Not one but two Ta-Dahs

 I have been beavering away at completing the two Santa Claus Christmas ornaments from mmmcrafts (one for me = pink trousers and a green stocking and the other for Joshua - blue trousers and yellow stocking).  And despite fighting the nasty virus I caught from Joshua, I am very happy to say I have finished both of them!

I took a series of photos while I assembled them because I think it shows how much work the designer puts into the patterns.

Pipe cleaner beards and beads and sequins on the boots

Candy canes made from cotton pipe cleaners and wrapped with embroidery thread

The arms are sewn on followed by the coat complete with sequins and beads

Belt and teeny tiny mittens which are then shaped to hold the Christmas stocking (holding the candy cane) and in the other glove a bell.

I have absolutely no idea how long these take to make but it is several hours.  Needless to say it is a labour of love!  Larissa the designer is in the process of making the next ornament in the Twas the Night before Christmas series.  It is a tiny white mouse sleeping in a tea cup.  She posts her progress on Instagram with lots of them not making the cut and are rejected, so you know when the pattern is finally available for purchase a lot of work has gone into it!

I have also completed Ambers decoration - her third in the 12 days of Christmas series and will show that soon (haven't taken photos yet).

SAL and Japanese Rice Bag

 This week our daughter moved house so we've spent a lot of time looking after the children (its impossible to pack boxes when there is a 2.5 year old and an eight month old baby around.  And on the day they had the removal people in we had the children stay over night.  Unfortunately little man hasn't been well and it was so difficult to settle him and then we listened to him coughing and heavily breathing all night! So it was a trip to see the GP with him on Friday and luckily he is ok just getting over a virus. Lets just say we were rather glad to take them to there new house on Friday and then we slept for 10 hours straight!  We still aren't back on full form yet but give it a few ore days and I am sure we will be!  This means that not a lot has happened on the sewing front but I did manage to finish part five of the SAL.

 Oh how I love this Faby Reilly SAL!  Her colour combinations are always gorgeous and she definitely challenges my sewing skills.  But I mastered the palestrina stitch after a bit of practice in the border and it does make a really fabulous edge.  It is stitched using six strands of DMC thread so stands proud and as I've already said I LOVE IT.

At my craft class last month I decided to make another Japanese Rice bag for my niece.  She is nearly seven and I thought she might like the fun fabric.  I think I will save it and give it to her for either her birthday or Christmas with something nice inside!

My plan for slow Sunday stitching is to work on Santa Claus x 2.

SAL and Santa Claus

 While Europe bakes in a 40 degree heat wave, here on the south coast of England we are battling gale force winds and rain (lots of it!)  What that has meant is I've had quite a bit of time to catch up on some sewing.  On Monday the 5th part of Faby Reillys SAL was posted and it is a beautiful fish tail.

It will be interesting to see if the next two sections become more of the fish?

I also decided to make my Santa Claus Christmas decoration in tandem with Joshua's.  Not sure if that will work out but we will see.  As you can see from the photo below I am now in the same place for both decorations.  The next bit is sewing the body parts together (that's the bit with the pipe cleaners attached) and stuffing them.

I won't get a chance to stitch on Sunday I have my son and his fiancé visiting.  The plan was to have a BBQ but with the weather being so unpredictable that has gone out of the window!  So that means I am having a slow Saturday stitching instead.  Hop on over tomorrow to see what others are stitching!

 

Santa Claus

 Can you believe we are half way through the year already!!  How did that happen?  It made me realise I should start thinking about finishing Ambers 3rd Christmas decoration from mmmcrafts and deciding what I wanted to make for Joshua.  Last year I got a bit caught out and made him a gnome with a J on it but I wanted to do something along the lines of 12 days of Christmas.  I had the choice of two sets from Larissa of mmmcrafts the first was her Ebenezer Ornament Series inspired by A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  There are four characters in this set so far and they are amazing but didn't feel appropriate for Josh who won't be one until November.  The second series she is working on is 'Twas the Night before Christmas' from the classic 1823 Christmas poem, A visit from St. Nicholas by Clement C Moore. I downloaded three patterns and am in the process of making Santa Claus (this one is for me, but I've already printed the Solvy for Joshuas version)

At my sewing group on Monday I was busy sewing on lots of sequins and beads.  Now all I have to do is assemble him!  My plan for Sunday slow stitching is to make a start on putting him together. Hop on over to Kathy's blog tomorrow and see what other people are stitching.

Benjamin bunny and flower border

 I don't have a lot to show for this week mainly because I've started to prep the next piece of fabric for the Faby Reilly SAL and as that is only outlining the sewing wallet I didn't take a photo.  But I have put the odd cross stitch in Benjamin bunny (do you remember I did a little cross stitch of Flopsy bunny and vowed I couldn't possible do another one because all the back stitch was so tedious?  But sometimes I needed a mindless piece to work on)!  So here is Benjamin in progress over several weeks (possible months!)

Dare I say I think he's quite cute......but then ask me again when I get to the back stitching!

Today I finally got back to my sewing machine and hemmed the denim pinafore dress that I made a while ago but because the denim is too heavy for summer I have just not got round to turning it up.  And then I decided I would do some embroidery on the back pocket.  Now this is really up my street, I just wished I had thought of it before I put the pockets on!

I have no plan in mind other than to add flowers along the entire pocket (about 4.5").  Hopefully I will have more to show next week!

I will try to link up to Kathy's blog tomorrow for some slow Sunday stitching but we are entertaining Faye and Co. tomorrow with a BBQ.