Quilts for babies

I don't often make quilts, but when I do, it takes me months to finish them!
Nu fac quilturi foarte des, dar cand fac, imi ia luni sa le termin!

However, when I do finish them, I get reports of 4-year-old boys running through the house using the quilt as a cape, then counting the cars repeatedly, then snuggling in the quilt, then counting the cars again. Are those signs of a happy customer? I think yes :)
Totusi, atunci cand le termin, mi se spune despre un anume baietel de 4 ani care a fugit prin casa folosind quiltul drept mantie, apoi a numarat masinutele in mod repetat, apoi s-a invelit in quilt, apoi si-a mai numarat o data masinutele. Oare astea sunt semnele unui client fericit? Cred ca da :)

This quilt was to go together with a Tilda bunny. Unfortunately, the neck seam burst when I was filling it. My hand stitched repair job was less than satisfactory, so Mr. Bunny ended up with an unexpected bow tie to cover up my oopsie. But shh, don't tell the customers, please let it look like I meant it all along! It looks good like that anyway, I think I might make some more elegant bowtied bunnies. 
Acest quilt a fost comandat impreuna cu un iepuras Tilda. Din pacate, cusatura de la gat a plesnit atunci cand il umpleam. Am incercat eu sa cos ruptura cu mana, dar reparatia nu arata satisfacator. Asa ca domnu' Iepure a primit un papion neasteptat care sa-mi acopere greshelutza. Dar shhh, sa nu le spuneti clientilor, lasati-i sa creada ca asta era intentia mea de la bun inceput! Oricum, arata fain asa, cred ca voi mai face iepurasi eleganti cu papion.

The above-mentioned happy customer's little sister, being newly born, had more pressing issues to attend to and refrained from commenting on her own gifts. But her quilt looked like this:
Surioara mai sus mentionatului client fericit, fiind nou nascuta, avea chestiuni mai presante de rezolvat, asa ca s-a abtinut de la exprimarea de comentarii cu privire la cadourile ei. Dar quiltul pentru ea arata asa:

It was extremely hard to find fabrics in the shades of orange requested, so I improvised! Using 3 thrifted pillow cases and some left-over fabrics I had in my stash, I stamped and painted and stamped until I managed to make all the blocks come together nicely:

Mi-a fost foarte greu sa gasesc materiale in nuantele de portocaliu cerute, asa ca am improvizat. Folosind 3 fete de perna de la second si ramasite de materiale din casa, am stampilat si am pictat si iar am stampilat, pana cand am reusit sa fac toate blocurile sa se potriveasca frumos:

The baby girl also got a colour-coordinated doll to go with her quilt:

Fetita a primit si ea o papusa asortata cu quiltul:

No, the lace flower is not there to cover up another oopsie, it was ordered like that! You just have no faith in me, do ya?
Nu, floarea de dantela nu e acolo ca sa acopere alta greshelutza,asa a fost comandata! Voi chiar n-aveti nici pic de incredere in mine, asa-i?

Bunnies and stuff

This time last year, I was lying in bed, my pitiful lingering interrupted only by bouts of vomiting and other equally unpleasant manifestations of food poisoning. I was spending what I thought were my last days on Earth... when a miracle happened! The postman brought me the parcel containing this book, which, in my terrible suffering, I had almost forgotten I had ordered. I spent a few hours in bed poring over every single page, template and image. It's just cuteness overload!

Anul trecut pe vremea asta zaceam in pat, cu lancezeala-mi intrerupta numai de varsaturi si de alte manifestari la fel de placute ale unei toxiinfectii alimentare. Imi traiam ceea ce credeam a fi ultimele mele zile pe pamant, cand miracolul s-a intamplat! Postasul mi-a adus coletul ce continea o carte de care, in suferinta mea atroce, aproape ca uitasem. Am petrecut cateva ore in pat uitandu-ma atent la fiecare pagina, fiecare imagine si fiecare tipar. Sun toate mai mult decat dulci!

 

Due to my new treasures or to my titanium immune system, not sure which, I lived not only to tell this tale, but to start making things out of the books. I started with two bunnies which turned out almost as cute as the ones in the book:

Datorita noii mele comori sau datorita sistemului meu imunitar infailibil, nu stiu exact care, am supravietuit nu numai ca sa pot spune aceasta poveste, ci si ca sa ma apuc sa fac lucruri din carti. Am inceput cu doi iepurasi care au iesit aproape la fel de draguti ca si cei din carte:

It wasn't long before they started doing.... what bunnies do best. Since, after years of crafting, I now find myself unable to follow a pattern thoroughly, I tweaked here and there: different kinds of ears, some bunnies got hats, some had names embroidered on their clothing, some were even dressed in fancy evening attire.

Nu a durat mult pana cand au inceput sa faca...ce fac iepurasii cel mai bine. Deoarece, dupa ani si ani de cusut, nu mai sunt capabila sa urmez un tipar intocmai, am modificat pe ici pe colo: diferite tipuri de urechi, unii iepurasi au primit palarii, altii broderii pe haine, altii au fost chiar imbracati in haine de seara.

 

  

 

 

 

People seem to love them, through no merit of mine but rather Tone's brilliant imagination. A couple even ended up in Canada, thus making Falushtain Inc a truly international enterprise:

Se pare ca lumea chiar ii place, dar asta nu este meritul meu ci al lui Tone si imaginatiei sale geniale. Doi iepurasi au ajuns chiar in Canada, facand Falushtain Inc o afacere cu adevarat internationala:

Although my friends don't quite understand the sketchy nature of Tilda's dolls and think it's cruel to leave them mouthless, it's precisely this quality I like. I think it looks even better on the fairies. I also tweaked this pattern, combining a couple of existing patterns from the book, and making everything smaller. 

Desi prietenii mei nu prea inteleg natura schematica a papusilor Tilda si li se pare crud sa le lasi fara gura, mie tocmai asta imi place. Cred ca asta arata cel mai bine la zanute. Le-am modificat un pic si pe ele, combinand mai multe tipare si facand totul mai mic:

 

This last one was adopted by J'ai Bistrot, the host of most of our fairs. She hovers in the window, guarding the customers' safe, albeit drunken passage to their homes.

Aceasta ultima zana a fost adoptata de J'ai Bistrot, gazda targurilor noastre. Pluteste in fereastra, veghind calatoria ametita a clientilor spre casa.

 

This is only the beginning of a long love affair with the Tilda brand, whose every creation is breathtakingly sweet to me and just begging to be made.

Acesta e doar inceputul unei relatii lungi si iubitoare cu marca Tilda, ale carei creatii pur si simplu cer sa fie facute.

New-faced cutie

This is only about what is becoming a pretty standard cute-doll-with-name-pillow combination, except this time I tried a new way of painting her face. I think it results in a more expressive face than before, and I fell in love with her instantly (how narcissistic is that!).

Azi e vorba doar de ceea ce devine o combinatie standard de papusa cu pernita brodata cu nume. Cu exceptia faptului ca de data asta am incercat un nou mod de a-i picta fatza. Cred ca e mai expresiva decat fetzele dinainte, si m-am indragostit de ea instantaneu (ce narcicista-s!)

It was very hard to let her out of my loving arms, but I take comfort in the thought that somewhere in this city, Boroka is one happy baby, peacefully cuddling her doll to sleep.

A fost foarte greu sa-i dau drumul din bratele mele iubitoare, dar ma consoleaza gandul ca undeva in orasul asta, Boroka, un copil fericit, isi imbratiseaza papusa in somn.

Mighty Pleased

I recently had to make a baptism gift for a friend of a friend. I was told that a brown and blue combination would be nice, and that it had to contain a quote and the baby's name. But apart from that I was given total freedom... which is not always helpful.

Mi s-a cerut nu demult sa fac un cadou de botez pentru o prietena de-a unei prietene. Mi s-a spus ca ar fi faina o combinatie de albastru cu maro, si ca trebuia sa contina un citat si numele baietelului. Dar in afara de asta, am avut libertate totala...ceea ce nu-i intotdeauna usor.

I racked my brain trying to imagine what the baby's mother (Whom I don't know) might like, and after going back and forth a few times, I came up with the following. Quilt...

Mi-am stors creierii incercand sa-mi imaginez ce i-ar placea mamicii copilului (mamica pe care n-o cunosc), si dupa mai multe pendulari, am ajuns la urmatoarele. Quilt...

 

 ...cushion...

...pernuta...

  

... and somebody to snuggle up with them:

...si cineva care sa se cuibareasca in ele:

The fabric came from a total amount of 8 thrifted pillowcases (I used every single inch of them!). I must say I am mighty pleased with how it all turned out.  I don't know what was the matter with me, but everything went so smoothly: perfectly parallel lines, no tangled balls of thread on the back, no twisted bias binding, no corner of the quilt being accidentally sewn under, no cursing...none of my usual quilting banes! Just placid, cheerful sewing.

Sursa materialului au constituit-o 8 fete de perna de la second (am folosit fiecare centimetru!). Tre sa spun ca sunt tare multumita de cum a iesit totul. Nu stiu ce mi se intamplase, dar totul a mers ca pe roate: linii perfect paralele, fara bile incurcate de atza pe dos, fara binding sucit, fara sa prind din greseala vreun colt de quilt in cusatura, fara injuraturi...nimic din problemele mele obisnuite cand fac un quilt.

I also employed a trick for easy piecing, which I found here, and which is total genius! Thank you, Elizabeth, for enabling me to come up with the best aligned squares of my life. :)

Am folosit si un truc de unit patratele, pe care l-am gasit aici, si care e absolut genial! Elizabeth, multumesc ca mi-ai dat oportunitatea sa fac cele mai frumos aliniate patratele din viata mea :)

 The quote in Hungarian says  "I have become God's child". I'm very pleased with how my letter applique turned out too.

Citatul in maghiara spune "Am devenit copilul Domnului". Sunt tare multumita si de cum mi-au iesit literele.

 

As for this little guy, I'm sure he and Kristof will become very good friends.

In ceea ce-l priveste pe asta micu', sunt sigura ca el si Kristof vor deveni foarte buni prieteni.

 But above all, I loved working with this colour combination. I found it so soothing that I just couldn't stop staring at the fabrics. I must make something in these colours again.

Dar cel mai mult mi-a placut sa lucrez cu combinatia asta de culori. Mi se pare asa de linistitoare, ca nu ma mai saturam sa ma uit la materiale. Trebuie sa mai fac ceva cu culorile astea.

Stay tuned for more updates on my craftiness, coming soon!

Ramaneti aproape pentru alte noutati, in curand pe ecrane!

Daca n-ai buline la casa, sa-ti...faci!

Last week I received an order as unexpected as it was challenging: a doll inspired from Tim Burton's Alice; she had to be goth-ish but cheerful, and polka dots were a must have.
Am primit saptamana trecuta o comanda pe cat de neasteptata, pe atat de interesanta: o papusa inspirata din Alice in tara minunilor (varianta Tim Burton), care sa fie gotica dar vesela, si sa aiba musai buline.

I found this pic of Alice on the net.
Am gasit pe net poza asta cu Alice.

The dress seemed easy enough, but a quick glance on my fabric shelves (and bags and drawers and under the bed) revealed that I undoubtedly did not have a suitable blue fabric. Much less with the right polka dots. So off I went looking for light-blue-with-polka-dots. After a long walk through all the shops I knew, I found the right shade of blue, but plain. So I returned home, resigned to the fact that I would have to make my own polka dots. Which I did for an entire evening: one by one, a hectare of painted dots.

O scurta aruncare de privire pe rafturile cu materiale (si in pungi, si in sertare, si sub pat) a revelat fara indoiala faptul ca nu aveam materialul albastru potrivit. Cu atat mai putin bulinele potrivite. Asa ca am purces in cautare de material albastru deschis cu buline. Am umblat tot orasu' si pana la urma am gasit nuanta potrivita, dar fara buline. M-am intors acasa resemnata cu gandul ca tre sa-mi fac propriile buline. Si o seara intreaga asta am facut: una cate una, buline pe un hectar de albastru.

I think I'm ready to start engraving grains of rice now! :D
Once the fabric was dotty enough, the rest came easily: a little black lace, a little embroidery, a big bow, an innocent look and there was Alice:

Cred ca de saptamana viitoare ma pot apuca de sculptura in bob de orez! :D
Odata materialul rezolvat, restul a venit de la sine: un pic de dantela, un pic de broderie, o funda mare, o privire inocenta, si iat-o pe Alice:

The dotty box in which she would travel to Bucuresti also contained the essential props: the little bottle and the slice of cake:
In cutia cu buline in care urma sa calatoreasca la Bucuresti am pus si recuzita esentiala: sticluta si prajitura:

A little owner is going to receive it today and hopefully love her to bits (but not literally!)

Doua surori

Let me show you what I made before going on holiday. Two dolls for two blonde blue-eyed and very cute sisters.

Sa va arat ce am lucrat inainte sa plec in vacanta. Doua papusele pentru doua surori, una mai blonda si mai dragutza decat cealalta (surorile, nu papusile).

New cutie on the block

I made a new cutie doll for a friend's little girl. I used Swedish fabrics for a half-Swedish kid. :)
Am facut o papusa noua pentru fetita unei prietene. Am folosit materiale suedeze pentru o copila jumate suedeza :)

The pics are as good as I could get them on a rainy day, before rushing out the door to deliver it.
Pozele sunt cat de bune puteau fi intr-o zi ploioasa, facute in graba, inainte sa fug sa livrez papusa.

I'm eagerly expecting to find out what she will be named.
Abia astept sa aflu cum o s-o cheme.

Green Eyed Monday

There are only 2 hours of Monday left but hey, it's still Monday!
Mai sunt doar 2 ore ramase din luni, dar se cheama ca inca e luni!
So, without further time-wasting, I present you Eejits toys. Cute and creepy, just how we like 'em! They do so make me want to pick them up and cuddle them :)

Asa ca, fara sa mai pierdem vremea, permiteti-mi sa va prezint Eejits toys. Dragutze si un pic macabre, fix cum ne plac noua! Imi vine sa le iau pe toate in bratze :)

Noreen the mean is keen to demean

...or so the cuddlecreeps say. They always flee before her, some even crying. Poor cuddlecreeps have such sensitive natures, and Noreen is much too frank for their liking.

Noreen is a good girl really, apart from this big flaw she has. She tells the truth. All the time. Especially when she's not supposed to.
Noreen is all ribbons and polka dots and cuteness... until you get to talk to her.
By the way, you there. Yes, you, reading this. You look awful in that shirt, whatever were you thinking?! Oh, and you must do something about your hair...

*Later edit: due to popular demand, Eileen is now called Noreen. Apparently Eileen was too Seinfeld-esque and not fit for a goth girl. I obey the wish of those wiser than me ;)