What have I been up to lately?

Well, I got my self a new job, part-time, and that takes time. Then I got myself a second “job”, which means even more time out of my sewing room. (Luckily this job is in a quilt shop. If you are curious have a peek at: www.kaktusquilts.no )

And then we have the “cabin”. This is how far we got…..Now we are waiting ........

I have not done mutch sewing lately, but I do pick up the needle now and then…..
I’ll give you some hunches…….

Santa’s…..

Stars and stripes……

These are both WISP’s I have picked up lately...

Warm and cosy….(I just had to…)

....and brum-brum.....


And then I am preparing for my trip to Trondheim. Oh! I look forward to a weekend doing stitchery classes, shopping, exhibitions, meeting friends, new and old. Quilt, Quilt, Quilt!
Just 2 weeks of waiting.

Oh, and I almost forgot.

I have recieve a postcard from Torbjørg and 3 nice ATC's from Jeannina. Thanks to both of you.

I almost forgot

to show you my result of the Colour of Joy quilt. The top is ready and sent of for quilting on a long arm machine. I am “sorry” to say it is too big for me to do on my own. And it became bigger than the original pattern.

And last week I made approximately 100 of these…..

and we have started to build our new cabin. Therefore I do not stitch as much as I want to. Later when the cabin is done.....

1x1” Charm Swap done
I promised you yesterday to show you the red/gold set I made for my self. This promise I can keep.

And before I wrapped them all up and sent them to Sara, I took the time and spread them out and took a picture of them all together. It is not a good picture but you all get the idea. No wonder I wanted to keep them all for my self.
Now I just have to wait for the mailman to bring me my 54 red/gold charms in return. When he does I’ll post picture of all of them.

Today I got a “brilliant” idea of what to do with all the charms I’ll receive in the nearest future. (Hope it is brilliant).
If you are curios, stay tune and pop by…...

Set no. 6 done.

It is the last set to leave the house.
My own set is almost done as well, but I need to get these 6 sets mailed. I'll get back to my own set later in another post. I promise.

To day I am going to send to another "swap sister" one of my "Unfinished Quilting Project". It is a brilliant idea of dieting. I just lost 10 kilos. Funny! LOL. For those of you who know AnnaKa it is her "Gobelinløper" I've sent to America. Well, I’ll receive another project in return.
Looking forward to receive it.

And I bought my self a new digital camera this weekend. I had one, but battery was loosing its power to fast. Grrr.
My new camera, witch is much better than the old one technologically, but, is just 1/10 (!) of the price of the old (5 years) one. I was told that’s what happens.
OK...If I wait for another while I'll get the very best laptop for free???

Set no. 4 and 5.
My green set for Kathy and my purple set for Jamie, are now packed and ready to go. Just one set to go and that’s Carol’s gold ones.

Pictures are getting better.....

ATC

(Artist Trading Card)
My first set of such. These are 2 ½” x 3 ½ “. These tiny pieces of art, are made from fabric and by different techniques. These are also fun to do. Later this month I’ll send them to somebody. Why do I love doing things that are totally useless?

Another two sets

of my 1x1” charms ready.
Now it is the turquoise sets for Cathy and Judy.
(Sorry, still bad photos)

Later today I got purple and green ready. Just going to try something new in shooting better pictures.

1x1” Charm Swap
I was asked by Sara (who is the hostess of this blog/list/swap) to post pictured of our progress.
She said: “we are very curious ladies and this boost the imagination for all the participants! “ Well, I do not know where to find the other participants blogs. But it doesn’t matter. It will be like being pregnant and know if it is going to be a girl or a boy. I would NOT know.
Anyway I will post pictures for those of you who would like to see.

These are my 9 pink for Susan. 6 sets to go….

(I'm such a bad fotogrefer on close-up's. Sorry)

1x1” Charm Swap LARGE group.
Yahoo list “Surface Design” launched a large group of Swapping Charms. 25 participants. Yes, 25. Why not. This is so much fun.
These are mad of painted fusible web, hand painted yarn, some silk, something I even do not know what is… and painted. And of course they are stitched….
All of these have gotten an eyelet. It was the only rule to this swap.

Now they are of to US, UK and Australia.
Those in return have already started to arrive (6 so far).

Siggie Swap
Cynthia have now published the rules for a siggie swap among internet bloggers. Along with May Brit they have arrangetd this friends-making swap. If you want to join us visit Cynthia's blog here and sign up.

I'll get started today and see if can make one block and picture it for you. You know as a bait. LOL

Colour of Joy in progress.
This weekend I manage to stitch together the blocks for this quilt. Mine is needed a bit bigger then the pattern. Bed size: 1 1/2 person….
Anyway now I need to sort out all the circles and border.
Stay tuned…..

Do Your Block Round Robin.

Today I signed up for a DYB RR.
I only got one lap to go on the RR I’m in. It will arrive in a few days, and afterwards “I’m out of work”. LOL
DYB is a kind of Round Robin. We all make blocks (crazy quilt) 6x6” in the number of participants in the group (6 members). Then we send all 6 of to next lady. She pick one, embellish it and send the whole package of the second lady. She chooses another one etc.
Finally, everybody receive a package of 5 embellished blocks, and then you have to do one of your own blocks. The last one to complete the RR.
I believe it will start in March. Therefore I got plenty of time to prepare….I will keep you posted.

Baggie from Carmela, Israel.

I love the baggie you sent to me. It is gorgeous.The piece of Beduin Embrodery is to die for. Wonder if she did it herself? It is too precious to be used….
And all that lace. They are so nice.
And all the tread. The colours are so nice. I just can’t wait to use them. And everything match perfect to the fabrics. So does all the beads and buttons. I need to make myself something special from this baggie.

Thank you Carmela. I love it all.

Winter came around.

4 days ago we had autumn: rain and wind, typical "to be inside the house" weather.
3 days ago we had spring: sunshine, no wind, and warm (10 above Celsius), you could even spot signs of spring in the nature. A kind of "got to get outside" weather.
2 days ago winter came around. Cold, snowing and "almost" no wind. It looked like a Christmas card on the outside. The children were thrilled.
Yesterday were beautiful. I went for a walk with my dog and took along my camera. Just want to shear some of the moments of yesterday with you.

What have I been up to the last week?

I have cut pieces to my BOM Tannenbaum. It was boring, but it needed to be done.

I have sewn all of my “Colour of joy” squares to a strip of black, and cut them accurate. Now I need to finish my “design wall”.

I have played with my baggie from Maire. I will not show you anything yet. ......Later.....

I have started the process of making some of my 1”x 1” Chams. This is fun, and frustrating. It seam I am finally getting the grip of the tiny eyelets. I need a box of “almost ready” charms, as an “on the go” project.

I have also made 5 blocks that only need the hand appliqué. It is another “on the go” project.

(I need something for my upcoming trip. 5 hours of train, and then at least 5 hours drive back home.)

And then I did start another on the go project. It is now completed and in use: My hand knitted scarf from the yarn I told you about last time. Just couldn’t stop.

I need my new scarf. Winter finally came around. It has been several degrees below Celsius, and the snow is beautiful. (Hoping the spring flowers will survive….)

No buying fabric

I have added A peach in stitches badge for no buying fabric in january. I know we will soon enter February, but I have been doing good and not bought any fabric this month. My intentin is to reduse my stash :-).

........But if I spend all this time trying to get the badge showing on my blog, there will be no time stitching. I have now given up the posting of this :-( ........

Anyway. I will keep my prommise of not bying fabric.

ARTY MEME

-a pay it forward game

I just picked up a meme at SuZ Stuff
"Quote"Arty Meme

The Arty Meme is a chance to have a piece of needle art from a fellow needlewoman! The idea is to offer 5 pieces of your work on your blog. The first 5 people to ask for your work will get one of the pieces. Her obligation to the Meme is that she must then announce the meme on her blog and offer 5 of her pieces to others. The exchange of artwork continues . . . Mediums, methods, execution; deadlines are up to the offering needlewoman! Have fun

Soooooo....the first 5 comment responses will receive from me a Crazy Quilt Postcard

Baggie from Maire, USA
In the CrazyQuiltInternationalSwap

The biggest envelope with goodies arrived in the mail today. Of course I opened it and started to Wow! and Oh! and Gosh! and ...... I have never ever received a baggie like this! It is too much! It is what I hoped for, and even more.

Then I realised I had to drag myself away from all the goodies and turn on the computer. I knew I had to send a thank you mail now, otherwise it might go days before I would be back into society and be able to say:

Thank You Maire!

Then I had to post a picture for the other girls in the group. I even figured I needed to blog this event. All these swaps have, and will become, a big part of my creative life.

I told myself when this started I would make “something” from each package. This one will certainly become more than one project. To start with I am thinking of a “Travel Case” for my “on the go tools”.

I am the luckiest girl today. And I am going to enjoy this baggie for a long time.

This is enough for now. I am on my way to dive into my baggie again. See you soon.

2007 …..

What will this year bring?
I thought about it, and figured it is up to me to tell about my goals and hopes to for the year 2007. And I know it will change during my active life. I always forget about something, and new issues occurs. But for now……

I hope it will be a good year for everybody. Both sewing and health wise!

My goals, in my sewing department of life, are to finish some of my WISP’s.
I will complete the entire pile of project I’ve already started for this year. I am into a few international swaps that go thru the whole year, + a sane quilt RR and a BOM. I need to be proud of what I do. Nothing quickly made just to have done it.
Another goal of mine is to “clean out” the “surface” of my sewing room before I start on something new. (Except I need to make a baby-boy-quilt before the end of May. I have not started this quilt yet, but my DH is going to be a granddad, therefore I have to……)
Another goal for this year is not to buy fabric unless I really need to, in order to accomplish a quilt (or swap). The thought is to reduce my stash……

Somebody asked me if I could post a picture of the “Colour of Joy” quilt.

Design: Marianne Nesse, Photo: Bente Wold Klausen.

I have started to make the blocks. Now I need a design wall……

What else I have been up to during the last week:

BOM

Step 2: 5 blocks of O' Tannenbaum

(dont ask about step 1....)

Pink disaster

I tried something new. It looks kind of great, but if you “use” it, it vill break. Lol.

Charms/Painting on fabric
I have tried something else as well. I have painted on fusible web. I am not sure it worked the way I wanted it, but we will see…..

Sorry. Did not manage to shoot any usable pictures....

Snowmen
Doing something confident…..

Crazy Quilt
See if I can learn some more. I believe it was Herringbone stitch last week?

Swaps: Ribbons and Yarn
I got two packages in the mail last week.

Knitting
I just had to go shopping. Needed some more yarn to go with the ones I got in the mail last week. Just love the colours….. I do not know what they will become yet....

As you all can see, my days are filled with joy. I love my life. At the moment I am unemployed and busy, but sooner or later I will be working again. Then I can’t spend “all my time” stitching….

Another goal of mine is to post my stitching, in my blog, once a week. I will visit all the other bloggs I know of, once a week. And I will leave comments! I love to give and get comments.

In the meantime I wish you all the very bets. Take care!

6 wierd things about me.....
Rouls are:

* Tell 6 wierd things about yourself.

* Tagg 6 persons, leaving a masseage in theyr blogg telling you tagged them and they now have to visitt yours.

* These rouls are to be reproduce by the person who's been tagged......

6 wierd things about me.....

1. I like blogging, but dislikes to be tagged.

2. I love all my hobbies, but cant seam to get enough.

3. I whish I could lose some weight, but I love chocolate.

4. I know I have to move my body to exercise. Stitching would not do the trick....

5. I love staying up late, but I hate to get up early in the morning (witch I have to...)

6. I am like a squirrel. I by stuff, hide it, and knowing it will becom stuffing/isolation for the house.

Challinging:- Gunnel- Ati- Joice- Katja- Maureen- May Brit- Wendy

Good luck!!!!

Colour of Joy

I have signed up for a swap of squares for a quilt called ”Fargeglede”. It was posted on a quilt magazine here in Norway this summer. I loved it. Therefore I signed up. And now I have done my part of the cutting. All these bits where mailed today. Then I figured I needed black fabric for this quilt. Where did I go? I went shopping. It is such a good feeling when something is done. Now the fabric is in the washing machine and will be ready for use when the rest of the squares start to enter my desk.

Flowers.

I have made my self a bucket of flowers.
These are for my Crazy Quilt department. It is a start. But now my thumb hurt. I can just do a few of them and then I realise why I don’t do crochet anymore. Luckely I don’t have to make a big pile of these and turn them into a bed cover. LOL. It is just a kind of lace for my CQ’s.

Happy New Hear to everyone!

To all of you who read my blog, I wish you a peaceful New Year!

May the new year bring us all health, happiness and prosperity!

Better late than never…….
I finished another Christmas present! This turned out to become a Wall Hanging for my parents house. The idea was it should become a table cloth for the terraces table at the cabin. Well, it will even be nicer in the entrance hall next to a red lamp.
This top I started some years ago. It was a course names Yellow/Blue, and as you can see I never do as I am told. Wrong colours and size. Anyway, I am very pleases whit how it turned out. Another WISP done

Desember 24
Christmas Eve!
In Norway we open all the presents in Christmas Eve. In the evening the church bells rings Christmas in. We have a nice Christmas meal with our family, and late in the evening Santa comes to visit……..And I forgot my camera. Grrrr….)

December 22.

Wow! Look what I got. A Christmas card all the way from Canada. It is Carol who has sent me this lovely fabric Christmas card.
I visited her blog and left a comment that I found her Christmas cards beautiful. She told me if I sent her my snail mail she would send me one. Well, I did. But I never thought I would get one. And I Did. Even before Christmas! I have showed it to my family and friend and told them about my quilting/internet friends.
I love you all. You are all my special friends.

December 21.
Handmade Christmas Ornament swap
These beautiful ornaments came to me.

A beautiful hand knitted sweater. I still smile when I see it. I loved it. It is a great idea, and made by Michelle McQuade. You can imagine the size if you compare it to Shelley Thornton’s smart patriotic Christmas ornament (ball)
Joanna Ordonez sent me a gorgeous “light catcher” in my favorite colors.

Heart Christmas Ornament Swap

The first one is hand made by Helle Jorgensen. On the back side she stitched “Piece”. My son Glenn “stole” it and hang it on his bedroom door.
Sandra Matos hand crochet a beautiful white heart.
And the last one is from Joanna Ordonez. Now I got two of her creations. (Wonder how I can get hold of the third one? Lol)

I love swapping. And there will be more to come! I have got two Crazy Quilt “Sisters” for 2007. I will tell you more later.

December 18.

“My Garden”.

Today I managed to accomplish one of my WISP’s. It is “My Garden”. I know it is winter but the idea was to use it in the garden during summer. I can imagine how it will be on the lawn reading quilting magazine and sunbathing with cold lemonade. The size is 110 x 190 cm. Just big enough for me! It is so bright and summerly. It was kind of weird to do this and then put the Christmas tree into the living room.
I also received the last Christmas ornament in the mail today. I will post pictures of those later today or tomorrow.

December 14.

"Christmas"

Christmas is done! Not Christmas it self, but the Crazy Christmas Block. It turned out very nice but the photo does not it justice. (As usual). I loved the gold ribbon with the silk-velvet tread and beads, and the bird corner.
My lesson I learned yesterday were: Never use red thread on red fabric. I need to make myself be more brave, and daring to experiment.

December 13.

“WINTER”

Finally I came around to finish my “Winter” Crazy Quilt. It took some time but now it is done. There are some details I am very pleased with. But still learning how to take close up pictures.This is so much fun. I hope I will learn more, and more, and more.....

Tonight this quilt will participate in a challenge called “The A4 challenge”.
Our quilt group has an ongoing challenge thru the whole year. And tonight it is the theme: “Winter”. A4 is the name of the size of an ordinary piece of copy paper.
I will try to do my "Christmas" ready for tonight as well, but then I need to get started.

Stay tuned. I will post pictures of the other A4's tomorrow.

December 12.

A small wall quilt.

I am now going to show you how to easily make a suspension for a small wall quilt.

My quilt is in this example the size of an ordinary piece of copy paper.

I make 4 squares of fabric 1/3 of the length if the short side. Ex: quilt measures 21 x 30 cm. You need 4 squares 7 x 7 cm.

Fold, iron, and place them, one in each corner, pin.

Then attach the binding.

From corner to corner (witch is up) you place a Chinese chopstick or a flower-support.

It is easy. You go ahead and try it. You will be amazed. I did!

December 10.
Have you ever had the feeling you hate a project? Well, actually the project hates you? Or is it the sewingmachine?
I have tried for a couple of times to quilt a tablecloth. It seams impossible. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong. And I have tried “everything”. I have changed the needle, cleaned the spool house, and even changed thread. My only conclusion is; I am never ever going to use basting spray again. Grrrr!

December 6.
Today it is my birthday. I am getting older, and I am enjoying it. I am looking forward to retirement in 25-30 years. LOL. Then I will have time to sew!
Today I am preparing “Pinnekjøtt” for my family. It is Sheep meat. It is a kind of Christmas/New Year dinner. It is going to steam boil for 3 hours and in the mean time I thought I would have a nice time opening my presents (form my quilt-swapping-friends). Just went for the mailbox to collect my presents. Empty. That means I only got one gift to open.

Thanks to Oddbjørg for a lovely fabric. It is a beautiful beige fabric, with small romantic flowers, in pink and green. It is just what I was whishing for. Thanks.

And the best is: I am not the only one that forgets!

Now my kitchen needs me. I have to peel the potatoes for ten people, and make the dessert.

No stitching today.....maybe tomorrow?

December 1.
I have started a tradition in our house.

The year 1996 when I fell in love with my boyfriend I also loved to do cross stitching. Therefore I made him a Christmas stocking. Then in 1997 I started another one for myself.
Well, I was not a mom at the time but I had a bad feeling. My DH had two children from before. At the time they were 7 and 9 years old. Therefore I made Stockings for his children instead. They were done by the Christmas in 1998. And during that Christmas I were stitching on the stocking for the latest member of the family my DS who were born in January the same year. Christmas 1999 my DS were almost 2 years old. He understood the meaning of the stockings.
Every morning in December before Christmas there is a little something inside the stocking, and the morning on Christmas (We in Norway open the presents in the evening of the 24.) The stocking it stuffed with goodies. (There will also be a new toothbrush and toothpaste to everybody).
Finally, in the year 2000 my Christmas stocking was done.
Last year I started to sew one for my niece. (I only got one niece and it seams it will stay that way.) The stocking will not be ready this Christmas. Maybe it will next year. It contains a lot of work, and cross stitching is a bit boring. …Ups..Don’t tell.