Connected

My own design tin thread embroidery belt Anttu's Life is now ready for the use. It has silver-golden snake tablet weave band. It is modern style Sámi design but it included a lot old and traditional strong symbolism for the protection. Still it reminds us all about the joy of life, but also asking for and providing the help.

SilverBand

I've been doing some tablet weaving on our terrace deck.

I was interrupted by someone who thinks I am the most shiny baby in the corner. The flirt was so straight that even I understood it. I must confess I was a bit flattered. A woman at my age and still someone thinks I have the most shiny body in the world!

Since being a child I have been admired dragonflies but never before they have been interested about me. Not even I get many of them visiting my garden every summer!

This fellow was really persevering and arrived several times to get me on the flight. I told I am married already but it took quite a long time until the nature called and the dragonfly flew after someone else.

I designed and made silver-golden tablet weave band. The other end is a bit different because I tested another figure first but noticed it doesn't work so well. I could have taken it away but wanted to leave it all there. I decorated the other end with glass beads. On the other side is 12 beads for the protection of 12 months. On the other side is 8 beads for the protection of 8 seasons. In the modern world we live in months. In the traditional Sámi world we live in 8 seasons and nature cycle. I am sure you can spot the golden snake figure there. For the band I used Schoeller & Stahl's Manuela yarn (85% viscose, 15% polyester) (25g = 112m) in golden and silver shades. I have never before tried band weaving with metallic yarns but as long as you are careful with your moves and turns it seems to work just fine.

Siejddemuorrâ

This is my own design and piece of textile art Siejddemuorrâ - Seitapuu - Seita Tree. Seita is a sacred place of Sámi people. Seita can be for example a stone or tree. But not any stone or tree. You need to know more about the culture to understand which stone or which tree is seita. So, in practical some seitas are marked even on maps as an ancient monument or landmark. But most are not. When I meet seita in the nature I always salute seita and if possible leave something to seita.

In these pictures in my blog you can't see all of Siejddemuorrâ. It includes also a sacrificial table under it. The table is made of drift tree and is placed on the floor. All together as a complete piece of art and cultural object it needs open floor place where the seita can freely hung from the ceiling. So, it needs at least 3m high open floor place (modern architecture will be just fine). Siejddemuorrâ is made of different kind of yarns, glass beads, salmon vertebra, wood and metal. It includes a lot of cultural information which I will explain to the buyer if the one is a private person and unfamiliar to our Sámi culture but wants to support our cultural work and leaves the contact information for me to get in touch. (We don't get any funding from the government of Finland, Sámi Parliament of Finland or any business.)

In my previous blogpost I announced the price 5000 € for this piece of art Siejddemuorrâ. In July Siejddemuorrâ will be shown and on sale at Lyylin Salonki, Salla, Finland. It is open from Monday to Friday, weekends closed. Lyylin Salonki takes 10% commission from the sales so there the price will be 5500 €. It is a local small business so it needs to get some profit. We (me and my siida) are still planning to get Siejddemuorrâ at public place but if and when it will be sold I will use the money to publish my book. 

When visiting the exhibition at Lyylin Salonki you can bring your own gift to seita and place it on its sacrificial table.

Siejddemuorrâ is already in Salla. This week I took it and two Sámi costumes to Salla for the Forest Sámi Summer Expo 2025. Instead of staying at friends my mom wanted to test some cottages for the upcoming SummerExpo so she rent a cottage at Sallatunturin Tuvat. She was quite satisfied with the cottage and service so she has rent it again for the summer expo. I have nothing to complain about it but I need to say I loved its sauna!!!! The sauna was clean, able to be set hot (or cold) enough easily and the spirit was right!

Anttu'sLife

Isn't it amazing how life turns out sometimes? How you find the connection between the things/occasions/happenings at the end?

I designed this Sámi tin thread embroidery belt last autumn when we were waiting the autumn to frost the ground, cover the world by the snow and ice. It was a bit difficult to let it all come out for the design and decide which form this symbolic figure takes. Will there be starts, snow flakes or flowers? Will there be the snake or not. Will there be the holes between the worlds or not? 

It all progressed pretty slow during the winter, but suddenly when we turn to April I felt huge inner force to get it completed. I felt enormous inner force to complete this belt with powerful symbolic figures of noidi and travelling between the worlds successfully. 27.4.2025 I was just finishing the embroidery with the glass beads that drive the evil away and keep us all safe while they create the holes and make it possible for us to travel between the worlds. On that moment we received a phone call.

There was a dog in the ice in the bay. It means the waters have started to melt and get free from the ice cover. The ice cover is still there but it is weak and anyone can fall through. At the end there is a creature in the hole the broken ice has formed out. It is almost impossible to get out without help. So, now we got a phone call someone saw and heard there was a dog in the broken ice and asked us to go and see because it was on our side of the bay. I watched my spiritual belt and said "Keep us safe and let us travel between the worlds." Then I stood up and we hurried to the bay shore. We found the poor dog and got it up. Of course we called also 112 but had to act because it takes time to get help and we already had someone professional with us. 

The story has got its final happy end with one more scar in my body because of the sharp ice. This belt is Anttu's life. The praise for life and that spirit we all can find again even we had already given up. I saw from his eyes and cold stiffened body that he had given up already. I asked him: "I guess you are not going to give up yet, aren't you?" He kept on staring into the darkness and sigh: "There is no other way." I responded: "No, don't you give up yet, we do get you up if you just hang on one more moment, I promise, but you need to hang on, we will get you out." And that's how I was able to bring him back to the life. That's how we got up his body but also life & spirit.

For us all it is possible to try out again. Like Anttu, you can ask help. Receiving the help may feel eternity. Waiting for its arrival may feel horrible. But if you just cry out and ask for help, like Anttu did, someone will hear your miserable request and help you or get you help. Don't be afraid of to ask. And keep your eyes and heart open, there might be someone in the need of help. If you can't help, ask someone else. 

Love you all!

PinkBracelet

My own design macrame bracelet. Very easy and budget. I used plastic beads and Madeira metallic thread (no. 10, Color 313). This is very simple and easy design and in the half way started to remind me about tatting. 

BerryBeautiful

I stitched Susan Penny's design Berry Beautiful which was kit included with Cross Stitcher Magazine #383.

The design includes cross stitches and few beads. the white strawberry flowers were meant to be left black, but I stitched them with white & light pink loose end shades. 

I didn't make the hanger of the kit as it was supposed to. Instead I made a practical scissor keeper which you can use also as a pincushion. This design reminds me about my own scissor keeper. I wanted to stitch this for a friend far away as a birthday gift in March. 

ToyHorseBlanket -tutorial

Especially little girls love toy horses. You can buy all kind of them and all sorts of extras and equipment too.

You don't need to buy all the extras. I made an easy blanket for this horse. I used turquoise piece of felt which I cut off by zig zag scissors. You can re-use the fastener of bras, for example (never throw them away!!!!), to fasten the blanket at front.

This is how I made the blanket to stay on better. For this I needed just two sequins and piece of embroidery thread with metallic effect. Notice that I used just 4 French Knots to fasten it all. 

• 1st on the front side of the left side sequin
• 2nd on the back side of the left side sequin to attach it to the blanket
• 3rd on the back side of the right side sequin (this I made before taking the needle through so it is kind of marker that I don't tighten too much the cord)
• 4th on the front side of the right side sequin to attach the right side sequin to the blanket

Very easy to make. If you need budget gift ideas for a child who loves and has toy horses you can easily make equipment for them and the kid will be happy forever! For the blanket you just need to take the measures of the horse's back and the side all the way to the point you plan the fastening. Measure also the needed width. Then draw it all on the paper, cut off the pattern from the paper and fit on the horse and make needed changes on the pattern. When you first use a paper or something like that you don't waste your valuable fabrics!

Remember to use all your imagination to create most fabulous designs! This is just a simple version to show how the base can be made!

ForPens

This time I decorated the glass jars by sand, recycled wooden beads and some ribbon. This is another budget idea for a lovely gift for someone special. These goes for persons whose pens are always lost! You can see more ideas for using glass jars in low budget gifts by clicking the label "glass". (First you need to view the WebVersion: scroll down to find the button if on a mobile device.)

MalaBeads

I designed and made MalaBeads. They are also known as japamala or jaap maala. They are used in religious purposes but also meditation. Meditation doesn't need to have a religious connection. This Mala is made for a friend of mine. I have used recycled plastic beads for it.

Mala has 108 beads plus "a guru bead". The Malas I made has just 108 beads and the "guru bead" is just one of them, like all of us. A great guru -or a teacher- lives in us for the rest of our lives. We all remember the teachers who have influenced on our lives. This Mala is for another friend of mine.

As the simplest way to meditate with Mala, just inhale and exhale. Every exhale touch one bead. The guru bead is a great marker where did you start. When you have made the full round of Mala it means 108 exhales. In practical, that means for about 10 minutes of meditation in your life. If you do that daily -or at least few times per week- it has good mental and physical health benefits.

This Mala is for myself. Both wooden Malas are made of recycled wooden beads. Let's save the Planet Earth!

Feather

 

If you remember I have a book called Made In France (by Agnes Delage-Calvet, Anne Sohier-Fournel, Muriel Brunet and Francoise Ritz). Now I've stitched one more bookmark from its designs.

I love the spirit of the book. Its simple one-shade designs are multi-usable. I let my imagination fly and decorated the bookmark by silk ribbons and beads to create a native spirit of my own. This feather bookmark flies far away, across the oceans to salute a friend. Hopefully it presents the original cross stitch design in respectful way.

Shell&Beads

This my own design necklace is made of leather, two different kind of wooden beads and a shell. The wooded beads are recycled, leather cord is made of left over leather and the shell has been bought for craft making. 

Personalized Bookmark

It all started from this design I saw at Cross Stitcher magazine (December 2005, page 36-39). I was looking for a bookmark design but when noticed a set of Maria Diaz designs I decided to pick three of them and create a bookmark on Perforated Paper. I used loose end threads, so the shades vary from the original design.

These crowns are absolutely fabulous. I have never before stitched crowns like this and fell in love immediately.

On this design supposed to read "Noel" but I transformed it to give a personal and not so Christmassy touch.

I am very happy with the result. It is not my own design but absolutely has a personal touch as home made gifts always have.

XmasTreeDecorations

These four decorations are stitched using free hand method. I designed them at the same time when stitching. I used Framecrafts ready-to-stitch frames. I stitched them on plastic canvas and used Madeira Metallic thread (No 10) and beads for the decoration.

Stars!

Christmas is coming. But in a month it will be over. After Xmas they sell XmasCraftItems on sale. Save a bit money there to create Xmas 2019 craft.

I designed and used old recycled buttons and different shades left over seed beads from stitching projects to decorate MyStars on 2014.

I used free hand embroidery which means I didn't mark the places for the beads. I just stitched them on. I just count one in the corners and 3 between.

They turn out pretty well.

Of course I did also blue ones!

Beads&Party

Well, well, well... You can do beading also in this way. I used 4 different shade of beads: bright glass, ice blue, rainbow and black diamond. This is easy and low budget hair style for any party and can be done at home. Just do first the upper part and then curl up the rest.

I attached the beads to hair by sewing. It is easy to collect them to be reused. You just need some help when opening it all.

WoodlandFox BookMark

WoodlandFox wanted to play with Me so I let it go and have some fun. Does He look familiar? You met him few months ago for the 1st time. It is my own design and so much fun to stitch! Sorry, no free chart available. ❤

Beautiful butterflies

This beautiful butterfly design is a free gift of The World of Cross Stitching Magazine. I don't know which issue because a friend gave this to me. The beads were not included. I added them to personalize this design. It came with a card but I am going to make something else of this.

Summer rose card

This design is free kit that came with The World of Cross Stitching Magazine. I don't know which issue because I got this from a friend. The kit included a beautiful card but not the beads were mentioned. I added the beads to create a personalized touch for the design. I am going to make something else than a card of this...

BeautyAndBeads

Well well well, YoungLady had another dramatic moment. One of Her favorite jumpers had turn out so awful looking that wearing it absolutely is out of the question. It was beautiful beige jumper with huge white snow flake stitched at front. These beautiful acrylic beads decorated the snow flake so I rescued them from the extermination. I have put them in MyBeadBox and someday they will face a new life.

PS. She loves Her JumperPillow!

Swans & Foxes On Bag

Do you remember my own design free chart Swans and Foxes? Now I stitched the design on 16ct Navy Blue Aida. I used DMC Blanc for the swans and feathers, DMC 972 for the yellow parts, DMC 310 for black parts. The special touch I created by using DMC metallic thread E3843 for the water drops and DMC 51 for the foxes. DMC 51 is Variegated Burnt Orange and it really gives "seems like real" effect on the foxes despite only one shade is used. I am very happy with that result.

TheBag is also my own design. It is for DearT (!HappyBirthdayToYou!). I included some beading to be easier to use the zipper.

It has pretty lining which fabric is a bit nostalgic and from the pile I inherit from my grandmother years ago.

The bottom of the fabric has special but easy to do (and familiar from shopping bags) corners which make more space inside the bag.