syko

The season is officially here!

I have an early start tomorrow, I will pack my car to go to the mall where I'm going to spend the weekend selling syko goodness. It makes me happy that they are giving local crafters a space at the market square at the mall. That will give the shoppers a good chance to buy locally made, ethical and sustainable Christmas gifts and decorations directly from the makers! Before time flies too far away I wanted to show you some pictures from my Christmas exhibition in Vasa. People were so welcoming and happy so I really had a nice time. And I met some dear friends, I just wish I would have had more time to chat away with people! And talking about good people - I will have to do another post to show some pics from the workshop I held. 

The journalists from the local papers were really interested and I was interviewed for the radio. The radio guy wasn't really into textiles, but he appreciated my "I'm a dreamer..." quilt, it is quilted with the words "you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one" from John Lennon's Imagine. I didn't get to hear the broadcast, but I loved that he was going to play the song after my interview.

Now I really have to tuck myself in, goodnight my friends!

 

Packing for a crafty weekend

I'm packing and preparing for a fun work trip to Vasa, the town where I went to school and where my parents live. I was asked to have a Christmas exhibition at Loftet, which is the local craft centre. I was very flattered of course and even happier when they asked me to have a workshop too! It is a busy time of year with projects piling up, so I admit that I have been feeling stressed, but it feels much better now! Today I feel surprisingly calm (considering that I am travelling by train with all my stuff + 2 kids tomorrow) and am looking forward to an inspiring weekend!

Of course I did not make half of the projects I was planning to, but that is just how it always is! I am happy with the three new quilts I finished for this exhibit. I promise to show you pictures!

My friend Tuija asked me one day if I had ever thought of selling my card originals and that gave me the idea of framing some of the Christmas card originals for the exhibition. Thanks for the reminder Tuija! When I first started making cards I didn't think of the option of selling the originals, silly me, so the cardboard I have sewn the appliqué on is a bleached shade of white, which means a white frame makes it look greyish= not nice. The lovely lady in the art shop suggested that I'd use black passe-partouts, which make them look great, I think!

And I discovered that my little laptop makes a nice little art display. Now I just need to decided how to attach a loop to the back of my art pieces. And here's a sneaky peek of the back, I know you always wanted to know ;)

I do have a bunch of tomte stuffies that are longing for names and a couple that are eagerly waiting for eyes, so I'm off my friends!

Have a crafty weekend!

 

On my table today...

Here I am again, I needed a little break from the quilt I'm working on. I'm designing as I go so I need to stop and think every once in a while. The quilt will be part of a Christmas exhibition I have been asked to have at Loftet, which is a craft centre with a shop and restaurant in Vasa, the town where my parents live. When I get an idea I make a rough sketch, it takes about 20 seconds, as you can see... The most important thing is that I put it down on paper to remember it. Black ink and white paper are important companions, but any pen and paper will do when an idea strikes...

I do not show works-in-progress very often, I guess I am afraid to destroy the magic or "flow" or whatever you like to call it and I am not very fond of constructive critique when I'm in a creative process, but I decided to be brave this time and show you what I have on my table today.

I went for a blackboard look, the background fabric is kona charcoal from Robert Kaufman, if I remember correctly. The text comes from a song about an elf with a cold, that my grandma used to sing :)

I will have a lot of different types of items at the exhibition, not only quilts, so I have chosen to work with red, green, black, linen and white to get a coherent look. I want the space to give the viewer a Christmas feel, but most of the products will hopefully last long after Christmas. The most important thing for me however, is that people smile when they see my "everyday art". It makes me very happy whenever people laugh at my creations :)

Pop-up shop in Helsinki!

I am very excited to show you the first pictures of the KimaraCRAFTS pop-up shop! Me and 4 other textile artists/crafters have joined forces and created a lovely little shop inside a shipping cointainer at Hernesaari, a harbour area in Helsinki with rough contrasts where concrete meets the beautiful open sea. These pictures were taken by Tuija of Tuuni. For opening hours and such, please visit our Facebook event page!

If you are in Helsinki during the month of August, do come and see us! I would love to meet you! Grand opening on Wednesday from 12 a.m. to 8 p.m. Welcome!

♥

Kajsa

Peonies and weeds

Phew! We spent five hours in very hot conditions building our exhibition display today. We had lots of stuff from 10 different makers so it took some time before all items had found a place, but we had lots of fun! It is funny how different people interpret the same subject differently. We all worked around the theme Peonies and weeds and the colours pink and green (I actually thought it was lime). So we had a range of greens and pinks to combine to create a somewhat harmonious whole.

I didn't bring that much stuff, but I managed to come up with a new product, mobile bags, that I have been asked to make several times. I will design a larger bag for iphones too. I found this birdcage fabric that I ordered via Spoonflower a long time ago and got inspired! If anyone would be interested in buying some, I just made it available for purchase @ Spoonflower.

I also made a couple of cushions from old embroidered pillow cases. Kristina Lindroos-Heriksson knitted the matching socks.

Yrsa from ArtGlassCenter contributed with these lovely glass bowls, you can also spot beautiful woven art and carpets by Marina Thurén. The bed linen and the big pillows were made by Mikaela @ Rejböle gård. The white crocheted rug on the bed was made by Marjaana @ Mattobaakari.

Catharina from Cattaus is a genius at making metal wire come to life. I love these dragonflies!

Find all contributors here (page in Swedish). And a last shot of my houses and the poster I designed!

Happy weekend everyone!

Summer circus

Peeking in to say hello! My days are filled with kids, sewing, food making and attempts to enjoy the beautiful Summer weather. I'm trying not to freak out and to focus on enjoying it all. Starting on Friday I have a show in the town Porvoo together with 9 other local crafters. It will last for the month of July. We call it Peonies and weeds, I got the honour to design the poster :) I will have it printed today, crossing fingers that it will look good!

Everyone has been working with the theme colours pink and lime combined with white/natural colours and lace. I can't wait to see what everyone has come up with! I will make sure to bring my camera on Friday and show you the result! 

 
 I made a baby quilt from new and vintage fabrics for the exhibit. I also used some of my own apple fabric! I am working on a lap quilt too, I wonder if I'll finish it in time... Probably not.

Now off to feed the kiddos and then sort out a way to make them entertain themselves in my workspace!

I hope you are all happy and relaxed!

 

 

textured

 
  
Finally a peaceful, rainy Saturday morning! My kids are even playing together in their own room! Life's been busy the last weeks so I haven't had the time to sit down and talk to you, I hate blogging in a rush!

Now I promised to show you the result of our cooperation for my little quilt exhibition that is now up and hanging! Sadly I didn't have time to use all the mottos you submitted, but the "textured"-project will not stop here! I have a lot of wholesale orders at the moment, which is great for my little business, but that means I don't have much time to make small art quilts, but I look forward to incorporate your sayings in coming quilt works! If you click on the picture above you will see what says underneath the flaps of the "hidden messages quilt"!

  Here are some picture of my work in the gallery, the colours could be better!

 
Laurraine's (Canada) favourite saying inspired me to make this little quilt! I used a worn-out embroidered tablecloth for the teapot!

 
Susana gave me this sad and beautiful Portuguese saying "because one swallow has died yet Spring is not over".

 
This is my quilt from the book Quilts, baby! that I decided I was ready to part from, if anyone wants to buy it, that is :) I was happy to find a pretty mirror hanging in the gallery, which shows off the quilt backing quite nicely. The quilts that are not sold will move from the gallery to my Etsy shop in early July!

  Your favourite words became favourite-word-fairies with lovely words stitched on their tummies. They all turned their back on me when I took the photo! And there's my little helper looking very bored...

  And here's big E too, you can see from here face that school's out for Summer can't you? We had a wonderful weekend at my relatives Summer house last weekend!

 

Have a wonderful weekend! I will stay inside to do some hand stitching and watch football with the other eye (the fifa world cup), what will you do?

 

Exhibition and a little sale!

Exhibition poster, originally uploaded by -syko-.

Hello! Sorry for being such a period blogger! I felt I had to take some time off to work with my exhibition quilts, I haven't been too successful at staying off the computer though... As soon as I have it all arranged in the gallery next Tuesday I will take some photos to post here on the blog! If you happen to be in the South of Finland during the month of June be sure to pay Borgå/Porvoo a visit! The old town is so pretty during Summer, I'm loving all the small shops too! Click here for gallery opening hours.

 

The €uro rate has been falling lately, which I will celebrate with a little print sale in my shop! During the month of June all printed products (that is postcards, greeting cards, prints, booklets and memory games) will be -20% off for blog readers. Please mention "june" at checkout (aka "message to seller")! Please wait for an updated invoice before you Paypal pay!

This will be the last week of school before the Summer holidays here and I am looking forward to be able to wake up slowly in the mornings the whole Summer, one of the advantages of having your own business! Have a great week!