Helmethead

I have been totally preoccupied with life-outside-blogland lately, including reading other blogs. The process of getting things in order is rather stressful, leaving my head so tight that it feels like I’m wearing a helmet. I cannot say that it’s very pleasant, so I’m glad it doesn’t happen very often.

On the positive side it looks like I may have found my new out-of-home studio space, and will hopefully sign the contract on Monday. It was not as easy as I expected, with all the vacant offices around here, as sewing machines make quite noisy neighbours and are not welcome everywhere (read most places). I’m crossing my fingers that I can move in on April 1st and move on to the next step.

The studio is an “inside space” with no windows except for a few narrow skylights; my very own quiltcave. It’s quite funny as my mother made a comment this Christmas about how I find my inspiration within and could work in a cave, and now I will – sort of. While my daughter found the windowless space a bit claustrophobic, I found it rather comforting, and imagine what you can do with all that wall space.

Tomorrow I’ll be heading southwards to Kristiansand for the annual meeting of the Norwegian Quilt Association, filling my car with stuff. The good thing about driving yourself is going directly from home to the hotel, the drawback is that you bring everything and then some, and I most certainly am. Better safe than sorry, right.

The finished Branch samples are packed (WIPs posted here), but I’m bringing only pillow covers, not the forms. A part of the class is demonstrating different ways of finishing the panels, and it’s so much easier to show and not only just talk about it. This is the Fall Branch pillow with the wool boucle from this post

I have a hard time deciding whether it’s cool or weird, but there it is

and look, it has a zipper closure on the bottom.

One of the Spring samples is also made into a pillow, using the background fabric as a border

and it has an (almost) invisible zipper closure on the back.

The Winter Branch is finished

with a regular binding made from the background taffeta fabric.

I love the striped backing with all the quilting lines running in the other direction.

The last Spring sample has a invisible binding in progress attached so that I can show the different steps. It would look better finished, but then I would have to make and bring yet another sample.

I’d better get on with packing clothes and such; as pretty and warm the quilts may be, I cannot wear them for dinner, can I.

See you later and thanks for stopping by!