Furry Toys I made for my little Sister

I made these furry toys for my little Sister many years ago

 I wish I still had the patterns to make them again

Inspired by our old Series 1 Landrover SXF 476

We had to sell our dear old Series 1 Landrover when we moved down from Scotland.  We lived high up in the hills in Perthshire. A kind Gentleman bought her and drove her back to his home on the
 Isle of Skye. She was built like a Tank so I hope she is still around

A  POEM IN MEMORY OF SXF 476
She carried logs
 and drove through bogs
She sunk in snow
 we loved her so
But.....she had to go

I tried not to cry
 as I waved her goodbye
She drove off to Skye
 with a lovely guy
We miss her so
But.....she had to go

Our photos of her are fading but our memories will never fade

This photo makes me pine to be back in the Scottish mountains

We had to check underneath for our Chickens before we drove her They loved going to sleep on the axles between the wheels

She was so heavy that she used to sink in heavy snow

Hubby looking after her engine 

She is the inspiration for the project I have just started
If anyone sees her on the Isle of Skye please give her a big hug from me
 Thanks for dropping by.  Bye for now. Marion x

How I made my cat a jumper bed Tutorial

Wally testing his new bed

Old wooly jumper

  Turn inside out and sew up neck opening

 Turn to right side.  Pin then sew across below arms 

  Stuff tube formed by arms and jumper top

I washed an old pillow at 60 degrees to clean it

 I cut it open and used the Stuffing for my Cat Bed 

  Folding back the arms makes this job easier to do

  Outer ring of bed now stuffed

Put one cuff inside the other to join circle

Pin, tack then oversew edge. Remove tacking stitches

 Put a small pillow or stuffing inside the jumper to make a base

Close hem and pull up thread to gather a little to round off

Turn over and pin base around edge

Oversew base to outer ring 

Complete.  Now I must find one of our four cats to test it !

Our Spaniel has tested it already  :-)

TUTORIAL How to make a Powder Puff for applying Talc

I have just made this Powder Puff and thought you might like to see how I made it. 

Material list

Furry fabric

Fabric for the back. I used towelling for mine

Thick wadding

Ribbon

A saucer to drawer a round shape

Pin and tack ends of ribbon to the centre of the towelling circle

Only sew the ends of the ribbon down because.....

 To use the Puff you put your fingers under the ribbon

If you want a hanging loop turn the end under ( see lower photo )

Sew the small wadding circle onto the middle of the big wadding circle

This will keep your Puff plump and stop it sinking in the middle

Layer circles as above 

Ribbon side of towelling faces fluffy side of furry fabric

Place wadding circle under furry fabric circle

Pin around edge with the biggest pins you have

Sew around edge of circle about 1cm from the edge

 I did this by hand and left a gap for turning it inside out

Turn inside out and stitch opening closed and you have a nice fluffy Powder Puff for applying Talcum Powder.

His name is Matchbox Teddy Bear for obvious reasons !

  Matchbox Teddy Bear must be one of the smallest bears I have ever made and probably my favourite ..... so far

It was hard to get a clear photo of him because he is so fluffy.  Maybe Fluffy Bear would be a better name for him ?

Pink heart pincushion and phone sock from a sock

Finished at last.  I kept decorations simple to leave room for the pins.  I made another cover for my Mobile Phone with the other half of the sock

I have just made this pink heart pincushion.  It could be a Mother's Day present, Valentine Day or Birthday present for anyone who sews ?  The fun bit will be decorating it  :-)

First attempt at making a Kanzashi flower

My first attempt at making a Kanzashi flower. There are lots of Tutorials showing how to make them on the Internet.  I will try making more. They are fiddly to make but quite pretty so worth the effort

My mini fabric cat or kitten Air Freshener

My kitty cat air freshener for our downstairs cloakroom was born today after a very long pregnancy. I have been trying to complete her for months : )

Recycling my Slippers into a hedgehog a bookmark an Owl and a Sheep

I was going to give my new slippers to a Charity Shop as they won't stay on my feet. Then....... I saw a hedgehog on top.....

A bookmark on the sole and owls and hearts on the sides and.....

A sheep inside !   

Turtle I made for my Niece from a Hobbycrafts Kit

She found it soft enough to hug at night bless her

My craft cupboard is now full up ! Dec 2011

My craft shelves are full and I have more in boxes !

My blog is now one year old.  Happy birthday blog  :-)

Thank you all for looking at my projects for the last year

I think my blog has become boring but it has been fun to do 

What would make my blog more interesting ? 

I found my applique Peru bag in a charity shop

How could anyone part with this lovely colourful bag ?

Felt and sequin butterfly brooches or appliques

I love these sequin butterflies.  My craft buddy Elaine made the one on the right for me.  I would love to decorate my jean pockets with them but I don't know if they would get ruined in the wash ?  

Addicted to making needlecases at the moment !

Another needlecase probably for my sister who loves geese, ducks, chickens....all birds really. I have a lot of green felt to use up so I will be making some more.

How to make a quick and easy cushion cover

Pick one large blouse or shirt. Do up all the buttons. Turn it inside out and iron it flat. Pin between each button to keep layers together.

Measure up to just below the armholes and draw a line across with a Trickmarker (fading fabric pen)  Pin along this line and along the bottom edge.

Draw a line at right angles to the line below the armholes on both sides creating a square or oblong. Pin and tack all around all four sides.

Remove all pins when you have finished tacking.  Sew around all four sides.  Trim fabric edge about 2 cms away from sewing line with pinking shears to prevent fraying. Cut diagonally across each corner to make corners easier to turn.

Undo buttons and turn to right side out.  Add a cushion pad. Do up the buttons and your cushion is finished.

Reverse of cushion with buttons done up and two useful hidden pockets to hide things in.  If you don't want the pockets simply remove them before making up your cushion.  You can also make a cushion the same way using a cardigan with buttons down the front for a cosy winter cushion.