I really love slow, don't you? This weekend was an extended weekend spent with my husband's family for Easter. I so much enjoy the slowed pace of things in Germany when it is a holiday. People aren't thinking about much of anything, but simply enjoying the time off. Vacation time in Germany is drastically different than in the States, where vacations and holidays are few and far between. In Germany one is off for Easter Sunday, and then "Easter Monday", which I had never heard of before... not only that, but there's not just one Christmas day, but two! How great is that?!?
So what does a spring holiday look like here?... kids playing outside the whole entire day until they can run no longer, lounging lazily on a spread out picnic blanket, coffee and cake time in the garden in the shade of that perfect tree, time to read when one would normally be too busy to read, and quality chat time with family... and what better way to top it off than my favorite German meal of fresh Niedersächsischer Spargel. Yeah, I'd have to say that it was a great weekend... and you?
Ich liebe Ferienzeit in Deutschland... irgendwie lauft alles ein bisschen langsamer, und man hat das Gefühl, dass nichts anderes so wichtig ist, als eine schöne Zeit mit der Familie zu verbringen. In Amerika haben wir nur einen Ostertag anstatt zwei... genau so zu Weihnachten. Aber natürlich ist es besser mit mehreren Tagen für eine kleine Reise... Kinder spielen den ganzen Tag draußen miteinander, Kaffee und leckeren Kuchen, etwas lesen, wofür man normalerweise keine Zeit hat, ein bisschen mit der Familie quatschen... Tja, es war ein sehr schönes Osterwochenende... und bei Euch?
For my husband's "birthday table" I wanted to do something really special. For the table decorations I made a small, simple wreath from birch twigs, added a sprig of forget-me-not's and a delicate white flower, wrapped them in moss, added a petite speckled bird's egg, and perched it atop a cognac glass... and done. It doesn't get any easier than that! Each person had their own personal flower arrangement... sweet, don't you think? What do you do for spring or Easter decoration... fresh flowers? Lots colors or muted and soft?
So, für den Geburtstagstisch für meiner Mann, habe ich gedacht dass es unbedingt schön sein muss. Einen einfachen kleinen Kranz aus Birkenzweigen, Vergissmeinnicht, eine süße Wiesenblume, eingewickelt in Moos, zierliche gesprenkelte Vogeleier, auf einem Congnac-Glas und fertig... einfacher geht es nicht! Jeder hatte seine eigene Tischdeko... süß, nicht? Was macht Ihr für Frühling oder Osterdeko... frische Blumen? Viele Farben oder gedeckt und sanft?
Did you know that in Germany, even at age 80, the person is still called the "birthday child". Usually a "Geburtstagstisch" (birthday table) is set up and decorated where all the birthday presents are displayed. In my husband's family the birthday child is to stay in their room in the morning until everyone gathers outside their door to sing a birthday song. It is also a tradition that the birthday child has a small "kranz" (wreath) of evergreen, ivy, or other greenery around their place setting... birthdays are really special here and I love that about living in Germany. Do you have any special birthday traditions?
Speaking of fabrics... this past weekend I traveled to Köln (Cologne) and met Juliette for the annual Hobby & Handarbeit convention where companies within the trade gather to introduce new fabrics, patterns, ribbons, yarns, wools, buttons, zippers, sewing machines, and everything that a crafter could ever dream of. "Oh" and "Ah" are common phrases that one would use for such an event and I left totally inspired by what I saw.
... even though knitting, crocheting, and wool crafts are not usually my medium of choice, these projects inspired me to reconsider adding one more hobby to my list.
... it's hard to say if I'm more of a ribbon girl or a button girl... I think more of a ribbon girl. Who wouldn't be with these beautiful jacquard ribbons?
... no, no, wait, I'm definitely more of a button girl... or at least until I stumble on more fabulous ribbons that cause me to teeter on the verge of fair-weatheredness.
But for me the thing that excited me more than fantastic fabric, colorful wools, beautiful ribbons, or detailed buttons, was meeting someone in person that I really admire. Do you have anyone that you really look up to, hold in high regard, and really inspires you? You've heard me talk endlessly about the brilliantly designed fabrics from Amy Butler... I would probably even consider her the benchmark for quilting fabric designers, but after having met her in person, it became clear to me that there is a reason she is so successful... I guess I believe that a good part of who a person is often shows up in ones work.
It's been rumored by others that have met Amy, that she is authentic, real, and down-to-earth, but as I was chatting with her at the show I found that I could not agree more. What I expected to be quick in and out talk with maybe an autograph, actually turned out to be a lengthy and interesting conversation. I got the feeling that she was truly interested in meeting the people that are a part of the dream that she is living out. She had talked about balance... working really hard at what you do and enjoying it, but taking the time to enjoy "the fruits of your labor". So true... and as Amy said herself, "Beauty is in the way you live. Enjoy your surroundings. Let them inspire you. Follow your own path, and approach everything you do with love in your heart".
In addition, it was really great to hear first hand about a few projects that Amy has in the works... which only leaves me eagerly anticipating the next brilliant thing she puts her hand to. Want to hear more about the show? Check out Juliette's post..
I remember in grade school first being introduced to the metric system. I thought to myself... why do we have to learn two different ways to measure things? So for tests and quizzes I could rattle off whatever the teacher wanted to know about liter, meter, gram, and so on and then how many milli-somethings, centi-somethings, and kilo-somethings were in each one.
... but as you very well know "use it, or loose it" applies to just about anything. (maybe except riding a bike... does anyone forget that?) So when I first moved to Germany, I had to dust off the corners of my memory where I had stored, what at the time seemed like "useless information". But even as much as I hate to admit it, the metric system really is the way to go. Everything is divisible by 10, no cheat charts needed to tell you how many cups are in a pint, how many ounces in a pound, no need to work with fractions, or rattle off silly measurements like 7/16th of an inch! (crazy as is may seem, I've even seen 32nds of an inch too!)
With all that said, that is why I love bake using German recipes... it's so easy! Zitoronkuchen (lemon cake), a recipe from my mother-in-law, has become one of my favorites... it's even become my "birthday cake"! I just have to pull out my kitchen scale and a bowl... 200 g of this, 200 g of that, 200 g of something else, mix and your done! No dry measuring cups, no wet measuring cups, no converting this or that... just the way baking should be.
But despite the fact that I have "converted" to the metric system in almost everything that I do now... I still use inches to sew! I guess some silly habits are sometimes too hard to break.
So, I guess I had a few plain flower vases lying around and decided to spruce them up a bit for my Easter table. This is not necessarily a tutorial that is anything "new", but if you've never made a simple bag with a round bottom, this could be helpful.... again, I'll show you how to get started and you take the creativity from there.
Using a double-sided interfacing, cut out the shape that you would like to apply to your bag and iron it in place. For the outer fabric I used a simple heavier weight cotton muslin (ca. 10.5 x 15.5 inches, 26.5 x 39.5 cm). I used both the "Hippity-Hop" and the "Hippity-Hop Friends" patterns. With the "Hippity Hop" pattern, I simply reduced it down and added a few "extras"(like a miniature version of the "Easter Deco" pattern).
Select a lining fabric for your bag and cut two rectangles the same size for the lining fabrics. Fold the fabric in half and stitch along the short edge of the fabric to create a tube. Iron seam open.
Cut a circle (ca. 5 inches, 13 cm in diameter) and fold it in half. Mark the fold line on both ends. Fold circle again so the marks match each other and mark the new fold lines on the circle. (you should have four marks) For the bag (tube), fold in half using the seam as one folded edge and mark on the folded edge. Open the bag, match the marks, fold in half again and mark the folded line on the opposite sides.
Match the markings on the bag to the markings on your circle. Pin the four marked notches first and then pin the rest of the circle in place easing the fabric in as you go. Stitch around the circle.
Once you have stitched all the way around, cut several notches in the fabric towards the seam, being careful not to cut through the seam. This is very important when sewing curves to make sure that the fabric lies correctly without bunching up. Iron seams. Repeat steps for second bag and lining.
To create a band, cut a coordinating fabric in a long strip (ca. 2 x 16.5 inches, 5 x 42 cm) Fold each edge the same distance towards the center and iron. Fold the strip in half again and iron.
Place the finished lining inside the finished bag wrong sides together. Open the band you just made and sandwich bag in between the band to create a finished edge.
Pin in place and continue around the bag until you come to the end. Fold the fabric back so you have a finished edge and pin in place.
Stitch around the top of the band in a coordinating thread and you couldn't have an easier way to decorate a boring vase or make a bottle of wine a special "Easter" present.
So, do you have any weekend projects planned? As promised I thought I'd pass on a couple ideas using the "Hippity-Hop" Friends pattern.
Don't know what your sweet little one should wear for Easter? ... a simple T-shirt, your favortie fabric, "wunder-under" (Vliesofix), stitch-stitch, and add a bow and you're done! (P.S. just is case you went that way, this is NO hint of any little ones to come... I have FOUR nieces, you know)
Wouldn't this fabric also make a sweet matching skirt? From Tula Pink's Hushabye collection.
It seems as if I've been stuck on "Easter Deco" projects, but this time with a little different application. I really love to combine different mediums and why not combine sewing with jewelry making for a "Hippity-Hop" Friends window hanger... could there be anything better than to combine two things you love?!?
You'll need:
Flat Head Pliers
Jewelry stringing wire
Crimp Beads
Selection of matching beads
Fabric
Double-sided interfacing (Vliesofix)
Thread and embellishments (ribbons, etc.)
Cut the length of your stringing wire as desired. I would suggest to cut a little extra and trim later as needed... better to end up too long than too short. Make a loop at the top for the hanger. String a crimp bead and using your flat head pliers, crimp the bead flat so the loop is held in place.
String a bead on the jewelry wire and then followed by a crimp bead. Crimp the bead and your bead will stay in place.
Continue stringing desired beads in place and crimp after each one.
Using the same technique from the "Easter Deco" tutorial, cut out desired shape (here I used the easter egg and the small "Hippity Hop" friend). Sandwich the wire in between your shape and iron in place *NOTE: be very careful when you iron that you do not get too close to your wire. Many jewelry wires have a coating on them and could melt if exposed to high heat.
Add a crimp bead after your fabric shape, just like after the beads, and crimp in place.
Continue beading and fabric shapes until you have reached your desired length. Find a lonely window, door, wall or wherever that needs a little decoration and hang.
There you have it... So easy, so fun. Happy weekend creating!
