Intuition Quilt, Day Eleven+Threehundredandsomething

Day 10 of my Intuition Quilt posts came and went in silence last year; I don’t even remember what I was supposedly documenting through the Day 10 pictures which I found stored on my computer. Anyhow, I do recall how I wanted to quilt the top almost a year ago; that is I didn’t really want to quilt it at all as I loved the crisp lines of the fabrics as they were, but since it’s not a quilt until it’s quilted, I had a firm idea how it would be.

Three colours of variegated thread were purchased back in March as I couldn’t make up my mind in the store. And of course I needed three spools of each of them just in case the quilt would stretch to king size during the process or something. I would have been surprised, but prepared. I should add I rarely buy thread for specific projects any more, but use the ones that I already have. Seriously, I’ve got enough.

Looking at the top with fresh eyes I have decided to use all three of them, starting with the brownish on the bottom border.

Marking the quilt design wasn’t much of a job.

All I need is a few of these little fellows

which will be spending most of their time up here

and a few seconds down here every now and then.

It has been a long time since I have been this much excited about the quilting itself. I started this project on January 10th 2011, so it’s about time it got finished I’d say.


Happy quilting!

Bobbin along

While I was setting up my machine for power quilting the Intuition Quilt, I was reminded about something that has come up several times while out and about with other quilters – how do you wind your bobbins/the mystery of the bobbinholes. You see, I always thought I had figured them out, but as so many others have been surprised to see me doing this, I wonder if I got it all wrong.

I start winding my bobbins by threading the thread through one of the holes in the bobbin (my bobbins have two of them) from the inside and outwards (sorry about the hard to see thread; I should have wound an orange bobbin for these pictures),

I hold on to the thread while I start winding

and snip it off when it’s safely secured.

I always assumed this was why the bobbins have holes; isn’t it?

Resting on laurels Day

Today I’m enjoying the fruits of yesterdays labour.


There’s a cutting plan for all these gorgeous class samples fabrics in progress; I only need one or two pieces from each fabric so it won’t be a long one.

These fabrics will become the baby quilt for the new grandson (I’ll need to find some cuter blogging names now that I will be blessed with two).

Daughter and I picked out these a while ago,

and I have added a few more to the merry mix like the animal print and the owls.

Time to clear the table and start cutting; have a wonderful day even if you have no laurels on which to rest (it sounds very uncomfortable so good for you if you don’t).

Ironing Day

Do I have to say more??

Diving in

I have dug out this box from under piles of vintage table cloths and fabric assigned to quilt backings. Oh man, fabric should come with a warning; it is heeeaaavy! The (totally unappealing) box was a birthday present from husband (very generous/in dire need of an idea for a birthday present) back in 2005 and contained one half yard of every Kona cotton fabric at the time (totally awesome). This was before the new and improved web site of Hancocks of Paducah and took me ages to order, one colour at a time. Yes, it’s true; I had to order them myself. Poor me, right.-) Anyway; it is the perfect go-to-stash for almost anything, but it has been resting for a while.

Now it’s time to start using some of the gorgeous new fabrics that have yet to find a home in boxes or drawers (saves time rearranging my stash to make room for them), and pair them up with a few of these delicious solids.


They are all washed; I wish they were all ironed as well...

Inventory Day #2

We had barely started writing 2012 when I already felt overwhelmed by all the projects I would have to finish by the end of April. I got myself a Moleskine journal and started taking inventory; just jotting down all the ideas I had buzzing around in my head (you have no idea how busy it gets up there sometimes; no voices though so no need to call men running with butterfly nets; just saying).

Then I started making a list based on deadlines, and played around with my ideas; sketching, writing, calculating. It’s strange; no matter how many notebooks and journals I have I always fall back on simple gridded sheets of paper. However, we have piles of coloured copy paper, so I have been using bright yellow paper for printing my appliqué designs. Way more cheerful than plain old white I’d say!

It was still too much on my list, so I started cutting projects. Cut, cut, cut; if I don’t really, really, really have to make it, it’s not on my list. I feel better already.

Some projects survived the cuts and made it to the list for the next 3 months:
- Quilting the Intuition quilt for daughter’s birthday two weeks from yesterday.
- Creating a new class concept with gazillion samples and instructions.
- Make a family quilt for the new grandson for his Christening on April 1st.
- Make a baby quilt for the same grandson.
- Make a couple of long overdue patterns.
- Play a lot with scraps and shapes and have fun.


I am very pleased to see my shortened list and the bzzzzing sound is almost gone; now to work!

Sunday stroll

It has been a while since I brought a camera on a Sunday stroll; pretty much because it’s been a while since I did a lot of strolling on a Sunday. However, yesterday daughter and grandson invited me for a walk around our favorite recreational area. I was totally in a fabric induced coma, but thankfully I went along because the fresh air and lovely company did me all kinds of good. There were lots of people out strolling, but I don’t mind; fresh air is fresh air. It was getting quite dark before we made it all the way around the lake, and for once I was not the only slow one with daughter being 7 months pregnant and all. Grandson put some extra miles behind him running back and forward all the time. Oh how I wish I had a little of his energy.

We made a few pit stops on our way; some at playgrounds,

others to enjoy the shapes and reflections of nature

and the dummy tree

and the glass dome at the art museum.

Brilliant stroll indeed!

And a 600th post giveaway it is!

It was such a relief to get back into my studio and create something after what seems like weeks and weeks of just a little light knitting to exercise my creative muscles! All that pent up creative energy and yearning for colour were channeled into a series of small pieces of which one is the prize for this giveaway.

“Med hodet på skrå” (roughly translates to With a tilted head) is inspired by a well known and much loved song about a grasshopper father and son and a poppy. The song is sung in many languages and the moral is that you should be happy being small instead of wanting to be bigger. Good advice indeed although I rarely have that particular problem.-)

The quilt measures approx. 7”*11” and is made from a variety of materials and techniques. I am particularly happy with the flowery sun as we don’t see it too much these days.

If you too are in need of a little colour fix in the middle of winter, this quilt can be yours simply by
- leaving a comment to this post for one entry
- and leaving a second comment if you are a follower to this blog for a second entry.


If you’re a No-reply blogger, make sure you leave your email address in your comment so I have a way of contacting you. I will ship anywhere; as long as you have a snail mail address that will be fine.


The giveaway is open until January 21st when I will draw the winner in the evening Norwegian time.


Thank you so much for reading my blog, taking your time to leave comments and not dumping me when huge parts of my creative time and energy went into work during 2011. Now the biggest chunk is done on my part, and you know, some of all that work just might be blogable after all…


Good luck to you all!

Twelve thoughts for Twenty Twelve

This is my 599th post, so my next post will be the 600th (I did the math myself, you know) and it will be properly celebrated with a giveaway for which the prize yet has to be created. I have an idea about what to make, so it shouldn’t take more than a few days.

The holidays have finally left our house. Usually I’ll clear everything away on the morning of January 1st unless we have company staying. Well, my parents left yesterday afternoon after a few days here (which was absolutely lovely (the visit, not them leaving, duh)), and now the holidays are officially over. The annual bling gifts from husband’s previous boss are safely boxed up which is good as they have snatched my favourite vest/jacket-garments more than once.

What I will miss is my new favourite table cloth inherited from mother.

It has been in my family for almost 50 years, just like me, which might explain my infatuation with the orange ladies.

I thought I might leave you with some thoughts while I watch the rain, letting my mind wander through the endless possibilities in my empty studio.


1. Small glitches make good stories.
2. Few things in life get 10 times better if you get 10 times more of them; quilts and grandchildren do (just assuming the last one.-).
3. Finding someone to care about besides yourself, whether it is a goldfish, a person or a group of ladies at the senior centre, can improve life way beyond your expectations.
4. Choosing to judge others by their best qualities rather than their worst makes your life more pleasant – and theirs.
5. If life is all about presentation, it might be an idea to look at the content.
6. Love is a fresh produce; it does not refrigerate well so you’d better enjoy it right now.
7. If you feel crappy, do something nice for someone else.
8. You should say “oh well, never mind” and let something go every day. No, I don’t mean health or personal hygiene.
9. Getting stuck is no problem as long as you know where to look for the key.
10. Holding on to bad stuff stops you from replacing them with good; flowers really do grow in manure.
11. Screaming at someone on the top of your lungs is fine – as long as you do it when you’re alone.
12. Principles are easy until you have to make difficult decisions.


See you back here for the 600th!

Peace

and goodwill to all men.

Happy New Year, everybody; may 2012 bring peace to restless souls and supplies to restless fingers!