Another three years’ project finished!

My one and only granddaughter was three years this month, and I’ve finished the quilt I started when I got to know she was on her way. Grandmothers flowers in yellow and pink and quilted with hearts and flowers by Merete Ellingsen at sy.no.

All my projects at this time seem to take a lot of time, and there are few finishes. But I ‘m happy they get finished, and that I manage to finish some of them before I get lost in new ones.

Exciting designers

This spring and summer I ‘ve been in the finishing mood. All UFOs of different kind I have finished as originally planned, finished in smaller size or some not started material projects I’ve decides never to start and have used the fabrics for other projects. I’ve realized that I’m not a person that can handle so many projects in progress at one time. My creativity disappears and I don’t get anything done.

So now there is only two projects left that I have to finish before I start on something that I just have in my head and in some small drawings. My creativity is starting to grow as my projects are getting closer to the finishing line, so I see this road is best for me.

I love to collect ideas and inspiration on the net. I’ve loved Kaffe Fassetts designs and fabrics for many years, and I think I have all his book. I’ve even been to one of his classes here in Norway, and that was for me a very good, challenging experience.

 I’ve recently discovered a new designer for me Tula Pink. I love her colours and ideas and I’m afraid her books and fabrics will grow in the same numbers as Kaffe Fassetts in my cupboard and shelves.

At last, one more finished project. I found a lot of hexagon flowers made from my scrap bag five or six years ago. I didn’t want more hand seam so I used my machine, and some cotton, and made a tablecloth for my gazebo.

A selfmade accident!

Selfmade accident or how one quilt top became 4 pillows

I had made this plussquilt top. I was really satisfied  and wanted to put it om my guestbed as quickly as possible. I found my big wool batting,that I’ve saved for years, and backing  and started to do the classical mistakes. The wool batting was really big, made for a really big double bed. I read the size quickly and found that it was more than enough for at least two quilts. I measured out what I needed with just unpacking it in one end and holding it up against the quilt top’s with,and cut the batting.

When I put it on my table against the top it was so accurate that I had to pin it in the corners. Here I should have stopped but I spraybasted  on my backing too. It wasn’t more than a few cm too wide around the quilt top’s sides. My box with spraybasting  was not too full, so it could have been better basted, but I started quilting.

I made seams to and fro on the with. Simple  paralell lines with one cm between each line. I  drove really fast on my pedal, the music on my radio was high and I enjoyed life! The first half went really well!

BUT then I discovered that something was happening . My quiltbacking and bat started to move , the with of the top went smaller, and the outer border went smaller as the bat  moved and  the backing got  bumps on the back.

I was so disappointed that I threw the hole work in a big black gabbage bag and left my machine . I was going to throw it away.

My  black plastic bag was on my floor for a couple of days before I came to my senses. I couldn’t save it as a quilt top, but I made four pillows.

And I have made a new quilt top. I havent’t quilted it yet. I have to buy a big batting first and a new batting fabric that is more than big enough, and a new box of spray basting

The rest of the woolbatting I had,  I used for another quilt and it  was so big that I had to cut away some after I had quilted it!

What I have learned? Don’t do anything in a haste, and use extra with on batting and backing!

Computer crash and lost programmes.

Long time since I last was here. I had a bad computer crash this spring and had to buy a  new on and that has adventages and disadventages. Not all  old good programmes work with the new ones, and ther has been some hours with frustrations. But enoug about that.

Here is my tumbler scrap quilt with the tractor. I useded the  tractor pattern from Lori Holts book «Farm Girl Vintage» and her idea for the quilt.

I’ve also finished a «City Lights» quilt  with two pillows for my son and daughter in law . This pattern I found in a book by Cherri House called City Quilts. The young ones really love these quilts!.

I ’ve also finished two other quilts in smaller versions than the originals, this star quilt  and this tree and house quilt  with pattern by Jen Kingwell. This was a BOM from Material Obsession i n Australia, but I waited too long to start on it so it became  a small quilt instead of big quilt.

I’ve also ended up with  4 plussquilt pillows, but this is another story

On my way

I've sewn them together 15 pr. row, and it seems like they've been growing in number since I started. All are now here waiting for next step this week.
Maybe a tractor?

Focus project the next weeks

All my tumblers from the scrap box. 

WISP 3 - ME 0 -1.

 This star quilt I started 2 years ago at The Norwegian Quilt Festival. As the optimistic person I am, I signed up for two courses that had big quilts as their goal. The second one I made just one block of, after struggling so much with it that I knew this quilt wasn’t for me.

This star quilt named Seeing Red designed by Buggy Barn I really loved, both the sewing methods, the colors and designs. But something happened when you don’t continue at once you get home and leave it in a box for nearly two years. You are not so motivated to cut the “thousand” pieces you need to finish the quilt. I still loved the colors and the stars so I decided to make a simplified version Here is its story.

 

  These  12 I made at the Quilt Festival

 I had another 14 ready to sew

Then I had 26

An extra border made the blocks a bit bigger

Then I sewed all together and made a small border around the quilt, but have turned to rows of stars upside down. Correcting it, then an outer border and ready for quilting. Satisfied!

This jacket I made during March/April . The pattern by Kristin Wiola Ødegård is in autumn colors and named Autumn  Square,  but these colors are mine.

WISPs here I come

Every time I think I have plenty of time to sew and finish projects something happens. This time my sewing machine needed a big repair. I suddenly discovered, should probably have seen it weeks ago, that the angel on my sewing foot was pointing 15 degrees too much to the left side. Probably happened when a needle broke and everything stopped a while ago. I had to send it away, but this time I found my daughters sewing machine in her cupboard and used it.

I finished my Gemstone quilt- Ruby colored, - a BOM from Lappemakeriet.no.

This is just a part of it.

I finished my summer quilt – hexagons (Grandmother`s) garden that I started summer 2013 when I learned I was to become a grandmother. I had to hand sew the frame around.  Both quilts were delivered yesterday to Merete from Sy.no yesterday for proper machine quilting.

During my week off I even took my scrap box and cut every scrap into 2 inch strips, 1 inch strips and small tumblers. The 2 inch strips I made into a small quilt for my granddaughter that started to use it once it was finished. The 1 inch strips went into a doubled sided doll quilt.

The tumblers are in a small metal bin on my sewing table ready to go into the sewing machine on a rainy day.

  I`m proud of the empty boxes, and I have decided to keep focus on finishing more WISP boxes. I get back energy and my ideas start to flower again for new projects for every empty box so I Know I`m on right tracks.

Now I have planted a star quilt on my table for the weekend. It will not turn out as the pattern say or as it was planned to be, but that is another story.

Have a nice weekend!

The BOM virus

Are you easily down with the BOM ( Block of Month)  virus? I am. There are so many nice BOMs but too little time to sew them all. BUT I still order some new thinking I get only one package every month. How many UFOs of BOMs, WISPs of BOMs and unopened BOMs I have in my sewing room?

 Now I think there are only 4 with one nearly finished, but I tempted to order a new one. This one I can sew with machine all the way through and finish in a normal period. Because the virus is especially hard with me when there is much hand sewing and the finished products are big.

This story will continue.

Here is a not so good picture of a baby quilt for a colleague of mine.

Friendship and quilting

I have got a lot of friends  during  my years with quilting and have learned a lot as a woman and as a quilter  Some of  what I’ve learned I use at work. I do a lot of social work in my job as student worker,and have a lot of  group meetings . Sometimes I use fabric , designing and quilting  as a method to get the results I want.

Here is  the latest quilt I’ve finished  where the students 12 years old, have designed the butterflies of hearts, placed the heart flowers and given them different centers  with buttons. Everybody  was satisfied with their own work and so surprised that it  all went together

They were so proud of their work so they gave it to their teacher as thanks for her kindness.

Back in blogland !

2016 has started and I'm back blogging again. Last year is history and I want to show you an old picture of my father in law. He died  just before Christmas 100 years old.
He gave us a lot of good memories and was interested in what every generation  did.
This is the oldest picture we have of him , sitting on a quilt. The colours of the quilt and who made it, we don't know,

This year I have promised myself to finish at least four  project  before I start a new one, and I have to do a lot of stash using. My cupboards seem to have shrinked, and I don't know why I always fall for those big quilts that takes ages to finish.