Tutorials

Purple crumpled flower - tutorial

Recycled coffee-filter flower - tutorial

Eyelets love

Painted batting 

Decoupage on fabric

This close!...

Am fost "atit!" de aproape de ideea de a-mi  inchide blogul....ma simteam presionata de faptul ca nu am postat nici un articol de ....1 luna de zile !! presionata zi de zi, ceea ce mi-a displacut la maxim....neplacere care la un moment dat a atins o culme cind mi-am spus simplu  : "-gata, inchid blogul "...o tristete adinca m-a imbracat pentru citeva zile....ca si cum nu ar fi fost de ajuns stress-ul si obligatiile.....apoi am revenit asupra lui si l-am rasfoit putin....a luat nastere acum 4 ani , dupa intoarcerea dintr-o vacanta frumoasa...
I was "this close" to the ideea of closing for ever my blog. I felt myself under pressure due the fact that I didn't write a post over 1 month ! pressured day by day and this I totally disliked it. At some point, in this thoughts-war, I reached a peak when I said : "- ready, I'm closing my blog ! "....a deep sadness overwhelmed me for several days...as if stress and obligations were'nt enough....then I come back on it and browsed a little....
I started it 4 years ago, at returning from a beautiful holiday....

Am re-citit cu atita drag unele din articole...am re-vazut suflete dragi pierdute pe drumul vietii .....am ris la unele patanii.....ma regaseam in fiecare rind, ma re-descopeream incetul cu incetul....eram mai tinara, mai naiva...priveam altfel viata si lumea din jur. Si toate astea in timp de doar 4 ani....vi se intimpla si voua ?
I reread with so much love some posts...I saw dearest souls lost along the way of life...I laugh at some points....I found myself in every line, I rediscover myself slowly...much younger, more naive...looking trough different eyes at life and happenings around me. And all these in just 4 years...does it happens to you, too ? 

Apoi am inceput sa imi aduc singura, in lungile discutii interioare,  argumente pro-blog. Am ajuns la concluzia  ca, nefiind un blog de tutoriale, nici unul de retete, nici macar de esenta religioasa, nu ma obliga nimeni si nimic sa scriu atunci cind lumea se asteapta! E blogul MEU, jurnalul meu, amintirile mele ....scriu atunci cind simt ca pot, cind simt ca imi face placere, cind sunt linistita si cind, pe deasupra tuturor,  doresc sa ramina imprimata pentru mai tirziu o amintire frumoasa. Blogul MEU :) .
Then I started to convince myself, in my long and boring disscusions with myself, to give pro-blog arguments. I concluded simply that being not a tutorial blog, nor a recipe one or at least a religious one, nobody and nothing can make me write when people expects to ! It is MY blog, my diary, are my memories...I will write when I feel that I can, when I feel that pleases me, when I'm serene and above all, when I want to keep a beautiful memory printed here for future. MY blog :).  


Daca va face placere sa il cititi, sunteti bineveniti, va primesc cu bratele deschise. Dar nu va asteptati sa scriu de nevoie!! scriu cind imi face placere...citeodata voi scrie mai des si mai lung, citeodata mai rar si mai scurt sau citeodata chiar vor fi pauze lungi intre articole...cert este ca ma voi intoarce mereu in el .
If you like reading it, you're welcome. I welcome you with open arms. But don't expect to write obliged ! I write when I like to...sometimes here will be often and longer lines, sometimes shorter and not so often or sometimes there will be longer breaks between posts...Certainly, I will always come back into it .

Si pentru ca doresc ca aceasta amintire sa ramina aici pentru viitor , va arat cartile postale de la prietenele mele de pe grupul de patchwork ,primite acum o luna, cu ocazia zilei mele de nastere.
Prietene pe care , la fel : le cunosc de 4 ani de zile si nu le-am intilnit NICIODATA ! Dar asta nu inseamna ca renunt la ele....nu-i asa ? :)
And just because I do want for this memory to be here for the future, I will show you the textile postcards that I received from my patchwork group friends, a month ago for my birthday. 
Friends that, too,  I know since 4 years and NEVER met them once. But this doesn't mean I'm giving up on them...huh ? 

 odata cu una dintre carticele am primit o cutiuta mixed-media superba ( merci Elena ) 

together with one of those I received from Elena  a beautiful mixed-media small box ( Thank you , Elena)

Iarna este aici, aproape, dupa colt....se simte in aer, se simte in casa...imi place :D 

Winter is here, closer, around the corner...I feel it in the air, I smell/taste it inside the house...I like it :) 

Iarna aduce totodata un aer festiv in pernitele mele de ace , recycled : 

winter also brings a festive touch in my recycled pincushions : 

Voua va place iarna ? :)

Do you love winter ? :)

my creative corner

Afara e rece...innorat.....vint si ploaie.... trist ! 

Outside is cold....cloudy....windy and rain.....sad !

Inauntru, in "coltul" meu  - de fapt nu e un colt ci e o intreaga camera, doar pentru mine, pentru visele mele si pentru lucrurile care poarta insemnul "made by tiktakro"....ei bine, aici inauntru este cald si insorit ( insorit din cauza becurilor economice "lumina naturala" - pe care le folosesc la maxim, adica ard toata ziua doar pentru placerea de a avea o camera insorita ) ...

o privire in pragul usii : 

Inside my "corner"- well, actually is a whole room just for me , for my dreams and my "made by tiktakro" things

- well here is warm and sunny ( sunny due to the warm daylight economic bulbs which means that I can keep them on all day long just for having a sunny room  ;) ...

a view from the entrance in my so-named "studio " :

o alta privire din coltul din dreapta, asupra fotoliului meu preferat, moale , de culoarea ciocolatei, loc de unde scriu rindurile acestea acum sau tricotez mai tirziu ceva din cosuletul  de alaturi : 

another view from the right corner , over my favourite soft -chocolate brown armchair from where I wrote these lines now :) or I knit later something from the beside basket : 

 Am spus la inceput ca este cald, nu-i asa ? ...de aproape 15 ani am visat la o soba pe lemne...pentru a coace piinea facuta in casa sau alte bunatati...si pentru a simti acea caldura speciala insotita de stralucirea focului in apropierea mea...Ei bine, acum ma bucur din plin de aceste vise devenite realitate.
Stiu ca soba este foarte contrastanta ca si culoare cu restul camerei, dar gama de culori din care puteam alege a fost foarte restrinsa....si am ales acest albastru- singurul din lista - cu gindul tot la viitor : o casuta mica alba cu putin albastru :d...albastru deschis, e drept, dar ce-are a face putin contrast, nu ? :d V-am spus ca aici pot foarte bine si sa visez, nu-i asa ? :)

 I said it's warm, didn't I ? :d ....for over 15 years I dreamed of having a wood-stove....for baking bread and other goodies and also for that special feeling of warm fire blaze near me....well, now I fully enjoy all those dreams. I know that the stove is much too contrasting in colour with the rest of the room, but the range of colours for this product was very limited....and I choose the only existing blue, thinking of future....a small white home with a little pale blue around ....Didn't I tell you that here I can dream on ? :)

 Am dorit sa impart cu voi o mica parte din lumea mea din interior, o parte din calmul si linistea care ma invaluie , aici in acest loc...Ascult focul, simt caldura, ma bucur si zimbesc ! acum nici doua minute am implinit 41 de ani ....Viata e minunata, nu-i asa ?! :)

 I wanted to share with you a part of my inside world, a part of my calm and serenity that here, in my studio, overwhelm me... I listen the fire, feel the warm , enjoy and smile !less then two minutes ago I turned 41 years... :) Life is wonderful, isn't it ?! :)

Coffee or chocolate ? your choice...

Povestea unui quilt...

Proiectul impus consta in realizarea unei lucrari de minim 60cm x 80 cm care sa cuprinda din toate materialele plus adausurile personale. Orice tehnica. 

The story of a quilt...

The project asked for making a 60cm by 80 cm quilt that must reflect each piece of batik plus our personal addings. Any technique.

ei bine, aceasta este lucrarea mea. Iar acum urmeaza povestea crearii ei...

well , this is my work. And now is following the story of making it....

eram intirziata, foarte intirziata ..."schema" imaginata de mine cerea mult prea mult timp de executie, si aveam nevoie de o idee salvatoare. Care a venit precum o raza de soare intr-o toamna friguroasa : 

Mihaela Munteanu deseneaza in Corel niste lucrari minunate...ii vizitez des blogul pentru ca de mult timp cochetez cu ideea transpunerii lucrarilor ei in textil . Uite ca a venit momentul potrivit. Mi-am amintit ca , mai anul trecut am vazut o lucrare de-a ei de un simplism fermecator cu o canita de cafea. Aceasta : 

I was late, extremely late...the idea that I had in my mind request a lot of time of execution and I was in such a great need of a saving ideea . Ideea that came like a sunshine in a cold autumn....

Mihaela Munteanu draws in Corel beautifully...I visit often her blog because I play around with the idea of translating her work on fabric....The perfect moment just came ! 

I remember that I saw a year or so ago a design of a charming simplicity coffee cup. This one : 

Asa ca , dupa ce am primit acceptul ei pentru a ma folosi de design-ul ce ii poarta semnatura, m-am asezat la lucru . Am ales fundalul, albastru deschis...stiu ca unora le pare ciudat acest albastru deschis dar simteam nevoia de putin " zen" :d Apoi am schitat doar cu un fir de lina conturul canitei , farfurioarelor si aburului pentru a putea calcula corect lungimea de bias ce urma sa o fac.

As soon as I received her approval for using her work, I started to work. The background that I choose is a pale blue...I know that for some of you this blue seems quite intriguing but I feel the need for some "zen" :d

The next step was sketching with a thread of wool the contour of cup, plates and the steam. Just for a right calculation of bias tape that I had to make.

apoi am asezat pentru vizualizare bucatile de batik  pe marginea stinga si de la baza

then I set in for visioning all the pieces of batik that remain...on the left side and down. 

Ei bine, de-acum incepe munca cu adevarat : 

banda bias de doua dimensiuni ( 1/2 inch si 1/4 inch) , lungimea de 2,5 metri fiind obtinuta prin innadirea mai multor bucatele mici.

Well, the hard work begin from now on : 

I had to make two widths of bias tape ( 1/2" and 1/4" ) , totally lenght of 2,5 meters obtained by sewing toghether small pieces

  


cusatura culcata pe o parte pentru a intra cu usurinta in unealta de facut bias :
the sew is ironed flat on one side just to slip easily in the bias-maker 

  

am aplicat pe lungime banda termocolanta Steam-a-Seam de 1/2 inch si de 1/4 inch
I set along the Steam-a-Seam bias tape 1/2" and 1/4"

si le-am asezat pe fundal. Steam-a-Seam este repozitionabil, ceea ce m-a ajutat enorm...nu a fost usor deloc sa obtin forma canitei....dar cind se transpune o lucrare atunci se respecta inclusiv scara nu numai pozitia. Greu dar...a mers ! :) dupa fixarea definitiva asa arata top-ul  :

Then I set the bias tapes temporary on the background. I love this feature of Steam-a-Seam, it really helps me a lot...it wasn't easy at all to get the same shape of the cup. When translate a work in a different medium one should respect also the scale of the original. Hard work, but finally was ok! :) This is the top : 

Apoi a urmat partea de sandwich si de quilting....nervi , multi nervi deoarece "fratzioara" mea da semne de nervozitate tensionata :)) la quilting-ul in linie dreapta ....apoi am ales din blogul lui Leah  modelul brain coral   ca umplutura de fundal,  pe linga ecoul canitei si aburului . 

Then I step into sandwiching and quilting....a lot of nerves because my she- "brother" sewing machine give signs of tense nervousness :)) at straight line quilting....Then I choose form Leah blog the model brain coral as a filler for the background around the central piece echo.

ei bine, spuneam nervi ?? nuuuu...aproape infarct !! uite ce se intimpla cind oboseala isi spune cuvintul : nu intelegeam de ce nu mai aluneca quiltul pe blatul masinii...si mai era si ata EXTREM de tensionata! am sfisiat SUPREME-SLIDER-ul si l-am si quiltuit totodata !!! sa nu va spun cit de greu se descoase free-motion-ul de pe o piesa teflonata!!! asta e...am incercat sa il repar cu o banda scotch dar nu tine...inca nu mi-a trecut supararea ca am distrus o piesa atit de importanta si de folositoare.....

Did I said "nerves" ?? nooo...almost an infarct !! look what happens when fatigue is too big ! I just didn't understood why my quilt doesn't slide on my machine as easily as at the begining ...and the thread was extreme tensioned! I TORE the SUPREME-SLIDER and also I did quilt it !!! don't make me tell you how hard is to un-sew a free-motion quilted line from a teflon piece....I try , at the end, to repair it with some scotch tape but it didn't work...I am still very upset for this miserable happening because I distroyed an important and so useful tool for me....

de suparare m-am apucat sa curat masina ...cam asa ceva iese din ea tot la 2 saptamini...

upset already I started to clean my machine...something like this gets out every two weeks...

Inapoi la quilt...a mai ramas de cusut binding-ul si mineca de agatare....

back to quilting....finally the binding and then the hanging-sleeve...

 si asta e  fata  :
this is the front : 

 si spatele :
and the back of it :

 si daca vreti pe perete , dar nu iese bine pe fundal  alb : 

and if you want here you have it on the wall ....but it's not a proper picture due to the whiteness of the wall

I hope you like it .

Happy sewing or crafting or anything else that pleases you, too !

finished, in progress and soon to start

   Au trecut 6 luni de cind aceste Flori pentru Pasha asteptau o margine.....am tot stat pe ginduri atita timp in privinta culorii, iar cind momentul magic a venit totul a mers ca pe apa....Piping rosu si binding verde kaki. 

It's been 6 months already since these Flowers for Pasha were waiting a binding...I was in doubt all this time about the colour to use, but when the magic moment came, everything just flowed smoothly. 

Red piping and kaki-green binding.

Se vad clar micile probleme de tensionare pe care Brother-ul meu le dezvolta in special cind firul superior este YLI moni-filament ( aici de culoarea fumului) .....mda, intr-o zi voi avea o Bernina :)

On the back are visible the small tension problems that my Brother is developing especially when the superior thread is a YLI mono-filament. ( smoked here ) ...yep, someday I will have a Bernina :)

De data aceasta marginea am termocolat-o cu Steam-a-seam2...doar asa, ca divertisment la metoda manuala sau mecanica de a coase marginea.

This time the binding is set in with Steam-a-seam2 just for a small diversion to the manual or mecanic method of sewing the binding....

Apoi micul, noul si aditictiv-ul meu hobby (decupajul ) m-a impins sa ii fac cadou jumatatii mele doua tavite de sticla pe care va putea prezenta musafirilor , spre inspectie si eterna admiratiune :)) - dopurile de la sticlele de vin ce vor fi consumate cu maaare placere , ca de fiecare data ;)  

The new,small and addictive hobby of mine ( the decoupage ) pushed me to gift my DH with two glass-plates destinated for presenting to the guests the wine cork stoppers - for inspection, smelling and eternal admiration :)) - Bottles of wines that will be consumed with great satisfaction like every time ;) ....

 

A venit intre timp toamna cu adevarat....picioare reci, degete amortite.....sosete noi :)) in derulare.

Autumn is here, indeed....cold feet, numb toes ....new socks :)) in progress .

Pe masa din studio ma asteapta setul de materiale batik trimise de Smaranda pentru un nou proiect de grup :

"Cafea sau Ciocolata ? " 

....mai am 22 de zile pina la data finala. 

On my studio table is waiting a pack of batiks sent by Smaranda for a new group project : 

"Coffee or Chocolate ? "

...I have 22 days to make it. 

                                                       Voi ce ati alege : cafeaua sau ciocolata ? :)
                                                      What do you choose : coffee or chocolate ? 

updated header and another Sunday

Dupa cum vedeti am updatat imaginea din header-ul blogului...este o imagine actuala. Gazonul s-a format deja pe parcela din dreapta, copacii au mai crescut in ultimul an ( altii au fost plantati in primavara ) ...si probabil in curind vom avea si un gard verde si o poarta de intrare pe terenul nostru. ;)
Rabdare, totul se face cu rabdare....
As you can see I updated my header image...is a today one. The green-grass on the right lane has finally settled, the trees did grow some in the last year ( others where planted in the spring)...and perhaps soon will have a green fence and a gate, too . ;) 
Patience, with patience everything is finally done ....


Intre timp , asa cum spuneam, toamna se furiseaza incet-incet peste tot...cu frunze ruginite, cu umbre seducatoare , dar din ce in ce mai reci...
Meanwhile, as I told you, autumn is sneaking slowly everywhere....with rusted leaves, with seductive tree shadows increasingly cool....

 

Ca in fiecare duminica frumoasa, grill-ul este rasfatul nostru personal...dupa o saptamina de munca.

Cineva ma intimpina : 

As in each sunny and pleasant Sunday, grilling is our treat after a hard working week. 

Someone is greeting me :

si oricit o rog sa imi duca cosul nu face altceva decit ca zimbeste...

and everytime I ask her to carry along my basket she responds just with a smile...

pe cind ajung si eu in pavilion totul este deja pregatit . Love. 

when I finally arrive , inside is everything ready . Love. 

intotdeauna toamna ma farmeca cu umbre si culori, cu arome si sunete....

I'm always charmed by the autumn with her shadows and colours, smells and sounds....

pina cind jumatatea mea grill-uieste

untill my DH grills : 

eu am parte de momente de relaxare...mda, acelasi loc preferat, acelasi catel zimbitor...

I am having some relax moments....yes, in the same favourite place, with the same smiling dog near me....

nu v-am spus eu ca intr-adevar zimbeste ? :) un catel minunat....

didn't I tell you that she is really smiling ? :) wonderful dog...

sunetele toamnei....in paharul meu ;)

the sounds of autumn... in my glass ;)

da, acesta este vinul meu favorit

yes, this is my favourite wine

si in final, aceasta este farfuria mea cu bunatati

and finally, this is my plate filled with goodies

bunatati am spus, da ? 

goodies I said, right ? 

apoi cineva pleaca dupa desert....insotit de altcineva :)) da, e cam departe casa....

then someone left for dessert...accompanied by someone-else :)) yes, the house is quite far away....

  

spre seara umbrele devin din ce in ce mai racoroase....am nevoie de paturica mea albastra ;) mi-a fost dor de ea, moale si pufoasa....

in the evening the shadows become increasingly cool....I need my fave light blue blanket ;) I missed it ...soft and fluffy....

stau pe sezlong cu nasul in flori pina apune soarele

sitting on the chair with my nose among the flowers

 o mica frumusete delicata si foarte parfumata in seara

a small beauty, delicate with heavy fragrance in the late evening

O zi a trecut...urmeaza alta...Rabdare.

A day is gone...another will follow....Patience.