The Last Stitch/Floremark

Velvet bow hair pin

2012-01-31T10:03:00.002+01:00

I don't normally do much crafty things except sewing, but I had some scraps laying around that I thought would make nice bow hair pins. They are super easy to make and here is how.

You'll need a bobby hair pin, some ribbon, a pearl, glue (I used super glue) and strong sewing thread.

Cut the ribbon in two pieces and start building the bow.

Just make sure you don't glue the whole back together as you need to get the hair pin through.

Attach the pearl with thread and if the back of the pearl is flat, you can use some glue to secure the pearl to the bow.

Put the pin through the ribbon and secure it with some super glue. That's all!

I did mine pretty small, but I think you can go bigger, though that would require more sturdy bobby pins to hold the weight. The small ones are quite flimsy and I haven't found the sturdy ones in Swedish craft stores, so I just used some regular chain store bobby pins.

Belinda sweater

2012-01-27T18:55:00.000+01:00

As I talked about the other week, I went on a little shopping binge. The other totally non-necessary purchase was the Belinda sweater from Jumperfabriken, that I've been craving for a while. I got it at a sale and Jumperfabriken's own sitesale now offers 60% off. I just love this brand, the retro inspired designs has such attention to details plus the quality is great. An they ship to many countries.

A little blah

2012-01-26T22:44:00.000+01:00

I've had a few sucky days this week. The RSI in my neck and shoulders has reared it's ugly head again (it usually does this time of the year, I think it's related to seasonal fatigue). Then I failed the grueling 2+ hours roller derby test that would qualify me to do proper bouts (i.e. training for and subsequently participate in games). I am bit sensitive about this kind of "failures" so it hit me harder than I had expected (there were some tears). But after a comforting semla and some perspective (like the fact that most of the rookies failed the test, plus I have no place on a track if I don't have the proper skills) it felt a bit better.

But then I got the stomach flu which didn't exactly cheer me up either. Blah. Anyways I think I am back on track now, even though the lack of food has drained me of some energy. At least I managed to eat half a pizza tonight. And tomorrow I got an appointment with my massage therapist, plus I have started to see a chiropractor again (such are the prices I have to pay for working in front of the computer for over a decade). In the past I suffered through a very debilitating shoulder injury that lasted several years, but at least now I have the tools to deal with it, and if I am proactive I can usually curb the pain at an early stage. I also see my massage therapist every month, and has for years, which has been a great preventive method. So hopefully things will start to look up again!

Life through a Holga lens

2012-01-14T19:51:00.001+01:00

My daughter and my dad.

My eldest daughter got a Holga lens for her birthday. The lens is made for digital cameras, but mimics the original film camera lens. Of course these days most folks add Holga, Lomo and Diana type of effects with their iPhones (aka Hipstamatic) which gives more consistent and generally more striking images. But the side effect is that it has also lead to a look that feels rather overexposed (pun somewhat intended).

Today we went for a walk in the woods and brought our cameras with us, and I thought I should share some Holga images that my daughter and I took. The results are not nearly as distinct as Hipstmatic but I personally prefer it this way and my daughter was happy with the results too.

I think the lens adds an analog camera quality to the digital pictures. It doesn't work indoors however as it needs plenty of light and it basically turns your fancy DSLR to a point and click camera. I think a lens like this just cost around $30 on Ebay and it weighs only marginally more than a paper cup.

The lure of shopping

2012-01-13T23:50:00.000+01:00

Have you ever noticed that once you start shopping it just seem to escalate? I often stay out of the stores, mostly due to not having the time anymore to prowl aimlessly. And then I pat myself on the back, a little smugly, for not having bought anything in a long while. And when the smugness sets in, well it's a sure sign that I'm about to slip back into a shopping frenzy.

It all started innocently at lunchtime on Thursday. I followed a colleague to a sale at the local mall to help him pick out some new jeans. And then, all of a sudden, I was over at the women department checking out the cardigans, which is something that I definitely not need, as I already got about one thousand of them. Anyway I ended up buying this wool fair isle cardigan from Gant. Back at work my thoughts started to drift again and somehow I ordered yet another sweater, which I need approximately as much as I need a new cardigan, i.e. not at all. Then I started to lament on Facebook about my shopping binge as a lame attempt to control the urges. To sum it up: I.Really.Need.To.Stay.Out.Of.The.Stores.

Love the cardigan though!

Fabrics for designer knockoffs

2012-01-12T14:45:00.002+01:00

One thing that I really like about EmmaOneSock is that she often manages to score fabrics that are actually used in designer's collections. Like these Anna Sui and Marc Jacobs designs. Great if you want to make something high end for a fraction of the price.

I really like this telephone print from Anna Sui.

Zodiac print from a few from Anna Sui collections back.

The same Anna Sui dress fabric but a different colourway.

And this is the fabric for these Marc Jacobs pants.

A nifty trade

2012-01-07T23:38:00.000+01:00

Three years ago me and my crafty friend Anita did a trade, I made her a bag and she made me a beret. Then we devised a second trade, but life gets in the way sometimes (she had a baby!) so things took a little longer. But today I was given this amazing cardigan. The yarn is a heavy, slightly glossy rayon/cotton yarn with a wonderful soft touch. I am in awe of her skills.

Nike running sensor - a review

2012-01-06T21:13:00.002+01:00

I got a Nike sensor and sportsband as a Xmas present from my husband. I have been craving one for years, ever since my co-worker got one from her husband and told me about it. This was before it was even available in Sweden I think (the co-workers husband bought it in the US). And before smartphones and gps-based running apps. Now of course there is a Nike gps app and all sorts of Nike gear combinations, but if you don't own an iphone or a modern ipod the sensor and sportband is the easiest option to go for if you want a Nike setup. It's basically a more advanced pedometer. It keeps track of distances, time, pace and also gives an estimate of calories burned (I don't trust that sort of measurements though, from what I understand gadgets tend to overestimate that number by a lot).

The biggest advantage with a sensor/sportsband over gps is that it keeps track of treadmills runs too. The biggest disadvantage is that there are no route maps and the distance can be slightly off (it can be calibrated though). Compared to the free Runkeeper site the Nike plus is nicer, more visually inspiring and has better organisation. Though when I tried to upload runs and walks during the holidays the whole Nike running site was pretty much collapsed due to overload. I had numerous of issues and spent a large chunk of time on their Facebook help forum and it took several days before all my problems were sorted out.

Today I went for a run again and this time everything worked perfectly. Except my time, lol. I was actually faster two weeks ago. I blame it on the cold. This was the first time ever that I ran outside when the temperature was below zero. I haven't been running at all this fall but I am planning for a 5k in the spring and a 10k in the summer. Since I got the sensor I've already been out running three times, so clearly it was a much needed encouragement!

2011 - a year in review

2012-01-04T21:26:00.001+01:00

So apparently we are already on day four of the new year! Which made me realize that I need to hurry up with my annual blogging retrospective. If I procrastinate a little longer, it might as well be March before I get around to it. Something really does happen with the perception of time when we get older. So here comes my year of sewing and blogging.

Favorite sewing project:

My wedding dress by all accounts. Yes it was stressful and the fabrics were insane to work with, but I loved the outcome and the special meaning. This dress will always have a very sacred place in my heart.

Most worn:

The Karl Lagerfeldt skirt. I wear this so much, like every week.
And much more than any other skirt. It's genius. Genius! Just like Karl.

Most exciting blog development:

I started adding recipes! Yes I can get excited about the small things in life :) Sometimes the sewing blogging can be a little constricting so 2011 I gradually started to include other things in the blog. I never have any plans with this blog, it all sort of happens organically and on inspiration. Which is also why sometimes the blogging is a bit erratic.

Biggest surprise:

That I would take up roller derby at the age of 39. We return to training tomorrow and I got serious jitters. What if I have forgotten how to skate?

Biggest mistake:

The dress that turned into a top because I can be such a absent minded person sometimes. Note to self: Double check the fabric before cutting it. I like the top though.

Best wardrobe builder:

The Burdastyle workout t-shirt. Words cannot describe what a brilliant lounge top this is. This is the first top I grab in the wardrobe after washing. In fact I often pick it straight from the washing bag.

Biggest blog celebrity moment:

When I got an email from the director of the Halston documentary that I reviewed. He agreed that Richard E Grant would be perfect to play Halston!

Mail order nostalgia

2012-01-03T19:37:00.000+01:00

My eldest daughter gave me this book for Christmas. It's called Postordernostalgi and is a collection of cuttings from Swedish mail order catalogs spanning over the 60's to the 90's. I own plenty of English and American versions of these kind of books, but this is the first Swedish book mail order collection I think.

Some stuff is super cute, like these 60's outfits. Love the graphic rose print to the left.

Others are a bit comical, but as the copy says "sports garments now becomes a part of every day wear". A trend that has stayed with us for decades.

Other styles has been out in the cold for a while, but are now back in style, like the Hasbeens shoes.

And then suddenly I am reminded of my own shady fashion past. Back in the 80's I ordered the ensemble to the left, in pink naturally!

More about the Onion wrap dress

2012-01-02T22:34:00.001+01:00

Thank you so much for the comments about the dress! I just wanted to add some more info about the pattern and some of the construction details of the dress that might be useful.

The pattern is Danish but there is also an English version available, so you don't have to understand Danish to follow the instructions. No seam allowances included as per usual when it comes to European patterns. The pattern is printed on very sturdy paper which I appreciate very much. You can also read my review for more specifics about the pattern.

One really clever thing with this pattern is that you attach the waist tie in the neckline binding before the binding is sewn to the neckline. I did my tie wider and thus had to ruche the belt into the binding.

I attached the collar last, after the binding was in place.

I did some tacking stitches on the binding to keep the collar in place and make the binding more like a collar stand.

And here you can see me in the dress on New Years Eve, melting some chocolate for the dessert fondue. I managed to stain my dress a bit, but that is one of the hazards of a party!

It's a wrap or how I became a lady who lunches

2011-12-30T00:54:00.001+01:00

I can safely say that this is something of a style departure for me, even though I have always liked black and white and graphic prints. For one thing it's a more mature look, plus I feel super rich in a 80's kind of way. Just wish it was more of a reality too!

I've been glued to the sewing machine today as the dress had to be finished tonight. I've developed this bad habit of running late with things lately, and while I do crack it, it does add a certain stress. Anyways, it all went super well once I figured the Danish pattern instructions out (Onion is a Danish pattern company). It's a little embarrassing to admit, but I like many other Swedes I find it hard to understand Danish, even though the languages are very closely related. While the Danes seem to have no problem understanding us, which just makes me feel even more stupid. Yes reading should be easier than hearing, but they have such funny words for things in Denmark!

I did a pretty literal knock-off of a classic Diane von Fürstenberg dress. Or as close as I could, since there is very little info on how they are constructed, though this Ebay guide (in five parts) was somewhat helpful. I think of all the wrap dress patterns that I investigated the Onion is probably the closest to the real deal, especially if you want to use binding like in this DVF dress. Most other pattern has both darts and a waist seem, which the original doesn't have. At least not the current DVF styles.

Wrap dress fabric

2011-12-27T22:43:00.000+01:00

Went out fabric shopping today. Man is it hard to find stable knits with nice prints! In fact it was impossible and I ended up with a stretchy rayon/lycra fabric instead. I just fell head over heels with this border print and in the process had to switch pattern, I bought the Onion wrap dress pattern nr 2037 instead. Then I started obsessing about making a proper DVF knock-off, which in fact doesn't have neither a waist seem nor any darts and is quite similar to the Onion pattern.

I'm thinking something in the line of this Jeanne dress. Perhaps with a collar, but that would mean I have to draft one my self. Oh well. Will not finish this dress tonight, that's for sure.

A wrap dress

2011-12-26T23:30:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I went for a long walk and began thinking about making a dress for New Years Eve. Not sure exactly how my thoughts led to a wrap dress, but it has been a project I've been mulling over for years and not gotten around to. I love belted dresses, and have several of the shirt dress kind, but have never owned an actual knit wrap dress. I want to do something classic, like Diane von Furstenbergs versions from the 70's. She made at least two wrap dress patterns for Vogue back in the days. The one to the left with a collar is more iconic, but right now I'm leaning more towards the one to the right.

Kwik-Sew has an OOP pattern nr 3408 that is quite similar, but with a more narrow skirt. I downloaded the pattern yesterday, and judging from the reviews on Pattern review this is a really good pattern with minimal gapsosis. Not that I have much in that department to show, but I rather not use a safety pin with this dress!
I was so psyched about buying fabric today that I forgot that it's still holiday today and the fabric stores are closed. But tomorrow I will hit the streets again, though I'm not sure what I want. But I need a fabric that is not super stretchy, especially since the pattern has bust darts.

I'll report back tomorrow!

So what's up?

2011-12-25T18:32:00.004+01:00

As you might have noticed, blogging has been sparse lately. Even my mother asked me the other day if everything was fine since I haven't updated the blog lately. Never mind that I talk to her all the time, the blog clearly has a life and a message of it's own! Anyways all is well with me - and the picture above sums up my life pretty well. I have just been busy with training both in the roller rink and off, and since I usually feel pretty wiped out during this time of the year there has not been much sewing or other inspirational things going on, you know something always has to give. I think I am in the best shape of my life and that is a nice feeling, but I do miss other, more creative outlets. Now I got a week off from work and hopefully I can get back to both sewing and blogging.

Saffron cake for the holidays

2011-12-24T18:25:00.000+01:00

Happy holidays everyone!

For a holiday treat I want to share a recipe for saffron cake. Saffron is a big spice in the Swedish yule-kitchen. Mostly used for lussekatter, but I have another favorite way of eating saffron. This is inspired by a cake my mother used to make when I was a child. The recipe here is a bit lighter though than the original, fairly heavy cake.

You'll need:

2.5 dl (1 cup) sugar.
3 eggs
0.5 gram finely milled saffron (strings needs to be crushed)
50 gram (1.7 oz) butter
1 dl (2/5 cup) milk
3.5 dl (1 2/5 cup) wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
Butter and breadcrumbs for the pan.
Powder sugar for decoration

Heat the oven to 175 Celsius/350 F.

Whisk egg and sugar until it turns a very pale yellow.

Melt butter and blend with saffron and milk.

Pour the butter/milk/saffron blend into the egg mixture

Blend flour and baking powder and pour into the mix.

Blend gently by hand. This advice seem to differ a bit from the American recipes I've seen. In muffins recipes an electric blender seem to be recommended, but in Swedish cookbooks this is advised against once the baking powder and flour is added. It is said to make the batter rubbery and compact. Not sure what is really best.

Pour the mixture into a pan with a removable bottom. Let it bake in the lower part of the oven for 25 minutes, then check with a stick. If the cake is still sticky let it bake for 5 more minutes.

When cold, flip the cake over. My mother always used a paper star as a decoration template. So I'm doing the same.

Sift powder sugar over the cake.

Ready to be served. I love to drink spicy glögg (similar to mulled wine or gluwein) with almonds and raisins added in the cup. This one is home brewed and doesn't actually contain wine, but is fairly strong never the less.

Hope you'll have a great weekend!

Skating to work

2011-11-23T13:02:00.003+01:00

This morning I was finally able to do something I have pondered about for a long time, namely skating to work. You need diffrent wheels for outdoor skating since the road is rocky and the wheels has to be soft in order to handle all the impact. So I bought a pair for cheap ones off Ebay, and yesterday they arrived. Skating outside is a bit tricky because of all the obstacles, especially slopes are hard to deal with since there is no real effective way to stop downhill quickly when you use classic four wheel skates. On the other hand it was way more fun, and less strenuous, than biking and walking, which is usually how I get to work. I did fall once, a pure panic reaction when faced with an unexpected slope which had a 90 degree turn at the end. But apart from that it was a fairly smooth ride. Though I might not do this often, it is a bit of a hassle with the equipment and having to carry extra clothes with me. I have 7km to work and the whole thing took about 45 minutes, which was a bit slower than I had expected.

So did I get many weird looks? I can't really tell actually. Partly because I had to keep my focus on the road ahead to avoid potential hazards. And partly because I've been gifted with the ability to be very oblivious to the reactions of people that I don't know.

Anyways it was a fun adventure and it reminded me how much I love road skating.

Ultrasuede - In search of Halston

2011-11-14T18:46:00.002+01:00

Last week, finally, the dvd of the documentary Ultrasuede - In search of Halston arrived in my mailbox. This one has gotten almost as much buzz as the Bill Cunningham movie I reviewed last month. So I was pretty excited to say the least.

Halston was the original superstar fashion designer, clubbing at Studio 54, hanging out with celebrities and launching himself as a mega brand, with everything from perfumes to carpets. Though unlike some of his contempories, like Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, Halston never became a global or financial success. Mostly due to bad business decisions and I guess it didn't help that he was also deeply into cocaine and other destructive behaviors.

The director getting the hand of dismissal by André Leon Talley.

This documentary is made by and revolves around a socialite/hipster guy called Whitney Sudler-Smith who decides to dig deeper into the story of Halston. Using family contacts he starts to interview many of the famous faces that surrounded Halston, such as Liza Minnelli, André Leon Talley and model Pat Cleveland. Despite his swanky outfits Whitney Sudler-Smith seems very oblivious of fashion, which makes him a rather goofy interviewer. And if looks could kill, Whitney Sudler-Smith would be a dead man after admitting to André Leon Talley that he has no clue on who Diana Vreeland is.

That said the movie stills manages to tell a convincing story that Halston was a very important fashion force and I was especially impressed with the segments that talked about his work process and pattern making skills. I just wish it was more of it. But of course there are so many other stories to tell about Halston so a lot of the movie focus on the hedonistic lifestyle that seems to have been de rigour in New York in the 70's, pre AIDS. There were plenty of sex and drugs going on and I found myself being quite impressed that Halston still managed to show up for work. Then again substance abuse is not uncommon in the fashion business, more recent cases like John Galliano and Marc Jacobs comes to mind. And I think Calvin Klein has battled with various substances and so did Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. I guess the high work pressure and glamorous party lifestyle makes a good stepping stone for this kind of trappings.

So is this worth watching? I would say definitely and it is totally gossipy of course. In fact it reminds me a lot of the book The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris by Alicia Drake.

Also as I side note: During the first half of the movie I kept thinking Halston reminds me of someone famous, but I couldn't crack it. Then it dawned on me, the actor Richard E Grant is a dead ringer for Halston. He would be the perfect choice for a biopic about Halston, don't you think?

Halston and Richard E Grant, twins separated at birth.

Thank you!

2011-11-13T17:37:00.001+01:00

Thank you so much for all the congratulations and well wishes! I can't say married life is that much different since we have been a couple for almost six years already, but I feel it adds another depth to our relationship, which has been absolutely incredible, and for me being married celebrates and solidifies that.

A blurry outfit pic.

Also, Kyle asked if I made the shirt for my husband. Nope, he bought it himself, the brand is called Riley, which I think is a in house brand at the Swedish retail chain Brothers. And his pants was from the Spanish company Desigual and the shoes Dr Martens. My vintage faux pearl necklace was from a second hand shop and I wore Ecco shoes actually, which makes you think of grandma's walking shoes (a style I love by the way) but these were more fancy ones with heel and patent leather.

Getting married

2011-11-12T10:54:00.000+01:00

Last year I did a wedding dress for someone else, and this year it was for myself! I was a bit mum about the purpose of this dress, because some people in my extended personal circle reads (or at least looks at) this blog occasionally. And I was not sure how I felt about blaring this stuff here and there, since we had only told the closest friends and family beforehand. If it was just all you regular sewing readers I wouldn't have minded at all, but sometimes I have to look at the bigger picture. Though I unintentionally put a clue out over a year ago, when I rambled about what kind of dress I would make for my own wedding. Such is the world of blogging, it has a life of its own.

We had a mellow civil ceremony and it was just lovely and beautiful in every way. It was at at local 1800-mansion - normally civil weddings in Sweden is a very toned down and bureaucratic affair, but since it was 11-11-11 they put on the full monty. We even had our little musical ensemble, from which we could pick a number of songs like In the ghetto by Elvis, which we thought was a novel choice for a wedding. We ended up choosing With or without you by U2, a song that I have strong personal connection too, it was even the last vinyl single that I bought. Then afterwards we had dinner at a nice restaurant with our friends/"best mens" and now I'm a married woman :)

In the nick of time

2011-11-11T21:59:00.000+01:00

Just one mere hour before we left for the event I finished the final seam on my dress. Remind me to never use this modus operandi again! I felt like a Project runway contestant in the end, frantically hand sewing the zipper in hoping it would not break when I put the dress on. I am usually stickler for high end finishing but I will admit I did some compromises at the end this time. That said it looked exactly the way I wanted it would. I'll share more details later!

Hot rollers baby!

2011-11-08T23:24:00.000+01:00

I made a silly little impulse buy from Ebay the other week - a hot roller set from Babyliss. To add to the silliness I also made a short video for my first hot roller attempt. The rollers only take about five minutes to heat up, even less to put in the hair and then about ten more minutes for them to set. I used big rollers and low heat to save my hair. First impression: I think I'm a convert! It created a near natural bounce, and I'm sure that if I had used higher heat, smaller (and more) rollers and waited longer it would have looked pretty curly. I know Dita von Teese uses these so clearly they must work for vintage hair styles too.

Dress progress report

2011-11-06T19:43:00.002+01:00

It's one of those days where I should be sitting in the sofa hand sewing at the moment, but instead there are some serious procrastination going on. At least blogging about sewing feels a little more proactive than some of the other stuff I've been doing this evening.

So all pieces are now cut and I've hemmed the neckline using french bias binding that is attached with hand stitches on the reverse side. As I mentioned before, machine stitching really needs to be kept to a minimum when hemming this sort of lightweight chiffon. Just two rows of stitches and suddenly it feels like there is a metal wire running through the fabric. Also I skipped the idea to make a rolled hem with the serger since it makes the sleeves too wavy. So now everything will be hemmed with bias strips. The sofa and the needle is calling...

Clothilde wool sweater

2011-11-03T15:18:00.001+01:00

I knew I wanted to use more angular shapes for my some of the garments for Floremark's fall. The idea for this top came from an image of a large turtle neck collar that I saw as a line drawing in an old sewing book. It has been in the back of my head for a long long time and now it has sort of transpired into this sweater. Though the original collar doesn't really look like this at all. Stuff happens on the way and I ended going for a more softer version, that feels almost draped. I don't really know what you call this collar in English, perhaps a folded (or opened) funnel neck?

I managed to get my hands on some more of the magical wool rib that I used for Celia and Kelly. Though the shade is a little lighter then the original fabric. Medium dark blue perhaps? Clothilde is now in the shop.

Hemming chiffon - trial and errors

2011-11-02T15:56:00.002+01:00

Thank you so much for all the helpful links on how to hem sheer fabrics. I will compile a list later on as I'm sure it can be beneficial for others.
I'm just experimenting right now, I have yet to finish any seams. But these are my conclusions so far:

Machine stitches makes the chiffon very stiff, so the fabric doesn't drape very well.
Hand rolling a hem is a very beautiful method, but it is way too hard to do in a good looking manner on chiffon when you've never done it before. Therefore I'm giving up on this method.
French bias binding could be the way to go. I've done it on the neckline (see the last photo) and if I can attach the band by hand I think this will give a very nice looking finish. Regular machine top stitching makes it way too stiff unfortunately.

I'm getting a tad bit obsessed by this hemming business. In fact all I want to do is more hemming. Even though I got two (now that's a record) social gatherings tonight. Maybe I could sacrifice some sleep? But then again, sewing and being tired doesn't mix well for me.

The Ikea muslin

2011-10-30T22:42:00.002+01:00

So tonight I did a quick and dirty job pattern making, cutting and sewing together the muslin for my dress. It's all Ikea fabrics, which I think worked fine, though the sleeves will obviously drape better in silk chiffon. The sheer part of the dress took the most time, as I had to draft that pattern from scratch. The rest is just the Simplicity pattern. I think the fit is pretty good. Though I should probably do an adjustment to get rid of the extra fabric in the back, as I have a major sway back. But apart from that I think I can do the pattern as is.

My major concern now is how on earth do I finish the chiffon neckline? A narrow facing? Bias strips? And how do one make the neckline seem flawless? I guess a facing would have to be turned in somehow. I have never done this before, at least not in a proper manner. And none of the zillions of sewing books that I own has any chapters on chiffon neckline finishing.

Whiz Tailor

2011-10-29T15:16:00.001+02:00

Every roller derby player has to have a nickname and a number. The nick is usually tongue in cheek and often a play with words such as Wine-O-Mite or Chickie McSluggests. I wanted something that was linked with sewing in some way and toyed around with a few, like Speedy Needle and some others that I no longer can remember. But then I came up with Whiz Tailor, so now you can just call me Whiz!

There is a team member blog about us rookies and today I'm featured as, well, one of the rookies. Or fresh meat as it's called in derby. You'll find me here (in Swedish), though I was too lazy to put on all the protective gear for the photo. But if you want to see me in the rink with helmet and stuff, you can spot me in this crowd.

Special dress project

2011-10-28T15:35:00.020+02:00

Do I need another project to pile on top of everything else? Looks like I do. My next project is something unusual, at least for me. I'm making a special occasion dress. Which I haven't done since the bridal dress project last year. Now this one will not be as challenging, but I will work with some moody materials, namely silk velvet and silk chiffon. And I got a time crunch to say the least. Plus the fabrics are ordered from Hong Kong, and who knows when they will arrive? I do have back up plan(s). Like buying fabric locally or just wear one of the dresses I already own.

Anyhow, my plan is to make a version of the classic illusion dress. I put together this mood board just to see some possible variations. I was leaning towards the Grace Kelly version in the bottom right photo, I want cap sleeves and preferably a neckline that is not too hard to finish. But the kids thought it was too "oldish". I already feel like a granny in some ways so that shouldn't bother me, but somehow it did. We'll see. First up is the muslin. Which has to happen this weekend. Since the Simplicity 4070 was such a success for the wedding dress I will reuse that pattern.

The Diana bag is our family bag

2011-10-27T23:10:00.000+02:00

This weekend me and the youngest daughter finished the fourth version of Burdastyle's Diana bag. Her older sister made one two years ago and since then the young one has been asking for one too. You can imagine how much parental guilt that has been building up during this time. But now we finally got our act together. Anja did most of the sewing, while I helped with the fiddly bits, like pressing and sewing the darts.

Now both me and the kids own Diana bags, plus a friend of mine. I guess next up is my boyfriend, but he has yet to ask for one!

Previous incarnations of the Diana bag.

Maud II

2011-10-26T19:47:00.001+02:00

Remember the Maud skirt I made two years ago? The fabric is a vintage original from Swedish designer Maud Fredin Fredholm. I was lucky to score some from the secret place before they closed the doors. Her prints are stunning and the quality of the knits are amazing. I will put it up in the shop soon along with several new designs. So stay tuned.

Scissors and headphones don't mix

2011-10-11T18:28:00.002+02:00

Since I have my work space in the living room I often use headphones to tune out, either by listening to music, podcasts or tv-shows. But one I day I did something really silly - I accidently chopped off the headphone cord while cutting some fabric.

Luckily for me I was given a pair of wireless headphones as a birthday present from my boyfriend. He thought they would be easier for me, since I move around a lot when I'm working (and perhaps he was subconsciously a bit worried for his old pair of headphones that I began using after the epic cut...). Anyways the wireless are truly great, I love not having to fiddle with the cord when cutting fabric or taking them off when I go to the iron board or head for bedroom, where I store most of my fabrics. The only fiddly thing is that I have to bring the docking station with me when I move the lap top or ipad to another location, since it needs to be attached to the device in order for the headphones to work. But apart from this, wireless headphones are truly a great gadget for us sewing enthusiasts. And no more worries about chopping off cords...

Catwalk 3D

2011-10-09T18:59:00.000+02:00

Is it worth paying some good money to see fashion shows in 3D in a cinema when you can watch the videos for free at Style.com and such? Well yesterday I decided to find out. The movie Catwalk 3D is said to be the first in this format, displaying five haute couture shows from the winter 2010/2011 shows. interspersed with designer interviews and some backstage images. As for someone who has never, and probably never will, seen a haute couture show live, I would say that this cinematic format really is the second best thing. You come much closer to the garments and the models and me and my friend repeatedly found ourselves being stunned by the details, the cut and overall visual impact, something you don't really experience on small screens and in magazines. To be honest just seeing Jean Paul Gaultier's amaaazing show, with Dita von Teese as an added bonus, was alone worth the price of the tickets.

As for the 3D-thingie - it helps elevate the experience, but it wasn't that present, in fact sometimes you didn't notice at all. It wasn't like the models were coming out of the screen so to speak, the 3D-effects mostly added some depth to the shows.

Do I think this is the future? I dunno, don't think it is that commercially viable right now, but if (when) 3D becomes common place in tv and computer screens, then maybe this will be standard way of displaying fashion shows. I think the Burberry is already experimenting with this, and perhaps some more designers? Anyhow it was a fun 66 minutes and I left the cinema feeling both stunned and inspired.

Catwalk 3D trailer

Grey jersey blouse

2011-10-07T21:46:00.000+02:00

Once it was just a collar, but now it's a proper blouse. It all started with the grey entredeaux ribbon that I found in a local shop. Then I sort of played around with the design until I was happy. It took a while, there is usually a lot of tweaking before I get something that I am 100 percent happy with. Well now I am.

Jumperfabriken

2011-10-05T16:13:00.001+02:00

One of the local designers that I really like is Jumperfabriken. Their niche is high quality sweaters, inspired by vintage looks. I plan to buy one of these sweaters for fall, but I can't decide - I want them all! Also if this is something for you, their webshop sells to plenty of countries. Here is an interview that I did with them two years ago (in Swedish, but at least you can look at the pictures!).

Covers exhibition

2011-10-03T17:19:00.000+02:00

Cover.

Original.

Cover.

Original.

Muslin beauties.

After yesterday's roller derby practice I took off my sweaty clothes and changed into jeans so that I would feel at least mildly presentable at the local design museum Röhsska, which I blog about now and then. Currently my fomer summer school teacher has curated an exhibition with students from the Swedish design university. He has employed the same principles that he thought us "study the great and you will develop your own design sense".

The students had picked one garment each from the cocktail dress exhibition, which features work from designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Ossie Clark and Elsa Schiaparelli. Then they copied the dress, by draping muslin on a dummy. Then afterwards they designed their own look, which was inspired by the original garment. Some did a rather literal cover, whilst others did versions that had just a very slight reference to the original. But to me on of the most stunning things was the see the muslin versions of the designer dresses. They were almost as beautiful as the original, sometimes even more because you could see all the style lines and the insane amount of work that goes into high end dresses.

Bill Cunningham New York

2011-10-02T00:06:00.002+02:00

Documentaries can be many different things, but for me personally, I often find the ones focusing on a person, while also telling a bigger story, to be the most fascinating. This documentary about street fashion photographer Bill Cunningham is a great example of this.

Bill Cunningham rides around New York on his bike day and night, taking photos of street fashion as well as observing high society during various charity events. Everyone knows of him, but hardly anyone seem to know him well. Even people who has worked with him for ages have no idea about his personal life or how he spends his time when he is not taking photographs. As the movie unfolds you realize that being a photographer is his life - he even sleeps between the storing cabinets that holds all his negatives. His tiny apartment has neither a kitchen or a bathroom "who needs them, just more rooms to clean" he laments when faced with having to move.

I have known of his photos for decades. but I'm an even bigger admirer know. Despite pushing the 80's he is roaming the streets endlessly, looking for trends and patterns, while also heralding the eccentrics the drag queens, the bold. The documentary is done with a very respectful, gentle hand, while still being close to the subject. In fact the directors weren't allowed to set appointments with Bill, instead they waited outside his home, his work, his functions to see if he was in the mood to be filmed. You would expect that such conditions would create a stiff movie, but the result is instead very spontaneous and relaxed, just like Bill's photos.

I will definitely put this on the must-see list, so if you have yet to catch this wonderful movie, you are in for a treat! It's available on DVD.

Scallop collar

2011-09-29T11:15:00.000+02:00

I've been experimenting some more with the embroidery stitches on my Bernina, this time trying out a scallop seam. I decided to go grey on grey in order to make the effect more subdued, sometimes less really is more, but I can't help thinking the a cream colour would have been nice too. The collar will end up on a blouse, or that's my plan anyway.

Vidal Sasson - The movie

2011-09-20T23:38:00.001+02:00

This movie main purpose seems to be convincing the viewer that Vidal Sassoon is the biggest genius that has ever entered the fashion world (or even the world in general, which the opening credit's comparison to Albert Einstein indicates). Undoubtedly the man has done a fair bit when it comes to introducing modern hair styles, but there is something about this kind of documentaries the totally rubs me the wrong way. It's basically 90 minutes of talking heads praising his genius and very little footage of himself actually doing things. Though Vidal himself comes off as a likable figure with a striking presence, looking very spry and stylish for a 83 year old.

There is also a very touching story pottering underneath, he had an addicted mother and absent father, grew up partly in an orphanage and dropped out of school at an early age. With wit, a good bit of street smartness and hard work he managed to create not just iconic hair styles, but also a strong brand of saloons and hair products, some of which are still running today. You could say that his business model set the template for brands like Fredric Fekkai and such.

So obviously there are plenty of interesting story lines in this movie, but I keep wishing for a more engaging format. Though there are some gems certainly, such as his tough childhood which gives clues on his drive and ambition and I love the insane clips from his talk show days and rigorous work-out regime - he was into things like pilates and yoga long before it became trendy. There is also a touching sequence about the divorce from his second wife Beverly which he had three children with, one of which died of an suspected overdose ten years ago. So can I recommend this documentary? Well I would say maybe, if you like me are a total fashion history nerd, but there are plenty of other fashion documentaries that far excel this one.

A rock and a hard place

2011-09-19T10:07:00.000+02:00

As I mentioned in a previous post I was out dancing on Friday. I went with my jumpsuit friend Cattie and again we decided to to a theme. I don't know why I haven't been done this more often over the years, it really adds to the experience and puts you in a great mood! And can totally compensate for club hazards like bad music and annoying people.

This time we were aiming for a Joan Jett/rock chick-look. In a way it's a pretty easy style to emulate. But for someone like me, who doesn't look like that at all usually, it is very easy to step into masquerade territory. So I decided to skip the skulls and the studded belt and pick a more subdued look. I really like Alison Mosshart's style, so I tried to emulate that a bit. Then I spend some time watching this video (clue: it is called How to get the rock chick look). It was very helpful, and I loved quotes like "even though it shouldn't look perfect, there is kind of a perfect way of applying it". To be honest I should have used even more make-up and darker hair wouldn't have hurt either. But I think my friend Cattie pulled it off perfectly. I think the word "dead ringer" would be the correct term in this case...

(no caption necessary)

Some reviews this way comes

2011-09-18T09:36:00.000+02:00

Finally all three documentries that I blogged about this summer are available on dvd. I just recived the first one, about Vidal Sassoon, and am eagerly awaiting the next ones (though Halston doesn't ship until November). And as always I plan to review them so I'll keep you updated!

No superwoman at all

2011-09-17T17:12:00.002+02:00

A comment I got on Facebook today got me thinking about how one's presence on social media sometimes skews the image of a person. I mentioned in my status feed that I had been clubbing yesterday and she commented "it seem like you are out dancing all the time". The truth of the matter is that it was only the second time this year, though granted, the last time was less than two months ago. But the reason it seems like I do this and other things all the time, is that I am very prone to share stuff, both on the blog and on Facebook. For instance I take a lot of photos and often post pictures of outings with family and friends on Facebook. It works as a digital photo album for me, and helps reinforce the fond memories I have of these instances. The same thing with this blog obviously, where I blog about pretty much everything I do that is sewing, fashion and sometimes life related.

But when people say "You got so much stuff going on all the time - I don't know how you do it" I always start to feel self conscious. I mean I do want to talk about the stuff I do and take pride in them too, but on the other hand I don't want to be building an image of myself as an overachieving superwoman. Because I don't feel comfortable in that role at all, and I don't think that is very true to who I am either. Granted I am good at getting stuff done when I have the inclination and I like to have fun in my life. But all in all, my life is fairly mundane. And am very fine with that - I don't want to have a life that is frantic and crazy. So I guess this post is my version of a social media disclaimer!

A blog questionaire

2011-09-15T12:37:00.001+02:00

What is the yuckiest food you know?

Hmm. Tricky. I am not a fussy eater at all, but since I haven’t eaten red meat and poultry in over 20 years, I am a bit disgusted by that. But then again, when I ate meat I loved the taste. Apart from that, two things I rather skip are overly boiled carrots and eggs.

Mention five things that you are happy with regarding your career

That I switched from being a librarian to journalism.
That I sent a book proposal to several publishing companies and got a book deal
Starting Floremark
I never got good grades for my writing in school, but now I think I am good writer.
That I really like my job, and still learn new things on a daily basis.

Do you have any regrets in life?

Two biggies. One that I went back to a volatile relationship when I was young. Nothing good came out of that. Secondly, there has been times when I have hurt people due to me being inconsiderate, those situations I really regret.

What are you going to wear this winter?

Same old things I suspect. Either knee lengths skirts and dresses with wool stockings and my coveted leather boots. Or jeans with a cardigan and blouse.

Which is your most expensive piece of clothing?

My Gloverall duffel coat, which I haven’t paid for since it was a hand me down from my mum. But it is getting worn out so that it is soon time to replace it, which will be my biggest purchase unless I decided to make one myself.

Even though my taste runs on the more expensive side, I don’t have any pricey designer garments sitting in my wardrobe - just a few home made replicas :) But I do buy a lot of shoes in 1000 krona range ($150 and upwards), since I cannot stand the look and lack of comfort that comes with cheap shoes.

Do you have any secret talents?

One thing that not everyone might know is that I have a near photographic memory when it comes to facts about celebrities :)

What did you do last weekend?

Hmm, what did I do? I went to roller derby practice with my eldest daughter, ran for the first time since my race, worked on a sample for the Floremark fall collection, did a music- and moviequiz at a pub on Sunday with some friends. Also I watched almost an entire season of The Apprentice UK.

What are your five most important to-do’s this week?

1. Find out why my ordered roller skates has yet to show up. 2. Buy some stuff for an outing tomorrow, where the theme is Joan Jett/rock chick. 3. Get what feels like a billion articles written - I work the weekend too. 4. Try to finish the new Floremark sample. 5. Get at least one strength workout in, my exercise routine has been less than stellar this week. These are clearly plenty of stuff, but I’m home alone all weekend and I’m usually super effective when so.

What are you wearing right now?

Lee jeans, an old Nanso pique polo shirt and a cardigan from Newhouse. Rocking preppy chic today!

Last song you listened to?

Some horrible cover of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi that was on the radio.

Best beauty trick?

Obviously being happy with your life works wonders. But for a more hands on advice – if you got facial acne don’t waste your money on expensive products and facials. Instead start using benzoyl peroxide, it is cheap and extremely effective if you follow the instructions to a tee and let your skin adjust to the treatment gradually.

Which clothes style to you prefer on men?

Mod-inspired clothing, vaugly early sixties. Fitted pants, polo shirts, wolly sweaters and sharp suits.

And ugliest?

Anything from the Dressman chain, they excel in bland fashion. Also I have to say baggy jeans bermuda shorts. I’m sure they are really comfortable, but when you see 90% of the Swedish male population wearing them, it becomes a bit too much in my book.

What magazines to you read?

I’m a total magazine junkie, I’m constantly trying to quit the habit, as it is expensive, wasteful and not even rewarding at times. But I still keep buying and buying. So here comes a list of some of the regular offenders. Vogue UK, Vogue US, Vanity Fair, Filter (a Swedish reportage magazine), Burda, Elle Sweden, Elle UK, Elle

, Gentlewoman, Bust, Tatler, Sonic (a Swedish music magazine) and plenty more.

Roller derby update

2011-09-12T16:12:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I had my third roller derby practice, so yes I decided to commit to the sport. It wasn't without angst though. The team is hungry for hitting the competition circuit and wants members who are prepared to put in a lot of effort. As for me, currently, I don't have that time. But I spoke to them about the situation and they were cool with that. Though once you get up to competition level, there will be demands on how many training hours you put in - but that scenario is obviously waaaaay off for me currently.

Me practicing walking on the toe stops. It's harder than it looks!

Me trying to tackle an oppnent so that I can reach the water bottle that she guards. This is not an area where I excel in. The other girl was bigger and much stronger and I couldn't get her to budge. Whereas she just needed to give me a light push and I was defeated. Apparently the best option for tiny players is to learn to skate fast!

As for the sport, it is aggressive, highly technical and very demanding physically - I had DOMS for a week after the first session. What I love the most right now is the technical aspects of roller skating, I have done some decent progress in that area already and I could easily see myself skate around the rink for hours and hours if only my muscles could take it - roller skating is such a high for me. As for the contact sport thingie, I am more nervous as injuries are pretty common. So my strategy is to become a speeding bullet or a jammer as it is called. I have noticed that I'm faster than some of the other newbies, which I think is due to my small frame. So for once I get some real use out of being short!

Playing with some embroidery

2011-09-11T19:26:00.002+02:00

My vintage Bernina (late 80's) has quite a few decorative stitches. Some which looks really nice, especially considering how old the machine is - I think it might have been one of the first computerized versions, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Anyways I played around with the stitches a while back and got so thrilled about the result that I decided to include one of the patterns in my next Floremark collection. Not in a big way, the slow speed doesn't allow for that, but on a few details.

A fashionable TV-schedule

2011-09-10T10:57:00.002+02:00

Lots of design and fashion TV to be excited about this fall. Here is a little round up:

Project Runway All stars
At first I was rather thrilled about this format, then I remembered the snooze fest the last all star gathering was. Granted that was a one off, not a whole season, but my guess is that the designers start to behave more tv-conscious and restrained once they've seen themselves on the telly - which makes for a more boring watch. Also a second coming means less newbie excitement. That said, some of my favorite contestants are back, such as Kara Janx and Anthony Williams from season 7. So yes, I will definitely watch this one too. Premiers fall 2011.

Work of Art
Work of Art is the perfect show to fill in after the regular Project Runway ends. This is the Top Chef/Project Runway for the art world. I enjoyed the first season a lot, as it was really interesting to get familiar with the artist process. And while I'm sure some will disagree, the elimination process felt quite natural in this field too. I mean some art is better than other.

The Rachel Zoe project
I'm sure some think this is a train wreck because everyone in it is totally self absorbed and obnoxious, plus there are quite a few staged moments. But I really enjoy this show. It provides an interesting insight into the world of stylists and this season there is even more fashion, since Rachel Zoe is launching a fashion brand which clearly involves some struggles. Season 4 is running currently.

It's a Brad Brad world (working title)
One of the obnoxious personalities in the Rachel Zoe entourage is getting his own show. We can expect a lot of drama since Rachel clearly has a chicken unplucked with Brad Goreski as he allegedly stole some clients when he left her company. I hope that this show will have more footage from actual pre red carpet fittings, but since celebrities seems totally camera shy when it comes to this, I suspect not. Scheduled later this year.

How to make it in America
Not a reality show, but a well played drama set in the New York fashion world. I really enjoyed the first season where the starring duo tries to start a jeans company based in the NY garment district. I think this HBO-show paints a rather believable picture on how hard it is to hustle yourself to the top. Looks like there will be plenty more fashion story lines in the new season and even a cameo by the multi talented (and crush worthy) Pharrell. Premiers in October.

Bran muffins

2011-09-09T22:23:00.007+02:00

I gotta admit, losing my beloved gas stove and getting a proper hot air oven has totally rekindled my love for baking. This time I want to share my favorite healthy muffins recipe. It's an adaption of Kellogg's iconic all-bran muffin, but you don't need a box of cereals to make this version. Instead I use proper wheat bran. This muffin is for those of us who really likes wholemeal things (bulgur fans can raise their hands now!). It's more like a breakfast muffin or afternoon snack than a dessert. But it is still very savory and has some sweetness too. Plus they are low in fat as an added bonus.

You'll need:
250 ml (1 cup) regular wheat flour
100 ml (2/5 cup) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon (depending on taste)
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar (or the regular amount of vanilla extract for a muffin bake)
300 ml (1 1/4 cup) wheat bran
250 ml (1 cup) milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons applesauce/jam
3 tablespoons oil
100 ml shredded carrots or 1 mashed banana.

Mix the milk and wheat bran and set for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add egg, applesauce and oil to the wheat bran mix. Beat until fluffy.

Add carrots or banana mash. Bananas will be a hit with the children as it makes the muffins a bit sweeter.

Pour the mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and blend carefully.

Time to make muffins. I use a medium size muffin pan, which yields 12 muffins. Fill the muffin cups so that they are almost half full.

Bake for 15 minutes on 400 F/200 Celsius, until golden brown and firm on top. If you use bigger size cups than bake for approx 20 minutes.

As a final touch, I glazed the muffins with slightly melted marmalade mixed with a dab of orange juice.

There you go. Properly healthy muffins, and they taste even nicer with some cream cheese. Also I will try to share my daughter's cupcake recipe soon!

Not your regular hooded jacket

2011-09-07T16:30:00.000+02:00

Even though I buy Vogue all the time, I am seldom inspired to actually make something I see there. Usually the fashion is bit too high brow and bold for my taste. But when I saw this sweater jacket from Marc Jacobs in the August issue I got a completely besotted. Yes it is just a sweater jacket. But there is something about those darts (I presume they are sewn on the outside and then pressed. Or is it a quilt?) that makes this jacket much more exciting than a regular hooded sweatshirt jacket. Though the idea to make visible darts are a bit daunting to me, as they have to be utterly impeccable. Gertie did some great visible darts on her dress but I'm note quite ready to commit I think.

Velvet dress for fall

2011-09-06T21:28:00.001+02:00

I'm having a super busy week and don't have much time to blog. But I want to share a little glimpse of the first thing for Floremark fall collection. It's made of organic cotton soft velvet/velour and crimson wool jersey. I worked hard with developing the fit on this dress. It has a shaped back seam so no tent like back which is common with knit dresses, plus the drape of the velvet makes the dress flow really nicely.

Cupcake-blogging

2011-09-03T16:58:00.001+02:00

In Sweden we talk about cupcake-blogs, which stands for blogs that sugarcoat life and only show the pretty things, usually written by young women who likes to eat macaroons and cupcakes. Today is my time to do some cupcake-blogging and a little parental bragging at the same time. Hope you can stand it ;) This is my 12 year old daughter's first attempt at cupcakes, and I was pretty floored when I saw the result. She has such a flair for this sort of things, a trait the she hasn't inherited from me, that's for sure! Plus they were absolutely yummy. Sometimes cupcakes are more for the eye, and hide a rather bland muffins underneath, but these were great inside and out. The cupcakes were for my boyfriend's birthday which we are celebrating today

Oh, and he got the best present from his brother - a ZZ Top mug! They were pretty huge in Sweden back in the 80's, like the ultimate cool band. I wonder if they are still around?

Dress day

2011-09-01T10:43:00.000+02:00

I have been wearing jeans, jeans and more jeans since I returned to work a month ago. I'm always tired and in a hurry in the morning and tend to reach out for the thing closest to me, which usually are the jeans that I threw on the floor the night before. But today when I woke up I felt a bit more well rested than usual and decided to wear one of my favorite dresses that I made (and screen printed) three years ago. Making a little bit more effort with the clothes totally helps elevating the daily grind for me.

A Savage life in fashion

2011-08-31T21:58:00.000+02:00

If you like me is a little besotted with the post war world of haute couture, such as Dior, Givenchy, Lanvin and Balmain, then I can recommend the tv-documentary A savage life in fashion. It's a story about a young Australian called Percy Savage who arrives in Paris in 1947 and soon become immersed in the fashion world, first as a designer and later as a PR person, redefining the way clothes are marketed and being instrumental in merging celebrities with fashion brands. Later he started working in England and was part of the British fashion wave. He shares some interesting insights about how the fashion world has changed and plenty of famous designers and media people talk about his influence. I wish they had touched more on his personal story, apparently his life was a bit of a roller coaster, but an interesting watch never the less.

A 6 min clip You Tube: A savage life in fashion. I bought my DVD from Amazon UK but it also available as a download on Amazon US.

More fashion movie reviews that I've done

My first 10k race

2011-08-29T11:19:00.002+02:00

Sunday scones

2011-08-28T13:19:00.001+02:00

Hope you are having a nice weekend! My favorite weekend breakfast is freshly baked scones. I used to do them almost every weekend, and then stopped for some unexplainable reason. But last week I decided to do them again, and thought I should share my best recipe with you. The basis is a traditional scone recipe that I have tweaked to make it even better. Also I always add oatmeal, which makes them richer in taste.

You'll need:
350 ml white flour (1 2/5 cup)
150 ml oatmeal (3/5 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar (I like to use raw cane sugar)
50 gram butter (1 2/3 oz) (softened, on the verge of melting, I always microwave it just a tad bit)
200 ml plain yogurt (4/5 cup). You can use everything from low fat to 10% full fat Greek yogurt. Of course the latter will make them even yummier!

1. Blend the dry ingredients.

2. Add the butter and blend until the dough is flakey. Usually you'll need to use the fingers to achieve that.

3. Add the yogurt and blend with a wooden spoon.

5. The dough should be sticky. Too much flour will make the scones dry.

6. Form two balls and flat them out on a pan lined with baking sheets. The scones should be only about 1 cm (2/5 inches) thick. Then take a knife and split each scone in four pieces and pierce some holes in the scone with a fork.

7. Bake in the oven 250 degrees Celsius (480 F) for just 10 minutes, until a little golden brown. Yummy, yummy.

10. Enjoy! I eat mine with either hard cheese and bitter orange marmalade or cream cheese with forest berry jam. I love St. Dalfour's French jams that are sweetened only with fruit juices. And I always eat one slice with just melted butter.

The Yay or Nay-dress part 2

2011-08-27T12:39:00.000+02:00

Remember the Yay or Nay-dress? I cut the fabric the other day to use as a mock up for a dress in another fabric that I'm making for the Floremark fall collection. The edges are raw and unfinished and I'm not sure what I will do for the collar and the sleeves. But what I want to say that I am for sure in the Yay-camp now!

My roller derby adventure

2011-08-26T09:19:00.005+02:00

(no, this is not a cool new hipstamtic filter, just a whole lot of blurry mobile pics)

When I was 21, I bought a pair of old rollers skates in a charity shop. I soon began skating regularly along a flat well paved sea side promenade in the city where I lived. Like I do with everything that catches my fire, I immersed myself intensely in this activity. I think partly it was a way to cope with a very troubled relationship I had at the time, plus the fact that I was living in a city that I didn't particularly like or had much friends in. After maybe six months of skating, I moved way up north, to the country side, and had to give on this sport due to lack of skating opportunities (dirt roads and roller skates doesn't blend very well). But I kept the skates and even brought them to New York in 1996 where I skated in Central Park. This was at the height of the inline/rollerblade trend mind you, but I did see one other guy skating old school style.

Fast forward to yesterday, when me and a friend went to a roller derby try-out. I haven't been standing on skates for almost 15 years and the low-top roller derby skates doesn't have the kind of support like regular skates does, which requires even more attention to balance. The trainers ran us through a though 2 hour program, trying out various techniques. I did fall a few times and was pretty much spent during the final 30 minutes, but I enjoyed it so much! I don't have much natural inclinations when it comes to sports, but with roller skating I can feel a certain bond. My body works well with these kinds of demands. That said I still got ways to go before I can master many of the moves that we tried out yesterday.

I am now pondering joining the team, but still need to figure out if I can:

A. Take on another commitment without feeling stressed.
B. Are sure enough of this sport to spend muchas $$$ on equipment.

But it would be fun to once again being able to immerse myself in roller skating.

Foale and Tuffin - Swinging London's golden couple

2011-08-24T22:38:00.000+02:00

The 60's is back in fashion. At least that is what the fashion magazines are claiming this fall. I would be very thrilled if this was the case, have been feeling a tad bit underwhelmed with the mass market fashion lately. Since there might be some 60's revival going on I want to give some attention of a rather new discovery of mine, Foale and Tuffin, who pretty much defined English youth fashion along with Biba and Mary Quant. Not that I can claim being aware of that fact until recently when I came across a new book called Foale and Tuffin. The Sixties. A decade in fashion.

It's a wonderful fashion book, perhaps one of the best I have ever read, because it is so well researched and jammed with interviews and great photos. It's basically a story of two young working class girls going straight from fashion collage to starting their own line. The quickly gain some buzz, but they also struggle a lot - never really breaking it big like Mary and Biba. Under their rather short lived label they managed to create a lot of really brilliant designs in the vein that I myself prefer; which is everyday clothes, nothing fuzzy or high fashion, but with clever details that makes the everyday grind a bit more colourful and fun.

Picture wall tutorial

2011-08-23T15:15:00.001+02:00

We take a lot of photos in this family, but most of them stay on the hard drives. So a few weeks back I got the idea to make a picture wall in the kitchen. When reading up on how-to's I quickly realised that this would be a huge challenge for someone who is horrible, and I really mean horrible, when it comes to measuring straight lines on walls (that would be me). I guess I could blame some of this on not having a spirit level (which sounds kinda funny in my ears by the way, in Swedish we call it water level) for many years. But even now, when I have access to one, I still keep measuring things all wrong.

But then I came up with an almost fool proof plan which I think is pretty brilliant - using craft paper as a template.

You'll need:
Craft paper
Pencil
Ruler
Frames (I bought 11 Ribba frames from Ikea)
Hooks (I used brass x-hooks)

Bring out the the craft paper and draw the size of the finished picture wall on craft paper. Then place the frames within the square. Using just Ribba frames made this process rather easy since they have standard sizes.

Next step is to calculate the spaces between the frames and then trace around. Then remove the frames.

I added a dot for the hook on each frame. Then just punch a hole through the dot using an awl or some other sharp object.

Place the craft paper on the wall. I used the spirit level to make sure it was straight and then just taped the craft paper in place.

Then I put the pencil in each hole to mark where the hook should hang. That is all you need! Just remove the paper and hammer or drill the hooks in place and start hanging the frames. I used brass x-hooks, which I had some issues with because the hanger on the Ribba frames kinda suck to be honest, but I got them to work okay in the end.

The finished result and its surroundings. Ideally I would like the wall to be dynamic over time, changing photos as we go. Mixing different medias could be another idea. Hopefully it will keep changing over the years. But then again, in 10 years time everyone might have digital photo walls instead? We'll see.

Straight from the work room

2011-08-22T21:50:00.000+02:00

Today I thought about how I really appriciate creative blogs that show glimpes of the work process. Then I realised that I'm quite bad at this myself. So here comes a few pictures from today.

Drafting a pattern that will hopefully become a great looking dress. But sometimes my ideas just end up being a hot mess.

Some samples for ideas that will either end up on a garment or hit the dustbin. Only time will tell.

A snap from my extended work space, aka the living room floor.

I tend to have many ideas going on simultaneously. So I maybe I'll draft a pattern for 30 minutes, then I get this other idea that feels more exciting so I start draping fabric on the dummy. Then I might feel a urgent need to browse some magazine in search for inspiration. On days like this I often feel that I get very little accomplished. But I also have faith in this work process because once I get in the right mood I can also finish things.

Table cloth skirt

2011-08-21T20:02:00.000+02:00

The title of this post is a little deceptive - this is not made of a actual table cloth. But the women who sold me the fabric told me that a customer said it looked just like a cloth you put on the kitchen table. I'm not sure the customer meant it in a good way, but for me the this is the USP of the fabric (aka unique selling point, sorry for the biz lingo, have been watching a lot of The Apprentice UK lately!). The pattern is like a cross between a kitchen towel, a table cloth and vintage mattress ticking. Another great thing about this fabric is that it is a soft cotton knit. so it falls really beautifully. I drafted the pattern myself, the method is similar to how I did this skirt (but with less gathers). Promised to make a tutorial on how to make this easy skirt pattern, but I lost some of the pics, so I need to take a few new ones before I can post it.

Project Runway - a new season

2011-08-18T19:33:00.002+02:00

With new seasons of both Project Runway US and Australia running simultaneously I think this will be a very nice fall indeed. After a few lukewarm seasons of Project Runway US I feel a certain rekindled fire right now. The challenges has been very fresh (loved the pet shop challenge!) and while the cast is somewhat lacking big and obnoxious personalities, the playing field looks fairly even so far, which will make for an exciting season. Here comes a few predictions:

This seasons funny guy with a flair for a some drama and bitchyness: Joshua

My two favorites for the top three, Oliver and Anya. They didn't shine during the last challenge and Anya might not be the most experienced in terms of sewing. But they both has the high fashion flair that the judges love.

Soon to be on the chopping block: Julie. Despite an air of a certain coolness, she just seems to never get it quite right. While I'm sure she's got some tricks up her sleeve, and might even snag a top position in one challenge, she keeps delivering less than promised. Which usually means bye bye.

Who are your favorites this season?

Reclaiming the jumpsuit

2011-08-17T17:23:00.000+02:00

Two weeks ago a friend challenged me to wear a jumpsuit. She already owned one but couldn't muster the confidence to wear it out in public. As for me I have never worn a jumpsuit in my entire life, and since being on the short side too, didn't really think it was something for me. But since we both were in dire need of some fun and disco dancing I decided to take her up on the challenge. At first I had a hard time finding a jumpsuit at all - it does look like the fashion train for jumpsuits has left the station this time around. I also toyed with the idea of sewing one, so I could be sure of the fit. The McCall 6083 has some rave reviews over at Pattern Review but I had to scrap the idea due to time restraints.

So I had a bit of a jumpsuit crisis until I finally managed to locate a scrunched up polyester jumpsuit on a H&M rack. There were loose threads hanging everywhere, some wonky seams and the legs were like a mile too long. But after some quick work on the sewing machine - I became very pleased with the result. We styled our jumpsuits like crazy and I even wore heels. And I know everyone will not agree with me on this - but I think we managed to rock the jumpsuits! Plus it really added to the experience when we were out nightclubbing, I felt like we could almost have been strutting our stuff at Studio 54.

The Secretary blouse

2011-08-09T23:03:00.000+02:00

I started this one before the holiday but never got around to finish it up and blog about it. It's looking a bit 60's doesn't it? You can almost imagine a secretary in some swinging 60's British comedy wearing it. The fabric is a reissue retro print, I wouldn't be surprised if it was used for curtains back when, but it does look a bit 30's too with the petite flowers. Anyhow, bottom line, is that I love it! Finding proper vintage fabrics that are cotton and not some synthetic mix is tricky these days, so this is a great substitute. The blouse might even make it to Floremark fall collection that I will start working on next week. We'll see.

I guess we could also call it my birthday blouse - I'm turning 39 today. Feels a bit weird typing that out, time does seem to go faster as you age and seeing it in black and white makes me aware that I soon can call myself middle aged.
Had a lovely birthday dinner and got some great pressies, including Portal2 which is just about the only computer game that I really enjoy (the other being Red Alert). So now I got even more to interfere with my sewing time!

Postcards from Dubrovnik

2011-08-04T19:01:00.002+02:00

Hi there. I'm back from Croatia, still feeling a little bit lost as I always do when I return home from a trip. I love to travel and don't think I have ever felt homesick. In fact I am more likely to get sick when I get back to my normal day to day reality! Anyways we had a wonderful vacation. We lived around 5 km outside of the Dubrovnik center, on a peninsula with the, in Swedish, rather racy sounding name Babin Kuk. The old city of Dubrovnik was just as spectacular as one could have expected and share quite a few similarities with Venice, including being a massive tourist magnet. At first I was overwhelmed by all the touristy things, but after a while I grew more and more appreciative of this amazingly beautiful town. We also spent quite a lot of time visiting neighboring areas- some located in the archipelago that was perhaps one of the most stunning part of the visit. I also trekked down to Montenegro for a day, which was almost as breathtaking in terms of landscape.

Eating lunch in a Dubrovnik alley.

A plaza in Dubrovnik, complete with hoards of tourists.

A more quite alley.

The old town Kotor in Montenegro.

Inside the old town of Kotor.

My daughters sampling some local Croatian soft drinks.

An abandoned villa on one of the islands outside Dubrovnik.

Leaving the Dubrovnik harbor.

Taking the cable car to view the city from above.

Me walking the Dubrovnik city walls. Something I would highly recommend.

The views from the wall were truly spectacular.

The walls are reminiscent of a medieval fort. But many things in Dubrovnik were reconstructed after an earth quake in the 17th century. Also another restoration happened after the war in 1991

A milestone

2011-07-18T01:41:00.000+02:00

This Saturday I did something I have never done before - I ran 10 kilometers. I took it really easy and it was only the last kilometer (which was very hilly) that I felt truly exhausted. All in all the run was really joyful, on a dirt track in a beautiful forest and ended up taking me 70 minutes. The actual 10k race is in late August and I guess I am ready now. However I did expect to feel a tad bit more excited, since this is a huge accomplishment for me - I was the chubby child that always came last in school runs and couldn't even muster a 2k run without stopping several times. I can still remember the feeling of sandpaper in my throat and a heart that felt like it was going to explode.

But I think I have been so into training and chasing times lately that I haven't really put things in perspective. I have tendency to get single minded about things and now I have this goal of keeping a speed that is less than 6 min per km. I know for many this is easy, but speed is so not my thing. Even my 9 year old daughter can sprint faster than I do, and she hardly exercise at all. I think I need to remind myself that while I am not naturally athletic I do make gains. And I feel proud that I have been so consistent - running twice a week every week since the beginning of May, increasing the distances and speed slightly every week.

That said, I know I will be a little disappointed if I can't finish the race in less than an hour, so hopefully I'll be able to get a little quicker even though training will be sparse in Croatia. Though I'm going to bring my running shoes and heat permitting I'll try to crank out a few runs at least. The <60 min run is still on the horizon.

A trip to Malmö

2011-07-16T19:09:00.001+02:00

Me and my daughters spent the first part of the week in Malmö, visiting friends. It's a friendship with special ties. When my eldest daughter Stella was in kindergarten she befriended a girl and soon me and my now ex-husband became friends with her parents. And then we both had a second child who also became friends. Sad for us, but good for them, they moved to another city. But we have remained in close contact and visit each other as life permits. We have been through a lot together, some wonderful things and some less so, like separations. Another twist where our lives intertwined was when the mother 30 and threw a big birthday bash, which was when I fell in love with her friend who is the man I now share my life with.

I have moved a lot, both as a child and in my 20's, and I've had difficulties maintaining many of relationships that I have formed over the years. Therefore I'm very grateful for my special friends in Malmö, which feels more like an extended family really. And it always warms my heart to see what a natural friendship the kids still have with each other. Even with the littlest one who turns one in a few weeks.

French Connection shorts

2011-07-15T19:36:00.003+02:00

Sometimes I find things in stores that I know I will never be able to replicate or make better. Like these shorts from French Connection. The print, the fit, the subtle piping and the long rows of fabric covered buttons make this such a precious garment, almost reminiscent of something you could find in a vintage shop. They were pricey, so I mulled for a long while in the store and in the fitting room, even toying with the idea to recreate them at home, but then I realized that they are truly unique and not something that I would easily be able to make myself. So I gave in and forked up a good amount of cash, and I'm glad I did - they now seem to be out of stock, at least on the website (though you can still get a playsuit in the same fabric), I bought mine in a store in Stockholm. I am not a shorts person at all, I prefer skirts in the summer - in fact these are the first ones that I have really liked. Perfect for next week when we are travelling to Croatia.

Shorts: French Connection
Top: Mango (BTW I love this top, wear it all the time)

Burda workout top

2011-07-14T23:36:00.001+02:00

What a quick project this was, I actually finished the top the same day that I blogged about starting it. Then I went away to visit friends in Malmö for a few days. But now I'm back and today I managed to both take some photos and go to the gym in said top. I thought it was okay when I finished it, but now after wearing for a large part of the day, I can safely say that I love it. A bit looser fitting than my usual preference and not something I would wear when running or doing stuff like Zumba, but great for a weight workout or just as plain lounge wear.

A lot of top stitching as you can see, but I like it, both doing it and how it looks. I also did a review of the pattern if you want to know more details. Unfortunately the pattern doesn't seem available on any Burda site. I do wish they would make a bigger archive with downloads. As sdBev said in the comment section, many Burda designs looks very current even though they are from a few years back. This one is from 2008. Oh and the neckline is raised quite a bit, which I am very happy that I did.

Straight from the kitchen

2011-07-10T14:30:00.000+02:00

The summer holliday is finally here! I'm on the second day and have decided that my workout wardrobe needs an update. So I picked up an old Burda magazine issue (nr 11/2008 to be precise) and got started on a top. Am working on the kitchen floor today, everyone is home so I had to carve out a little space for myself, where I could also watch Tour de France. I used to be quite a fan and the tour also coincides with my holiday mostly, but the novelty has worn off a bit, plus you kind of loose interest when so many top racers get busted for performance drug use. But lately I've started to miss having the racing humming in the background and this year there is no clear winner, which will make it even more interesting.

Anyways back to the pattern. I will pretty much do it as is, but raising the neckline a bit, this one is seriously low. I do have a high cut sports bra, so that will cover some, but I don't want the whole bra to show through!

Movies worth waiting for

2011-07-06T10:09:00.004+02:00

My current fashion movie obsessions that I'll probably have to wait quite a while before I can see them.

The new documentary about street/celebrity photographer Bill Cunningham.

The movie about legendary fashion designer Halston - Ultrasuede: In search of Halston

And finally the Vidal Sassoon documentary, the story of the hair dresser behind several iconic hair cuts and a big saloon and product empire sounds intriguing. This one is at least available for pre order.

We don't have something like Netflix here in Sweden and we can hardly buy anything with moving pictures from the Apple store, due to regional distributions limits. So all I can do is wait.

This and that

2011-07-05T16:56:00.001+02:00

I added a review of the dress, ahem blouse, today. You can read it here. Apparently others have also noted the tight fit of the waistband, and it might even be so that it is made too short, i.e. a pattern error. As for the mishap, I do feel a slight need to remedy my mistake and will probably make another proper version soon. But I will definitely wear the blouse, it works with pretty much everything luckily!

Also dear reader Gail asked about the Burda twist top, it is from an ancient issue of Burda magazine (2005). From what I know they have never made this available as a standalone pattern, and I don't have the original pattern myself, just a traced version since I borrowed the magazine from the library. The proper name is 04-2005-112 Twist Top. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can help with how to obtain this coveted pattern? Or have suggestions on good substitutes. I would like to know this myself as my traced pattern is near disintegration state!

Once this was a dress

2011-07-04T22:48:00.000+02:00

In Sweden we have an old folktale about a man who visits a tailor with a piece of fabric. He asks the tailor for a coat, and the tailors says "no problem". But when the man returns he is greeted with the news that the coat never happened, instead the fabric became a pair of pants. But the pants are not finished so the man is told to return again on Saturday. But when he comes back he finds out that the pants are now a waist coat, and so the story continues, until the only thing that is left is nothing.

This tale was something I thought a lot about during my making of the Cynthia Rowley dress. Yes it was meant to be a dress, but during some late night sewing I ended up cutting the back skirt piece, not once, but several times, as I thought it was the remaint. And I had no extra of this precious fabric, so I tried using another fabric for the skirt, which didn't work and then I decided to turn the dress into a blouse. Not ideal, because this is not what I had planned, but for a top I think it looks nice.

As for the pattern I plan to write a review on Pattern review tomorrow, but to sum it up - I really like the style and it is easy to assemble. A few things worth noting though: Firstly this pattern is very fitted and runs really true to size. I made a size 12 and my waist is 2 cm (4/5 inches) bigger than the pattern size, and I have to tell you that the fit is pretty snug. If I do this pattern again I need to adjust the waist a bit. Another thing is that the gathers in the front adds a lot of volume in the bust area. Personally I love it, suddenly my slight A/B cup looks like a C. But for someone with a fuller bust, this might perhaps be something that is less desirable?

As I mentioned in a previous post I did this "dress" as something of a treat. I have had a lot of bacne since I was a teenager and tried several prescription treatments with dismal results. But since late March of this year I have been using AHA and BHA acids, both as peels and lotions, and while I still got some zits, the majority of the bacne is now gone. I still have pigment spots but they will fade over time. And as for the scars, they are not that prominent, so I feel okay about them.

My back after three months of glycolic and salicylic acid treatments. Still pigment spots and some scars, but hardly any acne.

Burda twist dress

2011-06-29T16:50:00.001+02:00

Another warm summer day and another chance to wear a summer dress from the archive. This one I made four years ago using the legendary Burda twist top pattern - I just elongated it and turned it into a dress. I have done four versions of the twist top pattern over the years, and I would love to make a few new ones as I have worn the others out. There is something about this style that just work so well for me, perhaps it's because the twist and the gathers is a great fit for someone who has a small bust like me?

Summer dress up

2011-06-28T18:59:00.000+02:00

Today the summer heat came back which means that I can:
A. Wear one of the zillion summer dresses that I have made over the years
B. Finally use the black straw hat that I bought in Stockholm a few weeks ago

The dress, which is made of vintage pink and white seersucker, I wore the whole day. The hat only for an evening trip to the store. But tomorrow I will wear the hat to work too. I have worn sun hats since I was 16 - that was when I decided that I wanted my skin to look pale rather than tanned. While I still prefer pale skin over tanned, I am much less rigid about that nowadays. But I still don't go out in strong sun without sunglasses and a hat - and I hate frying in the sun, you'll always find me in the shadow. Even though, admittedly, I sometimes feel a bit like Greta Garbo looked when she began shunning the limelight. Luckily I don't feel too self conscious about it!

New Stoff & Stil store

2011-06-26T14:31:00.000+02:00

Tineke with little Frida in tow.

This morning me and my local crafty blogger mate Tineke went to the new Stoff och Stil store. Stoff och Stil is a Danish vendor/mail order company that I truly wish would reach world domination. Twice a year they send you an 100+ pages catalog with fabrics, patterns, yarns, notions and it is done just like a classic mail order catalog with models in fancy locations wearing sewn up versions of the patterns and fabrics. Very inspiring. Plus the prices are good. And this week they finally opened their second store in Sweden, which is here in Göteborg. Let me tell you I have been counting the days all spring!

It is not as big as the mega store in Malmö, but the selection was good with more things than in their mail order catalog. plus a good, but small sale. Totally worth a visit if you are passing Göteborg.

Sale goodies. Both me and Tineke bought the cream cotton with brown/yellow/orange print at the top of the stack. It's a lovely voile that I will turn into a summer shirt.

The cutting area. The store was pretty crowded, which bodes well for the future.

Various fleece fabrics. Stoff och Stil always has a huge colour selection when it comes to basic fabrics.

YKK zipper display.

Tinekes new bag, that she made out of coffee sacks, a pair of maternity jeans and an old sheeting. Very cool.

Cynthia Rowley dress

2011-06-25T23:11:00.002+02:00

Long time, no blog. All is well with me, I just ended up having an unexpected hiatus. But now I finally got a new project going. I cut the pieces for my reward dress today and pinned them together on my dummy, and I feel excited about sewing again. The fabric I chose is rather unique, it's a batik from Bali, a gift that have been mulling in the wardrobe for almost a decade. I have been scissor shy since it's such a beautiful fabric that perhaps should be used in full as a home dec element. But there are no such place for it in our small apartment, and I think this way I will enjoy it much more. I am doing style C of this Cynthia Rowley design, but with shorter skirt. I toyed with the idea of making a bow shoulder style, but my daughter advised against it. And from a practical perspective a big bow will not work very well under a cardigan, which is how I wear my dresses most of the time to be honest.

So what else has been going on in my life?
I think the biggest reason for my blogging and sewing hiatus is that I've training for a 5k race (which went well, 27 min) and now a 10k race in August. And since I really want to learn to run faster I've been pushing myself (both at the track and in the weight room) which means that I've been suffering from intense DOMS almost after every workout, so all I want to do when I'm home is to lie in front of the TV.

Plus this is truly the social season, so I have been much more out and about than usual. It is always the same story, in the winter we Swedish folks sit home and gloat and then in the summer it's like wham bam, everyone is suddenly really outgoing and social!

Swedish pancakes

2011-05-21T00:46:00.000+02:00

When I wrote about Swedish waffles I got a question about about Swedish pancakes in the comment section, so I figured I could share a recipe for that too. Thin pancakes are not entirely easy to succeed with so I enlisted my very skilled daughter Stella to help me out. Here goes!

You'll need:

3 eggs

2 tablespoons of butter

1 cup wheat flour (2,5 dl)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2.2/5 cup of milk (6 dl)

(yields approx. 10 pancakes)

Pour the flour and salt in a bowl.

Add half of the milk and whisk the batter smooth. This is to avoid lumps.

When the batter is smooth add the rest of the milk.

And whisk some more.

Add the eggs and whisk again

Melt the butter and whisk until the butter is blended.

A little tired from the work week and ready for some frying pan action.

The pan should be properly heated before you start. We did a lot of experimenting and came to the conclusion that the heat should be slightly above medium, for us this meant 6-7 on 12 range stove. Add some butter. A slightly bigger piece the first time (see above), and then just a teaspoon or none at all.

Pour the batter thinly. It should just about cover the pan.

When the upper side has set, flip the pancake over.

I could eat this photo.

My daughter styled all the pancakes. Her sister got the sugar version, I got the cottage cheese, which was very yummy.

Pleated skirt with elastic waist

2011-05-08T20:10:00.001+02:00

Been a bit of an absent blogger this week. The reason is that I've been busy excersising, prepping for a 5K race tomorrow. And clearly I am not able to concentrate on both excerising and blogging simultaneously! When I get bitten by something I tend to go all in, and letting other things slide.

Anyways I sewed a skirt earlier this week. The inspiration is the full skirts with elastic waist that is currently sold in every Swedish high street store. I'm normally drawn to more sleek silhouettes, but was curious to go outside my regular taste. Also I recently bought a ruffler/pleater and wanted to try it out. The pattern is totally freestyle and I will post a tutorial later on. All in all I'm happy with the result, but if I do it again I might reduce the fullness a bit. The fabric is linen, very soft with good drape. I bought it a fabric fair that I visited with my Etsy mate Kaja a few months back. I had originally planned to make a regular a-line skirt, but I'm happy that I decided to try something else. As I said I will show how it was done in a separate post. You don't need much in terms of pattern to make this skirt, and it is quick to make.

My camera guide

2011-05-02T22:25:00.010+02:00

I bought my first Nikon DSLR camera (a D50) five years ago and it was truly a great investment. While there are people who manages to create amazing pictures with a plain point and shoot camera, most of us will not. The equipment does matter and don't let any one trick you to believe otherwise. So I want to talk a bit about my equipment. While my D50 was still working I decided to upgrade to a D90 when it went on sale earlier this year. Mostly because it works better in dark environments. It also has video recording abilities, but I have not used that one at all, unfortunately. I can very much recommend this camera, it is similar to the pro cameras that we have at work, but with a much more accessible price tag. But cheaper Nikons tend to be good too. Have not used Canon, but I've heard god things about their Rebel models.

My lenses:

I only have two. The standard kit lens (pictured above) which is a 18-55mm. It is a brilliant little lens, lightweight, inexpensive and creates really good photos. Most lenses tend to be heavy and big, but this makes the camera very portable. Not perfect for far away objects, due to its small size, but for everything else it is great

Photos taken with the Nikon 18-55mm lens.

A monastery in Greece

Friends at a wonderful crawfish party we went to back in 2007. Having a crawfish party (kräftskiva) in the fall means eating crawfish and parting and is a very loved Swedish tradition.

My 50 mm lens

I call this my pretty lens, it was a Christmas present from my boyfriend and it makes everything a little prettier. The focus range can be made very short so you can get a lot of lovely soft background blur, great for portraits and still lifes. Plus it is excellent in darker rooms because it lets in more light than my regular lens.

Photos taken with the Nikon 50mm lens.

My youngest daughter Anja

My friend Catrin

My flash

Not something most people would invest in, but I love my flash. The trick is to buy an adjustable one so that the flash will be backwards and bounce to the wall in front of the person and not directly onto the face. That softens the light and you won't have that harsh flash effect or red eyes. The photos with a flash are not as beautiful and atmospheric as natural light, but it has it's uses, especially when you live in a country that is dark a large part of the year.

Photos taken with my Nikon SB 600 flash

My boyfriend and I being enamoured with our friend's baby Sigrid. I love her skeptical face and how she grabs the plant with one hand and pulls my hair with the other.

Hope you'll find the information useful. I started with just the Nikon D50 and the kit lens and used that combo for several years. Then I gradually began to upgrade. I also use a tripod and a remote, which is invaluable when you take the garment photos yourself.

Oh and if you have any questions about photography and equipment, just ask them in the comment section and I'll try to answer them.

Sewing shopping in Göteborg

2011-04-30T18:21:00.002+02:00

I sometimes get emails from readers who are visiting Göteborg and wants suggestions on sewing related shopping. There are not a ton of fabric and notions stores in my hometown, despite it being Sweden's second largest city. But there a few stand outs that I would like to share.

Best notion store
Knapp-Carlsson
Kyrkgatan 34
This iconic shop is over 100 years old and has looked the same since the 40's. The button selection is amazing and they have pretty much any other notion you could possible ask for. Not the cheapest store in the world, but selection more than makes up for it. The shop is right in the city center on a narrow side street.

Best fabric store
Tygaffären
Lagerströmsplatsen 4
A 10 minute tram ride from the city center, this little but well stocked fabric store is worth a visit. The owner and staff are very knowledgeable, friendly and customer oriented. And the selection is really diverse and well curated. They source a lot from Danish wholesalers and usually has great deals on high end fashion fabrics. Also lots of basics in many colour variations like linen, boiled wool and knits and a great eye for good prints. The tram stop is called Olskroken and there are plenty of trams and buses going in that direction.

Biggest and fanciest fabric store
Gårda textil
Kungsgatan 7
If you are after beautifully embroidered silk or high end wool suitings from Italy, this is the place. This large elegant two-story store specialize in more fancy fabrics, but there are also a big selection of everyday fabrics. Not cheap, in fact a lot of regular fabrics borders on over priced and I think the best deals are actually on their more exclusive range, which is pretty fantastic. Unfortunately the staff is not always the best, they were down right rude to the girl I made a bridal dress for last year and others have had similar experiences. But still a very special fabric store that deserves a visit.

Best sewing magazine store
Press-stop
Drottninggatan 58
This large magazine store has almost all European pattern magazines, notably all editions of Burda, Patrones, La Mia Boutique, Ottobre and Diana and most sewing magazines like Threads, etc. Plus a massive selection of fashion magazines from around the world. This is were I buy most of my fashion related reading.

It's all in the wrapping

2011-04-28T21:10:00.000+02:00

Slowly working on updating my wrapping for Floremark. Not a natural package decorator, my sense of flair would probably rate an F, that is why I could never become a scrap booker and such. Plus I like to keep things simple. But you gotta start somewhere, and I'm doing little steps here and there.

Now I'm off to Sewingpatterns.com to see if the Cynthia Rowley pattern is downloadable. And thank you for your bacne treatment suggestions. It is still getting better, albeit at a very slow pace. But I have lived with this for so long and know how much time it can take to see some substantial effects, so I feel pretty patient about the whole thing.

Floremark homepage

2011-04-26T22:44:00.001+02:00

I've been working on a little Floremark homepage lately. It is live and while there are some things that will change I thought I should settle on good enough and show it to you guys. There are things I am quite pleased about (ie the slideshow, which was a ton of work) and some that make me cringe (the bio for instance, that one will change). Writing about yourself is hard in any language, and writing in English makes me sound rather dry and humorless, which is something I feel my blog voice suffers from too sometimes. I think I tend to sound a bit academic and serious, even though as a person I'm pretty vivid and blabberish. I guess I just wanted to tell you that, that I'm not as stiff and boring as I might seem on this blog, it's just a language thing :)

Holiday skirt

2011-04-25T19:42:00.001+02:00

Top: H&M Divided
Skirt: Who's that girl
Shoes: PF Flyers

I actually started this blog post in August last year. I wanted to show a skirt that I bought while holidaying in Greece. However I never got around to wear the skirt on home turf since the weather turned horribly chilly and rainy.

But these last few days has offered an incredible summer heat, and I've been wearing my summer clothes like crazy, trying to maximize the wear until the chill hits again. And today I wore my holiday skirt for the first time in Sweden. The skirt is from a Belgian brand who, apart from the pretty hopeless name: Who's that girl (try google the brand and you will mostly come up with Madonna references) are a really fun, quirky label with fantastic colours and prints. I first thought it was a Scandinavian label because of the aesthetic, but it turned out I was wrong. In fact it isn't even available here in Sweden from what I can tell from the website, which is really strange, since it looks so much like something many Scandinavians would enjoy, retro, colourful and print oriented.

Easter weekend

2011-04-24T11:00:00.001+02:00

It's Easter weekend, and as far as weekends are concerned this has been a really great one. Warm and sunny, bare legs, plenty of ice coffee, lots of fun, good food and yesterday we even went to see a circus.

We don't have a ton of Easter traditions, but a few things are important to me. First I love having Easter egg hunts, although this year I made a total fool of myself since I was completely inept in finding my candy filled egg, despite being given numerous clues. So when everyone else was munching on sweets I was still running around the apartment trying to find my egg. Secondly I always use a yellow and turquoise vintage table cloth when we eat our dinner, which is the only time we have a table cloth, except possibly for Christmas. And thirdly we usually have some traditional Easter twigs decorated with feathers. The kids always makes the best decorations, it was great when they were in kindergarten and always came home with some fun seasonal craft. Not so much anymore, but I love the little yellow faces that my daughter did for the twigs.

The Biba Experience

2011-04-22T17:03:00.000+02:00

One of my biggest retail obsession is Biba. I truly don't think there has been such a distinct lifestyle brand before or after they folded in 1975. I love how Biba merged the 70's aesthetic with retro influences from the 20's, 30's and 40's and used great photographers like Sarah Moon and David Bailey to capture the feel. But what I'm even more obsessed with is the sheer opulent madness that their last and biggest department store was. What started 10 years earlier as a modest mail order company exploded into a super lavish seven floor fantasy, inspired by art deco and vintage film sets, with a posh restaurant and a roof top garden. Add to that an insane branding, where everything from baked beans to make-up bore the iconic Biba logo. Such megalomania fairly ends up well and only after a year the Big Biba store closed.

The book The Biba Experience captures all that and much more, which is why I keep returning to it. Plus it is almost as lavish as I imagine the store was - this is truly a coffee table tome.

The reward dress

2011-04-20T23:53:00.000+02:00

Yes I will soon do something from a pattern envelope again. I will call this project my reward dress. I seldom do dresses with an open back since I have suffered from pretty annoying bacne since I was a teenager. I've tried many prescription and non-prescription treatments over the years with dismal results - the only thing that has been truly effective is being pregnant, but I can't do that all the time!

Anyways I was recently directed towards glycolic acids, and to my surprise they have turned out to be quite effective. No miracle cure, but I'm on my fourth week now and by the look of it my skin will be in visibly better condition sometime in May. Though some scars will remain, but I'm okay with that.

The drawback is that this treatment requries constant applying, the effect is far from permanent. And I have to be extra careful with the sun. But the good thing is that I will feel way more comfortable with the thought of wearing backless styles. So in order to keep going with the regimen I've decided to give myself a little reward to look forward to. To wear on hot summer days - with a generous dose of SPF of course!

I really like some of Simplicity's Cynthia Rowley patterns and the style I'm going for is D most likely. But the more I look at view A the more appealing it looks. I dunno, maybe I should get out of my comfort zone and try something different.

Our summer escape

2011-04-19T23:23:00.000+02:00

Yesterday we finalised our travel plans for the summer. We are heading to Croatia, or Dubrovnik to be more specific. Looking at the photos it's almost hard to believe that the city still looks so ancient today. Travel for me means escapism from the daily grinds, I like to divulge into fantasy living when I'm abroad, and with such a dreamy setting it will surly be fantastic. I have never been to Croatia before and if any of guys has been there I would love to hear suggestions on worthwhile visits. We will be away for two weeks so there will be plenty of time for excursions.

My little helper

2011-04-18T19:27:00.001+02:00

Keeping some kind of order in an ever growing stash of sewing supplies is a constant challenge. And for someone like me, who is not naturally orderly, it's even more so. My impulse is always to trow everything in one big box. But that modus operandi makes for very annoying work, it's no fun spending precious sewing time rummaging through every box in search for that seam ripper/elastic/button/whatever.

The best system for me is a dedicated place for everything. And with a little help from my dear Dymo label machine and small storage units, I've managed to develop a pretty good system over time. Nowadays Dymo has very hi-tech labeling machines, but I much prefer the look of the old school model that is still sold today. It's a bit cranky and unpredictable, and you need to press with a firm hand, otherwise the letter might come out half done or even blank. But once it's done it creates a great uniform look that doesn't fade over time.

African prints

2011-04-17T21:21:00.001+02:00

From the LAMB S/S 2011 collection

African wax prints from Ebay seller Tropical fabrics

Sometimes trends are awesome, because I'm reminded of great things that I've forgotten about. Like African prints, that I wore sometimes back in the late 80's but sort of phased out during the minmalistic 90's. Now they seem to be making a comeback and I caved in the other day and bought two yards of wax print for a dress I plan to make.

Hope the fabric will be suitible for the pattern I have in mind - these kind of bold prints doesn't work for everything. But if worse come to worse I'll make some cushions instead, which will most likely drive my boyfriend and children nuts as I keep adding new cushions until there is hardly any seating space left in our sofa and armchairs!

Greek ice coffee - frappé

2011-04-16T11:08:00.002+02:00

I love ice coffee even more than regular coffee. perhaps because I associate it with summer and travels to warmer countries. My favorite is Vietnamese ice coffee, but a close runner up is the Greek version, frappé. It can be served either black or with milk and both are super yummy. I became infatuated with frappé when I traveled to Crete 11 years ago, and subsequently asked a bartender to show me how it is done. In Greece it is wise to order "medium sugar", since they can turn out sickly sweet otherwise. My version is a little less sweet than a medium frappé, but you can always add more sugar if you prefer.

You'll need:
3/5 cups cold water (1,5 dl)
1/2 tablespoon instant coffee
1/2-1 tablespoon sugar
Plenty of ice
2/5 cups milk (1 dl) (you can use less milk if you prefer)
A shaker or anything that you can close tightly - like a glass jar with a lid.

Pour the water in the shaker.

Add coffee...

...and sugar.

Add a generous serving of ice

Close the lid and shake vigorously in order to get the plenty of froth. In Greece nowadays they usually use the steamer on the espresso machine to create the froth and you can also use a blender. But regular shaking works great.

Lots of lovely froth. You'll get more froth without the milk, that is why I'll add milk after the shaking.

Pour the coffee in a glass and add the milk. Enjoy!

Dream job e-course - a review

2011-04-15T07:14:00.001+02:00

I normally only review fashion related books, movies, and magazines on this blog. But two days ago I ordered an e-course by the founders of Red Velvet called Dream job, that I really want to recommend. I know that some of my readers run indie craft business or dream of one day doing so. There are several books on the subject, like Craft Inc and such, but I gotta say that Elsie's and her sister Emma's on-line guide is the most comprehensive and honest take on running a small biz that I have ever come across. During the last decade Elsie has made and sold craft goods, owned two stores, been a wedding photographer, developed a dress line and been a product developer for a scrap booking company, among other things. And she is like 27 :).

Anyways, the course covers everything from branding, regrouping after failures, product development, marketing, finances and much much more. What I love the most is the initiated writing and concrete examples, this is clearly written by people who have lived through it all. And don't let the "Dream job" title fool you, this is not a fluffy romantic take on following your dreams - the sisters makes no bones about how much hard work they have put into the Red Velvet brand.

The course is basically in a blog format with around 20 topics. Plus several bonus tips and gorgeous photos on top of that. So if you want an honest and inspiring guide to the realities of running a small biz I can definitely recommended this course. Of course not every single aspect is covered, and the angle is definitely focused on their own experiences and product types, but most stuff can be applied pretty universally. So definitely worth checking out if you want to expand your knowledge.

The ex-mother in law dress

2011-04-14T16:38:00.001+02:00

My marriage didn't last but I'm still wearing the dress that my former mother in law gifted me a decade ago. It's a 60's dress, home sewn with a lot attention to details and with the one of the best prints I've ever come across. Yes the print is super busy, layers and layers of multi coloured scribbles, but somehow it all works very well together. The designer behind this print clearly had an eye for textures and colour combinations. I would love to find something similar, but have not been successful in my hunt.

My former mother in law saves everthing, so when our children were small they were dressed almost entirely in vintage -they sure looked very stylish in knitted rompers and wrap-around tops with tiny lace collars!

The right stuff

2011-04-13T17:50:00.000+02:00

When it comes to durability the true masters are the military suppliers. I've bought army surplus from the 50's, 60's and 70's and they have all been of excellent quality. And one of these masterpieces are my rubber rain boots. Yes the stamp inside the boots says 1969 and I've owned them for over 10 years - yet they still resist water.

Plus the shape is the best I've ever seen. They are slimmer and more elegant than Hunters and Tretorns, with a discreet heel and great grip, and I feel rather stylish when I wear them. The manufacturer is Austrian company Semperit. I don't know if they make rubber boots anymore, but if you find some vintage in good condition I can definitely recommended this brand.

Knitting dreams

2011-04-12T13:23:00.000+02:00

Oh I really wish I wasn't such a terrible knitter. I have dreams about knitting a sweater someday, but that seems as unlikely as me writing a pop song or being able to do a cart wheel.

(these are Swedish vintage knitting magazines that I have collected over the years, in case I would suddenly be gifted with knitting super powers)

Spring/summer look book

2011-04-10T23:03:00.002+02:00

I finally made the last piece for my spring/summer collection (a triangle skirt) and managed to take some more photos too. I have to say, taking photos of myself has given me a good amount of respect for professional models. In my teens I used to envy models. as it seemed like a genetic fluke entailed a short cut to the fashion business, but now I can see that there are a lot more work to it, even though good models make posing seem very effortless. Maybe I should start watching Top Model? I'm in need of some new non demanding telly to watch/listen to when I sew.

The days are long and bright

2011-04-08T20:00:00.000+02:00

The pearly hyacinth was a disappointment, small flowers and no smell. So I went for safe this week and bought daffodils bulbs - in Sweden the yellow version is called påsklilja - easter lily. It's two weeks left until easter, but I'm starting early this year.

The much anticipated spring heat is still not here, but the days are long and bright. Like often in the spring I find myself being both excited and exhausted. I dream of travelling, meeting new people, have billions of ideas, but have a hard time focusing - I want to do everything at once. But I sort of like this feeling, it feeds me and is a welcome break from the winter monotony. This weekend the kids are away at a scout camp and I will work on some orders and hopefully finish another skirt project, this time using my newly purchased ruffler. And a movie hopefully, probably True Grit. There are many good movies showing right now, lately we've seen Black Swan and The King's Speech (both rather impressive, and very well acted and directed).

I hope you all will have a nice weekend!

Frankie magazine

2011-04-07T23:09:00.008+02:00

I have been semi craving this Australian magazine for quite a while. Unfortunately it was just too darn pricey to subscribe to if you are European. But luckily I found out recently that there is also a digital subscription available, so now I am in possession of my first issue.

My first impression is that this is a pretty good magazine. I suspect that it might have taken some inspiration from Bust magazine, lots of first person stories, crafty ideas, short interviews with "indie" bands etc, but you could have worse influences than Bust in my opinion. Plus Frankie is better looking, more modern and sleek. And more fashion. And for someone who is totally oblivious to the Australian cultural landscape, let's just say that current Aussie culture has a hard time reaching Scandinavia, it is still very much Neighbours, Prisoner (yes, it was a major cult classic) and Kylie in our mind. So it was excellent to read about exciting people that I have never heard of before. Though funnily, a famous Swedish blogger from my city has her home featured in the current issue and so is Swedish rising star Lykke Li.

My only quibble is that Frankie seems a bit hesitant to go deeper, I would love to see a few longer, more in-depth articles, to mix the snippets up a bit. Plus I sometimes have a hard time identifying with the urban hipster angle, even though I by some accounts could be one. But apart from that I am pleased with my purchase. And it is rather gender free in it is tone, this is a magazine that features boys and girls in a pretty equal manner, which is another thing I really like about Frankie.

Other magazines I have reviewed

Lula

The Gentlewoman
Mixtape magazine
Worn magazine

Edit: I searched and searched to find the commenter who suggested Frankie to me. And I finally found it., Thanks to EmilyKate for suggeting Frankie! Maybe others have too, but my memory is a bit dim, thank you anyhow!

Swedish waffles

2011-04-05T20:17:00.001+02:00

Summer flies asked about a waffle recipe in the comment section a while ago so I thought I should share my favourite. There are actually two kinds of Swedish waffles, äggvåffla (egg waffle) and frasvåffla (crispy waffle) and there are also several options within each category (cream or butter, baking powder or yeast, etc).

I'm not an international waffle connoisseur, but from my experience I would say that waffles in other countries are often sweeter and flavoured with vanilla. Whereas the Swedish waffle relies only on butter and salt for taste, sugar is hardly ever added.

I will show you how to make a crispy waffle - this recipe is absolutely fail proof and even vegan friendly. Just substitute the milk with soy milk and the butter with vegetable shortening (in fact I'm using soy milk in the photos, as I'm lactose intolerant). The only thing to keep in mind is that the milk has to be cold and the melted butter has to reach room temperature before the batter is mixed.

You'll need:

3 oz butter (ca 100 gram)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/5 cups regular wheat flower (300 ml)

1 3/5 cups cold milk (400 ml)

Melt the butter. Let cool.

Mix the dry ingredients.

Add around half of the milk and blend the batter until it is free from lumps.

Blend in the melted butter and the remaing milk.

Pour the batter onto the waffle iron. I have a non-stick iron, but still like to grease with some butter before the first waffle.

Swedish style waffles can be served in many ways, but when eaten as a dessert they are often served with either ice cream or whipped cream and cloudberry jam. I can definitely recommend trying a Swedish waffle!