WOYWW...

 Well that's all come round very fast and here we are catching up with the WOYWW gang for the last time before the big day.  I've got a few pics to share with you quickly...

These are the last 2 sets of Memory bears/rabbits I've made in time for Christmas.

The pink ones were made from a Grandma's favourite cardigan.....

....and these two were made from a Grandad's coat and wooly hat....it's surprising what you can do when you try.

They were all made from clothes that belonged to loved ones who were lost in the last year and each family member can now have a little reminder of them on Christmas day.

Catriona sent me the pattern to make a different style of face mask and they are the most comfy ones I've made so, as we will be needing masks for a long time yet, I've made us a few .....one to wash, one to wear and one spare each.

Finally, I've found time to marzipan and ice the Christmas cake and enjoyed a special few hours in front of the telly to make this pretty new Christmas fairy for the top of our tree.

There been lots of time spent with the special little people in our family and there's plans to make more memories too [Covid allowing] so I will just say that I wont be blogging now until next Wednesday [No Friday post this week] and I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2022.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles ....week 452

Happy Friday all.  It's been another really busy week for me with sewing as many seem to have left their orders to last minute but I've manage to keep up to date and hopefully I won't be getting many more requests before Christmas now.....hopefully I will get a little time to marzipan and ice my drunken Christmas cake [it's been having regular tipples] that Jo baked for me and might even find time to make a few pince pies too.

On Saturday I was treated to lunch out and a fun Kinkiglass workshop with Amy and the two girls.....we had a great time and hopefully will be able to hang the results on the tree once they are fired....I made a robin :-)

Amy and the girls were wearing their Christmas jumpers so I put my Christmas face mask on for the photo :-)

Doddy dug up the last of our beetroot this week and whilst I was busy sewing he then made it into beetroot chutney...we make a great team and he made 6 jars of really yummy chutney....yes there's only 4 here because we have sampled the one jar and another one has gone to Shell and family.

Catriona sent me the pattern to make a different style of face masks this week and, as it looks as though we are going to be wearing masks for a long time yet, I thought I'd give it a go and make us one each....they really do seem to be the most comfy of masks so I may make us a couple more to wash and wear. 

 Thanks Catriona xxx

I hope you have enjoyed my smiles for this week and will share yours by linking them below....we can never have too many smiles.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

 There's not many more Wednesday now before Christmas and I've only today and 4 more days to work before I can have a well earned rest.....everyone seems to want sewing done at the last minute so I will be head down sewing all day today.

I have now done the fronts of 6 more Advent calendars for next year....they just need their wadding, backing and hangers now so I will probably finish then off after Christmas.

Some have flat pockets and some have pleated pockets and the one in the bottom right has pleated pockets with flaps over the top....so a different amount of work for each one but I really enjoyed making them all.

I'm enjoying a week of making more Memory bears.

These are the first set made from a Mum's fleece dressing gown so they are soft and cuddly.

I'm making two more from a Grandma's favourite pink cardigan and I have another Memory bear and a rabbit arriving this morning.

The other thing I plan to make is a couple of new masks using a pattern Catriona emailed to me.....if only I can get my customers sewing finished first of course.

That's all from me for today.  I will do my best to visit all I can in between my seing jobs.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

 Hello folks.  The first thing I must do is to say sorry for the lack of visits last week.  Probably the best way to explain why is to tell/ show you what I've done since writing my WOYWW post for last week.

• I have made 9 Memory bears
• I've made a special order of 10 three layered face masks
• I've shortened 3 dresses
• I've shortened 3 pair of trousers and 
• I've finished another advent calendar

Not to mention having Thursday afternoon off to spend it with Phoebe and Lulu crafting and creating.  [If you want to see what we made look in the post below] I've worked all over the weekend too to get it all done to hopefully clear my desks before the next lockdown.

So I hope you will forgive me for the lack of visits...work just got in the way.  Here's a few pics to show you the results...

Here's the first 3 Memory bears...made in memory of a very special Dad and Grandad.

Here's the next 5 Memory bears that arrived with the other 3 on Wednesday....made in memory of a life long best friend.

This is the 9th Memory bear of my week that arrived on Friday...made in memory of a much loved Mum /Grandma to be given as a gift for Christmas.

These are the 10 three layered face masks I was asked to make for a dentist....tricky sewing through all the layers over the pleats and I actually broke a couple of needles making these.

The latest advent calendar I have completed...I've got a couple more I'd like to make but I guess I may have plenty of time during the next lockdown.

It's been a busy week for me but as you can imagine when I've got work to do I have to get it done as I never know what's coming through my door next.

I'm hoping to have rather more time to visit my blogging friends and leave a few messages this week.  I hope you are all staying safe and well.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Hello all.  This wanderer has returned to the fold this week.  I was away on holiday down in Cornwall with my darling hubby last week with no internet.  Our cottage was advertised as having internet but sadly there was none so I had to rely on my phone for the week....not easy when you run a business! It rained every day but we made the best of our time together.  We saw most places from the safety of our car so the photos I hope to share with you on Friday are mostly taken from the car window.  The world is rather strange out there but we scanned all the track and trace codes, wore masks and used hand gel everywhere but we felt safe.

So, on my desk today.....

I was asked for some special face masks so had to buy more material....such a hardship isn't it? [and I put another order in for more Christmas fabrics yesterday too].

I came home to orders for more masks so I spent Monday filling my box of every day and Christmas masks.

Monday afternoon I was brought 3 nurses dresses to shorten.  My customer had just had promotion so needed her new dresses shortening by 15"....yes she's only little!  Of course yesterday was spent looking after Theo and Maisie dog so these didn't get get done then and are waiting for me to do today.

That's all I have to share today so I will say thanks for calling by and if you leave me a message I will do my best to pop over to yours ASAP to see what you've been up to.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

 Here we are at the last day in September already and it's 'What's on my desk' day again.  I have to say there is very little I can show you this week.  There has been developments with the Luna Lapin rabbit but it will be a while until I can share that with you sorry...It's for someone who reads my blog.

I have had no customers this week apart from a few orders for more face masks so...

I've made another batch of Adult sized face masks to keep in stock and, as I have already sold many Christmas masks, I have topped up the selection of those too.

The only other things on my desk today are my cards and envelopes to make a start with my Christmas card....so many of you have already made lots that you have put me to shame.....as you can see I've not started to make them yet!!

I am off on a delivery challenge with my darling other half today so it will be tomorrow before I get the chance to do my visits but I will get there at some point.  Hope you're all keeping well and happy.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

 Here we are at another of our Wednesday catch ups with all our creative blogging friends all around the world....I love Wednesdays.

This is my desk this morning....in between sewing jobs for my customers I've been working on my 10th Luna Lapin rabbit.

It was Gina's birthday on Sunday so she unwrapped her rabbit [I made a while ago but couldn't share a pic 'til now]...she had forgotten she had asked me to make her one so it was a lovely surprise....she's thrilled to bits with it.

The other things I've been making this week are a few masks using the pattern Jan sent me the link to....they allow a little more breathing space so although they were a bit like origami to make the effort was worth it....the blue one was made in Shrewsbury town's football colours for Dod to go to the match on Saturday....he was one of the lucky 1000 to get a ticket for the trial match with a crowd.

That's all from me for today.  I hope you're all well and happy and have had a really creative week.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

 The world is still in a state of change and the rules to keep us safe keep changing but this week I have had my first bridesmaids fittings.  I've donned a face shield and each customer has to wear a face mask to keep us all safe but it works and I've some posh frocks to share with you today....

 

 

This is what my rail looks like.  I have....

• Shortened 2 hems on two of the bridesmaids dresses
• Lifted another of them at the shoulders and stitched it up a little on the front
• Shortened the hem on an evening dress and
• Steamed 4 of the bridesmaids dresses.

Sounds easy?  Well the two bridesmaids dresses I had to shorten were colours I didn't have thread to match so my darling hubby had to pop to our local fabric shop to fetch me matching threads.  Then when I came to steam the dresses my old steamer died....it really owes me nothing but you don't expect these things to die just as you need to steam 4 dresses [and the Wedding is on Sunday so I didn't have a lot of time!].  Of course my darling hubby came to the rescue again and ordered me a new one to pick up at our local Argos and then popped to fetch it for me....pleased don't imagine me sitting waiting cos I had plenty to keep me busy!!

 I know many of you like to see my posh frocks so here's a closer look while they are airing after being steamed.  They are for 5 beautiful  teenage bridesmaids. Both the bride and groom have lost their parteners so they are joining two families of 7 children between them and I really couldn't be happier for them all....I feel very blessed to have played my part in making their day perfect.

 

Finally this is my desk today.  I'm putting together the last of the masks that have already been cut out ready.  I'm selling them off in grab bags [feel free to pop over to my Facebook page if you'd like to grab yourselves a bargain] and imagine when they are gone that will be the last I make ....but who knows?

 

 

 

I'm always happy to take orders but, now I am getting a few fittings, it will be nice to clear my desks of mask making and do something else for a change.

WOYWW

Here we are at another Wednesday catch up with our creative friends from all around the world...it's my favourite day of the week.  If you still don't know what it's all about then pop over to The Stamping Ground where Julia will tell you all about it and you will be made very welcome to join in the fun.

I have a slightly different show and tell this week as we had a weekend of......

.....rest and relaxation in our Motor home.  Milly loves the life in there as you can see.  We found a lovely site in the middle of the country...adult only [ and no that doesn't mean anything dodgy].  It was spotless and it's lovely to feel safe in our little bubble.

We were surrounded by birds [buzzards, wookpeckers drumming on the trees and a family of robins etc etc] and there was a Golf Club walking distance away that we could sit outside and enjoy a meal and drink in the sunshine...bliss.

I have made one more School Memory bear but the 4 that were supposed to come this Monday now aren't coming until next week now.

I've made a lined PE bag for a little boy starting Nursery School.

I am still selling face masks but the demand is less now so I just keep my basket topped up as and when needed.

That's all from me for this week.  I hope you've all had a creative week.  I plan to visit all I can when I can between jobs.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

This is the one where I say sorry for being missing last week.....and yes I'm really sorry because I hate to miss out of my favourite day of the week but last week work really got in the way of having fun.  With the anouncement that from this Friday face masks would be mandatory in shops and enclosed places my world went crazy with orders.  Between 7 am on the Tuesday and 9.30 on the Wednesday I'd made and sold 110 masks!! ...hence why I couldn't join in last weeks fun.

I've also made these.....

These are just 5 of the Memory bears I have had orders for...many more are still on their way....and I'm loving the buzz.

There has been rather a lot of gorgeous fabrics bought from my friend Denise at Cabin crafts....this is just the one lot cos the second lot got cut up before I could take a photo sorry.

When you are making lots of face masks you just have to have lots of fabrics to make them with of course and I'm really loving using all these yummy fabrics to make them with.

And this is my desk this morning in full mask making mode.  

We actually had the weekend away in our motor home...we both needed the break badly and it was so lovely to get back on the road again.  We went to Slimbridge, just south of Gloucester and had a really relaxing few days.

So, as you can see I've been very busy and I have lots more to come yet as I'm expecting about another 10 Memory bears [when they all turn up....probably all on the same day knowing my luck!!].

If you leave me a little message to let me know you've called in then I will do my best to pay you a return visit.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Firstly I must say happy birthday for yesterday to our Queen of Snoop, Julia, without whom this Wednesday madness would have never started.  Really hope your day was filled with Cake, Gin and lots of spoiling because I'm sure you deserve it.

Now onto what's on my desk for this week...

I've had a steady flow of customers wanting face masks and this batch was a special order for one of our local removal firms....these are the first 5 and hopefully there will be an order for another 10 once the men aprove of them.

They had been wearing disposable masks but they were working out too expensive so they are replacing those with some washable ones with their initials on so they know who's is who's.

I've put a new zip in a pair of jeans for one customer and repaired a pair of leggings for another...all jobs I can do without them coming in for fittings.

I've also had a steady flow of Memory bears this week.  This purple one was for a really lovely young lady who was leaving Minsterley school to go to her secondary school....Minsterley was my junior school so this one was rather special to make.

This little school bear is for a child leaving the school local to us here and just like those buses...two come at once...

....same school, different customer and a different choice of ribbon around his neck.  I love that each one is slightly different.

I think I still have another 7 bears to come this week at some point so I will be kept on my toes with work.......and I love it  :-) :-)

I do my best to visit all who call in here each week but I'm finding there is always some I don't get to leave comments on so I'm really sorry ....work just sometimes often gets in the way but I promise I do try to visit you all.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Hello and a happy Wednesday to you all.  I've changed to the new blogger and this is my first go with it so we will see how it goes....wish me luck :-)

The demand on the face masks has eased this week but I've been busy making Memory bears and still have more to come this week yet.

Here's the 5 memory bears that came last week....

They each had to be different and I was given clear instructions as to which items of clothing were to go on each bear but......

• Every item of fabric had to be backed with interfacing because they were all stretchy
• Some items were light weight, some much thicker and some were even fluffy so they all needed careful balancing out to make each bear and
• The one in the front was to have a little gilet made out of Grandma's gilet

As you know I love a challenge and these 5 were certainly that but at times like that I do feel I get a little devine help because the gilet went together perfectly [no pattern!] and the finished results were really loved by my customer so that made all the extra work well worth it.

Since then I've made this lovely pair out of a much loved Grandad's shirts...no interfacing needed with these and they went together with ease.

I thought I'd share this lovely comment left on my Facebook Post about my face masks by the Bank manager of Barclays Bank...it sure made me smile :-)

Since I started making face masks on 17th April I have saved all the empty cotton reels I've used to make the [very nearly 1000]  facemasks.

On top of that I've bought and used well over £300 worth of fabrics and several huge reels of elastic.  It's been really lovely using all the gorgeous fabrics and quite challenging to keep up with the demand.

I have a feeling there will still be a demand especially if the government reduce the social distance to just 1 metre so watch this space.

I appear to have got to the end of this week's WOYWW with no real problems with writing my blog on the new set up apart from the fact I can now only download one photo at a time and no spell check now?...which is a bit of a pain....anyone else have the same?

That's all from me for this week.  Hope you're all keeping well and happy.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Hello all.  Hope you've all had a great week.  I've been kept busy this week with my mask making.  I aim to make a new batch every day to keep up with demand....It's certainly keeping me out of mischief.

The materials I was waiting for last week to go with the ones Jo made me buy ;-) arrived ...

They're rather pretty don't you think?...and if you look closely on my desk photo you will see some of them have already been put to good use....

Yes more masks have been made...this was my desk yesterday because today I should be making a batch of 5 Memory bears that arrived last night.....they like to keep me on my toes.

These are two Memory bears that I made on Monday for a little boy that's moving from being fostered to his forever home....I do love making my Memory bears for the special little people I get to learn about....he's such a cutie with the most gorgeous dimples :-)

That's all from me for today.  I will do my best to pop over to say hello in between making my Memory bears.

Stay well and happy folks.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Hello all.  Did I speak too soon last week?  As soon as I think the demand for face masks is easing off the Government anounces that it is now compulsory to wear them on all public transport and my orders increase again.  Thankfully so far this week I haven't had to slot in bear making too but I did have a pair of jeans dropped off for me to shorten by 5 cm....I can't see me be able [or happy] to do fittings anytime soon so for now it's just alterations that don't need me to pin them up first. 

So today I'm sharing a few pics taken from my last week...

Here's the first completed order of 15 masks for Barclays Bank in Chelsea, London.  I've not heard about more being needed from the bank yet but we will see....I'm happy with an order of this size now and then.

For those that don't see my masks on my Sewing by Annie Facebook page this is how I display them for folk to choose which they want....I did a quick count up and there was 42 different adult masks to choose from and.....

....30 different children's masks to choose from.

I so enjoy using all the different fabrics.  Each mask is backed with a different cotton fabric so they are all reversable and I love using different combinations of fabrics for each one.

Yesterday morning I delved into what few fabrics I had left and found a few small pieces of different fabrics I'd not used before to extend the choice of childrens masks a little further.....I like to give my customers as much choice as I can.

This a 'Jo made me do it' sort of pic.  

One of our small knitting/sewing shops is sadly closing down thanks to Covid and they are selling off all their stock.  The shop is just down the road from Jo's and she was calling in to give some support to the shop owner.  She said they were selling off 6 fat quarters for just £10 so of course I couldnt refuse....could I?  It's really lovely fabric so I may need a little time to stroke it before taking my scissors to it.

If I'm honest I have also ordered more fabrics from Cabin Crafts too [well worth a look if you're a sewer]...a girl can't make masks without fabrics can she?

That's all from me for this week.  I'm thrilled to say I'm being kept busy with sewing [many thanks to my blogging friends that have ordered face masks from me...you know who you are].  It's making this difficult time so much easier to get through.

Hugs,

annie x

WOYWW.....

Hello all.  It's been a lovely week here.  The sun has been shining all week and I've made and sold a steady amount of face masks [nice to not be under pressure to make so many now] and have also made another Memory bear for the lady I made three for last week...I really love it when they come back for more because they loved the other ones so much.

So it's a pretty quick post from me for today...

Here's the latest Memory bear....and that brings the number of Memory bears up to 340 now :-)

My desk today is in full mask making mode but it's not all work no play for me.....

....Look what I've just been treated to.....and yes it's a real treat for a diabetic I know but I really enjoyed it.

A little spoiling does us all good now and then so I hope you're all being kind to yourselves now and then and life is being kind to you.

I'm thrilled to say Elizabeth's Alan is home now from hospital and is making slow steady progress each day and I'm glad to hear Helen is healing well from her faint/fall.  I'm sure being part of this wonderful gang helps us all get through the dificult time we are all going through so keep up with spreading the love and supporting each other until this madness ends.

Hugs,

Annie x