Christmas gift challenge

Last Christmas my friend Bjørg gave  a challenge as her Christmas gift to me and some other friends.  Some fabrics, embroidery floss and a big button.  We could add or remove something from the gift.  The challenge was to make what ever we wanted and show it this summer. 

And yesterday I made this cute sewing purse.  Have to admit that  I am really pleased with it.  I have used all the fabrics from the challenge, I just added the background fabric and the stitchery.  The stitchery is a free pattern and you can find it here.

I even made a little pocket inside the purse to keep my scissor and needles.  Had to handstitch it down because I did not want the seams to show on the front.  This is one purse I will use all the time.

Two days left of my summer vacation.  Going to spend them in my sewingroom.   Plans for today is to make small purses and to use every piece of the fabrics that are left from the Christmas gift challenge.   As you see I have already added some other stticheries and background fabric.

Saying for today:

Friends are flowers than never fade.
~ Anonymous

I love red

I have told myself that the next coming days I will make some small items each day for the upcoming marked  that starts aug 9th.  So this morning I made some bookmarks.

Then there was time to rotary cut some squares in red for my Red Home quilt.

Now the two first blocks are finished.

And I have prepped two new blocks.

This evening I will have focus on this headless Santa (the fourth block of Scandinavian Christmas).  My goal is to applique these pieces and try to get a head on him.

What inspired me to have some more focus on SC, was the mailbox surprise I received yesterday.  Ulla had sendt me a Scandinavian Christmas inspired surprise.  Thank you Ulla.

And look, more inspiration have arrived in my mailbox.  Lynette Anderson had a giveaway on her blog.  And I won a signed copy of her Christmas book.  I love it!!!!  There is so many projects that I want to start.  So I guess when the marked is closed, I have to trace some stitcheries from this book as I don’t have enough projects to work on LOL

Saying for today:

I wish we could put up some
of the Christmas spirit in jars
and open a jar of it every month. 
~Harlan Miller

Where is the summer???

Today it has been a heavy rain all day.  I start to wonder whenever we will have summer here in Norway.  I am so tired of all this rain.  Luckily I have booked summer and beach in a couple of weeks, and I am so looking forward to that.

So what to do this evening.  Light a lot of candles, some snacks and redwine together with a stitchery. Hoping there is a good movie on the tv.

Spending time in the sewingroom is perfect when it is raining.  Now I have made a total of eight sets of four coasters (total of 32 coasters).  Maybe making them in some other colours tomorrow. 

Saying for today:

Having fun in the sewingroom

Not so much sewing today, because I had decided yesterday, that if it was raining today I should organize the attic.  Something that should have been done a loooooooong time.  Guess what….it was raining today.

But then when I had finished the attic (took me several hours) I got to play in the sewingroom.

And what do a quilter do when she finds an interesting link at the internet.  Check out this one.

I just had to make these string block coasters. (the colour is soooo wrong, I will take another photo tomorrow in daylight)

Found a cute fabric to put on the back, so they can actually be used on both sides.

More stripes to continue sewing more coasters tomorrow.  They were so fun and easy to sew.

But now some needleturn on next block for the Red Home quilt while watching So You Think You Can Dance.

Saying for today:

Summerday on the porch

Today I have spent the whole day out on the porch.  It has been a warm summerday and I have really enjoyed the sun.  Irene visited me and we had strawberries and icecream with the  coffe. 

While chatting with a friend sewing down bindings is fun.

I finished these four mugrugs. Going to make more of these for the marked in august. 

I also finished the inside bindings on these four toiletpurses for men.

I really love the look of these crazy angels I have made.  And I know that I have to make more of these.  Hope they will sell at the marked.

And the last finish is this little purse with a owl.  This is for my needlturn class in september.

14 finishes in a couple of days. 
I really enjoy my summer vacation. 

And I still wonder how it is possible to sleep like this. 

Saying for today:

If there were to be a universal sound
depicting peace,
I would surely vote for the purr. 
~Barbara L. Diamond

I am stitching Red Home

Some weeks ago I bought a wonderful book ,Red Home by Natalie Bird.  It has so many projects that I want to sew.  Have already made two bird coin purses and are also stitching on the table centre.

And of course I will sew the big quilt called Red Home.  I fell in love with this quilt imidiately when I opened the book.

I have mailed  with Natalie and she has now been so kind that she have mad a button for us who are making the Red Home quilt.

 

And I have now added it to my sidebar.  If you are stitching this quilt you too can put this button on your blog.  The way to do it is to copy this button and then upload it to your blog. 

I have finished the first block.  Of course I had to start the one with the cat.  Guess the next one have to be the cat among the flowers.  I have no idea how fast I will stitch this quilt, but as I have stitched 2012 on this block, my plan is to have it done by the end of this year.  I am stitching it together with Hanne and we are going to report to eachother on the progress.   So fun doing this together and it makes me follow up on the progress.

Saying for today:

Time spent with cats is never wasted.
Unknown

Tour de Fibre–July.22

Day 22:

The last day in Tour de Fibre as it is in Tour de France.  Hanne and I have had some great days in the sewingroom, and so we did today.

Although I had a lot of projects I ought to work on I started two new toiletpurses in summer fabrics/colours.

A quilter working in the sewingroom need her snacks.

Two new toiletpurses with room for my sunblock and after sun cream when I go to the beach.  One for me………….

……….and one for Hanne.

Now the table in my sewingroom is tidy again, only the bowl with snacs is left.  I already miss my sewing partner. This weekend have been great.  Always nice to have a  friend on the other side of the table sewing together with.

This is the last day of our Tour de Fibre. Hope you have enjoyed my blogposts.  Tomorrow I am back to normal blogging again.  I will try to blog often, but perhaps not every day. Blogging each day have inspired me to finish a lot of projects and that feels really good.  I have also started a lot of new projects this TdF and that feels even better.

 

Saying for today:

Tour de Fibre–Progress for today

Day 21, part two:

And then there was some quality time in the sewingroom. 

After a long day shopping and sitting outdorrs in the sun, it felt good to enter the sewingroom for some relaxing.

Both Hanne and I have done some needle turn applique on Scandinavian Christmas.  It feels good to have startet the progress on this quilt.  I have a lot left to do, but I hope to have it finished before Christmas this year.

Have also done some needleturn applique and stitching on my first Red Home block.

Tomorrow is the last day in Tour de Fibre.

Tour de Fibre–Tour de Quiltshop

Day 21, part one:

Woke up early this morning, and was browsing around on internet.  Then suddenly I discovered that there is a new quiltshop Kreative Ingema at Flisa (my hometown),  just half an hour driving from where I live now.  Was Hanne difficult to ask joining me on a little Tour de Quilt ??

It was difficult to find the opening hours, so I phoned the quiltshop owner, and she told me she had closed all July.  But when I told her I had a friend visiting and we wanted to go on a quilt trip today, she said; I’ll open the shop for you.  She delayed her vacation for some hours to welcomed Hanne and me in her quiltshop.  Talk about service!!!

Half an hour driving and we arrived the quiltshop. The door was open for us and Inger Marie was waiting for us with a big smile.

It is a small shop, but she had a lot of wonderful fabrics.

In all coulours.

Patterns and quilting notions.

Inger Marie (the shop owner) was so sweet helping us.

I know I will be coming back to this quiltshop.  And she told us she  is already planning to expand the quiltshop.

Back home we had to check out our new fabrics. 

And look……… we have SUN.

Our fabrics are cat approved.

If any Norwegian want to visit this quiltshop check out this photo for all information.  She is also on facebook as Kreative Ingema.

We have had sun all day and have enjoyed both stitching, a little nap, dinner and redwine out on the porch.  Both vitamin C and vitamin Q.

Now it is time for some time in the sewingroom, and maybe a blogpost part 2 later this evening.

Saying for today:

Every great business is built on friendship.
JC Penney

Tour de Fibre–Qualitytime in the sewingroom

Day 20:

My sewingroom was clean last week, but that was until Hanne and I entered it yesterday.  Now the table is filled with projects and we are having some wonderful vitamin Q sewing days.  Although we are chatting all the time, laughing and eating in between, we actually have got a lot done today.

I have almost finished a new sample for my needleturn workshop at Gjøvik in september.  It was fun designing this and I am so pleased with the result.

Hanne has been working on her Scandinavian Christmas, and have appliqued a lot.

So I had to find mine too and prepare the fourth block.

One of our main projects this weekend was to start sewing on the Red Home quilt from Natalie Birds new book.  

Now I am ready for a good movie on the tv and some needleturn/stitchery.  Tomorrow more time in the sewingroom.

Saying for today: