forget me not

We have finally gotten a break and some warmer, dryer weather is on its way.
The cold, rainy weeks haven't been very creative but time was not wasted; I spent many evenings cuddled up on the couch watching DVDs and crocheting tiny flowers.

Here is the result, a large zippered wristlet, made from dark navy blue, almost grey cool wool cloth (the kind used for men's suits) and sewn on are tiny crochet flowers in light green hues, with blue embroidered stems.

The wristlet is lined with hand dyed cotton canvas in fresh cobalt blue and it has one mint green interior slip pocket.

Since little flowers remind me of forget-me-nots, I embroidered their French name, "ne m'oublie pas", on the back.
Don't forget, the summer is bound to come!



Spominčice

Končno smo dočakali tudi toplejše in bolj suho vreme! Ker sem pretekle deževne in zimsko mrzle večere v glavnem preždela na kavču ob gledanju DVDjev, sem uspela nakvačkati za manjši travnik rožic - zdaj je v trgovini na voljo nova torbica iz temno mornarsko modrega, skoraj sivega volnenega blaga, posuta s cvetkami, ki imajo izvezena stebla. Ker me rožice spominjajo na spominčice, sem na zadnjo stran torbice izvezla njihovo francosko ime "ne m'oublie pas". 
Ne pozabite, poletje zagotovo pride!

Custom wristlet

I just listed a custom wristlet in red corduroy and striped canvas with a removable strap and an interior zippered pocket - this cheerful combination of red, plum, orange and teal colours seems to be very popular...

This is the first item I photographed in our new home but the setting stays the same;
natural light withour direct sunlight,
a table or a flat chair, placed close to the window,
two different neutral cardboards for background (I prefer placing white or cream white on the bottom and another, slightly darker in the back)
and a light reflecting foil that reduces dark shadows (a "survival blanket", thin silver/gold foil you can find in any sports and leisure shop, that I attached to a piece of cardboard).

I shoot all my item pictures with a small compact camera Canon IXUS 85 IS that has been faithfully serving me for these past three years. I have to adjust contrast, hue and saturation in PhotoShop, mainly because some fabrics are more difficult to capture in true colours than others, as is the case with this bright red corduroy, but good pictures are the most important feature in shoping online, right?

I hope you are having a nice Wednesday,

Till next time!

Torbica po meri

Pravkar sem v trgovino dodala novo "zapestnico" iz rdečega rebrastega žameta in črtastega platna, s snemljivim ročajem in notranjim žepkom na zadrgo - ta živahna kombinacija rdečih, purpurnih, oranžnih in turkiznih tonov je očitno zelo priljubljena...

To je prvi izdelek, ki sem ga fotografirala v novi hiši, vendar ostaja seznam fotografskih pripomočkov enak;
naravna svetloba brez direktnih sončnih žarkov,
miza ali stol, postavljen blizu okna,
dva različna kartona v nevtralnih tonih za ozadje (za podlago imam najraje belo ali skoraj belo, za ozadje pa nekoliko temnejšo barvo)
in svetlobo odbijajoča folija, ki zmehča temne sence (uporabljam na karton pritrjeno srebrno/zlato folijo, ki se kot odeja za primer nesreče dobi v trgovinah s športno in pohodniško opremo)

Vse fotografije izdelkov posnamem z majhnim Canonom IXUS 85 IS, ki mi zvesto služi zadnja tri leta. V PhotoShopu moram sicer malce popraviti barvo, kontrast in nasičenost, a predvsem zato, ker je nekatere tekstilije težje fotografirati kot druge, a verodostojne fotografije so najpomembnejši del spletne prodaje, ne?

Imejte se,
čau do naslednjič!

New in my shop

I listed another large City Tote today, this one is made from fine dark olive green corduroy in combination with cheerful striped cloth in pink, purple and pea green. Comfortable, broad shoulder straps are made from the same striped cloth and inside of the bag is lined with khaki canvas.

Over the weekend I experimented with shapes again and made this large, square wristlet from neutral linen blend - I adorned the front and back with some freehand embroidery and added a handmade bobbin lace that I've bought in Slovenia. 

The region of Idrija in Slovenia has a long tradition of bobbin lace making; this delicate lace, often with flower motifs or heart shaped, is made from fine cotton thread, twisted and pleated over little pins in a round pillow. Click HERE to read more about this fascinating technique.

I've purchased several different pieces of bobbin lace, I will mostly use them for decorating smaller purses...

Sunday picnic

My latest Goga wristlet was made with European Street Team's challenge in mind (theme was picnic) but I didn't finish it in time.

Here she is now, still waiting to be taken for a Sunday picnic in the grass - it is made from denim bllue polyester blend fabric and lined with a piece of vintage red gingham tablecloth. I added a handmade kanzashi flower brooch that can be placed anywhere on the purse or pinned to your clothes for a matching look.

Happy Sunday!

Stella Maris wristlet

The weekend is almost over and I still have some tidying up to do before my family returns (and muffins to bake like I promised the children).

Here are two new summer wristlets I listed in my shop today. I call them Stella Maris, starfish in Latin, and I must say I am very pleased how the corduroy applique in salmon and robin egg blue on two tone beige canvas turned out.

I have already sketched some more starfish inspired designs but they will have to wait for the next sewing break...

Could you "like" this bunny?

Rachel from Lovely Clusters challenged us to spread the word and get as many people as possible to visit her beautiful web calatogue.

The goal is to get the most "likes" for a single item and I chose my Bella bunny wristlet to run the race for me. So far I have 21 people on Facebook liking the purse, which, thanks to a lovely Etsy customer, got sold just before Christmas. But my bunny keeps on running and with your help it can get closer to winning (the contest ends this Saturday).

So if you have a Facebook account and a like for bunnies, please click "like" under this listing. Thank you!

My workspace

To reassure my Etsy Holiday Camp buddy Elisa that I am still pursuing our goal to add 60 new items in our shops by December 1st - here is a photo of my current work space:

A bit messy, with empty chocolate wrappers quickly put in the bin and bits of thread swept away...

Yesterday I listed the other wooly wristlet, a pale winter version, inspired by the latest EST challenge theme - snowflakes (you may see other entries so far HERE).

This morning we went to farmers' market with the children. I love chrysanthemum - and apparently, so does Lily.

In the afternoon I worked on some more house brooches. I was "sew" close to finishing two of them but then nap time was over and since it was another beautiful sunny afternoon I just had to take the children out again. The best choice was nearby cycling park, a place with nicely kept grass (thanks to more conscious variety of French dog owners) and paved, meandering cycling path where older children can safely burn their calories while mothers chat and keep an eye on toddlers.

More sewing tomorrow, I promise, Elisa!

And now - to bed.

Good night!

A view from my window

Last week we saw season's first snowflakes, mixed with rain...

But my suncatcher charmed the clouds away and the new week started with crisp, hardly-above-freezing cold, yet sunny weather!

I finished another wristlet today, made from charcoal grey wool cloth - cold weather makes me want to work with wooly fabrics again, but the colours are a bit too sad so I try to cheer them up with some hand embroidery.

One more wristlet is waiting by the sewing machine - I hope I can list it tomorrow, so far it doesn't feel quite finished, I have to take another look at it tomorrow by daylight to make up my mind...

A fox? Me?

Let me present a brand new member of Loddelina family - GOGA wristlet.

She (a lady, what else) is 16 cm 6.2") tall, has a roomy, 6.5 cm (2.5") wide bottom (she dines out a lot) and closes with a 18 cm (7") zipper. Detachable wrist strap has a swivel hook and there is a small interior pocket in the lining.

I chose black denim for my first wristlet and sewed a red wool felt applique in front - in the shape of a fox (I wasn't sure if it really looks like a fox but my two year old daughter recognized it as such, which is good enough for me...).

Inspiration behind this woodland creature applique comes from Elisa, the creative force behind peskycatdesigns, one of my favourite Etsy shops, filled with unique, nature inspired bags.