Swingin' it in vintage

In retrospect...

2012-02-05T15:33:00.001+01:00

So, seems I went into blog-hybernation... The dark months up here are... well, they're dark. Like really dark. Ok, not "the sun doesn't rise"-dark, since we do get 2,5 hours of light even at the end of December, but my energy tends to dip very low during December and January. Also, this winter there has been something special occupying my mind and time... I don't want to jinx anything, but if all goes well you'll find out eventually (oh, how I hate when people tease with information like that! But sometimes it just feels necessary to tell a little but not all). Anyway, it's something fun! =)

In the meantime, and to get me blogging again, here'e some of the things I've been up to during the past two months:

Meeting up with Kattis at Nya Konditoriet when she was in Umeå, and eating the worlds best cheesecake: saffron and raspberry. Yum! The hot chocolate is something else as well =)

Visiting my sister Kajsa, who moved to Malmö in southern Sweden a year and a half ago. It was wonderful to have a weekend just the two of us! She studies in Lund, and we went there for an afternoon, so she could show me around. Lund is an old university city, and although it's a 15 min drive from Malmö, it's still considered to be a city in it's own right.

The university area was beautiful, just check out the ceiling in this underpass! And all the streets are laid with cobblestones, so pretty!

To something else: Of course, I have been sewing. The amazing thing is that I'm actually very close to being ready with this make. Of course a far cry from being ready to Christmas like the plan was, but there will be Christmas next winter as well =) This dress took some time, since although I had done a dress in this style, I wasn't 100% happy with the bodice (it was too long in the back and in the front edges, and the sleeves were a disaster). I went back to the drawing table and am much more pleased with this version. The sleeve pattern could still use some more tweaking... All that's left is one buttonhole (I sew them by hand) and the corresponding button. And I want to make a matching belt! See, I finally did it...

I ordered belt-kits from A fashionable stitch! I've been eyeing them for ages, as a matching belt and buckle really screams "vintage!". I'm hoping this will be the cherry on the top =) I also got a point turner and some tailoring tape. Sunni runs a wonderful shop, and it was a pure pleasure shopping from her. Easy to order, the parcel shipped superfast, and I had my things a whole week earlier than I counted on. They look almost too pretty to use, don't they? =)

I've been adding some books to my sewing library as well, and so far I really like them. The Dressmaker's technique bible was a Christmas gift. Make your own dress patterns was my desperat attempt for some guidance for the weird problems I have with sleeve fitting. Not sure how helpful it is with that, but it's an interesting read.

Last but not least; I've been dancing! This seasons classes have begun, but I'm only teaching the second half of the intermediate class this spring. Quite nice to be able to focus on just getting some classes really good. This photo is however from the social dance last Friday. I look a bit strange, sorry about that. I was coming down with a fever, and have been ill since. However, I wanted to show the outfit anyway, as both the skirt and the blouse are me-made =)

All for now, and have a great week!
Love, Erika

P.S. Did you see I was the Featured member on WeSewRetro during January?! I still feel a bit overwhelmed and very flattered at being asked! =) It's such a great community of talented seamstresses, I'm glad I've finally started posting there after lurking inthe shadows for over two years =)

Colette sewing book and personal style

2011-12-08T14:16:00.000+01:00

As those reading sewing blogs may have noticed, Sarai who owns Colette patterns released a sewing book during November, The Colette Sewing Handbook. I've been reading reviews of it all over the internet, and everyone loves it! It seems like a great book for beginner-intermediate sewists, it comes with 5 patterns and it covers some areas I usually miss in sewing books, namely planning, choosing a pattern and fitting. The chapter on finishing also sounds interesting, new techniques are always good.

Tasia from Sewaholic wrote a great review here, focusing on the part about wardrobe planning. Casey also adressed this part of the book in her review, and she had some more pages from the book for us to read. Sarai's tip is to pick out 5 garments/outfits/accessoiries that you really love and feel good while wearing (meaning that you not just love the idea of them, but actually enjoy wearing them as well). Then analyze these pieces and see if you can find some common feature, like type of colour, fabrics, fitting, etc. Tasia wrote a follow up post where she did this, found here. I liked this idea, so I figured I'd try it myself! =)

Red doubleknit cotton-jersey dress, swing/40s style (me-made). Pattern made from my blockpattern. I love the colour, the heavy weight of the fabric and how extremly comfortable it is to wear.

Wool winter skirt with grey cardigan. Wool is my all-time favorite fabric! And this is my favorite cardigan; I love the length, the loose-fitting sleeves, the lacepattern on the bodice and the little tie-band just beneth the bust which ensures that the cardigan fits correctly.

Blue cotton skirt (me-made) with purple knit top. This skirt is perfect! It never wrinkles, it's mostley cotton so it breathes, it moves beautifully when I'm dancing, the pleating makes it comfortable to sit in all day at work. I love the top, the sleeves are just my length and I adore the detail with the lace inset and the small covered buttons.

It goes without saying that of course The Coat is a favorite to wear. For the first time in my life outerwear actually fits! The back isn't too wide or long, the overbust isn't too small, the waist fits, and the width of the skirt means the coat is loose over the hips and doesn't gape open when I walk.

Thrifted green vintage dress of unclear decade. This dress is just so nice to wear. Simple as that. =)

A few things springs to mind about my taste:
-Solid colours, dark or jewel, are a favorite.
-Fitted in the waistarea, loose around the hips, not overly loose around the bust but with enough width for easy movement. Waistseams sits in the natural waist.
-Natural fibers; wool, cotton, linen, silk. Jerseytops and cotton cardigans.
-Necklines that are not tight but not deep enough to show cleavege.
-Hemlines on skirts right beneth the knees, 2" longer on winter skirts.
-Always some sort of sleeve, either short or full-length, seldom elbow or three-quarter for every-day wear (too hard to layer).

Now, these things were far from new to me, and I already sew with this in mind. For example I know that the fitted over the hip/calf long/blous-y at the waist - dresses of the 30s that I just love isn't what I feel most comfortable in. Instead, I'm sewing 40s style and 50s style skirts and dresses to wear at work.

However, while I knew this in the back of my head, this was still a very useful exercise. Maybe it's time to focus on making more of the styles I know I like? Maybe it's not boring to plan more clothes in the same category as the one's I have, it's insightful of me to know what I feel good in =) And perhaps my taste is not the flashiest, lot's of people would feel grey and frumpy in it, but since I feel good in it, why should I strive toward other styles?

This brings me back to the Colette Sewing Handbook... Take a look at the patterns that comes with this book (I'll just link as I don't want to steal photos):
The Truffle dress and the licorice dress. Both very cute, but the sleeves are all wrong for me and the parts I do like (the fitted bodice) would be a lot easier to do using my block pattern than doing the 1 million alterations I'd need to do on the bodice. The skirts are not quite my taste...
The pastille dress. Adorable, but not my kind of sleeve nor skirt. See above about the fitted bodice.
The Taffy blouse and the Meringue skirt. Again, the sleeves on the blouse are not my style, the bodice on the blouse is too loose for me. The skirt pattern I could do myself in less than an hour, with the length, waistband, opening and pockets I prefer.

What I'm trying to do here is to decide whether or not to get the book. The patterns are super cute, all of them, but they really don't fit into my style. Of course referece books on sewing techniques are always fun, but I have a bunch of them and shouldn't I read them all before I can justify getting a new one? But at the same time this one seems so very interesting... And maybe some of my friends who sews would find these patterns useful? =) Having a major case of in-decision here!

Ah well, no need to get it now before Christmas, I can think about it for a while. I did really like the wardrobe analysis though, it was great fun to do, and a big help to being comfortable about my style and thereby likely helpful in the future for choosing sewing projects. Maybe the book have many more of those thoughtful gems, and I can justify buying it for that reason?

What do you think, have you bought the Colette sewing handbook? Do you plan to? Have you done any similar wardrobe analysis and what did you come up with? Should I buy the book?!!! =) I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Love, Erika

Stockholm weekend

2011-11-30T10:33:00.000+01:00

Stockholm! Swedens capital, my old home town (my birthtown even) and where the majority of my family lives. Last weekend I took the chance to visit family and friends before the holiday madness kicks in. I was supposed to attend a sewing class at one of the few more advanced sewing schools in Sweden, but the class got cancelled just a week before =( I anyway had the plane-tickets, so instead of a weekend of sewing I had a weekend of food, cakes and talks. Quite nice, and very relaxing =)

Saturday morning at moms place. We made scones and listned to the "music-crossword", a radio show that has aired for ages. My mom, aunt and paternal grandmother used to do this crossword every week, calling each other when it was something they didn't know. Everyone knew never to call between 10 and 11 on Saturday mornings =) Granny's been gone for 15 years (rip) but my mom and my aunt carry on the tradition.

Scones, tea, homemade marmelade, music on the radio and a dog sleeping on the bed in the other room. A very relaxing way to start the weekend.

Said dog on said bed. Love how she matches mom's new bed cover! =) Mom claims it wasn't intentional...

During Saturday Stockholm showed her best side, all sunshine and lovely colours. It's utterly bizarre to see green grass at the end of November! I took the oppurtunity to wear my favorite hat (it's a tad too cold for hats in Umeå now), teamed up with the new coat, red gloves and my trusty handbag.

Sunday was a whole other story - windy, dark and a constant drizzle. Brr! Here I'm the Old Town, Stockholms oldest part, after a long lunch and fika with dad and my aunt.

A new blouse! I've been working on it for ages (or rather, not working on it) as I'm not 100% happy with the pattern. The sleeves look ok like this, but with the arm relaxed a bunch of strainlines appear. Also, the shoulder seam falls back. I'll re-do the pattern before cutting into any silk, but I've decided that this blouse is ready. Just like that =) I'm not thrilled about it, but it's ok and I like the fabric, so while I won't devote any more sewing hours to it, I will still wear it and be happy about it.

How adorable is Elsa?! We're all sitting in the living room, celebrating my brother's 25th birthday, and she naturally wants to be a part of it. Sitting in the sofa, with one paw on Joakim's legs to ensure that he won't run away =)

It was of course a huge disappointment that my class got cancelled, and I hope there will be other weekend classes in the future, but am a bit hesitant to sign up if they're in the habit of cancelling in the 11th hour. We'll see... While it would have been fun to sew the entire weekend, I instead had a very relaxed weekend with family and friends. Just the thing to fight the December darkness!

Love, Erika

Swingin it with friends

2011-11-22T23:13:00.001+01:00

There's been a lot more "in vintage" than "swingin' it" lately, hasen't it? Have you begun to wonder if I've stopped dancing? Let me lay your worries to rest, I'm still swingin' it! =) I have however been awfully bad at documenting these evenings, but let me at least give you a hint of the fun last weekend offered.

Last weekend Mattias and Lisette, two great international lindy hop teachers visited Umeå. They gave a two day class for my local society, Swingum, and we hosted two social dance nights (Friday and Saturday), with live bands both evenings. It was a wonderful weekend! It's always such a treat to take classes, and for such experienced teachers... The socials were great fun as well, lot's of talented dancers on the floor!

During class. We did dance stop, sooo much fun! Dance until the music suddenly stops and then freeze. Lot's of laughs during this exercise, I can tell you.

As great as the dancing was, one of the biggest highs for the weekend was Malin and Johannes coming to visit, all the way from Luleå. They brought the kids, and the whole family stayed at my place during the weekend. Turned out three adults and two kids actually sleeps very comfortable in my 2 rooms (that's 1 bedroom and 1 living room for the non-Swedes reading). It was just wonderful having them here! Above is a photo from Saturday night dinner...

...and Erik and Rita was also at the dinner, they also wanted to hang out with 2 year old Alva, and cuddle 5 month old Milo =)

On the dancefloor. Yup, the kids were there as well! They really are the easiest going children! Both evenings they slept in the stroller while their parents danced the nights away =) Here is Alva, she was up on the dancefloor for a while during Saturday night, before falling alseep. And the doll also wanted to dance =)

It's been a while since I was in the show group, my problems with my legs prevented me from practicing that much and that intense dance, plus I don't really have the time. But my friends in Swingum Lindy Hoppers have continued, and they've taken the group to a whole new level. I was awed during their perfomance, such great dancing! I mean, the style, the moves, the whole set-up! So watch, and enjoy! Erik, Elin, Jimmy, Mia, Henrik and Barbara, swingin' it! =)

Love, Erika

Tailoring a cut-on shawl collar

2011-11-04T17:13:00.002+01:00

Thank you so much everyone for the amazing response to the coat! Sewing it this past year has been a huge project, but a very fun one. There are few projects that have taken so much time and so much head-scratching but that I've still loved the entire time (in fact I think this would have to be the only one...) =) I've learned so much, and I wanted to share the solution I worked out for the one thing I couldn't find the answer to in either the Tailoring book or Gertie's posts: tailoring a cut on shawl collar. The book, and Gertie, talks of sewn-on shawl collars, but cut-on presents a few problems with the order of sewing. So here's what I worked out! Heads up: long and very, very geeky post ahed =) All the pictures are in full size if you click on them, for clearer details.

Click on the post title to continue reading...

To begin with, here's my working order for the coat (sans lining and interlining):
Front:
-Bound buttonholes
-Darts (bustdarts on sidefront and collardarts on front)
-Sew sidefronts to fronts
-Horse hair canvas and tailoring the undercollar

Back:
-Sew center back, and sideback to back
-Make a backstay for the top back

Sew backpiece to frontpieces:
-Pockets
-Sideseams
-Shoulders

Finishing:
-Waiststay (a 1 cm grossgrain ribbon cross-stitched to the wool, as stated in the pattern instructions)
-Sleeves, sew and set in
-Shoulder pads
-Facing
-Hem sleeves and skirt
-Insert lining
-Buttons

Tada! =) This order differs in some places from the one given for coats with sew-on collars, since the entire front needs to be sewn before the undercollar can be tailored and steamed. So let me elaborate the Horse hair canvas and tailoring the undercollar part...

1. So the fronts are sewn together, and depending on the fabric thickness the seam allowances are either just pressed or they are pressed and catchstitched to the fabric. Make sure that the back of the collar is also sewn together, pressed and -if desired- catchstitched.

2. Cut and mark the horse hair canvas. I chosed to make mine just a little bit wider than the facing, but the top extends along the shoulder to the armhole. However, it does not extend down into the side-seam, but ends about 5 cm/2" from the sideseam.
I set two pad-stitch lines at 0.5 cm width closest to the roll line and in the collar stand. For the rest of the collar I set the distance between the padstitches to 1 cm (the stitches are as long as the distance between the lines).

3. Shoulder reinforcement. Basically you cut a piece of horse hair canvas that goes from just beside the collar and out to the shoulder. It's cut on the bias, and then quilted to the main horse hair canvas piece. This is one of those things I will do different: next time I'm so hand sewing this step! I thought about not adding this reinforcement, as neither Gertie nor the pattern mentioned it, but I'm glad I took the time. There's no stretch what so ever in the shoulder now!

4. Dart and center back (still only the horse hair canvas), done as Tasia explaines here. Basically seam allowances are trimmed, seams are fused and then zig-zacked.

5. Pin and then baste the horse hair canvas to the front as the book says, meaning baste roll line and armhole. Trim horse hair canvas shoulder to just inside the seamline, and catchstitch to fabric. Tailor baste the body of the horse hair canvas to the fabric. (Please ignore the tape at the roll line in the picture below, that comes next...)

During the process of basting the horse hair canvas to the front piece, cut holes in the horse hair canvas for the bound buttonholes and catchstitch the buttonhole strips to the horse hair canvas.

6. Catchstitch a stay tape (always pre-shrink the tape) to just below the roll-line. The tape goes from the shoulder mark to the foldl line, not venturing out into the seamallowance. The tape is a little shorter than the corresponding stretch of fabric and canvas, keeping the collar flat against the chest when coat is worn. This step was so much fun, it was like magic! =)

7. Padstitch the collar, shaping the roll line as you go. Start from the inside and work your way out. When everything is padstitched, trim the seam allowances.

8. Steaming the collar. This I pondered for a long time, how to best do it? It looks so easy if you have a collar and two lapels, but here it's all one big piece... This is very much my own invention, I'm not saying it's the way to go. If anyone has other tips on how to steam a collar like this, please share! I'd love to hear them!

I did it in three rounds. First one "lapel", with one towel folded and inserted between the "lapel" and the coat, two other towels draped over the rest of the coat to pretect it from the steam:

Like so.

I steamed it and let it dry overnight (I removed the "protection" towels after steaming, so they didn't weigh down on the fabric and cause hard to remove creases), then did the same with the other "lapel":

Next and last was the collar:

I wrapped it around a tailor's ham and covered the rest of the coat with towels.

There you go! Tailoring all done, and all set for starting on the back! If you want to be time-efficiant, you can of course sew the back during the days when the collar is steamed and dried...

This may seem a bit intimidating, but from cutting the horses hair canvas to have the collar padstitched took me one weekend, so it really wasn't all that bad. In fact, I would say this was the absolute most fun part of sewing the coat, I'd happily make another just for getting to padstitch =) (I do have more jackets and coats planned)

The collar, all ready with the topcollar/facing sewn on. One thing I realised too late: it doesn't hurt to cut the topcollar or the topcollar part of the facing with very, very generous seam allowance. My fabric is so thick the collar actually ended up a little smaller on the coat than on the toile, even though I had 1,5 cm seam allowance to play with.

Hope you enjoyed this, and thank you for reading all the way here =) I'm hoping this will help someone else interested in tailoring a cut on shawl collar, or maybe just get someone interested in tailoring!

Love, Erika

It's a coat!

2011-10-29T20:43:00.002+02:00

It's ready! It's finally ready! Got the idea two years ago, bought fabric one year ago, cut coat fabric in January, and now it's ready!!! (Warning for long, picture heavy post...)

The pattern, found on Tradera (Swedish ebay). Won after a fierce bidding, where I questioned if I really needed a pattern. So very, very happy I followed through on the bidding! Without this pattern I wouldn't have known what pieces a coat requires, and that was just the start of the process.

The fabrics, from left: green wool, woven fusible, 100% lambswool interlining, brown lining. Of course I later discovered I needed more stuff, like horse-hair canvas, shoulder pads, buttons, waaay more coat thread than I have here.

And all that material somehow turned into this. =)

Of course it was not as simple as that, there was no magic wand, but lots of sewing needles, pressing, and all kinds of new to me construction techniques. To my aid I had the classic Tailoring book, which was great. One thing it did not adress was how to pad-stitch a cut-on shawl collar, or how the assembly order changes for shawl collars in comparison to ordinary collars. I plan to post the solution I worked out =)

The fabrics were a pure joy to work with. In the end, nothing behaves as friendly as woven wool that has been treated. This had a Melton finish, making it impossible to pull out any strands, meaning no seam-finishing needed. Very helpful, since basically all the seam allowances were trimmed at one time or another, some down to 0.25 cm. Tightly woven and felted wool is a great idea then! Also, making invisible stitching is a breeze with a thick, tight wool.

Happy blogger! Also a demonstration of why it looks a bit uneven around the bust in the previous photo; it needs the ease so that my arms can move. But mostley: Happy blogger! =)

Of course, thick wool is a nightmare to press, but hey! Now I had to learn how to do it! I'll readily admit; not all seams are perfectly pressed, even though I did a lot of press-testing on scraps. I don't really care though, I love the coat!

Naturally the pattern didn't work straight out of the package, there were some huge fitting alterations: shortening the back, shortening the front (different amounts), Full Bust Adjustment, re-directing the bustdarts, adding width on waist and hips, and lots of small fiddly things. Still, the back worked as it was (with a lenght reduction), which was a first for me!
The only style alteration I did was to alter the collar slightly, it was way too high on the neck in the original pattern. I did keep the original skirt length, though. In old catalog photos the coat always covers the skirt/dress, and keeping that detail gives the coat a nice vintage flair, I feel.

So happy with the silhouette! Just like I envisioned!

There is huge amounts of handstitches inside this coat. To begin with all seams were handbasted, machine sewn,basting removed, seam pressed open, then both seam allowances cross stitched to the coat to ensure the seam would lie flat. The collar is pad stitched by hand, lining attached with slip stitches and of course all the hems are hand worked. Plus a lot more minor details... That was fun parts though, I love hand sewing!

A hint of the lining, the light from the street light does something weird to the colour though. Also the inside of my bound buttonholes. First time I've done any of those, so it was... interesting =) Of course some details could have been better, but I'm generally pleased with them.

Phew! A long post for conveying a long journey. I've enjoyed lot's of it, I've sworn quite a few times, I've learned tons, and now I'm very happy it has come to an end so I can go on to next step: using the coat! Come on winter, bring me that snow! =)

And finally: Thank you so much Elin, for being my photographer for a day!

Love, Erika

Outrunners for winter

2011-10-26T20:52:00.000+02:00

The air is beginning to taste of winter. Don't get me wrong, it's still (Thank heavens!) very much fall, leaves are yellow and the grass is still green. However, some trees stands bare and naked against the cold and today there has been three sure signs that winter is on the way:

1. Frost! =) Everything has been covered with frost in the mornings, so pretty.

2. I've put away all my cottonskirts and now the favorite wool skirt is back on, all fresh from the dry cleaners.

There's still a small, small dot on it, but I sincerely doubt anyone sees it.

3. I've bought new winter boots, as the old ones were falling apart...

All warm and fuzzy!

While I'm happy with all these things, I'm hoping winter doesn't hurry too much. Fall is so beautiful the way it is now!

Just ouside work, the red brick building is the office.

And with this bite in the air we've been having, I'm ready to put on my new winter coat.

In the afternoon. Having a bit of a cold spell...

100% humidity and around zero celsius. The cold creeps in to the marrow!

Oh, the coat? Yes, there will indeed soon be pictures! I just need to find someone to take them... Using the timer on my compact camera, in a dark living room, will just not do the coat full justice... =)

Talk to you soon!
/Love, Erika

Coat in progress, and changes at work

2011-10-18T15:28:00.005+02:00

Still working on it! The coat, that is. For those who have (mercifully) missed this multi-volume epos, I've been working on a coat for a while. Let's see... I got the idea in September 2009, bought the pattern that fall, bought books, found the fabric August 2010, wrestled with the toile the rest of 2010. I cut the coat fabric in January, but spring beat me to the finish line, so I decided to let it rest during summer. Now it's back on, and I'm so almost ready that I can taste it! I would have been ready if the flu hadn't got me last week... Five days with fever! I didn't sew a stitch for a week, I missed a great dance night, and - worst of all - I missed Milo's baptism! It would have been just too selfish to risk everyone's health by coming, plus I was pretty wrung out...

Currently slip-stitching the lining to the facing

I usually don't write a lot about work, but I have a major change soming up soon. I don't know what it will mean for the blog (hopefully I won't blog less, as I'm hardly blogging as it is!), but I just wanted to let you know... =) Maybe I've told you before, but I work for an outsourcing company, as a receptionist (I answer the phone as well, and do minor administrative work). That means I don't have a fixed work-place, I move around between 3-4 different places depending on where I'm needed. Some weeks I work full-time, other weeks it's a lot less, always with the same monthly wages though (yes, I get paid even when I'm not working, for beeing on-call). This has huge benefits; I've met so many wonderful people, learned different systems and programs, had an insight in different kind of companies, plus the occasional sleep in or leaving work early - or not working at all for a full day (doesn't happen every month). However, I have for a while been wishing for an office to call my own. To work in one place, with the same people every week, to have routines and be able to plan my week ahed. To step into a position and be able to grow within that, to make it my job, not someone else's I'm just filling in for.
So of course I was thrilled when my boss asked me if I was interested in working full time in one of the receptions that have been in my "circle"! It's a great office, so many nice people and a wonderful work-atmosphere, and the job is full-time. So looking forward to this! =) I start on Friday, and have part-time bookings tomorrow and an on Thursday, so today is my last "whoops, nobody called, guess I'm home sewing today!". What I made of it:

The goal is to finish the coat before Friday, but that depends a bit on how much I'm working the next two days (Ha! Story of my everyday life, but soon no more!). Alright, back to sewing!
Sorry, long chatty post... =)

Love, Erika

A love story

2011-10-06T15:46:00.002+02:00

The search is over! They've been on the top of my shoe-wishlist for years: They had to be from the 40s, have a distinct but not too high heel (6-7 cm), lace up, be suitable for colder weather. Unless I wanted to spend a fortune on taxes and custom for shoes I didn't even know would fit, by buying from etsy or ebay, they seemed be impossible to find. But now they're standing next to me looking lovely =)

The short version of how I got them: Umeå may be a small town but we have an amazing shoemaker, Mr Löfström. He adores vintage shoes, came by these by chance and sold them to me. Read on for a longer version of the story, or just enjoy the pictures =)

I heard through the grapevine (yes, Facebook) that shoemaker Löfström was selling a lot of vintage shoes from an old lady. Off I went in search of pretty shoes, but discovered upon my arrival that they were all too new for me, mostly 70s and 80s. He showed me some of them, and I agreed they were in great condition and very cute, but explained they just were not my style.

Pointing at the shoes I was wearing I explained that I needed my everyday shoes to be orthopaedic, and for dressing up I preferred that style, pointing instead to his beautiful collection of unused, mint-condition 30s and 40s shoes (Which I already knew was not for sale, regardless of the price offered, they are for show only. A true shoe-lover!). He showed me a pair left by another client for a new sole and heel, explaining how vintage shoes needed to be treated to that unless the sole would be ruined when worn outside (old leather fall apart eventualy. Trust me, I've done that to a pair of 60s shoes...)

He then hesitated a bit, judged my reaction, weighed how I was dressed, and said slowly... "I do have a remarkable pair of 40s shoes in the storage. A lady came in to have the soles done for outside-wear, I offered to buy them to have for my show-collection, but she'd rather wear them. So I gave them a new sole and heel, she picked them up. A few days later she came back: the shoes were a tad too small. Did I still want to buy them? They were too beautiful for me to pass over, so I bought them. But they're no longer original, and can't go in my collection... Do you want me to take them here for you to try on?". Did I?!!!

Yesterday, I tried them on and they were perfect. Perfect! Not tight, not loose, beautiful and oh so comfortable to walk in! So I of course asked how much he wanted, and he hesitated, starting to almost talk himself into not selling them (I swear it wasn't a salestrick - you could tell the notion of letting them go was almost painful to him) so before he succeded in doing that I told him of my love for vintage and vintage craftmanship. When I told him of the coat I'm tailoring from a 1951 pattern, he changed his mind and gave me a price. He said that he hoped to one day see them worn, so I promised to swing by in full vintage gear =)

And now they're all mine! Two amazing features on them, besides the fabulous collar and the leafs on the ties, is the shape of the heel. Look at any true 30s and 40s shoes, and you'll notice they flat out at the heel, the angle different depending on the height of the heel. Modern shoes just aren't shaped that way, which is a pity. Wonder why they stopped... Another nice touch is the flannel lining, making them nice and warm, perfect for our not too hot northern weather.

Looking at them, I still can't believe they're real, or that they're really mine =)

Books, shoes and tights

2011-09-23T17:04:00.003+02:00

Today is national shopping day, also known as payday =) I of course felt I had to do my part (it's all about keeping the economy rolling, you see...) and here's what's new in the house:

Sewing books! These were mailorder, of course, but I timed it so I'd get them and the invoice this week =) The Fabric sewing guide is one of the best sewing books I've read. I originally checked it out at the local library, but soon realised this was a keeper. And now I have my very own! It's a great reference book, although I'm not sure I'd recommend it for beginners. It might be good if this is not the first sewing book you see the inside of. However, if you're an intermediate sewist looking for books to take you to next level, any of Claire Shaeffers books are worth looking into.

The Trouser sewing book is perfect! It shows all the tricky techniques, provides pictures of sample trouser's (loooved the vintage custom ones from 1932), and it even comes with a dvd where the author demonstrates the techniques. I will definatley buy the shirtmaking book by the same author.

I haven't had the need to consult the serger guide yet, but from browsing through it I'd say it looks promising. We'll see how it holds up when trouble arises with my overlock =)

Shoes! And no, they're not pretty. They are not supposed to be pretty, it's not their mission in life. They are however supposed to protect my feet from water and the pavement, and with gore-tex and super-cushioning they're just the right pair for getting the job done. No more sore feet! No more wet socks! You see, my old walking shoes were working on overtime... =) From Gå och löp-kliniken.

Just stacking up on knitted goods for fall/winter. A new cardigan is always nice, and I loved this colour. Then I went a bit crazy on the thights (didn't even know one could do that)... There was an offer, "3 for 2", which I took as a sign that it really was time to throw away the old tights that has to be worn with ancle socks to cover the holes in the heels (my old winter boots ate heels).
I cleaned out the underwear drawer not so long ago, thinking I'd sew new. That hasn't happened, so I've been washing a lot lately =) 3 pairs of knickers for 100 SEK (approx 11 euro), made of organic cotton, seemed like a great solution. If they fit, maybe I'll get a couple more boxes...
All this was from Lindex.

The weekend is about to start, and I'm off to a medieval dance event. I'll be teaching some, I'm hoping to learn a new dance as well, and I'm giving a lecture on SCA and how to behave during court and banquet. Oh dear, maybe I should actually prepare that lecture? Promise to take lots of pictures! If any of them are good, I'll post them next week ; )

Have a great weekend!
Love, Erika

Playtime for the kids

2011-09-14T20:07:00.000+02:00

Last weekend I went to Luleå to visit Malin, Johannes, their daughter Alva and baby son Milo. They moved to Luleå in January, and I miss them so very, very much. At a dance-night recently I missed them like crazy and I decided I had to see them. Now! =)
It's a 4,5 hour train-ride so I ~~sewed together the trouser-toile I'd failed to sew the evening prior~~ used the time to hand baste the new toile for Johannes trousers. I love travelling by train!

One of the delightful things about spending time with kids is that in the pretense of playing with them, one can forget about acting one's age and enjoy good ol' fashioned playtime. Like swinging. In a swing, not on a dancefloor. Can't remember the last time I did that!

I love the look of Malin in this picture - like a shepherd guiding the lamb =)

Johannes found a contraption one could swing back and forth, using the whole body. After the photo was taken we all climbed up and got the pole moving =)

A tradional slide-ride is a must, and it was apparently much better with daddy making a tunnel at the end. Alva deemed me and Malin too short to make good tunnels...

The hat also wanted to take a slide ride. We know this to be true since Alva said so =)

And adorable little Milo slept through the entire thing.

The rest of the weekend I played with Alva, cuddled Milo, drank tea, ate food and just sat around talking. A wonderfully relaxed and relaxing time! Now that I've discovered it's fairly easy to quick-visit them, I plan to go to Luleå a bit more often.

Thanks for a great weekend, Malin and Johannes!

Love, Erika

Challenges and projects

2011-09-02T21:54:00.001+02:00

In June I participated in MeMadeJune, an internet challenge run by Zoe, where I pledged to wear one me-made item every day. I actually finished it, but I didn't have time to document, so I'm afraid you're just going to have to take my word for it =) Now another challenge is running: Self Stitched September began yesterday. I very much wanted to participate this time around as well, but I feel that I haven't filled up the gaps in my homesewn wardrobe I discovered in June, and I will instead focus on sewing.

So what did I learn from MMJ? First, that taking daily pictures are time-consuming and a big challenge in itself. If I didn't want my living room as a backdrop for every single outfit I had to find photo spots outdoors. Not a huge problem, but a time-thief... It was fun, though! I discovered lots of nice little photo-places in my near surroundings, places otherwise never would have occured to me.

Second, that I have some huge gaps:
-Tops and blouses, and not just of the homemade version. I just simply have too little variation in that departement.
- Comfy clothes to wear around the house
-Work-out wear
-Outerwear

It also wouldn't hurt to have a few more dresses, both for winter and for summer. My plan is to sew soft jersey dresses to slouch around at home in during winter, and be comfy in all summer.

But is there a plan to rectify these gaps, you might wonder? Indeed there is! But then I always have plans... I sometimes fear that I actually prefer dreaming of sewing while fabric-hoarding to real sewing =) One reason why I'm so slow in finishing projects is that sewing is just one of my favorite hobbies, and dancing takes a lot of time and energy. Not to mention the full time job and the 3 times a week gym-work out ordered by the doctor (Literally. Or at least ordered by the physical therapist the doctor sent me to.).
My current projects, and why they are not finished, sort of sums up the other reasons so few things are proclaimed ready. A small list:

My late, paternal grandmother's dressing robe. The only visible flaw that needed fixing up was the lining. I could have just patched it, and it would have been done. But anything worth doing is worth doing well... So I'm inserting a new lining and finishing all the robe's selvedges.

Time consuming, but the robe is 65 years old, and with a little love I will be able to wear it for many more years.

A holk-sleeve blouse with a fit I'm far from happy with. Just look at those awful strainlines from the shoulder!

Also the blouse is a bit snug around the hips. I'm tricky to fit, and anything meant for my upperbody takes more than one toile. I need to make a new toile for this pattern before I cut into this beautiful pure silk:

I love, love, love this fabric, and I'm comfortable cutting into it since I know where to get more (a much more important factor for me than the price, which was quite dear). But I still want a pattern I belive in before I start cutting.

Johanne's pants (no pictures yet). Men's wear + pants, need I say more? I'm tossing the old pattern out and am making a new pattern and toile. When attempting garments that are outside my skill-zone I learn things, but it does not make for fast sewing. Fun, though =)

Then there are of course the eternal projects, but these are the one's I'm actively working on right now. What about you, do you whip out a new garment in an evening? Do you frequently think "Who's going to know? Let's sew!"? Or do you lose yourself in the quest for perfection until nothing is ever proclaimed ready, and none of your creations has your full approval? Or do you manage to balance the fine line inbetween?

Have a great weekend!
Love, Erika

A very special house-guest

2011-08-18T23:07:00.002+02:00

This is the 5th and last post about My Summer. Want to read the rest? Then feel free to check out the 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd and the 4th post as well =)

For the last part of my vacation I had a very special house-guest: my grandmother came to visit! It's the first time since I moved out that has happened (not that she hasn't wanted to, but I live quite far away, and she's older and a bit nervous about travelling alone). We had a splendid week visiting the tourist attractions, enjoying the wonderful summer weather, picking berries and shopping.

Here we are at the Museum of Västerbotten, which has both indoors and outdoors exhibitions.

This is a traditional house of the people native to northern Sweden (Samer).

Lunch in the open, by the lake of Nydala. Why is it that food always taste best when eaten outside?

It was a fairly long walk so it was a good thing the hot weather had calmed down to just being warm and nice. =)

Last might of her visit she treated me to dinner onboard. By the docks, but nontheless =)

Then her week here suddenly came to an end, and so also my vacation. She went home, I went to work. It's ok, though =) I've had a long, nice vacation, and actually feel rested and full of energy. This is the first time I've taken my four weeks all in a row, and I really think it made a difference. During three weeks I have time to travel and rest, but not to re-coup. That's what the fourth week is for, I've just realised =)

Hope you've all had a great summer!
Love, Erika

Stockholm, a haircut and The Armory

2011-08-17T22:25:00.002+02:00

This is part four of My Summer. Want to read it chronological? Then check out part 1, part 2 and part 3 =)

Whenever I'm in southern Sweden it's a must to stop by Stockholm to visit friends and family. They sort of expect it, and I always look forward to it. Unfortunatley that makes most of my Stockholm-visits short and hurried, with everything planned by the hour. So this year I decided to take my time, and after Herräng I spent 1,5 week in my old hometown. It was great to not just see everyone, but to have the luxury to see them one-on-one. There was lots of tea, cakes, ice-cream and good food...

Lunch with my aunt at Café Sture

Dessert at my grandmother's. She bakes the prettiest cakes! And so tasty...

I love her appartement, it's not huge but it's filled with countless old treasures. Everywhere you look there's something to admire!

After-lunch ice-cream with the siblings (aka Joakim and Kajsa). We went out for lunch, just the three of us. It's quite rare that we meet just us "children", which is a shame since we always have so much fun together. This time it was gran's idea, and she actually treated us to the lunch. Wasn't that sweet and thoughtful?

Fika with grandmother, 'cause of course we got some quality time just the two of us! We went to a nice café by Hötorget. The lemon pie was to die for...

These last two photos was taken the day I and my grandmother hit the second hand-market at Hötorget and I found this pretty set:

I got the hotplate (not sure that's the correct word, but it looks like a tray and it keeps the food warm during dinner) and one of the serving dishes (the one on the left), gran effortlessly haggled the pair down to half the price =) And the hotplate works!

After the market we met up with Kajsa and saw the exhibition "Royal vintage" at Livrustkammaren (the armory, a museum in Stockholm castle). They showed pieces from the royal wardrobes, 1900- today, only Swedish designers. The bulk of it was from 40s-60s, so right up my alley! I highly recommend this exhibition for anyone going to Stockholm. I'm not sure one is allowed to take pictures there, but this dress was just too beautiful to resist:

And of course I did not use a flash. I so want to make something based on this dress! But it will have to rest for a while, I do not need any more projects...

As you might have noticed, something happened with my hair during this week... I've had a haircut! My wonderful hairdresser Sarah from Retroella moved to Stockholm 6 months ago, and I had a chance to visit her in her new salon. It was so beautiful! And she cut my hair short. I finally took the leap, figuring I'm not doing anything truly important this fall and it will grow out till Christmas anyway. Cutting it short has been on my mind ever since this post, and now I've done it! Feels great! When something is on your mind for over a year, it's time to just do it =)
Here it's been set in pincurls. I like it, but a surprise was that short hair is so much warmer than long! Who could have guessed? Long hair is so easy to get out of the way, a fast braid or a messy bun and heat is not an issue. However, jackets are easier this way. And hoods! It's fun to experiment with a new hairstyle =)

That rounds up my travels for this summer!

Love
/Erika

Herräng! And not a year too soon!

2011-08-17T00:07:00.001+02:00

This is the third part of My Summer. Want to read it in order? Then check out part 1 and part 2.

Last year I had to skip Herräng dancecamp, due to muscle inflammations in the front thigh muscles. You know, the muscles that are used the_entire_time while dancing lindy hop. I've been in physical therapy since then, and even took a total dance-break January through March this year. I'm not 100% well yet, but I am better and I decided that there was just no way I was missing out on Herräng another year! =)

Needless to say, I had a wonderful week. Classes were fun, the teachers awesome, my fellow dancers inspiring and socials in the evenings just magical. To be dancing for real again, to get to that point at three in the morning when the dancefloor starts to clear up a bit, and there's nothing but music and movement in mind and body... Bliss!

Erik at the piano during a break between classes. It was so cool to see the inside of the piano while he was playing!

There was a lot of "fika" for me this year. I've noticed that as I'm getting older I become less and less nocturnal. From my teenage years of sleeping generally 3-11 during holidays to waking up on my own at 8 in the morning and being happy about it for "one get's so much more done during the day", a concept 16 year old me scowled at =)
To counter-act my early habits I started each evening with cake and black tea (black! Which I never drink after 5 in the afternoon, else I can't sleep) after the evening meeting. Hanna and Rita were perfect fika-partners.

The only sad part was the weather; cold, gray and occasional rain. The last day it made a one-eighty and suddenly it was 25 degrees and not a cloud in sight! Happy dancers ran to the beach in-between classes and finally it felt like the real Herräng.

Herräng is such a special dance camp, it's not just the amount of classes or dancefloors, it's the feeling of entering a fantasy dance-world not quite set in reality. Herräng exists in it's own little universe, in a way no other dance camp I've been to does (but it reminds me of medieval events in that aspect). One week in this alternative dimension was more than eunough for my legs this year, but next year I will stay two weeks. I will! =)

That's all for this year from my favorite lindy place!
Love, Erika

Family and furniture - both welcomed guests

2011-08-15T22:32:00.003+02:00

This is part two of My Summer, check out part 1 here.

In June, after Midsummer, Mom, Kajsa, Elsa and the remaining puppy came for a short visit. It's so nice to have visitors! My mother, being a saint, the best mom in the whole wide world and generally a wonderful person, drove all the way from Stockholm to Umeå on her own with a small trailer with furniture and stuff for me (Kajsa doesn't have a driver's license). These are things that somehow have found their way to me after my move to Umeå and I've been trying to get them here since last fall but there's always been some hiccup. Now everything is here and my appartement is complete! (Or, almost complete...) What mom and Kajsa brought:

Drawers for the foayer. Unclear origin, has served both me and Kajsa well for the past 10 years.

Corner cabinet, used to live in my paternal grandparents summer home, where I spent most of my summers as a child. When my aunt sold it after their passing away I got the cabinet but I have never had room for it until now. My mother, who as we now know is a saint, has found a way to house it for 10 years (during which she has moved three times). Anyway, the cabinet is practical for all the small things one has no clue where to place, and it's a bit of a family hairloom.

Armchair, from a great grandmother. Via my grandmother (who had it re-dressed in the 50s) and then my aunt. A true family heirloom, and perfect for handsewing in front of the TV =)

And many more things, like a microwave oven I really needed and wanted (thank you, mom! And it's red, so pretty!), a living room lamp, a 50s flower table etc, but longs lists are no fun.

While mom and Kajsa were here we used the great weather to the best, by for example a picnic by the river.

The puppy and Elsa has fun playing in the grass...

...while Kajsa tried to sit down without being overrun by small dogs.

I couldn't resist posing next to the water. There's something so fascintaing about water that moves, like the sea or a river.

It was wonderful having family here, I only wish I hadn't been working and preparing for a long trip away. Still, we had some very nice afternoons and evenings and I long for the next time they have a chance at visiting Umeå.

All for now, but check in tomorrow ; )
Love, Erika

Vacation over, but what a summer!

2011-08-15T00:32:00.001+02:00

I don't know why I continue to hold the misconception that I can blog during vacation/travelling/having guests. I can't. So instead of a polite warning "I'll be gone for x days/weeks" the blog just appears to die. I swear I'll try to do better. Not with the blogging, but with the heads-ups =)

So how to do this? I had planned to just do two really long posts, summoning up the summer, but found it boooring. Also, I've come to feel that my posts are getting more and more unpersonal, maybe it's 'cause of writing in English? So I'll do a few shorter posts, one a day for the next five days.

At the airport in Stockholm

My dad had an Important Birthday this year (don't worry dad, I won't give away the number) so in June I made a weekend trip to Stockholm. It was intense but fun! Amongst other things we treated him to a traditional knife-shave at a barber shop.

I visited "Old Touch", a vintage & second hand shop I've been longing to see the inside of. I was too busy gawking at all the wonderful things to take pictures, but check out Miriams wonderful photos here. Trunk space and upcoming vacation made me hold back, so I didn't actually buy anything, but it was fun just to browse the store.

My favortie dress was a must for this special day =)

Mom's dog, Elsa, had just had her first litter, and they were so cute! 8 weeks old and oh my did I want one!

Here they are, all asleep... (there are three puppies in the picture above. Try counting and see if you can spot the third =))

... and the next second, out of the blue, they're running around chasing each other!

Cute little fluffy things... Sigh. Few things beats cuddling a puppy!

Love, Erika

It's all about the 50s!

2011-06-19T10:00:00.002+02:00

This week I've been all about the 50s, alternating wiggleskirts and my huge more-than-circle skirt.

Monday 13th. A plaid wiggleskirt, made from the skirt in this pattern. At work (another place than the one featured in the previous post - I work for an outsourcing company).

The following picture was taken coming home from a work party, so it's about ten in the evening (yes, I made it an early night. There was work to be done early the following day). Quite bright, considering the time of day, right? I love, love, love that we are in the lightest part of the year. We now have 3 hours of official night - but it never get's dark. the sun dips below the horizon, and then a slow sunset gives way to a slow sunrise =)

Tuesday 14th. This skirt isn't really me made, but it is me-remade. As is the cardigan below the jacket =) The skirt was too good for the occasion to pass over just 'cause it's MMJ. So I decided me-remade counts as well =)

Wednesday 15 th. Black wiggle skirt and vintage blouse from my grandmother. I rarely wear this skirt, and this was the first outing for the blouse. I'm glad I had an incentive to wear this, I loved the combination! The blouse is a bit too "fluffy" to wear with my usual pleated skirts (all definitions disappears), but it works with a slim skirt.

Thursday 16th. Do you ever get that tunnelvision when choosing clothes? That there's only one thing you feel like wearing, and no matter the occasion it's the only item that would be appropriate? I always do that! This week it's this skirt. I was saved from wearing it the whole week by it being too big and heavy to pack for a weekend trip =)

This photo is taken at the Lindahl residence (their youngest son just graduated high school), which seemed fitting as it was the first place the re-made skirt was worn last year!

Right now I'm in Stockholm, visiting friends and family. It's a short visit, though, just for the weekend. Hope you're having a great weekend so far!

Love, Erika

Summer is here! Or, it was here...

2011-06-16T23:38:00.000+02:00

Warning! Picture heavy post ahed...
Last week summer suddenly struck northern Sweden, Yes, southern as well, but that happens every now and then. It has never ever been so warm in my county during these five years I've lived here. To kick off the week, and summer itself as it turned out =), the family Lindahl arranged their by now yearly dance on the sundeck to the beautiful, scrapy music of a vintage grammophone one turnes by hand. This is what I wore:

Monday 6th. Blue, floral Swingdress.

The heat continued, and this much loved but rarely worn green skirt made an apperance:

Wednesday 8th. The colour puts me in mind of icecream =) It's cute, but a bit unpractical as it's the kind of cotton that get's stuck on anything (even nylons. And itself!). I do love it for those hot days, though!

I had no imagination the day after (it was too warm to think), so I wore it again. For work, this time. I had an amazing luck with this photo; inspired by Karens project for June, I walked up to a stranger and asked if he could take a picture of me and the beautiful Umeå river. Turned out he was a photograpfer! =) He very kindly helped me, thus providing us all with a picture that does the river justice.

Thursday 9th

Next up, my blue skirt.

Friday 10th, at work.

This is an everyday look for me at work, both the clothes, the teacup and the headset =) See, I work in a reception/switchboard...

Saturday was the last dance night of the semester, featuring the wonderful Thomas Fisher's kvartett and vocalist Anna-Lena Kanon. They were really swingin'!

I wore the dress I made as a testrun for the bridesmaid dress I wore to my best friend's wedding four years ago. I still fit into it, but it was a bit more snug than it was back then =) This was the first non-medieval piece I made (not counting home-ed in elementary school), and my first ever attempt to insert a zipper.

I made the pattern myself, loosly based on a vintage pattern. I can't really claim any credit for it though, without my mom´s help with fitting and alterations it never ever would have worked. Thanks, mom!

I think that's it for now. I'm heading for Stockholm and the celebration of my dad's 60th birthday this weekend, so excited to visit some vintage shops. If there's time... Oh, and I'm slightly faster at posting the outfit photo's at flickr than here, so check out my photo's there if you're curious about what I'm up to =)

Love, Erika

Me Made June - and so it begins, day 2+3

2011-06-03T18:27:00.000+02:00

Me Made June is in full swing, and I started out forgetting it... Day one I sewed, worked out and pottered about at home. Barely got dressed = no pictures. =)
Yesterday was a whole other story, celebrating a friend's graduation from university.

I wore my red dress in interlocked jersey, keds and my grandmothers belt. This dress is a great going away dress when I want to be able to indulge myself with lots of sweets =) I'm not really sure the red of the dress works with the red keds... It's a bit sad, I've mentioned before that my feet are picky with shoes due to injuries. To give you an idea of the extent of it: these are my "pretty and I can survive fine as long as I don't wear them everyday and take the bus as much as possible"-shoes. Tragic, huh? Esp as I've finally found (and bought) some cute high heels on Tradera this spring:

Ah well, eventually it will be us, my loves! =)

Today was another relaxed day, just sewing and cleaning up the place a bit. I wore my favorite me-made skirt, a dark blue creation. I love it because it's comfortable, it's easy to move in, the fabric is an amazing cotton (with maybe a little other in it, not entirely sure) that never wrinkles. I sometimes iron it after washing, but not always. And it continues to be wrinkle-free during the day! Staines seems to magically disappear from it. I can wear a belt to it, but I don't need to. And the blue is so dark that it matches almost everything, just as black does. A perfect skirt =)

I don't plan to post outfits everyday, but rather do a round up maybe once a week. There will be repeats during June, I don't have anywhere near enough me-made-clothes to last me the whole month otherwise. Do check out the Me Made June flickr group for inspiring outfits from the challenge participants!

Love, Erika

Thrifted green dress

2011-05-23T09:50:00.000+02:00

I went thriftshopping at a charityshop with a friend, and came home with this late 50s/early 60s dress!

I love the pleat detail in the front, such a simple thing that makes the garment so much more interesting.

Sorry sbout the quality of the photo, my windows are all east and it was late afternoon when this was taken. But I wanted to give you a good view of the frontpleats.

Feeling Mad Men-inspired here =)

In all fairness, I didn't find the dress, Kattis did. Here's a confession: I'm actually quite poor at hunting in charity stores. There's always so much uninteresting stuff that unless the good stuff is fully visible, I miss it. There, I've said it. I'm a bad second hand-shopper. But I did find a blouse for Kattis! So practical for two friends not to have the same size when hitting second-hand stores! =)

Hope you've had a great weekend!
Love, Erika

Blouses, silk, pressing - the internet is for inspiration!

2011-05-20T11:11:00.001+02:00

Blouses has been - and still are - a huge gap in my closet, so in preparation for Me Made June I've been mulling patterns, fabrics and sewing blouses.

How about something like these patterns?

Source

Source

Source

Holksleeves. Some sort of open pleats around the waistline (to reduce the bulk at the tuck-in). Either a simple roundneck with buttons down the back, or a button-front with a soft collar. Comfortable in hot weather, fits under a cardigan during night (and during the rest of the year), and flattering - at least in theory, I guess it depends on how a succesfull pattern I make =)

So what about fabrics? I can't believe how long it took me to think of silk! Drape-y, thin, cool. But apparently a nightmare to work with, according to some. Others swears by it, and recommends it for everything. A round up of some posts I've happened upon while trying to figure out how best to sew in this fabric:

A fashionable stitch - Tips and tricks on working with silk
Gertie - A couple tips for Sewing Slippery Fabric
Tasia - Tips on sewing with silk
Colette Patterns Blog - About silk
Casey's elegant musings - 30s sweetheart, some tips and lots of inspiration

I'd love to read more tips and tricks concerning silk, so please leave a link in the comments if you have some reading-tips for me. Or leave your own tips and tricks, I'd love to hear them!

From Sunni at A fashionable stitch, I followed a link to Gorgeous Fabrics. It's about pressing, and let me tell you, I had missed a great deal of her tips. I've always pressed the seams open while sewing (not leaving for a final pressing), but the rest was news to me. And it really makes a huge difference! Can't wait to try it out! I wonder though if makes the same big difference for linen or thicker cottons that it does for the silk in her example... I see a load of trial and error in the future for me =)

After all my reading, and my understanding that silk is slippery, delicate to press and wash, tricky to pin without leaving marks etc, the thing that still scares me the most about sewing with silk? Adjusting the thread tension. One of the reasons my machine sews like an absolute dream: I've never changed the tension. It's perfectly balanced and has worked on everything from tents to thin cottons (ok, not great on thin cottons, but ok and a lot better than most other machines I've used). I feel a bit like I'm taking a blind leap into a dark void here... But there's a silk out there with my name on it, so into the void I go!

Have a great weekend! I'm off to start some patternmaking =)
Love, Erika

The Swing Dress and Me Made June

2011-05-15T12:16:00.001+02:00

Blogger went a little crazy this week... One post disappeared on me, it's back but the comments are not restored yet. And something happened to my categories. So if something's looking a bit strange here, don't worry, it will soon be fixed!

This past Friday a friend of mine defended his paper and passed. Congratulations Henrik! For the evening's celebratory party, I wore my newly finished Swing Dress. Ta-da!

This is me and Sofie, both wearing our own creations. She made her dress out of a traditional russian shawl, so beautiful!

Sewing the Swing Dress was a lot of fun, esp once I got the pattern finished. Me and a friend did buy the pattern for the sewalong, but I used it more as a guide for in what general direction I should change my blockpattern. I'm quite pleased with the result, but before next time (and I will def use this pattern again!) I need to fine-tune the pattern some, plus I realised too late that even after all my fitting there's still some issues where the front meets the midriff-section. Probably this is due to the neckline being on the bias, and it stretched during pressing and handling. I did compensate some, but not eunough. Anyway, it might not be perfect, but I like it for a thin summer day-dress!
Here's some detail close-ups:

Front is gathered to shoulder yoke and midriff-piece, as the "original" pattern. Sleeves are however much shorter, just set-in cap-sleeves.

The skirt I made totally different, I chosed to make a half circle skirt pattern. This gives the dress a 50s feel (esp when combined with the cap-sleeves) than the original pattern, which is more of a 40s dress. I love the 40s, but has realised that the 50s look better on me. *Sigh* The grass is always greener on the other side, right? The greenest grass for me is the second half of the 30s, which I can't wear without some hard-core underwear. So of course I absoloutly adore it! =)
Sorry for the rambling, back to the dress...

The back is almost reversed from the Swing dress pattern, as it gathers to the yoke and is fitted to the waist. I figured it would balance the front better then, thus preventing the side seam to wander around.

I ran out of time and seam-allowance so instead of a lapped zipper I inserted an invisible. It's such a thin fabric, I doubt the weaker zipper will be a problem, and it does look good, I think.
So there you go! I can't believe I finished a dress in under two weeks. Tailoing the coat this winter really has turned around my time-perspective on sewing! Now I feel less bad about not finishing the coat before spring; it really was just that much more work than a dress.

This dress will be great for June, but I need to sew some more... as I've decided to sign up to Me Made June! I'm so excited, I've wanted to join one of Zoe's wear-what-you've-made challenges for well over a year, but haven't felt that I have enough things ready. I've set the bar very low for this first time, just one handmade piece per day. Now, I already wear that quite often, so the challenge will be to pull out the things I usually skip over, and to compose outfits worth documenting each day. I'm horrible at "this skirt works with that top and that cardigan. Ok, I'm done.", thus repeating my outfits all the time (made even easier by not working at the same place all the time). I want to make at least one more dress and two blouses for the challenge, so better get sewing, right? =)

Anyone else who's joining Me Made June?

Love, Erika

New toys and an old dress

2011-05-11T22:06:00.001+02:00

I've danced again! After a 4 month long break from all dancing I'm finally swingin' it on the lindy-floor again! I'm carefull not to dance a full night (3-4 hours) but to warm up, stretch, dance one hour, stretch and then rest. The resting is the hard part, but it helps that the program actually seems to be working. Yay! Herräng, here I come... Only 2 months away now.

This is a dress some of you have seen before, and some of you will even wonder if I ever wear any other dresses while dancing. And I do! I just haven't remembered to take photos, and it's been ages since my last outfit-post. So here it is, an oldie but a goodie!

My hair in flat victory rolls. The hairdo is one I haven't done for at least a year. I couldn't remember why until I tried to make it look smooth... Ah, well. It was for dancing, it got messy anyway. This is the after-dance picture, I'll just blame it on that =)

I of course had to test how it worked with my hat collection! I liked this combination for a summer outfit. Maybe with the dress I'm making? Good or too much when matched with a pink flower-print? (The fabric in question is in the last post before this one).

On a whole different topic: remember I talked a while ago about my passion for sewing ~~toys~~ tools? I had to order some things (honestly!) and the shipping was the same no matter weight or size so I ordered some extra stuff...

Belting material, zippers, shoulderpads, chalk wheel, bias-tape maker, belt-turner, magnetic pin cushions and... a rotary cutter with a cutting mat. The last ones are apparently great for knits and silk, which means: fabric shopping! Wheee!

It's finally spring for real, I've had a great weekend and now I'm happily playing with my new tools =) This week I hope to finish the dress I cut out last week, only have hemming and inserting sleeves left to do. It's amazing how fast sewing is when one isn't tailoring a coat =)

Love, Erika

Sewing plans /dreams

2011-04-24T19:12:00.000+02:00

Hello,
I'm sorry I've been absent for long! Last week I blogged at the Swedish site Kravallslöjd (click on "Erika Borgström" on the right side bar, and only my posts comes up). It was only in Swedish though! I have plans on being lazy and just translate the posts and re-post them here =)
This past week I've been knocked out by the worst cold I've had in years. I'll spare you the details, let's just say that the Kleenex box is still kept within easy reach but I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the fever haze. It's been a bit annoying, easter is a four day holyday in Sweden and I had so much sewing I wanted to sink my teeth into now that I really could focus for a couple of days. But no sewing. Today is the first day that even the idea of sewing is interesting =)

So instead of showing anything ready of half ready, I'd like to talk summer sewing plans. Summer is soon. Very soon. How did that happen this year too? I blame the short spring-season =)

The right is a cotton voile and the left a soft linen.

Pattern found here

The floral cotton is destined to something very close to the swing dress, I've used my own block pattern and made my own version, but the general idea is the same. This one is first out, now if only I could decide on what sleeves to make... I'm torn between set-in sleeves that widens (leave open or gather? Better for dancing if open, but harder to fit under a cardigan) and cap sleeves.

The linen has a lot more body, so I'm making a 50s dress with a full circle skirt, scalloped neckline and holksleeves. Sort of like the pattern above (found here), although, of course, I'm making my own pattern... I'll skip the buttons, and only use a side-zipper instead.

Blouses! Comfortable blouses for summer are a huge gap in my wardrobe, and aren't these two fabrics nice for fixing the problem? I have some loose ideas about the models, but need to sit down, make some sketches and decide what I'm going with. So far I've thought about a standing collar with a bow in the front for the polka-dots, and holk-sleeves for the blue fabric.

A close up on the blousefabrics.

Speaking of blue fabrics, I'm beginning to get a blue problem for the summer! For some reason, I always go for the blue version, whether it's fabric or RTW. And blue don't always match blue... I need other colours in my summer wardrobe! The strange thing is that blue isn't even my favorite colour, that would be red and green. But maybe I'm more particular with shades when it comes to them? Do you have a colour that you always come home with and then open your closet / fabric storage and realise it's in tone with what's already there?

Hope you've had a great Easter!
Love, Erika

Guesting the vintage dream

2011-04-06T12:16:00.000+02:00

This weekend I took a mini-trip to Luleå to celebrate the 30th birthday of my friend Johannes. One night I spent with my very stylish friend Therese, who has the most gorgeous appartement I have ever seen! Above, the vanity in the guestroom. That's right, a room just for guests. Not a combo sewing - home office - guests, such a luxury for the lucky friends who stays in this room!

The green hat with dark velvet and a bow at the neck was just adorable!

The kitchen was cozy but stylish in white, red and black. Lots of polkadots! =)

The living room. I just love the lamp! And the mirror. And the polarbear...

The perfect place to cozy up with a nice book, right?

For all the sewing enthusiasts =) I love the suit that's all marked up with chalk, and the sewing machine. It's actually quite interesting to see the tailoring techniques that are represented in this print.

I swear, I left with such a positive feeling of "wow, I can't wait to fix my appartament!". Isn't it great with people who inspire us to take that last step, to bring our projects to their conclusions? It's so easy to become blind to those last boxes in the corner. After all, one doesn't know where to put the things in them, and it's not like the boxes are hurting anyone just standing there...

I'm not promising I'll get it done this week, or even this month. Actually, I'm guessing earliest towards the end of summer (mom visiting = we'll transport the last of my furniture up here). But before it didn't feel so necessary, just something I needed to do, now I want my own dream-appartement! I think I will start with my sewing area...

Thank you, Therese! Both for having me overnight, the lovely chat and the wonderful inspiration!

Love, Erika

A haircut and some shopping

2011-03-13T12:50:00.000+01:00

I've been a busy little bee sewing on the coat this past week. Even though we got 30 cm of snow this Friday, spring is around the corner and it will surely soon melt. That is all good, we're moving towards warmer and lighter days! However, I would like to get one or two chances to wear the coat this season... So sewing 'til my fingers are bleeding! =)

I have managed to get a few other things done, the most important one: getting a haircut. My wonderful hairdresser Sara from Retroella specialices in vintage/retro hair, the only downside is that she just moved to Stockholm. She was home in Umeå over the weekend and I'm very happy she had time to cut my hair!

The style is same as before, just trimmed it a bit, making it a lot easier to curl.

So happy to have hair that's healthy and easy to work with again!

I've also indulged myself with a "semla" a couple of times past week. This is a traditional swedish pastery that's only eaten around the beginning of lent, we even have a special day dedicated to it. Swedes are nothing if not serious about their coffeebread! =)

I've done a little bit of shopping, the purse is second hand from Tradera, and the gloves are new (they're red! So happy!)

Double broches always catches my eyes, they look so stylish and sophisticated. And now I'm the proud owner of a double broche! (Please disregard my face in the photo, I had been on town all day, was tired and hungry.)

Search and you shall find! Or rather, search high and low, tell my mother or my grandmother, and they shall find =) Duck-billed scissors seemed so practical for trimming seamallowances, esp when the two seamallowances are to be cut to different widths (like the facing/front seam of the coat). Plus they look kind of funny, and it's a sewing gadget... Of course I was craving one! Coudln't find any seller carrying these scissors closer then UK, though... My mom found one in a sewing store in Stockholm and mailed it to me! Thank you so much, mom!

Today tt's a beautiful Sunday, a little bit over zero degrees, startling sunshine, and I've already worked out at the gym and dyed my hair (pictures of that later). Time to sew!

Love, Erika

Channelling my inner movie star

2011-03-01T20:10:00.002+01:00

Photographer for all the pictures in this post is Frida Sandström.

A co-worker's daughter asked me if I would be willing to help her out with a school project, they were going to make fan-cards inspired by a decade of the 20th c. I was of course delighted to be asked, we had a great time and here's the result of mine and Frida's hard work!

This is the shot Frida chose to use for the final product. Although as you can see in the first image she made me blue-eyed =) A bit cute, very 50s, but it feels so strange to see myself with a different eye-colour. Lol!
The dress is vintage, I found it in Herräng.

The blouse is from my grandmother, the skirt is from Tradera / Ebay. I believe they're both 70s, but they do a good job of pretending to be 40s, don't they? =) The shoes are my beloved dance-shoes, "So danza".

The same outfit as above, with one of my favorite hats (Tradera), a purse and gloves (from my grandmother, again) and a mink stole (family heirloom). I know fur is a hot topic and just to state my point of view; I don't support the fur-industry and I would never buy new fur, nor fur from the last decades. Vintage fur from the 60s and earlier? I find that more ok. And this one? My great-uncle Stig bought it for his wife Anna-Lisa in the 50s, and after her death he gave it to my mother, who later on gave it to me. Every time I wear it I'm remembered of Stig and Anna-Lisa's great love for each other, their long marriage with all it's joys and sorrows. Some day I'll tell you the story of my remarkable great-uncle, the sweetest old man I've ever met! I have a few other things from him, but nothing brings back the memories as much as this stole. I hope it's not offensive to anyone that I show it here.

I couldn't resist it. This hat is just too special to be left on a shelf! I first showed it here. When I first laid eyes on it I found it hilarious and I was certain I would never use it, and for a trip to town I wouldn't. But for a special occasion, with a period theme, so it's part of a costume? I can't help to love it! Also, with the stole, I think the "glamour"-factor is very high. =)

It was so much fun to take these photo's, Frida is a very talented young photographer. And of course I always love any excuse to dress up and pose in front of a camera! Lol!
Hope you enjoyed the results of our photoshoot!

Love, Erika

Tools or toys?

2011-02-20T18:09:00.000+01:00

Everytime I take up a new hobby I'm struck by the same feeling: the interest in all the little things one can buy. It's tools, little garment details, practical things, purly decorative things, bur I want them all, convinced that if I just have all the proper gear my experience will be perfect. Which is silly, because in the end it's not the gear that makes the hobby but the actual performance of it.

However, while toys are fun there are so many things that are practical. Danceshoes are shoes, which means they´re fun to buy, but they're also much needed if one dances a lot (for knees, feet, legs, posture etc). Sewingmachines are fun, but certainly also makes the sewist's life easier. So how to think when the things I crave as toys also are practical tools? Nowadays I think 1) Will I use it enough to merit the expense? and 2) Do I have room to store it? I'm often saved from "pratical purchases" by having to say "No" to the second question, my appartement is small with limited storage spaces.

Sewing is by no means a new hobby to me, but the intensity of it has shifted the past 1,5 years. A bit because of my vintage interest (sewing period clothes that can't be bought) and a bit because of my injuries giving me more time for quiet hobbies. I've sewn quite a great deal in my days, but little modern, meaning I have very few of the tools often taken for granted by sewists (in medieval circles I'm considered a great cheat as it is; I use a sewing machine after all! =) ). There's a lot of "Oh, I want that" and "Oh, I need that!" and "OMG, I've been looking for a place to buy that!" when I browse any sewing tool section =) I really try to remember that if I've made it this far without something, I probably don't really need it. Some stuff I've given myself leave to purchase/aquire:

A point presser (kantpress) and a tailor's ham. The tailor's ham I made myself from leftover fabric, it has wool from my thick coatfabric on one side and a double layer of cotton on the other side. First I stuffed it with rags, as one DIY said to, but it ended up very lumpy and uneven so I changed the filling to sawdust. At first I was at a total loss, where do one buy sawdust?, until pet-stores were mentioned. Cages for small animals has sawdust on the floor! *mentally clapping my forhead* The supermarket has a pet-isle, and what do you know? Sawdust!

An aid for measuring and a new seamripper, with a better handle. Both were in use within a few days of arrival.

I've been coveting a dress dummy but found them too expensive (a bit like the overlock, which btw works like a dream after service). I might very well be the luckiest girl in the world, 'cause my grandmother found one. And I mean found it, someone had thrown it in the trash (in a big plastic bag, in the trashes where one throws clothes, furniture etc, not the icky trashes). She rescued it, but it's the wrong size for her and she anyway has one, so she gave it to me! Thousend thank you's, grandma!

All the pieces are there, it's only fault is that it has separated in the waist. Some spring or something is missing, so one can press it together but it doesn't stay that way. Hopefully I'll find a way to lock it in place in a suitable height, but until then it will still be a great help while I'm sewing the coat. Later on I'm planning on making a fitted shell and fill it so the dummy actually have my measurments (nope, it can't be altered to that extent, I have too great variations between back, bust, shoulders, waist and hips. Erhmm... the bodice.).

Other things I covet but don't know if I really need are duckbill-scissorns, zigzag-scissors, loop-turners and chalkwheels. And lot's of other things, but that's what came to mind while writing. What do you say about this? Are these things (both the things I have and the one's I want) tools or toy's? Anything of it that you can't live without or that you've tried and never used again?

Hope everyone has had a great weekend!
Love / Erika

Shopping spree

2011-02-13T21:00:00.000+01:00

I had a few errands to run, and then I wanted to have buttons made for the coat (the wool is so thick I figured it was smart to leave it to a professional). So how did I end up carrying so much home? Lol!

I went to the lovely Sidenateljén, and as always had a great time chatting with the charming lady who runs the dressmaking/fabrics-shop. This is what ended up in my bag:

Buttons (total of 8, so I have a few extra), lace for the red slip I'm making to match my red dress, and lining material for a slip to my sister Kajsa (late birthday present).

On my way home, I stopped by the big fabric store and bought this, also for Kajsa. I'll be making her a coat for fall! I know, I'm crazy... =) But this fabric had her name written all over it!

A visit to Make up store resulted in me now owning lipstick suitable for work and everyday life.

As for sewing, I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere with the coat! The back is sewn together, and today I'm making the bound buttonholes. This was my first attempt at it, so I did three trial-holes first. I think it's going to look good, but one never knows for sure until all the pins are out and the piece is ironed, right? =) Some photos of what I've been up to:

It's been a really quiet and productive weekend, couldn't have wished for more! And to top it off, the last episode of BBC-production "Sherlock" is about to start in a few minutes. Time to make tea and gather the handsewing supplies!

Oh, and a quick photo of a hat I bought from Tradera (Ebay):

As you might have guessed, I have a thing for hats... And this one was too cute to pass over! =)

Love, Erika

Fancy Frock Friday

2011-01-30T10:48:00.000+01:00

This week we had our first Fancy Frock Friday! An event inspired by this lady and her project Posh Frock Friday. We dressed up in pretty dresses, did our hair, donned the high heels, and then dedicated an evening to tea, cakes and sparkling drinks. A great evening!

First out: tea with pretty cupcakes, a yummy almond cake, swedish raspberryjam-cookies and gingerbreads.

I wore my sailordress with two newcomers in my wardrobe: white, seamed stockings (used to be my late grandmothers) and blue heels (gift from Kattis).

The tea party was at Kattis place, here you get a glimt of her pretty pink dress and lace stockings. Also note the gorgeous teak coffeetable from her grandparents house, and the china from the same house.

Later we switched to drinks with a bit more bite and the cheese to go with it. I set my mind on the blue cheese and accordingly had portwine in the glass.

Coming home I started trying on hats. Weird? A bit =) But isn't it the perfect time to see what hat goes with a certain hairdo? Just making my hair to test the hair-hat combo seems like a lot of work. And testing before leaving the house doesn't seem smart, as it messes up the hair. The favorite turned out to be the fur headband with white veil (not very surprising). I just adore this hat!

After this kick-off for the weekend, I was all set for two creative days. Baking and sewing it is! =)

Love, Erika

Summer is far away and I like it

2011-01-27T17:32:00.001+01:00

This should have been a post about outfits. Or stockings (just got three new pairs of WKD Retro seamed stockings, in nude). Or the fun party this weekend. Instead, let me marvel about summer and winter. Lately bloggers have been longing for spring and summer (link, link, link), the usual turn of season-longing that gets us all towards the end of a season. However, this time I'm not feeling it. Don't get me wrong, I love summer; light, thin dresses and open-toed shoes, but right now I don't miss it. How could I, when Umeå looks like this:

These pictures were taken a week ago, it's less rimfrost now but still beautiful.

This is the best part of the year for me. The days are getting longer (the sun is setting after three! yay!), it's snowy and it's not horribly cold.

A perfect winter wonderland. I never tire of it.

I'm sure summer will be great, and when it comes I'll revel in the midnight-light (end of this post) and the wonderful greenery. But right now, I'm happy where I am. In a winter wonderland. Hoping winter will last at least two more months.

/Erika

Interlocked jersey and sew-alongs

2011-01-17T13:15:00.002+01:00

I'm back with another sewing-related post! The reason is quite simple: I've taken a complete dance break in an attempt to heal all my muscle inflammations (lately one could think I've been collecting them at purpose!). So for the next three months (at least three months) I'm staying off the dancefloor and be a good little patient and do my physical therapy instead. This way I'm hoping to get back to my old self and be able to dance like I could just a year ago.

Eunough with the sad story! This is not the end of the world, it's just three months after all. One benefit (aside from healing) is all the suddenly free time. I usually dance 3-4 times a week, that's a lot of time now available for other fun stuff! Like sewing =) My mind spins constantly around sewing these days, and I'm working on the coat every day. It will be ready for use this winter! (It's perhaps fortunate winter is a long story up here...)

When writing about the Christmas dress in my last post, I mentioned learning a thing or two about sewing with interlocked jersey (also called double knit), and I'd like to share my learnings with you. So here's some tips for sewing with this wonderful material. Time to get geeky! =)

1. Pre-washing: I did pre-wash the fabric, and I will not do it again. Maybe it skrinks a little bit, but the fabric I used needs to flat dry. Since flat drying 2 metres is impossbile for me, I had to hang some of it up, and it stretched a lot at those points, making it tricky to cut the fabric. So I won't prewash interlocked jersey again.

2. Seams: One of the wonders of this fabric is that it doesn't unravel at all, so there's no need for finishing the edges with zig-zag or french seams or the like. Using an overlock (serger) really helps, but it's perfectly possible to use a regular sewing machine. I used a stabilizer, as seen below:

For the Swedes: I used something called Fixeringsband, found for example here, but didn't iron it on. Thing is, the fabric stretches slighlty while sewing (and bounces back once it has left the machine), and the stabilizor will be as long as the seam. Meaning that my seams stretches a little, but the stabilizor will protect the seam and keep the fabric from stretching so much that the seam breaks. Very handy!

Push, don't pull: A bit obvious, but never pull an interlocked jersey while sewing. Insted, I discovered that a light push on the top layer (with the stabilizer at the very bottom layer) kept the layers from shifting. Otherwise details like the one below gets tricky.

3. Pleats: I only pinned my pleats, and in retrospect, it was not eunough. Look at this so-called pleat-meet:

What I should have done, and will do next time, is to sew the pleat-meet shut along the seam allowance. Maybe even sew the entire pleat, just inside the seamline, before I attach the skirt to the bodice. Considering how wobbly the waistline on this dress is, I'm thinking about tearing it up and re-attaching the skirt, this time with pre-sewn pleats.

That's all! If you'd like to read more on working with interlocked jerseys/double knits Gertie wrote a great introduction post.

On another note: Have anyone else noticed all the interesting sew-alongs that are going on right now?! For those new to the concept: it's basically an online sewing circle, with the blogger-hostess acting as circle-leader. Usually everyone uses the same pattern, and the hostess does posts on fitting, cutting, sewing, detail techniques etc. Even if one doesn't participate in the sew-along, it's a great way to learn new methods. For beginners it's great to see the entire process and have the sewing instructions translated from gibbersih to action =) For the more experienced sewists, there's always new ways of sewing to learn! I often find myself thinking "Why haven't I thought of that? It makes such perfect sence!" =)

Some sew-alongs I'm following if maybe not participating in:
Gertie is sewing a Collette wrap-dress. Very beginners-friendly!
Tasia is sewing her first own pattern, the Pendrell blouse, also for beginners.
Casey hosts a sew-along for the Swing-dress, more for those with previous experience in garment sewing.
Peter is sewing a man's shirt. Very exciting, as there's so little to read online about sewing menswear.

I plan to join Casey's sew-along, but I'll be a bit late in, as I want to finish the coat first. Also, I'm going to use the pattern I made for the Christmas dress, with some detail-alterations (more pleats againt the bust, a long sleeve and I haven't made up my mind about the skirt). If nothing else, I get to add this adorable sew-along button to the blog =)

What are you sewing on right now?
Love, Erika

The Christmas Dress - but for New Years Eve

2011-01-09T15:45:00.001+01:00

I finished the Christmas Dress! Made in gloriously red ecological cotton interlocked jersey. I'll rave about the fabric later, let's stick to the dress for now =) Well, to be honest, I didn't get it done in time for Christmas, but in time for New Year's Eve (like minus 30 minutes in time...)

I've seen this style of dress countless times in patterns and Sears catalogs from late 30s and early 40s. Bodice pleated against midriff and shoulders, set in sleeves, A-line skirt with maybe a few pleats. Instead of using a pattern that would need to be altered 100 times, I made my own pattern from a basic pattern I have (a bit like I did for Malin's dress). The only thing I changed was not to sew down the pleats on the skirt down to the hips, as I wanted the freedom to eat lot's of Christmas food.

The little bow brooch I found at a fleamarket past summer, the belt originally came from my grandmother, and the necklace I borrowed from mom so long ago I've started to consider it to be mine =)

For closure I set in an invisible zipper in the left side-seam.
The picture below is a bit dark, it's more like the colour in the first three photos. But here the construction is clearer. I'm mostly happy with it, except the waistline, it's a bit uneven. Good thing I'm wearing a belt with this dress!

Will you let me indulge in a little rave about the fabric? Please? Eco fabric is almost impossible to find in Swedish fabric stores, but there is a mailorder company (Swelogent) which carries a lot of eco-fabrics. The catch? It doesn't sell to private customers! Only to companies, schools and such. It's really annoying, because does the stores order these great fabrics? Of course not. *grumbles* However, the sewing class I took last semester is connected to a school, so they could order from Swelogent, and we students through the school. Yay!

About fabric names; I've never encountered double knitted jersey in Sweden, but there is something called interlocked jersey. It doesn't fray, it's a bit more stable than single jersey, it's quite heavy and it has more body than single knits (so it drapes beautifully, but doesn't show every bump along the way). What do you guys think, is double knitted jersey the same thing as interlocked jersey? Read Gerties post here for more info on double knits.

An inside-out picture. I chosed to interline/underline the top front bodice, giving more stability to the surplus from the pleats. I've planned a more detailed post, with pictures, of how I transformed the pattern. I'll also add some thoughts to sewing with interlocked jersey, in case someone is considering using it for the first time (and I really recommend trying it, it was great to work with, it's comfortable and drapes beautiful).

One thing that became clear was that life as a seamstress is made a lot easier with an overlock (serger, for the trans-atlantic readers =) ). I used mom's for a few seams during a quiet morning the christmas weekend, and I fell in love. Head over heels, unrational and utterly in love. I had to get one, but in my clearer moments I knew this was a futile dream. Even worn down second hand overlocks are way out my budget, and then they need to be sent on service as well. Let's not even discuss the new ones that are good machines...
While talking to mom I scanned Blocket (a swedish online garage-sale) and there it was! The add had been out for only 40 min, a Saturday. A second hand overlock, old but not much used (which is actually a bad thing in sewing machines, the engine needs use) for 300 SEK. That's about 30 euros, or maybe 40 $. In chock I called the seller, yes, it was still there, yes, she only wanted 300 for it (it had been her mom's, she had never used it and now she just wanted to get rid of it to free the storage space), and yes if I wanted her to, she would hold it until I could come. I jumped on the buss, and four hours later I was home, with my very own overlock!

Not the newest model, and in dire need of service after close to ten years without use, but all mine! For 300 SEK! Or 400, counting the buss fare. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will actually work, as I don't dare to even try it before it's been on service. I'm praying it will only need a good clearning and oiling to work, but I'm also prepared for the worst, that it might not work at all.
If it does work, then this (even including service-fee) will have to go down as my best thrift-find ever. I was so happy yesterday it was a good thing I was alone at home, I was just bubbling! Sitting on that bus my head spun, my stomach danced (in a good way) and I was just lost in the clouds =) Sometimes life does throw you unexpected gifts!

Love, Erika

The holidays - a short goodbye to the past year

2011-01-04T10:20:00.001+01:00

The Holidays swished by so fast, yet I feel quite rested and refreshed. It sometimes amazes me how much seeing my family gives me new energy - even though I this time held a grueling tempo in Stockholm over Christmas.

Christmas eve (the big celebration day in Sweden) I was at mom's place. For the first time in three years we had a Christmas tree! I know, two years without a tree isn't the end of the world, but I really, really love it... Christmas just isn't a proper Christmas without a tree to decorate. I have to admit though, I'm not the most artsy tree-decorater, I tend to just throw things over the tree and adjust it a bit so everything is a bit spread out =)

I couldn't resist this photo of Elsa, just look at that cute little fluff-ball! =) Her fur is a bit long for the moment, it's been so cold that mom wanted Elsa to have a bit of extra warmth. I'm sure it works, but she does end up looking like... a lamb? a walking fur muff? a toy-animal? a fluff-ball.

Christmas-fika at my grandmother's, with amazing coffeebread!

I brought home some amazing things from Stockholm, both presents and results of my own shopping. It's a rare and wonderful feeling when everything you get it's something you either had wished for or something you didn't even know you wanted, but that just fits. I am so grateful and happy that my family knows me so well, even though I live far away from them!

These loafers I bought as a gift to myself, and to my feet =) To me, they're just beautiful! With perfect cushioning in the entire sole, and made to be worn with orthopaedic insoles. I'm so looking forward to spring! Wearing these instead of the ortho-sneakers I've been stuck with the past year... Yay!

Christmas gifts in my family leans towards "the more the merrier" (while the total value remains the same). I think it's cozy with a mountin of presents beneth the tree, and like for it to take a while with opening the presents. It doesn't have to be expensive stuff, it's more along the line of "if I give someone two identical pairs of socks I'll still make two presents out of them!". Ripping paper is fun... Here's some of the things my wonderful family got for me:

Sewing supplies; bobbins, a storage-box for bobbins and needles for lace-making.

For entertainment; Season 3 of Mad Men and a novel by my favorite urban fantasy-writer. If you're at all into that genre, I very much recommend reading something by Patricia Briggs. Her stories are gripping, her characters have depth and her handling of the fantastic elements is remarkable.

Being away is great, but there's no place like home, right? So I'll end this goodbye to 2010 with a picture from a winterwhite Umeå. Happy New Year!

Love, Erika

A hat, a dance, a fair and lots of snow

2010-12-12T13:03:00.007+01:00

Did it again, didn't I? *sigh* Took an unplanned and unintentional blogging-vacation...
So what have I've been up to these past weeks? Honestly, not so much, hence the sparse posting. To begin with, I spent one week searching for a paper note. One week! It was a small note that had the vital information about the hat my brother had chosen and I was going to get for him for his birthday. After I got that note, I've moved and... So in the course of The Great Hunt of the Note I turned appartement, drawers, shelfs, bags and moving boxes inside-out. And no success. In pure desparation I winged it, thinking "How hard can it be?". I knew the brand, had a memory of the charachteristics of the model and guessed the size, and I was right!

Joakim, very out-of-charachter, agreed to model the hat for me and even let me post the pic here! Doesn't he look just like a 30s reporter? Keen for news, pen and paper all ready, glasses and hat in place =)

I was in Stockholm for a weekend, teaching dance at a medieval event. Lots of fun! Met some great people, learned a couple of new dances myself and had the rare oppurtunity to dance to live music in the evening. The musicians were amazing!

A snap-shot from a class.

I came home to a very cold Umeå, before it had been covered in snow, now it was almost buried. I love sitting by the table at noon, looking out at frost and snow. Even the windows becomes pretty! =)
2nd of Advent it was The Christmas fair of Gammlia, always a good fair to get in the mood of Christmas. Extra good this year, with all the snow! (We always get lots of snow, but sometimes it melts just around the beginning of December to come back later with the true cold).

The camera didn't approve of the cold, though, so only these two photos from that day. Look a bit closer at the snow on the trees, it's almost hanging beneth the branches!

All from the winter up here!
Report on the creative side of my life: the darkness and work has left me with little energy for sewing these past weeks. This quiet weekend has rekindled it, though! I've taken a break with the coat, figuring it's not going to be done for Christmas anyway and I need to sew something I can finish quicker, just to feel that I have finished something. What better than a Christmas dress in a lovely red eco double-knit? =)

I hope that you're all having a lovely 3rd of Advent! (Can you belive it's already 3rd of Advent?!)

Love, Erika

A swingin' weekend it was

2010-11-23T10:52:00.012+01:00

What a weekend I've had! So much great dancing during the socials, and amazing beyond words classes!
Frida Segerdahl and Skye Humphrey held classes Saturday and Sunday, with a theme we as a dance community and me personally really need to work at: the continuation of energy. To keep the energy and thus the movement flowing, to continue the movement. Sounds a bit weird and at the same time like a given, but trust me - it was neither. Very fun classes, but quite tricky. I need to keep working on this!

The social on Friday was almost a warm up for the weekend, a kick-off. The dancefloor was a bit thin, which was rather nice, no crashing into each other and space to do fun, big moves.
The big night was however on Saturday, at Sofiehems föreningshus, a wonderful danceroom. Great floor, nice atmosphere, with a big band playing on stage and a lot of dancers on the floor.

Photo: Erik Israelsson

I played it safe with my outfit for the day: the polka-dot dress and hair done with pin-curls. The curls came out rather nice, I think. Maybe because I miscalculated how long baking would take Friday afternoon, so I didn't have time to take them out before the dance and then taking them out just before class on Saturday seemed silly, so they laid for about 48 hours... =)

An unusual angle for me, Johannes got a bit creative. What do you say, does it work?

Malin and Johannes are soon moving from Umeå, so Swingum took the opportunity this night to thank them for everything they've done for the society. They'll be greatly missed, in their roles as instructors, cashier and webadministrator, but most of all as friends. They're only moving a 3 hour drive away, so we all hope they'll have lot of chances to come visit. It won't be the same, but we'll get to see them and dance with them. Don't be too long, guys!

Photo: Erik Israelsson

Karolina had made a beautiful present box for them, with Swingum-shoes. Adorable!

Photo: Erik Israelsson

One dance night each semester Swingum is in this dancehall, and we in the kitchen try to make it a special evening when it comes to the "fika" as well. (For non-swedish readers: Fika is sort of coffee/tea and cake, but it means a bit more in Swedish. One can take a coffee on the run, but never a fika on the run. It's sitting down, taking a break, usually with comapany).
Me and Rita baked the sweet bread, and Mona baked the baguettes for the cheese table.

Photo: Erik Israelsson

By now you might be wondering, "Yes, presents and fika, but didn't they dance?". Of course we did! Here's a photo of Skye and Frida performing:

Photo: Erik Israelsson

Swingum Lindy Hoppers had a little performance (before Skye and Frida danced, wouldn't want to follow them up on a stage...). I'm adding a short video, the new camera only takes 40 seconds films. An apology beforehand: this was not my best performance. I and Robin usually don't partner up, we had only practiced once. And it was the first time I heard this arrangement of the tune.
I'm also adding a movie of Malin and Johannes social dancing inbetween sets (that's why so many are sitting. They're having a fika =) ).
Enjoy!

On Sewing in Swedish

2010-11-19T12:46:00.006+01:00

The language of sewing is very intriguing, it can make a complicated process simple and understandable, or it can turn the easiest thing into a string of gibberish. When I started reading English sewing blogs I often despaired, but in time I learned and by now there are some sewing techniques I only can explain in English terms! Neither suits me (I strive to be a bi-lingual sewist), so this past year I've tried to locate sewing books in Swedish, to fill out both my vocabulary and hopefully give me tools to better my sewing. I've come across some great books, and figured I'd share them with you! (English speaking readers: sorry; no English books... yet. But check out Gertie's blog if you haven't already, she has lots of great book-tips).

I'll continue this in primarily Swedish, and just make a small translation to English.

Först ut: en serie böcker jag hittade på Umeå Stadsbibliotek. Det är runt 14 böcker som mycket utförligt med text och bilder går igenom allt man kan tänkas vilja veta, från enkel sömnad till skrädderi (rekommenderas varmt om man vill sy kavajer el liknande). Den visar arbetsgång, olika metoder beroende på hur krångligt man vill göra det för sig, hur man väljer material, allt. Jag önskar verkligen att jag kunde hitta hela serien att köpa, men de är ur tryck. Om nån springer på den, maila mig gärna! Eller köp den själv =)

A series of books that cover everything. It's out of print (these are on loan from the local library), and I would so love to have them!

Sy kläder av Linda Gibson är en nyare bok, bra med bilder och bra text. Den är dock mer som en referensbok över hur man gör olika detaljer, den beskriver inte arbetsgången för sömnad av tex byxor. Som referensbok över sömnadsdetaljer är den dock strålande. Även denna är lånad från biblioteket, men den finns tydligen på bokrean då och då, så jag tänker hålla ögonen öppna.

A great referencebook for details.

Har skrivit om denna förr, men den förtjänas att nämnas igen. Tycker man om att läsa sig till förklaringar, har man en figur som kräver stora mönsterändringar på färdiga mönster är denna bok en räddande ängel! Jag kommer aldrig mer köpa ett mönster, det är hundra gånger enklare att göra ett grundmönster från denna och sen ändra det till den skärning och de detaljer jag vill ha. Boken kommer med ett set grundmönster och förklaring hur du får dem att passa just dig, men det finns även en beskrivning längst bak av hur du gör mönster från dina egna mått. En liten brask-lapp: jag har senaste upplagan, är osäker om mönster från egna mått finns med i den äldre upplagan. Vill du köpa den begagnad, kolla upp det. Det är dock inte fel att inverstera i denna i nytryck.
Boken för herrkläder ska mycket snart beställas också...

A great pattern construction book, easy to use as it also comes with basic patterns. I seriously will never buy a pattern again, be it vintage or modern. It's just way so much easier to alter the basic patterns and add whatever cut or details I want.
I'm on my way to ordering the one for the gents clothings as well...

I promised a coat update, however, since ready printed patterns are a real pain to alter to fit (I really am hard to fit) I'm still working on the toile. Currently it's the armholes and the arms that are giving me trouble, but I'll see mom next week so I'm thinking she will be my saving grace and then the coat pattern will be ready. I may - as usual - be overly optimistic, but I think sewing will go a lot faster than toile-fitting, so I'm still aiming to be ready by Christmas (depending on how much I'm working). However, if I'm not, then it's not the end of the world, I do have clothes to wear! =)

Back to sewing books and language: Do you sew in one language or several? Or is written sewing descriptions gibberish no matter what language they're in? What's your method for learning new sewing techniques? And of course - any tips on sewing books? Beginners or advanced, in Swedish or English!

Now I'm off to a great weekend of social dancing both tonight and tomorrow (be still my heart!) AND classes Saturday and Sunday with the amazing Frida and Skye. It's going to be a great weekend! I'm back on Sunday or Monday with pics of outfits and maybe other things. In the meantime, have a great weekend!

Love, Erika

Hats! Lots and lots of hats!

2010-11-14T15:45:00.017+01:00

A while ago me and Elin placed a bid on a lot of 26 vintage hats at Ebay (US), and we won the auction! The hats were ours for a very reasonable price, even including shipping. Yesterday we finally got to open the box, and I can tell you: it was like Christmas! =) As all Scandinavians knows, vintage hats here are usually quite boring and very expensive. So this was a real treat!

Elin, happy at the mere sight of all those hats.

Then the "trying them on"-phase beagan, with some very good laughs. This one took the price. Pretty? Yes, in it's own, very period-typichal style of the late 40s. Would I wear it on town? Good gracious, no! But for a special type of party, as a part of a more comstum-y outfit, then maybe... But still maybe. =)

OK, onto the hats we really liked and would wear to town:

This pretty pink feather cap was adorable on Elin.

I fell head over heels for this cute little summer hat. There's a small, flat bow in the back, and long ribbons that hangs loose down the back.

I usually don't go for pink, but in this hat it really worked with the blach details and the netting. I can't help it, I adore netting!
Ehh... The colour combination of the hat, the hair and the cardigan is a bit strange, but you get the idea of the cute back of the hat... Unless the colours strikes you blind first! ; )

This 40s boater was so cute! Just look at the embroided ribbon and the little fluff-ball =)

A round-up of the hats that came home with me:

The big white one will primarily be a interior decoration piece, and the red hat we have shared custody of =)
To finish this long string of hat-photo's, my favorite:

The netting lays in front and behind the hat, along with the small hearts over the ears keeping it effectivley in place. Why do I always fall for winter stuff? I've said it before, it's a good thing I live in such a cold climate! =)

I know a sewing post with a coat update and some other little things are long overdue, and this week there will be one on Wednesday or on Thursday (unless work turns crazy this week too). I've already written it in my head, now I just need some photos and text...

But right now, I just want to say "YAY for hats!" and do a little happy dance just looking at what laying on my sideboard. A little silly, but that's ok when hats are involved! Lol!

Love, Erika

Some of the many good things in life

2010-11-06T18:30:00.006+01:00

Oups! Missed some posts there, didn't I? Well, well, that will happen now and then. As I said, I don't do too well with fixed duties, so blogging is always optional for me =)
In want of cleaver things to write about, or photos of fantastic sewing projects I've finished, here come's a little round up of some of the many very nice things that have come my way since I last wrote.

Tea and cheesecake at Nya Konditoriet, the city's oldest and prettiest coffee-house. They have amazing cheesecakes...

And don't you just love the interior decor?

I got this beautiful merry widow from What Katie Did, as an early Christmas gift from Marita. You only get a photo of it in the box, as I don't feel brave enough for a photo of me in it... =)

Tea and cake at Kattis place (the last for a while, she's gone to England for 7 weeks!). The cupcakes were as tasty as they were cute, lots of almond and lemon curd.

Malin, Johannes and 1 1/2 year old Alva came to me for an afternoon tea and scones last Sunday. Alva discovered that one can run in a circle through the rooms in my appartement. Of course, running was way more fun when someone chased her =) As you can see, she wasn't too sad about being caught either!

Alva is an adventorous little girl, and a new place holds the many wonders of discovering what lurks on, under and behind all sorts of furniture. In this picture she tested the method of getting to the other side of the coffee table by going under it =) If one doesn't try, then how to figure out what works best?

Alas, I have few pictures from the week that just passed. There's been a lot of work, and any energy left in the evenings have gone to dancing and sewing. However, Friday (yesterday) the reception I worked in that day (I move around between different receptions) closed at noon. It's always nice to close early, and look what a marvelous view we had from the windows that day!

Today was just as great as yesterday. Slept in late, had toast and tea for breakfast while reading a feel-good book. Sunshine through the windows all morning, jazz floating through the rooms. An excellent sewing day!

What are you doing this weekend?

Love, Erika

A skirt, and thoughts on the creative process

2010-10-26T12:25:00.001+02:00

It's closing in on winter, the snow remains on the ground off the pathways even though it's a few degrees plus, and there's that chill in the air. So yesterday I gave in, and put on a winterskirt =) A bit silly to wait so long, when I just love my skirts in warm wool! This one I used for the first time ever yesterday, but it's a skirt with many memories. My father gave it to my mother somewhere in the mid 80s, after one of his buisnesstrpis, and it was her favorite for many years. In most of my early childhood memeories she's wearing this skirt! It doesn't fit her nowadays, and so she passed it on to me. It may be 80s, but doesn't it have a strong late 40s feel to it?

On another note: skirtlengths! I realised while trying on my winterskirts that they're all about 5 cm / 2" longer than the summerskirts! Makes sense, for warmth and so on, but I also believe it has something to do with the material, wool drapes so differently from cotton. Does the skirts and dresses in your closet tell the same tale?

Last week I was pretty out of it (darn wisdom tooth!), so I'm afraid I missed my T hursday creative post... Yesterday I was at a fabricstore. Just to buy some sewing notion. Not fabric, I have too much fabric, too many projects just waiting to be realised. So I was not. going. to. even. look. at fabric. Who was I trying to fool? Seriously? =) I walked in, and there was the perfect coatfabric for my sister. Perfect! It was as if someone had made a fabric to match her soul and her very essence of being. And she's been wanting a spring jacket... She doesn't feel up to sewing one herself, but I could make it for her!

There my brain finally cought up with itself, and I remembered all my projects, all the things I want to make. I started thinking about how my brain works around sewing, and here's where I landed: I can never have just one project in my mind. I'm constantly constructing garments, from patternchanges to hemming and everything in between, in my mind. While working on one project, my mind can one afternoon totally skip to another.

This insight is far from new to me and before I've always seen this as a lack of charachter. What struck me yesterday is that maybe it's not. Maybe it's how I keep myself motivated. Just thinking of one project would bore me, and in the long run make me put down the project at hand to never finish it. But now, I take a vacation now and then to a future project, and so keeps the interest for the creative process itself alive. I never start drafting patterns or cutting out a new pattern before the on-going one is finished (the coat being the exeption to the rule), so this divided attention doesn't disturb the order in which the projects get done, altough it might prolong the process. Maybe that's why it takes me so much longer to finish projects than other sewists I know? Because I am slow, I know that. But things do get done, eventually.

So maybe it's time to go a bit easier on myself? What I've seen as a charachter flaw might instead be viewed as a creative strength, something that keeps the creative process going. Most importantly, it keeps the sewing fun, and that is after all the whole point! Another benefit is that all my projects are very well planned. I've turned the pattern and the pieces around and around in my head so many times that when I actually get to sewing, I've already worked out many of the problems that would otherwise have presented themselves as I went along.

So what conclusions to make from all this? It's ok to plan as long as one doesn't cut the fabric? Or just that I sometimes needs to go a bit easier on myself? One thing is for sure, though: I am not allowed to buy fabrics for more projects! (For myself, at least. Kajsa's spring jacket is still an idea) Why? Because I almost can't close the fabric cabinet as it is! =)

Now I'm off to cut out the second toille for the coat, a toille that might be upgraded to a summercoat if it behaves properly. =) Hope you're all having a great creative week!

Love, Erika

First try at fake bob

2010-10-18T20:08:00.005+02:00

This is what I wore to the dance at Saturday this weekend, the blouse doesn't photograph very well, but it's a favorite... The skirt is my beloved circleskirt (made by mom 30 years ago), the stockings are from What Katie Did and the shoes are a pair of Aris Allen 30s reproducion.

Inspired by browsing the new Vintage Hairstyling book last weekend, I made an attempt at a fake bob. It needs a bit of work, but I'm happy to report that the hair kept in place while I danced, so there will be more times with this hairdo.

A close up, where you can see that it's still up after all that dancing, although it is hanging a bit lower. During the evening I got the tip to use a very thin hairnet over the whole bob. I'll try that next time!

I've already mentioned that my string-shelves are finally up on the wall, but I wanted to give you a pre-view, now that it has some books in it! A strange thing, books. As soon as I have all my books up, a place starts feeling like home. I know there are people who don't own books, but for me they're absolute essentials of life. Anyway, at the picture you can see part of the middle section and part of the right section.

It's a rather short post today, I'm afraid. I was at the dentist earlier today, it's really hurting, so now I'm going to crawl back to my sofa and watch either Dead like me or Criminal minds (has borrowed some boxes from friends). Hopefully I make up my mind before I reach the living room =)

Love, Erika

Kitchen shelf, how did I manage without you?

2010-10-15T17:17:00.019+02:00

The new appartement-setting up is on the home-stretch, soon I'll feel ready to give you a tour =) Mainly thanks to my wonderful friends who helped me mount the string-shelfs on the wall, and to secure my dvd-cabinet so it doesn't topple. Thank you, thank you, thank you Kalle and Elin!
This kitchen shelf was a walk in the park by comparising, but the important part is that I did it myself =)

This sort of shelf was very common here in Sweden for the first part of the 20th c, "paradhylla" (direct translation "parade shelf"). For my international readers: have you ever seen one of these, or perhaps even know what they're called in English?
Whatever it's called, it's really practical! Small and slim, but creates a place both for my kitchen towels, my most used apron and my favorite teas.

One can of course have the shelf as it is, but I prefer it with this curtain-like thing so aptly named "parade towel" =) This is where the sewing came in (if drilling doesn't count as crafty...), I made a small canal at the back. Not much, but I did use a sewing machine, so it counts as crafty! ;)

The story behind the shelf and its towel is rather cute. I had talked about getting one for a few months, then this summer me and my grandmother were at separate vacations, both of us of course visiting local fleamarkets. By pure chance we went to Stockholm on the same train, and she pulls up a fabric from her suitcase and says
"Look what I found at a fleamarket! A parade towel for you!".
At first I was so surprised I just stared at her.
"Guess what I found at a fleamarket in Skåne?" I finally managed.
"A parade towel?" she asked a bit nervous.
"Nope, a parade shelf!"
Perfect combination =) Thank you, nanna!

Close up on the embroidery:

Leaving the world of wonderful kitchen shelfs, have you read Tilly's excellent posts on the problems with being a concious consumer of fabrics? I have for quite a while despaired at the seemingly impossibility to find organic and fairtrade fabric. Such clothes exists, such yarn exists, but fabric seems to be hard to find. I know I'm not perfect in always buying organic and fairtrade, but I do try whenever there's an option, and I would love to find that option for fabrics. Check this out for thoughts on ethical fabric, this for a Brittish on-line store that carries organic fairtrade cottons and this for the generous giveaway Tilly's hosting. (There's no "mention this in your blog, and get more chances", I just genuinly think this is an important topic).

Have a great weekend!
Love, Erika

P.S. And yes, that is snow on the ground you can spot in the second photo. It's very thin, it doesn't cover all ground, but it is there. Winter is at least three weeks ahed of scheduale, in my own humble opinion... It's fortunate that I love winter clothes! =)

Saturday night out

2010-10-11T12:20:00.001+02:00

Saturday I did something for me very unusual - I went out! Since I most often go out dancing lindy (like I did Friday...), I'm usually too tired for any regular going out as in drinking other things than water and tea =) But this weekend Kattis threw a small party, so how could I resist?

What I wore:

The polka dot-dress thrifted at Myrorna here in Umeå. It has turned out to be my answer whenever I'm wondering what on earth to wear =)

Why, amongst other things, a party at Kattis is a must: things on the table included muffins, chocolate on a pretty cake-plate, gorgeous glasses, the new Vintage Hairstyling-book (oh how I want it! I have the other version, but there's new hairstyles in this one...), this seasons catalogue from What Katie Did and other miraculus and wonderful things.

Kattis in pretty black lace and a stocking combination of gray stockings over pink. And it worked! Oh, and matched the fascinator =) Anela was so cute in her new polkadot-dress!

Therese, always gorgeous, with a fairytale glass. Does it remind you of princesses or circus clowns?

Johan, only guy and such a gem not to be the least bit akward in the flowing discussions about suspender belts and hair-do's! =)

The end of the evening was a bit strange. We went to a pub that was supposed to play rockabilly, but then there was some problems and I ended up fleeing the live hardrock-music to a fun party at the home of Sarah, a vintage hairdresser with a wonderful 50's decorated and furnished appartement. A bit unexpected, but those parties are usually the best, right?

Home at last after a nice evening, I took some outfits photos. I had tried a new version for curling my hair. I started with it dry, mixed some setting lotion and water, and sprayed it lightly on the hair as I set it in hot rolls (only enough to get it a bit damp, not wet). I let the rolls rest for about an hour, that was enough for them to cool and the hair to dry. This might not work on hair that's slow to dry, though... For me it was a very practical and lasting way to set my hair, I'll definitley do it again!

Love, Erika

A New Beginning

2010-10-07T16:11:00.020+02:00

October? How did that happen?! Somewhere between moving to a new appartement, travelling, dance classes starting, social dance nights starting (with all the meetings coming with the dance-stuff...), being ill, work etc, the blog fell away. Two weeks without a post, that's bad. One month, I figure we're talking revival, right?

So this is a New Beginning of Swingin' it in vintage! Since blogging a bit here and there doesn't seem to work very well for me, I'm going to aspire to a post-scheduale. I feel I have a tendency to get stuck in one thing all the time, so I thought I'd do two posts a week, with different themes. One post around Sunday, showing outfits, vintage finds, fun stuff I've done etc, and one post around Thursday, about creativity (like sewing projects, all sorts of craft, but baking also would fall under this category). What do you guy's think? Does it sound like a plan? Please note the aspire and around, I don't do too well with things I must do, so I'm keeping it more like a plan of intentions than a fixed duty =)

I figured I'd start right here and now! It's Thursday, so it's all about creativity and creations today! A year ago I got the idea that I would sew a coat. A really warm, vintage-inspired wool coat, to be warm but pretty in. I thought about modern patterns, as the style I wanted seemed to be hard to find as a vintage pattern, but then this Vogue pattern from 1952 came up for auction at Tradera:

It was perfect! The princess-seams, the lovely collar, even the size (with a FBA, of course).
The coat in my dreams was green, and I knew just the place to get the fabric: Handelsgillet. Did you know wool in ordinary fabric stores can have as much as 10 % other material, and still be called 100% wool? Horrifying! *shudders* However, people who sew historical clothing sometimes are very picky with the authenticity of their fabrics, so some companies (like Handelsgillet) have specialized in making sure their fabrics keeps to the standards demanded by for example medieval re-enactors.

My fabrics! From the left: 1) The wool. Warm, breathes, relativley thin, heavy. Perfect! =) From Handelsgillet. 2) Interfacing, a woven but fusible interfacing. 3) Interlining, 100% wool, so soft and light I keep picking it up to see that I've not imagined it =) 4) Lining, in a strange colour that shifts between brown, purple and sometimes gray. All the last three fabrics are from Sidenateljén, a local seamstress that sells beautiful fabrics by the meter.

A coat demands way more tailoring skills than I master, so I signed up for an evening sewing class. It's great to have someone show me the trickier parts and hold my hand through the project!

Longtime projects are fun, but sometimes the sewing bug demands instant gratifications. For this skirt, I had the outer skirt already cut out, bought some lining, made some pattern changes and put the whole thing together since Tuesday.

New things for me with this mini-project: lapped zipper, lining, this version of waistband and the back-split. (Above: lapped zipper and covered button, and a so-and-so waistband).

Front view (sould have pressed it better...). I inverted the pleats from how I did them the last time I used this pattern.

I had plans to just machine stitch the lining, but then the machine kept pulling it, so I ended up doing an invisible seam. Quite fun to hand stitch, and I love how it looks! =)

All for today, I'm off to sewing class to figure out toille-changes for the coat. Wish me luck! ; )
Love, Erika

Vintage interlude: Roses are red and weddings are great

2010-09-04T12:20:00.019+02:00

My idea to blog while moving failed miserably, and since I've been dying to show you the red roses dress I made, I'm doing a vintage interlude before the last of the posts from Medieval week. =) After Visby, I went straight to Stockholm and the wedding of my dear friends Maja and Mattias.
I'm still amazed that my dress got ready in time ; )

It's a classic shirtwaist dress, with a shawl collar. Buttons down the front and has an invisible zipper in the side. This is the first time ever I've managed to made in-set arms, and it feels so great to have climbed that threshold! I'm not 100 % satisfied with them, but I have hope now =)

Wondering where the vintage part comes in? Here's the outfit-list: The buttons are from my grandmother. The seamed stockings are from Tradera/Ebay. The belt and the shoes are vintage/second hand on loan from a friend.

Most beautiful that day was of course Maja, so I couldn't resist a photo of the happy couple as well =) Taken outside the church after the ceremony.

Her dress was gorgeous! Just look at the beading and the drape! (Sorry for the poor quality, it was either no flash or a very, very white dress...)

Most of my pictures are rather serious and arranged, so I threw in this one as an example of how I look when I'm not trying to look my best for the camera =) Also, I like the dress in this picture.

It was a great wedding (but then, aren't they always?), and the day was perfect. Speeches were fun, food very good and the company the best. Me and two friends even stayed at a hotel that night, such a luxury in one's hometown! A Sunday hotel-breakfast, what a perfect ending to a lovely weekend!

Love, Erika

Medieval vacation part 2, tents, dresses and a dog

2010-08-17T10:24:00.026+02:00

To continue the tale of my adventures in Visby during Medieval week, I give you the second part of the story! The first can be found here.

We stayed in the SCA-camp, which is a strictly medieval camp, no modern tents allowed, no modern stuff visible (like shoppingbags, sleeping bags etc). Of course there are exeptions; like baby strollers, glasses etc, but we try to let everything that is visible be at least medieval inspired.

We lived in a tent made by me (I made a tent, can you believe it?). I sewed the fabric-part myself, and a friend made the wooden frame. Some measurements: at the base it's 4 metres in diameter, the wheel is 2 metres up from the ground, the center pole is 3,5 metre tall. You can see a bit of the table and the curtain we used to conseal our sleeping-bags =)

Our neighbours. Their tent, furniture, carpets, it was just beautiful! I love this picture of Anna, sitting down for some quiet sewing (they had two small children, so there wasn't much sitting down for them =). The children were adorable, though).

A typical part of any SCA-event: court. Who "rules"/wears the crown is a complicated affair involving fighting in heavy armour but also a bit of politic, and I'll refrain from analyzing it here =) One might say it's a mix of role-playing and reality, for the people ruling do a lot of work during the months they rule but at same time it's of course a game. It's suppose to be fun, after all =) If nothing else, court is a great time to admire everyone's garb, as most people like to wear their finest then.

Dancing! I only attended one day, we had a lazy vacation =) It was fun to dance a bit, though! Esp as I, for once, didn't have to lead the dance, but could happily just bounce along to someone else's directions.

In this photo I'm wearing part (the cooler part) of my flemish gown. I left the split overdress (wool interlined with linen) at home. I love this outfit! It's so versitile, I can wear it from -15 to +30. The shift is in white linen, a t-dress. The grey dress is linen as well, the bodice is two-layered for stability, the skirt is pleated. Then there's a partlet on top of the whole thing. The bodice is one of the most difficult pieces of fitting I've ever performed, it only worked because of mom's expert help. See, they didn't use darts at the time. Nor princess-seams. And... ah, well, I think I'll geek-out about the sewing in a separate post later on =)

Ehrm... isn't it pretty? ;)

Mom and Elsa in front of a shop in town. On Gotland they're big on lambs, so of course there's lamb's fur-stuff everywhere in the tourist-district. Note the small lambsfur dog in the displaywindow. Then note Elsa. Sometimes small children mistake her for a lamb... Lol!

Last picture for today: Elsa in the tent. I might have a candy in my hand... =)

In the next post I'll take you on a small tour of the lovely city of Visby, plus share some of my favorites from the market. I had planned for that to be my last report from Visby, but I might make a separate post with just geeky details about sewing and outfits =)

Love, Erika

Medieval vacation, part 1: wedding #1 and a bit more

2010-08-17T09:56:00.047+02:00

Friday 6th of August I left the safety of Umeå for the second time this summer. Last time the goal was quality time with the family, this time it was all about two weddings and the medieval week in Visby, Gotland (an island in the middle of Östersjön, it's a part of Sweden, but it'd be hard to find a gotlander admitting that =) )

Now, I have a confession to make: Lindy hop and vintage sewing are not my only hobbies. Before I discovered them, I was a total medieval geek! I still hold lessons in medieval dance once a week in my local SCA-group, but I haven't had time for sewing new garb or going to events (too much lindy hop...). ; ) But this year me and mom wanted a vacation together, and it was ages (5 years) since I was at the medieval week in Visby.

During my stop in Stockholm I had a cup of tea with my brother Joakim. He's leaving for a year in Japan soon, and I'm going to miss him something terrible!

Having arrived in Visby, we spent the evening at Edits place, preparing for the wedding the following day.

Edit had finished the 13 000 (!) pieces puzzle she's been working on a bit on-and-off the past 10 years.

Of course she discovered that there's one piece missing. The company offered to send a new puzzle, but lay the whole thing again just to find the missing piece? Probably not =)

We were a bit nervous, it rained all night and all morning until noon on Saturday, but then the sky miraculously stopped pouring down rain! Malin and Henric were beautiful in their viking clothes. They'd made their outfits themsleves, and everything was handmade. Henric had even made the gorgeous trim on his jacket himself! Impressive!

Between the ceremony and the delicious dinner, we entertained ourselves with viking games. Archery is so much fun! I hadn't held a bow for 5 years, due to the muscle inflammations in my arms, and I had forgotten how much I like shooting. I was quite good also, striked out two peolpe before my arms gave up and my hit-range went from 4 inches in diameter to about 20. But it was fun!

Tug of war, but a version where you don't end up muddy if you loose. Me and Edit went a couple of rounds.

Our battles all ended the same way...

... with me on the ground. But it was fun to try it!

This I was really bad at! It took some physical strength in the arms, and I don't have that. At all. But I like the pictures! =)

This is a good shot of the overdress I made for the wedding. I'm usually more medieval or - even better - renaissance, but now I also have a viking outfit. The buckles and the pearls were borrowed, though. The tricky part with viking dresses is that they're not supposed to have any closings, no buttons, hooks-and-eyes or lace binding. (One can add it, but there's no archeological findings to support such a construction, that I know of). The dress is just a tube, that one wiggles into. I was wary of making a dress my curves could be wiggled into, but that wasn't a tent. It worked though! Partly due to the nice, thin wool that stretched a bit too much on the bias to be a pure wool...

It was a wonderful wedding, everybody cried, the bride and groom were beautiful, and the company the best. A great start on the medieval vacation!

Coming up: the pavillion I've made, more tents, more clothes and a cute dog. So if you liked the temporary medieval theme on this blog: Stay tuned! =)

Love, Erika

I made a dress! =)

2010-08-05T11:05:00.001+02:00

I took an unplanned blogging-vacation during July. I'm very grateful for everybody still reding this blog after this long silence: Thank you! =) Coming into July I had lots of things planned, but then I found the perfect fabric for a dress to my friend Malin, and the rest of the world disappeared...

When Malin and her husband Johannes was married almost a year ago, they had a surprise wedding so of course we, the guests, didn't have any wedding gifts. I wanted to make them one anyway, so I figured I would sew for them! A dress for Malin and a pair of 30s pants for Johannes, was the plan. During the year we've wavered a bit about fabric and pattern for the dress, but then Malin fell for the classic Marilyn picture:

We figured a straight knock-off wouldn't suit her, so we changed it a bit, I found the perfect fabric and voilà:

Using my pattern drafting book (it has basic patterns that one alters according to the desired design) a dress was born!

Warning for geeking out! =) For those of you who have this book: I took the idea for the bodice from "Klänning med baddräktsliv" in the year 2010 edition, but changed it a lot in the shoulders and a bit in the empire line. For the back I used the basic pattern, just altered the location of the shoulder dart to the neckline. The skirt is pleated in approx 1/2 inch pleats.

Since the fabric is quite see-through the dress is fully lined in a thin white cotton. As you may know, cotton againt cotton tends to wander around a great deal, but I didn't want to make it too warm by using polyester (this dress is for summer and/or dancing after all), so I actually fastened the entire lining to the dress. All the hems, plus the side-seams, are stitched together. Overkill? Perhaps, but the top dress doesn't wander on the lining =)

The only difference between the lining and the dress is the top bodice pieces, where the lining lies flat against the body and the dress falls between the pleats in the shoulders and the pleats beneth the bust.

I finished this dress just before leaving for vacation in southern Sweden, came home about a week ago, am now working for four days and then I'm off again on Friday (tomorrow! Whoops.). It's medieval week on Gotland! Plus two of my friends are getting married, luckily not on the same weekend =) Anyway, of course I have some sewing to do before then...

Love, Erika

Aprons all around

2010-07-06T13:15:00.001+02:00

Past fall I decided to start filling a huge gap in my wardrobe: aprons! I love aprons, they're cute, practical and comes in so many shapes and colours. I thought about try to sew one or two myself, but just couldn't find fabrics with that special "old apron"-quality, so instead I started roaming Tradera/Ebay for vintage ones. Here's what I've found so far!

This white apron with red polkadots is a clear favorite. The width in the skirt is wonderful, and the trim is a nice detail, I think. (Please excuse the background, we snapped these in the morning just before I was off to work, and I fear the dishes hadn't been seen to properly).

Crosses in the back and lies comfortably over the shoulders.

A practical, if somewhat long apron that I actually mostly bought for the amazing baking cloth that came with it. I've been wanting one for ages! Mom has said it's impossible to bake out my grandmother's gingerbread recipe without a baking cloth, and now I'll be able to try it myself. Her gingerbreads are the best I've ever tasted!

I've shown this one before, but I thought it should be in this round-up as well. A basic white, full lenght apron. The shoulder straps buttons down to the waist band, and the skirt is closed with a button as well.

This might be the one I use the most. I love the colours, and the pattern makes me think of my grandmother. For someone as clumsy as me, it's so nice with an apron that doesn't need washing every day =) Also, it goes with my blue skirts. And, as I've hinted before, I have a few of those ; )

Love, Erika

Dancing on the deck in a new old skirt

2010-06-30T13:00:00.004+02:00

Me and Karolin

What a great weekend I had! It was midsummer here in Sweden, and the sun was very un-traditionally out and shining! We kicked off the weekend on Thursday with a potlock for the instructors and volunteers in Swingum, and of course lindy hop on the sun-deck afterwards. A bit like last year which you can find here and here.

The music came from a vintage non-electrical grammofon.

I wore my newly altered and now wearable skirt (more about that later in this post). Here I'm demonstrating the width of it to Elin.

A summerpicture of Malin.

For the main course we were too hungry to have time for photos, but here's the desserts (both of the cakes were made by me). I did a raspberry-cheesecake and a blueberry pie. The blueberries I picked myself last summer. Can't wait for the season of berry-picking to begin! =)

As for the alteration of the skirt: This is a skirt that has just hung in my closet for ten years. I bought it in France, on a school trip. I loved it, but the length was 1) a bit unpractical for such a wide skirt and 2) not very flattering (as shown below).
Also, I really don't like elastic waists, they always dig in so uncomfortably.

So I shortened it from above, made a waistband and inserted a zipper in the back seam. A point of interest: the skirt actually only have one vertical seam! The 7 meters in the last wide section is in one piece! I'm not even going to guess how long the solid blue fabric at the bottom is... The only tricky part with the sewing was getting a seam allowance wide enough for a zipper out of the overlock-seam in the back, but it worked!

Not the best pose, but here's the new old skirt! All comfy and with a much more practical hem length.

I know I was complaining all winter about how dark it was, and it was just that dark. Here's the reward for enduring the winter darkness and cold; the northern view from my balcony! This is really straight to the north, at 30 minutes past midnight some evening last week. Summer solstice: I adore thee!
Summer in these parts rarely get very warm (it's actually warmer inlands and further north), but I don't really miss it, as long as I get the light at night. I love how it feels; a bit gray, fragile and cool. I remember the summer I spent in California, and that I felt a bit cheated on the real summer. It was hot, it was sunny, but it was pitch-black at night. And I never really felt that it was summer. Strange, isn't it? =)

Has summer arrived in your part of the world? Or maybe even winter, if you're on the other side of the world? What is summer to you?

Love, Erika

A picnic by the lake

2010-06-22T09:30:00.002+02:00

Some more photos from last weekend, when my sister Kajsa and my brother Joakim came to visit.

Saturday was all rain, but Sunday was beautiful (although a bit windy).

We brought some tea and cake with us and had a little picnic by the lake.

Of course we played around a bit with Joakim's camera.

For the moment I'm having some camera-problems. As some of you may recall, my camera was stolen during New year's eve. I've been using Kajsa's ever since, but of course that one moved away with her last week. Since Joakim have a brand new camera, he has lent me his old compact (I know, I should buy my own and stop freeloading on everybody else's! At the latest this fall, I swear!).

However, Joakim didn't bring the charger, and now I have no camera until I get to Stockholm and the charger...

So what to post? Besides from using other people's cameras, I've been thinking about doing a couple of posts with a bit of family history. Something my dear readers would find interesting?

Love, Erika

Younger siblings are... a blessing!

2010-06-16T10:50:00.002+02:00

My sister Kajsa is unfortunatley moving back to Skåne this week, after having studied here in Umeå for a year. The class she took at Umeå university was only for a year, and now her continued education (which can not be found up here) is luring her back to Southern Sweden. I'm guessing her friends are a factor as well... =) I very much understand and support her moving to study what she really wants to, but oh how I'm going to miss her!

Taking the last opportunity for probably quite a while to see both his sisters at the same time, our brother Joakim came to town this weekend! Since we've been emptying Kajsa's room for the move, I've had both of them staying with me. Very cozy! =)

Friday we went shopping. Umeå has a small hat shop that is amazing, and both Joakim and Kajsa wanted to look for a new hat. Guess if I found the perfect summerhat for me? Of course I did... A bit expensive for me right now though =( We found a perfect hat for Joakim as well, but not for Kajsa. One had a great shape and fit, another a perfect colour.

I and Kajsa found these cute umbrellas, at HM. (picture taken later, though).

We had tea and cake by the river. Café Station has the great service to provide take-away where you borrow with you a basket and a blanket.

The weather was very co-operative, sunny and warm. I took the opportunity to wear my new blouse.

Joakim have a new camera, a very fancy one that takes amazing pictures. Hence the aboundace of photos from the weekend =)

When we came home, I baked banana-cake for the dance on Saturday. Please ignore the "let's-keep-the hair-out-of-the-cake"-hairdo. And the not so flattering glasses... But voila! One of my new aprons! From Ebay/Tradera.

I think that's it for now. More photos from the rest of the weekend later on!

Love, Erika

Is summer around the corner?

2010-06-06T09:50:00.002+02:00

We had a heat wave a few weeks ago, but that seems as distant as last year's summer now. The winter was very long, very cold, and very dark. By now it should be warm, but the heat is a bit slow in coming this year. We are all waiting eagerly =)

In anticipating of warmer weather ahed, I fell head over heels for the blouse above when I found it at Ebay/Tradera. I was a bit sceptic at first, since I don't usually wear orange. Then I thought "what does it go with?". A solid dark blue skirt would be lovely with this blouse, and solid dark blue skirts are the true basics in my wardrobe (seriously, why do I always fall for the blue skirt? It's gone so far that I've forbidden myself to buy any more dark blue clothes or fabrics!). So of course, I had to buy the blouse =)

Another purchase for the summer; short sheer lace socks, from H&M I have to admit. They were too cute to just pass!

The past week I've been working for me very unusual hours (leaving the house at 6 in the morning just isn't right ;) ), and I have one more week on this scheduale. After that I'll hopefully be back among the living! But now it's weekend, and I've had a great weekend so far, Friday was dance-night, yesterday Kajsa came over for sewing and movie-night. We saw The Notebook, a movie I've heard a lot about (and everybody seems to have seen) but that had somehow managed to slip me by. I loved it! If there's anyone reading this who hasn't seen it, I very much recomend it!

Now I'm off to the gym, and then tea with Kattis and then more sewing with Kajsa. Hope you're having a great weekend!

Love, Erika

A book I needed and a card I loved

2010-05-26T14:45:00.005+02:00

So, I promised some pictures of the birthday presents, right? This all came from my wonderful mom. It's a book about fitting and altering sewing patterns! Something I really wanted, as I've been having huge problems lately (and therefore haven't finished a garment in forever). I realised a while back that I've never actually done a fitted bodice with sleeves! Sure, I've done a lot of strange medieval clothes, but this very basic piece of sewing I've never actually done. No wonder it was giving me such huge problems!

I'm pretty sure this is very copyright-protected, so I'm just giving you all a glimpse of it. As you can see, it's not just descriptions of how to make a basic pattern, but it's actually included 6 different types of patterns (pants, bodice, coat etc) in different sizes.

The list of contents, doesn't say much unless you read swedish though =) Basically, the book covers shirts, skirts, pants, blouses and dresses, coats, jackets, stretch-material and construction of basic patterns.

I might have mentioned I've decided to take a sewing class coming fall, and this is the book and patterns the teacher of that class recommended for me. Now I'm really on the go. I will learn this! =)

Also, the cute card I got from my mom.

Love, Erika

A swingin' birthday

2010-05-17T10:38:00.011+02:00

Sunday the 9th of May was my birthday, and it was a great weekend! Rikard and Johanna, two wonderful teachers from Luleå, came to Umeå to hold classes Saturday and Sunday, and on Saturday evening there was social dancing to live music (a local big band-orchestra). I did pincurls friday night, and took them out in time for the dance. Curly indeed! =) Since spring is finally here in earnest, I chosed a pale green 50s dress I got at Herräng dance camp last summer.

Kajsa was cute in the skirt she made herself and a darling new top (although the top doesn't really show well in the photo...). I did her hair in hot rolls, but we came to the conclusion that for hot rolls to work in her hair it needs to be a great deal shorter. Sure, there was a bend to the ends, but it has that anyway. We'll try again after she's cut it a bit.

As everyone who has tried to capture dancers with a camera knows, it's very tricky. Esp when it's dark! =) But here's a little picture anyway, just to give you all an idea. I must say I thought everybody had done a very good job with their outfits this evening! Remember, this is people who are into lindy, not into vintage. We say that we encourage to an attempt at vintage-inspired; a very mild dress-code with other words. You can see Kajsa in the almost center of the photo, just look for a purple skirt =)

My friends had arranged a little surprise for me: at exactly midnight the band leader said "Before the last song, I'm going to tell a story. A story about a girl that was born at this day..." and then the whole room sang for me! I can't remember the last time that happened. Or ever! Anyway, thank you so much, guys, that was so very sweet of you and it will sure be a birthday to remember!

Coming home from the dance I of course started playing around with hair-do's. I don't want to sit down in front of a movie after dancing, but I have too much energy to just go to sleep. Anyway, I tried the new hair-binds and this is the result. What do you think?

I've always loved the late 30s-look, but assumed it wouldn't work on me (considering my very strong jaw-line). Now I'm seriously considering if maybe next time I go to the hairdresser... What do you think? Cutting it this short would make any of my other favorite hairdo's impossible. But I like this style. And hair grows back really fast. But I like variety as well... Decisions, decisions!

Sunday, when it actually was my birthday, I was so tired after the weekend that a quiet evening with Kajsa was perfect. We had a very nice dinner, and the best china came out of the cupboards.

Sorry for the slow update on posting btw, the camera batteries has died completley. 1 day in the charger - 3 photos taken - another day in the charger - those photos transferred to the computer ... Better late than never, right? =) The pictures of presents and the last results of the shopping spree on ebay will have to wait, though. Until I get new batteries...

Love, Erika

Purse for stockings, genius or weird?

2010-05-05T10:33:00.001+02:00

I've had a bit of a shopping spree on Tradera/Ebay lately, here's some of this month's purchases: a purse for stockings, a sewing book from 1940s, hair-ties (actually from the shop Hemlängtan). I've played around a bit with the hair-ties, but it doesn't go too well for me. Any advice? Someone who's tried these things?

The inside of the purse, it has room for seven pairs of stockings. I'm a bit torn, is this a really smart little thing, or is it just strange? Genius or weird? I'm leaning towards genius, at least for travelling...

A tablecloth for the coffetable, also Tradera/Ebay. I needed something more fitting for summer.

The contents of the sewing book. It's not so thick, about 100 pages, bur it's very nice to flip through and it has some useful instructions on measuring, fabrics, buttonholes etc. This book comes up regularly on Tradera, and usually go for 10-50 SEK. I gave 10 SEK (about 1,5 $), plus shipping.

Some pictures from the inside of it.

Have a great week!

Love, Erika

Model for a day

2010-04-28T10:00:00.004+02:00

Wiggleskirt: sewn by me from a vintage pattern. Blouse H&M. Gloves from grandma. Hat from Tradera/Ebay.

Sunday me and Kajsa had a little adventure: "Model for a day" at TheStudio. It's a package offered by a studio, they do the make up and then you take a total of 45 pictures in a studio, with three different outfits that you bring along for the day.
It was a nice day in many ways, it was fun to do this with my sister, and I liked posing for the camera =) It was great to discover new angles, I sometimes find that all my pictures are taken from the exact same angle.

Hair is done with hot rolls the same day. Sailor dress from Beyond retro.

On the downside: This was a sort of free event, "we'll do the make up and take pictures, all free, and then if you like some of the pictures you can buy them", which meant there was a ton of people. Everybody had an appointement, but they seemed to have booked everybody at the same time. So hours of waiting in a hot, air-deprived room, people everywhere. Not so glamourous, but quite like I imagine modelling would be. Of course, after spending all that time you'd want to buy at least some of the very expensive photos, and so you'd anyway spend as much on the "free offer" as you would if you'd just booked their usual package. You've just had to wait around a great deal more.

My advice if anyone's interested in one of these events, just book a usual appointement instead.

Nevertheless, it was a fun thing to do, and I'm quite happy with the pictures I bought (yes, I know they failed a bit with the shade of the foundation... ah, well...)

I've had a bit of a shopping spree on Tradera/Ebay (a nice 40s dress for example), check in later this week for pictures =)

Love, Erika

P.S. I just realised this post has a very negative tone to it, please excuse me! I had a great time at the photoshoot, and I'm very happy with the photos! The negative tone is mostley due to this cold that I just can't seem to get rid of =( Note to self: don't blog when sick! =)

Sunday thrifting

2010-04-19T09:45:00.001+02:00

Igår så for jag på Nolia-loppis med Katarina. Nolia är alltid lite av en chansning, det finns aldrig så mycket fina kläder där, men däremot så verkar jag alltid komma därifrån med något nytt till köket (som en köksassistent, tekoppar etc). Denna gång var inget undantag, ovan en gjutjärnsstekpanna i fint skick för 75 kr, en lök/mandel-hackare för 10 kr samt glasunderlägg för 20 kr.

Yesterday me and Katarina went thrifting at a sort of gathered yard-sale, meaning lot's of yard-sales in one building, just one afternoon. It's always a bit of a gamble, these things, but I usually find something between all the toys and clothes for children, and usually it has something to do with the kitchen. Yesterday was no exception, above an iron-pan for 7,5euro, an onion/almond-chopper for 1euro and a set of coasters for 2 euros.

Hittade även ett par roliga solglasögon med blåa sammetsbågar, samt ett litet, oanvänt set med sprayparfym-flaska och en fickspegel.

Det var en trevlig dag, var länge sen jag var på loppis! Det riktiga fyndet var nog stekpannan. Det är alltid något till köket... behöver mer köksskåp! =) Vad gjorde ni i helgen?
Kram! / Erika

I also found a fun pair of sunglasses in blue velvet, and a little, unused set of perfume spraybottle and pocket-mirror.

It was a nice day, it was forever since I went thrifting! The real find I believe was the pan. It's always something for the kitchen... I need more kitchen-storage! =) What did you do this weekend?
Love, Erika

Easter, Family and New Shoes

2010-04-12T11:30:00.001+02:00

Easter came and went by all too quickly, but what great days it was! My mother, my younger brother and mom's dog Elsa came to visit me and my sister. They arrived Thursday before easter and left Wednesday after. A very long weekend =)

We took things easy, just hanging out together. Ate a lot of food. Drank a lot of tea. My brother very sweetley fixed my computer, so now it runs a lot better. Mom helped me fit a basic toille/muslin (more about that later, hopefully). We played cards. Took long and shorts walks with Elsa. A very nice weekend! I love having my family visit, and am always so sad to see them leave. Everytime I wonder a bit as to why I've chosen to live so far away from them, but I really love my new hometown. It's just so far away. *Sigh* Why can't a girl have everything? At once? =)

I was a little lazy with the camera during the weekend, but here's a very tired little dog sleeping on my kitchen floor while we were playing games:

That's all from Easter. Now, I don't know about you guys, but here spring is coming and it's coming fast. I just love this time of the year! I've been on the lookout for a new pair of shoes and the week before Easter I won the auction for these on Tradera/Ebay:

They look completly unused, there wasn't even a mark in the leather in the bend over the toes! And the small cushions in the heels looks like no weight has ever been placed on them:

I'm so eager for a day at town, wearing my new shoes and a hat. It's finally warm enough for hats! Spring really is my favorite time of the year!

Last but not least: my new evening entertainment!

I've been saving the last episode of Foyle's war, because I just couldn't stand for the show to be over, and take my small forrays into England during WWII with it. I looked a bit at the cover of this show before Christmas, but it didn't seem like a good time to spend money on myself. Then Cathla called during Easter, saying it was on sale, my wonderful brother and my darling sister overheard and bought it as a surprise gift! Thank you so much, guys! You are the sweetest!

Hope you had a lovely Easter, and that your skies are as blue as our is today!

Love, Erika

Umeå Dance Festival 2010

2010-03-23T10:48:00.000+01:00

It's been very quiet here for a while, but for a simple reason: Umeå Dance Festival 2010! An entire weekend of workshops, dance-introductions and shows. And not just lindy! This is a cooperation between all sorts of dance societies, from capoeira and oriental dancing to folkdance, medieval dancing, to tango, salsa, lindy etc etc. Oh, and I didn't just participate, I was in the planning-group. (Above: Swingum Lindy Hoppers, aka me and my friends, performing)

I held an introduction to medieval dancing, did two shows (one lindy and one in the medieval gear) and attended some classes. Above is me and my dancepartner, Per, warming up for the lindy show. Johannes and his darling cute daughter Alva ended up in the bottom corner as well. I think Alva stole most of the show this weekend!

And me and Per in full swing...

...and some more swinging! =) Look at the skirt, it really twirls. It's a full circle skirt my mom made for herself about 25 years ago, and has now passed on to me. The fabric is gabardine, and it has a great drape. The skirt is actually a bit much for a crowded social dancefloor, one gets in the way of other dancers. For our smaller social dance scene it works great though. And for shows, of course! =)

Both Friday and Saturday there was social dancing to live music, great bands both nights. Here's me just come home from dancing on Saturday evening. As you can see I went with the sailor dress...

...and my favorite hairdo...

...with a little bow in the center back.

For the weekend, wonderful dance teachers Hanna Zetterman and Mattias Lundmark came up to hold some classes with us. They gave us lots of really useful things, both for lindy hop and authentic jazz. The weekend ended late Sunday afternoon with a class in acrobatics (aka "air-steps"), and it was so much fun! Since I was a bit busy flying thorough the air and trying to land properly I didn't get a chance to film or take photos, but hopefully we'll master some of those "acros" soon, and incorporate them in a lindy routine I can show you.

All for now! I hope I'll get back at the latest this weekend with an update on my sewing (all the crafts has been in the background while I've been working with the festival).

Love, Erika

Snow sculptures and lindy

2010-03-05T10:00:00.000+01:00

Past Saturday was a busy and fun day. We had a small lindy hop-show in a mall at town. It was "pay-weekend" (first weekend after pay-day, which is the 25th for most Swedes), so there was a lot of people out shopping, hence a fairly good crowd that stopped to watch us dance. Fun! Since it was indoors and we were dancing I'm afraid I don't have any pictures to share with you =(

I recentley realised I haven't really said much about the outdoors here in Umeå lately. The reason is simple: it's been dark, cold and snowy. Snow is great, but not when it's falling or when I'm riding my bike to work... I love winter, but this winter has been a bit too winter-y. Now we're starting in on the best part of winter, though. To kick off the "spring-winter": some pictures from the snowsculpture contest downtown past Saturday! It's an annual competition, where ordinary people participate. We were very happy it wasn't a week earlier, as the temperature then was -28C, and past Saturday it was only -8C and snowing. Basically spring ; )
Ok, the pictures:

It's an ogre! With a mountin on it's back! Oh, and me in front of it of course.

My sister Kajsa and the creature on the cute frog-snow-mobile.

Loved these shoes! Please excuse the old-lady style outfit, it's tricky to protect a hair-do from falling snow.
Isn't it amazing what they can do with snow? This one was called something along the line of "people in the world". I could see right through the globe!

The back of it, with Kajsa imitating the sculpture =)

The last one was a baby in a womb. That's the umbilical cord that run's up from the sleeping baby (not a very good shot, I'm afraid).

So much for Saturday at town! At the evening we had a Lindy Hop Live, with a great band playing, a good crowd of dancers and a very nice evening it was.
Here's Karolin, modeling her stylish outfit for the evening. Loved her skirt! Her mom made it about 20 years ago and now she has given it to Karolin. The pattern is a bit blurry in the small picture, but take it up and you'll se the fine checkers-print.

Kajsa was so cute for the evening. She isn't really very vintage, and since she has such a youthful look she sometimes looks a bit like someone dressing up in their granny's clothes when she's all vintage. I like this style on her, it's cute, colorful and suits her, I think. Modern and young with a just a vintage twist.

And the two of us, happy after a nice evening with lot's of dancing and almost as much cookies and tea =)

Love,

Erika

A wednesday surprise

2010-02-27T18:30:00.000+01:00

Wednesday my sister kidnapped me for the evening. First we had dinner at her place and then we went out to take the bus to a for me unknown destination. Turned out she was treating me to a night at the movies! How sweet is that? We saw "Sherlock Holmes", that I've been wanting to see for ages.

I'm not sure it's supposed to be a comedy, but me and Kajsa sure laughed and giggled the whole movie, so for us it was a comedy. With a little bit of exitement, romance, pretty clothes and wonderful eye-candy in the shape och Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr.

In my early adolecence I was a huge fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and I've read almost every Sherlock Holmes mystery there is. This new pair of Holmes-Watson was quite far from the novels, for those of you who haven't seen it: think The league of extrodinary gentlemen meets Jack Sparrow. Great fun and wonderful photage =)

One thing I found interesting was the combination of magic and technology. It brings to mind an earlier era when technology was new and it seemed possible anything could be done with it, when magic was seen as an extension of technique. I did like that they gave a logical explanation to almost everything in the end (I can ignore what they chosed not to explain), it feels very Conan Doyle.

Perhaps they felt the need to make Holmes a bit more lovebel, and thus set the movie in a time before the first novel. Downey's Holmes is not yet a morphine-adict, he's active (a boxer!) and he's still a bit interested in the world around him. Jude Law's Watson is far from Doyle's married, rounded, shy man. No, there's nothing rounded or a bit timid about him when he battles villains with superb fighting skills =)

I liked that they included Irene Adler, the only one that ever outsmarted Holmes and who we never get's to meet in the novels. Making her Holmes lost love actually makes sense, since the novels carries within them a tragic love story that's never really spoken of (if my memory serves me correct).

Not a movie that will change my life, but one that gave me incredible joy and fun for an evening, and one I'll see again in the future.

Have you seen the movie? Or read the novels? What did you think?

Love, Erika

Lace-mania

2010-02-18T10:45:00.001+01:00

I det här inlägget berättade jag om min nya passion: knyppling! Det är ett otroligt kul hantverk där lite lingarn förvandlas till vacker spets. Jag har haft så mycket jag vill göra på sistonde, jag vill träna, sy, sticka, blogga, fota, baka, men ändå varje förmiddag före jobbet (min mest kreativa tid) så har idéerna forsat genom huvudet, jag har tittat på knyppeldynan på bordet, och på något vis hamnat där. Kan i och för sig bero på att solen äntligen är en regelbunden gäst på himlen, efter evigheter av gråhet. Ljuset är som synes på bilden nedan, lite kallt men klart och vackert. Så jag gör en kopp te, tittar ut genom fönstret och låter knypplingen och ljuset absorbera mig. Underbart!

In this post I spoke of my new passion: making lace! It's a really fun craft where some linen threads are transformed into beautiful lace. There's been so many things I want to do lately; I want to work out, sew, knit, blog, take pictures, bake, and yet every late morning before work (my most creative hours of the day) I've somehow found myself sitting by my lace pillow. It could be because the sun is finally a regular guest in the sky again, efter an eternity of grayness. The light is as you can see above, a little cold, but clear and beautiful. So I make myself a cup of tea, look out the window and let the lace weaving and light absorb me. Wonderful!

In my lace class, we start with nine practice laces (making about 10 cm or 4 1/2 inches of each), they hold the basics and teaches you how to read a pattern. The ones above are the first two.

A variation of the first lace, plus my current favorite for now: lace #3, wood anemone (vitsippa).

And where I'm now, in the middle of lace 4, "braid lace" (Flätspets). I haven't really gotten the hang of the braids when done to the left, so don't look too close =) Hopefully you'll see some of the lace, even with the needles still in (the needles aren't so close to each other in this lace, so it should work).

All for now!
Love, Erika

(P.S. Sorry if the mixing of languages is a bit confusing. It's just that some things I want to write in Swedish as well, it's about the forming of the words. But I promise that everything gets said in English as well! And sometimes only in English... =) )

Vintage for everyday

2010-02-10T10:00:00.004+01:00

Last week I was going through all my outfit posts in an attempt to find the perfect dress for the work-party on Saturday, and I realised that I've mostley posted about "the special" outfits. Inspired by the discussion on Gertie's blog about what vintage style one applies for everyday wear (http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2010/02/im-done-done-i-tell-you.html), here come's some photos of my favorite vintage-inspired outfit and hair.

The hair is teased at the front and sides, and then folded in, pinned in place and harisprayed. The hair in the back is twisted into a knot at one side of the neck, and secured with a whole lot of hairpins. This was for dancing, so a bit more pins and spray were needed than for a day at town. It was all done in 20 minutes, without any preparation at all.

The skirt is a simple dirndl-skirt, just square pieces folded against a waistband, all made by me =) The shirt is from H&M, the shoes are my beloved dance shoes, and the belt is true vintage (my grandmother wore it in the 50s/60s). Sorry about the slightly rumpled look, I always remember after a couple of hours of dancing that I'd brought along my camera...

I know for some people this isn't really vintage, but for an everyday wear it's the perfect combination for me; something homesewn, something vintage, something modern =)

For me, wearing vintage means different things different days. If I save the full vintage garb (suspender belt, stockings, elaborate hairdo's, no modern RTW etc) for the special occasions, then those special occasions will feel more special becuase of my outfit. So that way I can chose to make an ordinary shopping day special by upping the outfit. I still feel pretty in my everyday wear, but then I can feel extra pretty when I chose to =)

Somehow I believe that while my oufit may not be period all the time, the intent of saving the extra effort and the best clothes for special occasions, is period.

What do you say? Do you wear period vintage (down to the underwear) everyday, or even at all? If you like to dress more vintage inspired, what pieces do you prefer to keep "genuine" vintage? (For me, it's definitley the accessories)

If you like to add vintage pieces to a more modern outfit, check out the guest post on Gerties blog by Sal from Already Pretty http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2010/02/guest-post-vintage-for-everyday-wear.html for some great tips on styling.

I'd love to hear your views and personal experiences on vintage for everyday wear!

Love, Erika

Introducing the sailor dress

2010-01-31T23:05:00.005+01:00

Igår var det lindy hop live till Lars Enmarks publika styrka, en enastående liten grupp som då och då ärar oss med sin härliga jazz. Kvällen till ära invigde jag sjömansklänningen jag hittade på Beyond retro i somras. Den är självklart nånstans runt 70-tal, och var lite varm att dansa i, men det gjorde inget =) Dessutom så lade min syster pincurls på mig kvällen innan. Hennes första försök till pincurls, visst har hon klar talang?!

Yesterday there was Lindy hop Live to a local jazz band. Due to the fine occasion I introduced the sailor dress I found at Beyond Retro this summer. I think it's from the 70s, although it has a nice 40s touch, so unfortunatley it was a bit warm to dance in, but it didn't matter. I had a great time anyway! =) Also, my sister did a pincurl set on me before the dance. It was her very first attempt, she has quite a talent for it, doesn't she?!

Det var en härlig kväll, massa trevligt folk, bra dans och svänging musik. Dessutom så var jag faktiskt ledig! Jag jobbar ju nästan jämnt på något sätt under våra danskvällar, med salen, köket eller så har jag bakat till kvällen. Men nu har vi gjort ett schema så att man är ensam helt ansvarig för fikat vissa gånger, och vissa gånger helt ledig. Tror inte jag varit "gäst" på en swingkväll på 2,5 år, så var en konstig känsla... Men klart bra! =)
Lämnar er med en av mina favoritlåtar, som Lars Enmarks snällt nog spelade för oss igår.
Kram! / Erika

It was a lovely evening, lots of nice people, great dancing and swingin' music. Atop of that I was actually free for the evening! Usually I work in some capacity during our social nights, with tending the room, the kitchen and baking. But now we've made a scheduale so that one person is completley resoponsible for the kitchen (and everything that comes with it) at the time, and the rest are free. Last night was my first free night, and it was almost a bit strange. I haven't been a "guest" at a dance here in Umeå for 2,5 years. Strange to be free, but absoloutley nice! =)
I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs, that the band was kind enough to play for us last night.
Love, Erika

A hat, an alomst-dress, and dreams

2010-01-29T11:13:00.005+01:00

Den här lilla saken är det senaste tillskottet till min lilla men växande hattsamling. Själva hatten är i sammet, med små fina veck mot nacken. Jag gissar på 50-tal, några andra gissningar?

This little thing is the latest addition to my small but growing hat collection. The hat itself is in velvet, with small creases towards the neck. I'm guessing 50s, any other ideas?

Bara för att visa att jag faktiskt gör något vid symaskinen, även om det går långsamt. Är klart osäker på hur pass bra den här blir, men har tänkt sy ihop den, och passar den inte så säljer/ger jag den till någon som den passar på =) Men är lite skeptisk, tyget är lite för styvt tycker jag. Kan mjukna med användning, men... hmm... Mer bilder, samt mönster och förebilder, kommer när den är färdig!

Just to show that I'm actually doing something on the sewing machine, even if it's a pretty slow process. I'm very unsure about how this one's gonna turn out, the fabric has a little bit too much body for my taste (but that could change with wear) and I'm not sure about the fit. Ah well, I'm going to finish it anyway, and if it doesn't fit, I'll find someone it does fit! =) More pictures later, when it's ready.

Jag gick till den lokala tygaffären för att köpa lite mer duktyg till swingkvällarna, och var hittade jag? 70% rea! Inte på allt såklart, men på de fantastiska, tunna ylletygerna jag längtasfullt kikat på hela vintern. Det var helt fel månad för tyginköp, framför allt av tyger som är mest aktuella till i höst, men jag kunde inte låta bli. Färgerna, vikten, fallet... jag är kär!

Ha en härlig helg! /Erika

So, I went to the local fabric shop to get some more material for the table cloths for social nights at the Lindy hop, and what did I find? 70% sale! Not on everything of course, but on the wonderful, thin, soft woolfabrics I've been eyeing all winter. Totally wrong month for fabricpurchases (esp as these are more for fall than spring) but I couldn't resist. The colours, the weight, the drape... I'm in love!

Have a lovely weekend! /Erika

Cozy Monday

2010-01-19T00:53:00.004+01:00

Det är måndag, men en rätt bra sådan. Vädret har varit hemskt, men jobbet riktigt trevligt. Det var bra med folk till första måndagsdansen med medeltidsföreningen (japp, jag undervisar i dans där med =) ), och på vägen hem från medeltidslokalen fick jag en sådan enorm lust till att baka scones. Så dagen avslutades med scones och te framför ett avsnitt av "Foyle's war", en bra engelsk deckare som kan ses både för handlingen och för de fina 40-tals kläderna och frisyrerna.

Trevlig vecka gott folk!
Kram / Erika

It's Monday, bur a fairly good one. The weather has been awful, but work was actually nice. A fair crowd turned up for the first Monday-dance with the Medieval society (yep, I teach dance there as well =) ), and on the way home I was overcome with the urge for baking scones. So the day ended with scones and tea infront of an episode of "Foyle's war", a great Brittish detective story that can be enjoyed both for the plot and for the 40s outfits and hairdo's.

Have a great week!
Love, Erika

Back in town

2010-01-15T10:26:00.009+01:00

Warning for long post! =)

Me and Marita at New Years Eve.

Finally back from my long Christmas-break! I've been to my old hometown Stockholm, celebrating Christmas and New Year's with friends and family. I love living up north, but I have to say that I really don't like seeing my nearest and dearest so seldom (a few times a year). That's why it was so great to have almost two weeks in Stockholm. Plus the annual swing dance camp "Snowball" runs from 26th dec to 1st jan, and although I didn't feel I had time to attend classes (it wouldn't have given me any time for the family) I did dance socially every night, most of them until 5 in the morning! I had a truly splendid time =) All the dancing and the wonderful people made me a bit wistful and almost got me thinking about maybe moving back south, but then I came home and the wonderful calm that runs through life up here went right into me and no, I will not move back. I am however eagerly awating the opening of the new railway (in August), which will hopefully make it a whole lot easier to visit the southern lands.

Me and my mom at my cousin's wedding.

The lately very slow updating of this blog is partly due to that I lost my camera during New Year's Eve. I'm currentley making a last and probebly futile attempt to retrive it, but if I don't find it I will have to admit that there are some very dishonest people out there. I mean, my camera is an ancient and not so well functioning compact camera! Why on earth would anyone want to steal it? It's not even worth the expense of buying a new charger, which they would have to do as it uses custom batteries. *sigh*

So, I lost my camera, but I did get a lot of very nice Christmas gifts, most of them relating to vintage or sewing =) Here are a few of them:

Some cookery. The pot and the big one in the back I already had, I just let them sit in the picture so you could see the whole ensamble.

Linen napkins, handwoven by my great-grandmother (the same remarkeble woman who I inherited my lace-pillow from). A bedsheet that comes with a story; my grandmother got a set of these when she was married 50 years ago. This one was never used, so now she has put my initial on it, and given it to me. She says she's been sleeping on hers for 50 years, and it's still in good shape =)

Mad Men season one AND two! (My brother and sister must really love me, that feels nice =) ) And the classic "How to marry a millionaire" from dad.

There were more, both heirlooms and great new and old finds, but they will have to wait a while.

Have a great weekend!
Love, Erika

P.S. Thanks Kajsa and Marita, for lending me the use of your cameras!

A nice little blogaward

2009-12-17T13:30:00.015+01:00

Cute Bettie Booh gave me this lovely blogaward, Thank you Bettie! I'm quite overwhelmed and very flattered.

There was some questions to be answered:

1.Where is your phone? Next to the phone-hole in the wall.

2.Your hair? Strawberry blond-ish (for a few more hours) and cooperative (most days)

3.Your Mother? The best! Talented, smart, loving, understanding, fun etc.

4.Your Father? Great! Funloving, bookish, and a great hugger.

5.Your favourite food? Homemade

6.Your dream last night? Never remembers them

7.Your favourite drink? Tea!

8.Your dream/goal? To dance!

9.What room are you in? The one I have.

10.Your hobby? Lindy hop, sewing, baking

11.Your fear? The dark.

12.Where do you want to be in six years? In a bigger appartement.

13.Where were you last night? At home, trying to cure my fever with sleep.

14.Something that you’re not? Quiet and timid.

15.Muffins? Yup!

16.Wishlist item? Mad men season one.

17.Where did you grow up? Åkersberga, north of Stockholm.

18.Last thing you did? Baked for the dance tonight.

19.What are you wearing? Warm clothes. We hit minus 20 degrees (celsius!) earlier this week.

20.Your TV? Neglected a lot latlely.

21.Your pets? Non-existent. Except... does younger sisters count?

22.Friends? A great joy.

23.Your life? Wonderful, but a bit stressful. How to choose away fun stuff?

24.Your mood? Starting on the Christmas panic =)

25.Missing someone? Friends and family in south of Sweden.

26.Vehicle? Bikecycle. Even in -18 and snow.

27.Something you’re not wearing? For the moment, a hat.

28.Your favourite store? One?! Perhaps Tehörnan, the local tea shop.

29.Your favourite colour? Red and dark forest green.

30.When was the last time you laughed? Today.

31.The last time you cried? A few weeks ago.

32.Your best friend? Yes. Two of them since childhood. Love you guys!

33.One place that I go to over and over? Stockholm.

34.Facebook? When I remember.

35.Favourite place to eat? At my mom's place.

Whew! Done! =)

I'm supposed to pass this on to ten people, but I have a mild fever and don't feel up to choosing amongst all the great blogs there are out there, so if you've made it this far in the post, consider yourself tagged! =)

Love, Erika