DAY TRIP TO CRAFT BOUTIQUE

 

I and a few of my classmates had a wonderful opportunity offered to us. Our teacher asked us students if anyone was interested in spending a day at a Taide shop.. We would have to opportunity to ask the owner  questions about owning and running a business here in Finland. We would also have the opportunity to have a workshop creating and making an item for ourselves from her supplies at her store.

 What a golden opportunity this would be. So... off we went with a car full of women. We spent the morning going through her shop, and seeing what she sold there. Most of the crafts she her partner or her mother had made. They had a whole workshop set up for printing fabrics, weaving, felting, etc. 

She also spent alot of time telling us how she started up her shop and the difficulties that came her way, and how she overcame them. We also had a chance to ask her alot of questions about setting up a business etc. 

In the afternoon we got to work on our own projects... She gave us boxes full of materials to work with, which where full of wonderful colours and wool that I had never worked with.. I knew that I wanted to try these materials so I decided to make a felted picture.  

 

 

 

I am not a huge blue fan, but I just had to try these wonderful metallic blues that she gave us to work with. I used them as my background sky for this birch grove picture.

 

 

 

 

 

        In the picture below you can see closer the colours used. 

 Even though these are not my most favorite colours, I have grown to love this piece. Now... I just need to find the right place to display it.

It was a wonderful day that I spent with friends and classmates. It was also a really good learning experience for us all. 

Kiitos ihanasta päivästä Villakammari...

MACHINE/HAND EMBROIDERY

 

Our classes on embroidery continue. This week we will be taught different machine embroidery techniques. The first technique I wanted to try was " water soluble film embroidery". In the pictures below you can see this technique.

 The beige leaf sample was my first attempt at this technique. It was actually quite fun.

I also did just plain machine embroidery, which was a lot of fun. Here are a few sample pieces that I made.

                    In the above picture you can see the sample pieces of machine embroidery.

 

In this picture I machine embroidered using both of the techniques I learned. You can see in the taller stalks of wheat the water soluble technique used. It shows white through the picture but that is only the white table your seeing through the wheat. I was very pleased with the end result of my first attempts of machine embroidery.

I also tried the machine embroidery on a felted picture that I had made earlier on in the year. I had never been quite happy with this felted picture, so I thought that the machine embroidery might improve this picture. It truly did. The grasses now seem to pop out of the picture. 

Now.... all I have to do is buy a sewing machine that does embroidery....

HAND EMBROIDERY

Our second year of school has begun. After being homeschooling since March  ( due to Corona Virus) it felt surreal to be at school again. So, anyways...this fall we began our schooling with hand embroidery techniques. 

I loved embroidery this wheat design. It is so simple yet so lovely. It's funny that I have never really done any embroidery on my clothes.

Here is a fun way to cover up holes, and patches in your jeans. 

These are 2-3 day courses that we get to try our hand at these different techniques.

WORK PLACEMENT ( TYÖKOKEILU) at TIKKIVERSTAS

 

For our school curriculum we  all have to do a 4-8 week work placement in the textile industry. We could find it ourselves or the school had a list of companies that we could contact for the job placement. This had to be at a  textile store or museum, textile manufacturer to get onsite work training.  

I had decided that I would go to different shops that I would like to do my placement at. On my way to school I pass this lovely little upholstery shop everyday and I decided that I will go in there and ask if they would be interested in having me do my job placement there. I spoke with the owner and after explaining who I was and what reason I was coming into her store, she said that she would love for me to come there and do my placement. She had in the past offered this service to other students in our school. 

Even though many shops were closed due to Corona Virus she still kept her store open so I was able to do my job placement. 

I was so nervous going to work on my first day. Firstly I was afraid that my limited finnish language would become a deterrent. As I headed off for my first day all kinds of worries stressed me out ... what if I did not understand what she was explaining to me? what if I misunderstood her and made the articles incorrectly? What if? what if??

 Once I got there we went through all the different machines she had there, and how they worked. She also told me what type of customer base she had. She sold some crafts there, but mainly she did furniture upholstery.. 

We discussed what she wanted me to work on while I was there for the month. She told me that she sold a lot of tote bags there, and wanted more of them. So, I was to design and make as many tote bags as I could during the month. She also asked if I would be interested in upholstering some ottomans for her.

Yipeee...This was going to be a great month..

 

 

This red tote bag is one of the first tote bags I made. I haven't sewed with leather so it was a learning experience. I also didn't have a pattern for this bag, so I looked at one of my tote bags at home and took a pattern from there. The selection of bag below show different fabrics. The fabric and leather were remnants of upholstery projects she had done for past customers. 

I love this black and white bag. It turned out as I had envisioned. On the opposite side of the bag, the colours are reversed. The white is one the top and the black is on the bottom.

The blue bag to your right did not work out at all. I don't like the colour or the leather pocket I sewed on it. The leather looks old and used.

This bag to your left is one of my favorites. It is chic and modern.

This was a fun bag to make. I took a part a pillow that had faded in the store window by sunlight, and used the inside fabric to make this fun bag. It turned out great. The owner was also surprised at my inventiveness .

The bag to your left is a bag that I made from little strips of remnant fabric. This fabric is well know in Finland. It is called ARTEK It sells for about 400€ per meter. It is used to upholstery chairs etc. I did not have enough pieces so I sewed a leather strip in the middle.

I was very pleased with the outcome, and the owner said I could take this bag for myself. I was so..... thrilled.

In the back I used black material, and then sewed a strip of the zebra fabric down the back of the bag. It actually landed up looking very presentable on both sides.

I also used the same fabric to sew these bags. At the time that I sewed this bag to the left, I did not realize the cost of this fabric.

I sewed leather sides on this bag.

The bag to your right was one that I made for the owner. She had asked me to make her a bag from this fabric. She wanted it to have long shoulder straps, and a larger tote bag.

She also requested that I make a zipper on it. I had never sewed anything this complicated without a pattern.. (Let alone the stress of ruining the expensive bag). But she was so pleased with the outcome. ( as was I....)

Well... all the bags were so at this point,so she asked if I would like my hand at upholstery. I was so elated. I have upholstered one chair in my life, and I enjoyed it so much that I always wanted to take an upholstery course. 

Now I get to do it for free.. 

In this picture I first glued stuffing on the styrofoam block then sewed the outer fabric and pulled it on the block... Now I am ready to finish the bottom of the block.

The completed ottoman. I was so pleased with the end result.

This will be going into the store window..

The owner was so pleased with my first ottoman that she asked if I would be interested in making one for an order she has from a customer. 

To be honest... I was really nervous making this one, it was sewing on a faux leather, and if you make a mistake the whole fabric has to be tossed. Because on any leather product the sewing lines with not disappear.

As you can see I took on the project.I measured and marked every single line I had to sew.The leather top was to be a checkered look.

In this picture you can see the light chalk marks I made to sew along.Once this is completed the chalk marks rub off with a wet cloth.

In this picture to your right you can see that I have prepared the styrofoam block with the padding, and sewn the sides. I am checking to make sure the fabric is nice and snug on the block.

Now I just need to sew on the top and hand sew the bottom piece.

Here I am fitting and planning the sewing of the top of my ottoman. This has to be just perfect. I only get one shot to get it right. 

The top is now sewn on.. It looks perfect. Like a professional had done it. ( the customer will never know that it was sewn by a student)

I hand sewed the bottom fabric.. It was quite tricky because you had to pull, hold, and sew at the same time. 

Time had flown by so quickly working at Tikkiverstas. I cannot believe I only have one more week at the store. 

I was thinking of what small project could I take on this last week, and then I remembered that the owner had in passing mentioned that she had a winter coat that she would love for me to sew into a weekend bag for her. 

So... off I went on this last project.. The coat was luckily a large one, so I had plenty of material to work with. Here is a side view of the overnight bag.

In the photo above you can see how width of the bag.

In the right had picture you can see that I added extra pockets, hand straps, and a shoulder strap.

The owner was so very very happy that I had a chance to make this overnight bag. She has planned on making it herself for sometime, but never had the chance. 

So..... to end this post of my work placement at Tikkiverstas I wanted to show a few pictures of my work displayed in the store window. 

To the right you can see first ottoman displayed in the front window of the store. This picture is taken from the inside of the store.

This photo is taken from the outside of the store.

The ottoman was made to match the green chair in the store window.

This photo is also in the store window. Here you can see some of the handbags that I made. 

To end this post, I just wanted to thank Tikkiverstas for giving me this wonderful opportunity to learn and grow here.

ONCE UPON A TIME ... there was this little girl call Red Riding Hood....

                                                    

Below you can see the Satukirja  that I made to tell the story about how these fairy tale puppets came to life.  Also in the post below the picture I wanted to share with you the reason I went on this journey. 

I will be sharing six posts that tell the story of how these puppets came to life. I hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I have been in creating these puppets.

 We are still in etä-opetus ( schooling from home) and can't go back to school due to the Corona Virus. So, when life gives you lemons you make lemonade, and that is what we had to do.

 The teachers were scrambling to find assignments for us to do at home, which posed to be a big challenge when so many of the tools we needed for our projects were at the school. Anyways, our teachers finally decided that we could start planning what we are going to make for Valonkaupunki. ( this is a event that the city of Jyväskylä puts on every fall to bring some fun and light into the growing darkness of Autumn.) Our school has been actively involved in this event for the past few years. 

I racked my brains for what I could make. This years theme was going to be "satuja" which is fairy tales. Last year when our class participated in Valonkaupunki we were encouraged to dress up in theme clothing. So, with that in mind, I thought that I could make a piece of clothing using the nalbinding technique for this event.

 I had really enjoyed the little red riding hood tapestry that I had made, so then came up with the idea that I could make a cape for a student to dress up as " punahilkka" ( little red riding hood) using the " nalbinding" method. I looked and looked online for ideas for different styles. However I soon realized that making a cape in nalbinding would be a huge undertaking. Nalbinding is a very slow form of needling. 

So... I had to change my plan. I thought of all the events and happenings that were going to be planned for the occasion at our school, and I remembered that last year there was not a lot for the children to do at the school. Eureka! I know what I will make. PUPPETS... the children can play our fairy tales with the puppets I make for the event. 

So... now the planning and fun begins.I decided that my first puppet would be ... Little red riding hood, and I was going to Nalbind her cape

In this first picture I started by knitting a red mitten for the hand to go into.

In this next picture I knit a grey dress that is going to go over the red mitten.

                           

 In the next three pictures you can see that I am felting the head of little red riding hood. I stuffed it with felt, and sewed it onto the wool dress in the above picture. I did not want anything other than red lips on her, so I felted ruby red lips on her face.

 Here I am shaping the nose and head. The plastic is meant to protect the wool below.

Her lips are still not red enough, and I need the nose to be a bit more pronounced.

I made Little Red Riding Hoods hair black rather than the typical blonde that is in a lot of the fairy tales. I wanted her to look a bit " Edgy".. She kinda looks like a gothic version of Little Red Riding Hood.

As you can see in this picture the cape is done, and I have felted a grey dress for her, and I embroidered a black edge on it. Also I have crocheted mittens for her, and I darkened her lips by embroidering them in red wool. 

In this photo you can get a better picture of the end result. I will still need to make her a basket for her. She doesn't look like the typical Red Riding Hood which I intentionally did because I wanted her to have attitude...  

 

The techniques used in making Little Red Riding Hood, was Nalbinding, knitting, felting, crocheting, needle felting, embroidery, hand stitching, and braiding.

Here she is with the "big Bad Wolf " in a display case in the school lobby.

                      BIG BAD WOLF

After having such success with my first hand puppet Little Red Riding Hood, I decided that there needed to be the villain of this fairy tale " The Big Bad Wolf".  So, off I went to make a big bad wolf. I wanted him to look mean and scary, but yet somehow endearing.

 

 

In this picture you can see that I first knit the body and the jaw of the wolf. I filled the snout of the wolf with felted wool, and then started on crocheting his teeth. I wanted the teeth to be big and scary. They needed to be "in your face".

Once his teeth were done, I started working on his eyes. I crocheted quite a few pair, but unfortunately none of them worked. They all looked to kind and gentle. 

   

 Okay.... try not to laugh..... Its back to the drawing board for me.  He looks like an eager puppy dog, rather than a vicious, sneaky, scary wolf.  This is going to prove to be a challenge.

In this photo to the right, you can see my completed my Big Bad Wolf... I think he turned out exactly how I wanted him to. He is hairy, and scary and mean...

In this shot you can really see his big teeth, and scary eyes.

To the right you can see the Big Bad wolf is having a rest. Oh... dear.. What has he eaten to make him so tired.. 

In this puppet the techniques used were knitting, felting, crocheting,needle felting, hand stitching,and knotting pile. 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                Scary Dragon

 Well I have now made two puppets. What fun it was, so now I sit here wondering what should I make next. Well.... in every fairy tale there has to be a big scary dragon... So, let see where this takes us.

 As usual I first knit the body. In the  picture to your left I knit the arms and left a hole for where his head is going to come out of. The picture on the right is the head I knitted for the dragon. I  stuffed it one again with felt.

In this picture I knit his tail, which I am going to sew on. He is starting to look like some kind of animal. What animal, nobody knows, but I am hoping on making him into a dragon.

On your right is a close up of his face, here I have started forming the nostrils, and his mouth.

In this photo I am starting on working on his breast plate, I need it to be full, but not fat.

His chest is now ready, I hand sewed ridges on the chest, to make it look for life like, and have started to hand sew his scales on. Every second scale has a shiny bead sewn on it.

Here I am sewing his spikes, and scales in place. Sewing the scales was the most tedious job. I kept running out of scales so I had keep felting more felt.

I am felting his back bone, which I will fill with felt, and then sew down his back to his tail.

He is now ready, I got his eyes to look scary, and big sharp teeth. I am really happy the way he turned out.The scales on the dragon took me a few weeks to sew on. It was small intricate work, and I kept running out of felt, so I had to continually make more of the felt material.

In this picture you can see the wings that I made for him. It took a lot of small sewing, the wings were intricate also there was also wiring that I had to do to for his wings and tail, so this puppet is really not meant for little children.

I felted the felt so it was very thin and transparent. 

Here is another photo where you can see his spine better.

Here is the dragon in a display case at the school. 

When I made him the techniques used were knitting hand sewing, embroidery, felting, wiring, and needle felting.

 

 

 

PRINCESS

 Now that I have made Little Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, and a ferocious Dragon, I'm thinking that the Dragon needs a princess to rescue or capture. I am not a princess kind of person, so I had a hard time putting my "all" into this puppet, but I will give it a shot.

 

As you can see I started off in my usual method. Knitting the puppet, then I felted a head on her.

Next I embroidered her face. I am not especially good at doing small intricate embroidery, but I was rather pleased with how her eyes turned out. Her lips however still need work.

Here is a closer view of her face. The lips need to be darker and more defined, also she needs eyebrows.

In this picture to the right, I have added hair. She is already starting to look better.

 

Here you can see her face is finished.. I gave her eyebrows, and her lips are darker and fuller. I am quite happy with how her face turned out. 

Her you can see the finished princess. I sewed for her a pink ballgown, with a lot of glittery beads on it. Also a fur wrap ( I had actually wanted a white fur wrap) but I couldn't find the kind of material I wanted for this, so the black had to do.

I love this side shot of the princess.. The tulle in her dress is very full and it gave the dress the body that I wanted. To be honest, even though I wrote earlier that making the princess were not my thing, I think I enjoyed making her more that I thought.

The techniques used in this puppet were knitting, felting, needle felting, embroidery, and hand stitching.

 

 

         

                           FROGGIE

 I never imagined that I would be so enchanted with making these puppets, and I can't seem to stop myself for making more.  My imagination has gone wild and I am constantly thinking of different puppets to make. I tell myself, that this is for the children to play with at the Valonkaupunki Event. I think I am kidding myself. 

Well, I actually do have to make more for the princess, I feel her story is still not completed. Where... oh where.. is the prince to rescue her from the dragon?...but, wait.. there is a small twist to this story. First the prince has to become one... if you guessed from a FROG you are right.

Here he is... Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of him being created. He was created so quickly. I had the idea, and away I went with it, and presto.... he was done. I am very happy with the big bug eyes he has, and his mouth.. 

Here is a great shot of the Frog... I displayed all my puppets at school in display cases. Here you can see him is sitting on a rock, just chillin. 

Here is another picture of him "chillin" on a brick shelf at the school.

I have to say that this photo to your right, is my favorite one of the frog. What a relaxed guy he is. Little does he know that he is going to kiss a princess and turn into a prince.

The techniques used in making him was that I first knitted his body, and then felted the body, and did needle felting on his face.

 

 

 

                              HANDSOME PRINCE

   If you read my last post you will be aware that the Frog puppet in my last posting was going to be kissed by the princess and then turn into a handsome prince...

 Well, today is the day that the Prince puppet will be posted, and this will be my final puppet project.

 In a sence I felt saddened that the puppet making was coming to a close, but I finally felt at peace, and knew that I didn't need to make anymore. My part of this was done. So... with no more deliberation I will now share with you the creating and making of The Handsome Prince. What I failed to mention was that I wanted a really "masculine prince".. someone who could save you from the Dragons, and all the bad guys, someone to sweep you off of your feet. Dark, mysterious, masculine...yet a gentleman.

 

Unfortunately... I forgot to take pictures while making the prince. So, here you see a close up of his face. I wanted him to look really masculine. I played and played with his face using needle felting, embroidery, hand stitching and with that I got the look I had wanted.

Here he is..." Prince Charming"

 I think I accomplished what I set out to make.

The cape turned out really well. I wanted a royal looking cape for him to wear. Scrounging through the fabrics at school, and getting fun fur from classmates helped me to make this cape exactly how I wanted.

You may not have noticed before but I put dreadlocks in his long hair. I really like this side profile of him. 

The techniques I used to make and create him was knitting the mitten for the puppet, felting his head, embroidery and needle felting on his face, crocheting his robe, and hands, machine sewing the cape, braiding for his hair, cutting, bending and glueing the tin for his crown. I found from a flee market some old necklace which I made smaller for his chain necklace. I think he may have had the most different techniques used. 

So.... with joy and sadness I end this journey of puppet making. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I could make and create these puppets. I truly didn't think I had the imagination for it. It has been truly interesting to see how each puppet was created and came to life. 

I have to say that I absolutely LOVE each and everyone of them, and I have to confess that on a few occasions my husband has found me sitting on our closet floor playing with these puppets. I also have to confess that I don't know how I am going to be able to give them away. I made them for the children to play with at Valonkaupunki, but I love them so much... am I going to be able to give them up?

Well... to end this posting I wanted to say that Valonkaupunki never did take place due to the Corona Virus, so the puppets have been at display at our school. Once my school ends I will donate them to a daycare center for children to play with and enjoy as much as I did...

 And the puppets lived happily ever after.

                                                                     THE END