Little Women

 

I watched the first Little Women film when I was a kid and the marvelous Katharine Hepburn being my favourite actress at the time left a strong imprint on me, masterfully portraying the role of Josephine March. 

It happened when I was at university majoring English language and literature that I stumbled upon a second hand copy of Ms.Alcott's novel (my copy was published in 1973). Normally it became one of the most treasured books in my collection.

 

As the new remake of the film is in the run for Oscar, I started rereading it and enjoying every single minute of it. I haven't seen the new release of the film yet, but it sparked the idea for a new collection. I have seen every single image of the film posted online and read through all the interviews I could find with director Greta Gerwig and especially costume designer Jacqueline Durran, who managed to recreate vintage clothes and make them look seductive to the modern viewer. 

As I am excitedly preparing to see the film, I have already outlined several crochet pieces I want to make (2 are actually done) inspired by it. Cannot wait to show you!

What about you? Have you seen the film yet? What are your thoughts?

Floral Wall Hangings - insta love

 

Alyssa is a weaver that creates magic with yarn and fibers. Or as she likes to say: Flowers that last forever.  

She mixes her amazing palette of yarns to make eternal, falling, spell-binding  gardens with impressive dimensions and enchanting charm. 

To be honest, my jaws dropped when I saw her work. I haven't seen anything like this before. Each wall hanging and loop is a true masterpiece. One of a kind.

See more of her work on instagram.

Sunshine Necklace - Mix 'n Match

 

Sticking to my plan to use most of my stacked crochet lovelies, I present to you my latest mix & match. The necklace was originally made as part of my tribal necklaces pattern collection. Left aside to be additionally adorned, it actually never saw the light of day. 

I used three different flowers and leaves to decorate a corner of it and honestly, having all these at hand, I don't know why it has taken me so long to actually beautify it!

I have it for sale here.

Crochet Flower Kits in the shop

Yellow Kit

I started the year with a clear plan to use more of the flowers and other crochet things I make for my tutorials and patterns and as before, I made some mix 'n match necklaces and these kits. 

These include a variety of flowers in different sizes and colors I color coded. They are perfect for numerous projects - you can use them as/in:

* appliques - sew them on blankets, belts, hats, clothes, etc.;
* scrapbooking and cards making to make your projects more attractive and vivacious;
* make jewelry - they are perfect for brooches (stack some one on top of the other), necklaces and bracelets; rings or earrings, or add them on headbands to beautify them;
* make art - (here's an idea: put some into a frame and you've got a unique piece of art)
* make a table runner - join them all into a design you come up with to make a unique table runner or a centerpiece

 

Red Kit

 

 Magenta Kit

 

 Purple Kit

Gobelin Cloaked Domestic Objects by Ulla-Stina Wikander

The very first craft I tried and practiced at the age of 8 is gobelin making. My mom being an expert in cutwork and all types of needle point work transferred that love to me, so although considered kitsch nowadays - gobelins have a soft spot in my heart. So imagine my excitement when I came upon this artist who shares the same love, but has taken it to a different level of art!

Meet Ulla-Stina Wikander, a Sweden based artist who raids vintage shops and flea markets in search for gobelins that she uses to give old domestic objects a new face.  

"For more then 10 years I have collected cross stitch embroidery and today I have a big collection with over 100 different designs. These embroideries have been made by women and is often seen as kitch and regarded pretty worthless. I have mixed feelings for them but sometimes they are very beautiful and I want to bring them back to life.
 

In 2012 I started to cover ordinary household items from the 70s, like a vacuum cleaner, sewing machine, electric mixer etc. I find it interesting to see how these objects transforms in a new context; the obsolete, the things we do not want any longer, the old and forgotten things. They become artifacts from a begone era, disguised, camouflaged and dressed. I give them a second life and although I cut the embroideries into pieces, I think they look very beautiful, when they have been ”dressed up".  

Isn't this amazing? I am literally blown away with the masterfully cloaked objects! It is surely not something you see every day. Check out Ulla's instagram if you want to explore more of her work.

Happy 2020!

 

Happy New Year dear blog buddies! 

I wish you a year filled with lots of exciting adventures, tons of love and happiness, sprinkled with showers of laughter and heaps of good health!

The Best of 2019

2019 is counting its last days and it's time to look back at what has marked the year on the blog. 

These best offs  are a kind of an inequitable review because posts at the beginning of the year have an unfair advantage in regards to the  the posts made near the end of it, but nevertheless, here they are according to my stats.

The absolute winner this year is The Frida Kahlo brooch, closely followed by the Frida bag. 

The Art Brooches have charmed the internet beyond measure and I am quite thankful for all the love they have received. Equally loved were the Coral Necklace and the Margarita Sandals.

Among the most viewed were two patterns I retired this year - the African Flowers Bracelet and the Vintage Bib Necklace.

We beautified the summer with these 3 free crochet patterns (and one video): the Shells Necklace, the Ariel Bikini top and the Boho Clutch. 

Features

We had the honor to be featured in 2 magazines this year and an internet site:  

The collaboration with the Sewing Box Magazine for which I created the Peacock Necklace and the interviews for the CraftBusiness magazine and Fakulteti.MK.

10th Blog Anniversary

Without realizing I missed my blog anniversary this past May, can you believe that? I always say I started blogging back in 2008, completely forgetting that I registered my blog then and started blogging later in 2009. So to mark the occasion  here are the top 3 with the most views:

1. The Fabric Carnation Tutorial with 119 356 views.

2. The Ruffly Scarf Tutorial with 115 639 views and 

3. The Larksfoot Stitch Demistified with 98 253 views.

Best of 2018

Best of 2017
Best of 2016

Best of 2015

Best of 2014

Best of 2013

Best of 2012

Best of 2011

Wooden Spoon Dolls

Yesterday we had a school bazaar at my school and to contribute to my class' stall I made these wooden spoon dolls and a bunch of my bohemian pom-poms. I didn't have much time due to many piled up obligations so managed to whip up these two the night before the bazaar. 

I wanted to explore more this idea when I made this doll, but sadly, running two jobs doesn't give me much time to dedicate myself completely to my wondrous flow of ideas.

Both dolls were envisioned and made differently. The bigger is posher than the smaller, but because of her sturdy dress the smaller gets to stand on its own, while the pink doll needs a slight support. Also, I am sad for not being confident to draw their eyes so I sewed beads instead. That is something I would love to work on more.

I worked on their attire on a whim, and not being prepared for how everything might turn out - I am quite satisfied with the final result. 

As I am perpetually drawn to make kids' stuff I would love to have more time in the future to make more toys that tickle my fancy.

Merry Christmas!

 

From our family to yours! 

 

Crochet Rose Scarflette - free crochet pattern

Hello and happy Monday!
This is my newest pattern for a rose scarflette and if you are still lacking ideas for a nice and heartwarming last minute gift - this is it!

To make it you need worsted yarn -  I used Austermann's Souflé  (150 gr) and a 4 mm hook.

To make the rose:
Foundation chain: ch 55
Row 1: dc1 in the 4th ch from hook, next ch2, sk2 and dc1 in next st. Repeat this pattern to the end.   
Row 2:  ch1 and in the chain space work the following: sc1,hdc1, dc2,hdc1,sc1. Repeat this pattern for all the ch-spaces. Leave a really long tail that you'll use to sew the rose in place. Start rolling the rose until you get the desired look, pin it in several places to hold, thread the aforementioned tail and sew all the layers together. Be careful not to distort the shape of it when sewing. 
Make 11 roses. You can make the scarflette bigger and richer so you may consider making more if that is the case. 

To make the rose holding collar: 
 And this is the same foundation and row 1 as for the rose, but for the collar you chain 65. For row 1,c1 in the 4th ch from hook, next ch2, sk2 and dc1 in next st. Repeat this pattern to the end. Dc1 more in the last st. 
Repeat row 2 above as is. Work the tails. 
 

Place the roses as shown in the picture, starting from the second chain space. Pin them and sew them on. There are 6 roses sewn on the collar. The second row of roses is sewn between 2 from the row above. 
Since you have the first chain spaces left free (on both ends), sew a velvet ribbon and your job is done. I didn't have a velvet ribbon in a matching color, so for my scarflette I used lace.

I hope you enjoy making this, and if you do, please share your experience in the comments.

15 Last Minute Gifts to Crochet - free patterns

 

Christmas is just a couple of days shy and you still have gifts to make. Well you needn't worry because I have compiled a lovely collection of crochet projects you can whip up in no time. 

All three above are easy and fast projects: the rose necklace, the crochet button necklace and the hanging flowers bracelet.

Lace crochet has always been my forte and I quite enjoy making lace jewerly and equally love wearing it. 

You can make jhumka earrings, a rose ring or festive bracelets.  

Also my newest art brooches have made quite a stir lately, so you may want to give them a try. 

 Elegant and romantic earrings for the lady you know.

 

Effective Bohemian Earrings, maybe?

All of the above are made with cotton yarn. These projects here are made with  wool / acrylic yarn. 

A scarf, a coral necklace and warmers.  

The Bohemian Scarf. 

 And lastly, a non-crochet project, but equally beautiful and useful. Instead of bookmarks, you can make them into a lariat with chunky yarn.

Happy Holidays! 

I am having another, last Christmas project on Monday, so drop by to see what it is.