WOYWW...

 Hello all.  Today I'm sharing a photo of what is on my desk at the mo...

I was chatting with a customer I had last week and she told me she was the mother of a beautiful little boy who died sadly of cancer.  Since his death she had set up a charity in his memory and I offered to make an eye spy quilt for her to raise money with.  It's been a long time since I made one of my eye spy quilts but I know how much they are loved and just how much quality time can spent playing with one and am really enjoying going through my fabrics [and some of Jo's...thanks Jo] to find squares each with something to search for and talk about.....they are such a wonderful learning resource if used well.

I have found exactly enough wadding and just have to find some backing fabric so I can finish making it.

Today I have a bride coming and another lady needing a dress altering before the weekend so I will be a busy bee and I will be MIA for a couple of weeks after as we will be catching up with some very special friends ....I will tell you more on our return.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Here we are again on the best day of the week when we all catch up with our blogging friends all around the world....if you don't know what I'm talking about what cave have you been living in for what seems like for ever?  Pop over to Julia's at the Stamping Ground to find out more and to join in the fun.

My desks today involve quilt making.  I have had a break from the demand of sewing for my customers for a few days and as my head was full of cold bugs I needed what I call a bit of mindless sewing to keep me busy without great demands being put on my brainpower so I decided to make a couple of eye spy quilts.

I got out my boxes of fabrics and carefully cut out 108 4" squares....enough for 2 quilts.  Each square is different to the next so all 54 has something different to search for and talk about. 

I then sorted out enough fabric to make the borders for each quilt and had sufficient wadding but didn't have enough fabric for the backing pieces so ordered some on line from the company I use.

 

My name is Annie and I'm a fabricolic....

While shopping in Aldi's on Saturday morning they had fat quarter bundles in stock again and they are always far too good to miss out on so they fell into my trolley and when we got home from shopping my parcel of plain cotton fabrics I use for backing my quilts had arrived too....a girl can never have too much fabric ....can she?

As you can see I've already put some of the plain backing fabric to good use as I've now completed my two quilts....but you may notice the fat quarters are stacked on the top of the photos as I may need to stroke those just a little more before I cut into them.  😁😁😁😁

That's all from me for this week....I wonder what I will have on my desk next week to share with you?  I will do my best to get round as many of my visitors that I can and until then I hope you all have happy, healthy and creative times during the week.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Well, that lacking Mojo last week hasn't stopped me being productive thankfully.  The work flooded in last week because it was the last week of the school term here and a lot of folk had left things to the last minute so it was Annie to the rescue most of the week. 

But even that didn't stop me finishing my three eye spy quilts....

The exciting thing is that I have now sold two of my quilts and have had really lovely feedback about them including this photo of a little Grandson enjoying his quilt...

How special is that?

These are the three School memory bears I made last week to give as leaving gifts to three teachers....and apparently they really loved them.

I love my job.

And here's my desk for this week....I'm in the middle of making three memory cushions from three jumpers.  They were favourite jumpers worn by a much loved Dad / Grandad and are to hold special memories for three family members.

I always keep my tissues to hand when discussing the needs for special items like these and my motto is that 'my hugs come free' as a bit of comforting is usually required when remembering these much loved people.....my nursing training is never wasted is it?

That's it for me today.  As you can see I will be head down busy sewing all day today....I had a day of fun yesterday with little Theo so that his mummy could go into school and prepare her classroom ready to start back teaching after the summer holidays.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Here we are at another weekly catch up with all those exposed desks.  Mine seems to be much of the same each week at the mo.  I am getting a steady flow of sewing jobs for my customers but when it comes to my creative time in between I'm struggling.....Mr Mojo has gone on holiday and I really can't wait for him to come back.  I've really tried to make a start on a new project but it just won't come so I fall back onto some fairly mindless creating to fill my spare time....I can't sit idle.  My moto for life is to make every day count so even if they don't sell I will donate them to make money for charity.

So this is my desk for today...

It's three more eye spy quilts in the making.  I just need to cut wadding and backings now for them so I can get them quilted and finished.  I've sold one so far and if you zoom in you will see there is the two completed ones folded on the top of the boxes behind by my blind hemmer and overlocker. My creativity will go as far as choosing fabrics and spacing the squares evenly over the quilt but that's about it.  I plan to get these finished then pull out fabrics, threads and maybe even wool rovings to see if I can summon up some enthusiasm to make something.

Short and sweet for today.  I hope very soon I will have something a little more creative to share with you.  Thanks for calling in each week and leaving me such lovely comments [especially Sarah Brennan who I visit each week but am unable to leave comments....google+!!!].

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Here we are again, catching up with our creative friends from all around the world.  I love my Wednesday catch ups. So? What have you all been up to this week?  If you want to join in the fun then pop over to Julia our head WOYWWer at The Stamping Ground. 

I showed you the eye spy quilt I'd made last week.  I loved making it and when I shared it in my Sewing by Annie Facebook page I had a lot of interest so this week this is what I've been up to...

I cut out another 112 4" [56 for each quilt] squares and sewed them together ready to make two more quilts.

Here they are finished.  They each have 7 x 8 squares in the middle to talk about / play eye spy with but each one is backed / edged differently......and one of my quilts has already sold. 

So.....

Whilst watching the tennis I've now cut out enough squares to make three more quilts....I'm on a roll as you can see.

Any that I don't sell will be used to make money for local charities and I'm really loving making them.

I think someone else is enjoying me making the quilts too cos every time I pull out a box of fabrics she climbs in.....I think she thinks this is her new bed.

That's my show and tell for this week.  Hope you have enjoyed seeing what I've been up to.  As you can see I'm happily quilt making at the mo but who knows what next week will bring for me.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Happy Wednesday everyone.  I decided after the last craft sale [having not sold a single item] to have a break from making items just to fill my really useful boxes as they are already full with items waiting for customers to buy and decided to make something to raise some money for a local charity so that's what I'm sharing with you today.....

You may remember the eye spy quilt I made last year for my 5 [now 6] grandchildren to play with when they come to Nanny Annie's.  They have really loved it and it has been well played with by all...the smallest are happy just to lie on it but there is so much that can be learnt when playing eye spy with it.....colours, numbers, shapes, etc etc so I decided to make another one.

Here are some of the 4" squares of fabric being cut out.  I decided that 7 x 8 would be a good size so 42 squares later.....

I mixed up the colours etc and stitched them into 7 rows of 8 squares then arranged them on my table so that no two adjoining squares matched and then stitched the rows together.

I then cut and attached a border around the sides and found wadding and backing to fit.  I used what was left in a spray can of temporary fabric adhesive to hold the layers together and pinned the layers well before quilting it all together. I used a stitch in the ditch method to quilt it so that each square stands out.

I like to make the backing fabric big enough so it can be turned over to make a binding all round the edges.  I've folded this over twice and pinned in place mitering the corners before stitching in place with a decorative stitch.

Ta da!  It's finished now so I've just got to find a charity to give it to.

I plan to take orders if anyone would like one making but thought I would make a 10 x 10 grid on a large sheet of paper for people to pay £1 per square and this one would then raise £100 for a worthy cause.

I've loved making this one so may make another as I'm not short of suitable fabric. 😁😁😁😁

Thanks for calling by today.  I will do my best to pay you a return visit....there were a few I didn't get to last week and I'm sorry for that but will try hard to visit as many as I can.
Hugs,
Annie x

This week's smiles...week 190

Happy Friday to you all.  What a fab turn out we had last week.  Many thanks to all of you who linked up their smiles....I really love seeing what's making you all happy.

I'm featuring the gorgeous double rainbow that my big sister shared with us last week....we both love rainbows and that one really was stunning so thanks for sharing your photo Jo.

My smiles for this week are a couple of Theo who is one month old today. He never fails to make us smile .....

I had an afternoon with Theo, his Mummy and his other Nanny on Saturday while all our men were at the Shrewsbury town football game.  Little Theo lay on my eye spy quilt but as you can see he just wasn't playing the game with us [I'm sure there will be years of fun to come with it though]....he's such a  contented and happy baby.

When he woke he made us chuckle with his Usain Bolt impersonation.....either that or Superman!

This photo has to be my fav.....is that really just wind?  I don't think so.  To me it's just one very happy little man enjoying snuggles with his Mummy.

I hope you have enjoyed my smiles for this week and will link your smiles below so we can all share them.

Have a happy week and please come back again soon.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Hello all. Here we are at yet another Wednesday catch up with work desks all round the world hosted by Julia, our Queen of snoop.  Do click on the link if you don't know what I'm talking about and Julia will tell you more.  I'm sure you are, like me, in that we hope Julia is still continuing well with her recovery and her partner in crime, Jan is enjoying packing her boxes ready for her house move.

So, what have I got on my desk today?  Well, it's this....

I have now finished my eye spy quilt and thought those of you who haven't seen it over on my Sewing by Annie Facebook page might like to see the finished quilt....now all I need is a visit from my little munchkins to put it to the test :-)

Since last week I have had a busy time with customers sewing and have...

• Shortened sleeves on a jacket
• Shortened several pairs of trousers
• Repaired the zip on a pair of gent's trousers
• Tapered the legs on two pair of gent's shorts
• Put a new zip in a waterproof coat and
• Put a new zip in a pair of jeans

I'm sure you don't want to see pics of all the boring sewing but it's enough to say I'm being kept busy.
The only other pic I have to show you today is one for the Milly Fan club.....she would like to send you all lots of love...

 .....quite literally.  Just look at the markings on the left side of her body.  Our son, Mark managed to snap this pic of her and what we could see in her markings really made us smile.....I'm sure you will all see the heart on her side.  :-)

I told her she had come to us at just the right time, was full of love and really made us smile....now this just proves it.  :-)

I hope that has made you all smile today and you will leave me a little message to let me know you've called by.  I promise I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I can.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

I must start off this week by saying sorry.  I managed to upload my blog post but really struggled with life and what it threw at me last week and also I had loads of sewing through my door so my return visits were few and far between.  A huge thank you to those that called in here and I promise I will aim to do better this week.

So here's what you came to see today.....

I found an idea on Pinterest to make an eye spy quilt and as I have loads of suitable fabric and 5 [soon to be 6] grandchildren who I was certain would get lots of pleasure playing with one I pulled out my fabrics and cut 80 squares out yesterday.

It was my day off yesterday and just like the bus man's holiday I spent it sewing.  I guess that tells you that it's far more than just a job to me.  

This is how far I got with my quilt........

I stitched my squares into 8 rows of 10 with all the squares facing different directions so the quilt can be viewed from all 4 sides.  As you can see I miscounted and had actually cut out 81 squares lol......guess that's a square towards the next one. :-) :-)

That's all I have to share with you in my sewing room today but I am certain you will all like to share the gorgeous sunflowers that one of my customers bought for me this week....

Aren't they gorgeous?....Far too pretty to not share them with you all.

I hope you are all having a great week.

Hugs,

Annie x