Wednesday 25 December 2013

Tadaa -no more secrets anymore

I hate secrets and now there's none left! See the super top secret Xmas project "Letter to Santa" Advent Calendar. There's also smaller secret Xmas project...

 It all started with placing the right points.

Which needed to be stitched...

...and fastened to the base.

Before I had stitched the main picture of IceBergs and letter in TheWhirlWind.

It all is very YummY!


These two adorable reindeers are designed by Jenny Barton and you can find them at Cross Stitch Favourites magazine's special issue from the year 2007. It includes Rudolph Reindeer trio. I have stitched them all but here you can not see the first one where Rudolph holds his gift still unwrapped. I used loose end threads and stitched them on plastic canvas to create Chrismas tree decorations. During the years I've given them one by one as a gift to a special person.




Sunday 22 December 2013

WoollyChristmasWreath

I realized that I have not shown you the picture of the finished door decoration. It doesn't matter if the base looks weird. You can hide it well. I used wool to hide it. This wool was meant for felting but who says you can't use it in this way? I used the cinnamons first at apple soups and then washed and dried them again. They still smell like the cinnamon should. It is my own design and the idea was born according to it that I wanted to hide the base and use what I already had in my boxes. :)

 This is how it looked at Christmas 2013.

And this is how it looks after Christmas 2014 when one more elf moved in the house. The BarnElf came from The Stable.

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Little bit of this and that

I have finally finished my top secret Xmas project. It needed approximately 250 hours of work. Just don't ask how I found the time. I have no idea. Even finishing it by sewing needed 3½ hours. But now it is all done, hidden and sent to Santa Claus. :)

Since that I have found something I inherit few years ago -meaning six napkins. There's cross stitch border and tiny picture on each. They all are similar. It is old design and I have no idea whose pattern it is. But now I have been sewing by hands the edges of them.



Today I designed one more picture to my "talisman" collection. It is a small project so perhaps I pick it up next. :)

I have baked for Christmas a lot sweet and salty. I also made some chocolate which I had to hide from me. Next days I'll spend walking a circle pretending I don't know where I put the chocolate box... 

Sunday 15 December 2013

Christmas Factory slows down

I have arrived to the point where I have only one gift to finish. That's a good point. But it makes me to think what on earth I shall do now. Should I stitch, knit, crochet, sew or perhaps do something else. Reading for hours would also be a good option. But still I need to decide which project to pick up next. I do have one on the list but should I do something smaller first... Still, I just can't be without doing something. A bit obsessed, I know. But all craftlovers know the feeling. I know there's many like me out there. :)

Friday 6 December 2013

Advent Calendar time

I filled again old Advent Calendars. This year they include only chocolate, so if you are addicted to, don't look. And if you have not noticed to look at my link list take a look at it now. There's a link to DROPS Advent Calendar for the year 2013. Notice that you can change the language of the instructions.

Merry December to everybody!

 I would not mind to have one... or them all.This is over 15 years old project still used every year. It is designed by Maria Wavryn. It is from Marks&Kattens collection (Tavla 55689 "Tomtefar"). It is designed to be a wall decoration but I made it to be Advent Calendar.

It is time to enjoy about Advent Calendar treasures. This one is my own design. Not at all easy to stitch but for sure worth of it.

I added also a picture I made for a friend as a birthday gift. It is my own design but very useful idea, so be my guest and make yours. It is a craft bag. It is sized according to a yarn ball so that she can easily bring for example yarn and unfinished knit of mittens with her where ever she goes to. Carrying a craft with you is a good way to waste time when you need to wait for something somewhere. It makes the time to fly by so much faster. In this kind of design I like about the very usable idea. You can use the left over materials you have. You don't need to go shop to buy anything -no buttons, no zippers, just yarn and imagination. :)

Saturday 23 November 2013

New outfit

Christmas season is full of crafty secrets. I can't add pictures of things I've been doing. But as you can see now the blog is wearing a winter outfit. It is still under the work but it all should be done in few days. Actually my daughter is doing this for me so I can be proud of her because she is not so old yet.

Crocheting, knitting and stitching are the main things I have been doing. I also found this old picture of a pillow I've done years ago.

This pillow is made by the inspiration of Cross Stitcher's 2006 Calendar which is sponsored by Coats Craft UK & Anchor. The design is The Big Hug from Sarah's Garden design collection by Tina Wenke.

Sunday 10 November 2013

BabyBlanketNo1


This is my own design for a special baby girl. It is BabyBlanketNo1 and I gave it away as a gift. I used knitting and crocheting in it. It took some time to finish it. But for sure Little Miss will stay warm during the cold winter days. It is not a quilt but it is made with the same lovely idea. I used special yarns from my collection / storage. Each yarn I used have a story to tell. Each shade and stitch could lead you to the journey. That's the idea of a quilt work on basics. It is a heritage that runs in the female family -from a generation to another. 

If you want to use different kind of materials in your project it is possible when you remember the gentle hand wash with mild water when you need to clean it.

I have also been wrapping Christmas gifts. I know it is early. But if you send some away, it is good to start it early to make sure they all reach the friend away in time. This includes also counting postages and solving out how many stamps you need. It is unbeliveable how much the delivery costs can vary depending on in which form you have packed up the stuff. It is complicated but for sure cost effective to check it all out.

Tuesday 5 November 2013

New blog

If you look at  my Link List you can notice I have started a new blog Taija Sillanpää. It is Finnish and in it I write only about my  cross stitch projects. There is and will be more pictures about my cross stitch designs and art with it. So -despite you would not understand the language- take a look. The pictures can tell a lot without words. :)

Updated note 14.10.2017: I am slowly taking down my Finnish Blog and moving stuff to this Ommel blog where I have more readers and posts.

Thursday 17 October 2013

Lost and found

Yes, today we made some photos. I included updated framed pictures of that sad polar bear baby.

This is also my own design.  The work includes metallic threads and glitter in the fabric. There's also blue and golden glass seed beads. It's a lonely and sad polar bear baby who has got apart from the mother. Now there's three polar bears in the collection. We'll see will the family get more members. :)

I also sorted out my finished framed cross stitch pictures. It's result was that some got up to the walls and some had to go storaged. I also realized that I have lost one chart. Meaning both the paper and electric version. It is a disaster because it is my own design and none has a copy of it!  Outs! And it is impossible to track the chart from the finished project because it includes many shades which are too close to each others. Poor me. It is about reideers, fells, northern lights and traditional living around there.

Later on I found the chart! It was at the end in a totally wrong place! Yeppee!!!

My top secrect project is going on well and I am now used back to normal Aida 14 count. Tomorrow I'll stitch it more.

Wednesday 16 October 2013

YES!

Yes, my polar bears are back home. I just got them delivered to my front door by a friend! They look great! I try to make the photos of them tomorrow. I am so so happy!

Today I started to stitch my top secret project. It is funny that Aida 14 count feels so tiny after Aida 11 count. :)

Sunday 13 October 2013

Done!

Yeppee, I just finished the second square of my Project eternity. Take a look at it. And yes, I have another square for the blanket already knocking at my head. But before that I must now pay my full attention on my top secret Xmas project. :)


Saturday 12 October 2013

Shopping day

Today I was in a craft show. It was nice to look around despite I didn't find anything to buy. The shop I was looking for was there but they had not what I was looking for. So on the long way home I had to stop at their shop and buy what I needed.

I bought last threads for the Hunters project which I have not been able to finish. I also bought some materials for my top secret Xmas project. It is almost designed. It still needs hours of work but begins to look like something by now.

Sunday 6 October 2013

Waiting for the shopping day

Now it begins to look like something. I had enough blue shade for the background. I still am missing three floss; each different shade. There is not many stitches left but I must be patient and wait until the shopping day arrives.

I just have got an idea of making another Advent Calendar. I am getting busy if I manage to get it finished by Christmas Eve. I want to give it as a gift for a special person who loves chocolate almost as much as I do. I must start to work because I have not even designed it yet!


Saturday 5 October 2013

Polar bears and secrets

Few days ago I visited my framer again. She has been very busy but by the middle of November I should get my polar bears back home. The Project eternity goes on and the new square begins to look great. After ten days I should be at the craft shop that locates 80 km far away to by the last threads for it. So before that I must stitch the background to see do I have enough that shade or not.

I have visited also my favorite yarn shop and have a very extremely secret Xmas project going on. So we don't talk about it in here. :) Today I aim to spend a lazy day on sofa with those two projects. It is cold autumn day outside and it is just me, hot water bottle and craft in the early morning when the rest of the world seems to be sleeping.


Sunday 29 September 2013

Marmalade and memories

A week ago a friend sent me two banana boxes filled with apples which she had picked up from the garden of her own. It is a tasteful gift and she was happy about the long woollen socks I knit for her just to say thanks. Such old fashion trade. So my week has been full of appless. I've done juice, jam, cakes, pies and marmalade. Not to mention how much fresh apples we've been eating lately. I too have apple trees but they are young and this cold climate makes growing them more hobby than farming.

Below is the picture of the Project eternity part 2. There's two hunters having a break in woods. The next aim is to stitch the back ground and see if I need more also the blue yarn. The original moment for this break was over twenty years ago. The dog himself is dead by now but he was such a great character. Despite being partly wolf (which I don't recommend people to breed and have as a pet) with excellent training and his natural character he was the one on whom I trusted my tiny kids in woods by that time. He never let them get lost. He was huge but would not harm a fly without reason.

Stitching is such a relaxing free day thing for me to do. It really means much to me. More than chocolate and that is something very special. :)


Sunday 22 September 2013

Against the wall

Unfortunately I have not got my swimming polar bear from the frame maker yet. But I left that lonely polar bear baby there too. In few weeks I'll go again to see if I can have them both back home.

I neither have found that other yarn that can't contain sheep wool but should contain nature fibres. I guess I must seek it from the internet.

I've been knitting mostly for the Christmas so I can't add the pictures here. :) But I have been doing something else too.

This is a plate I got from a friend over 20 years ago. She made it just especially for me. It has been in good use because it fits perfectly under a chocolate cake! Now it looked so bad that it had came the time to throw it away.

I just could not so I bought a black PorcleainPen. Unfortunately the one I found was too thick. The result is not excellent at all. Not satisfying at all. But it is enough ok to allow me to keep it.

There has been also hard work by fixing the floor. This is the floor I found under the old vinyl flooring. At the end it was in better shape and made of from better wood I ever imaged; despite it was made on 1947 when there was great lack of everything.

This is the chimney that was hidden behind the wall paper. I was happy to notice instead of 6 layers the chimney had just one. It was easy to take the old paper down. Water was useful help. When you wet the wall paper it looses easier. But washing away that old adhesive stuff was more challenging. Warm water, brush and a bit of soap lead to the clean surface. That light mint green paint that came out behind it all looked actually quite pretty. For a moment I considered to keep it in that way; but just for a tiny moment.

And this is the result. The floor and chimney painted with water drop blue.

And something else; easy and blue. This card is made by using an old label and an old decoration of a hair pin. Simple, easy and fast.





Thursday 5 September 2013

Xmas factory

Recently I count all the Xmas cards I have to figure out how many I need to do to make them enough for this Xmas. That was not many. They are my own design but so easy.

It is just September but the Xmas factory is going on I must confess. At the moment I am crocheting one more scarf with pampula edge. It is going to be brown.

Today I aim to go to the yarn shop. I need yarn for one more pampula edged scarf. The problem is it comes to a person who can't stand wool and I want to use natural materials as much as possible. So we see what these old ladies at the yarn shop can offer. I am curious. :)

Today I aim also to sneak in to my frame shop. They still have not send me the message the work is done, but I just go to ask and will take that polar bear baby with me....

These cards are mady by old idea of craft making. On both cards there's the background paper from a scrapbooking paper collection. On the left side card there is Santa Claus picture from old gift card and a wooden star from a gift bag. On the right side card there is a picture from a magazine.


 
These two cards above are made by combining different paper craft packs & styles.


These four cards above are the samples of the easiest way of card making. You just add a pretty ready made pictures and that's it. :)

Wednesday 28 August 2013

More pampula

I finally knit something for myself. I designed a scarf of the yarns I had bought at sale. The scarf itself is crocheted by Regia Softy yarn (39% wool, 61% polyamide) but the edge is knitted by the Novita's pampula yarn. I used 300g of yellow yarn and a bit over 100g of "pampula" yarn.

 It was a bit tricky to knit this edge because the scarf is huge but I succed after I had fixed it up even twice! So, it happens to all of us. You mess it up what you are doing and sometimes have to make something more than once. But I am sure in the future this scarf will be just a joy and I will soon forget how I almost lost my mind with it. Belive or not, but because of the great find the cost of that yellow scarf was just 7,50€! Wow! Of course we don't count the hours I wasted with it.

Saturday 24 August 2013

Pampula scarf



Some time ago I bought some special yarn only to try it out. Just being curious how to work with it. It is Novita's pampula yarn. I included also informative knitting pictures. Thre's no special instructions how to hide the ends of the yarn so I used crocheting needle for it.

This scarf is made of Novita's pampula yarn (shade 893, 78% acrylic and 22% polyamide). The design is Novita's too and instruction for the scarf comes with the bobbin. You mainly see only these scarfs made of this yarn but nothing stops you to get creative and find your own ways to use it. You start the work just by picking up 8 "holes" on the knitting needle and there you go.

It is a boa scarf.
 

Sunday 18 August 2013

Robbery

For some weeks I've been seeking the Mounting Tape for my craft projects. You know; that strong, double-stick foam tape which is 19mm thick. It's great help to crate 3D effects on you card projects for example.

Well, the availability is limited. 19mm x 1,5m costs 4,50€-6,50€ at local craft stores / departments (means area 120km far away from me). I was sure that was far too high price. The prices have increased a lot lately if the product is sold as a craft material because it is a hot trend. Unfortunately nowadays craft reminds me about those sports you can't do without expencive equipment. That is so wrong because before the basic idea of craft making was recycling and creating something new with low costs or something the shop didn't even sell!

So I kept on seeking and I was right. There, at one home improvement department was sale 18mm x 10m Mounting Tape pack which costed just 2,50€! Compaired to this the previous prices were just attempt of robbery! You should always keep your eyes open when seeking materials and going through also the other than craft stores!

I had also a problem in seeking white frame. I didn't find any so I bought wooden one and painted it in white.

This is a basic craft store frame with glass. It's made of oak but unfortunately I needed just white. This oak frame was on sale and white ones were not available. So I bought the oak wood frame which I painted in white at home. I needed just one little 15ml bottle of white paint. The frame size is 20x30cm and I painted the right side for 4 times and the back side twice. The glass was impossible to take off during the painting so I covered it with paper to prevent to mess it all up. 

Saturday 10 August 2013

Felting trivet

When you hear the word trivet and felting you might think how on earth one can felt it. But anyone who has worked with yarns knows it is possible. I made this small project inspired by a day trip to city where I found a yarn shop with idea to make a small gift of it to my friend B. who is going to have a birthday and who hopefully is not around at the moment. She knows I love tea. And hopefully when ever she is having a cup of those special teas she has in her world, she feels like sharing a chat and cup with me when she opens the letter and dives into my world. :)

I must confess that the yarn shop in the city was a dissapointment to me. It was a part of those stores which have a yarn shop in every bigger city. It's selection was not satisfying. They were missing special yarns if they were not the hottest trend. The saleswomen were not the ones with obsessions and experiences. And definately they were selling products because of the money- not because of the fact they could not imagine doing anything else for their living. And that's why I reveal my greatest secrit what comes bying yarns. In Kemi yarnshop called Pieni Lankapuoti is worth of visit even you'd come from far away. Every craft lover tourist should visit it. And if you want to make a day trip, Kemi is worth of considering even you would not find anything else but Pieni Lankapuoti from there. The prices are not killing even it is a small special shop in a tiny town and definately the owners are willing to serve, suggest, seek and guide. And for sure you fine basic collection but gems too. :)

This trivet is my own design and made by crocheting and felting. Depending on the yarn and felting process the product shrinks something from 0% to 60%. I used 100g of Marks & Kattens Samo Palett 100% wool yarn (shade 592). The yarn has many shades of blue so it was easy to work on without changin the shade and it all formed out a nice spiral figure when worked in this way. This yarn is not spun so its structure is loose without any twist.

At first I crocheted the trivet and then felt it in the washing machine using normal 60 Celsius degree wash with 1000 spin-dry rounds per minute during the washing programm. The work shrunk about 50% (I forgot to measure). I took the wet trivet out from the machine, re-formed it immediately when it still was wet and let it get dry on flat surface. If you use machine felting it might feel scary to use such a hard programm but you can start with gentle one and if that doesn't bring you the wanted result you can always re-felt the project.

Monday 5 August 2013

Glass insert door tutorial

I was surprised to understand how much fixed doors mean in your home decoration. But that's not a miracle if you think how big area of the wall they take and how big area of the doors are hidden under something like furniture or decorations. And when you remember you walk through the doorways all the time so your eyes look at them many times in day. The doors make huge impression of the home decoration. If you just fix and paint them it matters a lot.

Our doors needed someone to do something to them for years. But the problem has been they looked so awful that I wanted to change them. Because this is an old house each doorway and door are different size. I can't understand howcome that is possible but perhaps it has something to do with the time the house was built (1947). So, ordering new doors would have cost fortune because they don't face any modern standar. Or it would have demanded far to much work to build the doorways to face the new standards.

So they were still just hanging there until I found a picture from a magazine. There was decorated a door by Washi Tape. It was a great and interesting idea. Unfortunately it turned out not to be cost effective in our case bacuse we had so many doors needing new life. Then I discovered I could paint the decoration on each door by using stencils. Now when the doors are done (fixed and painted) they look so great even without the decorative painting so they will stay in this way. I already bought the stencils so they are ready for me when ever I feel I want to paint the borders on the doors or somewhere else...

There's one door that got glass insert to let more light to the hall. It is usable idea an very cost effective.

 
I didn't make this door but it all was my idea so we can count it's my design and my work. :) Still I thank him who did this for me and used his own intelligence and skills to make it true and proper. <3 I am pretty sure if I had made it, it all would have cost me much more.

I want to introduce this door because it is easy way to save money and get a glass insert for your door which definately means more light. Making the glass insert can be done also to these "new doors" which have not seen wood almost at all and have weak structure. New doors with decorative glass cost a lot around here where I live. Making one from an old plain door is surprisingly easy and cost effective -especially if you use recycled materials.

Only new things in this door are that small round cover under the handle and the paint. That cover cost 2,50e and the paint's part is under 12e. The glass is from an old outdoor which we found from the property but the door itself turned out to be useless. Still we saved the glass and now it has got the new life in another old door.

You need to saw the hole through the door and cut the glass to the same size. The hole is good to make stronger by creating wooden frames around it. In this door is at first one plain wooden frame running around the edges. It is as wide as the door is thick. Then on the both sides of the door run two wooden frames. The first one fastens the glass (we used also silicon) and the second one hides the fasting area and decorates the door. It is easiest to make the hole, fasten the plain frame and paint it all at this point. Meanwhile the paint is drying you can work with the glass and other frames. Paint the other frames before fastening them. When they all are dry and well painted fasten the glass (set the fastening frame, turn the door to the other side, set the glass and the other fastening frame). When the glass is inserted there you can still do the decorative painting if needed for the frames and door itself. Be careful not to paint the glass if it has 3D effective structure because it is not so easy to clean it then. :)

Saturday 3 August 2013

By the treasure box

There is few fabulous dreams for a craft maker. You get boxes full of interesting materials. Or you get boxes full off chocolate. Or you get boxes filled with both. Unfortunately I have never faced such a box which includes both. Still I feel I can't complain.

My grandmother was an artist. She mainly painted but did other projects too. When I was a child my dearest memories about her lead me to the moment when she allowed me to go with her in drawing lessons. I was the only child in the class. Nude figure drawing were interesting courses even I was just 8 years old kid when started. That didn't embarras me because I was so fascinated with papers, charcoals and drawing itself. Hours just vanished and I always felt the lessons ended too early even it was almost a night time.

So, my grandmother showed me the way to drawing skills. Later when studying cloth designing these early nude figure drawing lessons proved their importance. But she taught me something else too. She taught me how to make Tiffany Glass Works. And she promised while teaching me that when she'll be gone I can have her Tiffany Glass Work machines and materials and everything which has something to do with it.

My granny passed away few years ago. Last summer I got first pack of glasses. This week I got a phone call from my mother who told she had finally found more. Yesterday we went to pick them up and today I had time to sort it all out. There was again huge collection of different kind and coloured glasses, machine and some other equipment. It was like diving into a treasure chamber when going through these boxes. It seems she wasted huge collection of money to these materials but some day in the future I will use them all by continuing her work.

I inherit my artistic skills from her so what else can I ask. This material heritage feels far too much but she wanted me to have it.

I must tell you she always gave me just the basic information but never told me what to do with the perspectives, shades, feelings etc. She said I must dig it all up from me. Whith this Tiffany Glass Work she pointed up a part of her material collection and told me I can use it -no other guidance. She was surprised but satisfied with the result. I was too -and still am.

The most important lesson she gave was -try on. And I do. Being crative and artistic is not being perfect. We all do mistakes. At the end it all is up to the fact who repairs or amends it best. :)

This is my first ever Tiffany Glass Work which I did on 1998-2000, I can't remember. Before this I made only one small study work which unfortunately broke up few years ago. (Now I have found the pattern so I can make new one on some day.) I don't know the designer of the original project conisdering this boat and sea theme. I got the pattern from my grandmother. There was no colours, just black-and-white design. I picked up the shades and types of the glass from my granny's collection and ended up to use them in this way. This was a school project at the art college by then.

Saturday 27 July 2013

Hot day's doings

For some reason when it has been hot summer days I have spent three days on the project sofa. Our IKEA Klippan sofa needed new cover so I had to do something about it. It is not so difficult as it sounds.

Because of the busy sofa project I had not yet time to read the latest issue of Novita magazine which arrived yesterday. I like about the magazine. The year subscription cost 29€ and it includes 4 magazines. 4 is good amount I think. Not too many but enough for each season. Novita manifactures yarns so it is easy when you have same trade mark instructions and yarns. :)

I also visited the local yarn shop despite of the heat weave. We were seeking hair for a new hobby horse. The girl spent a day on a floor with me. I guided her to drawn patterns by herself. She designed it, made the patterns, cut them out from the fabric and now she waits to be able to start the sewing. She was with me at the fabric shop when seeking the fabric for the sofa. She found a fabric and got inspired and told she wants to make a hobby horse of it. I promised to teach her how to. :) Yes, I found something for myself too -woollen sock yarn by Novita.

To be honest I must tell you I got a phone call from my sister in the middle of the sofa project sewing marathon. She wondered what on earth I was doing. She suspected me using a banknote counter! No wonder I feel my new sewing machine acts differently than the old dead one named Poor-Iiris who was born in Sweden. This Helga is born in Taiwan I think. And now I finally know -thanks to my sister- why Helga is not like Poor-Iiris even tough she also is a member of Husqvarna family. They must set in the engine of a banknote counter instead of sewing machine engine!

By to way, talking about sewing machines, I prefer the simplest models. I have simple sewing machine by Husqvarna Viking and simple 3-4 thread seaming machine by Brother. They are very enough for my needs even I sew everything from winter overalls to lace napkins. My seaming machine is about 12 years old and sewing machine about 5 or 6 years old. I have used many different trademark sewing and seaming machines -like Singer, Eva and Bernina. There's no huge difference between them nowadays. If you want advice which one to buy I recommend you to check out for which one you can easiest get equipment, adds, extras and spare parts nearby where you are living. That easies a lot your life.

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Polar bear baby

I just finished the third polar bear cross stitch design of my own. The materials I was waiting for it arrived and I had to finish it as soon as possible. It still is unframed and unfortunately the picture I added at Stitching site doesn't show the glitter the work has.

Today I finally got the phone call from the frame shop. The new delivery from the frame manufacturer had arrived but the planned frame was wrong shade. I had to go to see it. It was blue like planned but it was far too pastel blue. The framer had found another option for my work of swimming polar bear. It's grey-white shade and has some kind of seed bead looking decoration running around its edges. It looked great so I accepted it. I said there's no hurry in framing the work which means I'll get it at the end of August. They have the season because of weddings etc. going on. I can wait. :)

Friday 12 July 2013

New free charts

I uploaded new picture for Free charts site. It's a page with my own designs for small projects made by loose end threads. There's no shade codes so you can use the shades you already have. You can use these designs in cards etc. For example I have made a pen case decorated by "crayon" design.

Thursday 11 July 2013

New projects

I just finished new designing project. It's name is First Kiss. It is a picture of a girl who gives a warm kiss to a pony. Now I need only to stitch it. It has 33300 cross stitches... Not huge, but big enough to take some time.

At the moment I am in the middle of smaller designing project of a man with his dog. Its stitched size is just 82x82 so it's a piece of cake compaired to First Kiss.

Now I am stitching a picture of another polar bear but I ran out of materials so I need to get some more to be able to finish it. It seems that meanwhile waiting for the beads and threads I am designing new projects. I have few ones waiting for to get finished and perhaps some new ideas too.

The picture of the swimming polar bear is still at the frame shop. We are waiting the new delivery to arrive to see if the frame planned is perfect. Still no call from the framer but I told her there's no hurry. She is good at her job and I am sure she'll find the perfect frame.

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Finally finished!

WOW! I finally managed to finish the picture of my own design swimming polar bear. Next project is already in my mind. I will keep on working with the polar bear theme. This time it will be much smaller and about a lonely baby polar bear. Can't wait to start!

The work includes lot of metallic in the fabric and the thread. Unfortunately the glitter can not be seen in this picture. In the work there's two similar shades with basic stranded cotton and the metallic thread side by side. I must confess I had to wait for months over the darkest season to get my sun back to be able to stitch proper and make the difference between the threads, fabric and shades. It was challenging even to me and asked a lot of patience because at the most difficult part I stitched only 20 cross stitch in an hour!

Sunday 5 May 2013

Knitted collar

Some time ago I knit a collar for myself. It's rare I do something for myself. I think that's the problem of all craft makers. They always do something for the others. I never found the picture I took months ago but I made some new ones

I designed this collar to be knit from Wetterhoff's Sivilla yarn. It consists of 30% silk and 70% wool, it includes Aloe vera, Jojoba oil and vitamin E. It is for my own use. I need it at wintertime when riding. Scarf is a bit dangerous and difficult with horses. Wearing face cover winter mask is a bit tricky if you have glasses and it's not -20 Celcius degrees yet. Warmer weathers make your glasses steamed and that's not fun. :) The collar has front and back cover to protect the chest and upper back area. It has buttonts by the neck area and the collar itself is like folded turtleneck from polo shirts. I decorated the collar with some crochet.

Thursday 18 April 2013

Updating?

I was loading a picture for you about something else and found old pictures from the last Christmas time. The clothes are my own design but anyone who can knit a pair of sock can do the same. Actually these are easier than the socks. So have a try and make someone happy.

For the Christmas 2012 I knit these kind of sets for a BabyBorn doll. I used loose end yarns. Simple, cheap and made one little girl very happy after Santa Claus visit. I sew also a bag for the clothes so she won't be missing doll clothes so easily. :)

Sunday 24 March 2013

More horses

Now I have decorated more by using decoupage. You can find the results at Other craft site. It's the same horse themed pictures someone loves a lot. I just need to figure out with time what kind of boxes will fit well. They just can't be open boxes because of the cat and her curiosity. And they need to be exact size to be able to take benefit of the space.

 This is an old TV pedestal my hubby made at his teens to fit with cupboard pictured below.

Now we have fixed it to belong together with old decorated cupboard. Yet we didn't find or had time to make matching boxes but the girl thinks these will do perfectly fine. :)

So it came time to decorate a bit. This is an old cupboard which doors got brand new decoupage style. I bought a horse themed decoupage sheet 1½ years ago from a sale and was sure some day I will use it.

 The same theme is docorating the wood panel that hides very old and ugly curtain rods.

Monday 4 March 2013

Busy hands

Lately I have been knitting scarfs and doing some crocheting. Both are simple crochet & knit design and anyone can do it who knows basics of this craft. The best thing is you can buy brand new yarns or use the loose ends for it.

This is a sewing bag. It's my own design for my friend K. who can store or carry with her in it the projects she has going on. Of course you can use it in other purposes too or when making it, leave it as a round basket. What ever you like and which ever is your purpose.

(On the background is my first ever embroidery project. It's an old design from a craft magazine and of course I needed to start with a huge table cloth instead of a card.)

I designed this scarf. I knitted the base for it by my knitting machine and crocheted the framing and flowers.

I have also paid better attention on a book I got as a birtday gift. It is interesting and I can recommend it to you because of its multiusability. It's 200 Crochet Flowers, Embellishments and Trims by Claire Crompton.

What I need to do next is to make a cd bag for my own use. I have planned that for months but it seems always comes up everything more important. Perhaps I should take this as my spring challenge.
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