Taking a care quilt break

Both me and the quilt inspector agree – it is time to slow down and take a break from care quilts – and you see, it is not easy to machine quilt when someone is taking a break ON the quilt ;-)

We had a lovely Saturday with May Britt and friends, making care quilts too :-)
We were just 5 persons, but we were very productive.

May Britt made this lovely strip quilt with applique.

Bjørg is working on a very colourful quilt. I am looking forward to see it when the top is done!

Synnøve is making these gorgeous cats!

Bente is making these 2 colourful quilts – give me a feeling of spring and summer :-)

I was working on my kits and finished this top.

After coming home yesterday I was still in the mood, and finished the binding on these 2 care quilts. They still need to be washed to get the the right soft look and touch.

Before going to bed I made these blocks from one of my strip kits.

- and today I have finished this kit into blocks.
Now I do not have more kits of strips to finish into blocks.

Thanks for hosting us this weekend May Britt – it was great fun!

Now I am ready to do something else for a while, and put the care quilts to the side :-)

Hanne

Making more kits for Saturday

We are going to May Britt’s for the weekend, and on Saturday we are making care quilts with her guild.
I am bringing 3 kits – the one from the other day + these 2.
Now the care quilt making really is making a dent in my fabric collection :-)

I really loved the stars on beige fabric in the green kit and the angel fabric in the red kit – I have used meters of them.
I hope the quilts will bring joy and comfort to their new owners in the future :-)

PS. I am so ready to work on something else now, but I am aiming at finishing these quilts and kits shortly.

Obstacles are those things you see when you take your eyes off the goal. Hannah More

Hanne

Strip progress

The 3 kits from earlier have now been turned in to finished quilt tops, and the tops are sandwiched with batting and backing, ready to be machine quilted.
When these 3 quilts are done, I am only 3 quilts away from my 2011 goal of 12 care quilts.

I am still sorting and organizing my fabric collection, and I am still making kits.
On Saturday a group of friends will meet to make care quilts, and I plan to bring kits to work on.
I will make more than 12 care quilts in 2011 by the looks of it :-)

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.  ~Marcel Proust

Hanne

Happy Strips to you too :-)

Cutting strips can be so fun – I guess you still recognize some oldies?
I like the fabrics with the buttons and the letters very much – blends in with all colours.
I had a small pile of already cut squares in my WISP (work in slow progress) pile, so for this quilt I just had to cut strips for 12 strip blocks.

Once the strips were cut, I could not help myself, and had to make some blocks :-)

Once I started making these care quilt kits for myself, it is so easy to just grab one and make a top – you should try it too :-)

4 care quilts washed, ironed and ready to be given to our guild’s new care quilt keeper tonight!
I must admit a pile of quilts looks quite impressive.
The care quilt keeper has already got 2 quilts from me this year.

Being a quilt inspector is not a duty taken lightly, and it takes a toll. A nap in the basket on the sewing table is very nice.

You can't wrap love in a box, but you can wrap a person in a hug.  ~Author Unknown

Hanne

Many small Monday stitches

Today I have sorted my sewing thread – it was nice to enjoy the colours and separate the regular sewing thread from the machine quilting thread that you see here.
Taking inventory always make me sew more.

The furball had a mid morning nap on the newest care quilt, before I got it back to finish the binding. If you have been quilting for a while, I am sure you can recognize the backing fabrics :-)

Care quilt # 6 is done!
I always wash my care quilts before I give them away, to get spray basting out (when I use it) and make the quilt soft. 4 quilts are now hanging in the basement to dry and will be given away tomorrow.

Another block for the Civil War Love Letter quilt – I am still doing the easy ones :-)

Hanne

Sunday again–meet Miss Sam :-)

A quilter’s and blogger’s nightmare happened – the computer had a fatal meltdown of the screen, so now I have a new laptop, which is cheaper than repairing the old(er) and very well used HP computer.
Miss Sam is a smaller, lighter laptop, 10,1” without a CD drive, so I have bought an external CD drive, which functions very well.
Luckily I have a full backup of all the content on the old computer :-)

I have not sewn so much over the last days.
I hope to get DH to help me spray baste this one today, so I can machine quilt it and have it done in a couple of days :-)
Today I am sitting with my right foot up high, enjoying some stitchery.

Maybe I should start cutting another care quilt kit soon, just for fun ?

A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange.  ~Author Unknown

Hanne

Tuesday evening update :-)

I just could not help myself - I had to cut another strip block kit :-)
Now, no more cutting before I have done some sewing.

Hanne

One more kit

I am having a Simplify & Enjoy year, like in Use It year, using from my fabric collection a lot.
I see that about 10 years ago I made a lot of miniature quilts, but I bought a lot of fabric, as in big scale shopping for small scale quilts……
Can you see how upside down that was ??

I want to save (as in not use) to much money on quilting this year, to put the money towards other things, like travelling.
And last, but not least, I am also aiming at more room in my sewing room. Only one way to do that - use more than I bring in!
Can seem hard, but in fact, it isn't, so far :-)

This is kit for care quilt # 7 this year.
Can you remember when this colour combination was top of the tops?
Not my favourite anymore………….
The Hoffman prints were so lovely (and expensive) too - with gold!
To bad I did not use it and use it up when it still made my heart sing, rather than saving it beyond its "expiring date".
I have learned my lesson though :-)

As soon as I have made one more kit, I will start making tops.
3 kits, 3 tops, 3 backings, 3 quilting jobs, 3 finished quilts - that is my plan!

If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.  ~Lawrence J. Peter

Hanne

Sunday in the sewing corner

The meshwork is done, and I have plans for what to make of it :-)
I use a layer of stabilizer under the whole work and each strip has a strip of fusible web under, so the finished piece is quite thick. No batting needed.
The technique is like weaving or braiding, so the work has 3 layers of doubled fabric.
I have had great fun and I have plans for more meshwork soon :-)

It was time to start another care quilt kit too. 2,5" strips is nice to work with, and it is fun to go through my own fabric collection making kits.

I just had to sew a couple of blocks and before I knew it, I had all the 48 blocks done :-) It is the beauty of pre cut pieces!
I am practising using the left foot on the sewing machine pedal and it is not easy. Habits are hard to change…..

Lately I have been making crisp bread several times, with flax seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, oatmeal and spelt flour.
They are so nice just as a snack or with cheese or orange marmalade.
They last only for a couple of days - both DH and I love them!

The Civil War Love Letter block of the day :-)

My Sunday has been lovely - I hope you have enjoyed your day too!

Hanne

Saturday sewing

The last care quilt from last weekend is done :-)
Now I just have to wash the 3 quilts so they become soft and good and let the batting shrink a little (1%) so the new owner do not get a surprise when washing the quilt for the first time.
Now I can also start making the next 3 kits for new care quilts.
I decided I have to finish the kits before making new kits.

I have enjoyed making meshwork today.
The Japanese book , Meshwork with fabrics, has good diagrams, if you want to try it too :-)
I have not decided what to make from this piece yet, even if I have a couple of ideas.

I made my first meshwork more than 15 years ago, just after having seen a finished work.
I have in my collection a very old Clover bias tape maker.
I also had the pleasure of attending a class on meshwork the summer of 2008.
The strips I have used today are 1/2" wide finished.

Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted. John Lennon

Hanne

One of each :-)

One block for Civil War Love Letter quilt and one for Life is Beautiful.
The stitchery block lacked only a couple of threads.

TGIF - Thank God It's Friday!
I am planning some serious sewing here in my corner :-)

Follow your passion, and success will follow you.  ~Terri Guillemets

Hanne

 

Thursday blocks

3rd day of the month and 3 new blocks to show for it :-)
As I said, I am doing the blocks bingo style, picking whichever block I want.
Just now I am doing the easier blocks, just to get the feel of the quilt, just like I did with Nearly Insane and Dear Jane.

I am not stitching so much these days, but I have a block done every now and then. Transfer-Eze not yet rinsed off.

The furball says hello :-)

The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs. Vance Havner

Hanne