OPAM challenge, goals for July

I haven't got any UFO's I want to finish this month, but I have promised to make a bag for a friend of mine, and that will be my goal for July :o)

Laila

No blog posts for a while...

but I'm still here :o)
I have been reading some of your blogs, and I can see many of you have lots of fun sewing and doing other things :o)
I haven't been sewing at all for many days, but I've been spending a lot of time in my sewing room. Reorganizing all of my fabrics. Hubby bought me a lot of bins at Ikea to store my fabrics, and while I was at it, I started counting as well. I figured out I've got about 5oo meters of fabrics... LOL!!! I guess I'll really have to start sewing some after I'm finished with reorganizing...
The bins are for DVD's, and is perfect to fold fabrics and store it :o)


I got to separate all the colors, and when Hubby is finished making me the shelters for the bins, I know it will be so much easier to see what I've got. Earlier I stored my fabrics in huge bins, and they filled so much space of the floor in my sewing room, but now he is making shelters covering a wall in my sewing room, and he will also make doors for it. It will look like a closet when he's done, and then it will look some more tidy too...
Hopefully he will be finished the next week, and then it will be much more sewing for me :o)

Happy sewing,
Laila

A giveaway!

Helen has got the most wonderful giveaway over at her place, Hugs'n kisses
isn't it a gorgeous quilt?I really like the red with the stitcheries, don't you?

Happy sewing,
Laila

Not so much sewing...

Haven't been much sewing or blogging for me lately,been a bit behind on everything, but I'll get there:o)
I have the weird habbit of wanting to do more than I'm able to, and then things just grows over my head, and I just have to ease down, and do one thing at a time. I guess You guys know what I mean :o)
A typical woman/mother thing I guess?

I've got to lovely awards the latest days.
The first I've got from Lekaquilt, Mona and Lise. Thank you so much to all three of you. That really warms my heart :o)


The second one I got from Lekaquilt. Thanks so much!

I'm supposed to send these awards to other bloggers, but to tell you the truth, I find so many of the blogs I follow so full of inspiration, great sayings and stories. You should all get these awards.
Please feel free to post the awards on your blogs, you all are special and have earned one :o)

No pictures from any projects today. But I'll do when I have found some time to do some sewing again soon:o) Just have to get my shoulders back in place, they are somewhere over my ears right now :o)
Whish you all a great week, and hope your days will be filled with creativity and the joy of life:o)

Laila

Back in Blogland :o)

Finally I'm back in Blogland :o) I have not been busy, just set back a bit because of some days with migraine again :o(
But I'm used to that coming, so I'll just have to use a little patience when it's "those days" now and then.

When I'm set back like this for days, I usually think about things I want to make, or make plans and dreams... So when I'm back in my sewing room again, I'm almost overwhelmed with creative stuff in my mind.

I'm looking forward to the weekend now, and hope I'll get some time to do some sewing again, and a friend of mine asked me if I could make a bag for her, so I'll might start with it when the weekend comes.

A while ago I saw this quilt at Moda Bake Shop:
This is one of the most beautiful quilts I've ever seen.
You know, I love the scrap quilts...

So... I had to give it a try:o)
Today I had a day off work as i usually do on Wednesdays,
and since I did a great amount of cutting yesterday, I was able to piece some of it together today :o)
And I love it!


I'm not sure how big I want to make it yet, but we'll see;o)
I made some changes though... I cut the strips 2" instead of 1,5". But I've cut a lot of 1,5" strips at the same time as the ones I used, so I'll might be doing one more :o)
Or I'll use the strips in an other scrap quilt:o)

This quilt is even more beautiful than the one earlier in this post:


This is such a beautiful quilt, and I love the look of it, old and antique. I'm just in love with it!
Don't you agree?
Guute at Mijn Quilthoekje is making the pattern for this quilt in EQ, and the greates thing of all: she made an "Antique Quilt Club" for us who wants to join in and make the quilt too, so she is sharing her work on the pattern with us:o) Isn't that great?
And no surprise, I'm in :o) Just let her know, and you are too :o)
It will be a long term project, but I'll be cutting fabrics as i go, to use in this quilt. I'm really looking forward to getting the pattern and start reading the direktions, so I can do some planning.

A big thanks to you Guute, I know you've been working on the pattern for a while :o)

I'm heading back to my sewing room for some piecing before it's getting any later, so Happy sewing to you :o)

Laila

A finish :o)

Yesterday i finished the table runner I've been working on for some days now. I didn't get time to post it then, but finally... a finish again!
I love these fabrics so much, and I've already planned some more with them ;o)

I've made a similar one earlier, but that is so long ago! It was quite a treasure hunt to find these fabrics, I can tell you. It started when I found the first pieces at Quiltegården more than 4 years ago. I also bought the book "True Friends" by Art to Heart, and I fell in love with them right away. But to sad to say, they where nowhere to be found, they where sold out! Typical me, to fall in love with an old line of fabric...
I started searching Google. I don't know how many hours, and how many months I searched, but i finally found them. In so many different places! I got in touch with a lovely lady, Bobbie, and she helped me to get in touch with a store that didn't have an internet connection, but had some of the fabrics in stock. So I got some of the ones I wanted. I also got some great help from Elisabeth at Lapp-Elisa in Sweden, and bought most of the blue and green fabrics from her quilt shop. Of corse I bought several yards of those I could, and I am now happily using them in quilts and stuff as I like. The one fabric I liked the most, the blue one with the tiny flowers, I couldn't find anywhere, and I had just a little piece of it, which I got from Siw at Quiltegården. But a while ago I got it from Mona. She saw the "WANTED" add on my blog, and sent me an e-mail. Thanks again Mona:o) She had two 30 cm (about 1/4 yard) pieces for me, so we traded fabrics :o) And I also got one from Hanne, one of my "classmates" here in Trondheim, so now I can finish the quilt I started in 2007, wich is almost finished:o) Just have to add a couple of rows around to get it big enough. I'm not going to do that soon, because I have planned to finish some other things first, there will be a time for that one too :o)
This is so typical me, not giving up until I've tried to find what I'm looking for. I bet you can relate to this too:o) Once you've got some special things on your mind, you just can't forget it, and try your best to get it:o) It's worse than itching sometimes!!! LOL! But the satisfaction when it gets real, and the fun... It's definetely worth it! But I guess this is some of the reasons the words "crazy" and "addicted" is in our vocabulary...?
But I'm one happy crazy fabric addict!!! :o)

Happy sewing,
Laila

Soon a finish :oD

Whoo hoo! I'm almost finished with the table runner now. I finished the quilting yesterday, and the applique today. Did the applique with the buttonhole stitch on my machine and quilting thread that matches the appliqued pieces.
The quilting is done with Yli silk thread, so it kind of blends in to all the different fabric colors.


I didn't do any intricate quilting pattern, and since I like this one, it was an easy choice to make :o) And no need to mark the quilt ;o)
I've already attached the binding to the quilt, and the rest of the evening I will enjoy hand piecing some of it.
Have a great evening,
Laila

My goals for June

I have not been able to have as many finishes for the OPAM 2009 as I planned. Isn't it funny, how life just happens, and things just have to be reorganized a bit...Even if we're quilt maniacs, and prioritize to do some sewing?
I have only one goal for this month, and that is to finish the table runner I just started working on. I have ironed on the tulips, and I have not made up my mind about to hand stitch the tulips, or using the sewing machine. I'll check on my threads before I make up my mind about that...
I like the look of the hand stitches the best, but if I'm ever gonna finish it, it will take less time to use the machine...
Well, I'll make that choice tomorrow. It's far behind bedtime, so I'll just wish you all a great Friday, and hope you all will have a splendid weekend ;o)
Happy sewing,
Laila

A new table runner

I had a day off work today, and digged out some scraps from my scrap bin. It was a bunch of precut squares from the fabric line I love the most, "True Friends" by Benartex. I cut these two years ago, and now they are finally pieced together, to make a summer table runner. I'm not finished with it yet, but just the outer border with more scraps is left. And i am going to make some tulips in the white border. If any of you have the book "True Friends" from Nancy Halvorsen/Art to Heart, you know what tulips I'm talking about.
Aren't these fabrics beautiful?I'll continue work with this tomorrow, so I hope to get the tulips finished for the borders :o)

Happy sewing to you all :o)
Laila

Progress on Leanne's House BOM and finishes for OPAM

The last two days have been full of sunshine, and almost too hot for me to sit outside in the sun. There has not been so much sewing time this last week, but I finally started on an other block on the Leanne's House BOM tonight. Now block #2 is finally ready for some stitchery :o)


I didn't get time to go down town to Quiltegården to buy more of the "Borders made easy", so I didn't get to finish the quilt for the OPAM this month as I planned, but hopefully I'll make it next month...
I have no finishes other than the two knitted projects, but sometimes life just happens, and things don't turn out the way it was planned.
I'm also taking a little break from the Patchwork Party 2009-blocks. Only six left now, and I will continue working on them soon again.


I finished block #1 of Leanne's House BOM the other day, so I'm after all having some progress.
I'm enjoying the evening, sipping to a glass of red wine, and some stitching before I'll go check up on the bed bugs :o)

Some progress on the double 4patch :o)

Had a day off work today (I usually do at Wednesdays), and I finally pulled myself together and I did dig out the double 4 patch quilt I've been working on. Got to finish the quilting on the main part of the quilt, and now only the outer borders are left to be quilted. I couldn't figure out how to do them... but I found some "Borders made easy" roll, and started to attach them. They are a perfect tool, to get perfect seems...IF YOU'VE GOT ENOUGH!!! wich I don't :o(
But I'm halfway, and since hubby is going downtown for some work on a shop nearby Quiltegården, he'll drop by Siw (the shop owner), and buy a roll for me :o) Since we are having a Holiday on Monday, I think I'll be able to get the quilting done during the loooong weekend :o) The smallest border will be quilted too, with some freemotion pattern I think. I'll make up my mind after doing the outer border.


This is how the back of the quilt looks like. I'm not so satisfied with the quilting, but to be my first project this big, I guess I'll have to live with the short-long-short stitched kind of curved quilting :o)
I really love this backing fabric. I bet it is a great fabric to practice some freemotion quilting on, just quilt following the pattern in the fabric. I will do that with the piece I have left of it, I think.


I used the "Quilters Dream" poly wadding, but I will not use it again for a quilt at this size. Too heavy to handle, and the fibers from the batting was all over the quilt. It almost looked like our cat had been using it for ages. Just white fibers everywhere, even in the seems... But now I can say been there, done that... leassoned learned. But there is one thing I want to say is very positive about it; it gives the quilt a soft and puffy look, and I like that. I guess it would be easier to use it when quilting with a long arm, because the quilt doesn't get to be squeesed around with that one.

It's getting late, and off to bed now.
Good night :o)
and Happy sewing,
Laila

Block #6

Finished my block #6 tonight. This block is called "Sunset Canoes". This was a tricky one... but still I'm having fun :o)
I've received all the twelve blocks now, and look forward to get them all done.
Now I'll have to check on those bed bugs... good night :o)

Jippi! A finish :o)

I finished these knittet socks today. I guess they fit the feet of a 5 year old, but I haven't had anyone particular in mind when I knittet them. I just love to knit socks in this size :o) They don't stay unfinished for so long, since it doesn't take a lot of time to finish them.
I like to do some easy work between all the long term projects. Got enough of them...lying around in my sewing room...


I have been knitting some mittens now and then too, and doing more and more progress on them. The only thing is, i always forget to turn the pattern, so I have two left hand of two of these ones... I got it right only on the pair in light blue and cream. Well, so I'll have to knit two more rights, for the red and dark blue ones... So in the end I will have two pairs of each of them... But they will be great for Christmas presents or something like that:o)

Well, I'm back to sewing again. I'm on with block #6 on the Patchwork Party blocks now. Finished the cutting, and now some sewing. OMG this has really become an addiction...

One more block

Just before I went to bed last night, I got to finish my block #5 of the Patchwork Party 2009.
Since it was already precut, it was piece of cake putting the pieces together:o)
This one is called "Chance Encounter".


Hope to do some more sewing later this evening, and maybe finishing one more block. But I also have to try to get some of the finishes for the OPAM 2009, too. So we'll see:o)
I'm almost done with the block #1 of Leanne's house. Just a couple of stitches, and I'm there:o)

Trondheim Rock Festival

Last night we went to see Europe and Whitesnake live here in Trondheim. It was two really great concerts, and since me and hubby have always liked these two since we were about 14 yrs old, it was a special event for us :o) Lots of memories with many of the songs they played :o)

Europe was the first band on stage. I was only 14 yrs old when they had their first concert in Trondheim.

Then Whitesnake entered the stage and gave us all a perfect end of a perfect night! It was so special to see the band live, and David Coverdale's vocals are just sooo great. They gave us a trip through some really great guitar solos and drum solos too :o)
Since there might will be a rock festival next year too, I already begin to look forward to that :o)

Not much sewing this weekend, but plenty of time for that next week:o)
Did I say plenty? Hmmm.... I wish I had some more time to play with fabrics, than I do... but if I had, would I spend the time sewing and sewing then? Would I have the same urge? I like to think it wouldn't ;o)
As it's said: Time is precious, use it well:o)

Happy sewing,
Laila