K.Mart Wishing Tree

Progress report. 8 Jack Rabbits sewn, On the last couple this morning then the clothes. Stuffing and then hand stitching then the clothes next. I have also started knitting undies for dolls too. Wishing you ALL a Very Merry Christmas to family and friends and all you lovely creative and inspiring bloggers and readers out there. I have enjoyed reading your blogs every day. You have inspired and encouraged me to do what i love. Enjoy your family and friendships. From Me and Meggie and Tilli, Hugs and kisses all round.

K.Mart Wishing Tree

Funky Friends Factory bear, I will be using this pattern again this year, a big hit! and a lovely pattern to use.

K.Mart Wishing Tree

Fiona of Hop Skip Jump, What a lovely name! has given me permission to use Jack Rabbit for my K.Mart Wishing Tree. Thank you for your helpful toy ideas this one is delightful,
Do check out her patterns on http://hopskipjump.net.au/

W.I P.

I am currently working on a crochet knee cover for a friend for Christmas, Really enjoying crochet.

Tree Is Up

This is what i am working on this morning, Christmas Coasters for my son and his girlfriend who came by yesterday to put up our tree and hang the wreath on the door. We are invited to a Christmas Lunch at their place with Renees family too, I thought these will make nice little keepsakes.
On the Door.
The Tree at night,
Love how the colours change and pop.

Decorations

This Years Christmas Wreath.
Table top decorations. Making good use of the felt.
Place settings.
Meggie, about to fall asleep.

New Bags

At last! the last bit of my K.Mart Christmas Wishing Tree gift package has arrived, emery boards. Now i know just the size i need to make my gift/makeup bags. First one done, 23 to go! The bags will be green on the outside and lined with the red.

Make Up Bag Re-Makes

This is the fabric and zips i will be using today to re do the K.Mart Wishing Tree make up bags. The ones i made before were too small! but not to worry, i will be putting them aside for next year.
Tilli!!! Not easy sewing with cats, especially when they want to help.

Pincushion Chair

At our last meeting of the year next month at our cloth doll club ACDA we are having a pin cushion swap. I have decided to make a chair, the cushions being the pincushion part. I have used felt for padding.
all parts cut out and covered. The upper seat has been windowed out to allow pins to be pushed in and the seat instead of fiberfilled is having foam cut to size.
The chair is assembled and bias binding is about to be added all around the edges. I will be crocheting a doily to go over the back which will hold a surprise, a needle book.
This is the book i got the inspiration from.
I have also made 10 of these for boys toys for the K Mart Wishing Tree this year.

Christmas Gifts

This is what i have been doing today, Getting some Christmas gifts done for the end of the year party.
Making my own fat 1/4s. Cardboard and fabric.
Fabric and cardboard already cut, 50cm X 50cm squares. Next is ironing them.
Labels designed and printed. 8 to a page on A4 Matt Photo Sticker paper.
Fat 1/4s all ironed and folded onto the cardboard and the labels stuck on.
A stack of 52 fabrics.

Presents

This is what i got for Christmas.
Modelling clay, When i grew up i knew it as plasticine, this basket full of purple goodies, and some green and red balls for the tree.
We had a lovely quiet day, watched movies, phoned family and friends,

Prezzies All Finished

I have been finishing off making Christmas Prezzies today, took a break this afternoon and went out with my son delivering some gifts to my friends, came home and finished doing these toys. They have no embroidery on them because i need to practice embroidery before i put them onto toys, but i still think they look cute. The time now is 5pm, Christmas Eve, just have to wrap them up. I have enjoyed this year of crafting. I feel satisfied that i have achieved all that i set out to do this year and more, Looking forward to putting it all away, (hubby in the back ground thinking Yay!) for a couple of days at least. Looking forward to 2010.
Now does anyone have a cure for hot flushes?

Christmas Present for Dad

For Christmas Mark and Jonno are going to make us a new post box to go with the new fence. How lovely is that!
I will be posting pics of that when it is done, Lovely idea.

Last Minute Quickie Gifts.

Last minute girly gifts, hairbands. not my pattern, i got this one from Heather Bailey http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/HoorayforHeadbands.pdf
I love it! it is super quick and easy and is in 3 sizes, baby, child and adult.
Make them in the favourite colours of the recipient and you have a cute gift.

Last Minute gifts

Before i went to bed last night i realised, I needed to make 1 more gift! I had forgotten my friends grandson, It is amazing how time flies, When new little lives come on the scene and you have a whole new generation to make for so i went to my book case, picked this book, Making Soft Toys by Alan Dart, that i picked up for $4 a couple of years ago thinking, I may want to try something from it one day, well that day is here.
It has some really lovely things in it. Long out of print it was published in 1994 by Coombe books. ISBN 1-85833-253-2 for anyone wanting to do a book search you maybe able to pick one up second hand.
This is what i will be making today, It is a sitting non jointed bear, and the best part is that it is all machine sewing, doable in the time i have left to do it in. i think my pure wool op shop coat fabrics will be just perfect for this. The bear in the book is the small one, the larger bear is the same pattern enlarged, I don't have time to do enlarging, just going to trace the pattern onto cardboard and get started.
I hope you all manage to get your last minute shopping/crafting/cooking done just the way you want, If not then just ring/e-mail/write to those you love, Hug the ones you see and tell them you love them.

ACDA Meeting

When i came back i had a delightful postal package waiting for me, these wonderful hand made paper cards with dried flowers on them. To give you an idea on the size, they are 7cm by 10 cm each.
This was from a member of the ACDA our cloth doll club, and she sent them to me with a lovely card thanking me for the Santa Pins i had made. (I had enough left by the way, with 1 left over).
They are truly works of art and i love them.

Gifts

I have been away for a couple of days in Sydney helping my daughter move to Bathurst. (My job, primarily was to make sure that her two cats were comfortable on the two and a half hour drive). They are safe, happy and comfortable now in their new home. Cats do not like to be in a car in cat carriers. They did have a prescription from the vet but this unfortunately did not take effect until almost there, so i was more than happy to indulge in my job of keeping them happy with eye contact, my hands on them and talking to them the whole time.

Brooches and Babies

I just thought i would share this with you,
I have given away so many Santa Pins that i am now short for the Christmas Party that was making them for in the first place, and having been to several Spotlight stores only to find they have ran out of the fabric to make some more i needed a quick solution.
So here it is. Pack of Christmas Tree Decorations 9 for $2.00 + pin backs and hot glue gun = instant pins. I bought 3 packs and now have 27 more pins to give away for Christmas.
What i will need do first is put away those i need for the party and just use the rest to give away, I learned my lesson.
Prezzies for friends and family.
Not another doll, you might say, I made this one yesterday for a friend of mines grand daughter, My friend has been to my house several times and always likes to see the things i have made. Her grand daughter is almost 2 years old, i think she will like it. She is Mauritian/African mix and very beautiful, i wanted to replicate her lovely hair and so i used sound speaker felt. it is thick and slightly knobbly. My friend Will be very surprised cos i told her i was only making them for charity this year. Her dress is from one of the fabrics i was sent and if you look closely you will see that it has french words all over it. Creole is spoken in Mauritius a french dialect.
Now what do I make next?

Santa Pins

This is what i have been doing today. 50 pins. First i Vliesofix some cream felt to the Santa face to stabilize it then i cut them out. I then pinned it onto some more felt then i appliqued it onto that, then i cut them out again, this time leaving a border.
Finished pins. On the back i made a tab of felt to hold the pin in an upright position and hot glued them into place. (I ran out of green felt and so i used whatever felt i had). Total cost of pins? $2.50 for 50 of them.
I also made two swaps, a Pincushion Swap and a Christmas Tree Decoration Swap, All ready for the Cloth Doll Club Christmas Party.
My son and his girlfriend came by and i helped them with their project, stapling elastic to masks and sewed the edges of a banner for them. This is what i call A Great Crafty Day. Not finished yet though, must eat something first before i get to finish the Softies, They will be finished by the end of the day and then photographed.

Christmas Tree

Last year and for at least 10 years we did not bother with having a tree, we thought, well the kids are all grown up and so we did not make too much of it. Well my best friend did not agree with that, and so she bought me a tree for the table, (picture tomorrow) and my son and his girlfriend also did not agree with this and they bought this tree along with decorations.
We bought some lights today and put the tree up and it looks wonderful! All those years of missing out! Never again I say!! I just love it.