It is this time of the year again

and I do not like it.

But during the day we had lovely warm sun
and I was able to sit outdoors at work and enjoy a cup of coffee.

Saying for today:

Sunshine on my shoulders
makes me happy.
~John Denver, "Sunshine on My Shoulders"

Back in sewing

Finally I got some time sewing again.  Been a lot of long days at work, and also been busy at home.  But today I got some time to enter my sewingroom.  Feels good.

I started with basting this little quilt (desing Leanne Beasley).  Not sure how I will quilt it, but thing I will handquilt it.  Will not machinequilt over the stitchery, rather handquilt some lines in it.

Some time ago I got a kit for a small purse from Hanne.  And today I have sewed it together.  I usually hate zippers, but it was easy sewing the zippers into these purses.  And I love having yard by yard zippers to use.

When I started sewing the first little purse together, I remembered Laila making one by using selvages.  So I had to make one to.  I love these small purses.

Doing some progress on my Antique sampler the last weeks.  Handsewing is great when I am tired and just want to relax in my chair watching tv. 

Wish I could sleep like this guy.  Rusken is enjoying his new scratchboard, but first when he got a quilt on top of it to sleep on.

Saying for today:

The cat seldom interferes with other people's rights.  His intelligence keeps him from doing many of the fool things
that complicate life. 
~Carl Van Vechten

Thank you Marie!

Doing a happy dance right now.  A package from USA came in my mailbox today.  Helping Marie (no blogger) with a Norwegian pattern, she sendt me this as a thank you.  The packages had number 1 to 4, like an adventcalendar, but luckily I got instructions that I did not have to wait a week between opening each one, I could wait 5 minutes instead.

I am so thrilled with this package.  Love it all.  Already thinking what to make of the fat quarters.

Thank you so much Marie!!!!

Yesterdays inspiration and treasures

 

I had a wonderful day yesterday visiting three quiltshops together with 39 other ladies from our quilt group.  I feel it in my bones today that it was a long and busy day.  So today I will just relax and enjoy my treasures from yesterdays shopping. 

As you can see from the quiltshop photos in the previous post there was a lot of inspiration to see.  All shops had a lot of lovely things on display.

Like this sooooooooooo cute stitchery (design Annie Downs).  I fell in love with it.  Did not buy the kit (clever me), because I want to make it in my own fabrics. But when I take a close lock at these fabrics, I believe I have most of them already in my fabric drawer.

Love this small quilt (design Lori Smith).  This will be on my to do list this winter.

I also fell in love with this cute little bag.  They told me it was from a japaneese quiltbook.  Think I have seen this in a book, but do not remember which one.  Perhaps I have it already.  But if anyone know which book has this pattern, please tell me, I want to make it.

Love this display with grey/white fabrics.  I had them in my hand, but put them back in the shelp (clever me, but I regret it).

I had a close look at this really nice travelling bag, and when I asked for the pattern, I discovered that I already have had this book for years.  It makes a huge difference just to see the bag in a book, and to see it for real.  The maker of this bag had also added some nice details with new piping thread at the pockets and she had used a new kind of bag batting in it.  Did not buy any of those because I have already made a travelling bag. 

And look at this cute litte purse.  Asking for the pattern I learned that I already have this pattern.

I know I have the pattern for this one.  Think I will trace it today and hope it will be ready for Christmas.

So what did I buy:

At Quiltefryd I started to pick several civil war fabrics.  Turning around to another shelf there was a new range of fabrics.  Think I changed the content in my shoppingbasket several times, before I ended up with these nine fabrics, a pattern and a cute ladybug to hang on a zipper.  Some of the fabrics are Annie Downs design and I love them.

At Lines Hobby I bought these four japaneese fabrics. 

And at Lille Stasjon I bought only two fabrics.  We also got a suprise package from the shop containing five small peaces of new christmas fabrics.  I am going to challenge all the girls who came on this quilt trip to make something from these fabrics and bring it with them to novemer quilt meetings show and tell.

You understand why I had to buy this cute cat fabric!!  Take a look at the wonderful selvage!!!!!  If there is anyone having selvages with cats on, please save them for me.

I was so lucky winning this pattern at the lottery.  Love it.

You all understand that I am loaded up with a lot of vitamin Q.  All this inspiration makes my head bubble with ideas.  I wish I had more hours each day.

Saying for today:

Soul-mates are people who bring out the best in you.  They are not perfect but are always perfect for you. 
~Author Unknown

40 ladies and one man

Imagine 40 ladies and one man (the busdriver) on a bus. Today we have been on a great quilt trip to Tønsberg. Started 07:30 in the morning and back home at 22:00. A long day, but we have had a great time.

Want to see what we were up to.

Of course some sewing while we were driving down to Tønsberg

And a coffebreak. Some of the ladies brought homebaked cupcakes and applecake.

We also had a big lottery with great prizes on the bus. Irene had to show everyone that cute fabric she won.

First stop was the quiltshop Quiltefryd in Tønsberg. And all the ladies enjoyed looking through all the goodies in the shop

And while most of the ladies was shopping, some ladies relaxed outside the shop drinking coffee and eating waffles. Such a nice treat from the quiltshop.

And more photos from the quiltshop Quiltefryd.

In the basement there one of the ladies working in the shop did a little demonstration of different rulers and other new gizmoes that a quilter need.

Thank you Åsne and all the other ladies in the quiltshop, for making the visit to your shop so nice.

In Tønsberg there is another quiltshop called Lines Hobby, and of course we had to visit that shop too.

A lot of shopping here too.

Then there was time for dinner at Himmel og Hav.

After a nice dinner we were heading back to the bus to drive to our next stop

at Lille Stasjon in Lier where Bente and her staff had coffee and cakes ready for us.

And of course more shopping.

I found a chair in one corner and enjoyed relaxing a little bit. I was the travelling leader of this trip, and I am so happy all the ladies told me they had a wonderful day. I guess we are going on a quilt trip next autumn too. This was so fun. But now I am tired and need som sleep.

Tomorrow I will show you my purchases.
Yes, even though I told myself before leaving home, that I needed no more fabrics, ended up buying a lot of fabrics.

Sewing and baking

Having a dough raising out in the kitchen while being in the sewingroom busy sewing, ends like this. I totally forgot all about the dough.

Busy sewing triangles and watching an episode of Grey’s anatomy.

This is the project I should have been working on last weekend at cabin, but had forgotten the pattern back home.

All squares done and I am ready to sew them on to the stitchery. Winter is soon coming to Norway and I love the saying on this one. “Winter is most certainly best spent at home stitching”.

Althoug the mishappening with the dough, the result tasted very good with butter and brown cheese on.

After a long day in my sewingroom I will relax with some needleturn and a good movie on the tv. Working on the small blocks for my antique sampler quilt.

Saying for today:

I'd give up chocolate,
but I'm no quitter!
~Author Unknown