Bookmark with birds

The other day my boyfriend, who is a biologist and a keen birdwatcher, heard the news that near our place there is a capercaillie displaying. For my Hungarian readers: siketfajd. So we went and looked at it, it was an amazing sight. Until it wanted to attack us, at which point we had to simply run for it :D

Here is the guy - not a very good photo but I couldn't get any closer.

This bird, however, reminded me of a typical bird motif in Hungarian folk embroidery. It is called a peacock, but I think it looks more like the capercaillie. So I got the inspiration and drew a little bookmark pattern. Wasn't following any pattern, made it up on my own, but I cannot deny the influence of the "peacock motif".

I hope many of you will enjoy stitching it.

Folk inspired cross stitch pattern

Good morning!

It is a (quite) beautiful Saturday morning here. By "quite" I mean it is not raining - after having 3 days with constant rain, this is a big thing. What is even more, the sun has just peaked out from behind the clouds. Let's hope we can see more of it today. Just my luck, when I have been at home since Tuesday after a minor surgery, could have gone out to walk a bit, but the weather didn't let me. Actually, yesterday I did go out a little, early in the morning, just before it started raining but that wasn't much.

Anyway, I am feeling really good after having my frozen shoulder operated, doing my exercises, and thank God, I can use my arm much better than before. Going back to work on Monday.

I have been working on my university assignments, surprise, surprise. :? I love experimenting with embroidery, I truly do, but I do miss just embroidering for the fun of it. :)

I was trying to create 3-D embroidery. I am using this book (link to Amazon):

I did some coiling, which is basically taking some fabric strips, wrapping them with thread and sewing them together to form a fabric. I made a small basket to learn the technique. I used embroidery thread and blanket stitch to sew the strips together. This can be seen on the inside. But it is quite hard on the fingers to sew through the fabric strips, so I only sewed on one side. This resulted in a little bit unstable fabric. So I turned it inside out and used herringbone stitch and metallic thread on the other side. This way I strengthened the fabric and made it decorative, too. The metallic thread gives it a really good structure, I love it.

Then I realised that for my assignment this is not good enough because I need to connect it to the topic I am working with. This time I choose trees as a symbol. So next I made a small sculpture with the same technique. I also used woven picot stitch to make some leaves.

Right now I am working with another piece, using fabric manipulation. This is supposed to be a vessel, with a tree-trunk as inspiration. I used one flat piece of woollen fabric to create this, pulling the fabric together, folding it and stitching it down. Then I made a lining and used a thick batting between them, to add more structure. This is not done yet, I want to add more stitches to make it sturdier. I am not very sure about it, right now I don't really like it but don't know what I am missing. I think I will put it aside for a few days and come back to it later.

By the time I finished writing this, the sun disappeared again. So it is really high time to bring some cheer in our days, I think. Here is a colourful little pattern to bring you some sunshine. It is inspired by folk embroidery. I made two different versions with different colourways, but of course, as usual, I encourage you to use your favourite colours to stitch it. (As I am looking at them together, now I think that the blue hydrangea might look better with the red tulips and the pink one with the yellow tulips... so typical of me, never really satisfied :D )


Click on the pictures to get the downloadable pdf.

(Good news: I sorted out the problem with the pdf format listing thread that were not used! Yay!)

Happy spring, happy stitching!

Blackwork biscornu pattern

I am continuing with the folk art inspired motifs. This time I made a blackwork pattern in blue, for a small biscornu or pincushion.

I am going to Hungary soon, so I probably won´t have time to stitch this, and anyway, I am full of half-finished projects, so I should not start something new. But knowing myself, I can´t promise anything :)

Hope you like this little pattern. Let us see if you make it!

Happy stitching

Biscornu and bookmark inspired by folk patterns

I was reading a book about the folk art of Kászon - now in Romania, originally a Hungarian area. I was, of course, inspired by the many beautiful pictures and patterns.

The following biscornu and bookmark are using elements that are traditional in Kászon, but are also present in many other areas. However, I tried to create a new design using the old motifs, added my own interpretation.

The biscornu can also be made as a mattress pincushion, so I added a piece for the sides.

I hope you like and stitch them.

Valentine's Heart - free chart again

I seem to be carried away with my designing lately, I don't make one but a "series" right away. (This is how I eat apples - I never eat one, start with two and usually eat a third one as well.)

As a result, here is another free heart chart - this time with traditional, sampler-style love birds. Tell me what you think of it.

Happy stitching :)

Hungarian folk motif again

I have been busy knitting and stitching, but I don't feel very well lately, and simply can't force myself to take photos and blog about them. Sorry. Sooner or later... and I managed to take some pictures for you.

This is what I have been stitching, it is almost done. Just need to add a bit more rain in the corner, it was hard to sew there in the frame, and I think it needs a few more little things. I have stitched this for Lizi, who is a 5-year old lovely little girl, my friends daughter. She asked me to embroider something for her that has tulips and a rainbow and the sun and rain... so I came up with this.

I thought I would share how to make a cross stitch picture using free patterns:

Tutorial: How to create a cross stitch picture using freebies.
1. Go on the internet (or browse your downloaded patterns) and choose a few that you could use for the picture. Look for patterns where there are small elements that can be used.
2. If you want, print and cut out the different elements and arrange them. If you have a cross stitching program, you can draw them and make a better job out of it. I was only improvising as I put them all together. You only need to be careful that the elements are of roughly similar size. Although, as I did on this one, you can use bigger and smaller motifs to create perspective.
3. Stitch. :) :)

Ok, joke aside, I loved stitching this, and even though I cannot draw and have no idea of composition and such, I think it is not too bad. I hope Lizi will like it, I think I am going to make it into a cushion cover for her.

And here are two knitting projects. A cardigan I started with some of the yarn I bought myself for my birthday:

It is this pattern, but I am a bit worried because my yarn is different, the gauge is not the same so I am making it in a bigger size to make up for it but cannot be sure if it is good or not. :( This is the problem with top-down patterns, you don't see the size until much later. Well, fingers crossed and we will see.
This is the yarn I am using: http://www.loveknitting.com/sublime-baby-cashmere-merino-silk-dk - the vanilla, and a lovely green - they don't have it on the website.

And my first ever socks:

I have been knitting for 33 years now and made hundreds of pulovers and scarves etc, but never socks. I have been wanting to learn for years and finally I started. And it is not even difficult! :D :D I am so happy.

I have been using this tutorial and it is mostly very easy to follow. For turning a heel I had to look at some youtube videos because I didn't understand what they wrote, but everything else is really straightforward.

This yarn is one of those I bought on Crete two years ago. 75 % wool - but can't remember the rest, lost the paper. The whole pair will come out of one ball, it seems.

And now I want to share another cross stitch pattern with you based on the same motif as I used before. It can be used for a biscornu, perhaps, although it is a bit bigger than usual biscornu patterns. But it would look lovely on a cushion or a bag, too.

What else do you think it could be used for? What colour would you choose to stitch it?

Click on the picture for the pdf.

Happy stitching. :)

Cross stitch bookmark pattern for free

Dear stitching friends,

I have drawn a pattern for a bookmark, you can download it for free. It is based on some Hungarian motifs. I imagined it in two shades of red, but I think it would look lovely in other colour combinations, in only one colour or in variegated thread as well.
I hope you like it.

Click on the picture to get the downloadable pdf file. If anyone has a problem with downloading, let me know, please.

Happy stitching.

Subversive sampler - free pattern

Hello :)

I have been in a bit of a sewing and stitching frenzy lately. Want to use all the time before school starts next week. I finished the competition piece, but I am not sure if I can post a photo of it now or not. I need to ask. I think it turned out really nice.

Now I am working on an order. It goes well but my neck is getting a bit tired. Sewing on the machine for a break does not help either. Will take some photos next time I take it out of the frame.

I made another free pattern, this time a subversive sampler. I hope you will find it funny, just as I do. ;)


Click on the picture for the pdf.

Happy stitching, friends.

Peacocks and a basket of flowers - Swedish pattern

Happy midsummer! Trevlig midsommar!


We had a fantastic midsummer celebration today. Love this Swedish custom.
So that all my readers can also celebrate with us, I have created a little pattern with old Swedish motifs: peacocks and a basket of flowers.

I am off to Hungary tomorrow, so if you don't see me for a while, that's the reason. But perhaps I can check in once in a while. Have a lovely summer, everyone.


Click on the picture to get the pdf.

Free bookmark pattern - based on an old sampler motif

I have been playing again with some patterns from the old Swedish books that I bought at an antique fare.
Just so that everyone know, I would like to make it clear that I am not using copyrighted material as my own. I know these is a difficult area so I will try to explain how I see this.

First, these books are about 70+ years old, although I am not sure when the copyright would have expired or how. But most of the patterns in them are really patterns that can be found all over Europe. There are patterns that I see again and again on old Hungarian, Ukrainian, German, Austrian, Latvian etc., etc. embroideries, not to mention Quaker an other early American things. It might be because of this that I "feel" they are in the public domain. In Hungary we say folk art is something that wasn't created by one person, but kind of a common creation: we don't know where it comes from originally, and everyone changes it a bit as they use it and share it. So there are endless variations of it.

Secondly, even so I never use these pattern as they are, I wouldn't copy a pattern from a book here and say they are mine. I use them more as inspiration. In this pattern, what I liked was the very simple form of the flowers, and the original red and blue colours. We also have red and blue together in some areas in Hungary. But apart from that, the overall design is my own work: the size of the motif, the layout, the repetitive element, the border etc.

I hope I am expressing myself clearly. If anyone knows for sure that I am in the wrong, please, correct me.

So, after all this, here is the bookmark that I created inspired by some patterns in an old Swedish book, but I wouldn't say they are really Swedish patterns, more like old European sampler motifs. Apart from using the original colour scheme, I also made a more modern, fresher looking one.

Which one do you like more?




Click on the pictures for the pdf.

Swedish folk pattern and some WIP

Hi, dear friends.

I have been really busy lately with my sewing machine and other stuff.
I am learning quilting. Here is my second attempt. (The first one was a simple piece sewn together from 10 x 10 cm squares, not very well - I am still thinking to do something with it.)

I was trying to do a log cabin quilt. I cut lots of 5 cm wide strips and started working. I don't have a real fabric stash, absolutely no quilting fabric, only some odds and ends that I bought in second hand shops or got as donation from colleagues. I tried to pick some light and dark fabrics, and started sewing them together. Here are some pictures of the process, but mostly I was too excited sewing, so I didn't take many photos.







As my blocks grew, I had to realise that my seams are not precise and my cutting was not ver exact either, so some of the lines on the blocks turned out to be a bit wonky. After some thinking I came up with a "brilliant" solution - I will make the blocks so that the log cabins are leaning a bit to the left and right, this way it won't be so visible that they are not perfect. Ha! As if this was a solution - for someone who is a beginner!
I saw some pictures and calculated for myself what size triangles I need for the edges. And I didn't have much fabric that was good with the other colours so had to be careful. Of course, I made mistakes when cutting and sewing again, so at the end it turned out even worse. There were even more seams to match.


In the close-up you can see the not-so-matching seams:




But there are some that are almost OK - purely by accident, though:





Anyway, here is the final result - and in spite of all the mistakes I am VERY happy with it. :D





This is only the quilt top, now I am going to learn how to quilt it. I don't have any batting, need to buy something for the back, too. Until I can do that, I will practice with smaller pieces. It will have to be straight lines quilting, because I also need to buy a free motion foot for the sewing machine and buying all that might take some time.


I have also been knitting a pullover for my daughter. It is almost ready now, I only need to sew in the sleeves. It was made, as most of my knitting, without patterns, just improvising. I knitted the body on the round, and the cowl neck, too. One of the problems with improvising is when you have made one sleeve, it is terribly hard to duplicate it - so I decided to make the second sleeve different. Purely for laziness - but I think it looks really cool. I hope Eszter will like it. It is absolutely soft and warm, it is an alpaca boucle yarn from Drops. Of course, since spring is here, she will need a really warm pullover - NOT. But I didn't manage to finish it in winter, so she will have to wait until next autumn to wear it. :=/







And I also crocheted a little cat for her, to go in the packet when I send the pullover:



This was also made without pattern. Perhaps I should try and write it down?


And here is a small Swedish folk cross stitch pattern for you all to enjoy, I think it is lovely. It was inspired by some old patternbooks I have.

Have fun :)

Magyar tavasz - Hungarian spring

Március van - közeledik a számomra legkedvesebb magyar ünnep. Ha jól sejtem, nem vagyok ezzel egyedül. Ünnepeljünk együtt! Készítettem egy kis nemzetiszínű mintát népművészeti mutívummal.
De aztán azt gondoltam, más színekben is jól mutatna, úgyhogy készült még egy változat. :)

It's March and that means that the most beautiful Hungarian holiday, 15th March is coming. Celebrate with us. Here is a little pattern in our national colours with a folk motif.
But then I thought it would look good in other colours, too, so I made another version. :)


Kattintsatok a képre a letölthető pdf-ért.
Click on the picture for the downloadable pdf.

Advent

Hello, dear Friends.

Today it is the first Sunday of Advent. I am singing in a church choir and we sang some really beautiful songs today. I was so happy because one of my favourite Advent songs happens to be in the Swedish Psalm Book. We sang it in Swedish.


Here
is a really beautiful version of this song by Enya. Listen to it. Hope you will like it.


Are you getting excited because it is Christmas soon? Are you busy stitching (or perhaps shopping :o) for Christmas?

I am organising a mini craft fair at school with the kids, with all the money going to orphans in India. Not only the children but also I am making things so I was busy with that. I will show you some photos next week. I hope we can raise lots of money.


What else? I am knitting a pullover for my daughter, although I can never be sure if she wears what I make for her. Most of the time she doesn't. :( My fault, why can't I figure out what she likes???


I am also making a macrame Christmas tree and trying to write a tutorial, we will see how it turns out.


I have taken some photos of the winter wonderland that is Sweden at the moment. Soon I will also post photos of my WIPs.

Until then, I have another cross stitch pattern to share with you. This is based on traditional Hungarian patterns. The red colour makes it perfect for Christmas, but you can stitch it in any other colour (or variegated) for any occasion.

Happy stitching and get in lovely Christmas mood. But just carefully, you don't want to be burned out by the time the big day comes. :D

More Swedish charts

I have made a little Swedish pattern, the Dala horse, which can be almost called the symbol of Sweden. Originally coming from the province of Dalarna, the Dala horse is made of wood and painted. I know, I know, there are quite a few cross stitch patterns of it out there already, but I wanted to try my hand with it.

I wanted to keep it simple and easy, I had in mind some quick Christmas cards or gift tags, perhaps a pincushion or a scissor fob. But when Stephen saw it, he said it wasn't good enough: the Dala horse should have more decorative harness. So I made another version, still small and easy, just a little bit fancier.

I will show you both, you can decide which one you want to stitch. The traditional colours are red, with green, blue, yellow and white decoration but of course there are lots of other versions, so it absolutely all right to change the colours.

Happy stitching. :)

By the way, one of my few patterns for sale is a doll in folklore costume from Dalarna. Just in case someone is interested, look at my Pages.

Needlework books and a free pattern

Good morning!

We have autumn break in Sweden so finally I have time and energy to write a blog post. I have been planning to write for weeks but life has been hectic. Not to mention that my back has been causing me so much pain that I couldn't do much. I am still in pain but it is getting a bit better. Fingers crossed, please, everyone. :)


So, I have been planning to show all the beautiful books I have bought or received recently. Sweden is full of treasures, as I have told you a few times. Not only can you buy lovely old fabric, weaving, lace and embroidery in every second-hand shop but they also have bookshelves in those shops, there are lovely used book-shops and you can find books in he "loppis" which is something in between a garage sale and a second-hand shop.

Here are my latest finds: embroidery, textile art and sewing patterns. They are not the latest fashion, but I just love them, it is so much fun looking at old patterns - and if I ever get to that level in sewing, I might be able to adjust them a bit. And the embroidery patterns don't age, right? :)


I found the first book in this Encyclopedia of Home Needlework (or something like that) at a loppis, then bought the second one from the internet. I am looking for the rest (20 volumes altogether) but they are not easy to find. No wonder: this is a fantastic book, with basically everything you can think of and some more. It is in Swedish but that is not so much a problem any more :D

Here is another lovely book and a page with some beautiful old weaving. I wonder what the three-legged figure means - it appears more than once on woven clothes.

This one I bought on the internet. It is not only textiles but all kinds of crafts, e.g. woodcarving, basket weaving etc.

These two folders I found at a Red Cross shop. One is needlework (weaving and embroidery), the other is sewing patterns.

This is the perfect example of the sewing patterns from the 70s. I think it is hilarious! I have threatened Stephen to make him something like this if he doesn't behave LOL.

And there is one more folder with tons of sewing patterns and very useful instructions. I think I will use it in school.

These two little pattern booklets I received as a gift from Stephen. He found them on Tradera (the Swedish e-bay) and bought them for me. Can you see the name and year? 1962! They are lovely. You can look forward to some more Swedish inspiration in my patterns.

Let's go over to what I have been stitching lately. Not much (hanging head in shame). But some. I found this Christmas card pattern in my UFO bag. I think I started it 3 years ago but when I saw I won't finish it before Christmas, put it down. Then repeated the same the next year. Last year I didn't even take it out. But now I managed to finish it. It is a DMC kit that I received from a friend on crossstitchforum.com and it uses lots of metallic thread. I actually loved stitching it. So many people complain about metallics, especially DMC but I had no trouble at all. And I love the overall effect. You just can't have too much bling, can you? :D The colours are so unusual and still so great. (I lost one of the buttons - but have since found it.)

I have made some small felt ornaments too: Swedish hearts and Hungarian tulips. I have been trying to teach myself how to draw Hungarian folk patterns (and other patterns - I have discovered Zentangle!) On the gray fabric you can see my embroidered doodling, the traditional tulip with French knots and rice stitch - makes it very modern, don't you think so? I made that without drawing the pattern on the fabric, just improvised. Will use this piece of fabric for other experiments.

This is another gift. Stephen's parents visited us a few weeks ago. After they went home, his mum sent me this. It is an Eva Rosenstrand kit, a tablecloth, that she started long ago but as her eyes are not good enough to stitch, she sent it to me to finish. Isn't that really kind of her? I love this, I will surely stitch it.

Perhaps you want to have a look at my weaving experiment? I couldn't do much on it, it doesn't go well with backache. :( So I have done this much:

Two small butterflies that I stitched for a charity organisation for quilts.

I took out another UFO, my Celtic afghan and started a Celtic knot pattern, this is what I am working on right now. I love it but I am so sad because I cannot keep the back of the stitching neat. Too many colour changes. :(

Sorry that it has become such a long post with so many pictures. I hope you still find it interesting.

Finally, another free cross stitch pattern. This is a dove, it has a bit of a folk art feeling to it but still modern. At least that was the intention :) I hope y ou like it. Enjoy stitching it.