calling for spring

It feels like spring the last days. It's still cold, but the sun
has come out (living near the lake has some bright sides,
but the dark side is certainly the abundance on gray - cloudy
or foggy - days not and those only in winter). So, I guess,
it's the light I have to blame for my action in the kitchen
today.

I was preparing our lunch (turning leftovers from a raclette
day last weekend into spicy, mixed rice vermicelli), when I
suddenly had to interfere my cutting action and play with
the leek slices instead.



The shape of the leek slices (don't they look like tulips?)
and my mood because of the weather was simply calling for
spring.



Hope, you're having a lovely weekend too...

bye 2011

I'm always looking for ways to wrap gifts without using any
plastic, adhesive tape. Washi tape is a great alternative,
but I'm even happier if I could do without it.

Here is one of my attempts (I used one tiny piece of washi
tape to keep the inner tissue paper together, but psst.. ;)).
I took some of my glass flowers, which were too small for my
necklaces to decorate it (yet, the person who'll get them,
could still use them to make a necklace or anything else :)).



Enjoy the last day in 2011 & the first day in 2012!
xo

season's greetings

Time flies and 2011 is coming to the end.
Although I'm not really here anymore, I don't want to miss
out sending you my seasons's greetings.



The ornament is one of the very few Christmas ornaments I
owned. I guess, the older I get, the lazier I become with
decorating. I grabbed them out only to take the photo (to
tell you the truth, I didn't even remember I own them! Geez..).
But hey, next year is a new chance, right? ;)

All my best wishes to you! xo

new chapter

When I closed my shops at the beginning of September, it was
because Etsy has done something, I was (and still am) not
agree with. I communicated my concerns clearly to them a few
times, which got ignored. I can't change Etsy's mind - which
is fine -, but I can change my own mind and so I quit Etsy.

It was quite funny. After I closed my shops, I went to the
forum. On that day Chad, Etsy's CEO, has started a thread
about how to find courage. My answer to Chad was kind of a
goodbye statement to the Etsy community. I answered him,
that it's like when you jump from the high (swinging) swing
as a kid. You simply know - you feel it, when it's time for it.

It was like that when I started on Etsy and it was again like
that when I quit Etsy. I didn't know what would happen next -
will I land safely or will I break my bones -, but I knew, I have
to do it.

Sometimes life has another plan ready for you before you even
realize it.



So here I am to start a new chapter in my life - a new chapter,
I couldn't even imagine four weeks back. For this new chapter
I will be stepping back from glasfaden for a while.

I don't know, if I will be posting here every now and then or
when I will be back again, but we'll see ;) Anyway, keep in touch, friends!

All my best wishes,
Devi xo

edit:
Haha... when I link this post to the photo on my Flickr, I saw
the previous photo and remember, what I said in my last post
"I need something chic for some (probably never occurred)
occasions". Well, it seems, I'll get lots of opportunities to wear it now!

result of a battle

Remember I told you I never finish sewing anything for myself? I don't know, either that fact - besides of the sewing related reasons I told you back then - was because of the haunting echo of my mom's words when I was a kid, whenever I wanted to try something new "but you never finished anything" or if it is simply a proof of the truth in her words. While my fabric stack as well as my ideas are growing higher and higher, my guts to start anything for myself was actually getting smaller and smaller. It brought me to no where but suffering inwardly. There is always a battle inside of me - one side of me wants to try things out, to see either my ideas would work or not, and the other side of me tries to kill it - ugh!

The past weeks I tried to embrace different words "focus on one thing at a time" and put all my worries and thoughts of anything behind - simply anything. No, I wasn't in the mood to draw or to lampwork or to felt. I wanted to sew and so I sewed, sewed and sewed. For my son, for our sofa (this project isn't finished yet, but one day it will ;)), but especially for myself.


Ok, the tunic is not to be worn together with the Marlene-style trousers - I had to crop my photo, not to make myself  look short and wide, even if I think it looked okay on the mirror (now, is that a sign of narcissism? :P) LOL

I've been wanting to make the trousers back in 1999, when I first saw it in the Burda magazine. At that time I subscribed the magazine and the 08/1999 issue was my most favorite one - even after such a long time. I own only jeans, thus I need something chic for some (probably never occurred) occasions. The fabric is a mix of wool and silk. I managed to follow everything in the pattern incl. every details, without one single alteration - which is not common for me. Needles to say, I was very proud of myself, when I finished it.

The tunic pattern was self drafted. I took my measurements and drew a simple pattern down. It's made of two parts (three with the neckline backing). It has kind of a kimono-style, straight-cut shoulder and sleeves. To be honest, the motivation to do so was because I'm still a little bit afraid of attaching sleeve-parts to the bodice - I've done it about three times for my son before, but I was always nervous and I got even more respect to do it  using single-jersey fabric. I had to alter my original pattern, because the sleeves were too big and it didn't look nice (my son said, "Mom, you looked like a general!" because of the standing sleeves LOL). I made them much smaller, so they won't stand too much - the wrinkles on the sleeves are thus part of the design ;) The slight wavy bottom part was a spontaneous action, which I'm not really satisfied with. But all together I'm pretty pleased with the result.

And now, on to the next project, as this battle is over ;)