Autumn Break Giveaway...

Its coming up to Autumn Break, the babes and I are  planning some time together so we can really appreciate the riches on offer at this time of year.   Walks in the wood with all the beautiful orange shades in the trees, we will be pulling our wellies on and going for a splash in the sea.  The craft box is all ready with lots of creative goodness to keep us occupied if we need to hunker down in front of the fire if... when... the weather changes.  Who knows we may even see some bats flying from the trees.  We love bats here, we even have a few that lap around the house as the evening light draws in. 

You can imagine my delight when I was over at the lovely Queen of the Froggers blog and spied here latest creation...I had to get my hands on that there pattern;-)
The pattern comes from the wonderful knitting designer over at Mochimochiland, you must go and check the work out, not so sure about the the munching snake though, mind you I bet the children would love it!!!

The needles got clicking...as you can guess, the children adore their new Batty friends and they have lots of adventures planned for them next week...they fit so perfectly into their hands and its great for the wee babe to get to grips with doing the button to open up the bat wings...'Looking Mommy he is flying'...

So following on from my last post I thank you so much for your precious words, they mean a lot. Its a good time I think to take a break, just over a week, to spend time with my own little family. My camera, knitting and some sewing are all on the list of things to do so I am sure I will have lots to report on.  I am planning a trip to the city as I have some craft related books I am after, so lots of ideas will be getting logged in the notebook for the wintery months ahead...
So I leave you with a little giveaway, a few 'Suzie Sews' handmade goodies...a sturdy pin- cushion, Yoyo and vintage button hair pin, a little corsage to wear on your winter coat to cheer up a grey day and a few fabric badges (using moda, vintage Laura Ashsley and sweet owls fabric)...
So if you fancy being in with a chance of the postman bringing these to your door one cold morning to cheer you up, please just leave a message on this post and on my return I will pick the winner...I wish you a very happy week...

Thinking of my Dad...

I have just spent over an hour writing an emotional post about feeling low and realising it was because I am coming up to the anniversary of my Dads passing...  I wrote the post with honesty and all from the heart, I cried and wrote things I have never shared with another person... events of the run up to the sad day and how knitting through it all kept me sane, about the almost comic way people acted and behaved around this time.  Most of all though I wrote about the pain of missing my Dad and how my Mom has never actually acknowledged that I lost my Dad... The funny thing was the post never saved and I am just not able to write it all again without more tears...  So I will accept that things beyond my control for what ever reason choose for this post not to go out there and normal Suzie Sews show and tell will resume on my next post.

The weather today is...

The weather today is...Cloudy with some sunny spells ending in a bright Autumnal evening...
Perfect weather for cooking up some of the autumnal offerings from the garden...a fruity curry as we return to the comfort foods of warmth and spice after all the fresh crispy salads of the summer...
The dark evenings are a time to settle down and finish off projects...(Front and back of the Jane Austin dress)
and to start on a fresh project (does it look familiar?)...
... whilst the children return to their indoor play and rediscover the much loved and treasured wooden train set that seem to find its way all over the house..."Please Mommy leave it out so we can play with it later"
Which means this track has taken over the living room, the hall, poked into my sewing room, the downstairs loo and is now heading towards the kitchen...CHOO CHOO!!!

My children love being outdoors and I always worry how they will cope when they have to stay indoors, after all you can only cope with being wet from the rain for so long...you know they always surprise me with their 'play' I am blessed that they love being in each others company and despite their age difference they manage to find a harmonious level at which to play together...long may it continue...

I wish you a fantastic, happy and healthy weekend...

Accepting Autumn...

Accepting Autumn...

... Yes I have finally given in and actually admitted that the summer is at an end.  Whilst this saddens me it also gives me the freedom to go ahead and enjoy the next season...I look around me with a different view point now, just how could I have denied all the lovely things that Autumn brings us.  So with a weekend away we spent our time outside...the smell of the last mowed grass of the season...
The clear air and the special light that seems to be around at this time of year...
Walking through orchards, the crisp fallen leaves crunching under foot...
The final stages of harvesting just before the bales get all wrapped up like big sweeties for the winter feed...
Even the time on the beach this weekend felt different, the air was milky and without the warmth from the sun we pulled on our sweaters and walked for miles along the sea edge...
Splashing in the streams leading out to the sea...
Yes the beach had a whole different feeling to it, gone are the long days nesting in our little pod with sun cream and ice cream, the boys in the sea waiting till the tourist had all gone home so we could light a fire and watch the the evening light change.  No this time we just walked and walked, a little beach combing and some egg searching...
Egg searching...

Seriously...

The boys favorite story of this year was the Water Horse, so now inspired by this story and film we have a fine collection of eggs that need to be looked after with care...
and if we are lucky we might have a little sea creature of our own...
Or as my eldest one hopes... our very own dinosaur... May be I should curb their imagination and remove the stones (I mean eggs) from under their pillows so they keep warm, then again would you not love to have that time again when your imagination really does cross over into reality and everything is possible...

Yes Autumn is here and I have to admit that I am enjoying the season...

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

With all the outdoor play in the summer, settling down to some serious kids crafting time is not something that usually takes place, sure we paint in the garden and chalk up a storm on the patio, but to sit around the kitchen table and to spend time drawing, painting, cutting, sticking and generally making a mess, well this is for the dark evenings and rainy weekend afternoons...So its just not something we have done together for a while.  Along with play dates and after school activities for the first time ever I am having to plan in this time rather than it happen most nights as it did before the time when school seemed to take over our lives.  Pre-children I paper crafted and made cards, I also sold them enough to make a steady 'side' income.  I lost my groove a bit when the card invasion took place in the UK and suddenly it was more about the stuff you bought rather than the art.  Do not get me wrong, I think it opened the door to a lot of people who wanted to do arty things but felt unable to and this can only be a good thing, right?  
Never the less I lost my groove, suddenly instead of glitter, ink and pretty rainbow coloured paper surrounding me I found myself fully submerged in baby delights...cloth nappies, beautifully illustrated hard board books, pretty gingham bedding and the softest velvety cuddlies.  I remained in contact with some rather amazing designers and I swapped a few ATCs (I  have a fine collection which outshines my children's Pokemon ones) I made a couple of altered books and even dipped my toes into the scrapbooking phenomenon. 
Tinkering is more of the word to describe my paper crafting life now... sewing and knitting has now taken over and instead of shelves full of beautiful wooden stamps and multi-coloured pots of embossing powder, its now piles of lush fabric and tactile baskets of yarn...
So when the craft table does get going in full flow I love it and I slip back into the comfortable mediums of colour.  Last night after the school run, we pulled on our aprons and just went for it... we printed,painted, glued and glittered up in a frenzy of crafting....
Instead of the usual chatter there was silence as we each contemplated and then put into practice our ideas.  Potato's and apples became our printing tools and as for the wee babe, well of course he painted his hands (all the way to his shoulders!) to make prints, what I did notice was the change in my little ones work.  I remember at the beginning of the year when suddenly arms and legs appeared in his usual squiggles across the page and then features, enough to know he was drawing his Brother, or his Mommy and best off all himself with huge curly hair. Now we are getting so much more detail and even trying to write words to describe his pictures.  As for Big Brother...he enjoyed the printing, but as usual his favourite is cartooning...with speech bubbles a plenty...
Not that we needed a reason to spend the time at the craft table together, there was however an intention and I am pleased to say a good outcome.   I was inspired by the Living magazine and all things 'pumpkin'.  As we do not really go in for Halloween I went with the Harvest theme for this time of year...
and if I may say so myself...we got some good results, we made our Harvest greeting cards...then again when your having this much fun...who cares?

Have a great weekend and if you are looking for a craft to do with children check out the Flappy Happies over here...Domesticali

PS The new Autumnal Header picture is actually the photography of my eldest child, I love the effect he has captured almost lensbaby like.  Not bad for a little one aged eight!  Yes I am one proud Mommy!

busy little bee - Free motion machine quilting

Ah another weekend passes us by and for me it was a weekend with quite a lot of difference to the normal...My boys, for the first time ever spent a couple of nights away from me... it was a Lads and Dads kind of a weekend... Now let me tell you this was not an easy thing to do.  As a full time Mom my boys have always been with me except for one night when babe No 1 stayed with a close friend as I delivered babe No 2...so it was a big thing for me.  The funny thing is having spent some time on my own, to go sleep when I wanted and to wake up when my body chose to... to have some free time in the day... well I feel 100% refreshed and I feel a better Mom all round now.  So what did I do to fill the hours...I did what Suzie Sews does best and I sewed... Around me the house shows signs of this activity from the pins in the armchair when I curled on the sofa Saturday evening to bind a quilt, a glass of wine and a movie for company... to the threads that lay in little dust bunnies over the wooden floor (despite brushing it daily).  Yes lots of sewing got done.
After a lovely nights sleep on Friday I went off to my sewing course and this months course was free motion machine quilting, something I have been unable to achieve myself with satisfactory results.  
So I had a go at this...
a little play at that...
I had great fun with this...
and I got plain carried away with this little beach picture including the little fish...
it was fun, challenging and I feel I have just about got the hang of it, enough to have ago now with out fear, I think I just need lots of practise...
Because practise makes perfect, not that I want perfection I am a great believer in Homespun ethics...
Because that is what gives a quilt its character and history, after all if you wanted it perfect you can go into a shop and buy one off the shelf...
I have so enjoyed my journey through all the measurements and detail of learning to quilt, I used to be scared of all the quilting terms which is why I joined the course, and whilst its not my first love, it has taught me so much about sewing, pattern and putting it all together over a period of time to make something that is precious to my family.  Yes I have enjoyed this journey and I look forward to what it will reveal to me next...

The children returned home excited and tired after their adventures and safely into my open arms.

Thank you for the lovely friendship comments (see last post), it warmed my heart and that's not a bad thing as the Autumn chill sets in,  leaves blow across the fields, the lights go on when I get up in the morning and yesterday I defrosted the car (in my summer sandals because I have not given up hope of a few more days of summer)... well I can dream can't I?

Friendship...

Friendship, its a funny thing, it truly is a gift.  Throughout my life I have been lucky enough to meet some very special people that I feel honored to be able to call my friends...
Its not very often in life you actually meet your soul mate, someone you feel really in tune with. If your very lucky you might find that its your partner, the person you share your life with on a daily basis, you create and raise your children with, or it could be a someone you played with in your back garden as a child and have grown up with.  Then again sadly you might never actually meet your soul mate.  Throughout life I have been lucky enough to have made lots of friends, I have travelled and there is something about travelling that breaks down the barriers.   I feel very blessed with my friends, I have known very lovely people in my life. 
Friends are so important in life, you know the saying 'you can pick your friends but not your family'.  Equally these friendships can leave you vulnerable and I am sure we have all been hurt by people we called friends and there is something so soul destroying about that which leaves you feeling incredibly hurt.    So to spend time with my soul mate over the last couple of weeks has been fantastic.  As I type she is up in the sky on one of several flights as she makes her way home to her own family in Australia.  Whilst our time together has been short we certainly made the most of it.  We chatted none stop, we eat great food, we walked, talked seriously, knitted and chatted some more.  The children adore her, we put the children to bed at night with silly stories told in silly voices and the children so loved it.  
So this morning we got up early (having gone to bed ridiculously late as we chatted on and on until the wee small hours) we made our way to the airport.  The airport is such a wonderful place, a place to 'people watch' and to see that there really is a lot of love in this world of ours. Only this time is was not watching people greet friends and family it was to watch them part saying their goodbyes.  
I don't know when I will see my soul mate again.  After all we could not live any further away from each other.  But I am left with some special memories.  A renewed faith in the word friendship, because when you make a best friend, you have a friend for life, if its not for life then its not a true friendship.  My soul mate is someone who just takes me for what I am, the good and the bad the rough with the smooth.   If they call me and need help I will always be there for them too.  Yes friendship really is a priceless gift.
So I have spent quality time this past two weeks, talking, shopping, knitting, sewing, trips to the hospital and talking some more.  There has been laughter and even some tears.  As a family we have all enjoyed our friend staying with us, brief as it was, special cuddles with special people...

Have a great weekend and if there is a friend you have not spoken to for a while, go on pick up the phone...

PHOTOGRAPHS

PHOTO 1  a future project in the making PHOTO 2 The knitted dress for my friends oldest child in the making PHOTO 3  selecting the fabric for the knitted dress to make the skirt, so many pretty fabrics to choose from  for a pretty little one PHOTO 4  Airport runs  PHOTO 5  Cuddles, God Mother and God Child spending some special time together

Edited to add...I apologise for the miss spelling, now corrected, thanks for making me aware...darn dyslexia!!!

Book Club...Autumnal changes

Well its the time of year when I finally have to accept that Autumn is on its way, reluctantly yes, but never the less I am realising that I just can pretend no more, its time to pull on the long sleeves and feel almost claustrophobic with the layers of clothing after the freedom on light linen on my body.  Next week I will revisit the summer with a post of my favourite pictures and memories of the past few month, then I can really move on into the next season.Along with acknowledging the dark mornings and evenings, with the chill in the air that  brings with it the time to hunker down under quilts with a good read.  As you may be aware I am a bookie type of person, I adore books, old, new, story or factual...I do spend most of my spare pennies on books, ideally I like to buy them from small shops, the days of the book shop on the corner street are diminishing rather to quickly for my liking, a place were the shop keeper knows all names of the books they stock off the top of their head, when a cup of tea or coffee is placed into your hand as you parooze the shelves...yes sadly these shops are disappearing fast...instead we have the super bookshops and of course who can not be aware of the amazing savings through Amazon.

This pile of loveliness is my craft book purchases over the last month (I admit to having a pile of novels as well).  There are some great books here, I do sometimes get seduced into a book purely by its cover and when I get round to actually seriously reading the book I have been disappointed, not so with these books, full of inspiration for knitting and sewing alike, the Japanese sewing book is to be rated highly, full of all the projects we see in the adorable (yet pricey) magazines, but the best thing is the instructions and pattern sheets are in English. I gave up trying to work out the instructions from the magazines, sometimes life is just to short for that kind of thing.  It has some super projects in and I can assure you there will be some made here over the coming months.

I love dirt...its a good book, I feel its more aimed for the children to read, my older son loves it, it helps him to have more of a focus in his outdoor play but its nothing new. However its nice to have all the ideas in one place.

The Yarn Harlot need no explanation or description, just cool books that make you smile. 

I also guess most people who sew already own the beautiful Amy Butler Book, lots of adorable baby projects from cuddlies to nappy bags for the new Mommy.

So that's my inspiration pile for October and I am already looking up a few new craft books that are coming out this month...so much inspiration, my shelves are groaning under all of the weight.
Its been a big day today, I put on enclosed shoes and even pulled out my boots...I bought these pumps last week, whilst I do not really want to get back into 'proper' shoes, when they are this 'HAPPY' well maybe I can make the change with a smile on my face...
So with my weekly list of things to do...top of the list was my turn on the rota for church flowers...I thought I would do a pedestal arrangement to celebrate the fabulous colours of Autumn which are now all around us...
As if I needed to prove it anymore that the seasons have changed, this is a photograph of my little one at the weekend, without even knowing it I snuggled him up in a quilt of autumnal colours (backed in Boden Dalmatian baby soft cord)whilst he slept deeply after a day of playing on the beach...