Catching thoughts – DIY notebooks

August 29, 2016 by nadel&gabel

Die Gedanken sind frei. Wer kann sie erraten?  Sie fliegen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten. Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger erschiessen. Es bleibet dabei, die Gedanken sind frei. When my colleague and me were planning our upcoming student research project we soon came to the conclusion that every student should have a place to write down his/her thoughts, ideas, questions. A “Gedankenfänger” (thought catcher) to keep these things in whatever way, words, sketches, scrapbooked newspaper articles,… It should be small, we decided, […]

Categories: At the sewing machine, craft & DIY, paper • Tags: binding, bookbinding, brown, collecting, Craft, creativity, DIY, easy, kraft, moleskine, natural, notebook, paper, sew, stamp

Ornamental christmas tradition – Springerle

December 6, 2015 by nadel&gabel

With christmas time – besides other things – I associate the following situation: I’m coming back to my parent’s home from the cold snowy outside, putting on my knitted socks, leaning my back to the tiled stove and warming my stiff cold fingers with a cup of hot tea. In between taking sips of the hot tea, I am dipping my Springerle cookie into it, let it soak and take a bite. Finally the fingers have warmed, the stomach as well, […]

Categories: cake, cookie & dessert, dairy-free, German/Swabian, In the kitchen, Uncategorized, vegetarian, winter • Tags: anise, aniseed, christmas, cookie, cutter, easy, engraved, floral, geometric, model, modern, mould, ornamental, pattern, picture, recipe, rolling pin, springerle, stamp, sugar, tea, winter

Temporary solution – Fabric storage buckets

June 3, 2015 by nadel&gabel

This sewing project evolved from necessity. As I have started to do some more sewing again, I also had to face the chaos that had gained the upper hand in my jam-packed drawer as well as in my sideboard filled with fabric. And I had just bought a stack of beautiful Japanese fabrics from here, that I can’t wait to sew with … but that also need space! Aargh, it’s a constant managment of space shortage! It was time to […]

Categories: accessories, At the sewing machine, bags & totes, craft & DIY, decoration, fabric • Tags: basket, bucket, crafter, decoration, design, desktop, easy, graphic, pattern, plant pot, print, sack, scraps, sew, sewing, stamp, stash, storage, style, toys, tutorial

So hip(ster) – Drawstring backpack made from handprinted fabric

January 22, 2014 by nadel&gabel

After this recent fabric printing project I went a bit further. I wanted to try some more geometric patterns, my own patterns. … and I turned to the classic of handprinting: potato stamps! After a bit of cutting, I had made my (sadly non-permanent) “3D” stamp. Jute fabric, (black) textile colour and method of heat sealing were the same as here. And what better use for a hip geometric pattern than a hipster “Turnbeutel” (drawstring backpack)?! Even better: Why not […]

Categories: At the sewing machine, bags & totes, Behind the camera, black & white, craft & DIY, fabric • Tags: backpack, drawstring, fabric, geometric, graphic, hipster, jute, pattern, potato, print, sewing, stamp, tote, Turnbeutel, tutorial

Azulejo style – Handprinted napkins

November 29, 2013 by nadel&gabel

When I came across those beautiful handcrafted wooden stamps from Blockwallah (in Germany sold by Rayher) at one of my latest visits to my favourite craft shop, I just couldn’t pass. So many different patterns – and aren’t all of them just amazing? I really had a hard to decide which to take! After some first trials on paper (great handcrafted christmas wrapping paper!) I really wanted to use it on fabric and create this beautiful tiled look. Doesn’t the […]

Categories: accessories, Accessories, At the sewing machine, craft & DIY, decoration, fabric, interior • Tags: colour, easy, fabric, gift, ink, napkin, paper, pattern, present, print, sewing, stamp, textile, tile, tutorial, wooden

And the winner is…

March 2, 2012 by nadel&gabel

Categories: At the sewing machine, Blogging, freebies, wallets & pouches • Tags: colour, fabric, giveaway, handprint, pouch, print, sewing, stamp, textile, wallet

Handprinted fabric and a little giveaway

February 23, 2012 by nadel&gabel

Have you been embellishing shopping totes with carved apple and potatoe stamps when you were a child? Creating your handmade christmas wrapping paper with a bit wonky stars and christmas trees? – I did so, but since then I didn’t think much of this technic anymore … till I came across the beautiful handprinted fabrics on Maze&Vale via Noodlehead. What beautiful patterns can be created with handmade stamps!I delved into the various methods of stamping and found further nifty and […]

Categories: At the sewing machine, craft & DIY, fabric, freebies, wallets & pouches • Tags: colour, Craft, craft & DIY, fabric, giveaway, handprint, pouch, print, sewing, stamp, textile, wallet