Say "Hi" to .........

....... 'BERRY' - my latest little fabric wonder!!!



She's quite whimsical/quirky looking isn't she? And are you thinking you've perhaps seen her somewhere before? Well, just scroll back up, - and there she is - the little lady on my 'Bilberry Grove' banner at the top of my blog. I've been meaning to make a rag doll to look like her for a long time.

And here she is too sitting in her very own chair - a 75p bargain from a second-hand shop recently. I'd been looking out for something for my dolls to 'pose' on while I took a photograph, so I was very pleased with this.



And get this:-



my own personalised fabric label - something else I've been wanting for ages and I recently found a web site I could order from!!

Now then, if you like Berry - here she is again ............ but this time, with her twin sister. I thought I may as well make two, while doing one.



And Berry's twin is up for sale if anyone is interested! £25.00 + postage and packing. But just in case anybody who purchased a 'Tilda' doll from me in 2009 thinks the price is a bit cheaper than Tilda was, that's because I haven't had to buy anything to make 'Berry' - she is made entirely from my stash, whereas I had to buy practically everything from scratch for the 'Tilda' dolls ..... sorry, just felt I needed to explain that point.

Anyway, if anyone is interested, email to discuss!

Confession time!!

It's just as well Wendy is such a lovely bloggy friend ..... and forgiving too, as I recently had to confess to her my guilty secret of out and out plagiarism!!!!! I hear lots of sharp intakes of breath, "how could she" I hear you say!! What happened was that I linked to Tanya's blog from a comment left on one of Wendy's posts and discovered the cutest Gingerbread doll dressed in pink that Wendy had made and sent to Tanya, (click on the link to see the original, and best by far, Ginger doll). Then realising I had some of the same pink fabric and the right colour felt, I couldn't resist having a go at making one. So here is my version of Wendy's little Ginger dolls:



Please note, ALL CREDIT FOR DESIGN GOES TO WENDY, not me!! And credit for her forgiving nature too LOL xxxxxx and Wendy is so modest, she didn't even put a picture of the one she made on her own blog ... can't say the same for me though eh!!!

Anyway, now that that confession is out (phew - doesn't it feel better to get these things off your chest??), and talking of Wendy, which I was (I should have called this post 'Wendy' shouldn't I really, instead of 'Confession time') I was going to show what I had made for her ..... firstly a belated Christmas pressie (very belated) is a Prairie Doll:



...... and secondly a birthday present - this cute little Cupid Rag Doll:



So that's the lot for now. I'm working on yet another Rag Doll - it's no use, I just can't resist making them, so I won't try (resist that is)!!

Till next time

A Nostalgic Rush!

...... that's what I got when I did a quick blog hop last night before turning in.

As an avid follower of Diane's blog, her post yesterday sent me scurrying to find the old Girls Annuals I bought from ebay a couple of years ago. They're copies of Annuals I had when I was aged 10 - 12. It's amazing how a simple book can wipe away the years!



At that age, Saturday mornings meant a bit of a lie-in and waiting for the sound of the paper-boy dropping my favourite comics through the letter-box - I loved the stories and articles, and as I went into my teens, the pin-ups too, which were 'pinned up' liberally over my bedroom walls (you could barely see the wallpaper), David Cassidy, Donny Osmond to name just a couple. Every Christmas I could guarantee that two of my pressies would be my favourite Annuals, which I could never wait to get my hands on.

This 1970 edition of the 'Bunty' Annual though was my best find, as it contains a story that absolutely captivated me at the time (when I was 10) .......... I must have read it dozens and dozens of times:




and even to this day (before I bought it on ebay) I could have told you the substance of the story - it was about a deaf, mute, orphan girl taken in by a convent of Nuns. The girl turned out to be a pretty good artist, and as a consequence uncovered some long-lost gold and thus saved the day!! We all enjoy a happy ending don't we!! And to re-read this story (which I now know was called 'Bianca's Golden Gift', and all the other features nearly 40 years on, was pure nostalgic bliss!




Who remembers the regulars in 'Bunty', such as 'The Four Marys' ............ in glorious black & orange:



.... and 'Bunty's Cut-Out Wardrobe:





I remember well sitting with my scissors and dressing her in her different outfits - from the weekly comics anyway, I didn't cut up my Annuals!! Perhaps not too different to me now with my love of making Rag Dolls eh!

Anyway, thanks Diane for another trip down memory lane - it was great!!

Back to Blogging!

If you're reading this, thank you for sticking with me ....... and not deleting me from your blog roll!! LOL

It's been more or less 4 months since my last post and although I don't want to go into detail, I will simply explain that my absence was due to the sudden loss (shortly after my last post) of a very close family member, and so it has been a very difficult time. I won't dwell anymore on it here though!

This is a crafty blog after all!

I didn't sew at all for about 2 months, but have been doing bits since just before Christmas. I was eased back in by making a small cross-stitch pin cushion for a young lady for Christmas.





I was also going to show you a cross-stitch needle/scissor case I made for a close friend who was celebrating a big birthday in January, except I forgot to take photographs (what a numpty as Wendy would say)!! I'm waiting for my friend to email some piccies to me, so hopefully I'll be able to show them later on.

Then I made this cushion cover







.......... it's for my nephew's girlfriend who spent several months last year studying in Paris (lucky thing). The fabric on its own may have been enough, but I did embellish it a bit with some buttons and beads and I did a bit of appliqué on it too. She hasn’t seen it yet actually, but I think I’m safe – I doubt that she’ll be reading my blog ……. too busy having a great time at Uni in Manchester if she has any sense – which she has!!

At the time (referred to above) my lovely bloggy friend, Wendy, and I had agreed to a little Christmas pressie exchange, but with what happened, it was impossible for me to see it through – Wendy was very understanding of course. Then just after Christmas (I think) I received a lovely package from Wendy – she had still gone ahead and made things for me, and this is what she sent to me



a woolly crow on a stand; AND



Gingerbread Jam!!

aren't they gorgeous? I just LOVE them both and was so pleased with them, as they are both things I had admired that Wendy had already made previously either for herself or for another friend.

So I can now say publicly – a very big THANK YOU to my lovely, lovely friend Wendy!! Of course, I had already started what I was making for Wendy (I was about 75% through making it), but simply couldn’t finish it at the time. I have, however, since finished her pressie and made something too for her birthday (leap year baby), which I sent to her recently, but I’ll show those next time.

Anyway, I’ll leave it there for now, apart from to say that I have discovered just how much of a comfort my sewing is to me - it has truly been my solace and I should count myself lucky for that!

I’m very happy to be back in the world of blogging – it’s so addictive and so much fun, although I must resist being a slave to it in future, as I end up feeling guilty about the amount of time I spend at this computer blogging and blog hopping!

Autumn Annie Winner!!

Apologies for keeping you waiting – that's just in case you were waiting with baited breath!! But I’ve been at work all day, so it’s had to wait until this evening.

I don’t know how that ‘Random Number Generator’ thingy works, so I used the old-fashioned ‘name out of a hat’ method – well, name out of a bath anyway – close!!!


Anyway ladies, Autumn Annie’s new home is going to be with ........................................



Roberta in Georgia, USA – congratulations Roberta.

Roberta, I need an email address for you so that I can contact you personally for address details etc - my email address can be found on my Profile.

Thanks to everyone who entered my Giveaway – it’s been fun!

Rag Doll Giveaway!

On the grounds that many bloggers host a Giveaway to celebrate their 100th blog post, I’m a tad late with this, as this one will make my 111th post (all the one’s!!!).




Anyway, this is ‘Autumn Annie’, wearing a red check dress topped with a star spangled apron and holding her little twiggy heart garland. I love making rag dolls, so I suppose my Giveaway had to be in keeping with that. If you would like to be in with a chance of winning my ‘Autumn Annie, these are the rules (much the same as many others):-

• You will receive one entry by leaving a comment on this post;

• Become a follower, or if you are already one, you’ll have another entry - let me know that you have become a follower please;

• and if you post on your blog about my giveaway you will receive a third entry.

There, that’s all there is to it!! Oh, except to tell you that the Giveaway will close at midnight (GMT) on Monday 18th October 2010. And one other thing, it is open to anyone – worldwide!!

(New) Bag Lady!!

OK, so there was something else I was working on while I was away from work recently, but I hadn’t finished it, and I didn’t know whether it would turn out as I wanted it to. Now I know this is going to sound very big-headed, BUT, I have to admit to being quite proud of my new bag. It’s actually a rucksack and is made from my favourite fabric of the moment – Blackbird Design’s ‘Harvest Home’. I plan to use it for work (so long as it’ll take the strain) instead of having to carry 2 or 3 bags, plus an umbrella when it’s wet!!! Mind you, I’ll probably end up knocking people flying with it knowing me every time I turn round!!!

Here’s the front with an appliquéd front flap




........... a little zip pocket under the flap .... and get this cute little zipper with the scissors charm. I only discovered it very recently (maybe I’m behind the times), but I just had to have one for my bag! It came from Belen of Simply Patchwork. If you want to look at them (there are a few other different charms), pick up the link from her name and from there, take the link to her store.

This is the side – there's a large deep pocket each side for carrying a book, umbrella etc.

The back!

And this is a view of an alternative way I can carry it instead of on my back, as I can take the strap from the back and attach it to the clips on the sides ....... had to stand on a chair in front of the bathroom mirror to take this one!!! which is why it’s a bit dark – so apologies for that. My neighbours would probably have thought I’d lost the plot (be careful of what you say now!!!!) if I’d popped round to ask if they would take a photo of me holding my new bag ...... they’d have likely patted me on my head and sent me on my way!!!!!

Anyway, I hope you agree that it has turned out well – there’s nothing like blowing your own trumpet is there?!!!

Born to Quilt Gus Pincushion

This is Gus the snowman pincushion – isn’t he cute?!! He was designed by Veronique of Born to Quilt and I bought the kit from Veronique at the NEC Festival of Quilts last month. The next picture shows a picture of the pattern front and I think you have to admit that my version is pretty close to the original, though his hat is a different colour.


Making Gus last night was a reward to myself for having finally finished this beach hut themed cushion for my lovely cousin, Pauline.



I love Pauline dearly, but I did not enjoy making the cushion. Originally, I was trying to make up my own design, but after 2 failed attempts, Pauline made a suggestion and showed me a picture of a cushion she had seen in a magazine and liked, so in the end I worked with that ..... even then, I struggled to find the right fabrics –ooooh, I really didn’t enjoy making it – have you guessed??!!! Now if I tell you that this is a present for lovely cousin’s 60th birthday, and then tell you that she will be 62 in November, you may just begin to see how bad the struggle was. Still it’s done now – I just need to get it into the post – or maybe I might deliver it personally – that would be a nice weekend wouldn’t it and it’s only about 1¾ hours from where I live – I think I might just do that!!

Till next time!

Devon Jollies and a finish!

I can now show you something I finished a couple of weeks ago (and gave a sneak peak of a little while ago) now that I know Deb has received her gift. It’s a bit of a cheek to call it her birthday present really, as this was for her 50th birthday in July, so it was a tad late – however, I think she has forgiven me and I think it brightened her day a little, as it arrived in the middle of the terrible earthquake they've had in New Zealand a week ago ... and are still suffering the aftershocks of!!! Anyway, I did a bit of cross-stitch and made a needle case and matching pinkeep ........

I have to admit being pleased with them, as I love the colours!


I’ve just come back from a short 'jolly' in South Devon, having had the opportunity to stay in the holiday home of an acquaintance. Although heavy rain was forecast, the sun shone practically the whole time and it was warm. These are the views from the back of the cottage:





















......... need I say more!! The view was beautiful and very peaceful and I did have the opportunity to sit & sew for a while, but didn’t complete anything, as it was only a short stay and one or two trips were a must, including one to the beach in order to have fish & chips by the seaside – and if Wendy is reading this, that was the only slip from my diet – HONEST – it was a premeditated slip though!!!

Cross-stitch Challenge

Niky of Niky’s Creations has an interesting challenge on her blog, although it is now closed to new enquiries! Niky offered to send you a copy of her new pattern - this one here


The challenge was then to make the stitched project into something of your own choice – anything you like. This is how I made mine up ..........


Photographs of what you have made (incorporating the design) then had to be submitted to Niky by 6th September (tomorrow) and then on the 10th September, Niky will choose her favourite and the winner will receive something nice …….!!!