sardaana henke

Resolved to sew 2012

First of all, please check this wonderful blog called Very Berry Handmade with a crazy giveaway. It is gigantic, huge, ultramegacool!!!

I don't make any new year resolutions like start exercising, eat healthy things and that kind of stuff, but I'd love to make few crafty resolutions:

1. Finish UFOs. I was shocked how many unfinished stuff I hoard, there even are knitted jackets {well, parts of them}, mini quilts, fabric shoes, pincushions, PJs - OK, the list is verrrry long.

2. Make one quilt per month. The size doesn't matter at all. My goal is, to learn as many techniques as I can. I think quilting is THE ultimate way to express myself.

3. Learn to sew {and handquilt} using a thimble. Honestly, I can't use thimbles. Perhaps I didn't find the perfect one.

4. Write patterns, e.g. for my pleated shoulder bag, the sewing case, etc.

I'm pretty excited. Feel free to share your resolutions for this year!

Thank you and have a nice time.

xo,

Sardaana

 

First quilt

Happy Easter, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - all in one post. I'm very happy to be back.

First of all, I'd love to share pictures of my first quilt eva:

{this is how I started last November}

I recently finished the handquilting and am impatiently waiting for a friend of mine who will help with the binding. {I'm preparing the bias these days.} So here it is: 

It was a joy to play with Kaffe Fassett jelly roll, I used up almost 2 of them. I went from light to dark and so I plan to do with the bias. Sashed and backed in linen from Italy.

 

This quilt led me to something new, more on that later.

 

xo,

 

Sardaana

New!

Cell phone cases, originally uploaded by ::Sardaana (still catching up).

The first batch of handmade goodness for my shoppe this year! Lovely cell phone cases, iPhone size. New style. As always, one-of-a-kind.

Happy sewing!

xo,

Sardaana

Christmas Sewing Marathon

30 handstitched pencil pouches, originally uploaded by ::Sardaana (try to catch up).

I finally am back to blogland. I missed you all. Happy New Year.

I uploaded pictures on my Flickr from the last Christmas sewing marathon. The hardest time of my life so far, I worked 18 hours per day. I was overwhelmed, shocked and felt happy about each order, I've never expected such a run. I made zipper pouches, fabric baskets, handstitched bed linen sets, pencil cases, travel bags, iPad and laptop cases, peg bags, reversible totes, laundry bags - the list is quite long. I'm still working on orders every day because I couldn't finish all of them.

Please enjoy more pictures (Flickr linkie on the left side bar). I wished I had pictured all orders, but it was absolutely impossible, I sewed every minute.

Last but not least I'd love to thank you all for checking back, placing orders, just being here. Hope to see you again.

xo,

Sardaana

Sorry...

Total makeover, originally uploaded by ::Sardaana.

...for getting disappeared. The shop runs very well, I'm getting custom orders every day, I teach two sewing classes per week - the life is getting more and more busy. Sure I'll share my experience here with you - please, just give me time.

xo,

Sardaana

P.S.: Sardaana is Yakut, Sardana - Russian, I thought I won't write it in Russian since there is a dance in Spain called sardana :)

Almost There...

Still working..., originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

I'm finally almost there! Next week - I hope on Tuesday - I'll re-open my shop. Just few things to fix - the 300 years old cabinet will get wood stain, the orange chair will get final paint, then it's time to clean and arrange my goods. I'm pretty excited and can't wait!

I'm lucky enough to have talented illustrator and PR lady on my boot. We are working on grand opening on the 23rd of July. Yes, we'll have a party! Details will follow.

I really miss sewing and crafting in general, I wasn't able to get to my sewing machine for few weeks. I'm pretty jealous of all crafters :)

Happy crafting!

xo,

Sardaana

Pfeifergasse 18, Salzburg

Very famous Hofhaymer Haus in Salzburg, originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

This is the front view of my shop in the Hofhaymer house where Paul Hofhaymer, famous composer and organ player, lived till 1537.
I'm very positively surprised how well-frequented this place is.

I moved in on Friday, met carpenters today, on Monday I'll have an appointment at Telekom. My new logo is done (thanks to my wonderful PR expert Petra Hintermayr and her graphic team!), new business cards and official stationery, as well as new tags will be ordered very soon. On Monday I'll have a photoshoot at Doris Wild's studio, for new folders coming soon.

I'll re-open my shop as soon as it is furnished, I hope it happens next week. The official grand-opening will be celebrated on the 23rd of July at 5 p.m., with Yakut dishes, blessing ceremony and journalists. Exciting times!

Wish you great weekend!

xo,

Sardana

# 29. Finito Looking.

# 29. Finito looking., originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

I'm happy to announce very good news: I signed the rental agreement for my new land-based shop in the heart of Salzburg, in the Old City, the UNESCO world heritage site!

After twenty eight salesrooms and nine long months of searching it's been like a miracle to explore the final one and make a decision immediately. Wow! I still can't believe and think from time to time it's a never-ending-dream and then realise the sweet reality. God, it feels soooo fantastic!

I'm busy with re-painting the showroom now, then it's time to think on furniture and interior design. I'll move in on Friday, the 4th of June. Oh, and here is the address:

Pfeifergasse 18!

See ya!

Have a wonderful time

xo,

Sardana

P.S.: sure I'll blog about all the transformations, stay tuned :)

Winners!

I really apologise I couldn't announce the winners of Big Celebration Giveaway yesterday, but today it was first thing I did as I got up. So here we are:

Blue bundle won Elena/comment #20:

Congratulations!
I'm currently working on several orders for customers, but for myself I'm doing a sew-along of a Weekender bag by Sew Spoiled. I love sewing bags b/c they're useful afterwards, but I did just start quilting, so I've been loving that, too.
They're all so pretty, I don't know which one I'd choose!

Pink bundle won Sylvie/comment #4:

Hi Sardana,
I did not know you had a blog!
Happy Birthday! And Congratulations for your 100th post!
My latest projects were sewing tops for me. I made 4 tops in April, and entered a contest (at MadebyRae) and I have even been selected as a finalist! Wow!
Now I think I will make some more clothes for me and my daughters, and some patchwork.
If I win your giveaway, I will choose the pink bundle, because a mother of 2 daughters can never have too much pink fabric!
Love from France,

Sylvie

Green bundle goes to Jaime/comment #6:

These are SO lovely!! What a generous giveaway! I am currently working on some doll quilts. I have been binding them all weekend!

I would love to win the green bundle, but any one would be wonderful!

xoxo

Lilac/purple bundle gets KatieB/comment #15:

Wow! Beautiful fabrics! I'm working on finishing up my pinwheel quilt. I feel like I have lots of crafty deadlines looming!

Happy birthday. I like all of these, but the lilac is my favorite :)

I emailed all winners. Thank you for visiting my blog and all your lovely comments!!!!!

Have a great week!

xo,

Sardana

The Ultimate Sardana Sewing Case

The Ultimate Sardana Sewing Case, originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

If you follow me on Flickr, you sure saw few pictures of my sewing tools and notions just laying on my craft desk I've uploaded lately. Elisabeth guessed correctly, I was going to take my sewing stuff on my travel. (Marguerite, I'll travel by train, and yes, not everything would be allowed to take on a plain). Thank you all for playing does-it-make-any-sense-to-you-guess-game!

Okai, back to my sewing case. I named it ultimate because it's perfect (clever me! {road sign: ironic}), it holds all my tools:
roller cutter,
seam ripper,
crochet hooks,
pen,
pencil,
scissors,
pincushion,
sewing thread,
embroidery hook,
embroidery floss,
measuring tape,
!!!
I can carry hexagon templates or fabric scraps in a roomy zipper bag! Small things in a pocket with two Velcro's! I added an extra pocket for large pieces of fabric or crochet instructions, or whatever. Oh, I used newest Tilda prints which arrived on Tuesday. 30 bolts of happiness! It was really hard to pick out prints. I added here and there vintage lace, I used a trim Cybil from Alaska sent me along a swap parcel and elastic strap for thread.
I needed 5 hours to get it done, and I'm very happy and satisfied with the result. Now I'm off to pack my luggage for trip. See ya!

Have a great time!

xo,

Sardana

A Short Break

A short time-out, originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

My daughter has a day off at school this Friday so I thought it would be great to "hit the road". On Thursday is the Ascension Day, we have time till Sunday. I called my friends in Budapest right away, bought train tickets and now am preparing for travel. We are so excited since we've been there once in November and the second trip was back in January. Spring-y Budapest for a change!

Certainly, I don't think I'll get to draw winners of my Big Celebration Giveaway on Friday. I decided to extend the closing day till Sunday, the 16th of May. I'll draw four winners on Monday.

Thank you so much for understanding.

xo

Sardana

Big Celebration Giveaway!

Giveaway!, originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

I had so many celebrations lately,

♥ I'm 40!!!!!!!

♥ I got my VAT-# (after 4 long weeks of waiting!)

♥ my first fabric order arrived

♥ 100th post (OK, 106th) --> phew, I never thought I'd keep blogging!

To celebrate all these wonderful moments in my life, I'm having a giveaway! Four bundles of european FQ's cut fresh from the bolts are waiting for their new homes. There are:

#1 - blues (6 FQ's)
#2 - pinks (7 FQ's)
#3 - greens (4 FQ's)
#4 - lilac (5 FQ's)

By the way, all this prints are from Bavaria and a part of my first fabric order, wonderful 100% cotton, extra wide (about 60''-62''), and I started to list them on my Etsy. I'll also offer Tilda, Liberty of London, Westfalenstoffe, Kokka, Lecien, Juwa and "the usual suspects" from America! I hope to re-open my land-based shop soon, and they will be sold there as well.

To win my Big Celebration Giveaway please tell me which project did you finish lately or you are working on and what do you prefer to sew. Oh, and don't forget to let me know which bundle would you love to win. I'll leave this open until next Thursday, the 13th Sunday, the 16th of May, and will announce 4 winners on Friday, the 14th Monday, the 17th of May.

Good luck and thanks bunches for playing!

xo,

Sardana

Sew & Tell Friday

Sew & Tell Friday, originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

I finished a project today I've been working on since Monday. I thought I never get done. As it is a secret project, I can upload pictures only after my partner receives it. So I was a bit confused about what to do and upload.

Sew & Tell Fridays is a great opportunity to keep motivated and get to know so many amazing and talented crafters from all over the world. I'm hooked and sure I'd love to be part of it! Then the idea came pretty spontaneous - a sleeve for new MacBook! My daughter {as it's her laptop} chose Sandy Henderson prints and after less than an hour it was done! Quick project made from less than two two fat quarters - happy me. Though I'm not sure if I'll ever do top stitches again, I defo need more practice. Anyway, I love how it turned out. By the way, it's my own pattern and I might sew more for my land-based shop.

Happy sewing!

xo,

Sardana

PS: here is the link, I'm afraid my tag doesn't work: http://www.amylouwho.com/

At long last I unravelled the tag mistery :)

First Order

My first fabric order arrived! Cotton from Bavaria, Germany. To be listed in my Etsy this weekend.

First order, originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

First order, originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

xo,

Sardana

New! New! New!

New pouches XS, originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

After sewing sessions at nights as I had my first show at Europark (please check my previous post), I thought I'll better get organised. The thing is, since I am self-employed the procrastinate became more and more my second name. I am over it now. I didn't need much therapy, though. Just started to craft. Every day. Phew. Now I can't live without sewing, crochet, simply creating something on every single day and a day spent without all that, is like a wasted time. One more reason to be happy.

I thought I'd share my recent accomplishments with you. A big batch of new pouches. Size XS (above). I've also made matching tissue huggers, pics are on my Flickr.

New pouches size S, originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

And these are size S. Ready for my land-based shop and that's the reason why I won't list them in my Etsy shop. But you can still drop me a line (I speak English, German and Russian) or give me a call if you are my regular customer! 

Please also be prepared for my first big giveaway to be announced very soon. Stay tuned!

Happy shopping & reading :)

xo,

Sardana

P.S.: have you heard of sew & tell? Please check here. Thanks Penny from Sew Take a Hike, she posted about this amazing event on her Flickr!

P.P.S.: please check my Big Celebration Giveaway here.

Hello Again!

Hello world!, originally uploaded by ::Sardana (two weeks without comp, try to catch up.

Hello dear friends,

I hope you are doing well. I missed you all so much.

You can't imagine how many things are happened in the last few weeks. March was the hardest month so far, as first I got a bad flu and was knocked out for about a week, but it was a peanut compared to my Mom and what she went thru. She had a stroke, already the second time. We all spent more than a week in terrible uncertainty before she got an MRT = magnetic resonance tomography. She gets a therapy and  can walk a bit on her own.

The week she got MRT I had my very first 8-days-show at Easter market at Europark Salzburg which started on Friday, the 26th of March. It was quite the hardest day I went thru, I thought I'll knock over because of lack of sleep I haven't got the last weeks. I survived nevertheless, then left to Cologne for an international craft fair on Saturday.

Very first time at a huge craft fair for retailers. Well. I felt like on heaven and couldn't believe I landed there and... can order! I've been walking quite long time with a stupid smile on my face, I bet :) I met Yuwa, Lecien, Westfalenstoffe, Tilda, Makover, Liberty of London, Amy Butler, Tanya Whelan (+ many other great american designers) and........KOKKA reps. These are all great manufacturers and designers I ordered from! Oh.my.God. I still can't believe. I went crazy at Kokka's booth, my order is, oh no, I won't tell how many pages long. I ordered 11 designs at Liberty of London. Many more at Tilda. And Westfalenstoffe! I better stop it, please check my blog regularly. I'll announce here all listings. 

Echino booth, originally uploaded by ::Sardana (two weeks without comp, try to catch up.

I spent the second day on the ground floor where were all famous yarn reps. As yarn is not on my priority #1 list, I just picked reps from Malabrigo because of their increadibly soft hand-dyed and hand-spun yarn. I've also met reps from Clover, Gutermann, DMC, just to name few of them.

My first order by a German fabric manufacturer is already arrived, they have excellent and very colourful gingham and polka dot prints. I can't wait to start to take pictures. As I told above, every listing will be announced here on my blog.

Full of unbelievable energy and increadibly happy, I got back on Sunday. My computer is FUBAR (= fucked up beyond all recognition, as IT guys use to say) on the day I left to Cologne. Bummers. Anyway, I didn't have time to get sad or miss the internet because the Easter market went on the whole week until second last Saturday.

First day, originally uploaded by ::Sardana (two weeks without comp, try to catch up.

I never thought I have so much energy:
1. I got up at 5 am, got breakfast, prepared things to sew for the show
2. was at 8:40 am at Europark
3. been there till 7:30 pm
4. got back at 8:15 pm, got a quick dinner
5. sewed till 1 am.

This was my pace the whole week, I only got one time "early" to bed, and it was at midnight. Well, what can I say? It was very exciting to get new regular customers and hear compliments every day, don't forget custom orders! Some of products were sold out very quickly, so I had to keep supplies coming and sewed till late nights. Surprisingly, I didn't get much tired, contrariwise, it felt like being on adrenaline rush every day. The only thing I can moan about, was the crowd level, sticky air and achy vocal cords. I nearly lost my voice already on Wednesday, but my colleagues there gave a clue to get Emser pastilles which helped immensely. Oh, see the positive side? Lost voice = many, many customers = many, many sells. ;) I'm veeeerrry curious about Christmas market which will be held on for 4 (four) weeks. Sure I plan to start to sew early enough for this event and hope to not to procrastinate again.

Okies. The first thing I did after the show was to go to McShark shop, a premium Apple seller here in Austria, and to get a MacBook. I had to wait till the new delivery, though, because they were sold out. In the meantime I got a visit from my friends from Antwerpen, Belgium, then from Carinthia and Yakutia, then from Antigua. I even celebrated my 40th birthday. So in fact, no time to miss the internet at all. Busy time. 

Then the day X came. I got my new toy last Friday. Ooops, our new toy. It's my daughter's and she kindly shares with me till I buy an iMac. I'm getting familiar with a whole new - and beautiful - Mac world. I don't think at all I might turn back to Windows and PC's again.

So. We are connected to the world again now. At long, long last. SO happy to be back! I'm doing my best to catch everything up, please bear with me if I can't get to reply your flickr and e-mails immediately. Sure I'll do so soon.

Have a great week!

Love,

Sardana

D o n e .

Done. , originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

Happy me.

Off to sew for my first big craft show, starting on Friday. I will be at Easter market in

Europark, Salzburg
from 26th of March to 3rd of April
Mo to Thu from 9am to 7:30pm
Fr from 9am to 9pm
Sat from 9am to 6pm

See you there!

xo,

Sardana

Last Check

Last check , originally uploaded by ::Sardana.

before final step, # 12.

Ready For Step # 8

Ready for step #8., originally uploaded by ::Sardana (aka sardana_creations).

Tomorrow. As I'm working from 7am, and now we have 9:11pm already. Time to stop here and get some rest. I'm going to enjoy some tasty beer. Prost!

Have a nice evening!

xo,

Sardana

PS: I kept working till midnight, still preparing for big show.

WIP

WIP, originally uploaded by ::Sardana (aka sardana_creations).

New work-in-progress pics on my Flickr. As I meant before, I'm making a fabric banner for an advertising agency. It'll be a whole sentence in German, "Ideen kommen nie aus der Mode" which means something like "Ideas will never be out". I'm at the 5th step of 12 (I wrongly meant somewhere there were 10). Still playing with fabrics, what you see is not the end version. I'm not happy with lilac & pink, though, and will replace them. More pictures tomorrow on my Flickr.

By the way, I'm taking custom orders, feel free to drop me a line :)

Wish you all the best!

xo,

Sardana