Working on improving my sewing skills

Last week I finally finished this...

That's the chair cover, by the way. It came with the most horrid material and hideous pattern and I've been meaning to change it since Ana got the dolly pushchair for Christmas. It's the same material I used for this, an although it took me a while to work it out (with my very poor sewing skills) I'm pleased with the results. Oh, a while ago I also made the blue teddy and as you might have recognised I used a Wee Wonderfuls pattern. Finally, let me just show you this cute duvet I made using a pillowcase from Zara home I bought last Summer.

Ana is very good with her new caring skills.

Just remind me to make some sort of mattress, as that poor dolly is going to have terrible back ache!

Blue and white

Look at this beautiful object I found today! It's Carltonware but not all their designs are my cup of tea

Assignment #1

At last I could photograph some of the natural stuff I found to start the assignments. I had plenty to play with...

First I went figurative...

But then I felt I had to simplify...

And simplify...

And a bit more...

And that's better:

Found natural stuff

This is what I've done in the past with found natural stuff

A brilliant assignment

Have you ever seen Natascha S. Rosenberg's blog? I love her work and she does cute stuff like this . So today reading her blog she says that she will try to do this (look at Jan 10 entry)
And these assignments got me thinking. Assignment #1 seems to be perfect for me. I love to find, gather and collect natural stuff when I go for walks by the sea

And so far I have just left them around the house with no purpose, they are just there for me to be able to admire daily their natural beauty. Penelope's idea is great so I'll post soon what I may do with the stuff I've gathered.

Grey days

Today it was one of those English grey days where the sky seems to sit on top of you like a heavy brick oppressing you. Everything here seems dimmed and grey and flat, and there's not texture in objects around. People look pale and bleak and lifeless. Even after having lived in this country for 14 years I still feel oppresed by days like these. I miss sunny clear-skied Madrid winter days. Oh, how I miss them!

I don't like grey days. I want black (rainy) or white (sunny) days. So with that thought in mind, I took out the cow I made a while ago to show her the depressing view. She didn't like it either.

January

This is the January page of my new calendar. When I saw it I had to buy it. I love Miffy. There's something about the simplicity of her design and her colours that really appeals to me.

2007

So 2007 has started and I forgot to do the customary new year's resolutions. Well maybe I didn't forget, maybe I didn't want to face making a list of things I should be doing but I never get done. In any case one of the things it should be in that list is this blog. I say to myself that this blog is a way of making me do something outside my two main roles: being a mum to Ana and teaching (oh and being a wife to Anadad, of course!) At the moment I have this strong need to be creative, you know: I need to make something! Don't be mistaken, I'm pretty rubbish at it but I still make. So my 2006 birthday present was a sewing machine and that was the start. I suppose for the last few months I've been making some stuff and it's a beginning but usually I feel it's not good enough and not worthwhile showing. So I was very pleased today when I saw that gentlytiptoe is showing some softies I made as Christmas presents. Thanks Hannah! And now I need to return the favour... Now, this is proper stuff:

How cute are you!!!

Hey, don't get scared