Godt nytt år!

Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy and creative 2011!!!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

God jul!

Wishes for a very merry Christmas to everyone! Hope it will be a season of peace, fun and relaxation!
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

It's snowing

Yes, it's snowing outside, and it's a definite snow-theme inside as well. Listening to cross-country skiing race on telly, quilting my Snowman quilt...

...and humming this song:

In my book this is the ultimate winter song! I absolutely LOVE it! And for those who don't understand the lyrics, here's my (slightly clumsy) translation:

I'ts snowing heavenly correction fluid
Over mis-spelled summer

Listen, the sounds of the city dissappears

Under the falling floods
We have heard no snow flakes are the same
And such wonders one can think of for a moment

I lean my head back

And get an ice kiss on my mouth

And get an ice kiss

It's snowing silent star sisters
From invisible mouths
And dizzy from the attac from soundless seconds
Today, Earth is sieged by a heavenly army
Without weapons the whole city is brought to it's knees
Everything goes slower here on Earth
When all the sky falls down

When all the sky falls down

Thanks for the useless snow
A bother and a burden

Earth is sieged by a heavenly army
Without weapons the whole city is brought to it's knees
Everything goes slower here on Earth
When

all

the sky falls down

When

all

the sky falls down

Enjoy your Sunday!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Amazing prize

Have you been following Sinta's and Sheri's "LePetite" posts? Did you see the one noting the winners for Paganini? I couldn't believe my own eyes when I saw my own name at the top of the list saying Carrie (yes, the Carrie of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co!) had a surprise from fall market for me! This morning I went to the post office and picked up a big box - I'm so excited about this and can't wait to begin playing.

On the top were these scrumptious charm packs:



Sunkissed by Sweetwater has lots of soft and flowing prints in subtle and summery colours. Central Park by Kate Spain is also very sunny and cheery - lots of botanicals and zoo inspired prints. Both of these will be available in January. A Morris Tapestry by Barbara Brackman - a reproduction line using the patterns of William Morris and John Henry Dearle was fresh in the US shops in November. Le Petit Poulet by American Jane is very bright rich country type colours and there's the cutest honeycomb print with bees. I can't find the swatch pictures on Moda's website so I'm not sure when this is out.

And digging deeper in the box I found these rolled up layer cakes - yummy!!



Dilly Dally by Me and My Sister is so bright and cheerfull - another line that will be fabulous for summer. It will be out in January. I have a bit of a soft spot for Fig Tree fabrics - somethings so comfy with Joanna & Co's muted use of colours. Buttercup is another line that falls into that category. Oasis by 3 Sisters is soft and romantic in colours. These will be found in shops in February.

Oh, I want to play! This is really childish, but there's something special about being able to play with a toy that not everyone else is able to play with yet *lol*

Thank you so much for the amazing prize, Carrie! I'm so thrilled!
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Lovely giveaway

Just thought I'd let everyone know Merete at "Mye quilting og litt annet" (her blog is in Norwegian and in English) is having a lovely giveaway due to her 100th post.
_



She has made two fabulous toiletry bags for two winners. The giveaway closes at Dec. 20th.
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

New Year's resolution 2010: reflections

For the second year in a row I have had a this resolution badge up in my sidebar



Last year I did kind of ok - you can read my reflections on last year in this post from December 10th. I did have a goal of getting last year's un-finished quilts finished this year... not a stitch in either of them. So how did this year go?

Looking through the posts for the last 11 months, I find I have finished two quite big quilts - Charity Crosses and Imagine - and quite a few smaller projects. And unfortunately there are five project yet un-finished that has been started this year :



This is a leader and ender project that actually dates way back. There are enough blocks here for a good lap size quilt, but I'm still not decided whether or not to make it bigger.



Smokey Mountain Stars is a project commissioned by my Aunt. It has taken some time for her to figure out how big she needs it to be having to cover their winter duvets, so it has been on hold since late August. I know I have to make some more blocks for this one.



This Orange Peel block has ended up being all alone. I had big plans, and still have pieces for two more blocks cut out. Perhaps there is a table runner here that might be done before Christmas? Or perhaps it should just find a place in the orphan blocks bag?

Raise the Roof is one of my favorite Miss Rosie's patterns, and I made a lot of progress on the log cabin blocks over a weekend. Unfortunately I got sidetracked, and the loggies are all I have managed to do on this quilt so far.

Then there is the snowmen quilt... it has been basted and I have an idea of how to quilt it, so I have high hopes of having it finished in a week or so.

So how did I do? Not as good as last year, but not as bad as I feared when I started thinking about doing this post. What can I manage to finish in the month that is left of 2010? Priority (apart from Christmas pressies) is the snowmen quilt! All the other projects are of a kind that will take lots of time to finish, so they will have to wait for 2011. Thinking of a new kind of resolution for next year...

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Sew snow

Yesterday I woke to a white world. And with snow outside I want a wintry decor inside, i.e. I need to finish my Snowmen and Snowball quilt. I have used soooo much time thinking about how to do the borders, but none of my ideas sounded too good. In the end I decided to make it simple as well as use up even more scraps



Quite happy with the result ;o) Now I just need to figure out how to quilt it!
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Butter Churn - finished

Actually I had planned a part 2 before the finished post, but once the blocks were pieced this little project came together a lot quicker and easier than I had thought. The top was all done by bedtime last night



Finished it measures 16" - and in that square there are 284 little pieces - yikes! As I mentioned I wanted to make another cushion for the sofa, and this is how it turned out

For this one I quilted a quick and simple loop d'loop meandering. It is backed it with a neutral fabric and turned and stuffed through one of the sides rather than making a pocket at the back. I then tied the centre and added a button covered with a scrap of one of the fabrics I had used in the patchwork.

Happy girl :o)

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Butter Churn - part 1

It has been quiet on this blog lately, and the explanation is that I really haven't been sewing much. But I have made a start on this month's Le Petite project: "Butter Churn" by Sherri Falls of This & That



As with last month's project I have made a dive into the scrap bag, and make a mini with some of the smaller pieces I have hoarded. Each of these 16 blocks finish at 3". Cute and fun - and I have a feeling there's another cushion on the go here :o)

Now I need to scavenge up some pieces for the scrappy border and get everything together, and hopefully finished by the end of the weekend...

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Hand made pressies

My brithday was on Sunday, and happy girl me got some lovely hand made pressies ;o) I was lucky to receive one of Butterfly's lovely drawstring bags along with some yummy chocolate and a book I have heard nothing but praise about - look forward to reading it.


Not sure I have the heart to break into the chocolate - the wrappers are just so charming!

*

Would you know what this was?



Suzie posted this pic as a teaser on her blog - and I couldn't make out head or tales of it, until I opened the parcel she had sent and found a wonderful felted owl standing on a cushion (and a little note saying "owl always be your friend" - so sweet!).

There were lots of other goodies included with the owl - I feel truly spoilt!

*

For a long time I have wished for some proper sized soup bowls. My baby sister (yes, she is almost 9 years younger than me, so she'll always be the baby *lol*) works for a ceramcis production unit, and these lovelies have now found their way to my kitchen - have a feeling lots of soup will be served this winter :o)

Thank you so much, all of you!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Paganimini - finished

Pretty happy with it ;o) It finished 18" square before I chucked into the washing machine - then it shrunk about an inch. Since it is so small I used a thinner thread than I usually do for quilting - not sure that was a good idea - it didn't wash too well... but done is done, and I have learned something!

And no matter what I had lots of fun playing with the quilting! I have gotten a bit bored with my usual stippling so I wanted to try something different, and this was a great practice sandwich! A close-up of a corner



As I mentioned in a previous post I didn't really know what to do with this project, but I found I had a pillow form in my cupboard, so another sofa cushion wouldn't be out of the way. When I added the binding I stitched an "envelope" to the back of the quilt, and tucked the pillow form inside - after it had been properly shrunk in the wash - and this is now how it looks



Happy me! ... and I know I really need to re-cover that blue bolster cushion one of these days...

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Paganimini - quilting and having loads of fun :o)

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Paganimini

Yes, I do know the name of this month's "Le Petite..." project is "Paganini", but...

On the one hand:

1. I really want to try to make all the little projects Sherri and Sinta has picked for this year
2. I really loved "Paganini" from the moment I saw a picture on Carrie's blog.
3. I had fabric more or less all picked from my stash.

On the other hand:

1. I really don't have much time for another project at the moment,
2. The fabrics I had picked didn't really inspire me once I sat down to cut them up,
3. I don't know what to do with the quilt once it's finished (bad argument since I have made so many quilts without having a purpose for them, but sometimes it is a block in the creative process)
4. I'm running low on batting and I can't prioritize batting shopping at the moment...

Get the picture? Everything negative started piling up in my head! Then I gave it one more thought... what if I dug into my scrap box for some little pieces, and used them as leaders/enders while working on other projects? If it didn't work out, I could always save the pieces for some other scrap project. At the moment we have:

Cute, aren't they? *lol* My blocks are made from 2.5" scrap squares, and 1.25" light squares so my quilt will be about the quarter size of the original - hence the name "Paganimini" *lol* I have high hopes of having the at least the top together by deadline - perhaps even quilted and bound?
Happy quilting!
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Snowmen and snowballs - the continuing story

Thank you to everyone for your sweet comments on my previous snowmen and snowballs post, sorry I haven't been able to get back to all of you yet. Here's the continuing story; I have sewn some quick corners this weekend...





...and the snowmen blocks are now snowball blocks :o) Next is to get these together into a top, and figure out what to do for borders...
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Pressie

My dear friend gave me a challenge this summer; to come up with some type of container for C5 envelopes. Her birthday was on Thursday, so I figured I'd try to meet her challenge as a present. I did a lot of thinking, and what I ended up with was a simple box, kind of like the type you use for paper napkins, and then I added a lid:

I think we were both pretty pleased with the result :o) Oh, and I added a ribbon to the edge of the lid to finish it off, but forgot to take an after-picture...

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Snowmen and snowballs

I had intended to begin this post saying it's a bit early for snow, but reading Stina's blog just a couple of hours ago I have to eat my words - brrrrr! Anyway, this post is supposed to be about embroidered snowmen and snowball blocks :o)

When I made a post in beginning of June about playing with small scraps resulting in a pile of blue and cream star blocks, I received this lovely e-mail from a dear friend of mine accross the pond:

Hello friend, over there, around the world....
I was looking around today, and was just inspired by your blog. You have been playing with some blue HSTs and wondering what you will set them with. What came to mind for me were snowball blocks with your blues. I would like to create some embroidered blocks for you with my machine! I have some cute snowmen that would look nice, or perhaps you could give me some direction. I have many designs and I need something to get my creativity going again [...]

Who am I to say no to such a sweet offer? Coming home last night I found a parcel in my mail box - opening it I found these:



Aren't they cute? So many charming faces, snowmen, snow-women, snow-cats, reindeer with heaps of charm :o) The two cats are in honor of their two family cats, Isabelle and Maestro



And look, one of the snowladies is carrying a bag with a Friendship "F"!



Thank you so much, Shelley!!! I had a bit of a play today, and layed out your embroidered blocks along side my pieced stars

Looks great, doesn't it :o) Now I'm going to have heaps of fun stitching quick corners on those blocks, making snowballs!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Autumn

We have spent a couple of days at the summer house cutting up some wood, and I took my camera for a little walk



The jelly fish were having a parade along the beach - this is the only ok pic I could get



Even with autumn's harsh chill, the roses on the porch insisted on blooming



Oh, and I said I would show a pic of these runners once they were up - this is how they turned out

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Ironing board

For a year I have been eagerly reading Sherri and Sinta's "A Year of Shnibbles" posts, but never got around to join in. This year they are doing "Le Petite...A Year of Small Projects" - me gonna join this year?



They are starting off the year with a new cover for your ironing board. Hmmm... Let's have a look at mine:



There are actually two store bought covers on there, and you can see the metal straight through both of them...



over the last couple of months I have used a bath towel on top ...starting to get a bit brownish...



I stripped it down, and see how those covers look on the inside - no wonder it has been a burnt smell in the room whenever I have been pressing!

I definitely need a new one!!! Ok, I have gone through 1-2 covers pr year on an average the last six years, so I don't want to put too much work into it - and I don't want any embelishments getting in the way when pressing or ironing - so a simple one piece cover it is! I dug up a fabric that look a bit patched from my stash, attached four layers of batting and a cord, and this is how it looks now

It even matches my steam iron! *lol* Me a happy girl!!!

Have a fab Sunday!

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

This and that

Lately (and for some time to come) I have been alternating between sewing up a storm and grading/commenting on student papers. Sorry to say I can't show either on this blog.

I'm on the verge of getting an overdose of tea (oh, this brings me back to the days I studied like mad before exams), but I'm having fun! Last night I decided I needed something to soak up some of the tea, so I made a batch of bagels dough for a slow rise in the fridge over night. This is the very first time for me. I remember my Mum making bagels years ago, and concluding "they were not worth all the hassle!" - but I decided to give it a go on a small batch.

They didn't come out the perfect shape and they got a bit dark since the last minutes in the oven flew by a bit too fast, but the taste.... mmmmmm! I'm happy with my first attempt ;o) This is the recipe I used:

• 25 g yeast
• 5 dl cold water
• 2 tbs melted butter
• 2 tbs golden syrup (I only had dark, but it worked well)
• 2 tsp salt
• ca 800 g regular flour

Mix well and leave covered in the fridge overnight (10-12 hours). Knead the dough and make 12 "rings" and leave them to rise for 20-30 min. Boil them in sugar-water (2 tbs sugar pr liter water) for ca 2-3 min, place on a baking sheet and add poppyseeds/sesame seeds/sunflower seeds, bake in the oven at 225C for ca 20 min.

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

A little finish

Thank you so much for all the comments on my Imagine quilt! Unfortunately I haven't been able to respond to all of you, but know all the nice words are truly appreciated!

There haven't been much sewing here since I finished it. A few log cabin blocks in brushed cottons for a soft version of Carrie Nelson's "Raise the Roof" are half finished



And I have been playing with some of the leftover scraps of Circle of Quilters fabrics and made this needle book for someone special ;o)



The stitchery on the cover is from a Gail Pan pattern for a tad smaller needle book. And compared to Gail's pattern I have turned the pockets - made two small and one large - and added a clip for a small pair of scissors.



...and a little certain someone just had to be the centre of attention - you wouldn't think he's normally camera shy *lol*

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

A finished Imagine quilt

Woohoo! Some Masterchef on TV and a few episodes of BBC crime shows on DVD to keep my mind occupied while stitching down the binding, and it is done!!! And I looooove it!



It's a bit short to use as a bed spread, but perfect snuggle size to cover my duvet now the nights are getting colder, or keep on the sofa. A spin in the washing machine and a tumble in the dryer, and it crincled up nicely :o) However there are a few bits of paper still stuck in the quilting - arrgh!!

The backing turned out nice and scrappy, however a bit weird *lol*.



I was a bit short on fat quarters and yardage cuts from the Circle of Quilters fabric line, so I added a few bits and pieces from my stash, and I think that worked out pretty well. The puckers still annoy me a bit, but as long as no one examine it too closely...

Happy quilter here ;-D
Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida

Generous bloggers

A couple of my blogging friends are having some great giveaways. My dear friend Rose is launching two new patterns these days, and is giving away two sets of patterns for these lovely projects:



The Garden Party table topper



The lovely Elida bag (named after my maternal grandmother)

And sweet Merete is celebrating 10 000 visitors to her blog, giving away a bag similar to this one:

Hugs and stitches from Anne Ida