Friday 27 April 2018

This week's smiles......week 269

It's not been the easiest of weeks here at Sewing by Annie's but at times like this I know that spending a little time searching out the smiles does me good so this is what I'm sharing today.....



As many of you have commented of the lovely new header on my blog I felt I just had to share our tulips in all their glory.....If those don't make you smile then I have a feeling nothing will but here's my next smile....

It looks like we have a little budding gardener in the making....little Theo is enjoying pushing his wheel barrow around his other Grandparent's garden.  What a cutie eh?



Finally I thought I'd give you a giggle with this pic.  I have had many orders for my Memory bears this week and was fast running out of stuffing.  As one of the pending orders is for possibly 21 bears I thought I'd best order double what I normally order.  Instead of 2kg  I ordered 4 kg and it arrived this week.  The bag is so compressed that I'm almost afraid to open it.  I'm imagining it bursting out and filling my sewing room.....Gives a whole new meaning to living on a cloud doesn't it?

Well I really hope I've made you smile this week. I'd really love to share your smiles too so please link yours below and brighten my week too.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 25 April 2018

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

Friday 20 April 2018

This week's smiles....week 268

Here we are at my Friday catch up of the week's smiles and believe me when I say...I've looked around me this week and I've a lot to smiles about so here you go....


The sunshine is bringing out new blooms in the garden  every day now....and yes yesterday there really wasn't a cloud in the sky behind the beautiful blossom that is opening out on our tree.

Special note for Elizabeth.....the shrub from last week with the white bell shaped flowers was a Pieris.



Tuesday was our 36th Wedding anniversary so that gave us a lot to smile about and my darling hubby bought me this gorgeous yellow Ranuncular flower.

We celebrated Wednesday night [there was a footy match Tuesday night and I never get in the way of his footy matches].  We enjoyed a Chinese meal then went to the cinema to see The Greatest Showman.....brilliant film with real feel good factor.



Tuesday afternoon little Theo asked his mummy if they could 'come and see Nanny and say hello to Milly the dog'.  Of course Nanny Annie never turns down her little visitors and how lovely that he asked to come.  As you can see he enjoyed a play in my drawers full of cotton reels....he loves all the colours in each one.
I then found him my box full of empty reels etc....yes this Nanny never throws out anything with play value.  I'm not sure who enjoyed them more Theo or his mummy.  :-) :-) :-)



Entertaining children never need to cost a lot of money does it?  Wellies on and a big puddle of rain water is more than enough.  :-) :-) :-)

That's my smiles for this week.  Now I've shown you mine please leave me a little message and try and link up to something that's made you smile this week.
Hugs,
Annie

Wednesday 18 April 2018

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

Friday 13 April 2018

This week's smiles....week 267

Happy Friday everyone.  My week has been filled with lots of smiles and I really hope yours has too,  I like to look back at my week and find smiles that I can share with my friends hoping they will link up and do the same.  Everyone is welcome to join in so why not give it a go.


I love that poem....lets all get infecting the world with smiles.  Here's mine for this week....



Last Sunday my hubby and our son, Mark went to Wembley to watch our local team play footy.  They sent me this photo while they were there and I love to see them having quality time together.....needless to say their team lost so I'm sure it was a long journey home but no one can take away the lovely day they spent together.



Amy sent me this photo of Lulu showing their dog, Poppy videos of labrador puppies.  She's such a funny little girl and has had a really excited week as it was her 8th birthday.....she's so like her mummy when it comes to celebrating special days.....think she was counting down to it for weeks.  :-) :-)



Don't you just love it when little ones enjoy their food so much they wear it?  I've never seen any little one enjoy food like our little Theo does.  He tucks into everything and his favourites include broccoli, avocado and a plate full of different fruits....but as you can see he rather likes a bowl full of tomato soup too.
                  :-) :-) :-) :-)



Finally I popped out and snapped the latest blooms making a show in the garden for you one of the sunnier days this week.  The tulips have started to open up in the sun and the hyacinths are now in full bloom, looking and smelling amazing.....even though they have to be ine the furthest corner of the garden because their purfume triggers off my asthma.

Well folks those are my smiles for this week.  I've shown you mine so please show me yours.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 11 April 2018

WOYWW....

Here we are again.....I love my Wednesdays.  Several of you asked to see the quilty comforter I was making last week so here it is....



I was rather pleased with the results as was my customer....and it will soon be flying round to the other side of the world to a new little family member....so I'm conquering the world slowly.😀



Another job I've finished this week is this cushion cover.  The pic of Rod Stewart was cut from a favourite tee shirt and I've appliqued it on the front of a cushion cover as requested....I get asked to do all sorts here. 😀 

 I've snapped a few pics of my drawers full of sewing threads for the folk that thought you'd seen a lot last week.....those ones were just my shiny machine embroidery threads.
These are my threads I use for every day sewing....rather a lot aren't there? ....but trust me I still have customers who bring clothing of a colour I don't have needing top stitching!
The pic in the top left is just the bobbins I use for my two machines.

The other thing I want to share with you today is this lovely ATC I had from Vickie [Okienurse] this week. It was for our last year's anniversary but was a little delayed because of her ill health.  It was just lovely to think that she was now well enough to think of me [and Jo cos she had one too]....we are so lucky to have friends from all round the world aren't we?
Of course I put it with my other ATCs from last year that were still sitting in a poly bag!!!
So.......





....I wheeled out my cupboard where I keep my card supplies [yes I do have some 😀], I dusted it off and set to and with card, favourite fabric, ribbon and a button or two I made.....




......my latest book to hold my last years ATCs safe.  I've now filled it with all the gorgeous ATCs from all my special friends around the world and it's now lined up on my book shelf in my sewing room with my others....




I really love looking through my books.  They are so inspiring and are filled with so much love.
Don't forget if you would like to swap ATCs with me this year to let me know and I will add you to my list....email is
wipso2310@gmail.com 
now so be sure to send your details to my new address.

Hope you all have a great week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Friday 6 April 2018

This week's smiles....week 266

Another week has passed and although there have been a few worrying times I've lots to smile about so here goes....



We had a family gathering last weekend and these four were happy to pose for Nanny Annie to snap a photo....they are all growing up so quickly and you wouldn't think butter would melt in their mouths would you?



They had a whale of a time playing together....just look at all the toys but I'm pleased to say they are well trained kids and they put them all away before they left to go home.


Shell, Brent and the twinnies are away having a skiing holiday.....that is between one after the other of them going down with a nasty sickness bug and then to top it all little Sam fell from a button ski lift and had to be stretchered off the slopes with a suspected broken leg......thankfully x rays proved his leg wasn't broken but it's badly battered and bruised .....I think they will all be glad to get back home now.



Where our daughter Amy lives they have 4 acres of fields either side of them and one of the local farmers has put a few sheep and lambs in the one field.  The children are really enjoying 'living on a real farm now Nanny' as they tell me and I'm really enjoying getting the photos of the little Spring lambs each day.  The farmer was more than happy for the children and their Labrador to go for walks in the field but it you check out the photos you will see what their dog, Poppy thought of the lambs....she's not very brave when confronted by a lamb wanting to play with her as you can see.....I guess the lamb just thought she was a funny looking sheep being the same colour.

That's all my smiles for today.  Please leave me a little hello message to let me you you've called in and if at all possible then link up to your own smiles for the week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 4 April 2018

WOYWW.....

Hello and Happy Wednesday to one and all.  I love my Wednesdays.  If you don't know what WOYWW is all about [where have you been?] then pop over to Julia's at The Stamping Ground and check out the details and why not join in the fun?

My desk today is like this...


I've been sorting out my fabrics and enjoying them....have already had to mix and match them cos a customer is wanting a comforter quilt made with some of them.  On the front of the desk is some gorgeous Alpaca wool that I've decided to crochet a scarf for me from...it's so lovely and soft.
Apart from that there's the normal clutter for a sewing room....feel free to zoom in and have a good snoop.


This is the selection of fabrics I will me playing with today to make a 9 square comforter quilt with....ooer what fun.

On the desk the other side of the room is my box full of my machine embroidery threads....I've had them out to make my ATCs with and have now finished a nice little pile of them so if anyone wants to share with me just email me to wipso2310@gmail.com with your contact details.....I will add you to my list.





That's all from me for today so please leave me a little message so I know you've called by and I will do my best to pay you a return visit when I get a minute.
Hugs,
Annie x