Christmas WOYWW

I can't believe this is the last WOYWW before Christmas!

Where does that time go?

I am just waiting for my little helper to come to put the last few bits on my tree.

These are a few of our favourite handmade bits from the past.

These and a lot more "old timers" go on my tree each year so that it is a tree full of memories. 

I love it.

Well, I'd better get organised ready for my playmate to arrive.

Happy Christmas to all who pop by here over the next week.

I hope Santa is kind to you and that you have a peaceful and joyful time.

Best wishes.

x Jo

WOYWW

Good morning all!
I'm back - not that I have been anywhere - just absent from WOYWW and busy with "work".

The craft fairs etc with Tilly Tea Dance last week went really well. It was lovely to hear all the positive feedback from her workshops and to see folks smile as they walked towards her Tilly Tea Dance stall. Click here to see what we were up to. Tilly Tea Dance at the craft fair

My latest crafty activities have been little dressing up outfits for friends and family.
Ben needed a Woody outfit for a Disney themed birthday party....

He already has the jeans and yellow checked shirt so I think these will just finish off his outfit nicely!

 My friend's granddaughter wanted a witchy cape and a Red Riding Hood cloak.

All I would say is.... don't ever ask me to sew slippery crushed velvet again. A simple job became a nightmare! It looks Ok and I am sure they will love it. Cheap isn't always the best choice - it was probably intended as drape/display fabric. OR my sewing skills have been seriously lacking in the velvet department!

So, that's it for this week.
Today is a fun day with Ben day so I will try and check out your desks later in the week.
I bet you are all busy with C cards - I really must plan mine - I have bought the stamps - lol.

xx Jo

WOYWW

It's all go on the Twiglet work table this week.
Today it's set up for brooch finishing.
Tilly will arrive with a bagful of beautiful brooch fronts and I will be adding little brooch pins to the back and packaging them ready for the Salop Leisure Christmas Craft Fair on Nov 24th and 25th.

If any of you are near enough to pop in, we would love to see you.

Below is the latest knittie for Ben. I showed it to him and he put it on straight away and said "Can I take it home Nanny?"  Success then!!

Hope life is treating you all well.

Have a great week.
xx Jo

WOYWW

Good morning all.
The magic porridge pot that is my wool bag has suddenly been replenished!
I can't resist a bargain - the random wool was on sale and it's perfect for my twiddle mitts, so, I stocked up ready for when I have a dull moment and feel the need to twiddle.
Also, Annie sent me a link to the stork/flamingo pattern. I thought they were cute so may give it a go.

I just wish I had snapped a picture of my desk last Friday.

Max needed a costume for a 90s party so she came here, armed with a bag of fabric.
It was a delight to see her set to  and create a wonderful skirt with flouncy net edging and big glitzy bow. She used an old skirt as a pattern - sketched what she wanted and the using her fabric - and my stash and machine, created the perfect outfit to wear with my favourite 90s shoes!

Of course, I had fun looking after Ben and just popped in now and then to give -  technical advice.

It's lovely to see how she works - don't know where she gets it from- !

We had a chuckle  because she said "That's the dress I drew when I was 9 - remember when I said I wanted to be a dress designer and we made up a company called "Sprint and Sparkle".
Maybe that's where Tilly Tea Dance will go next!

Have a great week all.
I will be round to check out my WOYWW buddies desks later.

xx Jo

WOYWW

Happy WOYWW everyone!

Just a quick snap of my desk today....

Lots of Tilly jobs going on - picture framing and brooch and pendant bagging!

BUT..
Do you like my new little friend?
Ben loves the Clangers and he noticed that they were made by knitting last week so, he asked Nanny if she could make one.
Well, you know I like to rise to a challenge so I downloaded the pattern from the BBC and made a Tiny Clanger. - I did use DK yarn so he came out slightly larger - I think I should have made his "suit" a bit bigger too as it barely covers all possible!! (You know - I think it's a nursing phrase...wash down as far as possible - wash up as far as possible - then wash possible!)

So that's it today.
I have loads to do for Tilly so must rush.

Finally, I must apologise for not visiting many desks last week - my cough and cold came back and I felt miserable all weekend. Hopefully it has gone now - it's certainly much better. There seems to be lots of nasty bugs about at the moment.


Have a good week.

xx Jo

WOYWW

Happy WOYWW to all who pop in to see what I have been up to this week.

I actually managed a few hours playtime in my sewing room on Monday afternoon!
You will remember that Margaret sent us some Laura Ashley samples fabrics for Annie and I to play with.
Well we had a little challenge to see what we could each come up with.
I made the book cover which I posted here.
Then, on Monday, I made these.....

Some little needle cases and a couple of notebook toppers.

And below...

Some little lavender sachets.

It was fun being creative with just tiny pieces of fabric and also delving into my stash for bits and bobs to trim them with.

I am sure they will find a new home somewhere!

The rest of my week will be busy as I will be helping Tilly to get ready for craft fairs and an exhibition.

I hope you are all well and enjoying the sparkly Autumn days we have had recently. It sounds like it might be a bit chilly by the end of the week. Keep cosy all!!

xx Jo

WOYWW

I am writing this on the most glorious October afternoon - and the forecast is for an even better day for WOYWWednesday!

I thought I would take a quick snap of my messy table today as it will all be tidied up ready for Tilly to work on for WOYWWednesday.


So.…

Here you are folks...

My cosy sweater that I have just finished for Ben.

The little sheepy pics that I have framed for the Tilly Tea Dance exhibition in Wem.

AND the mountain of woolly rovings sorted ready for Tilly's taster session with a local WI group. They will be making little needle felted pansy brooches.

So that's my table for this week.

Now, maybe Julia has more information to share with you about next year's celebration crop - or as Jan has named it CROPTEN. It should be a great get together. So keep your eye on her Stamping Ground blog for more details!!

Thanks for calling by and for your lovely comments.

Have a great week all.

xx Jo

WOYWW

Good morning to all my blogger friends - WOYWW or others. Thank you for popping in to see what I have been up to.

Maybe you will remember that Annie put a picture on her blog last week,  of me sorting through some lovely fabric samples Margaret sent us.

We challenged each other to come up with a few different items.
I did manage a little afternoon crafting one day last week and this is what I came up with.

It's an A5 journal cover...…

I have lots more little pieces so I need to get my head round a few other items - I bet Annie has been busy and probably has made loads of lovely things - you know what she is like!!!

This is the latest bagful of twiddlers for the local hospital.

And here are some of my Chocolate orange Christmas pud covers - all ready to donate to the charity that Graham does voluntary work for. They made a useful amount of money by selling             them last year.

The tiny, beady stars are Christmas decorations made and given to me by one of my oldest buddies. We called to see her in Ruthin yesterday and she showed me lots of amazing crafty items that she had been busy with. She is a quilter so had a beautiful baby quilt and a fab tweedy quilt which looked so cosy. Pity I didn't think to take photos!!

So that's what has kept me out of mischief recently.

I hope you are all well and keeping cosy in this chilly weather.

Have a great week.

xx Jo

WOYWW

Well here we are - back to my role as Tilly Tea Dance supporter!

We had a busy day yesterday mounting work ready for shops and an exhibition.

The items at the back are samples that Max made for her workshops.

In the front are the Tilly Tea Dance Fibre Packs that she sells to folk who want a small quantity of colour coordinated rovings, yarn etc

So this morning I will be shopping with Ben and Maxine and then we will be back here for Nanny duties (- ha ha - that means fun and games on the lawn if the weather is good - Ben, Nanny and Grandad playing cricket as that is the new sporting attraction!)

Maxine will be wet felting so I might snap her in action and post a picture later.

It was Ben's birthday over the weekend - this is the cake that I made.

He is a Go-Jetters fan (CBeebies). The little cake at the back was a gluten free one for his other nanny - we hope she didn't mind having Grandmaster Glitch and a Grimbot on the top! AND, yes, I noticed one of his little characters had fallen over - a cocktail stick up his back soon put him right!!!!

That's it for this week.

xxx Jo

WOYWW

My playmates are on holiday so I have had a busy week catching up with friends and crafting.

Here are my latest offerings....

Birthday cards for the youngsters in my family.
I like making little fabric collages.
The bottom one is for the kick boxer in the family.

AND yesterday we had an outing to Biddulph Gardens in Staffordshire.
It was a great place to walk around - beautifully set out with wonderfully landscaped areas. We went to "China" and "Egypt" .

Then we noticed this giant stone creature....

He was peeping over the top of a high wall and was about 4 ft wide!
I wouldn't want to meet him on a dark night!

Well it's short and sweet today - I have a birthday party to prepare for so, I will be baking cakes today.

Have a good week.

xx Jo

WOYWW

Well folks - here I am bright and early today!!

My little playmate is away so I am filling my time catching up with buddies and being creative while I can get in my sewing room - Yahoo!!! Above is the little bag I made to put his birthday gifts in. He can fill it with his toys etc and hang it in his bedroom. Then when he is at uni I will make him use it for his dirty linen- lol!!!

Talking of catching up with buddies.....

We had a wonderful weekend with over a dozen of our WOYWW friends (and a some of their lovely men) at Llandudno. It was the first crop that I have been to and it certainly didn't disappoint. We spent the day chatting, with a little bit of crafting and tucking into a delicious lunch and munching on yummy cakes through the day. Thanks to Margaret and Jan for all the organisation - the day went like clockwork!

Here are the crafty bits and bobs, ATCs etc that I came home with...

 On the left is a little parcel from Oz from the WOYWWer who had travelled the furthest - Shaz from Oz!!! We spent a delightful hour needle felting together - what a special little friend she is too.

Included in the photo is a little bear complete with poem from Annie, a beautiful handmade specs case from Jan, some raffle prizes AND lots of lovely ATC swaps.

Below are some of the little ATCs that I made to swap. Lots of little friends - all shapes and sizes - all giggling and ready for action - yes that was us on Saturday!!

Well that's it for this week.
There are lots of photos of the crop around the blogs so make sure you check us out!!

See you next time.

xx Jo

WOYWW

Late again!!
Maybe that's because I thought it was Tuesday today!
Where does the time go?

Well here is my WOY Ironing board W photo.

Annie showed me how she makes here little bean bags for her little ones, so I thought I would make a set for Ben. I found some of our favourite fabric scraps - 8" x 4" and made ten. Very quick and easy - as long as you don't spill rice everywhere!!

It's short and sweet today - I am just waiting for my playmate to arrive.

I am looking forward to the weekend and hope to meet up with lots of you lovely crafty ladies on Saturday. Let's hope the sun shines but I am sure it won't stop us from enjoying ourselves, even if it rains all day!

xx Jo

WOYWW

It doesn't seem five minutes since last week but here we are again - sharing our crafty activities with our WOYWW buddies.

I actually managed  a day playing with my new sewing machine - well, I was given a challenge and just had to go for it!!

Apparently "The Greatest Showman" is very popular in our family at the moment and I was asked to make a Ring master's jacket and Zendaya's acrobat leotard.
So here are the before and after transformations.

 This is the Willy Wonka coat pinned ready for upcycling

 This is the finished Ring master's tail coat. I just hope it fits. It is a secret birthday present so I couldn't do any fittings.

AND the lovely Zendaya has a jazzed up leotard for her outfit. Again - no fittings so fingers crossed, it fits.

Now I need to go and tidy my room so that Tilly can get to work there today.

I hope you are all well.
Not long till the "crop" - we are looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it.

xx Jo

WOYWW

Good morning to all our WOYWW friends and anyone else who calls by to see what I am up to.

This week I actually used my lovely new sewing machine a few times.

Ben and I were playing clowns (not a difficult role for me to take on!!).

I decided he needed a little "outfit" - so, while he picked beans with his Grandad, I nipped to the craft room, cut out a felt waistcoat and with just 2 seams and 2 over sized buttons, made it in 5 minutes! Wonder woman!!!
I must ask Max to send a photo as, of course, he wanted to take it home to show his daddy.

I also cleared out my wardrobe and found several pairs of jeans that just needed a little alteration or two and are now totally wearable. I had forgotten they were in my wardrobe.
My table needs tidying before Tilly comes to work on it later.

You can see my latest Twiddler and some lovely yarn for Tilly to wet felt into her pictures.
Plus a lot of bits and bobs that seem to creep onto my table when I'm not looking!!
A quick ten minute sort out needed.

So, a very productive week and nice to spend a bit of time sewing.

I will pop round to a few desks later.
Have a great week.

xx Jo

WOYWW

Good morning all.

I took a few quick snaps on my workdesk yesterday before my playmates arrived - I have to snatch my moments these days!!

So, today you can see some of the little inspiration packs that I made up for Tilly Tea Dance workshops. She has had lovely feedback from everyone. I think they all appreciate having created a finished, mounted and framed needle-felted work of art by the end of the session.
Then, Max gives them all a tiny pack of useful bits and bobs - rovings, yarn, curls, silky bits etc ready to use next time they pick up their new hobby!
It's fun choosing toning colours to pop in each little bag.....

Lastly, here are the latest twiddlemuffs ready to go to the hospital for use with patients suffering from Alzheimer's. Annie gave me some little letter tags and dominoes which I stitched on a few of them. Also if you look carefully there is one of her tiny blue bears peeking out of a pocket!
Thanks lots Annie!!

So, that's it for this week.

I hope you are all well and enjoying what appears to be the last bit of the lovely weather.

xx Jo

WOYWW

As my Mum would say.... I'm like the cow's tail today - all behind!!

It's been a Ben day and we have had lots of fun in the garden until the rain came. Then, not to be beaten, Ben did a "Stop the rain" dance on the lawn and the big raindrops stopped and the sun shone - he was amazed!!

So this is what's left behind on my work table...

A dress that Maxine wants me to alter - just an extra bit of elastic in the waistline.

AND...

A few of her sheepy brooch backs for me to stitch brooch pins onto ready for the completed sheepy fronts to arrive for me to finish over the weekend.

So, never a dull moment here.

Hope all is well with anyone who likes to pop in here to visit - thank you for calling and for the lovely comments you leave. I will do my best to get around a few desks in the next day or so.

Have a great week.

xx Jo

WOYWW

Just a quick post today, joining in with my WOYWW buddies around the globe!

I have been on admin duties for Tilly Tea Dance, getting some of her lovely sheep felted pictures ready for sale/exhibition. They are all selling well - especially at this time of year when Shropshire is looking at it's best and lots of visitors and holiday makers drop in to our local craft shops and centres.

Our latest crafty activity will probably involve the dyes below. Maxine would like to try dyeing some of her own raw materials and maybe even try some natural dyes too, so that should be fun!
She bought the dyes and also lots of lovely dyed yarn/curls/roving from a lovely lady whose trade name is Hope Jacare Designs. She produces some lovely colours and textures with raw sheep's wool and natural fibres. A great fast service too.

So, that's my work desk for today. Maxine will be busy here later and I will be having fun in the sunshine with Ben. Happy days!

xx Jo

WOYWW

My workdesk has been loaded, unloaded and re-loaded with Tilly Tea Dance gorgeous craftiness!

Here she is in action last weekend - more photos on Shaz and Annie's blogs, I guess.

We had a wonderful two days at the Shropshire Leisure craft fair and will be really looking forward to going back for the Christmas Craft Fair later in the year. Lots of friends popped in for a visit including the lovely Shaz and Doug who we met for the first time. They are just as lovely as we thought they were!! WOYWW has certainly created a wonderful band of super crafter friends thanks to our leader Julia. 

Now, just to prove Tilly isn't the only clever crafter in the family, Ben was busy creating fruity faces for us all on my kitchen unit and delicious they were too.

Thanks for calling by - maybe I might have a little of my own crafty activity to share next week.

Have a great week.

xx Jo

WOYWW

Well, I had quite a chuckle at your comments on my footie addiction last week!
It even included an offer to share the fun with a WOYWWers husband!! Ha ha - I don't get offers like that every week!

This week has been even more addictive as Wimbledon has kept me on the edge of my seat too and I daren't mention Silverstone and Hamilton's remarkable recovery from 1st to last to 2nd!!

Hence my crafty activities have slowed to a standstill.
I have just managed almost one twiddlemitt but then along came Tilly with some brooches to mount on card and one or two pictures to mount ready for her Craft Fair at Shropshire Leisure this Saturday and Sunday.

It should be a great event with lots of local crafters exhibiting/selling their beautiful artwork and hand made crafts. Come along if you are nearby - it's handy to get to - just off the A5 and has free parking a café and garden centre too.

So - that's it for this week.
Enjoy the semi final tonight - "Come on England!!!"


xx Jo

WOYWW

Another week, another WOYWW!

Good morning all.
I am writing the text for this in the cool of Tuesday morning waiting for Tilly to come and start a day of crafting. I am not sure where we will work today as it is soooo hot! Maybe on the patio in the shade? Sounds good to me.

Now I have a confession to make.
My name is Twiglet and I am addicted to the World Cup Football!

I've always enjoyed watching the odd game or two but the footie this time has been brilliant and I have spent most evenings watching these amazing players try so hard to win.
Now, I say watching footie but, of course I can't just sit there only doing that - so here is the result of my addiction - ( And I think this is seriously becoming another! )

I have to make each one into a little work of art otherwise it gets a bit tedious.
So I try to combine colours and textures that please me.
The recipients might not be so fussy but, as my friend reminded me - "They still deserve to have beautiful things around them to enjoy."

So that's it for this week.

Enjoy the sunshine - and the footie!!

xx Jo

WOYWW

Another almost wordless WOYWWednesday photo....

I have a lovely length of wet felted background on my desk today.

It needs cutting into pieces to make packs for poppy pictures - hence the rovings, threads and beads.

Maxine thought they might sell well on her Tilly Tea Dance workshops as folks always love the wet felted backgrounds she uses for her pictures.

So that will be a little admin job for me this week!

Have a great week all.

Enjoy the sunshine!

xx Jo

WOYWW

Good morning all!
My post is an almost wordless one today as I am on nanny duty any minute!
So....

 Just a few of Tilly Tea Dance's sheepy brooches waiting to be packaged on my table - she was here yesterday embroidering them. Link to online shop if you are interested..
https://www.tillyteadance.co.uk/tillyteadance-shop

AND below - a most beautiful old peachy rose with a heavenly fragrance that came via my Dad's/Annie's garden originally from my dear Godmother's garden -hence we call it Aunty Lilly's rose.

Have a great week WOYWW folk and anyone else who calls by here!

xx Jo

WOYWW

Good morning to all my WOYWW friends around the globe.

Now - as you know I am NOT a card maker. My love is embroidery and textiles.
So, when my friend suggested meeting up with her card making friend for a little get together and workshop I did wonder what I was letting myself in for!!

However, our evening was perfect - four friends chatting over a glass of wine and nibbles with some very well prepared card making thrown in - I can recommend it!

Now, I don't take much credit for this, as each step was demonstrated and each piece cut out ready for stamping/sticking together etc.

BUT - I must say I was thrilled to bits with the results I achieved so, I just have to show and tell to all you brilliant paper crafters out there.

I think some of your inspiration must have rubbed off don't you?

Lastly here is my latest, beautiful, arty ATC that arrived yesterday...

Thanks to Cindy for the clever little card too.

That's it for this week.

My playmate/coffeemate is away this week so I hope she is enjoying meeting up with special friends over the border!

Have a great week.

xx Jo