All the fun of the fair...

I know, I know, disappeared yet again, without a word or even a brief update. Its that time of year, the chaos sets in, every corner of my home is taken up with some form of sewing or crafty related mess, I mean goodness...as I sew away, item after item convinced I won't have enough stock...
Then the day arrives and you set up... the day goes well, a little slow this year with more thought out buying, you pack up and before you have even mixed your reward of a G and T then hovered the flint off the floor its time to start again... another week...
Just as I was on a roll, pulling it all together... EMERGENCY... Chloe (my beloved sewing machine) broke down, lots of nasty thread pulled through all my sewing... panic... felt sick... almost cried...
In six hours I had an order to go in the post, zips to sew in (just look at that mess) and over a hundred button labels to make... no machine...
Four hours later after a visit to the sewing machine man of the North West my machine was up and running and I was ready to go...

Oh Happy Days...

Get the making started...

It is now safe to say that Christmas is on its way and in true Dotty Red style I am rushing around and filling every spare moment with getting my Christmas stock together...
I have a little love affair going on with felt. I can not buy enough and then turn it in to Dotty Red goodness...
along with my trusty sewing machine and scraps of fabric I just couldn't part with I have been putting together little pastel book covers (books included). Reminding me of sugar almonds...
I am just loving this free form embroidery and really can not get enough of it, as an arty type I love the way its like drawing with your sewing needle...
My favourite book cover to make is the larger book, with the Christmas Pud, using pretty East of India ribbons for the spine of the cover...
With Christmas wishes sewn on I think these would make great stocking fillers or with a set of felt pens and pencils a great present as a journal, or in my case, a recipe book.
Of course Christmas making would not be complete without Jingle Bells... added on to some lavender hearts.
OK it might not be Christmas goodness but I couldn't resist adding in some sewing time to make some of my seaside bits and bobs...
stuffed fish...
a whole catch in fact! Made using lovely fabric, finally using some of my Laura Ashley pure linen and vintage fabrics reminding me of deck chairs in the rain. I am missing the summer...BIG TIME!
Whilst I sew away my little companion gets a little fed up with the lack of attention...
so with all that making maybe its time to walk the pup... no wait... lets just make a little more...

Have a great weekend and whatever your making or doing I wish you a happy time.

WALKIES!!!

Adjustment

Welcoming in November...Just a little word or two to say hello...

Life is full of stitching

walking the dog

time with my boys

cleaning the house for prospective buyers

making plans for my families future

college work

class preparation

clearing up the leaves in the garden

sorting out finances

solicitors meeting

and more sewing

all this and all the usual Mommy duties...

enjoying the beautiful countryside, seeing the leaves dropping, the landscape changing, the Moors that surround my home turning to their winter colour like a blanket of grey-ness being folded over them...

did I say more sewing...

Feeling a little stressed, a lot blessed and most definitely loved...