RBR
RowByRowA new challenge. I love these challenges.
This is my first row. It is a white romantic fence on a blue background.

Close up.

Mari started this challenge at Quilt i Norge. After one year (11 laps) There will 12 Rows in total, and I will have to do the assembling my self. In these laps I am going to make a row who match to all the other participants raw*s in their choice of colour and theme. It is going to be a challenge. I have seen some of the participants 1.row.
I’ll keep you all informed during the process thou out the year, but no pictures of my appurtenant row.
I hope for a romantic, in the garden, at the cabin, by the sea, lap quilt.
In one year I’ll know.....

Joy

In my search for another picture I found this one. “Joy” is completed and has become friends with “Love” and “Merry”. Now they are 3, waiting on number 4.

It is less then a week for launch of the next pattern in Gail’s Chrismas BOM.
These are so much fun to do. Now I’ve started counting days until her next launch.

Norwegian valley of flowers
I look around in Bloggland and see there are some of the panels, who are being published, and I think to myself; do I have a proper picture of my contribution to the competition? I need to dive into my computer and see if I got a nice picture of it. I want to show you my “Growing Ideas”.
I have seen some of the beautiful panels. Wish I were at the annual meeting to see them all. Unfortunately I could not. Anyway, it has been an exciting weekend, not knowing either how many contributions to the competition, or if mine where one of the chosen ones to go to Birmingham.
Anybody out there who knows?
In the mean time I’ll go searching for a picture…..

Hotel rooms are nice :o)

When you arrive they are so clean and tidy. The bed is done and there are no clothes lying around. No kitchen to tidy, no family to feed, no laundry, no dog to walk. I could go on forever :o)

Anyway, when I get the opportunity I spend some productive hours on my own. I do enjoy an evening or two in a hotel room.

This time I brought along two of my UFO’s
Then I combined them into one.
Now it is handed in to be quilted.

Stitchery sampler

I love to do needlework. I always have. I have made a lot of pictures and Christmas ornaments doing cross-stitching. I found it very relaxing. Counting and see the motives grow. During those years of fine needlework I came to the conclusion I could not do French knots. No matter how hard I tried. To solve the problem when it occurred: My mom did them for me.

This could not go on forever. So I signed up for an embroidery class. The whole weekend I practice doing French knots, and I managed to do them.
Well I did not only do the knots. This is the sampler I started on to document what I learned. Now 2 years later I finally came around to complete it.
I am so proud. It is now on the wall in my sewing room.

All my harts are done

Just could not stop. My intentions were to get a head start. I prepared some blocks ant thought they would be nice as “on the go” projects.
And yes, they were :o)
I love to sew hearts. They were so quick and easy to do. Suddenly I had a big pile of heats. All my 10 swap sets thru out 2009 are done, and some extra (128 in total). I want my quilt to be bigger than the set measurements. I hope there are some of the other swappers with the same thought.

First set has changed owners. I just handed in mine, unfortunately I did not have the time to stay around, and therefore I do not have my first 8 swapped heat blocs in my possessions.
….Not yet.
Meanwhile,I got plenty of other exiting projects to attend to.

Blue Flower Tablecloth

Picture is shot with my cell phone at the cabin.


February UFO done.
This month has been busy doing swap-hearts and completion of my contribution to the quilt competition. But I have promised my self to complete at least one old project each month. And I need to fulfil my goals. This month I choose the Blue Flower. Just a couple of leaves left to appliqué. Then the quilting and binding. And I just made it. I made my goal for this month as well. Puh!

February is a month of few days; witch is of both, good and bad. In need for days to complete quilts, it is bad. Good is; soon I’ll get the march design of the Christma wish BOM.
March would be better due to UFO’s. I hope to complete more than one old project :o) ….. But I’ll not make another promise than the one I already have made.

Love and Merry

I am ready for March.
I love Gail’s design. They are so tender and calm. Adorable! And I have left a comment on her blog to enter her lottery to win her new design. I wish....
I have pictured it in my mind choosing colours as red, pink, aqua and turquoise.

Anyway
Januarys LOVE and Februarys MERRY is done, the stitchery that is. The frame I need to think about. It is difficult to go shopping for Christmas fabric in February. I dived into my box of "love and merry" fabric the other day and had a look. Why is there nothing that tempted?

New frontier blown.
Neil Armstrong famous words: «That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind».

I just did the opposite. For others it might be nothing, but to me it vas a big step into the unknown. I have passed a new frontier. Frightening.....

I have entered my first quilt competition!

When I first reed the terms and conditions in a Quilt magacine it never crossed my mind I would enter. But during a conversation with a former college, an idea hit my mind. Back in my car I made some sketches. From that moment on I could not stop thinking about it. Therefore I decided to do it.
I have been working on this project for months. The process from idea to a completed quilt is serially hard work. And now it is done.
I am not sure how the rules are, therefore I would not tell any more or show you pictures yet Not even a sneak peak. But I do have a question to you all.

Do you tell the person who set you on the idea in the first place, or do you keep quiet?

Discourse and workshop by Kaffe Fasett

This one i could not resist. I love red, pink, purple and turquoise.

I just signed up for the discourse and workshop by Kaffe Fasett
http://kaktusquilts.blogspot.com/2009/02/kaffe-fassett-foredrag-og-workshop-11.html

To be honest, I hate Kaffe’s fabrick. They are sooo useless. Bright, big patterned, boisterous and noisy. I could go on for ever.....
On the other hand, looking at the amount of KF’s design that has fount the way into my stashing, it seams I hate the design so much I love it. One of my UFO’s for 2009 is a Kaffe quilt. If I told you all I’ll complete it before the workshop in September, may be I would….?

This'll be so much fun. Looking forward to meet the designer.

Heart Swap

My quilt society is arranging Heart Block Swap. I love block swaps.

These are 6" blocks, background fabric white to black, and all the grey in between. Heart is to be in red of course.

There were last year arranged a project of voluntary work in making blocks, to make a lottery prize. This prize quilt became so nice we decided to make a block swap to make our own heart quilt.

Now I've signed up for 8 heart blocks each month, for 10 months.

I have jumpstarted this project. Therefore I can show you my first 40 blocks for swapping, + 12 extra for my own quilt.

Looking forward to show you the first 8 blocks I get in return.

January

Honey Bee Blocklottery from Hell

(A small comunity outside Trondhjem is named Hell.)

During the yearly gathering of Norwegian Quilt society. There is always a block lottery. I am just the type of woman who cant resist. " years ago it were held at Hell, and this time I were one of the winners. Lucky me :o)

I want to send greetings to all the ladies who has contributed to this quilt:

Lise Smith - Porsgrunn

Elin M. W. Skogly - Darbu

Anne Lise Strøm - Mosjøen

Jonne Svendsen - Midsund

Irmelin Watnedal - Bergen

Kristin Kristoffersen - Gjerdrum

Reidun Sexe - Town unknown and

Bente K. Jørgensen - Town unknown

If anybody knows these ladies, pls let them know I have finally finished the quilt. Unfortunally I'll not be at this years gathering at Olavsgaard to show you the result. (I am going to Nordic gathering in Gothenburg instead)

Thank you all for a lovely Quilt.

UFO’s of 2009

Susannes Purse
Honey Bee Lottery
The "Happy Bag"
Blue Flower Tablecloth

Pink Flower Tablecloth
Houses from Helsinki
Flower Swap
Kaffe Fasett Quilt
Purple AnnaKa
Japanese coins
Small purses for friends
Toilet bags
Pencil houses
½ on ½ Swap
Do Your Own Block
A Warm Quilt
Stitchery sampler

Blue Hearts

1x1"
Etc…..

There are more, much more. I’ll probably find others on my way down the layers in my stitching room. It would be like a geologic g
But I would like to start some new projects as well during 2009.

2. Challenge

Actually it is not. I’ll combine the first and second the first 6 months.
I could not resist May Britt's One Project a Month challenge. This one goes for the whole year.

Now I need to figure out how to get this badge to the sidebar and list my projects underneath it.
Rita has promised to teach me how to. The Problem might be finding time to do it. But we'll get there one day, soon I hope.

1. Challenge

in 2009

Finish one UFO a month, from January to June.

I just had to sign up at Quilt in Norway.

I love these challenges.

First month should be easy.....

Another 4 months are gone.
Now it has become the year 2009 witch gives me the opportunity to start a new life. :o)

A blogger friend told me my blog was disappointingly still (witch I already knew and was ashamed for). No action at all the last months. Should it be like this?

No, it should not!

Therefore I promised my self to get back to blogging. I’ll try to post more often this year, and not getting involved in to many projects (read: learn self-control). I have even started to exercise a couple of times during the week. I am told it gives you more energy. There is so much I want to do, and shearing it with friends, even gives more pleasure to the accomplished. I am so happy you all are out there, spread inspiration and vitality. I hope I am back to be one of you.
My goal for 2009:

• Great stitching year
  Travel and meet friends
• Spend quality time with my family
• Exercice - Raise more energy
• And be happy.

Sounds easy ? :o)

6 months are gone

since the last time I blogged.
I don’t know where they are gone. Bu they sure are gone.
You have not been forgotten, but time has been to short.
My life has been busy; a new job, new cabin and new quilts.

My new job has given me more than I ever could imagine. It has sure given me a lot of new things to figure out, a big amount of new friends, and a lot of fun. I enjoy every day.

The cabin is our new hideout. It has been a summer of hard work, and it has given us a kind of new energy. Could you imagine me working the chain saw and copping wood? (It is hard work to prevent me from freezing during the winter.)
I have even made my own garden of vegetables. I am not going to tell you all how good it went. But I’ve sure learned a lot :o)

That’s been me this summer.

And in between, when the weather was to bad. I would dive into my piles of fabric witch I bring back and from the cabin. (I’m not aloud to make a mess in the cabin as I do in my studio back home. :o)
I’ve been working on a couple of quilts this summer. Two done! It’s been a challenge I found in Hanne’s blog early this summer. I am proud to present to you

“My blue sky”

Lap quilt




and
“Garden of summer”


Tablecloth and placemats for the garden table.
Yes it is a big table :o)

There are one more in progress. I’ll get back to you on another occasion.


The last weekend we had “The gathering” of the autumn; Vestlandstreffet.
This year it was Rogaland Quiltelag who arranged it.

We were 160 ladies gathered, 10-12 shops participated with a lot of nice stuff, 10 courses were fulfilled, resulting in a lot of joy. It was a well done gathering. A lot of work, but it sure was fun.
I hope all of the ladies who came to our gathering enjoyed it.

Our Quilt society had our own “shop” at the gathering. In the shop patterns, kits, pins, buttons, tickets for the lottery and we even had a quiz. The patterns and kits we sold were designed from one of our members. She is absolutely amazing. I am not going to list all of her work here, but one of her designs was a “Viking helmet” witch we had made into pincushions and Stitchery.
I’ve done the Stitchery and combined it with the fabric from the table cloth kit. This will be my wall hanging to keep all my quilting buttons in a safe pace.

As you can see I am collecting them. And do you have one in spare I’ll be more then happy to swap with you.

It is sure a pleasure to be back in bloggland. I’ll do my best to keep posting on a regularly basis.

UFO no 5 is done.

During this challenge I’ve managed to finish 5 UFO’s. 5 in 3 months is not too bad. It could have been more, but my life is pretty busy at the time and therefore I am happy with my result.
During these months I’ve found a lot of projects that I’ve started, and are now on my “to do list”.
This is a bag I made out of a jellyroll I got from a fellow quilter on an internet list as a present. I loved the colours and kind of “saved it” for a special occasion.
Now it is my new handbag.

This is the other side of the bag.

Sampler swap'n done!

.....another of my UFO/WISP done....

Ta da! I love the way it turned out. Don't you?
Now it is on its way to the annual quilt expo in Oslo. For those of you who are goning to visit the expo, probably will agree with me when I say; it is bigger in real life then on the picture.

Secret friend gift no. 1

I got my camera back. Finally.

This is the first gift i received from my seacret friend.