Personalized Sponge Cloths

Just before Christmas I was inspired to work with stencils, and that inspiration has continued after the holidays, partly because I'm teaching stencil techniques at the moment. Today I want to show you a couple of small projects that perhaps could make your household chores a little more fun: personalized sponge cloths. You can buy sponge cloths without print in craft shops.

You've had a sneak peek of the first one already, but as it was a gift for my mum, I didn't want to reveal it completely and spoil the surprise for her. For this first one I've used freezer paper, which I cut into a sort of 'snowflake'. The artist Melanie Testa was the first person to open my mind about the possibilities with freezer paper 'snowflakes' (See e.g. Quilting Arts Magazine issue 21, spring 2006). Paper 'snowflakes' don't have to look like the snowflakes we all cut when we were kids. So I cut a Westie snowflake for my mum. (Regular readers know that I keep referring to Fia the Terri(fi)er. She has an impressive bark, but she really is a very gentle and sweet dog.)

Here you can see the design process: sketch, folds, cut-out, stencil:

And here is the result. As the sponge cloth was quite porous, the paint went under the edges a little bit and made them slightly fuzzy, so I used a Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric to tidy up the edges. I love that pen!

And then I decorated a sponge cloth for myself too, but for this one I didn't use a stencil, only a fabric marker: a Tsukineko Fabrico Dual Marker. A lovely and juicy pen that comes with a bullet tip and a brush tip. A lot has happened with fabric markers since I tried my first one many years ago.

That should add a bit of pizzazz to my kitchen.

Thanks for visiting and see you again soon!

- Annika

On the First Day of Christmas...

Happy holidays everyone! I’m sorry that I’ve been a stranger to this blog all autumn. I’ve been working hard, and I guess sometimes you just have to give yourself a break and accept that you don’t always have time and energy for everything. I’ve neglected a lot of the things I normally love to do, but now I feel it’s time to reclaim those things. I guess it’s all about planning: I need to consciously make time for art again, as well as blogging. I’m starting with a short update on what I’ve been up to so far during my Christmas break.

I’ve been working on two new Pretty Purses:

Purse 1, quilted (in progress)

Purse 2, quilted (in progress)

and with added hand embroidery (in progress)

I’m also working on a mini quilt with the same poppy motif I used last summer.

Surface designed fabric ready to be quilted

Quilted, and with some hand embroidery (in progress)

And, joy of joys, I did some work in my sketchbook, inspired by patterns I found on a gift wrap and a flower pot:

And of course I have a Christmas knitting project…

for when I want to relax in the sofa with Fia the Terri(fi)er. (Mum’s busy hands can be seen knitting in the background.)

I hope you're having a wonderful holiday season! Thanks for dropping by! - Annika

Midsummer

Midsummer is here again, and in this part of the world that means that the sun is up more or less all night. It's fair to say that it's the second largest festival in Finland after Christmas, and people celebrate it for good reason. We spend so much time cooped up in darkness that it's no wonder this is such a big deal to us. This year we've been incredibly lucky with the weather: the sun has been shining almost non-stop and it's been nice and warm. Here you can see my dad hoisting the flag. The night between Midsummer Eve and Midsummer Day is the only time of the year when the rule says you can fly the flag all night.

Fia the Terri(fi)er enjoys the weather, as well as rolling around in the grass.

These sheep looked pretty happy too, but ran away when I tried to get a little bit nearer

My Midsummer project this year is this cute crocheted moth wings shrug (follow the link for an image of the whole shrug). It's portable and very easy to work with on the train as well as out on the sun-deck behind the house. I've finished the back piece and started with the front halves. I've made great progress on it this weekend.

It took me ages to get started, though, because I just couldn't figure out the gauge (Sw. masktäthet). It seemed to me that the recommended yarn was way too thin for the recommended hook. So I first did some research about possible errors in the pattern, but didn't find what I was looking for. I then made a sample with the recommended hook and yarn, and discovered that the way I crochet, the sample became way too small. I tried substituting the yarn, and got the right gauge, but then the fabric became too thick and stocky. So I finally ended up using the right yarn, but a hook that is two numbers bigger than what is recommended in the pattern (2.5 mm according to the pattern, but I use a 3.5 mm needle for a yarn which is designed for a 0.75 mm needle). It took me a while to get used to the combination of thin yarn and big hook, but I got there in the end. And I guess the point is that with bigger loops, you get a much softer fabric. It makes sense when you think about it, but it felt pretty strange to me at first.

It's been a really relaxing weekend with sunshine, fresh air, good food, good company, a good craft project, exercise, sauna, flowers in plenty and birdsong in the air. I don't think I've ever seen so much cow parsley (Sw. hundkäx) in bloom before. Here, they're mixed in with lupins.

Some of mum's flowers, with the house in the background.

Thanks for visiting! There's only one more week of office time for me now, and then my vacation and new life starts (pleaser refer to this blog entry if you haven't heard about my adventures next year)! I will keep you posted! - Annika

Happy Easter

My plans for the Easter vacation were very simple: to sleep, take long walks, finish a couple of projects and hang around with my folks and Fia the Terri(fi)er. So far, things have gone according to plan. I finshed a tank top with an Alabama Chanin-inspired motif on the back (you will recognise the peony from the market bag I finished recently)...

... as well as the slipover I started knitting in February.

 (See the bed cover? I finished that in 1998! Phew, that was a long runner. 

I don't think I'll do another one in a while.)

And here I hang around with the sweet Terri(fi)er.

Enjoy the holiday! - Annika

Midsummer

Midsummer is a major festival in Finland, which isn’t very surprising considering the amount of time we spend refrigerated. So when summer finally arrives, we need to enjoy it as much as we can. A lot of people leave the cities and go to their summer cottages in the countryside, by a lake or by the sea. I, too, went to visit my folks.

Fia the Terri(fy)er. 

After dinner the family had a game of Westie-ball.

(I kicked, Dad threw and Fia chased a small football.)

That was the best laugh I've had in weeks.

Mum wanted to visit the Aspegren Gardens, so we packed ourselves into the car. 

A traditional Midsummer pole (very pagan)

The garden

The grounds

These poppies really pop

Here Comes the Sun

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

Tavlan jag började med i somras (UFO nr 2) är äntligen klar! Jag hade en lång paus i arbetet under hösten, medan jag var upptagen med annat. När jag till slut fortsatte med den satt jag och tänkte tillbaka till den fantastiska sommar vi hade 2010 och sydde in mina minnen med varje stygn. Det är andra tider nu både i fråga om ljus och temperatur, men vi har trots allt passerat den mörkaste tiden. Jag ska hänga tavlan på väggen och drömma om sol och värme.

Vid tillverkningen av tavlan tillämpade jag Melanie Testas tekniker. Basen är ett batikfärgat bomullstyg och det översta lagret är silkesorganza med monotryck. Mellan lagren har jag tygcollage. Solen är stöpplad med en permanent penna (inspirerat av Catherine Nicholls undervisnings-DVD Drawn to Pen and Ink). Frihandskviltad med symaskin. Handbroderi med franska knutar, förstygn, korsstygn och langettstygn sätter pricken över i.

Det gångna året har varit mycket givande för mig kreativt. Jag har lärt mig nya tekniker och deltagit i olika "utmaningar" som främst Melanie har ordnat för att uppmuntra deltagarna att utveckla existerande såväl som nya färdigheter. Jag har till och med startat en blogg! Nästa år ska jag fortsätta att delta i nya utmaningar. Den första blir "The Sketchbook Challenge", där vi ska få tips och goda råd för hur man kan använda skissböcker för att utforska sin värld och uttrycka sig visuellt. Det kommer att bli toppen!

Gott nytt år 2011!

Here Comes the Sun

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

The quilt I started last summer (UFO No. 2) is finally finished! I had a long break with it during the autumn, when I was busy with other things. When I finally carried on with it, I sat and reminisced about the gorgeous summer we had in 2010 and attached my summer memories to the quilt with every stitch. As for light and temperatures, times are very different now, but at least we're past the darkest time by now. I will hang this quilt on my wall and dream of sun and warmth.

Making the quilt I applied Melanie Testa's techniques. The base is tie-dyed cotton fabric and the top layer monoprinted silk organza. Between the layers there is fabric collage. The sun is stippled with a permanent pen (inspired by Catherine Nicholls's DVD workshop Drawn to Pen and Ink). Free-motion machine quilted. Hand embroidery with French knots, running stitch, cross stitch and blanket stitch adds the finishing touches.

This past year has been very rewarding for me creatively. I've learned new techniques and participated in different challenges that mainly Melanie has arranged to encourage participants to develop existing as well as new skills. I've even started a blog! Next year I'll continue to participate in new challenges. The first will be 'The Sketchbook Challenge', where we'll get tips and advice on how to use sketchbooks to explore our world and express ourselves visually. It's going to be great!

Happy New Year 2011!

Aurora

Midvinterpromenad med Fia - Midwinter walk with Fia