Colors of spring

I bought these beautiful flowers today - Ranunkeln und Löwenmäulchen (I have no idea what their english names are). Spring is definitely here!!

DearAnna-Bag II (a little glimpse)

Yes! Done! I made it!!!

The bag is finished and actually looks nice - but since I didn't give it to my friend yet, I can only show you a little glimpse of it. I really hope she'll like it!!

DearAnna-Bag I (aka The Prototype)

Ok, so maybe I did get carried away - a little bit. My dear friend Anna's birthday is next week - and I wanted to give her something special.

So I told her, she can pick a bag from the Amy Butler book - and she did!! The cute little blossom bag.

But since she is an absolutely book-crazy woman and takes a book (or two) everywhere she goes  - and is mummy to a little baby girl - we decided to enlarge the bag a little to fit her needs.

So, not only a tricky bag but also different from the pattern - I love the challenge (What was I thinking??).

Better to sew a prototype before I start with the fabric she picked. 

And that's what I did the last week, and last night I finished the PROTOTYPE!

I'm glad, I made the effort because I found some things I will have to change - but it turned out quite well!

Have a look and decide for yourself...

My first handbag

No, of course it's not my first handbag - like  every other woman I own more than enough handbags - but this is the first time I made a handbag for myself.  I always wanted to make one, but I always feared it would be too difficult. Now, having bought the wonderful book "Style Stitches" by Amy Butler I just had to give it a try. Since I have more than enough fabric; collected over the years and patiently waiting to be made into something - I selected some summery IKEA fabric and gave it a try.

I have to say - for it being the first time, I'm very pleased with the result.

The finished bag

The lining used to be an IKEA bedspread (very british, I think)

I used some old buttons and a ribbon to close the top

Boy cardigan into very girly jacket

I just returned from a weekend trip to Switzerland - visiting my dear friend Anna and her beautiful little mouse Alicia (ok, and her hubby, too - even though I didn't see him much). But I have to admit - having a mostly girls weekend was a lot of fun.

When I had asked Anna, what to bring for the baby she said she could use a light wool cardigan. Knowing that my dear friend is quite a little fashion victim herself and has great taste in dressing little Alicia, I wanted to bring something special. But all the girls cardigans were very girly - puffy sleeves, only one button - not very much suited keeping an energetic one year old warm.

But I found a great boys cardigan - very british, hooded and with a long zipper. So I decided to pimp it up a little bit to make it wearable for a little girl.

So here is the before and after:

Plain boy cardigan

Girl version with added lace and buttons

Some more buttons on the bottom

Ok, the arms are a little long - but she'll grow into it

Yes, it definitely doesn't look like a boy's cardigan anymore

Bad hair day

Don't you just hate when you look in the mirror in the morning and your hair just decides not to cooperative for the day? 



Call yourself lucky when you have hair long enough to make a pony tail or do something else with it. But what if your hair doesn't only take the day off, but goes on vacation for a long time - completely...? A dear friend of mine is going to have brain surgery next week - so the hair will have to shaved off. What a cruel thing for a woman to think about. I remember as a child in kindergarten I had to cut my hair very, very short - because I had to be treated for some kind of skin problem - I looked like a boy and felt horrible. But I was a kid - and I quickly didn't care anymore. But as an adult? Hair is such an important part of being a woman, isn't it? 



So, when my friend told me the news I wanted to do something to make her feel better about what she will look like after surgery - so I offered to make her a hat. Fortunately, she is as strong-willed as me, therefor her had is as big as mine (I always have problems finding hats that fit) - which makes it much easier sewing a hat for her. She decided on a newsboy hat with brim. So I made a pattern from a hat I bought in a little woolen mill in Wales and started on a prototype. With lining and everything. The prototype being a little wide I added some elastic to her had - and I have to say I'm very pleased (my model Eeyore doesn't seem to be though ;o)

The finished hat for my friend.

Eeyore modeling the prototype - I think, he doesn't like the pink...

...no, it's not the pink. Maybe he's just not the hat type?

The flowers are pins you can take off. The right pin is repeating the fabric of the lining. 

The sparrow and the dove

I know, it's been over a month now without a post - it's been that long without any crafting as well.
I have been so busy working in school and thinking about my future (earning money and staying at the school I'm at - or going back to university and spending the money we saved for emergencies). But, not being quite happy at your job is really an emergency, is it? Who is quite happy at what he does for a living anyway? So it took me some time, but the decision is made - stay where you are. We have this german saying about the sparrow in your hand being better than the dove up on the roof - I guess thats true. I have just never been a person who even thought about going for the dove - this was the first time - and doing the right thing isn't always what makes you feel best in the end...

Der Spatz in der Hand ist besser als die Taube auf dem Dach - wohl wahr aber nicht unbedingt das, was einen glücklich macht.