Book week 'day' THE COUNTDOWN – part two

…what was I thinking!

How cocky was I with my fancy ideas and my fancy drawings! Made a few outfits for my kids and I think I've become a full on tailor!

Making clothes for kids is easy, they are like making boxes to package them up in… I hadn't accounted for the fact that grown ups have curves and although my curves may not be very prominent …they're still there!!!

Laying on the floor and drawing around myself was not going to work, I needed a plan!!!

…and the plan came in the shape of Bin Bag Me!

You know how your best ideas always come to you when your trying to get to sleep? Well mine do at least, and I released that I needed a model of me so that I could attempt to make the top part of my outfit!

…and here I am as a plastic bag…

Book week 'day' THE COUNTDOWN – part one

I have been so busy this week trying to get both mine and Tinks costumes ready for Friday, and I'm pleased to say that I'm oh so nearly finished!

…just a few more little finishing off bits to do with Tinks outfit and for mine all thats needed is the contents for my basket!

It took Tink and I a while to decide what she would go as. I had managed, after a considerable amount of persuasion, to convince her, that it would be good idea to go as Lola from the Charlie and Lola books only to have this idea blown out of the water by the wicked witch of the west, whom I think, had an ulterior motive …under her evil spell she made the idea of Princess Eliza from the Princess and the Wizard seem a wonderful idea, and a very familiar outfit to that of Princess Evie which she would be attempting to make for her daughter!

Actually it wasn't really like that, well maybe a little, but it was me who told the wicked witch that she would be no longer attempting to piece together an outfit but to make it from scratch and with a vague picture of the princesses in my head we set of to go fabric shopping! 1 hour later, and after a hysterical visit to the shop where we were served by two very strange women who were really not very competent and had me in tears, we were finally equipped with cheap lining fabric, glittery fabric, netting and for me black velvet! Max looked a little daunted by the prospect but I knew we could do it, I love the way she always raises her eyebrows when I say "it'll be easy!"

Tink drew me her idea of what I needed to make…

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