Thursday 30 January 2014

For Valentine's Day

It is not too late to stitch for Valentine's Day. I added new chart at Free charts site. Take a look and get inspired. :)

Monday 27 January 2014

Late Xmas gift

A week ago I got a late Xmas gift from one of my students. Could human want more than long woollen socks? I was so happy and grateful. This kind of gift warms your heart but also the whole body despite you use them only on feet. :) Once again - big thank and warm hug!

Artisan always gives a great value to hand made gifts. Especially if they are self made by the giver. It is always so amazing that someone wastes her time making something like this to you. Thinks about you and is patient to finish it all just for you. I feel so priviledged and special. <3

Sunday 26 January 2014

More about Rub-on transfer

Today I tried rub-on transfer pictures on different kind of papers. I used old pieces of artist papers. Meaning papers made for drawing and painting -not for scrap booking. I must tell you that these old pieces gave nostalgic touch. Some papers had different kind of texture. I liked most the effect the paper made for water colours gave for the art work. Despite the surface of the paper was not smooth the rub-on transfer pictures got attached to it very well.

I inherit these old artist papers from my grand-mother. The Tiffaly Glass Work glasses I inherit -when she passed away- were packed with these papers in boxes. When I got the glasses I sorted them out and re-arranged. But I also saved the papers they were wrapped in. I was thinking that some day I could use them in other craft. They looked very nostalgic. Now they seem to get new life in card making. Like I always say -this world of consumption hystery is full of materials for crafters, you don't need to buy it all.

Saturday 25 January 2014

Rub-on Transfer -tutorial



On the other day I did Rub-on transfer craft. The pictures are like stickers but you need to rub them on the target to get them off the film and get stuck there where you desire to. The reason I decided to make a tutorial post about it is that at a shop I heard ladies talking about Rub-on Transfer pictures. They all agreed it is difficult and they never make it succeed proper. So, here we go.

1. It is not difficult but needs slow and gentle hands.

2. Each sheet is individual -no matter they would all have similar figures from the same manufacturer. (Sun shine, temperatures and other circumstances affect on the material.)

3. Cut the desired design from the sheet. The sheet includes background paper (in this case bright white), folio and picture behind the folio. Simpliest thing is to cut it all which means also the background paper.

4. Remove the background paper from the desired picture you just cut off the sheet.

5. Set the picture on the place you want to fasten it. The folio comes on the top. Meaning the glue surface is behind the artwork. You can feel it a bit sticky when touching it.

6. Rub on the picture with a stick or something like that. Rub repeated and firmly. Make sure you rubbed the whole area of the figure. Do this especially careful at the corners and edges. Notice that you can see through the folio where the glue itself ends -glue area is usually wider than the figured area. You need to rub all the glue area too. When you do this in good light you can see from the reflection of the folio's surface that the rubbed area seems different than unrubbed. Sometimes the difference can be seen very easily, sometimes it feels like a spiritual case and you can not be sure. Some sheets demand harder and longer work than the others. Start gently and if it doesn't seem to make difference try harder.

7. Tadaa! You are finished! Peel off (gently) the film that's on the picture.  Little by little to see what happens.

8. Ooops! It is stuck or begins to rupture. What did you say, it is difficult and you never handle it proper, waste of time!!!

9. Breath! You can fix it!

10. You can see through the folio, can't you?

11. Ok, is the picture stucked? In that case put the folio back on the picture and rub more to get the picture off the folio. Read the part 14.

12. Ok, does the picture get off the surface you want to fasten it? In that case make sure the surface is suitable for this kind of artwork. If it is, put the folio back and rub more. Read the part 14.

13. Ok, is the picture ruptured or begins to rupture when you peel off the folio? In that case place the folio back and rub more. Notice that you can put the folio back even you had peel it all off. You can still see through it, can't you? So you can easily replace the parts of the picture there where they belong to. Rub more.

14. Try again to peel off the folio. BUT do it from another corner / edge you started first!!!! If the sheet is tricky you might do this few times but you will succeed at the end I bet.


Thursday 23 January 2014

Treasure bags

In the town centre our only one store that could be called craft shop is quitting. After Christmas they started sale and it is going wilder every day. I have been there several times just to see the discounted stuff. Every now and then I have bought something considered a good find. Today I went there again to see what is going on. They had started to "sell it all out" action. Which meant one plastic bag filled what ever you wanted just for 10€. I bought three bags. Something for me and my dear ones. Despite it feels like Christmas arrived again I feel sad because of loosing that shop. :(


Wednesday 22 January 2014

Knitting & sparkling

This is what I am knitting at the moment. It is going to be short sleeved pullover with polo neck. I am using two different yarns at the same time to make it be warmer and sparkling. The basic green is just normal woollen yarn. It is Sisu from SandnesGarn (80% wool, 20% nylon) (50g=160m). The decoration yarn that includes the sequins is Säde from Novita (58% acrylic, 28% polyester, 7% mohair, 7% polyamid) (50g=205m). Säde is lighter & thinner yarn than Sisu but that is just fine. I was happy to find matching shades despite the manufacturers are different.

As you can see I use bamboo needles in this project. On the begin when I crashed at bamboo knitting needles I was so annoyed and considered them weird. Now I love them more than my old knitting needles. Even if the yarn would be messy and furry it is nice to work with these needles.



Sunday 19 January 2014

Cards after cards

Finally our days are bit longer and even the sun has shown herself. This always means at this time of the year that we are having frost. Which means colder than -20 Celcius degrees. But that's fine, I like winter.

Lately I've been knitting something sparkling (still in the middle of it), stitching (that First Kiss project) and making cards. Yesterday I made over 50 and aim to continue the card factory also today. As stitching and knitting too. When you can variate what you are doing it doesn't feel so much work or duty. What for I am making so many cards? Well, for everything. I can always sell them at hobby markets, use them myself or even give card packs as gift to those ones who don't like make the cards but like self made cards. :)


Saturday 11 January 2014

Thursday 9 January 2014

Oh what have I done?!

There -for sure- is life after Christmas. It begins when you dress down the Christmas and find yourself investigating mysterious boxes at the attic. I found three very interesting boxes. One included all the letters during the years from a childhood friend with whom I still am in touch. The other included all my old diaries. And the third included all the old Christmas cards. (Yes, someone really stores them.)


From the card box I found three stitched cards and thought what a shame it is to keep them hiding in the box. So I took them out and thought just one little moment. And -because I am a person of action- I destroyed the cards. Yes, I really did so. At least that was how I felt when doing it. Now I don't think so anymore.


See, this year a friend gave me stitched Christmas decoration. It was perfect for the tree itself but I had some arguement with the cat about it so I put the decoration by the coffee table in veranda -where she is not allowed to go. Smart, ha! So, I thought I could make these cards to be decorations too. My heart broke through the process but now it is one and whole again. Now I can have my friends from far close to me during all the Christmas in the future.

I don't know whose designs the cross stitch projets are. I made the patterns and sewing. Dear friends made the stitching. Thank you once again. <3

(Update: Maria Diaz designed the swan themed picture. You can find it at CrossStitcher's October 2005 issue on the page 58.)

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Felting ideas

Felting is not my passion but very practical skill to handle on purpose. I guess we all have done it by accident with our sessions by the washing machine. Even the yarn / fibres include just half of the wool it is possible to felt it if you just use enough hard programm for the purpose.

When I do dry felting and need to make a flat surface or some kind of figure without mould I use some aid. I do the felting on the piece of an old foam mattress. (Never throw old mattresses away if you are an artisan.) It is cheap and very suitable material for needle felting to protect yourself or the surface of which you are felting.

Now I bought this felting needle mat for needle felting at 50% sale. I have not tried it out yet but when I have I'll let you know how it works for the real. It looks like a brush so why not you could try it out on an old brush. (Make sure it is clean.)


This machine felting on purpose is also useful way to save a woollen pullover. We had one big pullover which had faced damages and at the end was full of tiny holes and it was impossible to fix it. I felt it in the machine. Of course it shrunk but we made an excellent and warm pullover of it for the horse stable use for a country girl. :)

Friday 3 January 2014

Mail for me

It is finally mine, all mine and nobody's else. I finally managed to get myself the bible I have dreamed about. It is Stitch Dictionary by Lucinda Ganderton. It is second hand but in better shape than the version at our local library. I didn't even pay much of it. I am so so extremely happy about it! The postman brought it to me today. The best start for the weekend I think. Me and my party with THE BOOK!

I have tried almost all the stitches and techniques described in the book. But it is excellent dictionary about it all in one cover. The pictures and instructions are good and easy to understand. I warmly recommend anyone to get it (even used) if interested about different kind of stitching.

Thursday 2 January 2014

Stitching and sewing

Lately I have been designing cross stitch projects, stitching them and sewing a little bit. Some time ago I knit a little thing that supposed to be a pencase. Now I finally remembered to buy a zipper for it. So on the other day I made the lining for it and fastened it with the zipper to the knitted cover. It still waits for something -I need to create a decoration for the zipper with wich it will be easier to use it. So the picture of it you'll see later when it will be all finished up.

I want to make a case fo my 10,1" Tab so that makes my brain working and thinking what kind of it will be. I want to create a basic pattern for it so that later it would be easy to use it when making more of them. So if you hear a weird sound it might come from my head. :)
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