Superpig!

A while ago (summer time maybe?) I showed you this photo of a new project I had started.  It stayed like this for months and months and months until I picked it up and finished it in one sitting!

It is from the book Sew Sweet Creatures by Lark Craft.  I was asked to review this by GMC, however all opinions are my own.

There are 16 projects in this book, and I love that they are shown on the index, not just a written name, but a picture of the project.  It makes navigating the book so much easier.

How cute are they!  I want to make that little fat lion!

Lots of them have cute little accessories too.  It may surprise you to read that I didn't make the rabbit...  I'm not sure why, but I decided to make the pig.

All the templates are full size - I love that, I hate having to find somewhere to enlarge projects and I can't just "nip to the copy shop", I have no idea where there is one or if these things even exist in this day and age!

There are loads of photos for each project and the instructions are well-written and easy to follow.

Ta-dah!  No idea why these photos are so blurry... maybe Superpig was flying around so quickly I didn't notice, but my camera did.  Or maybe I'm just crap at taking photos!

The mask is removable, it's just tied on.

As is the cape.  Want to see what's underneath?

A little curly tail!

This pig was sewn by hand, though it would be possible to do some of it by machine, it would be far too fiddly for me.  I enjoyed making this little pig and I like some of the other projects in the book, I would recommend it for anyone who fancies having a go at making some whimsical little creatures.  

felt star

This little fella is from Stitched with Love by Mandy Shaw.

I used ordinary craft felt rather than the wool felt called for.  I can't see it makes a difference with something like this.  

The cute little motif is actually from the Christmas tags section, the star is from the tree decorations.  I blanket stitched around and kept to the red and white colour scheme as I think it looks festive.

He's naked on the back.  I used red floss, so does that mean this is redwork?

fluffy bunny

I really have cracked out the craft books recently!  This little project is from Stitched with Love by Mandy Shaw and was totally inspired by Susan.  It's a bunny, how could I pass that up, and why had I forgotten I had this pattern?

I used some wool felt I had to hand and decked her out in red.  

I added some simple embroidery and then sewed her up with blanket stitch.

She's plain on the back.  Hang on!  There's something missing!

Aaaah, that's better!  She was hanging up for a couple of days in the living room before I noticed!

pile of puds

Christmas is approaching fast.  OK, so not that fast, but it is if you have a craft fair at the beginning of December and sold out of your most popular stock.  

Yep, these little fellas were an unexpected hit last year.  They're hand sewn from felt with a blanket stitch and a little button and ribbon bow to represent holly.

They're pretty diddy, about 5cm so are the perfect size for your tree.

See? 

flock of robins

It's nearly Christmas.  There, I've said it.  I love Christmas, yet the thought of it so early in the year makes me feel a bit ill.  Christmas shouldn't start until December.  Says the girl who's been making Christmas decorations in November.  Though I have an excuse, I've got a craft fair at the beginning of December and need some stock.

Made from felt, hand sewn and lightly padded.  

This one looks a bit sad.  Poor robin.  Does 4 constitute a flock?

more more more

Don't you just hate it at this time a year when all the TV channels are just showing repeats?  Well that's what you're getting from me today!
 
 

Last week I showed you the chicken scratch lavender hearts I'd made?  The ones I showed you before were all embroidered with white thread.  This one was embroidered with a size 5 perle cotton in a variegated array of pinks.  I'm not sure it works as well as the white.

 

I also showed you some crochet snowflakes I'd made.  Well I made some more.  These have all been stiffed with modge podge after an initial blocking with half a can of starch!

 

The top snowflake is a free pattern from the wonderful Snowcatcher who has tons of free snowflake patterns on her blog.

I've just tried and completely failed to identify the other three patterns, clearly they don't look as they should, but if it's free snowflake patterns you're looking for, try my Pinterest board.  Good luck!

And last, but not least, I made more felt Christmas puddings.  These were certainly popular, I think I sold four! 

Little felt things

I'm back!  Do you want to hear about the nightmare that was yesterday?  I'd developed an abscess on the gap where I'd had a tooth removed.  Overnight it swelled up rather large and part of it turned black.  It bloody hurt.  I tried to get an emergency appointment at my dentists, and, get this... they don't do emergency appointments.  That's right, you need to schedule your toothache in advance...  I ended up at the emergency dentists at the walk in centre where I waited 2 hours and ended up bawling my eyes out in the corridor when both my cards were rejected.  I'm talking bawling, snot everywhere, uncontrollable sobs. 

I rang my mum to get her card number - no answer, my dad - no answer, my husband - no answer.  Finally my brother picked up and I used his card, rejected.  It must be the machine because there was money in all three accounts I tried, but by this time I was desperate.  To put this into context, this was an NHS dentist.  The work-shy don't pay, but the rest of us do - £17.50.  I was being kept from stopping my agony by £17.50.  Finally they agreed to see me but made me promise to go back in with the money, they were convinced I'd run away!

The dentist lanced the abscess and gave me anti-biotics, the relief!  I had to go into work after, I don't think I was the most productive member of staff yesterday!

I have today and tomorrow off work as a final push towards the craft fair.  I have been making progress.

This little matroyshka dolly (sorry, can't find the pattern anywhere) started life as a Christmas tree ornament.  I felt she was too big though so she became a lavendar sachet.

 

While I had the felt out I whipped up this little fella from a free pattern at BHG.There are tons of free patterns on that website... wonder if the Matroyshka came from there too.

 

These little puddings were inspired by about 2,000,000 pins on Pinterest, but I just winged it as they were so simple to make.  I ran out of brown and white felt though!

I also winged this little robin... spot the problem with him?  Poor fella.

 

more

Remember my felt flowers?  I made some more.  I just couldn't stop cutting. 

I didn't think to use white at first, but I'm glad I did as I really feel it sets the other colours off.

I also layered some colours up with green behind, I think they look like leaves.  I now have 20 felt flowers all ready for the craft fair.

I also got round to doing some more wiggly bags.  I promised these ages ago, but I assume they'll still be needed.  I've just got 3 more to do and I can send them off.

I'm hoping these ones might also be suitable for boys.

Sorry this wasn't a very exciting post, I don't feel like I have much to say today.  I've been suffering from a lot of migraines and very severe headaches recently... It might be time to go back to the doctor.

another felt flower

Making the Rememberance day poppies (yes, more than one, mum saw mine at the craft show and wanted one for herself!) made me want to make more felt flowers.  I found a template in Sew Fabulous Fabric by Alice Butcher and I was off!  I had a bit of a problem as I couldn't figure out how to scale patterns up on my printer/scanner/photocopier which was a bit of a pain in the arse.

I used a couple of pieces of dark red wool felt and a pink piece and added some stitching and a button I found in my button jar.  I quite like it and I've worn it a few times as it matches one of my tops pretty well.

I'd seen a lovely neat brooch back on Pinterest (sorry, I don't have the link) and thought I'd give it a go rather than just sewing the back on.  Much neater.  I'll be making more of these!  I'm going to try combining the felt with fabric next time but who knows when next time will be as I have such a massive to-do list as it is without adding flower brooches to it!

I've been away for the weekend, which is why this is such a short post with not much content!  It was my mum's birthday on the 9th and mine on the 12th so we all went away to Beamish for the weekend.  I assume we had a good time but I don't know for certain as I'm writing this before I go to make sure I've got something to post the day after we get back!

Rememberance Day

Today is Armistice Day.  Rememberance Sunday is not until the 13th November, but today is Armistice Day.  (Edited to add:  In BRITAIN, I am aware that other countries call these days different things, but I'm talking about my country).  It is traditional in Britain to buy a paper and plastic poppy in November to wear as a sign of rememberance of those who fought and died for us in the wars, the profits from the sales are donated to The Poppy Appeal - a charity helping all those who have fought in a war and need support of any description.  I do not always support the wars in which my country entangles itself, but I do admire and respect deeply the men and women who fight in those wars.  They do not have a say over the politics of the situation, yet they put their lives in danger to keep our country safe - they have my upmost respect.

I always buy and wear a poppy, but they are not very ecologically sound and they generally fall out of my coat button hole and disappear so I decided I would make one this year.  I used this excellent tutorial, although mine wasn't quite as successful!

I used wool felt and sewed a brooch back on the rear as neatly as I could, despite noone ever seeing it! 

Rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, I am not taking from the charity in making and wearing my own poppy, I do intend to donate to each poppy seller that I see, as I do every year. 

I realised when I started writing this post that I'm not sure if the poppy worn on Armistice Day is a purely British tradition - do you do this in your country too?

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Laurence Binyon

I actually finished something I started!

I started a little bluebird from felt on FSNI and, guess what?  I finished it the very next day!  That has to be some kind of record for me.  Tradition dictates that it should have sat forgotten and neglected in a corner for at least 3 months. 

Yes, his left wing is a little odd looking. Please try not to stare, and don't mention it to him, he's very self conscious about it.

I really enjoyed hand sewing him, I'd forgotten I enjoy hand sewing.  In fact, I enjoyed it so much, it's set me off on a little hand-sewing spate!  Fruits of that labour to come in future posts.

I really hope he doesn't poo on my car.  Oh, and yes, if you were wondering, the Pterydactyl poo IS still on my car.  Yes, I'm very lazy.

In case you missed the first post about him, the pattern was from British magazine Craftseller and he's made with wool felt, very nice, I do like wool felt but I still feel acrylic felt has its place.  He might be a Christmas gift, though I have no idea who for.