Starry starry night

Well  it would be a starry night if it were not for the clouds and rain. Today I finished my christmassy felty garland. I love love loved making this. It was one of those projects which is quick to complete but requires enough effort that you feel you have accomplished something. It was also an excuse to get my sewing machine out. I find zipping things about on it relaxing and oh so fun!

So I started with some felt. This was perhaps the boring part. There is always a boring part is there not? I chose red and white mainly as there wasn't much of a selection in my local craft shop which was a surprise. I cannot be the only person in my little corner of west London who is making Christmas decorations from felt?

After making a template from some baking parchment I began chopping. The was a great deal of scissor action involved. Cutting out what felt like hundreds of pairs of felt stars.

Look at the neat piles of felt stars. Are they not full of the promise of Christmas!

Then began the sewing and the stuffing and the sewing again. First of all I zip nearly all the way round each one on the sewing machine leaving a small hole for stuffing. This took more time than in anticipated but was lots of fun. When the moomoos had her afternoon nap I sat on the sofa listening to radio four whilst I stuffed each star with toy stuffing until it was all chubby.

Once all the stuffing was complete it was back to the sewing machine to stitch up the stuffing holes. I then threaded the pretty stars onto lengths of red cotton. Don't they look pretty?

All of the red stars then had little bells sewn below them so that when they move they tinkle. They bells really were the perfect finishing touch.

Of course I hung them up right away.

I think I may make some more with a different motif. Maybe angels or Christmas trees. What do you think?

Now I am just sitting down with a cup of tea to write this post having just baked 35!!!! Yes THIRTY FIVE cupcakes! It is the pooks Christmas party at school tomorrow. He asked me to bake cakes for it late last week. I am sure I was distracted when he asked. I cannot think why I would think it a good idea to bake that many cakes but we did and here they are.

 The pook decorated them and I think he did a rather good job don't you?

Now to feed the children and get them off to bed. I am rather sleepy this evening and am looking forward to cosying up on the sofa to watch a film.