Presents for my little ones...

I had 24 children in that wonderful 4 years. We spent a lot of time together in school, laughed and learned. We had some adventures as well. We made lots of projects, crafts and school plays. It was a very nice period of my life...


But unfortunately they became 10-year-olds and finished their 4th year in school so we had to say goodbye. I decided to make them some little present as a memory of our 4 years. It was not an easy decision. I was thinking about it for nearly a whole year. I wanted to make something kind which they can keep somewhere in their rooms, which are not very difficult to make and which can show the connection between us. I made them a collage of the pictures we took during the school trips. Then an other idea came. I decided to make a photo holder. It is a shape of a dwarf (I called them 'dwarfs' during those 4 years which is a much nicer nick in my language than in English).

I saw a picture about a similar thing in a hobby mag so I made a 'how to' for it and tried everything. It was 2 days before our last meeting when finally I had this idea. On Wednesday evening I could buy the last materials. On a sunny Thursday after I finished writing their certificates I wanted to start these, but my colleague-friend had an urgent problem and with another colleague-friend we decided to help her and write her class's certifications. We finished late in the afternoon when I tried to hurry home to make the pressies. When they heard my time-problem, they decided to help me. So we took all the materials and sat in my friend's kitchen and started painting, cutting and sticking.
It was midnight when we finished but I got up early next morning and sew the beads on the hats. My children were very happy with them. And also me when I saw their faces. :D

Polar bear

This is my knitted friend, Polar bear. I made him last December as a present for my B. He has his birthday at the and of the year, in the middle of winter what is a perfect time for a polar bear. I found his pattern on the net, but the given picture was totally different. I was not satisfied with him but B and friends loved him so now I am brave enough to show him.

He has his scarf of course to keep his throat safe....

Balls

These are my balls....

When I was a student at the teacher training college I had to make a lesson for little ones. It was observed by my teachers and classmates.

The children were 7-8-year-olds so I wanted to play games or rather teach through games. I had nearly a week to make my lesson plan but that time it wasn't easy at all. Half of the week was brain storming then I started to make my plans come true.

When I finished my lesson plan I felt something was missing. I needed a 'something' which is interesting, useful and make children happy. I thought about balls. It would not be much fun to go shopping around the city trying to find a suitable ball, so I decided to sew one.

At that time I wasn't an expert but I knew the English paper piecing. I asked a friend to borrow me a football and then I drew a hexagon and a pentagon. Finally I had my first plush ball. It was heavy enough so it is easy to throw. But if it hits that doesn't hurt. It is good to touch and it was colourful, red, green and blue. I used some striped fabrics as well. Since then I made lots of balls to friends and colleagues. Unfortunately I don't have a pic about the first ball. It is an old one, I have used it for 9 years, but it is still the favourite of the children. (This pic is about other balls I made later.)

Scarecrow

Today I could finish my scarecrow. Hurray! On a doll making topic we decided to make a doll each month, but I am always late. Today I am so proud, this is the lat day of the month and my scarecrow is ready, I have taken a picture, so I have to wait a bit more and I can post him to the forum...

The rules are simple. We decide the topic and then choose a pattern or usually a template only. Everyone makes the doll using the given template, but adding extras is OK, so everyone tries to be creative. We mustn't show the pic till the last day of the month or the first day of the next month. Then we put all the pics on the forum and see how different dolls we make of the same pattern. It is funny.

My August doll (the fat German lady) is in a previous post and this scarecrow is the September doll. We had the template of the head, legs, arms and body. All the clothes are my own designs. The hat was a Tildas design and also the crow.

The 'pumpkin' is a crop I found in my hobby box.

I hope you like him!

Money, money, money....

Today I had some plans to do, but I didn't make anything as I went away and spent money. My dearest B took me into a meeting with the ladies, where I got a kilo of batting (which I can use for dolls) and 25 m of molino.

I need some of it as it is very useful. It is whitish and very thin, so good for back fabric. It is also good for dying, and I am going to meet my net friends next weekend to make a shibori party and dye a lot, so I had to fill my stock again. (I ran out of that when I sewed my apron for the play in spring.)

We went shopping, so I also bought 2 m of yellow (like the sun) and 2 m of red (Christmas is coming). Unfortunately I couldn't find a nice 'Christmas green' fabric, but there was a piece of creamy, so I bought that one. I also found a red and white checked fabric which is perfect for the coat of my Christmas friends. (mice, angels, Santa... who knows?)
Finally I got an ironing board which is small enough to keep in my sewing room :D
Hurray, day of the fabrics for me!

But I don't want you dear guest to read so much without a photo of a something, so I show you the purse which I spent the money from.

This is a piece I made last summer in a camp. Actually it should be a purse to keep your papers in (like identity card and driving licence), but I needed something for my money, so designed a bit more for myself.

I used beautiful blue and white fabrics which I got for Christmas from a quilting friend. Her sister works in a sewing workshop and they make curtains and bed covers. The remains (sometimes only 2 cm band, sometimes bigger pieces) which are usually really nice or interesting fabrics go to our group. These fabrics I used were samples for the company, but nobody used them, so I got the little pack.

(Ah, I have to tell you, once we got a huge amount of a horrible fabric. Maybe that was the reason why we got so much.... It was white with ugly flower patterns. Nobody liked it. But we didn't want to throw it away, so tried to use small pieces in quilts. Finally it turned out like a competition: who can make nicer quilts with it? Who can hide its ugliness?)

I had really small pieces of the fabric so it was quite tricky to make this wallet, especially the band, as that was the last step. I put a zipper in to make it more safe. It was not easy (my second zipper ever), but it seemed OK at the end.

I think I am very lucky to get those wonderful fabrics!

Little backpacks

This summer my friend asked me to help her... She is a teacher and her class left school in June. In this country at the end of the school the students get little purses and some memories inside. She decided to make them backpacks as the poem she wanted to give to her class fit that. She asked me to design a little backpack. I had to make something not too complicated as we had not too much time to make 29 pieces and the others couldn't sew.

We went for fabrics together. She decided to buy four colours and make different bags.
Two ladies cut the pieces and I sew them together. My friend's little daughters helped us as well, they counted the pieces and matched them. We spent a night with this work and then we met on a Saturday afternoon. It was a sunny day we sat in the garden of a friend, we celebrated my birthday and sewed the bags. I loved that afternoon. Sitting in a garden with friends, having fun and sewing...It was amazing! It is a very good memory!

I am very proud of this design as I have never sewed a backpack before, so I had absolutely no idea how to make it. I have just taken a piece of fabric, a pair of scissors and my sewing machine, and this is what came out at the end! I still don't believe I made it alone! The bags are not too big, cc. 14 x 10 cm.

These are bags we made.... altogether in the school.
















This is only one, the back and the front:

No coffee....

Ah, today I am too tired and too sleepy to write anything interesting or long.... My favourite soft toy friend (was not made by me!) drank my whole coffee... He is a real addict...