Mini Round Robin

A long time ago we started a mini Round Robin in our quilt group. 15 ladies joined it and have worked a little bit on each one. And yesterday was the day we got our own back. Haven't seen it for 15 months so this was fun.

This is how we did this RR (if anyone wants to copy it):
The owner of the RR mad the left top block/piece sized 4x4 inch (seamallowance is not includen in any of the measurements)
Round 2: Add a piece 5x4 inch besides the first piece
Round 3: Add a piece 9x3 inch below the two first
Round 4: Add on the right side a piece 4x7 inch
Round 5: Add two pieces below the others, 6x4 inch and 7x4 inch
Round 6: Add two pieces below the others, 10x4 inch and 3 x 4 inch
Round 7: Add at the bottom two pieces, 4x3 inch and 9x3 inch
Round 8: Applique something
Round 9: Embroider something
Round 10: Baste the little RR
Round 11: Write something on it by hand or by machine
Round 12: Quilt the whole RR by hand or by machine
Round 13: Add another applique
Round 14: Add embellishment (buttns, beads, laces aso)
Round 15: Sew binding on the RR

And this is how our mini RR look like:

The first one is mine. And I am very pleased with it. I had on my wishlist for this that they would use only bali fabrics. And the girls know I love red, yellow and cats.

I am amazed how different every mini RR turned out. This is a great idea for a quiltgroup.

Saying for today:

There are no substitutes for fresh air,
sunshine and exercise.

(I'm going out now for my daily walk and the sun is shining bright.

But woke up this morning to minus 6. Hope the snow stays away for a long time )

Quiltmeeting and a BIG surprise

Today was the september quiltmeeting at our local quiltgroup. The topic was japaneese inspiration. But first I got a BIG surprise.

When I arrived the quiltmeeting Laila (Jacobs Quilt) and Irene told be to follow them into a classroom and I was told to sit down. And then they gave me a package. I wondered if it was from them...............but no...........I had to guess.................and I had no idea who it was from. So I had to open it and read the card.

A beautiful card from my dear friend Nadine. She had remembered my birthday on sunday and had made a conspiracy with Laila. I guess they have mailed eachother having a lot of fun planning this LOL So Nadine had asked Laila to buy this book from her. Now I understand why Nadine have been so quiet these last days and why Laila have been so strange. I can't understand how Laila have been able to keep this a secret for several weeks. Thank you Nadine for this wonderful surprise

Looks like I'm crying on this photo, and that's almost true LOL

This book was perfect because the topic of this quiltmeeting was "How to use japaneese fabrics". A well known Norwegian quilter and designer Kristin Pollen had brought a lot of beautiful quilts to show us. I took a lot of photos and she permitted me to show them on my blog.

So lean back, enjoy and get inspired............

The angels above are from a pattern from Anni Downs, and it is fun to see it done in japaneese fabrics. I've started making my angels in romantic colours, but now I want to make it in japaneese fabrics..............LOL

She have used only japaneese fabrics in all these quilts. Not a singel "wannabe japaneese". So now I want desperately to cut into my japaneese. But rotarycutting is still not my "to do" right now. I have to find another way to use them ...................hmmmm............thinking...........

I have a lot more to show you, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Saying for today;

With joy on every birthday,

count your age by friends not years

Being a mother..... are we like this????

Take a look at this link. I found it at another blog today. And it made me laugh. I posted it to my DD and asked her if I were like this.........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_oc1j5NakY

Going to quiltmeeting this evening and I hope to show you a lot from it later.

Have a nice day!

A quilt vitamin weekend

This weekend I have been at meeting with the Norwegian Quilters Association. Meeting on friday and a class withAndre Wallenborg on saturday and sunday. We were going to make small bags/purses. I was very afraid I could not sew anything because of my arm, but the other girls helped me a lot. The rotarycut all the pieces and did the most "tough things for my arm" for me. And I managed to sew :) So I'm so happy now. I MANAGED TO SEW!!!!!!!!!!!! But I have been very very very careful. Relaxed when I felt pain in my arm and sewed in slooooooow montion. The other girls joked about buying me handcuffs if I did not take it easy ROFL Pink fluffy handcuffs LOL

Andre Wallenborg is a norwegian designer who makes bags and dresses. He has made both for the royal Mette Marit. I learned so much from this class. A lot of very useful trics making bags. On these photos you can se how interested we are in what he is telling us.

And I have been sewing.............YES I HAVE BEEN SEWING. And my arm is feeling better each day. Of course I have been very careful. And I said yes thank you please when the other girls asked if they could help me. That's perhaps one thing I have to work with; to say yes thank you, when people offers to help me. I do not need to do everything myself, especially when my arm have to relax.

Here is me sitting on the yellow pillow to reach up to the sewingmachine LOL I have to do something about my haircut ROFL

This is the purses we made on saturday. Using plastic on the front.

Mine is the third from the left back row.

And these are the bags we made on sunday. Mine is the third from the right.

A close up of the bag. I have still some small details to do before it's finished. But this is one I'm going to use. And probably make another one perhaps in a differet size. Now I know the tecnique.

And a close up of my little makeup purse covered with plastic. Wonder if I get to keep them when my DD is coming home next week ??? Perhaps I already start to make another one. But first rest my arm a little bit. Not overdo anything. I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This has been a great weekend. Friends, sewing, laughter and fun.

Saying for today:

Speak kind words and you will hear kind echoes.

Goodies :)

Early this morning I noticed the mailman running up my stairs, threw a package in front of my door and ran away LOL Look.............

this was inside.

Darlene had posted me two magazines, rotary mat and a take along sewing kit box. Cute. Thank you Darlene. But now I have another two lovely projects to plan LOL I will bring those two magazines today to the hotel

I almost forgot the rest of the post and when I went to the mailbox I found another envelope. From Elaine Adair. Look at these beautiful luggage tags and the beautiful little quilt she has mad for me. I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was how my suitcase looked like before. A dull piece of red fabric as a tag.

And now everyone can see I'm a quilter on the road :)

I'm so happy.

Thank you Darlene and Elaine.

(I'll write to you when I come back, have to rush now)

Now I'm off to the hotel with my two new magazines and my luggage tag:)

Saying for today;
Purranoia: the fear that cats are up to something!

Bugs

I have been doing something crafty today. I found this blog Knot Garden and looked through it and I found some bugs. And today I have made some of them. I had to do something, and I used all day making this. I'm feeling better in my arm, but I have to be careful. Not overdoing anything. The colours of my bugs are sooooo wrong, but taking photos when it's dark outside is not so good with my camera.
They were very easy and fun to make. A 1/2 inch button, some fabric and some beads. Can perhaps be nice to sew on a little wallhanging.
Tomorrow I'm going to a meeting with the Norwegian Quilt Association. Back home at sunday. We are also going to have a class with Andre Wallenberg (the designer who makes bags for the royal Mette Marit) The other girls have promised to help me rotarycut and sew. Staying at the hotell the whole weekend with good quiltfriends......SMILE!!!

Saying for today:

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.

Today is a gift.

Cuddling my fabrics

After a long walk in the sunshine to exercise my shoulder and neck I went into my sewingroom. What to do now when I'm ordered to keep my right arm completely relaxed????? I want desperately to sew, but now I have to follow the doc's order. Relax, relax, relax and just use my arm a little bit and stop when I feel the pain coming.

So what to do?????

Looking into my fabricdrawers I found that there was a complete mess in them.
You know when you start a new project..............

you pull out fabrics to get the perfect match....................

you start sewing......................

and forget to put then nice and folded back.................

and when you try to get a bit more space and order around your sewingplace...................

you just tuck them down in the drawer to get rid of them...................

because you want to sew more!!!!

And then it looks like this

My green fabrics
and my blue fabrics.

With Frida supervising it all I pulled out all fabrics from the drawers and started folding it nice and neat together. A lot of old fabrics together with new fabrics, lost fabrics, fabrics I didn't know I had bought, fabrics that have been pretty twice and forgotten projects. I laughed when doing this. And my arm worked good while doing this. Think this was perfect exercise both for my arm and my mind.

And finally..................

Do you see the difference :)

From having several messy drawers I now have them completely organized in colours.

But what have happend.................. I now have a lot of space in my drawers. Have my fabrics not mulitiplied while being alone in the drawers??????????

Have to add that all my light fabrics and all my new fabrics are not in this drawers LOL And all my Bali fabrics and japaneese fabrics are in separate boxes. I have not touched them yet. Perhaps tomorrow.

I have had a good day today. My arm is feeling a bit better. Perhaps the cortison injection is starting to work. But I promise to be careful the next weeks. Not overdo anything. And listen to the doctor and all my friends who tells me to relax.

Saying for today:

Laughter is the best medicine

Favorite season

This week has been wonderful. Sunshine and change of colours. I brought my camera on my daily walks and got some nice photos. Look at those beautiful colours; red, green, yellow, orange and brown. My favorite colours.

But this morning we woke up to this

It's too early for winter and snow in the middle of september. But it's gone now. Just a warning that we are going towards winter. I hope we get a long autumn because that is my favorite season. All the lovely colours, fresh crispy air and all those jummy vegetables and fruits.

Not able to sew anything I went into my sewingroom and started to play with colours. Autumn colours.

This autumnquilt is the second quilt that I made after going to my first class in handstitching. It is all handstitched and handquilted and is hanging in my bedroom.

Which season is your favorite season??? I challenge you know to show it with fabrics.

Friday I visited the hospital for a check on my arm. My physiotherapist had ordered me to contact them because something is wrong she said. And yes, I have a inflammation in the rotator cap and have to keep my arm still for the next weeks. No physioteraphy. And the doc gave me a cortison injection in the shoulder. I hope I soon will have a change in this, because I'm going mad!!!!! But I have to be patient.

Saying for today:

There's enough warmth in a friend's hug to warm up the coldest day.