5 Pinterest boards to follow: adventures!

Summer... for me this season is for outdoor living, exploring nature and having some adventures and a pretty dose of wild life.

Is this true for you, too?

My life is keeping me far from nature and adventures, lately. I really miss some things I was used to in the past, like trekking on italian mountains (Alpes!), exploring the country by bike, camping, spending time in the garden or on the beach.

So I've recently opened a new Pinterest board to help me in staying connected with the wild side of me the same. 

I'd like it will remind me to add some adventure in my daily life, when I can, because it's very important for my soul.

The board is called "Wild life & adventures"; take a look!

I've collected images like this, a strong but funny invitation to add adventure in life:

Of course I've started to follow other Pinterest boards about this theme, like:

The explorer archetype, full of inspirational quotes about adventure.

Somewhere on Earth - travel, with stunning images of places to visit in the world, where Mother Nature is at her best.

Appreciating the Earth, a beautiful expression of the need to go in the woods.

The wild outdoors, very interesting for mountains lovers!

Follow these boards, or mine, if you need like me some visual reminders of your need to add adventure in your life!

[previous posts of "5 Pinterest boards to follow" serie: making toys, modern rustic style]

How to display little embroidered works (the not professional way)

In my latest post I wrote about the fact I've decided to display my little embroidered fox and showed you the result.

While working on this project I've taken some snapshots of the process. What do you think about converting the whole bunch in a sort of tutorial?
Great idea, I know :P

I'm calling it "How to display little embroidery projects". It's not a professional way to display or frame pieces of embroidery. Only my way.
Hope it will inspire you to pull out the drawer some unfinished embroidery projects (I'm sure they are lovely) and display them in your home.
I think it can be a smart idea to give a new life to some old/vintage pieces of fabrics.

What I like of this process is that glues are not included. Only fabric, felt, needles, thread and recycled cardboard!

Let's go!

First thing to do: cut a recycled cardboard and round the corners (it will help to get a finer result). The cardboard has to be a bit smaller that the piece of embroidery you are working with, of course.

Second step: place the carboard on the back of the fabric and fold each corner in the way you can see in the photo-collage below.

Help the fabric and the corners to stay in their place with some hand-stitching. You can notice that I've connected the opposite sides of the folded fabric with some long stitches. This trick made on the back helps to have a tight effect on the front.

Step 3: cut a square of felt (synthetic in my project) and decorate it (optional; I've embroidered '2013', because I was sure I've completed my fox two years ago, but I was wrong).

Fix the square with some stitches made by hands. I suggest to use blanket stitch (love its delicate look), but you can use different methods if you prefer.

Step 4: it's time to hang up your work of art. Simply fix a little noos on the back and find a nail on the wall.

But if you (like me) are in the mood for arranging it on a shelf you can alter the shape of a paper clip and insert it between the felt cloth and the cardboard. It will do the work of a frame foot.

Interesting, uh?

:)

Love to have my fox in my studio's bookcase :)

Other methods to display or frame embroidery used by other people (but a bi tmore expensive than mine):

- into bought frames

- into wooden embroidery hoops

- on canvas

- on canvas again

- using an old window frame (!)

- with glue, cardboard and paper

Let me know if you like this tutorial and share with me your embroidery masterpieces leaving a comment!

A parade of handmade spring/summer tops!

This summer I'm not working only on bags and other accessories to improve my shop's offer!

Since it's summer I'm into tops making! :)

I really like to make fresh and comfortable t-shirts and tops using knit fabrics and cotton jersey (I usually buy them at our outdoor market and are very cheap - they are leftovers - but high in quality).

I have three of these handamade spring/summer tops to show you today.

The stripes + flowers top

A very simple design. It's a self-drafted top, t-shaped, without sewn sleeves, but with a curved hem on the bottom.

The things I like about this top is that it's very fresh and soft and it has some of my favourite peculiarities for clothes: the colours (blue and white!), the stripes, the floral pattern (climbing my left side)! :)

I sent these snapshots to my mum and she said she liked it very much!

The inspiration for this top came from this pin: I realized I could place the floral part of the fabric on one side, to create a lovely asymmetrical look.

The grey petal sleeves t-shirt

Some weeks ago I finished a more complex top: one in grey with petal sleeves and mother-of-pearls bottons.

I learned how to modify a basic t-shirt pattern to make a petal sleeve thanks to some tutorials I've pinned in my Pinterest board about "sewing clothes" (this one for example).

I've altered the pattern I've previously used for this cardigan and the work has been simple. 

But I'm not 100% satisfied about the final result, I see too much folds here and there and the t-shirt is not so good on my body shape :(

However, I'm going to try again, because I'm in love with petal sleeves!

The knotted blouse

There another thing I like when I make/buy tops, t-shirts or blouses: knotted necklines! I'm a bit obsessed.

So this spring (in april) I decided to make a blouse of this kind.

I have only one photo of me wearing it, because now it's too hot (july!!!) to take other images of me with a long sleeved blouse!

To make the blouse I've altered this pattern (yes, again!) and self-drafted the neck band.

I think I made a good work!

Since I'm obsessed by knots, I'm going to make other blouses with this caractheristic: I'd like to test the "Mimosa blouse" pattern by SBCC: it's a .pdf pattern for a t-shirt with raglan sleeves (love it!) and a flat knot. I like it because it's sporty and feminine at the same time!

If you like knotted blouses, but you are looking for something more elegant the Lottie blouse (free pattern!) is for you!

Some notes

If you have suggestions about handmade spring/summer tops (or want to share with me the tops you've made), please, leave a comment!

If you're looking for some inspirations, you can take a glance into my Pinterest board about sewing clothes.

Speaking about my future projects... I'd like to go on with asymmetry making something like this or this. But also the Harper blouse (free pattern!) by Spit Up & Stilettos is a good choice for my body shape (I'm a curvy hourglass).

Hope I've inspired you to make some summer tops for you! :)

5 Pinterest boards to follow: modern rustic style

Since my madness for Pinterest is growing day after day, I decided to share with you some amazing boards to follow. 
Beauty and great ideas are things you can't hide, you have to show them to other people!

I've grouped the boards I like into some themes and today I'm suggesting you 5 of them about modern rustic style.

It's a style I really like, I feel like it's for me.

It speaks about nature, simple life and pleasures, animal and plants, life outdoor, wood and natural materials and textures, pale colours with some bright accents now and then, minimalist decorations, love for traditional shapes.

I think it's my style.

Modern rustic is not country, shabby or retro. It's all about a simple rural life  and about enjoying the simple things Mother Nature offers us.

I'm collecting inspirations about this style in my Pinterest board "Rustic+romantic":

If you like this style and you are finding some inspirations to give it a space in your life, take a glance to the following 5 boards.

Rustic, love it by Sara Pacciarella
Beautiful images about outdoor living, gardening, cottages, rustic home decor.

Rustic modern by Danielle Colding
Inpirations about modern rustic interior design. Love this minimal and rustic living room!

Go outside by Jenny Frith
All about spending time outdoor, in the wild nature, and enjoying it! This board remembers me how much I miss camping and other adventures I was used to in the past.

Adèle By Adreamofleaves
This board is about a woman who loves modern rustic style and uses it in her life. Clothes, jewels, furniture and more.

Modern botanics journal by Modern botanics 
Botanic inspirations for a minimalistic design.

If you have boards like these to share with me, please, leave me the link in the comments.
I'm constantly looking for some modern rustic eye candies to look at! :)

Pattern review: Bonsai bag by MadeByRae

Do you read Rae's blog?

You should!

It's full of sewing ideas to be inspired by, expecially if you are interested in sewing mum&kids clothes and bags.

In this page Rae shows all her sewing tutorials, included the one to make "Angel tops" I followed to sew my very first one handmade piece of clothing.

Some years ago I've also made a couple of "Buttercup bags", using her pattern, like this or this. 

I still wear this bags, because their medium size is perfect for me and because, well, they have a beautiful design.

My experiences with Rae's tutorials and patterns, as you can read, are great!

They are well written, full of clear images and instructions and easy to follow.

And Bonsai bag pattern is very good, too!

I waited so long to make one! 
I bought her "Bonsai bag" pattern some years ago, after making my buttercups bags, but something didn't coinvinced me (probably I was scared by all that pleats and the sewing around the central panel).
I waited till this october to make one.

But, hey, the final result is this beauty:

I listed it in my shop. Follow the link to read more informations about the bag (only one note: it's a very eco-friendly bag) and to look at additional photos.

What to say about the pattern?

Let me write down some thoughts about it:

- it's very well written, clear, rich in step-by-step photos (24 pages!!!).

- it's not a paper pattern. You will receive the instructions to download it and then you have to print and cut it at home. I like best this kind of pattern, I think they are more eco-friendly (not shipment involved, not wasted paper, also because I usually don't print all the pages, but only the pages I need) and most of all you receive it very quickly (almost immediatly).

- it offers two possibilities for the closure (and consequently two variations in the pattern): closure by magnetic snap (that I choosed) or by inner zipper

- the pleats and the central panel are not too difficult to make and put together; what you will need is a big amount of pins. And of course ironing the pleats before sewing is a good idea (I did it)!

- the pattern gives you a licence to sell the finished bag (with some restrictions) and this is very good for crafters in bussiness like me.

- in my opinion this bag is not for beginners [*], but a person with some basic skills in sewing and some experiences in bag making can realize it without problems.

- the design is lovely, the final dimensions are just perfect.

- the straps designed by Rae (and shown in the pattern) are different from the straps I made. I decided for very simple straps, but Rae's idea about them is more interesting, because it involves plastic rings and knots (as you can see in her blog).

- the central panel can be decorated by ricrac, trims, pompom thread... Rae shows you how to do this.

Making this bag was a pleasure, so after this very good experience I made a bonsai bag for me, in black, because I hadn't a black bag in my closet:

Of course I know it's not so charming as a bonsai bag with a contrasting central panel, but it's perfect for me and my informal look.

[*] If you want to test one of Rae's bag patterns, but you are a beginner in sewing, you can start with Lickety split bag. I haven't tested it yet, but I can see by the photos that it's not too difficult to make.

But I think my next Rae's pattern to buy is to one to make Showoff bag. I really like the shape!

Hope this post will be usefull for other people looking for good bag making patterns.

Shop makeover: thinking about target

I can hear my readers saying: "Where have you gone?".

I know, I'm not blogging too much (for some reasons) in this period, although I have a long list of things I want to share with you.

I'm neglecting my blog, but I'm sitting long hours in front of my pc these days, because I'm working on a very big and important shop makeover (and so, after hours of hard work, I need to leave the pc far from me).

I'm (unlickily) out of work now and I have some free time to think about my little bussiness on Etsy.

Etsy is a hobby for me. I don't want to become rich with my creations, I only want to have fun and have a purpose for all the things I make.

But I can't conceal that the money I have on Paypal thanks to my Etsy shop has been important in the past, expecially to buy airplane tickets to come back to my family and friends in the north.

So now that I have a big amount of free time I decided to use it wisely and to improve some aspects of my shop which needed some help.

The shop makeover requires some steps. I've planned to write about them here on my blog, because I think they can inspire other Etsy sellers in some ways.

The first step is all about target!

If you are new to this subject you can read:

- this Etsy blog post ("How to find your target market")

- this Etsy worksheet ("Who's your ideal costumer?")

- this (italian) post on Etsy Italia Team blog ("Tre consigli per trovare e capire il tuo target")

I've paid attention to my products, their materials, their style, their uses, etc.

They were so heterogeneous!

It seemed like my shop hadn't a precise target.

And it was bad. Very bad!

I've read here and there an important thing: if you want to be for all, you will bo for nobody. It's true.

So I started to think to the thing my items have in common. I found it quickly: they are simple, inspired to nature, eco-friendly (because I mostly use recycled materials and/or organic fabric).

Something a well-defined kind of woman would like. She is in my mind, I know her very well, also because it's very similar to me.

Describing her in details in this blog page is not important, but I'm happy to write that I found my target market!

And after this important step I started to ask to myself "Is my shop ready to welcome this woman?".

The answer was (sadly): "No!".

The banner was too general. My avatar was too "elegant". 

The about page didn't tell about my passion for nature and eco-friendly life. 

My policies weren't promising something unique to my target. 

My items descriptions weren't focused on the eco-friendly process and materials I use to sew them. 

Only a group of my photos were communicating the rustic and nature-inspired style of my products.

A lot of work to do!

I started by changing the shop's title. 

No more the general "Bags and accessories" (thousands of people on Etsy make "bags and accessories"), now it's clear that MadameRenard makes "eco-friendly sewing".

And then I wrote it in a new banner I realized with picmonkey (a free tool online I use to edit all my photos).

This is my new banner:

Simple, with a modern rustic style, with something related to nature (leaves in the bag's bottom on the left), clean.

This is the one I've used before:

Same fonts and same cement wall as background (but darker), but very different for the style and the things it communicates to potentional customers.

I think I did a good work.

What do you think? Opinions are welcome, of course!

I've also changed my avatar. 

The previous one was an image of me well-dressed and well-"arranged" for a wedding.

A beautiful photo, yes, but... where was the real  me? The girl who wears informal clothes and spends her life between art and nature? Where was the girl who sew eco-friendly goodies trying to do her little part in saving the planet?

I needed a new avatar!

I picked up an old photo where I'm in the cloister of Certosa of Pavia, a beautiful place to visit if you are in northern Italy. There is art in it and a beautiful and bright green lawn. 

It's not perfect, but it's better.

It works.

This happened a week ago.

In the meantime I worked on other things:

- about page

- shop policies

- new photos for almost 50% of my items

- new descriptions and new tags

- items to remove because not oriented to my target (what to do with them?)

And I'm still working (now I'm focused on marketing).

I'm going to write other blog posts about the steps I'm making for this shop makeover.

Is this interesting for you? Please, let me know in the comments!

The blue tunic + some sewing links

I had in my stash a blue knitted fabric I really loved.

I bought it some years ago for a ridicolous amount of money (2-3 €, I can't remember) during a quick visit to our outdoor market.

I liked the pattern (a mix of paisley and other "asian" motivs) and the fact that it was long enought to make a long shirt or a tunic. 

Instict suggested me to buy it without reflecting too much. 

But, when at home, I realized that the fabric wasn't enough to make something with sleeves and I abandoned the project and had to wait till this september to understand how to use it.

I made this tunic:

No pattern for it.

I've literally sewn it on my body, with pins and scissors with me. I decided to take some risks and I succeeded :)

It's a sort of long cardigan with short sleeves (or a long vest?) because it is closed by little metallic snaps on the front (but the bottom slightly opens).

I still like the color, the pattern, and how it looks on me on the back. 

There's something wrong on the front, but I can't understand what. Maybe the neck-line?

My plans are to wear it in this way now that the weather is still warm and sunny (you know, mediterranean weather ... we are still wearing t-shirts and fresh clothes although october is here), and to put a t-shirt with long sleeves under it in winter (so it will look like a long vest).

Before starting it I've pondered a lot around other designs and patterns.

My intentions were to make a kimono jacket or a cocoon cardigan. So I collected a lot of free patterns, tutorials and inspirations into my "Sewing clothes" board on Pinterest. Take a glance, if you are interested.

My favourite are this cocoon cardigan (so easy to make!!!) and this kimono jacket.

But the final inspiration to make my tunic came from this design. I mixed it with a t-shirt and a shirt I have in my wardrobe (bought, not handmade) and this is the result.

I have a lot of projects about handmade clothes and refashion, but I think I'll give sewing clothes a pause (althoug I'm very tempted to sew this with long or 3/4 sleeves). 
My creativity needs to work on something different... bags, softies, crochet, wood burning, art. I don't know where to start :)

A fox wearing blue jeans

I have a new paper friend on the wall close to my sewing table. 
It's a fox! 
You probably know how much I love foxes! 
This animal is a sort of totem for me and it fascinates me everytime I have the opportunity to see one in nature (and it happens 2-3 times every year).

His name is Felix and he's a very strange fox, because he wears blue jeans :)
And a sweater! Uh, and shoes, too!

He was born last saturday, in a very quiet afternoon at home.

A super quick and easy thing to make that made me happy and relaxed.

You can have your fox, too: here is the link to Martine's blog, where you can download (for free) a .pdf file to print and cut.
It will look like this:

Martine suggests to use split pins to connect all the parts of the body, so you can move the fox in the ways you like best.

I hadn't split pins, so I used more common things for me: needles and threads! :)

Felix is a good company, together with my paper angels :)

It's that time of the year again! Winter crafts time!

Robins has here again, we roasted chestnuts last sunday, I cooked a very big pumpkin, leeves are falling down ... it's that time of the year again ... fall, time to start winter crafts of all sorts!

 

November is coming and brings very busy crafty moments every year.

It's time to make Christmas ornaments, handmade presepi, handmade gifts for family and friends, new clothes for chilly days... a lot of things to make and do!

 

My plans:

- go on making clothes for winter. After the long sleeves cardigan, I need a skirt. I've spent some time yesterday looking for patterns and/or instructions for wrap skirts and now I'm ready to start! Also an half-round skirt is very welcome, I hope to have the time (and right fabric, too).

- crochet! When evenings are colder I like to work in bed with hooks and wool. Not sure what I'll make, but Pam's mushrooms  are amazing and I'll probably give them a try. New amigurumi animals and granny squares are on the top of my list, too.

- start my 2013 photobook. Although 2013 has been a very hard and sad year, I want to save all the photos of happy moments for the future, like last year. Hanna's blog post will help me in solving problems I had last year with Blurb, I hope.

- Make at least one of the projects I saved into my Pinterest boards [*]
- Drawing drawing drawing. And painting a bit, too.

 

Suggestions from my blog:

If you need ideas for winter crafts, feel free to "copy" my creations. I would be very happy if you'll let me know in the comments what you've made!
My suggestions are:

- Print and make some paper angels

- Prepare some cornstarch clay with my tutorial: you can use it for jewelry (to give as a gift or for you).

- Use my snowflakes designs to embroider snowflakes everywhere or to make ornaments!
- Explore the endless possibilities of handmade presepi (= nativities): here some by my mum.

- Start a Christmas wreath with real tree branches

- Follow my tutorial to make bows: you can use them to make little gifts (like brooches) or ornaments. Great for fabric scraps!

 

[*] Pinterest inspirations:

- decorative trees with pine cones

- a Christmas bunting with orange peel

- the perfect gifts for dads and grandpas: a tie

- gift idea for friends or sisters: fabric tote to carry wine bottles

- Felt reindeer!!! Super cute!

 

What are you going to make this november?

Let me know in the comments! :)

And what about bottle caps?

While saving glass bottles to cover them with crochet (my favourite summer project, this year), I've pondered a little about what to do with their metallic caps.

In Italy we call them "tappo a corona" ("cap with a crown shape").

I've always loved them, because they are often decorated by images and words that make a tiny work of art, not so different from other little works of art I love (postage stamps).

I usually throw away bottle caps, but now I'm thinking about recycling them and saving their "art" and/or give new life to their beautiful crown shape.

 

I've found tons of lovely project on Pinterest and today I want to share with you my favourite projects.

You can see that both inside and outside of the caps can be used.

 

Amazing fridge magnets that are also family photo frames:

 

 



Tiny candles for outdoor romantic dinners in summer (I think they can float on water, too):

 

 

Earrings... a super quick project. You can cover them with images you like, or not.

 



Bottle caps + macramet for bracelets:

 

 



Recycled materials are always welcomed for Xmas decorations (Pam, this is for you) like balls ....

 

... or snowmen:

 

 



 

But I mostly love recycled materials for toys making:

 

 

 

If you have hundres of caps... you can even cover your furniture (*____*)...

 

 

... or make a self-portrait:

 

 

Save your bottle caps!!! :)

Zarina, the empress of russian dolls

 

This week, after a long long intercontinental travel in the cold winter, Zarina arrived in her new home (my home) and now she's enjoying some rest in her new warm and safe place.

She sits on a soft handmade (by AuntFran) doily, close to her new friends, two tiny snails :) 

And she smiles gently.

 

Zarina (Czarina in english) is her name, because she is a russian doll, the most beautiful russian doll I've ever seen, she is the empress of russian dolls (zarina is the word we use in Italy to call the russian empress).

 

A lovely woman made her for me, using her talent to give life to a dried gourd: she shared how to make these dolls here and here.

You've probably understood (even without following the link) that this talented and kind woman is my friend Pam! :)

 

Isn't Zarina an amazing gift?

Let's look a little closer to see all the details:

 

 

I really like the sweet expression of her face, the red dress and its yellow and violet dots, the emerald necklace.

Pam said she painted poinsettias on her dress because it is the traditional mexican flower for Christmas. Well, Pam, it is the same here in Italy, too!

Poinsettias are regularly given as a Christmas give (I received one, too, this year).

 

I love this gift! :)

I'm so grateful for having her in my bedroom. She inspires me to use my creativity every day and reminds me I have special friends like Pam!

 

 

Thank you, Pam!!!