WOYWW...

Hello all.  It's been a bear week for me this week.  Many of you might have seen the Valentine Gift draw I had over on my Sewing by Annie Facebook page, well the number that was drawn out by the random number generator belonged to our good friend Catriona....many of you will know her because she comments on the blogs often [but as yet I've not managed to get her to join in the fun by writing one].  

She sent me some Harris tweed to make her bear out of and here he is....

She's called him Harris and he is to go on his travels with them in their new Motor home.

Of course as she is also a good friend I felt the need to go the extra mile for her and......

 

....I made him his very own kilt and sporran.  He wouldn't have been a true Scot without one would he?

Catriona also sent me a further piece of Harris tweed to make an extra bear for one of her friends so.....

....here's the other little bear I made for her....I really love the colours of this one and have a feeling he will be much loved and given a name too.

I went to have my hair cut on Thursday and the girls there asked to look at the latest pics of my bears.  They loved them so that much that the lady who cuts my hair rang her hubby to drop a shirt off while I was there to have these three bears made out of in memory of her much loved dad.  I normally match the checks but it was important that I got three bears out of the one shirt and it used every last inch so matching was out of the question but she's really pleased with the results.

So, as yet there is nothing more on my desk to share with you but I do have more expected this week.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit and will leave me a little message so I know you've called in and I will then do my best to pay you a return visit ASAP. Hope you all have a happy, healthy and creative week.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 309

Oh wow these weeks sure do seem to fly by.  Here we are at my weekly catch up of what's made me smile over the week....and although I'm still coughing, wheezing and having broken nights sleep I have lots to smile about.....that even includes grabbing a bottle of cough medicine in the middle of the night in desperation only to look the following morning and see it expired in 2015!!  I survived!!

So here's a few snaps of what's made me smile this week.....

We have more signs of Spring in the garden and that always makes me smile....warmer, sunny days to come now :-) :-)

Amy's youngest, Steve went on a football training day this week and was so chuffed at the end of his day to be chosen as player of the day.  He has now been given the chance to have a matchday experience for the Shrewsbury v Doncaster match....this means he will get to wave the flag as the players enter at the beginning of the game and play a game on the pitch at half time....he's so excited.

Lexi has chosen to have her long hair cut this week....it was quite a surprise to see it so short and doesn't she look so grown up now?

She will be starting tap and street dance classes after Easter and moving up to the junior musical theatre classes to start rehearsing for their next show...Madagascar! ...I like to move it...move it.

She's always doing her gymnastics or dancing around the house. :-)

Our little Theo has started potty training this week and is so proud of all the stickers he's got in his book for dry pants....they grow up sooooo quickly don't they?

Mark and Gina put their house on the market this week and it's sold in just three days....hoping to move to a bigger house soon.

So, as you can see, I've had lots to smile about.  please leave me a little message so I know you've called by and, if you can, then please link up to your smiles below.  Have a good week and stay clear of these nasty bugs if you can.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

It's been a very quiet time work wise for me this week but that has allowed my body a little more time to fight this ******* cough I've got. I've wheezed lots and needed my puffers more than normal so will be really glad when it improves now.

I have had a special request this week from a rather concerned Lulu.  She brought home the REACH bear I made for her school because he was in need of repair and a little operation.  

One of the children had poked a hole in his tummy with a pencil so Nurse Nanny Annie had to operate.  I found a small piece of peach spotty fabric [obviously kept for exactly this job!] that looked like a plaster and have even added a square of lint in the middle so it looks like the real thing and bond-a-webbed and then stitched it in place over the hole on his tummy....I've even been daft enough to write a letter to go back to school with him telling the children what a good patient he'd been. 

The only other things on my desk today are my piles of 6 different tartans....I've no idea at all what tartans they are [any help from my Scottish friends gratefully received on their identities] but when a customer asks if I have any tartan fabric my answer could have been 'Is the Pope Catholic?'  Of course I do...what don't I have? Next question is which one to use?..Librans are so indecisive.....I may stroke them for a while before I decide. :-)

That's all from me for today...short and sweet, just as Julia likes it for a change.  I have orders for several Memory bears up and coming....8-10 at least! So I will be busy again soon but until then I'm being sensible and enjoying a gentler pace of life.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 308

Hello all.  Happy Friday to one and all. Firstly, I hope you like my new Spring header pic.....I thought it was about time I changed it and I'm looking forward to warmer Spring days.  It's been a quiet week with sewing for me so I've used my time catching up on all those jobs that have to wait for more important things to be done first....like cleaning and servicing my sewing machines!

I've a few snaps to share with you of my smiles this week and if that last one offends then don't look at it ;-)

Last weekend Mark and Gina treated me, my hubby and Mark's best friend to an escape room session at the Adventure Vault in Shrewsbury....if you've never done one then it's something for your bucket list because it was a lot of fun.  It was a little like The Crystal Maze on the telly....we were locked in a room and had to solve puzzles and tasks before we could unlock the door to get out.  We not only really enjoyed it but we escaped quick enough to get on the leader board of scores.....Thanks so much Mark and Gina for spoiling us.

As most of you will know I had a baking session with my little playmate on Tuesday.....here he is on the little set of steps getting ready.  I'd just said look at Nanny so I could take a picture...the head turned but his eyes were far more interested on the baking ingredients as you can see.  :-)

He helped put each ingredient into my food mixer and happily pressed the button to mix, mix, mix  :-)

I have a feeling the washing up was the best bit....bubbles everywhere  :-)

"What do you want to do Theo while our buns are cooking?"

"Can we make a den Nanny with blankets?"

....your wish is my command :-)

"Peep Nanny"

Buns cooked so guess we needed to decorate them next.

Result....6 little iced buns and 6 little jammy butterfly buns.

Yum yum....sorry but they have all gone now....of course :-)

Warning....look away now if you're easily offended.

We had our drive done a couple of weeks back but it was left with areas of loose tarmac in places so this week they came back to redo it for us.  I was watching the progress and taking pics to send hubby and this loomed up in front of me!  It was a cold day and I was so tempted to offer to pull his trousers up for him and tuck his vest in!! :-) :-)

I hope you have enjoyed your visit today and will link up and share your smiles below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Here we are on another Wednesday [these weeks are flying by!].  I have a reveal and a different desk for you today.

The reveal.....

These were the seven bears I was making last week and I can now share them with you because I handed them over on Sunday to be shared around the family members.....I must say these are definitely my favourite and that all the extra effort to make them was well worth it....of course they are filled with love too so that makes them extra special.  My cousin Jan loved her warm jumpers and they have certainly made some very special bears.

As yet this week I've had no sewing arrive so I've used my time wisely and on Monday I serviced all three of my sewing machines....something I rarely have time to do as they are usually being used....and they certainly were in need of a good defluff!!  I have also cleaned and tidied my sewing room so there's nothing exciting to show you there today.

The other desk...

 Yesterday saw me busy in the kitchen before my little playmate arrived and I made a  really yummy batch of soup...butternut squash, sweet potato, carrot and red onion. Plus you might notice the sugar, flour and things ready for a baking session with my little playmate in the afternoon.

So that's all I have to share with you today.  I do have more bears arriving either today or tomorrow so I'm happy to say I will be doing more of the things I love before the week is out.  If you'd like to leave me a little message so I know you've called by I will do my best to call round at yours to see what you've been up to this week.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 307

It's been a busy week here at Sewing by Annie's and that always makes me smile.  My 7 special bears are now finished and I will share a pic of them on Wednesday [if I remember]....they are being delivered on Sunday so I'm really hoping they are loved as much as I enjoyed making them.....I actually think they are my favourite bears I've made to date.

I seem to be surrounded by smiles this week so here's a few I can share with you....

Give children a cardboard box and they will amuse themselves for hours.....Shell said this one was the hub of activity and had evolved by the minute.....it had security codes for the door, TV screen, World map, Ice cream machine and dog kennel at this point.

I love to see how they use their imagination.....that's got to make you smile.

I have flowers everywhere making me smile.....these were just a couple of bunches of alstroemeria I picked up at the supermarket but aren't they stunning now the blooms have opened up?

Two of my orchid plants have sent out new flower shoots and this week they both opened up.....I love my orchids.  They almost look too good to be real don't they?

From where I sit in my sewing room I am able to watch the snowdrops shooting up and blooming...they are so pretty.

Plus all the daffodils on our front garden are now shooting up and the blooms on these ones will be soon be opening up.....Spring won't be long now folks.

That little lot has kept me smiling this week even though I have a cough and my asthma is playing up....I guess I'm just keeping in fashion with so many at the mo.  I think we all need the warm sunshine and lighter days now.  Please share your smiles by linking them up below.....anyone can join in....the more the merrier cos I'm sure we can never have too many smiles.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Here we are at the round up of all the creative desks of those who link up with Julia each week.  Please click on the link if you'd like to join in the fun....it's a very friendly group with very few rules but I will warn you...it's addictive.

This week I'm sharing the bear factory with you :-)

Here's the 6 bears I made last week in memory of a much loved mum.  They are each made with the same 4 items of clothing but each are a little different....and I've already had several comments from the family thanking me for doing such a lovely job and bring such a lot of comfort to them all....I'm so blessed to be doing this job.

 

This is my next challenge.  My cousin,, who died on Christmas Eve, was remembered by all for her warm personality, beautiful smile and her love of her warm jumpers so when her son asked me to make Memory bears for the family I just knew I'd have a job on my hands making bears out of them.

He posted me a large parcel full of her favourite jumpers and we plotted and planned how he wanted the 7 bears on messenger.

Monday morning I set to cutting the 28 panels out in interfacing first because every panel would need stabilising before they could be used.

I then made sure all the special requests were correct and cut out the 7 front rights, 7 front lefts, 7 back rights and 7 back lefts making sure each one was cut out using the right jumper.

Here they are all pinned together into their piles of 4 panels making sure each one was right before stitching them together....measure twice [or 3 or 4 times!] and cut once.

This was the first one sewn and all the seams clipped into so they lie flat when right side out.  I then wrestled with each one to turn it right way out.....its always difficult when the fabrics are so thick.

By the time I'd done this to all 7 I had blisters on two of my fingers from all the snipping into the thick seams!...the labour of love eh?

The first stage of stuffing is underway here and all 28 of the limbs are stitched into place once stuffed to make the right shape.

This is my desk this morning....all 7 bears are lined up waiting patiently in line for the next stage.

Hopefully today I will get their heads/bodies stuffed, the gaps in the backs sewn up, the necks stitched, the facial features sewn on and their bows put on to finish them.....oh and I've also to make 7 special labels so they each have one hanging from their necks.  :-)

I'm a very happy little bunny in my sewing room making special memories for special people.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit today and will leave me a little comment so I know you've called by.  I will do my best, between bears, to pop along to yours to see what you've been up to this week.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 306

Another week has passed and, as always, I'm chasing my tail with work.  I'm in the middle of making 6 Memory bears with a further 6 due through my door at any point so it's a quick round up of smiles this week....

At the weekend Amy, Dave. their 3 children plus their friends with their 2 boys had a couple of nights at the Welsh coast and yes it was cold and windy but it didn't stop these 5 donning their coats, hats, wellies and gloves to enjoy fun on the beach and making a sand castle....the weather never gets in the way of their fun and that always makes me smile.

On Wednesday night Lulu went to a birthday party which included pony rides....of course she had a wonderful time and would really like one of her own now. :-)

It's been really cold here lately and we have treated Milly to a waterproof coat....here she is trying it on and she seems very happy with it.

Yesterday morning was the coldest day of the year here and the ground outside was frozen hard but just look at the tulips shooting up through the gravel....isn't nature wonderful?

And finally I saw this on Facebook this week and for a moment thought it was Jo's dishwasher....she has so much wool I thought she had been hiding it again :-)

I hope you have found something here that has made you smile too and will now link up to your own smiles below.

Have a good week and stay warm and safe wherever you are.

Hugs,

Annie x