Happy Cloud Baby Toy and Precious

Le Challenge - Precious

Thanks to Lucy and Nat for running Le Challenge this year. When I look back through my blog posts it appears to be the thing that has kept me blogging this year. Like others my enthusiasm for Blogging has taken a dip but then I remember how precious online blog friends are and it keeps me going.

Cindy recently wrote a tutorial for a fantastic block when I was having trouble visualising how it was made....to me that is very precious. Thanks Cindy, I've made a block already and in this picture stolen from Fluffy Sheep Quilting Blog you can see how the hidden stars appear.






And on to precious number two.....
Sarah is expecting Little Beany and so she had an online Baby Shower which you can read all about here on her blog Narcoleptic in a cupboard.
I thought Sarah would like a little happy cloud and so I made this from a tutorial on Refabulous Blog. It was easy to follow....though I did sew all those little strips on the wrong way up the first time...I should follow the instructions!

Le Challenge ....link in the side bar...go and take a look at how everyone interpreted this month's theme and perhaps join in the next one.

I'm a month late for the Thriller theme....I so wanted to make Bubbles, but suitable socks were not to be found in Biarritz! Then when the next theme was stripes....I thought I'd make Bubbles come to life.


There are lots of tutorial on line for making sock monkeys but the two I found most useful were these ones, the first for the clear pictures and the second for the excellent way that was suggested to stuff the tail with a piece of wadding to make it smoother.
Tutorial one
Tutorial two


Carefully select your socks, as the heel and toe colour will make a big difference. Some tutorials used the heel for the nose and others used the toe section. I tried both ways and I thought the heel section worked better.
There isn't that much sewing and could easily be made by hand. The hardest part was attaching the nose section.


I pinned all the bits in place first to get the right look.


I used Google images to see lots of different monkey expressions and I think he looks quite cheeky.


He was definitely grumpy when I asked him to wear his hat though!

Location:Bubbles the sock monkey

le Challenge

 When Nathalie and Lucy announced that the Le Challenge this month was Heroes, I immediately thought about Super Ted.  We still have a glow in the dark Super Ted and Spottyman on the wall in what was "The Girls" room. I'm not too sure what our visitors now think of them!

My partner, Sandy in Buenos Aires, for the Fab Little Pin Cushion swap received this super cute little bat from me.  Though he is only small, one day he will grow and be as awesome as his hero Batman! (...poor link I know, but it's the best I can do!)
Sometimes I can search for ages on the Interweb for a suitable pattern, but as soon as I saw this, I knew I had to buy it.  The pattern is by Maritza Soto @Soto Sew and available in her Etsy Shop. I reduced the pattern by 50%, if Sandy really wants to store pins and needles in him, then I hope she carefully puts them in his wings so as not to hurt him!

In return I received a fantastic Deep Dish Pincushion from Leslie, made in fabric by my hero...Heather Ross!

 

There is still time to enter Le Challenge. Link up is on the 15th September.

Click the link in the sidebar to look at all the inspiration on the Le Challenge blog.

Tea Bag Wallet

My mum's birthday is in August and she is visiting this weekend. I knew when Nathalie swapped me this butterfly fabric a while ago that my mum would love it....I just had to decide what to make with it. Charlotte who blogs over at Displacement Activity has a great tutorial to make a tea bag wallet, very easy and quick to make, but looks very impressive. Well I think so anyway.



This week there has also been some Bramble and Apple jelly making....after picking 3kg on a long walk. Last year I didn't make any until late September, so this is much earlier, but the berries weren't as juicy. I even squeezed the bag to get more juice, as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall suggested, but still not as much as last year.



The first lot of fabric has turned up from Sarah, from the HipBee and so now I have to put my thinking head on and make sure I don't mess up on my first month in the Bee.

Paper Pieced Houses

These paper pieced houses are from a free pattern on Craftsy. It was called holiday houses, as there was some snow on the roof and tree. I missed off the snow as Amy wanted a white background. Amy put a shout out for scrappy little houses for her wonky village. If you fancy making her a couple have a look over here and I'm sure she will be grateful.

I seem to have lost my blogging mojo since I was at the FatQuarterly Retreat in London. I think I was overwhelmed by all the talented ladies I met and by the amount of stuff I then had to blog about. I didn't speak much to "old" bloggy friends as unfortunately there just didn't seem time to talk to everyone. I made some lovely new friends and through visiting London I am now pleased to be in a bee..... With the HipBees....I just hope they will be patient and don't mind waiting a few weeks for their blocks if I'm away on my travels....which I will be soon. You can read all about where we go on my other blog.



So, a short and sweet post, linking up with Liz to Brit Thursday Sewing and Paper Piecing Friday with Kristy...must be Friday in Australia!

Coin Purses

These UR Priceless coin purses have been made for my sample swaps for the Fat Quarterly Retreat in London THIS weekend.


And as this one is a wonderful toffee colour, has chocolat on the front and "T" on the back...T for Toffee then my homework is done for Le Challenge. Hopefully Lucy and Nat will forgive me for being last minute again. If you have not seen Le Challenge yet then click the link in my side bar. The next challenge is to make something using Heroes as inspiration.....I have an idea....just need to get on with it!
These are the other purses and I have been lucky enough to do a little swap with Di @ Willowbeck for one of her wonderful Liberty book of Pockets. So Di the little bike one is on its way to you. Thanks.


I also must show you this fantastic quilt name tag that Ceri of Inspired By Felix made for me.......it has the cutest little fussy cuts and the back even says have a nice weekend on a large London Transport ticket....think I will still need my Oyster Card too though.


This is the one I made for Ange @ Heart of Charnwood


And this is what I made for ME ME ME....


Ok.....it was supposed to be a Noodlehead Super Tote......but the weather was just too nice so we went away for 3 nights and came back 10 days later!


Oh.....this is getting so long that if you want to see a picture of me or find out a bit more then please look back here at my Liebster Award post.
See you all soooooooooon.

Home to happy mail 2

Sorry I had to re-post this as BlogPress had a new update and couldn't post pictures....reverted to old version!

Home again and catching up on some old and some new swaps.

These printed fabrics were waiting for me from the Hand Printed fabric swap.


This fabulous book that I had pre-ordered from Amazon.....this is the second time I have pre ordered something and it has worked out quite good value both times. Looking forward to making some of the projects and catching up with the Zakka Along 2. The snips were with the fabric that I received from Workroomsocial with the fabric swap, and have proved useful already.


Then to my delight was this awesome pouch from a pay it forward from Chloeandme over on Flickr. It is very, very scrumptious and just right for my little camera.


......and then The Village Habberdashery had a sale.......so this will become part of the Me Me Me Bee with Kettleboiler as I have plans for a Super Tote for ME of course as that is what the Me Bee is all about. I've even got a Bee in my side bar now....as I'm not in any other bees....but I now feel part of the gang!