Book Week – Aaarrrhhhh!

It's that time of year again when I'm reminded with only a week (give or take a few days) to go, that costumes are needed for book week.

"Okay!" I say, with slight relief that my boy has moved up schools and no longer needs one for that day so I can concentrate on one costume, "…so what would you like to be this year Tink?" to which, with a wicked smile I might add, someone who I consider my friend says …without being able to control the delight in her voice "and what are you going to go as?"

"Me? Me?, Oh yeah, ME! (I have deleted the rude word from my actual response!). I forgot I have to dress up too!"

Everything's coming up Roses!

…forgive me bloggers for I have sinned! It's been 17 days since my last blog post and although I've been monkeying around still, dare I say that I have lost my enthusiasm (a little)!

…I found it in the shape of a new medium! I feel like I have betrayed the socks and lovely fabric now lying dormant in my stash piles. I've turned my back on buying socks, stuffing and felt. I've stopped searching for the next quilt inspiration, and avoided sitting sewing with the girls (only kidding about the last bit, just thought I'd add it to make them laugh). Instead I find myself, not in the sewing shop running my hands across fabrics or choosing which buttons or cottons  I need. Oh no, now I stand in the art shop casually eyeing up the shelves of… wait for it, I need to create some tension… or anticipation… (and a page break just might do that… cue the page break… now!)

Excuses, excuses!

…oops! When was my last post?! Wait for it – I've got a whole load of excuses…

1 – had a really bad cold and felt like pants for the past 3 weeks (thank you lovely children at school for sharing your cold)

2 – I've been finishing off a few quilts for some very lovely people

3 – I've been waiting for my new polyester stuffing to arrive so that I could finish stuffing monkeys (is it wrong to be excited about stuffing? If it is, I don't care, my new polyfill is gorgeous so very soft and just plain fab!)

4 – Planning Tinks birthday party…

and 5 – surfing for inspiration for presents!

6 – and boringly, I have had to do some housework! 

…need I continue? I think you can see the pattern of excuses forming here.

Because of all this disjointedness, I haven't really had anything to blog specifically about, and I absolutely hate blogging without a photo, so I allowed my excuses to take the better of me!

Rest assured that very soon there will be some finished monkey mug shots but due to a personal circumstance I won't be blogging for a bit! Hooray, I hear you say.

Rather than keep popping back you can subscribe to receive my blog posts by email, that way you'll be the first to know when I'm back with the monkeys!… it's just under my followers list over on the right!!!

Right I'm off!

Thanks for reading, see you in a bit.

Rachael

Monkeys in progress!

I've just got the best job in the world… school in the morning and sewing in the afternoons, who could ask for more.

I've had quite a busy week this week. I'm trying to finish some of my 'nearly complete' quilts and of course there's the new batch of sock monkeys!

I wouldn't normally do this because I don't like people seeing my monkeys before they are complete. It would be like going to work in your underwear which I'm sure we've all dreamt about but would never do!

…but today I've made a slight exception – just because so many of you have put in an order and I want you to see the monkeys are moving forward!

…this is the first 6 and there are another 12 in various stages of creation!

Next step for these little guys… ears and limbs!!!

Thanks for looking.

Rachael

Happy New Year!

…finally! Wow, time goes so fast. I have been meaning to post… urm, since New Years Day but I just haven't had chance. Still 5 days late isn't so bad.

I trust you all had a lovely christmas and got all that you hoped for? I did, scissors, sketch book and new pins! Aaahhh, new pins …pins that stick straight into fabric without catching or bending, that's a little piece of heaven for me. Of course there were other things that were equally fabulous and quite unexpected but Father Christmas delivered on the tools of my trade so there's no excuses now!

…or maybe just one! I don't quite have as much time on my hands as I have just started the most fabulous job in the world as a teaching assistant… what am I talking about, there's always time for sewing, it's the housework and the ironing that I'll have to fit in.

I've started on my new batch of sock monkeys and I'm loving the colours of the socks (not that my photo shows the colours!). There are a few that I've had before but I'll make them with different faces and ears/noses. I'm just cutting and pinning at the moment and my lovely Bernina is still away in the box… maybe tomorrow I'll start sewing them. If I do I have several bags cut and ready to go too! 

Oh happy days. 

…now, off to christen my sketch book.

Thanks for stopping by.

Rachael

Over Easy!

So I was advised by my beloved husband on Saturday last…"Maybe you should stop sewing now for a bit?!" Oh yeah, okay… like I'm going to do that, your a brave man to even think it let alone say it out loud! Okay I'll stop sewing if you can stop breathing… lets be honest it ain't gonna happen!

…but I have stopped being so frantic, and I have been able to step away from the sewing machine and socks for long enough to get all the christmas presents for the family, and wrap them! I now have christmas well and truly under my belt! …is that even a saying?

We sat for ages wondering how to wrap the presents and decided on brown craft paper with a silver bow…

Nice and simple bows to make but we used up quite a lot of ribbon, but now that they're all wrapped they look lovely under the tree.

Thank goodness its FRIDAY!

Wow what a week, I've been so busy everyday, if I've been in the house longer than an hour at the time I was lucky… don't get me wrong I'm not complaining but I am I little daunted by the fact that I now only have 2 monkeys left!

Now is the time to panic… other than my niece's bag I have no other presents for my family! I'm thinking of making the same bag but without the owl/penguin embellishments for my slightly older niece… and I'm sure a few of my nephew and nieces would love a sock monkey or a sock snowman – I know this because a few have asked!

I photographed my owl/penguin bag properly today and it now has a popper closure on it. I love this bag, I am going to have to make one for myself without the face!

So will I get any more sewing in before christmas! I'm hoping so but the ironing pile is getting higher and higher! Problem is that my head is spinning with ideas at the moment and ironing is not an outlet for my creativity… that's my excuse anyway!

Thanks for stopping by

Merry christmas

Rachael