Wrapped up and Cosy

I am busy making bunnies and bears for the craft unit (more about that in another blog), but it is Friday again and I have stopped to show you another range of lovely home crafted items from Folksy. 
This week I have searched for blankets to show you.  

I love the little teddy blanket  and take a look at the baby shoes in this shop.  They are so cute.  





Luxury in the extreme for a very special baby

www.folksy.com/shops/DebbieHowe



I love this teddy blanket, I might just need to buy it
www.folksy.com/shops/tasha18









What can I say? Such an unusual and beautiful pattern

www.folksy.com/shops/MadeinRhondda

What do you think of this rainbow blanket?  Isn't it just gorgeous.  The maker says that she just had to try out the pattern.  She must have the patience of a Saint to complete this wonderful piece.

This little snuggie/comforter blankie is so sweet

www.folksy.com/shops/rosycheekcosy

 A patchwork comforter blankie with a cute bunny design



This is different - Baa Baa Sheep quilt from
www.folksy.com/shops/cozeecuddles



...and finally this gorgeous shawl for the new baby.

 

                                       

                                              Beautiful

                                             www.folksy.com/shops/cardmakingprincess



Birth of a Bunny - part 3

The pieces are all stitched together using small back stitch.

Then they are turned and if they are laid together you can get an idea of how the bunny will look and her size.

I stuff the head as firmly as possible, then stitch on the nose and mouth.
The glass eyes are next, looking at the head from all angles to get them as even and straight as possible.  They are pulled tight into the head and fastened firmly.  At this stage I can get an idea of the character that I am 'building'.
Next comes the ears, pinned in place and again looked at from all angles to make sure they are level before stitching to the head.

The arms and legs are stuffed and the cotterpins are fixed in place ready for jointing to the body.
The peach bunny is patiently waiting for her body to be completed.

The body is put together.  It only needs the tummy stuffing to be completed, but that is the last thing to do.  The head has to be fastened to it first.  This is the bit I like the best as I can see exactly what the bear/bunny will look like.

The bunny's tummy is filled with glass beads.  I prefer the weighty feel this gives my creations, and they sit better with heavy tums and bums!

The final touches - a bow on the head if it turns out to be a girl (I can't tell until the head is made) and then a comb and brush to fluff  up the mohair and make sure there are no bits of fur stuck in the seams.

Here are the two bunnies completed.  I hope you like them.  The purple one is Rascal - I can see that he will be trouble.  The peach one is Angel as she looks so innocent.

They will be available in my Folksy shop www.folksy.com/shops/PudBearsandFriends

Cushions


I have found these wonderful cushions on Folksy.  Again I seem to have gone for bright colours, I am just drawn to anything colourful.  I hope they serve to brighten up your day as they have mine.

A beautiful felt raggy flower cushion from
www.folksy.com/shops/AlexisBarnCreates



This pretty butterfly cushion is from
www.folksy.com/shops/PepperSneeze



A garden inspired patchwork cushion from
www.folksy.com/shops/KittyClarke



To find more lovely animal design lavender cushions
and full sized ones too go to
www.folksy.com/shops/saranorwood



This is such an unusual fabric and comes from
www.folksy.com/shops/TopFloorTreasures



Just look at all the work that has gone into this cross stitch cushion
www.folksy.com/shops/CushionsinXstitch



Yellows and Greens

Spring is here, the Daffodils are in the garden, and I have a vase of beautiful Tulips in my window.

I have looked through my current stock and found the yellows and greens that I have available

www.folksy.com/shops/PudBearsandFriends





 

Below are some Daffodils I have found in other Folksy shops - bunting for your barbeque or outdoor party, a pretty tea cosy just right for Mother's Day and a cute little fairy door with Daffodils growing around it.  





www.folksy.com/shops/craftsqueen



www.folksy.com/shops/patsparaphernalia



www.folksy.com/shops/andrealesleycrochet

There are other lovely items available in my shop and the ones above - take a look.

The Birth of a Mohair Bunny - Part 2

Right, the colours are chosen, the scissors are sharp right down to the tip, now to start marking and cutting out.

First I draw round my cardboard templates, making sure that the pile on the mohair is laying the correct way (usually downwards).

Then I cut out the pieces using my very sharp pointy scissors.  It is very annoying if the scissors are blunt and do not cut right to the tip. The points help them to slide through as they have to just cut the backing, not the actual hair. 

A bear with bald pieces around his paw pads wouldn't look very attractive to bears of the opposite gender :).



Wrong - cutting through mohair



Right - sliding scissors down to backing





Here are the pieces all cut out.  There are 16 mohair pieces for each bunny and 6 ultrasuede pieces (paws and inner ears). 

Mohair can get everywhere at this stage so I have to be very careful and keep the snippets together for disposing of when I have finished. 

Harry (Cavalier Hooligan) likes to steal pieces if I drop them!  He stole my wooden stuffing tool one day and chewed the end.  I had to whittle it down with a sharp knife and sand it to a blunt end again.



waste snippets



Foggypuss prefers me to drop bobbins and cotton reels -  see the white cotton with the bear in the previous blog. I lied on the bear's description in my Folksy shop.  It wasn't the bear that destroyed it, it was Foggy.

Sorry, went off topic there - back to the bunnies.  The next stage is the pinning.  Here are the pieces all pinned together.  Can you tell what it is yet? ;)  (That's my Rolf Harris impression over with)

To be continued......



Is there no-one there?

My blog is feeling very lonely today, no visitors up to now. 

What about a few bears to cheer ourselves up?

I have chosen a few photos from my Folksy shop.

www.folksy.com/shops/PudBearsandFriends





"Light up my life."





"I love my taxi."



"Were you speaking to me?"



"Anyone for sweeties?"



"Peek-a boo"



                            



"I didn't do it."



"Aren't I cute?"



"I need somebody to love me."



    

                                                         

I feel better already, how about you?  Find all of these bears (and more) in my Folksy shop.  www.folksy.com/shops/PudBearsandFriends                                         

The Birth of a Mohair Bunny - Part 1

I thought I would show you the making of one of my bunnies from start to finish.
I want to make a couple more ready for Easter so now is a good time to photograph the process from start to finish.

The first thing I do is look through my stash of mohair and ultrasuede to find the colours I want.  I have settled on these compilations.

The first is a straight pile peach mohair which will be for the main part of the bunny.  Her tummy and muzzle will be in the pale green and she will have lilac paw pads and inner ears.  I have also found a green bead necklace and made a little green bow for the top of her head.

The second selection is wavy purple mohair for the main part, and cream with a mauve tip for her tummy and muzzle.  Her paw pads will be pink, and she will have a little bow with pink hearts and lilac beads.

I will need my templates to cut out the pieces of mohair.  They are made from cereal boxes and used over and over again.  All of the bears and bunnies are made using my own patterns.

The other materials needed are strong cotton, traditionl cotterpin joints, polyester stuffing and glass eyes. 

Finally these are the tools I use for making a bear.

Left to right:-  Perle cotton in black (for noses), small pliers, stuffing tool (made by my hubby), tool for tightening the joints, sharp scissors, small scissors for muzzle trimming, long flexible needle, pins, mohair brush, embroidered labels, swing tag and a small comb.

To be continued........

   

Night out (new necklace)

We went on our evening out last night from my place of work.  It was a very late Christmas Dinner.
The food was good, the company pleasant and we had an enjoyable evening. 
The only downside was the music which was very loud and most of it very modern.  A bit of Tina Turner and Bon Jovi was a welcome rest from the boom boom and screeching noises that the young people of today seem to enjoy.  Oh dear I am getting old, at least I can't moan about Top of The Pops as our parents did because it is not on TV any more. 
I don't object to music played loudly as long as it has a tune to it.  I like heavy metal and rock, I'm a big Queen fan and love Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner etc.

As promised on my previous blog asking for help in choosing a necklace to go with my new dress, here are photos of me in my finery showing the one I chose from Maxine of www.folksy.com/shops/maxineveronica
My husband loved the new dress and I thought the necklace looked great, thankyou Max.

As the dress was sleeveless I got myself a matching long cardigan to wear.  It was a perfect match for my dress and will also be great with trousers.

Linoprints Showcase

 I have seached through the shops on Folksy to find something different to showcase this Sunday.
I looked at rugs and cushions and found some great designs, but that will be another blog.
Today I have settled on a shop that does lino printing.
I have no idea how the lino printing is done but they make beautiful designs, and this shop is no exception.


                                                         www.folksy.com/shops/zebedee 

                                                                                                                

                                                       

                 

I hope you have enjoyed looking at these lovely prints as much as I have.

There are more in the shop www.folksy.com/shops/zebedee