'A pillow in a box' is finished! (patchwork pillowcase n.2)

Do you remeber my "pillow in a box"?

I started to work on it last may and I've finished it... yesterday!

I really don't know why I've let the whole summer go on without finishing it, but it happened. Well, it's not a problem: it's finished, I like it, S. likes it... this matters to me! :)

I made the front by sewing four stripes of recycled linen (from dad's old clothes) to a central panel of hand-sewn exagons (realized with paper piecing tecnique).

The back is a square of new dark brown cotton fabric.

The pillowcase is closed by a brown zip.

The exagons are made both of new and recycled/vintage fabrics, as usual (totally my style).

In details:

- light beige ---> recycled linen (same fabric of the frame)

- aqua ---> recycled (from an auntFran's dress)

- light beige with flowers ---> vintage fabric I turned into a Barbie's skirt when I was a child and now I turned into three exagons (funny!)

- dark brown ---> recycled (mum's skirt)

- geometric pattern in brown/white/green ---> vintage

- other fabrics: new, bought on line in small scraps (they were so beautiful and so cheap!)

I've added in a corner a lovely charm with the word "handmade" I bought here (together with a lot of other charms I'll use in some projects in the future). I love this detail! I'll add this little charm on all the things I made for my home.

I'm going to embroider on the back also a little "2011"; I want to leave a clear and exact reminder to the period when I've made something for my home. I think it's a good idea.

If you like 'patchwork pillowcase n.2'... here you can find 'patchwork pillowcase n.1". My favourite is n.2 :)

Next patchwork projects? Maybe a table runner for my kitchen.

I'm designing it in these days, I'll probably try 'log cabin' blocks.

Drawing faux postage stamps for a postal office in the woods :)

I've done something funny during the weekend.

Funny and challenging in the way I like.

I've drawn 22 faux postage stamps in black&white, filling two pages of my moleskine journal (pochet size).

I started without a precise intention. I was waiting for my boyfriend in the car, last saturday: empty and boring time I decide to fill with some drawing.

I drew a stamp. I found it funny and I drew a second stamp. And a third.

The thing became addictive and soon a funny idea knocked to my brain: designing a lot of postage stamps for MadameRenard's post office.

I'm 34 years old, but I still like to play :)

I gave a title to all of the stamps I've drawn.

PAGE 1:

1- my main passions (sewing, books, childish things)

2- stylized sewing tools (pins, bottons, tape measure)

3- italian landscape

4- flowers under the rain (inspired to my batiq n.5)

5- a fox contemplating the sunset

6- leaves and fruits

7- white fox

8- creative tools (pencil, scissors, brush)

9- bread on the kitchen table

PAGE 2:

10- yummy fruits for a fog

11- abstract

12- dragonfly

13- italian village in summer

14- geometric black&white

15- happy fox

16- a passion for softies

17- clothes drying in the wind

18- footmarks

19- stylized book spines

20- a fox in love for a new dress

21- snow

22- dawn on italian Alpes

All of these stamps have something to say about my world, my passions, my being italian, my totem (the fox).

I've tried to play with different subjects, shapes and styles, giving attention to every little detail.

I've noticed that working on small scale is a good thing for me and, though drawing in a rectangular frame is usual, I really like to work into squares (am I ready for inchies?).

I'm so happy when a creative practice teach me something about me and shows other creative ways to walk.

My boyfriend has been really impressed by these two pages. His favourite stamps are n. 3 ,5, 15.

Please, write a comment and indicate your favourite stamps! I need to know it! :)

Linen embroidered bed sheets from the past

Hallo everybody!

It's raining a lot out there, I have a pile of sewing projects to work on, but my mind is a bit confused now, I can't decide where to start.

So I'm cleaning my thoughts with some drawing (I'm working on two black&white journal pages I want to show you soon), reorganinzing/washing my new fabrics (amazing floral brocade in different colors, given to me as a gift) and spending some minutes with my little blog.

This post is the third of the "antique embroidered treasures" series (do you remember my previous posts about an antique towel with my initials and two red embroidered towels?).

I have other two vintage embroidered clothes to show you, today. Two linen bed sheets, one has a light blue + white embroidery, one has white.

Mum couldn't help me, this time, and I can't say exactly when these sheets have been embroidered. We only know that a member of my family made them, probably around 1950-1960.

Can you see the light blue drawing under the embroidery?

I love these details, they are a clear mark of their "being handmade". I'm imagining the woman who traced the pattern and then embroidered them :)

Good questions

Two friends recently submitted me some good questions about me, my passions, my creative life.

If you want to spy a bit into my life and knowing me better, you can read my answers in their blog.

The first interview is all in italian (here) and you can read it in Nanofactory's blog. The second, by AliceCouture, is in english (here).

Interwievs are really a great opportunity to share what you do and what you are in the world. So 'thank you' to my lovely friends who asked me if I were interested in answering to their questions!

You can read also Carina's interview to me here.

Dear readers, a lovely weekend to all of you!!!

Red embroidery on two towels (one modern, one antique)

Yesterday I wrote a post about an embroidered antique towel with my initials I brought from my parents' home to my new home in Sicily.

Other precious things travelled with it in my suitcases and I'm going to show all of them: today it's time to speak about two embroidered (cross stitch) towels.

Yes, again!

And embroidered initials again! :P

V.V. are the initials of my grandpa (mum's dad). It isn't still with us, he died during 1989. I'm happy to have something that will help me to remember him everyday.

This towel has been embroidered by his sister, before he married my lovely grandma (1948).

I have a 63 years old towel (unused) in my kitchen and it has my grandfather's initials. It makes me smile and feel a bit melancholy.

The second towel I want to show you is modern. But it's lovely and hand-stitched, so it's a precious thing for me.

My aunt (85 years old this year!) embroidered it and gave it to my mum as a Christmas gift some years ago. And now it's mine!

I love that red squirrel! :)

I took a close photo of this detail: if you like cross-stitch embroidery, you can probably obtain a pattern from the photo and use it for your works.

My initials on a lovely antique towel

Well, I'm at home. I've said it yesterday.

In my travel from north to south I've carried in my suitcases some antique and vintage treasures. And some of them are also handmade. Heaven for me!

All of them have been realized for various members of my family and saved for ages. Some are totally unused, can you believe it?

I'm going to write 2 or 3 post about them.

Ready? :)

Let start from an antique towel with my initials. Yes, my initial, T.S.!

It belonged to a distant relative, a lady whose name (by mere coincidence) had my same initials. According to italian traditions, she probably realized it before her marriage, in the last decade of 19th century!

Isn't it amazing?

A big 'thank you' to AuntFran, who saved it for me! :)

The towel is made of linen, embroidered with cotton thread in pastel colors.

I love the thickness of some details like this:

The initials are decorated by lovely vegetal elements (leaves, fruits...) and have open-worked little circles (lovely!!):

My initials on a beautiful antique towel... I'm a lucky girl!

Dala horse stamp finished!

Do you remember the stamp I made for Dala Horse craft-a-long?

I've carved a piece of Adigraf and tested it, but I wanted to secure it on a wood board.

I took my stamp with me to my parents' home and I made it!

My stamp is finished and ready to use!

I decided to color with black the board, to give a contrast to the green silhouette.

Now the stamp is with me in my house in Sicily, so far from my parents' home in the north. I've spent 3 lovely weeks of holidays there and now I'm here. My suitcases yesterday were full of clothes for autumn and winter, of course, but also of fabrics, bottons, printed patterns and other craft materials.

I'm back! :)

A green mouse and a purple owl °___°

As promised, I'm showing you two crocheted friends I've recently finished.

I'm working with some old yarn leftovers we have at home, so, please, don't ask why my mouse is green and my owl is purple.
It's my tiny crocheted world, there aren't rules about colors!

This is Mentina[*] the mouse:

I've realized it watching two good movies ("Vatel" and "Will Hunting") on the sofa with S.
[*] Menta is the italian word for mint, Mentina is a diminutive.

And this is Goccia[*], the owl:

A bit felted,  two bottons are its eyes, it will become a funny ornament thanks to a chain coming from the head.
[*] Goccia in italian means drop.

It's a rabbit, I suppose

One of my crafty-goals for this summer was learning how to crochet amigurumi.

I can crochet, I've learnt in my childhood, but I've never practiced this hobby constantly, so I have a lot of doubts when I try to crochet something.

So I decided to better myself making some amigurumi!

I've even bought a book: "The complete idiot's guide to amigurumi".

It's written by June Gillbank, the girl behind the blog PlanetJune.

I haven't finished to read it yet, but I can say it's really a good book for a newbie not only in amugurumi making but also in crochet.

It gives you all the basics you need to start, in details. Really a well-done and complete book, I'm very happy to have it in my home!

Some days ago I've asked to my aunt (who is really skilled in crochet) to follow me during the making of my first amigurumi. She gave me some good advices and the work (after a first disastrous attempt) went on easily.

I made my first amigurumi!

Yes! I made it! It's finished!

It's a rabbit!

Well, I suppose.

I haven't follow any pattern to make it.

I've crocheted leaving my hands go. I've increased and decreased my stitches when I thought it was right to do that and the result is this "rabbit".

The important thing isn't what kind of animal this strange red creature is; the important thing is I hade a lot of fun!!!

Probably a new addiction started... I'm already working on a little owl! :)

And I want to make also a mouse!

Some links

- a funny youtube video about June's book

- my talented aunt's crocheted bags

- this rabbit is red and its photo doesn't satisfy me: I need to read Elena's post "Why red is so difficult to photograph"

- to make this rabbit I used some cotton thread I've recycled with my aunt last may

Something romantic, something adventurous

A lot of sewing and finishing projects in these days!

I'm spending some holiday days in the north, at my parents' house, and I'm working (alone and/or with AuntFran) on projects I've left unfinished when I moved to south.

Yesterday and today I've photographed some of them and uploaded in my shop.

And now... I'm showing them to you :)

They are: two crocheted bags (a tote and a pouch) in cream, so romantic, and a 100% recycled bike bag (I've designed a new model) for adventurous autumnal bike trips.

Crocheted cream pouch

Available here

EDIT: this pouch has been featured in a Flickr gallere called "Fall selection" together with other beautiful items by italian Etsy shops of Etsy Italia Team. Take a look! :)

Crocheted cream tote

Available here

100% recycled bike bag

Available here

And talking about my shop... remember that, if you like something, you can apply a special coupon code I've setted to celebrate the 100th post in this blog!

Kai No Kuchi: a cute jewelry (or other things) box!

I'm always looking for projects for little scraps of fabric.
I (compulsively) save a lot of little pieces of fabric from my main/big projects, I have three bags for them. I don't want to waste precious materials (this is my eco-friendly side) and I want to save money (my side business-woman side :P).

Generally I use scraps for softies (they are perfect for noses, ears, legs and other little details) and I've recently started some patchwork projects.
But yesterday I found a cute idea for my little fabric scraps: make some rigid jewelry boxes called "Kai No Kuchi"!

Here you can find the tutorial.
This cute little boxes are for saving jewelry, but of course you can use them for all your precious (or not) tiny objects (maybe candies? pills? a thimble? Beads to work with while you are on the bus? Endless possibilities!)

My first Kai No Kuchi box came out pretty well. If you decide to make one for you, I have some suggestions (they come from my errors):

- cut plastic support with rounded angles or you will sting your fingers everytime you open your box (and it happens to me, believe me)

- leave a wider opnening than mine: you'll open the box easily (not like me)

Are you curious about what is in my little box?

Ok, I'll let you have a look:

This is my favourite pendant, an african mask (silver filigree) handmade in Mali. I love it!

100th post! And a little surprise for my readers :)

Yes, this is my 100th post for this blog :)

Well, I know this is not a big goal and there are a lot of blogs where you can read hundreds and even thousands post. It doesn't matter for me: this is my little blog and I can enjoy and celebrate every little goal I reach with it :)

Do you agree? I hope so.

100 post are an important goal for me: I wrote 100 post in english!

Wow, I'm impressed by myself :P

Starting this blog and writing it in a language I don't know very well has been a challenge at the beginning. And I'm happy to have been so stubborn to go on: I used my vocabulary and, little by little, I wrote 100 post and I improved my english (probably you're thinking that my english is not perfect and you find tons of errors in my writing: I'm sorry, I'm doing my best).

I have to celebrate these results!

I wrote 100 post in 8 months: they are approximately 3 post a week.

I like this kind of statistics, they really show what you have done.

People came to read my pages 4700 times (if you are curious, here you can find the favourite most visited).

Followers are 20.

And after these (boring?) statistics... the surprise!

I want to thank all my readers for being so supportive with me durig these 100 post.

I've thought for a long time how to thank you in a tangible way and finally I decided for a coupon code to use in my shop.

From today to 8th september entering the coupon code 100POST a 25% discount will be automatically applied in your cart.

I hope you'll appreciate.