syko

Apples, ribbons and plans for the new year

I've been sketching a lot of apples this Autumn so when I got a custom order for an apple shaped quilt I had to say yes, even if I have had to learn to kindly say no lately. Which is not a bad thing I guess, but it sure is difficult! I thought it would look dull if I used only one or two fabrics for the apple, so I went for all the red and whites I could find instead :)

To try out the design I first made this cushion. And I also made this one, with a little Christmas friend :) Both are available in the shop! I am slowly updating it with a little this and that during the coming weeks.

At the moment I have my sewing corner in the living room and it is getting frustrating for all of us, I need SPACE, so I am looking to find a little studio to rent somewhere close to my daughter's school so that she will be able to hang around with me after school. But that will not happen until after Christmas. I did a little something to handle the mess last night, not much, but a start... I have been planning to arrange my ribbons for a long time and when I spotted this solution somewhere on the net I decided to make my own. I took a simple dress-hanger from the dry cleaners and cut it off in the middle, then I put on my spools and fixed the hanger with a piece of Scotch. Very simple! As you can see I have got my own advent calendar, when I saw Moomin at the post office I couldn't help myself :)

 

Sorry for the poor picture quality, it so dark and rainy that it is impossible to take good pictures! Today it got dark at 3 p.m! We need some cold and frost!

And then to the plans I promised! Today I booked a gallery in the charming old town of Porvoo to hold an exhibition in June 2010, I am so excited to be able to make some larger pieces! Now I just have to think of a theme and a catchy name... Since it is in the old town and since I am me I think there will be quite a lot of houses...

Thank you all for your kind comments on my previous post, I am so happy you haven't forgotten about me while it's been quiet in Sykoland!

Glad to be back

This Autumn has left not much time for blogging, but I have missed it a lot and hope to get back to regular posting now! Last weekend was spent in Tampere at the craft fair here in Finland. I think I was quite lucky being there alone and having to watch my stall all the time, otherwise I would probably have spent too much money on craft supplies. I did manage to get my hands on a few delicate pieces of quilt fabrics though... Here are some pictures of how it looked, next time I need to bring more lights, the overall light in the hall was awful. I was however very content with the shape of my booth. There are more photos over at flickr, if you're curious. You might spot some new things, I will take some pictures and hopefully even update the shop tomorrow! I'll be back again this week. Promise!

A disappointment and new projects

So the appliqué class was canceled :( Not enough participants, sad enough. Got to be more active on the marketing bit myself next time! Well, after all October had started yesterday and as I needed some comfort I declared Christmas crafting season officially opened (please come back in late November if this upsets you :) and dragged out the retro table cloths I bought on sale from a thrift store right after Christmas last year. I'm quite proud of myself for being so farsighted. So these are now cut up to a nice pile of tomte dresses. There will be some serious tomte stuffing going on in front of our TV the coming weeks. But before that I have some quilts to bind.

Earlier this week I was working in a more princess-like colour scheme.

I was planning a custom order for my friend Camilla, who also happens to be a great designer. Look at that pink bird bag she is carrying, I really need one of those, it is made from oilcloth, perfect for a mum!

So the fabrics were to become Christening gifts in the shape of two sweet cushions for a little girl. I hope the gift will be appreciated!