100 Posts and a Giveaway

Here it is. The long-awaited blog post number 100. Let's celebrate! If you like, the oldfashioned way, with honking horns and a good glass of selfmade fruit punch. But since that kind of excitement is rather difficult to share virtually, I prepared something you may enjoy just as much, dear reader - a giveaway!

I've always adored giveaways on other blogs, and have found many wonderful and talented bloggers via links and recommendations. I couldn't wait to hold mine. So here's what's in store for you:

A pair of selfmade wrist warmers to keep your fingers snug and swift for all those craftsy projects during chilly hours. The floral fabric is quite cozy and consists of 10% wool, whereas the lining is made up of a very soft black viscose jersey. These can be worn inside out as well. There's a small label close to the wrist on the black side. Both fabrics are very elastic and will fit your wrists perfectly.

You'd like to win these? Here is what you must do:

1. leave a comment below this post
2. cross your fingers and wait until I announce the winner!

Easy, right?

I'll be holding this giveaway until the 29th of February and announce a winner on the 1st of March, using one of those random number generator thingies.

Good luck! <3

A creative day off

I'm having a day off on short notice, and enjoying it in the sewing room. Which is most of the time a real mess. My mom says it's a creative mess, though, and I like to mention this to surprise visitors, prior to any probable eyebrow raising when entering my craft room.

Did I show you my calendar for this year? It's filled with illustrations in the naive art style, which I adore so much. I once bought a painting from a street artist in Brazil, which had a rather inconvenient size for traveling. It was quite a struggle and left a few raw edges here and there, but I'd always do it again. There's just so much to see and explore in paintings of this style.

Another pair of wrist warmers is born, for a friend of a friend. I'm so moved that my creations are already arousing attention without me presenting them personally. These are very similar to the ones I sent to coco for the autumn gift swap. Which has received so much good feedback that I am already thinking about a handmade summer gift swap. You should definitely send me a mail if you'd already like to be part of the gift circle, but I'll also mention it again on my blog as soon as I can set proper dates.

Weekend is almost here, and so is our short trip to Amsterdam! I'm still yearning for your recommendations on what to see/do/eat there!

Have a lovely Thursday!

Furry wrist warmers

I am experimenting with new fabrics, probably due to the incredibly low temperatures outside. I used a 100% cotton fur, the kind you usually find your favourite teddy bear made of. It feels wonderfully warm around the wrist and keeps my fingers warm (at least in here).

I'll test-wear them today on my way to work, to see how the fabric behaves after a while. Wearing my items or giving them to friends for good feedback is essential to me. As a customer I'd be disappointed if the fabric of a loved item wears off, bleeds out after washing, or simply leaves threads and fluffs all over the place. So I'm trying to exhaust all possibilities.

Update

Yesterday I woke up to a winter wonderland and tried to capture it for you.

I've been a busy bee (that's why it's been so quiet here), anticipating every ray of light to make product pictures for the little shop (I finally decided to go with Etsy), trying to grow an avocado (it hasn't worked so far, and I've gone through a lot of tutorials to get it right this time), and drooling over my new polaroid cam which I purchased second hand (and which was of course a lot lot cheaper than the polaroid pictures I would have to load it with).

Next weekend I'll be going to Amsterdam for a one day trip only. So if you have any recommendations on what I should definitely see/try/taste/buy, I'd be so grateful if you left me a message.

I hope you're enjoying this late winter. We're having nearly -15°C here, but as long as the sun is shining and you've got a good cup of tea waiting for you, it's bearable.

New colors and cowls

Mum came by yesterday to dye my hair. I am trying to go from brown to blonde (which could end in a disaster if you don't really know how to use hydrogen peroxide appropriately). Mum is an expert of timeless and subtle elegance, so instead of boosting my hair straight into a bright color (which I was actually preferring first, since it gives you this "I was at the hairdresser's and am a new person now" - feeling), we go step by step every few weeks and the transformation is very natural and gentle. I'm at almondish bright brown right now, with loads of flattering facets.

While highlights were left to act for an hour, I made another version of the tighter loop scarf. Mum loves turtle necks, and having a separate one is the best option for her to turn non-turtle-neck pieces into the new favourite items. She chose a black jersey to go with the beautiful floral fabric you know already from I's scarf and A's wristwarmers. I love how she smartly combines it with a classic silver necklace and that timeless tweed jacket.

I hope you're having a good Sunday!

Toasty wrist warmers for him

I've made these wrist warmers for D, mainly because of his complaints about cold fingers while working on the computer. And as it is rather inconvenient to sit inside with a cozy mitten trying to hover the mouse over complicated snippets, I remembered that keeping your wrist warm does the job just as good. Maybe not when snow is upon us. But for now, he'll be safe.

This fabric was such an inspiration, it's amazingly soft and cozy. And the pattern just asked for this purpose. It's so rewarding to notice when I make something for someone in particular, and they put it on, it suits them even better than it did in my head. As if they have had it long before. I am generally inspired by particular people I make something for, rather than blindly creating something out of thin air (although I envy that aptitude so so much).

How do you get creative, I wonder? Do you start from scratch and think about who it might suit best along the way? Or are you inspired long before the actual result?

Knitting and thoughts on how to spoil you

Some knit on my lap. I've started with an ear warmer for my dear friend, who doesn't like to cover her chignon with a hat. So we found this beautiful baby alpaca wool and I've been using an old vintage pattern to make it that little more interesting.

I've also been working on some wrist warmers. I still had some leftover fabric scraps from my autumn dress. And as the pattern and colors are just so divine, I couldn't resist to make some accessories with those. It wasn't enough for a scarf, but it will be fine for a couple more of these cuffs. The ones I am wearing are lined with a soft brown jersey fabric, but I've also made some with dark grey. They're so cozy and such an eyecatcher, and if you like it a little plainer on some days, you could just turn them inside out.

Making these autumn cuffs gave me an idea, since I'd like to spread the love for handmade things (and adore giving and receiving gifts as much as anyone probably does).

What would you think about a handmade autumn gift swap? Whoever likes to enter the circle has to send something handmade to another person, and in the end everyone will get something selfmade and treasured from someone else! Kind of like a combination of having a one time penpal and a giveaway. It would be a lovely way to get to know more of you crafty people, who are always such an inspiration to me.

Let me know, dear silent readers, what you think about that idea.

Loop scarfs for loved ones

I somehow stumbled into November (or November happened upon me), and can't believe Christmas is actually almost there. Time to get ready for the coldest season. I've been making loop scarfs recently and am quite enjoying the results, as they're fairly easy to make and therefore so rewarding!

For her birthday I made A. one in rather funky colors (in remembrance and anticipation of our traditional New Year's holidays), lined with a cozy warm fleece fabric in blue. Of course we had to go outside and snap some pictures of it in the warm autumn sun. It's been spoiling us all weekend.

I assume autumn is pressing every button to make up for the rather weak and moody summer. Enjoy, until you'll have to go all onioning by putting on 3 tights and at least 2 cardigans! 

Belated Cotton Love

I had this post prepared such a long time ago. It was even before my harddisk died on me, and I am glad I had already uploaded this picture. I didn't want to post it too early, since I had planned to make one of these tote bags for my friend Syl for belayed Christmas (a habit we still pursue very much), and I wanted it to be a total surprise.

This bag is now about half a year old and my substitute for any handbag I had before. It's so practical, and always fits more than you think, without becoming a burden to your shoulders and back. I've been dreaming about making a few more of this style and open a little etsy shop. To share the love over handmade uniqueness.

So here's the original post:
"I'm a big fan of cotton tote bags. Not only does it keep my wastage of plastic bags to a minimum, it also adds to my individual style. After having tried out a few prototypes, I finally finished my first very own cotton bag.

Since the sourcing of darker shaded heavy cotton seems to be more difficult than I thought, I had to dye some beige cotton to get this brown color. I'm rather dissatisfied with the result, as it is quite blotchy. Hopefully I'll find a supplier of darker cotton or linen soon. Sadly Etsy is not the answer yet.

What I love most is the floral lining, which only peeks out a little if you're rummaging around for your things. I decided to go with the darker old rose ribbon, since it suits my scarf so well. But I'm planning to combine it with all kinds of colors, depending on the wearer and its wardrobe."

I've already made two more of these bags, always one of a kind. In the meantime I found a very solid brighter linen, substituting well for the brown shade. But I'm still hunting for a similar quality with darker shades since, well, these bags do live. And they will become a little blotchy and messy as you carry them around lovingly. But they'll always be unique.

A pouch for sunglasses and the problem with bulky corners

I forgot to post this pouch. These last days have been a little unorganized.

This pouch was made as a present to store some newly purchased sunglasses (or my own ones temporarily as seen above). I've been on a mission to minimize wrinkles on other's foreheads. You'll see me ironing those worry lines with my thumb whenever I catch someone overly concentrating. The kind of concentration that leads to obstinacy. Some peeps like to combine this with a little pouting. Sounds familiar?

I've heard that sunglasses help, at least with the wrinkles between the eyebrows issue. And they will give my thumb a little break.

The design is rather plain with only a little embroidery, since it's made for a guy. The inside is made of molton, a very soft fabric usually used in stage design. I love working with this material, it seems to float along by itself underneath my sewing machine. For the outside I used some plain and solid linen.

Even though there are tons of tutorials on these pouches, I feel like noone has really revealed the secret of the zipper corners in full detail yet. There are various ways. You could either cover the zipper with a small piece of fabric, as I did here, then shorten the zipper a little to reduce the bulk. Or you refrain from using any extra covering, but will have a little more bulk then with slightly rounded corners.

Maybe there's no real solution if you want to use lining. But I've seen some around with very pointy corners, so I am determined to discover the secret of those. And when I do, I will share with those of you who have been in the dark for so long as well (unless you know already and would love to share!).

Hope you're all having a good week!

Summery cover for my brother('s laptop)

This was supposed to be a birthday present in April. But as you have noticed, all those special dates have gotten a little difficult for me this year, and I am still catching up on last year's Christmas.

I made a cover for my brother's laptop a few years back, and was so delighted to see he really used it lots. Now he's gotten himself one of those superslim macbook airs, and I've been wanting to "cover" that one for him too. Finally, here's what I came up with. I thought of something light and summery, and a pattern to go along with some shirts I noticed in his wardrobe.

The inside is lined with a soft thicker kind of cotton called "Molton". I really love working with this fabric, even though it is usually used to cover iron boards for example. Hopefully it will keep away some ugly scratches you usually get from carrying your laptop around to public places or meetings.

The front flap easily closes with the help of simple Velcro. I used some blue linen to fortify the rather soft lining, so it will withstand grasping and ripping in rushy hours.

Can't wait to see this one in action!

Worry and Vim

My mind has been occupied for a few days now with the limping of my little cat. She fell most awkwardly from a shelf last thursday and has not gotten better yet. But other than the limping she she seems content, eats and drinks and purrs whenever I caress her. So I am hoping time is a good healer.

I managed to make this little pouch last week, and I have gotten so much positive feedback that I am planning to make a few more to give away as presents. I love these kind of personalized gifts as I adore spending hours searching for matching fabric patches, ribbons and laces and just that little something that could make it special for one particular person. 

My hope is that this kind of affection will always show in the things I make.