Patchwork bag is ready.

I have spent this morning finishing a project that was waiting for just some little pieces.

Ready for some shopping !

I had made the patchwork this winter, and only needed to make a lining, add both together and stich on the handles. 
But there was always something that needed my attention. So, the little bag was dissapearing in the pile of UFO's...  
This afternoon I'm going shopping with my sister.  And that was just the incentive I needed to finish the bag.  You see, we are always proud to show eachother our work, and comment on it with a lot of waaws and OMG's.   

adding little flowers on the patchwork...

and some vintage buttons ...

some funky handles in green

that's the pattern I'm following

the lining : I added a little space to put my cell phone in

I didn't have the fabric for the lining.  But then we had a 'fashion swap' and Anita's trousers were just perfect for this bag....   Sometimes recycling just happens, when you don't expect it. And no euro's needed!

pattern comes from this gorgeous French book

A morning filled with creativity &needlework, is a morning well spent.

and the sun is finally shining !

chocolate cupcakes

When one's birthday is coming up, it is better to be prepared !

 Especially when you are like me, and share that sad moment with all the people you meet on that day.  Even the girl at the checkout in my local supermarket....   where I bought :

Since it is the last birthday starting with a '4', I'm celebrating this with a splash of chocolate cupcakes.

I bought the baking mix at Action Shop, and it turned out to be of great quality, and easy to make.
I added eggs and  butter, and let the machine do its work.

the dough is now ready for the oven

20 minutes at 180 °C

add the topping- I used a piping bag- sprinkle the chocolates on

they look great, and ready in no-time.

 
I can't offer you a real one, but in my heart they are for all of you -  readers of my little blog !

button bracelet

I have a big box filled to the brim with buttons.  A lot of them are really old, like in mother-of-pearl, or even in bakelite.  (before plastic was invented, many objects were made of bakelite - a chemical substance, invented by  Belgian professor Baekelant,  in 1909, I am proud to say...)

some buttons were gifts from my mother, some even from my grandmother.  some I buy at fleamarkets or in second hand stores. 

There is something irresistable about buttons :  the shapes, the colours, the sizes...
so, I am always on the lookout for nice things to do with all my buttons.

This is my latest experiment : a quick and easy bracelet.

a selection of buttons sewn on elastic band

It was fun choosing the colours

how do you photograph a bracelet ?

ok, just on my arm then...

question answered !

I have found out about the Dutch hat similar to the doll's hat I bought in Bruges.

Apparently it is a traditional hat from Gelderland in the Netherlands.

Thank you internet, and all the people who gave me advice !  If anybody can add more information, I would be glad !  This is what I found :

a baby cap with a star pattern was for a girl

knitting descriptions from the early 1900s

the first part is knitting a star

the finished hat.

a flax hat

I have made a hat, in the style of the 1920ies.  

Ready for Ascot !

it is a good fit, but will I dare to wear it ?

 
It is made of flax and cotton, a very easy technique involving a balloon and wallpaperglue.

just a plain balloon coverd with fabric

and lots of glue

the next layer is flax fibers

When it is dry, it is a firm base that you can cut, trim and pimp with anything you like....
You can also add lace, buttons, feathers, and go all the way.  With a hat like that, you are definately ready for the horseraces at Ascot....
I doubt if I will ever wear it....  but it was great fun making it!  I really liked to work with the material, and the creativity involved.   Anyway, it's just a first try-out, I'm sure I will explore this technique a bit further during the hext holidays.

This one was an example our teacher Charlotte brought along, a gorgeous piece of headware ! 

Charlotte of Charlepeau was the teacher, and she makes all sorts of lovely hats.  Check out her website here. 

And here you see a few of the hats that were made by the other girls in this workshop...

an old treasure and a question for you

I met another knitter in Bruges, and we had a very nice conversation.  This lady knits all sorts of clothes for dolls and teddybears.  She uses old cottons and linnens, with stains and colour fading.  That is how she obtains a result that looks very old, but in fact was knitted only last week... !  How clever is that !

it is such a fine knit, only 7 cm big !

 She has a very special pattern for a little hat, and I couldn't resist buying one.  It is so cute !  I think it is based on a pattern used in the Netherlands, for traditional headwear of the Dutch women in one of the regions there. Am I right ?   Perhaps one of my Dutch followers knows more about it ?  I would appreciate it very much if you could give me some more information about this pattern, it seems very exciting to knit !

I like the 2 colours she used, she started with the circle

such a fine finishing, all knitted scallops

Even in het Nederlands :

Ik had een gesprek met een mevrouw uit Brugge, die poppenkleedjes en berenkleedjes breit.  Ze gebruikt daarvoor oude resten katoen en vlas, met vlekjes en kleurverschillen in.  Zo verkrijgt ze een oud resultaat, maar zijn de kleertjes wel nog maar pas gebreid.  Leuk gevonden !
Maar wat ik heel mooi vond is een speciaal patroon dat ze gebruikt voor een mutsje.  Het wordt gebreid vanuit een cirkel, waaraan ze dan de rest verder breit, zodat er een soort kapje ontstaat.  Volgens mij is dat een patroon dat ook gebruikt wordt in de Nederlandse traditionele dames kostuums.  Meer weet ik er niet van, uit welke regio of stad, maar misschien kan er iemand van mijn Nederlandse volgers een tip van de sluier oplichten ? 
Het lijkt me een prachtig patroon om te breien... !

time is on my side

Hello dear followers,

It is the second week of my Easter holiday, and the weather here is bad.  It's cold, raining, and I don't want to get out of my house.  So I've been spending a lot of time in front of my laptop, and I have surfed around a lot on all your blogs.  I have found some treasures all over the world, and you will probably notice that there are many new little icons on the right side.

I have updated my blog to the new interface, and it works fine. I  just have to get used to the new layout.
And I have updated my account on ravelry, added some new projects and found inspiration for a million other stuff I want to knit....

I have also spent some time finishing a beautiful pattern by Kate Davies, the paper dolls.  A picture of the finished project is about to follow.....

And last but not least, I've finished the 2 necklaces I have crocheted according to the Veerle Maes pattern.  One for me, one for my sister - she can choose.

1 red and 1 blue

with an easy way of closing, all crochet

I used 2 sewing threads together for the mêlé effect

This evening I'll be following a new workshop by Mieke Recour. She works with silk and makes lovely jewelry - so I'm quite excited.

isn't it gorgeous ?  I would like to learn how to make this !

And next week I will go to a workshop 'making a hat in flax' with charlepeau
So, a lot of exciting things in the near future.
Folow the blog and you will learn more about it !