Just in time...

At 11.58pm on Christmas eve, just before Santa made his stop at my place, I finished the last stitches on Alex's christmas present... well, almost. I may have cheated and drawn on the mouth... but I promise I will get around to stitching it! Introducing Finnigan the Frog, pattern my Melly & Me:

He was quite fun to make, from picking the fabrics to learning how to attach limbs with a dolls needle (wowsers - had never seen one of those before, they are huge!)

I just LOVE the little frog buttons I managed to find for the arm attachment. So cute, and exactly the right colour.

Alex seemed pretty happy with Finnigan on Christmas morning (not that this picture overly shows it), and Finnigan has become the latest favourite sleeping companion - certainly makes me smile!

Both the kids were spoiled for Christmas, here's Sofia looking somewhat puzzled with her loot :)

It's been a year of ups and downs for me, and I can't say that I'm sad to leave 2013 behind. I'm really hoping for a good 2014, and I think I'm ready to tackle some new adventures... and maybe finish some stitching projects in between the fun and games! 

I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and all the very best for the new year :)

Until next time... in 2014 xx

A quick Secret Santa gift

I needed a Secret Santa gift, so I figured why not whip something up? So yesterday, while the kids napped, I grabbled a couple of fat quarters, my rotary cutter and ruler and started cutting...

Then to the sewing machine I went, and after not too long I had made a little zipper pouch/pencil case. I've seen some lovely pouches popping up in blogland and was tempted to look up an online tutorial to make something a bit more fancy, but as I wasn't sure how long I had before one or both children woke up, I just made it up as I went. While in not 100% happy with the stitching around the zipper, I think it turned out quite well and think I may have to make myself one of these! I particularly love the contrast between the outer fabric and the lining :)

In other stitching news... I've finished the stitching for my 'Merry' bunting, and I've been working away whenever I've had the chance on Alex's christmas pressie. Hopefully these two cheeky munchkins give me a chance to finish one or both of these projects in the next few days... when I have, I'll be back to share pics!

Until next time x

My first softie!

I've been wanting to have a go at making a softie for ages, eyeing off cute patterns for a good couple of years now. I decided this might be the perfect idea for special gifts for the kids for Christmas this year. For Sofia, I chose to do Lola the Ladybug by Melly & Me... what do you think?

Lola is available as either a regular pattern or as a panel. As it was my first attempt at a softie, I thought the panel would be the better option so I ordered one directly from Melly & Me. It definitely made life easy as you just cut out the pieces as you go (no tracing!), all the markings are pre-printed, and I found the instructions really easy to follow.

I decided to hand sew the tummy patch rather than machine sew it as the instructions suggested. I did this so that I could use a nice bright cotton and get that hand-sewn blanket stitch look.

As a finishing touch, a crocheted flower is recommended. I am yet to learn the art of crochet but a lovely friend from craft group whipped up a gorgeous flower for me to add to Lola... the colours are perfect!

As I was sewing either on days that Alex is at childcare or while both kids sleep, it took me a few days to complete, but I'm really happy with the final product. Lola had a bit of an explore in the garden this afternoon...

Talking about my garden... I'm discovering some gorgeous flowers planted by a previous owner, and enjoying bringing some inside. Aren't these just lovely?!

Now to get cracking Alex's present: pattern has been selected, fabric purchased, now to just get some time to start sewing... all within the next 18 sleeps before Christmas! Wish me luck.

Until next time x