TeneriffeLace

At my HomeSchool I did Idrija Bobbin Lace Butterfly. But I learned also something new. For a long time I have wanted learn to make TeneriffeLace. Actually for almost 30 years! I once found some at a second hand market and bought it as a reminder to find out what was it and learn to make it.

First I needed the base for it. I decided to make my own frame. I used recycled materials for it. I used old notebook plastic cover I had saved for the further use!

If you have done embroidery, Teneriffe lace is not difficult at all. It is actually embroidering on web. Today there are books and even YouTube videos available to learn it.

Here is my 1st ever Teneriffe lace. My own design that was born when I was doing it. That's how it goes. Of course you can follow ready to make designs and instructions but feel free to design your own! It really is easy! It was born to create something similar than bobbin lace but a lot easier so that everyone could do it!

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!

NamePlate

When planning our Erasmus+ journey to Dublin the students wanted to make/wear something similar which would show to the other people that we are a group. I suggested us to create hand made nameplates. Because especially foreign names are the ones you always forget and find difficult.

Everyone designed their own nameplates and used the technique they wanted. I waited until I knew what they all were making so that I use some other technique none had chosen. That's how I ended up to make mine by tin thread embroidery that is a form of Sámi crafts.

First I designed the pattern, then I transferred it to the iron on backing fabric. Then I did the tin thread embroidery by the 0,25mm tin thread (the finest available) on a piece of wool that was left over from my Sámi costume and FourWindsHat. Then I needed some reindeer leather to finish the nameplate itself.

First I sew the inner edges. I needed Marilla for this and we worked just fine together. Even I don't have the leather presser feet for her.

After sewing together the leather and wool I was able to cut off the extra wool fabric to make it all to the right size.

I needed also something to hang/fasten the nameplate. I had an idea ready for it but it needed a lot of work. If possible, we wanted to show that we are from Finland. That´s why I made these tiny flags of wool: Sámi flag and Finland flag.

The next step was the challenging one. I needed to make it all succeed by one stitching round because the sewing makes holes into the leather. The flag part is very thick so I need to pay a lot of attention when sewing it. Notice that the background leather is bigger at this point that the front side leather.

After sewing it around the outer edges I cut off the extra leather of the background leather. There are two "jump stitches" but I decided to do nothing to them because they are symmetrically on the both sides of the flags. Fixing them would also cause visible signs so I decided not to. In this way you don't notice it if you don't know. 😊

After finishing the nameplate and renewing my passport I was ready for my Erasmus+ journey with my students. 

Very special and very beautiful like all the nameplates the students made.

National costume

So, what I've been up to lately? This is one project I've been in the middle of. What is it? It is Perä-Pohjola national costume from Finland. Perä-Pohjola is a region that can be called as Southern Lapland. Literally it means "at the end of north". To us, the north just begins from here. :)

My mother-in-law wove the skirt fabric and started to make the national costume for herself in 1980's. She had done most of the sewing. It was missing the finishing which meant it missed most of all the embroidery. For about five years ago she gave it to me. I didn't finish it until now. 

This is the only national costume I could wear if not using my own Sámi costume. It is the matter of heart. But I didn't make this for me. 

It is now finished. It includes the skirt, vest, shirt, apron and scarf. As always, making a national costume needs a lot of time. I often say there is nothing extremely demanding in the weaving, sewing or embroidery skills, but it needs patience and time just to sit down and do it. Nowadays many can't just sit down and do it for hours after hours. I think making the exact proper and neat holes for the cord needed approx 4-5 hours of my life. There are 10 holes, not to mention other embroidery parts, just think about it.

It is all done and finished and packed up for home delivery for someone very special creature on the planet earth!

SámiBracelet No1

It's been a long time since I made tin thread embroidery. I made them for sale over 20 years ago. Now I am back in business and have started new projects. This Sámi tin thread bracelet is just a warm up and very 1st project after years. It is a gift for a very special friend.

It is quite interesting that at basic this is traditional Sámi design but it is actually made by macramé method. That proves something about fashion design and cultural mix via politics, trades, voyages and marriages. But it proves also that when we have 4 threads there is no millions of ways to tie it up together.

OldDesign

At work I've been organizing and cleaning our craft classroom and its back storage. I have found many treasures because it is old "after wars" building and the adult education center of Tornio has always worked there. These are Pentti Havia's designs according to old Finnish folk design style. I found the full series and you can be sure I felt like winning in lottery. These are originally made for wood work decoration but I am sure you all can see it embroidered when you close your eyes. Next term also these are available for my students. 

Felt is practical

For couple of months I've been thinking what kind of things I create between the Tibetan singing bowls to prevent them clatter each other when piled up. Then I finally discovered it! I just cut off squares from the felt! WOW! What an idea!

I also made pads for them to stand on when playing. That makes them to vibrate better.

I made several sizes and shades. I used blanket stitches for the edges. The felts with figures I have received as a gift from a friend aboard. 

SilkRibbonEmbroidery

Believe or not but this is MyFirstEver SilkRibbonEmbroidery! I had a kit as a gift. It is designed by Crafty Ribbons. I think the print on the fabric is pretty enough to be used without any embroidery.

According to the instructions I used stem stitches for the stems. Stem stitch actually is one of MyFavourite embroidery stitches.

For the next step I needed MyStitch Dictionary. The leaves should have been embroidered by long stitches but I considered them not the best possible outfit for them. I found two alternatives; thorn stitch or...

...attached fly. I chose this one and made the right decision. As you can see I've been naughty and written on the book...

You can see how well attached fly stitches work with the leaves. As the original plan, I used long straight stitches and French knots for the stamens.

At this point the project still looked so great that I wondered if should I use the silk ribbon embroidery at all.

But I did. I still am not sure am I pleased with my silk ribbon embroidery skills or not. I just have to remind MySelf about the fact that this is MyFirstEver try at silk ribbon embroidery.

BabyBlanketNo8

 I finished my own design BabyBlanketNo8. I used Schachenmayr's KidLight yarn for the blanket (38% nylon, 32% polyacryl and 30% mohair) (100g = 600m).

I used left over woollen yarn for the embroidery to attach the crochet flowers. I used also left over yarn to crochet the flowers. It is for a baby girl but blue flowers do just fine.

I knit the blanket and crocheted the edges. I used knitting machine for the knitting so it indeed was a fast thing to do, despite MyKnittingMachine works only with man power.

I made the pics at the same time with BlanketNo7 in -18 Celsius dergees when it was rising up a snow storm. This blue shade is typical for the arctic climate. The pics have no filter.

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!

HeartBunting

You've seen Heart hanging -tutorial, Stitched Hearts, Decorated Hearts and XHeartS. You can notice this is an old project I designed and made on 2014. But some of the pics were put on MyFinnishBlog which I've been taking down. So I need to move everything worth of showing here; to be seen at Ommel. That's why I collected together the posts linked above.

I made two different style of hearts. The ones with felt decoration and the others with embroidery. Then I needed some ribbon to sew them all together.

I used old wooden & recycled curtain hangers (I removed the metallic parts) to hang the bunting.

I like it in dark...

...and I like it in light.

Decorated Hearts

Here are the pictures of my own design decorated XHeartS.

Pictures of the bases you can see here.