NANNY CHAT Archives - Page 14 of 19

Nanny Joins a Bee Hive – Buzzzzzzzzzzz

October 4, 2013 by Nanny Leave a Comment

Hi! Today I want to share with you my latest adventure – I have joined a Quilting Bee!! I am so excited to be in a Bee Hive with 11 other bees and can’t wait to see what the year ahead brings.

The Queen Bee for the first month requested a Granny Squares Block with a white background so I searched through the scraps (only need 2.5″ squares) and came up with this

Now all I had to do was sew it together!!

Why is it, that when you commit to do something for someone else, performance anxiety appears and everything that can go wrong, does?? Does this ever happen to you? Well at this point I’m thinking “Wow if this happens with sewing squares together, how will I be on a complicated block”!!

Time to give this girl a serious talking to!! So listen up Nanny ….. quit the nonsense and sew the bee block up!!

And she did!!

Now I thought , if I make myself one of each of the chosen blocks, by the end of the year I will have a sampler quilt – how cool would that be!!

To do that I will convert all of the blocks to a standard 12″ block – this one is only about 9″ – that way all of my blocks will be 12″ finished and so quick to join with sashing!

I’ll have to decide on a colour scheme and then audition some fabrics – I’ll share the block when I decide!!

I will be a busy bee!!!! Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Until next time

Nanny xx

Blogtoberfest

October 1, 2013 by Nanny 2 Comments

Goodness me – it’s October already and that means Blogtoberfest!!

What is that you ask? Blogtoberfest is something I first heard of last year – it is an annual blogging activity where bloggers join with the challenge to blog every day for the month. This year Blogtoberfest is being hosted by Shell at Shells in the Bush. Shell is an Aussie blogger from over the west and who knows – one day when Nanny and PJ get that motorhome a travelling, we might just stop by and watch her paint in the bush! (I’m sure I could learn a lot!!!!) Its a big ask to blog every day – last year I started well but fell to the blogside ………
Can I do it this year? Can I blog every day for the month? I guess time will tell … I do know that the time is perfect – after the last couple of months, I NEED to get back to my life and the things I enjoy…

What will I be blogging about? Whatever strikes my fancy! That’s the beauty of a blog – there are no rules!

I will be offering:

Some Let’s Sew tutorials – great for beginners
Watza Wednesdays
Spin the Pins and
maybe even a recipe or motorhome adventure!

On the other days I may just say hello! 🙂

and one of the best things about Blogtoberfest is that I will get to ‘meet’ and ‘visit’ other bloggers.

So if you are wondering what you can do this month, why not join us in the fun and festivities – just pop on over to Shells and join up or if you prefer, just come along on the ride with me – I’d love your company!

So until next time (should be tomorrow)
Nanny xx

Celebration Wrap-up

June 28, 2013 by Nanny 2 Comments

This is just a quick post to say

“THANK YOU!!”

for taking part in

Nanny’s Celebration Giveaway!!

The winner was

Vicki-Lorraine

and I posted the knitted neck warmer off to Vicki-Lorraine today.

I hope you enjoy its’ warmth and softness Vicki-Lorraine!

I hope that everyone else will continue to follow along with Nanny (even though you didn’t win this time) – I can’t tell you how much I value your friendship and support.

“THANK YOU!!”

Until next time
Nanny xx

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Kids Clothes Week – As it was..

May 1, 2013 by Nanny 2 Comments

This last week, I joined up with Kids Clothes Week with big plans of what I would accomplish …..now the week is done and let’s say the week ~~was stuffed up a bit~~ didn’t go as planned.

The week began with me deciding that now was the time to make our twin grandchildren a play tent for their 3rd birthday (I don’t know why I have these sudden urges!!) I didn’t have a pattern and decided that I would make it from whatever I could find in the ‘stash’ – except of course for the poles! I love how it turned out!

We delivered the tent and it was greeted with much excitement and joy!

Then one of our grand daughters wanted a ballet Bag for her best friend’s birthday so I whipped that up before we set off for home again. It was just a simple drawstring bag with a circular bottom but it still brought a lovely smile and a ‘Thanks Nanny” hug – ah I’d do anything for that smile…….

Take out another sewing day travelling home and resting and I was starting to think I was never going to get to finish anything for Kids Clothes Week!

While I had been ~~flat out like a lizard drinking~~ very busy, I had been preparing fabrics and patterns as outlined for KCW, so I finally got to sit down at my machine and I made a bucket hat for Olivia ( a little friend of Nannycraft4u) I used the free pattern from Oliver + S

I love this pattern and have used it to make a few hats now. I do, however, make the main hat and the lining hat in total and then sew them together around the brim. (Like when lining a bag) I then turn it through and stitch the brim.

Now, I finally had something to show and I was on a roll …..

I had also promised the twins an apron for when they help Mum cook – the looks on the older girl’s faces quickly told me that I would in fact be making 4 aprons!! (How did I know to buy enough fabric for 4??)

Once again, I didn’t have a pattern, but made a standard shape using their chest measurement and length. I elasticised the neck strap and the back strap so that putting them on and off doesn’t become a drag for their Mum – they will step into the apron and then pop the neck strap over their head! I also made them reversible – this should ensure no ~~fighting, screaming matches~~ disputes about who is wearing which colour etc. I made them from 4 fabrics from the Sugar Rush range that I purchased from The Oz material Girls – the cakes and the cherries on black and again on blue. So two are cake aprons trimmed with the cherries and the other two are cherry aprons trimmed with cakes – all black on one side and blue on the other.

So as I reflect on the week that was, I have to be pleased with my efforts. I am sure I wouldn’t have finished this many items without KCW being constantly in the back of my mind. I will certainly be joining in again for the next Kids Clothes Week – why not join us!

Until next time

Nanny xx

How to Fold A Fitted Sheet (For Jules)

April 21, 2013 by Nanny 2 Comments

Today I am going to show you how to fold a fitted sheet so that you can take your bed linen from this

to this!

I normally fold as soon as I take from the line, but because I know that many of you are not able to do that I have left it sitting in the basket crumpled to make it ‘real’.

Take the fitted sheet and place it on the table with a short end running the length of the table on the left. Make sure that your sheet has the’right side’ down on the table.

I know you are looking at that thinking “She has got to be kidding!” but stay with me…..

Find the stitched corner on the left

Then on the right

I have put my hand into the sheet and up to the corner so that I can turn it inside out (my right hand is now inside!)

Now take that right hand over to the corner we sorted on the left and push it into the corner,

and holding all of those corners in your left hand,

stretch the sheet out across the table with your right hand.

Do the same at the other end and you end up with this:

Fold the elastic edge in so that you end up with a fairly good rectangle

Now fold the left hand side over (about where the elastic is) smoothing with your hand (this is the ironing lol)

Then fold the other side in as well

Fold up a third of the way

Then the other.

Now that wasn’t so hard was it!!! BUT we still have more in the basket!

Fold the straight sheet in half lengthwise and then in half and half again width wise.

Don’t forget the ironing! 😉 Fold in half again

Now take your folded fitted sheet and place it on the straight sheet, leaving enough to fold down over at the top

We mustn’t forget the pillow cases! Fold them in half both ways and sit them on top

Fold the top over

Fold the bottom up

And again and there you have it – when you go to make the bed there will be no more searching through the linen looking for matching pillow cases! Doesn’t it look neat!

The back

and the side

and best of all, the front! Won’t that look lovely in the linen cupboard!!

I hope that helps you get those fitted sheets under control.

A couple of Nanny tips: If you hang your sheets on the line, fold the straight sheet in half across so that the folding is already started when you take it off. Hang the fitted sheet by the corners on the short side with the other end the same one line away and then as you take the pegs out you have it half folded! (It all helps)

Until next time

Nanny xx

Please share:

Please share:

Please share:

Please share:

Please share:

© Nannycraft4u