Ravenhill

Quilted

My first born is now 10 years old! Today was his birthday.

My husband is just getting ready for a long soak in the tub now after all the festivities.

When he steps out of the tub this the new bath mat where his squeaky clean toes will end up on.

I used Amy Butler pre-cut charms, sewing the squares together by hand. The backing is a sturdy twill. I just tied off with embroidery floss at the intersections for easy quilting. Plus I did a tiny bit of embroidery in one of the squares just to add a little extra dimension and to highlight the flower.

These little girl toes like the new bathmat too.

Winter's arrival

Just recently it was looking like this outside, pretty and fall-like:

Last Friday though we were surprised to wake up to this:

(I am behind as usual in my posts!) My husband has taken some vacation time this week and it has meant lazy and cozy days... Anyway, it took awhile to get anywere last Friday morning becuase the fresh, fluffy, cold, white stuff was such a novelty!

You can't beat snow for a good time!

It packed up nicely and really stuck onto her mittens.

I have been delighting in all the cold weather by being home and doing a bit of crafting.

I made this wee mini-quilt just for fun.

And Emma, (sorry she is now on her way to one of my supportive blog readers who said she couldn't resist...) with the pretty blue eyes I made too. She is my newest addition to my shop.

I still have small bits of this wonderful minty green vintage fabric on her headpiece left and really love using it. The fabric on her body with the white background is also a vintage treasure, a Sandvika fabric, made in Norway.

 

Thank you to all the very kind friends who left me words of understanding and sympathy about my headaches. I am doing great this week with none! Happy days are here again!

Quilt night

Sorry for being gone for awhile! I have had days of headaches. I will spare you the painful details, but I thought I would share some eye candy with you today to make up for my absence! First a lovely late bloom from our back yard, and then I show you goodies from a recent quilting night.

Anne could see that I wanted this book when we were at the quilting meeting. She surprised me with it as a belated birthday gift.

I was really happy to have it as I had found Merete's talk and work most inspiring. 

It was a kick to meet her after reading her blog for many years.

She had suitcases full of her wonderful work. I have to say, seeing it in person was so much more satisfying than just seeing the photos on her blog. To fully appreciate textiles, it must be in person.

This little textile loveliness is my purchase that night at the quilting meeting. (Didn't I show enormous powers of self-restraint, just one fat quarter...?)

Aren't the colors fabulous?

Fabric strips to pouch

I bought 5 pounds of retro fabric strips. Am I crazy? A big box of cut up fabric...

It made me smile and I made this:

I decided I wanted to make a pouch.

I now have two new pouches in my shop!

Now what I am going to do with the other 4.5 odd pounds of strips???

A winner!

There are a few roses still coming out on my bushes in these late September days, but that isn't what this post is about...

And now the winner of the fabulous La Pomme give away!

With the assistance of the ever-helpful random number generator, the lucky number is: 12! Congratulations to Amanda, who seemed to fancy the pears. (I have been wondering what the winner would select.) You might want to drop by Amanda's blog, because she is as creative and inspiring as can be. Not only that but she is having a give away herself! Ooops, I shouldn't have mentioned it. I want to win it myself...

I am actually still feeling sorry for myself that I couln't enter my own give away, because I adore La Pomme's work. So I have been keeping busy working on the back of my quilt in progress. I realized that since it should be at least 4 inches bigger all around than the quilt front that I had to add some more to it.

It is coming along well, but today I discovered I didn't have any quilting thread so I have to run out to get some. I am already dreaming of finishing this off and starting another project of some sort.

I hope you are having a wonderfully creative day yourself.
 

Red, white and taupe

Why is it that a weathered park bench and fading roses look so pretty? I seem to be on color phase, please forgive me!

My dear friend Anne Katrine called me up the other night to see if she could come over and hang out! You bet! So she walked the few meters over to my place and we had a grand time chatting and working away on our projects. Just look at the dresden plates she is working on!

I just love being able to see her projects are they take shape. I have seen her sew these little peices together while we watch our children play at the playground. These rows of little squares are going to be surrounding the plates she told me.

A while back I was at Anne's house and she asked what color should be around the red and white plates. That was a good time too, trying to help her as she tried fabric after fabric from her stash, finally settling on these pretty French General taupy ones. This block above is finished and the other one is waiting to have the center sewn on.

Even the little tin holding her supplies is adorable, and perhaps a welcome break in my color themed post?

Anne seems to like this red and taupe color combination at the moment because she also showed me these socks which she purchased on her travels this summer. Having talented friends is so inspiring!

Thank you so much Melissa

The nicest goodies arrived in the mail! The incredibly gifted and kind Melissa sent these wonderful things to me. I had the supreme good fortune of winning her give away. Do you see the amazing peice of vintage lace she sent me? Oh, this brought a huge sigh of delight!

Melissa had already read this book so she offered it up for a give away. I am so pleased to be reading it.

Perhaps I should start to feel a bit guilty of winning so many give aways? The truth is I do feel a tad guilty about it, but I couldn't help but enter. Everything Melissa makes is delightful. She and I share a love of vintage textiles, especially embroidery. If you haven't already seen the baby shoes she makes then you are missing out. She salvages the most beautiful hand embroideries and gives them new life as shoes for wee tots.

This little pouch has such fine embroidery on it and was such a delightful surprise! Thank you Melissa for the amazing package!

You might be curious as to the little creatures peeking at the pretty things from Melissa? My grandmother made this baby quilt for my father, must be over 70 years old.

My grandmother gave it to my mom when we were children and mom passed it on to me when my first was born.

It has faded and is a bit frayed in places from use and love. How nice it is to think of my dear Grandma Louise, as we called her, sitting and hand stitching all those tiny stitches.

This pooch really is cute. I like how they broke up the pink, blue and green with some splashes of color on some of the embroidery. It would have been neat to know how the colors looked when new.

Wishing you a nice and hopefully creative weekend.

 

Shopping spree anyone?

I couldn't not take you to the fabric shops for a little look around!

Saturday morning the shops opened and we tried our best to make our way to the fabrics through the crowds.

I think I will just let you enjoy browsing around. I hope that you find something that catches your eye.

 

 

 

 

 
I loved this dress so much that I had to ask the shop keeper if I might take a photo of her. She made it herself. I so like the clever way she has recycled the vintage embroidery.

I hope you have had fun on this virtual shopping tour, it does tend to be easier on the pocketbook.
 

 

Ooooh, this was fun!

After a pleasant train jouney with my good friend and neighbor we arrived in Stokke. The view from our patio on Friday at Brunstad Conferanse Center, in Vestfold, Norway, between Stokke and Tønsberg. Our appartment overlooked some of the row house apartments of the complex.

We had a little time to settle in before heading up to our much anticipated class with the incredible Yoko Saito. Upon our arrival we found a delightful pack at each spot filled with gorgeous taupe fabrics, a photo of our project and the pattern. Most of us ripped into these goodies immediately and with much delight explored the many fabrics.

Here is Yoko Saito explaining that the three hour course is far too little time to start and complete the bag. That much I had gathered immediately upon seeing the photo of our project, and think it will likely take me weeks.

There were about 20 of us eager to learn any little quilting finesse we could. We took turns gathering around to soak up her knowledge. You can see how we squeezed in around her table, hovering over her, watching those lightening quick fingers as they demonstrated.

While the other half of the class was engrossed over Yokos magical hands, we were put to task: cut uneven strips of fabric from our lovely new stash. The pretty wooden tool was a gift from Yoko. It is a very handy Alex Andersen 4 in 1 tool. The facing end that you see in the photo is what you use to press the fabric instead of using an iron and board.

This is my first wonky log cabin block. We each made two during class, while the remainder of the time we were watching Yoko and learning. I don't think Yoko was impressed with our speed at hand sewing. After we had been stitching for a very short time she seemed to wonder if we were finished and then asked if we mostly used the sewing machine. That did seem to be the case for most everyone.

We learned we would only need 25 blocks to make the bag. When we are done with them we are to use turned edge appliqué to sew the blocks together in a haphazard fashion slightly larger then the pattern.

To arrange the blocks she told us to pin them in place onto the paper initially, when they are in the desired position we are then to pin the blocks to eacheother removing the pins from the paper.

She showed us what to wear on our fingers to protect our fingers and make it easier to push the needle through the layers.

The metal gear on her left thumb is a thread cutter. That really must make it quicker than locating the pair of scissors to cut the thread. I think I might get one of these. I must say the speed of her tiny perfect stiches was quite phenomenal.

I think this will take some practice.

 

Yoko and her assistant also went around the room checking to see what needle size we were using. I didn't have the correct size at all, mine were far too big! She suggests size 12 for sewing the fabrics together. This is a petit needle with a very small eye. If you look on the table you can just see her orange plastic needle threader. This might also be a good investment. I am sure that in another decade or two I will be thinking these clip on magnifying glasses will be just the thing too.

Yoko must have the worlds most extensive collection of quilted items. This seemed to be her sewing bag.

Here Yoko illustrates how we to baste the bag before quilting. I am now thinking this will take months not weeks.

Here we learn how to put the parts of the bag together. Meanwhile the translator is having trouble remembering that she is supposed to speak Norwgian to us, not Japanese. It is comical and we all get a bit confused.

The straps you slide inside here like this. I adore the lining fabric she used with the leaves and berries.

I thought you might enjoy a few close ups of Yoko's bag.

The handles are so pretty with the cotton trim.

I really hope I remember all that I learned.

When I arrived home my family met me half way, dear husband helped me with my luggage. I don't think I have ever seen my daughter any happier. She was like a little puppy, bouncing around me and nearly knocking me over with all her hugs and kisses. It was nice to be missed. There is way more to tell, but I will have to wait for another day. For now here is the progress on tmy bag:

12 squares are done, 1 more nearly completed, leaving me with 12 left to go.

I hope you too have had a most satisfying weekend? 
 

 

Treats

These springtime-fresh and dainty blossoms appealed to me on another blustery cold day in Norway.

The children keep asking what it will look like when all of the tulip bulbs they planted last fall come into bloom. Then I talked to mom yesterday and she tells me of looking at her hellibore and how it is growing and doing well. Mine is so very well covered with a thick layer of snow, but will be a most welcome sight when the time comes.

Another treat came in the mail to brighten my day even more. Isn't it wonderful how little gifts can appear when you need them most? This prettily quilled card really brightened my day! Simone sent me this card, above, and the button bookmark pictured below.

Simone, thank you so much! Blogging is incredible. Simone won my last giveaway and she wrote me the card telling me what a thrill it was to win, especially since it was the first time. How delightful it was that she would take the time to let me know and thereby spreading even more joy, because that really made me happy to know how much she appreciated it. Maybe you would like to see a bit of the Japanese book, Story Quilt? You can find it here on Amazon.co.jp with ISBN 4391133318 or 9784391133318.

I have never seen anything quite like these small appliquèd stories.

The author imagines children in every imaginable type of play, sometimes simply and other times with painstaking details.

I adore this little scene. I like how she has kept the faces so simple, but uses so many textures in her fabric selections.

There aren't detailed instructions for each figure, but she does step by step instructions for a couple of her figures.

The book seems like it will be a great source of inspiration. I hope this was a little treat for you?

We have a wonderful week now ahead of us. My two little cherubs have winter vacation and my husband is going to have a couple of days off to enjoy it with us! We certainly have a winter wonderland to ice skate, sled and ski in!

 

 

Flown in

At our house we daily revel in the antics of the birds who come to our feeders right outside our kitchen window. We have a couple of bird books at hand to identify new birds that we aren't familliar with.

I have been wanting to make some bags with birds and now they are made. I finally found a good enough reason to cut into the gorgeous Japanese fabrics I had been saving for a special project. The teal and pink fabrics have the most wonderful linen like texture on the yarn dyed and woven fabric.

These bags are all in my shop. I will have to get busy because my son wants one and so does my daughter. They will be quite handy for storage of their small treasures, like marbles, toys, or things we might find on a walk.

Poking around

Now that it is warmer outside I hoped you might enjoy a trip out with me?

We can take the tram to a delightful shop called Purpur.

I love how these have handknit trim on the hood and sleeves.

I could spend the day here.

Are you tired after poking around? Perhaps it is time to sit down. The turquise bench was once a church pew and will be perfect. The patchwork pillow on it is so pretty, and I would so like to make some similar for my sofa.

Thank you so much for coming along and I hope that you will enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Messes here, there and ahem, everywhere

At the moment I have too many projects dancing around my head and unfortunately also cluttering up the house.

In the playroom is the quilt I am working on. There I am piecing together the quilt back. In our little office where I sit and type my posts I have hobby books and magazines covering up the desk and on top of these are items to list in my shop as well as a hand sewing project I am in the middle of. The living room is littered with more magazines and books (all craft related), then again there are several hand sewing projects strewn about, not to mention the threads, flosses, needlebooks and scissors that are from current and previous projects but not yet put away. Well, I could go on, but you get the gist of it. Luckily my husband is not one to complain about my crafty/messy ways.

Here is one of the things I am working on. Just small rectangles of fabrics in shades of pink, stitched on with running stitches.

Your houses are all probably neat as a pin?

Taupe potholders ready for action

Thank you all for your warm wishes for a quick recovery from the tummy bug. Everyone is now happily well again. Thanks so much too for all the birthday greetings! What fun it is to read your comments daily and be in touch with so many kind hearted and talented people. Your generosity in your encouragement is touching and I must say enormously motivating for me.

The bright sunshine yesterday made the snow sparkle with near blinding beauty.  There is little warmth in the sun here now, but it gave us hope of warmer days ahead and the promise of melting the snows here soon. Today though we had a big storm, with big winds and snow flying. I had some time to finish up the potholders I started here.

They aren't very big but are completely hand sewn. It was the perfect small project to do while lounging around with the family on the weekend. I would surely recommend this as an initial project for anyone wanting to try hand sewing and quilting.

It would be nice to make more in bright colors too. Funny, right after finishing these this weekend was when I grabbed the brights to make the quilt. I seem to crave both, the taupes and the brights.

Working on a quilt

My beloved pincushions from my dear blogging friends are helping me in my latest projcet. The square log cabin pincushion is from Mette and the mushroom is from Kristin. I think the presence of these gifts from such experienced and talented quilters in my sewing room is giving me courage to attempt this.

I didn't plan on it. My tummy was still growling and uncomfortable, but somehow I found myself picking out fabrics, sewing them together and making a quilt. The bright colors seemed to offer comfort and distraction. I looked into a box I've stored of charm packs, I found 3 that seemed to work together: Erin McMorris, Kaffe Fassett and a third which I don't recall.

Each part of it is so pleasurable: selecting the fabrics, arranging them, the repitition of the sewing and ironing, all the while being completely engrossed.

The best part though was when my kids came home after a Sunday matine with daddy. When they saw the quilt top all laid out on the floor just like this their eyes lit up and they exclaimed and oohhhed and ahhhed. I couldn't have been happier.

Now, as you can see I have to sew the white strips on the ends, figure out a backside and then even tougher, how to quilt it. I haven't ever made anything this big and it isn't even very large, crib size, it says on the cottong batting (60"x46"). That makes me laugh, because it seems huge to me! I think it will make a good lap quilt for the children. I rearranged the squares until my head was dizzy, and I still see some annoying repeats, but well, hopefully my eye will improve with practice.

Right now I am a little nervous about the how to make a quilt back exaclty the right size. It is just a tad bigger than my usual matryoshka dolls and a bit bigger than my comfort zone of the familiar. Just don't put any pressure on me for a deadline for being finished...

Birthday Roses, a bug, and a small project

These beautiful pink roses were from my husband yesterday on my birthday. I had a lovely day except for getting a tummy bug.

My 9 year old son who also got the tummy bug in the middle of the night last night got to stay home from school today. He has improved as the day has gone by and borrowed the grown-up camera and took the above perfect shot of my birthday bouquet. That is the nice thing about tummy bugs, they can be quite intense but generally pass quickly.

This morning while my husband slept until nearly noon (yes, he got the birthday tummy trouble too and stayed home from work.) the children and I spent a bit of time going through fabric for a little tiny project I am going to do. My son took this photo too of me looking trough some treasured Japanese fabrics.

These are the two Japanese fabrics I chose for the 9-patch squares I am going to be hand sewing together. This is a very small project I am doing, from the Yoko Saito book, which I believe is called Square and Triangle.

By the way, if you ever want to preview or purchase Japanese books and magazines online I often use ebay. Many of the sellers scan a good portion of the book onto the site to give you a good idea of what you will get. I go to ebay.com, then I do a search for Japanese crafting magazine, Yoko Saito, Japanese quilting book, etc. You should get up a number of results and then when you click on one that looks interesting, give the page time to download and you can browse to your heart's content. Here is a good peek into the Square and Triangle book!

And here I am sewing according to Yoko Saito's instructions. Using a water soluable pen I traced a paper square onto fabrics that I cut out leaving a .7 seam allowance around the blue marks. Then I sewed two squares together on one end. The stitches should start beyond the blue line. You can just see my knot on the outside of the blue lines. I did a running stitch all the way across. It goes pretty quickly.

As you can see I have sewn three rows of 3 squares together and have finger pressed the seams in alternating directions.

 

Yoko recommends pinning the pieces together as I have done here. Can you tell I am having a ton on fun?

Now I have ironed the 9 patch, cut out two layers of cotton flannel, several cm larger than the 9-patch. I cut the bottom layer of fabric the same size as the flannel. I have once again used the water soluable pen to mark where I will be doing my quilting stitches. Now I am ready to baste the sections together.

I look forward to working on this over the weekend. Perhaps you have some nice project to work on this weekend too? Wishing you a lovely one!

Inspired...

I met up with three sewing friends this past Saturday with great anticipation as we were going to the annual quilting meeting for Norwegian quilters. Last year's event was amazing so I had high hopes for what this year's would offer.

There was a nice variety of quilts from traditional to a bit more uncommon.

If there hadn't been quilted signs posted everywhere you looked I think this one would have had a few squeezes.

This beauty won a prize and was one of my favorites with its warm and vibrant colors.

I would love to try something like this one. The hand stitches make it so special. After pouring over each and every quilt we were super motivated to make something ourselves so we needed to shop for fabric from the many fabric shop vendors from all over Norway.

I didn't have any particular plan when I bought from this shop and that shop, but when I took them home I found I had selected many that went together so prettily.

I had a hard time deciding the colors to buy in these luxuriously textured cottons, but eventually settled on these fresh spring-like colors. I have never seen any like these before, they have such a nice weave, sheen and soft feel. The fabric reveals nothing as to who has produced these and I am hoping maybe someone can tell me in case I need more?

I am just ga-ga about the Japanse Daiwabo fabric in the middle with the sweet berry-laden circular branches. My dear friend who I was riding home with was so patient with me, as I am the slowest shopper ever! I think she had already been to every shop when I was only half way through.

From Mai in Japan

Last week I sent off a package to a sweet person I have been getting acquainted with via blogging. It's funny, I have more time for blogging friends then friends I actually get to meet in the flesh. It is easier to grab a few minutes here and there on the computer than setting off several hours to meet up.  Well, I don't recall how I first found Mai's blog and Etsy shop but since the happy discovery I visit her shop daily as she is continally adding something new and charming to it.

What pretty colors she uses and such delicate embroidery.

She sews everything entirely by hand.

I couldn't stop taking photos of everything she sent me... there were just so many delightful little details to appreciate!

Even her packing material was unique and wonderful! She is both environmental and thrifty using several layers of pretty newspapers instead of an envelope.

Everything she sent was wrapped individualy in cellophane bags and decorated with her original cut outs... these bunnies holding hands are the sweetest!

You can just imagine my exclaims of delight on finding all of these beautiful Japanese fabrics and lace in one of the cellophane bags.

And more... It was a treat for the senses, to feel the different and unusual fabrics and enjoy the sight of the  pretty patterns and designs.

This one has the look of Liberty lawn, with the detailed design and ever so fine fabric, but I think it must be a Japanse fabric and I just love it.

Mai's fingers are most dexterous, these tiny oragami were such joy for my children! There were even more goodies in the package, some Japanese green tea, many more paper decorations and even some gorgeous Japanese silks! Mai how can I begin to thank you for your thoughtfulness? I am already using the bag for a knitting project and the fabric I will look at often until I decide what to make with it. Thank you so very much Mai!

Since Mai said she fancies Scandinavian knitting I made her a pair of mittens.

 

You can see the other goodies I sent to Mai on her blog.

 

 

Winter snow drives crafter inside...

Outdoors it is completly white, all day long. Snow and more snow... I don't have cabin fever but sewing fever. I am perfectly happy to be snowed in! A surprise was in the mail for me recently which gave me even more reason to want to sew. Jan sent me a card and a piece of this sweet bunny fabric. Thank so so very much for this fabric lover's treat!

The little bunnies looks so bouncy and jolly hopping amongst the blossoms that it makes me dream of spring.

I am going to use a bit of the bunnies on this WIP (Work in Progress). I am trying to get over my fabric hoarding ways and stop saving everything really special for later. I think the bunnies are going to go nicely with the hens. I haven't worked on this too much because I have been working on a few dolls.

 

I created Anna Margrethe and Fabel with some of my new supplies.

I gave Fabel's heart on her backside some extra attention just for fun.

Bright colors are marvelously fun to work with this time of year to counterbalance the somber and chilly landscape here. We are fast approaching hip deep snow in our neck of the woods so the kids are spending extra time outdoors.

 

So there seems to be a never ending demand for more mittens and these felted ones are thier favorites and mine. They are so quick to knit, are so easy to put on, due to the folded cuff and keep the small fingers warm. Hopefully I will show you the finished pair soon. I think I am stuck on this color combo right now though because look at what Lilly and I selected for some new felted mittens for her!!

I attacked my thrifted Norwegian sweater

We were off line for nearly two days. I nearly went mad! It was probably good for me, but it is frustrating when you have things to do! I got a few sewing projects done instead. Remeber I showed you my pile of Norwegian hand made sweaters I had thrifted awhile ago?

Well one of them had numerous challenges: missing buttons, holes in the sleeve, a wrist coming apart at the seams, and a neck that was no longer staying sewn down.

I repaired the various holes and seams and then took off all but one button. I then dug into my stash of vintage pewter buttons and found mismatching buttons of the right size.

The sweater is so warm and cozy with a perfect fit. I have always wanted a sweater with mismatched buttons and now I have one of my very own! It is definitely sweater weather as it has gotten bitterly cold lately.

My little one having a picnic in the woods with daddy and big brother the other day. As you can see, we are still desprately in need of snow!

These little babies in a basket were barely in my shop before someone had taken pity on them and offered them a loving home! Thank you!

And these little ones are my latest creations!

 

I hope that I can find them a good home soon. They are snug in thier little quilts made from Japanese Lecien cotton fabrics which are my favorite at the moment.

Sewing with mother

Big boy has left for school, I am tidying up after breakfast in the kitchen. I am not really sure yet what we'll do that day. We really should do some shopping this morning and maybe go for a walk to get some fresh air and excercise. Little one comes in to me with plans of her own and she knows I am pretty easy in this department. "Mummie, I need more baby quilts, please can we make some."

Well, we didn't get to more than one, but since she has now taken nearly every dishtowel in the house to use as her baby blankets I thought she was saying pretty clearly that the 5 or so real quilts that she has aren't enough!

Off to the sewing room we went and she selected the fabrics. A short time later she was very pleased.

 

It is fairly crude and rough but it will keep her babies warm and cozy. I do so enjoy it that Lilly loves to sew with me. I hope that I can have a similar lovely relationship with her as I do with my own mother in that we will always be able to knit and sew or do other crafts together.

Mom sent this cute outfit for Lilly's doll the other day.

The fabrics had such a lovely rough feel and sturdiness to them. She was really pleased and had me help her to dress her doll.

I know that my mother made the pretty flannel jacket but I am not sure if she or someone else made the other clothes. Thank you so very much Mom!

A chill in the air means it is time for quilts!

Air with a bit of fall chill has come to Norway but it didn't stop Lilly and me from taking an early morning walk to the beach.

It takes me about 30 minutes to roll her stroller down and I was not a bit surprised that we had the beach all to ourselves. My little one took a quick dip in the icy water and then huddled in a blanket.

Meanwhile I have been working hard on a doll quilt swap and July's Take it Further Challenge (OK, I know I am late again!) I thought if I were clever and combined the two into one project then I would finish on time, but with Mom's visit, etc. I just recently finished.

I am happy with how the label for the back turned out. Here it is before I sewed it on. To make it I sewed two pieces of fabric together right sides facing. Then I cut a small hole in the back, turned it right side out. I sewed the fussy-cut fabric flowers on to cover up the hole so it wouldn't show through the light colored fabric. The Pigma Micron pen was recommended to me by the amazing doll making artist, Mimi and the incredibly inspiring quilter, Marisa. I loved how I could write with such precision on the label.

Having finished with lettering and decorating the label, I blind stitched it to the back of the quilt.

 

The quilt back, hand stitched binding, and the flower cut outs are Chez Moi fabrics by Moda.

The front I made using Heather Bailey's Freshcut fabrics. The Take it Further Challenge for July asked us "What is it to be at the half way mark?" I made long strips of the quilt to represent what is past.

The flower appliqués depict the half way mark.

The future is less clear - represented by the small blocks of fabrics. I do hope the recipient will love it. I think I need to make Lilly some more doll quilts. A girl can never have too many can she? Besides now that it is getting colder we don't want her little dolls to freeze do we?

P.S. I plan on doing a major shop update starting tonight if all goes well.

Lilly goes to a party

Yesterday Lilly and I were off to a birthday party! The first dress wasn't quite right... Hand made by mom but a bit plain...

 

The next dress was more to her liking...

My mother made this frilly dress for my little one! The sweet cherry print fabric is from LakeHouse Drygoods.

 

The bag Lilly is holding is a little gift bag for the birthday girl.

Josefine, clearly knowegable about quilts due to early exposure of her mother's hobby, examined her gift quite closely with obvious appreciation. If you have been following my blog for awhile you might have noticed that I made a similar doll quilt for Lilly. At that time, I made extra blocks on purpose so that I would have enough for a second quilt.

For the label on the back I cut out a heart, hand embroidered it, and then needle turned and stitched the appliqué onto the back of the quilt.

Josefine's mother, my dear friend Anne Katrine, seemed pleased with the little gift I gave her too. These are some Japanese Quilt Gate fabrics which I bought on ebay.

This weekend is HOT! I am working on some new things and am excited to show you soon! Hope you are having a great weekend too.

More Japanese crafting madness!

Before I treat you to a peek of my favorite pages from another Japanese crafting magazine here are a few summer photos of my children for my Mom who is getting ready for her trip to visit us, for my dear brother who never fails to make me laugh at his sharp wit and who has a birthday today, and for my dad whom I know wishes to see his grandchildren more often if only they weren't so far away!

Isn't she is bright eyed and bushy tailed? She loves trying out new funny faces.

Blueberry picking is high up on the kid's lists of fun summertime activities. Big brother really loves it.

Discoveries abound this time of year. He would really love a pet but due to allergies most things are out. Maybe a moth?

I don't need a pet but I can't get enough Japanese craft books. This Cotton Time No. 76 is the first of two I will show you from my swap from Jan (Thank you again!).

The simple, country feel appeals to me. The little bunny is so dear.

Always fun to see a fresh version of a bag or pincushion.

Love the idea of the patchwork floor mat.

I want to make a needle case like the one in the right hand corner with a place for my scissors.

I adore everything on this page! I have more photos from this magazine on Flickr.

I wanted to thank Jo, Kay, and Nathalie for being so kind as to let me know that my mama and baby were featured on Etsy's Front Page today!

Haldis, on the right, is my newest addition to my shop. Some of these Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabrics were a kind gift from my good friend Anne Katrine. We are always sharing fabrics with eachother!

Let's keep it Japanese this week!

My shop is now full of matryoshkas! Nanna is waiting for someone to fall for her...

Her backside is decorated with two hand appliquéd hearts.

After getting the lovely package from Jan in Japan I am more excited than ever about Japanese sewing, quilting, crafts, fabrics, etc. Jan sent me two new Japanese craft magazines and I will be sharing them with you as soon as I have a chance to take some photos of them. I have already photographed this book, a recent ebay purchase.

The entire book is beautifully photographed and Meg kindly included a pretty silk strap for my camera with the book!

Aren't these beautiful with the blues paired with the brown?

I would really love to make some of these flowers...

The bag on the far right in pink in red I think is so stunning. I really love this simple design which shows off the fabric so beautifully.

I am so impressed with the range of this book, from very bright and bold, to this page that is delightful with the airy, see-through fabrics.

Finally some darks to really round things out. I am thinking about making table runners or potholders with some fabrics like these as Christmas gifts. (My brother figured out his birthday gift this year from reading my blog. Rats! I didn't think he really noticed the crafty items, just his little niece and nephew!) So I will have to be more careful!

The book gave me the incentive to finish the vintage kimono silk appliqué drawstring bag I had started this past winter.

These dragonfly fat quarters are a recent Japanese fabric purchase and I am eager to put them to good use!

I hope that you enjoy Japanese inspiration as much as I do because I will be showing more again soon! If you wish to purchase on amazon in Japan here is the link. I haven't done so yet but am thinking about it. The initial postage cost is quite a bit but then you just pay a small additional fee per book so the more you order the more you save, right?!

To explore the books and magazines on Amazon Japan without knowing the language isn't too difficult. Here is a good item to start with. To see other books like it you can scroll down the page and you get a whole list of books which by clicking on them can take you to yet another list. I can highly recommend Crafting Japanese as a resource to explore Japanese crafting books and magazines. At the top of each post is the ISBN number which you can use to search on Amazon if you should want to order it.

Finally here is the Flickr Crafting Japanese site where you can browse through thousands of images from Japanese crafting books as well as hand made items.

Arte y Pico

I was recently presented with this award, Arte y Pico, by the very sweet Anja. Thank you so much Anja for bestowing this on me! Anja's writes that the award is for creativity, originality, and overall contribution to the blogging community. Wow, this is really nice to hear that you think that about my blog.



Now for the extremely difficult part, to select just 5 bloggers to give the award to. I can't, I really couldn't pick! There are SO many I love! I know, I have to follow the rules... Hemming and hawing... Here are 5 really outstanding and incredibly inspiring bloggers:

1. Alex of Moonstitches
2. Marisa of Quilt Otaku
3.Mimi of Doll
4. Erin of House on hill road
5. Elvis of Lovely textiles

Here are the rules for the Fabulous Five I have selected:
1) Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.
2) Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog by so everyone can view it.
3) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
4) The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the “Arte y pico“blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) Please post these rules.

I am late (as usual) in finishing my Take it Further contribution for last month. This month's palete was ideal for me! I suppose the more somber colors are a nice change of pace from the brights I use so much (and love) on my dolls.

Here is mine still in progress for June:

And a bit more of it:

I was greatly inspired by Yoko Saito.  I am a complete beginner at this though but it is great fun!

Squirrel quilt and other news

I promised you the squirrel quilt...

Mom's great grandmother Crego made it. 

It appears to be a summer bedspread because it is just one layer. Mom isn't sure if that was the intention or if perhaps it was just never made into a proper quilt. It is beautiful in any case and barely used at all.

 

Each of these quilts in my mother's possession are such treasures! It is so wonderful to be able to share them here with other's who appreciate the incredible time and effort put into making them. 

 

Etsy was once again an easy place for me to get some new supplies, this time baker's twine in 4 colors from nicabee. 

 

I made a skirt for Lilly from the curtain fabric I picked up awhile ago. She has only worn it once so far, under another dress. She is really into the layered look these days... and it wouldn't have photographed well.

I have also been sewing up a storm and there are a few new dolls in the shop today and more on the way soon. I just loved carrying my babies around in a sling, mei tai, or wrap. Ever since I began making dolls a few months ago I have been wanting to make some baby carrying mamas. For these I have cut into some of my US fabric purchases of Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett and Martha Negly fabrics. The slings are sewn into the mamas (ouch!) and the babies are nestled in quite snugly, but they can also be taken out and played with!

I hope that your weekend was really good! I am looking forward to another week of lovely Norwegian summer and mom is coming to visit us in 2 weeks!

Rainy weekend = SEWING!

(Don't forget to enter my give away if you haven't already!)

I wasn't sad to see the rain this weekend, quite the opposite! How lovely to get some of it when it has been so hot and dry, and it gives me all the more reason to stay inside and sew.

I showed you the Take it Further embroidery on linen a few weeks ago and now it has become a book bag. The heavy and rather textured linen was some I found at a flea market awhile back. I think it was previously a curtain.

This fabric from my stash was ideal for the lining.

Speaking of embroidery, here are some linen embroidery flosses that I added to my collection awhile back thanks to ebay.

The paisley embroidery I had done was with cotton floss. Now I am eager to try linen and wonder if it will be different to work with... isn't it gorgeous?

Now, this is something I have been meaning to show you: the lovely decoration on the top of Lilly's present from Josefine on her birthday. Anne Katrine made it and I just love it. I will show you the gift soon too because it was also handmade!

And here is my girl playing in a cardboard box this weekend, her indoor activity during the rainy spell. The quilt is one I made and so is the little knitted bunny.

Surprise!!!

Hope that you had a great weekend too. I have so much more to share, so I will post again soon!

 

Miss Myrtle has arrived and is greatly Loved!

What a happy day it was to receive "Miss Myrtle" from Annie for the doll swap!

Her attention to the fine details shined through everything she did. The handmade tag was decorated with this lovely brooch. The doll was so thoughtfully wrapped, not in paper but in fabric! How perfectly delightful!

Lilly here, seconds after opening the doll, examining her from top to toe.

Miss Myrtle came with a little satchel and the sweetest, tiniest books made by Annie's daughters.

Her dress is so clever with snaps at the neck. I think with a bit of practice Lilly will manage to dress her herself.

See what I mean when I said Annie has done such lovely details on Miss Myrtle? I just love her little felt heart with the pretty stitches.

Annie, you were so clever and having this little handmade sweetheart really makes me smile.

I can't show you the doll for Annie yet, because I just mailed it off today! Instead, you can see some dolls I am working on for my shop and for an order for Mosey Handmade.

I had to tell you too that the hexagon quilt that I showed you was likely made from flour sacks. I spoke with mom this weekend and she reminded me about some of the quilt's details. The other thing is that the blues weren't made from indigo dyes.

I did a bit of window shopping today after a trip to the dentist. I really wanted to capture these wonderful seagulls to show you. (No cavities! Just some repair work.) Now I need to dash off to wrap up some orders and stuff some dolls.

Hexagons, past and present

When visiting home in March Mom and I photographed this family heirloom:

This was made by my Grandmother Louise's grandmother.

It is very old, and both sides are quite faded except for a few very well preserved hexagons made with fade resistant dyes: indigo.

This quilt is so special!

This is the note that my Grandmother Louise lovingly pinned to the quilt so that its history wouldn't be forgotten.

You can understand how this quilt has inspired me to get started with hexagons myself! I purchased these English paper pieces at Katrine's and found it so quick and easy to do. Please forgive me that I have become a bit stuck on red, white and pink lately...

(If you should care to see the first in this Quilts From Home series then click here.)

Today's lovely things

These potholders were among the gifts for my dear mother on her birthday the other day. Blue is one of her favorite colors and I was just smitten by this color combination. I really enjoyed doing the free-hand machine quilting.

Mona's colors reminded me so much of the colors in my mom's gift! She has joined Siv, Ada, Yvonne, and Ruth in my shop this evening! (Ruth is already spoken for.)

These aren't by me... but are vintage finds. Someone had a lovely stash of beautiful napkins and now they are mine!

Maybe someday I will have time to make such an embroidery. There are some worn spots but it is still so beautiful!

My contribution to the doll swap is finished and here is a linen gift bag similar to the one I have used. I can't give away the surprise before I have even sent it off!

Weekend with Great Grandmother and some crafty stuff too

I worked a bit on the backside of a little quilt I am making
 
while visiting my children's father's father's mother or Great Grandmother.


This is the breathtaking view from her home.


The flower gardens surrounding the entire house parallel the view.


The 150 types of roses in her garden haven't come into bloom yet but there were many other types of flowers to enjoy.


My son loves adventure and his Great Grandmother obliged him by giving him a boost up onto the roof!


We all took a walk on a nearby deserted beach.


My son in a rare moment of stillness.


Back to climbing things again...


Frida is embroidered, painted and sewn up and now slumbering peacefully in my shop waiting for a new home.


I really love doing appliqué, so her backside has a heart!

I hope that you have all had a lovely weekend. Thank you all who sent such warm messages wishing us better health on my last post! I so appreciate your kindness.

A fabric buying excursion and more fabric gifts!

The children are all tucked in and asleep for the night and it is only a little past 7 pm. I am sitting here looking back on a lovely day. Anne and I took our girls for an excursion out to Bærumsverk.


It is not far from Oslo but you really feel like you are in the country.

Our girls both enjoyed the swings in the playground in the woods.

Then it was time for the mothers to have some fun! We visited Lappe Makeriet, a small but lovely quilting shop. WARNING: if you tend to have problems with fabric envy please abort this post. The contents of the remainder of this post is graphic and loaded with beautiful fabrics. Proceed at your own risk.

 

This gorgeous bag was hanging outside.

Aren't these sweet fabrics? They are a few of the very small pieces I took home with me.

I seem to be under the influence of Japanese fabrics and crafting these days, with their subtle colors as these fabrics really called out for me to take them home, so I did...

This is my work in progress for today though and it is anything but subdued... Red, white and pink - sugar coated and sweet! There are even multiple squares of Liberty of London in there. I have been busy cutting out these pretty little squares. Some were cut out from the most delightful gift from Kristine who has her own on-line children's clothing shop. She designs the clothes and gets to play with gorgeous fabrics all day!

Can you believe that she was so kind as to send me a package of Liberty of London fabrics? I couldn't resist photographing a few of my favorites...

Oooooh...

Gasp!

I love this top from Kristin's shop made up in this fabic. Thank you so much Kristine for the Liberty inspiration!

The night is still young so I am going to get sewing!

Quilts from home, as promised

I try to keep my promises but can sometimes be a bit slow about it! Today please feast your eyes on a few of the beautiful family textile heirlooms from my mother's collection...

You had a look at this one the other day and I wanted to tell a bit about it. The quilts are very special as each one was made by hand by someone in the family on either my mother or father's side of the family. They are such tangible links to my female anscestors. Imagine that they sat for hours on end together and alone stitching the thousands of stitches to make up the quilts. Many of the fabrics were likely first used as their clothes so these quilts are so very personal.

This quilt, known by many names, like sawtooth or delectable mounts was likely made with new fabrics, and is from the Crego side of my mother's family. There are brown spots on the quilt that I didn't really capture in the photos which mom tells me are from the iron mordent that was put on the fabric before the dye. It was a process in use in the early 20th century. This quilt was done with a high level of skill as it is intricate and extremely well-done. However, it has many rather tattered spots.

The T-quilt is quite old, also from my mother's side, by my mother's grandmother's mother's mother. My grandmother chose to inherit this quilt when my mother was an adult.

 

I am fascinated by how these quilts wear and age. This one T is completely gone whereas some other's appear to be in perfect condition. Fabrics are certainly not all made alike. The T-quilt is also faded on one whole side. Mom wonders if someone started it at one time, put it aside and later finished it later with more light fast blocks.

This quilt isn't finely quilted, more of a utilitarian quilt made with used fabrics. Mom is pointing out the stitches which as you can see aren't completely uniform or anything fancy.

I fell completely for the fabrics on this quilt and photographed quite a number of them. I won't show them all as it might be a bit much...

My mother's grandfather's mother made this beauty of a quilt. There were originally red flowers in the blocks, but when Aunt Miriam was getting married her mother redid it for her with pink flowers because Aunt Miriam had red hair and her mother thought the red hair wouldn't go with the red flowers. I stained it when I was a child. Guess what? It is mine! Mom gave it to me! I adore this quilt!

There are still more quilts, but I am out of time - Anne Katrine is coming any minute for a visit! I will be sewing or knitting while we chat but poor Anne Katrine has been in a cast for quite a few weeks now and hasn't been able to do any kind of handwork. I have been lending her crafting magazines I had brought back from the US so she can fill up on inspiration for when her cast comes off.

Dolls and more dolls!

I hope that you have had a nice weekend. I did! I am happy to show you a few things I have been working on this weekend.

A few lovely snippets of scraps... means I have been busy in my sewing room.

I wonder how people will like this new organic foliage style matryoshka? You can see I haven't painted their faces yet. That is the most demanding part of making the dolls, that and stuffing them. I stuff them so full that it takes a bit of pressing and squeezing and an unbelievable amount of poly-fil. 

I am on a search for some very fine textile pens. I FOUND A LINK WITH INFO ABOUT PENS AND PENCILS FOR DOLL FACES! I draw things much easier than I paint, but the textile pens I have found so far are far too thick to work for the details of the faces. If anyone could tell me where to find fine-tipped textile pens I would be so grateful.

I am really crazy about this blue bird fabric.

I am still on the matryoshka theme, but this time I have made a little hanging quilt.

It was wonderful fun to make!

Here is a little sleeping beauty in the process of being done up.

 

May Quilting Night

Kathrine's Quiltestue (Katrine's quiltshop) brought nearly her entire shop with her to tempt us with fabric goodies during the meeting.

The quilts on the tables are also from Kathrine's.

These fabric bundles are almost too pretty to use!

I had to use enormous powers of self-restraint not to buy out her shop. I did buy a bag of hexagon papers for paper piecing. I can't wait to try them out.

Kathrine herself at the till in a pretty flowered apron.

The featured speakers for the evening,  Rie Norum and Hilde Aanerud Krogh the recent authors of: Quilteglede and Quilt Shack: Over 30 Charming Patchwork and Aplpique Designs,  had brought along more than a dozen quilts to show us. Everyone fell for this one with the pink sequins. I know Lilly would love it but each and every one of these was sewn on by hand!

I loved how they used shades of gra y fabric with the brights.

Along with the sequins, they also frequently used ribbons, trims, and buttons to add interest to their pieces.

They did will getting a vintage feel on many of their quilts.

Weren't these sweet purses? I could see them with babushkas.

I love the simplicity of this runner with the countless hand stitches going in different directions.

After their talk the speakers kindly signed their books. You can see the entire place was covered in quilts. It was so lovely, not to mention inspiring!

One very busy quilting member had a large box filled with these lovely small blocks. No two rectangles was from the same fabric.

I was fascinated to learn that instead of paper to do the traditional paper piecing she uses photo printer paper. It was opaque and more stiff than paper. I took a shot of her holding one so I would remember and could share this little tip.

We did a bit of window shopping on our walk up the street to the bus stop.

As I said in yesterday's post it was truly a day of beauty, with the anemones in the woods, the children playing under the warm sun, the array of quilts and fabrics at the meeting, and then the lovely windows to gaze in on the walk home. My hunger for eye candy is momentarily satiated.

A delightful day of beauty

Spring is in full march everywhere you look. On the way to do a bit of grocery shopping yesterday morning I took a few pictures of the anemones covering the ground in the woods.

Our area seems to mainly have the white variety but there are also some exquisite blue/pink types as well.

I find these flowers quite enchanting.

The weather is fairly enchanting as well, with warm, long, sun-filled days. Lilly has been making cakes in the sandbox.

Yes, and she takes after her big brother in her love of going barefooted! She adores wearing the pants from Natasha that I mentioned earlier.

After a two hour nap (I slept too - I have a lot of sleep to catch up on!) Lilly and I were ready for more fun outside and now Sebastian was home from school to join us. The excitement on this afternoon was finding ladybugs. It was a full day for me because Anne Katrine and I went out last night to the quilting meeting! Here is a preview: drop by tomorrow for more.

A few of the handmade gifts I delivered on our trip

My body still thinks we should be on American time but my life is supposed to be on Norwegian time. So after several nights now of about 5 hours of slumber I tried to keep things simple today, and can triumphantly report that I only broke two plates.  The fatigue makes my fingers a bit slippery it seems. Please don't misunderstand, I am not the type to have fits of rage and throw plates, I just get a bit clumsy when tired. It runs in the family. Really, breaking a couple of plates isn't such a terrible thing. It beats slicing into my finger while cutting vegetables or some other personal injury which also becomes likely with fatigue. The only other thing that is a problem is that I might not make a lot of sense here today!

This is what our backyard looked like when we got back from vacation. Some flowers seem to have migrated from their beds to the lawn. I think they actually qualify as weeds but they look so lovely when they are all properly in their beds.

I made these linen dishtowels that you can barely see underneath the pretty dishtowels I crocheted for someone nice.

All wrapped up!

I like the red white and blue combo too.

I have been meaning to show you a few more thrifty fabric finds from April's haul. This blue and yellow heavier weight fabric is so stunning and I am considering what to make from it. Maybe a tote bag. I would love it if you have any good suggestions for me.

Lilly and I are both crazy about the strawberry fabric!

Here is a preview of the lovely family quilts that I am going to put on display for you. My mother has such a fondness for textiles and she has inherited some quilted treasures from her family and my father's family. On my visit home mom and I took out her entire quilt collection and I photographed and took notes on each one while mom told me all she knew about the age, owner, fabrics, design, etc. It was such a nice time to spend together which I think we both loved.

Houses!

Anne Katrine bought the most beautiful book at the Norwegian Quilting Anniversary. She let me photograph it so that I could share it with you.

Mette has been making some houses too!

Quilt show continued...Part II

I hadn't intended for so much time to go by before showing more from the quilt show. I guess I have gotten a bit busy lately. My husband has been sick with a sore throat and hasn't been able to help me as much as he usually does with meals, shopping, children, etc. He usually does a great deal so I really notice it when he isn't able to. Anyway, on with the tour of the quilt show!

The shops were packed with the prettiest fabrics, notions, and a great number of quilts to inspire us to BUY.

I have some of this Moda fabric, Shangri la.

These purses really caught my eye.

I really love this small quilt with the subtle colors.

This green one was so vibrant and beautiful.

This would be wonderful to use.

This quilt is really special. It depicts the colorful Norwegian traditional peoples, the Sami.

Are you tired of quilts yet?

Merete made these fabulous peices!

Denmark and other European nations also contributed to the show. I thought this Danish one was so sweet.

I hope that you have enjoyed this little taste of what is going on in Norway. Here is one of my favorite Norwegian quilting shops: Kathrines Quilte Stue.

Norwegian Quilting organization's 25th anniversary

Would you join me for a little quilting tour? I am not going to say much because the quilts speak for themselves.



Just a little background first... I joined my friend Anne Katrine for a wonderful day of quilting inspiration. We took the bus to outside of Oslo, a lovely place called Olavsgård. It was a rainy day, perfect for enjoying hours spent indoors gazing at the most beautiful of quilts as well as shop upon shop of fabrics and notions from all over Norway.



Kaffe Fassett held a course for enthusiastic crowds on Saturday. I wish I could have been at that too. Many of the quilts were done in his fabrics. I think this one is just spectacular.



I love the reds too.



More Kaffe Fassett, more in the blues and greens.



I really liked this unusual work.



I really love how the small green squares pop out of the browns.



This stunning quilt won first prize of the juried show!

I feel a bit lazy showing you other people's work but this quilt show will be continued...

Better late than never!

I think you can chalk last week's absence up to procrastination. I am rather ashamed to say that I started on February's Take it Further Challenge yesterday, March 1. I guess my school day habit of waiting until the last minute hasn't changed.

Perhaps I can turn over a new leaf? I am going to try. No, I will change!

Anyway, my very late mini art quilt is finished! It even has a proper hook to hang it up!

I made it using what I had: brown cotton, light blue polyester, the medium blue is silk from a blouse I once wore and loved, the blue on the fish and cream with designs are silk from a talented photographer in Oslo, Gro Jarto, who kindly offered to share some of her wonderful fabric scraps with me (silk, linen and wool), the bubbles are cotton and  also from Gro.

I didn't start out by making an underwater scene. My husband suggested it after I had begun on the quilt using Swallowfield as inspiration. My husband walked in and said that it looked like the sea so I changed things a bit and that is what it became. Yous see, Melissa had given me a Swallowfield postcard along with the gifts she showered me with. The colors on the card were nearly identical with the color scheme for February's Take it Further Challenge. By the way, Melissa has just filled her shop with bags similar to the one she made me as well as cute purses!

If you would like to see what others have made for the February Take it Further you can take a look on the flickr group.

Anne Katrine's paper quilting

Anne Katrine came over for a quick visit one evening. Sometimes that is all we busy mothers have time for, but it is far better than no visit at all!

Look at the gorgeous spring colors she is using for some quilting using paper templates.

And these squares are lovely too. Anne and I have a wonderful time oooohhhing and aaahing over each other's fabrics and hand made things.

And here is one of the stunning hand quilted bags in which Anne Katrine stashes her paper quilting project.

I am quickly approaching my 100th post and that will definitely be cause for celebration!

From Jan in Japan!

This has been a poor week for me being able to write a post! First our machine broke down for a few days and then last night something was wrong with our connection. Happily, everything is ok today but I am far behind in my correspondance. I have been wanting to thank Jan for the lovely Japanese quilting magazines she has sent me.

The top one is my favorite and I really want to show you a few of the great ideas.

Here is a close up of the amazing mini quilt on the front cover of the magazine.


Isn't this a gorgeous wreath?

I thought the animal printed on the fabric was an owl at first but the tail makes me think perhaps a squirrel? It is cute in any case.

And I really love these quilted leaves. Thank you so much Jan for your great kindness which I hope will inspire me to do some more quilting soon. Maybe some of you will be too? That is why it is so nice to share things isn't it: so we can inspire each other?!

Swap with Mai in Finland

When I saw her adorable Russian doll softies, I asked Mai if she wanted to do a swap with me. She said yes and last week I received not one but three beautifully handmade dolls. Thank you dear Mai for such kindness. Lilly has been lining them up with the ones I have made and with the wooden nesting dolls.

I adore all the little details. Mai has taken such care and time in making these for me (and Lilly).

All the hand stiching and embroidery really makes her dolls so special. Another detail that makes these dolls so nice is that they can stand on their own. The bottom of the dolls are made so that stand up without any support.

I assure you Mai that the dolls are blissfully happy here in Lilly's little brood. I get so happy every time I see one on tucked into bed with Lilly or in her stroller being pushed around. Then I think of my blog friend and how sweet she was to send those to us. I hope that she will be patient as a package will be coming her way soon.

Sweater quilt

My sweater quilt which I posted about awhile back is completed!

For the back I used a deliciously soft and supple velvet. It has a nice stretch making it a good match for the knitted side which is also surprisingly stretchy despite being felted. Lining this quilt would have been a bit much! The thick wool felt paired with the soft velvet is so warm as it is and has a lovely weight to it.

I did a very simple and near invisible tying of the quilt at the patch intersections. The sweater patterns seemed enough embelishment that I didn't want to have any ties showing.

Lilly likes to nestle down under the silky velvet. I learned a fair number of things making this quilt. Like you need a huge number of sweaters to make one. I thought it was going to be pretty large but it turned out to be a generous sized lap-quilt. My machine barely made it over some of the seams as some of the felted wools are so thick!   

A Joyous Holiday to ALL!

Happy Christmas Eve!

Here is a couple more gifts I made for family. They don't read my blog so I am safe to show them. I have been giving my Uncle beautiful woven Norwegian dish towels for years as a Christmas gift. This year I have taken the pledge to give handmade so I made him a red linen  dishtowel with cotton details.

I loved making it and plan on making more.

It should have hung out under some hot steam a bit more...

Here is another gift that has been sent off! I adore this kimono silk and wish that I had more of it. My dear cousin Mary chose it from among my silks when she was visiting last summer so I know that she adores it too. It is dyed using a method called shibori which is Japanese for tye-dying. The wrinkles aren't supposed to come out of this one! The tying creates them and becomes an integral part of the design.

I would like to wish everyone a warm and joyful holiday!

Non-holiday post

I just made this magazine holder for our bathroom. It has been on my to-do list for ages and I am so happy to have finished it!

It is of course filled with crafting magazines. My husband and children haven't started using it yet...

Somehow Lilly found some of my makeup though. She had herself a little makeup session in the bathroom. I was wondering why she was so quiet...

She obviously has a real flair for it and I can see her getting into cosmetology when she grows up.

Takk Michelle!

My patchwork swap package from Michelle arrived in the mail today! I had to use every ounce of inner strength to snap a photo of the box before eagerly ripping it open.

Look what incredible goodies I found inside!

Thank you so very much Green Kitchen for your amazing gifts! I keep looking at them and feeling so touched.

Just look at the cute mushroom topped ribbon holding the perfectly folded fabrics together! The pile of scraps is just calling out to me to start cutting and sewing. I wish I could show you every single fabric because they are all pretty or cute or sweet! Each one is something I would like to use. Michelle enclosed a hand-made woodcut printed card with a sweet message. What attention to detail and thoughtfulness!

Michelle didn't stop at sending scraps. No! She enclosed not just one handmade gift as per the agreement - she sent three! How did I get so fortunate as to have Michelle as my swap partner?! Here is the lovely pin she made for me. You can see how perfectly she has done it. I love the clip it is on as I can use it in my hair, on a hat or even on a top. Michelle recetly opened her Green Kitchen Etsy shop and sells among other things these exquisite flower clips there now!

The felt barrett is so sweet and original with its handstitching. 

To send things completely over the top in her generosity, the third gift, a hexagonal quilt block is also partially hand-stitched. I love this too! I plan to incorporate it into one of my quilts.

I was completely overwhelmed by Michelle's generosity! Thank you so very much for being so kindhearted!!!

Lily enjoyed the package too! Here she is pounding on the bubble wrap...

It is funny how getting a package full of handmade gifts can make you feel special. Maybe it is because I know just how much time and effort has gone into each and every project.

Blog delight

As I have insinuated, I am rather addicted to reading crafting blogs. Lately I have found some new ones and even asked for permission to share a few photos with you! The following 3 photos from Alabama Chanin:

The patchwork quilt above is vintage and appliqués were artfully applied to repair holes. Jude is also gracefully mending holes and definitely worth a visit.

I like the roughness of her work. It reminded me of the rough beauty of my winter flowers nestled among dried leaves and pine needles in our back yard.

There are a few other blogs I want to share.

Merruli's - from Finland! I hadn't ever seen a Finnish crafting blog before a few days ago and was enchanted by it.

Ashley Anna Brown makes the most delightful little creatures. I have also taken quite a liking to the various birds made by Ann Wood. I am too big to play with stuffed animals but I really want some of these!