October OPAM

While visiting Hanne this weekend (thanks Hanne and Kjell for hosting such a wonderful party), we suddenly realized that we had no OPAM's this month. And that was one thing we could not allow. We both have set a goal to have at least one OPAM each month.

Sewingmachines on the table,

cutting stripes,

and then some stuffing to do,

and here is my two pincushions.
Visit Hanne's blog to se what she finished today.

And when I came home this evening, I pulled out this little quilt (pattern Leanne Beasley). I had already basted it and started to quilt it. A few hours of quilting and then sewing the binding on, I had finish #3 ready.

Three finishes in one day!!!
I am so happy.

I hope november will bring a lot of finishes, because now I really have to start making some Christmas gifts. Only 54 days to Christmas.

Saying for today:

Christmas is not as much
about opening our presents
as opening our hearts.
~Janice Maeditere

October quiltmeeting

Yesterday was a new meeting in my local quiltguild. And as usual some beautiful things at Show and Tell. Want to see???

Brita had finished her "Fairy tale" quilt.

And she had also made a beautiful miniquilt in meshwork

And what about this bag recycled from denim pants.

Laila have finished two new bags.

And look.....one of the bags can be used as a hat.

(sorry Laila, just had to show this photo)

I showed the doll I made for the challenge between Hanne, Bente and me

Toril have made a tablerunner with chickens.

Look at this wonderful project. A combination with applique and crochet.

A close up.

A cute fall table runner.

Bjørg have made a new bag.

And finally Britt showed her tablerunner.

Saying for today:

A lot of people like snow.
I find it to be an unnecessary
freezing of water.
~Carl Reiner

Not ready for winter

BRRRRRRRRR............

Not ready for this yet.
This morning minus 12 C.
And I've read in the newspaper
that we probably will get snow these days.
Hope they are wrong.

My DD is coming home for the weekend today and I am soooo looking forward to that. We are going to have a great relaxing weekend together. And when it is so cold outside I will enjoy my stitchery. Perhaps I will find my Joy of Life quilt and start quilting on that one again. Good to have a quilt in the lap to keep me warm, but I do not know if my shoulder allows me to handquilt now.

Saying for today:

A daughter is a day brightener
and a heart warmer.
~Author Unknown

Workshop with Hanne

This weekend Hanne came to our local quilt guild and gave a wonderful workshop in Dear Jane.

She had brought her wonderful Dear Jane Quilt,

and her georgious Nearly Insane quilt.

She told us that we did not have to make the whole quilt, but just make as many blocks as we wanted to, and put it together in a smaller quilt. Like this one.

All ladies very concentrated on making these small blocks after Hannes very good instructions.

DJ has a lot of small pieces that has to be put together.

I decided to use fabrics from my repro stash. I got these fabrics from a lady in USA some time ago. It is leftovers from a DJ group.

And mix it with my japanese taupe stash.

One of the ladies drawing the lines for perhaps one of the most tricy blocks G6 Papa's Star.

And here is me working on my G6 Papa's star. Sooooooooo tiny peaces.

But I manage to get it done :)

And during this weekend I made 6 blocks.

Wonder how many I will make this time? It was fun looking in my DJ book again. About 10-11 years ago I started making DJ blocks. And I think I had made about 50-60 blocks + some triangles. I got so bored with the colours I had chosen so I gave the all away to Nadine.

Think it will be a small quilt this time. But who knows. Some of us girls have agreed to meet once a month, so we can inspire eachother to continue sewing on these small blocks. It was so fun sewing on these blocks again.

Saying for today:

Our lives are like quilts -
bits and pieces,
joy and sorrow,
stitched with love.
~Author Unknown

Guestblogging

Today I have been invited to write a post over at Stash Manicure. I feel so honored to be among the contributers to a great blog. So if you want to read about Buttons and Ribbons and More you can visit the blog. I guess due to the time difference the post will show up during the day. Madame Samm has set the post to be published at 6:00 AM (Madame Samm time).

And I would be happy if you came back here and gave a comment about the post Buttons and Ribbons and More :)

Now I am soon of to a DJ workshop with Hanne. She have come here to spend the weekend with my local quilt guild and give us a tour through different techniques she have used on her DJ and NI quilts. Really looking forward to this workshop.

Saying for today:

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have,
and one of the best things you can be.
~Douglas Pagels

What a surprise :)

Today I got a mail in my emailbox telling me I was the 1000th follower over at Stash Manicure blog. Yohooooo, this is so fun.
And look at the "photo" of me as a winner LOL. It looks exactly like me. I got short brown hair and glasses. But not red shoes!!!! Perhaps it is my pink slippers :)

If you have not visited this blog earlier, you really should go for a visit. Several guestbloggers and so much interesting and inspiring posts to read.

I know there will be a prize for me, but what is a secret yet. I love secrets :)

And soon I will be a guestblogger there too. How fun :)

Saying for today:

I think housework
is the reason
most women go to the office.

My birthday weekend

This weekend was spendt together with good friends, good food, quilting, red wine and a lot of laughter. And since it was my birthday on thursday I got some lovely birthday presents. And they are all perfect presents for a aging quilter :) Thank you girls !!!

Some shopping was also done at the quiltmeeting we attendted thursday evenig. The newest Whimsical book (love it!!!), the newest pattern from AnnAKa (this was bought with a gift certificate from a good friend), and some new fabrics.

Next day, more shopping. That what's happends when the visiting shop are staying over the night in the same house as me.............with the car filled with all the goodies from the shop last evening.
I have done some sewing this weekend too. Finished both stitcheries of the Christmas hearts and sewed the star too. Now I just have to sew the scrappy squares to the star and they wait for part three to arrive.

Thanks to Bente, Hanne, Siw, Merete and AnnAKa. It was so nice to meet you all this weekend.

Creative Challenge

Do you remember these cute feet. Now I can show you who they belong to. This weekend Hanne, Bente (no blogger ) and I met for a sewing weekend. And of course a reveal of this challenge. It was I who gave them this challenge on our summer meeting. I gave them a piece of skin fabric, three red buttons and some laces and the title was "sleep little doll".


This is my doll. It is a Rosalie Quinland pattern and was easy to sew. I stuffed the arms and legs too much (because I did not read the pattern LOL) but I am really happy with how she looks. She has no name yet, but will company me and Frida Cat in the sewingroom.

This is the doll Hanne made. Inspired from a Tilda pattern. Look at the cute teddy her doll is holding :)

Bente was also inspired from Tilda and look at her cute doll who is hangning on a clothshanger.

And the doll is protecting a secret jewellry pocket :)

It is so fun doing these challenges. By now we have had four challenges and this weekend we got our fifth challenge from Hanne.


She gave us two stripes with "old" yellow fabric and the title of the challenge is "A lot of light and warmth" (this is also from a Norwegian song title that is difficult to translate). She also gave us a cute little box filled with candy. Guess that is to keep the spirit up when we are thinking of what to make out of these yellow stripes.

Saying for today:

Challenges are what makes life interesting,
overcoming them is what makes life meaningsful.