Cotton Strudel

  1. Patience

    dots

    Sewing away at my secret project. It’s taking longer than I thought but I think that’s due to a combination of things. I am making things up as I go along – checking an already made item and a pattern – and I think I finally understand what my gran tried to teach me all those years ago… patience!

    It’s a well-known fact that my gran had the most patience of anyone I have ever met. She was a perfectionist too. She’s known to have frogged an almost finished knitted item just because she discovered a dropped stitch or a missing increase somewhere along the lines. “You can’t even see it!” – my mum would plead. “But I know it’s there. And it bothers me.” would be her reply, and off the needles her jumper would come to be frogged, the yarn washed and carefully be started again.

    When I started to learn knitting and sewing with her, and much until this very day, the thought of doing something like that would be enough to put me off the whole thing. I like that jumper in the magazine and I want to have it now! I didn’t understand that the actual process of creating something can be as enjoyable as finishing it and trying it on.

    I wished and hoped I could get a bit of her patience to no avail. She told me many times how she used to be the same as me when her sisters started teaching her how to sew. There were stories about endless days spent just ironing seams or basting fabric pieces when all she wanted to do was to make herself a dress. She loved fashion and had movie star looks that could pull off any style but with so many brothers and sisters there was never enough money for fancy clothes. That’s when she discovered sewing and fell in love with fabric. The possibilities opening up to her were endless!

    When I started making the curtains for the nursery, I feared I’d end up in the usual way: I want them now, even if the seams are crooked! But then, as if by magic, I found myself carefully measuring the windows, trimming the fabric and taking my time to make sure everything was done as best as I could.

    Could it be I’m getting a bit of my gran’s patience? I thought it may have been a one off, but as I put the curtains in place and moved to my current project, I found that I’m taking my time with this one too. Ironing seams open, measuring carefully, pinning hems properly, ironing again. And of course, she was right, all this work turns out to help make your job easier and your finished project better.

    Maybe I’m finally lucky enough to understand what my gran meant about doing things right and enjoying yourself in the process. Even if it takes a little longer than you’d like.

    Better late than never, I guess.

  2. Fabric goodness

    gunilla

    One of the many good things about having a baby is the fact that you have a great excuse to go fabric shopping and start sewing… with a deadline!

    I couldn’t find any curtains I really loved for the nursery. They were either too pale – we’re going for bright colours – or too sheer – we’re thinking blackout material to make the room darker.

    On a trip to Ikea to try out chairs, I spotted the fabric above and immediately thought: Curtains! The cheerful orange with sweet birds on trees combination was just what I needed. When the husband saw it and immediately agreed, I knew it was a sign.

    After a lot of measuring and planning and reading Singer books on how to sew for the home, I came up with a plan and promised myself I’d take it nice and easy. Sometimes impatience gets the best of me. I’m quite proud to say that the new curtains look quite pretty in the nursery.

    curtains

    They’re not perfect by any means but they were sewn with a lot of love. I’m not quite sure yet what to do for ties. I thought of ribbons but that wouldn’t be too practical for everyday use. I’m taking some time to think that one over.

    The next projects lined up include the use of these lovely fabrics…

    fabric

    I think I’ll keep you guessing as to what they’ll become ;-)

  3. New look

    After much planning, sketching, coding and debugging, Cotton Strudel has been reformatted. It feels so much better!

    My poor little online sketchbook had become a messy workspace and therefore a bit abandoned. You know when you’ve been sewing for a while and your desk is so cluttered with materials that it takes you a good ten minutes to find your scissors? You keep going on until your project is finished and after a bit of glowing and admiring your achievement you realise something needs to be done about that work space!

    That’s how I felt about Cotton Strudel. There were a few things I wanted to organise and it was looking too crowded for my taste. As a result, all the things that should’ve been going there were being thrown into my browser’s bookmark list, my RSS reader and countless directories in my computer. Not the best way to find my things.

    I’m back on track now. Like having a brand new notebook with blank pages full of possibilities. I can paste inspirational links, record my projects, place my food photographs and keep it all nice and organised.

    Have a look, find your way around and let me know what you think.

  4. Collaboration

    belly

    I think it’s time to tell you about my big project for 2010. Well, it’s not just my project but rather a collaboration with the husband.

    I’m expecting a baby for late Spring and we couldn’t be any more excited. I know it sounds silly to people who haven’t experienced it but it is truly a miracle to see your belly grow every day and know that a little person is in there.

    It’s all become more real in the last couple of weeks as the little one has started kicking… a lot!

    As you can guess, a lot of the craft projects I’ve been dreaming about and planning are all baby related and that’s why I think this space has been a bit quiet for a while but now that the news is out I’ll start recording them all here.

    There are plans for curtains and decorations and toys and some knitted garments too. Of course, the brain goes faster than my hands, as my mum likes to say, and we’ll see how much is achieved.

    It’s funny, having a kid opens up a whole new world of crafting! I can’t wait to see where it takes me.

  5. Last craft of the year

    cushions

    Don’t worry, I don’t mean this year but the last one.

    Between the mad dash between Christmas and New Year, I decided I needed to finally sew covers for the new pillows we’d had for ages lying in the spare room. It was part trying to get a head start on organising the house – which usually happens early in January – and part getting tired of looking at the sad cushions we had on our sofas.

    The husband had suggested tartan patterns when I asked what he fancied for new cushions so off I went to find some fabric and got sewing. I’d forgotten how much fun sewing can be. In almost no time at all we had nice new cushions and, even if I say so myself, they look quite nice in the living room.

    I can feel it all coming back to me…

    Soon I’ll tell you about my big project for 2010. It’s exciting!

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