Wednesday 30 November 2016

WOYWW.....

Hello all.  Here we are again catching up with all our creative friends around the world.  It's my fav day of the week because I really love seeing what you're all up to....basically I'm just a really nosey person hehehe.

I have had a busy week with customers sewing this week. everything from...
  • Wedding dress fittings....she looked amazing and it fitted to perfection. :-)
  • Shortening 2 lined long dresses for Christmas parties
  • Shortening new jeans for a lady who has lost over 2 stone and looked amazing in her new clothes
  • Shortening nurses work uniform dresses....took off  9"! I have no idea who they make these dresses for because she was an average height lady.
  • Shortening the lining in a lady's fur coat....by near 3"!  How can manufacturers get things so very wrong?

There you go.....a full rail, sewing now all done and just waiting for collection. :-)


The other thing I'm sharing is little Sylvanian bear [just over 3" tall!] modelling one of the little knitted numbers I've been knitting this week....they will be the best dressed Sylvanians in the area.  Jo and I worked out the pattern for the little gilet....it's pretty simple if anyone wants to knit some so give me a shout for the pattern.....I've even knitted some for the 'children' Sylvanians [only 2"tall!]. 



I'm finishing off by sharing my beautiful flowers sent to me by Amy and family to help me through some difficult weeks.....thanks darling I love you lots. xxx

They were far too gorgeous to keep them all to myself so hope they have made you smile too.
Hugs,
Annie x

Friday 25 November 2016

This week's smiles....week 197

Happy Friday to one and all.  Here we are at our weekly catch up with our friends to share our smiles.  If you don't have smiles of your own to share then it's OK just to share ours....we all need a smile from time to time to make life happier.  Life has a way of challenging us and as the saying goes...'what doesn't kill us makes us stronger'.

I would like to thank all who joined in last week and I would like to feature Kay's blog.  She has recently moved into her new home and has shared a photo of her new neighbour....all I can say is wow!  I would really love to see that when I looked out of my window.  Thanks for sharing Kay and I wish you many happy years in your new abode.

I have a couple of smiles to share with you today.  It was Children in Need last Friday as you will know and my little Grandees paid to dress up for their day in school to raise money.




Phoebe, Lulu and Steve had a spotty day at their school so went dressed in t shirts they had decorated themselves....plus a few extra spots on their faces. :-)



Lexi and Sam had a onesie / pyjama day.....what fun.

I hope you have enjoyed my pics for this week.  Please leave me a little message to let me know you've called in and if you have smiles of your own to share then link them below.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 23 November 2016

WOYWW....

We are creeping ever closer to Christmas and my desk has seen lots of action this week....as always I can't share it all but I'm snapping away and may do a show and tell post after Christmas.

For now here's a few bits I can share...


My desk has been full of Wedding dress this week.  I've had to take all the bodice apart to reduce some pleating, take it in and hand stitch on some diamante trim so it's needed several sessions at it to complete the work.....but I will add it's all back together now and looking good.  :-)

The other project I can share with you is a few snaps of my Christmas card making.....




Using Pinterest as my inspiration I bond-a-webbed the back of some bright juicy coloured fabrics and chopped them up into coloured piles.



I then ironed them down into place to look like little Bethlehem scenes and.....




....machine embroidered them to finish them off.

Hope you like them.  








That's all from me for today.  Leave me a little message so I know you've called in and I will do my best to pay you a return visit.  I'm sorry to say I didn't manage to get round all last week as I had a sad week having lost a dear old friend and had to make arrangements for her funeral etc........but I will aim to do better this week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Friday 18 November 2016

This week's smiles...week 196

Phew....that's another week passed and we creep ever closer to Christmas.  Many thanks to the six who joined in last week by sharing your smiles...you don't know just how much I needed them!  I'm not featuring any one of you but just thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time out of your busy lives to share your smiles....you really are a special bunch.

Life has given us a few challenges this week but as ever, with the support of our wonderful family, we will get through it all and even through difficult times I can find something to smile about.  Most of you will have read all about Kevin the carrot that I shared on Wednesday....for those that don't know he is here is a link to the Aldi's Christmas advert featuring Kevin.  He is proving very popular and is a firm favourite of the twinnies.  Here is the pic I shared of the two carrots I made....


And here is why this Nanny takes the time to make special things for my family....



Such a happy little face cuddling up to her Kevin the carrot wouldn't you say?  And......


.....you can see little Sam is still clutching his Kevin the carrot in his sleep.

The thrill I get from making for my family is like nothing else and never fails to make me smile.  I really hope you're smiling too now and will leave me a little comment below before linking up and sharing your own smiles.
Thanks for calling by.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 16 November 2016

WOYWW.....

Here we are at another weekly catch up with our creative buddies all round the world to have a good snoop at what they have been up to this week.....if you want to know more then pop over to Julia, the Queen of snoop's blog to check out the details and why not join in the fun.

My desk today has seen a lot of action but I'm sorry to say I can't share most of what's been going on there but I do have something I can share that will make you smile.

I shut up shop on a Tuesday which gives me chance to catch up on a few jobs without the interruption of customers.  Of course this asks the question....What does a sewing lady do on her day off?
Answer....She sews of course.
My 5yr old little grandson, Sam, rang me Monday night to ask me if I could make him a Kevin the carrot (off the Christmas advert). He said his real carrot went yucky if he cuddled it 😄....and yes he had taken a real carrot to bed with him the night before so he knew this was right!  I said of course I could make him one and would make it on my day off. His reply was.....".Love you Nanny, you're the best". 😍




So first thing Tuesday morning I pulled out appropriate carrot coloured fabric and set to...
Of course I had to make one for his twin sister too and thought you might like to see the results....



Cute eh?



My desk today is seeing some Christmas action but as yet there's not much to show for it....if you're lucky I will remember to snap a pic of the finished project and share it with you next week.








That's all from me for this week....short and sweet just the way Julia likes it.  Please leave me a little message to let me know you've called by and I will do my best to call by at yours to see what you've been up to this week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Friday 11 November 2016

This week's smiles....week 195

Hello all.  Many thanks for all the get well wishes and smiles to make me feel better last week...you're such a lovely bunch.  Thankfully I'm on the mend now...slow but sure as they say. :-)

I would like to feature Lynn's blog from last week for the amazing faces of her neighbours she shared from the Halloween celebrations.....I really was impressed so thanks for sharing them Lynn.

It's been a week full of life's challenges with special friends coming to the ends of their lives.....the old ones are inevitable but the young ones are harder to deal with so I have had to focus my thoughts on the happy times a little harder this week.  I have a few photos I thought would make you smile though so here's my share for today....



Sam has been to the opticians and now has to wear glasses.  As you can see he's very proud of the two pairs he's got and is being a really good boy wearing them.

He did decide to launch a stone at his own face though this week [thankfully he wasn't wearing his new glasses at the time] and now has a lovely black eye to show for it.....get well soon little man.




Amy's eldest, Phoebe, has had her 8th birthday this week and here she is having her hair and nails done ready for her party....I can't believe just how quickly those years have gone.  She is growing up into a beautiful young lady to be very proud of.



Phoebe's little sister, Lulu, has lost her front tooth this week so I guess she will be singing....
'All I want for Christmas.......' now.

And for all Milly's followers here's a pic to make you smile....we had her neutered this week and here she is lay back on the sofa showing you all her wound!  She has recovered extremely well you will all be pleased to know.  She has to keep her 'collar of shame' on and not to jump up for 10 days.  The collar isn't causing her too much trouble [apart from when she tries to get in small places lol] but stopping her from jumping up really isn't easy.....she such a bouncy little character.



There you go.....I've shown you mine now please link up below to show me what's been making you smile this week.
Hugs,
Annie x



Wednesday 9 November 2016

WOYWW....

Hello all.  For those that call in on a Friday I wanted to say thank you so much for all my get well wishes....it's worked and thankfully my cold has now dried up although I still have a cough and my asthma is a pain at times.....I'm sure it will go given a little time.

Now onto what you've come here to see today....my desk!


Yes....not a lot has changed...the stack of Memory bears has grown a little and there are another two bags on the front full of babygros to make two more.  The bear I showed you last week was loved so much that I have made two more for the same family since then.....




This one and....




....this one.  They are to keep special memories of a much loved Nan for her three granddaughters.  Such a lovely idea eh?

These are the other exciting commission I was given this week. I had a phone call from a lady looking for someone to make Topsy and Tim dolls for a special young lady and wondering if I could make them....they needed to have red tops and blue dungarees on so I set to to make the pattern for the dungarees and here's their results.
They were really loved by the customer and....here's the exciting bit for me....they are now flying off to their new home in Northern Ireland.  I'm conquering the world slowly :-)



That's all from me for this week.  I will be playing nursemaid this week for my little fur baby as she was neutered yesterday and has to be kept quiet for 10 days.....wish me luck on that one :-)
I will do my best to pop over to see what you've been up to as soon as I am able.
Hugs,
Annie x


Friday 4 November 2016

Thie week's smiles...week 194

Here we are at another catch up with our weekly smiles.  Firstly I must say a big thank you for all the effort that is put in by everyone who plays the game and shares their smiles.  Then I am going to say that this week it's going to be a quick post from me cos I am feeling pretty rubbish.  I've got the head cold of all head colds...streaming nose and eyes, ear ache and giddiness and generally feeling ****.

Even through all that I still have smiles to share...




Little Theo, who's also full up with a streaming cold can still find smiles for us so what have I got to moan about?



My little buddy Milly has the most cosy bed but as you can see she lies out of it more than in it.....just to get closer to me. :-)  She really is a blessing and is such good company......

....even  when she chooses to snuggle up in my box of felt.  I guess it's warm and cosy in there and it stops me getting to what I need to do more sewing.  :-)


There you go.  Those are my smiles for this week.  I really hope I feel like making more effort by next week but until then please leave me a little comment and link your smiles below....trust me when I say I need some smiles this week.
Hugs, Annie x

Wednesday 2 November 2016

WOYWW...

Phew! Where did that week go?  I seem to have been on the go all week making memories, making Christmas gifts, sewing for customers and generally keeping busy.  I know most of my callers today will have called by to see my desk to here goes....you have been warned!



Yes its rather chaotic in my sewing room isn't it? it's organised chaos I promise you but chaos none the less....and that's just the one side.  Here's the other...

...just as bad isn't it?  There is lots there hiding that I can't show you but for those wanting to see some of what I've been making here's a few pics...



I've just finished an order of personalised Christmas tree stars [I've deleted the names just in case].



I'm working on filling this basket with Sylvanian clothes for some little people in my life...and for those that don't know what Sylvanians are...



Here are three tiny characters modelling some of the new clothes....the grid next to them is in inches so you will see just how small they are [and these aren't the babies!!].

It has certainly tested my sewing skills.....and my patience!  :-)


I have many of my Memory bears ordered now and for those that didn't see it over on my Facebook page here's the latest.

I feel really honoured to make something as special as a Memory bear from clothing that belonged to an obviously much loved Nan and this week has been no exception.  I love the fabrics and it's new owner says it made her a little tearful to see what I'd made and that she will really treasure it.  :-)








As I've said there is a lot more going on that I can't share and of course there is customer's sewing too but I'm sure you wont want to see that. :-)  I hope you're enjoying your week as much as me and you will leave me a little message to let me know you've called by so I can pay you a return visit as soon as I'm able.
Hugs,
Annie x