Ravenhill

When the homework is done...

Our afterschool ritual has become pretty firmly set now. My son comes home, wolfs down all the food in sight and then we clear off the kitchen table to sit down together while he does his homework.

He reads in both English and Norwegian now, but prefers English.

 

My husband sat down at the computer to do a bit of homework for me. I requested return address labels and he got tons of extra credit from me for adding the little dollies photo! Wasn't that a great idea and so sweet of him to think of it and take the extra time to do it?

 

All his sweetness has helped me get in the Valentine's making mood...I have been working on little Valentine's Day surprises for my family.

 

How much to embroider? Sometimes when I am working on a project I wonder is this enough or if I add more will it be too much?

 

Or is it better with more? I actually like it either way.

 

I would like to try zillions of different ways. For this one I used a finely woven linen/cotton blend of fabric, hand appliquéd the heart and then decorated with cotton embroidery floss. It is going to be a napkin for my husband.

 

Here's one for Lilly.

 

And the one for Sebastian in the back. It was really fun deciding which fabrics the kids would like and sewing them up.

Now the homework for the day is done. My husband is reading a goodnight story and I have peace in the house. I am going to finish up and order and then do some other sewing.

Getting wiser?

After the terrible lack of photos and color yesterday today will be full of color and good cheer! I am not sure if If I like the background I gave Bergliot or not, but it is fun to try something new. I wanted to make a bright and sunshiny doll.

Monday I was indulged in a bit of luxury... I had to use my gift card for last year before the  expiration - yesterday - my birthday!

Not a shot of me, but the brochure from the aromatherapy massage appointment I had yesterday. It was a lovely gift from my husband.

This bouquet of flowers from my husband is really brightening up our living room.

 

And today I received a huge birthday surprise in the mail from Mervi! Discovering her enchanting blog last year was a highlight for me. Making friends from all over the globe is my favorite thing about blogging! When you see where one of the fabulous fabrics she sent me is from you might guess her location. Mervi made me this card and if you pop over there she explains the technique.

 

She wrapped it up in the prettiest handstamped fabric trim!

 

This is my first Marimekko fabric and it is gorgeous in such deep reds and plum!

 

This is some dreamy hand dyed wool yarn with the lovelist feel.

 

Inside the Merrimekko fabric were other extraordinary fabrics. This one looks vintage? I love it.

 

This fabric has such soft and muted tones with the prettiest blossoms! It certainly seems vintage as well and I am already dreaming of things to make with it. Thank you so much Mervi for making me feel so special! 

Finally, a photo for my dear far away family who wish I would alter the ratio of fabric photos vs photos of my children...

Our day, a homemade skirt and mail!

Yesterday my big boy was home sick with a fever which happily was gone by this morning. That meant that little one and I were free to go to open day care.

Occasionally I help Anne Katrine by walking her adorable wee one to her nursery school which is in the same building as the play group we go to.

The walk to our play group is especially pretty in the snow. This is were we often seen the ducks.

The little red house with the pointy roof is where we go to meet some other stay-at-home parents and thier children.

After the fun of playing with the other children, song time, and having lunch we walked home on the slippery paths. I decided it was late for a nap and she agreed to a photo shoot instead! So here she is in a twirly skirt I made her from vintage Liberty of London fabric paired with another Liberty of London at the waist.

The vintage morning glory fabric is a heavier weight and puffs out nicely.

 

Here she is putting her baby to bed and you might wonder about her bare feet on our hard wood floors. Well, our heat is from hot water that is piped into our neighborhood. The water is heated by burning garbage. We actaully never ever turn on our radiators! The heat coming in through the pipes is sufficient to heat our place warmer than we need, so the kids go barefooted year round.

 

Finally, I have to show you Lilly's favorite accessory these days. I won it on a give away held by Kaori. She sent me such a delightful package!

Can you read what she wrote on the tissue holder? "Germs germs - go away!" Everything was so sweet and prettily wrapped. I was so tickled and Lilly just swooned over the handmade hair clips!

It took me ages to convince Lilly that it was ok to just wear ONE at a time and not all three front and center on her bangs...

 

Thank you so very much Kaori! They are certainly being put to good use and Lilly gets so many compliments about them.

I nearly forgot to tell you: Ravenhill Liberty of London photos have been spotted on this blog, Vain and Vapid; and one of my little matryoshkas was featured on Little Brown Pen.

Heaps of fun!

Just what the children ordered: piles of fresh snow!

Our backyard at dawn this morning. I love the bluish tint the world can get with the morning light on new fallen snow.

Lilly was fairly awestruck by the depth of it.

I just wanted to show you that I have played around with knitted designs before. It really is fun.

 

If you would like to make your own graph paper - any size - here is a wonderful link. I have just printed some and am going to have a go at it.

From Secret Santa...

Mitsy from my European Street Team arranged a Secret Santa swap for us. I do hope you will drop by Mitsy as she makes such inspiring ceramic peices, each one based on a different feeling. I sent my gift off to Antigoni where they will enjoy the warmer climate of Greece. It was a secret but since she let me know she has received it I am now at liberty to tell you. Here are her photos of my gifts.

My gifts came from Silvie in sunny Portugal and there were treats for the whole family! My husband loved the chocolates and my son was equally enchanted with the santa clothespin!

The things she makes are so in demand that her shop has been nearly emptied before the holidays!

She made the strawberries look so real with her tiny hand stitched seeds!

Oh, wow, the cake opens! Lilly started cooking right away, making cookies and cakes with these in her play area.

And look at what we found inside! The tastiest little hand sewn felt cookies and tea bags for little cups of tea!

Silvie, thank you so much for the lovely treats for my children and lastly, the one just for me! What pretty Christmas charms fabric squares! Here are just three of the stack of all different prints from her!

As I mentioned earlier, there is some secret sewing going on here! Making presents for people makes Christmas so much more special for me. Here are some yoyos I made the other day for practice.

I hope you are all getting your projects finished up and having a lovely holiday season too for those who celebrate!

More of the Christmas market

The weeks before Christmas seem to fly by faster than they do the rest of the year, certainly twice as fast as they do in January. I have been sewing lately but most things are secret.

I have to show you these cotton pants I made even though they really are summer pants! I am so happy with how they turned out and Lilly likes them too.

There are so many little secrets this time of year and they are so hard to hide from inquisitive eyes!

Yes, those are the two sets of inquisitive eyes I meant! The snow drifting down this morning helped motivate us to get outside for an early morning Sunday walk.

Lilly wanted to carry her favorite "baby" (a little pig stuffed animal) in her shawl. I made her the mittens last fall and had forgotten about them. I had put them aside thinking they were not ever going to fit properly, but now they are perfect. Lilly's homemade socks were sliding down in her boots this morning though and here you see daddy fixed everything just right.

Finally, some wonderful stands from last week's Christmas market!
Lykke og Liten was new this year and the two designers were so much fun to talk with! They love going to flea markets too, live in Oslo and make wonderful clothes completly from thrifted materials.

Another great stand was ZN Design with such hip and fun children's clothes!

They combine fabrics to make such vibrant and joyous mixes.

Here below are the partners of ZN Design. Lilly and I know Merethe, on the right, well as she works in Lilly's open day care that we attend weekly.

Another amazing textile stand that caught my eye was the work of Marianne Skarpnes.

She hand prints the fabrics and then has workers do the hand stitching.

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas market!

I just wanted to thank everyone for voting for my doll in the toy contest on Etsy! I made third place thanks to your help! I also wanted to share the happy news that this past week I had my treasuries hit the Front Page of Etsy for the third and fourth time. Here is the third FP!

I hope your weekend was nice. We are counting down the days until Christmas and my mother's visit!

Snow and an upcoming visit

I should be in bed asleep now. I have a cough and sore throat but I just had to write a little post. First of all, thank you to everyone for your comments on my sweater in progress. I tried it on and it is snug in one place where the tension was a wee bit tighter than the others. I don't think I will tear it out. I will stretch it! Secondly, we were all thrilled to wake this morning to a dusting of snow! Lilly and I had an appointment so she got her umbrella ready so she would be prepared for the snow.

This first shot pretty much shows how dark it is during the middle of the day this time of year on an overcast day. The snow is such a welcome sight as it helps to brighten up our days!

She did all sorts of things with her umbrella in the snow, made patterns, dots, and so on. (I cheated and brightened this photo for you. I really can't stand the drab photos like the first one.)

 

I really wanted to post these photos for my mom, to get her even more excited for her trip to visit us in less than a month! I am having a hard time containing my enthusiasm because it is going to be so wonderful to have her here with us for two whole weeks! Even my husband is thrilled! I don't think I know anyone who enjoys their parent's in law as much as my husband does. Sebastian even suggested we wait to open our Christmas presents until her arrival a few days after Chrismas so she could be here for it. Yes, we sure are all excited and counting down the days until her arrival. Anticipation is so sweet!

I attacked my thrifted Norwegian sweater

We were off line for nearly two days. I nearly went mad! It was probably good for me, but it is frustrating when you have things to do! I got a few sewing projects done instead. Remeber I showed you my pile of Norwegian hand made sweaters I had thrifted awhile ago?

Well one of them had numerous challenges: missing buttons, holes in the sleeve, a wrist coming apart at the seams, and a neck that was no longer staying sewn down.

I repaired the various holes and seams and then took off all but one button. I then dug into my stash of vintage pewter buttons and found mismatching buttons of the right size.

The sweater is so warm and cozy with a perfect fit. I have always wanted a sweater with mismatched buttons and now I have one of my very own! It is definitely sweater weather as it has gotten bitterly cold lately.

My little one having a picnic in the woods with daddy and big brother the other day. As you can see, we are still desprately in need of snow!

These little babies in a basket were barely in my shop before someone had taken pity on them and offered them a loving home! Thank you!

And these little ones are my latest creations!

 

I hope that I can find them a good home soon. They are snug in thier little quilts made from Japanese Lecien cotton fabrics which are my favorite at the moment.

My elf, gifts and a doll

I have some woderful gifts that I have been looking forward to showing you. I received them awhile back and now I can't wait any longer before sharing them with you. First though I have to show you the sweetest little elf I spotted the other day.

Her hat made the nicest little jingle sound when she moved.

Here was the same little elf another day when I caught her with one hand and captured her wee face with my camera in the other.

Several weekends back Anne Katrine and I had a sewing bee and she presented me with this sweater. Anne made it herself, or well nearly. It is nearly finished but it had been put aside for years. She gave it to me because she knows I love Norwegian sweaters and that I like to felt and make new things from them. I am really not sure what to do with this beauty though.

 

She also gave me this pretty matryoshka trim that I am longing to find the time to use. Thank you once again Anne!

 

Here is one of my latest little matryoshkas, Agnete! I really love using lace on them lately.

Hope you are having a great weekend! We are hoping for some more snow soon.

Sewing with mother

Big boy has left for school, I am tidying up after breakfast in the kitchen. I am not really sure yet what we'll do that day. We really should do some shopping this morning and maybe go for a walk to get some fresh air and excercise. Little one comes in to me with plans of her own and she knows I am pretty easy in this department. "Mummie, I need more baby quilts, please can we make some."

Well, we didn't get to more than one, but since she has now taken nearly every dishtowel in the house to use as her baby blankets I thought she was saying pretty clearly that the 5 or so real quilts that she has aren't enough!

Off to the sewing room we went and she selected the fabrics. A short time later she was very pleased.

 

It is fairly crude and rough but it will keep her babies warm and cozy. I do so enjoy it that Lilly loves to sew with me. I hope that I can have a similar lovely relationship with her as I do with my own mother in that we will always be able to knit and sew or do other crafts together.

Mom sent this cute outfit for Lilly's doll the other day.

The fabrics had such a lovely rough feel and sturdiness to them. She was really pleased and had me help her to dress her doll.

I know that my mother made the pretty flannel jacket but I am not sure if she or someone else made the other clothes. Thank you so very much Mom!

Ravenhill in print and Africa challenge

It's been a little secret... I just got word from Whipup that they are now available for purchase so now it is time to share! Ravenhill Mama and Babies are going to be the September photo for the Whipup's 2009 calendar! Each month features works of a different artist that has appeared on Whipup.

This week's challenge for the European Street Team which I am a member was the theme: Africa. I knew what I wanted to make! Would you like to see what my teammates made you can look here.

Please greet Lateia and her little baby. I made them using Norwegian Tilda designer fabrics.

I do hope that when children play with these dolls it might encourge them to carry their own babies when they are older. Lilly still loves to be carried when she is hurt or sad. It seems to help her to heal.

We have been having such dark and gray days, but we are getting out and enjoying the fresh air.

Flea market finds and shop news

I did find a few things at last weekend's flea market.

These will brighten up a dreary winter day!

Can you believe that someone could part with these mainly silk threads and other notions?

I had the jar already from another flea market, but the narrow velvet ribbons, red rick rack, blue and white trim, and red and white trim were all from this one. Lucky me!

This vintage Sanvika design fabric reflects Norway's countryside - just filled with wildflowers in the summer! 

It is anything but summerlike here but we still have a few frostbitten wildflowers!

 

My little flower enjoying the wonders of winter's first snow.

 

One does get sleepy after long days of thrifting and playing in the snow! Frøydis and Jannicke are sleeping peacefully and dreaming of new homes with someone to love them. I have just added Gift Certificates to my shop, which might be a nice way of giving someone the doll of their choice. Should you like one for an amount not listed please ask and I will make a custom certificate for you.

What a great day!

Before I share with you a glimpse of my lovely day with Melissa when she and I went to a couple of the final flea markets of the season I really want to insert a photo of Lilly.

She has been suffering from a bad cold lately that has left her clingy and hasn't given me much time to write my blog or well, tend to much of anything besides Lilly! But here she is in her thrifted winter suit in a fine mood! I knit her pixie hat and mittens.

Now off to the markets!

We were far too busy finding our way through the crowds and pawing through the piles of fabrics to take any photos at the first market.

I did take a few at the outdoor market that is open every Saturday at Waterlandsbro in Oslo. Here you see a pretty plate made in Sweden.

We took a little tour through Norway Designs which includes a wonderful assortment of papers, a children's section, one for home decor and women's clothing.

The stuffed animals were so original!

 

These beautiful cards were hand printed by Melissa! They accompanied a wonderful gift which I am not able to take a decent picture of so I will send you to her blog so you can see it: here. Melissa framed her beautifully stitched study and gave it to me and I treasure it.

 

I snapped a photo of the sun going down at 4 pm on my train ride home from this delightful day. (My husband can't stand it that this photo is slanted. I like it that way.)

I certainly admire Melissa's work and I love to include it in the Etsy treasuries I make. Here is the one I made today, which included Melissa's little baby shoes.

This post is already so long that I will have to keep you in suspense for another day until I reveal my flea market finds!

One of the worlds' most fabulous knitting books ever?

It is in my opinion. I guess I have been slow about making the post about the knitting book, Håndplagg til Bunader og Folkedraker written by Heid Fossnes, I have been telling you about, because well, it was a lot of work editing the 15 photos to show you!

The book is so packed with exquisite hand made details that it just about killed me not to photograph the whole entire book to show you.

Just hand gear.

I didn't find an English version of the book I am sorry to say.

I really can't decide which pair to make first!

I am going to let the photos speak for themselves...

Even if you can't read Norwegian it shouldn't let it stop you from purchasing this book.

Deciding which ones to share was such a difficult task too! They are all just amazing and the book is a whopping 301 pages long.

Now I just need to get around to finishing up the turleneck sweater I started last winter. I also have some great things to show from yesterday's really fun flea marketing adventure with Melissa and today's sewing bee with Anne Katrine. This weekend was a great for me, to have such nice activities with freinds who love to stitch and sew. I hope my kids get over their colds soon so my life will resume its normal hectic pace and not this frantic mothering pace of getting up at all hours of the night becuase it is so hard to sleep with the sniffles. It will be a long time before I look back at this week and sigh... "oh, those were the days..."

Knitted, crocheted, read and sewn

I made a really cute hat (pattern by Knitwhits) for Lilly a few years ago and she wore it for two winters. It was her favorite and she actually didn't really want to wear anything but that one hat. So when it became too small at the end of last winter I knew what I had to do.

 

This new version I made from leftover alpaca yarn. Funny how it was nearly the exact same colors as the original hat. I also crocheted the flowered scarf for her. You know another funny thing? Her smile here reminds me so incredibly much of my close friend from college, Brita.

Look what came in the mail yesterday!

The very first issue of the new UK sewing magazine Sew Hip. You can order a subscription on line like I did too.

I have followed the editor, Manda's wonderfully personal and inspiring blog through her last pregnancy and it is cool to see her take her talents to new heights as editor of this delightful sewing magazine. With interviews of crafty blogger Alicia Paulson and designer Amy Butler it made for interesting reading.

Aren't these wonderful patterns from Alicia Paulson?

 

I think I will make a pair of these for Lilly next summer in some pretty and airy fabric.

 

This is one cute little kitty pattern from Lucky Kate Crafts! I would really like to make a few of these for stocking stuffers.

I have been keeping busy though lately trying to stock up enough dolls for the holiday shoppers! Mor (sorry, just sold), Lillemor  and Emma (sorry,  she is sold) are waiting in the shop for someone to play with.

 

Stine is also made with Japanese fabrics, but this time one of my favorite Quilt Gate prints.

Anna has started a new blog and I am among the first featured there if you would like to take a look. I would also love for you to see the treasury I made. Mainly it is full of items from Etsy shops from Europe.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend! We are enjoying beautiful fall days and went to a flea market this morning. I will show you some of my finds soon!

 

walk in the fall and a necessary interjection of PINK

My children do squabble on occasion, but here was a sweet moment.

You see Lilly had use for her new pink felted mittens that I made for her and I have also made good use of the new fingerless gloves from Michele! Thank you! These will be great when taking photos outside this fall!

I thought it might be fun for you to see the view from Sebastian's school.

Can you see the cruise ship coming in to Oslo harbor?

 

Fall walks are some of the nicest.

 

He let me take his picture this time and didn't even make any funny faces! 

I have to interrupt all this fall for a bit of spring-like cheer. Here are some recent fabric purchases.

I had to have some of this pink and white baker's twine from Greta. It is thick and very pretty.

 

It made the perfect ties for this gift bag I made.

And now there are pink and red dolls in my shop! Malin, Ebba, Anne Karin and Lill are all excited at the prospect of finding good homes. 

 

You can see that I really have a thing for the Japanese dragonfly fabric on Lill? I am having my first ever sale in my shop, and if you order quickly there is still a really good chance they would arrive in time for Halloween!

Our busy family life

Sebstian has started Judo this fall.

Here they are ready to bop or crash into each other with the soft toys. This is my son's idea of a great time! He just loves it. Watching him made me smile to see his great pleasure in learning, concentrating and using his body.

Lilly thinks it is fun to watch me make her a skirt on demand. I love it. I am just too happy to oblige! She really did watch me much of the time, and sometimes she she helps. She loves to push the backwards stitch button for me. Once she tired of watching me she got out her doll and did a bit more sewing on it.

She likes the new skirt so much that she has worn it daily since making it. Now it is in the laundry. Everyone thinks my children are a bit odd as they love to go barefoot until late in the fall. You can see the fall leaves on the ground indicating the coolness in the air, but they don't mind. They rarely get sick either! I guess they are half viking and that would explain it.

 

I wanted to show you Bente and her baby even though they are already spoken for. I used woven Japanese fabrics for them and it was rather strange for me not to use more colorful fabrics. I have my team to thank for that. Bente and baby were my entry for the challenge theme: minimalism. The weekly challenge is really helping me to dare to try new things. Now I have even gotten so brave as to add some new things to my shop which aren't dolls!

Fall colors

The vibrant colors of fall really bring me great joy.

And my little one finds them irresistible. Taking a walk with her now is a world of discovery as the seasons change. She is too small to remember things so clearly from last year so there is so much to look at and play with.

Trying to jump up to reach the rowan berries caught her fancy for awhile.

The ground was littered with them when she was through.

Never fear, there are large supplies for the next child. Too bad they taste so horribly! Many make Rowan jelly at this time of the year. You need buckets of sugar per jar and it still tastes bitter. (My mother loves it though so I have sometimes brought jars of it home for her.)

We met a little friend on our walk and see the bright bouquet of fall leaves he had collected.

I have made a collection of fall decorations, Torhild, Kristin Merethe, and Cecilie! I think autumn is a neglected season when it comes to home decoration. These are in my shop but I want to make more to pretty up our house and bring some of fall's glory into the house. The beautiful colors outdoors are inspiring me, plus I adore oakleaves. I wasn't sure I would be able to cut the felt so small but it worked nicely.

I made these fall coloured mittens for Sebastian. Happy to say that he doesn't need them quite yet, but will very soon it would seem! They might look familiar as I made him socks with the same colors.

The winner is...

Before I announce the winner of my give away... I have another announcement!

Lilly can do ponytails! She borrowed the pretty compact mirror my darling husband gave me before we were married to get a view of them. Height-wise and hair wise she looks a year younger than she is, but she is growing at her own pace.

My dolls aren't getting any larger in size but they are increasing in number! I am working hard these days to stock my little shop for the upcoming holidays. Hennie and Sovehjerte (BOTH sold, thank you)  are a few of the newest matryoshkas. I am crazy about the chicken fabric they are boasting, not to mention the Liberty fabric on Hennie.

I don't have time to write a decent post today but I felt I couldn't keep you in suspense any longer about the winner of my give away! I am so pleased to announce the winner is: Carol. (I will be contacting you Carol!) Thank you all so much for joining in and you know me, I will want to have another soon!

Above you see a remake of a vintage postcard which I recently sent to my elderly aunt who once lived in Norway. I was flattered when Vintage Indie contacted me asking if they might use my photos for a feature about my dolls! My matryoshkas got to be the "Weekend Swank". They seemed to relish the time in the limelight. A couple of other matryoshkas recently popped up here.

 

Eva Margrethe and Liv Elinor (SOLD, thank you!) are available in my shop. 

 

I also wanted to let you know that I do custom orders if there is a special doll you have in mind!

I hope you are having a good week and won't be shy about leaving me comments! I love to hear from you!

Lilly can sew!

Before I show you any of my work I have to share Lilly's bit of stitching with you. 

Sometimes when I am embroidering a doll Lilly will ask if she can join me and do some doll sewing too. I let her use my trial mama and baby doll that I made all in one color. She has spent much time sewing on both back and the front to my tremendous glee! Occasionally I will hear an "ouch" when she has pricked her finger. She continues though undaunted. This makes a mother so happy!

Now I get to show you my dolls! Bo is the sleepy little ghostly white matryoshka in my shop.I made her for the European Street Team's weekly challenge. This week the theme was "Your ghost", and clicking on this link will allow you to see the other entries.

And I also made one in black: Thora. I didn't manage to make any of them in the least scary, but on Thora I finally used some of the beautiful Japanese fabrics I have been longing to use.

I also made a doll for Halloween. Her name is Hexen, Norwegian for "the witch" and she is now SOLD, thanky you. My shop has never been more full as I am trying to prepare for the Christmas rush.

I just got two fun deliveries in the mail. They go together so it was fun that they arrived on the same day.

This little box contained 100 tiny cards.

I thought I would send one along with my orders and give others out as business cards.

I received these nice little tins for holding the cards from Päivi in Finland. She knew how to make me happy... she included the adorable trim in the package as a little gift! Thanks Päivi! I hope to make one into a cute doll sometime soon.

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend! We sill have a few roses and really appreciated their bursts of color when we did a bit of yard work today.

What type of sewing tasks should I give Lilly now that she can sew?

My little GIVE AWAY is still on! To enter all you need to do is comment on my blog anniversary post!

We all have our toys and games...

Tree climbing is one of childhood's many delights! (And one of the many ways to scare a mother!)

 

He has his way of playing and we adults have ours... Now you can see the wonderful toy I bought my husband!

This is just too cute! I couldn't wait to show you this little creature custom made by Anna. If you have been following my blog you might recall that my husband has an expensive hobby (which helps me to justify my own addiction to fabrics!). He flies (and frequently crashes) a remote control helicopter. So I asked Anna if she would do a custom order as a gift for my husband's upcoming birthday. I giggle every time I see the photos, because he is just perfect!

Do you get it? That little mouse looks just like my husband out flying his chopper! Anna is a creative whiz and makes all sorts of mice. I am particularly tickled by the executioner mouse and the mama mouse with baby.

I recently found this stack of beautiful yarn on ebay.

 

It is reclaimed cashmere. The yarn was once a sweater which was unraveled and made into balls. Now it is mine to knit up for Christmas surprises for my super-sensitive relatives who have itching fits when wearing wool. I rather like it's curliness.

 

I am knitting a moss stitch I changed my original plan and have unraveled the moss stitch but am still knitting with two strands of yarn at once and I don't think you can see the curliness of the yarn in the knitting. I didn't care for the moss stitch for this item and it should be more or a surprise this way for nosey family members who read my blog looking for what I am making them for Christmas. I must say, I love knitting with cashmere... the softness is lovely. It is also nice to have a project to work on anywhere requiring very little concentration.

My little GIVE AWAY is still on! To enter all you need to do is comment on my blog anniversary post!

A night to myself

Do you know that I haven't had a night away from Lilly since she was born?

For over three years now I have been the ever-present mother and this weekend that is going to change.

My sweet man is going to make the three hour train trip to his grandmother's for an overnight - and I get to stay home! Alone. The truth is I am longing for some peace and quiet and not to have to pick up after anyone but myself for a day.  I am probably going to miss them like crazy! I spent the morning picking up and then cleaning so I could enjoy not only peace and quiet but also clean and tidy. With the kids around doing their creative things many a mess are made underway and despite my best efforts the place is never clean nor tidy for very long at all.

Now, a huge thank you is in order!

 

One fine, hot day this delightful package arrived in the mail from Nathalie. 

 

This is what was inside! Lilly isn't wanting to be a model these days so this is the best photo of her with the most beautiful red tutu that I could get. You will have to visit Nathalie's shop to see them, as they are cute as can be! Thank you Nathalie! She is really kind, I have already been so lucky to receive something else from her.

 

The red in the tutu brings me to the RED and GREEN fabrics that I have put to use on these Christmas babushkas now in my shop! I was debating whether or not to list these now but then I realized that many of my orders have been for more than one doll - often 3 or 4! Then it hit me that Christmas really isn't that far off and I knew that if people might want to order one of these already or in conjunction with another order.

For my Christmas babushkas I have used some festive cotton woven trim that I bought on my outing with Mom. These trims decorate the necks and serve as the ribbon loop that they hang from. The holly I made with felt and sewed on by hand. For the berries I made French knots using alpaca yarn as my crewel wool.

I think I will be making more of these as gifts for many of my friends and family who love to deck the halls for the holidays.

Hope you are having a great weekend. I am signing off now to make the most of my clean and quiet house and start sewing!

A chill in the air means it is time for quilts!

Air with a bit of fall chill has come to Norway but it didn't stop Lilly and me from taking an early morning walk to the beach.

It takes me about 30 minutes to roll her stroller down and I was not a bit surprised that we had the beach all to ourselves. My little one took a quick dip in the icy water and then huddled in a blanket.

Meanwhile I have been working hard on a doll quilt swap and July's Take it Further Challenge (OK, I know I am late again!) I thought if I were clever and combined the two into one project then I would finish on time, but with Mom's visit, etc. I just recently finished.

I am happy with how the label for the back turned out. Here it is before I sewed it on. To make it I sewed two pieces of fabric together right sides facing. Then I cut a small hole in the back, turned it right side out. I sewed the fussy-cut fabric flowers on to cover up the hole so it wouldn't show through the light colored fabric. The Pigma Micron pen was recommended to me by the amazing doll making artist, Mimi and the incredibly inspiring quilter, Marisa. I loved how I could write with such precision on the label.

Having finished with lettering and decorating the label, I blind stitched it to the back of the quilt.

 

The quilt back, hand stitched binding, and the flower cut outs are Chez Moi fabrics by Moda.

The front I made using Heather Bailey's Freshcut fabrics. The Take it Further Challenge for July asked us "What is it to be at the half way mark?" I made long strips of the quilt to represent what is past.

The flower appliqués depict the half way mark.

The future is less clear - represented by the small blocks of fabrics. I do hope the recipient will love it. I think I need to make Lilly some more doll quilts. A girl can never have too many can she? Besides now that it is getting colder we don't want her little dolls to freeze do we?

P.S. I plan on doing a major shop update starting tonight if all goes well.

How I love great fabric!

Sometimes getting a stack of brand new fabrics can set off a sewing frenzy. 

When I got the package of Heather Bailey's Pop Garden fabrics the other day I knew I had to make some dolls right away!

After washing, drying and ironing the fabrics I put them onto the floor to play with. Oh, joy, to be surrounded by so much color and beauty! I wanted to make some dolls to list for the shop right away and it was so hard to decide which fabrics to use first as they are all so lovely! I limited myself to four dolls as I knew that was what I would have time for.

I was going to announce the arrival of these new matryoshkas in my shop to you but Thurid is the only one left now!

Besides playing with Heather Bailey's fabrics lately I have been getting into the Christmas spirit and will show you soon...

I had a good weekend doing some sewing and embroidery with wonderfully clear conscience as it was raining outdoors. This coming week is the last week of summer vacation for my big boy. The summer went by too fast! He starts third grade and can't wait to start taking the Judo classes which we have signed him up for. I am hoping to sign my little girl up for folk dancing and really look forward to it myself as the parents get to dance too!

24 hour crash course in sewing with dear Mom

While Mom was visiting for three glorious weeks she helped me with the children, she and I knit together, shopped together, and finally she helped me with my sewing.

That look on Lilly's face reflects the feelings all of my little family of four share after our visit with "Gramma". We feel so filled up with love from her kindness and affection. Now let me tell you more about Lilly's dress and my 24 hour crash sewing course!

Here is the pattern and the facing and dress all cut out.

Mom had to buy me more pins to make the little dress. I discovered that gathering is somewhat time consuming, not to mention pin consuming...

I was pleased as punch at how the gathering turned out though and all that labor was forgotten! Thank you Mom for teaching me this great skill with such wisdom and patience!

Now for the really scary part... the zipper! Gulp. I had never done one before. Mom explained it so well that it was quite easy! (Love using this recent mushroom pincushion gift from Kristin!)

I did it on the first try and it works too!

Like Lilly I was jumping for joy in learning so much. I made size three but as Mom rightly said, it will fit her properly when she is five!

If that wasn't enough, Mom kindly suggested she help me learn to sew a zipper into a pouch too! So we did that project immediately after finishing the dress.

You might recall this wonderful type of fabric I found at a flea market which has different prints on both sides? It is perfect for making a pouch without lining!

Well, Mom is making the long journey home as I write this. Some new fabric arrived in the mail today from this great shop and will be a nice distraction from the sadness of not seeing Mom again for an unknown number of months. Don't you love it when the fabric shop wraps your purchase up so prettily? I was also smiling over the extra fabrics and her really great prices. Do you see that these are the new Heather Bailey fabrics!?

Tour of Husfliden, Oslo, Norway

Oh, I can't even begin to describe the joy it is to have my mother here visiting us for three whole weeks. She has to leave now in a few days and that is going to be very sad to say goodbye. I have neglected this blog, my mails, etc so I could enjoy her company to the fullest. I want to thank everyone for such enthusiasm for my most recent post! We have had so much fun reading all the kind words and have really appreciated it.

Would you join us on a photographic tour of the highlights of our shopping expeditions?

These are the gorgeous windows from Husfliden.

Husfliden has the most fantastic selection of yarns in every color imaginable.

I love these little embroidered flowers.

Mom and I can actually spend hours looking through this shop.

Perhaps you can see why after you have finished with this post! We both adore this old-fashioned dress and purse.

Husfliden is one of the few places in Oslo where you can try on and order your very own Norwegian National Costume or Bunad.

You cannot help but notice the details on the budnad. Some have incredible hand embroidered skirts but this one has combined two different trims for a stunning effect.

The trims really are exquisite. When I approach this display I am like a child in a candy shop with wide eyes and eager fingers, wanting to pile it all up and take it with me to the register and request meter upon meter...

The golden and glitzy ones are an interesting contrast to the Norwegian everyday clothing which were rather plain.

Oslo has been providing us with the loveliest of weather for our outings. Sunshine and not a cloud in sight!

Mom insisted that I show you how the parts of my dolls look when I have them laid out on paper.

These are some colors I have been working with lately! Can you guess what these fabrics, a gift from Anne Katrine, are becoming? I am excited to show you soon! Oh, I have a great deal to share... you'll be hearing more soon and more often! We have so much to catch up on!

Meanwhile have a wonderful weekend and lots of love from Norway!

Lilly goes to a party

Yesterday Lilly and I were off to a birthday party! The first dress wasn't quite right... Hand made by mom but a bit plain...

 

The next dress was more to her liking...

My mother made this frilly dress for my little one! The sweet cherry print fabric is from LakeHouse Drygoods.

 

The bag Lilly is holding is a little gift bag for the birthday girl.

Josefine, clearly knowegable about quilts due to early exposure of her mother's hobby, examined her gift quite closely with obvious appreciation. If you have been following my blog for awhile you might have noticed that I made a similar doll quilt for Lilly. At that time, I made extra blocks on purpose so that I would have enough for a second quilt.

For the label on the back I cut out a heart, hand embroidered it, and then needle turned and stitched the appliqué onto the back of the quilt.

Josefine's mother, my dear friend Anne Katrine, seemed pleased with the little gift I gave her too. These are some Japanese Quilt Gate fabrics which I bought on ebay.

This weekend is HOT! I am working on some new things and am excited to show you soon! Hope you are having a great weekend too.

Summer fun!

What wonderful summer fun we are having! I haven't had much time to visit lately or to reply to all the wonderful comments I have been getting. Thank you so much, I am sorry to have so little time now, but promise to make up for it come winter! I just want you to know that I really appreciate each comment. Now, to share a bit of what we have been doing for summer fun with you...

Daddy took big brother to the local amusement park.

I took my mother to see some of the sights of Oslo. The harbor was so lovely that day with the pretty clouds.

We sorted through many tables of trinkets and vintage wares to find a few real treasures. I will show you when I have photos of them.

We have also been enjoying a bit of knitting, despite the heat. I can't give any details about what this is or who it is for (Christmas secrets).

I am using some of the most beautiful handspun yarn made by my mother's dear friend Helen.

My husband was kind enough to make me some business cards recently when Michele requested some to accompany my dolls in her shop. I really love how they turned out. Did you see my new favicon? (The aqua and white R next to Ravenhill's address.)

An exciting week...

This week has been so wonderful! The highlight of this week: MOM IS HERE VISITING!

We picked her up at the nearby bus stop and walked her home.

On the way home we dawdled to pick raspberries.

Nearly every day on her visit we have gone out berry picking! Here is Lilly sporting a sweater and PANTS that I made for her! This is the first pair of pants that I have ever made! The cotton fabric is sweet as can be with little rosebuds on them. I should show you more of it because the pants would give you a good laugh. I sewed the wrong seams together! I didn't notice until they were entirely done. They look funny as can be flat on the table but when Lilly wears them you don't notice...

All this berry picking has led to the most scrumptious concoctions.

Our dishes were filled with strawberries, goose berries, blueberries, raspberries, red currants, and black currants. Our bellies were full and our freezer is slowly but surely filling up too with summer's bounty.

Both Camilla and Jennifer have received their give away packages so it is now safe to share this bundle of fabrics with you which I sent off to Camilla. Below you can catch a glimpse of some dolls I am working on in some new fabrics.

I said there was lots of excitement for me this week! Well, Méri was kind enough to let me know that she had spotted my mamas and babies on Whip up! Then I found out that some other dolls had made an appearance on Cuteable!

 

I am saving some really exciting news for last! My dear friend Michele had the grand opening of her boutique! You can see her really cute invitation above, and she is selling my dolls in her shop! I haven't heard yet how the opening went and I am dying to hear all about it!

These new happy faces, Idona, Valda, and Hulda are my latest additions to my shop.

Perhaps you can tell by nearly a week of no-blogging that I am wholeheartedly enjoying my mother's visit and wonderful company. I will try to do better on the rest of her visit- there is just too much to share with you to be gone so much!

Hope you are having a good weekend!

More Japanese crafting madness!

Before I treat you to a peek of my favorite pages from another Japanese crafting magazine here are a few summer photos of my children for my Mom who is getting ready for her trip to visit us, for my dear brother who never fails to make me laugh at his sharp wit and who has a birthday today, and for my dad whom I know wishes to see his grandchildren more often if only they weren't so far away!

Isn't she is bright eyed and bushy tailed? She loves trying out new funny faces.

Blueberry picking is high up on the kid's lists of fun summertime activities. Big brother really loves it.

Discoveries abound this time of year. He would really love a pet but due to allergies most things are out. Maybe a moth?

I don't need a pet but I can't get enough Japanese craft books. This Cotton Time No. 76 is the first of two I will show you from my swap from Jan (Thank you again!).

The simple, country feel appeals to me. The little bunny is so dear.

Always fun to see a fresh version of a bag or pincushion.

Love the idea of the patchwork floor mat.

I want to make a needle case like the one in the right hand corner with a place for my scissors.

I adore everything on this page! I have more photos from this magazine on Flickr.

I wanted to thank Jo, Kay, and Nathalie for being so kind as to let me know that my mama and baby were featured on Etsy's Front Page today!

Haldis, on the right, is my newest addition to my shop. Some of these Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabrics were a kind gift from my good friend Anne Katrine. We are always sharing fabrics with eachother!

Swap partner delights and amazes...

I have been treated by the nicest of friends to such a wonderful package of the most thoughtful gifts a crafter could imagine. Her thoughtfulness has impressed upon me once again the beauty of getting to know other crafty bloggers. Thank you so much Jan!

This gorgeous silk fabric was cut off the bolt and is a clue as to where the package was from. Do you know where?

Here is another silk. Jan tells me it came from her neighbor. It was a vintage unfinished kimono. Oops, I guess that gives it away. This package came all the way from Japan! The red lining in the purple kimono is stunning against the purple outer part. The red didn't want to be photographed however, so you will just have to take my word for it... This silk is certainly stunning enough on its own!

Before the swap Jan and I exchanged what you might call our swap wish lists. Jan seems to possess magical powers as she conjured up the most incredible things to delight me and covered everything on the list! I had said some shibori would be nice, and look at the lovely shibori scarf she sent me! It is airy and light! Jan you have been so kind with me!

Jan must have read my mind too because I am in the midst of a real craze for Japanese cotton fabrics! This stack of 100 squares really is a treasure! The entire package is. I can't begin to describe the joy at taking out each and every item to see! I did it slowly, one at a time with both of the children enjoying the moments with me. There were many squeals and oohs and ahhs!

I simply have to share some of the fabulous squares from this pile! Here, it looks like a fierce warrior and another man with his dog.

Don't you just love the texture on this one?

And these printed panels are most unique and beautiful.

I adore these bunny panels. They are so Japanese and so sweet!

 

Here are more squares from among the 100. Jan knew that I would love the cherry blossom fabrics!

Finally, the most special part of this or any swap is the handmade things. I feel that is how I most get to know the lovely person behind the package, through her gift of creative expression. Jan sent me the sweetest little Japanese owls.

 

I still cannot believe how much Jan managed to fit into this box- it was FOUR kilos, or nearly 9 pounds! These fish even came already strung up on this Japanese branch! Aren't they wonderful!? They are perfect for me to share with Sebastian as he is an avid fisherman! I must admit that ever since I spotted the adorable fish she had made on her blog I had been wishing for some of my own... Jan, I am quite swept away by your thoughtfulness! Thank you! I have put more photos on Flickr, but there are still more surprises from the package to share later...

 

I have been crafting a bit myself during the hot summer days, funnily enough, knitting! I posed with my new, fresh off the needles socks in 90 degree weather just for all of my blogging friends!

 

They feel marvelous, but a bit warm for now. I couldn't find the 3rd ball of taupe yarn that I had bought and did need so they got orange stripes on the foot. I found the missing ball soon after the socks were completed... and it is now on the needles with the remainder of the orange yarn to make mittens for Sebastian.

 

Yes, I finished Sebastian's pair too. His feet are now just a couple of sizes smaller than mine and are on the left. Funny to think that our feet will actually be happy to have them on in just a few months.

The heat must have made me think it was blogging vacation last week. Sorry for being so lazy! This week we are going to be crazy happy in anticipation of my mom's arrival in a little more than a week!!!!

Berries, sunshine, flowers and felt

My children are so eager to go berry picking. They aren't bothered by little details, like the berries being ripe...

Some little friends were happy to join us too.

That was yesterday's little adventure and the rainboots are a tell-tale sign of all the rain we have been having. Today we woke to the most beautiful sunshine.

 

So first thing after breakfast we took a bike ride. Ok, my big boy biked, I walked, Little sister ran after the bike or sat in the stoller.

I enjoyed the children and the view...

And the scent of the magnificent flowers along the way.

I made a flower of my own last night. This is going to be a needle book.

I was inspired to make something with felt after getting these sheets in the most luscious colors in the mail from this far away Etsy shop. Here the pinks and creams.

One needs a few greens, blues and red too.

I had a bit of felt in my stash from thrifting, but the colors were brown, yellow, and orange mainly. I have wanted to have some other colors and love these 100% wool felts from Felt Craft Studio.

I am going to make a few needle books as I am always misplacing mine.

Happy summer day

(Don't forget to enter my give away if you haven't already!)

The weather was perfect today, not hot, but sunny and beautiful. Lilly and I had a ball first making sandcastles in the sandbox and then walking with friends to our local shops to do the grocery shopping. Lilly is wearing the sweater I made her awhile ago. She is growing so slowly that it still fits her.

The big hill on the walk home invited the little ones to roll, roll, roll. Here she is just reaching the bottom.

As I said it was a great day today. I got mail! As I can never resist entering a give away I am occasionally the lucky winner. It was lovely to win this very beautiful ATC by the very talented and sweet Iris.
 
I just love the various patterned papers, the colors and the quote that has left me thoughtful in wonder at what this means.
 

Even the backside is really thoughtfully done. Thank you dear Iris!

 
Here is Lilly in sweet slumber with this beautifully made doll from Anne Katrine.
 

As you can see, the doll is crocheted. Her dress is knitted and the cute flower embellishment is crocheted. Anne's daughter has the other one that Anne made of these dolls. I was so touched for Lilly to receive this precious gift.

Now this lovely day is drawing to a close, and I should be heading to bed. First though I have to take a peek at this stack of crafting books fresh from Amazon today!

Rainy weekend = SEWING!

(Don't forget to enter my give away if you haven't already!)

I wasn't sad to see the rain this weekend, quite the opposite! How lovely to get some of it when it has been so hot and dry, and it gives me all the more reason to stay inside and sew.

I showed you the Take it Further embroidery on linen a few weeks ago and now it has become a book bag. The heavy and rather textured linen was some I found at a flea market awhile back. I think it was previously a curtain.

This fabric from my stash was ideal for the lining.

Speaking of embroidery, here are some linen embroidery flosses that I added to my collection awhile back thanks to ebay.

The paisley embroidery I had done was with cotton floss. Now I am eager to try linen and wonder if it will be different to work with... isn't it gorgeous?

Now, this is something I have been meaning to show you: the lovely decoration on the top of Lilly's present from Josefine on her birthday. Anne Katrine made it and I just love it. I will show you the gift soon too because it was also handmade!

And here is my girl playing in a cardboard box this weekend, her indoor activity during the rainy spell. The quilt is one I made and so is the little knitted bunny.

Surprise!!!

Hope that you had a great weekend too. I have so much more to share, so I will post again soon!

 

Miss Myrtle has arrived and is greatly Loved!

What a happy day it was to receive "Miss Myrtle" from Annie for the doll swap!

Her attention to the fine details shined through everything she did. The handmade tag was decorated with this lovely brooch. The doll was so thoughtfully wrapped, not in paper but in fabric! How perfectly delightful!

Lilly here, seconds after opening the doll, examining her from top to toe.

Miss Myrtle came with a little satchel and the sweetest, tiniest books made by Annie's daughters.

Her dress is so clever with snaps at the neck. I think with a bit of practice Lilly will manage to dress her herself.

See what I mean when I said Annie has done such lovely details on Miss Myrtle? I just love her little felt heart with the pretty stitches.

Annie, you were so clever and having this little handmade sweetheart really makes me smile.

I can't show you the doll for Annie yet, because I just mailed it off today! Instead, you can see some dolls I am working on for my shop and for an order for Mosey Handmade.

I had to tell you too that the hexagon quilt that I showed you was likely made from flour sacks. I spoke with mom this weekend and she reminded me about some of the quilt's details. The other thing is that the blues weren't made from indigo dyes.

I did a bit of window shopping today after a trip to the dentist. I really wanted to capture these wonderful seagulls to show you. (No cavities! Just some repair work.) Now I need to dash off to wrap up some orders and stuff some dolls.

Hexagons, past and present

When visiting home in March Mom and I photographed this family heirloom:

This was made by my Grandmother Louise's grandmother.

It is very old, and both sides are quite faded except for a few very well preserved hexagons made with fade resistant dyes: indigo.

This quilt is so special!

This is the note that my Grandmother Louise lovingly pinned to the quilt so that its history wouldn't be forgotten.

You can understand how this quilt has inspired me to get started with hexagons myself! I purchased these English paper pieces at Katrine's and found it so quick and easy to do. Please forgive me that I have become a bit stuck on red, white and pink lately...

(If you should care to see the first in this Quilts From Home series then click here.)

Progress is being made on Lilly's quilt and shop update

In my last post you saw the backside of the little doll's quilt I am for Lilly. Here is the front.

The quilt is completed now for her birthday tomorrow! She turns 3 but the party with her friends is going to be this weekend.

You probably won't be surprised that I have added more dolls to my shop. Please meet Josefine.

I have been mixing colors for the faces.The red straight from the jar was too bright for the lips, so I mixed the tiniest bit of red with a very small amount of brown and a good portion of peach and the lips turned out nice and subtle as I had hoped for!
 

I adore the fabrics that these 4 dolls shown above are made of Moda's A Morris Garden by Barbara Brackman which I purchased via the internet shop, Sweet Peas and Angels. I really liked this shop as they sent everything so prettily bundled up in little ribbons. You can also order as little as 1/4 of a yard which I haven't found too often in other internet venues.


Blomsten (flower in Norwegian) is already spoken for.


Guri is made of the same fabrics and available! Now that these girls are finished I am diving into my stash for some greens to make for an order for Moseyhandmade's new brick and mortar shop opening in June!

 

Weekend with Great Grandmother and some crafty stuff too

I worked a bit on the backside of a little quilt I am making
 
while visiting my children's father's father's mother or Great Grandmother.


This is the breathtaking view from her home.


The flower gardens surrounding the entire house parallel the view.


The 150 types of roses in her garden haven't come into bloom yet but there were many other types of flowers to enjoy.


My son loves adventure and his Great Grandmother obliged him by giving him a boost up onto the roof!


We all took a walk on a nearby deserted beach.


My son in a rare moment of stillness.


Back to climbing things again...


Frida is embroidered, painted and sewn up and now slumbering peacefully in my shop waiting for a new home.


I really love doing appliqué, so her backside has a heart!

I hope that you have all had a lovely weekend. Thank you all who sent such warm messages wishing us better health on my last post! I so appreciate your kindness.

Quilts from home, as promised

I try to keep my promises but can sometimes be a bit slow about it! Today please feast your eyes on a few of the beautiful family textile heirlooms from my mother's collection...

You had a look at this one the other day and I wanted to tell a bit about it. The quilts are very special as each one was made by hand by someone in the family on either my mother or father's side of the family. They are such tangible links to my female anscestors. Imagine that they sat for hours on end together and alone stitching the thousands of stitches to make up the quilts. Many of the fabrics were likely first used as their clothes so these quilts are so very personal.

This quilt, known by many names, like sawtooth or delectable mounts was likely made with new fabrics, and is from the Crego side of my mother's family. There are brown spots on the quilt that I didn't really capture in the photos which mom tells me are from the iron mordent that was put on the fabric before the dye. It was a process in use in the early 20th century. This quilt was done with a high level of skill as it is intricate and extremely well-done. However, it has many rather tattered spots.

The T-quilt is quite old, also from my mother's side, by my mother's grandmother's mother's mother. My grandmother chose to inherit this quilt when my mother was an adult.

 

I am fascinated by how these quilts wear and age. This one T is completely gone whereas some other's appear to be in perfect condition. Fabrics are certainly not all made alike. The T-quilt is also faded on one whole side. Mom wonders if someone started it at one time, put it aside and later finished it later with more light fast blocks.

This quilt isn't finely quilted, more of a utilitarian quilt made with used fabrics. Mom is pointing out the stitches which as you can see aren't completely uniform or anything fancy.

I fell completely for the fabrics on this quilt and photographed quite a number of them. I won't show them all as it might be a bit much...

My mother's grandfather's mother made this beauty of a quilt. There were originally red flowers in the blocks, but when Aunt Miriam was getting married her mother redid it for her with pink flowers because Aunt Miriam had red hair and her mother thought the red hair wouldn't go with the red flowers. I stained it when I was a child. Guess what? It is mine! Mom gave it to me! I adore this quilt!

There are still more quilts, but I am out of time - Anne Katrine is coming any minute for a visit! I will be sewing or knitting while we chat but poor Anne Katrine has been in a cast for quite a few weeks now and hasn't been able to do any kind of handwork. I have been lending her crafting magazines I had brought back from the US so she can fill up on inspiration for when her cast comes off.

There's some knitting going on and my first interview!

My little one is going to have warm and cozy feet in her winter boots next year! My mother, my great Aunt and I spent a few hours browsing the yarn store. I bought beautiful sock yarn in the US to make soft and non-scratchy socks to keep my little children's tootsies warm come next winter.

This first pair of silk and alpaca socks are completely finished. Lilly loves to try them on! There will be no problem getting them to wear warm footgear next winter! I had given up making them socks as they hated wool due to the itchiness. Mom took me to a wonderful yarn store in Belfast, ME which I am afraid I don't recall the name of. They had a delightful sale on sock yarn and I decided then and there to make socks my kids would want to wear!

This second pair is a Lorna's Laces yarn. It has my favorite colors when I was a little girl: pink and orange and reminds me of my favorite flavors of ice cream when I was little too: sherbet! I borrowed my mom's pretty and colorful metal needles to make these. She had extra and I was so grateful to be able to have a project to do on the plane ride home. I am getting rather addicted to making socks - they are so quick and fun to make in such luscious colors.

I was interveiwed by Kat!

We had a 3 day weekend!

This weekend I received my first handmade purchase from Etsy!

I fell for Sibi's use of vintage shibori silk from Japanese kimono. The owls are even cuter in person!

Lilly really fell for them too.

My husband took the kids out for a boat ride on the fjord on Saturday. Here they are waiting for the train downtown.

The grandparents are going to love the post today with all the photos of their grandchildren...

Taking the train is always fun even though they have done it many a time.

Sebastian enjoying the view from the boat on Oslo fjord. Daddy really knows how to find fun things to do because on Sunday the outing was to a visiting amusement park right nearby.

That is one boy having a great time!

While they were off amusing themselves I was home washing and ironing my new fabric purchases from our trip to the US. To some it might not sound so amusing but it was enormously satisfying to get it done and put on the shelves so that I can get started on a project! I am going to give you a preview of an upcoming post on our family quilts.

I am thrilled to have a record of them now and really excited to show them to you!

Mail day!

Régine's lovely package arrived today! I didn't manage to wait to take a photo before tearing open the pretty wrapping. So much for self-discipline. Sometimes I just can't wait to see the handmade goodies!

I love this little brooch with the pretty fabrics and vibrant colors that I won on Régines give away. I think Lilly and I are going to be fighting over this one - and guess who is stronger? No, I will be nice and let her wear it.

I always treasure anything with hand stitching and that really made me fall for this heart ornament. See the pretty red stitches on the edges?

Thank you so much Régine for such pleasure!
 

I am still not getting much creative done myself these days. Nothing you haven't already seen upteen times anyway, like here is a shot of Jannicke who is new in the shop today. She is made of among other Liberty of London and Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

My kids are keeping me busy all day long and until tonight all evening long too! I think things are settling down now. Whew! Jet lag is tough. I am going to really enjoy the next few days as it is a 3 day weekend here in sunny Norway!

Yesterday when the babysitter brought Lilly back home in tears after being gone for only an hour I nearly burst into tears myself as I saw my date with the sewing machine going down the drain. My very thoughtful husband had arranged for me to have childcare for 3 hours yesterday during the afternoon when he found out that he would be working very late. I had made an appointment with my sewing machine but had barely gotten started when the kids returned and I had to cancel my plans. Lilly seems to be a bit bothered lately. We had introduced a few new foods and they are likely the issue. Both of my kids have allergies to well, many foods and become rather moody, to put it nicely, when they eat something that doesn't agree with them.

My little one ended up having such a nice time in the backyard with her friend and dollies though.When you don't feel so good there is nothing like being home with mommy.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

A delightful day of beauty

Spring is in full march everywhere you look. On the way to do a bit of grocery shopping yesterday morning I took a few pictures of the anemones covering the ground in the woods.

Our area seems to mainly have the white variety but there are also some exquisite blue/pink types as well.

I find these flowers quite enchanting.

The weather is fairly enchanting as well, with warm, long, sun-filled days. Lilly has been making cakes in the sandbox.

Yes, and she takes after her big brother in her love of going barefooted! She adores wearing the pants from Natasha that I mentioned earlier.

After a two hour nap (I slept too - I have a lot of sleep to catch up on!) Lilly and I were ready for more fun outside and now Sebastian was home from school to join us. The excitement on this afternoon was finding ladybugs. It was a full day for me because Anne Katrine and I went out last night to the quilting meeting! Here is a preview: drop by tomorrow for more.

My confession...

I have a little confession to make and I hope that you will forgive me.

My posts haven't been showing much activity lately, I haven't added any new photos to Flicr in weeks, my shop was empty for several days, and I have been slow to respond if at all... WHAT IS GOING ON????

Well, ahem, um, hum. I don't quite know how to tell you this. You see... we just returned to Norway from a two week visit to my native home! Yes, my husband, two children and I are now all suffering from jet lag from our journey overseas from Maine. Last night we had 3 fun-filled hours from 9:30 pm til 12:30am when the kids thinking it was time to get up from a little nap: giggled, jumped, teased each other and generally caused a great deal of noise and anguish to their incredibly tired parents.

I have been dying to tell you all about our visit, plus, show you the piles of fabrics and yarns I bought but first I knew I had to break it to you that I have been keeping our spring vacation a secret... I wrote several posts before our departure and scheduled them to publish on assigned days.

You can likely guess why the secrecy: husband's paranoia of home security. With the exception of house guests one weekend our little home was empty for our vacation and my husband didn't want me to announce to the world on Ravenhill: "Hey, everyone, we are going to be out of the country!" Personally I am entirely sure that there is not a single thief among my dear readers but I had to reluctantly agree that it is probably best not to publish info about a vacant home on the internet, just to be on the safe side. I do hope that you will understand.

I took a real break from doll making and blogging. The above photos weren't even taken by me. My husband took them, but I did the editing. Isn't the Maine coast gorgeous?

I had some excitement related to my blog while home in the US. While doing a bit of shopping in midcoast Maine with my mother and 87 year old great aunt who should we meet but Jes, in her new soon-to-be-opened shop! It was a thrill to meet her and to actually get to take a look at her lovely shop. When Jes told me that she would like to have my matryoshkas in her shop I was so surprised and pleased!

Eight dolls have made their way to  Michelle! Quite unexpectedly, she offered to feature my dolls in her also soon-to-open shop in her home and is doing it out of the kindness of her heart!  The dolls above are now in my Etsy shop.

I had been hoping to get to meet with Erin and Iris, but unfortunately ran out of time. I received the prettiest ATC's from Iris who is having an ATC give away! I would show you the ATC's from Iris, but they are momentarily misplaced due to this jetlag fuzzy brain thing.

While visiting with my brother and uncle in Portland my mom and I got a couple of hours to look around the old port. It was delightful to see Amanda's work in person when we happened across the wonderful shop carrying her handmade goodies. While home I sent off the vintage tablecloth above to one of the sweetest people I have had the chance to "meet" via my blog. Jean has been so thoughtful with me that when she jokingly suggested the she would like this tablecloth I decided to mail it off to her. Surprisingly, the stain came out in the wash so it is in mint condition! Jean told me though that she couldn't possibly take the risk of using it as a table cloth and will make beautiful clothing out of it.

This post is now way too long, can you tell I have missed you?!

More signs of spring!

The bigger kids in the neighborhood have been doing a bit of digging for creepy crawlies.



My big boy doesn't mind getting his fingers dirty at all! I hope I didn't gross anyone out with this picture. I just revel in the kid's enjoyment of nature.

I guess I don't have as much to show you craft-wise lately because we have been outdoors more! It is also time for me to get my nails dirty getting the garden looking pretty!

Our tin and aluminum anniversary

Ten years ago today I was home in the US getting married. My pink face is from blushing, not from makeup.

When I see the photos I realize I am a bit older now...

It was held at the home of some dear family friends. I think we only had around 45 guests. I just wanted close family and a few good friends. Even our justice of the peace was a friend of the family.

I had been nervous and not looking forward to being the center of attention. However, I realized at the wedding how truly wonderful it was to be surrounded by the people I cared most about in all the world.

My poor groom suffered a terrible tummy bug starting several days before the wedding. For the rehearsal he had to have a stand in, and he himself watched from the couch. He was barely well enough to actually carry through with it. People joked about it being nerves, but I know better.

We had a real DIY wedding! My mother forced forsythia indoors and to her relief they were in lovely bloom for the ceremony. She also made the sweetest bouquets for me and my maid of honor as well as the flowers for the men's lapels. Most of the delicious finger food my mother made herself with a bit of help from me. And my dear aunt made my cake. My talented younger cousins sang a song and read a poem for us.

My dear husband is such a romantic that he talks about renewing our vows someday. Maybe he would like to do it without the tummy trouble?

We looked happy didn't we? Well, we still are! Hope you have a great weekend!

Bursting with spring cheer!

Here she is radiant with good health again! We are going to share some of our day with you! These photos are just a few hours old!

Signs of spring were everywhere we looked today as Lilly and I made our way across town to "open nursery school". We take the bus a half hour to get to this lovely place for kids and their caregivers to play, chat, sing songs and eat lunch.



We have lovely conversations on the trip over and there is always a lot to look at.



This flag is always flying to welcome us to the fun play time. This is a wonderful service sponsored by the local government to provide the few stay-at-home parents with an opportunity to get together with other ones.



On our stroll home, Lilly wants to walk herself instead of sitting in the stroller. She does often hang onto the side...



...but not for long. You can't hang onto the stroller when there are fun rocks to climb!



Here is our first sign of spring: the street sweeper! That means they aren't expecting any more snow or ice on the roads. It is now safe to clear off the gravel that was liberally distributed all winter long.



Another sure sign of spring: MUD! We have a bit of this after all the rains lately.



Lastly, one of the best signs of spring: the new shoots!

Knitting WIP in the home stretch!

I am really making progress on this alpaca sweater. I am definitely going to have it ready by next fall, no problem. I had a few breaks in knitting as I was uncertain of the colors. I think I am happy with using the ones the pattern recommends after trying a few other color options.

You see 3 of the five colors in this shot. There is also a light yellow and a light purple. Now I have my eyes out for a new project. Maybe a hat for Lilly as the one she has worn the past two winters no longer covers her ears... (what a lousy mother!) She actually has a number of hats made my me that fit her to a T, but being Lilly she just wants the really PRETTY one. I can't blame her.

I have to tell you what a lovely week I am having now that everyone is absolutely healthy! Today I even had a babysitter in the afternoon so I could do a bit of sewing. She brought the kids to the farm in the rain. The kids came home wet and a bit chilly on their hands but they said they had a great time.

I am doing a shop update today! I am trying to make them in new colors. Which is your favorite color? If anyone has any color or fabric suggestions I am all ears.

Upcycling my husband's old jeans

I so love finding new ways to reuse old things, especially textiles. My husband discarded 3 pairs of jeans recently. I was going to toss them because of the holes in the knees but my squirreling instincts prevented me. I held onto them thinking I might remake them into something else.



I recently read that jeans make great filling for potholders instead of batting. That made me think it would be cool on the outside too! Since I need some gifts for some of the guys in our family I got right down to business.



I used part of the cuffs for the loops as I love the frayed look.

I hope that everyone is having a great weekend. It looked great for us last night as Lilly was back to her lovely and energetic self again. But guess what? Today my darling little boy got hit by the same bug that little sister had. Who is next??? I certainly hope it isn't me or my husband. There are simply too many things to do before we leave for our vacation!

Flea market fabrics galore

Big brother made and brought this tasty treat up to his wee sick sister. I so love these amazing gestures of sibling effection, especially since much of the time I am requesting that big brother please let little sister be.

As promised, more on the flea market. It began with what is known as a bag sale. You could fill a whole bag of anything in the textile section for a certain price. I almost couldn't believe my good fortune, as usually the bag sale is the second day when most of the finer items are long gone.


I am starting with a bright fabric in case anyone else is having a challenging day and in need of a lift. My day has been very cozy at home snuggling on the couch or in the bed with my fever-ridden little daughter. It does get a bit tiring. I can feel slightly like a caged animal not able to move around, go out and do my usual things.  However, it is a joy to see her recovering as the day has gone on. I am so happy to say that her appetite is back.

Another couple of brights! I am rather sweet on the wildflower one on the left.

I found 5 hand embroidered matching napkins.

I completly fell for this sheer curtain fabric. I think it would make a lovely top layer for a skirt for Lilly.

This caught my eye too with its small and sweet flowers.

This is the corner of a table cloth which will be perfect for a picnic on a warm summer day.

I found some lovely vintage patterns for little ones.

I wish I could tell you that is it, but there is even more!

This should be plenty of yarn to make up enough mittens and hats for my guys for next winter.

I thought this one was so sweet.

I will end with my favorite. I realize now that I have way too many to show you and I am feeling rather sheepish for buying so much... I will put photos of the rest on flickr. In my defense, flea market season is brief and these fabrics will have to last the other part of the year when there are no flea markets.