Pass the tissues...

I had one of those making weekends.

I found a tute, pulled my fabrics, worked round making Sunday lunch and getting dear son out the door for a day of laser-battling in the mud, an hour to myself and I got sewing.

Finished sewing. Gaaah!

OK, so American pocket-packs of tissues are, despite outside appearances, assumptions and trust, shorter and fatter than your UK variety it would seem.

8, yes 8 covers made, and they just looked bloody awful!  Not the fault of the tutorial - honestly I would have gone ahead and made the opening lengthways if it hadn't been pointed out that some, including the Kleenex I have, open at the short end!

I thought I could live with teacher/Brownie leader gifts looking a little bit gaping, but I couldn't, I resigned myself to that fact about 30 seconds later!

So today I made another set…

Snug!

The kids have commandeered the originals for other uses, phones, headphones and the like, and I am a happier bunny.

Brief respite though, as today West Sussex Council's recommendations for changes to the schools in the area now mean, (shocking of me to assume it's a done-deal, not a real consultation!), the girls will spend an additional year at their current school and miss out on all the awesome opportunities dear son has had so far in Year 6.  Gutted.  The prospect of a further year of teacher gifts only adds to my disappointment.

Sniff.

Top Marks...

I am so happy to have finished all the teacher gifts, including another Q3 FAL listing!

I made an iPad/folder/case for the girls' class teacher.  I used Ayumi's pattern from Patchwork Please, which I used to make a case for mine 2(?) years ago, and still use!

I didn't use batting, but a thick fleece to line and provide padding for the case instead.  I scored a yard of a really good quality stuff at the local Oxfam for a couple of £ and it is proving pretty useful…

Nice bit of chevron quilting, and more spotty binding, job done!

So here, because I am rather pleased with myself, are all this year's Teacher gifts together…

Tomorrow will mean signed T-shirts, water fights and lots of shrieking, followed by a Leavers party at the local Social Club in the evening.  I am exhausted just thinking about it, but also, come 1.30pm, I will be on summer leave too.

I. Can. Not. Wait!

A lorra lorra Lolas*

* apologies if you are not of a certain age or nationality to get that!

I want to go on about the weekend, and the Medallions but I realise that you might not feel the same!  So moving on, slightly, I've got a FAL finish already, and I'm going to link back to Brit Bee.  Bonus.

For a couple of the teachers, Akela and one of the girls' friends, Lola pouches were on the cards and prepped a week or so ago and added to my Q3 FAL list.  Today, in a mix of productivity and anxiety I finished them all up!

I made them in the intermediate size that I'd calculated and made a few weeks ago, and the Tula Pink one was adjusted to fit the scraps I had; for the Forest School teacher, it was too good a print not to use.

OK, I admit I wrapped Akela's for this evening before taking a photo, sorry, but there is definitely another one in there!

I also made another last week, but had to keep it secret until the recipient, Sarah, opened it along with her medallion…

I used up the scraps that had accumulated on her medallion's travels.  As far as I am concerned, everyone needs a quilt with a matching pouch!

If you haven't made your own Lola yet, why the heck not!?  You can get Svetlana's pattern here.

Those pesky teachers...

Yep, I am on the End of Term sewing spree.

Another finish from the weekend, cushion number 2 for dear son's teacher, the only chap I need to make for.

Seeing as it is O's last year in the school, I was told to make it a good present!

A mini-charm pack of Sweetwater's Elementary and the deal was done!

Yes, I see the brown, but I'm not keeping it!!

I used some John Lewis home dec for the backing, tried and tested spotty binding, keeping it suitably simple.

I hope he'll like it!

Today then, I prepped 4 Lola pouches, 3 key fobs and an iPad case!

OK, so two of the Lola's are not for the teachers, one is for Arcala, as sonny-boy is moving up to Scouts, and the other is a birthday pressie, but as I was cutting two, 4 wasn't much more effort!

I think I'll be putting these on my FAL Q3 list, because sewing time is getting limited again.  Tonight I went to a council meeting about the future of the local schools, tomorrow I have school project presentations and back again at about 4.30pm for the Year 5 Camp Out; Friday is the Summer Fayre.  Oh it keeps me out of trouble I suppose!

PS. Don't forget my Giveaway xxx

Some secrets revealed...

I can now reveal the teacher pouches that I whipped up a few weeks ago.  I was pattern testing again for the wonderful Aneela Hoey, and today she has released the Baggy (Bottom) pouch pattern, which you can find here.

Why she thought of me to test these, must be some sort of mistake, or coincidence or something, but my  own baggy bottom and I loved making these!

I made the smaller size, and used heavy weight fusible fleece, which gave mine less of a baggy look and more of a 1950's silhouette, which is a fun bonus!

These are so satisfying to make; the additional, optional embroidery in the pattern is a lovely touch; but my machine and I were too scared to try, this time!

Please check out all Aneela's other new patterns too, I am thinking of making a couple of Pull Out Boxes for some of the men in my life.

Oh and another reveal; remember the mahoosive Cotton & Steel blocks I made a few months back, well the quilt they were destined for was completed and handed over to Aneela on the weekend…

Pennie did an amazing job organising the A (for Aneela) Team (which included Ms Melody Miller herself, just sayin'), and it was a privilege to be part of brilliant collective.

Here's to secrets and stitchery x

Teacher's Pet!

I know we are only heading towards half-term here, but I have made 4 out of 5 teacher Christmas gifts already!

Just a sneak peek for now; once the patterns have been released I will give you a better look, promise.

I love it when things I have to make don't even get the chance to appear on my To Do list!

I do have a list for tomorrow though, to cram into the time before I head off to school for the Saxon afternoon and then back again for the pre-PGL parents' evening.  Hoping for at least a couple of ticks, but time, and sofa time will tell.

Forward planning...

Anyone who popped over to Jennifer's when I was getting all enthused about the Summer, patchwork and teacher gifts may remember that I was prepping already.  So on Wednesday these were on my hit list!

So here are the lady bags...

Fed up of waiting for better light - apologies!

Made with Svelana's tutorial, mixing up some bright scraps and Essex Linen, I think these will do the job.

I still have a couple of chaps to make for - key fobs this time, me thinks.

I am a whole half-term early, and it feels good!

Happy Friday everyone xxx

Pressies...

This week the girls' class teaching assistant left, for a job at Hobbycraft apparently, and with it being Mother's Day, I made a couple of pressies...

I used the dinky 4" spool block from 500 Quilt Blocks by Lynne and Kerry, and these needlebooks were stitched in no time.

The sunny day bleached out the photos a little, but I for one preferred sunshine to good pics on this ocassion; and they were wrapped before I uploaded the pictures, so there was no second chance.

We spent the day with my parents today, so my Mum's has been duly left for unwrapping tomorrow, when I will share the photos I took of my latest and last FAL finish for this quarter.

Laters xxx

Finishing...

Last night's blog post heralded the famous last words on getting things finished.  No sooner had I put the Mac to bed, and buried a few threads, than I began to feel rather ick, and not long after, I was hugging the toilet.  I remained that way for much of the night.

So an unscheduled day off for me; with boy-child for company.  Fortunately his feeling sick did not amount to anything.  So we watched The Hobbit, well it was on; I slowly stitched away, until I was done.  I also managed to put together a couple of key fobs on top of yesterday's starts, and I have just finished the final non-family present, but that missed out on the photos today.

So here's what we'll be giving...

Reindeer brooches for one of the Rainbow's leaders, (aka Reindeer) and the other for the Cubs leader...

I used a template from the Plush Addict bunting, and the girls chose the heart; sleepy eyes copied from the Mollie Makes foxy brooches.

Key fobs for the two Young Leaders at Rainbows...

Quick and easy with ribbon, the YLs go by the names Ladybird and Butterfly, so it seemed apt.

Covered notebooks for the Teachers and TAs, and one of the Robot ones for my Dad's birthday...

And a retirement gift for the Headteacher...

My original plan was for a laminated cushion, to keep his butt dry when he was out and about doing the artist stuff he is planning on filling his time with.  The laminate was basically pants; the corners started to crack and split no sooner than I had turned the cover through; trust me, the swearing and stamping of feet closely followed.  Hey ho, live and learn... not to use that again!  So a covered sketchbook will have to do.

And finally I stitched closed the 2 Valori Wells/AMH voile infinity scarves, one for me, and one, well, come back Monday.

So how's that for productivity in the face of adversity.  Typically, the MacBook is working absolutely fine again, whilst I don't have the energy left to look at anything more today.  So love you and leave you, with a less anxious look on my face, but hoping the lingering ickiness goes on its merry way really soon, I still have loads to do!