Little Stitches

Thank you Nanny D, G.G and Uncle Keys!
As we have moved to the other side of the country I know that family there are missing us, more accurately, the kids.
A parcel was received this week, with a few little pressies for the kids from their Nanny D, G.G (A.K.A - Grumpy Grandad) and Uncle Keys. 
This was on of the items sent:

We made the cow this afternoon when my little man went down for a nap.  These photos speak for themselves, however I would just like to say that I am so glad to have a daughter that will happily sit down and learn to sew and already has such a creative side : )

Moo!

Revision...

My final assignment for my current course has been submitted!  This would bring a sigh of relief if it weren't for the fact that I have a three hour exam next month : (
I hate exams. Give me an essay to write any day - as much as I bitch and moan about it, I do actually enjoy writing, and psychology is a very interesting subject to write about in my humble opinion.  Exams on the other hand, give me nightmares.  So I will be revising and working on some relaxation techniques for the exam ... oh dear

Knitted Handbag

This was made for my darling daughter this weekend.

The photo doesn't do the colours justice I'm afraid.
This was a nice easy make for the weekend and used up an odd 50g ball of wool I had.Also this was my first attempt at chunky and my first attempt at a knitted flower. As you can see : )
Once I have got pesky essays out the way there should be more crafts coming soon.  

Unpicking...

...Is a pain in the backside! However I am pretty sure that any stitcher worth their salt has spent many an hour cursing it.
Can you spot the mistake?

D'oh!!!!
It will be worth it though in the end 

Sorry for the dodgy photography!

Book Review: Cath Kidston Sew!

I finally have finished an object to show! I dusted off my sewing machine for the first time since the move last night to make a bag from the free kit included in the Cath Kidston Sew! book, see photos below.

Bag back

Bag Front

For anyone who doesn't know me - I love bags! With a passion! And after sewing cushions, a simple tote bag was my first project. I like this bag because it has a little more shape to it.  This isn't necessarily the material I would have normally used, but it came with the book that had the pattern.

The pieces for this bag came already cut out, so happily all I had to do was sew them all together. Happy Days. 

The one thing that I changed is that the bag in the book has button holes on the straps so that you can adjust them, but I don't really like those anyway - personal preference - so I just found the right length for me and stitched the handle straight on.
I do like this book, it has a good layout and basic instructions to all techniques needed at the beginning, but I do think that some of the projects are a little odd...

Really?????

Some projects are quite simple, whereas some involve a little more skill.

My biggest issue to be honest with most of the pictures is that a lot of the materials just clash, but this is something that you can change, as obviously you don't have to use the fabric choice used in the book. 
All the pattern pieces are included as well, so you can make all of the projects without having to draw your own. All in all, a nice book with some good projects.

Bank Holiday Weekend

Still no craft done yet however we have all had a lovely bank holiday weekend.
Friday my daughter and I sat down and watched The Wedding. She was completely in awe of the "pretty lady being turned into a princess" and it took some convincing to make her believe that we weren't pulling her leg and that it wasn't a new Disney film, but actually real.
Saturday, after playing with the cousins we all went for a drive, wandered round Hobbycraft and generally chilled.
Sunday brought our first trip to the Lake District, which is absolutely stunning! My husband found this gorgeous railway (lakesiderailway) that runs steam trains to Windermere, where you can go round the Aquarium, have a picnic and then another ride back.  Although this is only actually about an hour and a half away, we also took the back roads and just enjoyed the view!

Our Train

Lake Windermere

An Otter at the Aquarium running away from my two terrors!

Views from the train

To finish off our bank holiday weekend, we went to Astley Park, met up with my Aunt, Uncle, Cousins and Grandma and enjoyed the fresh air and fed the ducks.

Flowers at Astley

Some of the ducks were happy to see us

Others were too damn tired

Astley Park

Astley Park

After such a lovely weekend, I want to thank Kate and Wills for giving us the extra day off so we can all relax a lil bit!