Easter Brown Bags

For the season of spring, it is never too much to prepare these dressed-up simple brown bags and gift them to family and friends. I always make simple sugar cookies and decorate them (...or not). Recipe for them here. Recipe for Spring Linzer Cookies: here.

Check my post Easter Table here for decoration inspiration.

Back to the brown bags:

This year I used pastel green and yellow colours, with a hint of purple.

Please, follow the images and your heart for decorating these bags. Use the craft you love the most to express yourself at best. I have used these cross-stitched little bunny designs, but yours could be different. The idea is to incorporate the card stock with fabric and ribbon - it transforms the bag completely. 

Materials needed:

Cardboard for the labels
Fabric designs of your choice
Fabric for the backing
Ribbons in matching colours
Simple brown bags
Clips

Pattern displayed for download:




Additional tools needed: hole puncher

Once the designs are ready, place them face down with the backing fabric. With erasable pen/pencil, transfer the egg patterns on the back and stitch around the curve, leaving an opening on one side (as shown in the image below).

Do not forget the notches: these guys are super curved and in order for the design to lay out flat once turned right side out, it needs to be helped by cutting notches all around the curve. Be careful to always cut 2 mm away from the seem.

Turn your designs right side out and finish the open seams with slip stitch.

Use the flag shaped pattern to cut the labels out of the card stock.
Punch two holes in the middle for the ribbons.

I have needle-weaved a loop on top of the egg-shaped labels for the ribbons. Attach the fabric and card labels together and tie the ribbons in a bow. Fill the bags with cookies and/or Easter buns/bread: recipe here. Clip the ready label on the brown bags. Make your friends happy :)

Happy Easter!

♥ Ivelina

Christmas Apron

What makes Christmas unbelievably special, is the time we spend in preparation and anticipation of the moment when we will be together with loved ones.

The dressing up is purely vital - the cleanness of the house and mind is one thing that opens the heart for the blessing of Christmas. 

The night before Christmas, I remember how my grand-mom walked around her tiny house, burning incense in her little kettle dish to clear the home and land from the evil spirits and sins. She visited all the corners, well dressed and beautiful in her old-fashioned clothes, she only wore at this Holy time. She walked into the stables, giving hug and touching every one of her lambs and sheep with her fingers all curved as the branches of the old walnut, growing just outside her house, fingers already showing signs of the knowing no mercy arthritis, hands all stained and rough, from the work she had done during the day and at all her life, but with the most beautiful glare on her face - a kind reflection of the weak light from the candle she was caring in her other hand. It was a time to prepare ourselves for the Great event, a time to ask forgiveness and give one to ourselves, before the church ceremony at midnight.

This ritual, that I had always found annoying and disruptive to my comfort as a child, now fills my heart with love and sadness. I find piece in the little design from Tania Santarelli at  LilliViolette. It took me back in time with all the beautiful and unappreciated as a child memories.

It is ordinary and simple in my heart today. I have never liked the shiny Christmas, but I found for myself, that the simplicity in life keeps me grounded and strong. Whatever we make with our hands and heart is the most important - that is how we nurture our children, we create memories for them, to remember for who we were and we give them the tools to find themselves when they are ready to see through these memories. I am far from the thought that they could see through my memories with my grand-mom, but this design is what lit that memory in my heart and I think it will carry the spark for my daughter when she prepares her Christmas tradition. 

Baking for Christmas? That is the most important thing for me. I start light in November and when December hits, well, let's just say that 'I make them eat cakes' :))) I barely cook anything else, but bake for Christmas. 

In the days when I was growing up and spent time with my grandmother, it was a forty-day fasting period before Christmas day. As I said earlier - clean the house, the stables, the body and the spirit, prepare for the Holy arrival. Everything that my grandmother prepared before-hand, wasn't tasted, just well packed in air-tight containers and stored in the cold stone room. All this flavour and taste in the air was to be savoured in anticipation. What a test to my soul! 

I do not perform this "torture" to my family. I wasn't raised religious. When baking starts in my home, it becomes a struggle for the cookies to survive till Christmas.

Any concerns that anyone has with the stains on this celebratory apron, I would like to put to rest. I have a back-up and a back-up to the back-up :)

I made this little bent on the right side of the apron, so my dear girl could always wear a kitchen cloth to clean her hands. And she could only uses this apron for serving. When she cooks, I made a spare, vintage inspired apron with no stitched design. Sometimes cooking could be messy...

This apron has a very raised waist line and protects the clothing well. I think she would cook braver in it :) 

I sense it is that time of the day, that I have to put my Stained Apron and dive into the kitchen.

Thank you so much for spending time with me and my thoughts. Thank you for stopping by! I hope you dig into your beautiful memories of past Christmas time to feed your imagination. 

Happy Christmas baking!

♥ Ivelina

  

Lebkuchen Bags

These delicious, full of flavour and aroma cookies have become a tradition in our family. I have made them for the last four Christmas baking parties and this year is no different. You could find the recipe for the cookies in my delicious blog Tablier taché.

This year, I am sending a batch of the cookies to a friend in Germany. It is a challenge, since the recipe originates from there and the German market is flooded with them. But I am hoping that the homemade touch would create a brighter Christmas spark.

In order to appropriately pack the cookies, I have sewn cosy throw-string pouches and hand-stitched the tags for them.

I used very loosely weaved 18ct Belfast linen - it is so rough that it creates the rustic old-fashioned effect on it's own :)

Then I lined the tags with the fabric, used for the bags and framed it with a decorative stitch all around with a crocheted loop for the cord.

As rough and old-fashioned as possible my bags must be - the recipe for these cookies was firstly recorded as early as 1296. That is why I used a jute cord for the tags and bags.

I found these cellophane individually wrapping bags in DailyLike Canada. They make such a difference with their old-gold decorative elements and keep the cookies apart. 

I made a tiny crocheted edge on the top of the little bags for the jute cord. There are two very old looking (4-holes) buttons sewn on the bottom of the bags to create a stable self-standing bag.

People made everything with their hands at old times  and still managed to gift so many baked goods. Christmas should only be about that - handmade gifts and for as many people as possible. 

Ready... Set... Wrapped

Placed in the bags and ... in the mail.

I hope you are busy working on your handmade crafts and your home is filled with the sweet aroma of cinnamon and sugar.

Wishing you the best time in preparation for the big holiday!

♥ Ivelina

Noel en broderie "campagne"

Another year is passing. The last days of the year are dripping through my fingers, but I don't want to look back. I know what has happened. I was there, I witnessed all of it. And isn't that a blessing?!

Finally, this year, I found time to stitch this amazing set of necessities, and thought they would be better off gifted. 

The French cross-stitch designs have become my week spot years ago. I started collecting them and store them in my craft room, never having the time to finish any. This year was blessed with inspiration, I discovered new things and techniques. The Japanese style of embroidery, stitching and quilting is still my priority, but I have always been sad that my passion for French embroidery has been put aside. At last, I was determined to finish one of my many projects and to gift it to a beautiful creator and designer, who has become a close friend, sharing her sewing illustrations that say a lot about her life, loved ones and creative personality. 

Materials used:

"Zweigart" Belfast linen 32 count - for the cross-stitched design

"HAORI" yarn dyed fabric - as main fabric for the bag and bias tape

"Henry Glass" quilting cotton - for the 'collar' of the bag

DMC embroidery floss

fusible light weight batting

velvet ribbon

wooden spool for the pull

Techniques used:

"Les Brodeuses Parisiennes" - the cross-stitched design (*slightly adapted)

Cross-stitch

French knot

Back stitch

Machine sewing

Tassel making

Bias binding making

Hand-sewing (for the reverse side of the bias binding)

* I  changed the last word in the message, that applies better for my friend, who doesn't work with cross stitches. Also, I gave the colour scheme a different look, so it matches better my idea of vintage look and the quilting cotton I have been using here.

These three elements are really important when we sew. 

I interfaced the bag with light fusible batting for more structure and cosiness when in use and fully lined it with the spool quilt cotton, used for the 'collar'.

The pincushion, is filled with ground walnut shells, mixed with lavender from my summer garden. I made the tiny tassels (oh, what a challenge was to tie them well - my fingers felt so clumsy :)) using the same shade DMC floss, used for the cross-stitched design. 

The scissors case was underlined with batting as well.

I find these tiny thimbles so festive! What a celebration of sewing!

I hope you are almost ready with your Christmas preparation and gifts. Canada Post is overwhelmed with packages and I am happy I sent mine early and everyone received them already. It is the anticipation of Christmas that is up for celebration - the impatient awaiting of the blessed event.

I truly hope you all have the creation of the season this year, that will always remind you of the good days you have had in the year of 2017.

Have a blessed Christmas, dear friends and happy holidays!

♥ Ivelina

Advent in Winterwald

Advent is about to start - the most exciting countdown ever experienced! It is the best time of the whole season - the anticipation of Christmas... the busy preparation, the desperate attempt to calm emotions down and the beauty in all that. 

I am feeling partially unnaturally calm, partially terrified. For the first time I won't be home for Christmas - the whole family won't be home for Christmas. We are going on a vacation! ... but that is a story for another day. Today is all about "Advent in Winterwald". I chose to keep the original name, just because English language doesn't have a matching word for Winterwald. It is a story about little creatures in a snowy forest, who are getting ready for Christmas in the most beautiful way. So, Welcome to the "Advent in the Snowy Forest".

These beautiful creatures, little children of the woods, are in a perfect co-habitat with the animals of the forest. And the Acufactum book "Advent in Winterwald" tells an original story about this joyful relationship with amazing projects and images. I only managed to make these two and they will turn into a nice decorative pillows.

The fabric that is designed, inspired by the colours of Nature and that doesn't hoot for attention but speaks for its greatness through its complicated weaving, surely is HAORI. If you look at the whole Fall/Winter collection, you will be able to find the two different brown colours I picked for this project:

When the designer Ms Lina Yang created this collection, it was inspired by the colours of the Earth in its preparation for the winter season. The faded greens of the forest in its yearly preparation for the long rest and the deepened blue of the rivers, wholeheartedly missing the playful pure white summer clouds on their vigorous run to the ocean. The blue is a reflection of the gloomy, sad, foggy blanket that the sky is sleeping under. The forest is completely naked in the late fall. The bark of the trees and the branches are looking almost grey. 

It all changes with the first snow. In a 'Winterwald', the trees look alive again, and so vividly brown. The rivers' eyes are dark blue and few sunny beams get caught under the magnifying glass of the painfully white snow. The strength of the white and the magic of reflection bring the forest and the creatures, that call it their home to the most festive stage of the year - the preparation for Christmas.

Materials used:

HAORI double sided 1/2 yard light brown 

HAORI double sided 1/2 yard dark brown 

HAORI Christmas cotton strips for binding and zipper cover

Warm Company 100% cotton batting

Ticking stripe 27 count 100% linen

DMC embroidery thread

Techniques used:

* Cross-stitched embroidery

* Hand-quilting for the front of the pillows

* Machine-quilting for the back of the pillows

* Zipper sewing

* Bias-binding

HAORI is one of a kind heart-felt fabric for me. It started with the image fabric love a year ago , went through the ecstatic wave of joy, that almost left me without breath when I first touched it, and now continuing with an exploding culmination of friendship, that makes this season even more merry. 

I admire Lina for her creative way of perceiving the weaves so they become strictly candid, and at the same time present an incredible texture. It is a pleasure to quilt with her fabric - there are many directions to be followed and one to be chosen. I simply love the choices she is given me with her designs - an incredible person she truly is!

Home is the best place to count down the days till Christmas. Every day is a treasure and give me new hope for being better in what I do. Sometimes, I am not sure of the end result, but I know, it would be from the heart, so it must be good, it must be pleasing and heart-warming. My daughter says, that these pillows are for hugging, and is doing so every night on the sofa with her cup of tea. Well, than they must be considered a 'goal-achieved' project. From this Christmas on, these pillows will immerse all the good memories of many many seasons, and their hugs will become warmer, more soothing and cordial. 

Sending warm hugs to your home for Christmas,

♥ Ivelina

Nordic Winter

Inspired by the upcoming season, I have designed this mini-quilt with a little twist to the stockings and the Christmas tree appearance.

The Nordic Christmas has always amazed me with the clean and fresh look to all the decorations. The colours that are mostly leading the parade of the spirit, are red and white. I chose the traditional green and the all natural linen, plus not so screaming for attention white and grey linen for the miniature stockings. 

DailyLike Canada fabric choices made the quilt really modest in colours, except the bright red velvet ribbon, that holds the mini stockings. I couldn't resist the temptation of the red and the warmth of the velvet. 

I have used linen, and lots of it. :) What can I do?! I just love linen. And the stockings look really nice, made with linen - as if they were worn by little Santa's helpers a lot, I mean a lot. And this is a good sign - presents and treats. 

These mini-stockings still can hold chocolates, or little messages from Santa ... even cookies :)

Here are the ingredients for the recipe:

DAILY LIKE Canada Half yard Basic Solid Linen “Natural” as a background fabric

DAILY LIKE Canada Half yard Quilting Cotton “Green Land” for the backing

DAILY LIKE Canada Half yard Quilting Cotton “Snowing” 

DAILY LIKE Canada Half yard Quilting Cotton “Winter Tree” for lining the stockings and the tree

DAILY LIKE Canada Quarter Fabric Pack “Nature” for the stockings

DAILY LIKE Canada Fat Quarter Fabric “Gleam” for the stockings

DAILY LIKE Canada Ribbon “Leaf” 

DAILY LIKE Canada T-Hooks, one pack of four

Additional items are the cute buttons, the velvet ribbon and the embroidery thread.

Making the mini-quilt was a magical experience - it is a gradation of joy, that sets the mood for the season.

The boots are well equipped with jingle bells.

I had some lovely ladies testing the pattern for me, before releasing it. They were extremely supportive in creating their own version of whimsical mini stockings and charming decoration. You could check their Instagram accounts for more images and other incredible creations:

Check back for more images, as I will update the quilt library with every new mini-quilt made by you.

For the rest of the days of November, with the generous cooperation of Daily Like Canada, I would like to announce a joyful, magical winter sew-along of this mini-quilt. Daily Like Canada and I have prepared a special prizes for two of you, that I am sure you would like a lot.

Join us for this fun and creative parade for Christmas. Show us your magical Nordic mini-quilts in Instagram with #NordicWinterMiniQuilt. Follow me @mon_etui and @dailylikecanada for updates and news. You can participate on Facebook as well, just make sure you tag me, so I could see your beauties.

I have created a Facebook Group here , where you could join and share your magical experience.

The sew-along will run till the end of November. It ends November 30th at 8:00 pm EST (5:00 pm PST). Two winners will be chosen to receive a lovely prize: seven half yard pieces of fabric from DailyLike Canada (3.5 yards in total), that include the full collection of Winter Wonderland plus two more pieces from the Nordic Winter mini-quilt and few heart-made by me items from Winter Wonderland. Check IG or Facebook for the information on the prizes.

Please, find the pattern of the mini-quilt here.

I hope you will enjoy the process and set the right mood for the season!

Happy sewing!

♥ Ivelina