WOYWW......

 Phew it's hot this week....well it certainly is when you're busy sewing all day [the fan has been working overtime too this week].  I've had lots of customer's sewing to do including shortening several pairs of trousers, shortening the sleeves on a jacket and shortening a top but in between my jobs I have also found time for more sewing for the charity I support and that's what I have to share with you today...

I enjoyed making 5 little beach hut key rings.

I made 14 glasses cases...I love dipping into my stash of fabric and chosing fabrics to make each one slightly different.

I made 3 bags of varying sizes/designs.  The 2 larger ones would make lovely bags to use on the beach.

I then made 8 zipped pencil cases /bags ....I have a bag full of colourful zips so it was lovely to match fabrics to each.

That's all from me for this week.  I have 2 School Memory Bears to make today so I will have another busy day :-)

If you leave me a little message so I know you've called in I will do my best to pop over to yours to pay you a visit when I'm able.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

I was missing in action last week....I was here but I was busy catching up on my holiday washing and my sewing room had a good clean and dust so I had nothing to share with you of interest.  Since our hols it's been pretty quiet on the work front [I guess all my customers are enjoying their hols too] so I have been finishing the batch of charity bags for Margaret that I had already cut out .....

....all 46 bags are now finished and boxed up ready to take with me to the crop.... and I will await Margaret's instructions now for when they need more.

So what's on my desk today?...

The drawers filled with my acrylic paints are out and so are my Promarkers and permanent felt pens.

What am I busy making?....

Little Theo has a 2nd birthday up and coming [where has that time gone?!!] and his mummy has asked me to make him some little peg people for part of his birthday present.....and you just know how much I love making those so here's 20 in different stages of being made.

If I remember I will take a photo when I've finished them but as I like to make them in stages giving paint time to dry before painting the next colour it may be a while.

So that's all from me for today....a little more interesting than just a rail full of sewing eh?  Please leave me a little message so I know you've called in and I will do my best to call by at yours to see what you're up to this week.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

I know it's not what's on my desk but I'm starting off with this photo today...

From left to right at back...me, Shaz, Doug and 

on the front [my much older sister] Jo and her daughter Maxine.

Not on my desk, no but if we didn't link up each Wednesday this group of friends would never have met. [So, many thanks Julia for hosting the group each week].  I feel like I've know Doug and Shaz for years but this was our first meet in real life.  They came to support Maxine at her craft fair in Shrewsbury on Saturday so it was by far too good an opportunity to miss so my hubby and I arranged to meet them there [my hubby is taking the photo but I'm guessing he will be in a similar photo on Shaz's post that Doug took].  I must say that both Shaz and Doug were just as lovely as I imagined they would be and we are now looking forward to meeting them again at the crop in September.

This is the little Memory bear I've made this week and he has now arrived in Wales.... so that's another country conquered.

He was made for a Grandma to give to her Grandson and at a later date she is wanting me to make 5 more bears out of her wedding dress to give to her 5 Granddaughters......happy days.

The demand for sewing has eased a little so far this week so....

On my desk today is a production line of bag making to give to Margaret for her charity.

There's a pile of orange straps completed on the right of the pic waiting for the pile of bags on the left of the pic to be made for them to be stitched on before lining.

On my cutting table is a pile of bags waiting to be lined and a pile of linings cut out ready to me made up and fitted into the bags.

 There's even a pile of 7 bags completed and waiting to be pressed before packing them up in a box with others I've made....I plan to take them all with me to the crop in September so by then there may be a few more to take with me.

That's all from me for today so just leave me a little comment so I know you've called by and I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I can.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Here we are at another catch up with our crafty friends all round the world....I love my Wednesdays.

On my desk today is.....

The latest completed pile of bags for Margaret's charity.....they are all different cos even if the outsides are using the same fabric the lining and machine embroidered top stitching is different so that each child has a different bag.

I've also got a pile of the next batch of bags cut out ready to make when I have a gap in my sewing time.

I've got a memory bear coming today and another one Thursday plus from the order I made for the 3 children from the school in Jordon I have another order for two bears from the same school....it's so exciting.

I'm adding this photo just to make you smile.  It's little Theo crafting and creating....start them young I say.  It looks like there's nearly as much paint on his legs as on the paper but doesn't it look like he's having fun?

Thanks for popping over to say hello today.  I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I'm able.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

I'm back.  Did you miss me? We travelled north to spend a week's holiday catching up with two very special friends....

Yes it's our very own blogging friend Elizabeth and her lovely hubby.  We stayed in a really lovely holiday cottage just 10 mins away from where they live up in Scotland so we able to spend several very happy days together during the week.  Of course this is another of those wonderful and very special friendships made thanks to our Wednesday blogging.

We shared much chatting, laughter, cakes and, oh yes, ice cream....Ellie made me eat it honest!

Whilst up there Ellie sorted me out some fabrics suitable for making more bags for Margaret's charity and her Daughter also gave me a bag of curtains that I can use too.

When I caught up with Jo on Monday she also gave me a lovely piece of fabric Maxine had found for me to use too so I now have this huge pile of fabrics to use over the coming weeks/months.

I doubt I will get many bags made this week though because my customers had missed me last week and by 8.45 on Monday I'd already had the arrival of the maroon prom dress to shorten and later in the day the two navy bridesmaids arrived needing Annie's magic.

Jo also brought me a bag of school uniform from her friends daughter wanting Memory bears making......

......and you all know just how much I love making my bears so here's the finished trio of bears.

They are for three children leaving their school in Jordon to take with them when they start their new school in Texas.....I'm conquering the world folks!!!

That's all from me for today.  I have 2 customers both posting fabrics to make 4 Memory bears for each of them plus another bridesmaid coming later today and numerous others coming this week with various jobs....cos they couldn't get last week so if I don't manage to call in to say hello to many this week please forgive me.  

I hope you all have a wonderfully creative week.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Oh what a week it's been here at sewing by Annie's.  I seem to have been rather busy so here's my share for this week....

Firstly I'd like to say thank you to...

• Sylvia
• Christine and
• Robin

These are the latest ATCs I've received.  Aren't they gorgeous?

This is the status of my bag making for Margaret's charity...8 made, 6 more cut out ready to sew and Jo gave me another piece of material to make a few more.....when I get a minute!!

I was sent the pile of babygros this week in the post and I spent a while sending pics of each combination of colours to my customer then made the little Memory rabbit exactly as she wanted it....she's rather cute isn't she?

I was thrilled that Facebook and the postal service allowed me to prove a service for a lady who lived in York so obviously couldn't just drop in to see me.

Since last week I've also made these 4 little Memory characters....each one so different but lots of memories made for their new owners.

On top of that little lot I've also...

• Shortened a bridesmaid's dress
• Shortened a pair of jeans
• Shortened 3 lady's dresses
• Tapered the legs on 3 pair of trousers
• Shortened 3 pair of trousers and
• Shortened an evening dress

So my rail looks like this!!

Oh and yesterday I had little Theo for the afternoon so please don't think it's been all work and no play for me.  :-) :-) :-)


 So please leave me a little message so I know you've called in and I will do my best to pay you a return visit ASAP.
Hugs,
Annie x

WOYWW.....

So, here we are again meeting up for our Wednesday catch up with our blogging friends from around the world.

I was bag making for Margaret last week and several of you asked to see them when finished....

I had to chuckle when making them because, as you know I can sew but I obviously can't count.  I had cut out and made 12 bag outers and straps but had only cut out 11 linings  :-)

I have since made up a red lining and made up the 12th bag now.  Each lining is a different colour so each child will feel special.

I'm not sure where I would be without my sewing during challenging weeks and it's so good to know these bags, not only uses up some of my fabric stash but they will be put to good use by the charity....and that's more than enough thanks isn't it?

Since making the bags I have had a few more orders for Memory bears....these two were made from a much loved mum's blouses.....a third blouse was used to make the scarves tied around their necks.

My customer was thrilled to bits with them and that always makes me happy.

This little bear was made out of tiny babygros...they always make a lovely soft, cuddly bear even if I have to cut out very carefully to find pieces big enough to make a bear.

I take a photo of every little Memory bear/dog/ rabbit I make and make collages of them for record and to be able to show my customers what I could do and have just printed off the last two pages and laminated them.....I was excited to count up and see that I just need to make 6 more and I will have made 100!!!....that's a lot of memories captured isn't it?

The other thing that's on my desk today is some proud nanny sewing I've been doing....sewing on lots of badges for Amy's three little ones.

6 badges each onto the girl's Brownie hoodies then more badges onto all three of their swimming badges.....it's so lovely to see them all achieving.

That's all I can share for this week and it's going to possibly be a busy and challenging week for me so I will do my best to return your visits but if I don' get to you this week please forgive me.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW

Hello all.  It's been one of 'those' weeks here at Sewing by Annie.  Life likes to throw us challenges and this week we seem to have had more than our share so I've been head down sewing as therapy as and when I could so that's what's on my desk today but I have more memory bears on their way today and tomorrow and other work coming tomorrow too so that should all keep me busy.

On my desk today is.....

A rainbow of fabrics to use as linings in the next batch of 12 bags I'm making for Margaret's charity. 

And over on my sewing table is....

....the said bags in the making.  I've now made all the straps [over on the right of the pic] and left of my machine is the 12 bags with their linings now waiting to make the bags up.  

It's really good therapy to keep busy using my skills to help others so I will be keeping busy in my quieter times....it's not like I don't have the fabric is it?

That's all from me for today.  I hope life is being kind to you all and you have enjoyed a few sunnier days.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Oh where do these week's go?  Time really does go quicker as you get older doesn't it?  Here we are at our Wednesday catch up of the creative spaces again so I'd better get sharing mine....

I have been busy making more Memory bears this week.  This one is made in Memory of a much loved husband.  I've used his silk ties to make him and I love how he's turned out don't you?

I was then brought some fluffy dressing gowns to make 3 more bears in memory of a much loved Mum, Grandmother and Great Grandmother.......

I ended up wearing rather a lot of the bears before I finished them all.....I do get in a mess many days and I certainly make a lot of dust with my job.

I did manage to make three rather gorgeous bears using the dressing gowns that I'm sure will be much loved by all....they give such comfort to grieving folk.

Once the work was done I then pulled out my boxes of fabrics to make a few bags to go to Margaret for her charity.....I was given a large piece of green brushed denim many years ago and I decided it was perfect to make strong school bags so I found enough brighter fabrics to line each bag differently and then top stitched each one to strengthen it in matching colours.

I've made 10 bags so far but may well make a few more if I get time before sending them on to Margaret.

That's all from me for this week.  I hope you have enjoyed your visit.  If you leave me a little message so I know you've called in I will do my best to pay you a return visit.  Hope you all have a great week.

Hugs,

Annie x