Been a while

Hello everyone,

I know I have been away for a while, but lots has been going on including some sewing!

Our nanny has unfortunately left so we are restructuring our life to live without her.  Maddi has started her new school and loving it, I can't believe how grown up she looks......

Mummy is very happy, one of my favourite bears growing up is her current favourite....meet Alexandra bear who is probably the most unusual table guest we have had!

Now onto sewing.....

A very good friend of mine has had to have an operation and as a fantastic knitter I decided to make her a knitting project bag filled with goodies including a few bite size yummies,a lovely knitting kit from the little knit co. Amongst other bits and pieces, I am quite pleased with how it turned out:

Pattern is available from craftsy.

This was my first projectm on my new sewing machine, some very exciting news around here and lots of new projects to come that are WIP

I am sooooooo pleased with it a a big thank you to Sue at Leamington sewing centre for going through every machine with me and having huge patience with all my questions (even the stupid ones) and my indecisiveness!  I definitely made the right choice and I love some...no all (that I've found).... of the features (more to come after my classes)

My sewing room is going through an update, Kittie has moved out, Greg has been offered a place on a PhD I am sooooo proud of him (feel a project coming on) so he is taking back his study and I get a huge sewing room table back, can't wait if ikea ever deliver our furniture ...... That's a post all of its own. Roll on Dr. Greg!

I have also made a quilt top which now needs basting and quilting, I have washed it all and a little disappointed that the backing ran......I will post more pics once I get going with the quilting process (my first one)

I have been practising some free arm on my new machine so maybe that will make an appearance on this quilt.

I a m totally I love with the new fanfare flannel range from cloud nine so there is an incoming project on that.  I really must take the camera around the house as I have lots of projects scattered around (and finished!) .....here's a sneaky peak of a WIP for Maddi with the flannel

That's all for today but I have got a reminder in my google calendar to post once a week so let's see how that goes!

One final clip from my new toy.....

Thanks for stopping by.

Alex

Hobby Room Do-Over

Hi Everyone

I have been a bit lax lately, but we had a fantastic vacation with a very dear friend in Pa, USA for two weeks was amazing.  Maddi had her birthday whilst we were there. We took he to the crayons experience on the day we all had a fab time.

Here is the birthday girl:

Plum (the crayon) now goes everywhere with us.

Since coming home I have had the cleaning and tidying bug.  My kitchen is all reorganised with labelled tubs, no-one would recognise it! Dino has come back from doggy boot camp a different boy.  So far it's worth every penny.

So the craft room has had a do-over, since Kittie moved into Greg's study he has been computerless which won't do! Therefore he has moved into my room.  With a bit of a rejig I have made him some room.

Here are some pics.....

This is the new place for the haberdashery unit now full of fabric and ribbon, I can get in e end drawers that well but I have put all the things for the fire in there ready for the winter.

Then is my old bookcase full of bits and bobs at the moment.  I don't know if this will stay long term as I really need something to hold blu-rays and this is too deep and doesn't really work. My ironing board for sewing sits in front at the moment.  I must stress this is still work in process until I get to ikea.

Then is my new multi function L-shaped desk which has been working well. I have everything for paper rafting as well as my quilting things and a nice cutting station on the left.  I got some fantastic ruler holders at quilt odyssey in Hershey.  So far I am loving my desk this way round. Need a nice roll around office chair now.

Greg now gets the window seat which suits him.  He has a nice big space for gaming and working from home as well as his photography.  It's nice having him around as well as before there wasn't much for him in my room.

The tv space is still the same but Maddi now has the whole central table for her home schooling until she goes to her new school in September.

The cupboards have also been emptied and redone the one on the left if full of things I would normally put in the attic but its so much more convenient to have them to hand. On the right I am trying to make it a crafty overflow, currently it has my sewing box and paper rack in until I find a better place for them or by the bookcase I really want.  That is for next weekend.  It will have my A4 paper rack and items that i don't use everyday but would like to hand.

I have also emptied the ikea 'Alex' drawers for stamps, it works really well in 4 (2 stacks I can fit my very large collection all categorised easy to see (unfortunately greg got his told you so moment!)

I have two crafting buddies, one is now blocking the door so I have to post on my iPad rather than easily on my laptop!

Maddi also seems to like the new layout.  I can't wait to get the rest of the furniture and finish it off.

Here are my two best crafting buddies together

Thanks for stopping by

Mummy, Maddi and Dino

My current sewing space

Hello for an uncharacteristically hot England!

I have been reading a thread about sewing spaces, currently I camp out in our lounge, which is a beautiful space because its an old library in a country house, pleas excuse our mess its due a post weekend tidy up!

Do you think the boys have a little Whisky obsession?! As you can see they are both begged out in front of the Wimbledon final.  My bit it on the far right and up top with the books!  The balloon is left from Alex's birthday last weekend.

I love the height and beams in the ceiling

There is another lot at the back too.

Anyway onto my space at the moment,

Here is my sewing table:

I keep all my fat quarters in an old school desk:

And larger pieces and dress patterns under the library shelves, my pattern books, Internet prints and Maddi's machine are in the library if you look closely:

Finally, my zippers, buttons and nic nacs are kept here:

I do have a hobby room downstairs for paper crafts, my winter job will be to add a sewing section, but that will have to wait, here it is currently....watch this space for updates......

Thanks for stopping by.

Alex

Been Sew Busy!!

Hello!
Well what a week.....had my last exam for uni this year, which was AWFUL! Pure math and statistics is not my sibject anymore!!! Back to work for one and half days but wishing I was home sewing...nothing but issues even though I kept up with emails whilst I was off!!

Anyway, back to the more interesting topic of me and my machine...........

I have been working on my commitment to give Maddi's room a re-haul!

Here is all my efforts so far:

On the back of the sofa are many strips of squares pieced ready to make a duvet cover I am about half way through and I am about 12 squares short so need a trip to the fabric shop.  The co-ordinating pillows are on the arms...more to come on this later.

Next is the owl family - these are now known as the Tw'its -

Mummy Mrs Tawny Tw'it is in the pink, Hooty Tw'it is the multi-colour chevron and finally baby Tw'it (no name as yet) is in the stars in the middle, this was really fiddley but well worth the effort, I have to make the feet out of felt to fet the points but the wings are in the chevron.

Here is the Little Red Riding Hood Cushion:

It is a Riley Blake Panel that I was told for a cot size quilt, Maddi is way past this, but I did like the panels and they were all relevant to her and things she enjoys so I thought a few cushion would be nice for story corner.  I really like adding one with strips for the corner.  Here is the back in a coloured version of the panels all over the fabric, from my favourite Riley Blake:

I used the same pattern for the back as the campervan cushion, one little mistake of putting the two halves the wrong way up, but Maddi doesnt seem to mind!!

Finally here is a better photo of my camper van cushion:

Maddi seems really excited about her room now which is great because she hated it before.  I need to get it painted but probably once we get back from vacation.  I still need to finish the duvet cover, the quilt and some more cushions and decorations.  Any ideas?

Thanks for stopping by....

Mummy & Minnie
xxx

What a hoot!

I saw a really cute owl on the riley blake blog and they kindly sent me the link to the pattern.  Tonight I made my firs one, they are really quick, it took about an hour and I reckon you could get 3 from a long quarter plus some oddments for wings or feet.

I intend to do a family in different sizes.  I have put it next to maddi's bed so will see what she thinks in the morning, but here he is wasting for her....any ideas for names?

Thanks for looking

Mummy

x

Camper Van Cushion

Hello!

This is the second attempt at the post as Blogger deleted the first!  We had lovely weather this weekend and decided to spend time enjoying it, but mummy also had to play surgeon with Pandora the Panda who needed magic star anaesthetic and some repairs!!

I also had a go at the Tula Pink campervan appliqué pattern that I found and fell in love with.  Mummy has agreed (maybe crazily) to redecorate Maddi's room if she is a good girl but I have said I would make as much as I can!!

So here is cushion number one for story corner with the proud owner.....

Here is the back.....

Maddi chose the button almost all hearts!

The front was fairly easy, the trickiest bit is the amount of little circles you have to cut, but after that it came together quickly.  I machine quilted the zigzags with every third one being purple, the started off very even and ended up a little wiggly!  I also decided not to put on some of the really small bits because I don't have a satin stitch on my machine.  I also left some edges to fray for a funky look.

I was a little upset I couldn't take away the chalk marks, I tried brushing and washing it but they are still there disappointingly.

I have never made a cushion so I had to make the back up and borders as I went along but I am pleased with how it came out.  I didn't want to put a zip in which is why I didn't follow the pattern.  But overall it's coming out really well.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mummy & Maddi

xx

Mummy's in between time!

Hello!

In between working from home and helping Maddi sew, I have had a little time myself.

The first project was another quilt block.....

This is called anvil and almost all the points line up!!

Then I have made our Nanny Rho a bag, she is always using her tesco bag for life and I have been promising to upgrade her! So here it is.....

I used Clarke and Clarke heavy weight cotton to make it durable, it has top ties to keep everything in, you may recognise the style of straps!

They also match the lining.....

Which has 4 evenly spaced pockets and trimmed with home made bias in the same as the front....

I'm really pleased with how the bag came out and a little reluctant to give it away!!

Thanks for stopping by

Minnie and Mummy 

Xx

Maddi's Sewing

Hello,

Maddi has been busy!

Here is her own little sewing machine....

She has used it to make a rag dog from the adorable pre-printed panel form Riley Blake Design's.

She also made one of the dresses

Today she has made a bag almost all by herself.

Even reasonably straight seams

And only a little help from mummy on the straps....

She is happily skipping round filling her bag!

Very proud Mummy moment!

Mummy & Minnie

Xx

Hello!

Hello!

Thank you for visiting our blog, we are Mummy & daughters crafters.  Mummy (Alex) also writes on invoguestamping.blogspot.com when she gets a chance.  I was always a stamper/scrapbooker and hopeless at sewing but over the summer break on my degrees I have decided to give sewing a good go (as well as making some cards). My first project was a dress for daughter (Maddi), then some patchwork and now a bag for our Nanny Rho who is currently on honeymoon.

This is the first patchwork attempts:

Here is one of Maddi having her first afternoon tea this afternoon

One final picture of Maddi's first project

Thanks for stopping by

Mummy and Maddi

Xx