A girl got to do what a girl got to do……. :-)

Sometimes me and my body are not in the same game……..
I know that is to be expected with you come delivered as a heap of 2nd sorting parts.

A lot has been on the back burner lately, but luckily it is getting better now, at last!
I am happy you are dropping by to see what is going on in my sewing corner :-)

The Dresden flower quilt is back from the quilter, and it is beautifully quilted by Merete at www.sy.no 
Remember the flowers from last summer, when I had them on display on my walker?

I have not got the binding on yet, but I will shortly, and it will be the striped fabric you can see on the photo above.

Dresden-flower-mania has been going on in the sewing corner and it is so fun :-)
If you notice the black leather couch is out of here, you are so right!
The new couch set is a lovely grey, from Ikea. I do need new cushions now, right?

I am longing for spring and to celebrate spring getting closer I have also made some flowers in soft yellow. I made these when visiting with May Britt lately - we had a great weekend :-)

Several fabrics were tried for the centre circle - the  Civil War repro double pink won!

Miss Cat just wanted to say hello as well.
I wish she was good at house keeping in the sewing corner too - I am a mess there when I do not sew so much ;-)
I think she likes the smell of the cardboard boxes where I keep my sewing thread.

Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold,
happiness dwells in the soul.
Democritus

Hanne

A finish!

Recently I have been working on several things not yet bloggable, but today I have made something I can blog about.
The heart is from May Britt, and the pouch is also May Britt's pattern, slightly adjusted to fit my needs.

I  have made several of these over the years, for gifts, but this is the first I will keep myself :-)

Hanne

Simplify and enjoy

I want to wish you a Happy New Year and share with you my slogan for 2012 - Simplify and enjoy!
If you like to stitch the design too, you can find it here.

Please keep in mind that this is my pattern and I enjoy sharing it with you.

You can make as many hearts as you like, to keep, to give away or to sell, adjusting the size if you so prefer
BUT
I will ask you kindly not to teach from my pattern and
not to copy my pattern to your blog or website.
You are welcome to refer your friends to my blog to print their own pattern, and I love to see what you have made from my design!
Enjoy!

 

I am not one for resolutions really, but I love plans :-)

My plan for 2012 is to simplify and enjoy -
* organize my fabrics by using from my fabric collection
* finish several started projects
* shrink my WISP collection
* take a break from making care quilts
* have fun with my own designs

This is May Britt's lovely heart design in the making :-)
I love hearts, and I love May Britt's yearly heart designs. Thank you May Britt!

May Britt and I have a January challenge going between us:
No starting of new projects in January.
We also have a Low Buy challenge going until 16. March - only BBBB allowed - borders, bindings, batting and backing!
It will be hard, but we can do it, together :-)

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary
so that the necessary may speak.
~Hans Hofmann,

I define joy as a sustained sense of well-being and internal peace
- a connection to what matters.
Oprah Winfrey

Hanne

The last day in 2011

It is time to make a tally for the year 2011.

It has been a year of many events - some good, some not so good.

The foot and its surgery in May took a lot of time and effort, both before, under and after.
Outcome - maybe not so good, but it is sloooowly improving, sort of.
I guess it is also a matter of adjusting to the current situation - I can do that, over and over ;-)
I think it is good to look for the bright sides instead of focusing on what is not so good.
Very good is the fact that I can again use the sewing machine pedal without pain!

WISP (work in slow progress)  situation - well well………… ;-)
I have had a lot of finishes in 2011, but also some starts that were not finished, and some dead ends.
I just counted my finish list - 67 finishes - not at all bad :-))

Knitting was a dead end - my neck and shoulders are glad I gave that up.
Crochet is a good alternative, in between other activities - in between being the operating words.
I have used a lot of fabric - 15 care quilts took care of that, combined with all other finishes, big and small.
I have used more than I have bought! Go me! Yes!!

In between Christmas prepping I have made these 3 preemie afghans and 1 baby hat. They will be delivered shortly :-)

This quilt top is done, and it will be delivered to Merete on Monday for custom machine quilting :-) I am very looking forward to see the finished quilt!

Since DH is going on a week long guy trip in a few days, the Christmas decorations will go down soon, as in tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
The cutest decoration is present through the year though :-)

These are the last Christmas gifts.
Some of them got so delayed in the post, but I think they all have arrived by now.
I could not blog them before.

Hugo and Felix (Lynette Anderson's furry friends) are looking after DD1's coins now.

Christmas always generates leftovers of all kinds.
Some milk of a kind we do not use resulted in good whole grain bread,

and yesterday I was inspired to bake Christmas bread / Christmas cake with some leftover double cream.
This sweet bread with raisins and cardamom is very good as coffee bread au naturelle, with cheese or jam, and also goes well with the salted meat and liver paté we use for Christmas sandwiches - believe it or not.
I like to bake with yeast :-)
I have never tried this recipe before, but I will do it for Christmas from now on.

As in every year, it is a matter of get some and lose some.
I am so happy for good friends with whom I can share all kinds of days.
Even a dull day is brightened by good friends, always, and a hug and a laughter can get us through whatever it is :-)
You know who you are - consider yourself hugged :-)

I still do my morning coffees or teas in the flicker of candle light.
It is a good time to think and sometime rethink the important things in life, in company with some hand sewing or stitchery.

2012 will be a year with some changes - they will be embraced as they appear.

I want to thank you all for spending time with me this year.
Bring a mug, sit down and enjoy some quilt corner time with me in 2012.
The fun is about to begin :-)

Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life
actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life."
-- Christiane Northrup, MD

May 2012 be the best year for you!
Happy New Year!

Hanne

Christmas days

 

The last presents were made the last week before Christmas - 4 cushion covers with redwork stitcheries and red fabrics from the scrap box.
It was hard to part with some of these cushion covers- especially the one on the first photo! That is when you know they are good gifts, right? :-)

I tried to make nice backings too, from different fabrics. I am not fond of gold prints anymore, but they do make nice mixed backings, and as a bonus my red stash is shrinking too. :-)
You will never see me buying anything with metal print again!

I still have some gifts I can not show you, as the postal system has messed up delivery, and a couple of people are still waiting for their gifts, even if I sent the packages within the given time limits. Grrrrrrrrrrrr and double grrrrrrrrr - next year I will send my packets even a couple more weeks in advance, like I usually do. I guess these are going by row boat……via China……

I got some lovely gifts too :-)

The best part of Christmas decorations are all the lights -

  and my favourite Christmas quilts - and the lovely cross stitch Christmas calendar my late father in law made!

 The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched -
they must be felt with the heart.
Helen Keller

Hanne

4th Advent Sunday

This week, Miss Cat has had a busy week – checking proper wrapping of gifts,

supervised storage facilities, trying boxes on for size and all.

She absolutely think all this Christmas stuff is highly over-rated, unless one can have a box and a quilt to one self.  :-)

Thursday I had the pleasure of visiting my favourite quilt shop, Lappemakeriet, to shop fabrics for a special quilt.
The service is always excellent and inspiration is in abundance :-)

 

 

Today I lit the last Advent candle and opened the last Advent Calendar gifts.

Thanks May Britt and Bente for being part of my Advent this year.

We light four candles tonight
and let them all burn down.
For longing, joy, hope and peace
but most of all for peace on this little earth
where people live.

Hanne

3rd Advent Sunday

 

Miss Cat was enjoying "cat TV" on broad screen, also known as the living room window, watching the birds in the trees.
She made funny noises too, nearly like a frog  :-)

Secrecy season -  I can not show you what I am working on, but I can share my calendar gifts.

Thank you, May Britt and Bente :-)

Hearts is the theme in the sewing corner this weekend, and I was so lucky finding a zip lock bag with pre cut hearts from the long gone shop Lille Stasjon in May Britt's town Elverum.
The shop was sold a couple of years back, and it has got a new name, a new staff, a new location and a new style.
It was nostalgic to work with these hearts, reminiscing the old shop and the lovely, skilled ladies working there.

We light three candles tonight
For longing, hope and joy.
They stands there shining by themselves
and we who present are
We light three candles tonight
for longing, hope and joy.

Hanne