Lotta Jansdotter's "Handmade Living"

Last week, after hearing that you can check out books from public libraries on your iphone, including audiobooks and some video, I decided it was about time I had a Fort Worth public library card. As the library lady verified my home address and typed in my information I noticed this book setting beside her:

After confirming that she was not in fact looking at it, I snatched it up and made it one of my first five books to check out. I had come across Lotta Jansdotter's web site before, http://www.jansdotter.com/ and knew that I really liked her design style. "When I think about Scandinavian Style, I think of simplicity, functionality, and unpretentious classic forms...Midcentury Scandinavian designers made use of natural materials and relied on traditional craft principles to create high-quality pieces with a handmade feel that would last for generations."

So many of the things she shares in the book inspired me and I found myself wishing the book was a magazine I could cut out of and glue in my inspiration notebook, or at the least, own the book myself so I could make notes and such. I don't think that the library would appreciate that, or if I removed the handy recipe cards from the back...I wouldn't... I would... I wouldn't.

One of the things I really liked were the simple patterns she uses on the fabrics she creates. I decided to whip up a stencil and play last night. I ended up only cutting out a thin line for the stencil (I made three), then stenciled dots onto each stem. The small piece of fabric is hanging on our blue bookshelf to dry, and even though it's just practice, it may find itself a more permanent place in our apartment :)