My Etsy shop is now open!

Wow, it's been a long time! But there's a reason for this silence... I've now opened my own Etsy shop! For the moment it features rain hats made of Marimekko's super trendy and colorful coated cottons, and in the near future some beanies and purses will be listed, too. I'd also be happy to consider custom orders. Please come and visit!

This is my favorite hat, it's such a good color combination :)

Little Purse

I found a sample piece in Marimekko store a few weeks ago; a purple and off-white upholstery fabric, measuring 30 cm x 90 cm. It cost only 2 Euro, so I couldn't let it be. My idea was to make a little purse out of it, and here's the result.

I used almost all of the fabric, what remained was a tiny patch measuring 7 cm x 3 cm! I drew the pattern myself, and it's actually really simple if you measure the pieces carefully. You need two long strips for the straps (one of them is split into two for the zipper), and two larger pieces for the sides. Sewing was a bit more complicated due to the fraying fabric. If I did it all over again, I'd start with the serger and sew around all the pieces before starting to sew them together.

A visit to Marimekko's factory outlet was also scheduled for this week. I knew I was in trouble as soon as I saw the huge bags full of striped knit, costing only 12 Euro! (When I got home, I put the bag on scale, and it weighed more than six kilos - all that knit for almost nothing.) And then things got completely out of hand: a big selection of knits, rain cloth, wax cloth and lots of other things for 6 Euro per meter. I had two really big bags in my hands when I finally made my way out, and didn't even have the car with me ;) So, what you're going to see is a lot of Marimekko clothing in the future!

Marimekko Love

My childhood was filled with Marimekko fabrics. My mom made most of our curtains, bedspreads and tablecloths from Marimekko, and I still recognize many of their patterns: “Wow, I had ___ (insert an item from my childhood home here) from that fabric!”.

I still have some of the fabrics with me, and I thought I'd write a bit about them whenever there aren't any new crafty projects going on.

Here's my most favorite item: the quilt my mom made for me when I was around five or six years old (my brother has another one made from different fabrics, I'll try and get it photographed as well). It's really simple, just two Marimekko fabrics quilted together and a basting in between. I still sleep with it during summer, since it's nice and heavy without being too hot.

The two fabrics are original prints from the 60s, and the colors are still amazingly strong! The quilt has been washed time and time again, but it's still bright and lovely. The first one is called "Istuva härkä" (Sitting Bull) and the second is "Pioni", both by the famous Maija Isola (1967 and 1970 respectively).  


If you’re curious about Marimekko, the best place to go to is of course their own website. If you’re interested in the designers (who are a huge inspiration to me) and the history of Marimekko, go directly to http://www.marimekko.com/who-we-are/designers/

Fisherman's Hats

I've been looking for a simple bucket hat pattern with as few pieces to sew together as possible. Then I noticed that the latest summer issue of Ottobre Design had a hat pattern called Fisherman's, that actually had only six pieces to sew together (ok, six pieces times two, as there's the lining too). I made two of them, as usual...

On one side of the first hat I used Marimekko's "Silkkikuikka" fabric in lime green and on the other side plain lime green linen.

The second hat is made of some light-weight striped linen and Ikea cotton. Love them, as do the boys! They're always competing over who gets to wear which hat, so I guess there's a third one in the makings.

Monkey Shirt

Another t-shirt from a fun monkey knit. I'm still not sure I like the turquoise ribbing, it's a bit too much of a contrast to the brown. Might have to go back and change it. Or make another one! I'm getting much faster with sewing with the new serger, this t-shirt I made in less than an hour (and I even stitched the hem with a twin needle on my regular sewing machine).


I got complimented on the clothes my boys were wearing when we went to a family party last week. Both wore only self-made clothing (i.e. the Owl shirt, and Summer shorts). Couldn't be happier :)

Pattern is from Ottobre Design 3/2011.

Bohemian Tunic

So here’s the finished Bohemian tunic! That piece of grey and black Marimekko knit was great for this purpose, and the tunic turned out beautifully. The little front pockets took most of the sewing time, but were definitely worth the effort. My colleagues would not believe this is self-made, which is a big compliment I guess :)

The pattern comes from Ottobre Design 5/2009.

As soon as I’d finished the Bohemian, I started on a new tunic. It’s also made from Marimekko cotton fabric called Tamburiini, designed by the iconic Maija Isola in 1962 (my fabric is a reprint from 2003). More about that later...

Writer's Block

Do you ever have a sort of writer’s block when planning to cut an expensive fabric? I always check the pattern and measurements twice before taking my scissors to a Marimekko fabric! I guess it’s a good thing too, since then you know you’ve made sure the pattern is the right one for that particular fabric. Especially Marimekko is something I get a bit apprehensive about, mostly because of their high prices… Last Sunday I was going to start cutting a Marimekko ”Samovaari” knit, and had to take a deep breath before doing anything. Funny.

Anyway, what I’m going to make out of the Samovaari knit is a summer top for myself using Ottobre’s “Bohemian” pattern. Fingers crossed it will fit me! (I’m going to have two whole days just for myself this week, preparing for a sewing marathon that is :)).

Summer Shorts

More summer projects! 

My mom gave me an old denim fabric that she’d used for my brother’s favorite coat some twenty years ago (wish I had a picture to show you, my mom's a really good seamstress). The denim is pretty soft, and has a nice black-grey color.

There wasn’t enough of fabric for two shorts, so I bought a piece of stretchy blue denim for a second pair from the local fabric shop.

I added big side pockets from heavy Ikea cotton, just to give them a bit of character. I’m afraid the pockets will be filled up with sand every time we go outside to play… Can’t wait. For the summer, that is!

These shorts have been added to the Celebrate the Summer Boy Flickr group. 

Owl T-Shirt

I bought this owl interlock fabric right after I got my new serger, just couldn't resist it. The fabric is maybe slightly darker than what I thought (bought it from an online store), but it still makes a nice summer wear. The close-up shows the colours best, it was a bit dark to take good pics.

The t-shirt pattern is from Ottobre Design 3/2011, but unlike the striped slim-fit shirt, this is a "regular" t-shirt, and I like it better that way. The slim-fit t-shirt turned out a bit too slim, although my kids are quite skinny. Or maybe I'm not used to the serger yet, and have been cutting too much away, ha!

Striped T-shirt

This is a slim-fit t-shirt that I made with an Ottobre Design 3/2011 pattern. It's a bit too slim fit, but otherwise looks fun to me. I made it from a knit that was left over from this hoodie.

My New Serger

Woohoo! I got myself a serger! Finally! It's an Elna 664, I haven't been able to try it out yet, as I don't have enough thread...

All it took was a trip to Canada and back, a nice jet-lag, a huge sale, and some luck - it was the last one left.

I guess this will start a new sewing frenzy, although sewing knits hasn't been an issue to me since finding the twin needle.

Lina Hat

I'm terribly afraid of flying, but once in a while there comes a trip that requires me to get on a plane, and try and survive the flight. As a remedy for flear of flying, I tried knitting: I bought new bamboo needles just for the trip, and found a nice and complicated enough pattern to keep my thoughts away from flying. Two 8-hour flights to Montreal and back were enough to finish this lovely Lina hat. My new bamboo needles were great for the project, light and smooth, and of course air-line safe ;) I made the cable in the “normal” way, using an extra needle.

Fireman Helmets

Why is it that small boys love fire trucks? I’m so happy I made these fireman helmets for my boys last Christmas. Initially they weren’t too excited about them, but this spring they’ve started playing fireman almost every day, always following the same pattern: the alarm goes off (i.e. a button on the stairs) and the boys run to get their helmets, slide down the fireman’s pole (a round pillow), jump on the fire truck (the sofa) and douse the flames with water. It’s the funniest thing to watch!

The helmets are made of red wool felt of two different thicknesses (the brim is a bit thicker to keep it better in shape). I used a summer hat pattern and simply adjusted the brim measurements a bit, so that it’s wider at the back. And then I sewed a yellow badge to the front to keep the brim up.

Autumn Coat

Finally something for me! I've been thinking of making a coat for myself for a while, and finally located a pattern I really liked. It's actually for a raincoat, but I loved the slight A-line of the coat and decided to make it as a regular coat for the autumn (or for spring for that matter).

The coat was pretty easy to make, no big problems. I added a thin micro fleece lining but otherwise followed the pattern. Oh, and I made it at least two sizes smaller in width, because the pattern was absolutely huge for my thinnish shape. I lined the hood, pockets and front with a floral fabric (must check what it is).

Striped Shirts

My new favorites are these striped shirts I made for the boys. I’ve been terrified of sewing stretchy fabrics (apart from college and velour type of fabrics, such as in the Dotty hoodies), but I’ve finally found a solution.

I experimented with all the different stretch stitches my sewing machine has, and none of them would work on thin t-shirt knit. I googled the problem and tried new settings again and again. Nothing would work. Then I found out that a twin needle (with ball points!) might do the trick, tried it and – just like magic – it worked! No rolling, puckering or holes, just a nice, even line of stitches. Pheew.  

The two striped knits have been in my stash for a few years. I bought them from Marimekko's outlet shop in Sulkava on a summer holiday trip, and now I could finally make something out of them. Both fabrics are really soft and lovely, and I can say that frequent washing hasn’t changed them a bit. Marimekko still has the quality they are known for, it seems.

The shirt pattern (Ottobre 4/2007) is pretty basic except for the detail on the back side; the keyhole snap closure fits my boys' big heads. The ribbing is in contrasting colors, lime green and brown.

Fabric Baskets

I admit it. Our kitchen table tops are often filled with a myriad of small things whose origin or purpose no one seems to know. It's been bugging me for a long time but the solution took a long time coming. I've seen plenty of fabric baskets in blogs and I thought I'd give it a try using the Ikea fabric scraps I had lying around. I made three baskets: a really big one for the newspapers and magazines, and two smaller ones for all the unidentifiable small things. Kind of like them, and they make the kitchen look much brighter (considering that the kitchen is all-white, not by our own choice!).

Skull Hat

Here's yet another Christmas present, a knit Skull Hat. Loved the pattern, although the yarn is a bit too stretchy. I had to add an elastic to the first row... (Prym actually makes one called "knitting-in elastic", and it's really nice to use).

Tunturi Hat

I just realized that all my Christmas presents are going to be handmade, and that they are all hats! It’s a theme I’m happy to follow :) My brother who is the outdoorsy type is going to get a Tunturi Hat. It’s a free pattern by Shelby, so go ahead and download it for your own projects. "Tunturi" means a mountain or a fell, and I believe the hat will be used on one, too. I made my version from two types of fleece, a micro fleece for the inside and a thicker fleece on the outside.

Cap for Dad

Another version of the Summer Hat, this time it became a cap for my dad. We both have big heads, so finding a cap that would stay put even on windy days was an issue for him (and he loves sailing so you see that it is a problem).

The hat part is made from corduroy, and the sun brim and lining from an Ikea cotton fabric. Backside has an elastic to improve the fit and make the cap a bit more snug. Dad's using it so much that I think you could call this project a success!

Japanese Reversible Dress

As a mother of two boys, I'm always crawing to make girls' clothes, but rarely have the opportunity (I know, I could make them just for fun, but I prefer to make them for someone real, matching the fabrics to the personality). My friend's daughter just turned one, and I made a little reversible dress for her.

The pattern comes from a Japanese pattern book that I bought from ureshi's etsy shop. The book is all in Japanese, but the sewing instructions are very well illustrated and include clear how-to make diagrams for each step of the way. I'm not too sure how the sizing matches up with European, but I do think the patterns are on the smallish side.