Friday, December 31, 2021
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Friday, December 24, 2021
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Friday, December 17, 2021
Thursday, December 09, 2021
Wednesday, December 08, 2021
Wednesday, December 01, 2021
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Monday, November 08, 2021
This is my block for week 44 of the #focuscuttingsewalong hosted by @naomialicec 🦦 I bought my first @tulapink fabric back in 2018 after my mom introduced me to some of the animal prints. And now I have a _little bit_ more of her fabric in my stash… 🥰 This block took me forever - not due to lack of fabric or ideas, but from a lack of energy due to a very annoying cold.. 🤧🤒😷
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Thursday, October 28, 2021
The October guild meeting
Last Monday it was time for another guild meeting - and now there's only one left before Christmas!
I didn't bring a huge pile of finished projects this time, but I managed to bring along two that I had completed since the last meeting. One of these was a stitchery for Easter - a bunny with tthe words God påske (Happy Easter). I made the stitchery back in the summer of 2012, when we went to Denmark with my sister, her daughter and our mum. About time it was finished, you might say! (I'll take a photo and post it soon, as I didn't get a photo during the meeting.)
My other fiished project, was a Christmas/winter stitchery, which I actually bought during my first ever meeting in the guild (when they were visited by a quilt shop)!
This first picture is taken by a guild member, and was posted on the FB-page for the guild.
And here's a more close-up picture.
The stitchery is a pattern from Kathy Schmitz called Snow Sampler and I stitched it on a white background with silver glitter - in a nice, dusty-blue colour DMC thread. The border and binding is a piece of blue fabric I found in my stash, and I suspect it might be a fabric from Jinny Beyer - which found it's way to me from my great-aunt.
I quilted this in a grid pattern, and afterwards I thought why not add a little more sparkle? So in each cross on the bloe border I sewed on a small glass bead (clear, with silver center). It looks really good IRL, and is so, so hard to photograph - so you'll just have to take my word for it.
I'm working on a couple of other projects too - sewing that is - but these past few weeks have brought very little crafting time, so there's only been a stitch added here and there, except from the weekly blocks made in the #focuscuttingsewalong on IG.
Even my knitting has been slow these past weeks! Ever since I finished the Flax Sweater (which I'm wearing in the first picture) I seem to have been having difficulties in starting a new, big project. So I've been knitting cloths instead (which I usually knit when we're driving long distance). And now there are three almost four new cloths finished. Which is good, because there are a couple in use that are really ready for retirement (or the bin).
I have yarn and pattern for two pretty large projects (one sweater and one shawl) ready - I just need to wind the yarn - so it's not like I'm missing supplies, I just need time to wind down and have some quiet time.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Thursday, October 21, 2021
September guild meeting
The quilting guild is back to their mothly meetings, and for the September meeting I brought with me some of the projects I've completed during these months in lockdown.
First off are two baking cloths (to help the dough rise or keep tortillas warm during taco dinners - which is what we use ours for the most). The stitchery is the same on both, just completed in different colours. The pattern is from Northern Quilts - Bake bake kake - and is one of their older patterns. I've made several of these baking cloths, and it's a pattern I keep coming back to. Great for gifts too!
I stitched these during our Summer vacation - when I craved something to make, that also was easy to pick up and put down - and nothing screams easy as following a line with a needle and thread, not having to think about changing colours or organizing which part goes with what colour.
The blue and yellow one is stitched with a deep blue colour - and the green one with a variegated green thread.
The next project up, is a really old one. I had to search my mom's old blog to find out exactly when I started working on it, and I found a picture of me basting this before starting the hand quilting. My mom's post is dated august 2008.
I've picked this project up and put it away so many times during these 13 years, considering the process further - or if I should just unpick everyting and start anew. Well, back in January it resurfaced, and I once again pondered on wether I should finish it or unpick the quilting I had done. And I decided to finish it!
Working from home, with a numerous amount of TEAMS-meetings I decided to try to quilt one thread a day and see how it went. Well, it took be approximately one month (and that without daily threads of quilting) and suddenly it was done!
I wrote the date of our wedding in the little sign under the big tree, and it now hangs on the wall next to our bedroom door.
The panel, backing and binding came from Keepsake Quilting, back in 2008. My uncle went to Seattle for work, and offered to retrieve an order for my mom and I if we had it delivered to his hotel. Well, ofcourse we couldn't say no to that!
The panel, backing and binding came from Keepsake Quilting, back in 2008. My uncle went to Seattle for work, and offered to retrieve an order for my mom and I if we had it delivered to his hotel. Well, ofcourse we couldn't say no to that!
Next up is a project from a Sew Sampler Box - a subscription box from Fat Quarter Shop. This particular project came in the February 2020 box - Lucky Charm.
The box included the pattern, fabric (charm pack) and acrylic template to use for this project. Originally, the table runner is HUGE! (by Norwegian standards) so I decided to make a smaller one, to fit our table, and I also changed the colours around a little, to make it more suitable for our 17th of May celebrations and to match our flag.
I still have quite a bit of fabric left from this project, so I could make another one - but I've also considered making this in, for instance, Halloween fabric or Christmas fabric. But it was a fun and quite easy project!
Next up are my projects from the #100hexies100days sewalong on Instagram. The rule is to create a hexagon (baste or glue) fitting the week's theme for 100 days - resulting in a nice pile of 100 hexies with different fabrics and focuscutted images. This was a fun one! And my first year participating (mom's participated the last three years, I think?).
But what to do with 100 hexagons? I tried sewing them all together, resulting in a pretty large hexagon, with some weird bits sticking out.. so removed the odd bits and rearranged a little - and here are my finished projects!
The large hexagon is currently on my living room table, and the smaller one is used as a mug rug. I have slight regrest not making the mug rug just plain and square, but it does look fun and great (at least if you don't look to close at the binding...). Finished is better than perfect!
Lastly, I brought with me my #fussycuttingsewalong project from 2019. The sewalong has renamed itself to #focuscuttingsewalong now, but the basis is still the same - one block a week, according to a given theme and instructions. In 2019 the shape was 6-point star, and this is my starry quilt - finally finished!
I love the way the dark grey (charcol) make the colours in the stars pop!
For 2020, the shape was houses - and now in 2021 we're working with half hexagons. If you're ever on Instagram, I'd like to recommend checking out the hashtag #focuscuttingsewalong to see the current directions/themes and to see what the participants are working on.
Next week it's time for another guild meeting, and I have a couple of finished projects to bring along - together with our homework for the meeting (we were all given an assignment to prepare a couple of blocks). We'll be given instructions on how to cut these blocks into smaller blocks again, and then it's time to play! Hopefully I'll remember to bring everything needed for the meeting..
***
I had an idea to bring all my UFO's up into the light again, and have 2022 be the year of finishing what you started by finding, naming and listing all the projects I've begun and stored - and not yet finished. Perhaps, by putting them in the spotlight, my drawer of works in snaily-slow speed will be finished. I think there are some good ones in there, and I know that there are at least a couple which could be finished quite quickly - and others again that will require some effort. The question is, will I persevere this time? Or will it start off with good intentions, and then slowly just fade back into the drawers..
Saturday, October 16, 2021
This is my block for week 41 of the #focuscuttingsewalong hosted by @naomialicec 🧶 Cosy - sectios. 🧣 I chose to focuscut the scarves from these little snowmen, thinking of the wonderful wool I’m looking forward to knit woth this fall/winter. @varbitt @stulenstrikkgarn @lillerilledesign_ @trulyhooked 🧶 One of these skeins are destined to become a scarf/shawl, another a sweater, one has become a finished project - and one is currently without a plan, but I’m searching for the perfect pattern. 🥰
Monday, October 11, 2021
This is my block for week 40 of the #focuscuttingsewalong hosted by @naomialicec 🧶 Nothing quite as cozy as wooly wool mittens knitted in slightly itchy wool yarn 🐑 Bring it on, Winter - I’m ready! (Mitten pattern #speedyselbumittens by @skeindeer white yarn #lettlopi blue yarn handspun by me woth fibre from @rentoppspinn 💙)
Sunday, October 03, 2021
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Monday, September 27, 2021
It's pumpkin spice season again!
I don't know if it's because it's really tasty, or if it's because it's a rare treat, but when autumn comes, so does the craving for pumpkin spice latte.
Previously only available (here i Norway) through Starbucks, you can imagine how surpriced we (my mom and I) were when we went to Espresso House and saw that they too could mix up a nice, warm, spiced hotdrink with pumpkin spice!
And not only that, they sold the sirup so that you could make it at home! (My local EH didn't want to sell us more than one bottle, in fear of running out.. so we split the bottle between us.)
There is a slight difference in this syrup than the syrup used at SB. For one, it's thinner (more watery), which makes it very easy to mix in with hot water or coffe. And the taste is a little sweeter and less "dominant". There's a fragrance, but it's not heavy (or I might not have used enough syrup in my drinks yet). I don't get the craving to brush my teeth after drinking it, which is very nice I must add.
The same syrup can be found in some webshops - I was given an address as a tip, but was also warned that the shipping costs were a pain (in the wallet).. so I was very pleased I was able to buy this bottle in a store and not having to order it online.
***
In other news, Norway removed most of their restrictions toward COVID-19 this Saturday at 16:00. I'm not sure how I feel about it, yet.. But seeing how so many people were out celebrating Saturday evening, I'm not surpriced at all if we get another wave of hospital admissions in about two weeks time.. It's just too fast - and perhaps too soon. And I'm not comfortable at all. Waiting to hear from work soon, to see what they are thinking. Apparently all in-house restrictions are removed this Wednesday - but there are many of us who are still working from home. Suddenly, we're all going back to how it was before C-19, skipping masks and venturing into crowds as if there's no harm to be found.
I've just spent 562 days away from the office - only venturing in a couple of times during the past year and a half - and I don't feel like this is something that can just be switched off just like that..
Friday, September 24, 2021
Thursday, September 16, 2021
This is my block for week 37 of the #focuscuttingsewalong hosted by @naomialicec ☕️ It’s Autumn! And my perfect day would so totally be filled with a good book, some knitting and sewing - and a large cup of #pumpkinspicelatte 🎃 So I choose to use some of my precious Halloween fabric in this week’s block.
Saturday, September 11, 2021
Friday, September 10, 2021
Sunday, September 05, 2021
Friday, September 03, 2021
Friday, August 27, 2021
Thursday, August 26, 2021
A bunch of words and a picture.
I started thinking about this post before the weekend, but didn't get very far. I found a picture of a finished project I hadn't shared, and then everything came to a holt.
I saw that one of the blogs I've been following "forever" just posted a new post, and for once I responded by leaving a comment. Which is something I really should be doing more, but for some reason, I don't. Perhaps because it feels like a lot of the blogs I follow these days aren't really "personal" or of a kind of "leave a reply"-ish type of blogs? I dunno. But I remember how exciting it was to receive feedback "back in the day" - and I try to leave a comment, a question or a sign that I've read your post and that you've made an impression or a difference to my day. I'm not quite sure if I'm able to actually write out what I mean here, so if this makes sense to you - then I guess I managed after all.
There's not much going on here in Norway these days. We're not i lockdown, although the number of infected people are higher now that they've been since late winter-early spring. The vaccinations are going along smoothly (I got my second shot last week), so the government seems to be in a more "we can handle this"-mode than before. Most of the infected ones are either young adults or people already vaccinated, and they've been getting far less sick than previously.
My work's been talking about how things will be when we return to the office. And as of September 1st working from home is no longer a demand, but and option - same as travelling to the office. We'll be able to decide more where we'd like to work - atleast for the time being. Which is good. I think that a sudden change from working from home and commuting to the office would really take it's toll on those who have a bit of travel to do - and who have kids and schedules to follow in the afternoon. You can't escape the fact that the levels of stress - both in the mornings and in the afternoons - have been significantly lower not having to communte and get stuck in traffic every single day.
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| Happy Feet - sunny editon, by Marte Helgetun |
This summer I finished a pair of cosy socks/slippers. They're my usual black-grey, but the softness is almost undescribable.. It was a funny way to knit these, starting at the toe, but they look great! Not really suitable for wearing in shoes or boots, but more for indoors and at home. Cosy socks!
I'm currently knitting on a sweater (my third or fourth of this year) and am slowly working my way down the first sleeve. I've completed all the required decreases, and now I need to try it on and measure how long the sleeve shound be. It's knitted in handdyed yarn, and for once it's not grey or black - but brown'ish, with hints of a whole rainbow of colours.
August is almost over - and September is waiting by the door with Fall. It's hard to believe that the year has gone by so swiftly, once again, but here we are.
Friday, August 20, 2021
This is my block for week 33 of the #focuscuttingsewalong hosted by @naomialicec 👧🏻 Human and pattern matching - I chose these adorable little girls jumping ropes. ❤️ Using my planner as background, featuring other humans with great skills and crafty superpowers 🧶🧵🪡 @varbitt @fatquartershop @trulyhooked @shelli.can
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Weekend in Flåm
Last weekend hubby and I spent travelling to Flåm and enjoying a weekend in great nature - and without the kids (who didn't have a bad time or missing us at all).
It was quite a drive, between 5 and 6 hours up and over the mountains - until we arrived at the red dot (not too far from Bergen).
Flåm is a quiet town of around 400 inhabitants - visited by MANY tourists and cruise ships (normally, but a little more quiet now, thanks to COVID etc.). It is famous for the breath-taking nature, the fjord and the Flåmsbana. They also have a local brewery, which we tried to visit, but it was full. Oh well, next time. :-) One of the highest mountains surrounding Flåm, is Prest - reaching a total of 1478 meter above the sea.
The water is so incredible clean and clear - and almost looks greenish. Reminds me of the water on Iceland, when we visited back in 2009.
It is a green and majestic sight to see, the valley and the small farms.
The valley was almost isolated before the railroad came in the early 1900s - the only ways in or out was by foot over the mountains or by boat around the fjord.
Here you can see the railroad snaking it's way up the mountain on the left side of the picture - and the Rallarvegen with it's 21 twists and turns on the right. Rallarvegen was made during the construction of the railroad, and today it is a popular biking or hiking road. Both the railroad and the Rallarvegen starts (or ends, depending on wether you're going down or up) by Myrdal station, where passengers can board trains heading towards Bergen or Oslo.
Finishing this post with the view from behind our hotel - the historical Fretheim Hotel - and towards the mountains surrounding Flåm.
Monday, August 09, 2021
Going back in time..
For this post I took at deepdive into the pictures posted on the blog to find something to use. There's a huge archive of pictures here on my blog, and it's fun and interesting to look back and see what's been posted here before.
This is a stitchery called Hocuspocusville by Crabapple Hill Studio. I made this block "the old way", using cotton batting basted to the fabric before I started stitching it. It's very fluffy indeed.
So I made this one block, back in 2008 (yup, I checked..) and then it stayed there, alone.. waiting - or perhaps not? I'm not sure how the minds of wisps work.. Anywho, I'm thinking about restarting this project, give it another go. Not that I need another big project, or anything like that, but I've got the pattern and the thread, so why not?
Over the past couple of months I've been dabbing a bit in stitching and embroidery, and I've found it entertaining and fun again. It's almost meditative, all you need is thread and needle - and to follow the lines.
So, perhaps this will become my autumn project for 2021? It's only been, what, 13 years since my last attempt. *cackle*
Friday, August 06, 2021
Back to work - week home alone
My first week back to work was to be spent home alone. Me working from home, while hubby and the kids went to the in-law's for the last week of hubby's vacation. The week was cut a bit short, as hubby started to feel unwell yesterday, and booked a COVID-test for today back home (e.g. here). So they're on their way home this afternoon, while I'm juggling work and my last hours home alone.
I had so many plans for this week, many plans were cancelled or put on hold while others were completed.
I finished a bag veskekurven (a norwegian pattern, from RyumQuilt) for our neighbour, together with two matching sweet pea pods (pattern from Lazy Girl Design) made in fabric I inherited from her. I'm going to fill the bag with yarn. She knits socks and hats and blankets for the local NICU (newborn intensive care unit) and I think I have a couple skeins she can have.
I've also finished two baking cloths (to cover the dough while it's rising) that I stitched earlier this summer (the blue one went on vacation with me, and was finished the week we came home). The pattern is from Northern Quilts, and is one that I have made several times. I love using mine, both when baking and to keep the wheat tortillas warm when we have tacos for dinner.
Besides these finished objects, I've worked on completing a stitchery I stitched waaaaay back (2012?), which is now almost ready for quilting, and I've been working on my Nebula BOM designed by Jaybird Quilts. I bought the pattern and fabric from a norwegian quiltshop called Lappemor. I managed to finish both of block 7 and 8, and the fabric for block 9 is ready to be cut up and sewed together. For someone who doesn't usually make blocks, but sticks to stitcheries and simple piecing (or EPP), this has been both challenging and eye-opening. I keep being surpriced by the fact that I'm able to do this, even with minor mistakes - like swapping the colours or turning the fabric the wrong way here and there.. I'll just call them individual design changes, or something like that - and there are plenty of points that are not matching up precicely, but hey, I'm happy with it! And I'm noting it all down as learning.
In knitting related updates, I'm working on the first sleeve of my Flax Light Sweater, designed by TinCanKnits, in the colourway Moody Spring dyed by Lille rille design. I've also learned two new techniques in knitting, trying my best to knit the Honey Clutch from PetiteKnit.
I started an epp-project after seeing a picture on InstaGram before the summer vacation started - and now I'm not quite sure what to do with it... I hate to just leave it in the state that it is in, but I'm not sure where to go from here, or what I want the end result to become. I've also been working on my 100 hexies 100 days project (from InstaGram) and can now confirm that all 100 hexies have been sewn together. Now, I'm not entirely sure what that project is going to end up being either.. I'm contemplating wether to remove a couple of the blocks or leave them in there... It might be easier to get a symmetrical (and useful) finished objekt if I remove them, but then again the project would no longer consist of all 100 hexies - which was kind of the point when I started it.. Decisions, decisions..
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