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!