Meet Beatrice

Beatrice joined the ranks of handmade teddies in our house today. Poor baby R was the only child in the house without a teddy made by her mum, and, really, that situation needed to be rectified. Isn't she cute?

Like her brother and sister monsters, Beatrice's pattern came from this book, "Make a Monster" by Fiona Goble. I bought it on a complete whim 3 or 4 years ago and I love it. I've made 5 or 6 of the monsters in it - probably more than any quilting book I own! It's well written, the patterns are very quick and straightforward to make with an easy construction method, and they have a big impact with the kids. The monsters are all sewn with polar fleece which is nice and easy to work with, and soft and hard wearing for the kids.

I posted a few picture on Instagram of my progress, and, in the way that you do with sewing photos, only spotted a mistake when I looked at it - the seam on the arm was not lined up properly originally, and it was bugging me, so I redid it.

She joins Martha and Leo who have lived in the 2 older kids' beds since they were toddlers. They're small, and funny looking but it never ceases to amaze me how the kids love these little guys. I tell them I've sewn loads of kisses inside their monsters so that they can make kids feel better in the night if they're feeling scared or have a bad dream and they totally believe in the power of that. Martha and Leo are looking pretty "well-loved" after hundreds of nights of cuddling, and both have had a few repairs over the years but they've plenty of life in them still.

Beatrice has taken up residence in Rachel's cot alongside another little handmade beauty which Geraldine sent her when she was born.

I think they'll do a pretty good job of minding her :-) And I need to make a few other bits to decorate her room now that her new furniture has been fitted and I've almost finished de-cluttering. Poor baba is in her room almost 3 months and it still hasn't been decorated for her; bad mum!!