Market Bag Finished

How satisfying it is to get things finished! After I'd had my breakfast this morning, I had the option of cleaning the bathroom or finishing the Alabama Chanin market bag I've been working on. Naturally, I chose the bag. Every seam in this tote is hand stitched, and I've made it in a raw-edge patchwork technique. I've only used old cotton t-shirts (5 long-sleeved ones were required), so it was a great way to reuse fabric that otherwise would have ended up in the bin. After I discovered Natalie Chanin's books I can never throw away old t-shirts again. Every patch (8 in all) is slightly different from the other ones, so I'll show you both sides of the bag. The directions for the basic bag type can be found in Alabama Studio Style, on page 107.

Side 1

Side 2:

 And a detail shot:

And now there's no getting away from what's next. I've had my fun. Now it's time to roll up the sleeves and do some housework. After that, however, it's back to fun and games again!

Have a great weekend! - Annika

Pouch, Poppy and Peonies

Last Sunday it suddenly hit me that it had been ages since I did any kind of sewing. I haven't done any hand sewing since early December or machine sewing since mid-November. If you've followed this blog you may remember that I was suffering from vertigo in December, and was advised to keep away from anything that might put a strain on my neck. At the same time my personal life was also in turmoil due to an upsetting separation, and everything that was happening just put me completely out of rhythm for months. My recent dyecation was pure therapy to me.

So last Sunday I got out my sewing machine and got started on a little project. I guess that after dyeing all that fabric I really should have used my own hand-dyes, but I decided to use commercial fabrics instead. I have some wonderful fabrics in my stash that I have been saving for a long time and now it was time to use them. I also got out one of my favourite patchwork books: Rashida Coleman-Hale's I [heart] Patchwork. The projects in it are so simple and elegant, and I love the combination of neutral linen and colourful cottons. I made the  cosmetics pouch on p. 34.

One side is purple

And the other side is red

However, I did used some of my hand-dyes for this thread-sketched card (the orange and green):

After I'd finished the pouch, card and a number of slightly tedious projects in the category 'Things-to-alter-or-mend', I got out my unfinished Alabama Chanin market bag project and did some hand sewing. 

And you know what? The ice is leaving! Spring is on its way even up here in The North. Yoohoo!

Thanks for visiting and see you again soon! - Annika

Angels and Peonies

Sunday evening again - a weekend passes by so quickly! (Lucky for me, I have two more days off from work. That suits me very well.) This weekend was spent in the company of Mum, who came down for the traditional Women's Christmas Fair in Helsinki. Last year we sold our own artwork there (read about that here and here), but this year we just went as customers. I wasn't really in a shopping mood at first, but then, just before we'd gone through everything, I was charmed by a herd of angels, and bought three pieces from the same ceramic artist, Mette Helve: two angels and a soap dish. I like the way she's used a crocheted doily to pattern the clay. I only bought the soap dish and the big angel with the candle at first, but after a couple of minutes I rushed back and snapped up the little angel too. I just love the mischievous look on her face and the way she leans a little backwards! I couldn't risk anyone else walking away with her.

The Dynamic Angel Duo

Soap dish

Apart from shopping, we spent most of the weekend crafting. Mum has been knitting wrist warmers to sell at a the Women's Christmas Fair in Vaasa on Tuesday 6 December and, when I haven't been busy with my Doodlendar, I've been working on an Alabama Chanin Market Bag (see Alabama Studio Style for directions and inspiration).

One of the leading ideas in Natalie Chanin's books is to recycle old t-shirts for cool projects, instead of throwing them away when they're past their best. This struck a chord with me, and I've been saving my t-shirts for a while. A few weeks ago I made a stencil in the shape of a peony and printed on cotton jersey pieces that I'd cut out of my old t-shirts.

I've also learned to be more frugal with my paints, and I flipped the wet stencil over onto white fabric after each print and got a second print from the same application. I haven't decided what to do with the negative prints, but they would look cool raw-edge appliquéd onto something like a skirt or bag.

Although I'm using just red and burgundy, I'm trying to vary the colour combinations as much as possible. I have 8 blocks in total, and I want each block to be different.

By Hook By Crook I'll Get My House in Order

It’s been quiet on my blog for a while, and the reason is that my life is going through a turbulent phase at the moment, and I’m trying to find my bearings. I bought myself a bunch of flowers, and after having spent ages trying to choose the right colour, I picked these white carnations. They have such a fresh and crisp whiteness to them that I decided I will let them symbolise a new page, a fresh canvas. For the fun of it, I also looked up the meaning of carnations in the Language of Flowers and, lo and behold!, they symbolise: health and energy, alas for my poor heart, woman's good luck gift. Excellent choice.

And then I finished my Passiflora cushion, which I’m very pleased with.

Alabama Studio Style footstool and cushion

Closeup

You Can Tell It's Autumn...

... by the clicking of my knitting needles. In an earlier blog entry, I wrote that knitting is something I regress into when my energy levels are low. I also tend to knit more in the autumn, as the cold weather inspires warm accessories. I found a fun yarn in my stash and figured that a pair of socks would be a useful project for my recent train journeys to and from Ostrobothnia.

Socks in progress. Yarn: Nalle Marjaretki by Novita. 

This particular yarn is probably no longer available, 

so the closest equivalent would be Nalle Kukkaketo.

Creatively speaking, I haven't been up to much lately, as I've been both tired and away from home. But I have kept myself busy with a few small projects. Two weeks ago, I came up with an idea for a little jewellery pouch, and made 9 in one sitting. (They're really quick to make.) I'm planning to write instructions for them for this blog. They're made from organza, which gives them a luxurious feel, and since the fabric is transparent, you can easily see which piece of jewellery is in which pouch. They're great for necklaces, which easily get tangled up in the jewellery box.

Another project that I've been working on during train journeys and in front of the TV is the pillow cover that I blogged about here. By now I've finished all the embroidery and appliqué...

... and started beading it. I really like the way it is turning out.

And dreaming about my next visit to a warmer climate and the Home of the Boxfish, I've bought a book about snorkelling and free-diving. Inspired by Mrs Eider's and Mrs Merganser's Diving Schools for Ducklings, I've decided to teach myself some simple diving techniques. I'm definitely not planning to learn any advanced free-diving skills, as I'm happy just to be able to pop down under the surface for a few seconds to say hello to my finned friends. So far, however, I've just been practising holding my breath out of the water: on the bus (between bus stops) and walking (between lamp posts). It's quite exciting, and a little bit scary.

My drawing and paiting has been to a near standstill, but I did this doodle recently, inspired by my day-dreaming about diving and snorkelling. I've picked up a few tips along the way about Zen doodling and Zentangle, so I thought I'd give it a try. I've always done pretty boring and unimaginative doodles, so I decided that it's time I shook them up a bit and tried to doodle a bit more creatively. That way it's not just a doodle, but something that I actually might be able to use somewhere. And it's a lot more fun!

Passiflora

A while ago I jazzed up a cool footstool Alabama Chanin Studio Style, and I’ve been thinking that it also needs a fabulous pillow to match. Before I went to visit my folks up North nearly two weeks ago, I prepared a bag full of fun to take with me, and while there I cut out a stencil and printed some fabric to embroider on my train journey home. I was in a hurry when I prepared this project, so to save time I chose to use Natalie Chanin’s Angie’s Fall pattern, with some modifications, rather than designing my own. Isn’t it a gorgeous pattern?

Stencil cutting out in the garden. I used Magic (freezer) paper and cut everything out with a pair of small and sharp scissors.

 The Magic paper stencil’s ready to be ironed onto fabric.

Fabric paint has been applied over the stencil and is drying overnight.

The fabric is now ready to be stitched. I was careful when I removed the stencil, and will be able to use it again for another project.

So far I’ve stitched one of the four flowers, following Natalie Chanin’s instructions for relief appliqué in her book Alabama Studio Style. I might also add beads later, to add a bit of glitz. 

This is an excellent project to work with on the go, so I might save the rest for tedious train journeys. But… I doubt that I will be able to stay away from it. I’m too eager to finish it.

Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else

Almost a year ago I bought a cool footstool. I didn’t care much for the fabric, but the wooden frame had potential. As soon as I saw it I knew that I wanted to pimp it Alabama Chanin Studio Style.

The original footstool:

There have been various vague Alabama Chanin-related plans brewing in my head for some time. And this Friday I couldn’t hold them back any longer. I had to go and get myself some jersey and pimp that stool of mine NOW.

Off I went to the fabric store. Not surprisingly, I couldn’t find all the colours I wanted. That’s when I decided that if I can’t find it, I’m just going to have to make it myself. I had dyes that had hung around for a while and that I’d never tried before. What a great incentive to get started with them. Without further ado I threw myself into it. Read about the mess here.

And the result?

I got a very nice blue-purple:

Problem?
What happened to the red-purple that appeared on my scrap when I dipped it in the dye to test it? I tried to follow the directions closely, but it seems that something went wrong in the process. No matter how long I kept rinsing the fabric, the water just didn’t run (even relatively) clear. I know I made too much dye solution, and added more fabric to it to avoid waste, but surely any excess pigment should rinse out quite easily, shouldn’t it? I’m starting to suspect the fixative, or even the dye itself. Perhaps the dye was old? As I said, I was expecting a purple that would lean more towards red than what I got. I also noticed while I was rinsing that the water was more pink than purple. Could it be that there was something wrong with the red dye so that it didn’t fix?

Well, I got a very nice violet, which I’m sure I’ll make good use of it (with a note to self that the fabric isn’t necessarily 100 % colourfast). However, in combination with the two red store-bought fabrics I got for the footstool, it’s not the right colour. I don’t like it. Well, that’s not the truth: I do like it – it’s got oomph, but it’s not right for what I had in mind this time. So I thought of Liz Lochhead’s poem again: If the rhythm’s not right, it’s not right… Rewrite. I rummaged around in my stash and pulled out the jersey I used for the bandana. It’s not as bold a choice as violet, but it brings the harmony I’m after.

The bolder combination with violet (yummy, but for another time):

My choice this time (the photo doesn't do it justice):

Yum! I love it!

And if I change my mind, it’s quite easy to remove strings and replace them with another colour. Very convenient. I’d love it in white and beige too. And I want a matching pillow on top. But that’s for another day.

I hope I won’t have to tie another knot for the rest of the weekend. I just have to pick shoes without laces when I go out to enjoy the sunshine.