In Training

New year

It seems that this year is everything else than superficial. I found already great music, geared up my Yoga props and changed my daily practice. Up somewhere around 4 am I start the day like in a cloud or dream. It is not really hard to get up at this hour for me, I am perfectly trained after two toddlers who still venture in my bed nowadays. 

The most challenging is to keep the time. I am slower but also this practice is much longer than anyone I had so far...... I try to finish before everybody is up but mostly end up with a little boy or two lying on my tummy or a demand for breakfast. 

It goes very deep to dedicate this golden hour to turn inside. And as a consequence during the day I feel sort of minced and incredibly tired. I notice it is getting better and the day does not seem endless anymore but I still have a long way to go before I fully integrated this routine into my life.

That does not keep me from designing new outfits. My head is bursting and I am looking forward to spend some time with the doll (tailor's dummy) over the next dew days......

ps:
I had some lovely feedback on my new collection, wearing it on a Yoga course I was attending. In a random conversation some ladies mentioned they could not find any nice Yoga Wear and where I got mine from, thank you!

Bob and the hooded Tunic

I probably should be stressing about ...

It is all a bit hectic and busy. If I could I would be on a sunny warm island, watching the kids dig in the sand right now. 

Off school, Birthdays, Christmas and little parties are making december an interesting month. I am very busy but not very christmas-y so I just do all I need to do and try to take one step at the time. Before diving into some child-minding days I had one working day to myself and was very successful.

I avoided to get to town to get the fabric that I had in mind. So instead of using a fleece and creating a winter tunic that includes a hoodie to warm my head instead of a hat I found some very nice wool-mix in midnight blue in one of my boxes. I don't know why hoodies are on my mind at the moment but I guess it is the desire to hibernate and some japanese influence.


I can wear this lighter version with layers and probably all year round. The hood is disguised in a scarf and still warms my head in this freezing weather. This Hand stitched Tunic is made out of one piece and the hood. Slightly V-shaped is leaves enough room for layers. Off to test it I still might venture to get some fleece for a second one, after the holidays. 

I really love projects that go fast and are simple but still have nice details. I guess when the kids are both in school that will change. Working on the model I was thinking for ages that a wrist pin cushion would be handy, as I do not want to have to get another scan in case I swallow a pin. So I was searching for DIY ones. Also handmade pin cushions crossed my search and I was about to get one when I remembered another idea I had. 

I can get quite annoyed that things take so much time. 
The kids have grown out of babyhood and I got rid of a lot of things but kept the best of. Either to find a baby that I could give it to or ebay but as a lot in my life it just stood there in a bag on the landing prepared to be dealt with. And today I was glad I did not give it away. I found what I was looking for. An early learning sock for newborns, with a rattle in form of a bug. And voila, 10 minutes later I had my wrist pin cushion, Bob.

I cut the rattle out, put a bit of plastic on the bottom as protection from pins and sew it back together. The sock I just cut off into a wrist band and sew the seam down to secure it. 
The kids obviously want it now I have it on me. But it is mine!!!

a collection / chapter end

Suffering (;

I knew this would come. 
I have this self-imposed rule that I draw a pattern straight after a new design is born, no matter what. And if I make any changes I transfer them immediately too.

Obviously, there are exceptions. Sometimes I am not sure and think I can draw the pattern later. Sometimes the drawing is very free-style as it is in process anyway. Although I must say through experience my pattern-development got more and more accurate as it just speeds up the process, and although I know by now how to cut what, it is still of advantage to have the pattern finished, named and neatly stored. 

A year has passed. It feels like a chapter is finished and it is time to move on. But before that I wanted to present what I have done in form of a collection. I decided which of the designs will be part of this collection and did the last fine tuning. And I spent the whole weekend to create the final drawings of those patterns, I mean the final final ones, which was quite painful as I had to test and work out if it is all correct, like super correct. Because they will be graded and if there is an error, it will be in every size.... 

(... From now on I am not only drawing the pattern immediately but also do the final drawing.)

Well, now I only have to choose the fabrics and manufacture and present this collection in my shop. What a big event!

Lotus and the Beach

Yoga in progress

My newest challenge is Bound Lotus. I have avoided Lotus in general the last years as I was either too fat or not flexible enough. But now the Baby-fat is fading and this summer had a good aspect as I had nothing else to do at night than doing my Yoga Set, every day. So Lotus is possible now, Bound Lotus still a big mission though. But I must say after 11 minutes with lots of props and some suffering, I feel really good afterwards, just wondering when will I enjoy 31 minutes without too much pain.....

Meanwhile my Hand stitched Yoga Tunic in natural Organic Cotton Bamboo Jersey is finished. The seam is at the front this time, as it might bother me while practicing kriyas on the back. Also, it is neither too wide nor too tight as I want to be able to do inverted postures without showing my belly. I enjoy being aware of my body but do not want to be trapped like a sausage, so I chose the middle way. 

As you can see on the picture, I took it on an outing and this Tunic is really fun to mix with blue and grey. The material is fantastic to wear (Bamboo!) and with the Yoga Bra, the white feels even better, as it breaks the brightness.

The second Top of this special Hand stitched Yoga collection is also about to be finished, already thinking of variations with different seam colours but I might add some coloured versions anyway, as I am not sure to keep it all white....

I love big projects!

Space 4 NEW ideas

A big clearance - Hand stitched Tunic Top for only £ 34.50!

Well, spring is supposedly here any minute and with it a lot of new energy and ideas. Catching this refreshing wave i can cu starts a new event from now on:
Space 4 NEW ideas - everything has to go!

How does it work?

Simply type DISCOUNT50 in the 'coupon code' box at the checkout 
and you get 50% off! The first item that is 50% off is this 
gorgeous Hand stitched tunic Minimal art in Harmony - Hand stitched grey Tunic Top, simply catchy for only £34.50!

If you would like to buy this special Hand stitched tunic - it is UNIQUE! - use DISCOUNT50 at the checkout. (Only valid for this Hand stitched tunic!)

This extra Hand stitched tunic is very comfortable and very feminine. The tunic has only one seam and at the front, which makes it even more comfortable. Wear a piece of statement jewellery with this hand stitched tunic and you are ready to go on a date. This is the ONLY ONE made and in size M. 

Please share this, so the next gorgeous item can go on offer!

See you at i can cu!!!!!

A dress on spring strike

Why does it take soooo long?

I feel like slowly awakening, I have no idea from what exactly, but the last weeks were tough with on and off sick family members and disturbed nights and working days to dream of. 

But then I spent the last 2 days in the studio and moved a big step forward. (Ah I almost forgot these 2 days also included the photo shooting - urban i can cu; wow, sometimes I am amazed what i can or cannot fit into one day.) 

The Proto type is finished (the 3 pics to the right), the pattern refined and the black Organic Hand stitched Dress (to the left) cut and pinned! 

I guess this fragmented working experience made it all take even longer and probably I am indirectly striking for warmer days too. But I also dedicated a lot of attention to the cut and pattern. I wanted the dress to be simple but feminine, cut to figure but also allow a natural change of waistline and keeping a good wearing comfort. (I still want to feel feminine and look good even if had some ice cream.)

The seams are at the back and at the front and give a nice eye-catcher. The lack of seams on the sides allow the dress to drape nicely around your sides. The dress remains rather short for now.

The plum/purple Organic Cotton Jersey Hand stitched tunic in comparison has a more flattering style and is much shorter ( . . and is on SALE too at the moment), if you want to take a look in my shop.

So spring, where are you?

dress time

Well it was there in the air for a long time . . . . and finally . . .

Somehow I do not have many dresses and only wear them for special occasions. They always feel too complicated or I feel too un-dressed. So I rather have tunics. 

But I wanted to change that for a long time. 

The first spark of creating a dress had to do with an announcement of a special occasion and I thought I need a dress for that, but I am optimistic summer will come soon and the wish to wear a dress with it.

So now you might know why I chose the name favorite Hand stitched Yoga Tank Top because this dress is a variation of this favorite top. Favorite because the lack of side seams is so gentle to the waistline and the panel in the front makes it feminine and interesting. For now only in my wardrobe but soon in my shop available!