PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS MORNING

  I woke up before the others, lit candles and enjoyed a moment of peace.

The weather outside is perfect for X-mas!

Only one more day left in the advent calendar. We recycled this calendar from years back, when we originally bought it to our son. He once was a huge Lego fan, and got to play with this calendar on two years. I stowed the tiny pieces back inside it, and now years after our daughter has had lots of excitement and fun opening it. Handy!

It is our tradition to decorate the tree on X-mas morning together, while waiting for the breakfast rice porridge to cook up (I think I´ll whip up a chocolate smoothie for myself and have a tiny bit of the porridge, for my stomach´s sake).

 May the fun and celebration begin! Happy, happy Christmas!

AT SEA- FASHION: SUNDE-OUTFIT

  The weather is getting cooler, so I must dress warmer. It feels like I have been wearing dresses all summer long, so now it is time to slip into a pair of pants again.

  The root of this outfit is the t-shirt. It is a shirt I got from a boat dealer, from whom we bought our boat nearly two years ago, and which has been lying in my dresser ever since. We are very satisfied with the boat, Sunde, and the shirt is made of quality material, so I decided to make it wearable. Why waste perfectly good material, no matter the commercial side to it?!

Basic t-shirt and stretchy jersey pants. Comfy, yipee! Here I go with blue again, but what can I do? It is the perfect color for a seaside holiday.  =)

This photoshoot was so much fun! I wish to be able to jump like this still in my sixties, and to maintain my childish enthusiasm even way beyond. Time will tell... 

Here is the before-picture of the shirt. An ordinary, boxy men´s shirt. Soooooo unflattering for women!

But when fitted for me, I feel good in it. Thank goodness for sewing machines!

When making this new, fitted version of the shirt, I cut the old one into pieces, following the seamlines. Front and back pieces, and the sleeves, apart. Then simply placed my old reliable t-shirt pattern pieces on top of the fabric and re-cut it. The neckline had to be made over, and I found this old grey rib-jersey from my stash to use in neatening the edge. I stitched in medium grey for contrast, because the shirt was quite dark as it was. It definitely needed something to brighten it up.

Here is shown the original sleeve edge I was able to take granted for when assemblying the new sleeves. To add to the brightening up of the look, I sew a couple of off-white buttons on both sleeves.

Hail the sea! Usually I always make the top lighter than the bottom, but now I could not select the top color myself, and had to go with the best possible option to pair with in the bottom.

Just as with the shirt, I worked a topstitch on with the same color in the pants. A nice little matching detail in both, top and bottom.

The leg hems are tapered with a strip of the same fabric as the pants are made of. This is a very casual look, and it works well for keeping insects and vegetation, like hay, out. Also it makes it quick and easy to pull on a pair of rubber boots, which I need quite often at our cabin. 

  The wheel-of-the-year rolls on, but we keep on mini-vacationing at our summer cabin. It has become a place of peace and serenity for us. A place where we can forget about the everyday life, bills, work, taxes, insurance policies, global warming, wars, and even dirty laundry! A true getaway, a safe haven.


  P.S. In the same manner as this t-shirt for myself, I have previously made a Sunde-t-shirt for my boy too.

LITHA FASHION: THE BIKER BOY

  Nelland´s Litha collection is thoroughly inspired by the 1950´s. In this Biker Boy- look I´m getting the vibe from Marlon Brando and James Dean posing by their motorcycles. There is just something in their eyes saying that the world is here for them, and they are here to do and take what they want. An attitude I want to teach my son!

  My bad boy- outfit is spiced up by girly puff sleeved shirt, so it is more suitable for a modern woman. I don´t want to be a copy of a man, or something already done before. I always want to do my own thing, slightly different from the usual.

A very classic look, but with my own seasonings. The perfect off-white tee is where it all started. Hard to find, but this is my self-made version of it. I made it already last summer, when I found this gorgeous fabric. Last summer is when I came up with the thought of this look. Jeans are the second factor to this look. These ones I made of a lighter denim, so they are not as sweaty as usual. There are also no pockets, which gives the pants a more sophisticated, not so jeans-like look.

This sketch was my guideline throughout the process. It always feels so great to see the final result!

This dog tag I got as a baby, when I lived in Sweden for a while with my family. I can say I have had it my whole life, and now I have composed a complete outfit around it!

The puffed sleeves are the trick to this outfit. They keep it girly, despite of all the masculine elements around.

Makeup is fifties-styled of course. Strongish eyebrows with a slightly exaggerated arch (but since my outfits and looks are for the real world, and not for photo shoots only, I keep them realistic  =). Light ivory eyeshadow on the inner 2/3 of the lid, and deep cool brown on the outer 1/3. In this look it is important to use black liquid eyeliner to define the eyes with. And black mascara of course. No blush to the cheeks to keep it more masculine. Also for the same reason I kept the lips rather pale, adding only baby pink lipgloss. The focus is on the eyes and brows, leaving the rest of the face more natural. This way I (try to) look pretty, yet quite natural for the 1950´s.

It is the hat that I´m particularly proud of! I made it from an old, second hand leather jacket I got from my mother-in-law last winter. The jacket itself was hideous, but it made a brilliant biker cap!

  I´m proud to carry on this look, not because I like motorcycles (which I really don´t, although we have a big one in our garage...), but for the attitude it represents. I want to keep alive my young, free, and happy spirit, and always believe my journey is taking me forward, to even a better stage of being.

FREEDOM COLLECTION: DRESS FOR A TODDLER

  Once again I had a leftover piece of fabric lying around, waiting to be useful. It was that from my Freedom Collection´s  t-shirt w/ a frill neckline. Here is what I made of it:

This dress is super easy to make, just slab two pieces together and neaten the edges. I might say that summery hot days have surprised me this year by arriving so early, so I´m not yet well prepared when it comes to my girl´s wardrobe. So I´m more than happy to slam this quick project together for her in no time!

This dress just screamed for a detail. But I wanted to keep it m, not breaking the harmony. And since I have a bag of these little bows in my drawer, why not use them? It adds a welcomed bit of girlyness to the dress.

The fabric is knit but airy and light. And very soft and comfortable.

  Bring on the warm summer days, we´re ready now!

P.S. You can find a similar (cheap) pattern for the dress here, if interested.

RAGSHION: TODDLER BONNET AND MITTENS

  There were still little pieces of the old fleece jacket and pajama pants left! A little does seem to go a long way...
  But now I managed to use it all up by making my girl these little accessories:

A basic bonnet made of fleece. I left the seams on the outside for her comfort.

To tie it under the chin, I used a short strip of elastic band. I sew it on on one side, and on the other I placed a snap button. To cover up the ugly snap on, I sew a large button over it. Now the dressing on is easy, yet looking at it is still easy. =)

Since this bonnet is for a girl, it needed a girly touch. What would be better than a good old bow? This time made of leftover cotton lace, and topped off with a button.

Another angle of the bonnet, to get a better idea.

My favorite mittens! These are something I have not managed to find at stores. Fleece beats knit mittens big time! Sand and other dirt can´t get through, plus these babies keep the wind out too. To make them, I simply drew the outline of my little girl´s hand on a piece of paper, added 1cm seam allowance, and cut them out. I stitched the mittens as close to the edge as I could (not 1cm from the edge), to leave more space for hands. Voilá! Done.

There is no need to decorate the mittens in any way. They will be dirty from the first minute when in use. =) When paired with the bonnet, it makes a pretty little set. I managed to make three pairs of mittens from the leftover fleece.

  The summer is on the way (or actually started already, since it´s Beltane), but there are always those chilly days when it either rains or blows, and that´s what I had in mind when making these mittens and bonnet. Plus we will start our summer cabin season shortly, and it is always cool at sea. I expect her to need these accessories up until June.

RAGSHION: TODDLER PANTS

  After making the fleece jacket for my son, there were still some pieces of the old rags left. Especially from my old pants.
  I scratched my head a while, and then made my little girl these pants:

Like a miniatyre of my old ones, but these are cute! The fabric is of good quality, and I expect these pants to stay in good condition in her use.

I added the knee patches before they are actually needed. =)  And needed they will be, sooner or later... The fabric is a leftover piece of Tilda´s basic cotton I have had for several years. Glad I stashed it!

The back of the pants reveal that they are made of recycled rags. The extra seams give them away, but when looking at it, I think they are more stylish with the seams. They add character and detail, and make the pants more unique.

Top stitching in contrast color makes them more fun and relaxed.

  I am satisfied now. Once again a piece of clothing I didn´t have to buy from the stores, thus helping reduce consumption!
 

RAGSHION = FROM RAGS TO FASHION

  There I was, on a walk this spring, with my thoughts flying freely, when I came up with a new word: ragshion. That´s what I would call my creations using old clothes, rags, to make new ones. An old invention but a new word for it. Or so I thought, for I had never come across it before. I was really happy and satisfied with my invention.
  When I got home, I even Googled the word to make sure it hadn´t yet been discovered. No, nothing in the means I would use it for.

  But last week I saw someone on tv being titled as "trashionista". Darn, there went my original, unique (or so I thought) new word. Nah, not quite the same, but very similar. This trashionista made new stuff from old everything, I only use old rags to make new clothes. That is the difference between those two words.
  I should have known, nothing in this world is something someone else would not have at least thought of before. There are so many of us. Oh well, despite all that I will proudly start using "my" new word.

  Under the new title, here is my first project of ragshion:

The material. Now, this is tryly an embarrasing moment to confess, that I have actually worn those ugly brown sweatpants for about seven years! Please forgive me, I only used them as pajama pants. I bought them from a market at a time when I didn´t have time to make myself sleepwear. At first they were okay, but after a few washes, they started to expand like a mushroom in rain. But now it is bye-bye ugly pants! The top is my husband´s. He got it for Christmas, and it is way too large for him. I waited until now to see if he´d wear it, but it didn´t happen. It´s time for these two pieces to make themselves useful again.

This is the main project, a fleece jacket for my son. He is so big already that his clothes take up quite a bit of fabric too, and it is not as easy to find material anymore. I cut out the pieces needed for this, and of what is left still, I will make something else later.

I wanted to take advantage of the print in the original piece. This is something I can´t do on fleece myself, and it gives the jacket a more professional look.

The back is simple, with only a few additional seams showing it is made from recycled rags.

Stitching in contrast color gives the impression of a more detailed work, and binds the two different fabrics together better. All in all, I think these two colors work well together, one cheering up, and the other toning down the whole.

FURTHER PROLONGING THE LIFE OF RECYCLED JEANS

  These pants I made early this year for my son (eight years old), of my husband´s old jeans. They have been the boy´s favorite pair ever since, and now they tore on the bum. I was ready to toss them out, but he insisted I fix them up.

I didn´t want to do a boring barely-to-be-seen patching up. I used a piece of fabric I had saved which has a letter print.

  Now that little fellow runs around with a letter stuck on his butt... Fun and cute. Fooling around and not taking life so seriously can be therapeutic!

HOLIDAY FASHION - BY THE SEA

  Holiday season is at it´s hottest right now. We, as a family, have spent a lot of time in our summer cabin by the sea. Whenever I´m there, surrounded by the big blue water, I only feel comfortable wearing something blue. I want to match with the nature around me, go with the natural flow.

  This is what I made for this holiday season for my trips to the archipelago region.

For fabric I used an old bedsheet, which had different prints on either side. Mixing them gave a more interesting look. A head scarf is essential in the winds of the sea, especially when boating, and it protects from the sun as well. This  dress can not be worn without something underneath it, so revealing it is in the front... But that makes it perfectly adjustable to any weather! The hotter it is, the smaller the under garment. Here I have a tank top with a wrestler´s back.

No makeup is my holiday style. Leaves me more time to sauna and swim!

  This dress was originally an apron called "Mangotango" from the book A Is For Apron . I adjusted the back of the skirt to reach around my waist, and added little length to the hemline. I find it easier to wear as a dress rather than an apron.

  Although in "the real world" we are living through the sabbat Lammas, and I want to wear powdery colors, at sea in our cabin only water-like colors go. I would feel uncomfortable slipping into something peachy for instance. Funny, but with these little details like this I can make my life a better place. I love beauty and all things pretty in life, and I want to contribute to that myself the best I can.

DIY LAMP SHADE

  Fancy home decor shops often sell lamps that have a linen shade on them, made of off-white thin fabric, and perhaps some writing in it too. And they cost a fortune.
  I have always loved the look, but never could afford to buy one. Or should I rather say that I always considered the price ridiculous, and left the lamp in the store.

  In our summer cabin, which we bought last year, I found an ugly lamp. It almost ended up in the trash, when I realized that this was my opportunity to try and make a similar shade to it, which I have always drooled after in the shops.

This is what I came up with. The lamp stand is in it´s original state, and I´m quite happy with it.

The fabric is, surprise surprise, a leftover piece I had lying around from an older project. It is relatively thick, and thus doesn´t give as much light throug. But the lamp is merely for decorational purpose, rather than for illuminating the space.

I made a generous bow of the lace, but kept the color subtle and not too romantic. Our cabin is much used by men and boys for their fishing trips, so I want to keep the look suitable for them too.  =)

  The recipe:

a piece of (old/recycled) any fabric
some yarn/lace
an old/ugly lamp
some elastic cord

+ Rip off the old/ugly shade cover material, so that you are left with only the skeleton of the cover. It can be made of metal or plastic, depending on the style and age of the lamp.
  Measure the circumference of the skeleton at the widest part. Double this measure and you have the width. Measure the height of the shade skeleton, add 3-5cm for seam allowances, and you have the height needed for your new shade piece.
  Cut out the correct sized piece of fabric, and sew the short ends together. Turn in the top and lower edges and sew, forming a tunnel for the elastic cord and lace.
  In the upper end, slip the lace through, and tighten to the desired length. Make a nice bow of the leftover hanging ends. In the lower edge, slip in the elastic cord. Place the shade on the lamp and adjust the tightness of the elastic according to the lamp.
  Voilá! You have a just beautified your home one grade higher!

RAGS DESERVE A NEW LIFE

  I got a few pieces of old hospital clothing from a friend some time ago. She works there, and noticed that a big pile of old worn out t-shirts and pants (or more like long johns) were thrown into the garbage bin. They were all clean and had no holes or anything disgusting in them, so she thought to salvage them from doom. And I was lucky to get some of that treasure.

  At first I had no clue what I would make of them, but later on realized that they were perfect undergarment material! Now that I´m breastfeeding, I like to wear a tank top underneath my nightgown at night. Naturally I don´t own enough tank tops from before the baby arrived, so I really needed some more. What a better way to recycle those old hospital rags (and yes, they were hideous!) than turn them into tank tops? Stuff that I really need right now!

I used a pattern from an ordinary t-shirt, and left out the sleeves. These shirts really don´t need to be perfect, they just need to keep me warm and protect the "delicate parts" of a nursing mother.  =)

To save time, I left all of the edges raw. There is no need to put effort in perfecting them, because they won´t show anyway. No one will see them but me. And if my husband does get a glimpse, that will not likely scare him either. Not after seeing me give birth, twice!

The material is very soft against my skin. After all, it has been brutally washed in hot for who knows how many hundred times.

This brown shirt is the only one that has any lint, and even that it very soft.

Funny that these colors all happen to go well in my Oestara palette.

  I´m totally happy with these tank tops, even though I didn´t finish them off up to perfection. They serve their purpose 100% as they are. Sometimes it is important to sort out priorities. For me, at the moment, it is important to take care of my own well-being as well, and give myself some rest whenever I can. "Sleeping" the nights with a newborn is quite tiring...  But giving up sewing, cooking, and crafts is out of the question!  =)

VINTAGE MIRROR REMODELED

  Some time ago I bought a mirror from a second-hand-shop. I needed one badly for our tiny upstairs restroom. Mirrors have the effect of doubling the space, and that´s just the illusion I wanted to create.
  This is what I found, for eight bucks:

Hideous by color, beautiful by shape and the fact that someone has clearly hand-made it (but it didn´t turn out perfect...).

How it ended up like this...

... or this, I have no clue.

But it was nothing a little sandpaper couldn´t take care of. Then all I needed was some good old white paint, and the apparel was totally changed. For good.

As decor I reused these old humming birds, that once were  lit up with tiny led lights. But as nothing seems to last long these days, neither did these little birdies´ lights   =(.

They look cute, but not too girly for my husband to visit this room when in need. =)

The restroom is so tiny that it was challenging to get a picture showing the whole of it all in one. In this reflection you can see a little more of it, and here you can see the rest.

The edges are beautifully facet polished.

Little scabs in the mirror surface shows the age of the item, and gives it the nice rustic feeling I´m into.

  This was as simple as remodeling can be: only paint added. But here it shows just how big of a difference only color can make. White gives the mirror a more sophisticated look, and makes it pop out of the wall instead of sinking in, making the whole area brighter and seemingly larger. (I might even mistake myself looking prettier than in reality, when seeing myself in this mirror now!)