We are going on a summer holliday....

Do you remember Cliff Richards song from the 60's?? Well I do. He went on a summer holliday in an adorable british double decker bus. Since I am spending so much time by the sewing machine and the computer I really need a couple of weeks off. To spend time with the family and doing other kinds of things. This also my yearly opportunity to review the choices I have made during the year, and to figure out the next years goals. But, in order to do that - NO COMPUTER!

So. No more computer until mid August. Then I will be back with lots and lots of new energy and a well filled sketchbook. Meanwhile - do visit at least a few of the blogs I am linking to. There are so many inspiring crafters around the world, and really, sometimes you can get new ideas just from looking at someone that does something completely different than you do!

Have a nice summer, and do take care of you!

Summer wardrobe for the kids

When it got really hot here last week I realized that my son REALLY needed a couple of new pairs of shorts. Since Sweden usually don't get very hot, only about 20-25 degrees Celsius in the summer (70-75F) most shorts that are available in the shops for boys are made of jeans. You would look very cool in a pair of jeans shorts, but also very sweaty when the temperatures is approaching and exceeding 30C/90F. And it is at times like theese I really appreciate that I can make my own clothes. The old shorts I made my son a couple of years ago mostly have Thomas the Tank Engine and so we needed an update on the motivs.

Here are three shorts of different lengths, but in the same style. One with spaceships and rockets, I think this was a japanese fabric. One pair with large numbers on it, since my son is very much into letters and numbers right now, and the last one that has really cool racing cars with flames on them.

Since my son got an update of his wardrobe yesterday, so did my daughter. The dresses from last summer were all getting very short.

This fabric is a vintage fabric from eBay. I remember that I paid a small fortune for it and ever since I have gotten the "scissors fobia" for it. You know, you paid so much money for it, so when you finally is cutting it you want the result to be PERFECT, and hence you are just waiting and waiting and waiting for the right opportunity. Well. Now it had been sitting on the shelf for a good 18 months (or more), so I figured it was about time to do something about it. Face your fears!! And. After all, it turned pretty well…

Since Sweden is home of Astrid Lindgren we do read, listen and watch her books. Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Långstrump) has been a favourite, but That Emil (Emil i Lönneberga) is just as popular here in Sweden. So, a while ago I found this lovely Emil & Ida fabric. Now was the brilliant opportunity to make that dress I have promised my daughter for two months... I usually don't mix fabric on these peasant style dresses, but after seeing a lot of beautiful ones, I really wanted to make something of my own. So, I used red gingham fabric, it seemed to be the most peasant style fabric I had to go with the other fabric.

My daughter has fallen for the peer preassure and has been pointing out all Hello Kitty items in the shops. So. I decided that she could at least have one dress with that cat. I actually made two, and offered my daughter the opportunity to choose. This was the one she preffered. I matched it with really short light green gingham sleeves and the same fabric as hem. I am not sure if the arms should have been longer, but if they should have been I can change that later on...

This is the other Hello Kitty dress, which is about a size 5 (110 cl) that I actually preffer of the both. This one has a dark pink sleeve and an elastic trim around the arms and neckline. And a cotton lace at the hem. This one will be out on Etsy.

Mr Sandman x 2

I always hang a couple of the items I have for sale on my walls. For decoration. And my daughter had been up talking to MrSandman on the wall a couple of times. And then he was gone!!! Sold to Norway!!! She was so upset! I thought she was afraid of him since he was a nasty little man throwing sand in the eyes of little children (can't do that in kindergarten!!)

Since this is a vintage fabric I had som luck and got hold of it, although paying a great deal of money for it. And just a day later I got a question on Etsy of where that lovely MrSandman dress had gone. It was Vaisto who wanted to buy it, but she was only waiting to get some of her stuff sold before. Now she did, and the dress was all gone... Well. Fortunately I got TWO MrSandman on that piece of fabric I bought...

The red one is for my daughter and I usually don't show off the inside of my clothes, but this lining with the little children having a pillow fight was so perfect that I couldn't resist.

This blue one has a gingham lining and trim and is going an a ride to Finland.

Pippi longstocking dress sz 7-8 (134/140)

It is true what they say here in Sweden. People ARE reading Pippi Longstocking (or Pippi Långstrump, that she is called in Sweden) all over the world. Here is a little girl in Nashville that will be really happy, I hope!

This is one of my newest patterns that really suits this fabric well. It has three pieces on both sides, so it takes a little while to make, but the fitting is SO good! I decided to go with red seam binding this time though. And. It is in a larger size than I usually make, at least for girls. I noticed this when I was taking the pictures, the skirt gets a much better swing than in the smaller sizes.

Etsy Frontpage and a very international week!!

Well. Now I am really on a roll here! I got featured on evihans beautiful treasury that hit the Etsy FrontPage yesterday. That sure brought me a lot of new visitors!! My contribution is of course that little green dress up in the right corner. Made from a vintage table cloth from the 70's. It is of course available from my Etsy shop, right here!, and since there are two very faint marks on it, that I didn't see when I made it I have reduced the price to $20 (ca 160SEK).

This week I have declared my international week. I have been or will be shipping off to Australia, Germany, Finland, USA and probably two items to Sweden. It is so nice to have customers all over the world, and since I have at least a shorter email contact with all of them I get to know a little about the countries too. Yesterday I chatted with a basket maker from Canada and a fabric/craftbook seller from Tokyo, so yes I am really having an international week!!

Red denim apron dress with folklore inspiration, sz 2T (92cl)

I cut this red light weigh denim fabric for a dress and then I realised that I had nothing to go with it... Go figure that I of all people would run out of fabric!Then I made a trip to the local charity second hand and found this old curtain that had perfect measurements and even had a matching red trim! I even had enough fabric to make that gathering in the back that gives a little extra volume for a nice silhouette.


I thought about which colour to use on the seam binding. I had green, yellow, red and white to choose from, since they were all included in the stripes of the white fabric. I decided to go with yellow. A pretty bold suggestion, but it really gave the effect that I wanted.There are not zippers or buttons on this dress, just pull it over your head and tie the bands!

It is listed on Etsy. But, I am not sure that I am done with it just yet. I might add a little flower or a bow or something by the neckline... We'll see!

EuropeanStreetTeam Challange - "Traditional Costume"

Yes. I admit. I was to late for this weeks challenge. I finished it at about the same time as Kraplap who hosted this weeks challange with the theme of traditional costume. In all there were 20 contributors and my inspiration was of course a Swedish folk dress. But, I made it with some free interpretation and instead of heavy woolen fabric I decided to use stretchy denim fabric.

The edges are trimmed with light blue seam binding, and by the neck there is a bow made of a red woven band with little flowers on it. In the back the skirt is tied togeher with the ends of the seam binding. And, the inner skirt is showing off a slight gathering for extra volume and a nice silhouette.

Petronella from Kraplap had found this postcard that shows a Swedish folk dress, and if you add a white blouse it is not that far away from what I created. This dress is already listed on Etsy if you are interrested. It is a size 4T (104cl), but has a very generous fit, and could probably fit a 5T (110) too!