Ravenhill

Plaid inspired

You wouldn't believe it but I ironed this as best I could, the fabric seems to like to have a bit of a wrinkle in it. This new skirt is for Lilly.

I wasn't sure if you were able to see the tiny glass seed beads which I hand sewed in place onto the vintage crocheted doily which I found at some flea market or other. So here is a close up. I used one of my own skirts as a basis for this easy bias skirt and was happy how it turned out.

Once I got the Japanese plaid fabric out I wanted to make more with it.

These little yo-yos in various sizes and fabrics seemed right for the purse to pretty it up.

I am crazy about this Japanese floral for the lining. I like the iron-on interfacing that I used for this purse, it gave it just the right amount of stiffness so it will protect the contents and keep its shape.

The nicest mail and an award to pass on

Awhile back the highly talented fiber artist Julia and I agreed to do a swap. I was all excited when I got her package in the mail! And then when I started to photograph her incredible piece I could barely stop...and will use the photos throughout this post.

Notice the soft, velvety backing she has selected. These details I find so enchanting. Every piece she makes shows such a love and celebration of color. She has used countless types of fabrics, giving it a richness and uncommonly delightful texture. When my children have clean hands I allow them to touch it carefully... Lilly has done so frequently as I have it perched on our antique desk in the living room.

 

While you continue to enjoy the photo, I have to something to admit: I have been lousy, miserable about mentioning the awards I have received these last months. I intend to mend my ways... So I will start today.

A huge thank you to the incredibly kind Michele for the Lemonade Award! What a nice surprise to receive this sweet award. This is an easier award because I don't have to reveal any private or embarassing things about myself. The hard part was deciding which blogs to select from my super long list of favorites!

I have been updating my list of fabulous blogs that I like to visit. So I would like to pass the award along to some of the new and bright stars on the list! I am so excited to share them with you if you haven't already been fortunate enough to stumble upon them yourself.

UK: Lobster and Swan - she has such an eye for the beautiful

Norway: Fryd og Design - so much sweetness, including a darling baby girl

France: Rose Tea Room - an enchanting design blog

Germany: RoSa P. - the epitome of simplicity and lovely handmade

Maine, USA: Philigry - hailing from my own home state, this is a lovely place to visit...

Australia: Hop Skip and Jump - Domestic bliss, quilting, toys, etc... Ah, love it...

The Netherlands: Dutch Colors - All things bright and beautiful, especially nice to drop by when I need a bit of cheerful color on a grey winter day

USA: Orange Flower Sketchbook - perfectly wholesome handmade

Norway: Sjarmerende gjenbruk - Full of ideas on how to charmingly recycle

USA: Tallgrass Prarie Studio - an expert and inspirational quilter and host of Project Improv

What to Do Now

I want to say congratulations to all 10 of those awarded above. Please share this opportunity with your favorite bloggers by doing the following:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs, which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude! Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

3. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

4. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

 

Finally, I want to thank Julia for swapping with me. I will treasure it.

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.

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.

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!

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!

First Pay it Forward gift received!

Debbie from the creative and lovely blog Homespun Living sent me such a nice thank you letter yesterday! She wanted to let me know that she had received her small Pay it Forward gift from me (and that she loved it!) I was so pleased!

This is what I sent her (plus a couple of chocolate covered caramels). Debbie is going to be announcing her Pay it forward any day now, so go on over there if you would like something from her! Her Firefly Farm Shop is stocked with handmade goodness: pretty purses and handbags, vintage goodies, knitted dishcloths, and tea cosies with handmade vintage embroidery embellishments.

(Don't forget to leave a comment on the Kimono craze and give away post if you want to enter!) Lurking is nice, but I love to hear from people stopping by!

Love a deadline

Sometimes you need a good challenge to get started crafting. Whip up has provided me with that! I am in. Here is my entry. The shot ended up being a bit corny but without the roses it just didn't work. My entry is a really long necklace that you can wear in a number of ways. Here I show it as a choker.

Theme: fibre & mixed media inspired jewellery

Due date: TODAY!

Materials: beads, alpaca yarn, mohair yarn, invisible thread, scissors, knitting needle, and sewing needle.

How to: Make a rope out of equal lengths of 2 strands of alpaca, 2 strands of mohiar. Attach beads, make simple crochet flower, attach to rope and bead it.

I am going to do a tutorial on the rope eventually. Because the rope is so cool! You can use it instead of I-cord to make incredibly fast felted purse handles. So, as I said, more on that later.

This project was really fun. The best part is the countless ideas the competition generates... Like I couldn't stop at one thing. I also made a small heart broche. I have been known to place more than one entry into competitions before. I have a history of entering and winning t-shirt designing competitions. First in junior high. Designed a t-shirt for the school drama troup. Then in college, designed the springfest t-shirt.

History lesson aside, I am entering whiplash for the fun of it. I need assignments sometimes to get crafting.

Anyway, this broche is mainly of vintage materials. I cut out two hearts from silk kimono lining, stuffed it and sewed it together. The peices of lace and button are recent flea market purchases . To the reverse side I sewed on a broche back.

Here is the competition info and whiplash badge. I sure wish I knew how to put it on my sidebar. Whiplash Oct/Nov thread

November roses

It has been unseasonably warm in Norway for this time of the year. The shortening of days is right on schedule however(sun rise at 7:43 and sunset at 4:15 pm). Here are my November roses courtesy of global warming!

And here is a blossom I made myself! I made it from vintage silks. The center is 2 circles which I sewed right sides facing together, cut open the back, turned it right side out and then stuffed and stitched it up again. Then I attached it to the 2 layers of ruffled silk petals, beaded the center and put a brochback on the backside.

I love having roses nearly year round but hope to have some great snow storms too! I look forward to sledding with the children!

Pretty hands in the chilly weather

The days are growing colder now and it is time to get out the winter gear! Here is a beaded pair of gloves I made.

Not just warm and fuzzy

So much of what I do is to keep us warm: mittens, hats, scarves, etc. Practical and useful. The kids need a fresh pile of them annually, plus a new item here and there for me and my husband and then there are always gifts for family and friends.

Sometimes it is nice to make something with a little sparkle and glitter. Bracelets knit up just for fun. Something frivilous and outragous. 

 

Not that I would necessarily have anyplace or occasion to wear it to... But making it satisfies my urge for glamour! A few years ago I sold a good number of them at the Norsk Folkemuseum's annual Christmas market. More to come about that soon!

 

Little flower scarf

Sometimes you want something that is more decorative than warm around your neck. It IS warm too and fuzzy (mohair). But this scarlett's claim to fame is not functionality but frivolity. Yes, a take me out sort of scarf.

This is my own design. I like it because the flower is actually a broche which pins onto the scarf. So I can detach it and pin it on my hair or a coat.

Patchwork Swap

Here is a peek at the broche and little cloth bag I made for the patchwork swap I am doing with Green Kitchen. (Thanks to Lindamade for hosting it!)

I will also be sending my swap partner a pile of lovely scraps which are mainly vintage Norwegian cottons.

She will also be getting an interesting vintage scrap. Rows and rows of these adorable little birds (some quite tattered) decorated what must have been a child’s pillow. I am just sending the birds that were in good shape. It is nice to share one’s finds!

Finally, I am also enclosing a few choice silks scraps from Japanese kimonos! It will be fun to watch her blog to see if I can spot any of my fabrics put into use.