Piece by Piece

Some kind of Wonderful

2012-02-01T07:49:00.000+01:00

I am keeping up with the Stitch along group, and my January blocks are all done! This is my focus project at the moment- and I am truly enjoying it!

Last week our shop was invited to Elverum Quiltguild, and we had a great time! You might recognize May Britt and Laila here....

It was such a fun evening- we had a great time in Elverum- a big thank you to everyone for making us feel so welcome!

Thank you for stopping by- have a great day!

Living in a winter wonderland!

2012-01-22T17:57:00.000+01:00

Today was such a beautiful day, so I just had to go skiing with Sigve and Svein.

Sigve is getting his tunes ready while Svein wax the skis before we start. This might sound like a lovely way to spend quality time together as a family (even if the other two kids didn't come today)- but this is how Sunday skiing is for me: We start out together (or usually the boys start a few minutes before me, and go back and forth like english setters....) then Svein starts last (he locks up the car, makes sure we have everything etc.) He then catches up to me and the boys within a few hundred meters- and that's the last I see of them- until I meet them when they are on their way back to the car..... I still love it though!

Over to some quilty stuff.... Nothing new to show- except this fun fabric- "Hometown" by Sweetwater. When they were planning this line they asked everybody to tell them their hometowns- or where they lived, and they would use some of the towns on their fabric. This fabric line has been out for a while- but I haven't really read all the town names until Kristine discovered something exciting when we were at Quiltegaarden a couple of weeks ago..... Some very familiar names- Like Cocoa Beach and Orlando- Our favorite places in Florida (and where I used to live....)

And believe it or not : TYNSET! Our little town in Norway is there- how exciting!!! I remember commenting on their blog telling them Tynset was my home town, but I never expected it to make the fabric. Now I need to find the perfect bag to make with this awesome piece of fabric fun- don't you think?

Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year!!!!

2012-01-17T17:34:00.001+01:00

A little late......
January has been so busy both at work and at home- and I have just not found the time to blog at all.... I've read blogs and left a comment or two- but that's all.

At least I have been sweing a bit. Here are the next two blocks in the "Some kind of wonderful" stitch-along. Chocolates..... and

Daisies..... Fun blocks!

Today I looked through my WIP's and kits and decided on a few projects I want to focus on. This first one is the Fat Quarter Shop Designer mystery BOM from 2009... I think I have three blocks finished....... Which means it has a loong way to go to get finished.....

Next is this kit from Primitive Gatherings- I fell in love with this cute snowman quilt in Houston when I was at Quilt Market/Festival in 2009- Maybe I'll get it done this year? (notice both the first projects are from 2009??)

The third one is "Tis the season" by Natalie Bird. I have finished nine (almost ten) of the little stitcheries, and need to get the last two done so I can make the wallhanging. I am using "Scandinvian Christmas" fabrics for this quilt. (Lynette Anderson design).

That's it for now- now I am going to do some more appliquè on my SKOW before I head to Zumba class....

Thanks for stopping by!

Some kind of wonderful progress

2011-12-29T20:57:00.000+01:00

I had a day in the sewing room the other day, and managed to sew together the first row of blocks for my "Some kind of Wonderful" quilt. I am using fabrics from my stash only, but it doesn't look like it makes even the tiniest dent in my stash....LOL

I'm ready to get going on row 2, and have started the next block- Chocolates... Yummy!

Our gingerbread house

2011-12-27T21:05:00.003+01:00

I promised you earlier I'd show you Kristine's Gingerbread house when she was finished decorating it. She was inspired by Shrek 2 and made a Starbucks coffee shop and a giant gingerbread man (notice the jelly men running scared in front of the shop....)

Today I've been sewing my SKOW blocks together- the first row is done- yeeey! No pictures yet though, maybe tomorrow.....

Hope your Christmas is great!

Thank you my Secret Santas!

2011-12-25T18:59:00.003+01:00

Thank you so much Secret Santa, Christine! Christmas is finally here and I could open this lovely gift and find out who you are! I hope I'm right.... There's only one Christine on Chooky's SSCS list of Australian swappers.... I love this cute little quilt, and the pincushion is adorable!

This is the lovely ornament from Christine. I know I've shown it before, but I wanted to show it again along with the rest of the gifts she sent. Thank you so much Christine- I love them all!

Next is my other partner Meg . She sent me this lovely stitched bag which I will use to keep my Some Kind of Wonderful blocks in I think- such a lovely bag with the cutest stitchery

Inside the bag was a cute sketch pad and a pen.

Thank you so much Meg, I love it :-)

And you might remember the cute ornaments Meg sent me as well. Ola was making a power point presentation on kangaroos for his English class before Christmas and he used this cute Christmas kangaroo for one of the slides.

I also received a surprise thank you package from the head elf herself.

Thank you so much Donna- I love the calendar and cards, and the pad is just so cute!

I hope your Christmas is great- I feel the need to get moving to burn some of the millions of calories off and make room for more chocolate and cookies.....

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T13:10:00.000+01:00

Just a short post in between the cooking here.... It's finally Christmas Eve, and all the packages are under the tree, including a very special extra surprise package from Chooky- the head elf!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Christmashugs from me to you!

Our new Christmas placemats

2011-12-16T07:35:00.005+01:00

Just a short post to show you our new Christmas placemats. These are so quick and easy to make-16 3 1/2" squares make the middle of the placemat, and a 31/2" strip on each side and it's done! I just quilted these in the ditch- nothing fancy.

I got our Christmas dinnerware out as well- love these Disney plates!

Hope you have a fun weekend getting ready for Christmas!

Second SSCS received

2011-12-13T15:14:00.001+01:00

Yeeey- my other SSCS parcel has arrived!! Like I told you earlier, I have two swap partners this year. And this Secret Santa is even more secret than my first one, since she only wrote her last name on the return address.... Very sneaky! But I am sure you're reading this to see if the package has arrived- so thank you so much- the ornament is really pretty! The other gift is safely put away until Christmas Eve!

Look at this adorable ornament, such a pretty heart!

Thanks again to my very secret Santa!

Sewing a little

2011-12-08T21:33:00.001+01:00

Block four in my Some Kind of Wonderful quilt is (almost) finished.... I just realized I forgot to stitch the peace sign on the left leg- ooops!!!

I'm also making a few Christmas potholders....

And Christmas placemats.... ready for binding

And while I've been sewing, Kristine has been baking. Here are all the parts for this year's Gingerbread house. She's planning on a Gingerbread Starbucks... Should be fun to make!

Well, I'm off to get those bindings done- thanks for stopping by!

SSCS arrived!

2011-11-30T21:11:00.001+01:00

When I came home from work today there was a parcel waiting for me...

How exciting- my Secret Santa swap parcel had arrived already.

When I opened it, this was inside.

Two lovely presents- one wit the ornament and one to put under the tree.... And I have a very sneaky Secret Santa- she didn't write her name or blog on the cards.... She did write her return address though- so I think I know who you are..... from Chookyblue's blog list of Secret Santas.... But I'm not sure.

And here are the ornaments- they are adorable!! Thank you so much secret Santa! And just so you know- The other gift is safely hidden away until Christmas Eve...

Since tomorrow is December first I had to get our advent calendars ready. For the first time since I was 15 i have a calendar as well! Yeeeeyyyy! Our quilt guild had an advent calendar trade- and we all brought 24 wrapped quilty gifts to our last meeting- and the g gifts were all mixed up and divided out again,so we went home with 24 different gifts.

Here is Sigve and Ola's calendar- My aunt made it for the kids about 12-13 years ago I think- I love the angel choir- so pretty! Kristine has a different calendar this year- No picture..... sorry!

Hope everyone has a great December 1st!

Too many projects?

2011-11-29T09:52:00.001+01:00

Do you ever feel like you have too many projects going at the same time? This year I've been working on my UFO's along with creating new samples for the shop, and pretty much sew what I've felt like sewing (which has been quite a few things...)

Today I realized I have projects all over the house!!!! It's a wonder my dear husband hasn't said a word.... There are baskets and ziplock bags with sewing and knitting projects next to every table and chair where I might sit and need something to work on.... And in our bedroom I have a chair full of wallquilts with nowhere to hang..... I need more walls (or less windows LOL)

In addition to all those wip's around the house I have my ufo/wip shelf in my sewingroom- a little less filled up now than last time I showed it to you I am proud to say.... Now I think I need to focus on one project at a time again and finish up some of those "around the house" projects first (those are the newest ones). Hopefully I'll be able to finish at least one today, so I can come back and show you something finished tomorrow....

Hope you have a wonderful day- Thank you for stopping by!

Second block done!

2011-11-22T21:12:00.001+01:00

I'm done with my second Some Kind of Wonderful block, and block three has all the parts ready to appliquè. This project is a lot of fun, but it's been a slow start since I've been working on my SSCS gifts....

Here's a little peek at something I've been working on today.... Can you guess what it is?

I'll leave you with this superyummy Snickerdoodle cupcake- Kristine has been baking, and these were sooooo good! I think she needs to make these again!

SSCS

2011-11-21T19:03:00.001+01:00

Sorry- no pictures today- I am getting my SSCS gifts ready to mail tomorrow. This is my 5th year in the swap, and I have two lovely bloggers to send my gifts to this year. I am so excited- this is my favourite swap, and I have met lovely bloggers every year I've done the swap. So hopefully in a week or two the parcels will have arrived at their destinations.... I wonder where my Secret Santa is from this year.... Oh I just realized I might have two Secret Santas.... I just love Christmas!

I am getting ready for advent.

2011-11-16T21:40:00.001+01:00

This year our quilt guild is hosting an advent calendar swap. Each of us (who wanted to participate) made 24 advent gifts, and at our meeting yesterday everyone swapped gifts so we all went home with gifts from everybody else in the swap. I am so excited! Now I just have to get the kids' calendar gifts and get their calendars finished.... Something tells me it will be a lot harder to find 24 little gifts for a 12, 14, and 17 year old than 24 quilty gifts.....

Sticking with the advent theme I started an advent table runner from the last issue of My Quilt magazine, the colors show up a bit wrong here, but I'll show you when it's all done ( Hopefully before Christmas sometime...).

I passed the flower shop on my way home today, and couldn't resist this pretty pointsetta- it's such a nice shade of light pink- I've never seen them in this color before!

Tomorrow Kristine and I will be going on our monthly roadtrip to Trondheim to see her orthodonist- And to do some shopping.... I think we'll be going to IKEA this time!

Thanks for stopping by :-)

First SKoW block done

2011-11-07T22:18:00.002+01:00

I am so excited I finished my first block for the Some Kind of Wonderful Stitch along. For the cherries on top of the cakes I am adding buttons- since I have a huge jar full of them- and I just seem to hoard them and never ever use them... I just keep buying them...... Now I need to get on with block two!

Over the weekend I finished knitting this hat for Kristine. The pattern is in a booklet from last winter by Norwegian designers Arne and Carlos.

Here's the hat from the back. Now winter can arrive!

New projects....

2011-11-03T22:27:00.000+01:00

AnnAKa released two new patterns yesterday, and I had to start this cute tablerunner with mice. Now I need to trace their tails and faces and stitch them. I hope to have this one finished over the weekend. My sister in law and father in law are coming to spend the weekend, so it will be nice to have some handwork ready.

This is my version of Laila's Christmas runner- I like hers a lot better, so I'll have to make one with the same fabrics she used.... She was so sweet to give me her directions to make it!

That was just a short update- still working on my SSCS.....

Thank you for stopping by!

A Christmas finish

2011-11-01T15:07:00.001+01:00

With the secret sewing for SSCS swap there is not a whole lot I can show these days.... But I do have a Christmas quilt done- I finished it yesterday morning, and I am really happy with it being finished in time for Christmas. This was a 6 month BOM from AnnAKa we ran at the shop, and the quilt is hanging at the shop for now. Maybe I will bring it home for Christmas......

Here's a close up from the bottom of the quilt.

So how is everyone doing on their SSCS sewing?? I think I have changed my mind about 10 times about what to make for my two recipients.... I find the PERFECT gift, and start making it- then something else strikes me as MORE perfect..... Oh no- what to do......???? (At least I have the first gifts finished....) I might just have a few things to choose from when the mailing out date arrives... :-)

Off to the sewingroom again- I was inspired by Laila's disappearing 9patch runner and had to make a sample for the shop- thank you Laila! The top is finished and I just need to quilt and bind it.

And the winner is.....

2011-10-30T10:15:00.000+01:00

Thank you all so much for the sweet birthday wishes! I had a wonderful day with friends and family, and yeserday we got to eat more cake and great food since it was my dad's 60th birthday! A great birthday week indeed!

Back to the give- away............... The random number generator picked nr. 10..........and that is May Kristin over at Krispquilt. Congratulations to you- a package will be sent to you as soon as I get your address!

Hope everyone has a great Sunday!

I had to change my profile....

2011-10-25T08:53:00.000+02:00

Today I had to change my profile on my blog. It used to say "30something year old quilter"..... And from today I am no longer in my 30's..... I am really looking forward to the next decade- my 40's!
To celebrate my birthday I am having a fabulous 40's giveaway- just leave a comment on my blog before Saturday and you will be in the draw of a surprise unbirthday package (or maybe it's your birthday as well- in that case it will be a birthday gift!). I hope you have a wonderful day- and thanks for stopping by!

Summer challenge revealed

2011-10-22T21:06:00.000+02:00

I showed you the fabrics for our Quilt Guild's summer challenge a couple of posts ago, and now I can show you what I made with the fabrics I received.

The theme was "Out and about" or "traveling" And since I always bring my camera with me I thought I'd make myself a new camerastrap. The old one was a "normal" Canon strap.... Boring...... I am happy with my new one- and I got to try it out in Rome :-)

Today I quilted and sewed the binding onto the "froggy runner". I had most of the day off, and even had the house to myself, so I cleaned up my sewingroom a bit and finished the runner and some secret SSCS sewing.... Sorry- no sneak peeks!

I also went shopping for a light for my sewingroom window- Ola liked it and said it looked like Christmas in there now..... I think he may be right about that!

And on our way to Trondheim the other day it looked like Christmas is coming soon as well. When it stopped snowing for a few minutes (before the rain started) and the sun came out it looked really pretty. Kristine took the picture out of the windshield....

Stitch along

2011-10-18T17:42:00.003+02:00

So that Italian ice cream did help me in selecting fabrics for my "Some kind if wonderful" quilt! Here are some of the fabrics I have pulled so far.

They might not look like Ice cream cones yet- but this is block one... I might use buttons on top of the icecream cones instead of appliquèing the small dot. So happy to have (almost) started this pretty quilt!

We got some new fun fabrics in at the shop- and I just had to make a small tablerunner¨.... just for fun- love those little frogs! I'll take a better picture when it's all finished!

Now I'm off to the Fjellquilten quilt meeting- And twirling practice- both in one night..... multitasking!!

New look

2011-10-16T21:55:00.002+02:00

Just playing around with my blog template tonight- hope you like my new Halloween look!

We're home!

2011-10-14T21:15:00.002+02:00

We had such a great time in Rome- I just wanted to show you a few quick pictures tonight....

First off is the view from our room- You wouldn't believe how many scooters there were in Rome! Kristine saw at least a dozen Vespa's she wanted....

And I saw this pretty bag in a window.... It says "Love in Nordkapp". Now Nordkapp is in Norway- but we don't have any Eskimo's here..... Maybe there is a Nordkapp in Greenland as well??

My dad and me waiting........

The reason we all went to Rome was to celebrate my dad's 60'th and my own 40'th birthday which both are at the end of this month.....

I think Ola had pizza for both lunch AND dinner almost every day (the last day he had fish for dinner)

Kristine taking our picture... somewhere in Rome!

I'll be back with more later- have a great weekend!

Check out the cool shelf!

2011-10-07T23:22:00.001+02:00

Early this summer my sweet grandmother passed away at the age of 95. She was such a sweet and fun lady- I have so many fond memories of times we spent together.

My grandmother was a great seamstess, weaver and knitter. I now have her Singer sewingmachine dated 1927, I have to take some pictures and share later.

My parents and my aunt and uncle have been cleaning out her house, and they found this cool spoolshelf. As you can see it is made from threadspools. I can't remember seeing it before, it was down in her basement.

Here you can see the whole shelf- pretty neat! It will be living with me pretty soon- I think I'll have to fill it with some lovely fabrics and pictures of my grandparents.

Over to some quilty business..... I am so excited to be part of the "Some kind of Wonderful" Stitch along.

I've had the book for a couple of months, and I really wanted to make this quilt, and I am thrilled to be a part of the SAL group!

Here is the first block- Now I need to decide on fabrics- I might just make it all from my stash....

Tomorrow we're heading for Rome- I think I will have some Italian Ice Cream to help me decide on my fabric choice....

Ciao for now- I'll be back next weekend!

Summer challenge

2011-09-27T13:59:00.001+02:00

In our quilt group "Fjellquilten" we received this pretty paper bag at the last meeting before summer break (that was in June I believe...) Inside the bag we found some fabric, ric rac, and plastic buttons. Our summer challenge was to make something out of what was in the bag, and the the theme was "ut på tur" or "out and about".

In my bag I found these fabrics. Now I knew what to make right away- or so I thought...... My problem is I STILL haven't made it- and now I'm not sure if I want to make what I initially had decided on (Sorry- it's supposed to be a secret until our October meeting). Since I have the day off I thought I'd better get this challenge done, and went to my sewingroom and emptied the bag out to get started..... then I had to think some more about what to make- and I still couldn't make up my mind. Why is this so hard????

Edit: I am almost done with the summer challenge- woo hoo!

Then I spotted my stack of Fat Quarter shop 2009 designer mystery BOM packages and decided to work on a block while I decided what to do with the challenge fabrics.... So here's block 2 (I was good and did block 1 waaaay bck in 2009 LOL)

After block two I just HAD to make block 3....

Now I need to get dinner ready, and I still haven't started on the summer challenge- oh well- I still have a few days left- any suggestions on what to make?? We are allowed to add any fabrics we want to by the way!

And in the corner of my cutting table is this stack of fabrics I SHOULD be making some samples for the shop from- I need more hours in the day!!! ( Or I just need to work on the important projects....)

I guess I better get off the computer and get dinner going before the kids get home- thanks for stopping by, and have a super day!

Another quilting weekend

2011-09-26T07:41:00.000+02:00

This weekend I've been in Haugesund to teach a class for Haugtussa Quilteklubb. We made quilts using the X-block ruler . This is such a great ruler, for both beginners and more advanced quilters. The ladies were busy both Saturday and Sunday, sewing nine patch blocks to cut down with the x-block ruler.

And here is the result- they all did such a great job- and it was such a fun class to teach. Lots of laughs, that's for sure! So thank you ladies, for a wonderful weekend :-)

Quilting weekend

2011-09-21T20:53:00.001+02:00

This past weekend we had a great class at the shop- well it wasn't AT the shop- we couldn't fit all the ladies in our classroom there....

Bente Malm came all the way from Norheimsund to teach us how to make her lovely bag called "Ida's veske" (Ida's handbag) Here she's showing us something- notice how everyone is paying close attention!

On Saturday the sun was shining, and some of us brought our lunch outside to get some fresh air. Unfortunately the wasps liked the smell of our food- and I drowned two of them in my orange juice- about time we headed indoors again....

Here's B.M with the front of her bag all finished. If you're ever in the area and stop by the shop you might meet her there since she works with us :-)

And here's my mom working on the back of her bag

By Sunday afternoon almost everyone had their bags finished- We were so impressed! Bente was such a great teacher, and everyone had a fun weekend sewing with friends :-)

This coming weekend I'll be going to Haugesund to teach a workshop using the x-block ruler- working on binding my last class samples tonight- I'll post pictures over the weekend.

Thanks for stopping by!

Work in progress and new projects

2011-09-10T19:29:00.000+02:00

You might remember the Christmas stitcheries I was working on over the spring and summer? I think I blogged a couple of them- but not all. This is a BOM by AnnAKa, called "Glædelig Jul" (Merry Christmas), and I have the top all put together now. All that's left is to appliquè the doves and Christmas baulbles. For some reason this last step seems to take a while- but I really need to just get it done!

Here are the doves almost ready to appliquè onto the top.

And this is ONE of the reasons for my procrastination- I had a layer cake that I just HAD to use..... So I made hourglass blocks, fun and quick when i just wanted to sew without having to read instructions.....

Oh, and I dug out some older fabrics from my stash that I want to use for a class sample- this one needs to be done in two weeks- so I guess it will be my focus project this weekend :-)

What are you working on?

Hope you have a great weekend- thanks for stopping by!

My first September finish!

2011-09-01T19:50:00.000+02:00

This runner was so much fun to make- I sewed the binding on this morning before I headed to work- Now I can't wait to find the perfect spot for it.....

I think I need to make more fall quilts now...... Any suggestions? (I do love pumpkins and Halloween).

I better get some dinner ready- the men of the house just got back from soccer and ski practice.....

Have a great day!

Getting ready for Fall

2011-08-31T23:34:00.001+02:00

Summer has come to and end, and the leaves have changed from green to yellow around our neck of the woods. Fall is my favorite season- I love to watch the changes in mother nature, the colors are amazing! The sun goes down earlier at night, so we can light candles and snuggle up on the couch maybe even get a fire burning in the fireplace.

I've been working on this table runner tonight- the pattern is called "Black Bird's Pumpkin Patch" and is made by Waltzing with Bears- it will be perfect to decorate with during Fall.

Next to the sewingmachine was.... a bowl of M&M's and a BIG cup of coffee.... It kept me going and going....

Here I have pinned the layers together.... I actually finished all the applique and quilting tonight- I even got the binding on, all I have left to do now is hand sew the binding to the back and add a label.

Thanks for stopping by- have a super day!!

Happy day

2011-08-22T07:11:00.000+02:00

Saturday was such a great day! Svein and I left early in the morning to head to the airport. Then we waited for a while..... wondering if she would be the next one to come through those doors.....

And then all of the sudden she was there!!!!! Yeeey- our girl is back home! She's been in Texas for two months- but it sure feels like she's been gone a lot longer than that! Now our house is back to normal, and it feels great! I've missed her so much while she was gone- we all have!

Over to some quilty business.... Here's my "Simple Things" quilt all finished. Merete did the quilting, and I am really happy with how it turned out. Thank you so much for this great quilt along Carol and Kelly! It was so much fun :-)

Well, today is the first day of school after summerbreak for the kids, so I better get breakfast ready for them- I am not looking forward to trying to get them out of bed before 8 in the morning again.... But I'm sure after a few days we'll be all set in our regular routine.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Summer finishes

2011-08-13T20:00:00.003+02:00

I've been sewing a few new things this summer, but I haven't gotten around to photograph them until today...

I actually made two runners like this one- one as a sample for the shop, and one for our dining room table. I fell in love with the fabric when it arrived at the shop- and I just had to make some Ohio Star blocks with it- the line is Civil War reunion from Moda.

Next is this cute shopping bag- the pattern is Jordbærdrøm by AnnAKa, and the fabric is Full Circle by Moda. Most days I have to go by the grocery store to get something for dinner- and this bag is the perfect size. One day I'll get organized again and plan our dinners a week at a time- but at the moment I am doing the planning day to day. Luckily I have to walk by the grocery store on my way from work to the parking garage..... Makes it easy to pop in and get what I need :-)

The last one for tonight is this cute drawstring bag made from at kit I bought a couple of years ago at Quiltegården. I still have some of this cute fabric left over, so I want to find a small project for it- maybe a new pencilcase or a small makeup purse :-)

Hope you enjoyed my little "parade" of finishes- have a wonderful day, and thank you for stopping by!

What I'm working on tonight

2011-08-12T21:10:00.001+02:00

Just thought I'd share what I'm working on tonight in front of the tv.

This is the last block for the Christmas BOM from AnnAKa. The last pattern will arrive next week and is for the applique and finishing the quilt. This quilt might just be done in time for Christmas!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

And the winners are:

2011-08-12T19:04:00.001+02:00

Drumroll please.................................. The winners of the pincushion kits are:

Comment no. 13: Cardygirl said...

Lovely giveaway!

August 9, 2011 11:17 PM

Comment no. 12: Klarafina said...

jeg blir gjerne med i trekningen :) Fine begge to!

August 9, 2011 10:55 PM

So if you'll send me your snail mail address I'll get your packages to you right away!

Thank you all for entering in my little giveaway :-)

Have a lovely weekend!

Quilting frame for sale

2011-08-10T07:21:00.003+02:00

I got this Inspira quilting frame a couple of years ago- but I really haven't used it as much as I had hoped, so now I am selling it- You can read more about it here on the Husqvarna website. (obviously this will be for someone living in Norway....) If you are interested let me know and I'll send you the details! I am selling it for less than half the price of a new one- nkr. 9000,-

This is the machine I am using with the quiltframe- if you are interested in the machine as well let me know and I can sell you both together for nkr.14 000,- This is such a great machine- my favorite to use for quilting. If I sell the machine I need to get a new one......

The main reason for selling the quiltframe is the lack of time I have for using it compared to the space it is occupying....

I hope someone out there in Norway is interested in this- it deserves a good home where someone will use it and love it!

That's all for today's advertising......

A give away!

2011-08-09T19:33:00.000+02:00

I decided to have a give away- just because :-)

I have these two pincushion kits- complete with floss and all, so if you would like to win one of them, leave a comment on this post, and I will draw two lucky winners on Friday afternoon (Norway time)

If you prefer one over the other just let me know in your comment!

There might just be a few other goodies added as well..... but that's a surprise!

Have a super day- I'm off to my sewingmachine to quilt another tablerunner!

Happy day!

2011-08-07T22:08:00.002+02:00

Today I finally finished a quilt I started a year and a half ago. It was intended as a gift for someone, but during the piecing I realized it wouldn't be a perfect gift for who I was making it for- so I never got around to quilt it and finish it. Then this spring I started quilting it, but had to rip out almost all the quilting when I was half way done, because it was distorting and the batting wouldn't stay in place- I was so fed up with the whole project it went back on my banister waiting for me to finish it- one day..... Then yesterday I finally finished quilting it and got the binding on- this morning I finished hand sewing the binding to the back and attached a label- so now it is FINALLY all done- it's even washed and dried- all ready to snuggle under :-)

The pattern is called "Ashleys journey" I believe- it's from a book- but now I can't remember which one....

I also wanted to show you this- have you seen these before- they are called pinmoor- and they are sooo great- I was able to quilt this runner without scratching myself on the pins, and let me tell you that's a first for me!

Hope you all have a great week, thanks for stopping by :-)

Family trip to Galdhøpiggen

2011-07-31T21:21:00.000+02:00

This weekend we had a great time- the whole family went to Spiterstulen where we stayed from Friday to Sunday. (today...) Yesterday we all hiked up to Galdhøpiggen- the highest mountain in Norway (2469m)

We started out early in the morning in the fog- there were 14 of us (all family/inlaws)

Soon the fog started lifting- and it turned into a beautiful day!

Sigve, Ola and Svein taking a break.

Here we are at the top!!

On our way down- the whole hike was on rocks like this, and some snow.

It took us almost 5 hrs. to get up to the top, and 3 hrs to get back down.

It was such a great day-we only wish Kristine was with us- maybe we'll have to go again later, when she's able to come with us.

Sigve relaxing- the view going up was amazing!

Ola found a nice spot to relax as well...

At the top my brother surprised us with pancakes- I have such a sweet brother!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures from our hike- today I'm a bit tired, sunburned and sore.....

Simple things

2011-07-25T09:37:00.000+02:00

I'm caught up with my Simple things quilt along! Here's the top all finished, now I think it's going away to get quilted....

Sorrow

2011-07-24T20:34:00.001+02:00

Sorrow is what I've been feeling since Friday when the first news of two tragic events came out. First there was a bombing of our government's headquarters- The streets of Oslo looked like they were in the middle of a country at war- unbelievable and shocking! Then a little while later the news of the shooting at Utøya where there was a youth camp going on. We watched the news horrified- how could this happen in Norway? Our own safe country! Saturday morning we woke up to the devastating news of the extreme high number of casualties at Utøya- It was almost impossible to believe! Saturday was spent in front of the TV crying- hoping they would find more survivors both at Utøya and in Oslo. At the same time I was relieved when I found out Kristine's classmates who were at Utøya were all fine- and I was thankful that Kristine is in Texas,and was nowhere near Utøya, and our boys were at home. It is hard to imagine the pain the parents of the kids that were killed feel, and the parents of those still missing- my heart bleeds for them, and many tears have been shed. It's raining today- I think the angels are crying as well.

Blocks are finished!

2011-07-20T10:57:00.000+02:00

Yey- I finally finished all my blocks for the simple things quilt along.... It sure took me a while!

Now all the blocks are ready to be sewn together. After I lay out all the blocks the way I want them I make stacks of each row, that way I can sit and sew everything together without getting up for new blocks all the time :-) Well, I'm ready to sew- Iced coffee by my side.....

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Redecorating

2011-07-19T18:09:00.000+02:00

I have the week off- and I am redecorating- not my sewingroom, but Sigve's room. When we built the house 10 years ago, this was Kristine's room, so the stenciling on the walls are a bit outdated- especially for a 14 year old boy....

But before I could start painting Svein had to get those holes in the wall to disappear....

And he did a great job! Here is the same wall after two coats of blue paint. No more birdhouses or butterflies along the ceiling.....

This is the nook where he had his bed- this will now be transformed into his closet....

All nice and blue.....

The bad part about redoing his room is that now Ola's room is looking pretty scruffy.... I guess I'll be doing some more painting soon....

Thanks for stopping by- I am still working on those blocks from my last post- hope to have more to show tomorrow :-)

Simple Things blocks

2011-07-09T16:52:00.001+02:00

Well, I have finally gotten around to start my blocks for the Simple Things quilt. The fabric has been ready for a while, but I just haven't had the time to cut and sew.... These blocks are really fun to sew- and there are just enough blocks to make it fun and keep it interesting. This next week we'll be in Sweden for a soccer tournament with the boys, so I won't be able to make any progress until after next weekend, but I'll get there....

Have a great week everyone, and thanks for stopping by!

A new jewelry box

2011-07-05T09:56:00.000+02:00

I finished this cute little jewelry box over the weekend, I had started the stithery a while back, and decided it was about time I finished it up. The box was surprisingly easy to sew- it went together like a dream!

The pattern is called Birdsong Jewelry Box and is from Hatched and Patched.

Today I have the day off, and I hope to get some sewing done, but first I really should get some work done around the house. I've occupied the diningroom table with scrapbookstuff and last years vacation pictures for the last few days- so I really should get the album finished so we're able to have dinner there tonight....

Have a wonderful day!

Birthe handbag

2011-06-22T08:14:00.000+02:00

Surprise, surprise- I made another bag!

This one is from Bente Malm's pattern "Birthe". The pattern is for both the bag and the phone pouch (which is attached inside the bag). This was such a fun bag to make, I started it on Thursday and finished the bag on Monday, and made the phone pouch in about an hour yesterday. I didn't take a picture of the bag before I took it to the shop (as you might see....) But I did remember to snap a few pictures of the phone pouch.

Hope your day is great, thank you for stopping by!

Sunday sewing

2011-06-19T10:01:00.000+02:00

Last week I took a two day class on servicing Pfaff and Husqvarna Viking sewing machines at the SVP headquarters in Drammen. I brought my Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0 in to practice on, and I was horrified by all the lint trapped inside my machine..... The pile you see on the right side of the machine is just a small part of it. I also adjusted the thread tension, and now my machine sews like a dream again!

So I have been sewing a little bit this week- here's a little peek at the lid I am making for a purse- I hope to finish it today before Ola's soccer game this afternoon.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Simple things quilt along

2011-06-16T21:51:00.000+02:00

I have finally decided on which fabric to use for Carol's large version of the Simple things quilt. I still need to get a light/cream fabric to go with my layer cake. I can't wait to get started on this- Carol's quilt is just beautiful!

Hope to get this cut over the weekend- I'll keep you updated!

Too much rain....

2011-06-11T20:31:00.000+02:00

My parents went up to the cabin yesterday to see what all tha rain we had the other day had done to the road. They had to walk the last kilometres, because the road was just gone..... This is outside my uncle's "seter" or summer farm - There used to be a road there- now they have waterfront property.....

I finished something!!

2011-06-07T09:01:00.000+02:00

Yeeey- I haven't had a lot of sewing time the last couple of weeks, but I did make this cute tablerunner from a book called Runners, Etc. from Gathering Friends. We carry their books at the shop, and they are really nice- lots of pretty table runners and table toppers.

And last week I finished this quilt using my X-blocks ruler. The border is pieced using the leftovers from trimming the blocks- pretty neat! This is a nice throw size, and of course it "lives" at the shop- for now....

Today I am heading south to Oslo to visit my brother and his girlfriend for a couple of days. I am taking a sewing machine repair course the next two days, so it will be nice to stay with them and catch up :-) I am really excited about the course, and a little bit scared... It should be fun though!

Hope your days are filled with sunshine and some sewing!

Thank you for stopping by!

Quilt along

2011-06-03T07:51:00.000+02:00

Have you seen this fun Quilt Along over on Carol's blog? Or you can read about it on Kelly's blog .

I'm joining- are you??

Music

2011-05-22T15:41:00.000+02:00

Friday night Sigve played at a flute concert with all the flute students in the area- it was a really nice concert, and here is Sigve's solo piece. Hope you enjoy it!

X-block fun

2011-05-18T21:46:00.000+02:00

Over the weekend I had fun making 9 patch blocks which I trimmed with my X-blocks ruler. Tonight I laid them all out, and started to assemble them.

Here the blocks are almost all sewn together.....

'¨

Tadaaahhh- all 35 blocks are sewn together!

I really like this ruler- the blocks are fun and quick to make!

Here are the cut- offs from the blocks- they will be sewn together to make a pieced border. Maybe I'll have the top finished over the weekend :-)

Have you tried this ruler? I'd love to see other quilts made using it!

Top finished

2011-05-14T20:56:00.000+02:00

Yeeey- My Madeline quilt top is finished- although it turned out bigger that it was supposed to in the pattern.... I need to go back and read the instructions and see if I can find my "mistake". Right now it's hanging on my banister waiting to get basted and quilted. (It might be there for a little while...) I have so many new projects I want to start, and today I've been sewing some 9 patch blocks which I have trimmed using my X-blocks ruler:

I still have lots of blocks to make, and I am using fabrics from my stash of reds and cream prints, so bigger quilt means smaller stash at the end of the project.... I really think I am onto something here.... I might just have to make x-block quilts in every color in the rainbow to reduce my stash LOL

Hope you have a great weekend, and thank you for stopping by!

Seeing stars

2011-05-06T21:50:00.000+02:00

I've been having fun with the scraps left over from my "Le Jardin" quilt- actually there was so much fabric left over I could make lots and lots of these blocks- probably enough blocks for a queen size quilt LOL. These are from a Schibbles pattern called Madeline- I really like making these blocks- so I might just make a few extra for a second quilt :-)

I have also finished block one from AnnAKa's new Christmas BOM- I am having fun stitching these Christmas blocks, maybe I'll even get it done in time for Christmas this year- That would really make me happy- I just need to keep my speed up and do each block as soon as they arrive.

This last little picture is a small applique I made years ago- it is framed in a 5"x7" frame, so it's not very big at all- but I remember it was fun to make, and I planned to make more..... this is still the only one (it must be 10 years since I made it... LOL)

Tomorrow I'm off with four of my friends to celebrate another friends 40'th birthday- I'm sure we'll have a blast! It's been a while since we were on a roadtrip and had a sleepover.... So I better start packing :-)

Hope you have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Hello there

2011-05-01T15:53:00.000+02:00

I better write a new post... The last one says "Happy Easter"- And Easter is definately over by now!

We had a great Easter at the cabin, even though by the end of our stay most of the snow had vanished!

So instead of waxing our skis, Svein DEwaxed them, and got them ready for next winter.

My mom had made new placemats for the cabin- they are really nice! She made nine of these- so there was one for everybody who stayed there.

Today I am quilting this tabletopper- we started out watching Sigve's soccergame this morning- and had a nice long walk to and from the soccerfield- so now I can stay in my sewingroom and not feel bad the rest of the day- or at least until dinner has to be made LOL.

Have a great week everyone!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-19T21:20:00.000+02:00

I have two finishes to share with you before we head up to the cabin for Easter vacation. This tablerunner is finally done, another one crossed off the list....

And I just HAD to make a small quilt using these fun fabrics-sorry about the picture- I was in a rush when I took it.

Tomorrow we're heading back up here- this is from last Sunday- our last ski trip for the season I think.

Hope you all have a fun Easter!

Spring is here!

2011-04-11T13:52:00.000+02:00

After what seems like a very long and cold winter Spring has arrived. The temperature has reached an overwhelming 12.1C in the shade.... and about 20C in the sun. Ola decided it would be perfect to bring his snack and homework outside on the deck. We haven't gotten the furniture out from winter storage yet, but he didn't mind at all.

I have the day off, and decided it was time to take down the winter curtains and clean the windows. I kind of like it with all the light coming in (without curtains) but I better find the summer curtains and give them a nice wash before hanging them up.

In between the cleaning and doing laundry I've managed to do a bit of quilting on this tablerunner, now I just need to get the binding on.

And a new project was cut last night from leftover fabrics from my Le Jardin quilt ( the one behind the tv)

I better get done with the cleaning so I can sew some more....

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Sunday!

2011-04-10T16:35:00.000+02:00

So how's your Sunday? Mine is just great! I finally got a whole day to sew (and do some laundry...) Svein and the boys are away at a ski race this weekend- the last one this season, so the girls rule the house.... We've done good though- Yesterday we both worked, then we went to my grandmother's 95th birthday party- It was such a nice party, my aunt and uncle were there as well- and my cousin and his girlfriend who we rarely see since they live kind of far away. After coming home we watched a bit of TV before going to bed. Today is such a nice and warm day, so we disassembled all the winter equipment and put it in the garage, and we cleaned out Yuuki's cage and play area (Yuuki is our bunny)- She's one happy bunny now!

As you can see I finished the quilt from my last post as well- The colors really doesn't show very well in the picture though.... I am really happy with how it turned out, the fabrics are from Lynette Anderson, they are really nice!

I've been changing out some of the shelving in my sewingroom, and the other night I added the hangers above the workbench. I wasn't happy with this IKEA unit at first- but it's growing on me. All the bins are of course filled to the brim with fabrics..... I really should find a few stash busting projects- BIG ones!!! LOL

This is what I've been working on today- almost finished, but I didn't have enough border fabric, so I have to finish it tomorrow (I hope)

Ok- I still have a hour or so before the boys come home so I'm off to sew some more....

Hope you all have a great week!

Weekend sewing

2011-03-27T13:26:00.001+02:00

I've actually managed to sew a little this weekend- yeeey! Now I had planned on going straight to my sewingroom after breakfast this morning- but decided I really needed a workout- so I did Zumba for about an hour- of course then I needed to cool down, take a shower, bake some bread, oh and then I really NEEDED to make a new header and background for my blog..... Now it is 1.15 pm and I haven't done ANY sewing yet...... I better get this posted and get into my sewing mode before DH gets back in from skiing.... That means before I have to make dinner LOL.

I finished these stitchery blocks this week, and started to find fabrics for the rest of the quilt yesterday after work.

I love these little stitcheries.

In the pattern they are hand colored, but I have decided to leave them as they are.

The pattern is called "Friendshi'sp greeting" and is by Rosalie Quinlan.

I would love to live in this cute little house!

Hope to show you the finished quilt top soon!

Happy Birthday

2011-03-25T09:37:00.003+01:00

Today is Ola's 12th birthday- And it is also his friend Faith's 12th birthday. I hope they both have a wonderful and happy celebration. Faith in Florida and Ola here in Norway.Sorry about the blurry picture, I am posting this with my phone, and the picture quality is really not very good. If I have time after work (before his party) I'll change it with a better one from my computer.Picture has been changed.Hope you all have a wonderful day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New fabrics

2011-03-11T16:22:00.001+01:00

We received 84 rolls of wonderful new fabrics from Lecien at the shop this week.... Almost all have been opened, and now I have to scan them and add them to our webshop.... That should keep me busy for a few days....
Have a great weekend!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A sewingroom make over in progress

2011-03-05T17:05:00.000+01:00

I am changing out some of the shelves in my sewing room, I really hope this will be an improvement, but then again I might be wrong.... My husband seem to think I will change it again in a year or two (he might be right about that LOL)

Anyhow- here is one of my new shelves- at the moment it contains my WIP's and UFO's... AND some cd's that I like to listen to while I sew.

Now some of these ufo's are actually just blocks- all different fabrics and colors- I have no idea what to do with them, any suggestions? Or maybe you would like to "inherit" them? I'd be extremely happy to donate these blocks to anyone who would like them! There are about 10-15 different blocks there! Just leave a comment if you would like them, and let me know! I'll mail them anywhere in the world!

Before I started to tear apart my sewingroom I finished this little wristlet. I used a pattern from Pink Sand Beach Design- easy to make and quick!

Thanks for stopping by, I'll take some more pictures of my sewingroom when it looks presentable :-)

More UFO sewing...

2011-02-21T21:50:00.001+01:00

Well hello there, did you want to see how I am doing on those UFO's of mine?? Well, I am still working my way through most of them (like I said before; some of them will remain UFO's...). So here are three more crossed of my list- yeeey!

I had some black and creme blocks I made a few years ago just for fun- no plan for them at all, so yesterday I decided they would make a nice new valance in my sewingroom. I might get some light curtains to match, but I do like all the light coming in.

Next up was this little quilt- again, I made it just to try out the block- this will be great for a doll's quilt. Too bad miss 17 is too old for dolls....

Last but not least I finished these two tabletoppers, using the 60* ruler. They were fun to make, I have no idea why I didn't finish them before Christmas.... Anyhow now I have two more gifts already made for Christmas 2011!

That's it for now! Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it!

More finishes

2011-02-15T22:44:00.001+01:00

More UFO's are finished, yeeeey! But I have been such a bad blogger- I have over 400 unread blogposts in Google reader now, and it has been almost a month since my last post. How in the world did that happen??

Anyhow, first in line is my Easter witch table runner- finished over the weekend!

Then I made some mug rugs- These are from the label crew pattern from January (by Sweetwater) I made five, but gave two to my Mom for mother's day on Sunday( Mother's day is in February in Norway)

More mug rugs- I had some Noahs Ark stitcheries all finished, but I never finished them all to make the quilt.... so now I have six red and white mug rugs (Kristine has one in her room, so there are only five in the picture....)

Another bag finished- Charlie Chaplin- Pattern by AnnAKa. This is roomy and nice with plenty of inside pockets- My new favorite!!!

Here's the back of the bag.

A small finish- a camera case for a point and shoot camera- This one is going into my Christmas gift box for Christmas 2011.

Last but not least- My FQS BOM from 2008 is FINISHED!!! Yeeeeyyy- So happy to have this quilt done! This is going up to the cabin- as soon as they get the road opened!

That's it folks- I PROMISE to post again soon!

Have a great day!

UFO no. 1 and 2 finished

2011-01-21T16:01:00.001+01:00

All those UFO's got me a bit overwhelmed.... then all the sudden 7 more UFO's turned up in another box a few days ago.... How in the world did this happen?? I'm now up to around 30 UFO's....

So what's a girl to do??? Well, I still have the Bunad shirt to make- still working on the embroidery....

And I did finish two UFO's- yeey! These 6 placemats are now finished and in use every day.

The other finish was a 4 block sample quilt I teach beginners at the shop. All that was left to do was the binding and hangingsleeve. So at least I've finished two of the UFO's on my list.

I hope to get more sewing done this weekend, I have a horrible cold though, and my body aches, so I might not get much done at all.... It feels good to snuggle up in a quilt with a hot cup of tea and just relax.

Have a great weekend, and thank you for stopping by!

Fiddlehead Mittens

2011-01-09T17:00:00.001+01:00

Yeey! I have a finish to show you.... although it's not quilting.... I started these Fiddlehead Mittens in December I think, and finished them today. Well, I am supposed to knit another mitten as a lining- but then they will be too small for me I think, so I'm going to start using them, and then I can knit lining mittens later if I want to.

Our Quilt Guild, Fjellquilten has a UFO challenge this year, so I decided to dig out the rest of my ufo's and wisp's today, and how depressing...... I thought I had close to 4-5 UFO's and I was SOOOO wrong..... My list ended up with no less than 23 items- how in the world did that happen?? And I still have one box to check, and I know it contains 24 star blocks from a swap a couple of years back.... and probably a few other things as well. Anyhow- I took pictures of everything and made a list for myself. I will try to finish most of these ufo's before 2011 is over- and I KNOW I will be adding more new projects to my WIP list as well- I am NOT going to work only on those UFO's!

Wish me luck... I might just need it.....LOL

Thank you for stopping by, I really appreciate it!

Testing

2011-01-06T09:08:00.001+01:00

I don't start work until 10:30 today, so I thought I'd work on my Easter tablerunner. I also got a new app for my IPhone, so I am trying to post this with my phone... Wonder if it will work?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Gaupkroken,,Norge

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T21:15:00.000+01:00

I hope you all had a lovely New Years Eve, and had a great start on 2011.

Right before Christmas we got some new things and pattern in at the shop. Among the new things was Transfer-Eze. You might all be familiar with this, but to me it was new, and I HAD to try it out. Transfer-Eze is actually a sheet of thin water soluble fabric with a backing paper you can run through your printer or copy machine. It makes it so easy to copy your stitchery design and get ready to sticth in no time. You just peel off the backing paper and stick it onto your stitcery fabric and start to stitch- How cool is that??

Both Karin and I fell in love with this pattern from Bird Brain Designs, and started to stitch it right away- we're both using thread from Weeks Dye Works, and I really like it so far.

Here's a close up. This stuff is so easy to stitch through, I don't even think about it being there.

I've seen a lot of bloggers are working on UFO's now. I finished most of mine this past summer- but I have stacks of patterns I really want to get started on.... Might be making more UFO's this year..... But I hope to "be good" and finish the ones I start!

Now this box might have to be my focus for January (along with that Bunad shirt embroidery). This is a BOM from 2009 I think- only block 1 is finished..... There is also a kit in there for place-mats and kitchen curtains for two of my windows above my kitchen workbench.... I really should get these done as well.... Maybe I should make a list???

Witches and orange juice.....

2010-12-30T21:53:00.000+01:00

Not that they have anything in common.... But when I was upstairs cutting out and fusing these witches together, Ola asked if he could have some orange juice. Of course he could...." How many orange"s did he ask....???? I went downstairs to the kitchen to see what he meant....

Smart kid- he was making fresh OJ- yummy!

The answer: 2 oranges made one glass delicious orange juice :-)

Hope your day is great!

New project

2010-12-29T17:14:00.000+01:00

I admit it.... I LOVE new projects!!! And for some reason I seem to love new projects more when I really need to be working on something else.... Does that sound familiar??

Anyhow, yesterday after work I really "needed" some quality sewing time, to get a change from what I SHOULD be working on....

So I decided to make a new Easter tablerunner (I know Easter is late in 2011, but I might as well start... right??). The pattern is by AnnAKa ( Jula varer helt til påske), and has both a Christmas and an Easter runner. I started tracing the withches for the apliquè, but only got two done, so two more to trace tonight, and cut all the pieces out.

Now I really SHOULD be working on this:

The embroidery on my new shirt for my bunad (Traditional costume). My shirt is about 50-60 years old, I inherited it from a Great Aunt, and it is really getting worn out. I am taking a class to make a new one, just like the one I made for Kristine two years ago, and I really NEED to get all the embroidery done so I can start to assemble the shirt in January when classes start up again.

So I really SHOULD be sitting down doing all this embroidery- but I'd rather be racing away at the sewingmachine..... Decisions decisions......

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T15:50:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I finally got to open my Secret Santa Christmas gift from Alison, and look what she made me: A lovely bag with the cutest little stitchery, and an adorable pincushion- Thank you so much Alison! She gave me the cutest pattern as well; Tree of Christmas Cheer. I love it all- Thanks again!!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

A surprise

2010-12-15T19:27:00.000+01:00

In today's mail I received a lovely thank you card from Vanessa who I sent to in the 3-2-1 tote bag swap. She stitched this lovely ornament for me, thank you so much Vanessa- I really love it! I've hung it on this little tree next to my sewing chair! I think I'll just sit here and relax with some embroidery tonight, and I've started reading the Elm Creek books again too, so I'm sure I'll be reading a couple of chapters as well....

New finishes

2010-12-08T21:10:00.000+01:00

I've been such a bad blogger lately- but I've been sewing! This is a new bag made from AnnAKa's new pattern "Veskekurven" . I've made it a little bit different from the pattern on the outside, to make it a bit quicker to finish.... But we do have the original fabric and ribbons at the shop to make it just like the pattern.

The inside of the bag is nice and roomy- perfect for my knitting and stitheries......

And here is the finished tablerunner and matching pillows. We have this pattern at the shop as well- and the fabrics :-) I really like the fabrics in this, the reds are just beautiful! I might just have to use them in other projects as well....

Now I'm doing some secret Christmas sewing, and I started a new pair of mitttens.... I've had the pattern for these for over a year- so it's about time I knit them. I'll show you pictures when I get a little further so you can see the pattern unfold.

Have a great day, and thank you for stopping by!

My big teddybear

2010-12-05T18:49:00.000+01:00

Isn't Kristine lucky? She got a BIG Bear hug from her brother today.....

The 6th grade class has the annual Christmas show at the school, and Ola is playing the teddy bear from a children's song called "Teddyen min" ( "My Tedddy Bear")

His teacher got all the fabrics for the costume, and I've spent the day making it for him.

He's really soft and cuddly now, I can't wait to see him in the play!

Take care, and thanks for stopping by!

Thank you Alison!

2010-11-28T18:00:00.000+01:00

I couldn't believe my eyes on Friday when I went to get the mail. A big fat envelope from Cardygirl.... What in the world was this???? I was so surprised when I discovered she's my Secret Santa!!! How cool, we already "know" each other since we read each other's blogs, and I am just thrilled she's my secret Santa. Look at the beautiful Christmas cone she made me, it is really beautiful- Thank you so much Alison! And like I told you, the other gift is safely hidden away until Christmas Eve. Now I hope my parcel reaches its destination soon as well, and that everyone in the swap gets their presents before Christmas.

This is what I've been doing this weekend- stitching faces and flowers on twenty little Santas on a tablerunner.... Hope to finish it tomorrow, I didn't have enough ric rac for the borders....

And Kristine's mittens are all finished, yeeey!

Today is the first Sunday in Advent- only 3 more before Christmas is here....

Have a great week, and thank you for stopping by!

THANK YOU JULIE!!!!!

2010-11-24T19:39:00.002+01:00

I just have to tell you I am the luckiest person! I've received the 3-2-1 bag swap package from Julie, and boy has she spoiled me rotten!!!! She didn't make me just one bag but TWO!!!! WOW, thank you so much Julie, I love them both :-) I had Ola hold them up so I could take pictures:

Aren't they just gorgeous??!! And there was lots more in the package:

This cute little bag had lots of great sewing supplies! (look at that cute penguin...)

Here is everything Julie added to the bags;A lovely hand made card, A lovely Christmas potholder, two pretty ornaments (they will be so pretty on our tree), A kit for a Christmas cone, a kit for a pretty flower broach, a cute teddy bear patch and some great sewing supplies. A yummy recipe for Honeycomb Ice Cream Slice. AND...... drumroll....... She gave me this lovely spoon for my garden! Now I can't wait for Spring....

I love I love I love I love everything Julie, you are such a sweetheart, thank you so much!

A few finishes.

2010-11-21T16:40:00.000+01:00

I am just so thrilled to show you my finished "Le Jardin" BOM from Bunny Hill. Merete has done such a wonderful job quilting it for me- Thank you Merete!! This was such a fun quilt to make, I can see more hand applique in my future.

The next finish is a new pencil case/bag for Sigve. The zipper in his old one broke, so I made him a new one using batiks.

I managed to fuse all twenty santas onto the tablerunner last weekend, but haven't found the time to actually get the sewing done.... Good thing Christmas is still a few weeks away.....

What I DID find time to sew was this quick and easy camera pouch- using Lazy Girl Design's pattern "Maggie". This was REALLY quick to make, and I really needed a pouch to keep my camera safe from scratches in my purse.

And I finished the mittens I showed a while ago.....

This is the inside

And then I went on to Kristine's Norwegian/American mittens.... I've been watching cross country skiing on tv today, so I got to do a little knitting :-)

I got a lovely E-mail from Vanessa on Friday, she's the one I sent to in the 3-2-1 tote bag swap. She had received her bag which was really fast- only a week. I am so happy she liked it! I'll post pictures of it later, or you can pop over to her blog and see it there.
thanks for stopping by- have a great week!

Swaps and other fun stuff!

2010-11-12T21:41:00.001+01:00

First of all- I am playing around with my blog background and header again, so if it keeps changing every time you visit it's just me having fun....

Time flies when you're having fun.... I guess that's why my posts are far apart.... I am staying busy at work, teaching a fun bag class for a couple of weeks now, and life in general is busy.

Rauma came out with a great new pattern booklet with mittens, and Kristine wanted a pair with the Norwegian flag on one hand and the American flag on the other.... I have almost finished the Norwegian one (right now it is Danish.... I still have to embroider the blue cross in the flag...) Now I need to figure out how to knit the American flag on the other mitten.

We have a few new quilt patterns at the shop as well, and I started on this Christmas pattern from AnnAKa. This is going to be a pillow, (I am making two) And there is a tablerunner with 20!!!! little Santas as well. Lots of cutting and appliqueing- but I really love this pattern!

Now for the swaps: Today I mailed out the parcel to my swap partner in the 3-2-1 Winter Tote Bag Swap hosted by Paula over at Coffee Time Stitches. I am sending to this lovely lady over in Australia- I hope it gets there fast! I know my parcel is on it's way here as well from Jewells. This has been a fun swap, I am so happy I joined in!

The next swap is THE swap of the year- ths SSCS. I have the gift ready, the ornament is almost finished as well, and I should be sending this off as soon as the mailing date comes :-)

I just wanted to share another shot from our vacation. This is Ola with my friend's cute little dog. Have a great weekend!

Mornings aren't magical...

2010-11-02T08:24:00.001+01:00

At least that's what my new teacup says.... And I do agree.... the timedifference when you are travelling to Norway from the US is not fun. When I get up in the morning it feels like it's still the middle of the night. In a couple of days it should be better though.

I love Tinkerbell- she's so cool, I wonder if she's a quilter??

I also bought a couple of new cookbooks in Florida, "The Pioneerwoman cooks" and "Double Delicious". I've already tried a couple of recipes from Pioneerwoman, and last night I prepared her Meatloaf, so Kristine will pop it in the oven when she gets home from school, along with the delicious mashed potatoes.

A little secret sewing has been done as well, just a sneek peek here....

Now that didn't tell you much, did it????

I hope you have a magical day! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T18:12:00.000+01:00

We hope you have a fun Halloween!

We're back!

2010-10-29T07:09:00.000+02:00

We had such a great time in Florida, now we're back home, getting back into our daily routines.

Florida was just perfect- as always!

We shopped......

We relaxed....

We wathed the sunrise every morning.....

We watched cruiseships go out to sea while we dined....

And we met friends.... Her I am with Marie and her sweet husband at a footballgame.

We had a great time, now we're back to "real life" with school and work. Vacations are great- but it is nice to be home again too! Now I am really looking forward to do some sewing this weekend!

Have a great day, and thank you for stopping by!

Vacation

2010-10-10T18:32:00.000+02:00

So sorry I've been neglecting my blog. We've been superswamped at work, which is great!

Tomorrow we leave for sunny Florida, and the computer is NOT coming with me, so I won't be blogging for a couple of weeks.

Have a great October!

Le Jardin

2010-09-30T21:56:00.000+02:00

At the shop we're running the "Le Jardin" BOM by Bunny Hill Design. We meet once a month to work on our blocks and socialize

We met again on Tuesday, and here are our blocks so far.

Here's my Mom and Mrs.T happily stitching away.

I have been keeping my focus on these blocks, and yesterday I actually finished the top, ahead of schedule, now that's a first!
I have wrapped it up, and it is going to Merete to get quilted.

I have the day off tomorrow, and my focus will be on a quilt guild challenge I need to finish by Tuesday, and I am also going to start sewing the tote bag for Vanessa for the 3-2-1 Christmas tote bag swap! I still haven't decided which pattern to use, I have a few lined up....

Have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Sunday

2010-09-26T16:18:00.000+02:00

I love Sundays! It is the one day where we can realax and enjoy some quality time together in our family.

Today we started the day making pancakes (not a "normal" breakfast in Norway...)

And I really love fried bananas on my pancakes, and pure Maple syrup. I just slice a couple of bananas and fry them on the griddle after finishing the pancakes- yummy!

On the quilting front I am actually on block 9 of my "Le Jardin" BOM. I am so excited, maybe I'll have the top finished by the time we go on vacation......

Yes, vacation.... in just 15 days we'll be heading back here:

The kids have been counting the days for a few weeks already! It will be great to meet our friends again, and spend some quality time together!

Before we leave I hope to finish a few secret swap presents as well.... For my 3-2-1 winter totebag swap I am sending to the talented Vanessa of Piecing, Patching in Australia, and I will receive my parcel from the talented Julie. Both blogs were new to me, and I am so happy to get to know these two lovely ladies.

I am also working my way through Chookyblue's SSCS swap list, there are so many lovely blogs out there, and my bloglist keeps getting longer and longer.....

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week!

Clutter

2010-09-21T14:16:00.000+02:00

is what was in my sewing box.....

I decided it was time to tidy it today.... Can you believe all this stuff.....

It was all inside my lovely sewing box, made by my Grandfather for my Grandmother in the '40's. My Grandfather was a skilled carpenter, and made lots of beautiful furniture, and I am so happy to have this sewing box as a memory.

Now all my stuff is cleaned out, and I can add the supplies I use the most, and keep my ongoing hand sewing projects there, so they are close by!

I told you I was going to sew some of these blocks from Moda Bake Shop. I had a bunch of 30's charm squares, and decided to use them for these blocks. I'm not sure how many I'll make, but I really like this block, so I hope I have enough squares for a decent size lap quilt.

And My Halloween quilt is done, Now I am (almost) ready for Halloween.... We'll be in Florida in October, so I know there will be some Halloweenish activities going on.... Can't wait!

Thanks for stopping by!

A new bag (again...)

2010-09-14T17:06:00.000+02:00

Today I just wanted to show you my new bag. I dug out some Halloween prints from my stash this weekend, and finished the bag on Sunday. The pattern is called the Manhattan Handbag and is by Pink Sand Beach Design. She has a bunch of great bag patterns! We have the pattern at the shop, but I don't think it is added to the webshop yet...

Did you see this lovely tutorial on Moda Bake Shop? Well, I have some 30's squares calling my name, so I am off to play!

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Weekend at home

2010-09-12T08:53:00.000+02:00

This weekend I've been spending a lot of time in my sewingroom.... Svein and the boys are in Sweden with the ski team for some early season training, and Kristine is in Trondheim at a twirling instructor seminar. I'll be heading there to pick her and her friend up later today. It's a 2.5hr. drive one way, so there won't be a lot of sewing today, but the sun is shining and it will be a great day for a road trip.

The tablerunner you see above is from an AnnAKa pattern called "Glad retro" or "Happy retro". I forgot to take my binding fabric home from the shop yeasterday, so I better stop by and pick it up today. Maybe I'll get the binding on tonight. There will also be buttons added inside the apples. We have fabric kits for this at the shop by the way.... Sorry about the bad lighting in the photo- it was taken last night.

After the runner, I dug out this cute Halloween panel, bought at Quilt Featival in Houston last year. I started sewing the HST's at sewing night with our quilt guild on Tuesday, and I finished the stars and pieced the top this weekend. The pattern is from a Quick Quilts magazine. There are still a few smaller panels, or pictures left, I am thinking a bag maybe...???

I just think these little trick or treaters are so cute!! I'll have to figure out how to quilt this one. For now it is on my banister waiting....

Then i started another project.... And this one is a bag.... are you surprised??? No I didn't think so LOL.

Well, I better get some sewing done before heading north to Trondheim... ( for you locals it is not all the way to Trondheim, but in Heimdal)

Have a super Sunday, and thanks for stopping by!

two new runners

2010-09-04T11:03:00.001+02:00

I sewed the Christmas tablerunner together in a flash, basted it, and today I hope to finish quilting it. It has a lot of quilting, but I think I'll be able to finish it before I go to work at 2pm.

The hearts and star is fussycut squares from a print fabric.

I also made a quick and easy runner with tumbler blocks I cut using my GO cutter. It sure seems like I am in a Christmas mood, don't you think?? And speaking of Christmas, the great SSCS is on again- I can't wait to get going on my gifts.... I just need to stalk someone's blog first... This will be my 4th SSCS swap, let the fun begin (again...)!

On my ironingboard there are some cute fabric strips just waiting for the right project..... I think I've found it though.... but you'll have to wait and see.....

Have a great weekend, and thank you for stopping by!

Thank you!

2010-08-31T13:59:00.001+02:00

Thank you so much to all of you who helped me decide on a border fabric!

The decision was finally made, and the borders are on, now I just need to baste it, quilt it and get the binding and hangingsleeve onto it. This one will hang at the shop for a while (it seems most of my quilts go there first...) I might have to bring one home again soon :-) As you might see I decided on the bottom right fabric. It is a large print, but I think it looks kind of neat.

If you want to make a quilt like this the pattern is in te Square in a square Advancing on II book! It was a lot of fun to sew, so this might not be the last one..... You know I LOVE star quilts!

I don't feel like basting this one just now, so I decided to make another tablerunner for the shop. This one is from a pattern in "Quiltemagasinet" no 4/2010 and is by AnnAKa. We have the fabrics at the shop, so I think a model will be just perfect. We saw Ann's runner at the tradeshow last week, and it was just beautiful! I hope mine turns out just as good (or close).

And here is a shot of my two favorite machines.... I just got a new computer a few days ago, so now I don't have to fight the boys off the family computer anymore.... Yeeeyyyy! I am thrilled. Life (and blogging) will be so much easier now!

Ok, now it is time for my coffe and chocolate break..... Thank you for stopping by!

almost finished

2010-08-29T13:31:00.000+02:00

My Square in a square Ohio Star top is almost finished, but I can't decide which fabric to use for the border... I do have one favorite, but I still can't decide.... Any suggestions?? Which borderfabric would you choose??

My block

2010-08-25T21:04:00.000+02:00

I finished my Square in a Square block!

Did you guess? The Ohio Star- My favorite block!!

And I am knitting away these days... I finished a pair of socks with this great multicolored yarn, and had enough left over for mittens as well. A traditional Norwegan pattern with some untraditional colors.... But I really like them so far- very different, and fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

2010-08-18T18:51:00.000+02:00

One more finish to share with you... although this one is not quilted.... I started knitting this sweater for Ola in March or April I think, and when the warmer weather came I didn't feel like knitting this during the summer, but since only the hood was left, I decided to finish it now.

And here is block four of my Le Jardin BOM. This summer has been great for outdoor sewing, so this project has been perfect! Block five is almost done, and I have started to prepare the appliquè pieces for block six.

I am so happy about all my finished projects, so now I started a new one!!!! FUN!!!!

I'm not telling you what it is yet, I'll just give you a few peeks of what I have done so far...

I am using my "square in a square" ruler for the first time on this one. So far I am liking it a lot! We met Jodi Barrows in Houston last year, and I have two fabricbundles designated for two of her quilts.... Just practicing with this one. I have been watching her dvd, so I hope I get it right....

ta daah- flying geese..... now they are ready for a block. Can you guess which block??

A Christmas finish!

2010-07-29T12:26:00.000+02:00

Yeeeyyyyy!!!! Two more finishes, and I am running out of UFO's.... First off is my "Roly Poly Santas" from the very talented Gail Pan! This was also started in September when Gail and Leanne were in Trondheim.

I haven't decided whether to keep it or add it to my Christmaspresent box..... I think it will be a great Christmaspresent, so it will go in the box for now.... I can always make another one for myself, right?

And here I am in my first Barcelona Skirt. Pattern by Amy Butler. I can see more of these in my future- it is very easy to sew, and really comfortable to wear.

There are two quilt tops left on the banister now. One just needs to be quilted (the FQS mystery designer bom from last year), and I think I will send it away for quilting. The other one is a little smaller, and I need to get some more fabrics for the border and backing.

Thanks for stopping by!

More finishes

2010-07-25T20:39:00.000+02:00

I am thrilled to add three more projects to my "finished" list. (I don't actually have a list- but it does feel great to have finished them...)

This first quilt is "Laila's garden" by Gail Pan. I made it from a layer cake and a jelly roll- All Mary Engelbreit fabrics- so cheery and bright. There is a lot of fabric left over, so I might just make some placemats. I am planning on hanging this quilt in the kitchen. This quilt was started in the class with Gail and Leanne at Quiltegaarden in September, so it didn't take me THAT long to finish it....

The next finish is a table runner. I made the stars this past winter, but I didn't put the borders on until now...

And last but not least- this wallhanging was made in a class with Bente Vold Klausen back in 2003 I believe.... and it has been at the bottom of my UFO box ever since (along with that robot quilt...)

It feels great to have all these quilts finished, and I am determined to keep going with my ufo's until they are all GONE!!! There are a couple I am not sure about though. Projects that I have started, and then they just don't give me anything- I don't enjoy working on them- so I might just toss them- what do you think??

When I studied photography, my friend and I used to refer to those great moments when everything in a shoot worked out great as a "photoflutter"- And I think I need my quiltingprojects to give me "quiltingflutters" - A moment of pure joy when everything comes together just perfectly to please the viewer, or the maker. Does that make any sense at all?

Tomorrow the kids and I are off to see my brother in Oslo- I'll have to get my block 4 of "Le Jardin" ready for the hand applique so I can bring it with me...

Thank you for stopping by, have a great day!

The robot quilt and the hexagon quilt.

2010-07-23T17:55:00.000+02:00

Ta daaah- My oldest UFO is FINISHED!!!!

I am so happy, it didn't take me that long to finish it- I wonder why it took me so long.....

I had robot fabric left over, so I made a pillowcase for Ola- then I had some Scooby Doo flannel left over from a few years back, and I made Sigve a pillowcase as well.

Then the boys decided they would testdrive their pillows with a pillowfight on the trampoline!

I guess they got tired????

And here's the hexagon quilt- all finished! It was fun to make using the 60 degree ruler and sewing strip sets- I see more hexagons in the future :-)

Kristine's quilt, her bag, and a new machine...

2010-07-22T20:13:00.002+02:00

Remember this spring I showed Kristine working on a school arts and craft project? I have been meaning to show you her finished quilt, but we never got around to take pictures until today....

This was her main project after Christmas, and I think she did a great job. This is her first quilt, and she designed it herself. She loves to draw, and the stitcheries are her own "characters" that she loves to draw. I think they look like her and her two brothers....

Here is a closeup of the stitheries.

It got a bit cold waiting.... I was taking pictures of other finished quilts as well. I'll post them tomorrow!

Kristine loves her quilt, and now she set up her sewingmachine with a cutting mat, rotary cutter and rulers next to it on her big workingtable in her room- Mommy's very happy!!!!

Here's Kristine with her new bag- I finished it for her the other day, and she was happy to use it yesterday when the kids and I went on a roadtrip to Funäsdalen in Sweden. We live an hour from the border, and we go downhill skiing there in the winter, but I've never been there in the summertime before. Well, I found out they have a mountain summermarket there on Wednesdays, so we decided to get out of the house for the day. We had lots of fun, did some groceryshopping, and then I found this:

I have always wanted a treadle machine, and this one was just waiting for me I think....

Now I need to find out what model it is, and get the instructionmanual- I don't even know how to thread it....

I found out from the serial number it was produced in 1925- i wonder if it will work...??? And the best part of it? It cost me 200 Swedish kroners, or $30... Can you believe it???

Well, I am off to finish more UFO's- FUN!!

Working through my UFO's

2010-07-20T12:38:00.000+02:00

This week I started my vacation- yeeey! Two weeks off from work means I can sew a whole lot!!! Especially since DH doesn't have vacation now.... This first week I am doing stuff around the house and relaxing, then next week the kids and I will go see my brother in Oslo :-)
I thought this would be a good week to get some of my UFO's done, like this quilt with hexagons....

And this flannel quilt which I started about seven years ago or so..... The boys used to LOVE this movie called "The Iron Giant" , so when I received this fabric in a fat quarter club I just HAD to make them a quilt. Of course there wasn't enough of the Robot fabric, and it took me a long time to hunt it down, and by the time I got it the boys had moved on to other movies.... figures.... But TODAY I have quilted it, and now it just needs binding. I am soooo HAPPY!

I just love this fabric.... There is even enough left for a cuddly pillowcase :-)

This is a bag Kristine started this winter.... Not sure why she didn't finish it, but today I am on a mission to get it done. She'll have a new bag for our Oslo trip next week I am sure. The pattern is the Bungalow bag from Abbey Lane Quilts in Florida.

Well, as you can see there are still lots of tops that needs to be quilted hanging on my banister.... I wonder how many I'll get done during my vacation??

Off to the sewingroom, maybe I'll get that bag done before dinner.

Thanks for stopping by!

Early Christmaspresents!!!

2010-07-12T19:27:00.001+02:00

I am in such a "finishing up" mood these days.... I emptied one of my boxes of WISP's on the floor, and decided it all STAYS on the floor until it is finished!!! No more hiding away in boxes LOL.

I had started to stitch one of these pincushions a while back, and wanted to make them all- thy are just so cute! The pattern is from Leanne's House and is called "Sarah's Pincushions". I finished the stitcheries the other day, and finished them up while watching the soccergame on tv last night. I'll keep one for myself, the rest will be Christmaspresents.

Ooops what is this??? Could it be the 2008 Designer mystery BOM from FQS?? Oh no... Oh YES it is!!!

After two busy mornings and evenings while the rest of the family were at the cabin enjoying a few days of family fun the top is DONE! I am so pleased, and hope to finish it sometime this summer. I think it will be a great quilt for one of the beds at the cabin.

Here is my next item to finish... Gail's pattern "Laila's garden" which I started in September while attending the class with Gail and Leanne in Trondheim. These are all hand appliquè, which as you might remember I am really starting to enjoy.

So since it is summer I just wanted to add a couple of pictures of Sigve from our hike last Sunday. Isn't this the coolest tree??

I wonder how old it is....

Have a great week everyone, and thanks for stopping by!

What to work on???

2010-07-03T17:00:00.000+02:00

I have so many projects going on, it is not easy to decide which ones to work on.... On my little table next to my "good" chair in the livingroom you can always find at least four different things to work on....

And I know I am SUPPOSED to be working on those Christmas presents. I know some of the projects I have already started will end up as Christmas presents, but I am supposed to start something new I think....

And in my sewingroom there are more projects.... A Barcelona skirt is cut- ready to sew, I just need the zipper (and a new zipperfoot now after reading Cardygirl's post...)

I finished this top a little while back, but it needs quilting. I LOVE this Gail Pan pattern- so cute!! Oh and it reminds me I have another little quilt- Roly Poly Santas ready to be quilted as well....

Block two of "Le Jardin" from Bunny Hill is finished

And block three just needs a whole lot of french knots in the star centers. I am really enjoying hand appliqè, and I will start block four right away.

Now we are off to the cabin, and I am bringing some knitting and block three to do those french knots.

Have a great 4th of July!!!!