Christmas time,

Today it is Christmas Eve and time to spend it with our families. It is also a time, when we should think about people, who is not with us in that wonderful evening.
Earlier today I and my husband visited cemeteries to light a candle for them who are not with us anymore. That made me also miss very much my mother and my grandmother, but also other people who has passed and are not among with us, who have been very important in our lives and whom we have loved.

Christmas is family time, but that does not have to mean, that it is sad times only. Today in many homes it has been visited by Santa. Our home has not yet visited by Santa, but I believe, he is not far away anymore with all the presents. Christmas is also about good food - I believe that many of us have a lot good Christmas food, but I hope, that also all those, who has not that much food, can spend good time anyway. Christmas is also time for giving. I have tried self to help as much as possible during a year, I believe that I have not been alone, since so many people have started to change their habits and have started to help more and more those people, who really needs our help.
Now, I just want to wish you all Merry Christmas and have a wonderful time with your families!

Christmas table decoration,

Today I made a small Christmas group for table as decoration. This has been first for this year and I think it came out quite OK. I liked that small elf under Christmas tree :) Christmas is arrived :D OK, almost :D

One day left,

for my first giveaway in Facebook. Have you missed it before, you still have chance to be part of this giveaway. Conditions for taking part is very easy. All you need to do, is go to my handcraft page in Facebook: Ingrit's handarbete och presents. Become fan and you will have a chance to win your own personal towel. Remember, you have time until 30th November. Winner will be announced 1th December, so that winner will have chance to get the towel before Christmas.

Good Luck!

Napp holders,

Today I took bit time to sew again. Made 2 napp holders. Would had made more, but I just had 2 rings, so, now I have to buy some more before I can do more napp holders. Will see, perhaps in Christmastime, when I am going home and planning to visit handcraft shop, I will also find some more different ribbons. Mostly the ones I have right now, is or boys. Only those two ribbons in my opinion will suit more for girls as well.
If you want to have something like that, when just mail me or contact me through homepage. 

Finally I got it,

Today I can say, that finally I got my new endless hoop. Since I changed my sewing machine, I could not use the endless embroidery hoop I had, since it did not fit for my Pfaff Creative machine.
In spring did Pfaff came out with new Grand Endless Embroidery Hoop. That time I was between two choices, should I have that one or older one, what is bit smaller endless hoop. Since Pfaff given out some nice endless embroidery patterns what only fits to Grand Endless Embroidery Hoop, when my decision was made. Now I also can start to make my own lace :) Will be nice and good. Just need some more free time now as well :)
Together with my new hoop, I also got my new embroidery pattern card. This time it was the one, what I had ordered before. Lucky me, I got it :) Embroidery pattern card 203 Special Techniques Butterflies :) Will be nice to use it before summer :) Soon, very soon ;) Have already some good ideas :)

New embroidery patterns,

Picture taken from Inspira collection in HusqvarnaViking homepage

Today I got e-mail from my dealer for sewing machine. My new embroidery patterns had arrived. That means, now I can do much more nice things.
Soon Christmas is coming, so one of the patterns is of course Christmas related :) Patterns comes from Inspira collection and is Christmas Eve and has very nice Christmas patterns. Will try to embroider soon some of them.
Another pattern what I had ordered and got today is also from Insipras new collection. That card is Cross stitch borders.  Feels good to try that as well. Have to just wait some more days until I can order in dealers inspiration evening an endless hoop, so I can start to use my endless patterns as well :)
So, if you want something nice with new patterns, when just contact me and we can discuss about it, so that both parts would be satisfied with end result.

Don't forget first giveaway in facebook page,

It is time for first giveaway in my facebook handwork page. It is very easy to be part of that giveaway. Only thing you need to do is go to my facebook page: Ingrit's handarbete och presents and like my page. Only thing is, that you have to do it before 1 of December to be part of giveaway. Right now we are 35 people, who will be part of my first giveaway. Will you also be part of it, just become as fan of my page and that simple it is.

Present you can win is personal towel with your name on. Winner will be announced 2 December and I will contact winner for further details as well 2 December. Time just goes. Just 2 weeks left until end of November.

Good Luck!
Ingrit

Knitted scarf,

Last night, I tried to took my nervousness away by doing  some nice handwork. Since I had mother who made all nice knitting work for me before, when now after her death, I have shop to buy.
In the end of September, I was in Borås in handcraft fair, when I bought one different type of yarn for scarf. After I did finish it, I started to like it and decided to make some for sale. First one is done now :)

Baby blanket,

Blanket with plain fleece fabric.

Another thing I made today was two different baby blankets from fleece. The fleece is same, but one of them has even the cotton fabric on the other side.

Fleece blanket with cotton fabric in under neath.

 Blankets can be used everywhere, since they are warm and soft.

Fleece blanket with cotton fabric in under neath.

Blankets can be made different colors and shape. Same goes for fabric in under neath.

Pillow case,

Today after all my things in town was done and I had been out with my dog, I started to sew again after I had a small break of it. First thing I did today was 2 pillow cases for our pillows, since they are bit bigger than usually. Our main pillows are 65x65 cm and normally they are 50x60 cm. So, I decided to make my own, since when I also could do them bit more personal and that no one else has similar ones.

Fabric I used i cotton and I embroidered on - Good night, Sleep well. Hopefully I will have good night sleep today on it :)

If you want your own pillow cases, when just mail me and you can have your own personal pillow case:)

Personal bath towel,

In last week, after I had made my small facebook page for my handwork, I also got one order for personal bath towels. The size for towels are 60x130 cm. In picture it is hard to see, but they are pink color towels. In each towel I used different multi-color thread, since I think that it gives very nice effect and looks something different than usually :)
Would you like to order as well nice towel, when just feel free to contact me. Have a nice evening.

Giveaway in facebook page,

It is time for first giveaway in my facebook handwork page. It is very easy to be part of that giveaway. Only thing you need to do is go to my facebook page: Ingrit's handarbete och presents and like my page. Only thing is, that you have to do it before 1 of December to be part of giveaway.

Present you can win is personal towel with your name on. Winner will be announced 2 December and I will contact winner for further details as well 2 December.

Good Luck!

Handwork in Facebook,

Now I have finally took time and made Facebook page for my handwork. It as good to do. Showed how much I have already made but also there is more work what needs to be done, since not all pictures are up on the net.
If you interested and would like to see, what I have done, you can go and push like on my Facebook page. You will finding it under: Ingrit's handarbete och presents / Ingrit'i käsitöö ja kingitused.
After my exam, when I have bit more time for me, I will put up some more pictures of my handwork and will try to spend some more time behind my sewing machine. Soon is Christmastime and presents needs to be made :) It will be fun to see how it goes.

Also I have made plan for make a small competition on my Facebook page. There all the people, who likes my page will be part of lottery to win a personal towel with own choice of picture or text. It will be fun for me, since I love handwork and make things.

Autumn and it's beautiful colors,

Autumn has arrived and feels like winter is not very far either. It has been snowing many places during this week. For many places snow has already melted down but some places still have it.
I personally love winter and I truly hope that this winter will be nice, cold and with snow and with no rain. It has been raining too much during this year.

Today I and my husband went to small Sunday's trip as we sometimes are doing since I needed small break for my exam studies and the weather was very nice. We decided to enjoy a small cup of coffee and  after that we visited Röglo. Just some kilometers outside of Gränna towards Huskvarna and Jönköping. We have been visited that place many times before, so that was not first time, but it was nice autumn colors we saw there. One of my places I like to go and visit again and again and again.

Most of all what I liked was to take photos. Have missed that much. It is same to take pictures as to sit behind the sewing machine and sew. Just school has taken most of the time and work, so there is not much time left over for the photography and sewing. Will see what happens in future.
At least I was happy for a while and that counts bit, since lately I have felt sad and unhappy and not myself. 

Me and the dress,

Now I have had honor do wear a nice evening gown. Must admit, I never have been had one before. Ok, except my wedding gown last year. This time I had to wear one evening gown in ball and my wedding gown did not fit for that purpose ;)

 
This was first time I went and bought one nice gown, since I have never own one before and I thought, that it is time to buy one, since I might and will need one in later occasions as well. So, it would be good to have one in wardrobe.
Since the dress was bit long and some places little bit to long and little bit to big, so it was need some adjustments. Since it is hard do do it self, I asked help from my friend. Our surprise how the dress was made, was actually very big. Would ever have thought that the dress could have been made that way. Especially if you buy it from the special shop, who should be used to sell the dresses. This evening gown came from the same shop as my wedding gown came. I bought it from Kristina Brud & Fest in Jönköping. Since my wedding gown was nice, it made me feel comfortable to go and buy evening gown from same place since I thought that I will get nice one. Must admit, outside it was look nice, but when we started to fix it, when surprises did not end.

After some hard work and fixing, the end result was very nice. It also made, that I felt for a second time in my life as I was a princess. Never have had that feeling before, since I never have felt that I am worth that feeling.

On Friday, I felt like magic was around me and I felt beautiful. That moments are worth much more than any word or picture. The feeling was just amazing and I hope that there comes some other moments, when I can feel ever little bit that magic again. I am usually not a dress person, but those are moments, when I consider more often to wear dresses :)

Small purse,

In Friday I was out in ball and had nice gown on, but that gown missed one small detail. It did not had any pure with it where we women, could have put our phone and lipstick. What else left over for me to do. Make it self :)

When I tried first time, when I did had fabric what was much more lighter blue, than my dress and I felt that the color difference is too big. So, I tried to find new fabric, what was closer to the one I needed and dress was. Couple of weeks ago I was lucky and got it from Tygfabriken in Huskvarna.
Very good shop :) One of the places we visiting quite often.

Last week I made the nice bag ready and the end result was quite nice. In the first look the purses fabric seemed bit different from the color of dress, but in the end, it was actually very close. I was satisfied with my end result and I had possible to have my phone and lipstick with me. As we girls would like.

Pattern for my purse came from Pfaff's embroidery card nr. 203 Handbags and more.
It has it small mistakes, but what matters was that it is my own made and it fitted with my nice dress.

Embroidery patterns what I have,

 

Here I have gathered some patterns what I have. I have some more what I have bought online, but have no special pattern card. I will try in nearest future to gather some of them in one file and add some links :) Just you need to be patient :D It will take some time :D

Husqvarna Viking patterns:

Card 263 Line Art Flowers (ordered and should arrive on some weeks time )
Card 257 3D Flowers
Card 237 Quilting for the Holiday 
Card 231 Textured Quilting II 
Card 227 Christmas Creations
Card 222 Cross Stitch Harmony
Card 215 Hoop! Sew! Go! 
Card 214 Towel Magic
Card 203 Special Techniques Butterflies  
Card 202 Cutwork Finesse
Card 200 In Full Bloom
Card 197 Embellish with Yarn
Card 193 Wing Needle Embroidery
Card 186 Mega Madeira Borders
Card 182 Felting Art Embroidery
Card 180 Mega Blossom
Card 178 Mega Decór  
Card 163 Dimensional Decorations
Card 162 Blooming Flower 
Card 153 Colors of Autumn
Card 137 Swedish Santas 
Card 128 Flowers and Fashions
Card 117 Mega Borders
Card 78 Kitchen & Garden II
Card 74 Fuzzy Wuzzy Bears
Card 68 Beautiful Baltimore
Card 47 Butterflies

Pfaff patterns:

Card 452 Handbags and More
Card 436 Grand Dream Yarn Quilting Special Techniques
Card 429 Elegant Pop-Up Flowers
Card 424 Endless vintage cotton lace


Inspira patterns:

Endless Elements
Flower Fun
Elegant Bottles
Easter Friends
Fantasy Garden
Mega Florals
Christmas Eve
Cross stitch borders
Baltimore in Bloom

Have even some singer patterns, but those I have not found from the net yet, so, this I have to scan in and add later.

Pickled pumpkin,

Today I made first time homemade pickled pumpkin. As I wrote before, it is first time for me to do it, since it has been first year ago, I ate first time it. Since I did not have any recipe self, I asked it nicely from my aunt. Now it is done and waiting to be eaten later, since it wants to stand bit so that pumpkin can take all spices into it.
Here comes recipe I used, if someone would like to make it after.

Ingredients:

1 kg cleaned and chopped pumpkin
3/4 liter water
300 gr sugar
5 corn allspice
7 corn clove
3 tbl. spoon 30% plain vinegar
small pieces cinnamon bark

Clean and peel pumpkin and chop it small square bites. After that make pickling water.  Put water in one big bowl or pot. Add sugar and mix it well through until all sugar is melted. After that add all spices and vinegar. Pour all over the pumpkin and let it stay over night in chilled room.
Day two let it boil. Boil around 10-15 minutes and mix it as much as you can carefully, so that pumpkin does not get mashed.

Ler it stay at least couple of days and Bon apetit :D Nice salad for main course :)

Weekend,

Soon weekend is over and new week will arrive. This weekend has flied very fast again in some reason.

Weekend have been so far very nice, if I do not think and look of the back pain, what I still have. I have had that pain past 1,5 weeks. I truly hope that soon I will be free from that pain.

Weekend at home has been good. Quite many things has been made and some things still can be done more. One big thing todays plan is to finish my marinated pumpkin. It has been in marinade since yesterday and has to be couple of hours more and when it is ready to be cooked and canned. First time for me to do pumpkin and I believe that it will be interesting to see how the result will be. It has been a year since I started to eat pumpkin even thought my family has made it in since I was child. Can't give any reason, why I never have eaten it before. Therefore it is interesting for me to see how the result is :)

I want to wish you all a nice weekend. It might happen, that i will write bit more later, but I will not give any promises for that :) I admit, I just love Garfield ;)

Day three,

 

It has been now some days, when I have had my new Mac and it starts now to go better.
Today I also visited local MH Store in city centrum and asked little advice about computer. First thought was, that I wanted to buy a book, what should give me some clue about my computer, since as I have wrote before - I am used to be PC person, but after some help, it might be, that I can also use my Mac :D
The guys was very helpful in store. They had sold out on book but then they came with better idea. They are having courses in store for new people like me, to learn to use Mac it´s all glory :)
I was take the chance and registered my self for that course. So, on the first of November I have chance to learn my computer much more, than I knowing it now. Must admit, today it has been went better, than it has went before. I start to think, that it might be, that I will win that challenge what I have taken for me :)
It has been else nice day. Have spend my time with my family and just enjoyed nice Saturday.

Now, I just want to wish you all a nice Saturday evening. Tomorrow it is Sunday and weekend will come to it´s end. Have a nice time!!

Mac Vs. Pc,

 

Now I have had last couple of days my new computer. This time it is a small 13 inch MacBook. Totally different direction from the other computers I have had, since the others has been so far Windows PC¨s.

Good question, why I decided this time for Mac instead for PC. I think there has been many reasons, why it was that decision this time. Now I can say that it is quite big challenge for me :) So far I have been using windows and now all the things are totally different, what I am used to know. 2 days and I feel like I am on my way to go nuts :)
This time I have to learn all by myself that computer from the beginning. Everyone else I know, mostly uses PC and can´t therefore help me with my problems. My dear husband looked yesterday my computer and was surprised - no games :) I said nope :D I do not play, so I don´t care about it. After that I could get my computer back :D Was not interesting anymore for him :D Good for me I think.

Right now I can say, that a lot of things and whole system is totally new for me. Before it was enough to use mouse buttons, now seems that I have to give commands and in some cases even to know the shortcuts, what I do not know yet so well. One thing I miss, is manual for the computer. I know, that computer has help inside, but not always I can get answers from there. So, seems that one thing tomorrow I should do, is to go in book shop and see, can I find some kind of help there.
Some things I have managed to learn how to use. One big plus for Mac is, that things I can do on my iPhone and iPad, I also can do it on my computer now. I do not need my phone or iPad with me, since i can use iMessage also on computer. Feels quite good actually. Thanks for the iCloud, I even can hold all things synchronized and updated.
I believe, one day, I have won my challenge and I can say I can use my new computer. Until then, I have to find out different things how to learn to use it better.

Handwork fair,

As I mentioned in last log, when I and my friend visited today handwork fair in Borås. We left around half past 8 at home and was back around 3. Time in fair just flew away.
It was not first time for us to visit that kind of fair. We have visited before as well. Last year even twice - in spring in Jönköping and later in the year in Stockholm. Of course, right away, can we say, that Stockholm is the biggest, but the smaller ones has also it's own advantages.
Today I got some inspiration and bought also some patterns for sewing as well for embroidery. Fairs are good for this way, that patterns and things can be much cheaper as they usually are.
One of the unsusual thing what I bought was yarn for knitting. I do not knit usually, but last year I had got one scarf and I so much wanted to try to make some new ones for me and as well as for sale.
First result is done and now just some more knitting is waiting for me. That does not mean only, that I will start to knot some bigger and more things. I will still stay for sewing and embroidery projects.
Since weekend has passed quite fast, I will not be able to try new embroidery patterns or things now, but have to wait next weekend again to take some time for me. During the week, it will be time for school, studies, Lions and work.
I just want to wish you all good weekend, what has been left over of it and have a nice work week. Here comes some pictures I did make in fair today.