Christmas cards or painting the peg dolls to give the Grandchildren for their Christmas trees yet.  My sewing days have been filled to the brim and, as frustrating as that is, it has to come first but it's not been all work no play....

Phoebe [my eldest Granddaughter] has to briefly play the part of Mary in her school play but she has to be able to get her outfit on and off quickly so it couldn't be a full outfit so Nanny put her thinking cap on and Monday night Phoebe came for an hour while her brother was at his kick boxing club and she helped me design and make her outfit.  She was that thrilled to be able to help me and was really pleased with the results....she can get it on and off in a couple of minutes so it certainly does the job.

At one point, while we were creating together, she looked up at me and said 'your'e so clever with your sewing Nanny'....she just melted my heart.  She really is growing up into a lovely young lady.

Here's the latest two bears I've made and today I have 4 more coming this morning and another two this afternoon plus I have a toy rabbit coming to be fitted for a pair of trousers and a shirt that I've been asked to make.....I get all sorts of challenges  :-)

Last week Angela asked if I ever take photos of my bears to keep so I thought I'd show you that I have taken photos of every bear I've ever made, put them together in collages, printed them off and laminated them all....ALL 175 OF THEM!!

I really love making my bears and the responses I get when they are collected make my job all so worth while.

That's all from me for today.  Please leave me a little message and I will do my best to pay you a return visit when I can.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles.....week 300

Oh wow....I've just realised I've now written 300 of these weekly happy posts....that's a lot to smile about isn't it?  Some weeks it's easy to find a smile but sometimes I have to focus a little harder to find them and to be honest this week is one of those weeks.  Life likes to throw us all challenges at times doesn't it?  Enough of that, I have found something to make you smile....I hope.

I had little Theo for an early morning play date on Tuesday and as early morning is my worst time with this b****** sciatica [I'm stiff and uncomfy but thankfully not needing pain tablets now so that's also something to make me smile isn't it?] my darling hubby took the day off to help with childcare.  This photo really makes me smile because they were having such a fun time and were deep in conversation about the garden they were building.....happy memories.

Now you know I've spent a lot of time with little ones and I've always enjoyed reading books especially those with rhymes in so when I saw these pics I just had to....

8 Little teddies all waiting in a line,

I sat and made another one and.....

 ...then there was nine.

It's the most bears I've had here at one time so I just had to take pics.  Don't they all look fab together?  They certainly make me smile. 

That's all from me for this week my friends.  Please leave me a little message and if you can then link up to your own smiles below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Wow what a week it's been here at sewing by Annie's.  Thankfully my sciatica has now improved sufficiently for me to be BUSY.....and I mean REALLY BUSY......here's the proof...

I had so much work arrive by Friday last week that you would have seen me working all day Sunday to get on top of some of it and prepping it ready for Monday morning.

I had an order of 4 Memory bears to make from 'Grandad's' favourite jumpers....this meant that all 16 panels had to be stabilised by ironing interfacing on the backs [so they had to be cut out twice!].  Here they are all lined up ready to sew for Monday morning.

These are the bears I've made since last Wednesday...

• the 3 on the left started out being just 1 wanted but by the time she arrived here she decided she wanted 2 and when she saw the finished pair she decided she wanted a third!
• the one in the middle is using a baby boy's babygros
• the 4 on the right are the, now finished, 4 bears made from the panels I cut out on Sunday.

Waiting on my machine for me to start today is another little bear...this time being given to a foster child for when she goes to her forever home....it's made from her tiny baby clothes she wore at her foster home.

On my to do rail there's two lined skirts to shorten and a jumpsuit to alter and I've more sewing jobs coming today.

Plus I have another customer coming Thursday to bring me special items of clothing to make more Memory bears and cushions!!

Oh and in between my sewing to fill my spare minutes I've made a start painting some Christmas peg dolls to give to the Grandchildren to hang on their Christmas trees.

Never a dull minute here eh?

I hope you've enjoyed your visit.  I will do my best to call by at yours when I can.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles.....week 299

Hello all.  Thankfully I'm feeling more like me.....less pain now so less pain tablets needed tablets......not so drowsy and clearer head makes living a lot easier.  Just as well really cos I've had a busy week with my sewing so I've had lots to smile about.

Here's a few pics to share my smiles with you.....

My play date with little Theo on Tuesday saw us playing with big boy's Lego and what a fun time we had.  We built houses, boats, horses, and here you can see his playing with the aeroplane we made....and what lovely stories he made up while playing with his plane....he's growing up sooooooo quickly.
Just look at those  eye lashes....isn't he gorgeous?

I had a sneaky little visitor by the back door that obviously knows we have a little dog....she was so cautious and can think herself lucky it was me that saw her and not Milly.....the little cat lives next door but she dices with death coming into our garden cos Milly would put her to run if she could and the cat only has 3 legs so Milly would have an advantage over her.

Little Biscuit bear had his first adventure in the Motor Home at the weekend....we went to New Brighton for the day.  The sun shone for us and as you can see he was very happy to pose for a pic for me.

This is my last smile for this week.  I saw this on Facebook and it made me chuckle....it's not true at all of course

                   :-) :-) :-) :-)

I hope you've enjoyed my smiles for this week and will now share yours below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Sitting for any length of time is still causing me problems so sewing and computer time is having to be done in short spells but I've had another acupuncture session on Monday night and I am feeling it's helping so I've got everything crossed.

I was really chuffed that I managed to make the four  Memory bears you saw cut out on my desk last week.....

...aren't they fab?  The stories that my customers tell me about bears I've made for them really fill my heart with joy because they mean so much to who they are made for....I'm really blessed.

I have at least two more coming today to be made too :-)

As a special request I made a back pack for one of the little bears and when I put the pic on my Facebook page I had a lot of really lovely feedback about it.

It's been suggested that it could hold special items ....a little bear to keep treasures safe....sounds good to me.  I've made the pattern now so if any of my customers like the idea I can make more.  :-)

The only other thing on my desk this week is the ever growing pile of finished Christmas cards....up to 44 now but I still have more to make!

Thanks for calling by.  My Ipad has decided it doesn't like leaving comments on many of the blogs so comments will have to wait now til I am able to sit at the lap top....please be patient with me.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles...week 298

Another catch up of my weekly smiles and although my sciatica hasn't gone I must say that the treatment I had at the beginning on the week seems to me improving things so I am smiling rather more than I was.....thankfully.  I am doing my best to stand to work when I can and to have a lie down to do my exercises as instructed.....I'm even stood typing this on the laptop :-)

So just a few quick smiles to share with you today...

I have to say this photo really makes me smile....This is my little boy having a cuddle off his little boy.  Yes he's 31 now but he will always be my little boy.

This is a photo of my visitor from Wednesday this week.  It's our very own Kate from Spain who has been over in England visiting all her gorgeous boys and their families.  Her one son Mike, who I have met before because he lives/works close to me very kindly dropped his mum off to meet me then picked her up later.  I felt so honoured to have yet another blogging friend give up some of their precious family time to drop in to see me....and she's every bit as lovely as I imagined.  Thanks Kate xxx

My last pic is one of 4 memory bears in the making....simply because I can.

I stood to cut them out and have sewn them in short bursts at my sewing machine and I have to say it was all doable....not perfect but manageable so I'm really smiling now.

And even better still is that all being well I will manage to finish them later today.

So there you go.  It doesn't take a lot to make me smile so I hope I've made you smile too.  Please leave me a little message and if you can then please link up to something that has made you smile this week too.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

It's just a quick post from me today because I am to keep sitting down to only short spells.  I saw a Dr on Friday who confirmed that it is sciatica that I have [as if I didn't know!] and she gave me strong pain tablets and muscle relaxants but they of course come with side effects....they do my head in [as the kids would say] and they have to come with a bottle of laxatives!  That was the good news!  She then said it could last 18months to 2 years!!

So Monday morning after sleeping most of the weekend due to the pain tabs I booked in with a physio who also does acupuncture....she's got magic hands but after a good examination she says it is my sacro-iliac joints that are effected and they are trapping the sciatic nerve on my right hand side. :-(  She gave me some physio and a treatment of acupuncture and has sent me home with gentle exercises to realign my pelvis and I am to sit only for short periods and to lie down twice daily!!....I will be doing everything I can to improve it because I really don't want to be suffering 2 years!.

So on my desks today is very little.....

I've moved my Janome machine over onto my table so that it can stay set up to sew my Christmas cards....and I"m doing those in short bursts.....as you can see it's in the morning sunshine.

That's freed up my Juki machine to do the sewing jobs quickly as they come in to keep on top of my work.

The other end of the room I've got my blind hemmer and overlocker ready to keep sewing jobs cleared too....but as you can see at the mo they are both idle as my work load has lessened thankfully.....but I do have many more memory bears coming before the end of the week to make but I promise they will be done at a leisurely pace too.

Today I am having a special visitor so you may need to come back on Friday to see who that is.;-)

Thanks for calling by.  I wont promise I will get round every desk this week but I will do my best.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 297

Hello all.  Happy Friday.  Firstly I will say sorry for the speed of my post today and for the lack of comments because I'm really struggling with my sciatica.  Since last weekend it's got progressively worse and after a phone call back from my Dr yesterday I'm now on strong pain tablets and muscle relaxants and I'm off to see her this morning so I'm hoping things improve soon.

I've managed to keep all my sewing jobs up to date but have done little else all week and sleep has been in short bursts being woken in pain in between but, you know me, I've still had lots to smile about.  I have the most wonderful, loving, caring family and bless him my darling hubby has even had to help me dress this week as my feet appear to have moved into the next room and I can no longer reach them!....I will conquer it and will reach them again soon I hope.

Since we moved in here there has been a very overgrown garden at the side of us and Monday saw two tree surgeons sawing, shredding and generally clearing the whole garden giving us so much more daylight.  It was sad to see some of the trees go but it had all become far too overgrown.....I think our new neighbours have gained about 12 foot of extra garden and it will be so much more manageable for them.

It's gone from this.......

......to this.

Of course I wasn't the only one watching the goings on closely.

Milly is the only dog we've ever had that likes to sit up and beg.....I guess she can see a little more of what's going on from there.

The only other thing I'm sharing with you today is this 'over the years' collage of our eldest Granddaughter, Phoebe who was ten this week.  She's a beautiful girl with a good heart and a gorgeous dimple in her cheek.

It really only seems like 10 mins since I had a phone call from my daughter Amy in the middle of the night to tell me she had just given birth and just how much she had fallen in love with her new baby daughter.  :-) :-) :-)

That's all my shares this week.  I hope you've got lots of lovely things you can share with us this week by linking them up below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Another week, same desks, different photos.  I'm just one of many who snap pics of their work desks each week to share their creative makes with friends all around the world.  If you'd like to know more and hopefully join in the fun then please pop over to Julia's and The Stamping Ground for details and join in the fun.

This week has seen lots of action over here at Sewing by Annie's.....

These are the 6 little Memory bears that arrived for me to make last Wednesday...now completed and collected.

I will share a little tale with you next....On the Tuesday before I had had a phone from a lady saying that her daughter would be bringing items of clothing to make 6 Memory bears for her so when the lady arrived on Wednesday morning I had to chuckle when she said it wasn't her mum that had rung.  I hadn't taken her name because when she rang it was my day off and I was in the middle of changing a dirty nappy so answering the phone was a little difficult.  This of course means there is another lady coming wanting 6 MORE bears making plus the lady the ones are for in the pic above told me, when she collected them, that her friend wants 3 making and I am already expecting 4 more to make plus there are possibly a further dozen that had enquired about them that may well turn up before Christmas .....I have a feeling I'm going to be busy!!

Hence why this rather large bag of toy stuffing arrived at my door this morning....a further 5kg!!!  It takes a lot of stuffing to make a little bear.

 A lot of you suggested that my new little travelling bear should be called Biscuit so he's got his new name....I rather liked the idea of taking a biscuit with me on my travels ;-)

You can see he's been watching over me making a start at my Christmas cards....22 done many more to go yet.

That's all from me for today.  I will hopefully call round to see what you've all been doing this week.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 296

It's been one of those weeks when I've needed to focus on keeping busy to override the dull, constant pain of my sciatica....I really will be glad when it goes now.

I've had lots of lovely sewing to occupy my hands and mind and have had plenty to smile about so here a few of my shares...

Here's my little trick or treaters that called at my door for Halloween with their friends.

Fab outfits twinnies.

Here's Amy's three in their Halloween outfits on their way to their friends house for a Halloween party.....even Poppy dog likes to line up for a photo.

I thought I would also share with you colours around our garden at the mo.....don't you just love the colours of Autumn and the few flowers that, so far, have survived the frosts we have had?

Those are my shares for this week.  Please share your smiles by linking them below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Oh wow what a busy week it's been here and there more arriving today to keep me busy....I've got a lady coming with items of clothing to make 6 memory bears....yes 6!!! Plus another lady is coming lunchtime wanting several sewing jobs done so never a dull minute here for me......and my sciatica still hasn't gone!!!

So? What have I been up to?.....

My special blogging friend Ellie [we have only met three times but she knows me sooooo well] sent me a voucher for Doughtys for my birthday with instructions to spoil myself so I bought this gorgeous fabric and have made two large cushions to go in our motor home. ....I made the cushions and covers.

It was suggested by several of you that I should made a travelling bear to come with us in the motor home so here he is....I've made him from an old fleece jumper of my hubby's so he's really cuddly and of course he had to have a back pack and hat for his camping trips....I still plan to knit him a scarf to go round his neck.

I haven't thought of a name yet...any suggestions?

You may get to see some of his adventures over the months ahead. :-)

Update......Scarf knitted.  He's all ready for his first adventure now.....but is still needing a name.

My darling hubby bought me a gorgeous new purple fleece as part of my birthday present and of course the sleeves needed shortening to fit me but just look .....even with all the threads I have I didn't have one to match!!....Who would have believed that?

The other thing that's on my desk today is a bit of paper crafting.....card and scissors were involved at least :-)

We have the twins calling round trick or treating with some of their little friends tonight so I had to make the effort lol.

That's all from me for this week.  I will do my best to visit as many as I can but I have a feeling I'm going to be rather busy this week.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 295

It's been my birthday week so there's been lots to smile about.  When your birthday is mid week you just have to catch up with family members at the weekend so it spreads the celebrations over a week....and I've been well and truly spoilt.

There's been...

• Flowers
• Parcels to open
• Envelopes to open [with the help of little Theo of course]
• Hugs and kisses and of course
• Cake....a chocolate cake too :-)

Here's just a few of my smiles...

I was treated out to brunch by Theo and his mummy, Gina, on my birthday morning and then Theo and I enjoyed lots of fun and giggles for the rest of the day....here we are playing and singing 'Wheels on the bus'.

Cant you have a lot of fun with a cardboard box, some paper plates and some double sided sticky tape?

The box was what my next smile came in.....

On Wednesday my hubby took the day off to run me to the Dr's for my annual blood tests and then took Milly to be clipped.

During the morning he had an erection on the front drive....this is a new clip on awning for our motor home and will allow us to put up table and chairs etc and then unclip it to drive away whilst we are camping.....exciting times eh?

When these two get together they are inseparable.  Lulu is such a loving big cousin to little Theo.....and I rather think the feeling is mutual.

Here's Steve trying on his new Shrewsbury Town football hat and scarf....a late birthday present and he's rather pleased with it as you can see.

 This is my last smile to share with you today...it was sent to me from our Dutch friends and as you can imagine it's caused lots of giggles.....if only eh?

There you go.  That's a few of my smiles for this week.  I've showed you mine now show me yours by linking them up below.

Hugs,

Annie x