Hand quilting

I've learned some of the secrets about hand quilting today, and it's so much fun!
This is what I did today, on the class Hanne teached. It's a bit tricky to get the control of the tiny needles, but once you've managed to do, you just wanna go on and on and on... Addictive!!!
I am quilting with a silk thread in silver with a touch of blue. Look forward to wash the quilt when I'm done quilting, to see the result.

Happy sewing:o)
Laila

Happy Birthday to my two Hearties:o)

My two youngest boys are 12 years today! Wow! The time really flies!
I've been busy baking the chocolate cake they asked for today, and decorated with some baloons inside the house, and some outside of the house before they return from school.
So no sewing for me today:o)
But that's ok, I'm gonna be busy sewing the rest of the week end;o) I'll share that with you tomorrow and on Sunday, when I get back from Hanne's classes.
We are having our family over for dinner and cakes later today, and I hope the kids will have a great day!
Outside it's snowing soooo much, just had to catch a pic of it! Winter Wonderland... I like the snow, and don't mind it's a lot of it coming, but I hope it will be some sunny days too, soon:o)

Wish you all a great week end, and happy sewing:o)

Laila

Finally the DJ top is done!

Got to sew this block (D-9)this morning, and now I've finally made my goal on making the top for the hand quilting class next week. This is how the top turned out:
I regret making the sashing so wide between the blocks, but no way I'm redoing this one! I'll just have to figure out some quilting pattern now, and I think I'll be using my scallop template to make scallops on the border. That is why I made the outher border so wide.
I've really enjoyed making these blocks, even if it takes a lot of time and is a lot of work.
But I've learned my lesson about heat and ironing... I ironed some of the blocks too much, and it shows... And I did use two different shades of the background fabric... Guess that's not so smart... But it is so difficult to see when it's a bit bad light in the evening (and nights hi-hi).

I've also managed to do some embrodery this week end. Yesterday the postman brought me a package with an embrodery kit I ordered. It's a small one, but oh so small stitches... But I just fell in love with it when I saw it, and you bet I'll frame it and put it up on the wall :o)
Isn't it sweet? It mesures 5" x 7".

Another DJ-block done:o)

Even with a migraine, it is possible to do some sewing. I was so tired of the headache today, I just continued stitching on another DJ block. I'm not the type that can sit still and doing nothing... I did this block, and it did'nt take such a long time like the others, so now it's only one block to finish for my top. I'm not going to do that tonight, but hope the day tomorrow will be a more productive day when it comes to sewing...
(Ps! I forgot to check the book for the coloring of the pieces, and did it wrong, but I'll keep it this way)
Happy sewing:o)
Laila

Some Dear Jane again

Today we had a lot of snow again, so it's really nice with all the white snow. Cannot help it, I like snow! It all looks so clean then.
I went with my two youngest boys and a friend of them, outside today, and it's so great to see them having fun in the snow with snowboard and snow racers. We are so lucky to have a great place so close to our home, with a great hill where they can have a lot of fun. It's also lights surrounding the place, so we can go there after dark too.
After spending some time outside, we went home and made hot chocolate and salty biscuits with cream cheese and grapes. So cozy!
I got to do some sewing earlier today, before we went out. But later tonight, I got to piece together the Dear Jane block nr C-5. It was a bit tricky to get it even, but I'm pretty satisfied with the result. Now I only have two more to do for the little wallhanging I am going to do. I'm going to hand quilt it when I'm going to Hanne's class next week end, so I just have to hurry up a bit, to get the top ready. I like the hand quilting so much, because it looks more antique then. Cannot wait to start learning how to do that!

Some projects finished:o)

Awesome MySpace Graphics & Myspace Layouts

Finally I got some projects finished! I finished the red and light baby quilt. It mesures about 221/2" x 291/2". I also finished the little toiletry bag. I did some changes on the toiletry bag,

because I didn't have a zipper that fitted the original size... I also used the scallops template, and changed the top. Since I had alredy cut the corners, it is a bit wide in the bottom, but lessoned learned:o)
I did finish knitting the socks for my boys too, but I have to tie up the threads before I can call it a finish:o) So I'll post them later.

A couple of days ago I got the first pattern from Giggle Button,
and it is a sweet little bag with a beautiful stitchery. I am going to trace the stitchery and start on it tonight. In my neighbourhood, we ladies meet once every other week, and I usually have some hand stitching or knitting with me. I actually I do that no matter where I go... :o)

Finished the quilting

I finally got to quilt this one, and I ended up just quilting some tiny swirls/loops on it. Not the most advanced quilting, and a bit difficult to see when I quilted white on white, and red on red... Well, better finished than perfect as they say:o)
I am going to do another one, and I will try to come up with some more exciting quilting on that one. I did get a bit tired of all the small loops to be honest...
Now it's only the binding that's left, and I'll get to that one tomorrow I guess:o)

A challenge

I have recieved a challenge from Hanne and Laila.
The challenge goes like this:
Pick out picture nr. 6 from folder nr. 6 on you pc.

My picture is one I actually forgot about. It is taken with my camera outside the house we moved from (a year ago). It is a pic of the sunrise at 08.48 in the morning 31.10.2007
I really like this photo, but I'm glad I have an even lovlier wiew where I live today:o) Where we live now, we are having the most wonderful scenes of sunrises, sundowns, wiewing the thunderstorms in the summer and a lot of other things that goes on in the sky.

I will send this challenge forward to Darcie, Hannequilt,Abyquilt, Gro and Julie.

This last week have been a looong week, with not much sewing. But I look forward to get some sewing done after a lovely dinner today, and I am going to continue on some of the projects i want to finish for the challenge I joined, and maybe some quilting on the little quilt with stars I am soon finished with.
I have some new ideas on the quilting, and I am going to make a practice piece to try it on.

Quilting...

Finally I got to quilt a little bit on my little quilt. I did some tiny meandering on the stars, and now I'll have to figure out how to quilt the blocks, around the stars. I'm not shure I want to do meandering here, and how much I want to quilt it. if I quilt a pattern that fills all the space between the stars, i am afraid the quilt will look a bit boring... and maybe flat. Don't you think? Anyway, i did cut for 18 more blocks of these. I want to do a larger quilt using this red and lights. I really like them a lot! It would look nice with a scrappy border surrounding the star blocks.
The next days will be filled with a lot of other things than sewing and quilting, because we are having arrangements at work that will keep me busy Wednesday and Thursday. But I'm off work on Friday, and that will be a looong sewing day for me:o) Look forward to that!

Some red and white with a scrappy look :o)

I've never used much red fabrics in my projects, but this week end I used
only red and white in a little baby quilt. I have been buying some red fabrics now and then, to get to use them in a quilt. I want to to a quilt in red and light fabrics, with the four patches, I really like those tiny ones:o) I bought the Buggy Barn book "Gone Crazy", at Quiltegården in November last year, but haven't had time to use it before now. I love the crazy looking stars, and started cutting yesterday. I finished piecing the bocks today, and joined them into this little quilt.
The only trouble is, I cannot figure out how to quilt it. It's been too long since I did practise freemotion quilting, and I gave up after I tried two times... Guess I'll have to practise som more before I get any further on this.

Playing around

I have been playing both with Picasa, and with fabrics today:o)
I got to finish a block from one of Judy Martin's books. A scrappy star of course!
This was a really tricky block, but now that I've made this first one, I know how to do it. The tricky part was to find out which way to iron the seems. I love this block! Even if it's a tricky one, and the cutting is a lot different than I usually do it.
Just because i played with it in Picasa, I did add two pics of my baby quilt as well:o)
Hope to finish that one by the end of February!

Some more progress

Yeehaa! Today I finished my "secret project". It's a project for Easter... That's all I want to share for now, but you'll get to see it soon:o)

I also finished some more rows on the "Smokey mountain stars" today.
Now 6 rows are sewn together, and just a few more to go:o) I like this scrap quilt more and more, and I am already thinking of what to to when this is finished.

Some time ago, I saw the most beautiful quilt over at Julie's blog. I just fell in love with it, and she gave me the name, and posted a picture of hers and the progress on it. Take a look, I bet you'll feel the same way i did!!!

It's called "Girls Day Out", and it's a BOM project. I got my first block from Kirkbride Quilting a couple of weeks ago, but have not had time to sit down with it yet, BUT I WILL SOON!!! I have never seen this before I spotted it on Julie's blog. So it will be fun to see if any of you others will join us too:o) Right Julie?

I tried to change my blog a bit today, but I cannot figure out how to get the color of the background wider... Any of you have figured out that? If you can give me a hint, I'll be more than happy!!!

Whish you all a great week:o)

My goals for February

I have made up my mind about what project I will finish for the Challenge 2009/February.
I have several things laying around in my seewing room, so it's not hard to find some UFO's/WISP's... :o)

My first one is to finish up this wool socks (Selbusokker) for my kids. Have been working on these this winter, between sewing. They don't look so big, but they are for my big feet boys:o)

Next one is a toiletry bag. I did get this far when I started on it, two years ago... Guess it's about time for me to finish it...




The third one is a baby quilt i started last week. I found all the half square triangles in my scrap bin, so I just had to square them up, and cut the sashing. Even the corner stones was lying there, precut... :o) The half square triangles was "left overs" from a quilt I did sew a long time ago (August 2007).
I pieced the last pieces today, and I am not shure to leave it this way, or to add an outher border before the binding. I am making a binding with some of the fabrics already used in this quilt. I made this just to have something to get to practice some freemotion quilting.
I could just quilt it crosswise both ways, or do some more intricate stuff... Guess I'll have to figure it out before the end of the month :o)

I really look forward to see what you other ladies are going to work on this month.