Rolling Pencil Case

Hello all! We had such beautiful summer days over the last 3 weeks… Unbelievable! And just a few days ago the rain turned up. The temperatures haven’t really fallen down though and  we even heard thunder, but it didn’t last very long.

I have started to put some order in my sewing room. It’s great how it makes you feel like you want to go straight into sewing. Yesterday afternoon I could have Hana entertained by a friend while Conor was taking his nap so I made this rolling pencil case.

I know I have a nice fabric with jungle animals stashed somewhere but I can’t find it. Then I found this Japanese fat quarter with penguins that I bought in Barcelona. A friend had bought me the nice penguin buttons and the pink stripy fabric was screaming to be used in this combo, so there you go.

It didn’t take that long, only that Conor woke up and I had to have a little brake. Still I finished just in time to have it ready for Hana when she came back from her play date. She loved it and used it straight away. She’s into dinosaurs big time! We have planned a trip to the Museum of Natural History in New York…

Not long after Conor was born, I took her to one of those indoor play areas where they can climb, jump on bouncy castles, dive into pools full of balls… I was sitting in a super comfy chair (wishing it was a bed at the time…) and conor was fast asleep, so I took out a book about New York from the shelves. They were all photos of the main touristic attractions of the city. Hana was bored after a while as there were no children around and came to sit by my side. We were flicking through the pages and kind of dreaming of the places we’d go and the things we’d do if we were there and then she saw the huge skeleton of this dinosaur in the middle of the hall in the Museum of Natural History.  So we decided that we’ll go to New York one day, in about 3 years time, when Conor is able to remember the visit and have some fun too. It was a good time to tell her about saving money, so we started to put a few coins in this clay piggy bank we have. She has it all planned. After the museum we’ll have a bagel. The next page was covered with bagels you see, such a close up that you would almost tear the page away in a bite. So well, the piggy bank is in the mantle piece and only 2€ coins are allowed to go in, although I’m pretty sure we’ll find some other stuff in there. Soon we’ll have to get a second pig because this one is getting fat amazingly quicker than I thought.

So what about you? Have you been to New York? Any recommendations on what to do with kids in there? Have you any “special” trip planned? one of those that you need a few full piggy banks???

Hola! Hem tingut uns dies d’estiu fantastics durant les ultimes 3 setmanes, pero ja fa un parell de dies que ha arribat la pluja… Hem sentit trons tambe pero no han durat gaire. Quina llastima perque m’necanten les tormentes!

Per fi he tingut un moment per endreçar l’habitacio de cosir. Quines ganes que t’netren de fer coses quan estar tot en ordre! Com que tenia la Hana amb una amiga i el Conor dormint la migdiada he pogut fer un petit projecte, un estoig per als llapis de colors.

Vaig comprar aquest fat quarter de pinguins a la tenda japonesa Nunoya de Barcelona. Volia fer servir una tela d’animals que tinc guardada en algun lloc, pero no l’habia pogut trobar (deu estar tan ben guardada…). El botonet de pingui me’l va comprar una amiga i la tela de ratlles roses i blanques em demanava a crits que la fes servir, aixi que amb tot aixo, ha sortit aixo.

La Hana el va fer servir a l’instant. Li encanten els dinosaures i va estar-se una bona estona entretinguda amb els colors, el bloc i l’estoig. Tenim “organitzat” un viatge a Nova York, per veure els dinosaures al Museu d’Historia Natural. Tot aixo ve arrel d’un llibre de fotos de Nova York que un dia estavem mirant. Quan va veure l’esquelet enorme d’un dunosaure al mig de la sala del museu, va dir que volia anar a veure’l. Vam decidir començar a estalviar i la nostra fita es que d’aqui tres anys podrem anar-hi tots quatre. En Conor tindra 3 anys i aixi segur que tambe podra disfrutar del viatge. Despres del museu haurem d’anar a menjar un bagel… En una de les pagines del llibre hi habia un primer pla de bagels i quasi et podies menjar la pagina sencera. I aixi ho va decidir. Anirem a Nova York a veure els dinosaures i a menjar un bagel.

De moment ja tenim un porquet de fang quasi ple. Nomes les monedes de 2 euros hi tenen acces, pero em fa l’efecte que hi trobarem altres coses…

i vosaltres? Heu estat mai a Nova York? Que ens recomaneu fer amb nens? Teniu planejat algun viatge per d’aqui… una bona temporada fins que tingueu prous porquets plens per anar-hi???

WINNER!

Thank you all so much for participating! I had visitors from every spot in the world!

Gracies a totes per participar! hi ha hagut visites des de tots els racons del mon!

The winner is:

La guanyadora es:

 

who said:

 

Kim blogs over at Quilty DooDads, you’ll see amazing piecing there so go and have a look!

la Kim te aquest bloc , Quilty DooDads, on podeu veure patchwork precios, feu-hi una ullda!

 

I’m hosting a special giveaway soon again, so please do come back!

Aviat hi haura un altre sorteig molt especial!

 

Ready for a giveaway? – Preparats per un sorteig?

Sew Mama Sew is hosting its biannual giveaway! It  starts tomorrow so come back here again to have a chance to win something really nice that I’ve made. You will also have the chance to discover other blogs and enter their giveaway.

Torna a ser l’hora dels sortejos de Sew Mama Sew! Comencen demà, així que no oblideu tornar a passar per aquí per participar i poder guanyar una coseta ben bonica que he fet. També tindreu l’oportunitat de descobrir nous blogs i participar en els seus sortejos.

New Face – Nova Cara

Hello!

I have decided to move from Blogger to WordPress as you can see. I’m working on transferring all the data and it’s taking a while, but I hope to have it sorted soon. I hope not to loose all my followers, but it is not really a big problem. I suppose I’ll build up again a nice crowd who like to read my posts!

Hola!

He decidit canviar de Blogger a WordPress com ja veieu. Encara estic intentant moure tota la informacio d’un lloc a l’altre i no es tan facil com em pensava. Espero poder tenir-ho tot controlat ben aviat i no perdre els seguidors. Tot i que no crec que sigui un gran problema. Suposo que si els perdo ja tornare a tenir un bon grup de gent a qu els agradi llegir-me!

Limited quota for uploading images?

Have you been having this problem lately when using Blogger?
I was preparing a few posts last week and to my surprise I could not upload any more photos unless I upgrade Picasa to a monthly fee to get more storage space…
this is what I get when I try to upload:

Whoops! You’re out of space. You are currently using 100% of your 1 GB quota for photos. Upgrade storage.

Photos are stored in your Picasa Web Albums account and are included in your 1 GB free quota for photos. Additional storage that you purchase is shared between several Google products and is in addition to your free quota. Learn more

Does anyone have a solution for to this? I don’t really want to pay anything. I think it should be free. Also, I didn’t have any idea I was using Picasa… I’m so bad when it comes to computers, I know it doesn’t look like it, but I am.

I found this today so maybe we can sort it soon. Bummer!

So, what’s going on in my little workshop… I’m just sewing like mad to sell items in my shop and keeping up with orders. I’m also making a baby quilt to donate to Hana’s community play school. They will raffle it at the Christmas party to collect funds to buy new material for the school. Anyone interested in buying a line??? ;-P

Well, sorry I can’t show you anything today! I hope to sort this problem soon, otherwise I don’t know what I’m going to do!

Algu de vosaltres te problemes per penjar fotos al vostre blog de Blogger?
Estava preparant unes quantes entrades la setmana passada i per sorpresa meva no em va deixar carregar mes fotos. Es veu que ja he gastat tot l’espai que tenia i ara si no pago cada mes una quota a Picasa no puc fer res… Cada cop que intento carregar-ne em surt aquesta nota:

Whoops! You’re out of space. You are currently using 100% of your 1 GB quota for photos. Upgrade storage

Photos are stored in your Picasa Web Albums account and are included in your 1 GB free quota for photos. Additional storage that you purchase is shared between several Google products and is in addition to your free quota. Learn more

Nomes he trobat aixo avui on parlaven del tema. 
Sabeu com es pot sol.lucionar? Quina rabia!

Doncs be, aqui al meu petit taller estic cosint com una boja per omplir la botigueta i acabant comandes. Tambe estic fent un quilt com a donacio a l’escola de la Hana. El rifaran a la festa de Nadal per recaudar diners i comprar material nou per l’escola.

I be, sento no poder ensenyar res avui, espero sol.lucionar aquest petit problema aviat. Si no, no se que fare!

Why are quilts so special? Per que els quilts son tan especials?

Any handmade item is special, isn’t it?

Because of the work that’s been put into it, from start to end.

It is even more special when you know who is the recipient,

because you think of this person while you are making it (or at least that’s what I do…).

Of all the things I make, I think quilts are the best.

They make a great gift. A gift for life that can pass through generations and it becomes even more special when it carries with it all the stories it’s been involved in along the way.Sometimes I come across people who seem not to think about how interesting,
important, special, etc… a quilt is. They think they are very expensive (well, yes… they are more expensive than a regular factory made blanket/quilt, and so they should!)

un quilt acabat de fer i que ja te nou propietari

a recently made quilt which is flying soon to its new owner

Qualsevol cosa feta a mà és especial, oi? per tota la feina que comporta des del principi fins al final.

Si és per algú que coneixes, encara la fa més especial perquè mentres la vas fent, vas pensant en aquella persona (o al menys és el que jo faig…)

De totes les coses que faig a mà, per a mi els quilts són el més especial. És el que 

em porta més feina però gratifica molt més. Sempre hi ha una història al voltant d’un quilt,

ja pot ser des del moment en que és disenya o des del moment en que cau a les mans del seu

nou propietari. És una peça que passarà de generació a generació

 i que és testimoni de moments especials.

 

De vegades em trobo amb gent que no sembla apreciar allò tan especial i interessant que

aporten els quilts, o l’esforç que hi ha en la seva el.laboració.

una idea, una proposta i un acord convertit en quilt i llest per ser un regal de Reis

an idea made into a quilt and ready to be a Christmas present

So let’s think about it.
Whether it’s your design or not, you will have to:

– prewash the fabric (not everybody does though)
– press it
– cut it
– sew the pieces
– press the seams
– keep sewing pieces and keep pressing seams…
– cut the backing, press it
– cut the batting
-bast the three layers together
– quilt it (more work if it is hand quilted)
-cut the binding, sew it and press it
– sew on the binding on one side
– sew the binding on the backside (and more work again if it’s hand sewn)
– now it’s done, you admire it and try to be ready to let it go if it’s a gift or for sale…

So yes, it is a lot of work, but it’s so enjoyable when you make it
that time seems to vanish.
I sew in the morning during an hour or so, when Hana is at play school and Conor is napping.
Then at night, if I can and I’m not too tired, I’ll sew for a couple of hours when they’re gone to bed.

I never thought of selling quilts, until a work colleague asked me to make one,
and then two more!
The most difficult thing was to put a price, they’re priceless to me! and I like them so much
that sometimes it is so hard to let them go… but at least I know where they go to and
who is going to take care of them…
So thank you mum, Lorena, Maria, Julie J., Marta C. and Roser M.
for helping me to continue making quilts and ordering them
(some of them are being made at the moment!), I hope you like them
and enjoy them everywhere you are.

Per tant, anem a veure en què consisteix la feina d’un quilt:
– pensar un diseny (aqui es necesita geometria i una mica de càlculs)
– comprar les teles, rentar-les i planxar-les
– tallar la tela
– cosir les peces
– planxar les vores de cada peça
– anar cosint, planxant, cosint, planxant…fins tenir-lo tot cosit
– tallar la tela del darrere i planxar-la
– tallar la guata
– embastar les tres peces, (el que menys m’agrada)
– encoixinar-lo (a màquina o a mà)
– tallar la beta, planxar-la i cosir-la al voltant (jo l’acabo cosint a mà)
– ara ja està acabat. L’admiro, me’l remiro i, quan estic preparada per deixar-lo anar, el deixo…
encara que siguin a la venda, em costa de deixar-los anar! ha ha… per això
m’agrada saber ben bé on van a parar i que seran ben cuidats…

Doncs ja veieu, hi ha molta feina, però ho faig tan a gust que el temps em passa volant.
Cuso al matí, quan la Hana és a l’escola i el Conor està fent una migdiada. Després, si puc
i no estic cançada, a la nit quan els dos dormen també cuso un parell d’hores.

Mai no havia pensat de vendre res, pero una companya de feina va veure’n un
i em va demanar que li en fes un. Després me’n va demanar dos més…
El mes difícil ès posar-hi un preu. Entre el cost de les teles (que les compro a preu de botiga) i
el temps que comporta, etc… doncs penso que encara estan força bé de preu!
Però el que més m’importa és que la gent que me’ls compra i me’ls encarrega
aprecien de debò la feina que hi ha i estan preparats i il.lusionats
 per començar la seva història amb el seu nou quilt.

Gràcies mama, Lorena, Maria, Julie J., Marta C. i Roser M. per fer les vostres comandes
(algunes, mama i Lorena… – la familia que pacient espera, com no? –  encara no acabades!!!), 
espero que us agradin i els feu servir sempre, en qualsevol ocasió.

This is Hana’s quilt. I made it when she was about 1 and a half.

We’ve had picnics on this quilt, laid on it by the cozy fire reading stories, covered ourselves with it pretending we were camping, wrapped ourselves in it while watching TV…

and now she loves to have it on her bed and sleep under it every night.

I like that she sees me making quilts and every time I come into the sitting room showing a finished top

she goes “wow, that’s beautiful… is it for me?” or when she saw mine over my bed and she said “oh, this is a lovely quilt”. I like that she knows about quilts and knows how they’re made.

I know she will keep it for ever, because it’s hers, made for her.

Aquest és el quilt de la Hana. El vaig acabar quan ella tenia un any i mig. 

Sobre aquest quilt hem fet picnics, ens hi em assegut fent trencaclosques, ens hem tapat

mentres llegiem històries i miràvem la tele al costat de la llar de foc…

Ara li encanta tenir-lo sobre el seu llit i tocar-lo cada nit mentres llegim contes.

M’agrada que em vegi fent-los i que em digui com li agraden quan m’assec al sofà

per acabar de cosir-hi una vora o les etiquetes. 

Sempre em pregunta “es per a mi, aquest?”.

M’agrada que vegi com es fan.

Sé que el guardarà per sempre, perquè és el seu quilt,

fet per a ella i que va creixent amb ella.

This one I made for my bed.

I used old shirts that I had been gathering from charity shops

and one very special shirt, the only with solid blue,

 that belonged to a good friend of us who passed away.

He was a singer with an amazing voice.

Aquest és el quilt que tinc sobre el meu llit. El vaig fer arreplegant camises d’home

que anava trobant a les botigues de segona mà.

Hi ha una camisa especial, d’un amic nostre que va morir.

L’única peça blava que no és estampada ve de la camisa del Chris.

So there you go.

This is why I find a quilt such a special gift.

Doncs ara ja sabeu perque penso que els 

quilts fan un regal tan especials.

What’s cooking? – Que es cou?

Pumpkin, coconut and ginger soup!
Sopa de carbassa, coco i gingebre!

This is our pumpkin
Aquesta es la nostra carbassa

being carved and ready for scaring children out tonight!
preparant-la per Halloween i per espantar els nens aquesta nit!

In the meantime, the soup will be cooking…mmmm…
I de mentres, s’estara fent la sopa… mmm

This is what I’m working on at the moment (plus several other small projects which you can see listed in my Etsy shop)
Aqui podeu fer una ullada al que estic fent ara (a part de tots els mini projectes que estic posant a la venda a la botiga)

and “where do you find the time to do all this?!!!!”

people ask…

“i es pot saber d’on treus el temps per fer tot aixo?!”

sovint em pregunten…

Well… when this little Button does this

Doncs quan el Botonet fa aixo

When he’s not asleep, he looks like this.

Smiling and laughing (and puking) most of the time.

He was 5 months on the 19th!

I quan no dorm, fa aixo.

No para de riure i somriure.

El passat dia 19 fa fer 5 mesos!

And here’s a peek of the nice crispy cold weather we had a few days ago

(before the rain started to have its say)

I aqui una ullada al temps que hem tingut fa uns dies, 

dies de fred i solet abans de que vingues la pluja

A visit to our friend’s cottage, picking herbs, apples and feeding the neighbour’s horses…

Una visita al cotagge d’un amic, on vam collir julivert, herbes i pomes…

How is it like where you are?

Quin temps fa alla on sou?

Barcelona peeks…

We spent 4 weeks in my hometown, Barcelona. Hot. It’s two weeks now since we arrived home and it’s soooo cold… but nice (I’ll show you more in my next post).

Vam passar 4 setmanes a Barcelona. Caloreta. Ja en fa dues que vam arribar a casa i quin freeeeed que fa! (ja us ensenyare mes en la propera entrada)

Here’s some things I’d like to show. 

Hi ha unes quantes cosetes que us vull ensenyar.

La maquina de cosir de la meva mare (WERTHEIM)

Amb taula inclosa (sota la qual m’agradava amagar-me

i ficar la ma en aquest forat tan atractiu)

My mum’s sewing machine (WERTHEIM).

It has it’s own table (under which I loved to hide 

and put my hand into this

inviting “black hole”)

The sound of this machine was part of my childhood’s soundtrack.

My sister and I have been wearing dresses, skirts, trousers, blouses….

that my mum made on this restless lady.

 El so d’aquesta maquina forma part de la banda sonora de la meva infantesa.

La meva germana i jo hem portat vestits, faldilles, pantalons, bruses… que la meva mare ha fet amb aquesta inesgotable senyora.

nice, isn’t it?

maca, oi?

We went out for strolls around the city and I couldn’t help buying a few

bits and pieces (that I most certainly do not need at all because I have more than plenty).

Here’s Olga’s shop in Sant Antoni Market:

anything from fabric, flannel, wadding, terrycloth, felt to ribbons, binding tape, thread and a warm welcome!

Vaig sortir a passejar i no vaig poder resistir fer algunes compres

(que no necesitava gens ja que tinc de tot i mes).

La parada de l’Olga al Mercat de Sant Antoni, on pots trobar des de tela de coto, franela, boata, tovallola, feltre fins a betes, fils i un bon somriure de benvinguda.

Another time I escaped to the city centre, the Gothic Quarter. I must say I’m a bit disappointed on how changed it is. I was so surprised that I had to resource to English to speak to a bartender, since she had very little Sapnish (and let alone Catalan, of course…). Well lucky her I could speak English, but I didn’t stay there at all. Tourism is important, but not to the extent when you forget the locals… ANYWAY…
Vaig escapar-me al centre unes quantes vegades, al Barri Gotic. Quina decepcio, com ha canviat! i la meva sorpresa (per no dir ja el colmo!) quan vaig haver de recorrer a l’angles per parlar amb la cambrera d’un local al carrer Hospital, ja que el seu castella era pobrissim i ja no diguem del catala! Sort per ella que parlo angles, pero no m’hi vaig quedar. El turisme es important, pero fins a cert punt i no pas quan s’obliden de la gent local. Pero be, deixem’ho…

And here’s another shop I’d like you to know about. They’re the distributors of Kokka in Spain.

You’ll find Nunoya in a little street called Carrer de la Palla, well in the centre, near the cathedral.

 I aqui hi ha una altra botiga que vaig visitar. Nunoya, els distribuidors de Kokka 

a Espanya, al carrer de la Palla.

and that’s it!

I’ll show you what I’m working on lately and how things look like here,

Halloweenish…

i aixo es tot!

Ja us ensnare el sue estic fent i com es veuen les coses per aqui,

en plan Halloween…

Extra Extra! El Petit Taller on Etsy!

Well finally I could put together a few things and open the Etsy shop!
I’m very excited about it and to be honest I’m still learning how to run the whole thing, but I know I’ll be learning on the way. There are many more items that I’m going to add, but I’ll take it easy and go step by step. There will be more sections with baby items, notebook covers, pouches and more bags, quilts, etc…
At the moment I want to see how I get on with all this! Any constructive criticism is welcome!

And to celebrate the new opening, there will be a 10% discount on any purchase until the end of October, you just have to enter the code WELCOME10 at checkout. 

Per fi he pogut organitzar-me una mica i obrir la botigueta a Etsy! Quina emocio! encara he d’aprendre com funciona del tot, pero ja anire agafant el truc a mida que vagi afegint-hi coses. De moment anire de mica en mica i aviat afegire noves seccions amb cosetes per a nens, mes bosses, quilts, fundes de llibretes, etc.
Ara de moment vull veure quina resposta te. S’accepten critiques constructives!

Ah! i per celebrar-ho, teniu 10% de descompte sobre qualsevol compra. Nomes cal que entreu el codi WELCOME10 quan feu el pagament a checkout.
NOTA: com veieu esta escrit tot en angles, pero ja sabeu que no hi ha cap problema per ajudar-vos si no enteneu alguna cosa, m’envieu un correu electronic i llestos 🙂

baby gifts

I came up with this little gift for the new baby of a fellow blogger 

whom I had the pleasure to meet last week. A train set appliqué, which gave me a good chance to keep practicing the blanket stitch on my sewing machine.

Her little bundle is so beautiful and her little girl and mine had lots of fun together.

Now that she has received her gift, I can show it to you.

Vaig fer un petit detall per al nen acabat de neixer d’una companya blocaire a qui vaig tenir el plaer de coneixer personalment la setmana passada. Un trenet aplicat (que m’ha anat be per practicar el punt de festo amb la maquina!). El seu nen es precios i la seva nena i la meva s’ho van passar molt be jugant juntes. Ara que ja el te a les mans, us el puc ensenyar aqui.