Catherine, Mary's Jelly-Cat Doll

It's certainly been cold in Weymouth this week, so Mary was converned about this pretty doll she calls Catherine. Mary made her various wraps, but our little friend was still cold. I asked Mary to choose an odd sock (we have quite the collection) and she came back with this one which Catherine liked a lot. 

 

Using the sock top as the main body of a jumper, I cut sleeves from the tubal part of the foot and stitched something akin to a raglan sleeve jumper together using small zigzag stitch to prevent stretch. For size I simply kept placing things against the doll. 

 

Catherine's bunches are tied with scraps of fabric. The garment was easy to fit as her head is squashy and socks are stretchy. It's a generous 80's sort of neckline anyway. 

 

Catherine loves it and has felt much warmer. Hooray for sacks of old, odd socks. 

 

Have you upcycled socks, or used new ones to make something? This is the first thing I made that wasn't a sock cuddly toy ... 

Sweet scrap fish ...

Next month sees my house transformed, and in part, open to the public as part of this years Arwey Art Trail ...

There are lots of new things to see, like a fancy pair of woollen fish that were born today while I sat with a poorly 6 year old ...

And my house of course, which has been very looked after following the winter damage. 

Will you come and see me?

Wee pink mouse

This small pink mouse is for a very special lady, and is based on my hamster pattern with a few simple changes. 

I'm really pleased with her!

Getting Ready for Artwey!

Some fun hamsters I will be exhibiting with Artwey starting this weekend at the Old Town Hall ...

Eye-eye!

I decided that my red fish needed some eyes, so I used these lovely wooden buttons, from a recycled garment!

New cats!

I have just popped some new kitty-kats in my Etsy shop!

Red fish!

Woking with a lovely jumper at the moment which was not really wearable any more - makes some super red fish though! And some other stuff, do you want to see?

Hamster Time!

You can catch these Cuties in my Etsy shop! I enjoyed having them in Cat's Porch as part of Artwey Art trail  but now they want  to be off ... there are four Hamsters left now.

Saving Dora! a simple tutorial ...

Mary loves this top, but the neck is too tight, especially for her to get dressed independently!

So I cut off the tight collar part and carefully unpicked it where it was double stiched at the back of the neck

Then I cut a strip of stretchy fabric, a kid of fleece, and sewed that around the neck, right sides facing, as they say!

Roll the strip around and pin, then sew in place with tiny stitches ...

Then i cut off the excess ont he inside and voila - Mary is very happy!

From the Crow's Nest ....

I will be taking these to the Dorset Womens Day 2012 -Saturday 28th April, where I will have a stall and also be running a sock-monkey workshop too!

Flock!

a long time ago ...

In the olden days (according my one of my 5 year olds) i.e. the mid 1990s, I was given an awesome wool cardigan by a friend, and I tell you, living in a cold Edinburgh flat I never had the thing off! And here is it in 2004 at ferret-bath-time!



and again in the garden on a fresh spring day in 2008, just before Mary came to join our tribe. That's her, in that amazing belly! The girls and I seem to be making a massive mud-pie!



But the cardigan got a nibble from a moth at one point, and the sleeves wore at the ends, and I did a bit of stitching and wore it some more. Once when it was looking very tired and stretched across the shoulders, it was washed at 40' instead of 30', which tightened it up again beautifully.

This Christmas though I bought a new woollen cardigan with money from my Mum, and felted old cardi in the machine at 65' with craft projects in mind. Flat-Cat was born from the sleeves, and looks great sat on my sofa. The tummy and muzzle are made from pieces of linen curtain off-cuts from a neighbour!



Yes, Old Cardigan is BACK!

Hamsters, for life, not just for Christmas!

But they DO look rather cute peeping out from the Christmas tree branches!

homely crafting ...

I did this home-improvement craft a while ago, and just didn't get to share it ...



a friend of mine thinks this is the best treatment for pipework ever ... I saw something like it a long time ago done with socks!

Round up ...

I am going to make more bunting, but first, Mary had a go at decorating my pattern!



But what's this in the corner? Mary said she forgot to put her name, so I wrote on the board M-A-R-Y and I think she did very well, for a three year old!



This woollen tank-top feels lovely - it will soon be a fun crop of hamsters, though!



The face of barn owl number 5 appears!



and here is a little treat I got for myself, well for the family room...



On a sad note, skinny-chicken decided to leave us, and we all felt a bit sad. My older girls Drew her picture and gave them to me. This is Matty's...



and Daisy started her drawing with skinny-chicken's bright yellow legs - she was the only one of our girls with yellow legs!


Have you been busy? I feel as though we have!

When hats get lost ...

Jumpers can be recycled ...



Into new hats, with ears!



Daddy took out three children and three hats last weekend, and came back with three children and two hats ... we are off to portland tomorrow, so we all need hats !

5 fat hamsters sitting in a row!

ready to jump into stocking - christmas stockings, that is!