Busy, busy, busy......

It really doesn't seem like over 2 months since I last posted on here. I've now made a commitment with myself to blog at least once a fortnight, and I'll try to aim for once a week - although don't hold your breath!!
Well, what have I been up to? Life's been pretty busy up until the last couple of weeks or so. Work was really manic through September for lots of reasons and I didn't manage to get as much sewing done as I would have liked to do. I haven't seen the allotment either so nothing growing down there except weeds. I aim to get some winter digging done at some point, but obviously that's weather dependent. It's also very dependent on my recovery from surgery. I had to have my shoulder operated on to free up some nerves, the official title is shoulder athroscopy with sub-acromial decompression, and I am now post op and recovering well. I could do very little at all for the first week and then only a minimal amount for the next week but am now 3 weeks post surgery and have the use back of my right arm, although still no lifting - oh and better still no hoovering or ironing!! Yippeee!

Anyway on the sewing front I really have done very little. I finished Crazy Kate and she went off to her new home (see last post for picture), and have finished the frog prince. I'm really pleased with him and he's sitting on my shelf in my workshop, although I haven't decided his long term home yet. I may keep him or I may even offer him up for sale.

Speaking of my workshop I thought I would post a couple of pictures of it so that you can see just how much of  mess I tend to work in!! About once a month I set to and tidy it all up but the tidy state never lasts.
I think it may just give you an idea about how my brain works - in a mess with lots going on all at once! It's quite a small space, but does have a walk in cupboard off to one side which is absolutely full of material, books, magazines and other useful stuff. Mind you I think hubby may disagree about the "useful" bit. As you can probably tell from the sloping ceiling it's up in the roof  space but has a beautiful big velux window which means lots of natural light. And hubby has a workshop next door full of modelling stuff and aeroplanes - I'm sure he'd describe all the junk in there as useful too.....

I haven't been able to get to dolls club for the last couple of months and am really looking forward to going to see everyone at the end of the month. It's our Christmas party too so that's even better. And I'm hoping to complete both of the dolls sitting on the table - if you can see them amongst all the other stuff....

Some of the things I've been up to...

Well it's been a busy few weeks for lots of reasons. I've become a god mum to my new nephew Sonny. I've never been a god mum before so I'm very excited about all that. I also volunteered to make his christening outfit which seemed like a good idea at the time, but as we live 200 miles away from them it was a bit stressful when it came down to it as I didn't know for sure if it would fit him or not, but fortunately it did and he looked absolutely gorgeous in it. I don't have a photo of him wearing the outfit but I do have a photo of the outfit itself.

The weather was good on the day, Sonny didn't cry all the way through the service, and apart from the usual family dramas it all went very well.
While I was up in Lincolnshire for the christening I went to visit my Mum. Mum has dementia and is now living in a care home. It's really hard to go and see someone who looks like my Mum and sounds like my Mum, but when you talk to her it's not my Mum at all. As usual I came away in tears. She's well cared for fortunately and the staff look after her very well. She was no longer safe at home and a care home was the best option for her, but it's still tough to see her as she is now. I don't know if she knows who I am when I go to see her, but I do know that she enjoys the company, so I will keep visiting her, even if 5 minutes after I've left she doesn't remember I was there. So many times we are told to live in the here and now, instead of worrying about the future or harking back to the past. Mum has no choice but to live in the now.

What else have I been doing. Well I've done some more sewing. A dolls club challenge was to repair and recycle an old doll. Here are the before and after pictures ..... I hope you can tell which one is which!!

And last but not least I've finished my latest doll creation. She is based on a pattern by Jan Horrocks and is called Kate, crazy Kate. I've made her for a friend of mine, and have got to admit to being really quite pleased with the way she has turned out. I'm still very much the novice doll maker, but the more I practice the better I will get at it. Anyway crazy Kate is going to dolls club with me next weekend before she goes off to her new home, but here she is in all her finery...

The picture isn't doing her justice I don't think, but at least you'll get an idea what she's like...
I'm really enjoying doing more and more sewing and playing with textiles, and am hoping to continue to expand my skills and experience as time goes on..

Time flies...

I can't believe how quickly time flies these days. Blink and a months just gone by...
Well I've been busy in the sewing room whenever I've had a chance, although work has been really busy too. We had our annual assessment and audit this week and am pleased to report that we got the best result ever (and currently the best result in the South West with only 2 left to be done - so worst we can be is third overall) and this is due to the hard work that all the team have put in over the last 2 years!
On to the sewing front I finally finished making long tall Sally...

The lady who's granddaughter I made her for is very happy with her. I learnt a lot along the way, as usual, and would do things slightly differently if I made the same doll again. The pictures don't really do her justice.

The last Saturday in April was dolls club and although a small turnout because of the bank holiday, a lot of fun was had by all. We turned our hand to making hats this month. I didn't get mine finished on the day but here's a picture of it now its finished..

I've started (or should say gone back to) my feisty old lady Myrtle and am hoping to get her to a stage I can take her to dolls club next week. In amongst all that I have also finally finished the lounge curtains so my husband can stop nagging me about them now. All in all the last month's been quite a creative time. Long may it continue...

Holidays....... And time to do the fun things in life!!

I've finally managed to have a full week off work! I kept trying to but ended up either cancelling the whole week or only getting a day or two off. Now I've put my foot down with myself and persuaded myself that I am dispensable, so I can have a week off - actually even better because of the Easter break its really 10 days off!!
I have all sorts of plans for how I'm going to spend my days, but I know for sure that whatever happens and however much I do pack in I won't manage to do everything I'd like to.... Time does seem to get shorter as I get older. A friend I used to know told me once that our days our really now only 17 hrs long not 24 like we think as time goes faster than it used to! I don't know if that's true but some days it really feels like it, especially when I'm not at work!
Well I've promised myself that I'll finish long tall Sally this week, and Myrtle too. Although I've got an itch to do a steam punk doll so who's to say what will be done this week. I think Hubby would like me to finish the lounge curtains - but that's just boring don't you think?
Apart from work its been a real retail therapy week one way and another. A friend and I went shopping last weekend to cheer her up as she's just coming to the end of a difficult divorce process after 38 yrs of marriage and is a little worried about the future holds. I'd like to say that I introduced her to the joys of charity shop shopping as I'm a real believer in recycling, but she's as committed to that as I am. Anyway we had a fabulous day, doing all the charity shops in Devizes, and then going up market to Marlborough and doing the slightly more up market charity shops there. I found some fabulous material, wool, painting supplies and some books. She bought books, bags and toys for her grandchildren. We had lunch out and all things considered a good day was had by all. Sometimes it's nice to take a day out with no real plans and just see where the day takes you and that's exactly what we did.
To all of you out there who are trying to be creative and struggling, for any reason at all, just remember that any creativity is better than none and the only person you need to please is yourself. And if it doesn't come out quite like you were hoping it did, its still not a mistake but a learning curve and it should always be FUN!

Times flies and the latest project...

I can't believe it's April already. The weeks just seem to fly past faster and faster. I've been really busy at work lately and by the time I get home, walked the dogs and have cooked and eaten supper there seems little time or energy left to do anything much at all. Mind you the lighter evenings definitely help. I've also been trying really hard to spend more time in the sewing room as it really does help to destress at the end of the day - well normally anyway, except when something doesn't go quite the way you want it to!!
Anyway the latest doll project is well underway. She's called long tall Sally and is for hanging on a wall rather than standing or sitting.

There's lots of work still to do. Lots of flowers to make - like the ones on the feet. Lots of beads or embellishments of some sort to sew on and lots of face and hair things to do but I'm really pleased with the way she's turning out now, after having had doubts about her and thus a distinct hiccup in the commitment to finishing her off. I dyed the material for her skirt myself - a first having never dyed anything before - and wasn't sure about how it had come out. I made the flowers for her boots (and am still making flowers for elsewhere on her outfit) - again another first. I'm really enjoying experimenting with things and waiting to see how they come out. I might have sewed on and off for years but mainly clothes and doll making is far more creative and it gives you the chance to let your imagination run riot. I just need to develop the skills that go with the imagination!!
The last weekend in March was a really busy one. Saturday was dolls club and yet again the experienced doll makers in the club kindly shared their knowledge and skills with those of us less so, so many thanks to Shashi for helping me with the dolls head sculpting. I'm looking forward to my next doll as I plan to sculpt the face thanks to the help I've had. Also thanks to Mavis - I had a great time on the Sunday at the NEC Sewing for pleasure, Fashion and Embroidery and Hobbycraft combined shows. I spent most of my time in the Sewing and Fashion sections marvelling at some of the wonderful exhibitions by very talented people. I'll try to post some of the pictures I took next time I'm writing ... In the meantime I need a cuppa and Masterchef calls....

Well I finally finished Mr Blue, my first ever teddy bear. He's ended up with a somewhat surprised expression but I love him to bits and am very pleased with the way he's turned out. It's a week for finishing things off I've decided so I've also finally finished the wrap for my first doll Marina, having decided to add some turquoise blue lining to it and I have to say its finished her off well. Now I just need to finish sewing the bag I promised someone for Christmas and I can go back to doll making!! Although I have just bought some curtain material in the sales to make new curtains for the lounge!! Too much material and too many possible projects and never enough time in the day. Tomorrow its doll club and I'm looking forward to seeing all the very talented ladies in the club again. I went last month for the first time and they made me very welcome and we had a great deal of fun making sculpted faces. If you want to see the outcome the club has a blog site called fanciful figures... Now off to put the kettle on before going back to the sewing room. I love it when I get a day off work and can do just what I want....

The joys of family...

Well, with work, previous illness and just day to day stuff I haven't been able to get into the sewing room as much as I'd like to, and when I have been in there dolls and teddies have had to take a back seat. My younger brother, who has a daughter of 15, and his partner are expecting a baby on March 23rd. Finances are tight and he was very pleased with himself when he bought a moses basket at the market cheaply. He took it home feeling happy and his partner said (before she saw it) it's not pink or frilly is it? They're expecting a boy and so he hadn't bought anything pink - but it was very very frilly!! When I went to visit 3 weeks ago, he said to me could I help him out with this situation and maybe change the covers. I said yes I was sure I could do something - although I had never done anything quite like this before! His partner gave me some material ( a cot set that she hadn't used with her first little boy) and off I went having promised confidently it would be no problem. Actually it turned out to be exactly that - no problem. I'm very pleased with the outcome... I'll let you decide for yourself if that confidence is valid - the photo below is of the final product, and it was white and lacy/frilly...

My older sister who works in a charity shop in Manchester now she's retired, told me, on seeing the picture above, that they have a number of moses baskets in the shop which have no covers of bedding with them. They can't sell them because of this.....  Hmmm - I can see a potential gap in the market here.....

A slight diversion...

Well I finally have made some time in the sewing room,, but I haven't picked up Myrtle yet, although I have a feeling that she's tomorrow's project. I still have 3 more days off work yet and I think that's a good window of opportunity to go "messing about in the sewing room" - a bit like messing about on the river, but definitely warmer and drier!!

Anyway I have been dabbling with teddy bears, well just one teddy bear actually. I've never made a teddy bear in my life and in my usual style, have chosen to do things differently! Well in this case I've chosen to make him from some very non teddy type material as you can see from the picture below. The material is a kind of stretch material base with a shaggy surface in different shades of blue.

As you can see he's far from finished as I'm waiting for some joint pins to come. I ordered some, which came by return and are exactly what I'd asked for - unfortunately what I asked for and what I wanted are two very different things!! The ones that came are far too tiny, even though finished he will only stand about 7-8" tall. He's not stuffed yet (can't stuff him until after the joint pins are in, and he doesn't have a face as such, although his eyes have arrived. For a first ever teddy I'm really pleased with him, and he tells me his name is Blue - obvious really I guess...

I also wanted to share something with you all, a handy tip if you like. I went shopping with the husband as he wanted new walking shoes, and we ended up in the fishing section of a local large outdoor retailer. For reasons best known to anyone but me I wandered into the fishing bag section. I found in there the ideal bags for carrying lots of small crafting items, complete with plastic sectioned boxes made to fit the bags. So ladies and gents - if you've never been in a fishing shop, now may well be the time to try. Oh and fly tying stuff for making your own flies (also fishing stuff!!) can be used to add as embellishments to dolls I think - not that I've tried it but that's for a later day...

A New Year ahead... And the flu...

I'm really looking forward to 2011 and want to take this opportunity to wish all and sundry the best year ever!! Christmas Day here was fabulous and Father Christmas bought me everything I could have wished for. However after that things went rapidly downhill. I started to cough that evening and within 24 hrs it was clear that I was in for a rough few days. That few days turned into over a week and I'm still not fit enough to go back to work. I'd mind that less if I was fit enough to do anything very much in the sewing room, but I'm not even really up to that either. I think I may have had flu - although it may have been some form of viral thing. Either way no sewing or creating has happened and I'm now getting very frustrated. So today I have promised myself that I'll spend at least half an hour pottering in the sewing room.

My sewing room is a bit like a man's shed I guess. It's a space that's mine that I can be frantically busy in or sit and do nothing much at all. It can be quiet or I can have music on. The dogs can join me if I want company or not if I don't. It keeps me sane when things around are crazy. I think everyone should have a shed or a sewing room. Maybe it would even reduce anger, stress and crime? I am, as you probably have guessed from the last comment, the eternal optimist. Although on the stress front the elder sister tells me that knitting has been proven to reduce stress. I'm not convinced having tried it this week for the first time in about 20 years. Boucle wool and a far from easy pattern probably wasn't the best choice to start with!! I do think though that being creative does help to calm the mind, even when it doesn't go quite according to plan and maybe those are the best times. I love the look and feel of the fabrics and the excitement of not being exactly sure how things will turn out and in 2011 I'm planning on having a lot of things turning out differently... Life is after all for living, and if the now moments are well lived, the memories will be worth looking back on and the future will be something to look forward to..

Here's to 2011....