no impact shorts

How to survive the heat

Every move is a mission, the head is heavy and the only craving is ice-cream after ice-cream. But then I remember how unbelievably uncomfortable I feel in the winter how stressful it is to keep warm and all looks different. The green/mate tea is my new companion, fruits are not allowed to run out and the orange juice lolly ice tray must be constantly refilled and frozen.

The latest obsession is to complete my summer wardrobe and for that reason I developed some shorts that are a fusion of my Yoga pants and the skirt that you might know from my movie. I might post about them later. Just to mention that they are in daily use, gorgeous on the bike and still dressed up enough to meet teachers. But they are just too hot to wear at home. So I thought that is the chance to use this nice cotton fabric I found ages ago. It is thin and a joy to look at.



The cut is loose and straight, the seams are only folded over once apart from the waistband. I used red thread and the cross stitch which would not be necessary as the fabric is not stretchy but it helps to prevent fraying and looks good.
And I just looped a bit of leftover jersey through to tie at the front. And some hours later I am running around very happy about my no impact shorts....


Ideal for summer pjs too....

summertime

Funny times. So long have I waited for the warm season and now I feel stressed by all events around me. New school, new projects, planning, dealing with other peoples issues, trying to stay cool, scouting for the best summer recipe. 

So apart from being extremely busy it is time to announce summertime. Time to enjoy the warm weather, relax into a stress-free body and gather all new ideas. 
I hope you enjoy your summer too!

Stay tuned, xx.

Bikini Top (Pattern)

Change the fabric and seam colour and have a new Bikini Top whenever you need it!

Once again this project started with a need. To go aqua running I needed a Bikini Top that is safe enough to wear and not to worry.

I usually find sportive bikinis too thick in material and not feminine enough, so I decided to create one myself. But it also seems that I want to be surrounded by handmade only. This is the second one I made for myself and they are both in constant use and test and I love them! But see for yourself.

If you enjoyed watching this movie please do't forget to share it. Thank you.
♥ handmade

If you watched the movie you can start now! All you need is Lycra, buttonhole Thread, a needle (sharps NO4), thin pins, fabric scissors, paper and paper scissors for the pattern (to repeat), a mat and a rotary cutter (optional).

The pattern is a fusion of a Bikini and a Tank Top. You can use a bra or bikini Top for reference (cup size) or just measure how wide the cup needs to be so you will feel safe. I cut the opening as low as possible but again not too deep to keep it safe. You will need 1 cm seam allowance. The band around the ribcage is 2 cm wide and 2x folded, which makes it very comfortable and strong enough to pull it tight.

The first version I made is black with a pattern and red seams, this new one is grey-ish with yellow seams, both very thin and comfortable. If you ask me now where are the pants for the Bikini Top I have to confess I had no time yet. But I guess you made your own Hand stitched knickers over and over again so I am sure you will finish your Bikini pants in no time and before I do ;)

ONE and more

A year has past and the winner is ...

Time is a weird thing. It is either too slow or too fast and if I do not notice time it is perfect. Kids grow up so quickly and Christmas comes too often. 

Well, enough thinking, time to celebrate: I did not make the chocolate cake but will for sure enjoy the day, this first Birthday of my little business i can cu - Happy Birthday!

Somehow it is also a day to reflect on all that has happened over the last year. It has been so special to get back to creating after a long baby break and also very hard. I am proud to present my wardrobe, far from finished but I guess I won't stop anyway because there will be always this and that I have never tried! And finally all the patterns are transferred and stored. WOW.

It is also time to wait and find out which size, colour and colour of seam this special Birthday custom present will be, congratulations Serena! And thank you for supporting i can cu.

Do not forget to use chocolatecake1 the couponcode for 40% off on all your purchases in i can cu's shop!!

Lots of Love
Happy Day
x Tina & i can cu

Last Call

The giveaway continues for a few more days ... last call to ENTER & win!

Yes, that's it, a few more days and the winner will be announced!

It is i can cu's FIRST Birthday and time to celebrate. 

Very exciting who this Custom Order will be made for, 

stay tuned....

The winner can choose the material and seam colour and size and will receive a very special Custom Order, a Hand stitched favorite Tank Top. All that is left to do is share this giveaway and comment!

Thanks to all friends and supporters!

Happy Birthday!

The coupon code for i can cu's SHOP to celebrate is chocolatecake1
and you get 40% off your purchase.
Enjoy shopping!!!


The winner of the giveaway will be announced on the 1st of July. The coupon code expires on the 8th of July and is valid for purchases over £20. 
Please note that after that i can cu goes on holiday, thank you.

blowin' in the wind

A Beach Experience

It has been about a week that I have waited to make it to the beach. The car was unavailable, or it was too late or it was raining, or something else was in the way.
Today should have been our 'family' day, which means we try to put work into the background :) but we spent it doing the tax year, which is not very nice in itself but when it is done it is done...anyway, the sun came out, the car was parked in front of the house and the kids helped nanny cooking and we managed to sneak out and drive to the nearest beach about 35 minutes away.
Being sunday afternoon we thought to find the beach heaving and were relieved to find it empty. On the path through the dunes we understood why. A gale was beating us with sand and it was hard to see at all. I got really upset but still as I made it here I wanted to at least see the sea. There was no chance to take the camera out of the bag with the wind full of sand......
But on the beach the sand stopped beating.
It was still rather freezing but determined to finish what we started, we went ahead with the shooting....
Mad.

Solstice, still Hope

British Summer

Yesterday somebody said to me: Tomorrow is the longest day, from now on it is getting darker and that was summer. It might be British humor or experience but still I love wearing light clothes in this period of the year and even in this country.

So this top just naturally developed. 
The material is a very light almost see through knit. 
It hardly touches 
the body and has especially a lot 
of freedom around the armholes.

The contrasting seams are in a refreshing bright orange, and the bluish grey looks nice combined with a lot of other colours. It is short enough to wear with a skirt and long enough to look nice with some leggings.

I need to make more of these now for my holiday on the continent to prevent frying.

June or April

Meant to be a Summercardi

No matter what kind of summer it is I always love to carry a thin cardigan around with me. I can use it as a pillow for a power-nap on the bench or in air conditioned rooms but also today when I ask myself whether it might be April. Being versatile to mix and match it also needs to look nice even after a day in my bag.

I was flirting with this rib-knit for a while now but never found time to approach it. Somehow avoiding the next project (to get ready to sprint like a cheetah) I grabbed one opportunity and started cutting this fabric and got very excited as I found out I had just enough of it to make this long thin summercardi I had in my head. I chose this material because of its light airy-ness and the color is just right for sunshine and picnics. And there it is with a bit of sunshine between buckets of rain.

bikini dreams

It was Saturday..

and like through magic I had a babysitter and went to the Swimming Pool. I arrived early enough to organize a member's card, chose a locker and changed. I had forgotten my costume. I went back to the reception and tried my best to find a solution, they even let me ring home as I did not have my phone on me, only to find out that there was no solution but going home. I know I had not slept the last nights due to little people kicking and crying but I was shocked how advanced my sleep deprivation had come. Walking back I really wanted to let go of being annoyed with myself. There I stood in front of the red door ringing the doorbell as I did not bring door keys either. And strangely enough magic lingered on. My mother in law suggested to take the kids to town to see the big ships at the docks. O wow. I had the afternoon off, workout and a nap. 

Tonight I try again. This time I will wear my costume on the way to the Pool. And it is a special one too. I designed a new Hand stitched bikini top and take it to the test. 

It is developed from my Hand stitched Tank Top design. I wanted to have a comfortable feminine top, sexy enough but also secure to survive a session aqua running without worries. 

I hope I succeeded or you will hear me scream.....

i can cu = ONE . . .

i can cu is ONE on the 1st of July!!!!!

....you might be busy but don't miss this:
because of this very special occasion - it is the FIRST birthday 
- i can cu decided to spoil you with a Hand stitched favorite Tank Top 
especially made for YOU!
. . . and the only thing to take part is share this giveaway and comment on this blog
. . . go on . . . be brave and dare to treat yourself with a gorgeous super comfortable Top . . . and it will be one of a kind . . .

(more detail here)

Happy Birthday!

See you at i can cu . . .
. . . winner to be announced on the 1st of July!

infinity - sun and wind

Sunday and How to make A Hand stitched infinity scarf

It was a sunday and quite hot, especially for UK standards. We took the kids on a bike ride through the park to Sudley House. 

We aimed for the tea room and had coffee and apple juice and there I have seen her. A grandmother with her granddaughter and guess what she was wearing on her head to protect herself against the sun. . . the girls jumper! I contained myself with my what other people call Austrianess, for me it is just normal and did not talk about my newest sewing project. But I mentioned it before, I (you?) cannot have enough infinity scarves. 

So here it is the sun and wind version. 

This Hand stitched infinity scarf is made of a light marl grey cotton jersey and you don't want to spend the summer without it. 
Easy in preparation and finish this movie guides you step by step.


If you enjoyed watching this movie please do't forget to share it. Thank you.
♥ handmade