May Britt and I are visiting Bente (no blog) and are having the best of times :-)
We visited the local quilt guild tonight and it was a very pleasant stay.
These ladies have the most gorgeous Show & Tell.
Here are some of the gorgeous things we could enjoy:
We are so much looking forward to tomorrow and our sew-together then !
Hanne
Did I make it with my 5 projects ?
I made it with 4 of them, and I am a very happy camper :-)
1st care quilt - done
2nd care quilt - done
3rd care quilt - done
Kaleidoscope quilt - done
Now I am prepping for a weekend with friends, sewing, red wine and laughter :-)
Look out for blog posts - both May Britt and I are bringing cameras and computers :-)
Hanne
I have a little challenge going with myself :
Can I finish 5 things between this week and upcoming Wednesday ?
I am not sure, but I know I have a competitive gene and I am more than happy to compete with myself :-)
I will show you this care quilt once it is washed and has been in the dryer. I like to give the care quilts soft and nice.
2 more care quilts lacks binding as you know.
I always do the binding on donation quilts by machine and a decorative stitch.
I can make more care quilts that way - I am going easy on myself and my shoulders, so I don’t burn out. I am sure the recipient will not mind.
My stitchery is coming along too :-)
This project is not on my Finish 5 list, but I need to be a little rebellious too - works every time - hehehe
I talked to a quilter I know this week, and she has not sewn for a long time - as in months.
I have been thinking about what kind of quilter I am.
I know I need a dose of sewing in some form every day - whatever happens in my life.
I have sewn myself through rough patches in life and I sew when I am happy.
If I for some reason can not sew I have to thumb quilt magazines or books or just touch fabrics.
I need sewing and sewing related activities like I need air.
What kind of quilter are you ?
Hanne
I am so happy I am finished with the machine quilting of the 3 care quilts!
I think I can meet my goal of 5 finishes before next Wednesday.
The goal for tomorrow is to get binding on one of the 3 care quilts! The bindings will go on all by machine.
Hanne
Both the remaining 2 quilts are now spray basted, thanks to my very good helpers, DH and DD2.
They are priceless when it comes to put the 3 layers of a quilts together! I am not at all good at doing anything on the floor, so I am so happy for their help!
A few good purchases this week:
I had a box of books from www.capris.no for a good price.
I have no trouble reading Swedish, so the 3 Stieg Larsson novels I bought in the original language, for only a fraction of the price of the translated books.
The Lost Quilter is the last of Jennifer Chiaverini’s novels.
I am expecting Sylvia’s Bridal Sample by the same author this upcoming week.
Capris send with free postage if one buy for over Norwegian Kroner 200, - ( 30 US dollars) so I am waiting for another book as well, in the same package.
These chocolate boxes are quite popular for stitchery stuff, as you can fit small plastic dividers into them.
They are hard to come by, and I have never seen them in a shop before.
As you can see I already have one, and on Friday I saw boxes with chocolate for half price at a local shop. The Best Before date was April 11.
DH can have the chocolate if he wants - I guess it is absolutely all right, wrapped in plastic and all, and I can have the box - a good deal for both parties :-)
I don’t eat filled chocolate, as I am allergic to hazelnuts.
The green quilt is done, except for the binding!
I am not to pleased with the variegated quilting thread, as it turned out to be much lighter than is looked on the spool.
On the other hand - now it is used - and that is good!
I hope to do the machine quilting of the purple quilt tomorrow.
I still have quite a lot of work to do to catch up, and I have to finish at least 5 items before Wednesday next week.
It will be a busy week!
Hanne
OMG - I have to many projects in the making, at the same time, with deadlines galore…..
This last month has not been productive, rather contra productive - and I fool you not !
I have started to many projects and they are piling up - I do not like that! The more I have going the less I get done!
I am still tired after a month of coughing and having been on antibiotics. The coughing is almost gone now, and I need to rebuild some strength and focus.
I feel like doing like the local furball - just chilling it ;-)
Remember these ?
Was it March I aimed at doing 96 blocks ?
I finished 72 blocks and is happy about that. Scraps from stash and old bed linen for foundation, turned in to blocks for 3 quilts. Not bad :-)
I also promised myself to use all of my black fabrics this year.
I have a deadline for these 3 quilts, so I better get at it, like in Right Now!
See where I am going ?
In between one can use a snack to keep the focus and to stretch some shoulder muscles :-)
A very ripe banana, cinnamon, raisins and a handful of oatmeal into an ordinary cupcake recipe - yummy :-)
The day after - Saturday:
3 finished tops and a dent in the black stash too :-)
Late Saturday evening:
The red / pink / black quilt is machine quilted and ready for binding !
No new starts until I get this overwhelming feeling of creative chaos under control - promise !!
Hanne
I like Easter!
I like the lazy days, I like the food, I like the spring-ish feeling Easter always brings - the longer days, with more light.
I love the spring-ish colours that Easter brings too!
I can’t say I believe in the Easter Bunny, but the tradition of a cardboard egg filled with sweets has followed me through my life.
DH had filled my old cardboard egg this year too, without me knowing. I think I will keep him :-))
The lovely wood-ish egg is from Jim Shore, Heartwood Creek, and I bought it in Rebecca Haarer’s lovely antique shop in Shipshewana, IN, last spring.
A very dear memory that brings smiles to my face!
I got an early birthday present from May Britt on Friday. She has prepped stitchery blocks for me, with Easter Bunny on them.
She did not know how much I like Easter. That present hit very well, right in my heart.
I am looking forward to stitch them :-)
Hanne
This has to wait until after Easter, until I have the floor to myself - no people having family needs, no cat walking to and from.
I think I need to make some light wedges to put between the coloured hexagons and the border!
Hanne
Nothing is like greeting the spring outdoors with a special friend, sewing and chatting!
We both think the time passed to fast, and I am very much looking forward to the next time we meet !!
We both got pink noses from sitting in the sun - cute :-)
Frida enjoyed being “aired” with us, so in fact we were airing both cats, quilters and quilts :-)
Yes, you do see snow on the ground!
Today, the day after, I finished the last so far of Gail Pan’s free BOM.
I have several things that need attention - where should I start ?
Maybe joining row of hexagons ?
I know I should be working on something else, but……………. :-)
Hanne
School buns (vanilla custard buns), tea, sewing, chatting, laughter and a very very dear friend - can it be any better ? :-)
Hanne
I just finished this Lynette Anderson stitchery, Birdhouse Ted.
I have had it around for quite some time, and I don’t know what to use it for really. I think I will make a small quilt, with no recipient in mind, using my Japanese fabrics.
I do like teddy bears, if they have the right look. This one has.
My plan for these last days were to puzzle and join the hexagons from earlier posts, but sometimes my body does not cooperate with my plans - this was one of those weeks.
Instead I have been doing quite a bit of paperwork, the smaller gifts, some stitchery and some reorganizing of my desk in the sewing corner.
It is sometimes a matter of accepting reality as it is, right, and not fight what you can not change!
The mailbox has great charm too!
On Tuesday this lovely pattern arrived from Lyn at Moore Patchwork.
It is my latest BOM soft spot :-)
It is a BOM without fabrics this time - suits me perfectly!
I am very happy with Lyn’s service. No affiliation and all that :-)
My beloved grandcat likes the way my desk is now that I got a sewing room / storing room on the side.
It is always room for her on the desk.
I think she is modelling well for the pattern - it is called A Kittens Tale.
Another Lynette Anderson Design, as you can see.
Yup - have a soft spot for her designs too :-)
Hanne
I am in gift mood, sort of :-)
I have several birthdays to cover, so I have been diving into my BOB (box of blocks) and made makeup purses. These are all about 7”x 7”, more or less, and they can be used for a lot of things - makeup, meds, sewing kit + +
This one was sent to a dear relative of mine - I wonder whether it made it there before Easter - I hope so!
This one now belongs to my DD1, who turned 21 yesterday! Happy birthday dear one!!
This was only one of her gifts.
Her favourite was a computer, on which she can draw and write directly on screen. A lot of us chipped in on that one.
I baked cinnamon rolls and brownies yesterday morning, to serve with coffee in the afternoon when DD1 and her fiancé was here to celebrate her day.
I had to test one, with a cup of cappuccino, for lunch. It passed the test with flying colours :-)
Hanne
Sometimes there is nothing like a quick finish to give myself an energy kick :-)
I need to get my finish count up, and I did not feel like being much on the floor with the hexagons today.
This little stitchery I finished in 2008 and I had a few scraps from the sewing bag I made before Christmas.
I can always use a new little purse to hold my bring along stitchery or appliqué, and a matching pin cushion for my small appliqué needles :-)
Hanne
This morning I cut the pieces from the strips I sew yesterday while listening to book on CD.
Since I moved a lot of my stuff from the living room sewing corner to the sewing corner branch in DD1’s former bedroom I do again have space to be organized.
I love being organized - time spent looking for things are wasted time for me !
After I was done cutting all the wedges for the hexagons, I put them in this cute box and worked on 2 halves of a hexagon at a time. When was done I could pile them neatly,
and before I knew it I had a fairly good pile and still had spare room on my desk :-)
By 5 pm I had finished all the 80 halves !!
I know how I will join these hexagon halves, but for now they will rest in the box. Maybe tomorrow I will spread them out on the floor and start joining the units, or maybe not - time will tell :-)
PS. for those wondering - I am using a 60 degree ruler for the cutting.
Hanne
Vitamin Q should always be taken in generous doses !
Now there is no way back - the Jelly Roll is opened!
40 strips sewn into 20 pairs.
I can see how a seamstress’ desk can be cluttered in 5 seconds flat.
Fabrics that are not neatly folded take a lot of space!
Here are the 20 strip sets ironed.
From 1 strip set I can get 2 complete hexagons and my 20 strip sets will give me 40 complete hexagons.
The strips in a Jelly Roll is 2,5” full width of fabric.
A Jelly Roll equals 60” of fabric.
I don’t have a clue how big this quilt will be all in all.
I intend to use all the 40 hexagons.
Hanne
I need a solid dose of Vitamin Q now!
Coughing for weeks takes a toll on my energy, but in spite of the coughing I now feel like starting something new - must be a sign of me slowly getting better :-)
I bought this Jelly Roll in Shipshewana, IN, last spring, so it is a good thing to use it while I still think it is beautiful .
The Jelly Roll also bring back happy memories, of lovely people I met and lovely eating and shopping!
Stay tuned for updates :-)
Hanne
While recovering from the bronchitis I have only been doing small hand work.
Gail Pan’s free stitchery BOM is lovely, and I am looking forward to see how this quilt turn out :-)
I turned on my sewing machine for the first time in over a week yesterday.
This block is a variation over the block Indian Hatchet, and it is big - 10” finished.
I am not very good at making big blocks you know :-)
The block will be joined with blocks from other quilters, for a care quilt for someone who needs a hug. I sent my contribution yesterday.
Hanne
I managed to add 1 finish to my February finish list :-)
I was so sure I had taken a photo of the finished quilt, but looking through files and memory cards it seems like I forgot, so I am showing you the finished top.
I finished the quilt the same day I left for NQF’s annual meeting, so in the battle of remembering everything I guess it got lost.
The quilt got a dark red binding - looked good :-)
A whole pile of care quilts were shown at the annual meeting and handed over for further distribution.
I am so proud of my friends who are participating in making care quilts for children with long term diseases.
I am very much looking forward to our next care quilt sewing get-together !! :-)
Hanne
