Welcome new year of fabric play!

Hello blog! I've been looking forward to this moment, but at the same time it is hard to decide where to start after a long break. The last two months of 2008 were very hectic and the theme seemed to be "one flu a week", so I decided to take a break from work to get well, be a full-time mum and recharge my batteries. It seems to have worked, even the weather is on my side this year, it is freezing and sunny so I think I will have to take a walk at lunch to catch some of the beauty before it disappears!
It has been a challenge to stay off the sewing machine so I have had to express my creativity in other ways. Big E got a very nice cookbook published by Unicef for Christmas so I have enjoyed exploring kid's favourite foods from different corners of the world. So far our favourite is adobo, chicken from the Philippines. We celebrated New Year's Eve at my parent's place and I didn't even bring a ball of yarn with me! Luckily my mum is a knitter so I made Big E a winter cap, I got to take a pic when she gets home (she actually wears it to school, which must mean it is a success)!

I also took up my crocheting hobby again, the progress is slow, but the blanket is already warming my knees at night :) I am using this pattern for my hexagons, but I'm sure I would have used the pattern from attic24, if she had written it down when I started, the progress would be much faster! Explore more loveliness in her flickr album. I use thin washable wool yarn instead of cotton, because I wanted to make a warm lap blanket, that wasn't too heavy.
And since I am know officially allowed to play with fabrics again I started planning a quilt inspired by the lovely piece of bird fabric I got in a Christmas swap with Anna. Can you spot the red fabric with the flying white birds? I found that at the fleamarket the other day! I love it so much! I think it might be made in Finland, probably in the early 80's. You rarely find fabrics with small patterns second hand so this made me really happy, I would probably have bought this if I had found it in the fabric store too.

And of course I had to join Katy's FQ swap!

Wishing you all a joyful and crafty year of 2009!

Features and Factory work

A few notes about what's been going on in my crafty life this week:
My road cushion was featured in Koti ja Keittiö 11/2008! This is actually the only home deco mag I order so it was a very pleasant surprise to open it at my lunch break yesterday just to find this beautiful picture! And as if that wasn't enough my friend also spotted my house card in Glorian koti recently.

This is one of 60 fairy-angels I started making yesterday. I quite enjoy working like a little factory sometimes and along the way I still come up with new embellishments for the dresses so there is some room to be creative anyway! The one on the picture is decorated with a piece of a handmade lace cloth, one of my thriftstore finds. Talking about secondhand shopping I realise that the vintage polkadot ribbon is a find by my sister and the seashell button comes from the treasure box I got from a fleamarket in Zürich, Switzerland where my sweet sister lives. She gifted me with more treaures when she visited last week. I also got a pair of zig-zag scissors as on early birthday gift. Got to show them off soon, they are sooo great!

Verner, Alfred and Melker are already on their ways to their new homes in Germany and the US, so exciting! This is Lars, a new member of the tomte family. As soon as I get more stuffing the family will continue growing. I have six fellows looking at me from the shelf right now, I wonder what they are up to during night time....
These are the fabric squares I sent in Chickpeas's Spare Change Swap. Click on the picture if you want some information about the manufacturers! I can't wait to see what I receive! I've seen some pretty awesome fabrics in the flickr pool.

Young artist and a mini quilt

This proud little girl has finished the first project she has ever sewn on the sewing machine. With a little help of course, and the little brother helped to stuff it (wanted to be involved very badly and now wants the pig for himself...). As you see on Big E's pattern it was supposed to become a waving teddy bear, but at some point we just came to the conclusion that it wanted to become a waving little piggy. I found a blank card among the lot I got from the printers on Monday so Big E drew this little piece of art for her grandparents. You can see little piggy sitting on the back of the bike.
Lesley, who made me this lovely quilt, received her swap quilt today (in time!) so now I can show you the whole thing. Close-ups here and here. So glad it arrived safely!

A wreath and a quilt

I have been very lucky recently. A couple of weeks ago I won this beautiful yoyo wreath for Mother's day that Nathalie made. It arrived on a day I really needed some cheering up, thank you!I had a very nice coffee break the other day, sitting out in the sun enjoying the Askinosie chocolate Nathalie enclosed, I also took the time to read the facts about it and learned that it has 65 times more antioxidants than broccoli! And it is ecological and fair trade. So you people that can get your hands on this goodness, eat as much as you can if you want to live long! The trims were very much appreciated too, of course! I have borrowed Nathalie's beautiful photo of the wreath, (hope you don't mind!), I wish I had a red wall like that! You can find more great shots of the wreath (and the sweetest tutus!) at Nathalie's blog!
This is a sneak peak of the little quilt I made for Lesley Moogsmum (as you can see from the monogram) for the Lucy Locket swap, I am very happy to have finished it. At one point I thought I wouldn't be able to make anything, after spending weeks making custom work I felt overwhelmed by the opportunity to make whatever I felt like. I decided to take a deep breath and play with fabrics, I hope Lesley will like the result! If anyone would think of asking: Yes, I think the sofa makes a great pin cushion, I have at least five pincushions but this is so practical! T does not agree...

Cheer me up part 2

Just when I needed some cheering up I got this parcel in the mail from Lesley, aka Moogsmum. And it helped! All of you who took the time to leave a note on my last post helped too, not that I loved to hear that many of you had crappy Mondays too, but it is such a relief to be reminded of the fact that you're not the only worn-out mum (+ a range of other not so flattering titles) in the world. Hope you are feeling alright today, and if you're not, just allow yourself to have a grumpy day!

Lesley used her 7 year old daughter's drawing as base for this cheerful little quilt for Lucy locket's swap. I love the simple and fresh design! But I adore the wasps, they are brilliantly drawn and sewn, such great cooperation:And the label in the back is also a masterpiece, Lesley even stitched my logo, thank you! And thank you for these goodies. The recycled home made felt by Monda will be used very soon and the blue fabric will go into one wave or too in one of the quilts I'm making for my little exhibition this Summer. Now I have a week left to make my quilt, tomorrow I hope to have some time to sit down and play with fabrics and decide which idea to work on...

Mailday

mobile for swap, originally uploaded by painted fish studio.

My mobile from Elsie Marley's mobile swap arrived the other day and I love it! I love the colours and the contemporary look of it and wish I had a beautiful burgundy wall like Jen (painted fish studio) to hang it against (see picture). Thank you so much, you made my day Jen! Check out the painted fish studio shop too! I especially love these block printed coffee cup cards:

Working joy and a find

wip February 27, originally uploaded by -syko-.

I am having a hard time calling sewing work, since it does not feel like it. At least when I can create freely. Like today. The kids are gone and I am free to work how late I feel like. Before I had kids I used to hate being alone, now I can't wait for these moments. Why can't someone create some time balancing tool for us poor struggling humans?

I got so inspired by the cushion I did yesterday so today I have developed some three, or is it five, more designs using the same display.The one on the picture has a house appliqué and some Japanese clothesline fabric, very cute :) It is fun do a little patchwork for a change. I am creating a very creative mess here building a mountain of fabrics that might look good here or there maybe?

This piece of paper appeared when I cleaned my desk this morning. Had totally forgotten about this idea, but I might make some springy bird ornaments with fairy hair and feet bells... Talking about bells for feet, my mobile has reached its new home, and they liked it! Still waiting for mine, very exciting!

mobile swap

mobile for elsie marley's swap, originally uploaded by -syko-.

Here is my mobile for elsie marley's swap. I am trying not to freak out when I look at the masterpieces in the flickr pool. At some point I felt like throwing it in the trash and start all over again with something more sophisticated. But when I look at it now I think it looks very much like MY creation. The receiver wanted it to hang in the nursery, she also wanted colour, which suited me since I am very much into happy colours for this Spring. The birds have small bells for feet, a little sound for the baby. I hope she will like it. It is easy to take away the tulle if it feels like too much...

Mailday!

Today was one of those great days when I got a note from the post office that I had a big letter waiting for me. I had to pick up big E a little early to get it sooner... And I was so spoilt!! Thanks a million Kristin! As I said I really hope the fleamarket collection I put together for you was worth it... I need to take better pictures tomorrow of everything. You can enjoy them in my flickr album later. In the meantime you can look at the wonderful little pincushion I got! Thanks Ellia for organizing a great swap!

Me and big E started a dinosaur project this weekend, it's going to become a quilt finally (or maybe we'll end up with a small cushion, who knows.)

Kristina asked me when I craft. I admitted I don't clean my house so much... And if you look closely at the picture of my daughter's jam-hearted porridge you can see what my kids do to my antique table while I'm crafting. This might be a good idea for us... And speaking about chalk I made another little bird quilt. I just don't know how to take a good picture of it!! I thought it would make a fun graduation gift :) Acctually I was thinking about my own situation when I got the idea...

And the winner is...
Kristin! I promise I didn't just pick you because I'm going to send a package your way this week anyway (Kristin is my swap partner in greenbeanbaby's valentine's swap). My daughter draw the winner. Of course I would like to give away stuff to all of you now! I might make it a tradition to give away stuff I have destroyed :-) I wonder if you would like the little white quilt I managed to make brown with my old iron the other day... Check out Kristin's igloo pincushion everyone! It is amazing!!

I'm working on a "wholesale" order at the moment, I am so happy that a few of my pouches will move to this lovely little shop in Brooklyn, NY!!!

Another good thing with giving away stuff was that I got 15 comments on my last post, my record! Thanks for all the symphathy, the rash is much better now, hydrocortison did the thing. Off to save the house from further destruction, Little E (15 months) loves to draw on EVERYTHING.

Sun!!!

No snow, but sun, sun, sun today! I've felt so energetic just beacuse we got a few hours sunlight today. And I do realise that I've become one of those old farts that talk about nothing but the weather... But when you only have six hours of so called daylight you get like this. But I will talk about other things! Now.

I found a linen fabric that was exactly what I was looking for for my bags. It is firm enough to give some structure, the price was very ok and it was even Made in Finland. It has a quite strong natural smell, but that just adds a country feeling to it, MOOH! The picture is a sneak peak of my first bag Queen of the road.


I thought it was time to do some swapping so when I saw this I had to join and I'm very excited! I love putting together colour-themed packages so I got a great partner :-)

I've started to collect fabrics for a robot- and space wallhanging design . I have a bunch of pouches waiting for zippers, but they can wait, I need to do other stuff in between. As if I had the time... I love the 1930's print (I think it's Laura Ashley) I found in my favourite fabric store. The buttons are robo-eyes.