Ravenhill

New fabrics, pouches and a new blog crush

 

Saturday I went shopping with my Christmas gift card from my husband and came home with a nice little stack of fabrics.

I went looking for aquas and turquoises but there really wasn't much to find in those colors, but I had much luck in the pinks, yellows, reds and oranges.

The white polkadots on the sunny yellow seemed just right to line this pouch that I made.

This floral fabric is a heavier weight, with a linen feel but I think it is a vintage cotton. It has been in my stash for awhile and it is one of my favorites. I used a bit of vintage trim for the side tab and really like how it looks.

These new pouches are now in my shop where it is looking so sunny and bright. Norway is brightening up these days but we still have piles of snow, absolutely no sign of bare ground, and some mornings it is bitterly cold and frosty.

Mornings like this I am so glad to be able to return to my warm house to de-thaw my fingers which have turned numb from the photo session outdoors.

Before I go and make my son his afternoon snack (well, it is more like a huge meal, he eats so much...)I wanted to show you a most wonderful blog.

Emmiline did an amazing and entirely wonderful feature about my dolls yesterday. Anyone who regularly reads my blog has likely had it up to here with my dolls, I just don't seem to be able to stop making them... but I thought you might enjoy her blog because it gives the most marvelous glimpses of her lovely Norwegian home. Just take a look, you will see!

 

Shades of blue

I am in a fine mood, jolly good, never better. You see the sun has been shining on us daily and it acutally warms. Everywhere you go outdoors, you hear a drip, drip, drip. I am now hopeful that we will see bare ground sometime before May. Ohhhhh, if you haven't lived though one of these loooooooong winters than you do not have any comprehension of the sheer JOY to feel the warmth of the sun again.

So the color theme on today's post in no way reflects my mood, no I am SUNNY. However, the blues are the color of the big cloudless sky and it is so beautiful! So to celebrate the blue skies...

I was in such gleeful spirits after the freckle-inducing session in the sun. I sat in the backyard, decked out in my snowsuit, sitting on the lawn chair, knitting away. Afterwards I wanted to make something special and I once again cut into my cherished vintage pansy fabric. 

I like the shape of the pouch, it is the same curved bottom that I have so often used for my drawstring bags but this time it is on a zippered pouch. I think the zipper might be vintage too. It has a sweet drop pull.

Having accomplished something today other than sunning myself I thought it time for a cup of tea, but then the ble teapot and Lilly's rose cup remined me of a doll I wanted to make... so it was off to the sewing room for me again! Fru Himmel (Fru Heaven) is a corny name but that is what she is called, and it suits her perfectly. My dear daughter has even more whimsical names for her dolls, like: Emily Rainbow Lilly. Yes, all one name.

You can find the pouch and Fru Himmel in my shop. Oh, my goodness, I will have to make more pouches this pansy one is already sold.

I hope you are having a happy, sunny weekend!!!

 

Douple pointed organization

Somehow during Winter break last week I got out of my blogging routine, and I have missed you all! Now we are happily back to our regular daily routines after a lovely week of holiday, and I promise to be around more. I just dropped Lilly off at nursery school where she will play, sing, eat and play outdoors for 4 hours.

She was jolly as can be as you can see and walked the entire way herself. (She is still fond of sitting in the stroller, but promises that when she turns 5 she will no longer use it.)

Before I scurry off to photograph some new dolls and other things, I have to show what I recently sent to my mother. She had been saying how much she needed an organizer for her double pointed knitting needles and so I surprised her with one!

I used a William Morris fabric, which I knew mom with adore too. The most challenging part was these little balls on the ends of the ribbons. My first attempt was near perfect, very round, but the second ball, was alas a bit oblong. I guess that is charm of handmade?

I made a slot for each set of needles, labeling with both millimeters and the American sizes. I just love my own needlecase where I have done this. I wasn't completely happy with the rather primitive patches that I hand stitched in place. I plan on making some dp knitting needle rolls for my shop, but I have another idea for the needle sizes.

The funny thing is that my dad was nearly as pleased by this gift as mom was, because he won't have to listen to mom spending an eternity trying to dig through her bag of needles anymore. Her knitting needles are now all in their propler slot, ready for action.

Treats

These springtime-fresh and dainty blossoms appealed to me on another blustery cold day in Norway.

The children keep asking what it will look like when all of the tulip bulbs they planted last fall come into bloom. Then I talked to mom yesterday and she tells me of looking at her hellibore and how it is growing and doing well. Mine is so very well covered with a thick layer of snow, but will be a most welcome sight when the time comes.

Another treat came in the mail to brighten my day even more. Isn't it wonderful how little gifts can appear when you need them most? This prettily quilled card really brightened my day! Simone sent me this card, above, and the button bookmark pictured below.

Simone, thank you so much! Blogging is incredible. Simone won my last giveaway and she wrote me the card telling me what a thrill it was to win, especially since it was the first time. How delightful it was that she would take the time to let me know and thereby spreading even more joy, because that really made me happy to know how much she appreciated it. Maybe you would like to see a bit of the Japanese book, Story Quilt? You can find it here on Amazon.co.jp with ISBN 4391133318 or 9784391133318.

I have never seen anything quite like these small appliquèd stories.

The author imagines children in every imaginable type of play, sometimes simply and other times with painstaking details.

I adore this little scene. I like how she has kept the faces so simple, but uses so many textures in her fabric selections.

There aren't detailed instructions for each figure, but she does step by step instructions for a couple of her figures.

The book seems like it will be a great source of inspiration. I hope this was a little treat for you?

We have a wonderful week now ahead of us. My two little cherubs have winter vacation and my husband is going to have a couple of days off to enjoy it with us! We certainly have a winter wonderland to ice skate, sled and ski in!

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Since making garlands and needlebooks with doilies I have accumalated a few scraps from the precious handmade vintage treasures. Not knowing what to do with them and not wanting to throw them away I have held on to them.

I considered that these lacy scraps might do well transformed into hearts. So Here I am sewing one onto a piece of linen. I like how it it turning out, how it ends up slightly ragged at the edges.

Some of my favorite people are so very far away and I thought I would surprise them with some special valentines treats. I ordered some delicious looking caramels from this nice Etsy shop, Calabasasas Candy  Co run by Cheri. My Dad called me to thank me for the treats, and he exclaimed over how beautifully they were wrapped and how they had come with a surprise extra treat to sample.

I hope you are having a fine day filled with love.

 

Flown in

At our house we daily revel in the antics of the birds who come to our feeders right outside our kitchen window. We have a couple of bird books at hand to identify new birds that we aren't familliar with.

I have been wanting to make some bags with birds and now they are made. I finally found a good enough reason to cut into the gorgeous Japanese fabrics I had been saving for a special project. The teal and pink fabrics have the most wonderful linen like texture on the yarn dyed and woven fabric.

These bags are all in my shop. I will have to get busy because my son wants one and so does my daughter. They will be quite handy for storage of their small treasures, like marbles, toys, or things we might find on a walk.

Easter Matryoshkas

Easter is fast approaching and I have made a few matryoshkas for my shop with decorated Easter eggs on their backsides.

Please welcome Fru Bekkely and Fru Falkenhaug, they are both sporting the cute bunny fabric by Lakehouse Drygoods.

Fru Rosenlund and Fru Solberg are also ready and waiting for new homes where they hope to spread good cheer and the delight of handmade and handstitched. As you can see Fru Rosenhund feels full of hope and is entirely eager to meet her future owners, while Fru Solberg is feeling slightly apprehensive.

Messes here, there and ahem, everywhere

At the moment I have too many projects dancing around my head and unfortunately also cluttering up the house.

In the playroom is the quilt I am working on. There I am piecing together the quilt back. In our little office where I sit and type my posts I have hobby books and magazines covering up the desk and on top of these are items to list in my shop as well as a hand sewing project I am in the middle of. The living room is littered with more magazines and books (all craft related), then again there are several hand sewing projects strewn about, not to mention the threads, flosses, needlebooks and scissors that are from current and previous projects but not yet put away. Well, I could go on, but you get the gist of it. Luckily my husband is not one to complain about my crafty/messy ways.

Here is one of the things I am working on. Just small rectangles of fabrics in shades of pink, stitched on with running stitches.

Your houses are all probably neat as a pin?

Taupe potholders ready for action

Thank you all for your warm wishes for a quick recovery from the tummy bug. Everyone is now happily well again. Thanks so much too for all the birthday greetings! What fun it is to read your comments daily and be in touch with so many kind hearted and talented people. Your generosity in your encouragement is touching and I must say enormously motivating for me.

The bright sunshine yesterday made the snow sparkle with near blinding beauty.  There is little warmth in the sun here now, but it gave us hope of warmer days ahead and the promise of melting the snows here soon. Today though we had a big storm, with big winds and snow flying. I had some time to finish up the potholders I started here.

They aren't very big but are completely hand sewn. It was the perfect small project to do while lounging around with the family on the weekend. I would surely recommend this as an initial project for anyone wanting to try hand sewing and quilting.

It would be nice to make more in bright colors too. Funny, right after finishing these this weekend was when I grabbed the brights to make the quilt. I seem to crave both, the taupes and the brights.

Birthday Roses, a bug, and a small project

These beautiful pink roses were from my husband yesterday on my birthday. I had a lovely day except for getting a tummy bug.

My 9 year old son who also got the tummy bug in the middle of the night last night got to stay home from school today. He has improved as the day has gone by and borrowed the grown-up camera and took the above perfect shot of my birthday bouquet. That is the nice thing about tummy bugs, they can be quite intense but generally pass quickly.

This morning while my husband slept until nearly noon (yes, he got the birthday tummy trouble too and stayed home from work.) the children and I spent a bit of time going through fabric for a little tiny project I am going to do. My son took this photo too of me looking trough some treasured Japanese fabrics.

These are the two Japanese fabrics I chose for the 9-patch squares I am going to be hand sewing together. This is a very small project I am doing, from the Yoko Saito book, which I believe is called Square and Triangle.

By the way, if you ever want to preview or purchase Japanese books and magazines online I often use ebay. Many of the sellers scan a good portion of the book onto the site to give you a good idea of what you will get. I go to ebay.com, then I do a search for Japanese crafting magazine, Yoko Saito, Japanese quilting book, etc. You should get up a number of results and then when you click on one that looks interesting, give the page time to download and you can browse to your heart's content. Here is a good peek into the Square and Triangle book!

And here I am sewing according to Yoko Saito's instructions. Using a water soluable pen I traced a paper square onto fabrics that I cut out leaving a .7 seam allowance around the blue marks. Then I sewed two squares together on one end. The stitches should start beyond the blue line. You can just see my knot on the outside of the blue lines. I did a running stitch all the way across. It goes pretty quickly.

As you can see I have sewn three rows of 3 squares together and have finger pressed the seams in alternating directions.

 

Yoko recommends pinning the pieces together as I have done here. Can you tell I am having a ton on fun?

Now I have ironed the 9 patch, cut out two layers of cotton flannel, several cm larger than the 9-patch. I cut the bottom layer of fabric the same size as the flannel. I have once again used the water soluable pen to mark where I will be doing my quilting stitches. Now I am ready to baste the sections together.

I look forward to working on this over the weekend. Perhaps you have some nice project to work on this weekend too? Wishing you a lovely one!

A fabric basket

I told you yesterday that I never seem to have enough containers. I have been wanting to try making a larger fabric basket for some time.

These woven fabrics got me started. I used the brown as a bias tape for the top of the basket. The other fabrics were Japanese prints.

Between the two layers of Japanese fabrics I used a layer of flannel, in order to give the basket a bit more substance and help it to hold its shape. It wasn't hard to make and I can imagine making them in many shapes, sizes and colors.

Catching up

I don't know why but January always seems a great time to finish up forgotton projects, do mending and take stock of my goals. So each week now I have been slowly but surely finished up project after project.

Here is one such project, finally completed. These linen and vintage lace and button dolls were cut up and on my sewing table taking up space and to put it bluntly, getting in the way of whatever I was working on. Then finally, I decided it was time to finish them up. What a lovely feeling to have finished and have really cleaned up my sewing table.

I have actually been sewing lots lately but today was the first day with any amount of light to take photos of what I have been making. I can't tell about some secret Valentine's Day gifts I have made yet, but soon.

Second Post of today

This is unprecidented, writing two posts in one day. The first one from today is below. I had to write again when the very kind Tia let me know of my terrible mistake. You see the Japanese book I told you I used to make the slippers for Lilly was the wrong book. Poor Tai had gone out to buy the book and when she got home she looked and looked but didn't find the slipper pattern in it. I am so sorry and I had to write immediately in attempts to prevent anyone else from buying the wrong book.

Here is the book with the pattern for the slippers I made for Lilly:

Here is where you can pick up the book on Amazon.
ISBN-13: 978-4834727142
You can see the book's version of the slippers below. I love the hand stitches on the straps.

Please forgive me for my error. I will try to double check things from now on. Since I was already scanning for this post I thought why not show a bit more of this great book?

This is a dress I really want to make for little one before summer, or it might make a nice tunic over a turtleneck and tights for winter.

Isn't this a cute purse, with pretty Liberty of London, lace and linen?

This little number I would like in my size. I haven't time for making things for me though, today I finished two pairs of super-fast and simple elastic waist pants for my 9 year old son. Now Lilly is clamoring for some new pants too.

Black and White at the Folk Museum

Once again I must take you back to the Norske Folkemuseum's annual Christmas market.

I loved these heart baskets in the traditional red and white and these in black and white were also beautiful.

A wreath made out of lichen, simple.

Another one in a heart shape.

This one really took my breath away. Those leaves must be lambs ear. I would love to make one this myself.

I had to show you a bit more of the textile work at the market. Perhaps they will inspire someone for the upcoming Valentine's Day?

New Norwegian Tilda fabrics

It brightened my day to visit Emma's wonderful blog and discover she had included Lilly's little slippers in the cheerful and pretty line-up yesterday!

I have been to the local hobby shop for a bit of after Christmas sale shopping.

I found a couple of Tilda fabrics on sale and the brown that wasn't.

The black and white heart trim I think would be marvelous paired with some natural linen.

I have made a few dolls with the new Tilda fabrics.

Both Fru Bergman and Fru Dommerud are now in my shop hoping to soon travel to some exotic location to spread good cheer.

Japanese magazines and mushrooms too

I discovered this new embroidery magazine, Needle, while cruising the internet today and thought you might like to take a look. They seem to have the entire first issue online and for free!

I just got a big order of Japanese crafting inspiration in the mail from Amazon in Japan. It is funny because the first time I ordered from them I had to wait for an entire month for its arrival. This time it was a mere 3 days!

I was positively blown away when the package arrived at the door! Yes, they send it door to door!

The base rate for shipping from Japan is steep but then there is just a small fee per book on top of that making it affordable if you buy less frequently but in large quantities at once!

There is something about this Japanese style that is so appealing.

I also find the photo instructions most helpful. As my son says it would be nice to be able to read Japanese too.

I will surely be sharing more of my new purchases with you soon!

I don't know whether or not you have noticed that I have a few new dolls in my shop that don't have hearts on their behinds, but mushrooms! Above is Fru Hammerstad.

Fru Dahle.

and Fru Langsom. The mushrooms take a bit more time but they are so much fun to do!

Little slippers

Today a few of my newest matryoshkas were featured on Cuteable! Fru Stabekk wasn't featured but she is one of my newest creations in my shop.

The icy air doesn't seem to want to let up and as I have mentioned before is giving me a wonderful excuse to stay indoors and keep warm at my sewing machine. What is the point of going outside actually when it is -20 Celcius? So I made these slippers for little one to keep her small toes warm on our now chilly hard-wood floors.

I used this Japanese book for the pattern. Here is the link to it on Amazon.jp:

The slippers make the second project I have completed in this book and so far so good. I have enjoyed both immensly and they have both turned out as I had hoped. I blogged previously about another Japanese book and my projects here and here.

The bottoms are three layers, with the bottom two quilted together as you see above. I used the same fabric for the insole and underside, and for batting I used a vintage wool blanket. The thick blanket and quilting give good structure to the slippers and warmth as well.

I dug into my mother-of-pearl button jars to find a couple of matching buttons to add as decoration on the straps. I have used snaps for closure. I still (sheepishly) haven't learned how to make button holes. Maybe Mom will teach me on our next visit? I selected Jennifer Pagnelli's wonderful fabric from the line Dance with Me for the outer fabric.

And here we were today playing concentration and little one is wearing her new slippers.

She still doesn't even know all the numbers or letters on the cards but she can match them! Getting a photo is hard work too when they are moving around as much as this little energetic one does. It is a good thing I have learned how to lose with grace because it happens alot when I play cards with my kids.

I hope you will have a lovely weekend!

Lilly's new doll and doll clothes

Lilly was excited as can be at Christmas when she opened up her doll and doll clothes from Grandma and Papap (her grandfather.)

She was promptly named after me, because of the curly hair.

Here is one of the beautiful peices of clothing my mom stitched up for little Emily. I wish this little red fleece with the beautiful black glass buttons was in my size!

Mom made this beautiful dress too. The fabric is delicate with the pretty blossoms scattered all over it and is so lovely, trimmed with dainty lace. Lilly's intense concetration gives a good indication of her pleasure in playing with her new dolly.

Carved out

Christmas is over, but some of us still have a few decorations up and I never had time to show you these amazing carvings that I saw at the Norske Folkemuseum's annual Christmas market. They ones above are wine corks and they are just filled with character.

And what a great amount of time it must have taken the artist to not only carve but paint the tiny details onto her.

This little gnome also has the most beautiful details, like the walking stick, lantern and pocket knife.

These are busy little gnomes, here is an elderly granny, knitting away. When I tire of knitting and sewing I think I will take up wood carving and make my own wooden figures. I am certain they would get on well with all my matryoskas!

At the moment though I am immersed in sewing, knitting and a bit of embroidery. (Not to mention, cooking, cleaning, reading aloud, playing cards and games, etc.) I finished up these drawstring bags today and they are in the shop.

The beige fabric is a linen and cotton blend which I adore. Anyone who has read my blog for awhile knows how fond I am of Liberty of London fabric, which I used for the hearts and the drawstring casings to add a bit of color to the tops of the bags.

 

New fabric!

The old year is ending in a fine way. Today I got the most delightful pile of fabrics in the mail from Fabric Shack. Every single fabric on this order is from the new line, Nicey Jane, by the gifted Heather Bailey.

The colors are reminscent of spring and full of fun.

There wasn't space in the package for the entire line, and I regret that.

I have orded a good number of flat rate envelopes of fabric from Fabric Shack. They have excellent prices and an enormous selection of fabrics.

These fabrics really are fresh and full of joy aren't they?

This is just the nudge I needed this time of year, a healthy dose of good cheer all stacked up nicely.

Just to show you that I haven't been just lazing about on Christmas vacation... I have added a few drawstring bags to my shop and have some dolls ready to stuff. This one I made with Heather's debut fabric line, Freshcut.

I am always making bags for myself and my family, so I thought I should share some with my shop too.

I shared a couple more dolls (the first two in line) with the very sweet and talented fabric designer BariJ so she could do a give away, so if you would like to enter just visit her and leave a comment. The last doll in line stayed with me for the moment, her name is Fru Gundersen and she is waiting eagerly in my shop for some near or far destination. She will spread good cheer and joy.

Giving of gifts

I wish I had done better at taking photos of all the gifts I made this year. I just spoke with my brother who thanked me for the fingerless gloves I gave him, my great aunt loved the mittens, another aunt has surely now opened up the socks I made...etc.

I did take a few photos of my latest project though, completed just in the nick of time, Christmas eve...

It is a pot-holder made in Yoko Saito style, using the house book as my guide. I did a post about this wonderful book last year. I just signed up for a course with the very same author when she comes to Norway in 2010. I keep thinking about the upcoming course with great excitement and anticipation. I am still not even positive I have a spot but my fingers are crossed...

I found making the potholder for a dear friend to be so such pleasure. Doing it though made me realize I would like to have stacks and stacks of taupe fabrics and that I have so very much to learn when it comes to selecting colors.

I really would like to chat more but it is so late now that I should be asleep. One last thing. I am having a HUGE sale in my shop until January 1st. I realized today how much I love to shop at after Christmas sales and thought it would be great to treat everyone with a wonderful sale. I have also begun to list a few new dolls.

Nighty night!

Wishing you a very Happy Holiday!

The gifts are ready...

Our stockings are hung...

I made these little stockings this season just for fun.

The fabric with the elves is from a very close friend who also appreciates fabric and was kind enough to share with me. The fabric had rows and rows of elves, I just cut a strip of them to make the stocking.

Adorable?

The same very generous friend also gave me this cute Christmas fabric with geese and more elves. In Norway the elves are often eating or holding Christmas porridge as this is a traditional part of Christmas feasting.

Hoping your stocking will be filled up with someting nice if you celebrate Christmas. I think I have been very good this year so I am expecting a lovely celebration with friends and family.

Peace and happiness to all!

A Grand End-of-Year Sale

I am now having a Grand End of Year Sale!

For one week I am offering 25% off all items in my shop. (Wednesday, December 16 through Wednesday, December 23.) After you have made your purchase and payment I will reimburse you the 25% off all items purchased. The 25% sale does not include shipping costs.  

 

That means these mama and babies are now only 30$ instead of 40$. It is my way of saying Thank you for a wonderful year of blogging and another great year as a shop-keeper.

Christmastime in my shop

Christmas goods are finally in my shop! The seemingly endless overcast days are making photographing anything an immense challenge. I did have such fun making these Christmassy matryoshkas and want to make more for my home too so we can be surrounded by the good cheer of the season.

Now for the give away!

Using the very handy Random Number Generator I have selected two winners of my Christmas craftiness giveaway.

A warm congratulations to Selina and Simone!!!!

When I have your address I will mail the goodies right off to you! May you enjoy them to the fullest!

 

Gifts to inspire YOU!

It is finally the most festive of months! December is a lovely month to enjoy making things. I thought it would be fun to share my enthusiasm for the Christmas season and my love of crafting with you by offering inspirational packs! I have two to give away and two that are in my shop. Because I am lazy I only took photos of the two packs for my shop, but the two I am giving away are nearly alike, they simply have a slightly different selection of buttons and threads. So feast your eyes on the goodies....

My first fun pack features reds, greens, whites, and a bit of aqua and blue thrown in!

I put together a mix of new and vintage prints in the spirit of the season.

Here is the second one, very traditional reds and greens, and like the first pack, it too contains fabrics, ribbons, notions, stickers, flosses:

I love to spread a bit of Christmas cheer!

Yes, a great amount of fun could be had with these and I hope that the two lucky winners will have a ball! If you would like to enter my little give away please simply leave a comment to this post. Comments will close Tuesday, December 8th at 7 am Norwegian time. Soon after I will announce two lucky winners!

I also have two Christsmas inspiration packs in my shop (so sorry, they sold out fast!)

I was lucky!

Look! I won another give away! I feel very lucky. Rachel was the hostess for this give away of these sweetly decorated bobby pins by Carmenesque.

 

Thank you so very much, these are really pretty!

She put them on right away.

This weekend I put my new BariJ fabric to use.

Fru Hokstad (sorry she is now sold) and Fru Skeie are now in the shop.

Fru Godthumør is also in the shop.

We had such a nice weekend, but it sure went by awfully fast... Wishing you a happy week!

A gift sent

Kelly wrote me today to tell me she had received the gift I sent to her. I made her a flowery appliquéd face cloth for her.

First I cut out two squares of fabric. On the blue checked fabric I hand appliquéd a scattering of fussy cut fabric flowers and made red french knots in the centers. I cut out a strip of red and white dotted fabric and made bias tape with it for a loop which I hand stitched together.

Then I pinned the back and front together with right sides together with the loop pinned onto the inside of one of the corners.

For the backside I used a bright yellow cotton flannel. The final step was hand stitching around all the sides of the cloth with 3 threads of pink embroidery thread.

I think these would make nice Christmas gifts and hope to be making more soon.

Leaf Garland, take two

Autumn's bright, vivid colors and rapidly changing foliage provide fabulous inspiration.

Soon the leaves on the trees will all be on the ground and in my desire to prolong this pretty seaon I decided to get crafty. Ever since making the leaf garland last year, with limited success, I have wanted to make a prettier one...

I imagined it with a bit of a 3-D effect, not just flat. I cut out piles of leaves from various fall colored felts. Then I cut out browns for tops and bottoms of acorns. I sewed the tops onto the acorn bottoms using a whip stitch.

Then, one by one I sewed the leaves onto a crochet cotton yarn by hand. Funny, the stitches don't really show. I made sure to bend and scruntch the leaves together a bit so that they would stick out.

Happy day to you whatever the season where you are!

Black and White Tuesday

I didn't have time to do this post on Monday as I had intended. I am sorry about not posting much lately. The children are still sick and I have little time for anything. I did go out for a long walk on Sunday though.

While fall has been bursting with brights: gold, red, rust, yellow, and browns it is challenging to see the beauty in the lights and darks of the season.

 

The past few days there has been ample opportunity to catch shots of the flowers all dappled with raindrops.

As I said, I donned my cold weather gear Sunday and headed off for a much needed walk in the woods. Oh, this hour to myself after weeks of tending to flu-ridden children was pure bliss.

The trees look pretty stripped of their foliage after the recent frosty nights.

This fine creature posed for just a moment before scampering off. I have to admit that my photography hobby is helping me get out of the house this time of year when the living room's warmth and comfortable sofa is so very appealing.

Fru Sort is the last in this latest black and white series of matryoshkas and she is now in the shop.

The children are home again today, but I seem to have gotten a second wind after long talks with friends on the phone last night. Today is starting off very cozy, looking at bird books all together in bed, and now we are going to play go-fish (again).

Pants to go with the tunic top

I wanted to make a pair of pants to go with Lilly's tunic top. I liked the idea of puffy legged pants with a very soft flannel.

 
I suppose she might use them as pajamas too. Do you see the teal spot in the waist?

She got an L for Lilly and it will help her to know which is the back side when she is putting them on.

Here she is nearly ready for the birthday party and a bit giggly. I hope you'll have yourself a giggle or two and a wonderful weekend!

9 weeks and a weekend sale

Yes, it is only 9 weeks until Christmas! This sobering fact just dawned on me. I have already delivered several gifts on our visit to the US, but I have a great many ideas for projects as well as people I plan to make things for. I have begun to fill up the shop with Christmasy matryoshkas.

I had Christmas CANDY in mind when I made them! Fru Jul (which means Mrs. Christmas in Norwegian) and fru Stripete (which means Mrs. Striped in Norwegian) are both in my shop.

Speaking of shop, I am having a store wide sale this weekend ending Monday October 26th. I am giving 20% off all items. Now really is the best time to shop with this great discount and it is sure to arrive in time for the holidays!

I had intended to blog more frequently last week but the children have needed more attention than usual as they have both been coughing and waking at night. Since they don't have any sign of a fever it seems to be a cold and not the flu. Thank goodness, but a mother does worry. I hope you and yours are enjoying a happy and healthy weekend!

Tunic top

 

I started this little top on vacation at home in Maine with the competent help of mom.  She knows so much about sewing and we had such fun together.

First tracing out the Japanese patterns from the book onto tissue paper, then trying with terrible results to use mom's machine. One does get rather used to a particular machine and trying to use hers felt like I had no sewing experience whatsoever!

 

This tunic has the nicest little details, like the gentle curve of the pocket and the elastic in the top of it making it pucker so prettily.

Somehow mom and I goofed on tracing the pattern and we had to add a little opening in the back so Lilly would be able to get her head through. That was for the best, because now I have learned how to do that!

 A tiny strip of contrasting fabric lines the inside of the opening for the arm.

 

She likes it.

Here big brother is making faces to help keep her occupied while I take photos and she is a bit uncertain of this funny business.

Autumn

The sun is getting sleepier and sleepier, waking us up later and later for each passing day. The grass is covered with a fine frost in the mornings and we see our breath on our way off to start the day. The air feels crisp and clear, fresh but not really biting yet. Sunshine abounds and stills warms our cheeks and lights up the yellow and orange colored leaves so brightly.

Fall has really arrived here and I am having fun with the pretty colors and images of the season. I love how these little acorns turned out on the backs of my autumn matryoshkas.

They have fronts too.

Please meet Fru Høst and Fru Grøndal.

Fru Høst means "Mrs. Fall" in Norwegian is really is the epitome of this beautiful season.

Black and white Monday again!

I wasn't able to accomplish as much this weekend as I had hoped due to interrupted sleep on Saturday night. My little one woke up with a miserable case of sniffles and very croupy. This made her cry and cry and she got all the more sniffly and croupy. Happily for us all she is much better now.

I did have time to stitch up a half dozen or so of these little vintage kimono fabric heart ornaments. I will include one with each order I mail out the remainder of this month. I do hope people will enjoy them.

I have been working on some black and white matryoshkas.

Fru Rybak and Fru Alfstad, the first two in line, are now in the shop.

Having a little lie down

The latest copy of Sew Hip magazine appeared in my mailbox. Just in time for a well-deserved break! I have been busy with filling up my shop!

Fru Hyggen,  Fru Dahle, Fru Muri, and Fru Karlsson are all atwitter at the prospect of flying all over the world to new homes! 

Now after all my labours it is only right that I make a cup of tea, lie down on the couch and relax, first wtih my new magazine!

One of my favorite sections of Sew Hip is the book reviews. I look forward to checking out both of these books when I get the chance. Tone Finnanger, the author of Sew Sunny homestyle is the lady behind Tilda and is from Norway!

The magazine includes several patterns to make each issue. The turtle is one of them this month.

Isn't it cute?

 

After a good look through my sewing magazine I'll likely work on my crocheted mittens. Anna, my friend and neighbor who offered to help me on learning how to do shepherd's knitting, and I agreed that the old-fashioned and pretty pjoning hook is for the birds. It kept getting snagged on the wool. The modern crochet hook is in use for a good reason and I am using it instead. They are turning out quite thick and seem like they will be very warm. That will be good as the colder days are approaching.

Gratitude

Well, it ended up being a tour bus of us filling the shop when all my blogging friends joined me for the excursion. Thank you one and all for all of your enthusiasm over our outing! I will be sure to be asking you again soon.

Thanks for stopping by for Black and White Monday!

 

Today was a busy day with school and nursery school starting up again, me dashing off to a meeting and then rushing home in time to pick up little one who was bubbly and jolly as can be after her time at nursery. This evening I am listing a few more items in my shop. This needlebook is just one of the new ones I am listing. I am crazy about the Liberty wildflower fabric on it.

 

The morning started off so nicely with everyone in sunshiny moods. How happy we all are to be finally settling back into routines of everyday life. Then it hit me hard how fast my little chicks are growing up and how quickly each day passes.

Is it just me or is there a whole lot of beauty and joy in the eyes on these guys? I guess it is just one of those days to feel contented and greatful for such a good life.

 

Yes, let's not let these wonderful years race by too fast. My husband (the tall, dark and handsome man two shots back) took this last photo.

A new favorite fabric shop

I am in love...

with this new fabric with the cutest frogs on lilly pads...

It is Japanese, by Kokka, a fabric producer that makes designs that I usually admire. This one sent me swooning...

The oh-so-soft fabric is a loose weave, a double layer of fabric, known as double gauze. This one is by Heather Ross. You can check out more of the Heather Ross Kokka line here.

The neat thing is that I bought these and other fabrics on my vacation in Maine on a little outing with my mom! We went to the most delightful shop... Alewives Fabrics. I got to meet the incredibly sweet Rhea who owns and runs the shop. I met her first online when she purchased one of my dolls and did a most enchanting blog post about it.

These two fabrics were great finds. The top with the delicate violets was on sale and the bottom is one of Kaffe Fassett's shot-cottons (as is the single colored orange underneath the Kokka froggies). They are woven, with one color in one direction and one in the other, making a pretty two-color play in the light.

Rhea's shop is worth a trip to Maine!!! I kicked myself for not bringing along my camera on this shopping spree... And it was one of those shops where everything is so delightfully displayed and every fabric so lovely that selecting a mere few to bring home is so difficult. 

I will definitely be back again on my next visit home!

The new arrivals

At long last... a few lovely ladies have arrived!

Please give a warm greeting to Fru Gustavson, who although rather shy, like most Scandinavians, is so warm and sweet-tempered. She is rather quiet and prefers tea-parties to horse-back riding or other more sporty ventures.

I have been busy in my sewing room.

First with my machine...

Then finishing off with needle and thread. Ouch, sometimes I miss and poke my finger!

I am so in love with this Kaffe Fasset floral on Fru Hoff's front side.

Yes, I would also like to introduce Fru Hoff, an outgoing socialite who will loves to make a grand entrance and who always has her dance card full. Fru Akershus is taking a little nap, and her manner is just as her round face and pretty lips would presume: a genuine sweetheart.

Japanese sewing!

This morning I dropped my little one off at the little red house where she goes to her nursery school. After she and I did our ritual waving to each other in the window I took a few pictues of her while she watched the other children arriving.

I dawldled a bit on the way home enjoying the crisp and beautiful fall morning.

I figure if I take my camera along and make a habit of photographing daily I am bound to improve.

Once home I set about ironing the heap of freshly washed new fabrics I have. Then I realized I needed to show you the adorable top I am making for Lilly from a Japanese pattern book which I would highly recommend. (Anything to get out of ironing!)

 

Please don't mind my mess, behind the little top is my iron and the mountain of fabrics waiting for a good pressing.

 

This is the Japanese book with the pattern I am making. Mom and I traced many of the patterns onto tissue paper which is what you need to do if you are making a pattern from one of these books. All the patterns are true to size but are overlapping on just 2 big sheets of paper. So you first trace the pattern, then you need to add the appropriate seam allowance - then you are ready for cutting.

Here is the top I am making! Aren't the pleats great? Mom helped me do them! And the pocket is downright adorable too, so clever with a little elastic insert to scrunch it up like that.

I am sure I will want to make another with the lace trim...

 

 

 

Husflid magazine

I never walk away from a flea market empty handed. My favorite finds are of course fabrics, buttons and trims. However, books and magazines can be a great place to find creative inspiration too.

I found a few of these recent Husflid magazines at a recent flea market and thought you might enjoy taking a peek into one too.

These little carved figures have such character. It makes me want to learn to whittle.

I just had to show you these hens and chicks. I did a bit of embroidery today while lying out in the back yard catching the ever weakening rays of the sun. It was just the usual, some french knots on my latest batch of matryoshka dolls. Lilly found a little green caterpillar to play with and amused herself for quite some time with him while I stitched. We played a game of go-fish together after I cleaned out several closets and cupboards. Now there is a stack of outgrown clothes, etc. ready for giving away. It is the official changing of the seasons. Then I stitched again this afternoon sitting next to my son and helping him struggle through a mountain of homework. The poor guy was in tears over not having any time to play outside.

The children are all nestled in bed and I have a few minutes to spare! Tonight I am finally listing some new needlebooks in my shop, one with pink ribbon and another in green. They have been sold out for some time. I will try to keep things better stocked now!

Feeling blue?

I'm not in the least, but yesterday I wouldn't give you any color, and today turned out to be shades of blue, starting with my promise to show you the color of the mittens I am working on!

I am mad about the turquoise yarn and need to finish them soon as Norway is getting nippy!

Maybe you would like to see what I have been up to today? I don't spend all my time doll making. Cooking takes a great deal of my time as my growing children eat 4-5 meals a day. Yes, they really know how to put it away. This really keeps me busy! Then there is the clean up. I just finished crocheting these dish cloths. So mundane, but so nice to have them to clean up spills and messes.

I want to give a long-belated thank you to Müriel! What a delightful surprise it was to find this pretty fabric and trim in my mailbox! What special Dutch fabric in the prettiest of blues! It will be hard to cut into this but I look forward to using it. It is so much fun to be in touch with crafting and blogging friends around the world! Speaking of which, we are going to be in Belgium for two days later this fall and if anyone knows of any wonderful fabric or yarn shops to visit in Brussels I would love to hear about it!

Thank you Sarah for including my work on your blog today! Thank you too, dear Kelly for including my matryoshka (which is also a shade of blue) in one of your very first Etsy treasuries and welcome back home!

Kelly requested a better look at the trim on the photo above so here it is in all it's cuteness!

I am hoping that if I posted this final photo of pants for Sebastian that I started in July when mom was here it might shame me into finally finishing them.

PS. Kelly requested (on the comments to this post) to see a close-up of the wonderful trim from Müriel. I have one right here. Isn't it cute? And the Dutch cow is so adorable!

A fantastic break

It is delightful to be back! Oh, how I have missed you and blogging! Please forgive me my long abscence. I had intended to blog more, but I really did need a break and it turned into the nicest of breaks as we spent it with my family in Maine! YES! We took a vacation, taking the children out of school for three weeks. For years my family has been advising us to consider a late summer visit. They have said things like, “You know, the end of summer is really the best time of year in Maine.” Or “Not only is it sunny and warm but also bug free in early fall.” Neither my husband nor my children had ever been there this time of year so at long last we took heed of their suggestion. We found that everything they said was true! The bad thing is that my son’s teacher made it very clear in her pre-boarding phone call to me that she didn’t think he should go.

Well, the magnificently sunny bug-free days were pure bliss and although we won’t take him out of school for three weeks again it is hard to have any regrets.

 We couldn’t have timed our vacation better as family and friends all moaned about the miserably rainy weather they had had to endure for months on end prior to our visit. We enjoyed beachcombing, swimming in Damariscotta Lake, picnics by the sea, family gatherings, etc.

The beauty of our surroundings and the quality of the time spent relaxing and visiting with our loved ones has allowed us to return filled up with good memories and joy. Hopefully these along with the stored up rays of late summer sun will sustain us through the upcoming winter.

I am already busy listing a few new items (Fru Bøler is now in the shop So sorry, she is already sold!) and looking forward to making some new things with my renewed energy and enthusiasm after my lovely break. Thank you so much to all of my wonderful buyers who have given me such great encouragement by nearly clearing out my shop before and after my break. A huge thanks to all of my faithful readers and those of you who are so kind to take the time to write me a few words so I know you have been by. It means so much to me to hear from you!

Starting school

It seemed a bit more stressful than summer vacation... Having to get up on time, make lunches and a regular schedule to follow... School in Norway starts early. August 17th my big boy went back to school, starting in what is known as 4th grade in Norway, but is comprable to 3rd in the US.

 

Here he is intent on getting ready to go off.

 

He barely had time to smile for me to take his first day of school photo.

 

There he goes rushing off to meet his friends. He'll have the same teacher this year as last year. We are so pleased about that as she has been wonderful at motivating him. Before leaving he asked me if I thought this year would be really hard at school. I'm not really sure, but I think he is up for the challenge if it is.

 

I am used to Sebastian being gone a large part of the day at school, but Lilly and I have spent nearly every week day together the entire day since her birth. So I have been feeling rather odd about her now going off to nursery school for a whole 4 hours a day 4 days a week! I feel an incredible sense of freedom to finally have so many hours uninterrupted time. I aslo feel disbelief that she should be so big! Her nursery school is just a 5 minute walk from home, that is if I am walking alone. Lilly and I take about 20 minutes to do the little walk though, hand in hand, sometimes skipping, nearly always chattering.

  

She really seems ready to go too. I might not be though. The great thing is she is a born story teller and tells me each and everything that hapens while she was away.

While they are gone I hope to have some time to do something with these bright and cheery fabrics! I have decided to definitely have my shop closed until mid-September, but I will likely miss you all to much to stop blogging until then. Wishing you a fantastic week.

DIY bangs and a custom order

Lilly and her friends are already into Do It Yourself. Yes, her little friend who is actually starting 2nd grade tomorrow decided Lilly's bangs needed a trim.

It turned out kinda cute! This touristy photo was acatually taken by my dear brother while he was visiting and he took Lilly off for an outing just the two of them.

 

I made this drawstring bag as a custom order for a very sweet buyer in my shop.

 

I liked how these appliqué flowers looked decorting the bag.

 

Here's the mama and baby she ordered to go with the bag. Custom orders are fun yet challenging. I want to make sure I interpret the customer's wishes just right.

Hoping your week is staring off well. My little one and I are heading downtown this morning to do some fabric shopping for another custom order! The sun is shining brightly and I expect we will have a delightful time.

My dolls on Heather Bailey!

It really was hard keeping a secret for so long! I knew for quite awhile and was waiting and waiting because I didn't know WHEN! I told you a bit about it earlier and finally it really happened!

My dolls were featured on Heather Bailey's blog, right here!

 

She has a new feature there called Feature Friday where she highlights one artist. When her assistant contacted me to ask if I would like to be featured there I was so excited! Would I!? It is actually really nice to know that the one who put all the effort and creativity (and whom I have enourmous admiration for) into these beautiful fabrics also appreciates what a craftsperson very far away does with them.

I have learned so much from Heather, her sense of color is such an inspiration to me. Her color drenched and frolicy fabrics just seem to beg to be made into something fabulous.

One of the things I have learned too is what colors people seem to like best and least. Would you like to wager a guess?

Sometimes I really doubt that anyone will actually buy a doll in a specific color, ahem, like Fru Tvedt above, which is now in my shop along with many others made with Heather Bailey fabrics. I don't think many have orange as their favorite color or use it much in decorating. When I was little though I recall quite well having pink and orange as my faves, so I couldn't resist making one in these colors. Perhaps there is a girl, young or old who loves these colors too? 

I just wanted to let you know that I decided to have a little break from my shop and blog pretty soon so that I can get a chance to catch my breath before the busy fall and holiday season. I will be open for a couple more weeks and then close my shop and stop blogging for a week or two or maybe three. I found out last week that I get much more done when I am not at the computer. So if you need something I will be open until August 22nd and reopening my shop and starting to blog again sometime in September.

Finds

I'm so sorry to have been gone for so long. First one of our hard drives crashed leaving us computer-less. Then we had to wait for the new one to arrive in the mail. My husband tinkered and laboured into the wee hours of the night but something still wasn't right. A few trips downtown to the computer shop and many kroner lighter, we now have nearly a brand new computer and I am finally back again...

With photos of my new gorgeous vintage laces.

When mom was here recently I was so busy with her I didn't even have time to show you the wonderful flea market we went to and where I bought these. Mom and I sorted through a large basket of laces, vintage and every one unique.

 

The market was bustling that pretty day.

 

This fleamarket is open Saturday's in Oslo during the summer and offers many fine vintage and antique items.

 

This seller had a wonderful collection of textiles and small dolls.

 

I bought these too.

While our computer was down I had a bit of extra time to make things. So I kept myself happily busy sewing some new things for my shop.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Toes

As it has been much cooler lately I have taken a keener interest in knitting. The winter is approaching and I would so like to have warm and pretty handknits for fingers, toes, ears and necks. Right now I am concentrating on the toes. Maybe it is best to work from the bottom up?

I showed you a few balls of yarn and half started projects quite awhile ago. I just wanted to show that I finished some of them! There was enough of this candy colored yarn to whip up simple pairs of socks for both of my little chicks.

There wasn't quite enough of this yarn to make the entire socks so I grabbed a matching wool from my stash for the toes.

This little lass does have two completed, matching socks to warm her toes this winter but only had one of them on for this shot. Thank you again Mervi for this most gorgeous yarn! Funny because she is knitting socks now too. Must be a Scandinavian thing. We always have the upcoming winter on our minds and how best to prepare for it.

My shop has a distinctive summery feel to it, despite my winter preparations, with the lastest crop of hand appliquéd blossoms decking out my dolls.

Today we all went to a delightful birthday party! Lilly can still wear the beautiful dress mom made her last year.

 

Good things

So many good things are happening right now. I barely know where to start...

I made this garland for a truly delightful customer:

 

She requested I use these pretty mostly Japanese fabrics as a background instead of the linen I have used previously. I love when someone gives me great ideas on what to make. Garlands make me think about having a party! Things are so fun lately I feel like throwing one...

 

I am in a book! I can hardly beleive it. It must have been about a year ago when I was first asked. I didn't really dare to tell about it for fear that it might not be true. Maybe they would edit me out I thought. When Monica and Mary Ann wrote me to congratulate me for being in it then I started to believe! Wait until you hear who else is featured in Blogging Bliss: Alicia Paulson (Posie Gets Cozy), Gabreial Wyatt (Vintage Indie), Emily Martin (Inside A Black Apple), Lidy Baars (Little French Garden House), Heather Bullard (Vintage Inspired Living), and Serena Thompson and Teri Edwards (The Farm Chicks).

Not only that, but MOM is HERE! We are just having a wonderful time together and that is why I haven't been blogging. We have been knitting together, chatting together, and enjoying the children together. 

 

The extra set of competent hands and extra snuggly lap in the house mean that I have more time to sew!

 

Little bits of Liberty of London fabric make the most colorful and cheerful garlands! This one is freshly made and in my shop.

I hope you are having a wonderful day! With so many good things now I think I will deck the entire house with garlands... Let every day be a celebration!

Creative clutter

The visit with my brother zoomed by and he is already back home. I think the kids tired him out a bit. He actually teased me because he said my sewing room didn't look as neat and tidy in real life as it does on my blog. So I thought I would expose my messy side!

Isn't this a delightful array of fabrics spread out all over?

I fail to see how this jumble of ribbons could be considered messy...

So they spilled out a little...

Do you have some lovely creative messes too? Please join me then on my brand new flickr pool: Creative Clutter. I hope that Müriel will post her photos on the group! She got right to work on the fabrics she won on my blog give away. Take a look at what she made! Another place to get a sneak peek at creative spaces is here.

I would like to thank Cassandra for the great interview about my dollmaking! Sarah, of the new website Sewn has me blushing: she features my dolls on the front page heading up her favorites.

This is getting embarrassing... so many features! I really couldn't fail to thank Sharie for another very nice feature too! I am really overwhelmed by all these write ups!

Thank you for the encouragement! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend creating messes too!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone is having a great day! I made these dolls recently with the patriotic 4th of July colors in mind.

Fru Larsen and Fru Bryhn are in my shop.

I have to tell you we have been HOT! Yes, the heat wave continues. We are keeping cool as best we can.

 

Here the children are trearing down to the beach at full speed ready to plunge into the cooling fjord waters.

 

Actully the early mornings are quite nice as temps do go down considerably at night. We were one of the first to arrive and Lilly paused to look at the birds. I love this hat on her. Mom made it for her to go with a dress that she adored to wear but has outgrown. I am delighted that she can still squeeze into the cute sunhat though.

We are so fortunate to be able to celebrate the 4th with my brother who is visiting this week! He is a great Uncle and the kids adore him. He let the kids douse him with water again and again. He got them back good when he found a large bucket... We all had a ball and cooled down nicely.

These aren't such patriotic colors but they are the dolls I made after my recent shopping spree at Katrine's fabric shop. I am so loving the Japanese prints I bought and used on these dolls. (The dolls are in my shop).

I was happy to find my matryoshka featured on Anna's For the Love of Cute blog here. Thank you Anna, it is sure a treat to have my matryoshka mamas and babies turn up in such good company. I am positively bursting because I have been asked if my dolls could be featured on another very prominent blog. The problem is that I shouldn't let the cat out of the bag yet.