Old Barney ....

In March, an old dog called Barney came to live at The Raggy Rat ...

His forelimbs are almost parting company from his body and his wood wool leaks out. But I love him. And so do others, it would appear! 

I think Barney appealed to me because I'm also a work in progress ....

Owl together now ....

How about this awesome octogenarian gent, a superb felt and wool owl owned by an 86 year old neighbour of mine!

He wins 'most inspiring owl' this week and I'm honoured to have met him and taken his picture. 

Have you got a very old handmade toy you will never part with? 

Des-Res? Another Doll's House ...

once in a while it's fun to get your hands on a Do-er Upper!



first things, first - that leaky roof, I think!



and probably replacement windows and doors ... ooh, I am going to have fun with this! but those local double glazing salesmen won't get my call ...



Not sure that the Cock and Horse in the Bedroom will stay ...



Hospice, or Wet-House? Apply for change of use?


This house came from my friend's loft, and the playmobil people have already moved in!

Chock-a-block...

old toy blocks,washed then painted white to freshen them up ... a nail was removed from one of them ... a pity there are not 6 of these!



5 light, cotton fabrics chosen from my ample stash!



some careful cutting and sticking down with ronseal acrylic varnish ...



and the blocks sealed with further coats of aforementioned varnish ...


I like jigsaws, and played with jigsaws on blocks like this when I was small.

old raggy rat ....

Sweetie is about two and a half years old, but being a rescue rat, we cannot be sure. she is also 11 months post-tumour-surgery ... the girls love her ....

old, old ben ....

old Ben was born in 1984, so you can see he is doing quite well for such an old rat, dozing as he is in one of the more intellectual corners of the dining room. he reminds me that i must use spell checkers more often...

i sewed him all by hand from only three pieces of fur, and raided the kitchen draw at Fletcher's drive, burscough, to get some twist ties for his teeth. the sellotape i covered them with to make them shiny is yellowed as an old rats teeth might well be...

my great uncle George saw this rat a few years later, and had fun playing with it. then he asked me to make him one. i had no pattern and sat with a piece of fur and some scissors trying and failing to make another rat like Ben. in the end i made the ultimate sacrifice and handed Ben to uncle George. they worked hard together scaring lots of grand children until after George's death, Ben came back to me in 2001 when i visited aunty Ivy in burscough.

now he lives a gentler life, with his lopsided ears and tatty old fur. he has never had a bath, but he has always been well looked after. he was known as THAT RAT at George and ivy's house.

growing old gracefully ....

some things i recieved in the post, on my birthday ... a card from my sister in cheltenham, a small parcel from amazon, and some advice about not growing old ...

Restoration ...

silky, an old bear in need of a good clean up, and some strategic repairs, who belongs to my friend sandra...

who once met with a terrible accident and got a burned foot.

whos stuffing was made of polystyrene balls or bits mixed with foam chips. it was very dirty and there seemed to be lots of it missing. silky was saggy.

i emptied silky partly through the leg hole and partly through the neck seam which had under gone several reapirs, some with black thread, and some with loops of invisible thread and trapping lots of the black dirt from inside silky bear. i turned the bear inside out and hoovered all the seams by hand, soft brush attachment, and on low suck - easy does it! and then i washed the bear in a cold solution of shampoo and a dot of ecover washing up liquid.

apart from this roundish hole where silky was burned, the fabric is in very good condition, lovely to work with and very sound. it is only silky's fur that has matted and worn away in places.

here is the patch i made to repair the leg. matty and daisy are impressed, it is also a scrap of silky, woven backed fabric that i once made a ginger cat out of.

now silky sits taller, and has a plump snout again, and less double chins and spare tyres! i do hope sandra is happy with my work on this dear old friend ...

my girls and an old ratty gent ...

i made this puppet when i was 13 ... so hes aorund 24, cough ...
not bad for a vintage rat, is he? how daisy and matty love him, makes steve and i think we should get a pet again ... but not at the moment!
the shout in theback ground is mary-baby xxx