CATCHING UP

I did not get to send Christmas Greetings on my blog, an unexpected trip to hospital put a stop to that, home now and feeling quite ok again. Hope everyone’s Christmas was truly blessed.
 Last gifts to show you are the Winnie the Pooh mobile made for little Ronan, who is too young to enjoy opening gifts but loved the paper and the noise it makes.

and the Counting caterpillar for Finn

and for  Jan and the older grand daughters....  I made the ones for the girls first and when

Jan saw them she wanted one too..... I think I would like to make one for myself as well.

As I have mentioned before my new fund raising idea for 2020 is a "One a month Club" The first set of decorations are all complete, waiting for photos to be taken I will be back in the new year to share them with you.

To all My best wishes for the coming year, 

A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS COLLECTION

Yesterday I put all the decorations that Caitlin and I had made for our "Child's Christmas Collection"  on my little tree. Thrilled with the result, this year it will stay here for Christmas as Ronan is far too little to know what Christmas trees are all about, but after that it will  belong to Caitlin  and Ronan as a set that he will be able to put on a tree. Need to add one more to make the set the planned 18, as I have rejected one that looked out of place with the rest of the set, so think the last one will be a penguin. Some of these have been inspired by what we found on pinterest others are my own designs, all have been fun to make 

Do I have a favourite ?      Do you ?

NUTCRACKERS

Shown here is the work in progress for some Christmas decorations, to me these were limited edition, as I only planned to make four. The Nutcrackers was inspired by some needle felted ones I saw on Pinterest,  mine however are made with craft felt and once completed with their hats on are 5 inches tall.

To keep their shape they are made over a  cardboard shape that has wadding sandwiched inside, also a large bead glue on to this to make the nose shape. Fiona found me a feather boa in the $2 shop so I have more than enough white feathers, buttons are metal paper studs from the scrap booking collection and a collection of braids I had been given had just what was needed.

Each took on their own character as they were put together, which added to the fun.

I made them for Fiona, Maree and myself (the Wednesday stitching group) and the fourth one as my gift for the Embroidery Guild Christmas party exchange of gifts. It was also testing out an idea I had for next year.

My fund Raising idea for next year is  One a month club, limited to five members who each agree to buy one decoration a month  for ten months, I had no problem signing up 5 people and also no problem finding ideas. By the time I stitch one first to work out the finer details of the design its six to make each time and that' s enjoyable (or so I think) I will share on my blog and on Instagram each month,  the new decoration.

Eve's stocking is all finished, once I had competed the front Maree stitched it together for me, I no longer have a sewing machine and its only very occasionally that I miss it. 

After the arrival of the new felt supplies I made the mobile for Eve, when they were visiting at the end of October I had some ideas of what I would like to make and left the final selection to Jackie as what she would like for her daughter,and  a bright coloured owl on the moon with pink and silver starsit was to be. Any movement and the stars made with the glitter felt really sparkle.

Caitlin stitched with me yesterday and we added more animals to her tree collection, at this stage we have 11 completed, three more started and hope to have 20 by Christmas time. Caitlin stitched the little deer and I made the bird and the lion.

To finish here is an idea for a Festive desert, I made it for the guild Christmas party no cooking needed... 2 packets of mini cream puffs, some chocolate leaves, easy and fun to do in advance, white icing piped to hold all on place and a few fresh berries to finish.

Am off to do a little Blog hopping and catch up on everyone's news.

ON THE TREE

Last Saturday was church fair and I used my small tree to display the Christmas decorations, did not get a photo as when it was all set up the light was wrong, however the stall was a great success and I exceeded my target by a further $100.
Yesterday while the tree was still empty I put Caitlin’s decoration on my small tree and are thrilled how great the simple colour theme looks against the dark green of the tree.

The new ones I have stitched are the mouse and the bunny both of these are my designs, missing is the owl that is still in Caitlin's sewing bag from last months guild meeting!I think we need a few more and maybe this year they all might be on my tree as Ronan is too tiny to even know what Christmas trees are..

I have started work on Eve's Christmas stocking, have cut out all the pieces and laid them out ready to start stitching, I prefer to buttonhole stitch round all the pieces before stitching them onto the background. The background fabric is the same as I used for Finn's stocking.

A trip to The felt factory is planned for Friday, and I have lots of new ideas to be stitched,  specially for next year' s... One a Month Club. but more on this later.

A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS

The suggestion was made of a Christmas decoration each for Caitlin and Ronan ( her little son) so they could build up a collection for when Ronan was old enough to be interested in putting decorations on the Christmas tree. I don't know if I would be still stitching for enough Christmases to make it a worth while collection, after all Ronan is only a few months old and I am 82 years. 

Change of plans, Caitlin and I decided on a theme we are calling it "' A Child's Christmas" and it is inspired by decorations found on Pinterest by a Dutch designer  Atelier Wilma Creatief   These are mainly animals  with the colour scheme of caramel and white  means they could be used on other occasions,  and we would stitch them together for every one Caitlin makes I will add two! and maybe by this Christmas there will be a nice collection ready for the future.

First one stitched was the bear...This was made by Caitlin with a little help from me we enjoy stitching together so fun to be working on the same project.. Its my bear pattern with wings as seen on the Dutch decorations.

I then stitched the Turtle  as seen on Pinterest just loved his smile.

Next I adapted my little fox to add to the collection.  

The next group of decorations we stitched were-

An Owl stitched by Caitlin and I added an elephant and a giraffe 

I will continue to share with you as the collection grows off now to decide what I will stitch next.

THANK YOU DESLEY

 

I have posted previously that Desley in Australia kindly sent craft buttons for me to use with the decorations I am making for the Church Fair. I appreciated her gifts and decided to make something for her, she tolld me she was recently retired and now able to join with a group of stitchers on Wednesday mornings. Just as I love having my pretty needlework pieces I also enjoy making them, so stitching a set was the perfect way to say thank you for your kindness. The set I stitch was harebells, my own designs and stitched in blue as I checked as to Desley's favourite colour. The true harebells ( campanula rotundifolia) which I have in my garden are violet-blue

    

The pieces in the set are- Pin Keeper

Needle book

Thread ring tag

Tape measure

Small ruler in case with fob

scissors, case and fob

I have had a message to say the parcel has safely arrived and yes she will put them to good use.
I have two other projects under way so it's back to the stitching.

BUTTONS

From Desley in Australia more buttons arrived last week, and when I should be stitching other things, I could not wait to open the packets and examine the selection inside.  I am now trying to just stitch Christmas decorations one afternoon a week there is already a good collection in the boxes  ready for the Church  Fair in November and for the small stall I will do at Jan's school  next month. The problem is I still have ideas I want to stitch and I have a

new idea being planned  for next year, more about that later.

 

From this latest collection of buttons I have made this decorated star using silver glitter felt, I was pleased with the result and will make more like this.

The ones below are using buttons that Desley sent over in her previous parcel. The background is the white glitter felt with a bead edge, theses beads came already strung on a thread making sewing them on quick and easy.. Heart shapes were popular sales last year so hope they will be this year too.

Tomorrow Fiona. Maree and I are visiting the Felt factory in Inglewood again along with felt she stocks DMC threads so I have quite a long shopping list. Hopefully I will get another update posted before the end of the month , Caitlin and I have started a new project together and I need to get some photos taken first.

PLAYING WITH FELT

I am really enjoying working with felt, I have stitched another little squirrel and I like the plain grey felt much better.



I followed the squirrel with a little bluebird, the bird is part of another project. I have been looking at the little activity houses on Noialand as much as I would love to make several of them,













I finally decide to do the bird house as Eve's Christmas present. .

It only has four pages, but such fun to make

More felt projects are under way, must admit I have neglected my embroidery of late! Also Fiona and I are planning another trip to the Felt Factory, am already making a list, she also stocks DMC threads and has matched all the felt colours to the DMC threads. Christmas decorations are also being added to hope to show photos when I next blog.
Spring has arrived and there are delightful patches of colour in the garden  and this lovely pot of miniature daffodils by the door.

Hope you are enjoy the colours of the season be it spring or Autumn.