TOUR DE FIBRE 2012–Preparations. And the winner of my bag challenge

Prologue:

Today is the start of Tour de Fibre. If you remember from last year, Hanne and I did a Tour de Fibre while watching Tour de France. This is the first blogpost I made last year, and it was fun to see which projects I was working on at that time. Neither of those two projects are finished.

And for you who do not know what Tour de Fibre is I can tell you that Hanne and I + several other ladies will try to make a blogpost each day through Tour de France. Hanne and I are the tour leaders and we will make a list in the sidebar with a link to the other ladies who joins us with blogposts in Tour de Fibre. So please ladies, if you are joining Tour de Fibre let us know so we kan visit your blogs and link to you.

Hanne made a blogpost already in May telling about her preparations for Tour de Fibre.

And what is my plans for this Tour de Fibre.

First of all HAVING FUN in my sewingroom and in front of the tv while watching Tour de France.

Having focus on some of my WIP projects.

Perhaps I manage to quilt some of these finished tops. Some are already basted and some not. But now I have several yards of backings so no excuse for not being able to finish them. Hmmmm, but have I enough batting?? If not it will be on my list for buying when I am going on a quilt trip with friends soon.

Other projects I will give focus to is Scandinavian Christmas and Antique Sampler. Really want to make some progress on these quilts. Another focus is MORE TOILETPURSES and BAGS. Need more both for myself and for the marked in august.

Tour de Fibre is not all about having focus on old WIP projects. It is also about STARTING NEW PROJECTS. With all the inspiration everywhere in books, magazines and other blogs I always find something I want to make.

Like this cute little zipper case I finished yesterday.

It is a pattern from Anni Downs new book “The Simple Life”. It was so fun to stitch it and I love it.

This is a zipper case just for me. Already in use storing a little stitchery.

And then over to Bags……….and more bags
The winner

Following ladies have made a comment on this post that they have taken the challenge and blogged about their bags and are now in the draw for a little prize. Visit their blogs and take a look at all their bags and purses. It is so inspiring and I got new ideas to make new ones for myself.

Laila

Wendy

Pumplans flittiga fingrar

Fiona

Grete

Hanne

Nemo

Margrethe

Anne

Yvonne

Ann-Mari

How to pick the winner. A phone to Hanne, asking her to pick a number between 1 and 11. And she said number 7 is the winner.

And number 7 is: NEMO

Please email me you adress and I will send your prize.

McCalls april 2003

Today I have organized a BIG pile of quilt magazines.  Instead of throwing them away I am giving a lot of them to a friend.  She have recently had surgery on her shoulder and I know she will enjoy looking through these magazines.

And while looking through these old magazines I found an old McCalls Quilting magazine from april 2003.

In that magazine there is a photo of me, my mother and some other ladies from my quiltgroup. I’m in the front row to the right and my mother in the back row to the right.  We had great fun swapping nine patches.  This is good memories which makes me smile.

Saying for today:

We do not remember days;
we remember moments.

PS:  Do not forget to make a blogpost about Bags…….and more bags.  Visit this post and tell me you have posted and you’re in the draw for a prize.  You have until saturday morning (my time).

Pinterest

I have just read SewCalGal long blogpost about Pinterest. Have noticed there have been some discussions about PinTerest on several blogs, so visit her blogpost and read about what she have found out about Pinterest. I have visited pinterest several times (today also) and found a lot of inspiration from it. A great source for inspiration. I am not afraid if anyone pin photos from my blog. If what I make can give inspiration to others it is okey.

Saying for today:

The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas,

and throw the bad ones away.
~Linus Pauling

Bags……and more bags

Some weeks ago when I was showing a lot of new drawstringpurses at our quiltmeeting, I got a question from one lady.  What are you doing with all these purses, do you really need so many??????

Oh yes, I really need so many and I need more too !!  Because I hate plastic bags.

I decided to make a quick photo tour around in the house this  morning.

At the doorknob in my sewingroom there are always hanging a lot of drawstringpurses.  So easy to grab when I am going away.  I use them to store small sewingprojects, bits and bobs when I am going to the cabin or what ever needs to be brought along in my suitcase or bag.

And this one I got from a dear friend for Christmas.  I love it, and right now it is hangning in my sewingroom and stores a little Christmas project.

This pink purse is storing my GPS.  And the other one stores my cellphone battery chargers. 

This is also a gift from a dear friend.  It stores my tea lights.

And a quilter do not need one toiletpurses, she needs several.  One big, one small, one for this and one for that.  Agree????

This little bag is just hanging in my sewingroom.  I made it just because it is so cute and makes me smile when I look at it.

And my sewing bags.  Just love them all, and I need more.  Each one is storing one ore several projects. Don’t laugh……I admit I have A LOT of projects going on.  The red one to the right is storing a lot of my sewing tools like scissors, needles, pens aso.

Been sewing a lot the last days/weeks.  I guess you have noticed I have mad a lot of drawstring and toiletpurses lately. Those are going to be sold at a marked in august. If not they will be great gifts. Always someone who wishes for a purse or a bag. And my sewingroom is a total chaos right now.  Oooooops, do you spot a little bag in this photo too.  I have a lot of these because they are so handy storing stuff.  Not to mention boxes, I guess you see the two beneath my little ironingboard. I have no number on tin boxes I have in my sewingroom, but that’s perhaps another post.

Last night when having trouble sleeping I was thinking of remembering a little purse I started sewing several years ago.  And as a good quilter I had to look for it (at four o clock in the morning).  Luckily I found it at once even though my sewingroom is a total chaos I know where everything is LOL LOL

It was originally a purse from a japanese book, but as I could not find this book I decided to sew it the way I have made a lot of purses lately.  This is the front……….

…..and this is the back.  I love the way it turned out.  It looks quite big here on the photo, but it is a small purse 7x7 inches.  Just perfect for something LOL

Some days ago I received Annie Downs new book The Simple Life.  And in the book there is a pattern for a cute little zippered case.  I just had to start making it yesterday, because I really need one like this!!!!!!!

Do you have a lot of purses, bags and zippered cases?? And what do you store in yours??  Do you need just one or do you love to have as many as you can??  Make a blogpost like this where you show your purses and small bags.

And of course there is a prize for someone who comes back to this post and comments with a link  that they have made a blogpost about Bags…..and more bags.  You have one week to make a blogpost, and I will draw a winner in the morning  june 30th .  So the winner will be announced in my first blogpost in Tour de Fibre. Note to myself; you really have to make that blogpost about Tour de Fibre soon.

And the prize will be……
a little toiletpurse of course!!

Saying for today:

Take, if you must, this little bag of dreams,
Unloose the cord, and they will wrap you round.
William Butler Yeats

SMILING

A quick trip to Oslo today in a job meeting.  We ended the meeting early and I visited my friend Hanne for some hours.  She had told me that a local quilt shop nearby had 70% discount on quilt fabrics.  Do I need to say more !!!!!!

The sale had been going on for several days already.  But I came home with this bag filled with fabrics.

Most of the fabric was already sold out, but I manage to bring home with me a total of 18 yards!!!!!  And think of all the money saved with 70% discount.  

BIG SMILE.  Look at all these lovely fabrics. 
They will make great backings.

PS:  Hanne did also do some great buyings.

SAYING FOR TODAY:

Christmas Mystery part 2

Yesterday Quiltemagasinet (a norwegian quilt magazine) arrived in my mailbox.  And today I needed a little no thinking stitchery to sew.  Part one of this mystery Christmas quilt came in the previous magazine and I stitched it right away.  Now I have traced part two and started to stitch it.  It is a mysteri quilt designed by AnnAKa.  The Santas are so cute.

Saying for today:

A messy sewingroom

The last days weeks I have been sewing a lot in my sewingroom.  My secret projects is progressing fast and I am so happy how it looks so far.  A lot of other projects have been looked at, stored away and looked at again.  I have big plans for the Tour de Fibre I am doing togehter with Hanne. 

Main focus this weekend have been toiletpurses.  Together with four other girls I am sharing a sales booth at a big event the second weekend in august.  So I am sewing up a lot of things for sale.  Today I have put the finishing touch sewing bindings on some toiletpurses.

I really love the look on these.  Luckily I have some more fabrics just a little left to make a few more of these.  Hope I can find some more of this kind of japanese fabrics soon.

I have also made these out of two jelly rolls.  I have made several tablerunners and toiletpurses like these from the jelly rolls.  But it seems like they are growing and growing, because there is still a lot left .

More goodies have arrived in my mailbox.  Like these two books I ordered a week ago from adlibris.  Two lovely books with beautiful projects.

And yesterday this book came.  LOVE IT.  I am a big fan of Annie Downs projects.  This book have so many cute stitcheries.  I have to trace a couple of them soon and start stitching. 

And soon two other books will arrive in my mailbox from australia.  Eh……but there is only one new book.  I had forgotten I had already ordered The Simple Life book from a shop in Norway some time ago LOL

Saying for today:

Secret sunday sewing

Having a lot of fun in the sewingroom today.
Working on a very secret project today. 
And it has to stay secret for a very long time. 
Just showing you some of the scraps from the rotary cutting.

Soon there is time for Tour de Fibre.  Hanne have already blogged about it.  And of course I am joining her this year too.  I know we have others doing the Tour de Fibre together with us too.  So fun.

Saying for today:

Secrets are things we give
to others to keep for us.
Elbert Hubbard

Inspiration

The last couple of weeks I have bought some new books.  Looks like there is a lot of wonderful books coming, so I guess there will be more purchases.

I bought the newest book from Kim Diehl called Simple Charm.  Have all her books and there is so many things I want to make from all of them. 

The next one is Brigitte Giblins Feathering the nest .  This is a eye candy book with wonderful projects. And there is also a blog for this book.  

The last one that I received yesterday is a japanese book filled with amazing blocks. 

Can’t stop looking through this book.  It has so many blocks I want to make.  Perhaps I start making one tomorrow.

But this evening I relaxed with making two more owls. 

Now I have a whole buch of them, and I want to make even more.

Saying for today:

Books can be dangerous.  The best ones
should be labeled "This could change your life.”
~Helen Exley

A lot of sewing

Hanne and I have spendt the whole day in the sewing room. 

I manage to finish these four draw string purses.

Hanne sewed on some hexagons, and also got a lot done on her ninepatch quilt.  I did not take a photo of that one, but if you visit her blog I guess she will blog it some day.  It will be beautiful.

Always fun to have Hanne joining me in the sewingroom.  Hope you come back soon.

When I had finished the drawstring purses I started to sew four toilet purses from some leftover jelly roll strips.  I have almost finished all four during the day.  I guess they had been finished if I not had started to………..

try to put zippers on the zipper (does that make sense??)  I had bought/got as gifts several yards of zippers, but I had to put on the zippers myself.  A little bit tricky to do.

but suddenly……..EUREKA………. I discovered how to do it. 

Four owls were chrochet this weekend, and for all of you who guessed it was a bear I had started to make,  that’s correct.

Say hello to Mr Bear.  He is soooo cute. Think I have to make more of these too.  Guess a lot of owls and bears, and perhaps some other figures will be made the next weeks.

For all of you that have asked for a pattern on the owls.  There is no pattern.  We borrowed one owl from Laila, and we just started to chrochet and made it out from our own head.  They are stuffed with batting and each one has their own personality.

Saying for today:

"Teddy bears don't need hearts
as they are already stuffed with love."
-Unknown

Owlies

Hanne is visiting me this weekend and we had BIG plans to do a lot of sewing. But then we discovered something new. Coming home from the quiltmeeting thursday, shops closed, no cotton yarn in the house. And we just had to start chrocheting. Then I remembered my big basket of all my leftover DMC thread.

Luckily I had two chrochet hooks. One for me and one for Hanne. And then we started making owls. Isn’t he cute. We almost forgot to get some sleep. This is so fun.

Today our owls was modelling out in the moss. I have so far made three. Those are the three to the left in the photo. Hanne have made the two in front right. And the owl in the back is the one that started it all. Made by Laila, and she was so nice to let him stay with us for this weekend, so that we could figure out how he was done.

Someone else thinks these owlies has to be checked out.

They got a bit scared from Rusken and tried to climp ut the tree stump to escape. I know there will be more chrocheting of owls the next days/weeks. They are so cute.

But first I have to make this one a try. Can you see what this is going to be???

Now some qualitytime in the sewing room. Hanne has brought a lot of projects she wants to make progress on. I too also have a lot of projects going on there.

Saying for today:

A wise old owl sat on an oak;
The more he saw the less he spoke;
The less he spoke the more he heard;
Why aren’t we like that wise old bird?
Edward Hersey Richards