Stitches and Thrills

Since I was close to a sunstroke 2 weeks ago I decided it was time for another good sunhat. I am currently working on some different designs. Keeping in mind that my head is actually quite large I wanted a shape that would not be so size-related. In mind came Laura Ingalls' yellow bonnet (too many reruns of The Little House On The Prairie =^x^= ), but in a kawaii fabric version. This option will also be explored in the future. But now I got side tracked by the idea of combining it with Dutch traditional folk wear. In Dutch tradional costume the women often have a lace hat or bonnet. And particularly in Zeeland they sometimes wear starch striped, floral or plaid fabric to cover chest and shoulders. This is for instance the case in Spakenburg. I decided to use that starch printed fabric for the hat to emphasis the simple lines. Bonnet The shimmery "mirrors" completed the Dutch influence. Thank you, kraplap : to also be an inspiration to this design with the weekly challen...

Are mermaids pink haired perky creatures splashing in blue water while singing with their jolly starfish friends? Not in my world.Mermaids must live in the deepest part of the ocean, where the sunlight won't come. Plankton, jelly fish and nuclear waste surrounds them. Nothing romantic about it. They are just queens of seaweed. This was the inspiration I got from this blue/black/green yarn for my 'Queen of seaweed' hat :

This afternoon I went to the free 'Land Of The Rising Sense' art festival in Leiden. Mainly because I was intrigued by Toyoko Shimada's Alice's Fusion Tea Party. I attended observed a Japanese tea ceremony and participated in a Chinese. It was both educational and fun. The art festival is not very big. But if you go tomorrow (Sunday 14th) there is a lecture about Shojo culture, kawaii etc as well. You might see me there again, as the Scheltema complex is only a short walk away from my house and the admittance is free. In the museum next door (Lakenhal) there is also a Japan themed exposition. So make a day of it! (My white rabbit Arabella bag fitted right in with the Alice theme. I've handed out some of Dragonhouseofyuen's business cards. =^x^=) More info: http://www.scheltemacomplex.nl/Programma/kunstfestival

I never seem to know which crafty market takes place when & where in the Netherlands. So I added the Google Calendar gadget to my blog at the bottom of the page. I entered the markets I found on the web to the calendar. I'm sure there are more, so please do send me TIPS about upcoming handmade /art/craft markets. I am looking for markets with booths from artists, designers, crafty people . So please no tips about wholesale commercial creative supplies markets. For this year I plan to visit some of the crafty markets purely as a visitor/buyer, and to maybe meet some artists I only know from the web. I know from experience that once you have a booth you usually are stuck there for most of the day. Also I have mainly knitted hats on stock, not much use for a summer market. To expand my summer collection is high on my priority list. =^x^=

Often fellow crafters/artisans ask in the forums what to do when you have a creative block. One of the advices that is given is: clear your mind, get outside, take a long walk. And it is true. That can get you focused again. But what if that's not enough? Another advice sometimes is: go to a museum. For me, if I'm stuck creatively, that usually has an opposite effect. I see all that great artwork. And back come the regrets of not choosing the art academy when I was younger. I see works I could never ever have the skills to create myself, or worse: I see things I could have made technically and ask: "Why didn't I think of that?". So it depends on the kind of museum you choose. Today I went to Audax Textielmuseum Tilburg And that is a great way to get inspiration. There are so many techniques and materials on display that my mind went into 'creative upload mode' from the moment I stepped in. My favourite hall was the Textiellab : big noisy weaving machines ...

Where: LVC, Leiden, The Netherlands When: Friday April 24th 2009 Band: Mala Vita Mala Vita is Balkan Ska Pop meets Rage Against the Machine meets Rumba Gypsy Rock (with a splash of reggea). The lyrics are mostly Italian but also Spanish, French and English. It is music and lyrics for the true global citizen. Borders only create exiles, a means to shut people out from a place that once was their home. If that place even still exist. A lot of the songs the band played tonight are from the new (third) album En Exilio . I do not speak Italian, nor Spanish or French, but the power of Mala Vita is in the international language of music. It makes you feel the emotions, the protest and the wish to live and be heared. It makes you want to shout (and jump..., but more about that later). The roots of the bandmembers are in Bosnia, Serbia, The Netherlands and Italy. On the current tour they got a enthousiastic following. Actually the frontman Mikhael is as cute as a button, if I'd been 25 ...

After her worldwide journey (from Scotland to the US, then back across the ocean to the Netherlands) Arabella "Blue Star, White Star" could be picked up by me, her winner, at the postoffice. The raffle I won her in was for the Buckeye House Rabbit Society: www.ohare.org for more information on this animal charity. She looks stunning, and I am sure she would love to accompany me to the Animal Shelter 50th anniversary party. It's a good thing Annette of Dragon House Of Yuen packed some businesscards in the bag, I'll surely be needing them. Showtime: Arabella Bag: DragonHouseOfYuen Firebird Necklace: Saskia Vorkink