Showing posts with label clothing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clothing. Show all posts

DIY summer bag

Summer arrived early in Finland this year. April was sunny, May was a bit sunny....but now the end of June is all cloudy and gloomy. But don't loose hope, summer will come back soon.

Until then, we all need some splash of  color and summer fun. 
What's more summery than watermelons?!
Here is a super easy and super cute tote bag for all the picnics and trips to the lake. 

Here you can see Dimitra's cute video:


Materials:

Cotton fabric tote bag
fabric paints
potato stamp
paint brush
toothpick


- Put a newspaper inside the bag. You don't want to paint to go through and color the other side. You also prevent getting your table dirty.
- Cut the potato in a half-moon shape. Apply red color and stamp the fabric with it.
- With a thin brush paint the green line for the peel of the watermelon.
- Use a toothpick to add the black seeds.
- Let it dry. After ~30mins check that the newspaper is not stuck to the painted side of the fabric.
- In 1-2 hours remove the newspaper. Let the bag dry overnight.
- Iron it in high temperature (the setting of 3 dots on your iron) or according to the fabric's instructions.



Follow Dimitra on instagram and have a look at her blog.
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Good bye September! New creations from our team




  1. Leea from CheriseDesign 
















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'Tis a Season with a Reason

Spring is slowly coming to Finland, and our thoughts are turning to flowers, Spring, and oh yes, EASTER! This is the season of rebirth, of freshness, and for many of reflection.

It's time put alway the drab old clothes and step out in beautiful new colors and accessories. We have a new member to our team that really understands what we all love at this time of year. Anna Matilainen paints her generously large silk scarves with the prettiest spring colors. Though she has custom knit cowls and scarves, it is her silk scarves that seem to satisfy the need for brightness the most.

Great for Spring!


Anna's lovely scarves need pretty earrings to set them off, and Marina from Marina's Wishes has several delightful choices. These lovely iridescent white mother of pearl earrings will go with so many spring outfits without being a distraction. Not only are they gorgeous, but they are also free of nickel,lead, mercury and cadmium.

Iridescent White Mother of Pearl Earrings from Marina's Wishes
Shop: Marina's Wishes


This is also the season to muse or sketch. Sasha Kretova from Paper Plane Stationery has made a sweet floral book from 100% recycled materials and then hand-bound this book with a vintage floral fabric along the spine. What a perfect place to write your spring memories or even press flowers! It's a perfect size for your creative needs and yet still fits into a medium-sized bag.

Floral Bound Journal from Paper Plane Stationery
Shop: Paper Plane Stationery

Elina Mäntylä of ValonaDesign has a whole different perspective on Easter and has crafted this unique and powerful Crown of Thorns candle holder. Her listing tells the story, "I came up with the idea of crown of thorns -candle holder years ago when I first got interested in rusty barbed wire at my grandparents farm. It shocked me to realize that something that strong came out in my hands so lightly. This happened on Easter time. I felt that I understood little more of the Easter because of the process. It seems that by creating things I sometimes get more understanding."

Crown of Thorns Candleholder from ValonaDesign

While there is a deeply religious meaning to this candle holder, there is also a wonderful rustic air. It would be as much at home gracing your Easter dining room walls as it would in any casual western-themed room anywhere.

Shop: ValonaDesign
These are but a few of the spring and Easter items available from the Finland Handcrafters Team. We are a growing group of over 100 artisans based in Finland. Drop by and visit, shop, and enjoy!
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February News

A dreamy diamond ring:

 The talented jewelers Kaisa and Sanni were featured in Zankyou Magazine with their beautiful wedding ring:

 The article is in French, so if you can speak the language of love you can take a look for this article and let us know what you think: http://www.zankyou.fr/p/8-bagues-de-fiancailles-classiques-etsy-43136
Jewelry magazine for your mobile devices:
Sandra Kempainen from byVellamo shop is running an online magazine in the Newsstand for iPad and iPhone and it's a good place to reach jewelry lovers. If you are interested in having some ad in the magazine you should deffinitely consider this magazine!  you can get a full page ad with a direct link to your shop for $20!

 You can see a bit about the magazine here: itunes.apple.com/fi/app/design-jewelry-accessories/id507765473?mt=8

 If anyone is interested, please email for details at info[at]designjewelryaccessories[dot]com


Vietto goes to New York!

Paloni concept store takes 27 Finnish independent brands to New York on February and Vietto is one of the chosen ones with her  beautiful eco clothing line. Congratulations!

The Sun and the Turtle Amigurumis on Kotoliving Finish Magazine

The little friends of The Sun and The Turtle made it all the way to the new Finnish Magazine Kotoliving. The girl in Squirrel costume and the story behind all TSATT creations are in the publication.



Paloni event will be held on New York


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Etsy featured shop: Vietto

Via  http://www.etsy.com/teams/8738/finland-handcrafters-team/discuss/10868405/page/1/?post_id=140219655 
Vietto
Story by Vietto
Published on Sept 05, 2012 in Shop
Photo by Jaana Björklund
My name is Minna Kaartinen. I run Vietto, my eco fashion label, in the capital of Finland, Helsinki. My aim is to create innovative, artistic, timeless and fresh fashion out of ecological materials.
I started my own eco fashion label to satisfy my need to create something new. I’ve been making things with my hands basically all my life: I started making clothing for myself at very young age, and I was very into arts and crafts as a teenager. Fashion has always been an essential part of me, but so has an awareness of the state of our environment. It was more than natural to choose ecological materials as a starting point for my creative work.
I pretty much do everything by myself, from sketching and pattern making, to sewing, knitting or whatever technique I’ve chosen to use. My concepts are material-based, but I’ve been very keen to keep the design the most significant part of my creations. I kind of like that the range of material I’m able to use is restricted – I think it really wakes up my creativity. I have to invent something new to make another exciting piece of clothing out of black jersey knit.
As a designer, I don’t want to create new collections every six months; I don’t find that really sustainable. My work is more like a continuous process. I keep working on my designs and develop them from one season to the next.
My garments are made in very small series or are completely one of a kind, since I use upcycled and leftover fabrics. There are some characteristic features in my work, like convertibility. I really love to make garments that can be worn in many different ways. I also like to add artistic touches to my designs, like hand-painted details. It truly makes the pieces unique.
I find strange combinations very intriguing. For example, I love to combine very traditional crafting techniques with modern pieces of clothing. While I’m excited about unconventional forms, I always keep my design usable.
One of my favorite designs is the chunky fringe scarf. I had bought few skeins of leftover cotton tricot yarn. The yarn is very popular material for rag rugs here in Finland, but I was thinking of creating something wearable, maybe some kind of huge cardigan or poncho. I started knitting the yarn with my over-sized knitting needles and accidentally created huge triangle scarf with long ties. I just added the fringes. I’ve been wearing my fringe scarf for many years now. Only during the hottest summer days and coldest winter nights will you find it on the coat rack.
The fashion business is highly competitive. It can be quite difficult for a small operator like me to find a place in a market dominated by huge industrial corporations making cheap products. However, I believe that idea of sustainable consumerism creates a great opportunity for me to survive in this tough business. People’s consciousness of their choices is rising, and I offer them a greener alternative.
I had been selling my clothing in a few little shops here in Finland before I found Etsy. It was magical moment when I realized that I’d be able to show my design to a much larger audience without investing a terrible lot of money. That is truly a great thing for a designer from a small country like Finland.
All photographs by Jaana Björklund.
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