A message from Hanne

Hanne just sendt me an sms telling she is all right after the operation. I hope she recovers very soon and that she will be back home soon.

A big hug to Hanne from all of us.

A valentine card

I guess you all have seen Melanies beautiful Buggy Barn heart quilt in her blog "Covered porches and wooden Screen doors". I had mentioned for her that I wanted to try to make this and look.....she sendt me her pattern.........and this beautiful valentine card. Thank you so very much Melanie, quilters are the greatest friends!!!!
I will try this pattern as soon as I get som more free time. Just now I am so busy with preparing the registration for our annual quilt meeting in the Norwegian Quilt Association in march. I am going to Grimstad (a citiy in the south of Norway) this weekend and we are going to have a working weekend. I promise I will bring my camera and show some photos of this beautiful city.
And Jeanne Meddaugh from Saginaw, Michigan mailed me and told she had recognized her siggie block in my quilt. How fun. Below is her block in my quilt.

Playing with my cubes

Saturday I spent almost all the day drawing and cutting pieces for my cube quilt . I thought I had saved the fabrics for this quilt in a box, but when I looked through it I noticed that I had been in that box before and some of the fabrics were gone. So I had to look through my stash and luckily I fond most of the "old" fabric. It was fun to see the fabrics again. My taste have changed a bit during the years, but I think I will be satisfied with this quilt when it is finished. It is a lot of memories in all the old fabrics (can I call it old fabric when it is over six years old???).Making the pieces take such long time. But I think I have made enough pieces for the whole quilt now. I have a favorite tool I use when I draw pieces. A little plate covered with fine sandpaper. It makes the fabric lay still when I draw around the templates.
I pieced together a lot of cubes and started to play with them. When I found the right place for the cubes I started to add the dark triangles. Do you notice that it looks like the cubes are surrounded by a star :)

And voila.... a new row of cubes is ready to be stitched to the quilt.

I do it all by handpiecing. It is so relaxing to play with the colours making cubes and then stitch them together. I have not been doing this kind of sewing for a while and I realised now how much I have missed it. I have done so much applique and stitchery lately so it was fun to handpiece again. Next monday I am starting a basic class in handpiecing again, and I look forward to teach the six ladies who is joining my class how to do this.

Have you joined the Siggie swap yet? If you want to know more about it take a look at Cynthias blog here. She is explaining the rules and a little tutoril how to make the blocks we are swapping.

Quilt saying for today:

Our lives are like quilts - bits and pieces,
joy and sorrow, stitched with love

Siggie Swap

Cynthia have now published the rules for this siggie swap among bloggers. If you want to join us visit her blog here and sign up. This will be fun and I hope a lot of bloggers join us in this swap.
(Please forgive me Cynthia for using your photo in my blog :)

Work for fabric

Look at these lovely fabrics I got yesterday. And I did not breake my fabric diet for january. Some days ago I helped counting fabric in our quilt shop, and for that I could choose some fabric. I waited until this weekend because I knew they would get new fabrics. And look....they got the new collection from Lecien. This collection is called Mrs March collection in Antique. Take a look here and you can see the whole collection. The quiltshop has only a few of this collection yet, but I hope the rest is arriving soon. I adore fabrics from Lecien. They are so delicious. And if you remember I got a big bundle of Lecien fabrics from my children for christmas.

Today I will work on my cube quilt. I got several questions about this quilt. It is a pattern from a Kaffe Fassette book. It was my friends book so I do not know the name of the book now. I hand stitch every block and I will make it so big that I can use it on a singel bed.

Quilt saying for today:
Sewing and crafts fill my days
not to mention the living room, bedroom and closets

Elverum quiltgroup january meeting

Every last thursday in the month Elverum quilt group has their meeting. Today it was a lot of ladies there and several had very beautiful things to show.

A beautiful wall hanging with daffodils

This table runner was made with only silk fabric.
A quilt for a little child

This quilt is for a kindergarten

The next four quilts is made after a swap with some american ladies. It is some years since the swap and today these four quilts was shown.

Still cold weather, but it is told that it will get warmer in few days. I hope so. I had a great time at the meeting today, and I got a little bit stitchery done. I had planned to quilt more on my "Say it with flowers" but I have forgotten to bring my quilt thread. Luckily I had brought a stitchery too. I made a promise to a good friend that I start working on my cube quilt. I started it about six years ago. Half is done, but the other half..... I will do some piecing of this one this weekend......I think :)

Quilt saying for today:

You can always tell a quilter
from the threads she wears!

......and cathair :)

Still cold outside

I am so happy I have my wood burner to heat up the house together with electricity. Still minus 24 celcius outside. A little bit "warmer" (about minus 15) during the day, but still too cold. I remember when I was a little girl all winters where very cold. And I remember new years eve (in 98 or 99 I think) it was minus 32 celcius. Thats too cold for me. But we are used to strong winters where I live. This winter we have been spoiled with good temperature, so I will not complain.......if it not lasts too long.

This is what I made today. Three scissor holders. They are wery easy to make and give nice protection for the scissor while travelling. I am sure you too take good care of your scissors. I have one (read; several) scissors for fabric, and I have old scissors I use for paper. And no one in my family dares to use one of my scissors without permission.
I have found the pattern I want to quilt in the big squares on my "Say it with flowers" quilt. I hope to finish it this weekend. And then my goal "finish one ufo each month" is reached for january month. And I already know which one of my ufo's that is next on the list.

Quilt saying for today:

The only place where housework
comes before needlework
is in the dictionary.
~Mary Kurtz

A lot of sewing

I got a lot of sewing done this weekend :) I am so happy. Yesterday I had planned to go to a 6 years birthday, but the weather stopped me. Just before I was leaving home a snowstorm came. It was snowing and blowing like h..... and I did not dare to drive for 45 minutes in the snowstorm. So I stayed inside, fired in my wood burner and light some candles. A glass of red wine and my Applique Design blocks. They are so fun to make and I managed to finish two blocks. So here is .....

A D block number 14

And AD block number 15

I have also prepared the next four blocks for february sewing. One block per week. But this week I made two :) But now I have no freezerpaper left so I have to ask in the grocery shop tomorrow if I can get some more.

And I am out of vlisofix too. Discovered that when I was to prepare more blocks for my Daisy quilt.

Do you remember the stitchery I showed some days ago. This is what I made of it. A toilet purse. But it got a bit too small for a toilet bag. So perhaps it is a make up purse instead. But I do not have that much make up :) Or perhaps I can have some quilting tools in it. And I have been a good girl. I have used some of my newest fabrics. And it felt good to cut in them.

The back of it. I think my flower quilting is not too bad. I am feeling more and more secure of machine quilting. It is fun and fast. It is easy to quilt small things on my machine. But I have a couple of big quilts I want to machine quilt. Do you think I can do it on my Janome? How do you quilt big things on a ordinary sewing machine?

Siggie swap

What have I started LOL It is so fun that I go so many commenents on my siggie quilt.
Cynthia and I have started to "talk" about details in a siggie swap among us bloggers. So if you want to join a blog siggie swap please write a comment on Cynthia's blog. We have to organize this some way and make some rules. What about the postage cost from "swap mom" back to you? Do you have any ideas how to do this? And what pattern should we sew? It must be an easy and fast one to make. What do you think? Please make a comment to Cynthia and tell her.

It's freezing cold outside

Brrrr.....It's minus 18 outside. We have snow and now it's like a Norwegian winter should be. But I am freezing :) So this weekend I will stay inside and sew most of the time. Just outside to go to the shop, a six-years birthday and visiting my mother.

I have made this little stitchery. I loved the saying on it. I will sew some beads in the hair on the girl to the left and some beads that will be a necklace on the other two girls. And then I will put this stitchery in to a .........wait and see. I hope to do this .......... this weekend. LOL, come back and see what it will be. Only one have responded that they have a block in my siggie swap. It is Hanne, and here is her block. Why if we started a siggie swap among us bloggers now? Would that be fun?


Have a nice weekend all of you. Hope you get a lot of sewing done. I'll be back with my sewing report later this weekend.

Friendship among quilters

Meetings, work and no sewing or blogging :( I wish time will slow down a bit soon, or that I can get more hours each day to do what I want. I have sendt several applications, but not yet got more hours.

I want to show you this top. Some months ago I got a question if I had been in a siggie swap. I do not remember who asked, but here it is.

Some years ago (read: many years ago) I participated in a siggie swap started on a dear Jane list. When I look at the blocks I can see it was in 2007 (six years ago!!!!) I made many siggie blocks and got as many as I made back. And I made this quilt, and it is big. It is about 150 blocks in it. And they are mostly from USA, but also from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Austria, Canada, Finland and Australia (if I remember correct, did not have time to study it now).

When I got the siggies it was so fun to read where from they came and lovely comments each women had written on them. All the siggies I got was from different fabrics except two. And look what happends when I put it all together. I managed to get the two similar fabrics next to eachother LOL. I have some close ups of some of the blocks so you can see the names on them. How fun would it be if anyone of my blogging friends "owns" a block in my quilt. If you recalls joining in this siggie swap please let me know. And I can try to find you in my quilt. I treasure this quilt very much and I ought to finish it very soon. Think this is one of my oldest WISP's. Or I rather call it a WIVSP (work in VERY slow progress)

When I started blogging I had no idea I would get so many friends out in the blog world. Now I have made good friends all over the world. And it is fo fun learning to know you all.

To read about your daily life and family, see beautiful pictures of where you live or where you are on holidays. And all the inspirations I get from looking at all the beautiful things you are making. If I have a question about something or need help, I always get a quick answer. And I enjoy receiving comments on what I'm posting. Imagine if we all came to a get-together-party sometimes. What a event that would be :)

You are great friends!

Quilt saying for today:

Friendship is the Rainbow to Happiness

No buying fabric

I have added A peach in stitches badge for no buying fabric in january. I know we already are in the middle of this month, but I have been clever and not bought any fabric yet this month. Notice the little note saying "unless to finish a quilt". I said in my recent post that I had to buy another green fabric for my "Country Whig rose" quilt, but I promise you I will look deep into my fabric stash before doing that. Perhaps there is a green fabric suitable for this quilt. And God knows I have a lot of fabric to choose from.

Block number 13 AD

Block number 13 is finished. It is so fun to applique this small block. This time I tryed Hannes way to applique the tiny small dots. And it worked very well.

I have started to work again on my "Country Whig Rose" wall hanging from the book Simple Blessings. I love the two books from Kim Diehl. I have appliqued the four blocks in the senter and now I am going to start on the inner border. I have found the fabric which I think I am going to use in the border. Since I do not have a design wall (my sewing room is too small) I always take photos of what I am planning. I am playing with colours and when I am satisfied with the look I take a photo of it. Then I can look at it later when I am working on it to see where to place the different fabrics. I have to find another green for the outer border. I will have a darker green there. Do you agree? On the outer border there will be more application.
And I finished this little angel stitchery. I do not know what to make of it yet....... time will show. I am going to Oslo today because of a meeting tomorrow so I have to go into my sewing room and transfer a new stitcherypattern on fabric to bring with me. I'm very clever doing tops, but to finish them into something.......... :) I am not so good at that. I have a lot of stitchery waiting to be turned into something. I have ideas, but....... :) But I think I'm not the only one.

Quilt saying for today:

A family is a patchwork of Love !

One ufo almost finished :)

I am almost finished with my "Say it with flowers" quilt. Just a little bit more quilting in the big squares between the flowers and then the binding. I am so happy with this quilt. This is my second "blue" quilt and they who knows me well knows that I have not been very fond of blue colours. Up til now. I have started to love blue colours now. I bought this pattern when I visited Val D'Argente september 2005.

I have blogged little this year because I have been very busy. Have worked late several days and when I come home I have worked with the registration for the Norwegian Quilt Associations annual meeting. But as you see I have been able to handquilt a lot when I have relaxed in front of the tv.

My next block for the AD (Applique Design) is prepared and I intend to sew it tomorrow. I am so looking forward to fridays. Friday is a sacred day for me. I always clean my house on thursdays (if I have to LOL) and when I come home from work on fridays I love staying home and relax with my DD, boyfriend, good food and perhaps a glass of redwine. They use to teas me because when the clock is almost nine I start to yawn and zzzzzZZZZZZZZZ. But it feels so good, doesn't it ?

Applique Design - block 12

This is my block number 12 for our applique design challenge with Nadine, Darlene, Angie and Hanne. I thought I had made 12 blocks earlier, but I can only find 11 blocks now when I look. I wonder how the others are doing. What colours they have chosen. Have they started??

Applique with freezerpaper

I promised Nadine that I will give a privat lesson applique with freezerpaper. So when I started to applique this weeks block in our "Applique design" challenge, I took photos of the steps. I would love to knock on her door to say: Hey, lets sew!!! But it is a long distance between her and me so this will be difficult this evening LOL Perhaps later, who knows.

First I trace the pattern on to the background. This make it more easy to know where to applique all the details later. If you look close you perhaps can see the pattern. But I use a light blue aqua trickmarker to trace the lines and it do not shows so good at the photo. I use aqua trick marker because I can wash the lines away when I am done with this block.

Next I trace the draw the applique shapes on the paper side of the freezerpaper and cut by the line. Then I iron the shiny side on to the wrong side of the fabric I am going to use. I press just for a few seconds because the freezerpaper fasten very quick. Try your freezerpaper on to a little piece of fabric first, because I have learned that it can be very difficult to remove from certain fabrics. Specially thimbelberry fabrics I have noticed this. Why I do not know. Cut the fabric with 1/4 inch seam allowance. If you are having very small parts use less seam allowance.

Then I glue down the seam allowance. I use a quilter glue stick, but you can also use a ordinary glue stick if it is washable. Sometimes I also baste the seam allowance down. But I prefer glue. Perhaps basting is the best way to do it for you.

Now you are ready to applique. I have found my dear needle threader. Can't do without it. When I applique I use thread that is similar colour as the shape I am applique. In this photo I use red thread. Never use thread after the background. I use invisible stitches when I applique this way.

When I am done with the stitching I still have the freezerpaper inside . To remove this I cut away the background fabric on the back of the shape (using 1/4 seam allowance).

Now I have appliqued all the details and this is how my background is looking like when I have removed all the freezerpaper.

And this is how it looks at the right side. All the applique is done and I can start stitching the other lines. But I have to wait until tomorrow.

I hope this was understandable for you. I did my best.

I have added this challenge in my sidebar. Called it Applique challenge with Nadine, Darlene and Angie. And I will add my blocks there while I am sewing. I am so curious to see what colours the other ladies are choosing. Have you started yet?????

I have added block 1-11 in the sidebar. Have to take a photo of block 12 and soon I have finished block 13. 37 left to make. This is fun!!!!!!

I hope you three other do not feel any pressure because I already have made 13 blocks. I know it will come weeks that I will not be able to applique any new blocks. So I guess you soon will catch me up.

I know that Hanne also will join us in this challenge making two (or more) blocks each month.

I am so back in to sewing again after no sewing the last weeks

and I love it!!!!!!!!!!

Goals for 2007

Very late yesterday I wrote a loooong post about my goals for 2007, but when I was to publish it everything disapeared :( Blogger did not cooperate and I lost everything because I had not saved it. I have learned my lesson now (I think) and will use the "save as draft" button often now. Do I remember what I wrote.......I'll give it a try.

Yesterday it was the first day at work in the new year. Very hectic but ok. I feels good to come into daily routine again after all the relaxing, eating, partying and sleeping. I am too old to stay up until five in the morning :) I have still my christmas decorations up, but will remove them this weekend. I have felt a bit lost this christmas. I have not been able to sit and sew at my favorite spot because I had to move my sewingligth to another place because of the christmas tree. And the tree is also blocking the wiev to the tv. It feels not right to sit and sew in the sofa. Perhaps thats why I have got so little sewing done during the christmas. Looking forward to get my sewing spot back again :)

My main goal for 2007 is to have fun with what I am doing. I will not stress and feel guilty if I do not finish a project. If I find something new I want to try I'll do it. And I know I'll be tempted like before. There is always so much inspiration on your blogs and I discover new patterns and books all the time.

I have joined a challenge. In fact I think it was I who suggested it. I am going to sew "Applique designs" with Nadine and Darlene. There is 50 blocks in this quilt and if we sew one block each week we will have the top finished next christmas. I have already done 12 blocks and can have a slooooow start.

But I love making these small blocks and therefore I spend yesterday evening preparing 5 new blocks. I ironed the freezerpaper templates on fabric and cut them out. I place each block in an envelope to keep them in order. I even traced the pattern on to the background so the blocks are ready to be appliqued.

I have also joined Sandie's UFO/WISP 2007 challenge. I have decided I'll try to finish one ufo/wisp each month. May be more if they are small. I like the word WISP (work in slow progress) better than UFO (unfinished objects), or perhaps WIVSP (work in very slow progress) even better. I will not list my WISP's because they are too many and I do not know which one I am going to start with. I'll rather surprise you and show them when they are done.

I will continue handquilting on the quilts I already have started to handquilt. But when I going to finish WISP's I'll try to machinquilt. Number one reason for doing this is that they will be finished faster, number two reason is that I need more practice machinquilting and number three reason is in fact that I trust myself that much now in machinquilting. Think I am starting to get good results.

I'll reduce my fabric stash. And I promise you I'll use my newest fabrics. Why save them for later. It's now they are beautiful. I have saved a lot of fabrics because I have not "dared" to use them. But when I look at them months (years) later I find them dull and not so pretty anymore. So let us use our newest fabrics. I challenge you to do that too. I believe I'm not the only one saving new fabric for later.

I think this may be realistic goals. I know I'll get tempted and start on new projects. But I also know I'll reduce my WISP's. I know I'll buy more fabric, but I will try hard to reduce my fabric stash.

I am looking forward to a new year of visiting your blogs. And I hope you visit mine.

I will leave comments on you posts and I hope you leave comments on mine.

A BIG HUG TO YOU ALL.
Let 2007 be a year filled with inspiration, friendship, joy and good health.