Winter quilting vacation

I have spendt my winter vacation at the cabin with two good quilting friends.  We have sewed all day and night (eh….okey….the two others sewed almost all night……while I was sleeping LOL)  I really needed some days just with relaxing and sewing.  It has been so hectic at work latel so this was a really needed vacation.

I had as usual brought with me a lot of projects, but one of the projects I chose to work on was to do a lot of quilting on my basket quilt.  So relaxing to handquilt while chatting with the two other ladies.

We had agreed to sew more log cabin blocks this weekend.  Some time ago we all bought the same fabric kit, but we had to add more fabric from our own stash.  So I guess all four log cabin quilts are going to be so different.  My log cabin quilt is slowly growing.  45 blocks made so far, still have 35 more to make. 

Saying for today:

SSCS 2012

In Norway there is a saying: “Christmas last until Easter…….”  And I guess that is kind of true.

I joined Chookey’s Secret Santa Christmas Swap 2012.  The one I made gifts for received her Christmas package, but mine never arrived.

Until today.  It was so exciting to find a big envelope stucked into my mailbox when I come home from work today (after being at the dentist).  And reading who the sender was, I knew this had to be my lost SSCS present.  I have mailed back and forth with Meg who told me the customs had sendt the package back to her and she received it long time after Christmas.  Now it finally arrived my mailbox.

I did not put on a cd with Christma songs, nor did I decorate with Santas.  I just let the beautiful sunshine decorate today.

The first package I opened was the one with ornament for Christmas.  The cute koala bears was in this little red and white bag together with a very cute button.

Then it was time to open the big Christmas gift.  Look……a cute project holder in red (sorry about the colours in the photo) with a matching pincushion. Have some on going projects I can have in this projecct holder.

Meg had also mad a very cute Christmas wallhanging for me.  Looking forward to hang it up next Christtmas.  She had also added a very nice preprinted stitcheryproject design Rosalie Quinland for me.  This one is SO cute, and I will start sewing on this now so it can be ready for next Christmas.  I have the perfect place to hang it, and I have actually had the idea making something like this.  She also gave me a cute Cinderberry Stitches card which had a iron on transfer pattern just alike the card.  Love this too. 

Thank you Meg, I guess you had visited my blog and noticed I love all these designers.  Thank you so much for this wonderful SSCS present.  And I am so happy you have started blogging again, as you told me earlier you had troubles with your blog.  So visit Meg’s blog, she does some wonderful sewing.

Saying for today:

Happy Mothers Day and Basting day

Today is Mothers Day in Norway and Bjørg and I have spendt the day basting quilts at the canteen at work.  Quite a nice way to spend Mothers day we both thought.

Big tables are needed when basting big quilts.  And I am so happy we can use these tables at the canteen.  I’m to old to baste quilts crawling around at the floor.

Then it is so much better crawling upon the tables.  Here is Bjørg basting her Antique Sampler Quilt.

We also glue basted a lot of quilts.  This one have Bjørg sewed.

This one is mine and is a design from AnnAKa.  This one is going to be machinequilted.

We was quite effective when basting our quilts.

This one is mine.

Bjørgs summer quilt.

And I love Bjørg’s double wedding ring quilt.  I want to make one too.

The quilt I made at Gail Pan’s workshop in Tønsberg.

Now I have several basted quilts ready to be machinequilted.  And when I look upon my bookshelf in the sewing room I see several more quilts ready to be quilted.  So I guess I will spend some time with my sewingmachine practicing machinequilting.  Still have a lot to learn, and have to figure out how my new sewingmachine is at this.

So what about my basket quilt………………

it is going to be handquilted.  I feel I am not so good at machinequilting, and with all the needleturn on this quilt I do not want to take any risk machinequilting it.  So now I will have several hours in front of the tv handquilting.  I have chosen silk batting and it is a dream to handquilt.  My goal is now to handquilt a little bit each day.

Update:

Someone is really enjoying me handquilting a big quilt again.

Rusken have found a new place to cuddle

Saying for today:

A bowl of scraps

Now I have a bowl of scraps on my table and I think it is pretty to look at, and I feel happy about having prepped a lot of projects today. I got so inspired at our last quilt meeting when Trine Bakke told us how she prepped projects and had them ready for stitching whenever she wanted to sew. And that is what I also love to do.  To prepp a lot of projects, keep them in boxes and purses so I can grab one and sew on while watching tv, or that I have a lot of “on-the-go” projects when I goes for a visit or at a quilt meeting.

Today I have prepped all the remaining applique blocks for the Red Home quilt. 

I have also ironed and prepped four quilts for basting.

Tomorrow Bjørg will join me and we’ll spend the day basting a lot of quilts.  We are using the canteen at work where we can put big tables together to get big enough tables to baste big quilts.

Rusken have found himself a new favourite place among my cushions. 

Saying for today:

Happy dancing

Feeling a bit down today, tired, snowstorm outside and too much to do at work.  But when I came home and found a big envelope in my mailbox, all that was gone in seconds.

A mailbox surprise from Karen.  I was really surprised when I opened the envelope and found eight georgious FQ in red and beige. 

I guess all of you that reads my blog knows my favorite colours are red.  And these fabrics are just georgious!!!   Thank you Karen for making my day. 

Now I will be relaxing with my new quilt books.   They came last week, but I have hardly had time to look through them, but now I will spend some time.  I guess the book to the left will be one of my favorites.  Not a single pattern inside, but a lot of history and photos. And I think there is soon time to make some blocks. 

Saying for today:

January 2013 quilt meeting

Thursday was the first quilt meeting this year.  And 45 ladies had come to share this evening together. 

This evening we had invited Trine Bakke (to the right) to talk about “How to get inspired to get project finished”.  And it was so inspiring to listen to her,  She had exactly the same philosophy as I,  To have a lot of projects going on at the same time, and to always have a lot of  “on the go” projects ready to grab. 

Anne Kjersti from Lappemakeriet had brought a lot of stuff from the shop and we was so eager to get some shopping done.

They also showed a lot of inspiration from the shop.  Like this ABC wallhanging in Norwegian.  We always find a lot of english patterns for this, but then the letters does not compare with the the motif.  Like A for Apple is not right in Norwegian, here it is E for Eple (apple), and we have the letter A Ø Å that is not in the english alphabet. 

Look at this cute pillow.  I bought the paper pieces for this one.  It is called Carpenter’s wheel (16”).
Going to make this by using only fabric from my scrap bag.

More inspiration.  I have the paper pieces (bought long time ago) for both these projects.  Have to look them up now, but where have I stored them???

This is Lappemakeriets BOM for this year.  I really love the look of this one.  But I have told myself not to buy any BOM before I have finished the one that is laying in a box in my sewingroom.  But…….. have to think a little about this one.

A lot of inspiration to get from this shop.  Thank you Trine and Anne Kjersti for coming to our quiltmeeting.

And then there was show and tell.  Enjoy the photos.

And I have brought my basket quilt to show.  Looking forward to baste it and get it quilted.

Did I buy something.  Of course.  The pink fabric to the left is half 30cm.  Bjørg and I shared these and I think we have the same project in mind.  Will be fun to se how different they will be when we add fabric from our own stash.  The light fabrics to the right, I just had to have them.

This weekend is going to be spendt in my sewingroom.  Minus 20 outside, having my new sewingmachine to explore, new fabrics and a lot of ideas.  I feel this is going to be a great weeend.

Saying for today: