LOPSIDED LOG CABINS WITH SPIDER MUMS

I'm making two pillows for sale at MAS. MAS is the place where I attend quilt class once a week. Every November we have 4 days of open house where we sell stuff we have made to raise money to run the place.

MAS is an haven for ppl who like crafts. In addition to teaching quilting they also teach weaving, painting, porcelain paintings, felting and cloth making. It's open monday - friday 10am-2pm. I go once a week.

The two pillows will be 22"/56cm x 22"/56 cm. I'm making all four panels for the two pillows at the same time using mainly fat quarters. The fabric I'm using is all Asiasan style

Homework

I'm finally done with quilting my blue and white table cloth. The quilting was an ordeal, every time I thought I was done I found a seam I had not quilted over. The name of the project is "Delft Basket" by Kaffe Fassett. I have quilted over every single seam with a double needle. As "homework" I have taken the table cloth home to fasten all the threads. The size of the table cloth is approximately 150cm/29" x 150cm/59". I have used different blue and white fabrics only on this project

Operation UFO

Back in November last year I made the desicion not to start any new major projects until I had finished all my UFOs. The first UFO I started on was one that has been weighing heavy on my heart. It was an Kaffe Fassett tablecloth I started on in September 2009 when I was lucky enough to attend a work-shop with Kaffe Fassett and his partner Brandon Mably. Both Kaffe and Brandon was so nice and easliy approachable and the work-shop was such a learning process for me. I decided to make the project I started on at the work-shop into a tablecloth because of the sheer size of it. It's 166cm/65" x 250cm/98" and I have just table for it. It will look great with my white and silver china and sterling silver cutlery.

My second UFO is also a Kaffe Fassett project and this too I decided to make into a table cloth. The pattern is "Delft Basket" the size on this project is 155cm/61" x 155cm/61" I spinned the "baskets" around instead of placing them as constructed in the pattern. I used blue and white fabric only on this project. It will look great on my terrace in the summer.

I'm already working on UFO # 3. It's a comforter, no pictures yet

Winter in Oslo

It's winter here in Oslo. My dog Lucy still does one of her favorite things: sitting outside on my terrace in "her" chair and looking at the city. I'm lucky enough to have a faboulous view of the city.

I'm currently working on my UFOs in my quilt class. It's fun to see how good the finished products turn out. One of my UFOs is a big loud table cloth I started when I attended a work shop with Kaffe Fassett and his partner Brandon Mably. I took it home with me after quilt class to fasten all the treads. I'm taking it back to my quilt class next time to press it. In quilt class we have a 4 bar steam machine. Much better than my regular iron.

I'll post more quilt pics soon

Cellphone covers

I bought a new cell phone a while back. One of those androids with a big touch screen. I realized I needed a cover to protect the screen so I sew one, then I got the bug and now I have made plenty of them. I had a lot of Asia inspired FQ and some fleece scraps.

Out of 1 FQ I get 4 cellphone covers:

1. First I cut 4 5,5 cm/ 2 1/4 inch strips on the long end, use this as binding
2. the large pieces you have left quilt it together with fleece, and cut it into 4 pieces
   
3. round off one side, and but binding on the other end
   
4. stitch the binding on the back side, baste stitch to the front before sewing it togheter on the front side
   
5. put a snap lock/pushbutton to close it

Have fun. You can also make eyeglass casings this way.

KAFFE FASSET QUILT

I bought these beautiful fabrics in a quilt shop outside Detroit on my resent visit to the US. I have already started sewing a Kaffe Fassett quilt using these fabrics

2010 USA VACATION

I had a great time visiting friends in Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and rounded up the trip with a 4 day trip to NYC where Margarette and I stayed at the infamous Chelsea Hotel. In Chicago Bob, Margarette and I went to visit Mark and Erin in their new apartement. They live in one of those tall narrow houses in Chigago. On our way back to Detroit we vistid a beautiful little village in Michigan called Saugatuck. In Cleveland we visted Margarettes brother, his wife and their daughter Maddie. We went to see Maddies summer school play. We stayed the night at Margarettes mother Mary. She was just as spunky as ever. Back in Detroit Margarette took me to a quilt store in Berkley outside Detroit. THIS WAS MY FIRST VISIT EVER TO A QUILT STORE!!! It was a little corner of heaven and I bought some fabrics. We went to see a Detroit Tigers baseball game. As always it was faboulus!! I love live baseball. Bob and Margarettes house in a quiet little city right outside Detroit is just like being out in the country side. We saw deers with fawns every single day. Margarette and I went to New York City for a 4 day trip. We packed the days with all kinds of activities. We got to see and do so much. We went to see the play "Jersey Boys" about the group The Four Seasons. We had a faboulous time and stayed at the infamous Chelsea Hotel. We rented bikes and went all over Central Park, and ate food from different countries at every meal. I also got had time to visit The City Quilter and bought lots of Kona Bay fabrics and other beautiful quilt fabrics

ONE WEEK, THEN I'M OFF TO THE US

Spending the week-end with my parents. My mom and I have been super busy today cutting down small trees that's threathening to take over their smallholding. My dad is a tree hugger, so we have to do it when he's not looking. I have also been sewing today. I'm sewing a pillowcase for a pillow my dad uses in his car. The old pillowcase is worn out and I'm making the new one out of old jeans. I took Lucy with me on a bike ride to a nearby pond so that she could cool herself off. She just loves swimming

TIME FLIES

I have been at the family cabin at Tyrisholt in Valdres since monday. Time really flies when you are having fun. I have spent the week hiking and reading. I'm almost done with my New York guide book. Just over two weeks until I go to the US to visit friends in Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland before I round up the vacation with a 4 day stay in New York City.

I have also celebrated my birthday while I have been at the cabin. Two more days here and then I head home

I would rather be quilting

In preparation for my trip to the family cabin next week I'm finishing the curtains for one of the rooms in the cabin I started sewing last fall. It's super booring work but they are coming out nicely. I'm really looking forward to my trip to the cabin, it's in the mountains and excellent hiking terrain. It shall be good to spend a week in the mountains, no tv, no electricity, no running water. Back to basics! The cabin's got a new roof since my last visit, about time. The pictures are from summer 2009

AFTER THE THUNDER STORM

The day started good with a little bit of sun and a little bit of clouds. Then the sky cleared up and I got to soke up some rays. Then the sky turned black and it started to pouring cats and dogs and we got a very noisy thunder storm. I was out walking Lucy when the thunder storm hit. She is terrified of thunder so she dragged me home and ran straight to her "cave", her secure place at home. Now that the danger is over she is totally exhausted and fast asleep.

I have watched quite a few of the WC fotball matches. I'm getting more and more interested in the WC. Very strange for me

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY

It's a beautiful sunny day in Oslo. It's around 20 C/68 F and not a cloud in sight. I have been lounging in the sun all day. The picture with the pink flowers is taken on my terrace. The white flowers I found peeking through my neighbours fence. I wonder if it's some kind of Peony. If you know tell me about it. I have been lounging in my deck chair listening to the WC football game between Slovenia and England

QUILT CLASS OVER FOR NOW

Wednesday was the last day of quilt class before summer. I'll be back in August. Every year we have a summer excursion and yesterday we went to Blåfarveverket. It's an old mine town where they once produced 80% of the worlds cobalt. Today they have art exhibitions and it's a really beautiful place.

FINISHED MY COMFORTER TODAY

hi, here is my new comforter. I finished it today and I'm super happy with the result. Soft fluffy fleece on the back side and 240 orienal "tumblers" I had 200 pre cut tumblers I bought from Keepsake Quilting a few years back. I only had to cut 40 out of different Asia-style fabrics and 20 in spring green to be cut in half to have on each side. I quilted in the ditch.

I just spent the week-end with my parents

My parents are both 75 years old and they look pretty darn good! I just spent a relaxing week-end with them. I slept a lot, but we also had time for hiking. My dog Lucy who's shedding like crazy at the moment went for swim after swim in a nearby pond. It's a great way to get rid of all those loose hairs ;D

MY TERRACE

my flower bed is in full bloom, and the beautiful rocks I picked along the shore of Mjøsa is keeping the weeds at bay


















I don't know what this beautiful flower is called in english, in norwegian we call it Akeleie

WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA

I'm clearly not a football fan, but I can sense a growing intrest for the WC, very unlike me

GLASS PLATE BATIK

for this effect I use two glass plates. I paint the glass plates, then put the two glass plates together. When I pull them apart it creates a vacuum. The vacuum creates the pattern, I then press each glass plates on on a piece of fabric. The purple I dipped in in paint deluted in water to get the pink back ground. The blue I dipped in blue, then I painted the glass plates with a red heart in the middle and then blue all around it. I use regular hobby paint.

SUN PRINT BATIKS

I made these batiks using a metod called sun print. I collect leaves, fern and nettle works wery well because they are a bit sticky on the back side.

ASIA QUILT

My Asia inspired quilt is coming along nicely. I have deceded to take a brake from it now that I have finished all 15 blocks. I think I'm going to frame each block in solid black