Ravenhill

I won!

I love to enter contests and give aways and do so freqently but seldom win. This time I really got lucky! Look what I won from Fio d'art in Portugal!

They were in a handmade package with cute red and white polkadotted fabric. She sent a cute card with a sweet little note. It was so fun to recieve and such a surprise to get so many nice treats along with the prize! 

I have been busy getting a couple of packages ready to send and they are in the mail! The first is a local swap in Norway with Merete, a Norwegian blogger who inspires me with her use of color and pattern in her beautiful quilts. She is getting some kimono silk and I look forward to seeing what she will surprise me with in return!

The other package is going all the way to Japan! I thought I would give a sneak peek at what I am sending to Jan. Do check out all of the cute fabric fish she has made! What fun to get to know Jan who is of Norwegian ancestry but has never been to Norway! I am sending her some crafting treasures and surprises from Norway! Here are a few of them.

Jan and I both love embroidery. So she is going to get some vintage embroidery pieces from me; a handkercheif, a couple of small table centerpieces, a small tablecloth, and a wall hanging. A few of them were very hard to part with...

This is kind of a surprise. I hope she likes it!

Jan loves pewter/silver buttons so she'll be getting these.

Then there is the fabric! Cottons galore. Every one of them vintage or newer Norwegian cotton!

What will Jan make? I love seeing her quilts done with the beautiful Japanese cottons.

I wonder what she will think of the Scandinavian designs?

Blogging is so much fun! I had no idea I would meet so many wonderful people.

A Scenic Christmas in Norway

Would you like to see some views from our Christmas visit to Sandefjord where we visited my parents-in-laws? My husband's parents live right by the sea. These are all views from their house. Whenever I am visiting there I find my eyes drawn to the water and the spectacular scenery.

It was crisp and wintery white for several days. Everything had the lightest covering of snow making it so very pretty.

Believe it or not, this is the position of the sun on the horizon at about midday!

Would you care for a dip? My mother-in-law takes daily swims right here nearly all year long!

The children and I spent a good deal of time with our noses to the window in delight watching the birds enjoy their Christmas feast.

We took a walk after breakfast on Christmas eve and were treated to a glorious sunrise. The weather had warmed considerably and the snow cover had turned into ice making our walk hilariously slippery!

Here you can see Sebastian exploring for rocks on the beach keeping snug all the while in the hat and mittens I made him. These are so quick and fun to make with super big needles and soft, thick wool yarn. I just made up the pattern as I went along. Amazingly enough they fit quite well!

My momther's Christmas goodness

I have been wanting to show you some of my mother's handwork for the longest time!

My father snapped the wonderful images, catching the beautiful Maine winter sunlight on my parent's dining room table. The table, by the way, was handmade by my dad.

Yes, I come from a family who all share a great love for creativity.

Mom made the oragami-like birds for the dear children she takes care of at the Waldorf pre-school where she is most happily employed.

Wee, little cookie mice have been a tradition in our family for many years now. They have chewy licorice tails and pumpkin seed ears.

There are brown mice and white mice. The white are made from a different dough and are dusted with confectionary sugar.

I wonder if anyone else makes mice cookies for Christmas?

The basket is filled with breads and ornaments for my mom's fellow Waldorf nursery school teachers. She also gets the nicest gifts in return.

A Joyous Holiday to ALL!

Happy Christmas Eve!

Here is a couple more gifts I made for family. They don't read my blog so I am safe to show them. I have been giving my Uncle beautiful woven Norwegian dish towels for years as a Christmas gift. This year I have taken the pledge to give handmade so I made him a red linen  dishtowel with cotton details.

I loved making it and plan on making more.

It should have hung out under some hot steam a bit more...

Here is another gift that has been sent off! I adore this kimono silk and wish that I had more of it. My dear cousin Mary chose it from among my silks when she was visiting last summer so I know that she adores it too. It is dyed using a method called shibori which is Japanese for tye-dying. The wrinkles aren't supposed to come out of this one! The tying creates them and becomes an integral part of the design.

I would like to wish everyone a warm and joyful holiday!

Company

Lilly's friend Josefine came over to play! My wonderful friend Anne Katrine, whom I have mentioned before as an expert quilter, adopted her this summer. She was just adorable in the hat that I had made for her as a present.

She seems to thrive in Norway with her new family. Hasn't been sick a single day so far and learned to walk and talk at record speed. Lilly adores visits with her. Sebastian plays with Josefine's big brother, Jakob. They move too fast to get photographed!

Trimming the tree

A couple of days ago we trimmed the small tree which we found behind our house. Many might not consider it Christmas tree material, but we thought it just right!

Today is the darkest day of the year! Tomorrow the lengh of daylight will start to increase instead of decreasing. Today though, sunrise was at 9:18 am and sunset at 3:12 pm. We now have 13 hours less daylight than on the longest day of the year.

My little ones are still deep into crafting. I can't keep up with all the mess-making. Sebastian wanted to make a troll. I think he was hatching out a way to get to use the glue gun. When it comes to crafting, how can you say no? He got his wish.

I have been doing a bit of work in my sewing room. Here are a few peeks.

Yes, I have cut into some sweaters again. They were of course damaged so I have worked around their flaws. Still working on this project.

Scarf for my husbands's Grandmother

I asked my Grandmother-in-law if she would like something handmade for Christmas. She requested a red scarf to go with her white coat. At 84 she is still a vamp and I hope she will like this scarf I have crocheted for her. Most of the scarf is crochet in pure wool but for the ruffly edges I have used alpaca for some extra softness.

The flowers are simply a long chain and then double crocheted two times into the same stitch on the way back. When you have doble crocheted twice in each of the chain stitches then break off a fairly long end and sew into a flower. I used an invisible thread to sew them onto the scarf.

I am not the only industrious little elf in our house. My little ones can either be found outdoors sledding on the 1/2 inch of snow we have on the ground (Yippee for snow!!! A half inch is about all you need when you are determined to sled! It also makes these shortest days of winter seem ever so much brighter!) or inside doing some project or another. One favorite seasonal game is pretenting to be santa and giving out presents or stockings. I think I got 3 stockings and 3 gifts today!

Another fun activity (mind you also a bit dangerous - my mom really hates this one) is dripping candles. Sebastian and Lilly can sit in deep concentration for ages making countless wax ornaments.

All you need are long candles of various colors, a glass of water, a lighter or matches. Please keep a bucket of water, a blanket, and an adult handy just in case something should light on fire. (Seriously, an adult needs to be right there at all times - just like when the kids go swimming.) Light a candle and drip it onto the water. A fine layer of wax will quickly form. You can use different colors to make unique designs. When the wax is the desired thickness allow it to cool slightly and then remove. Poke a hole in the wax with a needle twisting carefully. String up the ornament and hang in a sunny window!

I HEART Christmas decorations Turorial

You have already seen that I dare to cut things up; be it a vintage kimono, tablecloth or here a Norwegian sweater. This sweater is one of the most traditional Norwegian patterns.

What I did: tossed one of my thrifted sweaters (needless to say, it was in poor shape!) into the washing machine on 40C with some gentle detergent in a zippered pillowcase (to prevent the lint from the sweater from getting into and clogging my machine.) When it came out it seemed suitably felted. I knew it was felted enough as the fibers had matted together and the sweater had shrunk considerably. I let it dry flat.

I made a heart pattern by folding a sheet of paper in half and drawing a half heart on the fold, making it a bit bigger than I wanted the finished heart to be (seam allowance). I cut around it. I held the pattern in place over the felted wool (right side up) getting the heart lined up nicely with the sweater design. Then I cut around the paper using my rotary cutter. Watch those fingers! As you can see, after cutting out a few my rotary cutting mat looks like it has grown fur!

When I had a front and back cut out I pinned them together with right sides facing. I sewed the hearts together using a matching colored thread and leaving an opening on the straight edge near the tip for turning and stuffing the heart. Note that some felted sweaters might be too thick to sew together on the machine. I tried one that wouldn't fit under the presser foot, despite me adjusting the machine to free hand sewing. These sweater hearts are so nice though becuase they have some real stretch to them. The hearts turn out looking much more perfect than when you use fabric.

Next I turned the heart right side out and stuffed it pretty full. I sewed up the opening by hand using matching thread.

Now is the fun part! You get to decide what trim and decorations you will use! I used a loop of ribbon which I sewed on and then hid my stitches with the other trim: flowers or bows.  On these I used red satin ribbon and crochet alpaca flowers.  These are fantasy flowers, intentionally asymetrical and with  raggedy edges the way I like them.
Someone more clever than me would likely sew the loop on when sewing up the heart. I figured that out afterwards...

An idea is to make a larger heart with the felted sweater, omit the loop, and make it a sweater pillow! It is a great way to get more use out of a sweater that has shrunk or become outgrwown.

Here are some I made more Christmas decorations with bells and green ribbons.

If you would like to see another cut-up felted sweater turned into something new and useful, click here.

Christmas Market: my favorites

Hello! I just wanted to do a quick post to show you all the cute things I saw at last weekend's outing to the annual Designer's Christmas Market at DogA.

These sweater dresses and skirt are from Nina Schjeide Design.
 

The gorgeous green coat with flowers is by Trine Mette Swenson. Sorry, neither of these talented designers had a web page.

These bright red dresses, as well as the pink one, are by tulip & tatamo.


I really love the trim and small details. The fabric is soft and warm wool, very Norwegian.

I don't know what others will think of these, but I love the colors and patterns of the fabric and was quite enchanted by the novelty of these fabric jewelry.

She makes both broches and necklaces.

Here is the designer herself, Mona Bjørnsen!

I love having these pictures and I never would have taken them had I not had a blog. I happen to have a terrible memory and although each time I spot a wonderful design or designer I am SURE I will remember what or who it was. Then you could ask me an hour later and I have forgotten! So now I can always refresh my memory on my blog!

More gifts received!

I am afraid I have been very slow to show you the other gifts I mailed off! Kristin La Flamme received hers: I actually sent her three small gifts, to thank her for the beautiful fabric post card which she sent me. Two gifts were for Kristin and and one for her daughter! The twirly scarf and kimono scraps I sent with Kristin in mind and the gloves for her little one.

You can read Kristin's lovely thank you post here.

I mailed off the other gift package with hopes that it would delight! Sheree was aslo happy to get her gifts which again she and her daughter were the recipients of. Since Sheree has an affinity for vintage notions I sent her some vintage lace and buttons. Her young girl I had noticed while doing some detective work on Sheree's blog likes fluffy accessories. I had just the thing for her! (Sheree took the photo.)

Sheree had many to thank in her post as she was literally showered with gifts, not just from me but from 3 others as well!

I went through a real stage of making felted bags. It was so satisfying as you never knew exactly how it would turn out after a round in the washing macine! This pink one was really sturdy! It was quite think and would definitely keep its shape. The flower is a broche so completly removable and useful for other purposes. Here are more felted purses I made for a Christmas Market a few years ago.

Non-holiday post

I just made this magazine holder for our bathroom. It has been on my to-do list for ages and I am so happy to have finished it!

It is of course filled with crafting magazines. My husband and children haven't started using it yet...

Somehow Lilly found some of my makeup though. She had herself a little makeup session in the bathroom. I was wondering why she was so quiet...

She obviously has a real flair for it and I can see her getting into cosmetology when she grows up.

Markets of Christmas past

Would you like to see some flashes from the past? I can take you on a walk down memory lane to show you the markets I have done in years past! This was my very first Christmas market which I did with good friends: Susanne (pictured here on the left) and Beate (right). Susanne and I had a few hobby evenings in which we made cards to sell. I also concocted a hot chocolate mix which turned out to be a huge seller. Homemade fudge sold well too but was so labor-intensive as to make it more trouble than it was worth. My real artistic endeavor at this point was hand-knit and felted bags.

My first bag sale!

Look at the great books and cards my artistic friend Beate made! The faces are hand painted and the hair and decorations are stitched on.

The following year I was pregnant and even busier as we had decided to do the Christmas market at the Norsk Folkemuseum.

There we are. Irmelin sold her lovely hand-crocheted jewelry and is on the left. I am on the right. Please excuse our snowsuits - we couldn't have been out in the cold for all 6 hours without being dressed for the weather. My Sebastian is the little elf in the foreground. We sold 4 types of hot chocolate, some turtle type of cookies, and several varieties of spicy or sweet almonds. The taste tests really helped to draw in the crowds and then they also took the time to see the jewelry we made and the scarves, bags and shawls that I made. It was heaps of fun and I made money too!

Want to see behind the scenes?

We didn't have a stand at any Christmas markets this year. I did get to go to the designer's Christmas market (held annually by DogA) over the weekend and I will show you you the highlights soon!

Green gift bags

I have actually been busy lately - here is some proof! Christmas gift bags! I cut up a vintage tablecloth to make countless reusable giftbags! The tablecloth was cute but had a few stains, so it was project material! I simply used the unstained parts. I made a simple bag and sewed a ribbon to the back that I could use to tie the bag together in the front.

Pictred below is another section of the tablecloth. The red squares on the bags are for the card accompanying the gift.

Here are the gifts all ready for the box and the long trip to my family in the US. I feel good about making the gift bags. I am trying to cut down on buying things. Plus wrapping paper is difficult to store and seems a bit wasteful (except I love the pretty papers- and my family tends to save the nicest papers and reuse them!) I know that my family will appreciate these bags and use them again. I will likely be getting my gifts in them next Christmas!

Also ready to go off tomorrow are the prizes from the kimono give away. Whew! Now just a few more gifts left to make!

Takk Michelle!

My patchwork swap package from Michelle arrived in the mail today! I had to use every ounce of inner strength to snap a photo of the box before eagerly ripping it open.

Look what incredible goodies I found inside!

Thank you so very much Green Kitchen for your amazing gifts! I keep looking at them and feeling so touched.

Just look at the cute mushroom topped ribbon holding the perfectly folded fabrics together! The pile of scraps is just calling out to me to start cutting and sewing. I wish I could show you every single fabric because they are all pretty or cute or sweet! Each one is something I would like to use. Michelle enclosed a hand-made woodcut printed card with a sweet message. What attention to detail and thoughtfulness!

Michelle didn't stop at sending scraps. No! She enclosed not just one handmade gift as per the agreement - she sent three! How did I get so fortunate as to have Michelle as my swap partner?! Here is the lovely pin she made for me. You can see how perfectly she has done it. I love the clip it is on as I can use it in my hair, on a hat or even on a top. Michelle recetly opened her Green Kitchen Etsy shop and sells among other things these exquisite flower clips there now!

The felt barrett is so sweet and original with its handstitching. 

To send things completely over the top in her generosity, the third gift, a hexagonal quilt block is also partially hand-stitched. I love this too! I plan to incorporate it into one of my quilts.

I was completely overwhelmed by Michelle's generosity! Thank you so very much for being so kindhearted!!!

Lily enjoyed the package too! Here she is pounding on the bubble wrap...

It is funny how getting a package full of handmade gifts can make you feel special. Maybe it is because I know just how much time and effort has gone into each and every project.

Blog delight

As I have insinuated, I am rather addicted to reading crafting blogs. Lately I have found some new ones and even asked for permission to share a few photos with you! The following 3 photos from Alabama Chanin:

The patchwork quilt above is vintage and appliqués were artfully applied to repair holes. Jude is also gracefully mending holes and definitely worth a visit.

I like the roughness of her work. It reminded me of the rough beauty of my winter flowers nestled among dried leaves and pine needles in our back yard.

There are a few other blogs I want to share.

Merruli's - from Finland! I hadn't ever seen a Finnish crafting blog before a few days ago and was enchanted by it.

Ashley Anna Brown makes the most delightful little creatures. I have also taken quite a liking to the various birds made by Ann Wood. I am too big to play with stuffed animals but I really want some of these!

Jack's been in our garden

Jack Frost has been to visit.

And the winners are...

Now the children are asleep and the house is delightfully quiet.

 

So now I have time to pick 3 winners!

Having a give away was a lot of fun for me! For one I really like to share my love of textiles with others, and sharing my purchases makes me feel a bit less like someone who hoards things. The best thing about having a drawing though was making such wonderful connections with others! Thank you to everyone for your wonderful comments! I wish I could give something to everyone who commented!

Guess what? Jan, author of Where is my brother blog, and I have agreed to a trade! She will send me more kimono silks and I will send her Norwegian buttons, craft magazines, etc! That is not all! Merete, a local Norwegian art quilter,  wants to trade too!  I had no idea that so many of you would find my blog or that you would be interrested in kimono silks. I have had way too much fun and spent too many hours exploring everyone elses blogs!

I was so impressed with the thoughtfulness of so many who kindly and unselfishly passed the word along about the drawing! Thank you Debbie from Homespun Living, Christine from Sew Christine, Working mom knits, Joanne from Mothers of Invention and my dear cousin Marcie from The Gardner Gang for announcing my give away on your blogs!

Using the Random Number Generator I have found the 3 winners! Congratulations to:

• Beth Dasecke, winner of a vintage kimono silk scarf (Let me know which one you want!)
• Eileen, winner of 3 vintage silk kimono panels for crafting inspiration
• Hazel, winner of a small bundle of vintage silk kimono scraps

Please keep those comments coming! I really like to hear from you. I hope that my small give away might offer some crafting inspiration! I would love to see what you make from the panels and scraps!

A bit of stitching cheeriness on these long dark days

Bright and cheery! Here is a look at a project completly out-of-keeping with the season. It is coming along but I don't know where I am going with it.

The flowers I cut off of a thrifted pillowcase. The squares, rectangles, and circles are from the fabulous Heather Bailey Freshcut fabric collection. I still have more french knots to make in the flowers' centers.

(You still have time to post a comment on the Kimono craze and give away if you want to be in the drawing!)

Rainy day and Christmas magazine marathon

Today is one of those dark rainy winter days when you just want to cuddle up on the sofa with something good to read. First though we had to go grocery shopping...

When we got home we found Sebastian busy on the vintage sewing machine I bought a couple of weeks ago at the last flea market of the season. He has been doing threadless stitching on paper.

Then it was time to cozy up to some magazines. Norwegian crafting update! On the top of the stack was Juleideer Familiens idébøker 2007.

   

Inside it:

 

  Next up: Bolig Pluss December issue 2007:

Aren't the ornaments pretty?

Finally, Kvinner og Klær has a special Christmas edition: Julen 2007

The biggest spread is about Tilda, created by Tone Finnanger. She is one of the recent crafty successes in Norway. This Norwegian designer has just published her 7th book and they have been translated to other languages.

 

(You still have time to post a comment on the Kimono craze and give away if you want to be in the drawing!)