Third Picture

This morning I wanted to take a picture of the full moon. Last night it was so big and yellow and round when we were shopping (without camera!), but when we came back home I couldn't take a picture of it simply because it was behind the hill and the houses and the trees. (Of course, I had just seen it in the village and it was still there.) To my disappointment the sky was cloudy this morning, no moon to be seen. Luckily the weather turned cold yesterday (-6 C or 21 F), so the tiny sparkles of ice were everywhere in the darkness at seven in the morning. I bet you are getting my point here: this is a dark and cold place at this time of the year.

Second Day

Today is not yet frosty, but I thought this hawthorn picture from October would be nice for the early December days. In real life there are no more leaves in the hedge. I like this picture anyway.

My Advent Calendar

I'm trying to post at least one picture for every day in December until Christmas. This linden tree looks like there are modern earrings hanging in it.

Quilt Patterns Everywhere

On Wednesday I was in Helsinki on my day off. There was a big construction site just next to Stockmann's Christmas window, and I had to take some photos of the wonderful pavement they were laying there. It is a pedestrian zone, and the tiling will cover a 250 m long area. This first part is 50 m long.

Isn't this a perfect (and difficult) quilt pattern?

One more view. The yellow shade is only a reflection on the water, the slabs are in grey and red granite.

 You can read more about the British mathematician Roger Penrose and Penrose tiling here. A less scientific and more fun approach to the subject is here. Helsinki has just been nominated  design capital of the world 2012.

The window reflected everything so badly that my pictures are of no use. Here is a tonttu girl, especially for you, Melanie!

The clock tower of the main railway station is under renovation, but look how nice tarps they use to protect the work:

The sky behind the tower in the tarp picture is blue, even when the weather is all grey.

In Helsinki I went shopping for some fabrics and things I needed, but mainly to have a pedicure. You may remember the custom order by my friend PN, a 6 m long wall hanging for her in exchange for free pedicure. I have almost all the fabrics for it from her, all I need is nice blue fabrics for the sky. I used my big box of coloured pencils for the first time to make a sketch of my ideas.

The drawing is 1 : 10, and I think I will need to make a big sketch on paper before cutting any fabrics. Luckily ther is no rush so I can postpone this project to January.

Finally I read about the results of the Tanzanian orphanage project in the newspaper. They received 177 quilts and blankets, 441 sheets and 24 pillow cases. Most of them have already been delivered to orphanages and hospitals in Tanzania.

This is a busy time, with secret projects, so there are no pictures of my doings in the sewing room. Have a wonderful weekend. It is time to light the first Advent candle on Sunday.

Christmas Shop opened again

On Saturday was the opening of my sewing club's Christmas Shop in Villa Cooper. Gingerbread and hot glögi was served, and the house seemed to be full of customers.  I tried to take some pictures, but it was difficult in the crowded house. I will need to go there on a more quiet day. Here you have some views:

Notice the special candle on the table! Everything here is made by members of the club, and for sale.

Table runners, and pottery.

The true Santa's helpers look something like this, and they are called tonttu (tomte if they speak Swedish). You can keep your elves in their green tights. The true Santa Claus lives in Korvatunturi in Finland, and his office is on the Polar Circle. (The North Pole is just ICE on water, if you don't mind me telling you.)

When they grow older, like 250 years or so, their beards are long already. They don't usually want to be seen.

Christmas is the most important time for candle burning, and these candles are especially festive. The blue and white ones are for Independence Day, December 6th. They are the colours of the Finnish flag.

More pictures will follow after my next visit to the shop.

Vintage Thingies 47 - Simplicity Patterns

When I was digging in my drawers to find some buttons, I came across the Simplicity and other patterns I have kept for whatever reason.

This is a teenage size, so I must have kept it for sentimental reasons only. What about these:

See how the middle girl on the first pattern has been cut off? That is what my mother did when she had bought the pattern and the fabric but had no time to sew it for Christmas or a birthday. She would wrap the fabric nicely, with the little picture, telling "you will get this of this fabric, when I have time". My overall was of a soft blue flowery synthetic material. Lovely to wear but not so nice when you had to go.

These dresses were probably not for me but for one of my elder sisters. I think the yellow suit in the top pattern looks very elegant.

The last set of overalls may be too new to be vintage, but it sure looks old fashioned. The big shoulders made my proportions look better, but taht is all I miss from this time. You can see the girl on the left carry a shoulder bag, so these are not pyjamas patters! Did you wear overalls?

This is of course Vintage Thingies Thursday, hosted by the Coloradolady Suzanne. Click here to get to her blog with today's list of links to vintage stories.

I could kiss the mailman...

..and so I did. Mr. Kotkarankki is my mailman, he brings our home mail from his office on the lunch break. Most days it is just invoices or his professional magazines, but look what he brought me today:

Recently I won Paulette's Give Away, and because I was the first one to contact her back, I got to choose any one I wanted from her gifts. I picked the Primitive Gatherings penny rug table mat pattern, with wool fabrics for the appliqué. I have just made my first wool felt appliqué candle mat, and sewing it was such fun that I wanted to try another pattern. There are sweet lambs in this one, so I think I will try to make it for Easter.

Sweet P Paulette included two cute snowman labels. Thank you, dear blogging friend!

The weather has been cloudy but without rain in any form, and the temperature keeps above the freezing point. I was a spry girl and spent an hour and a half raking on the lawn and taking the heaps of leaves to the compost. That means three points for my activity card!

I took this picture a couple of weeks ao, when the ponds were frozen. There is still some thin ice, but it is covered with water and may melt away if the weather doesn't get colder.