Poppy The Princess...

Whenever someone asks Willow what she wants for her birthday, the answer is always the same, 'a princess dolly'. As her birthday has gotten closer (& she hasn't changed her mind) I realised that she might be quite disappointed on her birthday if she didn't get one.

To rectify the situation I purchased Fiona's Poppy Doll pattern, & I figured if I made Poppy a crown & pink dress, she would fit the bill.

I'm quite chuffed with how she turned out, I changed her hairline a little at the front & using matching wool I plaited some braids & gave her a bun. She is made from Doctor Flannel & stuffed firmly with wool stuffing, so she feels nice & solid. I altered the reversible top pattern to make her dress & after a few tries & a fair amount of unpicking I am fairly happy with the result, although with a bit more planning I could have made her dress reversible which would have been pretty fancy.

The crown is 2 layers of wool felt, plus some ribbon, which matches the ribbon on her dress. I haven't made her any other clothes as yet (as I was a bit rushed by the looming birthday deadline), but I can't wait to make her some more outfits at a later date. I hope Willow likes her, but I don't mind if she doesn't, I would happily keep her for myself!

Advent Day 7...

Activity: Raid Mummy's craft room & make peg people

This managed to hold their attention for a short period of time, unfortunately not as long as set up & pack up took...

Advent Day 6...

Activity: Decorate the Christmas Tree

There was one ornament casualty, & I may have rearranged a little, but on the whole I think that is a good result.

Homemade Sourdough...

Our first loaves of bread made from the mother. So, so good, we literally inhaled the first loaf. Roger claims that the recipe (from beyond nose to tail) is so easy even I could make it, a bold statement indeed!

Advent Day 4...

Activity: Make a paper chains for the Christmas Tree.

In the past we have made paper chains using plain coloured paper or even old magazines, but when I spotted these printable patterns on whip-up, I couldn't resist. I cut out all the strips & then let the kids go to work with a glue stick each.

Meanwhile (to offset my printing guilt) I thought I would have a go at making some a gift bows out of old envelopes.

Advent Day 1...

Activity: Make & decorate gingerbread biscuits to take to school.

I made the gingerbread dough ahead of time & Ryder helped me cut out the stars. Both the kids had a ball decorating the biscuits with icing, hundreds & thousands & multicoloured Cachous. Next time the decorating will be happening outside, as sweeping up afterwards wasn't that much fun!

Advent Calender...

Phew, finishing the advent calender was a bigger task then I had expected. Repetitive sewing isn't something I enjoy, so this project really tested me. I am so glad I persevered, seeing it hanging on the wall really makes me smile.

25 little linen linen pouches, lined with fabric I had in my stash, mainly green, red & cream for a Christmasy feel. The fabric numbers on the front are machine stitched around the edge & the pouches are clipped onto the string with curtain clips, very simple.

Each pouch is 11 x 12 cms, big enough for some small treats & a note.

I still haven't cemented out our 25 advent activities, but I have a rough list thanks to everyone's suggestions so hopefully they will keep us busy until Christmas day.

Last Minute Advent...

Today is the last day of November, so naturally I am frantically trying to make an Advent calender.

I am in the midst of cutting & sewing & hopefully tonight I will have time to hang it up.

The design is very basic, lined linen pouches with the numbers machine stitched onto the front. Hopefully they will hang from some Ikea curtain clips & some string.

The plan is to have a small treat for each of the kids inside each one, along with a note describing a Christmas activity that we will do on that day, such as decorate the Christmas tree or make Christmas cookies. Of course I have no idea what the other 23 activities will be so I think I will be taking Advent one day at a time. Activity suggestions are most welcome!

Knockoff Nightie...

This is a simplified version of a friend's daughter's favourite nightie. A took a pattern off it & decided to have a go at replicating it. My version is super simple, however due to a lack of fabric I couldn't cut the neck binding on the bias, which I think would be better. I sewed the hem with a twin needle, my new favourite toy, although I still haven't managed to get the tension quite right.

The fabric is from Spotlight's new quilting range, & while I quite like the design the fabric feels very starchy, even after a wash. I hope it softens up with a bit of wear. Naturally Willow refused to try on the nightie so I have no idea if it fits her or not.

Christmas Cross Stitch...

I finally finished my cross stitch. I had planned on doing a whole series of different designs, but I hadn't counted on them taking so long, or my failing eyesight for that matter. I guess I've at least finished one.

The hoop is quite small, about 4 inches across, so that gives you an idea of the scale. The design is from Made in France, a book that I am completely enamored with. Now I just have to work out how to finish the back of the piece (I was thinking about backing it with felt), & seal the frame.