Day fifty four: searching for a spark

One of those mornings when I woke up with Bruce Springsteen in my head singing "I ain't noting but tired... man, I'm just tired and bored with myself", I realised I can't go on like this. I MUST sew something or I will snap. I had just scheduled lunch with my friend Olga who had her birthday a month ago, so I couldn't resist making a little gift for her. Olga is an amazing lady blessed with lovely smile, sharp mind and courageous heart. She also was the one who introduced me to Dobet Gnahoré - a singer from Côte d'Ivoire. Olga knew her from the time she spent in Zambia and suggested I should go to her concert in Luxembourg in 2012. I did and I am still so happy and thankful for it. I remember myself crying like a baby in this concert. Dobet's music is so powerful, gentle and tough at the same time, I had this feeling of a dam being broken inside my heart and all the trapped streams were suddenly free to run wherever they pleased. She saved me from burn-out and exhaustion then. So I listened to her CD* again that very morning which started with me being "tired and bored with myself" and felt the life flowing back into my veins. Thank you :)

*One of my favourite songs from the album "Djekpa La You".

Day fifty three: picking flowers

Meanwhile, I'm still developing the linen & lace collection I mentioned before. I keep adding new colour combinations. These two come straight from the fields: a sunflower and a cornflower, both sweet and simple, yet gracious and irresistible. (Poppy is next in line, I can't wait to make that one.) Alas due to my intensive language course the photos of my recent creations keep appearing here with quite a delay. For instance, the blue&white tablet case has already been sold :) and I have even sewn another one which looks very similar, just the zipper is on the long side of the bag and the lining is different. Well. One step at a time. July is on its way :)

Day fifty: linen & lace

I've been toying with an idea of opening my own e-shop for some time now and I have finally decided to go for it. Yes! However, in order to open a shop one must have a stock, right? This seemed like a perfect occasion to start working on my own collection featuring linen and lace and inspired merely by nature around me. So here is a sneak preview: the very first set of zip pouches I created with this concept in mind.  
This is my walk in a forest: mosaics of million leaves, tender moss carpets, toughness of a tree bark and cheerful crackle of cones.

 The larger bag is originally designed as a tablet case, but there are plenty of applications for this format: for instance, why not keep all your tickets, maps and documents at one place while travelling? The smaller pouch is perfect for so many things: stationery, make-up, meds, money, candy... you name it.

Day fourty eight: tree of treasures

 In case you feel like expanding your personal definition of "amazing friend", I can help you with that. An amazing friend is someone who spots a piece of fabric featuring at least five of your favourite things and gives it to you as a picnic gift :) I have this fabric for months now, but it took me a while to come up with a project idea for it. Obviously, I didn't want to ruin the beautiful tree by unnecessary cutting or crumpling, so finally I decided to make a simple canvas for my sewing corner. As for foundation of this art piece I used a ready-made canvas for painting and just pinned the fabric on with tacks (is this the right word?). Sure, it doesn't look perfect on the back, but it was an easy solution and back side doesn't really matter when it hangs on a wall. What matters to me is that I am quite happy with the final result :)

Can you guess which are my favourite things featured on this fabric?

Day fourty seven: corduroy moments

She appeared on my doorstep with a huge cardboard box in her hands. 

"I really have too much stuff," she said, "I just set aside some greens and blues for you." My sweet, sweet Irina: a trustworthy friend, an artistic soul and a fabric fairy in one person. (Cannot wait to see your new home, dear!)

Among many other gorgeous things the gift box contained the liveliest piece of corduroy I've ever seen - so soft and chummy, and bursting with colours - I simply couldn't resist it. Knowingly, I came up with a crafty plan that would let me to keep a part of this silky greenness within my reach and line of vision. I guess in other circumstances I wouldn't even consider corduroy as a cushion material, but I'm glad I gave it a try. They are so cosy, what a treat!

Day fourty six: kitchen jungle

Sometimes all it takes is one glance to know what I want to sew from a fabric. I love when that happens :) One of my precious jungle friends sent me the sweetest birthday surprise package containing an adorable jungle themed fabric. The moment I laid my eyes and hands on it I knew: an apron! This came as a surprise to me since I don't even wear aprons. Obviously, this was supposed to change :) 
Luckily, I stumbled upon this free pattern which seemed flattering and classical enough for my taste. I skipped all the fancy loops and buttons and used just the measurements and the arm hole cut. The jungle apron was quickly finished: clean and crisp, ready for a test drive. Three days and one casserole later I finally admitted the obvious: the top part of the apron was too large for me. This realisation was followed by a heartfelt internal struggle between sewing a simple dart in front (2 min job + messed up animal print) and tearing the whole thing apart to readjust the sides properly (at least an hour, but no deformed animals). Those of you who know me might be astonished to hear that I actually tried the dart option at first :D It didn't last though. I just couldn't stand the way it messed up the jungle, so I ripped up most of the seams, deepened the arm holes and adjusted the straps. There! Happy me and happy animals :)

Day thirty eight: collect a whole set

Sometimes I wonder what it is about women and constant pursuit of 'matching things'. I'm not very good at this myself, mainly because I find the whole concept a bit troublesome. This might not sound very ladylike, but there are just too many fantastic things and colours in this world for me to stay consistent :) In nine times out of ten I would choose three different things over three matching ones. Or if I really like a piece of clothing (which doesn't happen too often) I'll just buy it without making a fuss over the contents of my wardrobe and chances of finding anything there that might actually go with the thing I'm about to acquire. As said before: not ladylike at all... However, when it comes to sewing there's no fuss at all. If the fabric has inspired me I'd easily make a set of matching things in a heartbeat. Maybe this is the first step towards appreciating match-making after all?

Day thirty six: favourite things

A friend of mine brought me a pair of jeans. She told me they are her favourite ones, which unfortunately have served their time and now are just taking up space in the wardrobe as she doesn't have a heart to throw them out. I'm quite familiar with the concept of sentimental attachment to all kinds of things and letting go of those has always been an issue for me. Therefore I sometimes come up with alternative uses for my favourite things, so I shouldn't part with them. I guess, this puts me on the same page with my friend and that is why her request didn't surprise me. "Maybe you have an idea for a project," she said. And I did, dear emf :)

Day thirty five: here to stay

When I was 5 or 6, I wanted to become a painter. Teaching seemed like fun, too, but drawing was the one and only path I was willing to pursue (right until my first drawing class at school when I was suddenly told what I was supposed to depict in my artwork. Gosh! A tree bark? Seriously?) Anyway, while I was still into art, I once drew a greeting card featuring a rather decent hill, some jumping/flying animals, gigantic flowers and a sun with a huge smile on its face (I can’t believe I still remember this). I was supposed to bring the card with me to a friend’s birthday party, but I was so overwhelmed by the success of my creation I just couldn't part with it. I might have even cried a little over it, when my mum finally suggested that I could draw another picture for my friend and keep the first one if it's so precious to me (mums rock!) 

Yet 25 years later it happened again. I made this green linen zip-pouch for the Christmas market and fell hopelessly in love with it the very instant it was finished. Somehow I managed to convince myself I'm not a child anymore (oh yeah?) and placed the pouch in a box with other things for sale thinking to myself that it would be a bit sad to let it go, so I should hope I will like the person who gets it. Imagine my surprise when people were browsing through the basket of purses, some buying a thing or two, but nobody - not a single person - even touched the green linen pouch. So this is how mental earmarking works! Finally, I gave in to my inner child: YES, I love the things I make, so why not celebrate it? The green pouch stays with me : ) 

Christmas market: two days in Dragontown

After a whole month of intensive sewing, stitching, baking and planning I finally made my debut as an elf in the Christmas market in a nearby town guarded by the loveliest dragon I've ever seen. The market itself was a two-day event that took place outdoors (yep, long hours in freezing temperatures certainly calls for more than one glass of Glühwein if you plan to survive :)) and it was a fantastic experience for a newbie like myself. The choice of the event could have been better though, since two thirds of the stands were filled with foods and drinks and people were clearly in party mood, meeting friends and having good time, not thinking much about shopping. Also the tradition of gift-giving for Christmas apparently is not very popular in Luxembourg. From what I've seen, people don't exaggerate with these things and don't regard this custom as a must. Being aware of all the above-mentioned, I kept an open mind and did a great deal of observing and learning. It's only fair to admit that not all of the conclusions I made were the most flattering ones, but I really see no reason to dwell on those, because there were far too many beautiful and special moments I experienced and those are the ones I will be carrying in my heart. 

  

While watching my work through eyes of my friends and loved ones, all the grannies who smiled the warmest smiles and children who dragged their parents to my stand to show them the colourful Christmas stockings, this event quickly transformed into my personal thanksgiving. And I do have so many things to be thankful for: this time in life I am given to explore sewing, the chance to work well with my hands, my mum who has taught me so much, my wonderful and supportive husband who was out with me in the cold for most of the time and helped with all the logistics and spoke German with customers and for my fantastic friends who lent me tables and baskets and showed up just in time to cheer me up and did some Christmas shopping themselves :) 

Finally, despite the cold and all the Glühwein (and the fact that all my things smell of smoke from fireplaces) I am glad I gave this a try. Sure, the overall sales could have been better, but as far as the first attempts go, I'm happy with my trading experience and I might actually try this again.

Postcards from Paris

My personal 'month of sewing every day' had to be paused on day twenty due to rather pleasant circumstances, namely having friends over from Finland and leaving for Paris right after that. Oh, Paris... Being a nature person who normally avoids cities and crowds and prefers sitting on a rock to spending 2 hours in a museum or shopping centre, I'm always astonished when I am in Paris: it's a 2.5 million metropolis, but doesn't feel like one. At least not in May or September. The white city is always on the move, embracing everything and everyone, buzzing here and fizzing there. It inspires me in so many levels and I feel at ease with its multiplicity. Standing at the foot of the Eiffel tower excites me every time and so do the hundreds of candles in Sacré-Cœur and delicacy of the Notre Dame. I admire the paintings in Montmartre, the bridges across the Seine, the breathtaking views from the top of the Arc de Triomphe and fragility of architecture all over the place. If only my French was better...