This week's smiles.....week 304

It's Friday and that means one thing for me....it's time to look back at my week to see what's made me smile.  

• Mr Mojo has returned from his holiday and that's given me lots to smile about....I've been feeling creative.
• I've made my first three Memory bears of the new year and that's really made me smile.
• Spring is fast approaching [ I know cos I've seen the signs] and that always make me smile.

So I've got a few snaps to share my smiles...

I've been delving into my fabrics and deciding which I'm going to use to make a new bag for me to use. I plan to make one like the one I made in a workshop a few years back....here's the link to the last one.

Here's my first three Memory bears of 2019...the one was for the young lady who won my Christmas bear but her two sisters asked to have matching bears made for them too....in memory of their much loved mum who died far too soon.

I love my job. :-)

My little Milly makes me smile every day....she's the very best of company, she loves me unconditionally and where ever I go she goes....here she is curled up on her bed in my sewing room fast asleep....until I leave the room.

Here's a few snaps of the promise of Spring.....my first snowdrops.

Now, if none of those has got you smiling then, it's over to you to find your smiles and share them with us by linking them below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

I have an exciting day planned for today .....but more of that later  :-)

What have I got to share with your today then?....

Two weeks ago I shared with you the gorgeous fabric I had cut out ready to take with me on the bag making workshop that Jo and I were playing guinea pigs for our friend to practise on.  She is starting up crafty workshops and if last Tuesday was anything to go on they should be really successful.  We had a wonderful time learning new techniques [drinking coffee, giggling and chatting] and came away bursting with excitement at the gorgeous bags we had made....plus the desperate need for lots of new equipment for our craft rooms.

Isn't it just stunning?  I love the design and the fun fabric has really turned into a gorgeous unique bag.  I'm sure Jo is showing hers off today too so pop over to see the one she made.

The whole bag is wadded and there are loads of fab pockets inside to put all those shopping essentials.  I love how the grommets make it look so professional...they are a really great design and are fitted so simply too.

The other thing I'm sharing with you today is how I like a challenge...

A new customer to me brought me a really well loved treasure of his wife's while she was away on holiday so I could take the pattern off it and make her a new one as a surprise gift.  When his wife retired from running a local choir about 25 years ago one of the ladies had made her a choir boy peg bag as a leaving gift.  As you can see it has been really well used and was falling apart so taking the pattern wasn't quite so easy but I managed to make a reasonable copy and needless to say when he collected it he was thrilled to bits with what I'd done.....and so was I too :-)

Cute eh?

Well that's all from me today....would you like to know why?

I'm off to meet 3 very special people today that you all know really well....Julia [our WOYWW queen], Jan [of Lunch lady fame] and Di [of Snippets Playground fame].  I feel like I've known them for ever so am really excited at eventually meeting them in real life.  I'm sure there will be photographic evidence and we will be sharing it all with you very soon but for now have a great week.

Hugs,

Annie x

LillyBo Quilt number three....

Another ta da moment from me today.  I have now finished my third LillyBo Quilt and have been asked to share it on my blog so here goes.....

I really loved choosing the fabrics for this one.  It's rather pink and girly but I love it.

Think the green on the bag has affected the photo but I'm sure you can tell that it matches the quilt and is made up of lots of scraps and snippets of the fabrics I had left over from making the quilt.

For this reason I am linking it over at Pixie's Playground.

In the lining of the bag I have put a pocket and it looks like there is a little friend peeping out wanting to say hello.

I've made a little matching teddy to go with the quilt so I hope the little girl this quilt goes to will love her as much as I loved making her.

I will probably hang onto this quilt til I've two to send together so you may be kept waiting for this one Jo[zart].....of course you can shout if you want it sooner.  :-)

LillyBo Quilt number two....

As most of you will know Jo and I are supporting a wonderful cause at the mo that Jozart has set up.  We are making little LillyBo quilts for children that are having treatment in hospital. Each quilt has a bag to keep it in that can double up as a cushion to snuggle up to when needed.  If you would like to support the cause then pop over the the LillyBo quilt blog to check out the details.

I am sharing the second quilt that I have now completed and this will be posted to Jozart with the first one I made this week so that they can be taken to the group that is organising distributing the quilts...CHICKS

The finished quilt...it used up scraps of fabric but I'm thrilled to bits with it.

The finished bag....with a little pocket on the front waiting for a little friend to go in.

I've made a little teddy to go in the pocket....Isn't he cute?

Here we are all put together waiting to be sent to Jozart.

I hope you like it....I do.  :-)

HmmmmmI wonder what number three will look like?



I've joined in the fun over at Pixie's playground with this quilt  because it's made of lots of snippets  :-)

WOYWW....

Yes it is that day again folks.  For those that have been in a cave with no internet access for the last 18 months and don't know what WOYWW is yet then please pop over to Julia's blog to find out more and to join in the fun of exposing yourself in public [well your desk at least  :-) ].

As ever my life is never boring.  This week has been full of excitement....everything from a theatre visit for our Knit and Natter group on Saturday and another visit there on Sunday night to see The Brian Conley Show with Twiglet and my darling hubby to yet more A & E hospital visits, care home visits, and of course sewing, knitting and crafting in between events.

This week my rails have been filled and my sewing days have been busy.  

I have made two poppy brooches. [sorry but the photo isn't too clear]

Finished another spike stitch design to go on the front of another bag and cut out the material to make the bag.....the material is actually purple [picture not good sorry] and I plan to use a patterned fabric to line it.

Last week several commented about my small tidy desk so I thought I would stand back and get a long shot of my main work surface with my [from the left] computerised machine, my industrial machine and my over locker on.  I love sewing here because I often can be sewing and have birds feeding in the feeder attached to my window only inches from me.

I know my daughter likes to check on my blog and leave me comments so this picture is just for her  :-)  Can you guess what it is yet?  She spent the afternoon here with me yesterday and decided to start some knitting and this is a pixie's ear [what else? I hear you say  :-) ].  We laughed and giggled while she refreshed her memory on how to knit and she reassures me she will have it knit by morning....watch this space  :-)

So that's it from me today.  Hope you all have a really great week.  I plan to pay you all a visit at some point....busy life allowing  :-)

WOYWW...

Hello to all my WOYWW friends. For those who don't know what this is all about please pop over to Julia the Queen of snoop's blog to check out all the other WOYWWers desks and while you're there put your name on Mr Linky and link it to a picture of your crafting space on your blog. It doesn't have to be a desk. It can be anywhere that you craft and create. Go on you know you want to.

What a week it's been. The 'to do' rail was filled, all sewing has been done and has now moved to the 'done' rail.





My dear friend and neighbour was discharged from hospital and transferred back to her care home on Friday but was rushed back to A & E on Sunday morning with more chest pain. Bless her, she has remained frightened and confused throughout and this certainly hasn't been helped by the fact that her bed has been moved to 4 different wards since she was admitted. The hospital system has certainly changed a lot since I worked there and I have to say not for the better. I am hoping she is transferred back to her care home very soon so that her feet touch the ground long enough to allow her to settle.


After my Saturday afternoon's fun at the knit and natter group at Shrewsbury theatre [see prev blog] I have sorted out some fabric and matching wools and have made a bag.





I'm rather pleased with the result so this one is for me but if anyone would like something similar I would be happy to make them one. I may make a few and put them in the blog shop next so watch this space



I have lined it out in a matching lime green fabric.

Thanks Suz for teaching me the spike stitch crochet.....I'm hooked.




Well, that's all from me this week. I will try harder to get round all your wonderful blogs....that is if emergencies will allow.

Monday fun day.....

Yes, it was one of those days. Twiglet and I have had another fun day. We had a catch up with a friend for the morning over coffee and the afternoon we 'played' with the embellishers.

This is my latest creation in the making. Beads and stitches still to be added and then it needs mounting on the front of the bag but I'm rather thrilled with how it's progressing so thought I would show you. Hope you like how it's coming together. Twiglet is busy making brooches and I'm sure at some point she will show and tell too. They are really gorgeous so well worth waiting for.



My 'to do' rail is full of sewing jobs so alas that is what I will be doing tomorrow but guess that's the price I pay for a fun day.

Sewing update....

It's been a different sort of week for me this week. I'm guessing a lot of my customers are on holidays this week with it being school half term holidays round here 'cos there has been a lot less 'traffic' through my door. I will say though I am never idle and have been working on some of my longer term projects. I have made 3 'waistcoats' each one a little different to suit different needs and am now onto the leather version...a rather bigger challenge but I'm sure I will get there and at some point I will show and tell [just not yet]. :-)

The little chair I am working on with my neighbour is getting there too. We have had 2 afternoons working on it but as a 9 mth little angel had to be involved it has to be done in stages. It's looking pretty good though and really just needs steaming and finishing off now so maybe one more session will see it finished.

I have also finished one of my felt embellished bags too and thought you might like to see it. I have had lots of interest in them and am really loving making them so please shout if you fancy one to go with that special outfit. I would aim to match colours as requested.

Felting fun....

Yesterday was another quality day with Twiglet. I was up early and had done all my customers sewing, all my ironing and had even done all my business books up to date before she arrived. This is my plan now for a Monday morning [she always says she likes doing my ironing but that's not what we should be doing in the quality time we spend together so it has to be done before she arrives!]. We set our machines up one each side my work room table and we spent the day embellishing :-) Customers came and went and lots of interest was shown in what were doing. As you know I have sold the first bag I made and now I have possible orders for 2 more and a definite order for yet another one. The orders are coming in before I can finish them. I am so excited as I am really enjoying creating them. I managed to finish the embellishing on the fronts of two more yesterday. Each one will be different [cos that's what I do]. I don't mind working to colour schemes but I rarely make two of anything the same when it comes to creative crafts [unless i am specifically asked to of course].
So here's a show and tell....



.....this is one with blue flowers that will be put on the front of a turquoise satin bag.....

.....and this is a maroon design that will go on the front of a black satin bag.

The Finished bag...

I have had requests to 'show and tell' my finished felt embellished bag so here is a photo. The main bag is turquoise satin and is fully lined and the front is embellished with hand felted flowers and beads. I'm not very good at putting colours together so I got my inspiration from the colours in the wool that I used to make the strap with. I just love the finished result. Not sure the photo really does it justice but it's the best I can do.

..........And what makes it even more special is I may well have a buyer for it already :-)

Happy to take orders :-)

WIYWW.....

Well!! This is an honest start to my day. First confession...we were late getting up. Not like us 'cos nornally we are all up at 7am without fail. It was nearer 7.30 when the bathroom was eventually free for me [the others all have to go out to work and I just have to be 'available' for customers at 8 so not such a rush for me. I do aim not to greet them without drying my hair but what the heck :-) ]





Second confession...This is what my floor looks like after a day's sewing. I'm a very messy worker so aim to hoover every day to keep it to a minimum [and it's all clean and tidy now 'cos I had to make that my first job of the day]. It does of course mean I had a busy day with sewing yesterday so that is a good sign. :-)










Third confession....the reason my floor was sooooo bad this morning was because I spent time embellishing and finishing off my bag instead of hoovering it up at the end of my working day yesterday :-) A girl just has to have some 'play' time.
As it happens I am enjoying my new machine very much and may already have a buyer for my first bag although, as yet, I haven't made the fastening for it. I am so excited.






This is my bead box [you can see it on the back of the table]. I just love the colours and spend a lot of time chosing the right beads when working on a project like this.

Embellishing....

I just love my new machine. The scissor sisters have had another fab day creating with our new machines. I have sat in the evenings doing some hand felted flowers and have then worked with them on my machine to make the front of an evening bag. I know I still have lots to learn about the embellishing machine buy I am really enjoying learning.



This is the front of the bag so far....















.....and this is a pansy I've just made that will probably end up on the front of a card. The photos don't really do them justice but I thought you'd like to share them. :-)