lotta jansdotter
blog
08 May
BROOKLYN DESIGNS
Today we have been setting up our booth and preparing for Brooklyn Designs. This 3 day event is taking place in a tent that is placed inside a very nice brick structure right underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. There is a nice park right along the waterfront as well. the location could not be any nicer. This is the second year we are part of this event and we are happy to be part of it.

There will be over 70 exhibitors showing furniture, wall-paper, textiles, tableware, jewelry and children's accessories. We will be part of BD +, the curated accessories market,held in the Tobacco Warehouse in Empire Fulton Ferry Park.

Why dont you come and visit?

Friday May 9th 10am - 8pm
Saturday May 10th 10am - 7pm
Sunday May 11th 11am - 6pm

To learn more and find directions, please visit:
www.bklyndesigns.com

07 May
summing some up
Well. April did go by fast indeed and it sure was busy.

Me and photographer Meiko have been working on my next book.
It is a books about "how to sew baby goods". We spent a packed week, we shot over 90 shots of more than 12 different babies in all kinds of surroundings. We were exhausted by the end of that week let me tell you.

My little August, who is now a year and 4 months tuned out not only to be a delightful model ( of course I will think that). He was also a great art assistant when it came to making some artwork for one of the shots in the book. The weekend before the shoot we rolled out some big paper on the floor, undressed him and plopped him down with some finger paint in his hands. He was pretty good at distributing that pigment...mostly he ate it. But: the result was brilliant and mom was very proud and grateful for a fabulous job done !

Every sunday of April we spent at the Brooklyn Flea. Even though it rained and was windy and cold we had a real good time. I think it is a rather great event and we are happy to have been a part of it. Not only was it fun to meet up with many old friends, it was super to meet people who have read some of my books and shared their thoughts, and to meet people you have been in contact with only over the phone or via e-mail. The real reason I was there was to shop myself (no, really: I am kidding). Though I am a notorious and eager yard sale shopper and I love flea markets !!! I bought a sofa (!!!!), a necklace from Mali, and a really super great bag from "Matta". I have used that bag everyday since it was bought !
Now. we have too many other things and events to attend to, so we cannot be part of any more flea markets this summer-but I truly recommend a visit: Lots of finds to be made.

I also had a chance to visit a gallery in Chelsea and see some sculptures in Queens. I have also been planning the fall collection for 08 and been busy taking photos of the new spring summer collection.

The new collection should be here anyday now, in the meantime, here is a sneak peak.
07 May
studio assistant
August went with his inspirations and let that creative side come out. This is his first ( of hopefully many) oversized wall pieces.
07 May
every sunday at the flea
07 May
sewing baby goods
some process shots from the photo shoot of the new book
07 May
03 April
a post card from me?
Back in October last year I worked on a project for the post office on Åland ( the island in the middle of the Baltic Ocean..I am born there..and most of my family still live there ). The commissioned post cards are now done and will officially be available to the public on
May 9, 2008.
Now, I have 25 postcards in 3 designs and I am offering them to you,
to your best friend, your aunt in Switzerland or to your sister in London.
These post cards will be mailed from Aland on the day of the release. They will be stamped with the "first day of the stamp date' . Each postcard will have a handwritten message from me and will be addressed to the person you specify.
The cards can be sent anywhere in the world.
This is a rather unique collectors item.I have a limited amount of these cards and this is a "one time" kind of opportunity. You will find these cards available on my website in the "stationery" section...go ahead...give me some writers cramp !
click here : collectors item

22 March
Nu i Norden
Jag har nyligen funnit att man kan enkelt och förmånligt köpa mina pappersprodukter som jag har designat tillsammans med Chronicle Books pa en svensk hemsida. På Adlibris.se hittar du mina brevpapper sets, dagböcker och de väldigt populära "sticky notes" och mycket mer. De säljer också i Finland och i Norge. TOPPEN ! Tack för tipset Jenny

I just recently became aware of this swedish website that sells my stationery and books that I have created with Chronicle Books. They also sell directly in Finland and in Norway.
Great News !! -Thanks for the tip Jenny.

Visit: www.adlibris.com
19 March
finally, fabrics !
So many of you have asked, and you have waited so patiently.
The fabrics have finally arrived.
At the moment we can offer you some natural linen fabrics, some cotton fabric remnant bags and pre-cut one yard pieces. These fabrics are exclusively ours and you will find them only on our website here in Usa.
I am currently working on some more designs for cotton fabric to
be sold by the yard. My plan is to be able to offer you those fall 2008.
I would love to hear your thoughts about what kind of fabrics, colors, designs you would like to see in the Lotta Jansdotter collections- your input is always greatly appreciated and helpful !
I wish you many of happy and satisfying sewing moments !

Shop your Lotta fabrics: sewing


14 March
I am hooked
so, I do have many addictions: Fazer milk chocolate, popcorn, magazines, nice lotions, shoes and jam.
But my latest addiction is actually a good one: Yoga !
My good friend recommended a website called "Yoga Today".
They show a new, one hour lesson daily on their website-for free !!
It is completely free and you can do it when ever YOU want: when it suits you and your schedule.
The setting where the lessons are taught are beautiful, the instructors good , but not too fussy and the pace is good for beginners and more advanced people. The only "hook" is that you have to suffer through a few minutes of sponsors (advertising)- but it is worth it.
I have been doing this for about 2 weeks now, going through a lesson 3-4 times a week and I am amazed how fast I feel results: My back is so less stiff and it hurts less now. I also feel a little stronger, both in body and in mind, I get a little more intouch with my body and myself
(interesting process). I so treasure that one hour of breathing, movements and focus on simply taking care of me and my body.
I recommend...warmly !
check it out: http://www.yogatoday.com/
11 March
decorating
so, back in the studio again after travels. I have a lot to do: making more shelves, organize supplies, scraps of fabrics, piles of papers and sweeping, sweeping, sweeping. The space is so dusty form all the construction work !! This is also the time I get to decorate and "fine tune" the space: the fun part really. I have a lot of reference material: towers of magazines and far too many books ( I can part with any of them) I need to store them somewhere, and keep them close at all times. I do not really want to take up a whole wall with a books though,
I do not want a big shelf taking up a whole wall. I want to keep one of my walls completely empty: no clutter...just a big white space...it will act like a big pause, a breath, a blank canvas, sort of. And then I want to dedicate another wall entirely to my inspiration: clippings from magazines, sketches, print samples, notes, photos etc.
( more about this later), so...what do I do with the books? Finally I simply decided to line all the books on the floor, along one of the longest walls in the space. Who needs a bookshelf?! It looks really cool actually....and I am using some "dead"space and it works great ! ( I just have to be careful with all the dust on the floor)
I am very happy with it.
06 March
Letter from Spencer
Today I want to share with you an e-mail I have received:

Hello,
My name is Spencer Harrison and I am 18 years old.
When I was 14 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma a rare form of cancer. When I saw the 80 to 100 children a week, at just one center, going through the same pain that I had I knew I had to help.
So I started the TEEN WITH A DREAM FOUNDATION a registered 501 C 3 non-profit with the IRS. I started this foundation to provide aid and comfort to all children with cancer. I am having a silent/live auction benefit on April 5th and I was wondering if you would like to donate a item. Your products are amazing. I know that you must get thousands of requests, so I would like to thank you for your time.

Thank you,

Spencer Harrison
Cancer Survivor


Today I also would like to ask all of you who makes things to please donate an item or two to the next silent auction.You can ofcourse donate funds directly as well. Please do not hesitate: Support a very, very good cause ! Visit this websiteto learn how: http://www.teenwithadream.org/

THANK YOU
LOTTA


05 March
a great flea
Rummaging is a labor of love, and I Iove it !
I am very excited for Brooklyn Flea.

I have been invited to participate in Fort Greene’s new,
weekly outdoor market debuting Sunday, April 6.
Located at the Bishop Loughlin schoolyard on Lafayette Avenue
in Fort Greene, a 40,000-square-foot space.
Here will be furniture, lighting, records, clothes, jewelry , crafts , waffles, plus salvage dealers, cheese makers, designers and DJ Small Change (who’ll sell records on the premises).
The hours of the Flea will be 10am to 5pm

I will be there with my goods on opening day April 6th and will be participating once a month through the summer. Dates to follow.
Please check back here or in the "news" section on my website.

I believe it is going to be a really rather great and fun Flea Market, with quality foods, well selected crafters and designers,music and quality “junk”. Should not be missed !!!

for more information , visit: brooklyn flea
29 February
a little more...
...Stockholm before I go back home to Brooklyn.

I always make sure to make a stop, a long stop , at "Åhlens City" department store, located in the center of the city ( tube station is "T-Centralen"). They have a very good selection of interesting well priced fabrics by the yard ( meter in Sweden) They carry nice home accessories, stationery, baby goods and food. Here you can also find a good selection of Scandinavian clothing brands. You can find truly good, fun and well priced design in this place.

Me and my good friend went out for a lovely dinner at an intimate little restaurant. It is located in the suburbs, in Aspudden. Last summer this restaurant used to be a cafe and recently they changed direction, and their menu...for the better really. If you find a way, please visit: WENNBLADS

And, last and most importantly: some thrift shopping.
"Stockhoms Stadsmission" is the Goodwill of Stockholm.
We went to the biggest store that they have, which is located in Gröndal. Aaaaahhhh, they have home accessories sorted by color and by type: glasses in ince section, silver in one section, wood in another , etc etc.-Lovely ! I had to pace myself some, since I do have to find a reasonable way to get it all home to Brooklyn without paying overweight on the plane. Here are some of my finds.
more info ( in swedish only I am afraid ):
STADSMISSIONEN
19 February
pattern treats
I visited my uncle the other day who lives in a wonderful old house in the country. My mother was born in this house which used to be a farm with cows, horses, chickens and pigs. I spent most of my childhood summers here. This place is filled with treasures and inspirations and surrounded by nature and wildlife. It was a wonderful place to grow up in. I still love to visit. I find treasures and gather inspiration everywhere in this house, where nothing gets thrown away.
19 February
16 February
on a winter walk
I love to take walks. When I visit Åland me and my family often take walks together. Today on our afternoon stroll I found some inspiring berries on the way. I always smile inside when I take photos of these kind of plants; a very good friend of mine once commented on my designs and he said: "You love drawing blobs on sticks don't you?". And sure enough, here are some more "blobs on sticks"
15 February
LUNCH
An obvious visit for me is the herring stand in "Slussen".(in the smack middle of central Stockholm) This little cart sells fresh pan fried herring served on crisp bread or with mash potato. People eat their "stromming" standing up or sitting on the simple wood benches, come rain or shine. A cold beer to go with is a must!
I grew up eating herring and there was plenty. My dad was a fisherman for a living and herring was a staple at home. These days they seem to be much harder to find, so the few times I do get to eat them, it is a royal treat.

15 February
a new favorite
Last summer I discovered a , now, new favorite little clothing butik; "Wardrobe" is filled with sweet dresses and lovely tops. They carry many unique, independent labels from Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Also: super nice service and advice from Malin and Ida that started Wardrobe. Makes every visit exciting.
To learn more: Wardrobe

15 February
hemma
It feels so good to be back home. I have missed the clear air, all the trees and swedish food. I am spending a couple of days in Stockholm, staying with friends. Got some work done: I visited the Stockholm Furniture Fair and I also had a delightful meeting with the publishers and marketing at a prominent Swedish publishing company.
The "Simple Sewing" book will be published in Swedish this coming fall.
I make sure to do some proper market research while in Stockholm
= I go shopping !! Each visit I try to make a visit to one of my favorite clothing store in Stockholm: "bric-a-brac". Each season I easily find a couple of pieces from their collection that simply feels right. They are simple and made out of good quality fabric and stays timeless, not too trend driven yet feels very new and updated. Next time in Stockholm, make sure to stop by for a visit. See more info at their website:
bric-a-brac

03 February
on a sunday
It is a sunny, nice and calm sunday morning in Brooklyn.
I just made myself a fried egg sandwich ( a favorite staple ) and I am listening to a new cd I just got : " hello love" by "The Be Good Tanyas". It is such a good sunday morning album, fits my mood perfect right now.
The Be Good Tanyas is a canadian group with influences that includes folk, bluegrass and country. I keep playing this album over and over,
It is well crafted music that makes me feel comfortable and happy.The Prince cover was a fun surprise, simple and unique. On top of it: for the album cover they used some quilt patterns from Gees Bend.-splendid and beautiful !
Alrite, now I will continue to plan my upcoming trip to the "old country".
I am going back home in a few days, for some work and for some fun.
I will share some of my favorite places. Check back next week .
25 January
stir up a ...
Got invited by DesignSponge to share a recipe form my kitchen.
Take a look here: soup

25 January
commuter
Now we have moved into our new studio, and now I have a new commute. One very important criteria for me is to be able to walk to work - or bike. I have a 25 min. commute by foot to my new office, which is a perfect distance really. The 25 minutes allows me to sort of clear my head from chores at home and get ready for my work day. It is also nice to be surprised during your commute with some visual experiences that can inspire, like these drawings that were made on a construction site. It made me so happy that some people actually take the time to adorn what would otherwise be a rather dull, plywood fence. The drawings are story and fairy like, sensative illustrations that are dreamy and sweet. You can see this nice public art for yourself on third street and bond street - in Brooklyn that is.
21 January
kiitos
I received some great news the other day. My new book:
"Lotta Prints" will be published in finnish. Wow. This is rather special for me: since I am a finnish citizen and all...The funny thing is : I do not know a word of finnish!! (ok, I do know how to curse and say "cheers")
I was born on Åland, which is a swedish speaking island, but they "belong" to Finland. So I have a finnish passport. It makes for interesting interaction with customs at the Helsinki airport when I visit Finland. They start speaking to me in finnish and I have to converse with them in english...since they do not know swedish and all I can say is: damn !! Well, now I have more reason to polish up my native tounge.
I should at least be able to say "potato print" in finnish right?

The book ( in english) is due out on the shelves in USA soon. Mid to late March is what I am being told by my publishing company. Just a few more weeks.
You can now PRE-ORDER your own signed copy here on my website...click here: LOTTA PRINTS
16 January
free bag
I wanted to let you know that right now we are giving away a sweet, apple green linen tote for free with orders over $ 50 dollars.(not including shipping cost) The offer lasts for 3 days, so make sure to place your order before Friday 18 January.
15 January
re stocked
We got some boxes today from our factory in Lithuania, filled with popular goods. We ran out of some items really fast before the holidays, and many of you have asked if we would get more: so please find fabric buckets, wool totes and some of the fabric 2008 calanders.
14 January
MOVE
So this weekend was the big move. It went incredibly well and surprisingly smooth. I cannot wai to unpack, start organizing and begin to decorate...this is the fun part !

We have painted all the walls white in the space and installed some wood floors. Now we need more shelving, some plants, a couple of more desks and even more shelving !

Here is some shots of the space: a nice, clean empty studio and then moments later...not so empty anymore!
08 January
OFFICE SUPPLIES
I have just finished up some rather exciting work for a japanese company. This company sells office supplies via mail order, sort of like a japanese "staples" or "office depot". They wanted me to create some custom patterns for several different kinds of packaging, paper boxes, some simple shopping totes and tissue box covers. For whatever reason this commission really got me going: I felt very inspired and came up with designs that I was very happy with. I did alot of collage work which is kinda of unusual for me - it was nice to get into a different medium than I am used to. I will probably do more of that in the near future. We are still going through some sampling and the final products should be done in March sometime. I would love to offer some of these products in our shop here in Usa, I will see what I can do. In the meantime, here is a sneak peak of my sketches for the job.

07 January
HAPPY NEW YEAR
and Happy New Studio !

I am starting the new year with a bang.
Lotta Jansdotter is moving our studio and office space:
to a much bigger, much sunnier and brighter space. We are relocating to the Gowanas neighborhood here in Brooklyn, a bustling place with many creative and interesting people and exciting developments. I get incredibly tickled about the new opportunities this new space will offer
(I am thinking of hosting workshops for an example).

The new studio is located in an old textile mill where they used to produce sweaters and other knitted items. The new space is in need of some renovations and some up dating. Even though this is a labor-intensive process it is very exciting to be part of the transformation.
I look forward to get in there and start planning the layout and fine-tune the details. I love “setting up shop” and making the space personable and “mine”. I will keep you posted on the progress with some images, so keep checking in on the blog. I am aiming to be done with the new studio in a couple of months. As soon as we are done I will let you know, I would be delighted if you want to come by and visit.

Ok…back to the boxes. We have a lot of packing to do!

19 November
photo shoot
We are currently working on some updates to the website.
In the soon future, a couple of days from now, you will find some new goods, just in time for holiday shopping. There has been many requests for gift cards, and we are hoping to have that option for you real soon.
We had a photoshoot in Dumbo in Brooklyn a couple of days ago.
Dumbo is walking distance from my studio and still I do not go there often enough. There is a great park by the water overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge and some very lovely shops and bars there. I bought a scented candle at a small select boutique called Stewart/Stand. I so much prefer shopping at small, unique places like that. If you have a chance visit them: www.stewartstand.com

Here we are shooting some of our new wool bags, with some help from our four legged friends.
17 November
swatches
Last saturday I took a quliting class, or a workshop rather.
I have for a long time been interested in quliting...I even made a couple of them about 15 years ago. Back then I really did not know what I was doing, I simply went to town and sew a bunch of squares together in a haste. I was in a hurry and I wanted them done fast.
Well, ofcourse they turned out all crooked and uneven.
Now...as much as I admire so many talented quliters out there I simply do not think it would be something for me: most qulits are so precise- perfect squares and shapes put together perfectly even and neat.
I am far too impatient and love instant gratification...I could never spend hours sewing prefectly even shapes together.
About 4 years ago I saw an amazing exhibition at the Whitney Museum. They displayed some rather stunning quilts made by women in Gees Bend..Wow...I mean WOW. I loved those quilts. So free, whimsical and naive, artful and just plain fun. I bought the book and just pored over the images. About the same time I started to become more aware of this very talanted women, Denyse Schmid. She has a contemporary take on quilting, using fabric sparingly in wonderful combinations. She makes it look very simple, but let me assure you it is not. She plans those qulits well.
So here I am , a textile designer, with PILES of fabrics that I simply cannot throw away, what to do with it all? -Quliting seems to make sense.
I was excited to find out that Denyse offers workshops in her studio in Bridgeport , CT. I signed up, and along came my assitant Nerissa, my childhood friend from Sweden and my mother in law...what a splendid group !
The workshop turned out to be an extremly liberating excersise in "letting go". Denyse encouraged us to not plan our quilting swatches by making us blindly pick fabrics swatches out of brown bags. We had to sew those squares we picked together. argh...my inner control freak freaked out. It was incredibly hard to do that, and oh so much fun at the same time. ( I have to admit, I cheated-but only a little bit..
I sometimes tossed some ugly colors back in the bags).
The swatches turned out fun, creative and surprisingly nice. We were also encouraged to sew things crooked and uneven...hello, perfect !!! I loved it. I finally could sew fast and furious, making qulits swatches that are totally wacky looking, and oh, so great !
So here I am , back where I started 15 years ago...still making uneven quilting squares, and I still do not know much about what I am doing. But this time I dont try to confine to the frames of traditional quilting, neither compare my squares to others..I can simply let go and do it in my own crooked way. Thanks Denyse ! I really enjoyed that afternoon workshop.

to learn more do visit :
www.dsquilts.com
and
www.quiltsofgeesbend.com
23 October
postal worker
I just finished working on a commission from the postal service on Åland. Finland. I have designed 3 postcards that will have the postage included. These cards will be released in May 2008.
It has been a dream of mine to design stamps, so I was happy when they contacted me about this work. I hope to create some more stamps in the near future.
I will do my best to make these cards available for you come next spring...let me work on it and get back to you on that.
19 April
Had some really rather wonderful food moments while in Tokyo. It is so nice to have friends there that can cook wonderful meals and invite us to "homeparties".
We ate out at some marvelous restaurants and ate some things I have never ever heard of, or things I never thought I would eat in my life-such great experiences !
The food presentation is ofcourse ,always, splendid.
19 April
Had a few hours to spare and took a walk through the park.
I got a last look at the cherry blossoms. I just love how japanese people celebrate the cherry blossom season: they have picnics with friends under the trees and bring food and sake-alot of sake !
I am also wondering why there are so many crows in Tokyo, and why they are so big?! My gosh, their beaks are so scary big !!!
19 April
I attended a Scandinavian event at a department store in Ginza. I am delighted and a tad stunned to see how many people in Tokyo LOVES scandinavian design and goods so much. The place was jam packed with people...hard to take a few steps through the crowds.
I was happy to find swedish bread and smoked salmon there as well and I sampled that many times, maybe to many times.
19 April
19 April
02 April
sewing projects made
Today I recieved some images of projects that have been made by
anh-minh . She made the projects based on instructions from my sewing book "simple sewing" ( you can own a signed copy..buy it on our website) It was so fun and rewarding to see !!
I would love to see more projects, so if you have made anything from the book and wouldn't mind sharing it with me; please send me a pic to: questions@jansdotter.com . THANK YOU !
29 March
selvedge
We are proud to have some of our designs featured in one of our favorite magazines. Selvedge is a very, very nice mag about "everything textiles" They recently expanded their site and they now sell some goods.-simple and well selected objects !
Please take a look: object.selvedge.org/
07 March
Åland
Last week I was asked to be part of a marketing campaign to
entice people to visit Åland, the island where I am born.
Ofcourse I was very happy to do so, flattered even !
It is a beautiful island, situated inbetween Sweden and Finland.
Lot's of fresh ocean air, red barns, smoked fish, wild strawberries
and great summer auktions !
I go home every summer or as often as I can
Visit this site and find out more about my summer paradise:
visitaland.com


05 March
the japanese sewing book
Today I got the proofs for the japanese book I have been working on. Wow, I am SO excited about it, I have to admit that I LOVE it.
I am going to Tokyo, and the whole family is coming with me
( well, except the cat) to launch this book in the beginning of April.
I am so thrilled about it .
I am working on an english translation for this book, so all my englsih speaking readers can buy it here through the website. I hope to have that done sometime this summer. I will keep you posted
06 February
WALLPAPER INSPIRATION
This last weekend we went to Long Island to be part of an family event.
It took place in a wonderful house located by the water. This house belongs to the mother of a friend of the family and it was the first time we all visited.
I was pleasantly surprised to find SO many different rooms in this house, and each room seemed to have a different wallpaper. Now, THIS was a textile designers dream...I ended up spending an hour just discovering room after room, bringing my camera and snapping away.
It was so inspiring and so much fun.
I admire the lady of the house: she was not afarid of patterns. she simply went for it and mixed and matched freely. It made me very happy and excited.
06 February
06 February
28 January
MORE STATIONERY
Once again I am working with Chronicle Books on some stationery.
This fall there will be 2 more items available: a small, cute journal and a "book" filled with cards and envelopes. I really like the card book, such a fun and different format, and jam packed with different motifs and colors.
21 January
Welcome August !
Our sweet August Wyatt Anderson was born on the 11th of January.
We couldn't be happier !
I am spending some wonderful time with my boys: my husband, the cat Webster and my little son ! -What a splendid start on a new year .

13 December
Well, 2006 has certainly been a busy year, filled with exciting projects and a big move. After contemplating for 2 years we finally packed up and relocated to Brooklyn NY. We are now slowly settling nicely into our new office and studio space here in Boerum Hill.
I am thrilled to be surrounded by very creative people and inspiring places…and I have missed the different seasons while I lived in San Francisco. I will always treasure wonderful San Francisco and all the support I have there.
But change is good and I look forward to new possibilities and new perspectives.

I have worked on 3 different books during 2006. It is incredibly fun, also an amazing amount of work. I am excited to share these publications with you soon. I promise to keep you posted on the progress.

This summer I had a very successful exhibition of my work at the art museum on Åland, the island where I was born (it is located in the Baltic sea, inbetween Sweden and Finland). It was a very special event for me and I was very grateful to be invited to show my work there.
It was a wonderful opportunity for me to connect with the locals and old family friends, and at the same time get feedback from a Scandinavian audience.

I have picked out some photos from this past year that
I want to share with you.
13 December
This spring we had a great photoshoot in San Francisco.
Me and my photographer Meiko had so much fun shooting the images for a "how to" sewing book that will be published by Chronicle Books in april 2007.
I really enjoyed styling the book and it was a very creative process. Thanks to our lovely friends we had fun models and very nice locations to shoot in. THANK YOU !
13 December
exhibition on aland
In june I had an opening exhibition of my work at the main art museum on Åland. We had enormous trouble getting the boxes with the actual work to the museum, it was a combination of shipping and customs logistics that got complicated and delayed- it was a tad stressful. The opening date quickly approached..and we had nothing to show!
We decided to take our chances and we had the opening on our scheduled date, serving wonderful crab soup, champagne and good cheer. The boxes DID arrive, an hour after we opened the doors and we asked the visitors to then join in and help us to hang the show. They started hammering up nails and hanging bags, ironing pillow cases and displaying stationery.
It turned out to be a very positive event and people loved the interactive aspect of this exhibition. The next day the papers wrote about the very sucessful opening, and speculated that it was all planned this way to create a stir! well..it worked..a great (and very unplanned) publicity event.
13 December
13 December
13 December
13 December
photoshoot in sweden
In july I worked with one of my best friends, Jenny, on another book. She is a photographer based in Stockholm and I was so, so happy to be able to work with her on this project.
I am so fortunate to be able to work and collaborate with my friends. We still do the same things as when we were ten years old, taking snapshots and making "zines", except now it is actually our job- it is brilliant!
We spent a week in the country-side outside Stockholm. We took many shots, but also had a lot of coffee breaks with homemade cakes and trips to the ocean.
13 December
13 December
japanese visitors
I had the pleasure to meet and guide a japanese team from a magazine in Japan. They worked on an article about Åland for the airline magazine "skyways' that gets displayed on all the Japan Airlines flights.
It was a delightful group and I showed them to my favorite places on Åland, including a visit to my grandmother Sylvia, who for the occasion wore a fabulous Marimekko skirt !!
(I had no idea she owned that skirt...what other treasures do you have hidden in your closet mormor?).
13 December
goodbye san francisco
In july we had a big moving trunk/yard sale at our little shop..everything HAD to go, even my dear sewing machine. The shop was packed with people and hard to get into the door. People stood in line for 45 min...but they were happy anyway...such a brave crowd !
13 December
13 December
I am currently working on a book (YES, another one) with a japanese publisher.
It is a "how to" book (or should I say "mook" as they do in japan...a combination of magazine and book)
Meiko is once again the photographer, and together with the fabulous editor Maki we worked intensely for a week in september. We are very, very pleased with the work so far, and hope to make a unique sewing book with a lot of inspiration.
We will have it for sale here on our website come april 2007.
13 December
13 December
our first sale in brooklyn
in october we had our first sale event in our studio/office.
we had to clean out our stockroom to make way for the fall items.
wow, there were alot of people that showed up! It was really exciting and it was a good welcome to brooklyn.
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