New Year Sewing

There have been lots of interesting and inspiring posts around blogland over the past week or so about the New Year - new plans, intentions, resolutions. Usually January hits and it does feel to me like an opportunity for new beginnings, fresh plans and extra motivation. I'm not necessarily someone who makes lots of specific resolutions at this time of year, but I am generally someone who has new intentions or plans, or at least renewed oomph for intentions or plans already in existence! But this year, not so much. I'm not really sure why. Possibly because this year it feels to me, more than ever, that every day is a new beginning and a chance for a fresh start. A new year feels a bit less of a big deal than in the past.

But from a crafting point of view, I did have a huge focus on Christmas making over the past few months, building up to a slightly frenzied crescendo as the big day drew nearer! With all that over, I have felt a need for a bit of taking stock about what kind of things I want to be making now. And although, for me personally, I often find the thing with creativity is that you just have to let it take you where it wants to take you, where you're excited to go at that moment, so it doesn't always work to make lots of plans, there are definitely a few projects and ideas that are buzzing around my head at the moment - that could almost be called plans.

In particular I really want to get a few more Mini Quilts made, and I have some quotes or words I'd like to use as inspiration for them. And I seem to be feeling the urge to do a bit more hand sewing too. I've started sewing some wool pennies on to squares of wool.

The colours are all being chosen to blend with this wool scarf which I'm also planning to use, so often I find a thrifted scarf is a great source of pretty wool.

All the wool is thrifted of course.

I'm really enjoying sitting and sewing at a slower pace than usual with these squares. And I have a feeling I'll be in the mood for more wool pennies after this project is finished.

As well as wool pennies, I'm strangely drawn to the idea of hand sewing some 'yoyos' right now, and possibly using them in a quilt. Not something I've ever done before. And often when I see yoyos, I find them a little old fashioned, so I think it could be a bit of a challenge to avoid that trap. But there are quite a few yoyo projects out there that manage it, like this quilt for instance...

Here on Pinterest

It might not be to your taste, but I don't think you could call it old fashioned? So hopefully I might pull it off too.

I enjoyed the dress and nightie sewing for the girls before Christmas, which was a little unexpected for me, and I think the New Year might see me dabbling a little more with some dress making type sewing, possibly even - drum roll please! - sewing something for me. As in something for me that I would then actually wear! It might happen!

So what about you? What New Year sewing or making are you planning? Have you ever made yoyos and used them? Any advice for me? And when was the last time you made something specifically for yourself?

Sally.

Catch Up on Christmas Present Making

Before I move into 2015, a few last Christmas presents that couldn't be shared before the big day, what a long time ago it seems already!

A patchwork cushion, to match a quilt from a couple of years back...

A basket of Russian dolls in sleeping bags...

(A little more on these way back here, when I made them before.)

And Venetia squeezed in some last minute stars for me too...

Hoping all your last minute Christmas making was successful! And a, slightly belated, Happy New Year to you all.

Sally.

This Moment

A very late 'this moment' as I try and get back into some semblance of routine! Here's a link to Soulemama's moment, and here are mine, Winter holiday beach moments ...

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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Hoping you've all had a wonderful Christmas and a great start to 2015.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve has been, generally, a good day. A few sibling squabbles here and there but plenty of fun, lots of lovely smells and food, and, fortunately, very productive all round!

Overall the balance of chaos to Christmassy-ness has improved. The exception to this would be, predictably, the kitchen; that looks exactly like 4 children have made gingerbread houses in it, as well as lots of other cooking and baking. I'm off to tackle it in a minute.

Pompom making finally finished.

I think we have 20 white pompoms to string like this, as well as quite a few red ones that went on our driftwood tree.

Mince pies were made and eaten.

Games were played and books read and a teeny bit of last minute making was squeezed in. All making for tomorrow is now finished, hurray! But there is a little bit of finishing still to be done for presents to be delivered later in the week - loads of time for that!

And then, with much excitement, bedtime...





The boys both sleep up high, in bunk style beds, and were far too tricky to risk photographing, but the girls, having their sleepover together, were much too cute to resist nipping down for my camera, especially as they'd conveniently left on their light!

Still a little wrapping to finish now as well, but very much manageable. So, a Happy Christmas to you all. Hope you have a wonderful, peaceful time filled with family and friends.

Sally XXX

Reindeer Take 5

The Christmas making season seemed to start with robins and is now ending with a flurry of reindeer creativity...

1) It all started when the girls had a charity 'Wear a Christmas Jumper' day at school near the end of term. Unfortunately, although Maria is the proud owner of a sparkly penguin jumper (present!), Venetia is Christmas jumperless. I know, I know, tis a deprived childhood we're providing for her! But since I had no desire to go out and buy one we decided to improvise and make a little brooch to go on a plain jumper. I did suggest a robin, but, like Maria, I think Venetia had had enough of the little birdies and firmly requested a reindeer. So this is what I came up with for starters...

Which I do really like. But then I wondered why I hadn't gone down the Rudolf route since it was for a child not an adult, so I had to make another...

Just several layers of wool stitched together, with brooch backs sewn on to them.

2) After that it was a short hop and a skip to a reindeer head cushion from recycled wools...

3) And some reindeer and pompom bunting to accompany it...





But I do have to say that, although I love this in theory, in practice it keeps getting tangled, is a nightmare to photograph, and I think possibly the antlers may droop when it's hanging!

4) Those of you who know me, and therefore know how completely rubbish I am with any kind of hair 'styling', will realise how impressive this next one was...

Idea spotted on Pinterest and pinched - find it here.

Please ignore Theo's pallet building site off to the right!

5) And the last one is a bit of a cheat because they're still under construction, but I'm fast running out of posting time here so it can't wait any longer. Sam and I managed to go off for a lovely, long walk last week, along a beautiful river to the sea (Watersmeet to Lynmouth for anyone in N Devon).

Don't be fooled by the shorts, it was pretty cold!

 And as well as enjoying some fresh air and gorgeous scenery...

We were rewarded, when we reached our end destination, by a beach full of amazing driftwood.

So, of course, we gathered up as much as we possibly could to take home with us! And it seemed perfect to try and recreate these deer that we spotted, scattered around the woods in the Forest School group Maria and I went to last year.

So this is the plan. They're started, but I'm not entirely sure they'll be finished! Not necessarily for this Christmas anyway. Since, despite all my best intentions, we are still not wonderfully organised! There's crazy pompom making going on, by all of us, for a decoration I really want to get finished, gingerbread house pieces are cooked but awaiting assembly tomorrow, there might even be a couple of presents nearly but not completely finished, plenty of cooking still on the 'to do' list, and the house is looking far more chaotic than Christmassy! Maybe one year I'll manage it! Hope you're all more on track than I am.

Sally.

PS Nearly forgot, still got half the wrapping to do too - but, looking at the positive, that's half less than this time last year!

This Moment

Here's a link to Soulemama's moment, and here's mine...

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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Misbehaving Hexies Tamed

Way back in October, I was having trouble with some hexies (here), they just wouldn't work together as I'd hoped and I ended up having a complete rethink and turning just one of my hexie 'flowers' into this. 

I actually finished it ages and ages ago (as you can see from the real flowers in bloom here at our local RHS gardens), but I was not very prompt at sending it off to its new home. Getting round to posting things is never my strong point!

The front is all from wool blankets and it's backed with a soft, stripey, flannel sheet. I just quilted the centre hexagon and around the 'flower'.

So I still have 6 other wool hexie 'flowers' now without a plan. They may go a similar way to this one or something else might occur to me.

It feels quite strange to be posting something on here that is in no way connected to Christmas,all making round here seems to be revolving around that at the moment! Is anyone else having any feelings of slight panic that they're nowhere near finishing anything like what they'd hoped to?! Only 10 more sleeps to go, yikes!

Sally.