mettes pottery

2008-10-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

Shop update

After quite a bit of cleaning yesterday at the shop I have listed the new pants.
I hope, in the future there will be a listing of new things every two weeks or so, so if you havent already put Flødehesten on your blogroll, now would be a good time. If you are not in to all this blogroll thing send me your email and I will let you know when there are news.

I will be making clothes in the size range from 0 to 6 years, but will be making the individually pieces in sizes, I find suits the actual design. There will be no sold pieces in the shop, but if you want to see them it will be possible at here

The pants below are in sizes 68 cl. (6-12 months) and 74 cl. (1-1½ year). all vintage cotton, machine washed and line dry, each piece unique.

Have a nice day... I will have now a latte and donut to celebrate !

2008-10-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time...

There was a girl who made kids clothes... well she actually made things people really liked, but she knew that if she wanted to grow up and become a real DESIGNER she had to study, and so she did... she constructed patterns over and over again, tested them on crying babies and she did a lot of thinking... life is no fairytale (well, sometimes it is... but that's another story) just a lot of measuring, drawing, cutting, calculating... and still no actual clothes to tell about... But then one day she was done with all the preparations... she could actually sit down by the sewingmachine, switch on the radio and enjoy being productive again. One happy girl who just cant wait to show you the 18 pair of new flødeheste pants !

Oh... by the way a little bird had found its way down the chimney, and insisted on being invited into the studio. It was a sweetie to have around for a couple of hours, before it found its way out to the place where only the sky is the limit... good for birdie...

2008-08-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce "THE OFFICE" ...

This week I finished the office area in my studio. This is where I hang out with all the other secretarys giggling and drinking latte and discussing the last night downtown... well its not quite like that... You see, John just bought all the episodes of sex and the city, and I think we have just watched a few too many. In real life this place is mostly used for reflecting and once in a while a little book keeping ( yak... ). Normally I need a little time to consider how my work is progessing. Should the colour be different, maybe the shape or...
Or maybe my head just gets blank. Then I look in old folders filled with ideas. Some are good but has that "something" missing, some I thought was bad, but then something happened and it evolved into something else and certainly to a lot better and then there are some, that just doesn´t make any sense, but that I still keep because maybe in the future they will make sense. Am I making any sense...

The different cabinets are all thrifted except the one on the right side of the table. That one is from Ikea and holds my printer and other technical stuff. On the left side of the table I have all the transformators for Ipods, PC, kamera etc (very practical). I also collect information I need for some project and leave them hanging on little hooks.

I like my desktop to be rather empty... At least before I start new project. I have a few things to make the place a little cosy. The plant because it is just nice not to be the only thing alive around the place, and a little sign to remind me of how dark and unpractical my old studio was... And how much I just love this place, my new studio, just perfect.

Oh yes, the last picture... dinner : Tabbouleh with melon and tomatoes... Served on one of my favorit plates. Have a nice weekend

2008-08-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

Flea market...

This weekend I went to the flea market. Sometimes I get lucky. I found a lot of things I was looking for and a little ekstra, I didn´t know, I needed...

The chairs are electroplated and have wooden strips. They are gonna be used in front of the shop. It is really practical; they can be left out year around. All I have to do is to replace the wooden strips when they get in bad shape... Nice with things, you feel are going to stay with you for the rest of your life...

Here are a couple of the things, I didnt know, I was missing. The sewing mashine and the tin box were just too cute to be left behind. I wish I had a sewing mashine such as that when I was a kid... Instead I had a full funktioning "grown up version" which was probably also a lot better ( but didn´t look that cute... ). I didn´t play with dolls. Nope, I made clothes and furniture for them. I guess the only things changed since are the sizes of the things being made.

The bamboo table is for the sitting area in the back of the studio and shop. I need to replace the glass part; it is cracked. And off course, I had to have those zink buckets when the price was just $ 2 for each. It can be hard to find good quality zink. Usually the new ones contain iron, meaning they will not work with plants because of the rust. It feels a bit wrong to make holes in the bottom of them, but it is nesessary. One of them I will give to Seth to play with in the sandpit, since I find it hard to see the beaty in cheap and faded bright colored plastic toys...

These electroplated trash cans are old municipal ones from the city of Århus. Not yet yet sure what I will use them for, but since they can hang on the wall, I migth use them in the hallway for storing gloves, scarves and the like.

All in all it was a nice trip except the fact that I went there with Seth; he´s bit too young to find the charm of flea market. At once he was trying to crawl out of the pram, I had an angry wasp after me, I was trying to haggle a good deal with the vendor selling the buckets and my mother called ( she was taking care of the shop... nice mom... ). She had a customer there having some questions for me... It was pretty stressy all this happening at once, but it made a couple of spectaors to laugh... and that is not a bad thing at all... I think, next time I will close my cell phone and leave Seth at home. At least until he´s starting to find things for himself.

By the way... Yesterday I was wearing a pedometer. At the end of the day it told me I had done 22000 steps, estimated to the distance of 14 km. Pheeeewwww...! Once in a while I´m thinking how my life would have been if a had a job wearing high heels and a business suit. But can you imagine 22000 a day steps in stilettos...

2008-08-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

Seth´s nanny is sweet... and I´m finally WORKING...

After a short visit at the day care we knew inmediately, the place would be really good for Seth... 3 kids and lots of noisy and ugly plastic toys to play with... So the plan went out like: He could start allready this week, but only until noon in the beginning, so he gets used.

A lot of organizing & stuff like raincoats, boots, thermo clothes, diapers and so on ( they give you a list...which is quite practical ), but we are all settled by now. The first two days were great, but today I had to pick him up early. He got homesick and sad so we went home, read a couple of books, had some raisins and everything was fine again... Tomorrow we try again...

AND me...? It´s raining every day here, so I have left the outdoor activities and have spend hours cleaning up the studio. It feels really good, like conquering the space back from to be a playground to working purposes.

Before leaving you I would like to ask you something: For a while I thought nobody was posting because of the summer, or maybe everybody were just busy, like me... BUT, it turned out my RSS feed reader was malfunktioning... It bothers me a lot, because I´m really enjoying to follow what everybody is up to... So any ideas how to fix this little problem are very welcome.

2008-08-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

when things are slow...

It has been a while ago... but sitting again here and writing a blog feels really good. It has always been some kind of reward for me to sit down with these pictures and write about one more finished project... John uses once in a while the phrase: "Now the world is a bit more complete". It can be after any small thing, like vacuuming the floor... But it is not quite that easy when the project is a real big one; like totally completing my shop and studio with every single little thing that's missing... but I am slowly getting there.
The picture below shows the area in front of my shop. You park your car on the other side of the building and walk around the corner following the path with the big windows of the studio on your right hand. The shops´ entrance is covered with tiles. This winter a 30 square meter greenhouse will be built there. It is going to be a part of the shop; I am dreaming of a little area for selling things for garden, and a little place to sit down with a cup of coffee and a muffin... we will see...

But as it is, here is a lot to be done. Trying to finish most of it myself with a little kid around, takes time. Against my own rules I am publishing plans of an unfinished project. I want you to be part of it and share it with me, wondering how it is going to be... ?

Maybe the most important part of the project takes place tomorrow. We are going to visit a day care nanny, hopeful sweet, suitable and willing for taking care of Seth who´s longing to play with other kids and giving me the time to be more productive in my shop and with my shop...

2008-04-29T12:04:00.001-07:00

The mocca cup candleholder... or something about doing things with an ease

This is by so far my favorite candleholder, and yes, I made it. Not in the studio, but at home at the kitchentable, using bits and pieces from the kitchen cabinet. It is assembled with a very strong clear two component glue. Using an element for something else than it was originally intended to, makes it all fun and easy.

There is just something about candleholders... they are complicated. Stubborn little snobbish creatures, not really wanting to have anything to do with others, except that identical one standing next to them. Hmmm... they nag me... But I love candles and I NEED candleholders and this one says: I come in peace...
So, wellcome.

It is the time of the year, where the studio's filled with pots... I throw pots in big patches to fill an order. Something happends after I have thrown the first 20. The repetition, the rhytm , the flow, those tiny variations. At the same time it is 120 small stories and one long one. All I want to do is doing things with an ease because it makes it easier for others to approach it.

2008-04-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Simple living...

Whenever I see these books about simple living with a cover showing a woman (apparently not wearing any makeup...) sitting in her white clothes on a lawn, looking over the green green hils, it always makes me laugh. That is not simple living. Simple living is wearing dark pants if you´re planning a picnic in the park, without spending the next day trying to wash the stains of, eventually give up and spend a day shopping (which I hate), trying to find another pair, you like as much. Simple living is practical, but maybe not so pretty waterproof plastic containers, you use to transport your food when you´re going to park... Do I have to continue... ?

Simple living is also trying to use whatever you have by hand, may it be yarn, food or cooking books. In this world many things circulate too quickly... Even information... Sometimes you just have to stay put, get the job done and think...

The vests are for Seth and I used yarn left from other projects and some old buttons from my grandmothers stash ( She took all the buttons of clothes before throwing them out... no she did not give them to charity, because what was left, would not be usable for anyone ). The pattern is a traditional vest, used for decades...

Now I will go and scramble a meal together of left over vedgies and what I may find from the fridge. Simply.

2008-03-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

Much more than a bookshelf....

This might just look like a normal bookshelf, but it is not. The upper 3rd part contains Johns' books, mostly prosa and quite a few about vintage watches. The middle section is for my books; mostly factual literature, notes of my various projects and some magazines. The lovest part of the shelf got 3 cabinets in it. The one on the left is for all my clothes I wear daily, the one in the middle hides a movie showing device, ( well it's a television and then again, not really, - we haven't got a cable or arial ). The last one on right is for Johns' clothes.

So, what does this say about us ?... John loves literature and books and thinks it as rather excentric that I have sorted all his books by color ( I am not the only one who has done that... ). But my eyes are getting quickly bored. Too many colors without no specific order feels like a big black cloud avoiding me to think. But then again, I use colors, I like colors, and I also love books. So, all MY books are wrapped in white matte foil. I might tell you it is because they need to be strengtened; I pull them in and out of the shelf all the time. But that's not really the reason... I use them as manuals and I just want the maximum esthetic unclutternes and peace for whatever I am working with at the moment...

Yes, we don't have TV. I haven't had one for 10 years, and guess what... I met John, and he didn't have one either, and now we have a child that doesn't watch telly. I think though, when he's about three years, we might get a cable, so he can watch a little once in a while... Why ? Is our anti-telly attitude some kind of religious or ideologic believ... Not really... I just like life more without a TV.

2008-03-02T01:16:00.000-08:00

Something I will actually wear... in a while

I have decided, this year knitting projects got to be something classic... cables... tweed...

This cardigan has been in my mind for about ten years, and I can see myself using it with jeans or just loose and relaxed over a dress. Really nothing spectacular, but something very usefull.

My plan is to make 2 of them... one long and one short. The long one in thin grey blue Shetland Wool combined with thicker cream coloured wool. Needle sixe 6 and with 14 stitches on 10 cm. I have started planning the pattern; drawing the patterns and cables on a grid. For the short one will be some kind of cream or oatmeal tweed. I also need to get my hands on a real good book with lots of knitting stitches. I have made a reservation at the library for "Vogue, dictionary of knitting stitches". Coming back to that book whole the time, I might have to buy it.

So much planning. In the meantime I am trying to use all the bits and pieces of yarn for socks and vests for Seth... show you that later...

2008-02-12T23:13:00.000-08:00

Going to the library

Since I was child, I have loved libraries and books. I don't read many fiction books but I love factual literatur that cover any subject, may it be art, science , or some third thing... And offcourse, the ones with many pictures are the best. In our town we have a great library, and I visit it as often as I can. My plan is to bring our son Seth there and make him enjoy it as much as I do.

For his one year birthday I made this library tote. It fits over his shoulder, but the strap is adjustable, so it stays with him for a long while. It has attached a wooden ring, he can have things hanging, like these beads and the crochet covered bell. Later I hope he will have his Ipod, keys, cellphone or something else... we will see

The thing is... I want one too... hmmmm... But then he would probably be too embarrased using his... Such a dilemma...

2008-01-29T12:36:00.000-08:00

My dad...

Before my dad started to grow plants and flowers for living, he used to work as decorator. Back in the early sixties part of the education as decorator was to hand paint signs. I love the way a hand painted sign looks, so, of course he had to create the new sign for my studio ( Well, he made the old one as well... nice with a talented family ! ).

As young dude he used to work in the very finest women's clothing shop in our town. One day they received a whole shipment of finest Scottish woolen fabrics, and my father and his colleagues had a bet going on; would dad be recognized walking through the city in disguise. The local newspaper shoot pictures and wrote an article about the Scottish fabrics ( this was for about 40 years before the Internet... ). Oh, how I love that picture; those cars... that outfit... and well, I guess, my dad too. I wish, our town was just as pretty now, as back then!

2008-01-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

Ikea Hacker

I have always liked the way light filters through handtrown porcelain; it reminds me of the rings of Saturn. It has long been the plan to make new lampshade for the Ikea lamp BASISK. The lamp is simple but has the perfect fitting making it really easy to change the shade. Perfect for me since I am a potter, not an electrician. We have three of these lamps by our sofa, and I love the way the shades gives out light so similar to candles.

2008-01-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

The Famous White Tablecloth

Sometimes you have to do it. Make life something special, do something extra, spread the white cloth on table and get properly dressed for dinner. We have just one kitchen cabinet that holds our china, which in this case is NOT from China, but mostly earthenware from my studio. Not much space, but I'm trying to combine the tableware in a way we have all we need at hand, not only for everyday dinner but also for special occasions like Christmas and birthdays. I sewed the white linen tablecloth just a day before Christmas eve and made an effort to make the edges and corners to look sharp and good. Next year I will sew napkins to go with it.

The Christmas was wonderfully hectic; family over for Christmas eve, Seth's birthday and friends & family visiting, but I think we are back on track by now.

We don't have curtains because I just love the light in our apartment, but at winter the naked windows look so very big and dark. So, I put up this winter decoration made of two different type of oilcloth. I just stick it to the window with double adhesive tape. It can take the rain if the window stays open and it doesn't fall of even in windy weather. As you can see, it softens the rather harsh winter light. When the light gets stronger and days longer in April, we put it away for next year. Maybe next year with a different border... who knows...

2007-12-21T10:42:00.001-08:00

A new and great design blog about kids stuff

Irene has this wonderfull blog Bloesem and now she has launched a new one Bloesem kids. Oh yes, we need this blog... Congratulations...

In Irenes own words:

"It is all about cool stuff for kids…not a laundry list of products you can buy for your kids…but more like a carefully put together selection…cherry picking…among everything that is available which can be quite overwhelming sometimes…so B:Kids will set out to do just that…help you navigate and give inspiration…."

I feel very honored that my design Flødehesten is among her cherry pickings. Go check it out...

2007-12-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas Preparations...

Can it be called for Christmas Preparation when it is already the 17.th of December ?!? Well I do... You know there is Christmas next year too, and even if I am not keeping the sweets, I Will keep my Christmas manual ( as John - laughing - calls my rather autistic approach to these seasonal holiday things. But honestly, it is just because I want to save time and be relaxed. My way of doing is really to get into it. I write everything down, make lists and so on, so I can later just switch to auto pilot... Am I weird ? Well maybe, but it works...

The sweets are mixed up of all the good things I like... nougat, dried apricots, orange blossom water, cognac, coffee, white chocolate...

The Candle holder vase is one of a small series in light cream colour, cream and aqua green. It was made because I needed a way of displaying flowers and candles together, in a low key way... just a single flower in springtime, some green at winter, and maybe just a matchbox when things are a bit too busy...

The candle holder vase will be awailable on my website next week. Look under the catagory "unique pieces"

Christmas preparations...

2007-12-17T12:17:00.000-08:00

The local newspaper came by...

Me taking a picture of the photographer taking a picture of... The local paper wanted to write an article about how things are coming along, since I moved the studio to the countryside. The headline says "Far out on the countryside but close to the Paradise". Phase 1 in the rebuilding of the studio is finished and phase 2 ( the final one ) will have to wait to spring... Now I need to focus on the ceramics and hopefully some more sewing since all the ideas are piling up in my head... Well, that's good, isn't it ?

2007-12-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

Re-establishing traditions...

This Christmas is a special one for us. It is Seths´ first Christmas... sort of... since he was born December 27th, he had a little of it last year... It is also the first time we are celebrating Christmas ( Hanukkah, would John maybe say ? ) in our little family... with Christmas dinner and all that... We would like our X-mas to be nice and tasseled with magic, but most important; let´s have it without stress this year...

I made This "Christmas stocking" for Seth a little late... Lucky me, he doesn't know the calendar yet. I wanted to make something he can have trough whole his childhood and it can be used for either 24 gifts or maybe just 4 ( a danish advent tradition, 24 days or 4 Sundays before the X-mas )... I found the little embroidered bell string from a 2nd hand shop, and I liked the colours. Running out of time, between 5am and 7am it was made and ready.

Oh yes, as you can see, I still haven't painted that bed... I will get to that soon... but HOW... Where could he take his nap while... Just can't figure out the logistics of this project... I guess I should have painted it before the smaller bed was moved out... hmmmmm...

2007-11-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

Time for being practical....again...

I finished Seths' new winter suit.... Just in time, because it is getting rather cold here. I couldn't find one I liked, so I had to sew one myself. I wanted one soft enough for him to move around, and I didn't find it necessary that it could cope with minus 35 degrees Celsius and wear and tear of the toughest military outfit. If he has to crawl around in mud pools - not really my plan - then he just wears extra pair of pants made of water proof beaver nylon. He is not even one year yet... I used some of the leftover fleece to make the small mittens... really easy and a really good idea... I keep the rest of the fleece... 'cause we will sure lose them over and over again...

2007-11-24T10:44:00.000-08:00

Early mornings...

Maybe you remember...??!... John took the last three months of the maternity ( paternity ) leave, but today was the last day... so new beginning: Now Seth has to follow me daily to the studio... Oh yes, I can hear you saying "hmmm, is that possible...?" And yes, it is. We get up at 6am and after 1 hour of eating, getting dressed and drinking coffee ( eh, mostly me ) we're heading to the studio. Seth plays in the "kindergarten" ( a low platform about 5 square meters with a wooden floor, fence and of course a little gate ). I got some ideas for decorating it, but that has to wait until spring, because now starts the Pottery Time... well... I quickly fire up the stove and then I have about 1 hour for doing a little miscellaneous work before it is time for Seth's morning nap at about 9am... Two hours of throwing pots, then eating, playing, taking a walk, working, eating and Seth having an afternoon nap. Again two hours of concentrated work. Seth wakes up and he plays a little before we drive home. 12 hours gone since we stood up.

Note to myself :...Make tiny mittens for Seth just like my own studio ones.....

2007-11-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Howdie Owlie...

My plan was actually to renovate Seths new bed, but I ended up making this little Owlie in stead of. When we bought the 2nd hand kiddie bed, I was rather satisfied with the colour....but since the paint now peels of, revealing a rather girly pink, I guess I have to paint it. Being rather tired of painting right now, I ended up at the sewing machine... hmmm so much more fun... The Owl was a make-along-thing... not that much of thinking, just playing... I like the results, and so does Seth......

Owls are favorite animals of mine, signaling intelligence, sweetness and a little bit of funny arrogance.... I think that kind of softie is the best companion at nighttime, and I hope Seth will have long weird scientific discussions with the Owlie.

2007-11-07T12:59:00.000-08:00

Let there be light..

Finally we took the time to hang up the lamp we bought on an auction. It has been in storage room for several months, but we had to do something since the days where getting shorter. It is designed by the danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen in the 50´s and is called Radiohuspendel ( Radio House Lamp ) since it was made for the old Danisk National Radio City in Copenhagen. They were also used at a school building designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen ( see the picture below ). I really like the shape and size of it, and with a light regulator it is perfect for both working and really cozy together with candles.... perfect...

My working board by the bench is rather empty at the moment....all my time goes to rebuilding my shop and workshop, no clay, no fabrics...just painting, painting and well.. painting...I miss getting into crafting again...but I also know you have to prepare canvases or you are forever stuck with pencil and paper....

2007-10-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for fall...

Today I saw a lot of birds heading south. I spend the day in the studio making sure the clay was stored safely for the winter, moving the fragile plants inside and so on. It has allready been below zero at night, but the weather is clear beautifull, and I am not complaining...

I made the cardigan and hat for Seth using this pattern, with a few changes to make it not so girlish...He is still to small for shoes so I made a pair of knitted boots ( I am afraid these will be to small in two weeks ) .....The pattern is from Erika Knights book: simple knit for cherished babies ( I just made them a little longer )

We are building the studio, so most of the time goes with painting and so on, but soon I will show you....

2007-10-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

About knitting...

I use to knit these very complicated patterns, but something has changed...Now knitting is more some kind of meditation for me. I need it to be simple, without the constant looking at the patterns, counting and so on...I love wearing thin cardigans over tops and dresses, so I decided to make a pattern using my own sewing pattern. I knit all the edges by hand ( really easy...no counting...pure relaxation ), and then I finish it on the very old knitting mashine that I have from my grandmother. I crochet the button front ( again no counting ). I made the pattern with the help from the freeware program >Graph paper printer. I made a simple grid that fit to the gauge of my yarn and then I just trace the pattern on the grid...

I have knitted ribbon ready for take 2, and I will make some changes...shorter, rounded edges at upper front, dyed brown...Then take 3 in alpaca wool...take four in cashmere...........

2007-10-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Home again

We are home.....There has been a change in situation....I'm no longer dwelling in a greek café with my laptop, drinking fresh cool orange juice....no... I'm working in my studio, hands all covered in clay, drinking coffee, foggy landscape outside and two hunters walking by my big windows with a dead fox...beautiful animal, but very quiet...sad....

I like working in the studio... And find it strange to think about the fact that some people don't appreciate the work of hands...like our old greek landlord that doesn't have to do physical work to make a living. He shows that by keeping his thumb nails long ( I'm not a peasant, he tells ) ....I always have short nails, and I never wear rings, because It makes me feel like I cant breathe....