A little bear called Rosie

Hello my lovelies, I hope you've all enjoyed your weekend?! We actually had a night (yay!) out where we enjoyed a delicious Indian meal and a trip to cinema to watch the epically moving 12 Years a Slave, where Sean Bobbitt, the cinematographer did one amazing job. Even though his view was 'to keep it simple', it did everything and more to grip you into a state of feeling so uncomfortable at times whilst you willed the camera just to look away. For me it has to be the best cinematography I have seen in a long while and it comes as no surprise that Sean Bobbitt has been nominated for a Bafta Award. In fact it comes as no surprise that most aspects of the movie has been nominated for Baftas, and it will all be revealed tonight, how very exciting. Credit also has goes to the incredible acting by Chiwetel Ejiofor who played Solomon Northup and the other members of the cast who gave outstanding performances. It was harrowing in exactly the way I expected it to be and it pains me to think that even though slavery is illegal today, it's still going on around the world.

So moving on to something a little more cheerful, a new little friend has

joined our family this week.

 

 



After making Fantastic Mr Fox for little J's birthday last summer, little E has been waiting very patiently for me to make her a bear. It is fair to say that it has taken me quite some time to actually get around to it finishing it, but this week seemed like the perfect opportunity to do a little hand stitching to sooth my dreaded lurgy.

 

 



 

 

Rosie was made using a pattern by the very talented Sasha Pokras's. I must say unlike my first this little cheeky bear didn't quite turn out as I expected, but I am still very much in love with her.

 

 

 

Rosie has largely been hand stitched and I have used cotter pins to enable all of her joints to move. She is made out of lovely mohair and only measures around 11 inches tall, so she's only a wee lass.

 

 



I managed to finish it on Thursday afternoon and placed it on little E's pillow for when she returned from school. She was delighted and it took no time for her to christen her as Rosie. It is so lovely that little E absolutely loves little Rosie and that she straight away included her with the bedtime 'gang'. She is now firmly tucked up with her bestie, Treacle (the bear she's had since she was born) and Rabbity (her handmade Christmas pressie). I love how she really appreciateshand made things and the fact that she really looks after them too. It certainly makes every little stitch so much more rewarding.

 

 



 

 

Thank you for all your well wishes this week, they were all very much appreciated. I am fortunately feeling a little better than I did, which is a good thing as I have the two small monsters at home for half term, which should be fun and games.  I am joining in with the lovely Chrissie from Chrissie Crafts for her 'Stitching Sunday'.

 

 

Wishing you all a very enjoyable week.

 

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

 

My First Quilt - a 16 Block Quilt

Quilt making is something that my Ma has always done and to be honest the urge has never grabbed me, well that was until last summer when some vintage fabrics that's been lying around for quite some time started calling out for a little TLC.

 

 

 

 

 

Without a quilt book in sight I ventured over to Pinterest for a little inspiration. How lucky are we to be spoilt with so much inspiration with just a click of a button?! Within minutes I saw this 16 block quilt and knew instantly that I wanted to have a go making something similar.  

 

 

 

 

This tutorial came in really handy for learning how to cut the fabrics to save a little time. I didn't follow the full instructions for my quilt as I wanted something a little different, but for cutting the fabrics it came in very handy. I knew I wanted my finished squares to be in the region of 8.5 inches or thereabout so I just worked the rest out from there. Therefore allowing a quarter inch seam allowance on each side of the block for each 16 blocks.

 

 

I figured that it would be a good idea for my first quilt to be small as I didn't know how I was going to manage quilting a massive quilt for the first time, so I aimed for a finished size of around 40 x 50 inches and boy am I pleased I did!

 

 

 

 

I found the cutting quite therapeutic, especially seeing I did some of it sitting outside in the gorgeous sunshine we were blessed with last summer. This is definitely my idea of how one should go about ones quilting business. 

 

 

 

 

It was only during the month of August that I started joining the squares together to form a 16 block squares and found it a very enjoyable process. I definitely think having a 1/4 inch machine foot really helps to keep things nice and tidy and I wouldn't ever be without one again.

 

 

 

 

 

It felt so lovely to pick up these squares again in January after so many months and despite my nerves about doing the sashing, it actually turned out to be a pretty straight forward process in the end. On the other hand putting the quilt together was a little more tricky , but nothing that a good few safety pins couldn't sort out.

 

 

 

  

I found that keeping the iron handy really helped. It really is a great deal easier if everything is crisp and flat without any pesky creases glaring up at you

  

 

 

 

then came the quilting and if I am perfectly honest this is the bit that scared the socks off me, but it all turned out OK in the end (and it seems I still have my socks on, yay!). No it is not perfect and yes I did chose a very simple design, well to be honest I just did what I thought I could manage, so whether it is actually a design or not, who knows! I just did a simple diagonal cross through each of the squares, which seem to work well.

  

 

 

The binding is another aspect that kinda gave me the ibbies. I started off by just cutting the backing fabric a little bigger (around an inch), so I could just fold it over to the front, but with a slip of the scissors and a cuss of the mouth, we swiftly moved on to plan B. In my case this often involves YouTube and it seems that this and this link here saved my bacon. I really surprised myself with how much I actually enjoyed hand stitching the binding in place, who would have thought?!
 

 

 

Once the binding was on, it was popped in the washing machine and I must say it does come out looking a great deal better than it went in, so I will follow this advice in the future again.

 

 

 

I love all the colours and I especially how the grey frames the colours
 

So this is my Spring Quilt and for me

 



 

the colours most certainly have a feel of Spring about them and it sure makes me feel super cheery

 

For the back of the quilt I used an old duvet cover and I especially love how some of the colours of the retro prints are incorporated here

 

 

I also love how this yellow stripe sings!!

 

As a reference book The Quilters Bible has come in really handy throughout this process and I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested to start their first quilt or just wanting some information on quilting. It pretty much covers everything you need to know and more. I am sure I will refer to it time and time again as I venture a little deeper into the mysterious woods of quilting

For now it is sitting on little Es's bed, but I have just today been told to remove it as she still wants her nursery quilt there until I have finished her quilt. I was told 'but these are not the fabrics I chose and this really does not look like the quilt I ordered', so hey that's me told! Needless to say I have yet to start on her quilt, now where did I put that magic wand??

 

 

Fortunately it does seem that the quilting bug has bitten and the plan for the next is in full swing (albeit under a little bit of pressure from a four year old!). It seems like it might be a good thing after all that I am actually loving this quilting lark! Also joining in today with Chrissie for her 'Stitching Sundays'.

 

Wishing you all a very lovely week.

 

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

 

 

 

Tooth Fairy Pillows

Those readers who follow the Stitching Sunday with the lovely Chrissie will know that I stitched quite a few little fairies over the course of several weeks. Well the time has come to reveal just what I've done with them.

I'm not sure about you but for me a lot of my inspiration comes from just every day life and in this instance all these little fairies were inspired by one little wobbly tooth, or the start of it shall I say. Over the summer little J started complaining of a sore tooth, but only when brushing. This got me thinking as I was keen on doing a little stitching and also for Mum to show me the ropes, so the old cogs started turning and voila this idea was born. Well of course I could have stuck with the traditional way of placing the tooth under the pillow, but that would have robbed me of all the fun that I've been having making these little pillows. 

I really enjoyed making these sweet pillows not only because the fairies were such fun to stitch, but also because I know there is something so magical about the Tooth Fairy coming to OUR house. It's funny how as parents we get so excited about all the milestones that kids have to go through in their lives, but for me loosing your first tooth is up there amongst taking your first step and saying your first word. It finally happened on Saturday, little J lost his very first tooth after months of having a wobbly tooth and I am not sure who was more excited, little J at the prospect of a visit from the Tooth Fairy or his Ma looking a bit silly and giddy with excitement holding her baby's very small tooth in her hand. There was definitely a part of me that felt sad to know that this signalled the start of a new 'bigger' boy stage, but I also know that it will bring many new happy moments and challenges alike. What impressed me most was that little J was adamant that we had to wash the tooth (possibly years of me going on and on about how the tooth fairy won't give you much money unless your teeth are sparkly clean, so make sure you brush properly, oh the things we have to do as parents!), so the tooth had a wash and dry and I was terrified of dropping it down the plug hole, I mean how small is it! When it was all ready and passed the quality control check little J popped it very proudly into the little pocket of the Tooth Fairy pillow, that he put next to his head when I went to sleep. I never want to stop believing in the Tooth Fairy or Father Christmas for that matter, a decision I made a long time ago. The magic lives on as long as we believe right?!

 

 

 

So these little pillows will be going for sale at this years preschool fund raising event at the end of the month amongst other things that I have been busy making over the last couple of months and whatever doesn't sell will be popped in my Etsy shop in the beginning of December.

It is a very wet and grey day here, but we did enjoy a glorious weekend where I managed to go to my very first bonfire with the kids. It was completely last minute, but it was perfect as it involved hardly any walking and it was short and sweet, so everyone was happy.

I just wanted to thank you all for taking the time to read and comment the 'Canary in a Coal Mine Preview' post. I am so pleased to see how many views it has had and that warms my heart as it means more people will have some insight into this condition. I know that I am blessed and that I am so so much better than I was and there is not a day that goes by where I am not immensely grateful for that! Basically, I think you are all rather wonderful, so thank you!!!!

Leaving you with this gorgeous view with its rolling mist and slight frost that I woke up to on Remembrance Sunday.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo

Stitching Sunday Week 6

Oops not sure what happened to last nights post, but here goes.

Joining in today with the lovely Chrissie for Stitching Sunday. This week I have stitched another little fairy, yes there is a pattern emerging here. The majority of my fairies that I have stitched lately is inspired by the wonderful and very sweet book called 'A flower Fairy Alphabet', which I have read to the kids since they were young. Both the poems and fairies are by Cicely Mary Barker and I love each and every one of these gorgeous fairies.

This little fairy didn't quite turn out how I would have liked and the ribbon I used was a little wide I think. At times she grumbled at me whilst I stitched her flowery skirt as she is quite particular about her dancing attire. I love her colourful nature and her desire to please, not only is she the most wonderful dancer, but her wings come alight whenever she does. She has the ability to find music in everything, from the smallest petals that fall from her little flower skirt, to the leaves swaying to the rhythm of the wind. The more I stitched this little fairy the more I fell in love with her vibrant and enthusiastic character.

I particularly enjoyed working her pretty and sparkly wings with some sparkly floss, it was like being part of a little piece of magic to see them glow.

 

This morning I woke up to a grey and rainy day and to be honest it has been like this all weekend. Yesterday my doh travelled up to the Lakes and back in a day to do a fell race, so I had the pleasure of taking the kids to their swimming lessons and also stopping at a small park on the way home. Even though it was really exhausting for me, it was so lovely to see them swim and also to have some fun with them in the park, something I really miss. We picked some leaves and brought them home to do some leaf painting and also for drying with the view to make a pretty autumn garland, so we will see how that pans out in a couple of weeks as I opted for the traditional method of pressing them in books. Who knows it might just all be ready in time for the Christmas garland to go up, gosh it isn't long now.

I really wanted to share this moment on my blog as I know in years to come I would love to look back on it and remember these small but beautiful moments that I have with this little gorgeous girl of mine. She has this habit of coming to me once a day and putting her little hand against mine and saying 'Mummy follow me' and I am suppose to follow each and every one of her movements. It never lasts more than a couple of minutes but I love it, her touch and her small hand, which is now so much bigger than it was a year ago and the year before then. I love her fascination with 'leading' the movement so to speak and today I thought I would snap the moment, in which we most probably lost the moment, but we did carry on after the photo was taken.

 

Right now as I sit here and type I can smell the wonderful aroma of the wonderful pot roast Brisket which has been bubbling in the over for hours, in fact it is called 'Four Hour Brisket'. The last and only time I cooked Brisket, I put it in the pressure cooker instead of the slow cooker for the same amount of time, and well you guessed it was far from tasty, a bit like a piece of old leather. Now I shan't try and explain why I used the pressure cooker instead of the slow, one could argue that it was a slow brain not registering slow or we could just say it was a particularly bad hair head! I will add that this was many many years ago and I figured this time I would use a different approach so I followed this Nigella recipe.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and I am really looking forward to seeing what everyone has been stitching. 

 

 

 

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo 

 

Stitching Sunday Week 5

The weekend has whizzed by and it's Sunday again, so joining in with the lovely Chrissie for her 'Stitching Sunday'.

 

I so enjoyed stitching this sweet little flower fairy, he is gentle and painfully shy, but he has an inner strength that comes to life when he is exploring. He came to life with the help of stem stitch, back stitch, the encroaching stem stitch, a little long and short and a few stab stitches here and there. I have enjoyed doing a little ribbon embroidery with him too and I am looking forward to stitching him into his final place, which I will share with you all fairly soon.

We are loving this Indian summer that we have been gifted and this weekend blessed us with more beautiful sunshine and lovely temperatures. We indulged and enjoyed, spent time with friends and enjoyed good and hearty food. Here are a few of my favourite bits of our weekend.

Driving over the top where we live to visit friends and just taking a moment to appreciate the beauty.

 

Savouring every taste of the delicious pumpkin pie, which I wrote about here.

 

 

 

Finally getting around to making our Christmas pudding, something that is becoming a wonderful family tradition. It is something we have done since the kids were little and even though it is normally done around August, we all get a little flutter in our bellies at the thought of the reindeer bells jingling in our garden. Everyone gets stuck in, but the best bit is that we all get to make a wish whilst we stir (thank you Delia for this very lovely idea).

Enjoying this bargain and buying two books for a tenner at Smiths. I can't wait to start trying some of these recipes.

 

My first attempt at gluten and dairy free puff pastry to make this tasty Steak and Ale pie. The pastry didn't quite puff, but it was super yummy, so I will persevere.

Photos of the kids out on their walk with the doh, who usually forgets his phone, so it was a real treat to see them out and about. They had a long walk up to the top of White Nancy, and little Es in her usual attire, pj's and fluffies.

 

 

Lastly finishing Mr Robin into a sweet little lavender heart.

 

I hope you have had a good weekend and managed to relax a little. I am looking forward to seeing what you have all been stitching, so off to go and have a little look.

 

 

Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Warm Wishes

Hannapat

xoxo