Etsy : New Brooches & Industrial Sewing Machine

This week I made more pieces in my "double buttoned embroidered" jewelry line. But this time I used the small branches, so I made a type of toggle buttons. Embroidered them again with silk floss and a lovely button. I so like making these girly woodland pieces !

Most of the new creations are now in my Etsy shop: P8 Button Art, but there is more to come !

And I played the whole week with my industrial sewing machine, hubby bought it for me from an old man in Kiel who buys and repairs those monsters as his hobby. I had to get used to the speed of the machine and how to get it even, and learned a lot about threads, tension, and spooling. There's no tutorial handbook, so I had to find it out for myself. And I am still very careful for my fingers because it is a real monster, it goes easily through 2cm (almost 1") thick leather like butter....
Here some pics of my new playmate:

Etsy : New Jewelry Line

This week I made more pieces in my "double buttoned embroidered" jewelry line. I love the work; drawing the embroidery plan, drilling, sanding and oiling the wood, looking for a fitting button, choosing colours for the floss, and then the embroidery itself ! I am pretty happy making and seeing my new line. I made brooches, rings and pendant necklaces so far, but more ideas are continuously popping up.


Most of the new creations are now in my Etsy shop: P8 Button Art, but there is more to come !

Bags : Tiny Baskets

This week I finished six tiny baskets with traditional costume couples from The Netherlands. I found these tiny cross stitch patterns in a vintage embroidery book and I loved them. When I was a teenager (ahum, pretty long time ago) I had my legs several times in plaster (don't ask, but I was a fanatic sporter), and it is from that time on that I started to make cross stitch embroideries. I think I did not make any cross stitch anymore in the last 20 years or so, but when I saw these charming couples in folk dress, I had to make them.

And then I bought this gorgeous vintage linen tablecloth on a flea market in the nearby town, beautifully coarse and stiff. Perfect for making baskets. I lined them with remnants of an old fabric I bought once in Staphorst (must be at least 30 years old); I bought lots of this fabric back then to make me bed clothes from it. So, the whole set has a real vintage and traditional flair.

And they are for sale in my P8Accessories etsy shop ! There are more little baskets in the make .....

Tidbits : Flickr Favourites

Last week I started to embroider again, only a bit, and very simple. But I found out again that I love it. So, my flickr favourites today inspire me a lot; it's all about traditional embroidery.
For more flickr favourites see ArtMind's blog.

1. Girl in Kalocsa Folk Dress, 2. Enkhuizen - Zuiderzeemuseum - traditional costumes from Marken, Volendam, 3. Cap from Floda, 4. Flower Skirt Mexico

Challenge : The Tulip

The challenge of the European Street Team for this week is from ZsBcreations and is called "The Tulip".

As a Dutchie I am a bit biased of course and I had to make something special for this; thought about tulip bags, hats, even a tulip made from buttons, but then I decided to go for an apron. I saw a picture of an old apron pattern with a tulip pocket on Etsy, and the whole thing started to take form into my head.

Then I remembered the beautiful vintage linen dish clothes I bought last year on a flea market here in northern Germany, and the design was complete. It's for sale in my P8 Accessories shop on Etsy. Maybe the beginning of a new line ?

I wish you could feel the vintage linen; it's gorgeously rough and there is a beautiful stripe pattern woven into it.
At the end of this post some of the tulips in my own garden; I hope they will appear soon again !

Hats : Tubeteika

I managed to buy 2 skull caps from Uzbekistan for my traditional hat collection. I have always been in love with those colourfull exotic skull caps from Central Asia. They are called tubeteikas (tubete means top or peak in Tatar) and are worn by men, women and children. Tubeteikas are different between regions and vary in shape (round or squared), ornament, colour, embroidery, fabrics, decoration etc. They are made of two or more layers of fabric quilted and fixed by silk or cotton threads. Most often, black satin or velvet are chosen for men's caps, and silk, velvet, and brocade for women's caps. They can be embroidered in silk, decorated with beadwork, gold and silver threads, beads and metal pieces, and the decoration is full of symbols.



The first cap is for a man from Chust, and is the most common one. It is black with four white patterns in the shape of a chili pepper flower capsicum (called "qalampur"); these flowers are supposed to protect a man's health from four sides, while the sixteen small patterned arches, located along the edge of the cap, mean a wish to have a big and friendly family with sixteen children.

The second cap is for a woman from Surkhandarya and has a very colourful embroidery in creed stitch (called "iroki"). Young Uzbek women often complete their modern clothing with a bright elegant scull-cap.


You can see some beautiful examples of Tubeteikas and read more about them here:

Tubeteika suits everybody
Hat Collection from Central Asia
Duppi-A Teapot cover? No, it is national headdress!