A hat, an alomst-dress, and dreams

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

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

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

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

Christmas-y skirts!

Igår var Swingum Lindy Hoppers (vår lilla uppvisningsgrupp har fått ett namn! =) ) med i Snowflake singers julkonsert! De är en barbershopkör, dvs sjunger a capella och har mycket rörelse och små danssteg, klädbyten etc, ochbestår enbart av kvinnor. Det var första gången vi stod på en riktig scen, framför en sittande, betalande publik. Innan har vi dansat för förbipasserande som stannat till, eller andra dansare. Så det var allt lite pirrigt! Men såklart väldigt roligt =)
Då vi var en del i en proffsig konsert så ville vi se lite proffsiga ut vi med, så jag sydde röda juliga kjolar åt mig och Rita. Det var eg meningen att min skulle vara en klänning, men tiden tröt. Får se om klänningen dyker upp senare. De är eg inte så märkvärdiga, men är ändå lite stolt. Dels för att jag lyckades sy något som satt bra till någon annan, och dels för att jag sydde min egen kjol rekordsnabbt (klippte ut den i onsdags och har varit rätt så upptagen sen dess).
Så vi var matchande med röda kjolar, vita toppar, vita blommor i håret och svarta skor. Väldigt juligt, inte sant?

Yesterday Swingum Lindy hoppers (yey! Our little dance perfomance group finally has a name! =) ) danced in the Christmas concert of Snowflake singers, a local barbershop choir with only women. This was the first time we stood on a real stage, with a paying, sitting audience. Before, we've only danced for people passing by on the street, or our fellow dancers, so we were a bit nervous. But it was so much fun!
Since the choir and their concert were so proffesional, we felt we also wanted to appear a bit more proffesional. For me, it meant coordinating our outfits =) So I sew skirts for me and Rita, quite basic, but I'm still a bit proud of them. First, I made something for someone else and it fit! Secondly, I just made mine very fast.
Don't we look Christmas-y in our red skirts, white tops, white hair flowers and black shoes?

Dessutom: en liten glimt av min ljuvliga underkjol från 50-talet, ärvd från mormor. Blev väldigt förtjust i kontrasten mot kjolen.

Also: a peak of my lovely 50s slip, from my grandmother. I was quite pleased with the effect of the white contrast against the skirt.
I realised that I've promised pictures of the slip, so here it comes!

Love, Erika