Kaja & lilla krax - Colorful clothes from Sweden

De-stash Feburary - Some answers!

2012-01-27T14:13:00.000+01:00

First of all, warm welcome to all the participants. Some of you have already said that you are interrested in the comments from the last post. And, the rest of you *waving* will probably give a sign in the coming weeks.

Just some clarifying answers.
"Should I make as much as possible from what I've got at home (without buying anything new), and show it off in the blog?"

I am not sure that we will be counting projects. Making 100 beanies or one wedding dress will probably take equal amount of time. The award will go "the best project". If you think making 100 beanies suits your purpose during the month, hey, I am all your's. And you will definitely get some kind of persistence award. On the other hand, if you make 100 beanies in preemie sizes to send to cancer sick babies... That definitely makes it a better project.

Or, if you use all your scrap yarn to make it into a gorgeous afghan instead of throwing it away. Or finally use that special bead for a project.The important thing is that it is something special and that you tell me WHY it is special. I usually need a few project to get into the mood, so I don't think that we will see the winner the first week!

"Anyway, is there room for a hoarding jewellery in your challenge, Kaja?!"
Do you have to many beads? Or to much paper, or yarn, or fabric, or wooden pieces lying around, cluttering up your crafing space? If so, you're definitely welcome. Personally I will have a look in my crafting space and use some time to sell off yarn and fabric, perhaps give away some scraps for the crafting box in school or pre-school.

"What do I do with the pictures? Should I blog it, or send you the pictures?"
Blog about it! But, if you don't have a blog and still want to participate, send me a picture and a description in an email. I will set up a blog post each Tuesday where you can link to this weeks project. This way we can all pop in here on Tuesdays and see what everybody else is doing, and get ideas for new project!

I also strongly encourage you to contact the other crafters that are participating, Either for trading or for purchasing their crafts. This is a great opportunity to get contact with other crafters and get something special. If you're not comfortable writing in English, just contact me and I will help you translate and set up any transactions.

Take care! And see you all back here on Tuesday!

De-stash February! Join the fun!

2012-01-23T22:07:00.001+01:00

Do you have slightly more fabric than you might need? Or a few balls of yarn that really should have been turned into a lovely project by now?? Well, you're in good company. I have to admit I do so too! And, when I read blogs or discuss with other crafters online they seem to have the same issue... Really!

So. I am challenging you! Until the 29:th of Febuary (yes, Febuary is extra long this year! Gasp!) you are not allowed to purchase ANY fabric or yarn! And, if you really need to buy notions, harberdashary or patterns to finish a project you are allowed to, but only if you confess your sins in public!

But, I also want you to make as many projects as possible with the supplies you already have tucked away in boxes, bags and closets! Leave a comment in the blog to show off your projects. If you don't have a blog, just send me and email and I will post it here in the blog.

Each Tuesday I will post as many pictures as I possibly can on the blog here and link to your blog (=lots of new visitors!), and you will be able to make your confessions. On the 29:th I will post a few of my favorite projects from you guys and I will have a giveaway to the winner!! You will receive one of my velour dresses in a color of your choice! (or something from my shop or from my stash of fabric and yarn. Your choice!)

Please use this button below on your blog, and link here to show your readers that you are participating!!

And, since I can already hear the questions coming, yes you are allowed to blog in Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, German or any other language of your choice. I will understand your comments if you write in Swedish/English/German, but everyone will be able to see your pictures!

Fly me to the moon!

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000+01:00

I have found the perfect model for shirts for our son. I use one from Farbenmix, which I have altered, and I use size 122/128 and just makes the arms and body a bit longer. Then it works perfect for our guy! All the shirts I showed you the other day is made from the same pattern.

I bought these velours from Farbenmix a while ago, but they have been sitting on the shelf looking at me. But, since charcoal gray jersey is not very inspiring, I decided that it needed something on the front. We agreed on the glittery rocket. And our son asked for the red trim around the neck and the sleeves. He has always liked red. It is the Ferrari-color, so of course it is a very male color!

Just one funny detail. I told our son that he had his shirt back-to-front the other day. Most kids would try to wring their head and see if they have the label in the back of the inside of the shirt. Well, not our son. He knows where mummy puts her labels on his shirts. So he started to touch the right side of the hem, to make sure that the label was there. Cute, ey?

Staples

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000+01:00

The day before NewYears Eva, me and the kids went into the city to go shopping on the Boxingday sales. Not much shopping was actually done... I find it especially hard to find something for our son. He's tall (wearing a size 10/140cl), and very slim. Since he's just turned 8 he does not agree with the big clothes chains that thinks that he should wear knitted cardis, hoodies and checked skirts.

And with all the people in the shops he really disliked the entire shopping tour. So, we came home with.... hmmm, well, nothing.... At one stage he said: "Mum, I have an idea, why can't you make all my clothes for me, that way we don't have to go through this anymore." I think he dislikes shops more than he likes my clothes, but still. It felt good to hear.

So. On the first day of the new year 2012 I decided to make him a few shirts. He has chosen the fabrics himself. He has a shirt in black with robots, and when the green and red came on sale he asked me to buy him those as well. The one to the left he picked up in one of my many visits to local shops (in this case Tygaffären on Lagerströmsplatsen in Gothenburg) and the one to the right I found on a shopping group for fabric on Facebook.

Lots of hearts, and frosting....

2012-01-17T10:56:00.000+01:00

I've realized that I have made SO many things that I haven't shown you yet. I have been building my kids wardrobe during the holidays, and I think I ended up sewing 10 shirts or something. I hope I will be able to show a few of them soon. Here is one of the dresses I made a while ago, that has been used a lot, but not ended up in a picture.

First pictures is from when we made the gingerbread house, and my daughter is obviosly more interrested in EATING the frosting than putting it on the house…

Second picture, a less sticky one... It is a gorgeous thick velour with crisp white heart on a rich red background. A very simple peasant style dress with long sleeves. These are soooo cozy to have when it is cold outside.

Trolls, spiders and elephants

2012-01-16T11:21:00.004+01:00

Since I am changing direction for my shop (slowly-slowly) I need to upload a few things that will work for older girls as well. So. Here's a series of dresses that will work for a 7-8 year-old (122-128cl), or for a tall fiveyearold. This first dress was intended for my daughter. I made her a dress in the red fabric with trolls, and she has worn it and worn it and worn it. Now it is to short for her, so she really needed an updated version of it. So I took my last pieces of this limited edition fabric and made her a new dress. Her comment? "But muuuum, I've alread got a troll dress!" Oh, you spoiled little rat! So, it's available in the shop.

The next two dresses are perfect for spring, with patterns in the skirt from the two childrens songs "One elephant" and "Itsy bitsy spider". I've intentionally used green and pink to combine with the turquoise fabric, as I know that there are a lot of mums out there that are getting slightly fed up with the pinkish-redish mush of clothes that is available for small girls.

The last one is one of my personal favorites. Hot pink bodice and a skirt with Patty Youngs "Scandi chirp". It has motif from the traditional scandinavian paintings, but interpretated into a design that looks very modern.

All dresses are uploaded in the shop, and I will be able to make most of them in another size or color, except for the trolls. I am SO out of that fabric!

The story of the two little girls that wanted skirts

2012-01-11T14:13:00.001+01:00

"Mum? What are you doing?"

My daughter comes into the kitchen with her friend looking at the piles of fabric on the kitchen table. A regular sight in our house, but interresting and new to her friend.

"I am cutting fabric for dresses and shirts" I answer and put the scissors down. "Do you see anything you like?"

The two girls put their heads together and start pulling out fabrics out of my neatly folded pile, which of course flips over.

"This one mum! We like this one! Pretty, pretty pleeeeease, could you make skirts for us?" My daughter is jumping up and down. Her friend is standing behind her, looking at me with two big blue eyes, and looks as if she's thinking that this has to be to good to be true, can my daughter really ask her mum to make her something, just like that?? Well. Yes. She can do that, and looking at the two girls I agree to make them a skirt each. But, since I have a dress pattern on the table, I decide to make them dresses instead, with a solid black bodice, which almost will make them look like they are wearing shirts AND skirts. Twice as good, right?? I cut the fabric and put it to the side.

The next day they are playing again. I usually don't sew when the kids are awake, since that pretty much leaves them free space for mischeif. But, since the two girls are playing and seems content with their game I decide to sneak away for a few minutes and start to sew the dresses. It's not long until they arrive in my sewing room.

"What are you doing?" My daughter is looking over my shoulder, while her friend is curiously looking over my shoulder at the noisy serger.

"I am sewing some thing…." I answer without looking up.

"Are you done with our skirts yet?" daughter starts pulling out pieces of garments trying to find the fabric, and I realize that I will probably have to use a fair amount of time folding and sorting out the pieces later…

"No, not yet honey."

"Oooh, it's taking foreeeeeeever, can't you please hurry up?" I realize that I probably won't be able to sew anything more today, so I shake my head and take the two girls down to have a cinnamon roll and a glass of juice.

This scene is repeating itself during the following weeks. I have sewn the dresses, but need to order extra foldover elastics, since I don't have any black left, so they end up in the "UFO-pile", and every time the two friends are playing in our house they are asking for their skirts. Finally the foldover elastics arrives and I am able to finish them off.

The two girls are playing again, and I sneak away to sew the last seams on the dresses, bringing them down. I feel pretty pleased with myself and I really look forward to see the faces on the two girls when they get matching outfits.

"Oh nooooo! Muuuuuum! These are not skirts! It's dresses! We asked for skirts!" My daughter looks angry and stares at me like I've ruined her life. Her friend is standing behind her and looks like she's afraid that I would take the dresses back. I try to explain that I thought it would be fun if they had matching dresses, which would make them look even more alike, and somehow they settle with that and quickly undress themselves and pull the dresses over their heads, walking off hand-in-hand, very pleased with themselves.

After all, it turned out that these dresses have been favorites in both girls' wardrobes this winter. And since I really liked the combo, I decided to make a third dress, in a smaller size. Which now is available in the shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/90153556/toddler-girls-dress-with-pandas-in-black

Safety beanies!

2011-12-29T09:00:00.001+01:00

I promised my hubby that I would make him and his colleagues beanies a while ago. The intention was that they would receive them well before Christmas, but as it turned out our son caught the flu and my sewing time was reduced to a minimum. So, instead they will be handed out now.

The people that will wear them are working with active safety in the automotive industry, so of course they have safety pins (get the pun?) on their beanies.

The safety pin is made from reflective material, so they will indeed be safe wearing these beanies! They are all made from a charcoal denim look jersey and in a baggy look. I would probably try one on (just for photo purposes) if I didn't look so goofy in beanies.

Oh, btw. It is my birthday today. But, I am celebrating it the Pippi Longstocking way, and handing out gifts instead of getting them! What I nice person I am, ey? ;-)

Personalized dress

2011-12-14T09:10:00.000+01:00

Remember this dress?? Well. When my colleague realized that I make matching adult clothes she asked me if I could make one for her as well. She has a slightly more square body than I do and wider shoulder (she is more toned than I am, sewing doesn't build much muscles...). So I cut off about 10 cm on each side of the width of the skirt and then we decided on frilly sleeves to go with the frilly hem.

Now for decoration. She wanted something on it, but she really didn't know what, but she trusted my sense of style. Hm. Well I don't trust my sense of style all the time, but it is always nice to know that my customers do....

Anyway. Since her daughter got a "R" on her dress, I wanted to add a letter "L" on this one. I went to my Monogram book scouting for inspiration and found this. It took forever to make it since I make it on a regular sewing mashine with zigzag and vliesofix and cutting out cotton fabric, but it was well worth it.
And the neckline is as always my satin elastics. It is so pretty and comfy and stylish and, and, and... I just love it. We had a fitting the other day when my colleague tried it on to see if the length of the sleeves were right and she was wearing a black v-necked shirt under this dress and I really liked that extra detail. Perhaps I could figure out how to build that into the design, sometime...

Oh. Yes. Almost forgot. It will be possible to ask for a monogrammed dress in the shop soon. I am not sure about the price yet, but I will come back with that later on.

Velour dresses!

2011-12-12T13:07:00.003+01:00

I started making ONE velour dress for me. And that kinda snowballed... This is a custom order for a colleague with one dress for her in charcoal gray, and two dresses for her daughter in red and charcoal gray.

She has been looking at my clothes for some time now, and when I was wearing my velour dress at the Christmas fair she asked me if I could make one for her and one for her daughter as well. And then her grandmother loved the dress and decided that it could be a good Christmas gift for the wee girl, so she asked me to make another one.

As it turned out, the adult dress was a tad to short, but the grandmother, who is a few inches shorter than my colleague, decided that it would be perfect for her. So, now I am making a fourth dress for the same family. I so wish I could see their Christmas, when everybody is wearing the same type of dress! *LOL*

Anyway. This is really a good dress. So far I have customers age 1 up to 60 in all different sizes and colors wearing it. If you are curvy this is the perfect dress as it fits snug around the chest and then flows freely over your curves. If you have a square body it will actually work to, but for those customers I usually remove some of the width in the skirt as it sometimes will be a lot of fabric.

I will list this dress in size 40/42 (women M/L) with long sleeves in red in my shop soon. Right now the prices are 600 SEK for long sleeved, 500 for short sleeved for adults. 300 for long sleeved for kids and 280 for short sleeved. Approx. Any extra decoration or custom order fabric might be added to that price.

Stop!

2011-12-05T14:04:00.004+01:00

I am so happy! I am getting so many custom orders for adult dresses that I haven't even shown you in the blog yet. Seems like everybody wants to have a velour dress of their own to snuggle up in for Christmas. However, I don't have a magic wand for creating more hours of the day, so I will not be able to take on any more custom orders before Christmas. It will be possible to place an order, but it won't be delivered until after the Holidays.

Picture from this post:http://kajadesign.blogspot.com/2008/03/stop.html. I made a lot of traffic sign shirts for our son a couple of years ago. This one is sadly outgrown now, but he wore it all the time!

Organic pinafores

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000+01:00

I have a special thing for organic dresses. This is a dress that I had all pieces cut for, and even sewn partially together, but somehow it ended up in the UFO-pile. Now that I got it in my hands I thought it looked a bit boring, so I added some vintage lace and some ric-rac. And now, it is cuteness overload!

The second dress is from a fabric that I bought at least a year ago. I love it SO much, but I could never figure out what the perfect project was, so it was just sitting on the shelf, looking pretty. But, once I started cutting it I got so excited. It is denim weight cotton, but soooo soft! I made two dresses in two sizes, perhaps for two sisters? All dresses available in the organic part of the shop!

Velour tunic for me!

2011-12-02T09:00:00.001+01:00

I was making so many cozy dresses in velour for my daughter and I was getting a bit envyous of her. On the other hand I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to pull of wearing Snuggies to the office when the gents are wearing dark suits. But, as soon as I tried it on I decided that the gents can think whatever they can - this is a keeper!

I cut the dress at night when the kids were asleap. And when I had sewn it together and made my first fitting I realized that there was som kind of fold or line or something in the velour, just across the chest. Ok, I can't wear THAT to the office. But, as Mr Einstein once said: "Necessity is the mother of all inventions."

So. I went to Yvonne in Tygaffären to dig through her treasury box. I wanted to have something white. But the only white ones I could find were to small or not the right thing. When I was about to give up I found this black lacy thing. It was the right shape and could probably be large enough to cover the line.

You know what? I am actually happy that there was something wrong with the fabric now, since it turned out so much better with that lace than without it.

BTW. I am alternating dress and tunic as label on this new model. I wear it as a dress with leggings or tights, but it can also be worn over jeans. The length for me is a little longer than mid-thigh, but this can of course be adjusted if you wish to!

Mummy-and-me combo

2011-12-01T12:46:00.004+01:00

I might have told you about my change in plans about my shop. And today I will show you the basic idea of the shop. Adult clothes, and Mummy-and-me-combos. I will not entirely give up children's clothes, but they will no longer be my main focus.

It is the same model for the adult as the child, but for the adult version I am using the lovely pansy patterned fabric on the bodice with a solid skirt, and for the child version I am using a solid bodice with a patterned skirt. My idea is that a full skirt of pansies for an adult might be a "bit to much", but since the bodice for a child is much smaller you need the full width of the skirt to to be able to see the pattern. And with a solid bodice the features of the childs face will be more obvious.

Both tunics feature shiny elastics around the arms and the neckline. This is very comfortable and make a great fit. These two tunics are short sleeved, but they will be available as longsleeved tunics too. I call them tunics, but they could really be short dresses to. I am pretty tall and on me it is somewhere between the mid-thigh and just above the knee-length.

I made a second adult dress. Again the same pattern on the bodice (which btw is jersey for a great fit), but with a turquoise skirt (made of interlock, a heavier cotton knit for a great drape). These dresses are in sz 40/42 and will be up for sale, and the child dress is 122/128.

As you can see it will be possible to set up your combo just as you wish, with two sisters wearing the same dress, but with different colors of the bodice. A mum matching her daughter. Or two friends wearing matching outfits for a special occasion.

In a few days I will show you a mummy-and-me combo I have made for a colleague. Those dresses were made in velour, which gave the dresses a whole new look.

Velour Christmas dress for R....

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000+01:00

I got a custom order from a colleague for her daughter. Little R. Oh I wish you could see her, she's SOOO cute. The daughter, little R, that is. Not the colleague. Well, yes, she's cute too, but in a more adult way.

Dress. I was talking about the dress. It's my new model that I am making for adults as well as children, perhaps for a mother daughter combo. This is made in lovely Christmas red velour with long sleeves. As always with the shiny elastics around the arms and the neckline and with the lettuce hem around the skirt.

I have a lot more of these dresses in the drawer right now, but it is down right impossible to take pictures with so little light this time of the year, and velour is especially hard since it seems to be eating light. It was actually my colleagues MIL (Mother In Law) that ordered the dress, and she wanted some kind of appliqué on the chest. After som discussion with my colleague we discussing daisies, but after a while she decided that she wanted the letter "R", and as the dress is pretty romantic I suggested this font.

I don't know about little R:s preferences, but I am totally in love with this dress. Even though I probably make a hundred dresses per year, there are a few ones that are extra special... and this one certainly is.

SUPER SALE - 50-70% discount on selected items!

2011-11-21T09:31:00.004+01:00

Friday this week is the Black Friday, the day after Thanks giving and it is the No1 shopping day in the US, usually with lots of discounts and possibilites to make a bargain just in time for Christmas.

But you know me.... I can't wait, so I am starting early to clear out some things in my shop. Lots and lots of things at 50-70% discount! Make sure to grab yourself a bargain. Head over to the sale section in my shop!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KajaDesign?section_id=10733811

Still around? What are you waiting for!!

Pinafore galore and a chat about eco concious thinking

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

That Emil-dress in sz 2-3yrs (92-98cl) available in my shop here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/85633033/ooooh-that-emil-brown-dress-sz-2-3yrs-92

My Christmas fair is closing up and I am way behind in blogging. So I am making a couple of mass-posts now to be able to catch up. You might have noticed that I use a lot of vintage or organic fabric. This is because the environmental impact from clothes is really high. Chemicals are used while growing cotton, in the process of creating fabric and printing it, from sewing the clothes and eventually from transporting it all over the world.

Russian nestingdoll dress on denim sz 4-5yrs (104-110cl) available in my shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85633912/russian-nesting-doll-denim-dress-sz-4

When I use recycled material I very often use things that have been used before. You might have seen my table cloth collection where I have used vintage table cloths that have a stain somewhere wich would make most people reject it as a table cloth, but by cutting it apart it will still make a gorgeous dress for babies. Old curtains usually are in a great condition since they haven't been washed much, on the other hand sometimes the colors can be faded from the sun. Duvet covers and sheets have been washed more and are usually very soft, although some of them might be a bit faded.

Organic dress with dalahorses 6-9mths (68-74cl) available in my shop here:http://www.etsy.com/listing/85574635/organic-blue-dala-horse-jumper-dress-6

I look in thrift shops, search eBay and Etsy and I have some lovely friends that bring me fabric that I might find useful. When the kids were smaller I used to make "sand pit pants" for them. By using the good part of hubbys worn out chinos I made them very practical and soft pants without any pockets or folds (that could keep sand…). I remember that a lot of the mums on the playground got very upset that I was letting my son use his "best pair of pants" to the playground…. If only they'd known…

Vintage Moomin dress in sz 3-9mths (62-68cl) available in my shop here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/85574922/moomin-baby-jumper-sz-3-9-mths62-68cl

When I use new fabric I always prewash the fabric first. It requires some extra work of course, but this way I know that it won't be miscolored or shrink in a weird way. Anyone that has bought a cheap t-shirt knows that the seams will inevitable end up across your chest after the first wash, if you can at all fit into it... By using high quality fabric I also know that my clothes will look the same even after being washed warm 10 times, which is not something that you can say about the clothes you buy in the big chains. I sew a lot of clothes for me and our kids, which of course makes us test the quality of most fabrics as well as the models of it.

Christmas dress sz 0-6mths (56-62cl) available in my shop here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/85574121/white-stars-on-red-jumper-dress-sz-0

Talking about models. I like clothes that can be worn for a long time. I've made dresses for my daughter that she wore when she was 2. And 3. And 4. Sure, they got a little shorter, but they still fitted great and the fabric was still in great condition. And the dress was more of a tunic after three seasons, but that didn't have anything to do with the clothes itself, rather that my daughter was trying to outgrow her clothes faster than her mum could make her new ones!

Follow me on Facebook!

2011-11-13T08:00:00.000+01:00

For previews, special offers and everyday updates join me on Facebook!!

Christmas fairs this year

2011-11-11T08:51:00.004+01:00

I will be attending two Christmas fairs this year. The first one is next weekend 19-20 November at Gunnebo Slott. This is my third year on the same fair and this time I will have my booth in the castle. 17th century castle. Cool, ey??

I will also be at the local soccer club Christmas fair. It was held for the first time last year and I was truly impressed. They had a black smith, jewelry designers, people sewing gorgeous beanies etc. And a lot of people. This will be held on the 10:th of December.

I am also considering a third one, but I am not sure that I will be able to cope. I still have a regular job, and December is always busy!!

The squirrel sat in the pine tree - dresses

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000+01:00

Have you ever thought about how silly things get when you try to translate them into another language? That is especially true for songs and rhymes. I found two pillowcases with pictures from the Swedish nursery rhyme "The squirrel sat in the pine tree". A song that kids have been singing for a century now, and I think it is one of the most beloved ones. Even more than "Twinkle twinkle little star" I would say.
"The squirrel was sitting in a pine tree
shucking a pinecone
he heard children
and had to hurry
he jumped out of the tree
and hurt his leg
and his long bushy tail"

I knooooow. Totally insane. But, in Swedish it is actually pretty cute. As these dresses are. I made one pink and one blue. Both in sizes for a little girl in time for her first birthday. Perhaps for a set of twins??

Monster t-shirt!

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000+02:00

Anyone with kids know how it is. All the long sleeved shirts and long pants that worked perfectly fine have mysteriously shrunken in the wardrobe during the summer. Leeving bare wrists and ankles. Since the kids don't care much for going into clothes shops and I am now buying sz 9-10 for our 7-year-old son we sometimes get into the dilemma where he wants to wear other clothes than the big shops have assigned for him. We see a lot of collar shirts and knitted v-neck cardigans. Not the kind of clothes my son would choose.

But this fabric got approved. Monsters with little bubble with text that says "To scary - no way!" in blue and turquoise. And if you think he looks occupied and not very interrested in being a photo model, you're absolutely right. He's playing "Pokepark Wii", one of the Wii games we totally agree upon. He likes it, and I think that it is a good game too. Only draw with it is that there is a lot of reading in it, and our game is in english, which means that I have to sit next to him as long as he plays and translate all the text. His sister enjoys to sit next to him and just watch, as it is almost as a movie.

Two dresses and only one model?

2011-10-13T08:00:00.001+02:00

Okay. I FINALLY got my energy back. It all started with that a colleague of mine saw this tunic, and asked me if I could do something for her. I had seen a fabric that Linda designed a while ago and tried to purchase it from the fabric shop that had printed it. But that fabric was all sold out, so I sent out a question on a Facebook group asking if someone had a meter or so to spare for me. As it turned out it was Linda herself that answered and sold me enough to make a dress for my colleague.
The colleagues tunic is turquoise with purple damasks and a purple skirt. When I was buying the purple interlock fabric I saw the Gecko fabric that I wanted to buy a while ago and decided that perhaps I should make something for myself at the same time??
It is actually the same pattern as I use for my daughters dresses and she loves them. I love them to as I have an hourglass body type which means that if I don't have a fitted upper body I will end up looking like I am 8 month pregnant. And believe me, that is NOT the look I am going for.
Long story short. My collegue loved her dress and I love my dress too! Best thing?? I got SO many comments in the office about my lovely dress and lots of people asking me where I bought it. Well - I didn't. I made it.... Talk about making commercial in the office!

And if anyone is wondering. The photographer is our 7 year old son. And we started out pretty serious, but after a while I started playing with the mannequin and that is how most of the photos came to be...

Cuteness overload - more hairclips!

2011-10-11T08:00:00.001+02:00

When I was at it I made some seriously cute hairclips with small animals. Pandas (will come in baby blue soon), turtles, snails and birds. everything listed in the shop.

Super Mario and friends - Hair clips collection

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000+02:00

More hairclips... today with Super Mario and friends. I don't know the name of all of these characters or even what happens if you run into them. But, I could perhaps ask my son - he definitely know. As most of his class mates and other friends. Somtimes I feel sooooo old.

So, be a nerd and get popular with your kids and buy yourself a pair of Mario hairclips!! All of them available here!

Smurf's up!

2011-10-06T11:44:00.003+02:00

With my new job, I really don't have much energy to sew things nowadays. I only sew when the kids are asleap, and since changing jobs always is very tiring I usually fall asleap with them.

But a few hair clips every now and then is still possible to make. This time I have made a couple of Smurf hairclips with a special toadstool too. Available in the shop now, here! For Swedish readers without Etsy account, please send me an email and I will arrange the purchase outside Etsy if you want me to!

Organic and super sweet!

2011-09-29T08:50:00.000+02:00

I think I won this fabric a while ago (I got to pick the prizes myself!) and I have been wondering what to do with it. I do love organic fabrics, although it is hard to find them if you also have the requirement of that they are colorful. This is a sateen cotton, and really as cute as can be!

I used my peasant pattern again with the fake empire cut, and topped it with some vintage lace. If you can't be all organic, then at least you can be eco-friendly, right?

I made one for my daughter and one that I ought to have listed in the shop by now, sz 122/128cl (7-8yrs), but I strongly suspect that both of them will end up in the shop. But, right now my life is running faster than I do, but some day I will list them.

By the way, have you seen that I've updated my hair accessories collection in my Etsy Shop? And, I've ordered a lot of fabric that will become more hair clips and ties.

Time to give up your dreams?

2011-09-16T08:00:00.001+02:00

Dream big photo from Magallerie.

I just loooove a good podcast. Download it into your iPhone or MP3-player, plug it into the car stereo and you can learn all sorts of things on the way to work. I have listened through most of Craftsanity during the winter. Some of them I am actually listened to twice. Or trice. The CrochetDude from episode 15, Susie Hewer that is running marathons and knitting at the same time (#78) and the Wendy Mullin (#114) from Built by Wendy have all inspired me and taught me a lot of things. Not only about different sorts of crafts, but also how to look at your craft from a business point of view, how to promote yourself and how great it is to find someting that can fulfil you.

I already have a great job working with IT. But, there are lots of zeros and ones, and trying to explain to my kids what I am doing is not very easy. "Mummy works with computers". Computers!! You can see the glow in their eyes as they think that I am in on http://www.nickelodeon.com/ and http://www.spela.se/ to play online games all the time. Which of course isn't true. So, having a second job that allows me to create and make something that is VISIBLE is very important to me.

Dream scarve from Singingscarves.

I sometimes get the question if I want to give up my job in IT and start crafting full time. And the answer is always "NO!!". I can't see myself locked into my crafting room all day, desperately trying to crank out new creative ideas, or swamped up over my ears with doing the same pretty style of skirt in different sizes. It is very close to how I would define "hell on earth".

I would rather keep my job as it is, and allow me to keep the love an passion for my craft. I am able to put my soul and spirit into each garment I make. They're all my babies, and I looooove the very thought of wrapping them up and shipping them to someone that will cherish them.

Sometimes I despair. Thinking that I am no good. Thinking of closing down. Loathing the very thought of sewing a single seam. If I was any good, shouldn't I have my own clothing empire by now? The know designers sure would have one in that amount of time. And wasn't Bill Gates a billionaire by the age of 40??

Today I listened to the GetItDone podcasts (available on iTunes as well). Especially episode 91 regarding "Time to give up your dreams?". He defined two sorts of goals. One is the archievement goal - like creating a new H&M and the other goal was the fun you had in the process of making something.

Now, what have I've been achieving in the process of having my business?

Mystery heart by Mentalembellisher.

Made a lot of international friends

Learned a little about how to market a business online

Improving my written English

Learned the importance of presentation of your goods, as well as some photography.

Learned how to market your own uniqueness and that the Scandinavian design really IS known all over the world.

I have also created something that you would say is a typical Kaja-style, really improved my sewing, making a lot fewer mistakes when creating something new. I am more freely jumping between different types of crafts, using whatever crafts appeals to me most at the moment.

And one of the most obvious facts. I have people from all over the world that is wearing clothes that I have made. Just take a look at all these countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States. They all have kids and adults wearing an original Kaja design. In the USA it is closing up on 100 customers! Now how about that for success?

So. I really urge you to take a good long look at your own life and your own success. Perhaps you are not the new Oprah or the Florence Nightinggale that will be remembered for a 100 years, peharps you are still waiting for your first made million dollars. But, if you revise what you have actually done in your life, it might just be good enough. Is not picking a great gift for your mum, singing a special song on a party, knowing the best place to pick mushrooms or just taking that extra time to read a super-duper long good night story for your kids worth something too?

I know that I am not alone in my struggle to be "a good girl". But give yourself a pat on the back and embrace what you have actually accomplished, so far!

Bracelet from Bijoudellostregatto.

WIP - mainly a manly afghan

2011-09-14T08:00:00.002+02:00

I haven't showed you the finished pictures of the blanket I made for my daughter, but I realized that I probably should make one for my son as well. On the other hand, with the same yarn and hook size as my last project it would take forever to complete.

My choice was instead this pattern from Garnstudio. The garn calls for Drops Delight, but I am using Marks&Kattens Fame trend instead. And so far I am using three sets of colors (650, 655 and 659), and I've made 60 squares, 20 of each color. I am not sure what the finished measurments will be, as I think that I am crocheting not as loose as I should, because my squares do not measure 12cm, but rather 10,5 cm or so.

I think it will be a gorgeous afghan when it is done. Unfortunately my son has already declared that he does not want such a dull blanket. He wants something with a lot of colors. So, before I am even done with this one I have already got at least ONE more of these huuuge project to do.

Well, this one actually is less huge than you would think. It was able to make one square during a match when our son played this weekend. One match is 20 minutes, and of course I had to take some pauses to cheer and look if it was to exciting... This means that I am usually able to make 4-5 squares just watching a regular movie on TV.

I'll keep you posted on any progress. I will probably use a dark purple Garnstudio Fabel for the rows that are connecting each square to the next one. I haven't figured out how to make the most of these squares. Join them ad-hoc, or place them very throughly in a pattern and move them around until they are perfect... The first method appeals to my practical sense, but the second one appeals to my sense for order and estethics....

WorkInProgress - Back to school shirt

2011-09-12T12:13:00.003+02:00

I had such a brilliant idea of a back to school shirt a while ago, and since my son was starting first grade I wanted to make it for him. After first drawing the world map, then transferring it on to vlieseline and cutting out most of the continents.... I've still got the sewing to do. I am starting to have second thoughts about this project, but if it works out it will definitely be a favourite. Perhaps for second grade?

I still haven't cut out all pieces. Can you spot what's wrong with the map?? Which countries are missing?

Birdie nam nam

2011-09-05T12:29:00.000+02:00

Ever since I saw this fabric on Panduro I have saving it for the perfect dress. My daughter has been petting it every now and then. Somehow it ended up nex to this lime green polkadot fabric and I realized that it was a match made in heaven.

I am using the same fake empire cut that I've used before. It is a little extra job, but it looks so much better. I think I might make a tutorial on how I sew these some day. I am not sure if we're keeping it or not. It is hanging in our daughters wardrobe, but she has never worn it, always picking some other dress, so it might very well come up for sale. Sz 122/128 (7-8yrs).

Hoot hoot!

2011-08-29T08:00:00.000+02:00

I really like this retro owl fabric, and using one of the main colors (in my case turquoise) really accentuate the pattern itself. I love this tunic, so comfy and easy to combine with tight jeans or leggings. And they are just the perfect model for my daughter. This is the tunic I was thinking of making for myself that I wrote about the other day, but I am still not sure that I will be able to pull it off in the office with all the dark suits. Perhaps for a casual Friday??
This models works great with the fold over elastics around the arms and neckline. And it is so much fun to pick the right color of the elastics. I will give you a few pointers on how to make them perfect. I measure the neckline and then I cut a piece that is 75% of the total length (if it is 40 cm I will cut 30 cm). Then I sew it into a circle, mark the middle of the elastics. And the I mark middle of the front and back of the bodice. I use three-stitch-zig-zag which makes the seam slightly elastic, I have seen others using regular zig-zag too. And then it is just to fold over the edge and sew on the elastics. Pull gently to distribute the elastics evenly around the neckline. If you have a long neckline (as for adults) you might want to mark 4 places instead of two. Remember that the two marks on the side will NOT be on the shoulder seams, but rather a couple of centimeters down the front.

I'm back - sort of...

2011-08-26T10:52:00.004+02:00

I took a looooooong break from blogging. But being online 24-7 most of the year really requires a long break. But, since I had a few photos of items that were made during the spring I thought I'd start with them.

It's not often that I make something for myself, but this tunic is something that I've had on my mind for a while. It's the same model I made for my daughter. Only slightly larger. The flowery fabric is Patty Smith/Michael Miller that are both most famous for the fab quilt fabrics, but launched a line of knit fabrics as well. I made a couple of shirts in the same fabric last year, and one of them my daughter knicked out of the sales-box and started using it. Very proud to wear the same shirt as her mum.

I think I might make a few more of this. The fold over elastics around the sleeves and neckline made it a really quick project. I have been eyíng a fabric with large retro owls on it, but I am not sure that I can pull that off in the office. To many dark suits there... *LOL*

Oh, btw, I have a batch of these in children's sizes that will be listed soon. Or, when my life settles down at least. I got promoted to a new position and it is really taking my breath at the moment. Most days I only have time for some crocheting before I go to bed...

How to turn 24 hours into 26

2011-07-05T10:45:00.005+02:00

Cute watch from Amoronia.

I often get the question how I am able to do so much crafting? Since I don't have more than 24 hours per day (wish I could have more… but still) you will have to learn how to find little pockets of time here and there. My children are now 5 and 7 which means that they sometimes are able to play without being tended to all the time, but I will give you a few tips on how to get more crafting time even with smaller children.

First of all. Turn off the TV and turn off the computer. I very rarely sit in the couch to watch TV. When I do, I always bring something to craft with me. Usually something to crochet. The kids love that mummy is watching their favorite DVD with them, but honestly most of them I know by heart, so I don't need to have 100% focus to follow the plot. The kids curl up to me and we all have a lovely time, although I have to adjust my technique slightly (from someone leaning their head towards my crocheting arm) and tell the kids not to sit on the yarn every now and then. I do most of my ironing watching TV, and I usually do it on Tuesdays since that is the day that has most of my favorite programs.

Have a crafting space. No matter if it is just a table or a closet or you have a spacious studio. But just being able to leave your sewing mashines in the same place from yesterday will save a lot of time. If you have small kids that have access to the space where you keep your mashines, please remember to pull the plug out of the wall so that they don't accidentially turn on the mashine and hurt themselves.

Stay organized! Really. There is nothing worse than having to search for an hour to find the tape measure, only to find it under a pile of fabric, or trying to find the missing piece of pattern. When I have had a very intense period of crafting my crafting room usually looks like a mess. Then I will take a day just to organize everything. I put all my favorite patterns in a A4/letter-sized plastic zip-lock bag and then put them into a big box. I have my buttons in glass yar, I have a stand for all my thread and a vintage tin can for all the others, I put away my fabric according to fabric type, and make sure that it is easy to find the fabric the next time I need it. I clean up the table where I keep my sewing mashines, dust them and oil them. I put away all finished products (with labels ready for selling!). I put all the smaller pieces of fabric in a big box, ready for kids crafting or making appliques. I even have a small "Post office" in my crafting room where I keep the stamps, the tissue paper, my business cards, my permanent markers and the mailing bags. When I am done I wipe all surfaces and the floor, since fabric tends to make a lot of dust. And, then I am all set for my next crafting marathon!

Use your waiting time. The kids are playing and you are cooking and waiting for the water to boil. Use that time to clean the kitchen (which means that when you get time without kids you will not have to use that for cleaning). If your kitchen is spotless (yeah right, as if that would ever happen…) use the time and the kitchen table to cut some fabric or draw a pattern. Bring a box of needles, 4 pieces of pattern and a small piece of fabric and cut. Doesn't take much space, doesn't make a mess. When you are done, just move the fabric to your crafting space and you are all set for tonights crafting time. Remember to leave the pattern pieces pinned to the fabric so that you know which piece is which for the garment. If the kids come along, just throw them some leftover fabric and give them a pair of scissors and they will have a lovely time cutting "just as mummy does".

Use your travel time. A lot of people go by bus or train to fhe office, or take long car rides with the family. When we went skiing this winter we had a 6 hour drive in each direction. And even though you need to tend to the children and serve them snacks and change the CD and hand them crayons that is almost 12 hours of bonus crafting time. I love crocheting for this, preferably with simple patterns so that you can't loose track. Make granny squares or a shawl or a simple cardi. Knitting would probably work, and when you get to the complicated part where you actually have to count your stitches make sure to do that when the kids are asleap…

Make a lot of things at the same time. Some people might advice against this, but re-threading the serger really takes some time too. So I usually make either two identical items (one for my kids and one for the shop), or make a few items from fabric that has similar colors. I could cut a light blue peasant dress, a light blue shirt and a light blue sun hat. Then I sew all the pieces together at the same time. This will take perhaps 1 hours. The next day I will use half an our or so to make the hem of the peasant dress and put in elastics around the arms and neck. And the third day I will finish off the shirt, and the following day finish the sun hat. Even with 30-60 minutes a day you will be able to make a lot of clothes. If you were sewing with light blue thread yesterday and today will need to sew with red thread, find five minutes somewhere during the day to rethread the mashine, so when you finally get your crafting time everything is prepared!

I might come up with a few more tips later on, if so I will add them here. There is only one disadvantage with this method. It is possible to keep it up for a while. Perhaps even a few months - then you will desperately need to do ABSOLUTELY nothing for a while. I can feel my yearly pause closing up. I force myself to take time off from e-mails, blogs, internet, wifi and phones. It is absolutely essential to do so otherwise I would go nuts. Most years I take some time off from crafting as well.

So this is my plan for now. Find a hammock, put my feet up and look at the clouds. See you in a couple of weeks! Shop will remain open until Wednesday or Thursday this week...

Super Mario t-shirt

2011-07-03T08:00:00.000+02:00

Agnetha från Lilofant found this supercool Super Mario knit fabric. I've actually seen it before, or well the smoke from it, since it has always been sold out. But, she offered an auction on her Facebook page for one yard and I won it. It is not often my son is happy about my fabric purchases (most of the time he's just plain uninterrested), but this time he was thrilled.

Since it is getting almost hot here in Sweden we decided to use this superthin knit fabric to make a t-shirt. He definitely wanted me to use the coverlock stitching for all hems. And I was a bit reluctant. I've never really made friends with the wide coverstitching. But, this time I gave up after half an hour of re-threading and cursing the darn mashine. I either got masses of skip-stitches or just a chain seam. Sigh. Somehow I decided to just move one of the needles into a thin coverstitch instead. And whaddayaknow... It is working. Perfect! Not a skipstitch, not even over the side seams! I can't believe I never tried this before...

He has requested a pair of shorts in the same fabric, but I am not sure about that. I think I might make a tank top or so for him though... He really needs more of those.

Tunic pictures

2011-07-02T08:00:00.000+02:00

These tunics I actually made some time in March, but I haven't been able to take pictures of them. The reason? Well, either they are in the laundry or they are worn... Especially this first one. My daughter saw this dress in Stoff&Stils katalog, and wanted to have one of her own. With pistacchio green velour on the bodice and white cotton jersey with large green pears. I didn't use the same pattern as they suggested, rather I used my own favorite pattern.

Same model again. This time with lace elastics around the arms and neckline. Velour bodice and cotton jersey for the skirt. It is a bit pale, but very sweet when worn. Both are tunic length and best worn with a pair of tights or jeggings. At least that is what my daughter suggests. ;-)

7-year old designing his own shirt!

2011-07-01T08:42:00.000+02:00

My son likes to draw. He makes all kinds of things. Lots of space ships that fire laser guns or really cool racer cars. One day he started to draw bacterias. I can't remember if this was headache, but I definitely recall that he draw winter vomit disease and back pain. I ordered it from Spoonflower in February. But I wasn't really pleased with it. It is a bit dull in the colors and the red zig-zag on the back is more orange and the black lines are more charcoal gray. We'll see if it fades even more in the next washes....

It was pretty expensive too. But, how many boys have ever designed their own shirts. I am closing up on the "big F" and I still haven't designed my own fabric. Lucky duck!

See hte faces of his bacteria? This is why I decided to make it into a fabric.... So cute! But shhhh, don't tell him I told you so!

New style of dress - with some room for improvements

2011-06-30T08:00:00.000+02:00

I found a new pattern that I wanted to try out, but as always I usually need to make a new model 2-3 times before I have made all changes that I think is needed. There is still some room for improvements for this one. According to the sizing chart I have made size 3 for my daughter. Jeez! I usually buy size 6 for her!! She's slim, but not THAT skinny... It looks great on her, but for this size 2yrs mannequin it is way to snug!

There are several different styles of the dress, this time I wanted to use the "Angel wings". Not bad, but I think the wings could be a little longer. It has elastics in the shoulder straps, so it looks really comfy.

My daugher wished for a really long dress. And really with the white-red gingham I didn't think it needed much embellishment, but I added a little rickrack around the lower hem. Cute ey?

Still not sure if I am going to make it for the shop. It's pretty sure enough, but since the sizing seems to be a little bit more complicated than I thought, I am not sure. I will make these for custom orders though!

I think I need a new bracelet....

2011-06-29T09:33:00.002+02:00

I found this gorgeous bracelet in Kraplaps shop. I think it is SOOOOO cool. But, I still haven't figured out if I can pull it off in the office with all those dark suits running around. What do you think? She has some great cuffs with buttons as well. Perhaps I should start with one of those?

Giveaway!

2011-06-16T08:00:00.000+02:00

Wanna win something? Every month the Etsy EuropeanStreetTeam is hosting a giveaway with one of their artisans. This months prize is a Pippi Longstocking x-backed pinafore. The size is set at 98-104cl (3-4 yrs), but the style of dress will work for a wide range of sizes. I just tried it on my daughter, and she is usually wearing a sz 116/122cl (6-7yrs). Definitely shorter, but still wearable, at least with a pair of tights underneath!

It's easy to win. Just head over to the HandmadeEurope and follow the instructions (you must have a look in my shop and leave a comment on their blog on which item you like the most...)..

Good luck! Remember no comments here! Only on the HandmadeEurope blogg!

Seamstress bracelet

2011-06-15T09:38:00.002+02:00

I saw a pin on Pinterest a while ago for a seamstress bracelet. I just KNEW I had to buy me one of those. I found that they were available from FancyFrenchCologne, but that they were usually sold out there all the time (as now...). But, I managed to snatch the last one!

It is made from brass and suits me SO perfect. I love it!

A funny thing happened with the customs when I bought this. The package from US never arrived. I waited and waited and waited. I was able to track it to "Customs Malmö/Sweden". Ok. What is taking them so long? Then I got a letter from them asking me to provide my social security number and a copy of the invoice. This was necessary for all purchases above 10000 SEK (approx 1000 EUR or 1300 USD). Well my bracelet is only worth 60 USD (400 SEK), so I won't need to give them my social security number. I might send a copy of the invoice though...

Nothing happened, so I called them to see what was going on. And they told me again, that you are not allowed to purchase expensive stuff abroad without adding special information to the Customs, and since you have purchased something worth of 6000 USD you fall under that rule. WTF! 6000 USD! Someone made a typo, 6000 instead of 60.00. But, I definitely had no intention of paying Swedish VAT of 25% + 8 % customs fee of approximately 2000 USD to be able to get my 60 USD bracelet...

Well. The company that sold the bracelet sent the Customs a copy of the invoice. I sent them my social security number, and I only had to pay something like 25 USD in Customs fees.

It sure is a pretty bracelet, and I have worn it a lot since I bought it, but I doubt that I would ever think that it would be worth 6000 USD. Not made from brass anyway, perhaps if it was from gold...

New haircut

2011-06-14T08:00:00.000+02:00

Since this blog seems to contain all other things except sewing I might as well show off my latest haircut. It is actually the same style that I've had for the past two months, but somehow I have managed to take about 200 pictures of the kids, and not a single one of me. Well, none that shows my entire head and that is in focus at the same time anyway.

Thank heaven for self timer! As you can see the haircut is assymetrical. The right side is about 1 inch (3cm) longer than my left side. My hair dresser convinced me to do it like that last time and I really liked it.
And from the side. I added some highlights the last time I cut it, so she only refreshed the color in the grow out. It is actually pretty close to my natural hair color, only a bit more intense. And no, I still haven't got any gray hairs. My grandfather still had completely black hair when he turned 60, and my mum is pushing the 70's and still has the same hair color as before, so I hope I got the good genes!

Glossy glossy hair! You can almost see your own reflection in it!

Yellow Twiggy dress

2011-06-13T08:00:00.000+02:00

I found this gorgeous pattern from the 1960's with a Twiggy-inspired dress. I SO wanted to make it for my daughter. Then I read more carefully on the pattern and realized that this was a size 3. Well. My daughter is usually wearing a size 6 now, or even 7, so I was beginning to deconstruct the pattern to figure out how to enlarge it. Then I was reading the instructions and they read something like check the chest measurment and choose size accordingly, and then make the pieces longer at the marking if needed.

Well. Having a slim daugher has its advantages at some points. Size 3 turnd out to be the perfect size for her. To match the vintage pattern I went with a vintage curtain for fabric. I have topstitched all hems. I used regular hems around the armholes, but around the neck I decided to use a seam binding instead of the suggested piece of fabric. My experience tells me that those usually ends up pretty floppy and not something that my daughter would approve.
In the back a looooong zipper. I really don't like sewing zippers, but this one actually turned out pretty well. I am not sure of what my duaghter thinks about this. She still haven't worn it, and if I have to be honest I should have made those darts to give it an even more tailored look. But, I don't want to make the darts without trying them on my daughter, and she won't wear it. Perhaps I will add it into the shop later on, but for now it is brightening up my sewing room.

Custom order - Pippi Longstocking in the South Seas

2011-06-12T22:38:00.004+02:00

One of my customer that bought the tailored blue Pippi Longstocking dress a while ago came back for more. She had been looking in my shop and was thinking of the yellow dress, so I just had to show her some of my "stashed away goodies". And, when I showed her this fabric, it all came together, sine her daughter is crazy about Pippi in the South Seas at the moment.

This is actually the same dress as this one, but with different colors of the sleeve, and a seam binding with elastics that makes it into a fake empire cut dress. I love how different they turned out, and honestly I think I like this one better. And it is very often so, that I get my best ideas when I make custom orders for someone. Instead of playing it safe with the usual colors that I know will probably sell fast, I get challenged for new themes and colors, and that workes wonders with the synapses in my brain!

Crochet bag

2011-06-10T22:42:00.002+02:00

Have I mentioned that I love trouble shooting? I think I might have done that. Most of the things I make for myself are actually a part of trouble shooting. I'll guide you through the lastest process.

We were going on a long trip in the car. 6 hours drive one way and the same amount of time going back. When the kids listen to cd-books, the road is straight and nobody needs a snack I have a LOT of time on my hands. So. A year ago I took up crocheting in the car. It works great for me as a crochet a few stitches, look up, talk to my husband who is driving, crochet a few more stitches and so on. I don't suffer from motion sickness which of course helps. So. On our last trip I needed something to keep my things in. I was going to use 4 balls of 50gram cotton yarn and change color every other lap. So I needed something that could contain all yarn, the project, and preferably a scissor or a thread cutter. It would be great if the container was soft and the right size so that I could squeeze it into the compartments on the inside of the door.

The bag should have a zipper since the velcro on my old project bag always got stuck in the yarn, and it wasn't completely sealed so I always worried that the hook would fall out (imagine having four balls of yarn and no hook, I doubt that my hubby would take a detour to allow me to purchase one, if I was at all able to find a yarn store). The material should be semi-sturdy, so that it doesn't wobble to much and allow the material to fall out. And yes, the zipper should be along the long side of the bag, not on the short side. I hated when I hade to squeeze in a project into a small hole. If I had a long zipper I would be able to fold it up neatly and tuck it in. It would be fun if there was some kind of decoration on it that showed that it was a project bag for crocheting.

I have admired Tuuni's home decor very long. So. I made a denim pouch with a vintage long pink zipper and attatched a little doily that belonged to a sugar&milk-set that my daughter has been playing with for a while. And, this is how it turned out.

Only problem is... since I stole my daughters doily she insists that it is her bag... She has graciously lent it to me on a few occasions, but she still points out that it really IS her bag...

Summer tunic - trading with fabric-o-holics

2011-05-25T08:00:00.001+02:00

What do you do when you have a closet full of fabric, and still no fabric to make anything from? You trade! This time I traded with Marina fromMade by Ina. She got some of my fabric and I got this summer meadow on brown. It used to be a duvet cover, and I really liked the motif with typical Swedish summer flowers.

All those pastel colored clothes are very cute, but there are times when you wish you could dress your kids in camoflage colored clothes. Brown with pattern is probably as practical as it gets, but I wasn't sure about my daughter though. She has VERY specific requirements for her clothes. Fortunately I know most of them. So adding some extra lace will make her like most clothes. ;-)

It is the same pattern as I use for most of my woven fabric tunics, but this time I didn't use any elastics around the sleeves, but just added some vintage lace there. It got a brand new look this way.

I recently got a question from someone of how many patterns I've got. Counting all magazines it's probably 1000. Or more. How many of these I actually use? 10 perhaps? And then I make variations of the same pattern. Just adding some folds here, and a tuck there, and some elastics or ribbons, some new fabric… And you get a whole clothes rack full of clothes that looks very different.

Some say that it is cheating, just using a few standard patterns and make variations by these. But, I listened to a Craftsanity podcast with Wendy from Built by Wendy and she said that if you go into a standards shop, like H&M, you would be able to break down most of the enitre womens section down to a few basic patterns. Then it is all in choosing fabric, color, short or long sleeves etc.

So I figured that if this is how most large companies do it I would be in good company if I do it too. And by sticking to a few favorite patterns I am able to work more with the colors and texture and little details, the part of the creative process that appeals to me the most!

Recycling for summer

2011-05-23T08:00:00.000+02:00

I came across this table cloth. It hat a few stains on it, but since it was square and pretty large I thought I would be able to cut around the stains and still make something out of it. I was thinking a peasant dress or perhaps a skirt. After some measurements I decided to cut a peasant blouse. I started sewing and realized that it would probably be very pretty, but also fairly meek. So I thought I might add a seam binding around the waist, to give it an empire cut. I made one like that a while ago, and we both really like it.

Better. Definitely better. But, now it looks a little empty on the top. So I decide to do the same kind of solution as the empire cut for the arms. First a roll hem around the outer part of the arms and then the seam binding and some elastics. I decided to go just with a regular fold around the neckline, although I did consider doing the same thing as for the arms, but with the empire cut that might have been a little bit to much...

Ok. It's better… But still perfect. Now what? Just add the green seam binding in the bottom as well? Or, could I do it like the one that I saw the other day that had multiple layers in the skirt? So, I start looking through the fabrics and come up with the dark green gingham fabric and this lime green stripy one with little daisies on. Since I couldn't decide I went with both of them to give the skirt an even fuller look. The lower tier is slightly gathered and the upper tier is bias cut. I finished off both tiers with roll hem, and the bias cut one actually got almost a little wavy frill. I will try to remember to use that effect some other place. I think it would be possible to give it even more frills. To avoid a scratching seam on the inside, I decided to go with one of the embroidery seams on the machine and stitch down the seam,

When I bought this fabric I had my daughter in mind. She looks very pretty in spring green, baby pink and turquoise. After I cut the dress out and showed it to her I asked if she wanted it. "Naaaah. You can sell that!" Spoiled kid, eh? But I have to agree, it wasn't that interesting. When I showed it to her yesterday and asked her if she wanted it, she immediately jumped to her feet and run to me and hugged the dress.

I realize that this type of dress require a slightly different way of work flow, which this time lead to that I had to rip quite a few seams. But the next one will probably be quicker. I am not sure if I should add them to the shop? What do you think? Since they require much more work than a regular peasant dress I would need to raise my prices. But, on the other hand, there is always a market for special occasion dresses, don't you think?

Friday Feature - What can you do with fabric?

2011-05-20T11:00:00.000+02:00

Todays Friday Feature will be about my mum. She always made simple clothes for me and my sister when we were children. I don't think she makes any clothes today, but she's an avid quilter. And some of the projects she comes up with! GASP! I don't know where she gets her patience from, but she sure hasn't passed on that to me. Must be my sister that got that gene!

The first project I want to show you is NOT painted. It is sewn in layers with superthin chiffon in different shades. The more layer, the more intense the color will be. And yes, I too had to look a few times before I agreed that it is actually sewn. I don't know how she did it, but it is absolutely magnificent!

Then we have two 15x15cm (5in) framed pictures on the wall. I would say that it is the same motif, but different times of the day. One mid day and one at sunset. I really liked that she has used pebbles fabric on the beach! And I really can't pick which one I like the most.

She makes gorgeous table runners as well. This is in spring greens and rests on the flap of an old escritoire. I know that my mum has always wished for one of those. And then I was in an auction some 20 years ago. And I saw this, and realized that this would be something my mum would loooove. And the bidding was really slow, and when the price were still not up to a half descent level I said to myself that mums dream would not go away for 1000 SEK(100EUR/140USD). So I bought it. And then I had to figure out how to get it home… I think the nice guys from the auction arranged that for me, and it has been standing in the room ever since. Back to the table runner. It is not that complicated really. Basic 5cmx5cm (2in) squares that are assebled diagonally and a seam binding as trim (and lined of course!). The secret here is all in the colors!

A wallhanging is my parents bedroom. I think my sister got one of these in crimson red for her wedding. Again, 5x5cm squares, and again it is all in the combining the colors of the fabric. I really like white daisies that are in there that makes the outer line of the heart almost disappear into the white background.

An easter quilt on the kitchen table. I don't know what this pattern is called but I love the combination of the purple and the spring greens and yellows. It has all the colors of easter, but without any chickens on it!

And another table runner. Same colors as the one in the kitchen, but with a different pattern.

If I ever give up sewing clothes I will have a go at quilting. It seems like if everything you quilt is getting pretty. And, it is all in the mixing of colors and shades, like a coctail for your eyes! I just need to practice my patience first! I might have the right gene somewhere, but I just haven't discovered it yet.

Interview with two summer dresses

2011-05-18T08:00:00.002+02:00

I thought I should do something different in the blog today. And NO I have not lost it, but since most of my blog posts look fairly the same I wanted you to see some of the things behind the scenes. So I have decided to interview a couple of my dresses.

So, may I introduce to you: The two retro peasant dress sisters: Big sister and Baby sister. They are custom order for two girls in Sweden and we catch up with them just as they are about to leave for their new destination. Baby sister is very excited and jumping up and down all the time.

-"Oh, can we go now? Please! Please! Puuuuuuuleeeeeeeeease! I have seen the other dresses getting wrapped up so pretty in white tissue paper with red raffia, and I want a pretty ribbon toooo!" I think she didn't even breath during that last scentence.

Her older sister also seems to be pretty excited, but is trying hard to be the mature one of the two. She's more interested in how the raffia will be tied around the paper, and if she can get hurt from travelling with the Swedish mail. She has heard horror stories about a dress that travelled in the same bag as a box of Pomegranate juice, which started leaking. This resulted in the poor girl's package getting all soaked and sticky.

-"But that plastic mailing bag saved her.", says Big sister with a firm nod. "I am so happy that Kaja uses those!"

Since this talk about mailing bags and post boxes seems to upset the little girls we quickly move on to some nicer subject. What are your favorite activities?

"Oh! I love water sprinklers and water hoses!" says Baby sister. "It's so fun getting sprinkled by water, and it tickles!" She smiles and pokes a seam in her older sister, who now cracks up and looses her face and starts laughing.

-"And since we are made from such a great fabric we dry up in a second and don't wrinkle at all!" Big sister adds, trying to compose herself. "We are made from a vintage duvet cover from 1970's in DDR. Very hard to find those nowadays, and I remember that Kaja was muttering when she had to pay the bill for us, because the fabric was really expensive!" Big sister looks very proud of herself. "But since it was duvet covers she got a lot of fabric for her money, so we got so many sisters!"

Yes, we wanted to ask you about those. How many sisters are you now? "Well, the oldest of us was for Kajas daughter, but she has been outgrown now. Then there is one sister in Norway, she's a really lucky one we know that she has been running through the water hoses! And then there is one sister in Finland. I believe that she's somewhere close to Helsinki, but we haven't heard from her in a while." Big sister looks thoughtful. "And yes. I think Kaja still has fabric for one more dress, so we are still hoping to get another sister. Perhaps she could travel a long way. We know that Kaja has been sending a lot of packages to Australia and I've always wanted to see Kangaroos!".

By now Baby sister is jumping around in the room as a kangaroo and is singing: "Me too, me too. Wanna see a kangaroo!" Big sister is laughing at her. Well, I don't know about kangaroos where you are going, but you will definitely see elks, since you are going north in Sweden. Fairly close to the coast actually. Baby sister stops jumping around. "Oh! Do you think we could go to the sea some day? Pretty, pretty, please??". Her big sister gives her a push "Silly. You know Kaja can't promise us that. It's the two sisters that will decide. And their mum." Baby sister looks at her older sister "But I'll be good, I promise!" and tries to make her daisies even whiter and the orange even brighter to look at her best…

Okay. Thank you girls! Now it is time to get all wrapped up in tissue paper and… "Red raffia!" shouts Baby sister. Yes, red raffia, and then I'll pop you guys in a mailing bag. We really need to go now, they are soon going to empty the mail boxes.

I have a hard time folding up the dresses since they are very tickly and especially Baby sister is squirming and refuses to stay in the same place for more than one second at a time. After some time they have their white tissue paper and the red raffia around them and I hear a murmur from inside "Mmm, smells good in here, but it got awfully dark, can I hold your sleeve?". I tuck them into the mailing bag and it is moving around when I drive to the post box. But, the soothing sound of the car has the same effect as on most kids and after a short while I only hear muffled snores from inside and a deep sigh from someone that just have fallen asleep. I gently hug the bag and whisper to them "Have a safe trip girls!" before popping them into the maiI box.

Mum, I need a new dress! From this fabric!

2011-05-09T08:00:00.000+02:00

How can you resist your little ragdoll when she comes askig for a new dress?? Well. I can't. She came with this pink cotton fabric with white hearts and asked for a dress. So. We made it together. She got to decide all the details, and I assembled the pieces and compromised with her wishes.

All pictures are from the Soccer club tournament that was arranged this Saturday. She wasn't really interrested in the ball, but preffered to run around holding hands with her best friend. Until the horse came.... Then she immediately asked for a 20 kronor-bill (approx 3 USD). This first picture is her holding the money looking at it as if it was the ticket to heaven. And in a way it probably was...

Where is the horse?? Isn't it my turn soon??

I used one of my favourite patterns for tunics, and added some vintage lace in the bottom to make it a little longer. This length will be perfect for using over leggings or as in this case jeggings.

Mum, I'm riding! Look at me!

She decided to have white trim around the neckline and around the arms. This white fabric contains the elastic, that makes it so easy to get dressed in. I saw a dress in Thelinas blogg a while ago, where she had used a contrasting ribbon and a lot of decoration around the waist making it look like if it had an empire cut. So I decided to try that out. The ribbon is sewn onto a seam binding that also covers the elastics. Not a bad idea, and I really like the look of it. I used white seam binding and darling daughter insisted on the baby blue ribbon with white stars and red edging. I REALLY wasn't sure about that choise, but in the end I think it turned out really well.

This is one of the pictures I will save in my memory to be able to think of when it is winter outside, pitch dark and freezing cold. Heartwarming....

Thank you horsie! I wish that you could live in our garden!

Trading with knitters!

2011-05-02T11:15:00.000+02:00

Oh yes. It was LOOOOONG ago since I got this dress, and I SO wanted to take a picture of it. But, either the daughter didn't want to pose, her hair looked terrible or there was poor lightning, so I've never gotten around to take any pictures of it.

It's Knitgirl from Norway that made it for my duaghter and I traded her with some sewn things instead. I know how to knit, but I don't have the patienence to make these large things, and my daughter looooves anything made with yarn, so I put an "ad" out in one of the knitting forums for someone that was willing to trade...
These are pictures from our Easter at my mums house where the kids were searching for Easter eggs in the garden. The dress is so well made, and the colors (which we had a long discussion about) is absolutely perfect for her. Thank you ever so much!

Jungle??

2011-04-29T18:17:00.002+02:00

Yes. I am one of those AWFUL moms that do it all. I sew. I knit. I crochet. I cook. I bake. I garden....

And most of this things I do just to freak other mums out and make them wonder if I have a clone that does half of my things for me.

Naaah! Just kidding.

I do it because I love it of course! And some things are working - some things are not. This year I seem to have succeeded with the seeds. I have tomato-plants, and cucumber-plants, and flower-plants everywhere now. I am thinking of perhaps moving them outside, but here in Sweden we're still not safe on having minus-degrees over night. And I am not sure that our improvised greenhouses will cope with minus degrees...

Next year I hope to have a proper green house. And to figure out where we should have it. My ideal spot is adding an extention to the house and having it as combined winter garden and green house. Unfortunately that is EXACTLY where the kids usually play football. And I am not sure about the combo glass windows and football pro's in training...

Baby boom - 6 jumper dresses!

2011-04-27T14:54:00.002+02:00

I don't know if it is the spring time or if it is the fact that there seem to be a baby boom running in the office right now. But, I suddenly got an urge to make baby dresses. This was the first size I ever made of this dress and I draw it from scratch and I have adjusted the pattern ever since. It still is one of my favorite models of dress, and I still get very happy from making them.

This time I decided to use some vintage fabrics with known characters. Moomin, Emil & Ida(from the Astrid Lindgren book) and Dunderklumpen from a Swedish childrens moovie back in the 1970's. It's a true joy to work with these fabrics. The feeling of using something that was made long time ago, that still has such excellent quality that it isn't falling apart - well, that's why I love to recycle. I still remember when my son had his "Thomas the Tank Engine" phase and could watch those films over and over again. Play with the train. The look on his face when he got a t-shirt that I bought from eBay UK! Oooooh! Priceless. And that t-shirt turned into one of his favourite shirts ever. I have folded it neetly and have it in a little box for safe keeping until he gets old enough to understand why I kept it.

Oh. I am getting all mouchy here. Anyway.When a friend of mine was pregnant with her first daughter she had a phase when she bought all kinds of books that she remembered reading when she was a child, buying similar toys that she had played with. It was some kind of nostalic phase that at the time seemed very odd to me. But, a few years later when I was pregnant with our son, I had the same phase… I guess it has something to do with hormones. So, for all of you preggies out there that having that phase right now and that know that you are having a daughter - well this is for you!

I made another recycled dress too. This is from a very retro table cloth that had a nasty stain in the middle which definitly would prevent most people from using it. So I cut it up and managed to make the cutest little hippie dress! I think I might be able to cut a very small matching bonnet or possibly an even smaller sized dress from the remaining parts….

The last one is from fabric I bought a while ago. Organic cotton with Dala horse prints in pink, hot pink and gray. Very traditional pattern and still in a brand new way. I got this fabric in baby blue as well, so there might be more of thse Dala horse dresses coming up. If you need it in another size, just send me an email and I will see what I can do about it….

And for those that had an "A" in maths, you only find 5 dresses here.... Well. There were two Moomin dresses, and since all of my dresses are available in my Shop you will be able to see i there!

Easter Crafting Tutorial - Color eggs with onion skins

2011-04-21T08:00:00.006+02:00

Easter! Another of those hollidays where you have an excellent excuse to force the kids to craft. I might be knocking in open doors here, but I wanted to show you how to color eggs with onion skins. My granddad used to make it with us when we visited him at easter. He started saving onion skins a couple of weeks before. But. I usually go to the supermarket and buy a very mysterious bag of onion skins... More than one person seeing me digging for skins have been asking what I am doing... *LOL*

Grab a roll of tinfoil, a bag of onion skins, a pack of eggs and two kids. Then put onion skins around each egg. Make sure that you cover up all parts of it, those that are not covered will be white, which of course can be a nice effect too. We usually use yellow onion and red onion. Garlic will not give any special color, so just leave those out.

It can be REALLY tricky, so use as large pieces of skins as you can find.

Then put your egg and skin onto a piece of tin foil, and start wrapping. Make sure that the skin stays in place.

You will end up with something that look like space eggs. Put them in a large pot.

Fill up with water. It needs to cover the eggs, but as the packages will float you don't need the pot to be filled to the brim.

Start boiling. You might want to turn the packages ever now and then. As you can see the water will turn into something that looks like tea. As the tin foil isolates the eggs you will need to boil them for something like twice the time that you usually cook your hard boiled eggs. For us: 15 minutes.

Pour out the water and fill up with cold water. Do this several times. Again, the tin foil isolates, and you don't want to burn the kids hands.

Now comes the fun. Unpeeling the packages! Cover up the table. The water contains color, so it will give stains if you are not around to wipe it up immediately. We used newspaper.

Fully concentrated!

What will it look like???

Okay. Now you need to do the finishing touch. My grandad insisted on using lard and a ladies nylon sock, but honestly a splash of oil and a paper cloth will give you the same effect. This will polish the eggs and give them a nice finish!

Here you can see the difference. The left one has oil on it, the right one doesn't. Do you see that it has fader color and a matte surface.

And. This is what you will come up with. Almost to pretty to eat! And great for a giveaway present around Easter!

If you want solid colored eggs you can just add some onion skins into your regular cooking water. Somehow our kids prefer brown eggs to white ones...

New model - combi tunic

2011-04-19T08:00:00.000+02:00

I decided to try on a new model a while ago. It started with a picture in a magazine and kinda growed from there. I will tell you a little about the tunic in a few rows, but first I want to tell you something that, when it happened seemed like a small thing, but as years go by, I really think about it. It was in 8:th grade or so. We had arts class. And we were supposed to draw a book cover. I draw a girl from behind with suitcases, walking on a road towards a city profile in the middle of the setting sun. We were supposed to use crayons, but when I was supposed to draw the city skyline I changed into a pencil or touche or something. I wanted the profile to be really sharp, and I could not archieve that with the crayons. Later that semester when our parents were allowed to come to school to talk with all the teacher. My arts teacher had brought that very picture as an excellent example of creativity. He said that it was very unusual for students to change media within the same drawing, and said something about courage and so... I was a bit confused. Courage? I just had to change media to be able to archieve the effect I wanted. Now. Something like 20+ years later I think about that. This is very often how my creativity works. I want to archieve something. A feeling. An effect. Something like that. And I am willing to use one or several medias to be able to reach that. Some might think that that is odd, that you would need courage to mix knitting with paper, clay with pine cones or two kinds of very different fabric. But I don't see it that way. I just do what I need to do to obtain the right feeling, or effect. Okay. Back to the tunic. It has an upper bodice and slightly puffed sleeves in velour. And skirt in regular cotton knit. In this case the skirt is made from an old wrap dress that I bought for 10 SEK/$1.50 which is a real bargain here in Sweden, where second hand can be 10x that in price, even for well worn standard pieces from H&M. I cut up the skirt form the wrap dress, and I have actually used the upper part of that dress to make a similar top for myself, I hope I will be able to catch that on picture some day. The sleeves and the neckline has a trim made out of elastic lace, that sometimes can be seen as trims on underwear. The skirt has a frilly hem, that goes well with the small flowers in the off white fabric. And, as it happens the red flowers on the skirt EXACTLY matches the color of the raspberry red velour. I have made two more of these tunics for my daughter, but somehow I am never able to catch them on picture, especially not in clean state, or daughter in a good mood. On these pictures she has a bad-hair-day, but at least she's smiling.... I intend to make more of this model and add them into the shop, eventually. But now with the warmer season coming up here in Sweden I might start making them in only cotton knits. We'll see...

MondayMoodboard - Iphone cozies.

2011-04-18T08:00:00.000+02:00

My hubby got himself an Iphone4. I know he's a tech-freak, so he really deserved it. But I am just a tad envyous of him. Despite working on an IT company I have a REALLY old cell phone. We are not allowed to buy any of these fancy things. And here in Sweden it is not that expensive to buy phones IF you sign up for a contract with the phone company at the same time. If you don't sign up.... well, then it can get pretty expensive.... And Iphone is not the cheap stuff.... So. Of course. You would need to protect your little darling, and before surfing the net to find out HOW you could protect it there are some ways that I would never have thought about.

Top row from the left: Flower appliques in leather from EightSeason Masculine leather from Leathermix. Polkadot fabric from byEsa. Middle row: Tweed cover by Pomella Fabric by JuanitaTortilla. Candy striped crochet by Angelpearls. Bottom row: Crocheted beads from Eljuks. Lacy crocheted from anils. Crocheted from Angelpearls.

Monday Moodboard is a game played by members of the EuropeanStreetTeam, for more lovely moodboards head over to Fleurfatales blog

Bonnets for the summer

2011-04-14T14:17:00.004+02:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to keep the baby items in the shop, but now when the sun came out I just HAD to make a few bonnets... And along with them came the urge of making little baby pinafores. But first things first, here are the bonnets.

This my absolute favorite model for baby bonnets. Covering up the little head, gently tied under the cheek and still airy enough to keep the head cool during those really warm summer days that we all long for. My daughter wore these all the time during summer until she was 2, and those were the only things that would stay on her head, so I think that they are pretty comfortable.
There are 7 bonnets that have been listed in my shop, all with contratisting inner fabric that is visible on the fold, and little matching buttons on the back of the bonnet, that holds it together. They are all in sizes for a newborn (approximately 39cm/15in headcircumference), but I will take custom orders in any sizes from preemie up to 5 yrs. All of them available here in my Etsy shop.

"No honey, it's not a dress. It's a tunic."

2011-04-05T08:00:00.000+02:00

The older the children gets the more compromizing we do with them. When they are babies you can put on almost any clothes you want. But as they grow up they tend to have more ideas on what to wear. Our daughter was not more than 3 1/2 years old when she refused to wear pants for 9 months. After that I managed to convince her to use really tight jeans or jeggings.... Here's a custom order for a colleague. She saw this dress and wanted it in a larger size, but with the same length. And then she decided to order a second tunic in this white hearts on red background fabric. After some discussions we agreed on puff sleeves with lace elastics trim around the neckline and the sleeves, and a lettuce hem. And again. Not in dress length, more mid-thigh length.

When the little girl that got the garment first got it she protested. "No. I don't want to wear a dress!" But her mum managed to convince her that it is long shirt, or possibly a tunic. Then she tried it on and was thrilled by the softness of the fabric. It is a brushed cotton jersey and soft as a peach.

And as her mum pointed out. Worn over a pair of jeans this tunic will be a pretty cool one, but with a pair of lace-trimmed white leggings it will appear very sweet. And. It is definitely not a dress. It's a long shirt. *LOL*

Summer wardrobe for two sisters

2011-03-30T08:00:00.002+02:00

This is offically one of the strangest custom order I have ever made. I got contacted by the customer through a Swedish parental forums, where we have seen eachother in some crafting threads. She had seen my apron wrap dresses and wanted two for her daughers. Navy with white seam bindings. And matching shorts in red with white polkadots and white ruffle. Ok. So far so good. It was the last part of the order that freaked me out. "Hey, I'll throw in some extra money when I transfer it, and you can make something to surprise me. I trust your taste!".

Ooookay? Only problem is that I didn't know HER taste… Well. After some discussion she told me that she didn't mind white clothes on kids and that she like the classic Swedish style from the Astrid Lindgren book "Madicken".

I have made several of these apron wrap dresses, but I love that they turn out so different depending on which colors you use. This one is more of a tunic lenght so that the shorts would show. I have a vintage pattern somewhere that has a model that is very close to this one. The ruffle pants are really cute, and my new and discustingly expensive ruffler foot makes these pants not that complicated to sew.

I wanted to make her something that matched the pants, so that her daughters would get two outfits from three items. And also something that worked for summer. And something that is close to a staple in the wardrobe, but still with a twist.

I was looking at the white vintage fabric with Dalahorses (she's Swedish, but lives abroad), but I thought I might have problems fitting in two tunics on a limited amount of fabric. Then I saw this one. It is a very light cotton fabric (popeline) with white butterflies printed on to it. If you look at the fabric in the dark or from a distance it appears white, but when you come close you can see the butterflies. The fabric has been asking to become a peasant tunic for a while, but I have refused to listen to it so it has been sitting on the shelves for quite a while. Elastics around the arms and necklines makes it really comfy and it is easy for little girls to get dressed themselves. And the model is SO sunsmart, protecting little shoulders, but still being airy enough too stay cool. I used a lace trim to make it even more romantic, and also make it a little bit more Madicken-style.

Friday Feature - Bloggers with lots of patience!

2011-03-25T08:32:00.004+01:00

Today I will talk about patience. Patience is a virtue. We all know that. And most things actually is not that hard to do, if you only stay calm and keep on working towards your goal. I am not sure about how much patience I've got. With some things, like crocheting, I can go on forever with a project, and some sewing projects have been taking VERY long time to complete. But knitting is not my cup of tea. I do knit, but the only thing I have EVER thrown into a wall because I was SO frustrated was a knitting project.

Some bloggers don't necessary crank out very many projects but the ones they do are AMAZING.

First one is Steph from PetitPlat. Can you just imagine making all those little easter eggs from clay by hand and put them in this tiny basket… My hands are starting to twitch as I see it. Hat's off!

Next one is LilleGitte who makes amazing sewn things. This is a copy of the Swedish queens crown that she wore when she got married, and last summer our princess wore it too when she got married. I would never have come up with the idea of making a crown in fabric, with all those details… But the result is to die for!

Syko is a textile artist from Finland. She has a book out now. And this is part of a longer project she made and I just looooove this picture. The girl with the sewing machine in her hand, the bike with a pack of fabric in the back. It could be me! Well. Except for the fact that she's wearing bangs…

And last but not least, Lisa. And most other quilters. This bed spread is stunning. She claims that it is not that complicated to make a bed spread like this. Well doooh! Perhaps not. But the amount of patience to make these quilts…. Perhaps I could do it once, if I REALLY tried. But she's doing it over and over and over again.

Wanna join and make your own FridayFeature?? Make your own FridayFeature and add your link to the MrLinky below, and link back from your blog to allow your readers to find more FridayFeatures!

And NO, you don't have to write your blogpost in English. I read some blogs in a language I don't even understand, and everybody loves looking at good pictures that can provide some inspiration!

Babushka and the hedgehog ~ a Kaja fairy tale

2011-03-24T08:00:00.001+01:00

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Babushka. Her mum loved her very much and always dressed her up very pretty in pink dresses and scarves. Babushkas favourite colors were pink, like the roses and green like the trees.

One day Babushka went out in the forrest to find roses. She saw all kind of animals. Deers, falcons, rabbits and a fox. All of the animals lived in the forrest and were happy together. Babuska saw all kinds of beautiful flowers like bluebells and bellis, and some yellow flower she didn't know the name of. She also found some yummy strawberries that she ate when she got hungry. After a while Babushka realized that in the spring time the roses wasn't flowering yet, so she went home.

On her way home she met an whole family with hedgehogs. A mum, a dad, and three little children. Babushka asked the mum and dad if the children could follow her home to play with her in the garden. They had a lovely time, the hedgehogs played very careful with Babushka so that she wouldn't get hurt from their needles.
When the sun was going down their parents came along and brought the hedgehog children back home so they could all curl up together in a cozy nest of dried leafs.

All dresses and tunics are made in sz 86-92cl (18-24mths) and avialble through my Etsy shop.

Birthday gift: Pokemon pouch

2011-03-23T08:00:00.000+01:00

Did I mention that we have Pokemon fever?? Yes. I might have... All the boys at school are bringing their Pokemon albums to school and trading. Sometimes they regret their trades and sometimes the older kids cheat them, and sometimes the cards just dissappear. So. In order to prevent any problems regarding the cards the class teachers decided that each kid can bring 10 cards to school. Which means that the albums are way to big.

My son has used a pouch we got through a trade from Kokalal to keep his card in. The basic idea was alright, but we needed something sturdy to keep the cards from folding, and the original pouch didn't have the correct measurements. And now when our sons best friend was having his 7:th birthday party this weekend it was just the perfect excuse to finally do something about that idea.

After consulting my son we agreed on a denim fabric, which is has a slightly gray shade to it. My son wanted the fire-Pokemon Charmander and orange zipper to go with the fire. And his friend got the water Pokemon Squirtle and a green zipper. Just in case there are more boys that will be wishing for Pokemon pouches I decided to use the alphabet function on my sewing machine and write their names on the pouches in that special orange-brown thread that is used for the hem on denim jeans.

I am not sure that these will ever end up in the shop, but it feels great to do something just for the fun of it!

Moomin and Pippi Longstocking dresses

2011-03-22T08:00:00.000+01:00

Yes. I am making more of these peasant style dresses. My daughter just loves them during summer, and I think it is so nice to have something pretty to pull on without spending a day trying to figure out if the colors of the leggings goes with the tunic... And. since the model is so airy it is perfect during warm summer days, covering up little shoulders, but still cool enough to not make them sweat.

I just folded away her dresses that I made for her THREE years ago. She was 92cl (2T) then and now she's wearing 116 (6yrs), and now they are definitely to small. But show me any other dress that will last for three seasons!

The first one is a from a vintage duvet cover. I bought the fabric wanting to make them criss-cross-aprons, but the fabric is simply to soft for that. So, peasant style dresses it is! These are the kind of dresses that I don't think will even wrinkle very much and feels like silk on the body, becuase they are simply sooooo soft! I made two at the same time in sz 86/92 (18-24mths) and you will find them in the shop here and here.

The second sets of dresses are Moomin on bubbles. Some of the original drawings of Moomin are not very colorful. Lots of little details yes, but pretty dull otherwise. So I thought it would be nice with a dress that isn't supercute! So, all the Moomins on beige background, with white polkadots on mole colored puff sleeves. I made two, that actually turned out pretty much the same length, despite being different sizes, which of course is because one of them is a tunic and the other a dress. I have seen that older girls usually seem to preffer tunics that can go with tights, rather than a dress, so I try to make a little of both to have in my shop.

Thes dress is in sz 92-98cl (2T-3T), and the tunic with a lace hem in size 110/116 (5-6yrs).

MondayMoodboard - Euroweek on Etsy!

2011-03-21T09:25:00.004+01:00

Time for MondayMoodboard again! This time I have picked lovely pink and neutral items for the Moodboard. And as icing on the cake - they're all organic! This is a part of a larger Treasury which you can find here! Today the EuroWeek starts on Etsy, with a lot of features of European crafters and artists. Last year I missed out the entire week, so I am really looking forward to this one! And as a bonus for all my readers I am offering world wide free shipping if you state the code EUROWEEK2011 when you check out. Check out all the other shops from EuropeanStreetTeam. When I checked this morning, there was about 39000 items listed for our Team, and I hope that we will have a lot fewer by the end of this week! Ok. Back to basic. Moodboard: Top row: Organic beads from ThreeBlueBee Pink pendant from Gufobardo Bottom row: Nesting bowl from FrenchFelt Natural pearls linen from DreamsFactory

Monday Moodboard is a game played by members of the EuropeanStreetTeam, for more lovely moodboards head over to Fleurfatales blog

Fríday Feature - I wanna be a bag lady!

2011-03-18T10:17:00.004+01:00

One can never have to many bags, can one? Somehow it is always the wrong size, material or color that you have in your closet - and a great excuse to buy another bag. Right now I am having my eyes on a pink one from Iragrant (http://www.etsy.com/shop/iragrant).

Today the FridayFeature is about those that makes bags, and sell an occasional one, but are not solely comitted bag-ladies. And yes today I have a lovely mix of different languages, but as usual you can always look at the pictures….

http://traumschnitt.blogspot.com/ German blogger that makes gorgeous clothes for kids and adults in the continental European style. Lots of ribbons, appliqués, embellishing and decoration.

http://gobligoblisyr.blogspot.com/ Swedish blogger that has made a lot of nursing bags. She even got featured in one of the parent magazines here, and they compared her bags to the "big ones"… What an honour!

http://timotei-timotei.blogspot.com/ Norwegian blogger that mostly makes little purses and also a lot of cute dolls clothes. Lots of colors and kinda retro-funky style.

http://loddelinadesigns.blogspot.com/ Slovenian blogger that lives in France and is blogging in English. Talk about being international here! She makes cute little house brooches and clutches. I love that she's using so many different materials in her purses.

Wanna join and make your own FridayFeature?? Add your link to the MrLinky below, and link back from your blog to allow your readers to find more FridayFeatures!

And NO, you don't have to write your blogpost in English. I read some blogs in a language I don't even understand, and everybody loves looking at good pictures that can provide some inspiration!

Red - is the color of love!

2011-03-17T08:00:00.000+01:00

Just in time for Valentines day (have I mentioned that I have been REALLY lousy at blogging lately?) I listed these two dresses in the shop. The first one is in made from fabrics from the Scandinavian Tilda-series. I have seen them as all kinds of decorative items, but very rarely on clothes. And I made a couple of mix dresses a year or two ago (this , this and this), and those all sold out very fast, so I thought it would be nice to make them again.

Polkadot sleeves and some really cute lace at the hem. Romantic ey? The second one actually has a baby sister that I haven't been able to take pictures of just yet. This is made out of a vintage duvet cover with hearts that are made of tiny hearts. This one is in sz 5-6yrs and the baby sister is with the reverse colors (ie red hearts on white background). Puff sleeves and vintage lace around the hem. Recycled, fashionable and unique. How perfect isn't that?

Twinkle, twinkle...

2011-03-16T09:48:00.003+01:00

Most of the time I only make ONE of each item, sometimes the piece of clothing is very similar but in different sizes, and sometimes they are grouped in little minicollections. Like the Dalahorse dresses I showed you the other day. Same dress, but in different color scales.

I have two exceptions in my shop. Anything with Pippi Longstocking. I need to keep those on a regular basis. Or at least as long as my supply lasts anyway. And these star-dresses. I haven't had them in a shop for a while now, mostly because they sell out so fast, and I don't like doing the same thing over and over again.
But, I got a custom order for one of these dresses, so I decided to make two extra to have in the shop. It's my own pattern which I've now got in sizes from 56-116 (newborn - 6yrs). There are a lot of details on them. Even though I have made them so many times now, it still takes me quite a while to finish each dress. Little details like top-stitching the seams or the corect placements of the button holes makes them take a while.

These two are in sizes 92/98 (2T-3T) and 110-116 (5-6yrs) and available in the shop.

I have been lousy at blogging lately, but make sure that you like me on Facebook, since I have posted pictures of all new items there!

Friday Feature: Blogs from Sweden

2011-03-11T13:36:00.002+01:00

I know that one of the most popular things about my blog is the MondayMoodboards. So. I am going to do something for a while that I will call the Friday Feature. This weeks theme is Swedish blogs. And, the ones I have chosen this week are all having a very unique style and doing their own thing. There are of course a lot of blogs that do that, but honestly, I look pretty often at my Google Analytics and I can see that these blogs also bring me a lot of new visitors, so this is my way of saying thank you. All are blogging in Swedish, but well worth a visit for the pictures...

Top row:
Annabell - She's from the same town as I, and makes the most gorgeous wrap cardis. I still haven't figured out if I should try to make a similar one for myself or if I should cave in and order one from her.
Crochetra - She has written a crochet pattern book and is now giving away a free pattern to all her readers each month. She often crochets things that I never thought you could crochet before, as a gingerbread house or a coffee cup.

Bottom row:
Retrostuff - She makes the loveliest clothes from reclaimed fabrics. It's a feast to your eyes every time you look at her creations.
Dödergök - Passionate knitter with quirky photos of herself and her recently bought cottage.

Anybody else that wants to join in and show off some of their favourite blogs?? Just leave a comment and a link to your blog in the comments. If I see that there are a lot of people interrested in this I will arrange a MrLinky to next week. And by the way, if you want to make a fancy board with all pictures you can use the Mosaic maker.

Featured on I heart Daily!

2011-03-10T07:57:00.003+01:00

I heart daily is a newsletter (and website, and blog, and facebook page) that has a lot of young readers. The average readers age is 19 yrs. And after googling a bit it seems as if it is one of the hottest newsletters for teenagers and young adults there is. And the owners of the site have been writing for ElleGirl and Glamour magazines.

This is what they write about themselves.

"Heart Daily is a free newsletter of stuff we like. Each day, you'll find out about one thing: The band you should hear, the girl who's kicking ass in the world, the lipstick color that looks good on everyone, the designer who doesn't have a fashion show yet but is completely amazing… you get the idea. You'll never hear about stuff we hate, just stuff we heart. We're nice that way.

By subscribing, you'll be automatically entered for chances to win cool stuff including music, beauty products, books, jewelry, riches, etc. that you've seen featured on IHeartDaily.com."

Now some of my readers might wonder what teenagers should do with clothes for toddlers and babies? Well. Nothing. But, I do have a section of hair clips that is really attracting these buyers. In todays newsletter they are showing off my aqua hedgehog hair clips. hair clips. So, you know what to wear if you want to be REALLY trendy this year!

Monday Moodboard - Pink scarves

2011-03-07T08:28:00.005+01:00

Sometimes you discover a hole in your closet. I did it a week or two ago, and I haven't been able to think much about anything else since. I need a scarf, a light pink one. A scarf that is flowy and would go with my fine-knit v-neck shirts. I have lots of other colored scarves in my wardrobe, but not pink...

And what better place to find what you are looking for, or inspiration to make yourself one than Etsy. So, here it goes. Most beautiful pink scarves in Europe - according to Kaja!

Top row:
Pink handpainted silk scarf by Arachne
Multibubble scarfe by Clariceonline

Bottom row:
Vintage kimono ruffle scarfe by karmologyclinic
Cobweb felted scarf by Manonknits

Monday Moodboard is a game played by members of the EuropeanStreetTeam, for more lovely moodboards head over to Fleurfatales blog

UFO:s and Dala horses

2011-03-03T08:00:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I start making a small collection of items and then something comes in between. In October I got a custom order for an adult skirt with Dala horses, and at the same time I decided to make a couple of jumper dresses at the same time. I bought this canvas style fabric almost a year ago... But. Then came October and November with lots and lots of custom orders, which prevented me to finish these dresses. But, now I finally took care of business and decided to finish them.
I really liked that I decided not only to use the Dala horse fabric with the curly kurbits flowers, an entire dress of that would probably been a little bit to much. Instead there is a calm section closest to the face, with a navy blue denim fabric, that has a slight shade of gray in it. The beige dress has green buttons and the wine red dress has orange buttons. Both of them matching the colors of the patterned fabric.
I've got this fabric in more colors as well, and also in organic fabric. But as you can see on these dresses that are size 104cl (4T)and 110 (5yrs) they would probably look best if the size is not to small, to be able to fit at least one full horse on each dress. Both dresses listed on Etsy, here and here.

Wedding decoration - hearts on a stick

2011-03-02T09:53:00.003+01:00

I often say that I get my best ideas from my customers. Well. It's true. This time I am expanding the shop into a new category, the wedding category.

A customer in Australia saw my amigurimi hearts and wanted them for decoration on her wedding. After discussing colors and the problem of getting the right color from a computer screen we agreed on solid white hearts. She is going to use them as cake toppers, but really I think they would look great just like this in a vase or even as a part of a flower bouquet. Of course you are able to use them as decoration in a childrens room as well.

I am thinking of making one larger heart and one smaller heart and attatch them to eachother with a silk ribbon in pink or light blue. Wouldn't it be a great gift for a baby shower??

MondayMoodboard - Floremark

2011-02-28T08:00:00.000+01:00

Todays blogpost WAS going to be about the sewing fair that I attended yesterday. But, since the company that organized it thought that it was a good idea to mix fabrics with salted almonds with vacuum cleaner nozzles the fair was really not much to write home about. I mainly bought staples that I would have bought anyway.

But. I had the nicest company with me. Johanna from Floremark. She's one of very few Swedish bloggers that like me writes in English, and she also lives in Gothenburg. And, she makes the most wonderful creations for adults for her Etsy shop. A lot of retro styled knit basics, and at least a few of them are made from organic cotton. Yay! So. All items on todays moodboard is from her shop, make sure that you check it out! The large picture is of the Olga blouse, something that just might end up in my wardrobe some day. At least if I am able to sell a few items myself first...

I have a lot of friends, but none of them sew or craft, well, not on my level anyway. More "Okay, I will have to pull that darn machine from the closet to fix these pants that are to long". So most of my fabric-thread-pattern chit-chat is done through e-mail or online. I do talk a lot to my mum about this since she is a passionate quilter, but still.

So, being able to meet someone that does the same thing as I do. Having an online shop. Discussing what the next step of the business will be. How you take pictures of your items. How toilet paper can be useful when you use your cover lock. Which ribbing has the best quality. How Euro-taste differs from US-taste. If your body would be able to do sewing full time.... Well, all these things that I usually will have to discuss with myself. This was an energy kick extra-ordinarire!!

Tangled problem solved by trading!

2011-02-23T22:15:00.004+01:00

What do you do when you have a daughter that LOOOOVES all knitted clothes, and you are only able to make simple stuff like cowls and beanies without getting bored?? You could do like I do; Put out and ad in a Knitting&crocheting forum. And then all you have to do is to wait for someone really talented with excellent taste to answer.

Knitgirl answered my request, so we're gonna do some trading. She wished for a Moomin peasant dress, and I will get a dress from the pattern on the picture in pink shades. This is trading at its best. I do what I am good at and she does what she's good at, and both parties are happy about getting something that neither of us would be able to achieve on our own.

Make sure you visit Knitgirls blog. Even if you don't understand any Norwegian you will definitely appreciate it for all the beautiful pictures.

Interviewed by "Modern Handmade Child"

2011-02-21T10:23:00.004+01:00

I was interviewed a while ago, and now the article is published in the online magazine "Modern Handmade Child". My piece is on page 28-31. And make sure that you read on the other pages as well!

Limited edition: Pippi Longstocking and Moomin dresses!

2011-02-17T14:00:00.001+01:00

I always try to make unique clothes, but these clothes will be even more unique than most other things. The reason is that I have used part vintage fabric for them. I am always looking for Pippi Longstocking fabric, but this is a version of the fabric that I've never come across before. Some of the pictures are from Pippi in the South Seas. The fabric is in excellent state. Crisp white and with bright colors.
I've combined it with red polkadot puff sleeves and red seam binding. I still have enough for one more dress. Possibly two if they are small. So if you like it, hurry up and order. This one is listed as a size 5-6 (110/116cl) http://www.etsy.com/listing/68172447/ooak-recycled-pippi-longstocking-peasant and yes. It has a slightly higher price than usual, but as I just pointed out; it is a very limited edition....

Here's another dress. Also with recycled material in excellent state. This time with Moomin, Snuffkin and Little My, all with bright colors! I've used the same color combination as for the other dress. Red polkadot sleeves and matching red seam binding. This one is in size 104-110 (4-5yrs), but will probably work as a tunic up to 116-122 (6-7 yrs), as these models are pretty loose. http://www.etsy.com/listing/68171781/ooak-recycled-moomin-peasant-dress-with

Leftover blanket

2011-02-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

I had all these little leftover pieces from making beanies. So I decided to make a leftover blanket. But I didn't want to use granny squares since there are so many threads that has to be fastened. So I decided on this little square instead. The original square was made from a thicker yarn and a size 5,5mm hook, and measured 21x21cm, but fore these I use a 3,5mm hook so these are a mere 10x10cm (4x4in). So, to even get a baby blanket I would need something like a 100 squares. And to have that luxurious sofa-blanket I would probably need 200. I counted this morning. 37. Why do I start these projects???
Well. Here's a few reasons. It is SUPERSOFT. Really cuddly. And sure a good way to use lefterovers (although I have to admit that I need to buy more yarn to be able to finish it). And my daughter is already carrying it around whenever I am not working on it.

That is one of the pros for making a blanket from squares. You can do most of the square with just a tiny ball of yarn and a hook. And then save it to crochet it into the blanket when you find the time. So. I usually carry yarn and and a hook in my purse, which actually gives me plenty of opportunities to craft. You would not believe how many times of the day you are just sitting around waiting for something...

Also. Making squares seems to go with my psyche. Knitting an entire sweater will most probably make me loose interest somewhere halfway through the back. It takes forever to finish it!

Well dooooh! A blanket would probably take even longer, but since I finish off each little square it doesn't feel that bad. But, the next blanket I make I will definitely use a larger hook for. Perhaps something in turquoise and purple??

Knitted or crocheted??

2011-02-15T08:00:00.001+01:00

I made a beanie for my hubby last year, but honestly. It didn't turn out that well, mainly because I ran out of yarn. So I decided to make him a new one. With Drops Alpaka I crocheted him a beanie using fpdc and bpdc. This made a really thick hat, that honestly doesn't look like it is crocheted. My hubby tested it and said that "This is VERY warm."... and continued using his old beanie. It wasn't that cold outside, so he was sweating in that warm beanie... So. I decide to make him another one with a knit2, purl2 rib pattern.

But, can you tell which one is which?? Is it the right or the left that is crocheted or knitted?? Take a guess! Well yes, the right one is the crocheted one on this detail picture. And on the other picture the one with the fold is the knitted one.
Here you can see a detail picture. The lower hat (crocheted) you can see is almost twice as thick, when you squeeze it, it just doesn't get any thinner. But, the upper, the knitted one you can see is slightly wavy, and in each wave it is possible to squeeze this out to an almost flat fabric. So, this one is much thinner.

If you are interested I will probably be able to write down the patterns for these. Not very complicated.
And the last beanie for today is the cloche beanie that I have available in the shop. I have one of these charcoal gray, with a baby pink flower. And honestly, wearing my own designs is the best way of getting new orders. So, this is a custom order in adult size, but with a dark red flower. It's really comfy, and even though it has been pretty cold at times, and this is only a cotton/acrylic blend yarn, it has been warm enough for almost the entire winter.

Pokemon shirts and dresses!

2011-02-14T10:41:00.002+01:00

What do you do, when you're kids are totally obsessed with Pokemon? They look at DVD, drawing, playing Pokepark Wii, and throwing imaginary Pokeballs through the living room. Well, if you're a crafty mum chances are that you go to Etsy, eBay and online fabric shops to find Pokemon fabric. So did I a while ago.
When I got the fabric home it turned out to be 75% polyester and 25% cotton. Yuck! Not the kind of fabric that I had in mind. So what do you do then?? Well. Being a crafty mum I added some vliesofix on the back of the fabric, cut little figures out and attatched them on to a luxurious thick interlock fabric. On one of the sleeves I sewed on a Pokeball.
The dress and the shirt are made from the same pattern, but the dress is made from the tailored version of the pattern, and the shirt is made from the straight one.
Both kids LOOOOOVE their new clothes, and they looked so cute together with the matching outfit. I think both of these look very Kawaii. I will probably make more of these and upload in the shop.

Oh, and by the way. If you follow me on Facebook you have already seen these pictures, since I upload all edited pictures there before I make listings in the shop or blog about them, so make sure that you follow me!! http://www.facebook.com/kajadesign

Patriotic wristlets and beanie - Free pattern!

2011-02-10T08:00:00.001+01:00

My husband was born in Slovenia, so we have close connections to that country. That is of course extra handy when there are sports events running on TV. Right now we are enjoying the Alpine World Championship, and have a lot of participants to cheer for.

Our son asked me to make him wristlets with the Slovenian colors; red, white and blue. I decided to add a little embroidery with the Triglav silhouette. This is the highest mountain in Slovenia, a large national park, and also a symbol that is visible on the flag. Triglav could be translated into "three heads", as in three peaks. And if you are standing on the right point you will actually see these three heads, where the middle one is the highest mountain.
And, when I was done with the wristlets he was SO pleased. Wore them all day around for a couple of days. And then he was starting to ask for a beanie... Well. I AM a nice mum, so I made him one. And fortunately I actually wrote down the pattern when I was crocheting. So, I am extra nice today and giving away a free pattern. You can of course make these accessories in any teamcolor you like!

I have used Gjestal Baby Ull, a 100 % Merino wool, but you can do it in any yarn you like, just make sure that you use a yarn with the same weight and a 2,5mm crochet hook.

These are the stats I copied from the tag to help you choose a good yarn:
50 g = ca. 175 m
Knitting needles : 2,5 - 3
Gauge: 28st = 10 cm
Make an adjustable ring.

Rnd 1: In RED 10 dc in ring, join with sl st: 10dc

Rnd 2: in RED 2 dc in each dc around: 20 dc

Rnd 3: in RED 2 dc in each dc around: 40 dc

Rnd 4: in WHITE *2 dc in next dc, dc in each of next 3 dc, rep from * around: 50 dc

Rnd 5: in WHITE *2 dc in next dc, dc in each of next 4 dc, rep from * around: 60 dc

Rnd 6: in WHITE *2 dc in next dc, dc in each of next 5 dc, rep from * around: 70 dc

Rnd 7: in BLUE *2 dc in next dc, dc in each of next 6 dc, rep from * around: 80 dc

Rnd 8: in BLUE *2 dc in next dc, dc in each of next 7 dc, rep from * around: 90 dc

Rnd 9: in BLUE *2 dc in next dc, dc in each of next 8 dc, rep from * around: 100 dc

Rnd 10-12: in RED dc in each dc around: 100 dc

Rnd 13-15: in WHITE dc in each dc around: 100 dc

Rnd 16-18: in BLUE dc in each dc around: 100 dc

Rnd 19-21: in RED dc in each dc around: 100 dc

Rnd 22-24: in WHITE dc in each dc around: 100 dc

Rnd 25-27: in BLUE dc in each dc around: 100 dc

Rnd 28-30: in RED *fpdc in dc, bpdc in dc, rep from * around: 100 dc

Cast on 46 stitches.

Rnd1-2 In RED Ch3, dc in each dc around, sl st: 46st

Rnd3-4 in WHITE Ch3, dc in each dc around, sl st: 46st

Rnd5-6 in BLUE Ch3, dc in each dc around, sl st: 46st

Rnd 7 in RED Ch3, dc in each dc for 20 stitches. With an extra thread chain 14, skip the next 6 dc, sl st to fasten. DC in the chained thread, and then start dc in the regular loop. : 54 st

Rnd 8. in RED Ch3, dc in each dc: 54 st

Rnd 9-10 in WHITE Ch3, dc in each dc around, sl st: 54st

Rnd 11-12 in BLUE Ch3, dc in each dc around, sl st: 54st

Rnd 13-14. in RED Ch3, *bpdc in dc, fpdc in dc* repeat around: 54 st

Rnd 15-16 in WHITE Ch3, *bpdc in dc, fpdc in dc* repeat around: 54 st

Rnd 17-18 in BLUE Ch3, *bpdc in dc, fpdc in dc* repeat around: 54 st

Babushka, matryoshka.... Hm. Russian nesting dolls...

2011-02-09T23:00:00.002+01:00

I just looove Russian nesting dolls. It's something with the large doll and the smaller doll and the tiny doll... This is a fabric that I have used before, but since the colors are so delicate it is hard to make a good shirt or tunic from them. It is so easy to get the impression of a washed out shirt.

So. I decided to go mix-tunic with these. The first one here with pink sleeves has been listed in the shop. The second one here with purple sleeves will at least be offered to my daughter, and we'll see if she approves...
Both tunics have frilly hem around the skirts, satin foldover elastics around the sleeves, and contrasting ribbing around the neck. The Russian nesting doll fabric is really soft and very stretchy, you can see that on the frilly hem, it is rarely that I see that many waves on such short distance.

Before and after pictures

2011-02-09T11:10:00.003+01:00

I am not a photographer. I know what I like, but I just can't get my camera to cooperate to make what I want. But, as time goes by I am learning more on how to take new pictures. The importance of light. The importance of photo editing, and a good background. I am still not up to perfect pictures, but at least they are improving.

This is a dress that I took pictures of like a year ago. And the other one I took today. See the difference?? I still think that it would probably look better with another color of the background, but I think I'll keep with the one I am using now.

Pattern testers needed!

2011-02-04T10:01:00.004+01:00

I am finished with my pattern for my crocheted mittens. They are available in 5 sizes. Baby, toddler, teenager, woman, man.

I have written down and edited the pattern and but I need help to get it tested and proof-readed by at least two crocheters, immediately, since we're running out of winter season now. Please notice that the pattern is in English!

They are made with crochet hook 7.0mm and with either Drops Eskimo or Gjestal Fritidsgarn. I suppose it is possible to change into another bulky yarn, but these are the two I have tested. You will need two balls á 50 grams for childrens sizes and 3 balls for adult sizes in the main color and about 10 grams of the contrasting color for all sizes. You will of course get the pattern for free!! Please send me an email to kaja_design [at] hotmail.com if you are interrested.

When I get it tested I will post it in my shop. Probably at a price around 30-40 SEK ($5-$6).

Snowboards, space and skateboards! Shirts for boys!!

2011-02-04T08:00:00.000+01:00

When I was on the Christmas fairs I realized that I had a lot of things for girls. Tops, tunics and dresses. And then an occasional shirt for the boys. Especially the small sizes were not very well stocked. And after the fair the few boys items in the smaller sizes were all gone.

So. I decided to do something about it. This explosions fabric you have probably seen before, but after being washed almost on a daily basis it still looks as good as when I sewed the shirt for my son last year. Only it has pretty shorts sleeves by now.

I had a custom order for this kind of shirt, so I decided to make an extra in a smaller size. This one is in 110/116cl.
Here's a skateboard-shirt with raglan cut black sleeves. Same kind of fabric as on the other shirt. I only had a very strange cut piece left, but I managed to get two small shirts, one in sz 86/92cl and one in the same size, with a little longer sleeves, so I listed that one as 92/98cl.
The first explosions shirt was one half of a custom order. The other part was for a snowboard shirt. So, I made three shirts of larger sizes for boys. I think my son knicked one of them, so it will probably be this one in 110/116cl that will be listed in the shop. This fabric is not available in the shops any longer, but I managed to order 5yards directly from the producer. So, there's plenty more if you find it as cool as most boys!!

Karate kid

2011-02-03T08:00:00.000+01:00

Karate has been really big this year, and my sons best friend has been really into it. Unfortunately the Karate club is not opened for kids that are younger than 7, and my son and his friends are not turning 7 until this year.

So, this was intended as a birthday gifts for my sons friend. But, when I checked the measurements I thought that it would probably be a little short on the sleeves for any of the boys. So, I made all the preparations necessary to list it in the shop.

And, then came my son. He was going to the movies with his aunt, and buy his first watch (big boy!). And he was asking for his karate shirt. And, I didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't his. And, when we tried it fitted just perfect. So, it's not going to be in the shop after all.

A little tip for any of you that want to lay your hands on the news before everyone else (well, apart from my kids then...), sign up on my fanpage on Facebook. I am posting pictures of all news there every now and then, even before they are listed in the shop!!

Gecko shirt

2011-02-01T08:00:00.000+01:00

This is a custom order from my son. What is it they say about the shoemakers kids?? That they all are barefoot? Well. My kids aren't barefoot, but from time to time they have very few shirts in the right size. So, last springs shirt collection is definitely to small now.

I usually don't make black clothes for kids, but it seems as if I am about the last mum on earth to have that opinion, so I caved in. But only if I could do something fun with it... He asked for yellow spots on the gecko, but I decided that enough is enough. Do you have ANY idea of how much work it is to sew an applique with all those little toes... ? Well. I am so happy that I bought my Bernina Aurora 440 with a leg lift. These are the times that investment really paid off!

MondayMoodboard - Spring!

2011-01-31T08:00:00.002+01:00

Yesterday the pale January sun was shining. It was still minus-degrees outside, but if you were standing very close to the wall and let the sun shine on your face, well, then you could do it without wearing a coat, hat and mittens. And all of a sudden I remembered what summer was like... And spring...

My daughter is so desperate for spring. She wants to pick flowers. Yesterday we were at swimming school, and outside there was a little piece of green grass. And she immediately threw herself to the ground started ripping up grass. So, desperate for that green stuff... We went for a little walk and she saw some very dry straws, probably grass or some kind of herb. She immediately started to pick "the flowers". Thrilled for the first chance of picking flowers...

Talking about little girls picking flowers. There is one special little girl in Estonia, named Kaisu. She's 18 months old and before Christmas she was diagnosed with leukemia. Her aunt is one of my team members. Anniki is helping her brothers family out, not only with the older syblings of Kaisu, but also financially. Please go to her shop and see if there is something that might appeal to you. You will not only get a beautiful handmade item from Estonia, but also know that you will help someone.

Spring bracelet from byMarianneS
Flower brooch from HansHolzkopf
Cotton baby hat from Woolmint
Scarflette from Lenaknit

Monday Moodboard is a game played by members of the EuropeanStreetTeam, for more lovely moodboards head over to Fleurfatales blog

Cool dragons!

2011-01-28T09:00:00.005+01:00

It's not easy when you have a tall child. He's 130cm, which means that he's definitely out of the medium-boys section (babies, medium boys, older boys), which has sizes up to 122 (7yrs). But he just turned 7 and does not want to wear those checked shirts and knitted v-neck cardis. It's not cool for him.

Luckily his mum is able to sew... So. I bought this supersoft cotton interlock with white dragons with brown wings on black background and added solid black sleeves. I really like this pattern. It is cute, but in this colortone it is cool enough to fit even school-boys.

I've got another shirt made up out of this fabric in a small size (86/92cl) . I will put it up in my shop any day now. I hope it is possible to get hold of more fabric, because I definitely want to make more out of this fabric!

Ballerina mix shirt sz 122/128cl

2011-01-27T11:00:00.000+01:00

Every now and then I like to make these mixshirts. I made a couple of them before Christmas and some of them sold even before I was able to take pictures of them, much less list them in the shop. Here is one that got very much attention on the fairs I was attending. I got a couple of custom orders for similar shirts in other sizes. The combination of the maroon ballerina on the pink background is very striking!

This one is a little larger than I usually make 122/128cl (6-7yrs), but I get a lot of questions for mix shirts in these sizes. On my sewing table right now I have a set of smaller sizes, 86/92cl (18mths-24mths), another size that customer has been asking for. Just look at all those colors! The maroon ballet dancer matches the maroon matryoshka ribbon around the sleeves. Already listed in the shop!

MondayMoodboard - Space

2011-01-24T09:49:00.002+01:00

I know that a lot of my readers really appreciate these MondayMoodboards, so I will start making them again. The theme of this week of space. Right now we are reading everything there is about space. And when they started with the space theme in school the teachers were pretty impressed that our son already knew all the planets names and which planet had rings, and which were made of gas, and that Pluto is no longer considered to be a planet, but a dwarf-planet and that Mercurious takes 88 to complete a lap around the sun. They thought that he had knowledge a little above average for a 7-yearold... *LOL*

Alien Amigurimi from Sabahnur
Cosmic necklace from Dryw
Space t-shirt from BHBkids
Ursa major necklace from Lindecise

Monday Moodboard is a game played by members of the EuropeanStreetTeam, for more lovely moodboards head over to Fleurfatales blog

All set for Valentines day!

2011-01-21T10:00:00.000+01:00

I got a custom order for a matching set of jumpers for two sisters for valentines day. Their mum had seen this dress in my shop and wanted something similar for her daughters. We agreed on pink seam binding, so of course I used pink thread around the heart applique as well, and pink buttons. But, then for the smaller dress I didn't want them to be identical, so I went with a pale purple instead. Even the buttons are identical, only with different colors on them. I do like how they turned out, and especially that it is possible to create striking clothes with very few details.

I do hope that they will arrive in Washington in reasonable time. We European sellers are currently tearing our hair for the new regulations that the US Mail has implemented in November 2010 to prevent terrorism. Which mostly results in extremely long delivery times. We have been used to be able to deliver in 4-7 days for most destinations, with an occasional deliverytime of 14 days. Now it seems to be impossible to get anything through in less than 14 days, and delivery times up to 30-40 days are not uncommon. There were so many sellers that failed to deliver the goods before Christmas...
This is my own pattern of the dress, and it is available in sizes from newborn up to 4-5yrs (56cl-110cl), but I am pretty sure that I would be able to make it a little larger as well. We just love these jumpers. You can wear them over a t-shirt in the summer, with a longsleeve in the winter. And for babies you don't have to pull anything over the head, just pop the baby in from the upper opening and fasten the buttons on the shoulder.

Cozy knitted cowl - Free pattern!

2011-01-18T08:17:00.004+01:00

Passed on, passed out?? Nope. Only passing time at the moment! It's not that I haven't crafted anything during the Christmas break, but I still don't have pictures of everthing. And I have to admit that I have not sewn that much, mostly knitting and crocheting. I have made gifts and things for almost everybody close to me, but nothing for myself. And last year when I massproduced cowls for the entire clan, did I remember myself? No. Of course not! So, if I have any new years resolution this year it has to be to remember to make ME something every now and then...

It's a really easy pattern, and you can do this while watching tv. I found some gorgoues wool-soy blend yarn from Gjestal, named "Bris". I have used it before and it is very soft and fluffy and work great for cowls as it is itch-and-tickle-free. This color is a charcoal gray, and I fuond it on sale in one of my LYS, Hisingens Hemslöjd in Gothenburg (an old-style yarnshop, with very good prices, do visit it if you're around!). The yarn calls for 5,5-6,0mm needles, but when I knitted a swatch I saw that it got pretty large loops and I wanted it to be tight and with smaller hoops to prevent any wind coming inside my coat. The double rib makes it really stretchy and fluffy and thick!

Pattern:
Cast on 88 stitches on 5,0mm circular needles with 40cm wire.

For all rows: *knit2, purl2* Keep on going until you run out of yarn. Bind off.

1 ball of yarn (50g) will be enough for a neckwarmer for a child, and 1 1/2 ball will probably be enough for an adult. I didn't want to have any leftovers, so I used the full 2 balls I had, which means that mine got very thick, long and luxurious! Min has the finished measurements of 24cm/9,5in across and then 40cm/15,5in high.

You can do this with almost any yarn, and size of the needles. "Bris" calls for 18st on needles 5,5-6,0 for 10cm/4in. I knitted on thinner needles and was aiming at a circumference of 45-50cm. You can use any number of stitches to make it wider or narrower, only remember that it has to be possible to divide the numbers evenly by 4, otherwise you will have problems with the pattern.

And yes. It is me on the picture. Getting long hair nowadays. Not easy to take a good picture of yourself with a timer exposure and a very windy environment...

Happy birthday to me!

2010-12-29T11:35:00.003+01:00

Somehow I always end up last on my priority list. Shop, kids, household, myself... But, for my birthday I decided to make something for me!

I bought fabric from Tygaffären (=my favourite local fabric shop) looooong time ago for this tunic. And then I wanted to draw a pattern for it. But, then I saw a pattern from Mariya Muschard, that was very similar to the thing I wanted. So I bought a pattern from there some time in September. But, I never got around sewing anything...

So, when I opened it, I realized that it was for knit fabrics only, and the lower part of the tunic is woven cotton, which means that I had to adjust it a little bit. Around the neck I used one of those lacy elastics that are common for underwear, and then I added some lace cuffs.

I have a tunic from the danish brand Container that is very similar to this one, and the woven fabric is actually one of the fabrics that they have used in their collection.

It was fun and actually pretty fast to sew, so I think I might treat myself to a couple more birthday gifts. Perhaps not today though... It's my daughter that is dancing with me, wearing one of the cloud dresses I made for her.

How old I am? Well. I know I turned 30, and then I had my kids, and I am still not 40. So, it has to be somewhere in between.

Besides, don't you know that you aren't supposed to ask for the age of a woman?!!

Christmas Greetings from us and our guests

2010-12-24T11:16:00.004+01:00

Hi everyone! Lots of Christmas greetings from me and my family. I just wanted to show you who came to visit us this year. It has been really cold lately (-14C/7F), so it is hard for the elks to find food in the forest behind our house, so they are coming down to the houses to find apples. This is my daughter looking out our kitchen window, the elk is about 2 meters (8ft) away from her.
Our neighbor has left some apples below the trees, so the elk has been here for a couple of hours to eat every day now. This is a female elk, ie a cow. During spring time we usually see cows and then they bring along the calves, sometimes only this years calf, but sometimes this years, and the last years calf. And then we always make sure that there is no elk outside before we go out of the house. You don't want to be caught between a cow and her calves.
They are huuuuge these animals, but since they are desperate, they are not very shy. This picture is taken from about 10mtr/11yd distance. I didn't dare to go closer, because if they want to they can kick really hard.

So, Merry Christmas from us and our friends.

Remake workshop in Gothenburg

2010-12-18T23:06:00.008+01:00

Last Thursday and Friday I was holding a workshop in Bältesspännarparken in central Gothenburg. This was the first time this was running, and they had invited a lot of local crafters.
The tent was full of thrift store bargains. And I got a little corner to display my clothes.
In the middle of the room there was two large tables, with this lovely piece of art hanging above it. Made from large steel rods and all kinds of thrift store things, like champagne glasses and a silver purse... And the sewing machines were thrift store bargains as well. Not the fancy stuff I am used to, but after some adjustments fully function-able. The first day it had been raining and then the temperature dropped. So, they warned everybody on the radio NOT to go outside if you didn't have to. We had 10 visitors. 11 perhaps. Not much going on, but I had a very nice time chatting to the volunteers and looking at the people skating outside. One of the ice skating schools were having a show, with girls age 6-12 and lots of Christmas music! Very festive and definitely hartwarming! But I can't believe how cold those poor girls must have been. It was like -2C/28F the first day, and -8C/17F the other day...
And in the evening the "Singing Christmas tree" was performing. The second day it was the Lodola-kören that was performing. One of the really prominent Gothenburg quires, founded back in the 1920's.
The second day we had a lot more visitors. And I got into several interesting discussions about environmental and social questions. I was showing how to cut up hubbys old chinos and use the best part of them to make pants for a child, or how you can make your own pair of jeans into a pair of kindergarten-pants that will last for 2 years. Not very hard, but very economical, very eco-friendly and if you are a bit creative they can be really fun too!

One of the most common comments I got was that: "Well that's not so hard for you, since you are so creative, but I would never have thought about that!". Well, that's my entire goal with the workshop, to make people aware of how you can repurpose things into something new. Perhaps I should show this in the blog some day, and show everyone that it is not that hard to be creative??

Matching twins

2010-12-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

When I was on Gunnebo Slott Christmas Fair I got a customer that saw two of my mix-shirts, and wanted me to make her a custom order for her twins. One with red and turquoise details, and one turquoise with red details. She pointed out two tops that she liked and said that she trusted me with the choise of color on them.

This is how they turned out. Here's a detail of the turquoise shirt. The ribbon has forrest animals and little toadstools on it, so I thought I would go all Farbenmix and use the toadstool as an applique. I really like these red with white polkadots, but I don't think I've ever made a toadstool applique before..

The other shirt got a turquoise deer on it. So that applique was a pretty easy choice. Of course I matched it with a ribbon that has deers and other forrest animals on it. I really like these large white polkadots on red. Some day I will be bold enough to make something for me from that fabric...

And when we were at it the mother decided that she wanted a matching set of cloche hats as well. One with pink and gray flower, and the other gray with pink flower. Even though I strongly suspect that the pink one will be the one that the girls will be fighting over I must say that I preffer the gray one.

Place mats for the new table

2010-12-15T08:00:00.001+01:00

The advantage of sewing is that you always have fabric at home. A while ago we bought a new kitchen table. The old one had seen its best days, so it was really time. Oiled oak. Very beautiful. But perhaps not the best choice with small children. So in order to make it last for a little longer I bought place mats. And since these things are pretty expensive. (like 200 SEK or 30 USD for 4 place mats) what better way to reduce your stash than using a little of your fabric.

The other advantage of having a lot of fabric is that you always have something suitable. And that some of the fabric is far more luxurious than you would be able to afford buying. Like this fabric. I've used it for clothes, but it is just as good for home decoration. Especially since it has very high quality and will not have a problem being washed hundreds of times.

So. I looked at our other place mats. Cut a decent rectangle with a matching dark green back fabric. I rounded the corners to be able to use my special seam binding foot.

Anyone for espresso and freshly baked Swedish gingerbread cookies??

Secret Santa - My gift to Swiedebie

2010-12-14T12:46:00.004+01:00

I was SO thrilled when I got my swap partner. Swiedebie!! YAY! I love her sock monsters, and she made me a gorgeous necklace with sewing notions on a while ago. At first I wanted to make her daughter something, but since I wasn't sure about the size of the daguther I decided to make Swie something. In case she wants a mother daughter matching, it will be much easier to make the second item.

Now. What to make? Well. About the same day as I got the info-letter from the Swapadministrator I got the gorgeous Michael Miller knit fabric. And since Swie stated that she liked pink (well, I really knew that before), and that it had to be hot pink and not baby pink. Well, there you go!

So I decided to make the Fanö-shirt in an adult version and make an applique on the front. When I started making these shirts I knew that I had to try to make a shirt that looked like that. So I used the bubble seam on the machine and made an applique. I wasn't sure about the sizing and the fit, but I just made a regular size S. And it seems as if she liked it!

Here in Sweden it is -7 outside and I would certainly not wear any t-shirts at the moment, but, as it turns out, Swie is heading south and will be able to wear it in just a week or two in Singapore. Oooh! I wish that she could pack me up in her bag so I could tag along… I wouldn't mind being folded up for 13 hours or so. Honest!

Crocheted mittens

2010-12-08T23:27:00.006+01:00

What do you do when your daughter refuses to wear anything but mums crocheted mittens?? And most pairs in the winter box are to small, and you still have a stack of orders waiting... Well, sometimes you need to remember who's the most important persons in your life...

So. She got to choose the color, and as usual I was crocheting both at the same time. This means that I had to rip two mittens when I realized that they were to narrow. But, now I have written down the pattern and I have even made an adult pattern going on, but these will have to wait until after Christmas.

Since I have been using Garnstudio Eskimo (an itch-free bulky wool yarn) and a 7,0mm needle these are actually pretty fast to make. It would probably work just as great with any other yarn that has a knitting needle suggestion of 9mm.

I am not sure if to start selling the pattern. Say Toddler, children and adult size for 40SEK/USD6. Any takers?
She started wearing these before I got around to make any more embellishment than a simple white line at the top. But perhaps I will borrow them back to make an embroidery on them...

Closing up for custom orders until Christmas!

2010-12-01T21:08:00.002+01:00

So, it has finally happened. I am forced to close down on custom orders up until Christmas. I am swamped with orders from friends and customers from the Christmas fair. I would need to take at least a week off to be able to keep up with this pace of orders, and now that Christmas is approaching I've got some other things to take care of as well...

And my children needs new clothes as well. Both of them has grown more than 4 in/10cm within the last 6 months... Jeez! They will look like giraffes when they are adults!

So, if you have an order confirmation from me, your goods will be delivered before Christmas - and the rest of you are welcome back in January. I hope you understand!

Shop is still open for purchases, and everything I've got available is pretty much listed in the shop.

Sign available from Pattis primitives.

Tractors, dumpsters and a scooter!

2010-11-29T14:05:00.005+01:00

Yes. It is boys week here in the shop. Lots and lots of new boys items uploaded in the shop. One of these mixshirts with the tractors and contrasting sleeves has already been sold, and one with green body and yellow sleeves is in my sons wardrobe. Or rather in the bin for dirty clothes, as it very fast got one of his favourite shirts.

Before the Christmas market I realized that the boys section has been neglected for a long time. So, I made these with space, snowboarders and skateboarders.

And yes. There is a little for everybody in the shop now. Sizes range from 86cl (18mths) up to 128 (8yrs). And if you still can't find a favourite, just send me an email, and we'll see what I can do about it!

Oh, I almost forgot. I am very close to closing for customs orders up until Christmas. I have so much going on at the same time, so I don't think I will be able to pull of more orders right now.