UFO busting!

Last October I attended a class with Mrs. Moen , it was a so called mixed media quilting class. It was a speedy weekend with no rotary cutter or rulers, just a lot of fun and inspiration. I produced quite a lot of UFOs, and they have been stashed away until I was forced to do something about them.

Here are the two small wall hangings I finished a couple of days ago: Paper Flowers and Traffic Light.

The one to the left consists of a thin curtain-like fabric, a layer of different colored thin paper torn in pieces, thin batting and backing fabric. It was quilted with multi-colored parallel lines, and finished with a scrappy green binding.

The traffic light is made of thin paper cut with a dull scissor, organza and tulle on a white background. Different types of yarn are attached as decorations. Also this one is quilted with parallel multi-colored lines, and it got a scrappy purple binding.

Detailed picture of Paper Flowers:

Traffic Light:

This was a very fun class to attend. All of the participants were speed-sewing, and we challenged our way of thinking and sewing. It was very relieving to just "throw away" the concept of straight lines and thorough measurement, and just use the inspiration and live in the moment.

I have a few more of these projects to complete, and they will also be displayed on my blog.

Until then: Stay inspired!

2012 Aurifil quilt top completed!

It took me a few months to assemble the quilt top for the 2012 Aurifil designer of the month , stitcheries from 12 different designers; one block released each month last year.

I really enjoyed making these blocks, and I am very pleased with the resulting quilt top. Here are some pictures showing off detailed stitcheries, and the complete quilt top. The final assembling and quilting is standing next in line.

Here the top is in all its glory, with a kind of wild "wooden" fabric as the surrounding frame.

Happy Birthday, Norway!

Today, May 17, it is 199 years since the Norwegian Constitution was signed. We celebrate this as our National Day.

Piecing away

During the last few days I have made a lot of progress in my piecing. Two quilt tops are completed, but I will only show one off in this post. The top is sort of a secret, but now is the right time for revealing the design. I had all the approx. 100 blocks made earlier, and sewed them together last Thursday. That was a marathon; I felt exhausted when it was completed! But it was all worth it, the resulting quilt top is good-looking!

Here it is on my porch early Sunday morning. I am sure DS2 will be happy to receive this when the quilting is done.

The quilt is twin size, approx. 64" x 92". I used scraps for the 16-patches, trying to keep them in a masculine color way. It consist of a lot of old shirts, but also some brighter squares. I even found room for leftover backing fabric from Easy Street.

I used dark grey and white as the solids. I love the way the secondary design of the stars stands out! You may have to look close to see that. The backing and batting is ready, and quilting will start as soon as possible.

I am really happy with how it turned out, and I hope the recipient will enjoy it as much as I do.

Here is a picture taken inside, but I really prefer the first one. An outdoor picture taken on an overcast day justifies the colors and design in a much better way.

Now I can relax and wait for my sons to come home for summer vacation. But, knowing myself, I will not be able to stay away from the sewing machine for a very long time!

The barns are multiplying

Lori Holt's Quilty Barn Along is on it's steady way to completion. So far I have made three blocks, here is Barn #3:

I have not yet decided if I will make another one, or be happy with three. The row of barns will be a wall hanging on a 3/4 high wall we have between the living room and the kitchen. I think the quilty barns will look good in that space.

Here the row is spread out on the floor. Eventually, there will be sahsing and border around when the quilt is completed. I am looking forward to the final result!

Aurifil May block

The May block in 2013 Aurifil Designer of the Month was a simple one to make. It reminds me of the pinwheels the kids carry in the May parades; bright and cheerful.

Celebrating a day off work

1st of May is a National Holiday in Norway. It is nice to get a day off work in the middle of the week. What else to celebrate the day with, but to do some quilting?! The result is a quite big mug rug in red, white and blue in the center panel; the colors of the Norwegian flag.

We are celebrating our National Day May 17, and this mug rug will fit in perfectly. I worked on my FMQ skills, and made a few flowers, and a swirly border around the white fabric with musical notes. Musical notes are just perfect for the backgroud of the hexagons, since May 17 is just filled with music from school bands in the parade in each city or little town in Norway. The black fabric in the outer border may illustrate all the balloons that are up in the air this day. I like the effect in the binding; small pink sunrises on red bottom.

The center panel is made using my Hex N More ruler. This is my first attempt using this one. I guess I will use it more soon, but this time on a bigger scale. (The hexagons are 2", and the mug rug is approx. 6" x 10").

Earlier this morning I would not have been able to take this picture on my porch, because when I looked out the entrance door it looked like this:

Snow in May! A thin layer, though.
My lawn looked like this:

I am sick and tired of the snow. Fortunately, it was all gone in a couple of hours. I want spring to come right now!