Inspired by Lynne....

Spending two whole days with Lynne and Kathrine, one is bound to create something..
When I got home on Sunday evening I was about to burst with inspiration, so I chose to make one of her pillows....



I made this one, and I plan to make another one as well - two of a kind ;-D


Here is a detail.... I fell in love with that lace, so I knew I had to use it on something very soon.... I think it turned out very nice....


Last Saturday I went on a quest to find the new Tilda book..... The shops I visited hadn't got it yet, but I did manage to get it on Thursday though...

I didn't spend last Saturday alone in the city of Oslo.... I met up with Anne Ida of Quiltoholic.... We spent many hours together, realising we had a lot in common :o)
It turns out we don't live far from each other...... Maybe we'll get togehter for a sew-along.... ;-D


Here is a sneak peak.... It's full of wonderful things to make - it's instant Christmas between two covers!!!


I found this fabric when I was at Kathrines on Friday... I fell for the delicate colours and the woven pattern.... Holly Hobby brings out the nostalgia.... Perfect for baby blankets!!!

Addition, Sunday 21 October.



Happy Birthday Ellen!!!
She is my sister-in-law..... She makes all these artistic animations, so I made her a pillow for her birthday, but instead of placing a picture of some Renaissance relic, I used one of her own pictures.... I believe she was quite pleased with it ;-D

Wish you all a wonderful week!!!!

A bit of everything.....

Yesterday I ordered the latest book from Amy Butler: Midwest Modern.

I loved her previous book, In Stitches - I haven't gotten around to sew anything from it yet, but I read in it all the time... The pictures and colours are spirit lifters, and these days I really need that.



Early last month I took on a commision to sew four curtains and two Roman Blinds, boy do I regret this..... Then again, as the stubborn gal I am, I threw myself at the task today, not knowing where it will take me.... Emotionally I'm a wreck...

Do you remember how it was when doing your homework was somthing you really didn't want to do...... and then you used all your time to avoid it... or worse, doing it sloppy and having to do it all over again??? That's my state of mind.... I keep hoping my state will improve.....

Allright, enough with the whining.....



For the newest member of our family, I've made a vintage-teddy blanket. Her name is Pernille, she is my husband's niece, and was born in August.


I still have the batting and binding to do, but I wanted to show it to you now...

The teddy's faces are hand stitched... The pattern is from the book "Applikasjoner" by Tove Fevang






A week ago I found this tutorial for a different way to use a ninepatch...
This will be my next project, hopefully I can start sewing very soon, just have to overcome the curtains..... I have picked out the fabric though.....



I'm off to the curtain sewing, wishing you all a wonderful weekend.... See you at the other end....

Winnie the Pooh.......

Finally - I have completed the Hundred Acre Woods quilt for my three year old. As you all suspected - she loves it and is thrilled with it. She uses it whenever she sits on the couch watching Disney - If it was up to her, that would be all the time....




She is overly facinated by all and everything that has to do with The Hundred Acre Woods and the tales of Winnie the Pooh...




She discovered him at the age of 10 months..... We were tidying her sister's room and she sat in her chair watching - then suddely she started a commotion like nothing we've ever heard. Nothing we tried would do - then we realised she was staring at the Pooh sitting on top of her sister's bookshelves..... Needless to say she was exstatic when she got it. She can not be without him....















This Sunday has been a foggy and windy day. We had some friends with their children on a visit :o) For a greater part of the afternoon, the dads took their girls, all three, to the nearby playground - where they had a blast....
When they got back I had made these.....



A chore for me this evening is to go through as many of these magazines as I can. I seem to accumulate these in bundles. Anyone else who has great piles of magazines taking over the bedroom and the livingroom???




Luckily I can work through them while wathcing a sunday movie ;-D Some of them I hold on to for a year - the rest of them - I take out the articles that interest me and put them in bound portfolios.



I have always enjoyed organising, so there are several of these books in my shelves. They take considerably less space than the loads of magazines - and really - there are usually only a few articles or photos that catch my attention......





This picture is from my walk yesterday. The light was perfect and for a few moments the wind didn't blow.....

Whish you all a wonderful week :o)

Marimekko

Hello - anybody there???

The week before this, was a foggy one - somehow I managed to catch a cold....... and we all know what that means...... no brainfunction, a sore throat, running nose, the head feels like a balloon..... Well, I'm all better now :o)

Let's talk about something more fun......

In June I made this Roman blind in Marimekko fabric, for some friends of mine. I resently got some pictures of it, so I thought I'd show them to you.

I'm very pleased with it, thankfully so are my friends ;-D . This really gave their kitchen that finishing touch...

I always find it challenging to sew the dowel-pockets that runs broadwise- straight... It looks like I managed just fine....... :O)

I've made these two wedding cards, I was asked to make them for a friend of a friend......

So what else have I been up to???

I have started on the Hundred Acre Woods blanket for my three year old.... here's a sneak peek...

All the drawings are now replaced by appliquéd versions of the residents ....... I hope she likes it, you never know in that age, and they are quite frank about it too...lol... I'll show you the rest when its finshed

;-D

Wish you all a wonderful week!!!!!

Karate, rain and a bit of sewing....

Hero by day - hero by night. That was the camp motto.
So whatever we did during the day, had to be at a level that made it possible to be sociable by night. On the other hand, the evening social life couldn't intervene with the daily activities, so when the session began - you were there...


We stayed at Fredtun Folkehøyskole, in Stavern in the south-east of Norway.


We did have a lot of fun - and very sore muscles. Didn't get bruised, but I did get in close contact with the floor on several occasions..... There are no pictures of me from this camp, since I tend to hold the camera.....


This is my sister going for her green belt. She and the three others from our class did perform a strong grading, and they all got their green belts :O)



Karate is a sport that gives you more than just a way of excersising, it's a way of life. The syllabus gives you something to reach for, and then a higher grade will come to you when you are ready.......

I didn't get any sewing done while I was away. When I wasn't training or eating, I was sleeping..... 2 times 1 1/2 hour activity four days in a row makes you go for all the sleep and rest you can get. Beeing social was part of the program, so no extra rest for the wicked....



I managed to sew this last night - it went very slowly.... I should be able to sew one block on an evening......


Since my return on Sunday evening it has been raining. On Monday we stayed inside and had a home-movie-day. Yesterday we got dressed and went out in the rain... It was quite refreshing......

I must say I am in awe of mother nature. Even on a bad day, she tends to be outstanding.


It gives a feeling of tranquility and ease. You can loose yourself to it and it will fulfill you.... It's a place to rest the mind and the eyes.....

When we got home and out of the soaked clothes, I put these in the oven. Getting dragged outside in bad and wet weather by you parents, there has to be something to look forward to. They got hot coco and buns for lunch :o)

I hope you all have a good holiday in spite of the weather, or maybe because of it.......


Lots of love to you all!!

Inspiration

So where do you find inspiration?

My primary source is interior magazines. I always rip out the pages or pictures with colour schemes I like. I buy A LOT of magazines, there is always something new; colours or patterens I never would imagined could work together.

An unexpected fabric combination can really set me off. Serendipity is always welcome....

The changes in season is always inspiring and can really boost my creativity. Something new, something fresh, or just the need for darker colours when summer fades into a late fall....

Other people's homes can also be inspiring. The pictures below are details from my sister's flat. The purity and simplicity of the interior made me go looking for similar fabrics to create that same delicate feeling.

Creativity

What I make is not very original, but it's mine - I made this.
There is something very satisfying in working with fabrics. I'm very happy when I can lose myself in colours and textures. It makes me feel alive, I'm floating.

The bubbly feeling that hits me when I see a piece of fabric; an old picture, a napkin, the flowers outside the flowershops, the cover of a book, tells me that there is an idea on its way. The euphoric notion of inspiration- it's the beginning of a new process, who knows where it will take me this time???

I find this both exciting and frightening at the same time. My projects seem to take on a life of their own. I just hope that in the end the result will be something I can approve of. Of course there is always room for improvement. To push the envelope, I attend, given the opportunity, workshops that challenge my comfortzone and make my mind expand just a little further.