Meet Milly

My sewing room (well, the small study I share with my husband!) floor is covered in bits of thread, fuzz from felt, I have projects stacked up on every possible surface, the ironing board is always open...yes, it's Christmas project time! And as usual, I have left EVERYTHING to the last minute. Somehow sewing Christmas gifts in August, while it would be a smart thing, never seems to happen.

First up from the sewing table...meet Milly the mouse!

In one of those serendipitous moments, I found a book in my local library called Sewn Toy Tales from Melly & Me. I fell in love with all the toys in it, so ended up buying it. This was months ago, and after searching for just the right fabric, I finally made my first little creature. She's called Mabelle in the book, but I renamed her Milly. Despite the fiddly work (those arms! that nose!), I was pretty pleased with the end result. She's about to be shipped off to London for my niece, and I think I'd better send her quickly, because my children are developing quite an attachment to her. My daughter is especially fascinated by her nose! My next project from the book is either a pig (special request from my son), a dinosaur (for my daughter), or a lion (for my nephew). Of course, that's after all the other Christmas projects are finished!