04.29.07
Music´s cool
Århus Musikskole kept it’s annual ”open house” in the Music House Foyer this afternoon with pupils, instruments and visiting kids and their parents all over the place! Pupils from the Music school performed some of their songs and pieces while “new” kids and their families passed by, talked to the music teachers and tried out the instruments.
It always turns out to be a bit chaotic – but cheerful event. I love it, we have been participating in this for almost 12 years now. Who understands what happens to time?
04.27.07
Book of the week
Yesterday I got a lovely little book that features the work of Julie Arkell, a British mixed media artist who creates these funny, humorous and sort of naïve dolls, creatures and objects out of humble materials such as papier-mâché, fabric, yarn and haberdashery.
The book also offers you glimpses of Julie Arkell´s studio – where she as an inveterate collector of discarded toys, textiles and ephemera works with stuff that’s worn, torn, used and read. And as you can probably guess her shelves are a wonderful mixture of storage and display, a great source of inspiration!
04.23.07
Variations
My patchwork is in progress. I soon have to decide the final design. We are talking about real small but significant variations – and what to choose???
Basically you see a bunch of hexagons. Each hexagon contains a 6 point star. Now the question is how close I want to place the hexagons.
1) Next to each other?
2) With a little space in between – a small triangle?
3) With even more space – a diamond???
Feel free to tell me your oppinion – this´s really a cardinal decision…
By the way Adrienne, I´ve put some of your shirtfabric into this – and it blends in perfectly!
04.20.07
Paris plans!
Today is a beautiful, bitterly cold and deceitful April day; the sun shines, everything looks bright – only the wind goes right to your bones – but spirits are high! Fact is: It´s weekend, we only have another 10 weeks till summer holiday starts – and I’ve just bought 3 x train tickets to Paris!
The very same afternoon the holyday starts we border the train from Århus to Hamburg. From Hamburg we go on pr. couchette – and ARRIVE IN PARIS the next morning.
Louvre, Tour Eiffel, French flea markets, strolls along the Seine and a bunch of small pavement cafes… are waiting for us . Only 10 weeks away…
04.15.07
And the nominees are…
Yesterday was one of these warm and sunny spring Saturdays you always dream of. The beautiful weather tempted us to take a stroll at the port area where we checked out the curiosities at Von Otto´s and had the first ice of the season at Marselisborg Marina.
Luckily all this bright sunshine and fresh sea air helped me clear my mind and I’m now ready to I pass on the nomination for the Thinking Blogger Award to the following artsy bloggs that all inspire me in different ways: Corey Amaro´s Tongue in Cheek, Lyn Roberts´ Mollychicken, Juju Vail´s Jujulovepolkadots, Pam Garrison´s PMG and her One Woman Crafting Tales and Jane´s Posy. Please, go and see for yourself…
04.14.07
Inspirational magazines
This week really has been a slowed down, inefficient one. I have had (still have) the feeling I’m walking and walking but almost not getting anywhere… My mind has been (still is) somewhat slow and filled with snot (sic!). I even cancelled a couple of schooldays as my voice was totally off! Literally spoken I had nothing to say…
But at least I’ve been able to read a little – or rather to flicker some of my new books and magazines as for instance this delicious and inspiring knitting & crotchet magazine from Rowan.
I had seen it in at “Inger´s”, my absolute favourite yarn shop here in Århus, twice before, and right before Easter I went to look for third time – and I had to take it home! Even though I know I´m not going to knit any of these wonderfull cardigans – all my crafting time is reserved for my stitching vintage fabric project at the moment – but at least I can dream and enjoy the images, maybe even get some ideas how I’d like to see my own stuff styled – when that time comes…
By the way I was nominated for a Thinking-blogger-award yesterday by Tattered Edge (Thank you, Lelainia. for your kind words!!!) and within the next days I have to pass on this nomination and pick 5 favourite blogs. So look out there friends and fellow bloggers!
04.09.07
A portable project
I started another quilt some days ago. And this one will take its time. It’s actually designed to be a “slow” model – all hand stitched.
It gives you other advantages though. Of course any new quilt involves some planning for a start: What pattern, rhythm and fabric do you want?
But when first you’ve made up your mind, have prepared a bunch of cardboard diamonds – or whatever design you’ve chosen and have cut a bunch of fabric according to your design – you can easily bring the whole project along in a basket – and enjoy an afternoon together with family and friends – and still work away. I like that combination!
04.04.07
Dream away…
Of course I took Emilie and Anna Sofie along to Copenhagen. It’s Easter holydays = no school this week.
The girls went shopping while I went to my meeting at Olivia’s where I was welcomed with a nice cup of coffee in the cosy office of the editor in chief and her associate; both women at my age and both trained needle crafters. It was a pleasant meeting – and not surprisingly we have a lot of opinions and points of views in common and that was great to experience as it’s essential for a long time working relation like this.
First step now is me writing a complete table of contents. Then the economy department will do their calculations to see whether they believe in the project too. I hope they will – but of course one never knows what calculators are up to…
Anyway, after the meeting I went out to have lunch with my daughters and to spend the rest of the day walking the streets doing a little sightseeing.
Yul Anderson and his tattered, white piano here was one of the sights or rather – sounds – that got us. In the middle of the street with people walking in all directions there he sat, a rock of peace, playing his meditations right into the air.
And what this big black man did to our sense of hearing with his music – the smells and views inside Couronne de Liege in Ny Adelgade, did to all other senses.
I have visited the place before; it’s definitely the most extraordinary and exclusive flower shop and gallery I know, a fascinating world of extravagant beauty, surprisingly rough solutions, textures, colours, shapes and scents. The place is created by Tage Andersen, who creates these tableaux/set ups with flowers, heavy velvet, oversize candelabras, exotic birds, rusty iron baskets and zinc vases – the result is a mixture between Tolkien´s Rivendell and Alice in Wonderland.
Please, go and see for yourself when you visit Copenhagen.
04.03.07
A new quilt´s on its way
Tomorrow I go to Copenhagen to meet an editor from Olivia. We’ll plan writing a crafting book: How to sew new quilts out of vintage fabric. And as my star quilt haven´t returned yet from a photo session at Somerset I need something else to show her.
For that reason I have been busy working with this quilt the last days and now it’s almost complete! The last few stitches will be made tomorrow at the 7 o’clock ferry form Århus to Kalundborg.
It’s a very plain quilt: 8 x 10 rectangles in my typical favourite colours: pale blue and white… and luckily it has turned out to be quite lovely. Looks like a highly estimated handed down token from the land of childhood.
04.02.07
First day in the garden
It´s springtime now – and Easter holydays! The sun shines and reveals every worn spot, dust grain and wrinkle without mercy!
We haven’t been in the garden for months, only watched it from inside. But yesterday 1th April “the season” started with a little space clearing, cutting down withered twigs, cutting the lawn and having tea at the terrace!
I even considered taking my quilt out to do some stitching, but it´s not quite that warm - yet…
