Ravenhill

Plaid inspired

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

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

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

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

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

Lady Luck and salvaging embroidery

Embarassed to say that I once again won a blog give away... I guess I should head to Los Vegas or buy lottery tickets, becuase lady luck is really on my side!

The pretty polka dotted wrapping and gorgeous ribbons really made this special!

Thank you so much Karin! I hope to make something from the book soon.

I wanted to show you these today though. I LOVED the tablecloth.

The embroidery on it was so pretty and special. While the tablecloth was no longer useful in it's original pursose, I decided that the embroidery should have a new destiny.  

So in my usual style I chopped up the tablecloth salvaging the choicest of embroidered bits and hand appliquéd them into place. These two white linen bags are now in the shop.

Winter's arrival

Just recently it was looking like this outside, pretty and fall-like:

Last Friday though we were surprised to wake up to this:

(I am behind as usual in my posts!) My husband has taken some vacation time this week and it has meant lazy and cozy days... Anyway, it took awhile to get anywere last Friday morning becuase the fresh, fluffy, cold, white stuff was such a novelty!

You can't beat snow for a good time!

It packed up nicely and really stuck onto her mittens.

I have been delighting in all the cold weather by being home and doing a bit of crafting.

I made this wee mini-quilt just for fun.

And Emma, (sorry she is now on her way to one of my supportive blog readers who said she couldn't resist...) with the pretty blue eyes I made too. She is my newest addition to my shop.

I still have small bits of this wonderful minty green vintage fabric on her headpiece left and really love using it. The fabric on her body with the white background is also a vintage treasure, a Sandvika fabric, made in Norway.

 

Thank you to all the very kind friends who left me words of understanding and sympathy about my headaches. I am doing great this week with none! Happy days are here again!

Pillow talk

My hexagon pillow did take awhile to make, I had to go searching for more fabric actually, as I didn't have enough of the right colors. I had a little help from some fabric loving friends so each hexagon was made with a unique print.

However, I finished it quite awhile back, in June actually.

You know I had to dig into the archives of this blog to find this embroidery in progress. It is a great feeling to have figured out what I would do with the embroidery and I am so happy to have finished the pillow.

Pillow covers are a wonderful way to play around with a technique or idea, much more doable than tackling a quilt!

I did learn that making the covers a bit smaller than the pillow inserts would make the pillow look much plumper. Next time I will do that. In any case we have been putting these pillows to good use.

Oh, what a wonderful visit it was with my mother! I made these while she was here and they were very much inspired by the visit to my husband's grandmother's and her beautiful gardens.

Everywhere you looked there was somthing magical to see.

Or something sweet.

Here Lilly and Gramma were peering at some treasures.

Nothing in the garden seems left to chance, even the birds are well cared for.

 

Every year she and her gardens appear in magazines, newspapers and tv programs. Here is a spread in Hjemmet from this summer.

And the gardener herself, our beloved "Oldemor" meaning great-grandmother in Norwegian looking marveous for her age of 87. The photo above was taken by Lars Lindberg.

 

Inspiring colors

These gorgeous summer colors are inspiring me these days.

I don't have the faintest idea what these uncommonly pretty flowers are called. I am sure Mom would know. She is going to be visiting us in less than a week! After not seeing her in nearly a year, you can bet we are excited as can be!

A two week visit is going to be fantastic! Little one is counting down the days and making little presents for her very beloved gramma.

My Liberty buntings have been flying out of my shop so this weekend I had a fabulous time making a huge mess! I took out my Liberty of London fabric and found new and fabulous combinations. Oh, that was a ball. This plum pretty one is now in the shop.

Aren't these common little colorful clover exquisite?

Happy colorful day to you! I hope yours is also full of inspiration and beauty!

Wild strawberries

I know we are a bit late compared to the rest of the world, but it is still strawberry season in Norway.

Walking in the woods these days you don't have to bring a snack along.

Everywhere you turn these bright red beauties encourage you to feast.

They surround themselves with pretty friends too. Isn't it enchanting how the bright red juicy berries are interspersed with the fine Queen Anne's Lace?

I had to buy the pale seafoam green frothy lace that now adorns Fru Sommerlig when I saw it at the Quilting Annual Meeting a few months ago. Rarely do I use my new materials immediately, usually they sit around in a dark cupboard or in this case my picnic basket filled with ribbons and laces.

Today I listed several new things in my shop, besides little strawberry girl.

This little purse is for my shop, and I think I want to make one for me.

I was completely flattered when I read this feature today on CraftyCrafty. So happy to know that people appreciate the tutorial I made. I plan on doing more, but we are pretty much in summer mode here now which means not a lot of crafting is getting done. I will have to show you my summer knitting and my summer flea market finds soon though!

I also keep making new friends. PeasandPotatoes a really sweet new Etsy seller of lovely and vintage baby clothes asked me if she could list my shop on her shop announcement because she thought her friends would like my things. Wasn't that nice?

I hope you are enjoying wonderful days whatever the season in your part of the world. We are doing our best to soak up the warm sunshine while we can!

 

  
 

An Outing! Sunday Markets in Oslo

 

Today I was at the uber hip Blå in Oslo. The cafe by Akerselva was a nice spot to sip a cold drink and have a bite to eat on this gorgeous summery day. The cafe wasn't the reason why I came though...

On Sundays Blå, which is normally a nightclub, opens its doors to crafters and vintage peddlers to sell their goods, both indoors and out. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet 3 incredibly talented fellow-sewers and bloggers from the area. The first one I happened upon was Kathrin and we had such a great chat. I really love the colors she uses, especially the heart above.

Not only are the colors she uses deligthful, but her attention to the fine details make her work so special.

Even in the beginning of summer, we are always thinking about the approach of winter here in these northern parts. These hats would really be pretty and cozy come winter. If you want to see more of her wares you might like to have a look at her Epla shop.

The next wonderful stand was retro heaven. Gunn (I just recently discovered her blog and she was what inspired my outing to Blå) has the most fabulous retro fabric stash and she comes up with incredible things with them. I am kicking myself for spending all my time chatting and no time taking photos of her stand. When I finally got around to taking a shot, the table was completely surrounded and it was impossible to take a decent photo. You will just have to drop by her blog and shop to see what she makes.

She didn't have a stand at Blå, but I also met Ida Victoria who also has an enviable supply of vintage retro fabrics. She keeps very busy keeping her Epla shop stocked as things seem to fly off the shelves!

I also took a little trip to Birkelund Sunday market.

Isn't this a beauty? I don't fancy cranking though.

I saw a lot of junk, but this sofa was my cup of tea.

Speaking of tea...

As far as textiles went this used market was a bitter disappointment. My shelves are groaning under the weight of all my current fabrics though so maybe it was best I just browsed?

Hopefully there will be other thrifty or inspiring outings again soon. Thank you so much for coming along!
  

Cute as a Button, a Flower Tutorial for you

A number of you have asked me how I made my button flowers and I thought I would push my fears aside and plunge in with my very first tutorial. I must admit I am a bit nervous about this. I have always wanted to share with my fellow craftspeople, but somehow never got around to it until now.

In any case, you can find my first tutorial here.

This new pouch got gussied up with this Cute as a Button Flower that I made. Now what am I going to do with the other 58 or so odd flowers in various shapes, colors, and sizes? That is where you come in. If you should make some of these yourself then I would be thrilled if you would post them on my Cute as a Button Flower Flickr group. 

I didn't show you the white one I made...

Well, actually, there are more...

In the blink of an eye they were sewn onto a new bunting with vintage laces and doilies. 

I seem to be a hopeless romantic,

I can just imagine someone using this white and ecru bunting for their wedding.

It has been delightful to have been flooded with so many lovely comments on my give away post! Thank you all so very much for making me feel appreciated. The give away is still open! Please join in if you haven't already. A special thank you to the following sweet readers who have been helping spread the word about the give away by blogging about it:

zydintisvajoniupieva

Michele

Elisabeth

The happy hedgehog

Redirected Dreams

Valarie

I am sorry, I am poor with names, so mostly I have just used the name of your blogs. I just wanted you to know how nice you were to share the news.

TIP: If you haven't already joined this raffle you might want to, and this one I am dying to win... if you like fabric that is...

Have a most creative day!

 

Thank you so much Melissa

The nicest goodies arrived in the mail! The incredibly gifted and kind Melissa sent these wonderful things to me. I had the supreme good fortune of winning her give away. Do you see the amazing peice of vintage lace she sent me? Oh, this brought a huge sigh of delight!

Melissa had already read this book so she offered it up for a give away. I am so pleased to be reading it.

Perhaps I should start to feel a bit guilty of winning so many give aways? The truth is I do feel a tad guilty about it, but I couldn't help but enter. Everything Melissa makes is delightful. She and I share a love of vintage textiles, especially embroidery. If you haven't already seen the baby shoes she makes then you are missing out. She salvages the most beautiful hand embroideries and gives them new life as shoes for wee tots.

This little pouch has such fine embroidery on it and was such a delightful surprise! Thank you Melissa for the amazing package!

You might be curious as to the little creatures peeking at the pretty things from Melissa? My grandmother made this baby quilt for my father, must be over 70 years old.

My grandmother gave it to my mom when we were children and mom passed it on to me when my first was born.

It has faded and is a bit frayed in places from use and love. How nice it is to think of my dear Grandma Louise, as we called her, sitting and hand stitching all those tiny stitches.

This pooch really is cute. I like how they broke up the pink, blue and green with some splashes of color on some of the embroidery. It would have been neat to know how the colors looked when new.

Wishing you a nice and hopefully creative weekend.

 

Cutting into precious embroidery for a new project

I made something new today. I think it is really special. I have been collecting vintage embroideries for a few years now, tablecloths, napkins, dresser scarves, etc. I only cut into the ones that have holes or stains that don't want to disappear. Today I got up the courage to cut into a few. I have had this idea for awhile and was happy to find the time to attempt it.

After my little one's birthday I have had parties and celebrations on my mind. I really love to think that someone will want to use my handmade things to decorate their wedding, nursery, garden or anywhere they can think of.

For this banner I cut into three different embroidered vintage tablecloths. I also used vintage and repurposed eyelet fabric, a lovely white linen which I decorated with hand stitches of my own and snippets of a doily or laces. 

I couldn't stop doing it up, I decided to add some of the fabric flowers I had made one day out in the sun with little one who helped me to turn and stuff them. Those little fingers are so good at such jobs and we had such a nice time chatting, soaking in the sun and doing our little sewing project together.

I am not really sure if perhaps the fabric flowers were over the top? 

It is in the shop. Now I am running off to my sewing room to make more garlands! 
 

Playing tourist and hexagon heaven

Please don't forget me, I know I have been on vacation for too long! The visit with my Dad really was wonderful and I just didn't find time to blog.

Mostly we just had a good time enjoying time together, but we did play tourist a bit in Oslo. The photo above is Oslo City Hall.

I had to take Dad to Vigeland Park as he had never been before. You see, on his previous visits he had been so sweet to come in the winter months, and the cold and darkness during those months make staying indoors much more inviting than going out to do touristy things. So he hadn't ever seen much of our city.

The sculptures are slightly larger than life and so very life-like they are.

It was a lovely day and we nearly had the park to ourselves.

While many of the sculptures seem happy or serene, this one seems disturbing.

Now we are back downtown again, getting around by foot and public transport as I usually do. This dome-topped building is the National Theater.

The waterfront was a great place for a little rest and a bit to eat.

While he was visiting I didn't spend as much time sewing or knitting as usual. I guess I really did have a vacation from my usual handwork. This is what I started on after our tearful farewell. I am going to make a hexagon pillow. This is English paper piecing. It is so much fun. I have been stitching on the sofa, in my sewing room and sometimes out in the sunshine.

I tried not stitching through the hexagon papers, but the fabric seems to sit better when I stitch right through the papers and it appears that the papers can still be used again and again despite the pin holes. I just cut off the threads holding the papers down as soon as the hexagon is completely surrounded.

I promise to be around more! I have much to show and a give away coming very soon!

  

Just can't stop

The flea market season has really gotten me into vintage fabrics. I drew in a little gasp when I spotted this sweet print and piled it and another just like it up on my growing stack of fabrics. I promise that my arms were aching later in the day after carrying around so much fabric as I was looking for even more.

After washing and ironing the fabrics I was ready to dive into my fabrics to find some good matches. I also dug out my laces and it was so much fun.

This new vintage fabric find reminded me about some previous vintage fabric treasures and so of course I made some more. Doll making is like eating chocolates for me once I get started I just can't stop!

They are now all now in my shop! Happy spring!!! 
 

 

Shopping spree anyone?

I couldn't not take you to the fabric shops for a little look around!

Saturday morning the shops opened and we tried our best to make our way to the fabrics through the crowds.

I think I will just let you enjoy browsing around. I hope that you find something that catches your eye.

 

 

 

 

 
I loved this dress so much that I had to ask the shop keeper if I might take a photo of her. She made it herself. I so like the clever way she has recycled the vintage embroidery.

I hope you have had fun on this virtual shopping tour, it does tend to be easier on the pocketbook.
 

 

A bit of vintage

 
The arrival of spring invariably means babies; baby birds will be hatching, as well as bunnies, ducks, and even dolly mummies. 

This new mother is in a perfect daze of joy with motherhood and amazingly dosen't seem the least bit sleep deprived. The brown and white and mint rose fabrics on mama are both vintage fabrics. Combining vintage fabrics with new ones is such great fun.

I need to show you this sleepy lady, because I learned a new embroidery stitch! Bullions: those are the stitches making up the petals of the flowers on her temple. I was so happy to try, make many ugly ones, and now be approaching mastery of these stitches.

   
Fru Westerby is just resting her eyes a bit. Her lace collar is atop a pretty vintage fabric, a Norwegian one by Sandvika Veveri. Whenever I find a vintage Sandvika fabric when thrifting I give an inner squeal of delight. They make such beautiful fabrics and they were made right outside of Oslo. Fru Westerby's mint green headpiece is also a vintage fabric. I have very little of it left and just use small amounts on special things.

Hope that you are having a most excellent start to the week.

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!!!

 

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.

 

A nice day in Norway

Wednesday's there is no nursery school. It is lovely to not have to go at by a certain time and to have one less lunch to pack. Today was especially nice because we had another little friend over for lunch and lots of playtime.

In between loads of laundry, helping with snowsuits and boots on and off, a game of cards, etc. I have been organizing my ribbons. Some have been looking very pretty in glass jars on my shelf. Others have been stored in a pretty wooden picnic basket. Every time I went to find a ribbon I had to paw through the worst tangle.

All I did was cut rectangular peices of cardboard and then I cut several slots on the sides for the ribbons to be wound around. After winding them on I pin them in place.

Both my 9 year old and my 4 year old were able to help with the ribbon winding. It took Lilly awhile to get the hang of it, but she tried again and again until she managed. We all just love working on little projects together.

Buttons, take two, in color

Here are my trapped flower buttons again. This time in color. I wish I knew more about them. They seem so special and unique. If anyone has an idea of how they make these, when they were made or other information about this type of buttons I would love to know.

The jars are also from one of my thrifting adventures. I can never have too many containers.

I wonder if you thought the buttons prettier in black and white or in color?

I wonder what you did this weekend and if it seems to fly by for you too? I spent a bit of time sewing and lots of time laughing with my family. My son has been annoying us for a time by scaring us, you know, jumping out from behind a curtain and roaring "Raaaah!" We finally realized that he really wanted us to scare him! Now we are having the most outragous time trying to frighten him. He loves it and we all laugh hysterically, every single time.

Black and White buttons

The vintage buttons in the forground are some of my favorites. I was going to use them on the secret Valentine's gift I mentioned yesterday, but then had another idea. When I got them out though I thought I should show them to you. I found them at a flea market. I should explain something about many Norwegian flea markets. They are held by sports teams or bands, to raise money for the group. All items for sale are donated by people wanting to help or to simply get rid of no-longer-wanted items. So someone just gave these wonderful buttons away.

The flowers are actually pink. I think I will have to show them in color soon too. I added two new bags to my shop today. They are bright and colorful and wouldn't really fit with today's post.

I am already dreaming of flea market season opening in a few months. Better yet, talking with mom today and discussing possible dates of future visits! This is really going to help me through the remainder of the winter.

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.

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.

 

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!)

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.

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!

Spring greens and cheerful matryoshkas

I am loving exploring the outdoors with my camera when it is so lush, warm and light.

After a rain it is particularly beautiful.

And here is Lilly in a very vintage spring green outfit made by her grandmother for my little brother in 1972! Wasn't my mom not only good at sewing but also clever to save it all those years? Thank you so very much, mom!

Please forgive me mom for not ironing it... Mom and I joke about how I iron my cloth napkins but not clothes while she irons her clothes and not her napkins. Here Lilly is rolling me a ball while I take her photo.

I was only 3 and a half when my brother wore it but I remember it well. Then my son wore it and now Lilly. I should really appliqué a few flowers and hearts on it to make it more feminine.

Besides photographing the great outdoors and my little one in her vintage duds, I have been a busy doll maker. Fru Ruud, front and center is already sold, but Fru Hansen, on the left and Fru I haven't named her yet are available.

Fru Lauritsen at the head of the line is all smiles and even has a ladybug on her backside!

 

I hope you are having a good weekend.

Threads

My threads have a new home.

I have been wanting one of these vintage cubby hole wooden shelves for some time. My husband scored this for me at a recent flea market.

I think they look quite cozy in their new home and it is so handy on the wall over my sewing machine.

Other threads: I thought you might like to see a couple of my new flosses. I also purchased some very small embroidery hoops which are very useful.

Putting my threads to good use: I've been wanting to make a table runner combining vintage doilies with Liberty fabrics and hand embroiderery for awhile now and finally found the time to do it.

I guess I just need an excuse to embroider as I really enjoy it.

I have it in my shop now.

Forgive me in my lack of conversation today. I am still in pain from my trip to the dentist.

Wish you were there...

Yes, you should have been there with me. There were so many beautiful old things and a good portion of junk too. We came home with many wonderful finds.

I don't usually buy things in such poor shape as these vintage Norwegian mittens, but I really loved the colors and pattern. I also couldn't stand the thought of them perhaps being thrown away.

I bought them so I could redo them or at least use them as a source of inspiration. You see what I mean by the mittens being in poor shape? Competent hands have mended them once or twice.

The edges are not knit but some other technique which I find so pretty.

I had the textile and basket room nearly to myself the first 15 minutes. There were so many flea markets this weekend that the sharp elbows were not around and I had a much more leisurely time poking through things. Once I purchased these though I did have to reclaim them a coulpe of times when people thought perhaps they were still for sale.

I smiled and felt a little leap of joy when I found all these hand crocheted doilies as I sorted through a few large boxes of vintage linens. Since this little photo shoot in the back yard I have washed and ironed them. How nice to have more storage and more supplies!

 

Lots of great mail!

Your jaw is going to drop and you might turn green with envy...

This wonderful stack dropped into my mailbox all the way from Jan! She has such a kind heart, understanding my appreciation of Japanese crafting. Thank you for all of these treats which I will share a bit of today!

These photos are from the Handmade Zakka book from the top of the stack. I think the leaf potholders are adorable.

And here I really like the bees!

Thank you for the pile of crafing reading that I will enjoy over and over again! I will try to show more soon too!

Feast your eyes on these scraps from Ira, who sent me the left overs from making the most beautiful bags which she sells in her shop.

Some of my favorites...

The quality of these fabrics is incredible.

I am mad about the patterned and textured ones. Thank you so very much Ira!

Finally, Just wanted to show you the highlights of the surprises I sent to Jan. I hope Jan liked the package I sent her as much as I loved the crafting magazines. Since Jan collects dishtowels I was thrilled to find this vintage one at a flea market.

This sweater my friend Anne Katrine gave me to give to Jan. I love the collaboration of these swaps. I know Jan sent me some vintage textiles from her neighbor one time too.

 

If I remember correctly Anne Katrine's aunt made and owned this cardigan sweater and it was passed down to Anne Katrine. Well, I guess I am keeping the post office busy these days.

Happy with dirty knees

It's Friday night and date night. Well, I have a nice date with the computer! Why not blog on a Friday night? After a long week with my husband working so much overtime that he can take two days off with pay next week I am ready for some peace and quiet. I did find the time to make these:

A pair of potholders for my Great Aunt who just turned 86. It was only a year and a half ago that she finally settled down in an apartment after traveling cross-country in her camper for years. She loves to bake cookies so I thought some potholders might be welcome.

If you are a Liberty of London fabric lover you'll recognize a few of those fabrics on them.

I also made this for my son to use as a gymbag. He helped me selecting fabrics that weren't too girly, no easy task.

 

One Saturday awhile back when I dragged the kids to do errands and go to the fabric store Sebastian asked me to buy this bright fabric and cord. This drawstring bag will be useful for storing one of his many collections.

Now that it is the weekend I am going to relax with a cup of tea and some books. Tomorrow we'll likely spend the morning working in our ever expanding garden (as the snow melts around the house we have ever more area to garden in!)

The first flowers of spring are so bright and full of promise of sunny summer days

Click on image for large version...

I have to show you my muddy, happy children! Check out his gardener's knees! (Last three photos were taken by my very talented husband who is also having tons of fun with our new camera. We sometimes have to wrestle over who gets to use it.)

Happy weekend to you!

Pretty useful

Do you too have the delicious feeling of anticipation of the weekend? Well, I sure have it bubbling up inside me.

Things are stacking up nicely here and I have even had a chance to list a few new needlebooks in my shop.

I thought it would be nice to try one in chocolate:

 

Making good use of my vintage fabric finds lately got me wondering what else I might make with it. My mother and a good friend have both mentioned needing knitting needle cases. This vintage piece was perfect and this cheerful one is listed in my shop.

Besides my happiness at using some of my cherished vintage fabrics, I fancy making things that are useful. I like thinking of them being enjoyed for their pretty fabrics and their utility.

 

I have to remember to tell you, Julia is having a give away. You might recall that she gave me this wonderful piece and when you do you will surely want to enter!

I loved finding my garland on this French blog which I spent far too much time perusing... And how fun to see that it popped up on Sina's blog too.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Scary new project... and recycling

I have been really embarassed over my ugly and watermarked ironing board cover. I have wanted a new one for ages, but I have never attempted making an ironing board cover before and that meant I had the usual fear of not knowing how to do it properly hanging over me, preventing me from doing it. I don't know what finally got me going but one day last week I found myself removing the old cover, finding a fabric that was big enough to use to make a new cover. (That was the hardest part. I usually buy only a fat quarter at a time. I had some vintage peices that were suitable though.)

This pretty, decorator weight floral was once a curtain and now it is reincarnated as my new ironing board cover. I am so pleased that I am overcoming my fears of takling new projects.

I am also delighted to have found a good use for this wonderful textile.

A warm sunny day recently I had my first photo shoot of the season outdoors! Again I am upcyclying a thrifted linen curtain in perfect condition and have combined it with a couple of Japanese cotton fabrics. This bag is the perfect size for toting around a knitting or sewing project. I made it the same dimensions as a bag I made for myself and have used near daily for my sock, mitten or hat knitting projects.

The linen is the most beautiful palest of sage and makes me think of spring. It is coming isn't it? Just wondering... because tomorrow they are calling for more snow.

Thanks to Whipup, Vintage Glam Wedding and The Long Thread for featuring my doily garland.

Perhaps you'd like to see. I sent a little un-birthday package to Mervi - I have such a poor memory I was dreadfully afraid I might forget her birthday after she sent me the nicest surprises on mine. So I surprised her back, only it wasn't her bithday.

Lacy garland

I have realized that you can't have too many doilies stockpiled in your stash. I can't get enough of the pureness and simplicity of it coupled with the beige linen.

This garland is among the many new items I have stocked my shop with today. Lucky for me flea market season is right around the corner so that I can hopefully replenish my dwindling stash of doilies. I took upteen photos of this bunting with my new camera and there weren't many good photos in the bunch. Although it can be frustrating, learning something new is so much fun!

Now that I have a new camera both children have cameras to use. This is my old one which I loved but that stopped focusing properly about half the time I tried to take a macro. My little one is loving being able to use it. The third camera we have is one that is really drop-proof and water-proof. You can clearly see how my little one takes after me in liking to be behind the lense.

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.

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.

Happy mail day!

I really enjoy blogging, which allows me to share my love of making things with others who feel the same. I also love one of the bennies of blogging - getting mail! I got to know Iris through my blog. She has sent me several surprises already. 

Lilly was the happy recipient of this little purse that Iris made.

 

Fun that she used some of the chicken fabric that I have also used on my matryoshka dolls. 

 

This very cute hedgehog book mark sure was a hit! Please note the adorable hedgehog ribbon that she used for the loop at the top! Thank you Iris! It was so much fun to open up all these wonderful gifts!

I needed to make some blue matryoshkas to go with the pink ones I have been making! Inger Lise and Linnea are waiting for new homes.

 

On a whim I made Tara today. I have been yearning to make a doll with some of my vintage laces, doilies and mother of pearl buttons. I made her face serious, as she is an old fashioned doll and in days gone by they were very serious when photographed.

I hope you have had a nice weekend.

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!

What a delightful day!

Happily my mouth is feeling much better a few days after I had my wisdom teeth out. Thank you all for your sympathy! I was so glad to be better because on Saturday this weekend I got to bring a friend to her very first Norwegian flea market! Melissa had never been to a flea market in Norway before.  We met up as downtown and we took the tram up to a primary school in the outskirts of Oslo for this fun event.

We arrived about 10 minutes early but there was already a number of people waiting at the gates. By the time the opened the gates for the mad dash to the goods there was a large crowd.

Our mission was clear: Textiles here we come! We didn't actually take the time to take any photos in the textile room. We were so busy finding treasures.

 

Afterwards we sat on a bench for our lunch. A nearby stranger had these treats on his plate. The slightly sweetened raisin bun on the right is something Norwegians eat quite frequently.

 

When I left Melissa off at the bus after going to yet another flea market, she presented me with the nicest parcel of gifts!

These cards are so pretty and will be very useful. I am sure the top one is a gocco print and I wonder who made it?

The colors on these gorgeous cottons are very special, and I really love them.

 

This is just one of the several pieces of Liberty of London fabric she thoughtfully gave me! I am wild about this pattern! Thank you Melissa!

Actually after shopping for fabrics with someone as crazy about them as I am and talking about sewing and blogging I have had a huge rush of creative energy today! So I will show you some of the wonderful things I bought at the market tomorrow. Here is one of the things I made today.

 

Happy to be using more of the Japanese cottons I showed you awhile back.

 

I made one in navy and another in cream. I embroidered the dragonflies to the small bit of woven Japanese fabric freestyle. I just used the dragonflies on the fabric as a guide. Then I hand sewed the embroidered square onto the front of the needle book, before sewing it together.

 

Seeing Melissa in person, her lovely handmde skirt, handbag, and her beautiful embroidery was so inspiring. It is funny, I get to see her work all the time on her blog but I guess there is nothing like seeing things in person. Thank you so much for taking the time to take the trip to Oslo and joining me for one of my favorite past times!

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!

Happy Blog Anniversary to me!

For this week's Etsy European Street Team the theme was the Elizabethan Era. You can see everyone's entries on Dina's blog. I knew I had to make something Queenly. I find the faces of the portraits of people of the Elizabethan era unpleasantly severe. I decided to look into me stash of doll rejects. There are a few I haven't been happy with for one reason or another and have just put aside. I found one with a strict face and transformed her into a Queen! I gave her new hair, sewed on a royal costume and embellished her with many jewels.

Her gown is made of raw silk. Her lovely ruffled neck is a thrifted lace piece. The metallic trim is also from my stash of thrifted trims. The bigger jewels on this royal lady are Swarovski crystals.

I thought you might want to see her undergarments as they are so pretty! Here she is lifting up her skirt so you can get a peek.

Today is my One Year Blog Anniversary!!! I would like to celebrate it with you by giving away a gift certificate for my shop for any doll available. This seems like it might be a nice idea because the winner of the gift certificate could get one for herself or might instead give it away as a gift to someone else! I will send the winner a pretty gift certificate, to be designed soon by my kind husband! Gift certificates will soon be available in my shop.

If you would like to join in on my give away all you need to do is comment to this post by midnight Monday, September 8. Anyone may enter, from lurkers to those near and dear may enter! Please do! I just love to see who is visiting me!

 

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.)

Let's keep it Japanese this week!

My shop is now full of matryoshkas! Nanna is waiting for someone to fall for her...

Her backside is decorated with two hand appliquéd hearts.

After getting the lovely package from Jan in Japan I am more excited than ever about Japanese sewing, quilting, crafts, fabrics, etc. Jan sent me two new Japanese craft magazines and I will be sharing them with you as soon as I have a chance to take some photos of them. I have already photographed this book, a recent ebay purchase.

The entire book is beautifully photographed and Meg kindly included a pretty silk strap for my camera with the book!

Aren't these beautiful with the blues paired with the brown?

I would really love to make some of these flowers...

The bag on the far right in pink in red I think is so stunning. I really love this simple design which shows off the fabric so beautifully.

I am so impressed with the range of this book, from very bright and bold, to this page that is delightful with the airy, see-through fabrics.

Finally some darks to really round things out. I am thinking about making table runners or potholders with some fabrics like these as Christmas gifts. (My brother figured out his birthday gift this year from reading my blog. Rats! I didn't think he really noticed the crafty items, just his little niece and nephew!) So I will have to be more careful!

The book gave me the incentive to finish the vintage kimono silk appliqué drawstring bag I had started this past winter.

These dragonfly fat quarters are a recent Japanese fabric purchase and I am eager to put them to good use!

I hope that you enjoy Japanese inspiration as much as I do because I will be showing more again soon! If you wish to purchase on amazon in Japan here is the link. I haven't done so yet but am thinking about it. The initial postage cost is quite a bit but then you just pay a small additional fee per book so the more you order the more you save, right?!

To explore the books and magazines on Amazon Japan without knowing the language isn't too difficult. Here is a good item to start with. To see other books like it you can scroll down the page and you get a whole list of books which by clicking on them can take you to yet another list. I can highly recommend Crafting Japanese as a resource to explore Japanese crafting books and magazines. At the top of each post is the ISBN number which you can use to search on Amazon if you should want to order it.

Finally here is the Flickr Crafting Japanese site where you can browse through thousands of images from Japanese crafting books as well as hand made items.

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!!!!

Squirrel quilt and other news

I promised you the squirrel quilt...

Mom's great grandmother Crego made it. 

It appears to be a summer bedspread because it is just one layer. Mom isn't sure if that was the intention or if perhaps it was just never made into a proper quilt. It is beautiful in any case and barely used at all.

 

Each of these quilts in my mother's possession are such treasures! It is so wonderful to be able to share them here with other's who appreciate the incredible time and effort put into making them. 

 

Etsy was once again an easy place for me to get some new supplies, this time baker's twine in 4 colors from nicabee. 

 

I made a skirt for Lilly from the curtain fabric I picked up awhile ago. She has only worn it once so far, under another dress. She is really into the layered look these days... and it wouldn't have photographed well.

I have also been sewing up a storm and there are a few new dolls in the shop today and more on the way soon. I just loved carrying my babies around in a sling, mei tai, or wrap. Ever since I began making dolls a few months ago I have been wanting to make some baby carrying mamas. For these I have cut into some of my US fabric purchases of Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett and Martha Negly fabrics. The slings are sewn into the mamas (ouch!) and the babies are nestled in quite snugly, but they can also be taken out and played with!

I hope that your weekend was really good! I am looking forward to another week of lovely Norwegian summer and mom is coming to visit us in 2 weeks!

Collector, hoarder...

Yesterday Lilly and I took an expedition to the other side of town to pick up some treasures!

A full 1.5 kilo of buttons! The lovely Mother of Pearl had a surprising amount of blue ones.

These two-toned metal buttons are rather unusual.

I think these pewter hammered buttons are quite handsome.

These are probably my favorites. I just love the designs.

Here are the reds! What great fun to sort through them all to find such pretty shapes and colors.

I love these petite glass buttons...

Just wanted to share my latest goodies with you so as to inspire to a lovely and possibly crafty weekend!

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.)