A quilters brain

Found this on facebook today.  Now I understand it!!!!

Opening of the fabric rolls

Have a cofession to make.  My promise not to start a new project in januar is already broken LOL  on January 4th.  But there is a reason to why I want to start a new quilt, will tell you later.  Remember the rolls of fabric I got for Christmas and my birthday.  It was hard to open them, but I think they are perfect for this new quilt.   I gues you wonder which quilt…..will show you later LOL  It’s kind of a secret at the moment.

Saying for today:

Joy is not in things; it is in us.
Richard Wagner

2012 - a new year with new possibilities

 

Woke up this morning to snowcovered trees.  So beautiful.  We have had almost no snow so far this winther, but I had to admit that even though I am not very fond of snow and cold temperatures, I like the look of this.

Now we are waiting for the snow plow to come. 

Rusken came out with me, but he did not like it very much.  So he ran indoors very soon. 

I know that new my years resolutions is to TRY to stay focused on my projects and TRY to finish the WISPs I am having. 

In 2011 I had a total of 42 finishes.  10 less than 2010, but I had quite a few more BIG finishes this year against a lot of small finishes previous year, so I am so happy with the total of 42.

Will not start a new project in january, and try not to buy fabrics until march when I am attending the Norwegian Quilt Associations annualt quilt meeting. Only if it is necessary for BBBB (Border, Binding, Backing and Batting).

I started stitching this project yesterday.  It is a design from AnnAKa called Annas veggteppe.  I did not buy the kit, only the pattern, because I want to use my own fabrics (which I have a lot of)

I have a lot of projects going on right now, so I am not in need for starting a new one.  In my new sewingbag (which I love very much) I store the applique blocks for antique samler. I have prepped almost all the rest of the blocks.  Goal is to have this quilt finished until septemper when Sue comes back to Norway.

In the little box I have all the new fabrics I got for Christmas.  Some of these are going into Annas veggteppe .

And I want to get the quilt hanging on the wall basted so I can machinequilt it.  This was a sewing together project with Hanne and I know she have not finished hers either.  So I challenge you on this one Hanne.

Do I have more on going projects LOL.  Yes quite a lot.  Some alredy ready to be quilted (not decided by hand or by machine yet), and some just lacking a few stitches.  These are the ones I want to have focus on now in the beginning of this new year.

My sewing room drawer (let me call it the WISP drawer) is also filled with projects I am working on. Going to have a clean up in this drawer, and perhaps some of them are going to be either given away (know some ladies who loves takeing over WISPs) or just going to end up in the trash.

But right now I am going to do just like Rusken.  Just relax and enjoy my last day home from work.  A glass of red wine with the turkey dinner, and some stitching on my birds. 

Saying for today:

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
~Edgar Guest

Summary of 2011

January

As you all know my Christmas gift 2010 from my children was Rusken.  So in january when it was SO cold outside we just stayed inside.  Had to teach him how to be a quilters cat, and he was a fast learner.  He loves to cuddle up in in my quilts, and we was having a great time in the sewingroom.

February

Not much happening in the sewingsroom. But I manage to sew a new weekendbag.   I love this bag and have used it a lot.

March

Big happening in march when I went to the Norwegian Quilters Associations annual quilt meeting in Tromsø.  We had a lot of fun and got a lot of inspiration from the shop who was attending.  And have to admit a lot of fabric, kits and patterns came home with me.  Some wonderful days with good friends, and I have already bought the plane ticket  and reserved hotelroom to go to Bergen in march 2012

April

I got to meet Sue Daley!!!!!  How fun is that. She gave us al so much inspiration and I have started several of her projects.  Have I finished them???   Nope…..but I have to before september when she is coming back to Norway. 

May

Started to sew on the to Christmasgifts for my children.  Two big quilts called “Svennebrevet” (design Lappemakeriet).  And I got a lot done when we had our quilt weekend at the cabin.

June

At this time I got the big UFO-agony.  Counting my projects and planning which one to give focus.  And I really manage to stay focused and ended up with 8 finishes this summer.  And my DD moved back home from school.

July

I started my Tour de Fibre and tried to blog every day along with Tour de France, but then horror struck Norway with the  bombing in Oslo and killing out on Utøya.  At times like this I am glad I have my sewing.

August

Another visit to the cabin with good friends.  Still focusing on old projects.

September

My Quilt Guild went on a fun and inspiring quilt trip to Tønsberg.  We had so much fun and I know the ladies had a great day filled with vitamin Q.

October

Was a sad month for my family.  My mother passed away.  She was the one who inspired me to do all kind of sewing, knitting aso.  And I miss her so much.  But I smile when I think about all the good memories we have together.

November

Another trip to the cabin.  This time we had no electricity for a whole day, not possible to stitch in the light of candles.  But luckily it came back and we got a  lot of sewing done.

December

A lot of secret sewing for the SSCS and christmas gifts for my children and then baking Christmas cakes with my friend Hanne.  Spending time with my family is the most precious for me.  We got to celebrate two Christmas Eve’s this year, because my DS and his girlfriend was going on a vacation, leaving on Christmas Eve, so we celebrated one weekend earlier.

I want to wish all my visitors

A HAPPY NEW YEAR

An I look forward to see you all in 2012.

Saying for today:

Cheers to a new year
and another chance for us to get it right.  ~Oprah Winfrey

Christmas days sewing

A visitor of my blog asked yesterday if Rusken still was with me.  Oh yes he is here, giving me a helping claw in the sewingroom  He helped me prepping these blocks for my Antique Sampler.  He loves being with me in my sewingroom. 

Been applique some blocks for my Antique Sampler, but I have given this stitchery priority these days (design Rosalie Quinland).  Started to stitch on it just before Christmas Eve, and this evening I finished it.  A lot of stitching on this one, but I love it.  Perhaps I will turn it into a cushion tomorrow. 

And I have to prepare a new stitchery to have on the go. Have promised Hanne not to start a new project in january 2012, so if I trace it tomorrow it will be counted as a already started project.  Is that cheating????  LOL

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

Antique Sampler–progress

The other day I got an SMS from Bjørg asking me how far I had come on my Antique Sampler homework

Eh……Antique Sampler…….do I have this project……..eh………perhaps hidden in a box……………..and forgotten……………..

Several months since I have been working on this project.  The box have been stored in my sewingroom shelf, not out of sight, so that’s no excuse for not working on this project.

Now I will have focus on this project for a while because there is still a lot to sew.

Spending time in my sewingroom today tracing the circles left to applique.

To make the circles perfect I have made a plastic template as big as the block and cut out the circle.  Then it is easy to lay it up on the fabric and just trace the circle.

It is fun working on the Antique Sampler again.

And this is what I have finished so far.  24 cirkles.

And the six main blocks.  I am not doing the big quilt which has 9 main blocks, just a smaller version of it. 

Now, back in the sewing room watching Downtown Abbey on my computer while prepping more blocks.

Saying for today:

My soul is fed with needle and thread

More Christmas gifts

I had two BIG finishes this month, but could not show it until my DD and DS had opened their Christmas gift.  I guess you have seen some blocks called Svennebrevet on my blog.  They was to be included in to big quilts.

One in brown and blue for my DS

And I found a lovely brown backing.  I did not shoot a photo of him opening his gift, but he was very happy to receive it.

For my DD Imade one in pink and red with a touch of green,

and I used a pink floral fabric for backing.  Both quilts are longarm quilted by Merethe.  I have never been able to do this quilting on my little Janome sewingmachine.  The quilts are BIG and Merete quilted them in just a couple of days and I had yards by yards of binding to do.

My DD was so happy with her quilt and it is already in use in her bedroom.

I got a lot of wonderful presents from my children

family and good friends. As you see there is a lot of quilty presents so it looks like I have been on Santas nice list.

Spending time these Christmas days watcing old Christmas movies and stitching, until I got an SMS on the phone asking how much I had done on my homework on the antique sampler project……………..I tell you more in my next post.

Saying for today:

There's a star up in the sky,
but the light is in our eyes.
Linda Pointdexter

My SSCS gift :)

Yesterday on Christmas Eve (before we went to my nephew for celebrating Christmas with my family) I opened my SSCS gift.  It is several years that I joined Donnas SSCS, but this year I decided to join.  And I am so happy I did.  My Secret Santa was Dawnie.

And look what she had made for me!   I adore this sewing bag. She even made the appliqued quilt lady look like me And I love the fabrics she have used.

This bag is amazing.  Look at all the pockets inside the bag. (LOL  Perhaps hard to see at this photo, but they are there)

And inside some of the pockets I found a lot of quilt goodies.  Thank you Dawnie, you have made me so happy and I will for sure use this bag.  Actually I have already put my stitchery project in it.

PS:  Did I mention I adore this sewing bag

The lady I was a Secret Santa for was Annie in Australia, and this is what I made for her.

She has a beautiful garden so I had to choose fabrics with flowers.  I made her a toilet purse, a felt pincushion with flowers and also added a stitchery and some embroidery thread.  Hope she likes what I sendt her.

And as Christmas ornaments I chrochet some Christmas hearts for her.  And I know she loved them.  Have to make some more for myself because they look very pritty on the Christmas tree.

I got a lot of other lovely quilty Christmas presents yesterday, but that’s another post.

Saying for today:

Gifts of time and love
are surely the basic ingredients
of a truly merry Christmas. 
~Peg Bracken

Merry Christmas

 

I want to wish all my blog visitors

a merry Christmas.

 

Hope you all get a peaceful Christmas Holiday

And that Santa brings a lot
of quilty stuff to your house.

Saying for today:

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!