Just a few pictures

I got tired of my old office wall-hanging and took apart the three layers. Used my ruler and made a new top. Used the two old layers and the binding and my office has a new wall-hanging, - just a little bit smaller than the old one.  New from old!

                                            The old one

                                                   The new one

My WISP is finished and a new jumper in Cottonwool from Rowan. A very good yarn

 

Now I’m working on a secret project in my few spare moments, besides student guidance and working out a plan to collect 9 000 000 nkr   for a new congregation house.

Having a dull life? Not me.

 

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At last!

Last year I sorted out a lot of brown, yellow, green, brown-red and more fabrics from my cupboard. I knew I hadn’t used any of these for years so I had to do something. We have a small cabin in the woods that needed some sofa covers so I sorted the fabrics into two groups. I cut all of them into big squares (12,5inches) and sorted them into brown/yellows and green/rest.

The brown yellows I matched two by two and cut them in a sort of log cabin. When I had sewn all these together I knew I didn’t want to start on the next colour so I kept the squares and made backs for the cover quilts. 

Here you kan see the fronts and backs. I had enough blocks to make three pillows too.

 

I ‘m looking so  forward to cover my old cabin sofas.

Even though I got my first flue for the season I have finished some other products this September. Here are some pictures.

 

Isn't this a beautiful button!

Which way to turn the blocks?

After last blog post I had a look at the pictures of my blocks and I discovered that I had turned some of them the wrong way. Digital photos are a good way to use for trying out a lot of different settings.

I changed the placement of some of the blocks.

Put on some blues and red triangles

Then green small borders and squares of many colours.

Now I’m auditioning a lot of borders , trying not to let the results be too dull, because I see with all the dark blues the blocks faded down a bit.

One finish this month. A small heart wall hanging. The blocks are made by some of my pupils in a class project. The three groups decided how to put their hearts together.  I sew them all  together and put the three groups together as a class by some metal rings.

August and OPAM summary

July went quickly but I managed to finish some projects.

A nice purse for travelling.

A jumper and two pair of socks for the autumn.

 Now I’m trying to finish some UFOS and WISP. I have a lot of new projects I want to start, but my promise to myself this year is to finish what is possible before I start a new project.

This one I started a year ago. I made all the 20 centers and cut the fabrics, but that was all. Now I have come so far. The blocks aren’t finished yet so there is more to come...

Summer and the color festival!

  Summer is here, though the weather says something else. Despite the weather there is a   color festival going on in the nature. Have you discovered all the colors around you, -the flowers in all kind of shades and the greens?

The school is on holiday and I love this time of year when everything goes slowly and there is time for just sitting down and sensing the quietness, the colors, the fragrances and everything around me.  I have even got some time for sewing. I have made a table runner and a small cloth from the latest number of the Norwegian Quiltemagasinet, and 6 mug rugs with materials from my scrap box. Happy colors for summertime! Enjoy life!

Surprised again!

Another month just passed away and summer is just around the corner. It has been exams and marking for some weeks now, and it is only 14 days again before I can tidy up and get totally organized again at work. I always use a week after the pupils have left to clear up and be ready for a new semester.  These days are hectic but with a lot of stressed pupils and teachers there are also a lot of humor and joy. I have learned a lot of new words   when my pupils had oral exam in mathematics .Words put together of well-known words, mixed together by stress and sometimes by little knowledge. To my Norwegian reader: Vet du hva det motsatte av inntekter er ? Etter et 20 min. foredrag vet jeg at det er uttekter.

It is easy to do mistakes, read wrong, put things and fabrics upside down so it’s important to not make it bigger than it is.

I try to use my spare moments to quilt, knit and stitch, so since last I have finished knitting and crocheting a dress from the magazine Made by Me, and finished block 4 in the Vignette BOM.

Search for new words this week and see what you find!

May, the Month of spring

May is here and it`s really spring outside. The birds are making a lot of noices and the spring flowers are blooming. I`ve just been to Mandal, near Kristiansand in the southern part of Norway. There the trees had green leaves and they had more flowers than we have here around Oslo. I was visiting my DD2 and her husband. I made her, sew three trousers, and brought her a knitting top I knitted at Easter, but I didn’t take any photos unfortunately.

I don`t have much time for sewing these days. I made this Easter-runner and another batch cloth after Easter. The table runner pattern is made by Bente Tufte at Kathrines Quiltestue. It was a very good pattern - easy to follow.

When you don’t have much time to spend on quilting and sewing it`s dangerous to do blogging. There are so many skilled people making fantastic patterns! I was tempted to buy one pattern this month with the good excuse that I had all the material I needed to make it. But when to make it? When I have finished all my UFOs, WISPs, and ………. ?  Have a look at this picture. Isn`t it beautiful? The pattern is made by Kim MC Lean and I bought it from Glorious Color, but others also have it.  If you are fond of appliqué and Kaffe Fassette`s fabrics, Kim Mc lean has more patterns to tempt you. Just don`t blame me if you get tempted to buy one or ……..

Happy Easter Week

The wind from north is blowing cold around the corners of my house, and my husband has put a fire in the oven. We’ve had a very warm and sunny spring so far, but now there is a change. My mother in law says there always has to be a fortnight with wind from the North before the spring really comes.  And she is usually right, every year.

This week is a family week. Two of my children are coming home for the holidays, and we see a lot of other family members too. I hope to use my new batch  cloth, baking bread, rolls and buns. I love the smell of home baked   and good company around the table.

Have a nice week!

 PS : The hen stitchery is from the Norwegian “Quiltemagasinet”  and the other patterns I think is from Quiltenet.no

PLAYTIME

There is a time for everything in quilting. Sometimes we follow patterns, use the fabrics the designers have used, sometimes we change the patterns and make a twist on the patterns. Other times we see something and we copy it and make it our own. After a year with finishing a lot of UFOS, WISP, and BOMs and so on I have decided it is time for playing and challenging me. Why not make something that is my design, based on my ideas?

 I have signed up for a Quilt making course with Linda and Laura Kemshall.  I am unfortunately a very slow worker here, because you must have enough time to sit down and try different things. But I really love it the periods when I have it on the top of my lists. Exploring colors, shapes, textures and much more open a whole new world. I get more observant, I see more details when I’m out and around. I can’t show you any pictures, but have a look at the student’s galley and the portfolios to those who has finished this and other courses.

A play-project that I can finish in a reasonable time is the one I have started with one of my sewing friends. I bought two mixed media experimental packs fromStef Francis in the UK. I bought one green for my friend and one aqua for myself. You see my here. It has beads, metallic threads, tissue paper, and much more.

                                                                  

Tonight we are meeting and have to bring our idea with us on how to use our materials. We don’t have to use everything, and we can add more if we want to, but the experimental pack has to be the basic. I have an idea, but I can’t show it yet because Sol has to see it first.
                                                            Playtime!

WIVSP - and 1 finish

When I started to read quilting blogs I was confused about all the letter abbreviations. DH, DD, DS, WISP and so on. The only one I knew was UFO, because they we talked about when we quilting ladies met.  We talked about them in both positive and negative ways, and even if we have tens of them at home we find excuses to start and buy new projects. OPAM- One project a month is a good way to finish some of the UFOs and last year I finished a lot of them.  I’ve got a lot of space in my closet and in my boxes, and my sewing room is a lot orderlier.

This year has started in a higher tempo both at work and in my spare time, so there has been less time in my sewing room. This month I’ve only finished a pair of mittens.

                                                                                  

I have a couple of WIVSPS (works in very slow progress). I love my Vignette in stitches project. It`s a kind of BOM project by Leanne Beasley in her Vignette magazine.

                                                                                     

 It’s 16 blocks and I have finished block 1, Block 2, 3 and 4 are on their way. I`m using fabric from my closet, embroidery treads from my stash and I`m lucky to have a lot. It is very nice to do some slow stitching to relax a bit and let the thoughts wander around.

                                                                                                
Have a nice time, and enjoy life!

One minute here, and five there…

I’m really proud of myself. I’ve used my minutes and have three finishes all ready in January. I’ve signed up for another year with OPAM- One project a month. One project a month is possible to finish for me and helps me to try out different kind of project. Here are my three projects.

A wall hanging from Lynette Anderson’s pattern, a tablecloth with NorthernQuilts stitchery pattern and a scowl with inspiration from Linda Kemshall.

Have a nice week!

Too much technology?

Friday I suddenly got a few hours to sit down at my sewing table. I decided to start my embrodery machine to sew a couple of Christmas motives for my 80 years old mother. She wants to start on next year’s card production. I sorted out from drawers and cupboards what I needed, but my joy ended after 5 minutes.  The display on my embrodery machine said Error. Press the start/stop button and after the display had worked for some minutes I read: Enter the rescue disk.

Had it been my computer I could have done that, but they don’t give us these rescue disk for our sewing machines. I had to put everything back in place, and started calculating when I could check in my machine for a “rescue”.  I was frustrated and went to my computer searching for new embrodery machines and there I found it! The color, the shape, the design, its functions!  I suddenly found myself in the same positions as some of my friends when they talk about their cars, their stereos and so on. I was lost for some hours. The price on the machine with computer software was high but some shops had an introduction offer. 

When I landed  I knew  I didn’t need this machine because my machines have more functions than I use today, but it’d nice to dream a little.  Saturday I got a job cancel in the morning so I could go to rescue my embrodery machine in the nearest city. I knew this shop also had this new machine so I decided to have a look at it. Free shopping!  I asked for this new machine and the man in the shop had the machine but had lent it out for a trial. You now that machine is already old in its technology he said, even though it was presented in November. This machine here, he showed me one, is far in front of the other. A lot of the quilting ladies, he mentioned some names I knew, has changed to this brand because it is more updated. Have a look at the machines on YouTube, and try both before you decide for a new one.

When I came back home I looked at a lot of videos on the net, and there this machine he was in favour of, had its updates too. 

So how much technology does I an ordinary hobby quilter need?  It doesn’t make me better quilter just gives me more possibilities and more choices. Practice is the only thing that makes me better. It’s nice to have a “super “machine that can do everything, but do I need it?

Have a nice sewing week with your sewing machines !