A Monday update

Good afternoon everyone.

Well, the snow is melting, we have a lot of slush round our way and unfortunately still some ice but all the lovely snow is going.  The ice is bad news, my poor husband has fallen over twice already!

I spent most of the week (after work of course) knitting this little teddy.  The pattern came from Crafts Beautiful magazine but I don't think she quite turned out as expected... the face is a little odd!!

Apologies for the duplicate photo, Blogger is insisting I leave it there! 

I realised that I haven't spoken much about myself on this blog, and although I do want this to be a blog about my crafts, not my personal life, I thought I should explain how my crafting fits in with my life.  I work long hours a 45 minute commute away so my day begins at 6am and I generally get home from work at 6:30pm, if I can leave on time and don't have to do the shopping on the way home, which I usually do - 4 bunnies eat  a lot of fresh veg and I can't store it for long before it goes off.  Thursdays after work are reserved for visiting my goddaughter.  Add into the mix the general tidying, sorting of bills, feeding the rabbits, cooking dinner (though I don't do that as often as my husband), eating dinner and then bed around 10pm and it leaves me precious little time for crafting.

I've got my own dedicated craft room on the top floor of our 3 story house.  It started off as my card making room but is the only place that can also house the sewing machine.  During the week though, I prefer to sit with my husband in the living room and watch telly and chat with him so it's mainly hand stitching / knitting / crochet / embroidery / cross stitch during the week.  At the weekends is when I get the chance to go up to my little room and get crafting.  That's if we're not going out with my step-daughter or I'm not seeing my mum or shopping.

Saturday morning is usually the time that cards get made.  This one got made this Saturday.

I posted a picture of the cross stitch when I'd finished that.  I also made a start on the Christmas cards.

After making 3 of these, I decided I'd just make 3 for 3 special people and the rest will have to be different!  They took AGES to make!

As my step-daughter was around this weekend, I spent most of Saturday in the living room with my cutting mat and a load of fabric, cutting up some goodies which I then sewed up on the Sunday when my husband took his daughter and her friend sledging.

I cut the pieces for this patchwork cushion front from various Moda layer cakes I'd bought.  I don't know which ones as I hate packaging and it has to go in the bin straight away.

Although some of my points don't match up, I'm pretty happy with it.  Unfortunately, due to my massive addiction to patterned fabrics, I never buy solid colours and so don't have anything for the back as of yet.  It will be pink and envelope style I think.   I'm hoping to get it finished at the FNSI this week.

I also cut the parts for these little beanbags:

I handstitched the numbers on so they will fray and I pieced the pictures into the apertures on Sunday.  I think this is a messy version of a standard quilting technique, but I just made it up as I went along.  I loved piecing these just as I loved making the patchwork cushion.  I really do have to get started on quilt making!

I have in fact all but finished these 10 bean bags, they just need stuffing.  I will show you the finished articles later in the week - as a tutorial!  Oh yes, I remembered to take pictures as I went along.

It's the last Cathy's Christmas Countdown on Friday and with Friday also being the Friday Night Sew In (the first of 2 in December) I thought I'd post on Saturday with all my finished goodies.  I was cutting and preping last night whilst watching the X Factor results and I'll carry on cutting and preping this week so I've got loads to sew up on Friday.  I will try and post a tutorial for the bean bags on Thursday, but I need to get them sewn up first!