A Makie Owner's Guide Part 1

How to tell if your Makies are plotting something:

1) Look for signs of collusion.

Generally there is much giggling, then a thoughtful 'hmmm' before some scampering is heard. 

2) Keep a regular watch on your google search history.

Yes. Well. I don't think I've been searching for shark-mounted lasers, impenetrable fortresses or giant squid toys. 

3) Lock up your credit cards.

T-shirt time!

This week, we finally got to play around with some cool transfers that the lovely Jo sent us a whole age ago.

They're pretty easy to use, just switch on a medium iron, press for a minute or so, peel off the backing paper and there you have it. One owlified (or hedgehogginated) t-shirt.

Plain t-shirts via Coolcat; look for them on evilBay

Thanks very much, Jo! x

Got a spare hand?

Well, a whole arm, actually.

Makies in the Snow

Take two Makies.

Hullo!

Add a good dumping of snow.

Snow angels?!

Encourage creativity.

We call him Mr Slumpy

Allow pioneering.

Taa daa!

Provide cleaning facilities...

Flipping heck... 

...and lots of hot chocolate.

Better.

RED ZONE

What a dramatic title!

The Meteorological Office here in the UK likes to give weather warnings a colour. Yellow is a bit iffy. Amber is look out. Red is... omgwtfbbqroflmao lock up your valuables and hang on for a fun time of it.

They announced a red snow warning for today for the UK. Here's why it's a red warning...

Many parts of the Red Warning area are likely to have 20-30 cm of snow with strong southeasterly winds causing blizzards, severe drifting of lying snow and thus severe disruption. The public should avoid all non-essential journeys.

And oooh look. A map!

RED is BAD

Oh dear. The Welsh Institute for Makie Science happens to be on the bottom edge of the red area... and the hospital where I work is well into the middle of it!

When we woke up this morning, there were a good four inches of snow on the ground and it's continued to snow all day. I must admit, once the traffic news started rolling in, I didn't even attempt to get my car off of the driveway. I'd handed over all my patients to one of the juniors who lives on site yesterday, and my Consultant told me in no uncertain terms that if I did make it to the hospital, he'd just send me home again. 

So I've been sat in the armchair, drinking tea and photographing the wildlife through the window... 

Poor Squirrel

...and then some very wild wildlife showed up...

O hai!

More to come!

It's a wolf suit. Naturally.

Well. It started with a bit of an odd statement on the forum...

And then there was a photo...

Photo by the lovely Fil's lovely SiL, who found the snowman on evilBay

And then there was a bit of an idea of how to do it, which means that as there's revision to be put off, so I'm looking for *any* distraction whatsoever, there had to be a proof of concept!

No fastenings, it's only a prototype... 

This little wolf suit is based on the MakieLab hoodie pattern, which is available in PDF form on the forum. The lower edge is simply extended by about 10cm to form the trouser section, and a 1cm extra width is added to the middle of the front section to facilitate the front edge opening. Construction is pretty much exactly the same, although slits are cut for the ears and tail, which are stitched in before the suit is assembled.

Look! A tail!

I'll see if I can get a pattern and a tutorial up at some point soon, but as I'm spending next week attached to the Big Red Bleep and my rather scary exam is coming up rather fast, you might have to make do with a shot of the pattern pieces and a basic set of  instructions... both of which I'll post tomorrow :)

Go on, Melchie. Get the instructions written... 

Happy New Year...

Oh dear me. Well. I wandered into the study this morning to find the collected Blythes in a flurry of righteous indignation. Apparently, they'd had a bit of an interrupted night and wanted me to know exactly how unhappy with it they were. 

Turns out that after a rather civilised dinner party, Plink and Melchie had decided to go hard rather than going home to watch the New Year in with Jools Holland and had caused a bit of a rumpus... unfortunately, I'd woken up before the Makies, and was able to procure evidence of misdeeds from my iPhone...

Looks like things started off sensibly enough. 

Champagne is traditional, I suppose. 

Oh, good grief. 

Plink... what... that's a stuffed hedgehog.
Where did that even come from?!

*sigh*

Aargh! How'd she even get up there?!

2AM, this was taken. Explains the smoke alarm going off. 

You'll be pleased to hear that they both started 2013 with blistering hangovers and have been rather sheepish all day. Here's hoping for some better Makie Behaviour this year. For once I'd like to be a shining example rather than a terrible warning!

Wrappin', innit?

Goodness, how is it the 19th already?
(Okay, I know the technicalities. The sun rises and sets, the hours pass. But it seems to go faster).

There still seems to be a lot to do, so Plink and Melchie volunteered to help me wrapping the presents.

And actually, to my surprise, the corners were folded neatly.

Labels were written and put on the right presents.

We got all of it done in record time and with minimal use of naughty words.

And we were still friends at the end of it!

I really don't think it'll last.

Winter Warming

When you're off out on a frosty walk, you need your warmest coat. Happily, our warmest coats are also our newest and smartest.

Glittery hairbands are FESTIVE

Aspen's coat is made in red cotton twill, finished with black velvet ribbon for the collar.

...where'd that Reindeer come from? 

The coat pattern is I think from a Dolly Dolly book, although I purchased it as a PDF from an unscrupulous Etsy seller who appears to have scanned it and is passing it off as their own. I've since reported them (although doubt that's going to make any difference).

O HAI DEER

Melchett is modelling a herringbone wool version, which is made from the fabric that keeps on giving. I purchased 3m on evilBay and I've got a dress and two skirts for me, a cushion and now a Makie coat out of it, and there are still scraps left!

Admire my beautiful back end

The back pleat gives an active Makie room for Mischief.

This is what we technically call 'posing'

Melchie, stop faffing about.

Taa daa

Blergh

Yup. The coldbeastie well and truly has me. Given I ache from top to bottom and am coughing and sniffling and really don't want to give it to my patients, I'm spending today in bed.

Definitely a good opportunity for a bit of Christmas sewing. Aspen and Melchett are happily immune to human bugs, so they're joining me as fit models.

Unfortunately, Bagpuss came too.

O Chrimbly Tree, O Chrimbly Tree!

Hey Guys.

Hooray for Boyfriends that retrieve large boxes from attics!

Come to help with the tree? Okay. Pull those branches out for me.

No, pull out the branches, not show off. 

Check the lights are still working.

Plink contemplating hooking Melchie up to the mains. 

Melchett, gravitating towards the noisiest ornament, as usual.

Jingly bells; ornamental as a well as alerting us to feline climbing attempts.

Plink's got her favourite too.

Shinies!

Ack. No worries. There's always one casualty.

Bother.

Taa daa!

I shall spend the next week rearranging the ornaments.
That owl's already been shifted!

Jinglybells!

Yay, December!

Despite having attained the venerable age of Twenty-Mumblemumblemumble a month and a half ago, I still enjoy prepping for Christmas. This year, the Makies are determined to join in, so I find I've got a helping hand or two... or three... oh dear... and some tentacles... I guess I shall have to rely on the Blythe troupe to provide common sense.

In any case, whether your Christmas preference is for the traditional...

Better than a chocolate one, I reckon :)

...or the unbearably kitsch...

I call this the most epic reindeer ever.
The boyfriend calls it an Abomination Unto Nuggan.

...I hope you'll enjoy plodding along with us. You can look forwards to cooking, dressmaking, tree-trimming, a tutorial or three and a grand countdown to the new year. So keep watching this space!