WOYWW....

 It's been another really busy week for me....nothing new there I here you say.  There used to be a saying that if you want a job doing then to take it to a busy person....and I think the word has gone out :-)

The Memory bears are coming fast and furious.... this one is another School Memory bear for a child that is leaving and going on to Secondary school.

This one is for a 30th birthday present using a piece of her 6 children's clothing to make it...hence one of the front panels uses two items and so does one of the back panels .

This is now in the post on it's way back to the customer.

I've now got the interfacing cut out ready to make 5 Memory bears today.  The clothing for these arrived in the post yesterday from Birkenhead.

This stunning silk prom dress [the 12th this year!!] arrived yesterday for shortening.....it has to be ready to be collected later today for her prom on Friday!!!  They don't give me much time lol.

On top of all that I have also ...

• shortened several dresses
• shortened a jumpsuit
• shortened a nurse's top
• Shortened a pair of jeans
• Put a new zip in a pair of trousers
• Shortened the straps on 2 tops
• Shortened a pair of trousers and put a new 20" concealed zip in a dress.

I will be head down making bears today when I've done the prom dress so forgive me if I am a little late in visiting.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 419

 If you read my Wednesday post you will have seen that our adventure didn't quite go to plan....but we still went.  We had 4 nights on a campsite near GCHQ in Cheltenham.  Whilst it was a lovely clean site the fact that it was under the flight path of the small planes landing at Gloucester airport and by the side of a busy road making it not quite the tranquil site it was meant to be.  My shingles caused me a lot of pain in the side of my head and made sleeping very difficult even when dosed up with Paracetamol and Nurofen.

All that saying we had a lovely few days away together with little Peggy.  We visited a National Trust place at Hidcote....beautiful gardens with walks for Peggy.

All around our campsite there were willow woven animals...these were just a few of them.

Peggy really loves life in the caravan.

When we got home our garden was looking beautiful with lots more blooms everywhere.

The lavenders are in full bloom and smell wonderful too.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Friday without a few funnies...some of these really made us chuckle.

Please leave me a little comment before linking up to your own smiles below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

 Hello all.  This is what's on my work desk today....

It's a huge pile of netted frufru cut off all the prom dresses I'd been doing....and it won't go to waste.  It's the sort of fine net that big sister of mine has been using with her latest stitching creations.  I've told her to shout when she wants some and hopefully one day I will have a little spare creative time to have a go too.

That's all I have to show you this week because for the last week I have been getting over another dose of shingles up behind my left ear.  Thankfully I recognised the symptoms and went straight to see the Dr who gave me antiviral meds but I must say it certainly spolt a long weekend we had planned away in our caravan.  We still went away but the antiviral tablets made me very drowsy, not helped by lack of sleep at night from the pain in my head and all the pain tablets needed.  Thankfully it does seem to be improving now and the gland up the back of my head has gone down considerably.....onward and upward as they say.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 418

 I'm here with just a few funnies and Mr Linky today because I am off on an adventure for the weekend.  I will do my best to call round to see what you've all been up to but it will depend on internet access this week.  I hope you find something here to make you smile.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

 

There's no fear of me getting old that's for sure :-)

I was MIA last week because I was rather busy.  

Since I was here 2 weeks ago I have...

• Shortened 3 Bridesmaid's dresses [2 layers each]
• Shortened 3 pair of nurses trousers
• Took in 2 nurses tunics
• Shortened 7 prom dresses one of which featured on my last Friday post....this one took a day and a half to shorten with all the layers
  

• Shortened 6 tops ....all different colours so had to change the colours on my overlocker every time.
• 
  
  
• Shortened the sleeves on a blouse
• Replaced the zip in a pair of shorts
• Sewed a badge on a top
• Shortened a long dress
• Shortened a long skirt
• Replaced the zip in a pair of jeans and 
• Shortened a pair of jeans

I'm sure you can guess that I didn't have time to write a post for last week's WOYWW or to comment on anyone elses posts so I hope I didn't miss anything important.  

I've never had so many prom dresses in one season before [11 in total so far] and now I'm moving on to end of school year Memory bears :-)

I hope to get around as many blogs as I can this week to catch up but the sewing hasn't stopped yet.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 417

 What a week it's been here at Sewing by Annies.  It's been the school's half term holiday and I have been flooded with prom dresses.  It was Bank holiday on Monday so I wasn't working but my customers more than made up for it on Tuesday and Wednesday..3-4 prom dresses arrived each day plus other sewing jobs.

I dont work Thursdays normally because we have the boys here but this week they have been on holiday with their Mummy so yesterday I tackled a really tricky dress that I had to do [yes my choice and I have to say it was a job and a half]. 

 It took me 7 hours to just do the top layers!!  I still have 3 more layers to shorten yet.

I thought it was a good idea to do it while I had no customers to disturb me because I have 2 more prom dresses coming today.

This photo really made me smile from last weekend....I love it when the boys sit together like this.

Our garden continues to make us smile...these are just some of this weeks blooms.

Of course I have to finish off with a few funnies....I hope something here makes you smile and you will leave me a little comment before linking up to your smiles below.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 416

 Here we are at another catch up of the smiles from the previous week...and there's been many for me.

I've been very busy with sewing with lots of posh frocks to work on  and I've still got lots more to come yet...it's prom season and I have lots of wedding/bridesmaids dresses too on top of yet more Memory bears :-)

We had a weekend with the boys last weekend...

They went to the open day for the Midlands Air Ambulance on Sunday and had a wonderful time, as you can see.

Lexi auditioned and has been given a place on the Disney Team 2026 to dance at Disneyland Paris....so very proud of her.  She's very excited as you can imagine.

Our garden continues to make us smile...the plants are bursting into bloom in every corner and I love it.

Lastly I have rather a lot of funnies to share with you this week...I'm sure something here will make you smile and hopefully nothing will offend.

Please leave me a little comment and then link up to your own smiles below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

 How lovely was it to celebrate last week and to also see several on the video link on Saturday.  The friendships we have made since WOYWW was started 16 years ago are very special.

This week has seen me making 4 more special Memory bears...

These were made for someone who has recieved bears made by me before and loved hers so much that she wanted more making....how special eh?

This is one of the posh frocks I've worked on this week...this is one of two prom dresses I've done plus I altered a dress to be worn as a Best Woman's dress [a new idea for me but it was very pretty]. and several other long dresses too.

It's been a busy week with sewing but, as you know, I love being kept busy.  :-)

That's all from me for this week.  I will do my best to pay a visit to as many as I can but I have another busy day with a Bridesmaid's dress today.  :-)

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles.....week 415

 It's been a wonderful week filled with smiles.  Around a lovely weekend away in our caravan I was busy with sewing....wedding dresses, prom dresses and much much more.

We had our first adventure for 2025 in our caravan.  We had 3 nights on our favourite campsite near Llanidloes....it's like home from home, they make us feel so welcome.  It was Peggy's first time away in the caravan and she took to it like a duck to water.  We were allocated the best pitch on the site parked next to pond [the size of a tennis court] that is now filled with koi carp fish...and some of them are HUGE. 

On the bottom left is a photo of another pond on the site where I sat listening to the birds while Peggy was enjoying a run in the enclosed dog run.

I use an app on my phone that recognises birds and while I was sitting there it heard...

• White wagtail
• Willow warbler
• Mallard
• Swift
• Pheasant
• Reed Bunting
• Chaffinch
• Redstart
• Siskin
• Blackcap
• Swallow
• Dunnock
• Greater Whitethroat
• Blackbird
• Goldfinch
• Robin
• Chiffchaff
• Greenfinch and 
• Wren

It was bliss....I really love my birds

I thought you'd like to see a close up my son took of the baby robins in the bird house in our back garden.

They had flown the nest by the time we got home from our weekend away....not a bad thing because if they had landed on the floor I have a feeling Peggy would have killed them if she'd caught them.....aren't they cute?

This is our granddaughter Lexi's latest outfit she is to wear when she performs a Lady Gaga inspired piece at the O2 arena in London...she's such a beautiful girl inside and out and we are so very proud of her.

Of course it wouldn't be a Friday without a few funnies.  I hope you find something here to make you smile and will then leave me a comment before linking to your own smiles below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

 Happy 16th WOYWW Anniversary to you all.  What a wonderful thing Julia started all those years ago and Sarah has taken over the running of for the last year....I thank them both.  I love my Wednesdays and know that I'm not the only one to have made some very special friendships because of our weekly link ups.

As suggested I am now sharing the photos of the ATCs I have made to celebrate plus a back to print off for them if anyone would like to help themselves to one.  I wont be posting one as Sarah suggested because the postage is now so expensive...I hope you like them.

The only other thing I have to show you this week is a delicate job I was asked to sew on one of my Brides veils.  She lost her Nan recently and decided to have this made to go on the side of her veil....she wanted to feel her Nan was with her at her wedding in Cyprus [but hasn't told her Dad who's Mum it was so I have a feeling it's going to cause some emotions when he sees it].  I had to hand sew it on and then trim away the surplus net it had been embroidered on.

That's all from me for today so that just leaves me to say a big thank you for your continued friendships...long may they last.

Huge hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 414

 Here we are at another Friday catch up of the smiles from the previous week...and as always I can find several to share with you...

Our Wisteria on our pergola outside our kitchen door is looking really gorgeous this year.

We had the boys for the weekend and on the Sunday their Daddy took them to Chester Zoo and had a lovely day.

We were bought this hanging bird house a couple of years ago and this year we have Robins nesting in there and can watch them popping in and out feeding their babies....we bought them some live meal worms to help them out and the boys have really loved watching them and learning all about them.

Our garden continues to make us smile with new plants blooming each week...I thought you'd like to share them.

We are going away for the weekend in our caravan today so please forgive me if I am unable to leave any comments this week. ...it will depend on the wifi on the campsite. 

Of course I have also found a few funnies to share with you...I hope some of them make you smile.

Hugs,

Annie x